Chapter 48: I Really Am a Degenerate!
Battle!!
When the storm had passed, Lusamine lay staring blankly at the ceiling, utterly drained.
A beast. This man is an absolute beast!
Two hours. She'd been completely overwhelmed for two solid hours.
Standing, held up, on her knees…
Lusamine felt like he'd practically broken her in half.
"Ahh, that hit the spot."
Mammon finished getting dressed, feeling thoroughly refreshed. He'd confirmed one thing: Lusamine was surprisingly durable.
He walked to the floor-to-ceiling windows, drew back the curtains, and let the warm afternoon sunlight pour in.
This felt like the perfect moment for an after-the-fact cigarette. Unfortunately, he didn't smoke.
Mammon poured a glass of water and sat down beside Lusamine.
The instant she sensed him approach, Lusamine — who'd been lying there looking half-destroyed — jolted awake. "I really can't take any more — I'll die!"
"Relax. Have some water first. I'm a gentleman — I know how to treat a lady." Mammon chuckled and held out the glass.
Lusamine said nothing. She struggled upright, her cascade of golden hair falling around her with an effortless beauty.
One glass of water later, she let out a long exhale. She was starting to feel human again.
"You look much better now. Your face was white as a sheet earlier." Mammon teased.
"..." Lusamine silently pulled the blanket over herself.
And why do you think my face was white? She didn't feel like talking.
All she knew was that young men had absolutely zero concept of restraint.
"You already know how to enter Ultra Wormholes, don't you?"
When Lusamine didn't respond, Mammon wasn't bothered. He simply asked.
"Yes. But it requires Cosmog. Only Cosmog can open Ultra Wormholes." Lusamine didn't hold back — she could tell Mammon was equally interested in Ultra Beasts.
This was the best possible development.
"Good. Write me a letter. I'll have someone deliver it to Lillie — she'll come back to see you."
Mammon considered the logistics. Getting into Ultra Space really did require Cosmog. The only beings that could freely open Ultra Wormholes were the Cosmog evolutionary line and Necrozma.
Some powerful Ultra Beasts could also tear open wormholes, but that was essentially random.
Solgaleo, Lunala, and Necrozma, on the other hand, could open passages to Ultra Space at will.
Speaking of Necrozma…
No — going to unseal Necrozma right now would be suicide.
Mammon made up his mind. Necrozma was sealed inside the Megalo Tower in Ultra Megalopolis — one of the rare Legendary Pokémon whose exact location was actually confirmed.
Releasing a sealed Necrozma wouldn't even be difficult.
But the real question was: how would you catch it?
In the original source material, a light-starved Necrozma fresh out of its seal could ragdoll Solgaleo and Lunala like they were nothing.
In the anime, it had fought both at once — chasing Lunala and Solgaleo across the sky while dominating. In Pokémon Evolutions, it tanked Lunala's super-effective Moongeist Beam without flinching, then pinned Lunala down and forced a fusion.
Even weakened, even after eons of imprisonment — Necrozma was still vastly stronger than the Sun and Moon Legendaries.
Mammon considered himself exceptionally powerful among Champion-tier trainers. In his estimation, the only regional Champions who'd give him genuine trouble were Lance the Dragon Master and Leon.
Mainly because Mammon had already confirmed through back channels that this world's Lance possessed the Power of Viridian — which meant this was the Adventures manga version of Lance, no question.
But even so, if the current Mammon challenged Necrozma… he'd get absolutely destroyed.
Ultra Space was definitely on the agenda — ordinary Ultra Beasts were all respectably strong Pokémon worth capturing.
But unsealing Necrozma? Not yet. That was a death wish.
Light was Necrozma's life force, its source of energy. But the ancient people of Ultra Megalopolis had stolen its light and sealed it away, leaving Necrozma violently, savagely unstable.
The Pokédex entries across multiple versions painted the picture clearly enough:
"Driven mad in its search for light, it fires lasers that slice everything to ribbons." — Shield
"In this form, which has taken control of Solgaleo, it is brutal in nature, using the claws on its back and limbs to tear its prey apart." (Dusk Mane) — Sword
"In this form, fused with Lunala, it grows even more ferocious, viewing all living things as enemies and incinerating everything with its lasers." (Dawn Wings) — Shield
The sealed Necrozma was, for all practical purposes, insane.
Mammon had the Power of Viridian — a natural affinity that drew wild Pokémon to him. But he wasn't reckless enough to bet his life on Necrozma not killing him on sight.
He wanted Necrozma badly. But for now… that conversation would have to wait.
"Are you sure?" Lusamine had no idea what Mammon had been mulling over. She just felt a surge of surprise and excitement.
"Of course. You've always wanted to collect Ultra Beasts, haven't you?"
Mammon tucked a strand of hair behind Lusamine's ear, stroking her cheek with a smile.
Lusamine's pupils went hollow again — but this time, from pure excitement.
Ultra Beasts! She wanted them so desperately!
"I told you — being with me works in your favor. I can put you at the very top of Alola. All you have to do is behave."
"I understand."
Lusamine lowered her head. Every piece of leverage was in Mammon's hands — her secrets, and arguably her life.
Lusamine was pragmatic enough to recognize the situation for what it was.
And most importantly — he'd already conquered her. What was the point of resisting now? If she didn't cooperate, then the whole ordeal would have been for nothing.
"Good girl. Take this."
Mammon produced a silver "R" badge from his pocket — the emblem of a Team Rocket Senior Executive.
Lusamine's strength was actually quite respectable. She was an Elite-Four-tier trainer.
After chatting with Lusamine a while longer, Mammon left the estate with a handwritten letter from her.
With the Aether Foundation absorbed, Team Rocket was now unquestionably the dominant underground power in all of Alola.
Aether Paradise — that entire artificial island — could serve as Team Rocket's Pokémon breeding and training facility.
But the most valuable asset of all was Lusamine herself.
Once the Alola League was formally established, with just a little push, the most natural candidate for League President would be none other than Lusamine.
And if Lusamine became Alola's League President… wouldn't that mean Alola was effectively in Mammon's pocket?
As for whether Lusamine might turn on him later?
Setting aside the fact that he already held all the leverage — once Lusamine's "ultimate purpose" was fulfilled and her mental state recovered, the most important things in her life would be Lillie and Gladion. Both of whom Mammon could use just as easily.
Speaking of Lillie…
"I really AM a degenerate!"
Mammon cursed himself under his breath. The thought had just popped into his head unbidden.
Lillie — blushing furiously, calling him "Daddy"—
I'm the worst!
The really damning part was that the mental image had gotten him excited.