Bai Chen had now been in Ultra Space for 53 hours.
Inside the underground research facility,
everyone was still fully absorbed in analyzing
the massive amount of data Bai Chen sent back.
Lusamine asked:
│ "How is the Ultra Ball development progressing?"
Wicke replied:
│ "We may need another five or six days to complete it."
│ "Speed it up."
│ "Understood."
Just as the facility was running at full tension—
—An alarm started screaming through the entire lab.
A sharp, blaring, crimson warning
echoed off every wall.
Lusamine turned sharply toward the monitoring station.
│ "What happened?"
The researcher paled.
│ "Chairwoman—
We're detecting a new Ultra Wormhole…
opening inside the lab!"
│ "An Ultra Wormhole…?"
Lusamine instantly understood—
This was not one of their wormholes.
Something from Ultra Space
was forcing its way through.
│ "Prepare for battle!"
Security teams rushed in,
Pokémon deployed,
everyone tense and ready.
The wormhole expanded—
a blinding white tear in space.
Everyone held their breath,
ready for an Ultra Beast to burst out.
Instead…
Bai Chen jumped out,
face dark,
a limp Faba slung over his shoulder.
The entire room froze.
│ "…Bai Chen???"
They were expecting a monster—
not the guy who was supposed to be still fighting monsters.
Lusamine finally reacted.
│ "Why—why are you back!?"
Bai Chen ignored the question
and shouted:
│ "Is there a doctor!?
Help this unlucky idiot!"
He casually dropped Faba onto the floor.
Medical teams hurried over,
lifting Faba and checking his condition.
A nurse tried to pull Bai Chen aside for examination,
but he waved her off.
│ "I'm fine.
Just take care of him."
Lusamine hurried over too—
completely shocked.
│ "What exactly happened over there?
Don't tell me…
You actually learned how to open Ultra Wormholes yourself?"
Bai Chen let out a long sigh.
│ "I wish.
I was sent back."
│ "…Sent back? By who?"
│ "A certain legendary Pokémon—
Solgaleo."
Lusamine's eyes widened.
│ "Solgaleo…?"
Solgaleo—
one of the Ultra Beasts she'd studied earliest,
a figure rooted in ancient Alolan legend,
revered as a divine guardian.
She whispered to herself:
"So your presence alarmed even that being…"
After a moment's thought, she asked carefully:
│ "Bai Chen…
In the future, could I ask you to return to Ultra Space
and continue investigating?
Of course—
proper compensation will be guaranteed."
Bai Chen shook his head.
Lusamine's expression dimmed.
She had expected this.
After all, Ultra Space was dangerous—
It was already a miracle that he rescued someone.
│ "I understand…
Sorry for asking something so unreasonable—"
│ "Investigating Ultra Space isn't the problem.
The problem is—
I'm on their blacklist now.
I literally can't go back."
│ "…Huh?"
Even Lusamine's brilliant mind
lagged for several seconds.
│ "You… said you were put on a blacklist?"
│ "Yep."
│ "By who?"
│ "Solgaleo."
Lusamine stared, speechless.
│ "Let me confirm.
You are telling me
that the legendary Pokémon Solgaleo
Has it officially blacklisted you?"
│ "Mhm…"
Bai Chen sighed helplessly.
│ "He warned me not to enter Ultra Space again.
If I do, he'll personally beat me up."
Lusamine didn't know what emotion to feel.
You… got yourself banned by an entire dimension?
Bai Chen raised both hands:
│ "I know it sounds unbelievable,
But it's true."
And it really was.
Solgaleo wasn't angered because Bai Chen fought a few Ultra Beasts.
That could be ignored.
The real issue was…
Bai Chen had beaten up nearly HALF the powerful Ultra Beasts in Ultra Space.
It was destabilizing the entire ecosystem.
Solgaleo originally intended to punish him,
But Bai Chen… was "reasonably friendly."
Yes, he beat them.
But he didn't kill anyone.
And he even fed everyone Sitrus Berries afterwards.
So Solgaleo decided to show mercy
and simply expelled him.
His exact warning:
"Do not return to Ultra Space.
If you do, you will regret it."
Lusamine pressed a hand to her forehead.
│ "What were you doing over there
to provoke a legendary Pokémon!?"
│ "Nothing much.
Just exploring.
Got attacked.
Defended myself."
Absolutely impossible.
Even with her eyes closed,
Lusamine knew he was underselling it by a mile.
But after thinking for a moment,
she just sighed deeply.
│ "Forget it.
As long as you're safe.
You've worked hard these last two days.
I'll prepare a generous reward."
Bai Chen wasn't even thinking about rewards now.
This Ultra Space trip
had already paid out beyond imagination.
The highlight: "Ultimate Aura."
After sweeping nearly half the realm
and burning massive skill experience—
He, Nergigante, Zinogre, and Basarios
had all reached Master level in Ultimate Aura.
Skill XP alone
exceeded 30,000 points,
refilling all his previous expenses
and adding over 2,000 surplus points.
As for rare Ultra Beast skills—
Most didn't match his team,
but a couple perfectly did.
Zinogre obtained Xurkitree's rare Lv 5 skill "Battery Core."
which fused with his own lightning skills into:
High-Voltage Thunder (Lv 6)
Now Zinogre could maintain Supercharged Mode
for a full ten minutes without Lightning Bugs.
Then there was Basarios.
He learned Guzzlord's rare Lv 7 eating ability—
upgrading his old Lv.4 digestion skills
into:
Ultra-Devour (Lv 7)
It can consume any matter and break it down into pure energy.
Basarios was now a true walking mine.
His digestion speed
and ore production
multiplied drastically.
What once required 7 days
to produce 500kg of rare ore—
now took 3 days to produce nearly a ton.
His "mobile mountain" status
was now completely solidified.
If you want to read more, join my Patreon/kazama677
I will drop 1 bonus chapter for every 50 Power Stones