"Let me take a look."
Green swiped across her phone screen, her expression filled with excitement. She was just as eager to know the result.
Raihan was hailed by the people of Galar as the Dragon Storm, the strongest trainer in the region—aside from Champion Leon, of course.
And now, Raihan had even entered the World Coronation Series' Masters Eight, as the eight ranked trainer.
But that wasn't just among the Galar trainers.
That was in the entire world!
Top eight in the whole world—what kind of concept was that?!
As for Bruno, he was ranked third among Kanto's Elite Four. If Bruno could defeat Raihan…
That would be a huge statement, considering that above him were still Agatha and Lance!
"They fought to their limits," Green read aloud, her tone rising with excitement, "and in the end, Raihan's Duraludon went down first. The winner is—Bruno!"
"The upset challenge is successful! Bruno takes the eighth spot on the Masters ranking, while Raihan drops one place."
"Bruno won, huh? As expected of Indigo!"
Green grinned brightly, her pretty face lighting up with pride and joy.
That's right— Indigo supremacy! Unbeatable!
"Well, it's not that surprising," Lucas said, raising a brow before shaking his head. "Raihan's Duraludon couldn't Gigantamax outside of Galar. And besides…"
He trailed off with a small smirk.
Honestly, Raihan was just unlucky this time.
This Bruno wasn't the ordinary anime or game Bruno—this was the Pokémon Adventures version of Bruno.
And the Bruno from Pokémon Adventures was strong enough to fight the Pokémon Adventures Red, who had once become Indigo's Champion, for quite some time!
If it were the other versions of Bruno, defeating Raihan might have been extremely difficult.
After all, Raihan's ace, Duraludon, couldn't use Gigantamax, which crippled his performance drastically.
As for Mega Evolution…
If Lucas remembered correctly, Raihan's entire known team didn't have any Pokémon capable of Mega Evolving in the first place.
Bruno, on the other hand, might not have used one either, but if his Onix had evolved into Steelix, then at least Steelix had that potential for Mega Evolution.
"The Indigo Elite Four really are monsters…"
Hearing the news of Raihan's defeat, Marnie couldn't help sighing in awe.
Indigo was simply too powerful.
Right now, Lance was the number one trainer in the world, and Bruno—having defeated Raihan—was sure to become the talk of the entire globe.
And yet, Bruno was only the third among Indigo's Elite Four!
Above him was Agatha, the oldest and most mysterious of the Elite Four.
No one really knew how strong she truly was, but no one dared to doubt her strength either.
Specializing in Ghost- and Poison-type Pokémon, the old witch Agatha's power was believed to be at least one tier above Bruno's.
"Indigo isn't even at its strongest yet," Lucas said with a faint smile, pulling Marnie into his arms.
"Huh?" Green and Marnie both turned to him curiously.
"Just wait until the end of the year," Lucas said, his crimson eyes gleaming faintly. "By then, the lineup of the Indigo's Elite Four is going to change."
He could already foresee it.
By the end of the year, Red and Blue—those two freakishly talented rivals—would have reached an entirely new peak.
When that happened, one of them was sure to earn a spot among Indigo's strongest.
Actually, they might not even wait that long.
Knowing their personalities, once the global ranking system became public, they'd start challenging high-ranking trainers right away.
And there was also Yellow.
He wondered how much she had grown by now.
The girl blessed by nature itself—the Viridian Forest's chosen child—her talent was definitely not inferior to Blue's.
Though it was still just her first year of training, a monster was still a monster.
If Red and Blue could reach the mid-Champion level in one year, then Yellow could too.
With Red, Blue, and Yellow all rising at once, it was inevitable that Indigo's power structure would undergo a major shake-up.
But then Lucas thought of something else.
"Green…" he muttered.
"Hmm? What's up?"
Green blinked her clear, lively eyes, tilting her head in confusion.
"…Never mind, it's nothing."
Lucas sighed softly. Red, Blue, Yellow, and Green—the four of them.
Why was his Green always the weakest of the bunch?
Ah well… she'd always relied more on her brains than on battle power anyway.
Still, with her intellect, reaching Champion-level strength was probably only a matter of time.
The night passed quickly.
While the entire world had been roaring with excitement over Lance versus Leon, and Bruno versus Raihan, and while the Kanto region in particular was celebrating wildly…
None of that really mattered to Lucas.
The next morning, Lucas, Green, and Marnie followed Faba to one of the laboratories on Aether Paradise Island.
When they arrived, Lusamine was already there—along with a girl in a white dress, her blonde hair neatly combed, her face delicate and pure.
It was none other than Lusamine's daughter, Lillie.
"Mr. Lucas," Lusamine greeted him politely.
"President Lusamine, are we ready to begin?" Lucas asked with a smile, giving Lillie a polite nod in return.
"Almost," Lusamine replied. "We'll be ready shortly. I'll have to trouble you to assist us when the time comes."
As she said that, her gaze shifted toward Lillie.
Because the "Child of the Stars" was with her—right inside her bag.
That Pokémon her husband had once studied before disappearing into the Ultra Space…
The mysterious Pokémon known as Cosmog.
And that "Child of the Stars" possessed the power to open Ultra Wormholes!
"Mother… will Nebby really be okay?"
Lillie asked softly, her voice filled with unease as she clutched the little Pokémon protectively.
"Don't worry," Lusamine said calmly. "We're only borrowing a bit of its power. It won't be harmed."
Then, her tone hardened. "Now, put Nebby on the platform."
Though she still loved her children, the affection she felt had long since been twisted.
As her daughter, shouldn't Lillie simply do as she was told?
"…Okay."
Hearing the change in her mother's tone, Lillie lowered her head and obediently took the small Pokémon from her bag.
It was a small, adorable creature, its body resembling a beautiful cloud of stars with a tiny face floating in the center—
Cosmog.
As soon as he saw it, Lucas's interest was piqued.
After all, this was the initial form of a legendary Pokémon—one that could evolve into either Solgaleo or Lunala!
"Coo~?"
Cosmog floated around curiously, seemingly unafraid of its surroundings.
"It's okay, Nebby. Be good, it'll be over soon."
Lillie gently stroked the tiny creature, comforting it as she carried it toward a cylindrical containment chamber. After a moment's hesitation, she placed it inside.
Lusamine had told her that Nebby's power was essential for this experiment—and no matter how she felt, Lillie couldn't disobey.
Besides, her mother had promised it would be safe.
Once inside, Cosmog began floating about the chamber, fascinated by the strange environment.
"Begin, Faba," Lusamine ordered sharply, impatience creeping into her voice.
"Yes, President," Faba replied, immediately operating the console.
In the next moment, light began radiating from the chamber. Cosmog's small face contorted slightly—it was clearly under strain.
"Nebby!" Lillie cried anxiously.
"Don't panic," Lucas said calmly. "It's fine. It's just having its power stimulated."
He narrowed his eyes slightly, observing the process carefully.
This little one clearly had no idea how to control its own ability. The machine wasn't harming it—it was feeding it energy to awaken its potential.
In fact, this might even benefit it. There was a real chance Cosmog might evolve as a result.
"Really?" Lillie asked hesitantly, glancing between Nebby and Lucas.
"Of course," Lucas smiled. "This little fellow's potential is far beyond your imagination. Its vitality surpasses most living beings."
A legendary Pokémon wasn't going to be fragile, after all.
Meanwhile, Cosmog's body was now glowing intensely, mysterious power spilling outward—
And above the laboratory, space itself began to warp.
A dark vortex slowly formed in midair, exuding an eerie, suffocating aura.
An Ultra Wormhole!
"We did it! President Lusamine, we've succeeded!" Faba shouted in excitement.
"Excellent work," Lusamine replied, her eyes gleaming. Her pupils reflected the swirling void above—no light, only obsession.
Her dream was right before her.
"Nebby!" Lillie ignored the wormhole completely and rushed toward the containment chamber.
Cosmog lay weakly within, still glowing faintly, looking utterly drained.
"Eee~"
Then, a strange, ethereal cry echoed through the room.
"It's coming," Lucas said, eyes fixed on the vortex.
From within the wormhole, a white, jellyfish-like creature drifted out silently.
Its body was half-transparent, with a bell-shaped top rimmed by white hexagonal stars, and thin, waving tendrils that gave it an uncanny resemblance to a human girl.
The Ultra Beast—Nihilego! Code name: UB-01 Parasite.
"Nihilego!" Lusamine gasped, her pupils dilating further, excitement consuming her completely.
It was the first sign of her obsession taking over.
"Eeeee~"
The eerie cry sounded again as Nihilego floated downward—toward the nearest living being.
Lillie.
Nihilego's parasitic instincts were powerful. It could latch onto a host and inject neurotoxins to seize control of their body and mind.
That was precisely what made Ultra Beasts so dangerous.
They were fundamentally different from ordinary Pokémon.
Even wild Pokémon rarely attacked humans unprovoked—but Ultra Beasts lived entirely by instinct, most of which were lethal.
Once a Nihilego infected someone, they'd soon lose consciousness and become a hollow puppet.
And as the creature drew closer, Lillie felt a bone-chilling cold surge up from her feet, freezing her in terror.
She stumbled backward, trembling.
"Gardevoir."
Lucas's tone was calm as he flicked out a Poké Ball.
A radiant Gardevoir appeared in a flash of light, her Green eyes glowing with psychic energy.
Nihilego sensed danger and reacted instantly, whipping its tendrils forward—
Two beams of light burst forth.
Power Gem!
But before the attack even reached Gardevoir, it froze in midair, locked in place.
A faint blue aura surrounded Nihilego, pinning it completely. With a graceful motion of Gardevoir's arm, the Ultra Beast was slammed hard into the floor.
Then, a burst of psychic brilliance shot forth—Psychic!
The rainbow-colored beam struck Nihilego directly, and the creature collapsed limply to the ground.
"Poké Ball."
Without hesitation, Lucas pulled out a ball and tossed it.
A red flash. The ball hit. The light blinked a few times—and then clicked shut.
Caught.
Just like that.
It was, perhaps, the easiest and most effortless capture Lucas had ever done.
Well…
A legendary Pokémon? Isn't it just a matter of one ball?
(End of Chapter)