Chapter 46: Now, Mrs. Lusamine — You Wouldn't Want…
Aether Paradise — an artificial island at the heart of the Alola region, and the headquarters of the Aether Foundation.
Countless injured Pokémon found refuge here. But beyond Pokémon conservation, the Aether Foundation also conducted research on these grounds.
Research into what? What else could the Aether Foundation possibly be researching?
Ultra Beasts, of course — Lusamine's all-consuming obsession.
Today, Mammon set foot on Aether Paradise. Lusamine came out to receive him personally.
Her residence was situated behind the main complex. The fastest way there was by car or helicopter.
"Mr. Mammon, what brings you to Aether Paradise so suddenly?" In the car, Lusamine's tone was flat and disinterested.
She had no fondness for Mammon whatsoever. His gaze was brazen — that unrestrained, predatory stare made her deeply uncomfortable.
It was as if she'd been stripped bare. It had been a very, very long time since anyone had dared look at her like that.
But Lusamine couldn't afford to lose her temper. Because this was Mammon — the leader of Team Rocket's Alola operations.
"Just here to discuss a few important matters, President Lusamine. Aren't you going to give me a tour of the facilities?"
Mammon, wearing a baseball cap, replied casually as he gazed out the window at the passing buildings.
He'd been half-hoping this visit might play out like the games — with a stray Nihilego conveniently drifting into view.
No such luck. Lusamine wasn't about to parade him around Aether Paradise.
"Mr. Mammon, do you have no sense of self-awareness?" Lusamine's reply was ice-cold.
"Oh?"
"Professor Kukui and Hala personally called to ask the Aether Foundation to monitor your whereabouts."
Lusamine's voice carried a sharp edge. If she didn't need Team Rocket's help, she'd want nothing to do with them.
Especially not with Mammon — this walking liability. If Kukui's people ever discovered she had dealings with Team Rocket, the Aether Foundation's reputation would crater overnight.
"If I walked you through the facility, how long do you think it would take for someone to recognize you?"
Aether Paradise was her creation, yes — but not every Aether Foundation employee was a die-hard loyalist.
Many had joined because of the Foundation's prestige and Lusamine's reputation as a philanthropist.
"Fair enough." Mammon wasn't particularly surprised.
The Aether Foundation's footprint covered all of Alola. Of course Kukui would ask Lusamine for assistance — it was the most natural thing in the world.
"Professor Kukui and his crew, honestly — making such a production of it." Mammon laughed it off with casual indifference.
Lusamine glanced at him. That nonchalance wasn't an act. He genuinely didn't take Kukui's group seriously.
That confident, is he?
Something flickered behind Lusamine's eyes, her thoughts unreadable.
The car soon pulled up to Lusamine's residence — an extravagantly grand estate. She certainly lived well.
The two went inside.
"Then let's dispense with pleasantries, Mr. Mammon. Why are you here today?" Lusamine settled elegantly onto a living room sofa, cutting straight to the point.
She had no desire to spend more time with Mammon than necessary. Every instinct told her this young man was dangerous.
In every sense of the word.
"So cold. We are partners, after all, President Lusamine."
Mammon sprawled across the opposite sofa, surveying the room. "Opulent" didn't begin to cover it.
"Impressive, President Lusamine. The Foundation must be doing well financially. Building all of this single-handedly — I have to admit, I'm genuinely impressed."
The Aether Foundation had been established by Lusamine's father, but the person who'd built it into the powerhouse it was today? That was all Lusamine.
Her capabilities were beyond question. Even Mammon had to concede — Lusamine was an extraordinarily competent woman.
"How kind of you to say. You're quite accomplished yourself for someone so young, Mr. Mammon." Lusamine was unmoved. She lifted her teacup and took a measured sip. Flattery like this was nothing new, and it stirred nothing in her.
"Then let's get down to business. I understand the Aether Foundation has been conducting extensive research into Ultra Beasts — is that correct?"
Mammon shifted topics.
Lusamine's arm paused mid-sip — barely a hitch — before smoothly resuming.
"That's right. We have." She admitted it openly.
The Aether Foundation's research into Ultra Beasts and Ultra Wormholes wasn't common knowledge among ordinary people — most didn't even know what Ultra Beasts were.
But Alola's upper echelons were well aware. Kukui and the other regional leaders all knew. It wasn't exactly a secret.
"Ultra Beasts pose a significant threat to Alola. Understanding their nature sooner serves the region's long-term security." Lusamine's tone was smooth and composed.
"Tch~ President Lusamine, how noble of you."
Mammon clicked his tongue.
But the sarcasm dripping from every syllable was impossible to miss, and Lusamine's expression darkened.
"If you understood what Ultra Beasts have done to Alola in the past, you—"
"You can skip the high-minded speeches, Lusamine. They're not fooling anyone. Did you really think I don't know what you're actually after?"
Mammon tilted his head and cut her off. He had zero interest in watching Lusamine put on a performance.
For Alola's sake? The nerve on this woman.
"What is that supposed to mean?" Lusamine's face went glacial. Her pupils lost their highlights and gradients in an instant — hollow, disturbingly vacant.
This was Lusamine's physiological tell. It surfaced whenever her obsessive tendencies took hold.
"Do I really need to spell it out, Lusamine?" Mammon regarded the Aether Foundation President with leisurely calm, his tone unhurried.
Lusamine stared at him with freezing intensity.
"The reason you hired us to find Lillie and Gladion has nothing to do with them being your children. It's because of Cosmog and Type: Null. Am I wrong?"
Mammon smiled pleasantly, entirely unfazed by the sub-zero glare.
"You've found them?!" The realization hit Lusamine like a thunderbolt.
"That's right. Who would ever guess? The beloved President Lusamine — champion of Pokémon welfare, beacon of compassion — is actually a woman so far gone that her own children fled from her in terror. Barely human anymore, wouldn't you say?"
Mammon's smile widened slowly as he watched the color drain from her face.
"That's ABSURD!" Lusamine shot to her feet, her voice a furious snap. She loved Lillie and Gladion. She "loved" them so much—
"Easy now, Lusamine. I know, you see. That basement under this house of yours — you've got quite the collection of 'treasures' down there, don't you?"
Mammon rolled his neck, his tone perfectly gentle. But the words sent ice flooding through Lusamine's veins.
Her pupils went hollow again. A bone-deep chill crawled from the soles of her feet upward, consuming her entire body.
The basement "treasures"… How? How could he possibly know?!
A voice like a devil's whisper drifted to her ear.
"Now, Mrs. Lusamine — you wouldn't want this little secret getting back to the Pokémon League, would you?"