After hearing Damian's words, Piers' pupils shrank. His expression instantly turned cold, and he stared hard at Damian.
"What did you say?!"
His voice was raspy and low, as if the words were being squeezed out of his throat.
Marnie, his younger sister, was someone he treated like a precious treasure.
And yet, this man in front of him was actually using his beloved sister to threaten him?!
"Was I not clear enough?" Damian smiled freely. "Hand your sister over—"
Boom!
Before Damian could finish, a tall and powerful Obstagoon landed heavily next to Piers. Its scary red eyes looked down at Damian.
It did not hide its intense hostility.
This was Piers' ace Pokémon, Obstagoon.
"Tsk~ Mr. Piers, do you know what you are doing?"
Damian tilted his head slightly. He smiled slowly at Piers as if the Pokémon next to him did not even exist.
"Of course I know." Piers stared coldly at Damian. He forced himself to hide the anger in his eyes.
"Spikemuth doesn't welcome you. Get out."
"Oh?" Damian laughed.
"Even if it means losing the chance to save Spikemuth, does it not matter?" Damian spoke calmly.
Piers' cold expression did not change at all.
"Look at this town, Mr. Piers. It is quiet and lonely. Spikemuth Gym used to be a famous Gym in the Galar region. Now, it has fallen into obscurity under your watch."
Piers gritted his teeth tightly. He could not help clenching his fists.
It was true. Spikemuth Gym was once a famous Gym. However, since the rise of Dynamax, the area around Spikemuth had no Power Spots.
Piers hated Dynamax. He hated it very much.
Because of that, he had no intention of using Dynamax. But because there was no Dynamax, the pure battles at Spikemuth Gym received no attention.
Piers felt very frustrated. He did not want Spikemuth Gym to decline while he was in charge. But reality was cruel.
Piers could see no hope. Spikemuth Gym was now unknown in the Galar region. Even he was seen by the public more as a singer than a Gym Leader.
He could only place his hope on his sister, whose talent far exceeded his own. But could his sister really do it?
Piers believed in Marnie. From the bottom of his heart, he wanted to believe.
"I don't know if what you say is true or false. But even if it is true, I will not sacrifice my sister!"
Piers replied in a deep voice.
Between the prosperity of Spikemuth and his own sister, he chose his sister without any hesitation.
"So, before I lose control, get out of Spikemuth! People like you are never welcome here!"
Piers said coldly. If his logic were not holding him back, he would have already ordered Obstagoon to attack.
Clap... clap... clap...
But after Piers finished speaking, he discovered that the young man in front of him was actually clapping for him.
"Look at that. What is a good brother? A brother like this is a truly qualified one."
Damian pointed at Piers and spoke with praise to Caitlin, Platinum, and Serena behind him.
Piers: "?"
"Hey~ just treat what I said earlier as a joke. Now, Mr. Piers, shall we formally talk about how to make Spikemuth prosperous again?"
Damian turned his head and smiled at Piers.
"You..."
Piers' brain could not quite keep up with the sudden change.
"Don't worry. I am not the kind of person you think I am. Although I am indeed interested in Miss Marnie, it isn't in the way you are thinking. It is about something else."
Damian spoke calmly. However, Piers' eyebrows remained tightly furrowed.
"You want me to join your organization, right?"
At that moment, a cold voice came from nearby.
"Marnie? Why are you here?"
Piers turned around. The person who came into view was Marnie.
Damian also looked at Marnie. She was a girl with a very cold vibe and an expressionless face.
Her skin was very pale. Her black, medium-length hair was styled in a very cool way. She wore a pink dress with a black leather jacket over it. Her pale legs were very eye-catching.
This was indeed Piers' sister, Marnie.
Are these two really siblings?
Platinum and Serena looked at the approaching Marnie in shock. Then they looked at Piers, who was dressed like a ghost. They could not help feeling shocked.
The difference between these siblings was simply too great.
"I have been here the whole time. You just didn't notice me."
Marnie replied plainly. Her voice had no emotion. For some reason, her mood was not very good today, so she had not gone to special training. Instead, she had been listening to Piers sing from a corner.
She did not expect to run into Damian and his group.
Piers: "..."
"Nice to meet you, Miss Marnie."
Damian smiled politely at Marnie.
"I know you. You are Damian, the boss of Team Rocket."
Marnie raised her head slightly. She was not very tall. If she had a smile on her face, she would be a perfect sweet girl.
However, Marnie's face always seemed to carry that same stoic expression.
"Oh? It seems you have heard of my story."
Damian chuckled.
"Gloria and Hop both mentioned you. Also, didn't Gloria join your Team Rocket a few days ago?" Marnie tilted her head slightly.
Damian understood. It seemed Gloria had informed her friends about this. He wondered if she had informed Leon.
No, since Chairman Rose knew about it, Leon probably knew too. He wondered what kind of expression Leon had.
"You have a very bad sense of humor. You purposely teased my brother to make him overthink. His IQ wasn't very high to begin with. Is that fun?" Marnie said plainly.
"Marnie, I..."
Piers' eyelids twitched wildly. He reached out his hand, trying to explain.
"Shut up." Marnie glanced at Piers.
Piers: "..."
Piers awkwardly lowered his hand. He truly had no way to deal with his beloved sister. After all, although Marnie looked cold, her temper was very scary when she actually got angry.
Piers often missed the Marnie from when they were kids. Back then, Marnie was still a crybaby...
But at some point, she had turned into this cold and distant person.
"I think you have a slight misunderstanding, Miss Marnie. If I have to say it, as for you, Miss Marnie..."
Damian raised an eyebrow. Then, he leaned down slightly and brought his face close to Marnie's. A slow smile spread across his lips.
The distance between the two was now extremely close. They were almost nose-to-nose.
At this distance, Damian could clearly see Marnie's eyes. Marnie could also clearly see her own reflection in Damian's eyes.
This man...
Marnie's breathing could not help speeding up a little. This was the first time she had been this close to a man.
"I still like you quite a bit."
The boy's voice was like the gentle whisper of a lover. It made Marnie's breath hitch, and a ripple of emotion appeared in her eyes.
But in the next second, Marnie turned her head slightly. She did not continue looking into Damian's eyes.
Damian chuckled at this and stood up straight again.
"However, Miss Marnie, you are right. I really hope you can join my organization. To achieve this, I am willing to help you make Spikemuth develop again."
"If you can do it, I can join Team Rocket."
Marnie said plainly. Team Rocket was a massive organization that spanned multiple regions.
Because Gloria and Hop spoke so highly of Damian, and because Gloria had joined Team Rocket a few days ago, Marnie had specifically looked into many things.
To Marnie, joining Team Rocket was not something difficult to accept. Moreover, it could make Spikemuth better.
The reason she left Spikemuth to challenge the Gyms was to become famous and restore Spikemuth to its former glory, wasn't it?
That way, her brother would not have to work so hard.
Piers opened his mouth, but he still said nothing.
"But this is not an easy task. You should know that, right? Why did Spikemuth become like this? What method do you have?"
Marnie looked directly into Damian's eyes again.
"Of course I'm clear on that. But this isn't a good place to talk, is it?"
Damian shrugged. He looked around at the Team Yell members and the regular residents.
"Follow me."
Piers spoke up. Since his sister had already made a decision, he also trusted Marnie's choice.
Piers brought Damian and the others to his home. Piers and Marnie's family situation was actually quite good.
Piers personally poured a cup of water for Damian and the others. Then, he set the teapot down.
"Mr. Damian, since you say you have a way to solve our town's current trouble, I really want to know what your method is."
Piers was curious and also a bit desperate.
Marnie sat next to Piers. After taking a sip of water, she also looked at Damian.
"First, why did Spikemuth fall to its current state? It is because there are no Power Spots around Spikemuth. This causes there to be no Dynamax within the Spikemuth area. It is not a problem with your strength, Mr. Piers. Is that right?"
Damian leaned back on the sofa and looked at Piers.
"Correct." Piers nodded without any hesitation. He was very confident in his own strength.
Aside from Raihan and Opal, he was confident he could defeat the other Gym Leaders even without Dynamax.
Spikemuth Gym was never lacking in strength!
"Then the problem is very simple. In the end, what is missing is Dynamax. Or rather, what is missing is something that attracts the audience."
"Spikemuth has no special features. That is one reason why no one wants to come here, and why people are even moving away from Spikemuth."
Damian said with a smile.
"So how do we solve it?" Piers frowned. He certainly knew this point. That was why he worked so hard at singing. He wanted to attract travelers to Spikemuth. But the results were very small.
"Naturally, you must create your own special features. The issue of Power Spots cannot be solved at the moment. Therefore, we can only think of ways from other directions."
"First, I have researched the current Galar market. I can have my company build an entertainment center in Spikemuth. Inside, we will open a Game Corner. As long as the prizes are rich enough, there is no fear of not attracting people."
That was true. The Game Corner business was not particularly rare. But the most important thing was the prizes!
Just like the Celadon Game Corner in the past, it was famous because its prize list included Dratini and other rare Pokémon.
And now, the Alola region's famous Hau'oli City entertainment center is well-known throughout the region mainly because of the Game Corner inside.
"A Game Corner?"
"Correct. A Game Corner where, as long as you earn enough game coins, you can exchange them for Dratini, Bagon, Jangmo-o, Beldum, and many other pseudo-Legendary Pokémon in their baby forms, as well as other rare Pokémon."
The corners of Damian's lips curled up slightly.
"Huh?"
Piers was shocked. Even Marnie looked at Damian in surprise.
"What do you think?" Damian asked with a chuckle.
"This... are the resources really available?"
Piers certainly had no objection. As a trainer, he could already foresee that after such a Game Corner was founded, business would be booming every single day.
But such rich resources were no joke. He did not want a situation where the tourists had enough coins to exchange, but there were no Pokémon to give them. That would be a disaster.
"You don't need to worry about that, Mr. Piers. That is our company's problem. In short, there will be absolutely no problem with the Pokémon resources. Furthermore, their source is completely clean." Damian waved his hand.
"Then there is the second point. Since you cannot use Dynamax, we just need to find a way to use a power-up method that can replace Dynamax and make the audience willing to watch."
"Mr. Piers, do you know about Mega Evolution, Terastallization, and Z-Moves?"
Damian asked Piers.
"I have heard of them." Piers was stunned.
"Then it's very simple. Since there is no Dynamax, you can use these three power-ups during Gym challenges. This can also be used to make the special style of Spikemuth Gym famous."
"But..."
Marnie's cold voice rang out.
"Let's not even talk about where to find the items for these three power-ups. Mega Evolution requires specific Pokémon. Terastallization also requires a Tera Orb. Furthermore, Terastallization cannot be used in the Galar region, right?"
"Those are all small problems." Damian tossed a black Tera Orb and a Z-Ring with a Z-Crystal embedded in it to Piers.
Piers caught them with a blank face.
"Terastallization is not impossible to use in other regions. It's just that after use, the Tera Energy inside the Tera Orb will be completely consumed. It will need to be refilled."
"So, I will have Terapagos leave a Tera Cluster here for you. After you use Terastallization, just place the Tera Orb on the Tera Cluster to refill it."
"Then, the Z-Ring and Z-Crystal are also given to you. You are a Dark-type trainer, so this is a Darkinium Z. However, if you want to use a Z-Move, you still have to learn the Dark-type Z-Pose. You can search for that online on Alola's sites and practice it."
Damian said slowly.
As for what Terapagos was, Piers and Marnie did not really understand. But what they did know was that with Damian there, they would be able to use Terastallization.
"Oh." Piers looked at the Tera Orb and Z-Ring in his hand. He was already stunned and gave a dull reply.
"Then there is Mega Evolution. There isn't a main Pokémon on your team that can Mega Evolve. That is indeed a bit of a problem."
Damian gently played with the Mega Stone in his hand.
"So I will give you a few choices. You will train a new main Pokémon that can Mega Evolve."
"To guarantee your Gym's style, these main Pokémon must be Dark-type after Mega Evolving."
"Gyarados, Houndoom, Tyranitar, Absol, or Sableye. Pick one of these five Pokémon. Don't even consider Sharpedo. It isn't suitable."
Damian held up five fingers. As for Sharpedo, those who know, know.
Piers' eyes instantly lit up.
With lightning speed, he rushed in front of Damian and grabbed Damian's hands, holding them up. His eyes were passionate and sincere.
"I want a Tyranitar! What do you think of Marnie? She's pretty, right? I'll introduce her to you!"