"So pretty."
Damian looked the Shiny Pheromosa up and down, nodding in satisfaction.
Ultra Beasts were extremely rare in the regular world, but in Ultra Space they were nothing special at all.
Especially here in Ultra Desert—this entire space only had one kind of Ultra Beast: Pheromosa.
With this many around, running into a Shiny sooner or later wasn't strange. Still, finding one this fast was definitely good luck.
"Well then, time to harvest."
Damian tossed out two Ultra Balls. Tapu Fini and Annihilape appeared in front of him.
"You even caught Tapu Fini?"
Lusamine blinked. Kukui hadn't mentioned that little detail.
"Not just that. One of our Team Rocket members caught Tapu Lele too." Damian replied casually.
"…" Lusamine had nothing to say to that. What could she even add?
"Can we really handle this?"
She chose to skip that topic, instead nervously eyeing the nine Pheromosa around them.
"They're just your run‑of‑the‑mill Ultra Beasts. What's there to worry about?"
Damian sounded utterly relaxed, clearly not taking these ordinary Ultra Beasts seriously at all.
Ultra Beasts were, by default, exceptionally strong Pokémon—but wild Ultra Beasts varied a lot in power.
He didn't deny that some Champion‑tier wild Ultra Beasts existed—but they were definitely the minority.
Forget just nine of them. Damian wouldn't be scared even if a dozen more showed up.
Right now, Tapu Fini's blood was boiling. As an island guardian deity, it obviously knew about Ultra Beasts—and it had zero fondness for these "things from beyond the sky."
Under Damian's orders, Tapu Fini and Annihilape charged the Pheromosa head‑on, while Gengar naturally stayed back to guard Damian and Lusamine.
The Pheromosa, of course, couldn't stand being treated like prey and "provoked" like this.
And then…
That was it. The Pheromosa were all sprawled out on the ground.
The two Dragonite from the Pokémon ride shop now had starry eyes, staring at Tapu Fini and Annihilape with pure worship.
(insane.jpg)
Damian first captured the Shiny Pheromosa. He planned to keep that one as part of his main roster.
Then he inspected the other eight Pheromosa.
For Ultra Beasts—where there was room to pick and choose—there were naturally differences in quality between individuals.
Damian didn't have a system that let him see a Pokémon's innate talent at a glance.
But usually, if a Pokémon developed well physically, its talent wasn't bad either. You could tell a lot from body size, build, overall spirit, and the sheen of its carapace or skin.
"Let's move."
After capturing three Pheromosa whose builds were clearly superior to the others, Damian left the remaining five and called out to Lusamine.
They'd definitely run into more later. No rush.
"Lusamine, take this down."
He slipped the three Ultra Balls into his bag and spoke to her.
"?" Lusamine was puzzled.
"Pheromosa, Bug/Fighting type, Lissome Pokémon.
Ability: Beast Boost.
Notes: A kind of Ultra Beast. Perhaps it sees everything in this world as filthy and unclean, and so refuses to let its body touch anything directly."
Damian recited calmly.
"That's… Pokédex data?" Lusamine stared at him in disbelief. Aside from the move list, this was practically a complete Pokédex entry.
"Yeah. We'll log its moves after we get back." Damian nodded.
"Once we leave Ultra Space, send all the Ultra Beast data to Kukui. You can even bring the Ultra Beasts you caught and talk to him in person."
"To push for the Alola League to be established?"
Lusamine wasn't stupid. She'd used the Alola League as an excuse to calm Lillie down earlier, and that line had been Damian's suggestion.
"Exactly. As long as Ultra Space's existence is confirmed and understood, Kanto won't really have a good reason to oppose the Alola League's establishment."
"And Lusamine, you're the one providing this Ultra Beast intel. In Kukui and the Island Kahuna's eyes, you'll basically be the one making the key contribution."
Damian grinned, speaking slowly and meaningfully.
Lusamine's pupils shrank. She finally understood what he meant.
"Damian… you want me to be the Alola League chairman?!"
She stared at him in shock.
Her reputation in Alola was already sky‑high.
And now, she'd be the one to uncover crucial Ultra Beast information and help make the Alola League possible.
Kukui and the other Island Kahuna would naturally feel grateful toward her, their opinion of her rising even higher.
With that, she could smoothly become the first League chairman once the Alola League was founded.
Who in the entire Alola Region could seriously compete with her for that position?
There was someone—Kukui—but he had zero interest in that kind of power. If he didn't want it, he obviously wouldn't fight her for it.
"Is that such a bad thing?" Damian asked with a smile.
"…"
Lusamine's emotions surged, her eyes flickering with all sorts of complicated feelings.
Alola League chairman—this was a position at the true peak of the Alola Region's power structure.
Aside from the Alola Elite Four and Champion, who'd be on roughly equal footing in some ways, she'd have more authority than anyone.
Did she want it? How could she not?
Her breathing grew a bit heavy.
She really wanted this.
"I told you—I'd push you to the top. That was my promise to you, wasn't it?"
Damian stepped behind Lusamine and wrapped his arms around her in a gentle hug, pulling her back to herself.
Seeing this, the two Dragonite grew flustered and quickly raised their paws to cover their eyes, turning away.
Can't look, can't look.
Lusamine tilted her head slightly, taking in the smile on Damian's handsome face. Her heart skipped a beat.
But in the end, the Aether Chairman let out a cold little laugh.
"Easy for you to say. Even if I become the Alola League chairman, I'll still be your puppet. In the end, you're just doing this for your Team Rocket."
"For our Team Rocket."
Damian corrected her.
"Lusamine, you're a member of the organization now too. For both you and me, this is nothing but profit—no downside."
His hand slipped slowly upward, wandering until it closed around the soft, perfect curve that just fit his palm.
"We're outside. Keep your hands where people can see them."
Lusamine shot him a glare, half annoyed and half shy—but she didn't actually stop him.
"There's no one around. Relax."
Damian leaned in and pecked her cheek, smiling.
"Fine. I get it."
Lusamine sighed helplessly. She really couldn't refuse Damian's orders anyway.
Besides, even if she was a puppet… she'd still be the Alola League chairman, wouldn't she?
In terms of status alone, she'd instantly become one of the most powerful people in the entire world.