Chapter 26: Acerola, the Ancient Princess
Ula'ula Island. Mammon and Caitlin had once again returned to this particular island.
The Aether House — a small Aether Foundation outpost known as "the model of Pokémon and people living hand in hand."
The Aether Foundation had always held the protection of Pokémon as its central mission, and the Aether House was no exception.
The Foundation staff at the Aether House took in wild Pokémon that had been injured, and they also took in orphaned children, giving them a place to live.
It was essentially the equivalent of an orphanage back in Mammon's previous life.
This was precisely the reason the Aether Foundation had such an excellent reputation in Alola.
Lusamine's private dark side was unknown to the outside world, and the Aether Foundation's genuine work rescuing wild Pokémon and helping children was, naturally, widely admired.
And it was precisely this Aether House that Mammon and Caitlin had come to visit today, bringing substantial supplies for the children and the Pokémon.
"Thank you so much, both of you, for coming to see the children." The Aether Foundation staffer was deeply grateful.
The snacks, toys, books, and clothing the two had brought filled an impressive quantity of bags.
"Please, don't mention it. It's just a small contribution." Mammon smiled as he replied.
Meanwhile, Caitlin — with her now-evolved Hattrem at her side — was patiently telling stories to a group of the children.
"The hard work is all on your shoulders — taking them in and protecting them. It must be exhausting day in and day out."
Watching the innocent smiles on the children's faces, Mammon couldn't help letting a soft smile touch his own lips.
"Not at all. There are plenty of kind-hearted people who come by to keep them company, and the children are very well-behaved. If I had to say anything…"
The staffer's expression darkened as she recalled past events, her face flushing with anger.
"Back when Team Skull was still around, they used to come harass us constantly. That gang of thugs didn't have an ounce of sympathy — they'd even bully these poor little children."
For the staff at the Aether Foundation, there was no group they despised more than Team Skull. Not even close.
To the Foundation workers, those punks were worse than animals. They had zero empathy and would actively come around looking for trouble.
But what most Aether Foundation staff didn't know was that their beloved President Lusamine had, until quite recently, been in regular contact with Guzma himself.
"Things have been much more peaceful since Team Skull is gone, though."
The staffer added with a wistful sigh.
When she'd heard Team Skull had been disbanded, she'd been overjoyed beyond words. It was just a shame she didn't know who had brought about their dissolution — because otherwise she'd absolutely be burning incense sticks in gratitude to whoever it was.
"That's the best outcome, then."
Mammon chuckled softly. Team Skull had indeed been universally despised — but Team Rocket was a different beast entirely.
They might be a dark organization, but Team Rocket wasn't the sort to bully ordinary civilians on a whim, and certainly not well-meaning institutions like the Aether House.
Mammon strongly disapproved of that sort of thing. Who said an evil organization had to take its pleasure in tormenting regular people?
"Hi~ everyone, I'm back again!"
Just then, through the open front doors, a girl in a black-and-blue long dress came walking in. She had a touch of baby-fat in her cheeks, and her voice was bright and crystalline.
The moment the children caught sight of her, several of them ran up to her in delight.
"Big sis Acerola~!"
"Hey, good kids. Have you all been reading your books today?"
The girl named Acerola had eyes that squinted into little crescent moons as she smiled down at the children.
Mammon quietly observed the scene, his gaze fixed on Acerola the entire time.
Her hair was a deep purple, shoulder-length, styled in a way that resembled Mimikyu's rag. Her face, still carrying a touch of baby-fat, was genuinely adorable. Her small, slender frame was wrapped in a long dress marked with clearly visible patches and stitching, and a gold bangle adorned her left upper arm.
This was none other than one of Ula'ula Island's Trial Captains, Acerola — and the future Ghost-type member of the Alola Elite Four!
A friendly, lively girl. The ragged appearance of her dress was purely her personal taste — her father was actually the owner of the Malie City library.
Worth mentioning: Acerola was a descendant of the Alolan royal family. The gold bangle on her arm was a royal heirloom.
Of course, in the current era of Pokémon League governance, the age of kingdoms was long past. Certain places still had so-called "princesses" and "kings," but in practical terms, these were now just different titles for different positions.
Just like Acerola herself — she referred to herself as the "ancient princess," but it was purely a self-styled title.
"Oh, some faces I don't recognize. Hi there, I'm Acerola!"
Having finished greeting the children, Acerola blinked her large eyes and offered up a bright, cheerful smile as she introduced herself to Mammon and Caitlin on her own initiative.
From the looks of it, this was a fairly extroverted social butterfly.
"Acerola, one of Ula'ula Island's Trial Captains — we've heard of you." Mammon said with a smile.
"I'm Mammon."
"I'm Caitlin. A pleasure to meet you."
Caitlin offered a small, graceful curtsy, her beautiful eyes studying Acerola with considerable interest.
Because the biggest reason Mammon had brought her to the Aether House was Acerola.
"Wow, Caitlin, you're so pretty!"
Acerola's exclamation wasn't the least bit performative — she genuinely admired Caitlin's beauty and bearing.
That kind of high-born, aristocratic grace was something ordinary people simply couldn't cultivate.
"Thank you. You're very lovely yourself, Acerola. And your dress has a wonderful style to it."
"Ehehe~ really? Acerola's so happy! Acerola made this herself, you know!"
Acerola's eyes crinkled into crescents again. Girls were naturally happy to be complimented, and being complimented by a girl as beautiful as Caitlin was even more delightful.
This was a very simple, straightforward girl.
Almost instantly, Caitlin made her assessment. Just a few lines of conversation were enough to read Acerola's personality.
"Acerola, do you have some free time right now?" Mammon spoke up at the appropriate moment.
"Um… Acerola doesn't have anything to do right now. That's why Acerola came to play with everyone here."
Acerola tilted her head curiously, but answered the question anyway.
"In that case, would you be willing to battle Caitlin? A serious, full-power battle."
"Eh?" Acerola froze for a moment.
"Acerola, would you be willing?" Caitlin added her own voice.
"Well… but I'm pretty strong, you know."
Acerola hesitated. Simple-hearted as she was, she also knew her own power was considerable.
If she went all-out, there was a real chance she'd psychologically break her opponent. Plenty of trainers on Ula'ula Island had already suffered at her hands.
"No need to worry about that. Caitlin is also a very strong trainer." Mammon said with a smile.
"Really? Sure! I love battling too!"
Acerola's eyes lit up, and then she broke into a bright, crescent-eyed smile. Very cute.
Mammon watched the two girls in silence without saying a word. Caitlin's progress lately had been substantial — it was time to find her an opponent who would actually put real pressure on her.
And Acerola, the Elite-Four-tier Ghost-type specialist, was a very good fit.
Mammon himself was also proficient in Ghost-types, but his power currently outstripped Caitlin's by far too much. Sparring with him, the effect was never quite ideal.
For a strong trainer, battling against your type disadvantage was a required course.
Alright, Caitlin — go get 'em!