The appearance and capture of the Ultra Beast had taken place in an astonishingly short span of time.
Yes—shockingly short.
Even after the Poké Ball holding Nihilego had stopped shaking and clicked shut, the entire laboratory remained deathly silent.
Lusamine and Faba both stood frozen in disbelief, their gazes fixed on the Poké Ball lying on the floor.
"Th-That's it? It's… over already?"
Green's face was a perfect picture of astonishment, her delicate features twitching uncontrollably as she stared wide-eyed at the Poké Ball on the ground.
Good heavens!
That was supposed to be an Ultra Beast? Really?
She had been expecting something earth-shattering, a creature beyond comprehension—and yet this "Ultra Beast" couldn't even withstand two hits from Gardevoir?
"That Nihilego wasn't particularly strong," Lucas said casually as he walked over to pick up the Poké Ball. He turned it twice in his fingers before remarking lightly, "Its strength probably isn't even on the level of an Elite Four-tier Pokémon. Weak, really."
Indeed, this Nihilego wasn't powerful at all. Being Rock- and Poison-type, it was naturally at a disadvantage against Gardevoir's Psychic abilities.
Though Ultra Beasts were exceedingly rare in this world—almost to the point of nonexistence, since they came from alternate dimensions—they weren't all powerful by default.
In other words, if you happened to own one, you could easily flaunt it and no one on the planet would even have another like it.
You'd instantly become the most dazzling trainer in the room.
From that perspective, classifying Ultra Beasts as "legendary Pokémon" did make sense—they were not only immensely rare (at least in the real world), but most also possessed incredibly high base stats.
However…
In the Ultra Space itself, Ultra Beasts weren't rare at all.
Take Nihilego, for example. In the Ultra Deep Sea, Nihilego existed in large colonies. If you had the ability to stand your ground against a swarm of them, you could literally have as many as you wanted—big, small, fat, thin, take your pick.
The same principle applied to other Ultra Beasts as well.
Green's lips twitched. Not even an Elite Four-tier Ultra Beast… it really didn't sound all that impressive.
But of course, that was only from Lucas's perspective.
Faba wiped the sweat from his forehead. The Ultra Beast they had spent so long researching had been captured that easily—it was almost unbelievable.
Lusamine, on the other hand, couldn't tear her eyes away from the Poké Ball in Lucas's hand. Her pale, elegant face trembled with excitement; even her breathing quickened unconsciously.
"If the one that appeared was Nihilego, then this Ultra Wormhole must be connected to the Ultra Deep Sea," Lucas remarked thoughtfully, his gaze shifting toward the swirling wormhole.
Although all of them were collectively called "Ultra Space," the truth was that there were multiple sub-dimensions—each home to a different kind of Ultra Beast.
And the Ultra Deep Sea was the domain of Nihilego.
"President Lusamine," Lucas said after a short pause, turning his crimson eyes toward her with a faint smile. "Shall we go in?"
Although the wormhole connected to the Ultra Deep Sea, it was possible that the Deep Sea linked to other Ultra Spaces as well.
"Of course," Lusamine replied, though her voice trembled slightly. "But, Mr. Lucas, about that Nihilego…"
Her composure wavered; her eyes darted to the Poké Ball again.
It was obvious that she wanted it—badly. Her obsession with Ultra Beasts ran far deeper than anyone else's. Now that she had a captured one right in front of her, how could she possibly remain calm?
"You want it?" Lucas raised an eyebrow. "Then take it."
Without a second thought, he tossed the Poké Ball toward her.
A Nihilego that wasn't even Elite Four-level? It wasn't worth his attention.
After all, the Ultra Deep Sea had countless Nihilego—he could catch as many as he liked. Even if he wanted one, this particular specimen's potential wasn't high enough for him to care.
Lucas was notoriously picky about the talent and potential of the Pokémon he trained.
"T-Thank you, Mr. Lucas!"
Lusamine caught the Poké Ball with both hands, her entire body trembling slightly.
An Ultra Beast—!
This was her greatest obsession, the thing that had torn apart what used to be her happy family. Over the years, collecting Ultra Beasts had become her most powerful, consuming desire.
And now, one was finally hers.
"This is only the beginning," Lucas said with a faint smile, glancing at her. "There should be plenty more Ultra Beasts waiting inside Ultra Space."
Now that the wormhole had been opened, Ultra Beasts were guaranteed.
"You're right," Lusamine nodded, forcing herself to suppress the urge to immediately rush off and store the Poké Ball in her personal collection room. "I'll be counting on you, Mr. Lucas."
If not for the lifeless look in her eyes, that smile might have actually been charming.
"Of course," Lucas grinned slightly. "That's what our cooperation's for."
And I hope, Lusamine, he thought silently, that when this is over, you'll give me a reward worth my time. Otherwise, those Ultra Beasts I give you—I can just as easily take them all back.
"Faba, take Lillie downstairs to rest," Lusamine ordered, regaining her composure. After tucking Nihilego's Poké Ball away, she gave a firm nod.
The Ultra Space was unpredictable and dangerous; it would be unwise to bring too many people inside. But with Lucas there to protect her, she could enter with confidence.
"Yes, President. We'll be waiting for your return," Faba said respectfully.
"Mother, Nebby doesn't seem well," Lillie said anxiously, holding the small Pokémon close to her chest.
Ever since the wormhole opened, Cosmog's body had been shimmering faintly, and it looked weak—its expression dazed.
Lusamine frowned slightly, about to dismiss her daughter's worries.
"It's about to evolve," Lucas interrupted with a smile. "Congratulations, Lillie."
"Evolving?" Lillie blinked in surprise.
She had been caring for Cosmog since her father disappeared when she was a little girl—over ten years ago. In all that time, it had never shown even a hint of evolving, nor could it fight.
She'd always treated it as more of a pet than a battler.
"Mr. Lucas wouldn't lie to you," Lusamine said quickly, eager to move on. "Now, Lillie, go rest with Faba."
"Oh… okay."
Lillie nodded softly. She still looked worried about Nebby, but when she glanced at Lucas—the mysterious young man—she somehow felt she could trust him.
"Let's go."
With a motion of his hand, Lucas released his Salamence. The mighty dragon let out a deep growl as Lucas, Green, and Marnie climbed onto its back.
Lusamine released her Mismagius, using its psychic power to levitate herself. Together, they entered the swirling Ultra Wormhole.
After traveling through a short stretch of distorted space-time, they emerged and landed on barren ground.
"Huh? Is this supposed to be the Ultra Deep Sea?"
Green, sitting on Salamence's back, looked around in confusion.
The name Ultra Deep Sea was pretty self-explanatory—but this place looked nothing like a sea.
It was a desolate wasteland, a vast desert of sand and stone. In the distance stood the ruins of what looked like a city, now half-collapsed and riddled with cracks, a shell of what it once was.
Lusamine frowned slightly as she surveyed the area. This was Ultra Space—no one knew what dangers lurked here.
"No," Lucas said, narrowing his eyes and glancing up at the scorching sun overhead. "This isn't the Ultra Deep Sea. It should be either the Ultra Desert or the Ultra Ruin."
The Ultra Deep Sea was a mysterious dimension, yes—but it had nothing to do with deserts.
The only Ultra Spaces known to contain deserts were the Ultra Desert—home of Pheromosa—and the Ultra Ruin, the domain of Guzzlord.
The Ultra Megalopolis also contained some sandy terrain, but that world was shrouded in darkness after Necrozma's light was stolen. Sunlight couldn't possibly reach there.
"Let's check out those ruins first."
Lucas's gaze fixed on the crumbling city in the distance. If he wasn't mistaken, this environment most likely belonged to the Ultra Ruin.
But that raised another question—why had Nihilego emerged from a wormhole connected to the Ultra Ruin?
If the different Ultra Spaces were interconnected, that was actually excellent news.
As they drew closer, the group walked cautiously among the shattered remnants of the city.
"It seems people once lived here," Marnie said softly, scanning the broken structures around them. Despite the devastation, it was clear that this place had once been home to a civilization—likely human.
"Ultra Space isn't just the home of Ultra Beasts," Lucas explained in a low voice. "There were once entire human civilizations here—but most have gone extinct."
The most famous example was the Ultra Megalopolis—a once-prosperous city that had surpassed even the real world in technology.
But after they robbed Necrozma of its light, darkness swallowed everything. Without light, life itself began to wither, and despair eventually consumed that world.
Still, there were humans from Ultra Space who had survived and crossed over into the real world.
For example—Anabel, the Salon Maiden of the Battle Frontier in Kanto.
Yes, that Anabel.
In truth, she was originally from Ultra Space.
Over ten years ago, when she appeared in the real world, she had lost all memory of her past. Adopted by the League, she eventually became one of the Battle Frontier's top Frontier Brains—and in the Sun and Moon timeline, she even served as part of the Ultra Investigation Team.
"Whoa—look over there!"
Green suddenly pointed toward a tilted skyscraper ahead, her voice full of alarm.
Lucas turned his head, eyes narrowing.
There, beside a half-collapsed high-rise that looked ready to crumble at any moment, was a massive black Pokémon.
Its body was roughly spherical, with a small conical head on top—and at the center of its torso was a gaping yellow maw.
"Guzzlord…" Lucas muttered, recognizing it instantly.
Code name: UB-05 Glutton.
At that very moment, the enormous creature was gnawing voraciously on the remains of the broken building.
"So, this is where Guzzlord lives," Lusamine murmured, her tone heavy. She recognized it too—and with good reason.
Guzzlord was one of the most brutal Ultra Beasts known to mankind.
There had once been an incident where one appeared in the real world. The League had sent a task force to investigate… but nearly all of them were killed by Guzzlord.
It was during that disaster that one surviving officer discovered and rescued Anabel, who had emerged from Ultra Space during the chaos.
"Guuuhh—"
A low, guttural roar rolled across the wasteland.
The Guzzlord had noticed them.
Boom… Boom… Boom…
Each step it took made the ground tremble. Slowly, menacingly, it lumbered toward Lucas's group.
And then—
From several other directions, more growls echoed in response.
One after another, more Guzzlord emerged from the ruins, their massive forms blotting out the sun.
"Lucas," Green whispered, her face paling. "I… I think something's wrong with those things."
Even Marnie stiffened. A line of towering, monstrous Guzzlord, their yellow maws gaping hungrily—it was enough to make anyone's stomach turn.
And as their glowing red eyes locked onto the group, Green felt a wave of suffocating dread wash over her.
"The Ultra Beast known as Guzzlord has the code name Glutton. Its feeding habits are extremely savage—it devours anything it finds," Lusamine explained grimly. "Right now… it probably sees us as food."
So that was it.
Green swallowed nervously.
"Us? As food?"
"These gluttonous beasts sure are bold," Lucas said nonchalantly, scanning the pack with cool, assessing eyes.
He wasn't intimidated in the slightest. He was simply… searching.
"Alright then," he said with a grin. "Let's teach these hungry monsters some manners."
He reached to his belt, plucked a Poké Ball, and tossed it forward.
"Go, Rhyperior—let's give our greedy friends a proper lesson!"
With a heavy metallic thud, the massive Rock-type landed in front of Lucas, its two legs driving deep into the sand. Its black eyes gleamed with battle intent.
Lucas's smile sharpened.
"Let's take them all down first—then we can pick one worth keeping."
(End of Chapter)