"Rhyperior!"
Lucas swung his arm and threw out a Poké Ball.
With a deafening thud, the massive Rhyperior landed heavily in front of him.
The ground itself seemed to quake from the sheer weight of its body.
A wild, oppressive aura continuously radiated from Rhyperior's frame—so powerful that even Lusamine's gaze shifted away from her Guzzlord to focus on it instead.
Such terrifying pressure!
Lusamine's eyes widened in astonishment. She herself was an exceptionally skilled Trainer, and that made her all the more sensitive to the crushing power emanating from this Rhyperior. And its size…
"Lucas, your Rhyperior seems…"
Marnie tilted her head, looking at Rhyperior's back in confusion. Perhaps she hadn't noticed it before, but now that she was seeing it clearly—something felt off.
The standard height for an Rhyperior was around 2.4 meters. As long as it reached that height, it was already considered quite the specimen.
Lucas's Rhyperior, however, had always been exceptional. Its natural talent and potential were top-tier, and under his meticulous training, it had already grown close to 3 meters tall—an extremely impressive development by any standard.
But now…
Marnie raised her head further, staring up at Rhyperior. With this size and build—it was definitely more than three meters tall. Just by eye, it looked closer to four!
Wait a second—Pokémon can grow a second time?!
"Maybe it's just… overnutrition," Lucas said lightly, glancing at his Rhyperior. "Its body does seem to have grown rather quickly."
Of course, that was only an excuse. The real reason—was the Earth Plate.
Ever since obtaining the plate, Rhyperior had been undergoing subtle but significant changes under its nurturing influence.
For Eternatus, the Dragon Plate had mostly served as an energy source—it didn't do much to directly increase its combat power.
But for Rhyperior, the Earth Plate was entirely different. After half a year of being bathed in its energy, Rhyperior's strength had grown tremendously.
And its body… had continued to evolve, growing stronger and larger with each passing day.
"..."
Green rolled her eyes. "You really expect us to believe that? Overnutrition?"
"Graaaagh!"
Rhyperior's roar shook the air.
The Guzzlords, however, clearly had no intention of backing down. They bellowed and began charging toward Lucas's group.
"Well, they're very enthusiastic—almost too much," Lucas said, shrugging casually. "Rhyperior, use Earthquake."
A bunch of wild Ultra Beasts rushing straight at them? How brainless.
Then again, that was to be expected from untamed creatures of this realm.
Rhyperior let out a deep growl, lifted one heavy foot, and slammed it down with tremendous force.
BOOOOM!
A thunderous rumble split the air.
The ground exploded with power as a wave of seismic energy erupted outward.
Every Guzzlord charging toward them was caught in the shockwave—none of them managed to remain standing.
Even more shocking was what followed: the nearby ruins—fragile structures of a once-standing city—crumbled and shattered entirely beneath the sheer force of Rhyperior's quake.
This place was already a wasteland, and Rhyperior's Earthquake was the final straw that brought the rest crashing down.
"T-that's… insane…"
Green had to steady herself by clinging to Salamence, barely managing to stay upright as the world quaked.
When the tremors finally subsided, she looked around at the scene—nothing but destruction and swirling dust—and gasped.
The sight of a ruined city reduced to rubble was overwhelming.
"Mr. Lucas, that power is truly terrifying…"
Even Lusamine's eyes were wide with awe. She knew that legendary Trainers possessed strength beyond imagination—but to see it firsthand, even without any Legendaries being used, was something else entirely.
Lucas hadn't even called upon his legendary Pokémon yet.
This was just his non legendary Pokémon —and already the strength was this monstrous.
It seemed her gamble had been right.
With Lucas's aid, this expedition into the Ultra Space would definitely end in success.
"Just a small trick," Lucas said humbly with a faint smile. "Anyway, you can go ahead and choose whichever Ultra Beasts you like—catch the ones that feel right to you. They all have great potential for training."
He scanned the battlefield ahead. That Earthquake had been heavy—especially with the Earth Plate's blessing.
Rhyperior's ground-type techniques were no joke.
The Ultra Beasts varied widely in strength—some strong, some weak—and with Rhyperior's current power, only a handful could withstand such a hit.
The weaker ones were done for.
"I'll take this one!" Green said excitedly, her eyes lighting up.
Sure, Guzzlord wasn't exactly elegant—but the sheer intimidation factor of its massive size was hard to beat. And if even Lucas said Ultra Beasts were valuable to train, then she wasn't going to pass up the opportunity.
"In theory, there should be other Ultra Space transit points," Lucas muttered thoughtfully. "Well, we'll look for them later."
He wasn't in a hurry. He'd made sure Green and Marnie had brought enough food and water. They could afford to take their time.
With that, Lucas ordered Rhyperior to lead the way toward the fallen Guzzlords.
Guzzlord—an Ultra Beast of the Dragon and Dark types. Lucas was quite intrigued by it.
If he could find one with exceptional talent, he wouldn't mind catching it himself.
But after scanning the fallen beasts, he shook his head. "None of these are particularly impressive… Marnie, you take this one."
Marnie had been eyeing a fainted Guzzlord curiously, but Lucas could tell at a glance that it wasn't anything special. It was a bit larger than average, sure—but that was it.
"Got it!" Marnie nodded immediately. She trusted Lucas's judgment completely.
"Not bad~ I'm feeling pretty good about this," Green grinned as she held up her new Poké Ball happily.
A new partner always brought a special kind of joy.
Lusamine also caught two of the creatures—ones she planned to take back for research and collection. After all, that was the very reason she had ventured into Ultra Space to begin with.
Lucas, too, captured a few that showed decent potential. They might come in handy later.
"Alright. Let's move on and look for the next Ultra Space portal."
He pocketed his Poké Balls and gave the order.
These minor Ultra Beasts were just appetizers—the real goal… was Necrozma!
-------------------------------------
This particular Ultra Space was bleak and lifeless, so silent that one could hear the fall of a pin.
But high above, two majestic figures were cutting through the sky—Salamence and Reshiram.
Lucas and his companions were riding atop them.
Time was difficult to track here, but thanks to their devices, they knew—they had been in Ultra Space for a full week now.
In those seven days, they had traveled through Ultra Deep Sea, Ultra Desert, Ultra Jungle…
They had visited nearly every region of this strange dimension.
And today—they had finally arrived here.
Ultra Megalopolis.
"Mr. Lucas, aren't we heading back yet? Our food and water are almost gone," Lusamine said with a frown from the back of Salamence.
It had been seven whole days.
Catching Ultra Beasts had certainly been thrilling, but their supplies were running dangerously low.
"We're almost at our destination," Lucas replied calmly, eyes fixed ahead on a faint point of light in the distance. "If you're in that much of a hurry, you can return first."
He didn't even turn around as he spoke.
They were this close to reaching Ultra Megalopolis—there was no way he was turning back now.
"..."
Lusamine's brows furrowed. Go back alone? That was out of the question.
To return to the real world, she would have to retrace their entire path back to the Ultra Ruin entrance—or hope to stumble upon another Ultra Wormhole by sheer luck.
Ultra Beasts did have the ability to open wormholes—but only the most powerful ones could do so at will, thanks to their immense Ultra Energy.
Beings like Solgaleo, Lunala, and Necrozma… those with overwhelming Ultra auras could open portals anytime they wished.
Otherwise, it was all luck.
And going back alone, through countless Ultra Spaces without Lucas?
Lusamine wasn't foolish enough to attempt that.
"I see it! Ultra Megalopolis!"
Reshiram and Salamence continued to speed forward—and soon, Lucas's eyes brightened.
He could see it now.
A city in the distance—and even from afar, faint light shimmered from within.
"Eh? There's light over there!" Green exclaimed in surprise.
From the faint outline, it was clearly a city.
But a city with light in this dead, dark realm?
"Are there people living there?"
"Reshiram!"
Lucas patted Reshiram's neck, signaling it to accelerate.
With a powerful roar, Reshiram's speed surged, and in mere moments, it descended upon the city's center.
Now they could see it clearly.
At the heart of the city stood a towering structure—radiating a dim yet unmistakable glow.
"Lucas, it really does look like people live here," Marnie whispered, scanning the surroundings.
The black, angular buildings gave off an advanced, futuristic vibe—cold, but intact.
This city was whole. Unlike the crumbling ruins of the Ultra Building, this place was still standing tall.
"Where there's a city, there are bound to be people," Lucas said indifferently. "Come on—we're heading to the top of that tower."
That was where Necrozma was sealed.
Green and Marnie exchanged glances and hurried after him.
"I can't help but feel like you're awfully familiar with this place," Green said as they followed. "You've been searching for this tower ever since we got here, haven't you?"
Lucas didn't answer, just kept climbing upward.
He never acted without reason—if he was this determined, it meant he knew exactly what he was doing.
Seeing this, Lusamine had no choice but to follow.
"That's right," Lucas finally replied, his voice calm but steady. "Tell me, President Lusamine—how much do you actually know about Ultra Space?"
He ascended the steps slowly, and for once, his heart was beating faster than usual.
Necrozma!
Ultra Necrozma—a being officially defined as existing beyond all other Legendaries!
In other words, not even Mega Rayquaza or Complete-Form Zygarde could rival its might.
"I… don't know much," Lusamine admitted after a pause. "Before this, no one had ever entered Ultra Space and returned safely. Mr. Lucas, do you actually know this place?"
Her curiosity was genuine. Despite all her years of research into Ultra Beasts, actual information about Ultra Space was pitifully scarce.
It was too mysterious. Too dangerous.
And even those who made it out rarely retained their sanity or memories—most were believed to have been parasitized by Nihilego.
"This place is called Ultra Megalopolis," Lucas began, his tone calm yet carrying the weight of truth.
"Once, it was a world very much like ours—bathed in sunlight, full of life and energy. Though there were Ultra Beasts, it was still a thriving, beautiful world."
He continued, voice low but steady.
"And all that light, all that beauty, came from a single Pokémon—Necrozma. It was Necrozma that gifted this world its radiance. Everything was perfect."
"But then," he said, a cold, ironic smile tugging at his lips, "human greed took over. The people of this city set their sights on Necrozma's light—and found a way to steal it."
Green, Marnie, and Lusamine instantly understood.
"So that's why…"
"Yes," Lucas nodded. "Stripped of its light, Necrozma went mad with agony. And without Necrozma's brilliance, this world was swallowed by darkness.
Despair spread everywhere, and in their fear, the people of this city did the only thing they could—they sealed Necrozma away, hoping to stop its rage before it destroyed everything."
"And the place where they sealed it…"
Lucas looked up, his eyes glinting with triumph as they reached the top floor.
"…is right here. This very tower."
At the summit, he finally smiled.
Because before him—inside a massive crystal—was a dark, motionless Pokémon.
Necrozma.
(End of Chapter)