Ultra Space—home turf for the Ultra Beasts.
"Ultra Space" was the umbrella name people used, but in practice it wasn't one single place. It split into multiple distinct regions—different "worlds" with different rules and residents.
There was the Ultra Megalopolis where Naganadel lurked, the Ultra Deep Sea that Nihilego called home, the Ultra Plant where Xurkitree thrived, the Ultra Ruins where Guzzlord prowled… and more besides.
Right now, Damian and Lusamine stood in one of those regions:
The Ultra Desert.
And this was Pheromosa's territory.
The Ultra Desert was all jagged stone and broken ground—rough, uneven, the kind of terrain that punished you for trying to cross it on foot.
Normally, that would've been a problem.
For Damian, it was just another inconvenience to skip.
Before they ever reached Aether Paradise, he'd made a quick stop at one of the Pokémon Ride shops his organization owned and picked up two Dragonite.
Pokémon Riding was an Alola specialty. You paid a fee, you got a ride—land, sea, or air—no questions, no drama.
The rental Pokémon weren't bred to win battles. They were trained to be steady, mild-tempered, and reliable—built for transport, not war.
And for flying? Dragonite was the favorite by a mile.
Even Lance had mentioned it: at the Team Rocket-run ride shops, Dragonite rentals were always the first to get booked out. Gentle nature, strong body, and when they kicked into Extreme Speed, they could chew through distance like it wasn't there.
And honestly? Those ride shops printed money.
"Let's move," Damian said.
He tossed one Dragonite's Poké Ball to Lusamine. They released both mounts, climbed on, and took off—wings beating hard as they cut forward through the hot, empty air.
The Ultra Desert was a lifeless wasteland—no roads, no towns, no signs anyone belonged here.
Then Damian's gaze sharpened.
"Found one."
Up on a stone pillar, a tall, slender figure stood with one hand on its hip, chin tilted up, watching the two Dragonite like they were slow prey wandering into a trap.
Humanoid frame. Body mostly milky white. Long lashes. Deep violet eyes. Behind its head, thin filament-like strands trailed down like a veil—elegant in a way that didn't feel friendly. Regal, cold, and wrong.
Lusamine recognized it instantly, and for a heartbeat her eyes went unfocused—like her brain couldn't decide whether to breathe or scream.
"UB-02 Beauty… Pheromosa."
This was it.
An Ultra Beast.
Damian's mouth twitched, amused.
"Look at that. It's sizing us up like lunch."
He wasn't wrong.
Pheromosa's posture shifted—knees flexing, waist lowering, coiling up like a spring about to snap.
Then it launched.
It didn't "jump." It fired itself.
A blur—straight at them—fast enough to feel unreal, like someone had shot it from a cannon.
The two rental Dragonite sensed the threat and jerked back in panic, wings flailing to gain space.
Too late.
Pheromosa was faster.
"Shadow Ball," Damian said, calm as ever.
From the shadow on the Dragonite's back, a Shiny Gengar slid out with a nasty grin and a sharp, rasping laugh. It rose halfway into the light and whipped a dark sphere forward.
Boom.
Pheromosa slammed into the attack head-on.
The impact cracked through the air, and the Ultra Beast dropped out of the sky like a torn cloth, hitting the sand with a heavy thud.
Damian didn't even blink.
"Down," he told his Dragonite.
The rental Dragonite obeyed on instinct, wings beating slower as it descended and settled onto the sand.
Pheromosa lay sprawled out, eyes spiraling—out cold.
Damian wasn't surprised. This was a wild Pheromosa, not some hardened monster.
Pheromosa hit like a truck and moved like lightning… but it couldn't take a hit back. A pure burst predator—fast, deadly, and fragile. Not "weak," just built to win first or lose immediately.
Numbers from games didn't explain everything in the real world, sure—but the idea still held. Pheromosa's defense was the obvious crack in the armor.
Damian glanced down at it, then looked at Lusamine.
"Go on. Catch it."
Lusamine flinched. "Me?"
"Yeah."
Damian turned his head toward the distance.
A faint tremor in the air.
Dust—rising fast.
Lusamine's eyes ignited with that fanatical heat again.
"Alright!"
She snapped an Ultra Ball into her hand. The Aether Foundation had plans for Beast Balls—Poké Balls built specifically for Ultra Beasts—but they weren't ready yet.
Beast Balls made catching Ultra Beasts easier. Without them, you could still catch one… you just had to work for it.
And Lusamine did.
One Ultra Ball.
Two.
Three.
Four.
Five—
On the sixth throw, the ball finally clicked shut and stayed shut.
Lusamine stood there trembling, breath caught high in her chest.
She'd done it.
She had captured an Ultra Beast.
Damian didn't even look at her celebration.
"They're here," he said.
Lusamine followed his line of sight.
Across the horizon, several rolling clouds of dust barreled toward them at high speed—fast, low, angry.
They slammed to a stop not far away.
Then, one by one, more Pheromosa stepped into view, closing in until Damian and Lusamine were boxed in from multiple sides.
Their eyes weren't curious.
They were hungry.
Clearly, the explosion had carried.
"Why are there so many—?" Lusamine's obsession didn't stop her from edging closer to Damian, voice tight as she counted them.
One. Two. Three. Four—
Nine.
Nine Pheromosa.
Lusamine's stomach dipped.
The two rental Dragonite were having the worst time of their lives. They pressed close together, trembling hard, making small, anxious noises like they wanted to disappear into each other's shadows.
And who could blame them?
These things looked like elegant nightmares—beautiful, humanoid cockroaches with predator smiles.
Lusamine pulled out two more Poké Balls anyway, hands tense.
"Damian… what do we do?"
Damian let out a short, sharp laugh—like the situation amused him more than it worried him.
"What do we do?" He glanced at the circle of Pheromosa, then smiled wider. "We clean it up."
His eyes locked on one Pheromosa perched on a stone pillar to the left, and that smile deepened.
"And honestly? We got lucky."
That one wasn't normal.
Gray "hair" trailed behind its head. Its upper body was white, but the lower half was black—those long, thin legs looked like they were dipped in ink, like it wore dark stockings.
A Shiny Pheromosa.
Damian's expression said it all.
"Yeah," he murmured. "That's the one I want."