Traveling through an Ultra Wormhole—
For the first time, Bai Chen experienced a normal transmission process.
The prismatic tunnel, the drifting currents—
Even with unstable turbulence,
at least it felt like an actual journey.
Unlike the system,
which simply yeets him brutally into some bizarre location.
After flying for a short while,
Bai Chen and Buzzwole were finally expelled from the wormhole.
The moment they arrived in this world,
Bai Chen felt it—
Natural energy here was unbelievably thin.
He scanned his surroundings.
A dark-purple sky.
A barren land devoid of plants.
Everywhere he looked,
the world itself reeked of decay.
They were standing on a floating island
made entirely of black crystalline material.
Before he could observe further
—shadows appeared overhead.
Countless Nihilego hovered above him,
their jellyfish-like bodies drifting ominously,
glaring down at the intruder.
Bai Chen's eyes passed the swarm
and locked onto the one behind them—
The very Nihilego that kidnapped Faba.
Its entire body was stained pitch black,
nothing like the weaklings around it.
Bai Chen activated Super Perception,
checking Faba's life signals.
Surprisingly,
aside from malnutrition,
Faba was… actually fine.
Facing the swarm,
Bai Chen unleashed Ultimate Aura.
A crimson burst erupted—
And all the low-level Nihilego instantly dropped out of the air
like dead flies,
leaving only a handful of stronger ones able to resist.
│ "The trash mobs don't even trigger system missions.
│ Only these stronger ones are worth farming."
Behind him,
his Covert Blades floated up—
a telekinetically controlled longsword.
Bai Chen still couldn't control three swords at once,
but handling one?
No problem.
The blade spun upward like a crimson meteor,
and within moments,
every Nihilego had been sliced apart.
After absorbing their extra Ultra Aura—
Bai Chen didn't even look at the kidnapper, Nihilego.
│ "Come on, Buzzwole.
│ Let's go hunt the other Ultra Beasts."
Rescue Faba?
Sure.
Eventually.
But the man was clearly still alive,
and Bai Chen preferred that he suffer a little longer
before being saved.
Meanwhile, in the Pokémon world…
Lusamine stared at the closed wormhole, uneasy.
│ "…He should be fine, right?"
Minutes dragged on.
The pressure in the underground lab grew heavier.
Lusamine couldn't sit still,
pacing the hall with tight fists.
Every second felt like torture.
Finally—
Three hours passed.
She immediately ordered the team to reopen the wormhole
and contact Bai Chen.
The communicator dialed—
Beep… beep… beep…
Four seconds.
Five seconds.
Still no answer.
Lusamine's heart tightened.
│ "He's not answering… did something happen…?"
Just as the ring tone hit 13 seconds—
The screen suddenly connected.
Bai Chen's face filled the entire monitor.
│ "Yo?"
Lusamine rushed to the mic.
│ "How is the situation over there?
Do you need reinforcements!?"
Before she finished—
BOOOOM!!!
A huge explosion shook the speakers,
followed by Nergigante's roar.
Bai Chen's hair was blown straight up by the shockwave.
│ "Bah—pfft.
Something got in my mouth.
Anyway, I'm in the middle of a fight.
No rescue needed.
Contact me again in three hours."
And he hung up.
Instantly.
The entire lab went silent.
Finally, Wicke whispered:
│ "…Was he… being attacked by an Ultra Beast just now?"
Everyone had heard that explosion.
Barnett looked at Lusamine,
waiting for her command.
With one order,
Aether Foundation's battle team would mobilize
to perform a rescue mission.
After several seconds,
Lusamine exhaled.
│ "Close the wormhole.
Contact him again in three hours."
All she could do was trust him.
If he said not to send help,
then sending help would only make things worse.
The wormhole closed.
Three more hours passed.
They contacted him again.
This time, the call connected in three seconds.
Instantly, the screen shook with explosions—
and the sharp crackle of electricity.
│ "Yo?"
Once again, his entire face filled the screen.
│ "You—"
Before Lusamine could ask—
│ "Buzzwole! Use Focus Punch!
Zinogre! Hit Thunderclap Storm!"
He didn't even look at the camera.
│ "I'm kind of busy.
Talk later."
Click.
Disconnected again.
Everyone felt cold.
What were they fighting?
What kind of nightmare battle lasted six hours straight?
Lusamine could only whisper:
│ "…Keep waiting."
She was already regretting sending him to Ultra Space.
Clearly, its dangers were far beyond anything they imagined.
│ "What am I going to tell Lillie…"
Another three hours passed.
Nine hours since Bai Chen entered Ultra Space.
They contacted him one more time.
Four seconds of ringing.
Same face filling the screen.
Same monster roars.
Same explosive shockwaves.
His message was even shorter:
│ "Busy. Later."
Click.
Dark screen.
Wicke whispered:
│ "…I think…
I just heard an Ultra Beast screaming?"
Someone tried to reassure:
│ "Maybe that was one of Bai Chen's partners?"
Wicke shook her head.
│ "No.
His partners all have very recognizable cries.
That sound…
was something we've never heard before."
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