"Not gonna lie… that's gorgeous."
Damian stared at the Shiny Pheromosa, eyes tracking it head to toe, and gave a satisfied nod like he'd just spotted a rare collector's piece.
Ultra Beasts were basically myths in the regular world. In Ultra Space, though? They were just… there. Like any other wild creature.
And in the Ultra Desert specifically, Pheromosa was the main show. If you had enough of them running around, finding a Shiny wasn't impossible.
Finding one this fast, though?
Yeah. That was luck.
Damian rolled his shoulders like he was warming up.
"Alright. Time to start harvesting."
Two Poké Balls flicked from his hand.
Tapu Fini hit the sand first—calm, cold, and immediately imposing. Annihilape landed beside it like a boulder with a heartbeat, fists clenched, ready to tear into anything that moved.
Lusamine's eyes widened.
"You caught Tapu Fini too?"
"Kukui didn't tell you?" Damian said, casual. "And Tapu Lele got scooped up too—one of my people handled that."
Lusamine just… stared at him.
There were a lot of moments where she didn't know what to say to Damian.
This was one of them.
She forced herself to focus on the real problem: nine Pheromosa closing in, circling like they owned the place.
"Can you actually deal with this?" she asked, voice tight despite herself.
Damian didn't even look bothered.
"They're wild. Relax."
Ultra Beasts were usually strong, sure—but "strong" didn't mean "all of them are monsters." Wild power swings up and down like anything else.
Could there be Champion-level Ultra Beasts out there?
Absolutely.
Were these nine it?
Damian's expression said: not even close.
"Even if a dozen more showed up, it's still cleanup."
Tapu Fini's eyes sharpened. As one of the island guardians, it knew exactly what Ultra Beasts were—and it didn't feel welcoming. Not even a little.
At Damian's signal, Tapu Fini and Annihilape moved first.
They didn't wait.
They charged.
Gengar, like it had been born for this role, stayed back—half in shadow, half in the real world—holding the line near Damian and Lusamine like a bodyguard that never blinked.
The Pheromosa didn't take kindly to being rushed by "prey."
They snapped forward—
And then… nothing dramatic.
No back-and-forth. No drawn-out struggle.
The moment Tapu Fini and Annihilape got into them, the fight turned into a one-sided beating.
A few sharp flashes of motion.
A few heavy impacts.
And the Ultra Beasts ended up scattered across the sand, groaning or flat-out unconscious.
The two rental Dragonite were absolutely useless the entire time—huddled together, shaking, then immediately switching to starry-eyed worship the second it was over.
If they could've posted a meme, it would've been:
"Those two are terrifying. 10/10 would never fight."
Damian moved first—straight to the prize.
He captured the Shiny Pheromosa without hesitation. This one wasn't going into storage. This one was getting a spot on his main team.
Then he took a slow look over the remaining eight.
When you've got options, you choose. Some were clearly better-built than others—stronger frames, steadier posture, sharper focus, cleaner movement.
Damian didn't have some magical cheat screen that popped up with numbers and potential.
But he didn't need one.
You could tell plenty just by looking.
He picked three more—ones that stood out physically—and captured them too.
The remaining five?
He didn't even bother.
"Let's move," Damian said, slipping the balls into his bag. "We'll find more later."
Lusamine followed, still trying to process the speed of it all.
As they walked, Damian spoke without looking at her—like he was listing notes for later.
"Remember this, Lusamine."
She blinked. "Huh?"
"Pheromosa. The Lissome Pokémon. Bug and Fighting type."
He kept going, steady and clear:
"Ability: Beast Boost."
"Dex description: One of the Ultra Beasts. It refuses to touch anything in this world… like it thinks everything here is dirty."
Lusamine stopped short, staring at him.
"Is that… Pokédex data?"
Damian nodded. "Yeah. Moves we'll log after we're back."
Then he added, matter-of-fact:
"When we leave Ultra Space, you send everything we've got to Kukui. And you don't just email it—you go to him лично. Bring the Ultra Beast you caught. Make it real."
Lusamine's mind clicked a beat later.
"To push the Alola League," she said slowly.
Damian glanced at her like she'd finally caught up.
"Exactly. Once Ultra Space is confirmed as fact, Kanto loses its excuse to stall the League."
He let that hang for half a second—then turned the knife gently.
"And you're the one bringing the proof. You're the one handing Kukui the key."
Damian's grin sharpened, the meaning in it unmistakable.
Lusamine's pupils tightened.
She finally saw the play.
"Damian… you want me to be the League President?"
The title wasn't just fancy. It was power—real power—sitting at the top of Alola's structure. Champion and Elite Four would matter, sure, but the League President controlled the machine behind the scenes.
And Lusamine already had influence in Alola.
Now add: "the woman who delivered the Ultra Space breakthrough" and "the catalyst for the League's creation."
Her reputation would skyrocket.
Who in Alola could realistically beat her to that seat?
There were names—Kukui, maybe—but Kukui wasn't the type to chase a desk and a title. He wanted the League to exist, not to sit on a throne.
Damian smiled, like her shock was cute.
"Is that supposed to be a problem?"
Lusamine's heart kicked hard, fast. Her expression flickered—conflicted, hungry, calculating.
Did she want it?
Of course she wanted it.
Her breathing grew heavier, excitement creeping in despite herself.
Damian stepped closer, voice low.
"I told you I'd push you to the top. That was the deal, remember?"
He came up behind her and wrapped an arm around her—gentle, possessive, familiar.
The two rental Dragonite immediately turned away and covered their eyes with their claws like they'd just walked in on something illegal.
Lusamine tilted her head, catching Damian's smile in the corner of her vision, and her pulse jumped again.
Then she forced a cold snort, like she could still keep control of the situation.
"You make it sound so sweet," she said. "Even if I become League President, I'm still just your puppet. This is all for Team Rocket."
Damian's smile didn't move, but his tone sharpened—just slightly.
"Our Team Rocket."
He corrected her like it mattered.
"Lusamine, you're in now. Whether you like it or not, this helps you and it helps me. That's the point."
His hand slid higher—bold enough to make her stiffen.
"We're outside," Lusamine hissed, annoyed and flustered at the same time. "Hands to yourself."
She didn't shove him off, though.
Damian leaned in and brushed a quick kiss against her cheek, like he was sealing a promise.
"No one's here," he murmured. "Relax."
Lusamine exhaled, frustrated… and not really.
"Fine," she said at last, voice tight with reluctant acceptance. "I get it."
Truth was, she couldn't refuse Damian when he decided something.
And even if she was a "puppet"…
She'd be the League President puppet.
Status-wise, she'd be stepping into the ranks of the most powerful people in the world.
And Lusamine had never been the type to turn that down.