Hauʻoli City, inside a café.
Cynthia sat by the window, gently stirring the coffee in her cup with a spoon as she gazed outside.
The bright afternoon sunlight poured down, warm and soft on people's skin. Passersby on the street were playing, laughing—it was a beautiful scene.
Cynthia let out a quiet sigh in her heart. But none of it had anything to do with her.
It had been a week since that encounter at Ten Carat Hill. Since this was Alola, Cynthia couldn't exactly meddle in local affairs.
So all she could do was ask Kukui and Hala to help, hoping they'd find Caitlin as soon as possible.
Even though their last meeting hadn't ended well, Cynthia still wanted to sit down and really talk with Caitlin again.
She couldn't bear to watch her little sis keep walking down a path into darkness.
She was afraid Caitlin would never be able to come back into the sunlight, to return to a normal life.
And then there was that boy named Damian…
"Hm?"
Just then, Cynthia's eyes sharpened.
Out on the street, a boy in a white shirt was walking along with his hands in his pockets, taking his sweet time.
Messy black hair, a handsome face, and that lazy, flippant air about him.
Wasn't that Damian?
For a moment, Cynthia couldn't quite come back to herself. Seriously—were evil organizations this brazen now?
Just strolling down city streets in broad daylight? He really wasn't scared at all, huh?
She even noticed him whistle at a bikini‑clad older girl walking by.
??!
Cynthia was stunned. This guy was actually flirting with girls on the street?
But once she snapped out of it, she hurriedly stood up and headed out of the café. This person definitely knew where Caitlin was.
And as a League Champion, how could she see a member of an evil organization and do nothing?
Especially when he was a dangerous Champion‑tier Trainer.
Cynthia followed Damian out of the shop, keeping a measured distance.
She'd thought things through very carefully.
This was a bustling city full of people. Even if she wasn't afraid of Damian, if they really fought here, Cynthia would worry about the battle spilling over and hurting innocent civilians.
And since her opponent was a member of an evil organization with a low moral bottom line, what if he got desperate and used civilians to threaten her—or even attacked civilians directly?
So Cynthia didn't make any rash moves. She simply tailed Damian quietly, waiting for the right opportunity.
But what was he actually planning to do?
She watched the boy in white ahead of her. He seemed to have a very clear destination in mind.
Her gaze stayed locked on him until he walked into a convenience store.
A convenience store?
Cynthia was a little puzzled, but she stayed calm and didn't follow him in.
A few minutes later, Damian came back out holding a small bag of snacks, then headed into the nearby beach area.
Under Cynthia's increasingly hard‑to‑describe expression, Damian first took out a Poké Ball and released Tapu Fini, then lay down on a beach chair.
Yep, he lay down.
This guy had come out here just to feel the sea breeze and watch the waves?
From not far away, Cynthia watched as the boy sipped juice, nibbled on little cakes, and enjoyed the sight of beach beauties.
She couldn't help wondering if this was really okay.
But soon, Cynthia froze. Because she noticed the boy in her line of sight looking right at her—and even waving.
This guy…
Cynthia's brows drew together. In front of the Sinnoh League Champion, not only did he not run, he actually greeted her?
She didn't hesitate for long. After a moment's thought, she walked toward Damian.
"Didn't expect to run into you here too. What a coincidence, Champion Cynthia."
As soon as she got close, the boy's relaxed, amused voice drifted into her ears.
"Come on, sit, sit. I bought a ton of snacks, we can share."
…Are we that familiar?
Facing Damian's overly friendly, self‑invited demeanor, even Cynthia almost couldn't keep a straight face.
"Want some of this? The watermelon juice from this place is super refreshing, and they add ice too."
Damian gestured at the glass of watermelon juice on the table.
"Fini! Fini!"
Before Cynthia could say anything, Tapu Fini hugged her own cup protectively and let out an indignant cry.
Half of that juice was hers! If he shared it with this woman, wouldn't she get less?
Cynthia: "…"
She couldn't understand Tapu Fini's words, but that food‑guarding expression and posture were very easy to read.
"Don't be so stingy, Fini. The convenience store's not far. If we run out, you can just go buy more."
Damian tried to soothe Tapu Fini. When it came to food, the shell miss was very particular.
Yeah, back at home he often saw Tapu Fini get into it with Gengar over stolen snacks.
Most of the time Gengar would just go invisible and play dead while the shell miss raged helplessly, then came to Damian sniffling to complain.
Tapu Fini pouted, but still kept a wary eye on Cynthia.
Her impression of Cynthia wasn't good. She remembered this woman.
"Thank you, but there's no need. I'm not thirsty right now."
Cynthia politely declined. She definitely wasn't here to "catch up" with Damian.
"Mr. Damian, what are you doing here?"
She kept her grip on Garchomp's Poké Ball as she watched his completely relaxed posture.
"As Champion Cynthia can see—sunbathing, listening to the waves, checking out the hotties." Damian tilted his head.
"That's not illegal, is it?"
"…"
Cynthia fell silent. Of course that wasn't illegal. The real problem here was his identity, wasn't it?
"Try not to stereotype me too much, Miss Cynthia. I might be in Team Rocket, but I have a private life too. This is just one of my personal hobbies."
Damian spoke lazily, gesturing for Cynthia to relax.
"And you can rest easy. As long as you don't make trouble for me, I won't do anything dangerous today."
In other words: as long as you don't start something, I won't either.
Cynthia was smart enough to catch his meaning instantly.
What a strange guy.
After a brief pause, she chose to trust Damian—at least for now. And in this environment… she really wasn't in a good position to start a fight anyway.
Since that was the case, she'd just have to attack with words.
"Mr. Damian, your father is Giovanni, the Viridian Gym's Gym Leader, correct?"
She didn't ask where Caitlin was. She knew perfectly well that Damian would never tell her.
"You guys must've already confirmed that much by now."
Damian took a sip of juice and reached over toward Tapu Fini.
Still chewing on a pineapple slice, Tapu Fini cooperatively picked up a piece of strawberry shortcake from the table and handed it to him.
"Why did you join Team Rocket?" Cynthia couldn't understand it.
Caitlin, Damian… they were both so exceptional, and yet…
"Tsk~ that question again, huh." Damian clicked his tongue.
"I mean, I could tell you, Miss Cynthia—if you're willing to grant me one little wish."
"Speak."
Cynthia thought it over. If it was an excessive request, she could always turn him down.
"Well, you see, I'm actually a huge fan of yours, Miss Cynthia. Beautiful and elegant, you've been one of my idols for a long time. Honestly, I've been following you for ages."
Damian sat up straight, face deadly serious as he spoke.
"…" Cynthia was silent.
She didn't believe a single word of that.
"So, Miss Cynthia… would you put on a swimsuit? I really want to see."
"???"
Cynthia stared at Damian, question marks all over her face, as he looked right back at her with complete seriousness.