"Oh? Numbers advantage, huh. That where all your confidence is coming from?"
The mockery on Damian's face only deepened, and Olivia felt a nameless fire flare in her chest.
This guy was way too full of himself!
"No matter how many small fry you pile up, they're still just small fry. And you actually seem proud of it. Want me to clap for you or something?"
He tilted his head, sounding completely casual as he kept laying it on.
Here we go again.
Caitlin and Proton watched Olivia's darkening face and the obvious discomfort on Kukui and the others. Young master Damian's savage trash talk was finally hitting its stride.
Late, but never absent.
Every time they went out to do "serious" business with Damian, they'd get to hear this signature "brutal commentary," and as his own people, it was honestly a joy.
The opposing side, obviously, didn't feel the same.
"You!!"
Olivia's generous chest rose and fell sharply. She was an Island Queen, and this brat was calling her small fry to her face?
Her pride was about to explode.
"Cut it with the 'you you you.' I'm not exactly a fan of getting my hands dirty with small fry, but I'm in a pretty good mood today. I can play with you for a bit."
Damian flexed his fingers, then gestured for Tapu Fini to step forward.
Tapu Fini secretly curled her lip, but still floated ahead of Damian. Her eyes cooled into an icy, aloof gaze as she stared Olivia's group down.
"We'll go with Tapu Fini. As Alola's island guardian deity, I'm guessing you still haven't experienced what they can really do, have you?"
"I'm a nice guy, you know."
Damian's mouth curved up, showing a row of white teeth.
From Olivia's side, that smile was nothing but malicious.
"You Team Rocket brat, born evil!"
Olivia finally snapped, shouting the words. Bastard.
Calling them small fry was bad enough.
Now he wanted to use Tapu Fini to battle them? That was their Alola guardian deity.
How could there be such a bastard in the world?
"Hmm?" Damian blinked. The line hit him with a serious sense of déjà vu.
"I'm going to personally—"
Olivia couldn't hold back anymore. She pulled out two Poké Balls.
"Calm down, Olivia." Kukui's steady voice pulled her back from the edge, just a little.
"Sigh…" Nanu was still standing there with his hand on his forehead.
"Yeah. Calm down. He's clearly trying to goad us." Hala said gravely.
"Don't lose your head over what this Damian says. Caitlin and Proton, those two executives, can't be ignored either."
His tone dropped low as he fixed a heavy stare on Caitlin standing behind Damian's right side.
He knew exactly how dangerous that elegant, noble-looking girl really was.
And Proton, on the other side—Hala had never fought him, but as one of Team Rocket's Four Admins, there was no way his strength was low.
While Kukui and the others huddled to talk, Damian pulled out a nail clipper and calmly started trimming his nails.
Let them plan, then.
"Nanu, you're the Dark-type specialist. You take Caitlin."
"…Fine. But I'm not making any promises. That girl does not look easy to handle."
Nanu still wore the same half-dead expression as always, but he nodded anyway.
"We believe in you."
Nanu: "…"
What good does your faith do when I don't even believe in myself?
He smacked a palm against his forehead. This was the girl who'd put Hala in the hospital—and rumor had it she'd only used two main roster Pokémon.
Honestly, even with full type advantage, he wasn't confident. Among Elite Four-level Trainers, his strength wasn't exactly top-tier.
"As for Proton, leave him to me. Kukui, Olivia—you two handle that Damian." Hala's sharp gaze landed on Proton.
"Got it."
Olivia agreed immediately. With Kukui backing her up, how could they possibly lose?
That arrogance little Team Rocket brat—she was going to beat him into the ground, make him kneel.
"Then that's the plan."
Kukui thought it over. It was reasonable enough.
The real issue was…
He looked at Damian—the beautiful kid with that wicked edge—and the Tapu Fini floating in front of him. His frown sank deeper.
Was this just arrogance from a cocky personality? Or was there something more?
"You done with your war council yet? If you haven't finished working out your tactics, I can give you a little more time."
Seeing that they were more or less ready, Damian called out lazily.
Thoughtful of him, in a way.
"You really are something, you know that? arrogance doesn't even begin to cover it."
Olivia ground her teeth. She'd never met anyone this full of himself.
"Arrogance? No, no, Queen Olivia, you've got it all wrong." Damian raised a brow.
"Have you ever seen an adult take a bunch of little kids seriously?"
He shrugged it off like it was nothing, tone light and easy.
"Fine, fine!! Lycanroc! Gigalith!"
Olivia let out a furious little laugh and hurled two Poké Balls.
Twin beams of white light flashed. A blood-red-eyed, bipedal Midnight Lycanroc and a Gigalith landed in front of her.
Both of them were pure Rock-type.
Olivia specialized in Rock types, which wasn't exactly ideal against Tapu Fini. But with Kukui at her side, she wasn't worried.
Kukui sent out an Electric/Steel Magnezone and a Normal/Flying Braviary.
Nanu and Hala had already split off toward Caitlin and Proton respectively.
"So that was what you were discussing—who got stuck with which opponent, huh?"
Damian glanced left and right, then chuckled.
Caitlin looked at Nanu and gave him a small, perfectly polite smile by way of greeting.
Proton, staring at the old but still imposing Hala, grew visibly more serious.
His opponent was an Island Kahuna. He had to be careful.
He absolutely could not drag young master and Miss Caitlin down.
"Go ahead and run your mouth while you still can. Once we've got you, I'll see if you can still talk like that."
Olivia already felt like the win was in the bag.
"Small fry are always like this. What gave you the courage to stand in front of me and my Tapu Fini?" Damian sighed and shook his head.
"Do you not have even the slightest awareness of how weak you are?"
"Fini."
Ignoring Olivia's dark expression, Damian called out softly.
"Fini~"
The shell miss spread her arms. A pink glow flared around her, then spread rapidly over the ground in all directions, turning it into a soft, misty rose.
Misty Surge—Misty Terrain rolled out across the field.
Tapu Fini lowered her arms again, her gaze still cold as she stared down the four Pokémon opposite her. Framed by the pale pink mist, the former Akala Island guardian deity looked every inch the cold, noble queen.
"Come on, then. Let me show you what Tapu Fini can really do."