The Top Floor of Rose Tower
The top floor of Rose Tower was entirely dedicated to Rose's personal office. Oleana led Damian and the others into the room.
Rose was sitting in front of a tea table. He was calmly brewing tea.
"Damian, you have arrived."
Rose stood up and came forward to welcome them. He wore a mature and very charming smile.
"Come, sit down and rest for a while. You must be very tired from traveling all the way from Spikemuth."
Rose kindly took Damian's hand and led him to the sofa to sit down.
"Actually, it wasn't too bad," Damian replied.
"Hahaha! Young people are truly different. If it were me, sitting like that for two hours would leave me with an aching back and sore muscles."
Rose laughed softly. Then, he took out a set of keys and handed them to Damian.
"As our special guest in Galar, I don't have much to give you here in Wyndon. This is a villa under my name. Please use it as a place for you and your group to stay while you are in Wyndon."
Although he only said it was a place to stay, he was clearly giving this villa to Damian.
"Chairman, isn't this too generous?" Damian asked as he played with the keys in his hand.
"As your host, I can't let you stay in a hotel, can I? If I did that, it would mean I didn't treat you well enough."
Rose's voice was deep and very sincere.
"I see. Then I will accept it. Chairman Rose, did you ask me to come here for something specific?"
Damian nodded and did not refuse. Actually, Gladion had already prepared a villa for him. But since Rose wanted to give him one, it didn't matter. It was free, after all.
"There is indeed something I need your help with," Rose said after a short pause.
"Damian, how much do you know about the legends of our Galar region?"
"The Darkest Day, the Hero of the Sword, the Hero of the Shield, and the King of Bountiful Harvests."
Damian listed those four directly. He knew Rose would understand.
"It seems you know a lot. Then I will not waste time with small talk. Damian, the truth is, I have found Eternatus. It is the source of the Darkest Day from three thousand years ago."
Rose's voice was somewhat low. This was his deepest secret. It was also his great hope for the future of Galar.
"Oh?" Damian acted surprised.
Caitlin, Platinum, and Serena also looked at Rose in surprise. But when they thought about it, it wasn't actually that shocking that someone with Rose's power could find Eternatus in Galar.
Rose's Vision for Galar
"Since the day I became the Chairman of the Galar League, I have always had only one goal. I want to make Galar big and strong. I want to create a bright future."
Rose picked up his teacup and took a sip. His voice was very smooth and magnetic.
"At that time, the Galar region was like a pool of stagnant water. The high-level officials were corrupt, and the lower levels were in chaos. Everything had to start from the beginning."
Rose felt very emotional. It was true. When he took over the Galar League, it was very corrupt.
Mustard had been defeated back then. However, as the Champion who held the longest undefeated record, he was still very popular. Why did he retire?
It was because the League Chairman at the time ordered him to lose on purpose in a fixed match. That was the final reason Mustard retired.
A regional League Chairman asking a former Champion to throw a match showed just how rotten the Galar League was back then.
"But Galar is very prosperous now. This is all thanks to your hard work, Chairman Rose," Damian said neutrally.
Damian didn't disagree. This was where Rose excelled.
Before Rose took power, Galar was definitely not as glorious as it is now. After Rose took office, the Galar Champion at the time, Peony, even left the Galar League because of a disagreement with Rose.
The pressure Rose felt back then was something outsiders could never imagine. But Rose survived it.
"I deeply love this land where I was born and raised. So, even if it was a mess, I was willing to take it over. For the Galar region, I can give up everything."
Rose gave a small smile.
"Also, fate did not give up on me. I found Oleana, and I found Leon. Everything is looking up."
Oleana, who was standing beside Rose, remained silent.
Originally, Oleana was just an ordinary female researcher. Rose had visited her laboratory and recognized the value of her inventions.
He invested in her research. Because of that, the Dynamax Band was created. The Galar region completely entered the era of Dynamax.
As for Leon, he was a genius Trainer, but it was Rose who met him and recognized his talent.
One could say Rose was Leon's mentor. Although with Leon's talent and ability, he would have succeeded even without Rose. But there are no "what ifs." Rose truly was the one who discovered Leon.
"That is good. If things continue this way, even if Galar cannot surpass Kanto, it is not impossible for it to become the second-best region," Damian said.
"That would be the best result. For me, as long as Galar can stay the way it is now, I am already satisfied."
Rose shook his head. Surpassing Kanto? That was a very beautiful idea. However, doing it would be extremely difficult.
Unless Damian was willing to join the Galar League. But that was impossible.
If Damian were truly willing to join, Rose would give him everything, including Macro Cosmos. But Rose knew that would never happen.
"However, this shining Galar region cannot be maintained for long."
As he spoke, Rose's tone became low again.
"Eh? Why do you say that?" Platinum was stunned.
"Because I have predicted that, based on Galar's current energy, it can only support the region for another one thousand years!"
Rose's expression was very serious and sad. He was truly worried about this problem.
"By then, Galar will lose its energy and completely die. Probably no one will be able to survive."
Rose was full of worry.
But hearing Rose's words, Platinum and Serena widened their eyes. They looked at Rose in shock.
Wait, one thousand years from now? Is... is that right?
"So, Chairman Rose, what do you want to do?"
Damian knew Rose's goal from the games, but hearing him say it now, he still felt it was a bit... abstract.
Living in the modern world but worrying about things a thousand years in the future showed Rose's care for Galar, but it was still hard to take seriously.
Yet, one had to admit that Rose was truly worried about Galar's future, even if that future was very far away.
"Energy! Find infinite energy!" Rose said in a deep voice.
"I carefully investigated the Darkest Day event from three thousand years ago. Then, I found it."
"Eternatus. It is the source of the Darkest Day, but it is also the source of Dynamax. This means that as long as Eternatus is there, it can provide infinite Dynamax energy!"
"If we can catch Eternatus, then Galar will never have to worry about an energy crisis. Galar can prosper forever!"
Yes, this was Rose's strongest belief and mission. He wanted to find energy that Galar could use forever. So, he found Eternatus.
The Request
"But you cannot catch Eternatus, Chairman Rose."
Damian laughed softly and shook his head.
"Even Leon cannot do it," Damian added.
In the original story, Leon pushed Eternatus to its limit and even threw a Poké Ball, but he still failed to catch it.
Besides, that was an Eternatus that had just woken up and was still weak. Eternatus can start the Darkest Day at any time to absorb the energy around it and turn into its Eternamax form.
This meant Leon was bound to fail.
To catch Eternatus, one must defeat it in its Eternamax form. Only then can it truly be caught.
"That is why I asked you to come here, Damian."
Rose did not deny it. He spoke to Damian.
The Rose in this world had a broader perspective. At the very least, he clearly realized just how terrifying the destructive power of a Legendary Pokémon could be.
That was why, after hesitating, he eventually chose Damian.
If Leon could not catch Eternatus, then the disaster Eternatus would bring was something Rose could not accept.
When that time came, it wouldn't just be Hammerlocke. The entire Galar region would pay for his foolish decision.
In the games, Rose's behavior was very foolish because people in the Pokémon world didn't actually have an accurate idea of a Legendary Pokémon's power.
Because of that, many fools appeared who wanted to go and catch Legendary Pokémon as soon as they saw them.
But Damian's appearance made many people clearly recognize the power of the Pokémon from myths and legends. It made them understand that ancient books and legends were not exaggerating!
"You want me to catch Eternatus? Chairman Rose, do you know what you are doing?"
Damian couldn't help but laugh. He looked at Rose with interest.
"You should know that the Kanto League is going to start a war with me soon. And at this time, Chairman Rose, you want to 'give' me Eternatus?"
"Although I am not sure about Eternatus's exact strength, the being that almost destroyed Galar three thousand years ago cannot be weak."
"Chairman Rose, you are helping your enemy. This is stabbing the Kanto League in the back."
Regarding Damian's accusation, Rose just calmly drank some tea.
"Damian, those words are a bit too harsh." Rose wore a faint smile and met Damian's eyes.
"I simply discovered the source that almost caused Galar to go extinct three thousand years ago. Having no other choice, I asked you, the leader of Team Rocket, to solve a Legendary Pokémon that the Galar League cannot handle."
"What did I do wrong?"
Rose's words made Platinum and Serena look at each other. Their eyes were filled with confusion.
Is this the world of adults?
"As expected of you, Chairman Rose. Fine. This is a deal that benefits me, so I can agree to it."
Damian clapped for Rose and praised him.
"But are you really that relaxed? Chairman Rose, if Eternatus is in my hands, there is nothing you can do if I refuse to give you Dynamax energy, right?"
However, Damian still asked Rose that question afterward.
"I believe in your character, Damian."
Rose smiled and replied.
But in reality, Rose was also very helpless. Did he have a choice? He had no choice!
The energy factory recently reported that Eternatus's vital signs were getting stronger. This meant Eternatus would likely wake up soon.
This also meant Rose had to be ready.
Otherwise, if Eternatus woke up, Hammerlocke would be the first to suffer!
Rose certainly knew that if Damian caught Eternatus, Damian would have absolute control. But this was unavoidable. As long as they could negotiate, it was a good thing.
"Then I must thank you for your trust, Chairman Rose. So, when do we start?"
"In a couple of days. Eternatus is in Hammerlocke. Over these next two days, I need to arrange the evacuation of Hammerlocke. Otherwise, it would be bad if the citizens were hurt by mistake."
"Okay."