Ultra Wormhole.
Space turbulence swirled and converged into a spiral-shaped passage, with Johan and the other four riding Pokémon swiftly shuttling through it.
It had to be said, the Aether Foundation's research on Ultra Beasts and Ultra Space was quite good. Johan and the others, wearing specially made clothing, were completely unaffected by the spatial turbulence of the "Ultra Wormhole."
Moreover, at the moment the "Ultra Wormhole" opened, Cosmoem, which entered together, released a mysterious aura that to some extent isolated the effects of the "Ultra Wormhole" and further stabilized it.
"Buzzwole!"
Buzzwole excitedly shouted.
From its expression, you could tell that "Ultra Space" was approaching.
Soon, in Johan and the others' vision, the vortex ahead came to an end, and a gray, hazy world gradually appeared in their sight.
Buzz—
Without slowing down, after a wave of spatial fluctuation, Johan and the others successfully flew out of the "Ultra Wormhole" and arrived in a dark, gray world.
Everything around them was gray and hazy, with extremely dim lighting. Not only were there no sun or moon in the sky, there weren't even any stars.
If not for some rocks around that emitted faint light, this would be a world completely swallowed by darkness.
Visibility was extremely low.
However, with the help of these glowing stones, they could barely make out their surroundings.
Around them were floating islands without any pattern, suspended haphazardly in the vicinity.
If you didn't know better, you'd think you'd somehow arrived in Giratina's "Distortion World," except even in the "Distortion World" the lighting wouldn't be this dim.
"Where... are we?" Anabel looked around and couldn't help asking.
"Buzzwole?"
Not just Anabel - Buzzwole, Kartana, and the Naganadel all looked confused.
The Naganadel leader explained: "Ultra Space is extremely vast, so even we aren't familiar with every location."
"These islands are all composed of crystals, not soil or metal."
Giovanni, who was crouching on the ground and gently touching the surface, said in a flat tone.
Crystals?
Johan nodded thoughtfully.
If they were precious ores or diamonds, Tyranitar would have already come out, and if they were metal, Tinkaton would definitely have come out too.
But both little ones were currently well-behaved, indicating these were indeed just crystals.
Furthermore.
Here, they seemed unable to feel the passage of stamina or time...
Wait!
Johan suddenly realized something.
"This place is—"
But before he could finish speaking, he heard Giovanni shout in a low voice, "Lusamine, what are you doing!"
He saw.
President Lusamine was standing in front of a huge, strange crystal pillar, slowly reaching out her hand to touch it.
The next second.
Gurgle gurgle—
A sound like flowing water, or perhaps squirming slime, and an Ultra Beast resembling a jellyfish "squeezed" out from the crystal pillar in front of Lusamine.
"UB-01: Symbiont?!" Anabel exclaimed.
The so-called "UB-01: Symbiont" was actually the first Ultra Beast discovered - Nihilego!
Nihilego had a bell-shaped jellyfish-like body, with white six-pointed star markings around its translucent upper bell, bright blue wavy edges around the bell rim, and tentacles hanging down like a skirt or limbs.
"I feel like I..." Lusamine slowly turned back, her face showing a nervous, collapsed yet somewhat excited smile.
Gurgle—
Just as her voice appeared, the Nihilego that emerged from the crystal immediately attached itself to Lusamine!
They'd just arrived in "Ultra Space" and encountered Nihilego, and Lusamine was predictably possessed by it.
This family really had quite the "karmic connection" with Nihilego... Johan unconsciously had this thought.
In the anime, Lusamine was also possessed by Nihilego and taken into "Ultra Space," which led to Ash and Gladion's rescue mission.
And Lusamine's husband Mohn had actually encountered a shiny Nihilego after getting lost in "Ultra Space," lived with it, and even treated it as his daughter, naming it "Lillie."
Finally, when Mohn recovered his memory, that shiny Nihilego named "Lillie" was captured by Gladion.
As for Lillie herself, she had her memories sealed by Faba precisely because she was suddenly attacked by Nihilego, leading to the subsequent series of events.
So.
Lusamine's family really had quite a "karmic entanglement" with Nihilego Ultra Beasts.
At the same time, seeing Nihilego appear completely confirmed Johan's suspicions.
This was the "Ultra Deep Sea" in "Ultra Space," the habitat of Nihilego Ultra Beasts - their territory!
"Oh no! President Lusamine has been parasitized!" Anabel shouted. "UB-01: Symbiont, Nihilego, is said to be able to possess humans and Pokémon, making them violent, but the specific reasons and conditions for possession are currently unknown—"
The UB Task Force had some understanding of Ultra Beasts, but not deep knowledge.
Especially for Nihilego, an Ultra Beast they'd never encountered, all their information came from the Aether Foundation.
"It's tension and fear." Johan supplemented Anabel's "conditions."
"Tension and fear?" Anabel was stunned.
Johan looked back at her: "So Anabel, don't be nervous or afraid. No matter what happens, I'm here."
While speaking, he gestured for Anabel to look around.
When Anabel instinctively looked, her face immediately paled.
At some unknown point.
The gray, hazy world around them was floating with numerous Nihilego, their numbers impossible to estimate.
So many Nihilego...
"Ka-kaah!" Gengar grinned and gave Anabel a thumbs up.
Don't be afraid, we're here.
Anabel was worthy of being someone who could become an International Police Chief Inspector in a short time, independently manage the "UB Task Force," and also serve as a Battle Frontier Brain - her psychological quality was quite strong.
After just a few deep breaths, her expression gradually calmed. She threw out a Poké Ball to summon Alakazam while nodding slightly at Johan.
Strong psychological quality was one aspect, but Teacher Johan's presence also truly gave Anabel fearless confidence.
Her attitude change made the few Nihilego that had been surrounding her slowly back away.
But while Anabel was temporarily fine, Lusamine had already been possessed by Nihilego.
After possessing Lusamine, the Nihilego's color and form immediately underwent tremendous changes.
Its upper bell covered Lusamine's head, and its transparent body still allowed Johan and the others to see Lusamine's expression clearly, but its originally white body had turned deep black, adding several degrees of sinister aura.
Those tentacles even opened eerie eyes, making people shudder.
"Teacher Johan, Mr. Giovanni, Miss Anabel!"
Lusamine looked excitedly at the three of them, still able to speak.
She shouted somewhat manically: "You can explore 'Ultra Space'! I've already found what I wanted! This is the Ultra Beast I've been searching for!"
"President Lusamine! You need to calm down and not be controlled by it!" Anabel shouted.
"Strictly speaking, this isn't control, is it?" Giovanni watched this scene with interest.
"Indeed."
Johan nodded.
"Nihilego releases a type of neurotoxin. Under the toxin's influence, anxiety and tension become happiness and excitement. Not only does Nihilego not control the parasitized host, it amplifies some of the host's deepest true thoughts and provides adequate protection."
Anabel didn't bother questioning why Teacher Johan understood Nihilego so well, just saying:
"Then what should we do..."
Giovanni said:
"If that's the case, then the more we attack this Nihilego, the more it will absorb the parasitized host's energy until they die. But if we don't attack, the host can actually live well?"
Johan truly admired Giovanni.
With just this little information, he'd made such an accurate judgment.
"Exactly, and only after parasitizing does Nihilego's true strength manifest."
"The stronger what the parasitized host desires deep down, the stronger Nihilego becomes?" Giovanni posed it as a question, but his tone was quite certain.
He smiled: "An 'idealistic' Ultra Beast - this kind of ability is truly rare."
Anabel was speechless.
Teacher Johan and Mr. Giovanni, taking turns speaking, had thoroughly analyzed Nihilego.
But weren't they both being too calm...
Although with so many Nihilego around, staying calm and composed was the best choice, were they just going to watch Lusamine be taken away by Nihilego?
But listening to their conversation, it seemed the more they attacked, the more they'd harm President Lusamine, while not taking drastic action would actually better protect President Lusamine?
How contradictory.
Seeming to notice Anabel's expression, Giovanni said flatly:
"Don't be nervous. Normally that's correct, but as long as it's a living creature - whether Ultra Beast or Pokémon - it has limits to what it can bear. Even if it's 'idealistic,' there are still limits."
As he spoke, he looked at Johan.
Johan nodded slightly: "Rock and Poison types."
"As expected."
A smile appeared on Giovanni's face: "No wonder everywhere around here is crystal and no soil."
4x weak to Ground-type moves.
The next moment.
Giovanni threw a Poké Ball at the Nihilego in mid-air.
The Poké Ball traced a straight line through the air at extreme speed, suddenly opening as it approached Nihilego and shooting out red light.
"Nidoqueen, Bulldoze!"
From the red light, a strong, robust Nidoqueen charged out without any hesitation, wrapped in extremely powerful Ground-type energy. Before Nihilego could react at all, it unhesitatingly struck it.
Boom!!
Large amounts of dust flew up.
Johan's expression was strange.
Ball-contained attacks?
Had Giovanni already encountered Red?
This "ball-contained attack" technique was frighteningly skilled.
Moreover, as an old-school trainer, although Giovanni was the Team Rocket boss, his Poké Ball throwing technique probably wasn't inferior to Gold's either.
Among old-school trainers, throwing Poké Balls was a very important skill that could often play crucial roles in sudden wild battles.
Look at this.
It was clearly a Ground-type move, but Giovanni made it feel like aerial combat.
Anabel watched this scene in amazement.
In the rising dust, Lusamine fell from the air.
Under Johan's direction, Naganadel had already positioned itself below the impact point and precisely caught the falling Lusamine.
Bang!!!
The light blue Nidoqueen landed heavily, spreading its arms and roaring domineeringly at the surrounding Nihilego.
The surrounding Nihilego, intimidated by Nidoqueen's presence, retreated another distance. Though they didn't completely withdraw, they no longer dared approach easily.
"Really no need to worry..." Anabel murmured, seeming to somewhat understand why Teacher Johan had called Mr. Giovanni along.
Moreover.
Their earlier back-and-forth conversation, plus the tacit cooperation between them, seemed like partners of many years.
Why don't you two just get together?
Anabel felt like she and President Lusamine were somewhat redundant.
"Ka-kaah?"
Just when all the Nihilego didn't dare approach Nidoqueen, Gengar went against the grain and immediately came to Nidoqueen's side, looking it up and down with increasingly bright joy in its eyes.
"Ka-kaah?!"
It's really you?!
"Roar—"
The previously imposing Nidoqueen, upon being recognized by Gengar, showed an honest, friendly smile and grinned.
It was actually... the Nidoqueen that had once "visited" Johan's house!
After parting back then, they hadn't seen each other for nearly a year.
Unexpectedly, in less than a year, this Nidoqueen had grown to Champion level!
"Oowoo~"
"Cha~"
Ninetales and Tinkaton also ran out from Johan's Poké Balls on their own, surrounding Nidoqueen and looking it up and down.
All old friends!
"Roar..."
Nidoqueen immediately scratched its head embarrassedly.
After nearly a year apart, although its growth rate was fast, these friends seemed to have grown even more astonishingly fast.
Both Gengar and Ninetales had reached levels that even made Nidoqueen feel dangerous, and even Tinkaton felt like an opponent Nidoqueen might not be able to handle.
Back then, these three little ones were no match for it.
Now not only had they completed the reversal, but it was a complete reversal with a huge lead...
But regardless.
The previously agreed "meeting at the summit" was achieved.
Everyone had become a "better" version of themselves!
"Ka-kaah!"
Gengar was first to hug Nidoqueen, grinning mischievously as it inquired.
Hehe! Tell us, tell us! How did that Nidoking turn out? How are you doing now?
"Roar!"
Hearing this, Nidoqueen immediately raised its head proudly.
That Nidoking got beaten up by it and became obedient, but it beat him up every time they met. It hadn't seen him for over three months now!
"Oowoo~!"
Even the usually shy and quiet Ninetales felt "satisfied" hearing this and took Nidoqueen's hand.
"Roar!"
Nidoqueen became even more "proud," raising its hand and showing three fingers.
These three fingers indicated the current number of Nidoking it had!
"Ka-kaah?!"
"Oowoo?!"
"Cha?!"
Three?!
The three little ones exclaimed in unison.
Good grief!
The Nidoqueen that was once "dumped" by Nidoking now had three "boyfriends"?
Truly a case of not judging after three days!
No wait.
This was the dragon slayer becoming the dragon!
The four Pokémon immediately started playing around, the joyful atmosphere seeming to forget their current environment.
Johan obviously also recognized this Nidoqueen and was equally surprised.
What surprised him wasn't that Giovanni could train a Nidoqueen to Champion level in less than a year.
Honestly, this would definitely be considered fast for others, but for Giovanni it was actually somewhat slow.
You had to know.
Green, who had obtained Giovanni's "Mysteries of the Earth," had trained an entire team of Champion-level Pokémon in less than a year - the kind that could compete with Red!
As the owner of "Mysteries of the Earth" with massive resources, this wasn't surprising.
What surprised him was.
Was this Nidoqueen Giovanni's second team, third team, or not even on the third team?
And it was already Champion level.
Giovanni's real first team - wouldn't it be six legendaries?
Probably not that exaggerated...
"Its potential and ability are both good, and its mentality is especially excellent. There's still room for improvement." Giovanni said.
Johan clicked his tongue and shook his head.
Listen to that tone.
As if as long as Giovanni was willing to put in the effort to train them, Champion level was guaranteed.
And this seemed to be reality.
So annoying.
Without injuries and slowly mending his relationship with his son, Giovanni seemed to have a tendency to "evolve" into his complete form.
"President Lusamine is fine." After checking Lusamine's condition, Anabel looked up.
Johan nodded, and his conversation with Giovanni was brought back to the present.
He looked around and said: "If nothing unexpected happens, this should be the 'Ultra Deep Sea.'"
Johan had already made this judgment earlier, but Nihilego's appearance and possession of Lusamine had interrupted him.
Ultra Deep Sea?
There wasn't a single drop of water here...
Anabel looked puzzled.
But she quickly accepted it.
"Ultra Space" after all - having differences from the Pokémon world's understanding and definitions was normal.
"So this is the place." The Naganadel leader understood: "It's said that the 'Ultra Deep Sea' is inhabited by a group of strange Ultra Beasts that are very dangerous, so we've never come here."
With Johan's "positioning," the Naganadel leader barely determined their location and the direction they should head.
"Anabel." Johan suddenly spoke again.
"Yes?"
"Earlier, didn't you and Professor Burnet say that 'Ultra Space' and 'Ultra Wormholes' seemed to have a 'bidirectional reaction'?"
Johan looked at the surrounding Nihilego thoughtfully:
"What if a group of Nihilego sensed the thoughts and feelings of people in the Pokémon world, amplified and realized them - wouldn't that explain this phenomenon?"
"I see!"
Anabel immediately understood.
Combined with Nihilego's characteristics and their "idealistic" abilities, it really seemed to make sense.
The more they wanted to investigate "Ultra Space," the stronger this desire became, the more likely it was to trigger Nihilego's traits and resonate across space...
"No wonder we first came here, to the 'Ultra Deep Sea' rather than elsewhere."
Johan nodded: "Of course, President Lusamine's 'desire' might also be one of the important reasons we came here."
Ending their brief discussion, Johan said:
"Let's leave first. Our main purpose this time isn't to explore the connection between 'Ultra Space' and our world."
"Right!"
Anabel had no objections.
Interrupting Gengar and the others' reunion with Nidoqueen, Johan climbed onto Dragonite's back.
"Let's go. First let's find our main target or reach the target location."
With positioning established, the Naganadel leader carried Giovanni and led Johan and the others flying out of the "Ultra Deep Sea."
As long as they didn't fear Nihilego, no matter how many surrounded them, they wouldn't pose any real threat.
They charged straight through.
The Nihilego scattered to avoid them.
"Phero..."
In a corner, Pheromosa watched Giovanni recall Nidoqueen, hostility showing in its eyes.
Why did this guy have such a close relationship with Gengar, laughing and talking!
Teacher Johan's Pokémon Ninetales and Tinkaton were one thing, but this one...
"Phero!"
Pheromosa bit its lip and labeled Nidoqueen as a "love rival"!
The Ultra Deep Sea was vast.
But fortunately Dragonite and the others flew very fast, and they didn't seem to have landed in the center of the Ultra Deep Sea, so after flying for some time, they saw land.
It was just that this flight speed was somewhat taxing for Johan.
Just to quickly resolve the possible or imminent "trouble," he could only try using his own methods to distract himself.
For example...
"You're still not good enough, Gengar. You can't even hypnotize me - what kind of 'Hypnosis Master' are you?"
"Ka-kaah!"
The ghost immediately got angry and gave Johan a "loving lick."
"Numb, numb, so comfortable..." Johan looked "pleased."
Anabel: "..."
She gripped the Naganadel tightly, looking straight ahead.
As if she'd "seen" some "ultimate secret" she shouldn't have seen.
Teacher Johan actually had such "preferences" - would she be "silenced"?
Lusamine gradually woke up during the flight.
She remembered everything that had happened clearly, but the changes had been unexpected.
On one hand was shock at her own true inner thoughts, on the other was surprise at her feeling of "regret."
She seemed...
To really like Ultra Beasts too much.
She couldn't help thinking about capturing a group of Ultra Beasts as a "collection."
Fortunately, reason made her suppress this thought.
"Johan."
Suddenly.
Giovanni's serious voice came as the Naganadel leader descended.
Hm?
Johan and Anabel looked at each other and also descended.
"This is..."
When they landed and saw what was in front of them, they all showed surprise.
"A road?"
A... fairly well-constructed and solid roadway!
However, it seemed to have been unused for a long time, so it appeared somewhat abandoned.
"It seems 'Ultra Space' really does have people, at least beings with intelligence no less than humans." Anabel said.
"This roadway was built long ago. From the degree of abandonment... it's hard to say what the current situation is."
Johan remained relatively composed.
Wasn't this just "Ultra Megalopolis"?
As long as Necrozma wasn't imprisoned in the Ultra Megalopolis Tower, there wouldn't be much of a problem.
Giovanni's mouth curved slightly.
He actually wasn't worried about humans existing in "Ultra Space" - he rather hoped there were humans, because only beings capable of communication could potentially cooperate.
As for the high probability of fighting before cooperation...
Giovanni didn't fear war.
And if they could cooperate with humans in "Ultra Space," their "Rainbow Rocket Corporation" could completely... become a "middleman," or rather a "delivery service."
Other companies earned profits from inter-regional trade, while their "Rainbow Rocket Corporation" could earn massive profits from inter-dimensional trade!
"Let's continue."
Johan waved his hand.
Hoenn region, Mossdeep Space Center.
Steven received information from Molayne at the far-off Hokulani Observatory in the Alola region.
"Solar eclipse?"
"That's right." Molayne's voice carried some strange meaning: "According to our existing information records in the Alola region, there has... never been a solar eclipse phenomenon."
"Never occurred?"
Steven was somewhat surprised. Just as he was about to continue speaking, he heard Molayne say:
"I know, let alone solar eclipses - even total solar eclipses occur in the Pokémon world at least once every two years, just in different observable regions. The interval could be decades or over a century, but—"
"I understand what you mean." Steven was obviously surprised that the Alola region had never experienced a solar eclipse.
But... how was that possible?
Unless it wasn't recorded, but that shouldn't be the case either...
"So I wanted Mossdeep Space Center to confirm whether my observations are accurate."
Steven immediately found Mossdeep Space Center staff and received a definitive answer.
"Observations are accurate."
After pausing, he added:
"And this will very likely be an extremely large-scale total solar eclipse that will cover the entire Alola region. Such a large range is rarely seen in the world."
Molayne nodded.
"I have a feeling... this isn't a very good sign."
Hearing this, Steven suddenly had a thought: "Is Teacher Johan in the Alola region?"
"Teacher Johan?" Molayne was stunned and called his cousin Sophocles, also receiving a positive answer.
"He really is there..."
The two looked at each other through the video, both understanding each other's thoughts.
With Teacher Johan there, something big would probably happen.
But correspondingly.
With Teacher Johan there, this big event would at most be thrilling but safe, or might not even be thrilling at all.
Ultra Space.
A young man with a satellite-dish haircut wearing a white lab coat played with a small laptop in his hands, raising his eyebrows slightly.
"Finally here..."