"Come on," Damian said, making a polite little after you gesture toward Kukui and Olivia. "Let me show you what Tapu Fini can really do."
Inside her shell, Tapu Fini straightened her back and lifted her chin.
Fine. Let you mortals witness the power of an island guardian deity.
"Even if it's Tapu Fini, we can still beat it!" Olivia let out a cold snort. If they had to defeat Tapu Fini to "save" it, then so be it.
"Gigalith!"
Gigalith rumbled low. The wind picked up in a sudden, violent howl—and sand exploded into the air, filling the sky.
Sand Stream.
The weather shifted into a sandstorm. Under it, Rock-types gained a boost to their Special Defense, and in a real environment the cutting wind and sand made vision and perception miserable for anything caught inside.
Tapu Fini's brows tightened in instant disgust. As a Water-type, she hated sandstorms. The grit scraping against her body was dirty and itchy—an all-around nightmare.
She was a good girl who liked being clean and pretty.
"Lycanroc, Gigalith—Stone Edge!" Olivia swung an arm with flair, snapping out the command.
Water countered Rock, sure—but Water didn't resist Rock. Tapu Fini had no natural resistance to a Rock-type hit.
Sharp stones condensed at once in front of Lycanroc (Midnight Form) and Gigalith, then shot forward through the storm at high speed.
Kukui didn't rush in. He watched, eyes narrowed.
As Damian had said, the Tapus had served as Alola's guardian deities since ancient times… but even the kahunas didn't truly know how deep their strength ran.
They knew the Tapus were strong. They didn't know how strong.
After all, it wasn't like you could stroll up and ask a Tapu for a proper battle.
So Kukui stayed cautious and let Olivia test the waters first.
"Weak and powerless," Damian said, almost amused, as the Stone Edge cut toward them through the sand.
"Surf."
"Fini~!"
A sea-blue light flared over Tapu Fini's body. The echo of waves rolled across the air—endless, overlapping, like the ocean itself was answering her call.
Then the ground seemed to rise.
A massive wave—well over ten meters—surged forward, carrying Tapu Fini with it as it swept straight toward Lycanroc and Gigalith.
From Olivia's and Kukui's angle, it looked less like a move and more like a tsunami. The wall of water swallowed their vision and nearly blotted out the sky.
It was enormous.
The wind and sand from the sandstorm didn't "push back" against it at all. They were simply swallowed whole.
Stone Edge struck the incoming wave again and again—only to kick up a few meaningless splashes.
"Braviary!" Kukui's expression sharpened, and his voice cracked like a whip.
Braviary dove, hooked Kukui and Olivia in its talons, and kicked back up into the air—pulling them out of the path as fast as it could.
"Magnezone—Thunder!"
Electric light gathered, then roared. A thick bolt of lightning blasted toward Tapu Fini at the crest of her wave.
Tapu Fini glanced at it—and didn't even bother dodging.
The wave kept charging forward and came down in a single crushing sweep, drowning Lycanroc and Gigalith before they had time to move.
BOOM!
Surf smashed into the ground with violent weight.
At the same time, Thunder struck Tapu Fini head-on.
Lightning wrapped her body. Tapu Fini cried out in discomfort—the pain was real.
It wasn't anywhere near the agony she'd felt at the hands of that evil gray fatty (Gengar), but it was still super effective, and it still stung like hell.
As the floodwater receded, Tapu Fini floated quietly in mid-air—sparkling clean, as if the sandstorm hadn't even touched her. She looked down at what remained.
Lycanroc (Midnight Form) and Gigalith lay sprawled on the ground, soaked and unconscious, completely unable to fight.
"Ugh… how can it be this strong…" Olivia stared blankly at her fainted main Pokémon. She looked like she couldn't process what she'd just seen.
"Tch." Damian chose that exact moment to speak, sounding genuinely amazed. "How weak. You can't even take one hit from Fini?"
"You—!" Olivia's face flushed red as she snapped her glare at him.
"What about 'me'?" Damian didn't even look her way. His attention slid to Kukui instead. Out of the four, only the Champion-level trainer was worth more than a passing glance. "Fine. I've played with you enough. You can step down now."
Olivia clenched her teeth, but the helplessness hit her hard.
Tapu Fini was too strong.
But why—why would Tapu Fini fight for a Team Rocket monster like this?
Olivia couldn't understand it.
Kukui's eyes stayed on Damian, heavy and serious. "A Champion-level trainer as young as you… you should have a future that's bright enough to blind people. Why join Team Rocket?"
Damian really did look young—sixteen or seventeen at most. A Champion-level trainer at that age…
Those were rare across the entire world. Every single one was a genius—a monster.
If he challenged the League the normal way, he could climb into an Elite Four seat or even become a regional Champion. An infinite, dazzling road was right there.
And yet Damian chose Team Rocket. And Caitlin, over there, was also a prodigy of the same kind.
Kukui couldn't wrap his head around it.
"You're asking why?" Damian sounded almost amused, like Kukui had asked him why the sky was blue. He paused as if thinking, then smiled.
"Why does there have to be a 'why'?"
"?" Kukui blinked, thrown off.
"I hate being constrained," Damian said simply. He spun a Poké Ball lightly on one finger, effortless. His smile was warm and pleasant—yet something about it felt wicked anyway.
"Morals, rules, laws… walking the same unchanging road day after day is boring. Dull. It's not the life I want."
His smile widened, and his tone sharpened into something closer to obsession.
"It wasn't until I joined Team Rocket that I realized there was a different world out there."
"I figured it out." Damian's mouth curled higher. "Following conventions—doing what you're told—none of it means anything. That wasn't the real me."
"But now?" He spread his hands slightly, as if showing off the horizon. "Now I do what I want, say what I want, take what I want. And my life finally has color."
Kukui drew a slow breath, feeling the weight of it in his chest.
This person…
"You're too extreme, Damian," Kukui said in a deep voice. After this, he needed to investigate Damian's background. Something had pushed a kid like this into becoming what he was.
His family had to be part of it. They had to be.
"Hmph." Olivia's voice was cold, bitter. "Freedom? That's just a pretty excuse so you can do evil without limits."
"It doesn't matter," Damian said with a shrug. "I don't need your approval."
He lifted his gaze, the smile thinning.
"We've chatted enough." His tone stayed light, but something darker surfaced in his eyes. "Professor Kukui—let's see if you can handle my Tapu Fini."
"…."
Kukui's expression sank as he looked at Tapu Fini, then at Damian behind her.
That Surf alone had been a warning. Tapu Fini's power was overwhelming.
And Damian—someone who could capture Tapu Fini—surely had more monsters on his main roster.
Kukui didn't want to admit it, but a heavy realization pressed down on him:
He might not be a match for Damian.
So—
Kukui's hand moved behind his back. Hidden from sight, his fingers found a device and jammed down a specific button.
Champion Cynthia.
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