"So it did evolve… but Mr. Damian, why did Nebby stop moving after it evolved?"
Lillie scrunched up her small face in confusion. She'd suspected Nebby had evolved already.
Cosmoem looked completely different from Cosmog, after all. But what really bothered her was how quiet Cosmoem was now.
There was none of Cosmog's energy or curiosity. This lifeless state made Lillie very worried.
"Because it's storing up energy."
Damian pulled out a piece of candy and held it to Cosmoem's mouth.
Even with its eyes still closed, Cosmoem seemed to smell the sweetness and slowly opened its mouth.
Chuckling, Damian slipped the candy inside.
"Cosmoem needs to collect a massive amount of energy before it can evolve again. So it doesn't want to waste even a single second."
What he didn't say was that if Cosmoem had to rely purely on its own efforts to gather enough energy to evolve into Solgaleo or Lunala… who knew how many years that would take?
Even being conservative, it would probably take several years—maybe even decades.
So Damian planned to give it a little… boost.
"Ohh…"
Hearing that, Lillie finally understood.
Now she was just curious what exactly Nebby would evolve into in the end.
"Fini～Fini～!"
Suddenly, one of the Ultra Ball on Damian's belt popped open. With a flash of white light, Tapu Fini appeared at his side.
Its gaze locked onto Cosmoem, unblinking.
"Eh? That's…"
Lillie froze.
She wasn't a Trainer, but even she recognized it. This was one of the legendary Tapu, wasn't it?
Mr. Damian had even caught Tapu Fini? That was way too awesome!
The girl stared at Damian, eyes full of admiration, not sensing anything wrong at all.
"Looks like you recognize it."
"Fini…"
Tapu Fini shot Damian a glance.
How could it not recognize Cosmoem?
In fact, it had recognized Nebby back in its Cosmog stage too.
But the two situations weren't the same.
"You wanna help out?"
Damian looked at Tapu Fini as he asked.
"Fini?"
Tapu Fini blinked.
Help out? Help Cosmoem evolve?
Was its own Trainer really that kind‑hearted?
Tapu Fini had indeed thought about doing that. As an "island guardian deity," it was effectively a vassal of Solgaleo and Lunala.
In ancient times, Solgaleo and Lunala had come from Ultra Space to Alola. The Tapu, as the island guardians, had engaged them in fierce battle.
In the end, all four guardian deities were defeated and submitted to Solgaleo and Lunala, who in turn granted them Z‑Power.
So after seeing Cosmoem, Tapu Fini really did want to help it "fully awaken."
"That look is pretty rude, you know. I'm not some villain. Anyway, since that's how it is, head to Exeggutor Island and bring back the Flutes."
Damian laughed, ruffling Tapu Fini's silky hair.
Cosmoem needed an enormous amount of energy to evolve. Letting it slowly gather that much on its own would just take too long.
But there was a simple, brute‑force solution.
The altar.
Tapu Fini stared at Damian in shock, like it had just seen a ghost.
Seriously, how did this guy know everything?
Even so, Tapu Fini didn't question him. Its body shot into the air, streaking toward Poni Island—off to Exeggutor Island to retrieve the two Flutes.
"Mr. Damian, do you already know what Cosmoem can evolve into?"
Lillie, who'd been quietly watching this whole time, had naturally heard Damian's words. She couldn't hold back her curiosity any longer.
She knew Nebby was mysterious, and she'd originally planned to travel across all the island ruins and libraries to look into its origins.
But now that she'd reconciled with Lusamine, she hadn't managed to find out much yet.
"Yeah. This kid's really something, Lillie. I just hope you don't get too shocked when it finally evolves."
Damian's thumb gently rubbed Nebby's cheek.
You could clearly see Nebby's tightly‑shut eyes curve into little crescent moons.
Maybe it had heard their conversation too.
Lillie blinked her big eyes and stared at Nebby with open anticipation.
To her, Nebby was one of her most important friends.
In the blink of an eye, two days passed.
Tapu Fini finally returned from Exeggutor Island, bringing back the Sun Flute and the Moon Flute.
At the same time, Lusamine began to move.
"These are the data you obtained after entering Ultra Space?"
In Kukui's research lab, he stared in shock at the papers in his hands.
He flipped through page after page—each one filled with detailed Ultra Beast data, down to standardized height, weight, and special notes.
"That's right. It took quite a bit of work, but the results were worth it. Professor Kukui, I'm sure these will help you a lot."
Lusamine smiled.
"Of course! This is incredibly important! Chairman Lusamine, you've done us a huge favor!"
Kukui was overjoyed.
Ultra Beasts had always been a headache for him—but they existed in different dimensions, beyond normal reach.
He'd always known Aether Foundation was researching Ultra Beasts. Professor Mohn had vanished while studying Ultra Wormholes, after all.
But to be honest, he'd never held out much hope. He hadn't expected Lusamine to actually make this much progress.
"That's good. As a member of Alola, this is simply what I should do. Professor Kukui, you can add this data to the Pokédex."
"That way, if Ultra Beasts ever appear, everyone can use the Pokédex to learn about them in detail."
Lusamine suggested calmly.
"Yeah. I'll go through it carefully. And also…"
Kukui nodded, then his brows drew together.
In the past, once he'd finished sorting data like this, he'd have rushed straight to Kanto to apply for the Alola League.
But now he knew that while the mystery of the Ultra Beasts had been solved, there was still Alola's Team Rocket to worry about.
"The Alola League has to be established!"
Even so, Kukui quickly made up his mind.
Compared to Team Rocket's threat, the Alola League was even more important.
Lusamine's lips curved up ever so slightly, her smile elegant—and layered with unspoken meaning.
Night fell.
Stars glittered across the endless sky, with a pale new moon hanging high above. Moonlight and starlight intertwined.
On Poni Island, at the Altar of the Moone—an ancient altar hidden deep within Vast Poni Canyon—three people now stood atop its weathered stone.
Tapu Lele and Tapu Fini flanked them like true guardian deities, protecting and leading them forward.
"Alright, I'm counting on you two."
Damian handed the Sun Flute and the Moon Flute to Lillie and Caitlin respectively, smiling at the two girls.
At this ancient altar, playing the Sun Flute and Moon Flute in offering to Cosmoem would weave a sacred melody…
And that melody would trigger a mysterious ritual—allowing Cosmoem to evolve!