Hulbury.
Even though Hulbury was completely overcrowded now, finding a restaurant to eat at was still not a problem.
Originally, Damian wanted to choose the seafood restaurant where Rose had taken them last time. However, after hearing that they might have to wait in line for two hours, Damian gave up on the idea.
The residents of Hammerlocke had "invaded" in large numbers, and Hulbury really benefited from it. At least all kinds of businesses were seeing a peak.
After finishing the meal, Hop shouted that he wanted to spar with Platinum and Serena. Damian was also quite interested in this.
Because there were too many people in Hulbury right now, they couldn't find any empty training grounds.
So, the group went outside Hulbury. There happened to be a beautiful lake in the distance.
"Haha! This is great! My first battle as a Team Rocket Executive!"
Hop was very excited, and his fighting spirit was high. He already loved battling and Pokémon, and now he could spar with colleagues who were also Team Rocket Executives.
This made Hop very happy.
"Serena, don't hold back at all! I'm very strong!"
Hop shouted loudly to his opponent, Serena. He looked very excited.
He was looking forward to the strength of this peer from Kalos. After all, Mr. Damian had said that Serena's level was very high.
However, Hop still had confidence in himself. He was a man determined to surpass Leon!
"Don't worry, I will give it my all."
Serena took off her pink hat and tied up her long hair. This showed her serious attitude toward this battle.
Hop didn't know this was Serena's habit. He just blinked.
Well, he had to admit that Serena's movement looked surprisingly charming. Also, he felt that Serena was one of the prettiest girls he had ever seen.
She was very pretty.
But Pokémon battles aren't a beauty contest. Looking pretty doesn't mean your strength is high.
Hop wasn't interested in girls. His number one idol was Leon. He was determined to inherit Leon's will.
Women? They would only be stepping stones on his path to becoming strong!
Sonia served as the referee for this sparring match and announced the battle rules.
"Ha~ This is the best!"
Hop's expression was excited. He bumped his fists together in front of him. Then, he threw his first Poké Ball with force.
This was how Hop thought Pokémon battles became more exciting. The pose for throwing the Poké Ball had to be cool!
"My first Pokémon is this one!"
"Dubwool!"
A white light flashed. A white sheep with two long horns landed in front of Hop.
It was the evolved form of Wooloo, the Normal-type Dubwool.
"A Dubwool, huh?"
Serena looked at this Dubwool. It was a Normal-type. She wondered what its Ability was.
Serena had carefully read all the Pokédex entries. She remembered most Pokémon and their Abilities by heart.
One of Dubwool's Abilities is Fluffy. It halves the damage from contact moves, but Fire-type moves become super effective against it.
In other words, this Ability makes Dubwool weak to Fire, but it also means all contact moves will be less effective.
Overall, this is a positive Ability. After all, the range of contact moves is very wide. Any close-range move can count as a contact move. The cost is a weakness to Fire.
This was definitely a great deal. After all, Dubwool is a Normal-type Pokémon. Its only original weakness was Fighting-type. Adding another weakness wasn't a big deal.
"Dubwool is my starter Pokémon! It's the Pokémon I trust the most!"
Hop's smile was very warm. His tone was full of pride.
That's right. Although he and Gloria started on the same day and received their starters on the same day, his first Pokémon was actually a Wooloo.
"I see. Then I will also use my starter to battle."
During battle, Serena's face was usually serious, but now a small smile appeared. She was also affected by Hop's warm and cheerful mood.
"Greninja!"
Greninja landed coolly from the air. It stood up, crossed its arms, and looked at Dubwool calmly.
"Wow! A Greninja from the Kalos region? It's so cool!"
Hop's eyes lit up. This was the first time he had seen a Greninja.
How should he put it? He felt it was even cooler than his Inteleon.
"Thank you."
When a person is praised by an opponent, their mood naturally becomes much better. Even Serena felt this way.
"A Pokémon this cool must be very strong. We need to stay sharp, Dubwool!"
Hop was full of passion. You could clearly feel that he was in a state of high energy right now.
"Baaa~"
Dubwool made a low sound to respond to Hop.
The two people on the field began to battle. Damian and the others watching couldn't help but smile.
"This guy Hop really knows how to talk."
Damian looked at Hop. In this young boy, he really saw a shadow of Ash Ketchum.
If it were Ash and Hop together, they would definitely have a lot to talk about.
"Mhm~ Battling with Hop must be very interesting."
Platinum blinked her bright eyes and said what she was thinking.
Hop was cheerful and warm. He often praised others sincerely without even realizing it, saying things that made people feel good.
Battling an opponent like that was surely a great experience.
"That's just how Hop is."
Sonia put her hands on her hips, but her eyes were mostly on Serena.
Although the battle had just begun, the Greninja on the field was already "playing" with Dubwool. It used its flexible body and fast movements to dodge.
"This girl is very talented."
Sonia already sensed this.
"Of course. Serena is the most talented trainer of this generation in Kalos. There is no one better."
Damian replied casually. Although Hop was also a genius trainer, at this stage, he couldn't even beat Gloria. He certainly couldn't beat Serena, who was currently stronger than Gloria.
There could not be a second possible result for this battle.
"The most talented rookie trainer in Kalos?"
Sonia was stunned when she heard this.
Wait, how could the best rookie from Kalos be following you, Damian?
But soon, Sonia thought of Gloria, and her face looked strange.
If Serena was the best rookie in Kalos, then Gloria was undoubtedly the best rookie in Galar.
But hadn't Gloria joined Team Rocket too?
That's right. Sonia naturally had Gloria on her friend list, so she had seen that "official announcement."
This Mr. Damian...
Just then, the sound of footsteps came. Damian turned around and saw a young woman dressed lightly.
She had tanned skin. She was tall and had a fit figure. She wore shorts and a short tank top, showing a lot of skin.
Her expression was calm. Her long hair reached her hips and was kept very smooth.
"Nessa."
Sonia seemed to know this woman. She waved her hand to say hello.
Damian looked at Nessa. He had to admit that her tan skin did not affect her beauty at all.
Especially with Nessa's model-like figure.
"Sonia, what are you all doing here?"
Nessa walked over with the confident stride of a model. Besides being the Hulbury Gym Leader, she was also a very popular model.
"Hop is sparring with a girl. Oh, by the way, this is Mr. Damian, the leader of Team Rocket. These two are Caitlin and Platinum."
"Mr. Damian, this is Nessa, the Gym Leader of Hulbury. Isn't she pretty? She's the number one beauty in Hulbury."
Sonia gave a brief introduction to both sides.
The leader of Team Rocket?
Hearing this, Nessa looked at Damian. Her eyes flashed with curiosity. In fact, since Team Rocket had moved into Galar, all the Gym Leaders had received a report from the Galar League.
However, the League's message was that they shouldn't worry about it. They should just let Team Rocket develop and try not to start a conflict.
"Hello, Miss Nessa. I've heard of your name before."
"Thank you. Mr. Damian is the impressive one. To lead an organization like Team Rocket at such a young age."
Nessa shook the hand Damian reached out. Her tone was quite calm.
This was her usual style. However, Nessa's nickname was "The Raging Wave" because of her competitive heart hidden under her calm appearance.
Damian smiled at this and continued watching the battle between Hop and Serena.
Nessa didn't keep talking either. As a Gym Leader, Nessa was also a trainer who wanted to get stronger.
So, when there were no challengers, they spent almost all their time training. Nessa had just returned from a special training session. She didn't expect to run into Damian and the others on the road.
The battle continued, but obviously, the result was clear.
Although he did eventually defeat Greninja, Hop still lost to Serena's second main Pokémon, Jolteon.
"Phew! Too strong! This is just too strong!"
As if he were exhausted, Hop was covered in sweat. But his eyes were as bright as stars, very excited.
He had given it his all. But Serena had defeated all his Pokémon using only two of her main ones.
This... she was even stronger than Gloria!
"Serena, you are just too amazing!"
"Thank you. You aren't bad either, Hop. I just had good luck this time."
Serena untied her hair again. She put on her pink hat and returned to being an elegant and beautiful young girl.
"That's not it. It's just that you are much stronger than me, Serena."
But Hop shook his head seriously. He looked directly at the gap between himself and Serena.
"But I won't give up! When I get stronger, will you battle me again, Serena?"
"We are colleagues. If you want to spar, of course we can."
Serena smiled gently and did not refuse.
Besides, no one would dislike a person as sincere and warm as Hop.
"Alright!"
Hop clenched his fist, full of motivation.
"Oh? Gym Leader Nessa."
After the excitement passed, Hop immediately saw Nessa. After all, Nessa's appearance was very eye-catching.
Not only because of her beauty and slim figure, but also because she was wearing very little...
"Long time no see, Hop."
Nessa naturally remembered this challenger who had challenged her Gym.
After saying hello, Nessa looked at Serena. Her beautiful eyes flashed.
What a strong girl!!
"Speaking of which, the Champion Cup is coming up soon, right? Both Miss Nessa and Hop will participate. Do you have confidence?"
Damian smiled and asked Hop and Nessa.
The Galar Champion Cup is a competition for Galar Gym Leaders and Gym challengers. The final winner can challenge Leon.
"Mhm~ That's going to be a bit difficult. But I will work hard!"
Hop scratched his head.
Even he knew it. With his current level, he really wasn't sure.
Nessa shook her head, which said it all.
"Mr. Damian, the Lumiose Conference starts next month too. After the business here in Galar is finished, I want to go back to Kalos to compete."
Serena suddenly spoke.
Also, Diantha had sent her a message. She said she had found the location of Magearna.
Serena planned to catch that Mythical Pokémon before the Lumiose Conference!
That way, she might catch up to Platinum!
And, she was going to defeat Miss Diantha and become the Kalos Champion!