"Holy crap—Articuno!"
Selene's eyes went huge, and the words flew out of her mouth the second she saw the ice-blue legendary bird.
It was gorgeous—translucent blue feathers like glass, a crown of three dark-blue, diamond-shaped plumes, sharp red eyes, and that long, flowing tail feather that was almost as long as its whole body.
One of Kanto's legendary birds.
Articuno.
Selene had grown up in Kanto. She knew the legendary trio by name even if she'd never seen one this close before.
"How the hell did Damian get this?" She was shocked, thrilled—everything at once.
And then it clicked.
Yesterday Damian had asked her whether she liked Ice/Flying or Electric/Flying.
So the other one was supposed to be Zapdos?
Articuno stared at Selene with a cool, detached gaze. She was holding its Poké Ball.
The buzzcut guy who'd "trained" it into compliance had said its new Trainer was someone exceptional.
So it had to be this girl, right?
But then—
"You're unreal, Articuno!" Selene stepped closer, eyes sparkling like a kid on a holiday. "Oh my god. An actual Articuno. No way."
Her heart was pounding. First Legendary Pokémon of her life, and Damian just handed it to her like it was nothing.
Acerola leaned in, just as hyped. "Yeah, yeah—look at it! What a beautiful bird!"
"Yiya~!"
Articuno lifted its head and puffed its chest, letting out a clear, proud cry.
Of course it had to look dignified. Legendary bird, remember?
And the way this Trainer looked at it—yeah. She liked it.
As she should.
Articuno felt a little too pleased with itself. Sure, in a straight fight it might not always beat Moltres or Zapdos…
But beauty?
Beauty was its battlefield.
Moltres was basically walking roasted wings. Zapdos looked like someone threw messy hair into the sky and called it feathers.
Compete with this elegance? Please.
Selene admired the posing Articuno for another moment, then turned toward the other Pokémon drifting nearby.
"Okay… and this one is what?"
The milky-white jellyfish-like Pokémon floated in place, eerie and quiet.
It had a semi-transparent dome with white, six-pointed star markings around the rim. Its tentacles looked gelatinous, and the way it drifted gave it a silhouette that vaguely resembled a young girl.
Selene ran through her memory—and came up blank.
"I don't know it," she admitted.
Lillie's voice came out soft, almost careful.
"Codename UB-01: Symbiont. Its name is Nihilego."
That was it.
One of the Ultra Beasts.
And that was exactly the problem.
An outsider shouldn't be able to have an Ultra Beast. Not like this.
As far as Lillie knew… only her mother and Damian had ever captured them.
Damian.
So Damian really was Selene's boyfriend.
Lillie bit down on her lip, hard, like she could stop her thoughts from spilling if she just held them tight enough.
All the earlier "coincidences" were one thing. But Nihilego standing right there in front of her wasn't something you could explain away.
It was proof.
And it made her chest feel hollow.
Why does it have to be like this…?
Lillie stole a look at Selene.
Selene was the first real friend she'd made after running away from Aether Paradise. Lillie had been genuinely happy to find her—happy enough to believe that maybe she could start over.
But she liked Damian too.
He was the first boy she'd ever liked. The first person who made her feel… seen. Safe.
Without Damian, she might still be lost, drifting from place to place. Without him, she never would've reconciled with her mother. Without him, her mother's trip into Ultra Space could've turned into a disaster.
And yet…
The Damian she liked was her best friend's boyfriend.
And the way he gave Selene an Articuno and a Nihilego—like gifts meant for a future—made one thing painfully clear:
He cared about Selene. A lot.
Of course he did.
Selene was strong. Scary strong. People like Kukui praised her without hesitation.
And Lillie?
Lillie wasn't even a Trainer.
Her face dimmed. She lowered her head without thinking, the brim of her hat casting a shadow across her eyes.
Nebby… she thought, swallowing hard. Tell me what I'm supposed to do.
Night fell.
Inside Damian's villa, his phone buzzed nonstop.
"How'd it go, babe?" Damian typed.
"Aaaaaah!! I got them!! I love them so much! Darling, I love you! Mwah mwah mwah~!"
"I love you too," Damian replied, smiling without even trying. "Take good care of them. Their potential is insane."
Selene's excitement poured through every message. It was impossible not to get pulled along by it.
"I heard the Alola League is about to be established," Damian sent. "Babe, can you become Alola's first Champion?"
"Hehe. Obviously!" Selene shot back, pure confidence. "Just watch me. Keep your eyes on your girl when I start wrecking people."
Damian laughed under his breath.
"Once I'm Champion-level," Selene added, "I'm going to catch Tapu Koko. When I was on Melemele, that rooster flew over my head every other day acting all smug. I'm gonna humble it."
"Alright," Damian replied. "Good luck."
He honestly hadn't expected Selene to aim for Tapu Koko.
And he couldn't help thinking it—almost amused.
Kukui, don't look at me like that. I promised I wouldn't go after Koko or Bulu. Selene isn't Team Rocket.
Later, Damian left and headed to a nearby hotel, stepping into a private room he'd reserved.
People were already there.
Proton. Domino. Caitlin. Guzma. Plumeria. Lusamine.
Every major player currently stationed in Alola.
Damian poured himself a glass of red wine and smiled like he owned the place—because, in practice, he did.
"Our push into Alola has been smooth," he said. "That's on all of you. Good work. Come on—let's toast."
Glasses clinked around the table.
"I've reached an understanding with Kukui and the others," Damian continued. "Officially, they'll tolerate our presence. They won't interfere."
He looked to Proton first.
"Proton—you keep managing the development and expansion of our companies."
Proton nodded once. "Understood."
Damian's gaze shifted.
"Guzma, you handle all underground operations. Make sure no other gangs or dark groups get to breathe on these islands."
Guzma grinned, delighted. "Heh—leave it to me, Boss. That's my kind of work."
"Plumeria," Damian said, "logistics. No mistakes."
Plumeria nodded, quiet and precise. "Got it."
Then Damian's eyes landed on Lusamine.
"And you," he said calmly, "once you become League President, you don't expose the connection. You infiltrate from the inside. Slow and clean."
Lusamine swirled her wine glass with practiced elegance, expression serene. "No problem."
She looked every bit the perfect public figure.
Then she spoke again, thoughtful.
"Damian… once the League is formed, the Champion seat will be empty. What if we push Gladion for it?"
If their own person became Champion, they'd effectively hold the region in their hands.
Damian and Caitlin were too obvious—Kukui and the others would explode.
But Gladion?
Gladion had a shot.
With enough resources, enough support, and enough time… it wasn't impossible for him to reach that level. And the League wouldn't be fully established until the second half of the year.
Damian listened, then smiled—gentle, like she'd said something cute.
"Don't worry," he said. "I already have Alola's Champion prepared. She's going to reach the top."
Gladion had potential, sure. But it wasn't guaranteed—especially with Hau in the mix.
Selene?
Selene was inevitable.
She would crush her way to the top and pin the whole region under her heel.
Even if you tied Kukui, Hau, and Gladion together, they still wouldn't be able to stop Selene by the end of the year.
That was what the name "Selene" meant.
Damian raised his glass again.
"Everyone—cheers."