"As expected of you, Caitlin. Excellent work."
After hearing how Caitlin had pulled it off, Damian couldn't hide the satisfaction in his smile.
Trainers in this world were oddly… earnest. When it came to capturing wild Pokémon, they insisted on "fair" one-on-one fights like it was some sacred rule. As if the wilderness came with referees and a whistle.
Worse, most mid-to-low-tier trainers treated stat-boosting moves like they were optional flavor text. Which was ridiculous. Moves like Swords Dance or Nasty Plot didn't "kind of" help—they shoved the entire battle off a cliff.
In a matchup between equals, letting your opponent set up even once could turn the fight into a massacre.
Sure, in a fast-paced duel, finding the window to set up wasn't easy.
But wild captures weren't "fast-paced duels." They were messy, opportunistic, and full of angles.
If you couldn't outmuscle your target, you built time.
Light Screen. Reflect. Buy durability.
Then trade HP for momentum and stack boosts until the numbers stopped being fair.
Of course, it depended on the opponent. If they packed Brick Break, your shiny little "walls" could shatter in an instant.
But most wild Pokémon didn't have the discipline—or the move pool—for that kind of counterplay.
"You were the one who taught me," Caitlin said, her tone light. She was in an unmistakably good mood.
And who wouldn't be?
She'd just captured Tapu Lele.
A Legendary. And not just any Legendary—one that perfectly fit her.
"But did Lele really agree to follow you that easily?" Damian rested his chin on his hand, studying Tapu Lele's expression.
Lele looked like it was halfway through an existential crisis… and halfway through drafting a formal complaint to the universe.
Still, it had acknowledged Caitlin. That much was clear.
It was nothing like Tapu Fini, who had spent the first few days after capture radiating resentment and muttering (very loudly) about returning to Poni Island.
Tapu Lele: "…"
"Lele and I made a deal from the start," Caitlin explained, her smile polite—almost sheepish. "If I could defeat it, it would follow me."
Damian blinked once.
Was it the same?
He had absolutely no self-awareness when it came to Tapu Fini.
Fini hadn't even wanted to fight him. She'd tried to leave. He'd had Gengar pin her down with Mean Look and forced the issue.
Tapu Lele, meanwhile, sank deeper into misery. It wished—desperately—that everyone would stop talking about it.
But backing out now?
Never.
It was an Island Guardian Deity. Pride came with the job.
Besides… Tapu Lele didn't actually dislike Caitlin. The girl's psychic presence was strong and clean, and her intent—however forceful—was straightforward.
The real problem was Akala Island.
If Lele followed Caitlin, what happened to Akala?
That thought alone was enough to keep the deity simmering in conflicted irritation.
"I see," Damian said, nodding slowly. "So Tapu Lele is an honest kid who keeps its word… unlike Fini—"
He didn't get to finish.
A Poké Ball on his belt clicked open on its own.
A burst of white light flared, and "Miss Shell" appeared, floating beside him like an offended storm cloud.
Tapu Fini fixed Damian with a stare that was almost physically painful.
Tapu Lele's depression evaporated on the spot.
"Le-le??" Lele's eyes went wide.
Wait—sister, you're here too? When did you get captured? Why didn't I know?
Tapu Fini answered with pure silence.
"Oh, Fini," Damian said quickly, forcing warmth into his voice. "You look cute today too. Here—apple."
He fished a bright red apple out of his bag and offered it like a peace treaty.
"Fini!!"
Miss Shell was furious.
She'd heard everything.
This shameless man—who had said things like "Even if you don't have Poni Island, you still have me"—had only been with her for a few days and was already bad-mouthing her in front of her former colleague.
And of all people, in front of Tapu Lele—the "pink-outside-black-inside" menace.
"I was joking," Damian said fast. "Don't start. I'll buy you an extra cake tonight."
"Fini!"
"Five cakes is not a negotiation. That's an attack," Damian deadpanned. "And you've been looking a little… rounded lately. Cut back on the sweets."
"Fini?"
Tapu Fini froze, then looked down at her belly.
It did, in fact, seem to stick out a bit more.
Tapu Lele stared at the scene, stunned.
Tapu Fini… was actually getting along with this human?
Lele's thoughts began to drift.
If Tapu Fini had already "run off" with a trainer, then why couldn't Lele do the same?
It wasn't like Lele would be the first Guardian to take a "break."
And Olivia—the current Kahuna of Akala—was still young. She wasn't going anywhere for decades. There was no urgent need to choose a successor.
When the time came, Lele could just have Caitlin bring it back to Akala for a visit. Make the selection. Handle the ceremony. Done.
Tapu Lele's logic locked into place with terrifying confidence.
It had been guarding Akala for so long—what was wrong with taking a few decades off?
Human lives lasted, what, about a hundred years?
Wasn't it just a hundred years of playing hooky?
Once Caitlin grew old and passed away, Lele could simply return to Akala. Like nothing happened.
Yes.
That was the plan.
Tapu Fini must have been thinking the same thing.
Tapu Lele, fully satisfied with its "flawless" reasoning, finally stopped looking like it wanted to dissolve into the earth.
With Tapu Lele secured, Caitlin's strength had taken a massive leap. Damian was genuinely pleased. At this rate, it wouldn't be long before Caitlin could stand on the Champion stage without anyone propping up the label for her.
Lele's acknowledgment gave her a Champion-tier anchor, sure.
But Damian wasn't interested in technicalities.
A real Champion wasn't a single peak.
It was a mountain range.
Only when Caitlin had a full team of Champion-level pillars would she truly be there.
Still—Team Rocket was about to gain its third Champion-level trainer.
And that put Damian in an excellent mood.
So, later that afternoon, he headed to Aether Paradise.
"Why are you here again?"
Lusamine, who had only just managed to rest and regain her composure, saw Damian step into her mansion—and felt her heart sink.
Shame.
Irritation.
A very real sense of dread.
This boy's energy was absurd. Borderline inhuman.
"I missed you," Damian said easily, closing the distance as if he owned the room.
He pulled the President of the Aether Foundation into a firm embrace—casual, familiar, and far too bold for someone who wasn't supposed to belong in her world at all.
Lusamine's face heated despite herself.
She gave him a token push—more for dignity than effectiveness—then stopped, jaw tight.
"Damian," she said, voice low. "Don't. I haven't even eaten."
"We'll eat later," Damian replied, unfazed. "I brought you something."
He produced a neatly packed bundle and set it on the table.
Lusamine's eyes flicked to it, wary.
"New clothes," Damian said, almost pleasantly. "Try them on."
Her fingers tensed.
She didn't ask why. She already knew.
This wasn't a gift.
It was a collar disguised as fabric.
Lusamine's gaze lifted, icy and furious—and yet trapped.
Damian's smile didn't change.
"Go on," he said softly, and the softness somehow made it worse. "And this time…"
He leaned in just enough for the words to land like a hook.
"Say it properly."
Lusamine's lips parted.
Her pride screamed at her to refuse.
Her reality reminded her she couldn't.
"Da… D…"
The sound caught in her throat—half humiliation, half rage—while Damian watched with the calm patience of someone who already knew the outcome.