You didn't stay in there long yourself, did you?
Colress stares in astonishment at the clearly wounded Zekrom, then glances toward the Primal Kyogre in the distance.
Colress's mind is a bit scrambled—what happened here?
"Colress, have you tidied things up?"
Seeing Colress come out, N's expression flickers a moment; he had planned to abandon Colress and let him flee.
After all, Zekrom is indeed no match for Primal Kyogre.
But who would have thought Colress would appear so conveniently now? This is the best possible outcome.
"Hmm, hmm?"
Colress nods and is about to walk toward N, when suddenly his body floats uncommandedly.
Colress is startled—this is psychic, isn't it?
"Damian, what are you planning to do?"
N is also startled, his tone a touch urgent as he looks at Damian.
Because he sees clearly, the one pinning Colress with his side is a black Pokémon wearing armor.
"Not doing anything big, just grabbing a person."
Damian's smile is healthy; e wouldn't let Colress and N leave.
Letting N go wouldn't be a problem, after all Damian is waiting to see N and Ghetsis' show, but Colress is different.
"?" N's brows knit tightly.
Colress has already calmed down, now innocently floated in front of Damian, controlled by an armored Mewtwo.
Right now he's not as carefree as when dealing with Officer Jenny and Drayton; because…
He knows, the Pokémon that injured Zekrom is the boy in front of him.
"Yo~ Professor Colress, nice to meet you, I'm Team Rocket's Damian."
Damian greets Colress with a grin.
"First time meeting, honored, but could you put me down first? This is a bit uncomfortable."
Colress speaks helplessly, arms not able to move freely.
And… Team Rocket's Damian?
Colress's mind moves; he's heard that name from Ghetsis too, but he never expected Damian to be this strong—kinda scary.
"Of course, no problem, but please stay put, Professor Colress. Don't worry, I'm not here to cause trouble."
"I will."
Colress understands; he knows his situation well.
Under Damian's orders, the armored Mewtwo releases his grip, Colress lands smoothly.
Colress flexes his arm, glances at Damian, then looks toward the opposing N.
"Hey, Wang, you see, I've been captured."
Colress spreads his hands innocently in resignation, as if to say he has no choice.
You're a prisoner and you're smiling so happily???
N's face darkens; although he doesn't like Colress, Colress is their Team Plasma's chief scientist.
And Ghetsis also places great value on Colress, and now Colress is being "stolen" right in front of him…
This leaves N with a complicated mix of feelings.
"N, pull back."
Zekrom's Telepathy echoes again in N's mind.
"Yeah."
N agrees this time without hesitation.
Roar!
Zekrom's tail turbines spin at full speed; a bolt of lightning shoots from the sky toward Primal Kyogre.
Electric-type Thunder!
Seizing the moment, Zekrom pivots, dives, and grabs N with its claws, preparing to flee.
"Ice Beam."
Damian isn't surprised.
N isn't stupid; if he keeps pressing, Zekrom will only waste time. He has no chance of winning, so he'll run.
Primal Kyogre's golden beast‑eyes ice-blue light streaking toward Zekrom.
Thunder isn't a concern.
Boom!
Thunder pounds into Primal Kyogre, its golden lightning enveloping Kyogre's entire body, yet Kyogre merely shudders slightly, then… nothing more.
As Kyogre swings its fins, the Thunder light disperses.
"Such superior Special Defense, and that raw power suppression too?"
Seeing this, Colress roughly understands why Zekrom can only retreat.
If Thunder's hit barely fazed Kyogre, that's terrifying.
Elsewhere, Ice Beam also strikes Zekrom's back, Zekrom softly roars in pain.
Ice blocks crack along its back; the freezing ice shards spread.
Zekrom endures the pain, angles up, and disappears into the rain.
"As expected, Zekrom could endure one ice beam and still fly away; that's impressive."
Damian sighs; he'd thought that hit would bring Zekrom down.
But never mind.
"Next, this is between us, Professor Colress."
"Proceed," Colress replies politely.
He's a prisoner now, yet he's genuinely curious why Team Rocket would come for him.
Could his talent have made Team Rocket take notice?
"Let's relocate somewhere less public."
The Primordial Sea's downpour has dispersed; Damian recalls Kyogre, glancing over at Officer Jenny and Elesa not far away.
His vision lingers for a moment on Elesa's long legs; Damian can't help but marvel—their white, long legs are quite a sight.
Armored Mewtwo's blue glow lights up in its eyes; it uses psychic control to lift the four of them, and in the blink of an eye they vanish toward the horizon.
"Let's go."
Elesa sighs with relief as Damian and the others leave; she's glad, though her heart remains unsettled. Even though the Unova League reinforcements are on the way, she fears this is going to be tough for them to handle.
"Evil organizations keep getting stronger."
Officer Jenny exhales, her brows knotted. The king of Team Plasma has Zekrom, while the person from Team Rocket has a Primal Kyogre capable of pressing Zekrom down.
This is… Elesa remains quiet; she's not a cheerful person by nature, though she wants to protect Nimbasa City. But if the opponents are N and Damian, she feels powerless.
What can she do? She's just a Gym Leader after all. For an opponent of that level, Elite Four and Champions should handle it.
"Mr. Damian is truly incredible!!" on the hill, Lacey's excitement nearly sends her leaping for joy; since witnessing Damian's performance at the Indigo Plateau Conference, she's been inspired, and now it peaks.
"Yeah, so strong~!"
Drayton praises endlessly, surprised that his boss is such a formidable Trainer. He must push hard now!
"Mr. Damian…," Kieran's eyes are full of worship; perhaps he can listen to Damian after all? After all, Mr. Damian has said he has potential; maybe that's true?
"Let's go back to the school first; today's gains must be substantial for everyone."
Drayton stretches và looks at his drenched clothes, feeling helpless.
The heavy rain triggered by Primal Kyogre had drenched them, though their minds lingered on the battles, not noticing until now.
Now they're all anticipation for the next mission.
In a hotel in Nimbasa City, after a quick wash, Damian and crew reserve a private room.
Professor Colress, I won't beat around the bush: Team Plasma has no future; I sincerely invite you to join Team Rocket.
While waiting for the dishes, Damian looks at Colress directly and issues an invitation.
Sure enough, Colress isn't surprised; after a moment's hesitation, he speaks.
"Our Team Rocket already has roots in the Alola and Hoenn Regions; growth prospects are excellent."
"Unova Region is our third goal, and Team Plasma is something we won't keep."
"Moreover, with all due respect, Ghetsis has ambition but lacks the capacity; N has Ideals, but his Ideals are guided by Ghetsis. Fundamentally, N cannot succeed."
"As for strength, Team Rocket now includes four Champion-tier members, and there are more than a dozen executives at Elite Four level."
"Whether in prospects or in strength, I believe Team Rocket is a better choice for you, Doctor Colress."
Damian smiles and speaks.
"I'm a scientist, Mr. Damian." Colress's eyes shimmer slightly.
He's already moved; Team Plasma didn't give him a sense of belonging, and Team Rocket's strong entry into Unova draws him in.
Thus, as evil teams, Team Plasma and Team Rocket cannot coexist — a long-standing rule.
And the result… Colress cannot see Team Plasma's winning dawn ahead.
After all, today has shown that N is no match for Damian.
Nevertheless, Colress still wants to push for his interests.
"Of course, Professor Colress, there's no need to worry."
Damian pushes a gold R badge toward Colress.
"Given your strength and talent, you're qualified to be Team Rocket's fifth top-tier Admin. In terms of resources and access to labs and equipment, you won't lack anything."
"I'm honored."
Colress grins and takes the gold badge, turning it over in his hands with great interest.
He has no reason to reject; he feels Team Rocket's sincerity.
As for Team Plasma?
What Team Plasma? Colress is a member of Team Rocket now!
"Welcome aboard, Professor Colress."
Damian raises his glass and toasts Colress.
Thus, not only is there another Champion-tier strength onboard, but also a rare research prodigy. Now the question is: can we lure N over as well? If we could, Team Rocket's strength would surge even more.
Elsewhere.
A loud explosion.
In a barren mountain area, a massive Zekrom descends from the sky and crashes to the ground.
Whew—wheww—Zekrom gasps for breath; its strength is greatly taxed.
"Zekrom, you okay?"
N steps away from Zekrom's claw, worried for its health.
But Zekrom is now exhausted; it cannot respond to N's calls.
N's worry deepens; he approaches Zekrom's side and is stunned when he sees the back of Zekrom coated in thick ice crystals — the ice damage from Primal Kyogre's Ice Beam.
N cannot imagine how Zekrom endured the pain in order to carry him away.
As a Dragon-type Pokémon, ice moves affect Zekrom strongly; coupled with the need to escape quickly, Zekrom endured such injuries.
N immediately channels Wild Pokémon nearby with his ability to communicate, requesting fruits and herbs to heal Zekrom's frostbite.
Just then, N's phone rings — Ghetsis is calling.
~~~
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