"So, Lusamine wants to meet us?"
In the villa, Damian swirled the blood-red wine in his goblet, the corner of his mouth curling into an intrigued smile.
"Yeah." Guzma, who had rushed over from the entertainment complex on purpose, nodded.
"The Aether Foundation's reputation in Alola has always been squeaky clean. Can't believe the foundation's chairman is actually in touch with you, Sir Guzma?"
Caitlin noticed the gap in the story and spoke up, puzzled.
"And why would she want a meeting with an evil organization like us in the first place?"
Caitlin felt something was seriously off.
"I don't know either, but Lusamine isn't as righteous as she looks on the surface. Back then… I was basically doing jobs for her."
After a brief hesitation, Guzma admitted it.
He didn't know what Lusamine was really after, but he'd met her a few times. Hot-headed as he was, Guzma wasn't brain-dead. He could tell something was wrong with Lusamine.
"Of course, young master, I'm not in contact with Lusamine anymore."
Afraid Damian might get the wrong idea, Guzma hurried to state his position.
He genuinely felt he'd been born to be part of Team Rocket!!! Loyalty!
"No problem. Who doesn't have a past?"
Damian made his trust in Guzma clear.
"Since Lusamine wants to meet us, there's no reason to turn her down. Guzma, set up a time with her."
Damian spoke with a light chuckle. He had a pretty good guess what Lusamine wanted from them.
Which suited him just fine. He had his own thoughts about the Aether Foundation.
"Got it!" Guzma called Lusamine on the spot.
Two days passed in a flash.
And unsurprisingly, the response to the Arceus entertainment complex was fantastic, especially the arcade inside the complex, which was packed almost every single day.
There was a simple reason: the top rewards in the arcade were Dratini, Larvitar, and Jangmo-o.
The juvenile forms of these three pseudo-legendary Pokémon were far too tempting for most people.
Whether you redeemed them to train yourself, kept them as pets, or traded them away, they were all amazing options.
In a world themed around Pokémon, rare Pokémon would never go out of demand.
On top of that, most people went to the arcade for one thing: the gamble. Turning a little into a lot was a temptation most folks just couldn't resist.
What gambling addict loses every single day, right?
With that mindset, even if you didn't manage to pull a Dratini, snagging rare Pokémon like Eevee or Porygon for redemption was still absolutely worth it.
So the arcade blew up. So the arcade made a killing. Not just on Melemele Island—some people even came over specially from other islands just to play.
And today in Alola, the weather was beautiful yet again.
In a private room of a high-end hotel, Damian looked up and down at the glamorous woman sitting across from him.
She had a head of luxuriously smooth golden hair, skin that was fair as porcelain, and a long, slender figure. The platinum-colored, form-fitting dress traced the soft curve of her narrow waist, while the black-and-white long pants showed off her long, straight legs to perfection.
She was stunningly gorgeous and elegant, and unlike Caitlin, who was also a glamorous blonde.
Lusamine's mature, regal air was completely different from Caitlin's. There was also that aura of a long-time high-ranking leader, the kind of presence that made it obvious at a glance that she was anything but simple.
This was Lusamine, chairman of the Aether Foundation and creator of the artificial island Aether Paradise.
She was a highly capable woman. Years ago, the Aether Foundation had still been just a small charity organization.
But under Lusamine's leadership, it had become a major power in the Alola region, with its base set on an artificial island like Aether Paradise.
In the eyes of the people of Alola, the Aether Foundation was an extremely benevolent organization.
After all, the Aether Foundation's mission was to protect injured Pokémon, especially those harmed by Team Skull.
And as for the Aether Foundation's chairman, Lusamine—she was seen as someone full of love for Pokémon, a capable, responsible woman who stepped up when it counted.
That was how the people of Alola viewed her.
But in truth, no one knew that ever since her husband, Professor Mohn, vanished while researching Ultra Space, Lusamine had started to change.
Her love for Pokémon twisted into something else. She wanted to collect every Pokémon for herself.
Her strongest desire was for the Ultra Beasts that dwelled in Ultra Space!
It was precisely because her children gradually realized their mother was "changing," and because Lusamine's tyranny was suffocating Gladion and Lillie, that they eventually fled Aether Paradise one after another, trying to escape her control.
But the outside world knew nothing of this. To ordinary people, Lusamine was still that graceful, elegant, kind-hearted chairman of the foundation.
"Chairman Lusamine, I've heard so much about you."
Damian didn't bother hiding his gaze as he looked Lusamine over from head to toe. For all that Lusamine was the mother of two kids…
You'd never be able to tell from her looks. Despite living in the tropical Alola region, Lusamine's skin was still incredibly fair and radiant.
Her beauty completely concealed the fact that she was already forty.
Caitlin, for example, was quite surprised at the moment. Lusamine already looked young in her photos, and Caitlin had assumed that was just filters.
She hadn't expected Lusamine in person to look even "younger" than in the photos. How did she maintain herself like this?
"Team Rocket's name is thunder in my ears as well. I didn't expect your esteemed organization to actually come all the way to Alola."
Lusamine's fine brows tightened ever so slightly. The brazen way the boy across from her was checking out her body made her distinctly uncomfortable.
But she was here to ask for a favor, and Team Rocket was an evil organization. Lusamine chose to endure it for now.
"Alola's a great place, and I think it's got a lot of potential." Damian leaned back in his chair, finally fixing his gaze on Lusamine's face.
"So then, Chairman Lusamine, what business do you have with Team Rocket?"
"I'd like to ask your esteemed organization for a favor. Of course, I'll pay."
Lusamine spoke calmly.
"Tsk~" Damian couldn't help clicking his tongue.
"Easy enough. No need to be so polite, Chairman Lusamine. Just lay it out. Who pissed you off?"
Damian asked, feigning curiosity.
"No. I'd like to ask your esteemed organization to help me find two people and bring them back."
Lusamine's tone remained even as she took out a photo, set it on the table, and slid it over to Damian.
"Oh?"
Damian raised a brow, picked up the photo, and took a glance. Sure enough, it was Gladion and Lillie.
He wasn't surprised in the slightest. If Lusamine was looking for an evil organization, it could only be about one thing.
In the games, she'd had Guzma mobilize Team Skull to look for Lillie. But now that Team Skull had been absorbed into Team Rocket, she had no choice but to turn to Team Rocket.
"Chairman Lusamine, that's not gonna be easy."
Damian's fingers slid across Lillie's face in the photo as he gave Lusamine a half-smile, half-smirk.
Lusamine's brows instantly knitted tight.