Time flew by in the blink of an eye, and several days passed.
Kukui and the others hadn't made any big moves. They were just monitoring the entertainment complex and searching for any signs of Caitlin.
That part actually wasn't hard to investigate. Caitlin hadn't bothered to hide her identity, and the villa under her name had naturally been added to their watch list.
But Caitlin had seen that coming a mile away. With Teleport in her toolkit, there was no way they were pinning down her movements.
Things had been calm the past few days—but it was the kind of calm that only came before a storm.
Damian couldn't have cared less. His routine stayed exactly the same: at noon, he hit the beach to sunbathe, breathe in the sea breeze, and take a swim.
In the afternoon, he ran special training with Caitlin. At night, he gave Domino some "special training" in bed. Life was good.
Until one particular day.
Caitlin, in a fitted pink-and-white dress, left the villa district and headed into the city, where she met up with Proton. The two of them slowly made their way out toward the outskirts.
"Who's that guy?"
In a certain room, Kukui and the recently discharged Hala exchanged a look as they watched the footage. Neither of them recognized Proton.
"Let me check."
Something occurred to Kukui, and he pulled up the current list of Team Rocket members with active warrants on his phone.
Team Rocket executive: Proton.
"Another executive."
Kukui's expression turned serious. Another executive—and one of Kanto's infamous Team Rocket Four Admins, no less.
"Kukui, looks like they're heading out of town. This is a great chance!" Hala said.
He had no idea what the two were planning to do, but it didn't matter. If they stayed in the city, taking action would be much harder.
There were too many civilians around. And with the kind of strength Caitlin and her people had, if they really wanted to go all out, they could totally use those civilians to threaten Kukui and the others.
Out in the sticks, things would be much easier.
"Mm. Let Olivia know. We'll move in and take both of them as fast as we can."
Kukui's brows drew together. Something about this felt… off.
But opportunities didn't come every day. It had taken a lot just to find this window. Bagging these two Team Rocket executives took priority.
If they could capture them, the overall threat level of Team Rocket in Alola would drop straight off a cliff.
"All right. Should we give 'that one' a heads-up too?"
Hala thought for a moment, then asked Kukui.
"That one" was referring to the Sinnoh Champion Cynthia, who'd arrived from the Sinnoh Region in the last couple of days.
Honestly, Kukui hadn't expected it. It turned out Cynthia and Caitlin were friends. When he sent Caitlin's info to the Sinnoh League, he'd only hoped they'd take her seriously and send back some more detailed background.
Instead…
Sinnoh's Elite Four Champion Cynthia had shown up in person.
Kukui was floored.
"Let's hold off for now. This is still our Alola business. What do you think?"
He hesitated, but he didn't want to decide alone and asked for Hala's opinion.
He knew Cynthia didn't mean them any harm. She'd said so herself—she only wanted to bring Caitlin back to Sinnoh.
But this was still the Alola Region, while Cynthia was Sinnoh's Elite Four Champion. Her identity was way too sensitive.
Especially with the Alola Region still lacking a formal League. Team Rocket had come to Alola to expand their turf, and they'd have to rely on a Sinnoh Champion like Cynthia to take down a pair of executives?
If that got out, it'd be terrible for Alola's reputation. It'd make them look like a Region that couldn't even handle its own local Team Rocket branch and needed outside help.
If the Indigo League caught wind of that, Alola's shot at forming a League this year would probably go up in smoke.
With Ultra Beasts as an unresolved safety risk, Alola already looked "unsafe" to the Indigo League. If their fighting strength also turned out to be trash, then it'd be an even harder sell.
(Author's note: In both the games and the anime, the Alola League was only established after Ultra Space had been explored. Kukui had applied multiple times before and gotten rejected, with the threat of Ultra Beasts being a major reason.)
"You're right. I agree."
Hala nodded silently. With Kukui personally taking the field this time, taking down two Team Rocket executives should be a walk in the park.
Sure, Team Rocket might well have a Champion-tier Trainer or two—otherwise, they wouldn't have been able to grow right under the Indigo League's nose. That much was a reasonable guess.
But even if they did have Champion-tier powerhouses, they'd be guarding the Kanto HQ. They wouldn't be dispatched to some branch office.
"We can let Champion Cynthia know after it's over. I'm sure she'll understand."
Kukui's expression grew solemn as he watched Caitlin and Proton on the screen.
...
Ten Carat Hill sat just outside Hau'oli City. With its pleasant scenery and wide-open view, it was a perfect spot for a picnic.
Right now, Damian was sitting on a picnic blanket there, feeding neatly sliced apple pieces to Tapu Fini.
Caitlin and Proton had just arrived.
"Who's that? And… why is Tapu Fini with him?!"
From a distance, Olivia stared at Damian's group and turned to Kukui and Hala in shock.
On-screen, Caitlin and Proton were clearly treating the boy with a good deal of respect.
Of course, the most important part was the Tapu Fini by his side.
Even though Tapu Fini was Poni Island's guardian deity, that didn't stop Olivia from recognizing it.
"I have no idea!"
Kukui froze for a second, blurting out his surprise.
"Sigh…" Nanu rubbed his forehead and let out a long breath.
Hala's graying brows furrowed tightly as he locked onto Tapu Fini. This was Poni Island's guardian deity, no question.
But what was it doing here? Had it been caught by that boy?
A bad feeling rose in his chest. No way… right?
For a long moment, Kukui, Hala, and Olivia all fell silent, running mental simulations at full speed.
"He looks like he's noticed us." Nanu reminded them in his usual half-asleep drawl.
Kukui glanced up and, sure enough, saw the boy and Caitlin both looking their way.
The boy even raised a hand and waved.
"Let's go."
Kukui's face darkened. He instantly realized the other side had probably lured them out here on purpose.
But they were already here. Of course they had to see this through.
The four of them walked slowly across the hill until they stood a short distance in front of Damian and his group.
"Well now, Professor Kukui—and all three Island Kahuna at once. What an honor."
Damian remained seated cross-legged on the ground, smiling as he took a sip of coconut juice and lifted his other hand in greeting. He looked perfectly harmless, the picture of friendly innocence.
Caitlin and Proton stood to either side of him, facing Kukui's group. The power dynamic was obvious at a glance.
This boy's status seemed even higher than Caitlin's and Proton's.
Hala narrowed his eyes, glancing at Tapu Fini floating obediently at Damian's side, then at Caitlin and Proton again.
"Guys… they're not here with good intentions…" he muttered under his breath.
Nanu's expression twisted slightly. After scratching his head, he couldn't help replying.
"Isn't it possible we're the ones who came with bad intentions this time?"
They were the ones who'd come to pick a fight today, after all.
Hala's mouth twitched. He shot Nanu a glare.