"This is really too strong."
Serena looked at the smiling Akari, then at the fierce-looking Hisuian Samurott standing in front of her.
According to Akari, this was her starter Pokémon. It had actually defeated Platinum's Entei.
Entei was weak to Water-type moves, but throughout the entire battle, Hisuian Samurott had shown more than just a type advantage. It had shown outstanding combat ability.
Its sharp attacks were especially powerful. Even Entei could not withstand them.
Besides Hisuian Samurott, Akari's other Pokémon had also performed very well. Sneasler was excellent, and Ursaluna had shown incredible battle strength as well.
"..."
Caitlin did not speak. However, her expression was not very good.
Akari had only been traveling for four months, yet she had already defeated the current Platinum...
How strong would Akari be by the end of the year? Caitlin felt that even Giovanni and Leon might not be her match.
Other than Damian, the strongest trainers Caitlin had ever seen were Leon and Giovanni.
Those two were unbelievably strong. It felt as if they had already reached the limit of the Champion rank.
But looking at Akari's growth speed, she might be able to surpass Leon and Giovanni by the end of the year. No, maybe she would not even need that long.
It was truly frightening. It was as if Damian's and Platinum's talent had been added together.
Caitlin's eyes flickered with many complicated emotions.
Serena suddenly caught a glimpse of Caitlin's expression from the corner of her eye. She quickly looked away.
Miss Caitlin looks really scary right now!!
The battle ended, and the group sat down again to chat. Of course, most of the conversation was still about Akari.
During their talk, Barza and Mary finished their daily farm work and joined them.
When Damian introduced Akari, the siblings were also shocked.
But after recovering, Mary became extremely curious.
She pulled Akari aside and kept asking about all kinds of things from the future. Time passed quickly, and soon it was evening.
This time, Barza specifically prepared two wooden cabins for them. He had thought about it afterward and felt bad for forgetting yesterday.
Damian naturally said it was fine. Actually, Barza had forgotten because he was drunk and dizzy yesterday. His alcohol tolerance was very poor.
"Mom, you have to drink this. I specially brought this juice back from Hisui."
Inside the room, while Serena was taking a shower, Akari took a small wooden bottle out of her backpack and spoke seriously to Platinum.
"Okay," Platinum nodded.
"Also, Mom, you have to do your best to get together with Dad as soon as possible," Akari emphasized again.
"This..."
Platinum felt extremely embarrassed. How was she supposed to do something like that?
"As long as you're a little more proactive, Dad definitely won't be able to resist." Akari leaned close to Platinum's ear and whispered a few secrets.
Platinum's eyes widened instantly. Her ears turned completely red.
"If you use those things, trust me, Dad will definitely fall for you completely!"
Akari was very confident. The "props" she mentioned were things she had found in Platinum's closet in the future.
They were definitely things her dad liked!
"But this is really too..."
Platinum was so embarrassed that her head felt a little dizzy.
"Mom, do you like me?"
Akari pouted and looked at Platinum with watery eyes.
"I do like you..."
Platinum bit her lip. Of course she liked her. She liked this clever, lively girl, Akari, very much.
"Then you must want to see me sooner, right? As long as you and Dad get together earlier, I can be born sooner."
Akari looked at Platinum with bright, hopeful eyes. Platinum really could not resist that expression.
It was too effective.
"I... I understand."
Platinum forced herself to agree.
"Yay! I knew Mom loves me and Dad the most. Mom, you have to be brave."
"The time is almost up. Goodbye, Mom. I'm going to say goodbye to Dad."
Akari gave Platinum a tight hug, then quickly ran out of the house.
Be brave?
Watching Akari run off, Platinum bit her lip. But when she imagined herself with Damian... her cheeks immediately started burning again.
This really was too much...
"Did Akari leave?"
Serena had just finished showering. She walked out of the bathroom wrapped in a bath towel.
"Yes. She said time was almost up, so she went to see Damian."
Platinum nodded.
"You're still calling him 'Damian' so formally?"
Serena dried her long flaxen hair, a teasing look appearing on her face.
"Your daughter is already that big, you know."
"Serena!"
Platinum protested shyly. But then she sighed, looking both helpless and confused.
"Serena, what do you think I should do?"
Platinum looked at the photo of herself and Akari on her phone. For a moment, she really did not know what to do.
"You're asking me?" Serena rolled her eyes cutely.
"If Akari were my daughter, I think I'd be incredibly happy."
Akari was so outstanding, so pretty, and so talented as a trainer. Who would not be happy to have a daughter like that?
Platinum remained silent.
"Are you worried about something?" Serena asked curiously.
"I don't know how to explain it. I'm happy Akari appeared. But on Damian's side..."
"Then let me ask you this. Do you like Damian?" Serena thought for a moment and asked.
"...I do." Platinum hesitated slightly. She knew very well that her feelings for Damian were mostly admiration and respect.
But she did like him.
She had even imagined being with Damian and living a very happy life together.
"But I don't know what Damian thinks. He likes Akari very much, but..."
Platinum's words came out a little messily. But Serena suddenly seemed to understand what she meant.
"So what you're actually worried about is that Damian might only want to be with you because of Akari, and not because he likes Platinum herself?"
Serena's expression turned a little strange.
"..." Platinum fell silent again.
"You're overthinking this."
Serena felt a little speechless. She walked over to the dressing table, sat down, and gave a small laugh.
"First of all, Akari is the child of you and Damian. She is the result of your love. Akari only exists because you and Damian fell in love first."
"That's why the Akari we see now exists. You've got the order backwards."
It was not Akari's appearance that brought me and Damian together. It was because I ended up with Damian that Akari was born?
Hearing Serena's words, Platinum suddenly understood. It seemed Serena was right.
"I understand. Thank you, Serena."
Platinum suddenly felt much more relaxed. She smiled at Serena.
"You're welcome. So, are you going to Damian's place now? Work hard. Try to let me see baby Akari as soon as possible."
Serena brushed her hair and gave Platinum a playful wink.
"What are you saying!"
Platinum immediately hid her face like an ostrich. Her voice was as quiet as a mosquito.
"you really can't be like this." Serena hesitated for a moment, then decided to warn her seriously.
"For someone like Damian, you have to grab your chance when you have it, Platinum."
"Otherwise, who knows how many people are watching him. Even if Akari supports you later, your place in the family might not be very high."
Serena felt that Platinum was still far too shy.
Akari was clearly a monster as a trainer. With Akari supporting her, Platinum's position would definitely be high.
But with Platinum's personality, it would still be difficult.
Platinum: "..."
"It's not that serious..."
Platinum felt that Serena was thinking too much.
"Platinum, you come from a big family. Do you understand this even less than I do?"
Serena stopped brushing her hair, her expression turning a little strange.
"Even after finding out about Akari, Damian already said today that he can't marry only one person."
"I know, but..."
Platinum frowned slightly. No matter how many wives Damian married, they would all still be one family.
"There are no 'buts.' Do you know why ancient kings only had one queen?" Serena looked at Platinum.
"Damian isn't a king, but the principle is the same. You're kind-hearted, Platinum, so you might think ranking people by status is meaningless. But other people won't think that way."
"For example, what about Damian's current girlfriend? How do you think she'll see you, the 'third party' who took away part of her man's affection? And then there's Miss Caitlin."
Serena carefully glanced at the door and lowered her voice.
Platinum's face tightened with worry.
"Miss Caitlin has always liked Damian. You might not have noticed it, but when Akari defeated you, Miss Caitlin looked really upset."
Serena whispered to Platinum.
"Miss Caitlin has always taken care of me," Platinum whispered back.
Platinum still liked Caitlin very much, because Caitlin carried herself very well and had always treated her kindly.
"Yes, because before this, you were coworkers and friends. But after Akari appeared today, things changed," Serena said seriously.
"Platinum, when it comes to love, very few people are willing to give things up. Unless they absolutely have no choice. Even then, if you want more love, you have to fight for it yourself."
"Serena, you know a lot. But haven't you never even been in a relationship?"
Platinum blinked and looked curiously at Serena, who had been talking nonstop.
"I've read a lot of books and watched a lot of TV dramas."
Serena replied proudly.
So you're just strong in theory.
Platinum felt a little speechless. Still, some of what Serena said really did make sense. But she still felt that everyone was probably not thinking that badly.
"I'm going to take a shower first."
Platinum shook her head. She decided to shower first and think about everything later.
----
"Goodbye, Dad~"
"Goodbye."
Damian watched Akari slowly disappear. Terapagos's time-travel power had reached its limit.
However, since it was certain that Terapagos could send Akari over, there was nothing to worry about.
But he could not let Akari stay here forever. She had her own journey. More importantly, that journey was truly tied to the safety of the world.
"Galar, Paldea."
Damian looked at the world map on the table. Now only those two regions were left.
And Damian believed that taking over those two regions would not be difficult. The flow of the world was already moving forward. Right now, Team Rocket was the unstoppable trend!
Honestly, even if Damian did not go personally, it would still be fine. Sending Gladion with a group of people to develop those regions would work too.
With Rose's intelligence, he would not go against Team Rocket.
However, Damian was actually quite interested in Galar. For example, Eternatus.
With Eternatus, he could set up Dynamax energy points anytime and anywhere. That would be very useful.
Also, Damian was planning to hold the World Coronation Series next year. As the largest tournament involving trainers from all over the world, Damian wanted to prepare it carefully.
The next day arrived.
After worrying all night, Platinum was still too shy. She did not dare go to Damian's room that night. After all, the two of them had not officially started dating yet.
And that day, Damian did not plan to stay in Dahara Valley any longer.
They said goodbye to the Barza siblings, and with Hoopa's rings, Damian's group returned to Lumiose City.
Lumiose City was still full of activity. In just a few days, the city had already recovered quite a bit.
Damian first went to see the imprisoned Lysandre and the others. Unfortunately, because his dream had been shattered, Lysandre was currently in a depressed state.
Even when Damian went to see him, Lysandre was unwilling to speak.
Malva, on the other hand, was different. After Damian talked with her, she was willing to join Team Rocket.
Fortunately, Damian had not exposed her identity yet. He let her return to the Kalos League and continue serving as one of the Elite Four.
As for the other Team Flare admins, they were all very loyal to Lysandre. Damian found that rather touching. He sent all the women to work in a factory and the men to work in the mines.
Since Lysandre was still depressed, Damian simply kept him locked up for now. He could deal with him later if there was a chance.
Because they were leaving Kalos soon, Damian specifically called Diantha over that evening.
Perhaps because she knew this was the end, Diantha was especially cooperative. And then...
And then she fainted again.
The next day, Damian and the others boarded a plane back to Kanto. Besides Caitlin and Platinum, Serena and Alexa were also going with them.
Serena was going because she felt there were more strong trainers and more high-level Team Rocket members in Kanto. She could get a better training environment there.
As for Alexa, it was because of a huge story.
The Viridian Gym Leader, Giovanni—Damian's father!
His challenge against the Elite Four was about to begin!
As a special reporter for Team Rocket, Alexa was naturally extremely excited. She did not want to miss this opportunity.
Giovanni was Damian's father. A special interview with him would definitely become a huge hit!
Especially since Alexa had already asked Damian about it. This time, Giovanni's Elite Four challenge was guaranteed to succeed!
In other words, Giovanni would become the Kanto Champion!
Oh my god!
She could interview the Kanto Champion. And this Kanto Champion was also the father of Team Rocket's current Boss.
She was going to become famous!
Alexa was thrilled. She immediately stopped talking and decided that tonight she absolutely had to dress sexily. She had to make sure Damian enjoyed himself as much as possible!!