"As for the payment—let's discuss that after everything is done. I'm not in any rush. I believe President Lusamine is a smart woman who'll be able to offer something truly worthwhile."
Taking a sip of tea, Lucas smiled mildly as he spoke to Lusamine.
He was, in truth, not very interested in whatever rewards Lusamine might have to offer. His goal was simple—to make use of the Aether Foundation's technology and resources to access Ultra Space.
Lucas didn't care much for what he would gain from this cooperation.
But Lusamine… she had no choice but to care.
"Of course, you can rest assured, Mr. Lucas," Lusamine replied with a graceful smile.
Yet, as her eyes met Lucas's calm expression, her heart skipped a beat. That smile—though warm on the surface—didn't feel like trust.
No.
It felt more like a subtle warning.
If the compensation she offered satisfied Lucas, things would go smoothly.
But if it didn't…
Lucas was, after all, a high-ranking executive of Team Rocket!
And his past deeds were notorious across regions!
Lusamine wasn't so naïve as to believe her Aether Foundation could withstand the wrath of a Legendary Trainer.
'It seems I'll need to prepare carefully,' she thought grimly.
Money and resources were not things the Aether Foundation lacked—but Lucas Blackthorn clearly wasn't a man who could be swayed by money.
Even without solid proof, his surname alone— Blackthorn —was enough to suggest that wealth was meaningless to someone like him.
Otherwise, the moment she opened the Ultra Wormhole and completed her "dream," she might very well be destroyed by the very man sitting in front of her.
"When will we begin, then?"
Seeing that Lusamine understood his tone, Lucas asked with a faint smile.
Necrozma… he had already been waiting far too long.
"We just need to finish some preparations. Tomorrow should be fine—we won't keep you waiting, Mr. Lucas."
Lusamine's answer came without hesitation. For this moment, she had been preparing for years.
To open the gates to Ultra Space, she needed the Ultra Energy emitted by the child of the stars. Only that energy could open an Ultra Wormhole.
And the "The child of the stars" was none other than the mysterious Pokémon left behind after her husband's disappearance—Cosmog.
After her husband vanished while researching Ultra Beasts, the small creature had remained by her daughter Lillie's side ever since.
Yes—what people called the "The child of the stars" was Lillie's closest companion, Cosmog!
Cosmog—a mysterious Pokémon from Ultra Space itself. But in truth, Cosmog was actually the embryonic form of the deities of the sun and moon—the Sunne Pokémon Solgaleo and the Moone Pokémon Lunala!
That was its ultimate evolutionary destiny.
However, almost no one knew this—no one except the four island guardians of Alola, the Tapus.
And naturally, the Tapus had never revealed this secret to humans.
Still, Lusamine firmly believed that Cosmog was tied to her husband's disappearance—and to the secrets of Ultra Space.
She had never given up her research. And recently, she had finally confirmed that Cosmog possessed the ability to open Ultra Wormholes!
Though Lillie had once escaped Aether Paradise with Cosmog, she was soon caught and brought back under Lusamine's orders…
"I see. Then I'll wait for your call tomorrow," Lucas nodded. A single night's wait was nothing to him.
After dinner, Lusamine personally arranged a luxury villa nearby for Lucas and his companions before hurrying off to finalize preparations.
She had to ensure everything went perfectly.
Meanwhile, Lucas, Green, and Marnie entered the villa Lusamine had provided.
"Never thought the famous President Lusamine—who built the Aether Foundation into such a powerhouse—would actually be that beautiful," Green said as she flopped lazily onto the couch, sighing in admiration.
That figure, that aura, that face and flawless skin—she was the image of every girl's ideal woman.
Green had done her homework too. The Aether Foundation hadn't originally been founded by Lusamine, but by her husband.
Years ago, after he vanished during Ultra Beast research, Lusamine had inherited the foundation. Back then, it had been nothing more than an ordinary organization.
It was Lusamine who turned it into the behemoth it was today, even building Aether Paradise—the fifth island of Alola!
Her rise was almost legendary.
To be that capable, that beautiful, and to have built an entire nature preserve for rescued Pokémon—Lusamine seemed like the very definition of a kind, elegant, and powerful woman.
"Yeah, she's aged really well," Marnie nodded in agreement. "She's in her thirties, right? But she looks barely twenty."
"Don't be fooled by her looks," Lucas chuckled softly, glancing at the two girls. "That woman is far from simple."
"Of course she isn't," Green scoffed. "Anyone who can grow a company to this level and still have the nerve to contact you personally isn't exactly innocent."
Indeed—no matter how much good press Lusamine had, the fact she'd reached out to Team Rocket's Lucas for "cooperation" spoke volumes.
"She's got kids, right? But I heard her relationship with them isn't great," Marnie added thoughtfully. "Both of them ran away from home, if I remember correctly."
"That's right," Lucas replied, scrolling casually through his phone. "Ever since her husband's disappearance, her relationship with her children deteriorated—and her personality began to… warp."
"Warp?" Both Green and Marnie were stunned. Losing a husband and changing a bit—sure, that was normal. But warping?
They'd just met Lusamine, and she hadn't seemed strange at all.
"Yes," Lucas said lightly. "Lusamine was once a woman who truly loved Pokémon—a responsible and affectionate mother."
He smiled faintly. "She's not just beautiful, she's a genuinely strong Trainer too. By most standards, her strength is at least at the Elite Four level—and possibly on par with the stronger ones among them."
That alone was something few would believe.
"But after her husband disappeared, she changed. Her obsession with uncovering the mysteries of Ultra Beasts grew, and she began treating them as collectibles."
He leaned his chin on his hand, his tone soft but edged. "And she became controlling—especially toward her children."
It all began from her husband's disappearance. What started as anger toward the Ultra Beasts slowly evolved into obsession—and then madness.
Her love for Pokémon twisted into a perverse need to possess them all.
Aether Paradise might appear to be a sanctuary for wild Pokémon on the surface—but beneath it?
Beneath it lay laboratories conducting live experiments on Pokémon.
And not for science or necessity—no. Lusamine's purpose was grotesque. She wanted to preserve her beloved Pokémon by freezing them alive.
That was Lusamine's true nature.
And when her son Gladion discovered this horrifying truth, he left Aether Paradise with Type: Null.
Lillie's departure was gentler—she fled only because she could no longer bear her mother's obsessive control.
In the games, Gladion once said to the protagonist:
"You're lucky, you know… If she shows you kindness, it means she's not interested in you. She only shows her true self to what she's obsessed with."
Even her own son saw her that way—proof enough of just how far Lusamine's madness had gone.
"The danger of Ultra Beasts is absolute," Lucas continued calmly. "And yet Lusamine's obsession drives her to open a wormhole herself. That tells you all you need to know about what kind of person she is."
Marnie frowned. "But maybe that's exactly why she brought you in—to make sure things don't spiral out of control."
"You're thinking too highly of her," Lucas said with a smirk. "She only cares about her own safety. She's not doing this for anyone else."
He waved dismissively. "Anyway, that's not our problem. Make sure you pack plenty of food—there's nothing edible in Ultra Space."
Green rolled her eyes. "Yeah, yeah. Oh! The battle between Bruno and Raihan just ended!"
Her eyes lit up as she stared at her phone.
"Oh?" Lucas raised a brow, suddenly interested. "Who won?"
The matchup between a Fighting-type specialist and a Dragon-type trainer was hard to call—neither had a natural advantage, and both were mid-tier champions.
In the end, it would all come down to who performed better on the field.
(End of Chapter)