Chapter 22: Lusamine, This Job You're Asking For Isn't Going to Be Easy
"Is that so? Lusamine wants to meet with us?"
Inside the villa, Mammon swirled the blood-red wine in his crystal glass, the corner of his mouth curling into an intrigued smile.
"Yes." Guzma nodded, having rushed over from the Game Corner specifically for this.
"The Aether Foundation has always had a sterling reputation in Alola. The fact that the Foundation's president has a direct line to you, Mr. Guzma — that's interesting."
Caitlin had spotted the inconsistency, and voiced her confusion aloud.
"And on top of that — why would she want to meet with an evil organization like ours?"
Caitlin felt something was very off about this.
"I don't know either. But Lusamine isn't the upright, righteous figure she appears to be on the surface. Back before all this… you could say I was running errands for her."
Guzma said it after a moment of hesitation.
He didn't know what Lusamine was after, but he'd had several dealings with her. His temper might be hot, but Guzma wasn't completely brainless — he could tell something wasn't right with that woman.
"Of course, Boss, I'm not in contact with Lusamine anymore."
Then, terrified Mammon might misunderstand, Guzma quickly clarified his stance.
He felt like he'd been born to be a member of Team Rocket!! Loyalty!
"Don't worry about it. Everyone has a past."
Mammon signaled his trust in Guzma.
"Since Lusamine wants to meet with us, there's no reason to refuse. Guzma, set up a time with her."
Mammon spoke with a soft laugh. He had a pretty good guess as to what Lusamine wanted from them.
But that worked out perfectly. He had plenty of his own ideas about the Aether Foundation.
"Got it!" Guzma immediately called Lusamine on the spot.
Time quickly skipped forward two days.
As expected, the response to the Alpaca Game Corner had been excellent — especially the gaming hall inside, which was packed to capacity practically every single day.
The reason was simple: the top prizes in the gaming hall were Dratini, Larvitar, and Feebas.
The baby forms of three pseudo-legendary lines — for a lot of people, that was simply too tempting to resist.
Whether you wanted to redeem one and raise it yourself, keep it as a pet, or trade it to someone else, all were great options.
Say what you will, but in a world built around Pokémon, rare Pokémon would always have a market.
On top of which, most people came to gaming halls for one thing — gambling. The chance to turn a small bet into a huge payout was a temptation few could refuse.
I mean, what gambling addict actually loses every day, right?
And riding that mindset, even if you couldn't pull a Dratini, walking out with an Eevee or a Porygon — both rare Pokémon — meant you still came out ahead.
So the gaming hall blew up. The gaming hall raked in cash. Not just from Melemele Island either — people were traveling in from the other islands specifically to play.
And today in Alola, the weather was once again beautiful.
In a private room of an upscale hotel, Mammon was openly sizing up the gorgeous woman seated across from him.
A cascade of luxurious, silken golden hair. Skin that was strikingly fair. A long, slender figure. A platinum-white fitted dress that traced the soft curve of her slim waist. Black-and-white slacks that perfectly displayed long, straight legs.
A very beautiful and elegant woman — and unlike Caitlin, who was also a striking blonde.
Lusamine carried a mature, refined air completely different from Caitlin's. There was also that aura of someone who had spent a long time in a position of power — the bearing of a leader, something anyone could pick up on at a glance.
This was Lusamine. President of the Aether Foundation. The architect behind the artificial island of Aether Paradise.
This was an extraordinarily capable woman. Years ago, the Aether Foundation had been just a small charitable organization.
But under Lusamine's leadership, it had grown into one of the dominant powers of the Alola region — to the point where their own headquarters was an artificial island.
In the eyes of Alolans, the Aether Foundation was a deeply benevolent organization.
Because the Foundation's stated mission was the protection of injured Pokémon — especially those that had been hurt by Team Skull.
And the Foundation's president, Lusamine, was a woman full of love for Pokémon. Capable, dependable, accountable — that was how the people of Alola saw her.
But what no one knew was that ever since her husband, Dr. Mohn, had vanished while researching Ultra Space, Lusamine had begun to change.
Her love for Pokémon had begun to twist. She wanted every Pokémon in existence brought into her own personal collection.
And the strongest of all her desires were the Ultra Beasts of Ultra Space!
It was precisely because they had begun to notice their mother changing that Gladion and Lillie — suffocating under Lusamine's tyrannical control — had each fled Aether Paradise one after the other, desperate to escape her grasp.
But none of this was known to the outside world. To ordinary people, Lusamine was still that elegant, refined, kind-hearted Foundation president.
"President Lusamine. Your reputation precedes you."
Mammon didn't bother concealing his gaze, sweeping it openly up and down Lusamine's figure. Say what you will, but Lusamine was a mother of two children.
And yet you'd never guess it from looking at her. Even living in tropical Alola, her skin was somehow still this fair and luminous.
Her stunning appearance gave absolutely no hint that this woman was already forty.
Caitlin, for her part, was rather taken aback in this moment. The photos of Lusamine she'd seen all looked young — she'd just assumed they were heavily filtered.
She hadn't expected the real Lusamine to look even fresher in person than in her photos. How on earth did this woman take care of herself?
"Team Rocket's name has reached even my ears. I never expected your organization to set foot in Alola."
Lusamine's elegant brows knit together — almost imperceptibly. The unrestrained way the boy across from her was sizing up her body was deeply unpleasant to her.
But this time she had come as the one asking the favor. And on top of that, Team Rocket was an evil organization. Lusamine was prepared to swallow it.
"Alola is a wonderful place. And I see a great deal of potential in it." Mammon leaned back into his chair, his gaze locked on Lusamine's face.
"So, President Lusamine — what is it that brings you to seek out Team Rocket specifically?"
"I'd like to ask your organization for a favor. I'll provide compensation, of course."
Lusamine's tone was cool.
"Tch~" Mammon couldn't help clicking his tongue.
"Well now, no need to be so polite, President Lusamine. Please, speak freely. Has someone given you trouble?" Mammon asked, feigning curiosity.
"Not exactly. I'd like your organization to find two people for me, and bring them back."
Lusamine's voice remained calm. She produced a photograph, set it on the table, and slid it across to Mammon.
"Oh?"
Mammon raised an eyebrow, picked up the photo, and glanced at it. As expected — Gladion and Lillie.
Mammon wasn't surprised in the slightest. After all, when Lusamine was reaching out to an evil organization, there were really only so many things it could be about.
In the games, she'd ordered Guzma to use Team Skull's resources to track Lillie down. Now that Team Skull had been absorbed into Team Rocket, Team Rocket was the only place she had left to turn.
"President Lusamine. This job you're asking for… isn't going to be easy."
Mammon's finger traced across Lillie's face on the photograph as he gave Lusamine a half-smile that wasn't quite a smile.
Lusamine's brow immediately drew tight.