At first, before leaving the Alola Region, Damian had been planning to capture Tapu Koko and Tapu Bulu as well.
But thinking it over now, that really would've been more trouble than it was worth.
Catching Tapu Koko and Tapu Bulu would just mean adding two more Legendary Pokémon to the organization's prize list.
Damian himself didn't plan on training them anyway.
Which meant he'd have to feed them, house them, and constantly guard against escape attempts for basically no real gain.
Might as well just not catch them at all.
First, with Tapu Koko and Tapu Bulu still managing the four islands of Alola, Kukui and the others would be less likely to overreact.
People always tend to compromise.
Compared to all four Tapu getting "snatched" by Team Rocket, only losing two of them wasn't quite enough to make Kukui, the Island Kahunas, and the others go to all‑out war with Team Rocket.
Second, there was the very real problem that Ultra Beasts did randomly show up around Alola.
With wild Tapu Koko and the others still around to protect the region, the casualties and destruction caused by Ultra Beasts would be much lower.
Tapu Koko and its partner would step in to handle things.
Ultra Beasts damaging Alola's interests…
Round that up, and that was basically the same as damaging Team Rocket's interests.
"Tsk~ Good thing I didn't make a move. Otherwise I'd just have to release them again. Total waste of effort."
Damian clicked his tongue, mentally patting himself on the back for being so clever.
With the Tapu Koko duo gone, the three of them descended from the Altar of the Moone.
It was already late, so they planned to stay the night on Poni Island.
"Mr. Damian, you know what Nebby's current form is, right?"
On the road, Lillie turned to ask him.
"Yeah." Damian nodded.
"Lunala. Psychic/Ghost‑type. The Moone Pokémon.
Ability: Shadow Shield.
It's known as the 'beast that calls down the moon,' sustaining its life by converting all forms of light into energy."
Damian casually recited Lunala's Pokédex data.
Speaking of which, before leaving Alola, he really needed to talk this over with Kukui.
"The 'beast that calls down the moon'… that's one of Alola's Legendary Pokémon, right?"
Caitlin's eyes flickered thoughtfully.
She didn't know Alola's history all that well, but she had at least heard that much.
"That's right. The 'beast that calls down the moon' and the 'beast that devours the sun'—those are the Legendary Pokémon recorded in ancient texts."
Lillie nodded quietly, a hint of daze in her eyes.
She'd never imagined Nebby would turn out to be the very same "beast that calls down the moon" recorded in old manuscripts.
"Since ancient times, it has been revered as the moon's envoy. In their awe, the people of old named it the beast that calls down the moon."
Just what kind of being had she been taking care of all this time?
Even among Legendary Pokémon, the four Tapu and Lunala weren't on the same level at all.
To put it simply, Lunala's importance to the Alola Region was like that of Ho‑Oh and Lugia to Kanto, or Dialga and Palkia to the Sinnoh Region.
Here they were talking purely in terms of a region's historical weight and ancient‑text significance—not comparing combat power.
"Mr. Damian, did you know Nebby's origin from the very beginning?"
Lillie suddenly realized something.
"No, not at first. I didn't think that far ahead either. But after Nebby evolved once, its appearance was a bit too similar to the 'star cocoon' described in the ancient texts, so I more or less guessed it then."
Damian shook his head.
Lillie fell silent for a moment, quietly letting out a sigh of relief in her heart.
Otherwise, even if she didn't want to, she'd have had to start wondering whether Damian had intentionally gotten close to her and Nebby.
Chatting as they walked, the three of them arrived at a nearby town and found a small inn, booking three rooms.
"Hey, Dad."
After his shower, Giovanni's call came through.
"The bird trio have all been caught. Want to raise one?"
Giovanni's tone was perfectly calm, like he was talking about caught three Pidgey.
"Oh? Sabrina and the others sure worked fast."
Damian raised a brow.
The Kanto bird trio, of course, referred to Articuno, Zapdos, and Moltres.
Giovanni had entrusted that job to Team Rocket's three Admins.
"My current team's already full. Let me think… keep Zapdos and Articuno for now. Send Moltres to the ranch to be raised there."
After a moment's thought, Damian spoke.
He honestly wasn't all that interested in the bird trio.
"You're planning to send one to Selene?"
Giovanni instantly saw through Damian's intentions.
After all, Damian had specifically kept two of the legendary birds.
That much was way too easy to guess.
This kid had never been stingy with Selene.
"Ha～ As expected of you, Dad."
"Damian, are you sure Selene can accept your identity?"
Giovanni sighed lightly.
He'd personally taken care of Selene for a few months the previous year, so he knew just how exceptional that girl really was.
It wasn't an exaggeration to say that Selene's talent as a Trainer was in no way inferior to Damian's—and in some aspects, she might even surpass him.
With two "monsters" like Damian and Selene showing up one after another, Giovanni couldn't help feeling like common sense had been tossed straight into the trash.
The good news was, one of them was his son—and the other was his future daughter‑in‑law.
Giovanni was quite fond of Selene as well.
The real problem was whether she'd be able to accept Damian's Team Rocket identity.
If she couldn't… then Damian would've personally raised a future super‑boss for their enemies.
"Dad, you don't get it. This is the bond between us."
Damian shook his head, completely confident in Selene.
Even if his identity was exposed, she'd just stubbornly decide that if the Pokémon League was forcing warrants on Damian, then the Pokémon League had to be the real villains.
"…Alright then." Giovanni let out a helpless chuckle.
"By the way, Dad, I've caught a ton of Ultra Beasts. Want to train a couple? They're all pretty strong."
"Any Ground‑types?"
"Nope."
"Then I'll pass until you find a suitable Ground‑type."
Giovanni took a slow sip of tea.
His main team had long been full.
He also had a particular fondness for Ground‑type Pokémon and wasn't very interested in other types.
Even so‑called ordinary Legendary Pokémon—like Moltres‑tier legends—didn't appeal to him much.
He was confident that the main roster he'd trained with his own hands was in no way weaker than something like Moltres.
Originally, the "man‑made god" created by the organization's genetic research had been prepared for him.
But since Damian seemed quite taken with it, Giovanni had simply given it to his son.
"Got it."
Damian didn't argue.
He already had his own ideas about what kind of Pokémon to prepare for Giovanni.
"Things in Alola are pretty much wrapped up. I'll head back to Kanto in a while."
After thinking for a moment, Damian spoke.
"Good."
Giovanni's mature, slightly shadowed features softened into a faint smile.
"Damian, I've applied for an end‑of‑year challenge against the Kanto Elite Four."
Damian froze.
"Dad, you're actually serious?"
~~~
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