"Before today's class begins, let's first welcome our new student!"
Johan stood beside the podium, lightly clapping his hands.
Below, Kiawe, Sophocles and the others looked bewildered.
New student?
"Teacher, where's the new student?" Mallow asked curiously.
Johan smiled and gestured slightly toward the door. Gladion, with his cool golden bangs, walked in carrying a small backpack with a stern expression on his face.
"Big brother?"
Seeing Gladion, Lillie was the first to cry out in surprise.
She never expected that the so-called "new student" Teacher Johan mentioned would be her own brother Gladion.
But didn't big brother dislike school and have no faith in the Alola Pokémon School?
"So it's Lillie's brother Gladion!" Mallow said in surprise.
The others had similar expressions.
Johan smiled: "Since everyone knows each other, there's no need for lengthy introductions. Gladion, please take your seat."
Although the class size was small, the classroom was large enough. Gladion sat in the back row, alone in his own row.
"The teacher had some business to attend to, so I was away for a few days. Now let's test what you've learned during this time." Johan smiled.
"No way—!"
Immediately there was a chorus of groans.
Their beloved new Hoenn League Champion, hailed as one of the important leaders of the young generation in the Pokémon world - Teacher Johan - was starting with a test again?
Only Lillie remained the most composed in the entire class. Even her brother Gladion showed some nervousness when he heard "test."
"These are all very basic questions. Lillie, please distribute the test papers."
"O-okay."
Johan discovered that he seemed to be gradually developing a liking for this feeling of arranging tests.
The students below were all scratching their heads and thinking hard, while Johan leisurely crossed his legs and sat beside the podium, flipping through the "Book of Fear."
Like Giovanni's "Mysteries of the Earth," Elite Four Agatha's "Book of Fear" always yielded different insights when read from time to time.
Time passed quickly.
When Lillie collected the test papers according to Johan's instructions, everyone's expressions were different.
Kiawe lay collapsed on his desk in despair, Sophocles clasped his hands together praying to "Celesteela," Lana had a thoughtful expression, while Mallow was biting her pen and gritting her teeth.
Gladion had a strange expression, and only Lillie remained composed.
Looking at their expressions, Johan could roughly guess how this test went.
Just as he was about to speak—
Buzz—
The space in front of the podium suddenly distorted.
Then Nebby suddenly appeared out of nowhere on the podium.
Hm?
Johan couldn't help but be stunned.
The little ones below with their various expressions were also immediately drawn to Nebby.
"What Pokémon is this?"
Except for Gladion and Lillie, the others obviously didn't recognize Nebby.
"Pew~"
Nebby yawned long at Johan, then curled up on the podium and fell asleep.
Seeing this, Johan's eye twitched. He took out his phone and sure enough saw Anabel's call coming in right on time.
"Teacher Johan—"
Before Anabel finished speaking, Johan said: "Yeah, it came to me."
"As expected."
Hearing this, Anabel immediately breathed a sigh of relief.
Following Johan's suggestion, Anabel and the others used Poké Beans to temporarily "control" Nebby, having it cooperate with some research and investigations.
At first everything went very smoothly - as long as there were Poké Beans, Nebby, who was obsessed with them, was quite cooperative.
But once Nebby ate its fill, or rather, yawned and started getting drowsy, it would directly use Teleport and disappear from the research facility.
So Anabel immediately called Johan.
As expected.
Nebby teleported to Johan's vicinity and then brazenly started sleeping.
"As long as it's not lost, that's good." Anabel sighed in relief.
"But Nebby's power really can open 'Ultra Wormholes'! And it's not the chaotic way that Faba opened them - according to Professor Burnet, it can guarantee the stability of the passage!"
When saying this, Anabel was obviously somewhat excited.
After all, since the "UB Task Force" was established, they could only deal with Ultra Beasts that suddenly appeared in the Alola region. If not for inventing Beast Balls, they wouldn't even have ways to deal with Ultra Beasts.
But even with Beast Balls, at most they could only defeat Ultra Beasts and capture them in Beast Balls, yet had no way to handle them afterward.
This was still when facing some not-too-strong Ultra Beasts. If the Ultra Beast was too powerful, like the previous Guzzlord, they couldn't even capture it in a Beast Ball.
But if they could master the technology to open "Ultra Wormholes," they could forcibly send some Ultra Beasts back to "Ultra Space." This was actually more manageable than capturing them.
Furthermore.
As a "Faller," Anabel was actually quite curious about her own origins and background. If she could enter "Ultra Space," she might be able to determine her origins.
"Don't get too excited too early, Anabel."
Johan waved his hand, signaling the little ones to study on their own first, then walked out of the classroom with his phone, saying:
"Perhaps, within 'Ultra Space,' there aren't only Ultra Beasts. What if there are also humans there, and these humans all have ill intentions?"
"Moreover, if we rashly open 'Ultra Wormholes' not knowing where they lead, it's fine if nothing happens, but what if there happens to be a group of powerful Ultra Beasts on the other side?"
Anabel was silent for a while.
Actually, what Johan said, she had naturally considered as well.
It's just...
Sometimes, you have to take the first step.
"So I've decided that I'll be among the first batch to open 'Ultra Wormholes' and enter for exploration." Anabel said.
"Don't be hasty." Johan said helplessly, "Let me first communicate with those Ultra Beast friends, then consider what to do."
Although Anabel and the others knew limited information about 'Ultra Space,' there were still Buzzwole, Kartana, and the Naganadel colony, right?
Afraid that Anabel might act impulsively due to curiosity about her background, Johan added, "This is an order."
As Chief Inspector, he was already Anabel's direct superior.
"Yes." Anabel was actually quite restrained.
"How's Celesteela doing?" Johan asked again.
"According to Professor Burnet, Celesteela has gathered enough fuel and will most likely launch tonight."
"Tonight? Got it."
Ending the call.
Walking back to the classroom, he saw the group of little ones had already gathered around the podium, carefully observing Nebby with curiosity.
Even Gladion, though he didn't come closer, kept his gaze fixed on Nebby.
Seeing Johan return, they immediately scattered like birds and ran back to their seats.
"Stop being curious. Go prepare individually - tonight I'll take you on a field trip. Aren't you all curious about Ultra Beasts? I'll take you to see them." Johan said with a smile.
"Ultra Beasts?!"
"Field trip?"
"Long live Teacher Johan!"
The little ones all became excited.
Gladion still maintained his "mature" appearance, but Johan felt that after spending time with such an interesting group of little ones, Gladion would eventually be "assimilated."
He just didn't know what it would be like when Ash came to the Alola region in the future and encountered this group of classmates and possibly "evolved" Gladion.
It would definitely be interesting.
Whoosh—whoosh—
Ceruledge's charcoal fire continuously ignited high-temperature flames, heating metal to a golden-red color, while Tinkaton worked hard nearby, sweating profusely.
With Ceruledge's cooperation, Tinkaton's metal forging speed improved significantly, and it also helped Ceruledge better master its own flames - truly killing two birds with one stone.
Ordinary flames really couldn't melt these "Melmetal metals" that Tinkaton needed.
Ceruledge's flames contained part of the "Life Fire," plus its own strength, so it could manage it.
And this was also training for its flame control.
However, with Ceruledge being pulled by Tinkaton to serve as "labor," Kartana, who had finally waited for Johan and the others to return, could only teach Servine swordsmanship on the side.
Fortunately, Servine's learning ability was strong. Even though its strength was a bit inferior to Kartana's, it still gave Kartana a great sense of accomplishment in teaching.
It couldn't help but develop an illusion.
It felt that perhaps it had the qualifications to become a "genius teacher"?
"This is 'Celesteela'? This must be 'Celesteela,' right?!"
A group of little ones surrounded the quiet Celesteela, with Sophocles almost unable to contain his excitement.
Celesteela perfectly matched the legend of "Celesteela" he had heard about, which he was passionate about.
"Shouldn't we send it back to 'Ultra Space'?" Professor Burnet operated precision instruments, looking at the terrifying gas and energy accumulated within Celesteela.
If this energy were allowed to explode, it would probably burn down all the surrounding forests, right?
This risk... was indeed quite large.
"It's fine."
Johan was quite confident.
Never mind that Celesteela was just heading toward the moon - even if it really wanted to release that terrifying energy, he was confident he could suppress it.
As for why not send Celesteela back to "Ultra Space"...
Johan had always respected the wishes of Pokémon themselves.
Although Celesteela had never communicated with him, when the moon rose, the smile that appeared on its stiff, unchanging face wouldn't lie.
It was just that smile that felt somewhat "eerie," giving people a chilling feeling.
"The moon is about to rise overhead."
A round, white moon hung high in the night sky like a white jade plate, its bright moonlight illuminating the surroundings like daylight.
Today was a full moon.
In Johan's mind, he couldn't help but think of a song.
"Ah-oh-ee, ah-oh-ee~~"
"It's coming!" Professor Burnet said in a low voice.
Sophocles and the others had already retreated to a safe distance, while Celesteela, which had been lying on the hillside, slowly straightened its body.
Buzz—
When the full moon reached overhead, at the moment when the moonlight was most brilliant, Celesteela's thrusters made sounds.
"Ninetales." Johan called softly.
"Oowoo~"
Ninetales' nine tails gently swayed as it breathed out.
Crack crack crack—
Layer upon layer of ice crystals immediately appeared around Celesteela, encircling it to ensure that the heat and energy released by its thrusters during launch wouldn't cause any damage to the surroundings.
"Ultra Wormhole!"
Suddenly, Professor Burnet's expression changed as she called out.
Anabel and the others immediately became tense.
An "Ultra Wormhole" appearing at this time?
Could there be some Ultra Beast about to emerge from the "Ultra Wormhole"?
If it collided with Celesteela, then...
"Pew?"
Nebby in Johan's arms rubbed its eyes twice, yawned, and waved toward the direction where the "Ultra Wormhole" was opening.
"Pew~ pew~"
Looking very happy.
Johan immediately understood, patting the little one's head and signaling Anabel and the others to remain calm.
Soon.
The "Ultra Wormhole" opened, and a bat-like Pokémon flew out from it, while the "Ultra Wormhole" quickly closed with its appearance.
"Lunala?!" Anabel and the others exclaimed.
After Lunala appeared, it flew directly to high altitude, "merging" with the bright moon.
Buzz—
Under the moonlight's illumination, it immediately emanated a white glow like moonlight, and Lunala's body gradually became bright and snow-white.
Full Moon phase!
Whenever I see the moon, I'll think of me!
As Lunala transformed into "Full Moon phase," the surroundings seemed to become dim, the originally bright world becoming dark and gloomy.
Even the light emitted by instruments and lamps gradually turned gray-white.
"Pew~ pew~!"
Nebby seemed very excited, waving its nebula-like hands at Lunala.
Lunala, glowing with white light all over its body, cast its crimson gaze on Nebby and nodded slightly.
For some reason, Johan felt it seemed to be nodding at him rather than Nebby.
The next second.
Buzz—
Pure white moonlight scattered down from Lunala, refracting onto Nebby.
"Pew~~"
Nebby comfortably narrowed its eyes, its body slowly floating up, and under the moonlight's illumination, it actually began emanating brilliant white light.
"This is..."
Anabel and the others, as well as the kids, all watched this scene in amazement.
"Evolution?!"
Johan looked at Lunala in the sky, then at Nebby bathed in Lunala's moonlight, understanding in his heart.
So Lunala took advantage of when the moon was brightest and fullest to come out and bestow part of the "light" to Nebby, assisting its evolution?
As everyone knew, the "light" in the Alola region was actually "Ultra Aura," which was Necrozma's power.
Whether Solgaleo, Lunala, or Necrozma, they all needed such "light" - this was their source of power.
"Oowoo..."
Ninetales beside Johan also watched this scene, observing Lunala and Nebby's use of "Ultra Aura," and a thin... radiance gradually emerged from its body.
In its snow-white fur, a palm-sized plate faintly appeared.
"Luna?"
Lunala, who was contentedly watching Nebby's evolution, was also attracted by the commotion on Ninetales, showing surprise in its eyes.
Besides them, there was actually another Pokémon that knew how to use "light," how to use "Ultra Aura"?
A thoughtful look flashed through its eyes.
Lunala, originally preparing to withdraw its moonlight, instead cast the moonlight onto Ninetales again.
Buzz—
Instantly.
Ninetales also emanated a pure white glow, just like Lunala's moonlight.
However, this moonlight wasn't concentrated at one point, but spread and extended in all directions.
The people around watched this scene in confusion and shock.
At this moment, they seemed to be in a pure white world.
The moon disappeared, Lunala's glow and Nebby's evolution light all vanished, leaving only that holy Ninetales, like a spirit of "light."
"Oowoo—"
Ninetales raised its head slightly and howled.
The power of the moon seemed to become substantial at this moment, becoming a moon that fell to earth, dispelling the surrounding darkness, its snow-white fur flowing.
This seemed to say...
"Light" was never something that belonged exclusively to any one Pokémon - it belonged to everyone!
"Mom, I think I... saw three moons..." Kiawe murmured.
At this moment.
All the residents of Melemele Island felt a light different from the sun illuminating the entire island.
"So beautiful." Lillie's eyes were full of Ninetales' image, feeling that this kind of Pokémon was so touchable.
"Is this the power between trainers and Pokémon?"
Gladion also watched this scene, looking at the holy Ninetales and Teacher Johan standing beside it with a gentle smile, thinking of his Type: Null and gaining new understanding of Teacher Johan's words.
So the power of trainers and Pokémon could really achieve things completely beyond ordinary imagination...
The pure white moonlight lasted for an unknown duration.
It could have been an instant, or it could have been eternal.
Until Lunala's glow faded and it returned to its original appearance.
It looked deeply at Johan and Ninetales, nodded slightly again, then disappeared into an "Ultra Wormhole" once more.
And the "Moonblast" on Ninetales also gradually dimmed.
"Oowoo..." Ninetales gave a low, soft cry, fatigue appearing on its face, its tails and fur drooping, but its eyes were brighter than ever.
It suddenly looked at Johan.
Meeting it were gentle eyes and a warm palm, as Johan sighed with a slight "sour" feeling:
"Our little Ninetales has grown up too..."
The little Vulpix that once hid in garbage dumps, timid beyond measure, had now reached the point where it could stand on its own.
The "Ultra Aura" absorbed from the four islands of the Alola region had completely become Ninetales' own power at this moment.
The "Fairy Plate" that hadn't been in hand for long also became "obedient" at this moment.
And Ninetales' power had completed its transformation in that instant.
Legendary!
Johan could clearly feel that Ninetales' current power had reached legendary level!
Even without borrowing the power of the "Fairy Plate," it was genuine legendary tier.
Moreover.
Johan had a feeling...
With Ninetales condensing "Ultra Aura" into itself, it might produce a Z-Crystal exclusive to Ninetales.
A... Z-Crystal that even he had never seen, matching Ninetales' "Moonblast."
Just like the "Pikashunium Z" that Ash's Pikachu possessed.
"Oowoo~"
Ninetales' head gently rubbed against Johan's palm, its dependence not weakened at all by its improvement in strength.
"You've worked hard." Johan smiled.
Perhaps when truly facing Necrozma, Ninetales could give it a big "surprise."
Lunala probably also thought of this step, which was why it gave more "light" to Ninetales.
With Lunala's glow gone and Ninetales' light faded, the full moon in the sky became bright again.
Rumble rumble—
In the rumbling sounds, Celesteela, which had been building up for so long, finally began to launch.
The surging flames were blocked by Ninetales' ice wall, and accompanied by ground tremors, it slowly rose like a rocket, moving faster and faster toward the moon.
Its face showed a satisfied smile.
Having seen three moons and about to head to the moon it had waited for two hundred years to reach, Celesteela's heart was filled with happiness at this moment.
"'Celesteela' has launched!" Sophocles shouted.
A childhood story had become reality.
The evolutionary glow on Nebby also faded, and its appearance changed considerably.
The originally nebula-shaped Nebby had transformed into a "cocoon"-like form, and its overall size had also become smaller.
The entire nebula seemed divided into three layers - the outermost golden hard shell, the middle layer resembling a nebula, and the innermost layer showing a black core, as if something was brewing within.
Nebby's face was now visible on that core, eyes closed as if sleeping.
It really had evolved into Cosmoem.
Watching Cosmoem floating down toward him, Johan's expression immediately changed.
Oh no!
Don't look at how Nebby had become smaller in both size and form after evolving into Cosmoem - its weight had reached an extremely exaggerated level, weighing over a ton!
And this was still the upper limit that the Pokédex could record, not representing Cosmoem's limit.
In the Pokémon world, the only two Pokémon whose weight reached 999.9kg in the Pokédex were Cosmoem and Celesteela.
And he wasn't Ash...
He wouldn't be crushed to death, would he?
"Cosmo~"
Cosmoem smacked its lips twice. Although sleeping, it seemed to recognize Johan, and when it landed in Johan's hands, it wasn't as heavy as expected.
Hm?
Are you also like "Mjolnir," like Tinkaton's hammer, capable of "self-adaptation"?
"Cosmo~"
Cosmoem smacked its lips twice again.
In the night sky.
The stars, which had become dim due to the bright moon, became clear again.
Stardust seemed to scatter down, gathering onto Cosmoem, making it grow rapidly in invisible ways.
"This is... the 'Star Cocoon'?"
Professor Burnet snapped out of her trance from Ninetales' previous holy moonlight and couldn't help but speak upon seeing the descending Cosmoem.
"Star Cocoon?" Anabel, Lillie, Gladion and the others looked over.
"So Nebby, no, Cosmog evolves into the 'Star Cocoon'..."
Professor Burnet murmured, then noticing everyone's gazes, explained:
"In ancient Alola, the King of Alola called it the 'Star Cocoon' and built the Altar of the Sunne to worship it."
Unlike Cosmog, Cosmoem had appeared in ancient Alola.
"So that's how the Altar of the Sunne came to be." Everyone suddenly understood.
So Nebby was a legendary Pokémon?
Cosmoem would bathe in starlight, extensively absorb dust from the atmosphere to grow, working hard to create evolutionary energy with its core.
Johan wasn't unfamiliar with these things.
Because Nebby, or rather Cosmoem, needed to go to the Altar of the Sunne and, under the ritual of the four Island Guardian Deities, activate the power in the Altar of the Sunne to evolve into Solgaleo.
At this moment, Johan also understood why Lunala had suddenly appeared to help Nebby evolve.
Probably...
Lunala had also sensed that Necrozma's awakening was imminent, and it needed Solgaleo's power to confront that powerful existence that extremely countered them.
Should they wait for Nebby to evolve into Solgaleo?
Johan stroked his chin thoughtfully.
Didn't seem necessary?
Before Necrozma had Solgaleo's or Lunala's power, it wasn't called Necrozma - it was just "UB: Black."
With base stats of only 600 points, not even comparable to Wishiwashi.
About the level of Zygarde's fifty percent power.
With his Pokémon's current strength, dealing with one "UB: Black" seemed... not too difficult?
If one of Lunala or Solgaleo got involved and was captured by "UB: Black," becoming Dusk Mane or Dawn Wings form, that would be more troublesome.
Of course, if Necrozma fully recovered and reached terrifying base stats of 754 points...
Johan would probably have to flee.
Leaving aside Eternamax Eternatus, the "Blinding One" Necrozma with base stats of 754 points was the ultimate among Pokémon.
Compared to it, Arceus with "only" 720 base stats seemed more like a tool for the plates.
Cough.
Having this thought, Johan quickly muttered "slip of the tongue, slip of the tongue" in his mind.
Arceus with a complete set of plates still reigned supreme over all Pokémon.
Moreover, Arceus had so many avatars - this world was just one of them.
However, Johan had made his decision.
He approached Anabel and Professor Burnet, saying: "Nebby is very well-behaved now and can help open 'Ultra Wormholes.' For the first exploration into 'Ultra Wormholes,' I'll lead the team."
Anabel immediately perked up.
Teacher Johan leading the team?
Perfect!
"Leave it to me!"
Professor Burnet reached out to take the sleeping Nebby from Johan's hands, but discovered...
She couldn't lift it at all!
"Haha! Leave this 'heavy lifting' to me!" Professor Kukui felt it was time to show his strength and rolled up his sleeves.
He exerted force suddenly.
Nebby didn't budge!
Hm?
"How much does this weigh?" Anabel noticed something was wrong and asked.
"Not heavy." Johan held Nebby with one hand and waved dismissively: "Just a few tons."
?!
Everyone looked at Johan with shocked gazes.
A few tons?
Just?
Even if Teacher Johan was a "Fighting Master," this strength was still...
Johan smiled without explaining.
Naturally, he wouldn't tell them that Nebby had "self-adaptation" abilities.
"Ka-kaah~"
Gengar on the side curled its lips.
Show off all you want - who can out-show you!
Exclusive Z-Crystal.
Gengar showed some envy - it sounded pretty awesome.
Why didn't it have one?
Although it could use Marshadow's exclusive Z-Crystal and signature move Soul-Stealing 7-Star Strike, it still felt unsatisfying.
It felt like all its exclusive Z-Crystals were "stolen."
"Ka-kaah!"
Watch me create an exclusive Z-move too!
Gengar spun its hands, and two peculiar spoons suddenly appeared in its hands.
Destiny's gift!
Transform!
The spoons in its hands slowly bent.
"Ka-kaah~~"
Gengar laughed proudly, having great fun.
Meanwhile, Anabel's Alakazam was frantically looking around, patting itself down while searching.
"Alakazam..."
Where are my Twisted Spoons?
At the same time.
Poni Island, Poni Canyon, Altar of the Sunne.
The four "missing" Island Guardian Deities were busy here.
According to Lunala, that one would probably awaken soon. Lunala would help Nebby quickly complete its transformation, and then they would need to gather the "Ultra Aura" of the Alola region to help Nebby complete its final evolution.
They had been preparing here for some time, and with just a little more, the preparations for activating the altar would be complete.
Tapu Koko and the other Island Guardian Deities looked toward Melemele Island simultaneously, also sensing Ninetales' moonlight.
It's just...
Why did they have the feeling they were about to do useless work?
That wouldn't do!
The four Island Guardian Deities looked at each other, confirming their shared thoughts.
The next day.
Johan came again to the Naganadel habitat on Melemele Island.
As the most honored guest of the Naganadel clan, surrounded by numerous Poipole, he made his way unobstructed to the massive nest built by the Naganadel.
He found the strongest and oldest Naganadel leader.
He inquired about news of Necrozma.
In the anime, Necrozma should have fallen asleep in a Naganadel clan's territory after blocking the impact of a massive meteor.
That would be the clan where Ash's Poipole belonged.
In the games, Necrozma was controlled by the people of Ultra Megalopolis and imprisoned in the Ultra Megalopolis Tower at the center of Ultra Megalopolis.
First, he needed to confirm Necrozma's location.
Ideally, he could invite a sufficiently powerful and aged Naganadel from the clan to serve as a guide.
Combined with Buzzwole and Kartana, when first entering "Ultra Space," they wouldn't be completely in the dark.
"Necrozma?" Hearing Johan's inquiry, the Naganadel leader seemed very surprised.
"If given the chance, you wouldn't want to stay in the Pokémon world forever either - you'd want to return to your homeland, right?" Johan sat on a small stool, looking at the Naganadel leader.
Brief silence.
The Naganadel leader sighed deeply.
"If given the chance, who would willingly leave their homeland?"
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Powerstones?
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