Chapter 69: She Will Dominate All of Alola!
"Holy CRAP! That's Articuno!!"
Mitsuki's eyes went perfectly round. She stood there staring at the ice-blue legendary bird and absolutely lost it.
Translucent blue feathers with a beautiful sheen. Three deep-blue diamond-shaped plumes forming a crown. Vivid red eyes. A tail almost as long as its entire body, trailing behind it like a banner.
Articuno. One of the three legendary birds of Kanto.
Mitsuki was from Kanto — she recognized it immediately, even though she'd never actually seen one in person.
"How did he even get one of these?!" Equal parts shocked and delighted.
Wait — yesterday Mammon had asked her whether she preferred Ice/Flying or Electric/Flying. Which meant the other option would have been Zapdos. He'd gone with Articuno for her.
Articuno regarded Mitsuki with cool, level eyes, noting that she was holding its Poké Ball.
According to the buzz-cut man who had given it a brief and thorough education on the way here, its new Trainer was someone exceptional.
That would presumably be this girl.
But —
"You are SO gorgeous, oh my gosh, ARTICUNO~! Heheheh~!"
Mitsuki bounded over with her eyes absolutely sparkling. First legendary Pokémon she'd ever owned. She was not handling it calmly.
"It really is stunning!" Acerola agreed with full sincerity.
"Yiya~"
Articuno drew itself up instinctively, head high, cry bright and clear. Dignity must be maintained. It was a legendary bird. It had standards.
And clearly this Trainer liked it very much, which — well. Of course she did. It was beautiful. Who wouldn't like it?
Articuno felt extremely good about itself.
(Not that it could beat Zapdos or Moltres in a fight. But in terms of pure looks? It would not be losing to either of them. Moltres? Glorified grilled wings. Zapdos? Its feathers were an absolute mess. They had no business competing with it on aesthetics.)
"Okay, gorgeous. And this one is?"
After thoroughly appreciating Articuno's posing, Mitsuki turned to the pale, drifting Pokémon floating nearby.
It was a deeply strange-looking creature. The upper body was translucent, dome-shaped, ringed with small white hexagonal markings. Its tentacles had a gelatinous quality, swaying without any apparent will of their own — and yet the overall silhouette, somehow, faintly resembled a girl.
Mitsuki turned it over in her memory. She'd never seen this Pokémon before.
"Unit designation UB-01: Symbiont," Lillie said quietly. "Its name is Nihilego."
An Ultra Beast.
No one outside a very small circle could possibly have one.
As far as Lillie knew, only two people had ever caught an Ultra Beast: her mother — and Mammon.
Mammon… is really Mitsuki's boyfriend.
Lillie pressed her lips together tightly.
She'd pushed the thought away before. The coincidences had piled up and she'd told herself it was nothing. But Nihilego didn't lie. Nihilego was proof.
Why does it have to be like this…
She looked at Mitsuki, careful to keep her expression neutral. Mitsuki was the best friend she'd made after escaping Aether Paradise — the first person who'd just treated her like a person. She was genuinely, deeply happy to know her.
But she also — liked Mammon. The first time she'd ever felt this way about anyone.
Without Mammon, she'd still be adrift, unable to find her way back to her mother. Without Mammon, her mother's journey into Ultra Space would have been far more dangerous.
And the person she'd developed feelings for was her closest friend's boyfriend.
Mammon had sent Mitsuki Articuno and Nihilego. He must care about her a great deal. Of course he did — Mitsuki was extraordinary. Kukui and everyone else said so without hesitation, in terms that weren't even remotely exaggerated.
And herself?
She wasn't even a Trainer.
Lillie's expression went quiet. She lowered her head without thinking, and the wide brim of her hat cast a shadow across her face.
Nebby… if you were here, could you tell me what to do?
That evening. Mammon's villa.
"Hey, babe — did the Pokémon arrive?"
"AHHHH!! HONEY!! I LOVE YOU!! Muah muah muah~!!"
"Love you too. Take good care of them — their potential is genuinely excellent."
Mammon listened to Mitsuki's voice message, the energy of it practically bouncing off the walls, and found himself smiling despite himself. Her moods were contagious in the best possible way.
"I heard the Alola League is almost ready to launch — do you think you can become the first Champion?"
"Hmph hm hm~ obviously! Babe, just sit back and watch. Watch me be magnificent~!"
Completely confident, fighting spirit at maximum.
"Oh, and once I'm Champion-tier, I'm going after that Tapu Koko! It kept flying over my head the whole time I was on Melemele and it was so smug about it! I'm going to catch it!"
"Go for it."
Mammon laughed. Mitsuki setting her sights on Tapu Koko of all things.
Kukui, this one's not on me. I promised I wouldn't go after Koko and Bulu. Mitsuki is not Team Rocket.
He made his way to a hotel nearby and stepped into a reserved private room.
Everyone was already there.
Lance. Domino. Caitlin. Guzma. Plumeria. Lusamine.
All of the Alola branch's senior executives, assembled.
"Alola's been a resounding success so far." Mammon poured himself a glass of red wine and smiled around the table. "Thanks to everyone's work. Let's drink to it."
Glasses met.
"I've reached an agreement with Kukui's group — Alola will tacitly acknowledge our presence and leave our operations alone. Going forward, Lance, you continue overseeing the expansion of all above-ground business assets."
"Understood." Lance nodded.
"Guzma — all underground operations are yours. I want this region completely clean. No rival organizations, no bottom-feeders operating in the dark."
"Hell yeah, that's what I'm talking about!" Guzma showed every tooth he had. "Leave it to me, boss."
"Plumeria — logistics and the ranch. No mistakes."
"Yes." Plumeria nodded quietly. This was precisely where her strengths lay.
"Lusamine — when you become Alola League President, keep any connection to the organization buried. Slow and steady from there."
He met her eyes. He trusted her on this. Her intelligence and her composure were both first-rate.
"Of course." Lusamine swirled her wine glass, perfectly composed.
"Mammon — the League is forming, and the Champion position is still open." She paused, thinking it through. "Should we have Gladion compete? If the Alola Champion is one of ours as well, we'd have complete control."
She had a point. Mammon and Caitlin were obviously out of the question — Kukui's group would react badly. But Gladion had a real shot.
The League's full establishment was still a second-half-of-the-year project. With sufficient resources, it wasn't impossible for Gladion to reach Champion-tier by then. He had the talent.
"Don't worry about the Champion position," Mammon said, his smile easy. "I already have someone in mind. She will make it to the top."
Gladion had Champion potential, but it wasn't certain — there was no guarantee he could make it through Hau.
Mitsuki could. Mitsuki would steamroll Alola.
Kukui, Hau, and Gladion, all three of them together at the end of the year — they still wouldn't be a match for her.
That was what the name Mitsuki was worth.
"To all of you — cheers."
☆☆☆
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