│ "Maybe you misheard…?"
Hearing "an Ultra Beast screaming" was ridiculous.
It wasn't like Bai Chen was over there torturing them.
│ "Probably just the sound of regular combat…"
Wicke added, trying to comfort herself.
But all of them were troubled by the same question—
What kind of fight lasts nine hours straight?
Nobody had the mood to rest.
Every researcher waited tensely for the next scheduled contact.
Twelve hours passed.
Barnett dialed Bai Chen with shaking hands.
This time, the call rang
for a full thirty seconds
before it finally connected.
And instead of Bai Chen's giant close-up,
for the first time—
—They saw other scenery.
A wild Buzzwole was getting absolutely pummeled.
The poor thing had both hands over its head,
struggling desperately to block the barrage of blows.
And Bai Chen was sitting on its chest,
punching the life out of it.
Each fist felt like it landed squarely on the heart
of everyone watching.
Two seconds later, Bai Chen flipped the camera back to front view.
│ "I'm being ambushed by a group of Buzzwole right now.
│ Really busy. Super busy.
│ Call me again in twelve hours."
And the screen went black.
The lab turned deathly silent.
A long, long moment passed.
No one spoke.
Lusamine finally exhaled sharply,
remembering Bai Chen's words.
"Under attack by a group of Buzzwole"?
…Why did it feel more like he was attacking them?
That poor Buzzwole literally had both arms over its head
while Bai Chen pounded away like a street brawler.
Lusamine shook her head violently—
rejecting the absurd thought.
│ "No.
│ I can't jump to conclusions based on a few seconds of footage.
│ Maybe it really was an ambush.
│ Maybe he barely beat it, and the clip just happened to show the finishing blow…"
And besides—
She truly could not figure out
why Bai Chen would go around attacking random Ultra Beasts.
There was no benefit.
It could even provoke the entire Ultra Beast ecosystem.
Lusamine looked around the exhausted research team.
│ "He seems fine.
│ Wicke, arrange everyone into shifts.
│ They need rest."
Wicke obeyed.
The next morning
Lillie noticed Bai Chen never returned home.
│ "Didn't Mr. Bai say he'd be back after going to Aether Paradise?
Why didn't he come home all night…?"
Heading to the living room,
she planned to check the basement gym first—
—but ran straight into Gladion
as he was heading out.
│ "Brother? Where are you going?"
│ "Convenience store."
│ "Huh? If you need something, James can buy it."
She blinked.
Gladion avoided eye contact.
│ "Not everything needs to be handed to them.
I'll go stretch my legs."
In truth,
he was going to Aether Paradise.
He was almost certain
Bai Chen had gone into Ultra Space.
If anything happened to Bai Chen,
Lillie wouldn't be able to take it.
He hurried off.
Gladion arrived quickly
and, with his status,
easily entered the underground lab.
He found his mother exhausted,
and Barnett looking like she had just witnessed the apocalypse.
Bad sign.
│ "Mother—
Where's Bai Chen?
He's still in Ultra Space, isn't he?"
Lusamine looked at him.
Then shook her head slowly.
The expression said it all:
Beyond hopeless.
Gladion's face drained.
│ "Don't tell me…
he already—"
A sharp clatter interrupted him.
Behind him—
Lillie had arrived
at some point unnoticed.
She stared at Lusamine, stunned.
Bai Chen had gone to Ultra Space—
And she hadn't been told anything?
│ "Lillie—"
Gladion hadn't realized she was following.
Tears welled in her eyes.
Lusamine frantically stepped in.
│ "No, no—don't misunderstand!
Bai Chen is perfectly fine!
More than fine—
He's actually enjoying himself over there!"
│ "Huh??"
Gladion's mind broke.
Enjoying himself??
In Ultra Space??
Did she hear herself??
Lusamine knew how insane it sounded.
So she waved the two toward the console.
│ "Just watch the contact logs.
You'll understand."
Thirty-two hours had passed
since Bai Chen entered Ultra Space.
Seven calls in total.
The first three showed danger.
Constant combat.
Explosions.
The feeling that Ultra Space was hell itself.
But starting from the fourth call,
When the poor Buzzwole was being beaten on screen…
…their expressions began to twist.
The fifth call, at 24 hours:
As soon as the camera connected—
│ "Grab him!
│ Don't let him run!!"
Bai Chen was clearly chasing an Ultra Beast.
He shouted a quick "I'm fine."
and hung up.
The sixth call, at 27 hours:
Bai Chen was running—
being chased by something powerful.
│ "Stop chasing me!
│ Even if you catch me,
You might not win!"
Close-up face again.
Still no visual of the pursuer.
│ "I'm being hunted.
Talk later."
Hang up.
Gladion and Lillie both went pale.
They immediately opened the seventh contact log.
And this time—
Bam—!!
Boom—!!
Crack—!!
The sounds of fists connecting with flesh
exploded from the speakers.
On-screen,
Bai Chen was pummeling the Ultra Beast
that had chased him earlier.
│ "I TOLD YOU you might not win!
And you STILL chased me!!"
A genuine Ultra Beast scream echoed clearly.
Then Bai Chen gave another quick "I'm fine."
and hung up.
Gladion stared blankly at the dark screen.
This…
What…
What was this?
│ "Why do I feel like he didn't go to rescue someone…
But to assault every Ultra Beast he sees?"
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