World Tree Paradise.
At some point, a grand castle had been built on the outskirts of World Tree Paradise. It stood tall and looked extremely impressive.
Damian had arranged for it to be built earlier.
The main reason was that Team Rocket in Kanto did not have a proper headquarters. Damian thought of N's castle in Unova.
As the Boss of Team Rocket, how could he not have a proper castle?
And so, World Tree Castle was completed.
"Lord Damian, welcome back."
The castle gates slowly opened. Anthea and Concordia stood behind them, bowing to Damian in greeting.
They're gorgeous.
Serena, who was following behind Damian, looked at the two women. Their presence, looks, and bearing were all striking.
"Long time no see, Anthea, Concordia," Damian said with a smile as he walked inside.
World Tree Castle had only just been completed. Anthea and Concordia were currently managing it as its housekeepers.
Damian trusted the two sisters very much. After all, they were his women. On top of that, both of them were gentle and mature. Back in Team Plasma, they were the "Goddess of Love" and the "Goddess of Peace." Their management ability was beyond question.
"You must be tired from the trip. Would you like me to accompany you for a bath first?" Anthea asked softly. Her gentle eyes reflected Damian's figure.
"I am a little tired. I'll take a shower first," Damian said as he stretched his arms.
"Concordia, take Caitlin and the others to their rooms."
"Yes."
Concordia answered. In a corner the others could not see, she shot Anthea a resentful look.
How annoying!
Caitlin watched Anthea lead Damian upstairs with a blank expression. What did she mean by "accompany him for a bath"?
It was obvious that this pink-haired woman wanted to wear Damian out!
Damn it! Damian had been traveling all day and was already exhausted!
"Miss Caitlin, please follow me."
Concordia naturally noticed Caitlin's unhappy face, but she was already used to it.
She probably understood why Caitlin disliked her and her sister, but Concordia remained very calm.
In the end, everything depended on Lord Damian's attitude, didn't it?
Besides, Concordia felt that she and her sister did not ask for much. They were not greedy, and they knew their place.
As long as Lord Damian did not neglect them, that was enough.
Concordia took Caitlin's group to the second floor. Since she knew they were coming, she had already told the servants to prepare the rooms.
Caitlin went into her room to rest. However, Platinum and the other two girls asked Concordia to show them around the castle.
"This castle is ridiculously luxurious. It really does feel like a king's castle," Alexa commented while taking photos.
Even though it was called a castle, the area it covered was actually no smaller than an average village. It was enormous.
"Because Lord Damian ordered it. Everything in the castle was built to the highest standard. Also, this castle itself is Team Rocket's headquarters," Concordia explained with a smile.
"Does anyone usually live here?" Serena asked curiously.
"Yes. Anthea and I are the housekeepers. Many servants also live here, and they are responsible for the daily cleaning. Also, Team Rocket's High Executives have the right to live in the castle."
As Concordia introduced the place, she led them into a huge conference hall.
This was an enormous meeting room. However, there were not many seats at the table yet, only seven.
Each seat had its owner's name written on it. The seat at the head of the table belonged to Damian.
"High Executives?"
"Yes. The High Executives hold the highest privileges in Team Rocket. Each of them has their own private room in the castle." Concordia nodded.
"Caitlin, Zinnia, Karen, N, Colress, Selene?"
When Platinum saw the name on the last seat, she froze. Selene?
If she remembered correctly, that was Damian's girlfriend's name, wasn't it?
So Damian's girlfriend was already an official Champion-level trainer?
"Do the High Executives come back to stay in the castle?" Alexa asked again.
"They do. Miss Zinnia has been living here the whole time. Miss Karen and Mr. N also come back from time to time to battle each other." Concordia thought for a moment and smiled.
"Only Miss Selene hasn't visited the castle yet," Concordia added.
"Miss Concordia, have you met Selene?" Platinum asked. She was not even sure why she had asked that.
She was not especially close to Anthea and Concordia. She had only met them once before. Still, she had a good impression of the two sisters.
"No, I haven't. But according to Lord Damian, Miss Selene is currently training in the Alola region, so she doesn't have time to return to Kanto yet." Concordia still wore the same gentle smile.
"I see," Platinum nodded.
Under Concordia's guidance, Platinum and the other two girls explored the castle for another half hour. The facilities here were better than anyone had imagined.
There was an entertainment room, a gym, a swimming pool, and even a private movie theater.
It is worth mentioning that Alexa had originally wanted to find Damian and "relax" a little, but she failed.
Yes, because Anthea and Concordia had already gotten there first.
That left Alexa alone in her room, feeling very bitter.
Actually, if Alexa had been willing to "join in," Damian definitely would not have minded. However, even though Alexa was a fairly open-minded older sister...
It was still her first day meeting Anthea and Concordia. Alexa still felt shy. After thinking about it, she decided to wait for another time.
Even if she had to be with Damian alongside other women, Alexa would rather do it with her sister, Viola. At least Viola was her real sister.
But although Viola was also cheerful and outgoing, she probably would not be willing to do something like that.
Two days passed in the blink of an eye.
During those two days, Damian stayed in World Tree Castle. During the day, he would visit World Tree Paradise.
Meanwhile, Kanto's internet was buzzing. The Kanto League had already started promoting the event.
The strongest Gym Leader in Kanto, Giovanni of Viridian Gym, was about to take the Elite Four Challenge!
In Kanto, Giovanni's fame was enormous. He was mature, steady, and unlike some other Gym Leaders, he was not isolated from the public. Among all the Gym Leaders in Kanto, he was especially popular.
And because of Damian, Giovanni, as Damian's father, had already trended online many times.
Before, some people had questioned Giovanni's identity. However, the Kanto League strongly supported him. Now that Team Rocket's reputation was getting better and better, the relationship between Giovanni and Damian had become a popular topic.
On Damian's fourth day back in Kanto, at Indigo Plateau, where the Kanto League headquarters was located...
On this day, Indigo Stadium was already packed.
In past years, only the Indigo League tournament could draw a crowd like this. But today was different!
At the top of the torch, Moltres's sacred flame burned brightly.
"Tsk... Once I finish dealing with the League, I really need to talk to Goodshow about this."
Sitting in the VIP seats, Damian looked at the fire in the torch and scoffed.
This was the headquarters of the Pokémon League, yet they were using Moltres's fire? That really was too ordinary.
If it's not good enough, just say so. I can get you some fire from Reshiram, right?
And if you don't want that, I can even get you some from Ho-Oh.
Using Moltres's fire here really doesn't match the status of the Kanto League.
You should know that on Team Rocket's exchange list, Moltres is currently sitting in the category nobody wants.
"?" Platinum, sitting beside Damian, tilted her head in confusion. What did Damian mean by that?
The time reached 9:00 AM.
"Welcome, everyone, to Indigo Stadium!"
On the high platform, a man with slicked-back hair, wearing a suit and sunglasses, held a microphone. His loud, clear voice echoed throughout the entire stadium.
"What is about to take place today is the Elite Four Challenge requested by the Viridian Gym Leader!"
"He will begin with the first member of the Elite Four. There will be no rest in between. He must challenge the Kanto Elite Four consecutively. If he loses at any point, the challenge ends there!"
"But if Leader Giovanni successfully defeats the entire Elite Four, then Leader Giovanni will become the new Kanto Champion!"
At this point, the announcer's voice rose sharply.
"However, this will be an extremely difficult challenge. As everyone knows, Kanto's Elite Four are recognized as the strongest Elite Four in the world!"
"Ever since the current lineup led by Lance was formed, not only has no one completed a consecutive challenge, no one has even managed to defeat the first member, Lorelei!"
"So, will Leader Giovanni succeed today?"
"Let's wait and see!"
The announcer was clearly very experienced. With just a few lines, he completely fired up the crowd.
The entire Indigo Stadium exploded with cheers.
"Alright! Now, let us welcome the challenger for the Elite Four Challenge."
"The Gym Leader of Viridian City—Giovanni!!"
Following the announcer's loud and excited shout, a middle-aged man with short hair, dressed in an expensive black suit, slowly walked out from the tunnel and onto the battlefield.
Giovanni had one hand in his pocket. His thin, slightly dark face carried a faint smile. He looked calm and steady, without the slightest trace of nerves.
"Leader Giovanni!!!"
"Go for it, Leader Giovanni! We believe in you!"
"If anyone can break through our invincible Kanto Elite Four, it can only be Giovanni!"
"Leader Giovanni! Will he win?!"
"It's going to be hard. Lorelei specializes in Ice-types, which have the advantage over Leader Giovanni's Ground-types."
The entire stadium erupted with thunderous cheers. It almost felt as if the whole place were shaking.
That alone showed just how much influence Giovanni had in Kanto.
After all, a Gym Leader taking the Elite Four Challenge was a very rare event. And as the most popular Gym Leader in Kanto, Giovanni naturally had an enormous number of supporters.
"This world really has gone crazy."
In the regular spectator section, Archer, who was disguised, could not help rubbing his forehead. He had never imagined...
His former Team Rocket Boss was actually taking the Elite Four Challenge. Was he really about to become one of the League's highest-ranking figures?
Archer truly found it hard to believe.
"Hey, that's nothing. Look over there."
Proton patted Archer on the shoulder and pointed toward the VIP seats.
Yes, Proton was here too. He had originally been at the Unova branch office. But the moment he heard Giovanni was taking the Elite Four Challenge, he flew back to Kanto overnight.
Are you kidding? How could he possibly miss something this huge?
Archer looked toward the VIP seats, and his expression immediately turned extremely strange.
He saw a handsome young man with green hair wearing a white cloak. It was the former Hoenn Champion, Wallace.
"Mr. Giovanni! Go for it!"
Wallace held both hands high as he cheered wildly for Giovanni on the field.
He looked exactly like a devoted fan. Archer found the sight almost impossible to process.
Is this... is this really okay?