"The legendary giants, huh."
Damian thought about it for a moment. Unlike Platinum and the others, Damian knew that the Legendary Pokémon in the Crown Tundra were quite different from the usual ones.
Take the Legendary Birds and the giants that Peony mentioned, for example. The three Legendary Birds in Galar were very different from the three Legendary Birds in Kanto.
More specifically, they could be understood as different regional forms.
Take Zapdos as an example. Kanto's Zapdos, as the name suggests, is a true lightning bird.
It is classified as the Electric Pokémon. Its Pokédex entry says: "It usually lives in thunderclouds. When it is hit by lightning, power wells up inside its body."
But Galarian Zapdos was very different.
To be honest, Damian felt that instead of calling it a lightning bird, it was more accurate to call it a lightning-fast running bird.
However, since the Galarian Legendary Birds were regional forms, it was only natural that their types and appearances would be different from the original birds.
And truth be told, the strength of the three Galarian Legendary Birds was actually quite impressive. Each of them even had a signature move.
As for the giants of the Crown Tundra, they were even more special.
Those were Regieleki and Regidrago! They were not even in the same league as the three titans, Regice, Regirock, and Registeel.
"Yes, I am certain there are giants sealed within the Crown Tundra. However, I don't know their exact locations," Peony replied.
In reality, he didn't know the locations of the birds, let alone the giants.
"That's fine. Legendary Pokémon are never that easy to find," Damian said with a light laugh.
But without a doubt, his words made Peony feel a bit speechless.
Peony looked at the Pokémon by Damian's side: Victini, Diancie, Jirachi, and Tapu Fini.
He also thought about the Lugia that Caitlin had used in their battle.
Peony seriously doubted Damian's claim that Legendary Pokémon were hard to find.
"By the way, Peony, as a newly joined executive of the organization, why don't you pick one of these Ultra Beasts?"
Damian never forgot about these organizational benefits.
Peony, naturally, was not shy about it. The strength of Ultra Beasts was very high, so he definitely had no intention of refusing.
Peony specialized in the Steel type, and there were three Steel-type Ultra Beasts: Kartana, Celesteela, and Stakataka.
After hesitating for a while, Peony ultimately chose the Steel- and Flying-type Celesteela.
After all, he really needed a Pokémon that could fly.
Although Kartana could fly as well, Kartana, like Scizor, had a four-times weakness to Fire-type attacks.
That was a bit hard to deal with.
"Next, go to Wyndon and contact Gladion. Take over the position of president of the Galar branch company. Then, take your subordinates and take control of the entire Galar underworld," Damian said to Peony.
Peony was actually similar to Guzma. His personality was bold and rough. Expecting him to manage a business would be quite difficult.
However, Damian didn't need him to know how to manage it. There were professional experts for management.
Peony only needed to accept the title and the role.
"Huh?"
Peony was stunned. Peonia's expression also froze.
"Damian... I don't have any experience managing a company," Peony replied after a moment of hesitation.
"It's fine. You don't actually need to do the managing. You are the leader. A leader only needs to learn how to listen to subordinates' advice and give authority to capable people. Usually, Peonia can go to the company more often to look around and learn a little."
This time, Peony understood. He just needed to be the leader in name. Moreover, the person Damian truly wanted to train was Peonia.
"Got it!" Peony agreed readily this time.
"But if our organization wants to take over Galar's underworld, won't we run into conflict with Chairman Rose?" Peony asked curiously.
"Rose won't stand in our way. He isn't that stupid. There is no benefit for him in opposing us," Damian replied directly.
In fact, Rose might even give them a helping hand.
"Team Rocket's strength is greater than you imagine, Peony. Just go and do it with confidence."
"Okay!"
Peony grinned. With Damian's guarantee, he was naturally relieved. And once he ruled all the underground forces in Galar, he would be the king of the Galar underworld.
While he would not be on equal footing with Rose yet, he would still be a very important person.
Peony excitedly left with Peonia. They needed to take a train to leave the Crown Tundra first and then head to Wyndon.
"He is certainly a person with a lot of drive," Damian said with a light laugh.
As a leader, he was very satisfied that his subordinates had motivation.
"There are many people with great potential to be found in the Galar region," Damian thought to himself.
There were actually quite a few talented people in Galar, but it would be difficult to recruit them.
Fortunately, the current Team Rocket was no longer considered an evil organization. Otherwise, it would have been quite troublesome.
Peony was one of the easiest people among them to recruit.
"No rush. Let's take it slow," Damian said, shaking his head.
After resting for a night in Freezington, Damian and the other three packed their bags the next day and headed into the heart of the Crown Tundra.
Although Peony hadn't found the exact locations of the birds and giants, he had collected a lot of information, especially regarding the birds.
Therefore, Damian set the first stop at Dyna Tree Hill.
Although Dyna Tree Hill also belongs to the Crown Tundra area, the environment there is actually very nice and there is no snow.
Dyna Tree Hill is a peninsula surrounded by a large lake called Ballimere Lake.
It is surrounded by the lake on three sides, and in the very center stands a giant red tree. It is very beautiful.
Damian and the other three sat under the tree, preparing to rest for a while and eat.
After all, they had been traveling for a long time.
"Damian, is this place also part of the Crown Tundra?"
Platinum looked at the shimmering lake not far away and felt the warm wind against her face. She couldn't help but yawn lazily as she asked Damian curiously.
She had originally thought the entire Crown Tundra area was covered in heavy snow.
"Yes. However, this is the southernmost part of the Crown Tundra region," Damian nodded.
The Crown Tundra is actually very large, so about half of the area does not have deep snow.
"I just don't know how to find the Legendary Birds. We also don't know what types they are," Caitlin said, taking an elegant bite of a small cake.
"No rush. Let's look around first. If there are no clues, there is another way."
The "way" Damian mentioned was actually to have Dark Mewtwo use its psychic powers to search the surrounding area.
With Dark Mewtwo's powerful psychic ability, it could easily cover a certain range and then use its powers to scan for strong Pokémon.
That way, they could naturally find the three Galarian Legendary Birds.
However...
"Chirp—!"
Just then, a sharp, piercing cry came from nearby.
They saw an orange figure speeding toward them like a bolt of lightning. Its running speed was unbelievably fast.
The sand and stones kicked up by its movement flew into the air, forming a trail of thick smoke.
"What is that?"
Caitlin and the other two girls were a bit surprised.
"Chirp—!!"
The orange figure that had been speeding along stopped in front of the giant tree at Dyna Tree Hill.
Its incredibly sharp bird eyes stared at the four people under the tree. Its gaze stopped on Tapu Fini, and it let out another sharp cry.
Its entire body had orange feathers, with black feathers around its eyes.
It had a long, black, pointed beak and relatively short wings. On the inside of its wings, the outside of its tail, and its back, there were black, needle-like feathers.
Its two legs were very strong, and its sharp claws looked quite fierce.
"This Pokémon..."
Serena looked the Pokémon up and down. She had never seen it before. But just judging from its fierce and aggressive aura, this Pokémon definitely was not weak.
"Zapdos. Fighting and Flying type. The Strong Legs Pokémon," Damian said with a smile as he looked at the orange running bird.
"That's a Zapdos?" Platinum was shocked.
This didn't seem right, did it?
"Strictly speaking, it is the Galarian form of Zapdos. Because its feathers make a crackling sound like electricity when they rub together, people associate it with the legendary Zapdos."
Although the reason was a little strange, that was just how it was.
And it had to be said that you really could see many characteristics of the original Zapdos in Galarian Zapdos.
It was just a different regional form, so it wasn't that strange.
"Chirp—!"
There was another loud, rough cry.
From the western sky, a black-and-red bird Pokémon quickly flapped its wings and flew over.
The feathers on its wings, the top of its head, and its tail looked as if they were burning with fierce fire.
Its entire body was black and red, making it look very sinister.
The black-and-red bird stopped in front of the giant red tree. Its oppressive and malicious gaze fell upon Damian and the three girls below.
The slight tilt of its head made it seem as if it were wondering why humans were here.
"Damian, what Pokémon is this?"
This time, Platinum seemed to have a guess, but she still was not sure. After all, the flames burning around this black-and-red bird felt very familiar.
"Moltres. Dark and Flying type. The Malevolent Pokémon. It is named Moltres because it can flare up an evil aura like burning fire."
Damian rubbed his chin as he looked Galarian Moltres up and down, nodding with satisfaction.
It had to be said that Galarian Moltres definitely looked like a villain. It was very cool, and Damian was quite interested in it.
Its appearance did indeed make it look as if it were burning with fire, but that malicious aura and gaze were completely different from the original Moltres.
Platinum and Serena really wanted to complain.
Instead, they were now curious about the final bird, Articuno.
Where was Galarian Articuno?
"Chirp—!"
There was another sharp cry.
But unlike the harsh cry of Galarian Zapdos or the rough cry of Galarian Moltres, this cry was full of pride and coldness.
A bird Pokémon flew in from the east.
This was a light-purple bird. On top of its head, it had a crown made of three purple, wavy feathers.
On both sides of its face, it had black feathers that looked like a mask, and it had a very long tail feather floating behind it.
Elegant, mysterious, and cold.
"Articuno?"
Seeing this purple "Articuno," Platinum spoke in an uncertain tone.
This was because this purple bird had many characteristics of Articuno, such as the gorgeous tail feathers and the crown on its head.
"That's right. This is Galarian Articuno," Damian nodded.
"Articuno. Psychic and Flying type. The Cruel Pokémon. The beams it fires can make the opponent's body lose its freedom as if it were frozen solid."
Hearing Damian's words, Caitlin immediately became quite interested. Her beautiful eyes looked the Psychic-type Pokémon named Articuno up and down.
"It seems our luck is very good. We just happened to run into a gathering of these three Galarian Legendary Birds."
Damian looked at the three Galarian birds gathered around Dyna Tree Hill, and the corners of his mouth slowly curled up.
"This is perfect timing. Caitlin, I'll leave that Galarian Articuno to you. How about it?"
Damian decisively began assigning the three Galarian birds.
"I like it very much."
Caitlin naturally would not refuse. Even though it was different from Kanto Articuno, Galarian Articuno was still a Legendary Pokémon.
Besides, she also quite liked the Psychic and Flying type.
"I personally like Galarian Moltres very much, so I'll catch that one myself."
"As for Galarian Zapdos, Platinum, you and Serena can decide between yourselves. There are also the special giants later, and they won't be any worse than Galarian Zapdos," Damian said to Platinum and Serena.
Since they were all here, everyone should get a share. Moreover, Regidrago and Regieleki were not any worse than Galarian Zapdos.
Mainly, Galarian Moltres had really caught Damian's eye. Otherwise, these three birds would have been just enough for Caitlin and the other two girls to divide among themselves.
"Hmm..."
Platinum looked at Galarian Zapdos and exchanged a glance with Serena. She could see the excitement in Serena's eyes as well.
"How about we use Rock-Paper-Scissors?"