Hearing the call from Axel's Nihilego, the Nihilego opposite immediately stopped moving, her gaze falling on Axel's Nihilego.
Her originally X-shaped eyes quickly widened into round ones.
Even someone with no research on Pokémon could tell from her expression the disbelief she was showing, and... fear!
"Wu! Wu!" Axel's Nihilego called joyfully, swaying her body as she floated toward the Nihilego released by Zaci.
Axel was a little surprised, "Nihilego, do you know that Nihilego over there?"
"Wu!", Nihilego floated forward while responding to Axel.
'Of course. That's my master!'
Axel: "???"
He had released his Nihilego just to see whether the other Nihilego knew his. He never expected such a relationship between the two Pokémon.
At that moment, Pheromosa's Poké Ball suddenly trembled.
Axel pressed the button and released Pheromosa, puzzled why she, who was normally so socially anxious, had suddenly come out.
"Yo~", Pheromosa glanced at the two Nihilego drawing closer and, through their bond, communicated with Axel.
'Master, inside the Ultra Wormhole, each species has only one tribe.'
'Our little Nihilego is the tribe's little princess, the chieftain's own daughter. Almost every Nihilego bows their head upon seeing her.'
'The Aether Foundation's Nihilego has a relatively high status too, but compared to our little Nihilego, she's far behind.'
'So the hierarchy inside the Ultra Wormhole is this strict?'
Axel nodded lightly but remained puzzled.
"But that Nihilego should be on Necrozma's side, right? Why does she show so much respect to our little Nihilego?"
'Uh,' Pheromosa blinked, clearly not knowing the inside reason.
Just then, a voice Axel had never heard before suddenly appeared in his mind.
'We... all swear fealty to either the Sun and Moon deity or the Radiant Great God...'
'We listen to whoever speaks.'
'Some years ago I received orders from the Radiant Great God, so I came here...'
The Nihilego opposite stammered the explanation, her voice trembling.
Although she had arrived earlier, the Ultra Wormhole's passage had closed late, so news hadn't been cut off.
The scene of the Sun and Moon deity fighting the Radiant Great God had long since reached her ears.
It was during that time she heard a huge piece of news among her kin.
Her tribe's little princess had been sent to the Pokémon world and had accompanied the Sun and Moon deity's trainer-child.
Thinking of that, the Aether Foundation's Nihilego couldn't help her scalp go numb.
Now seeing the little Nihilego, she indeed saw the other emerge from a trainer's ball.
'Doesn't that mean that trainer must be related to the Sun and Moon deity?'
'Damn, I accidentally ended up on the opposing side!'
Hearing the Aether Foundation Nihilego's explanation, Axel nodded slightly and softly said, "You say you usually listen to two sides, so shouldn't you be listening to me now?"
Nihilego: "..."
She knew it, meeting the little Nihilego meant nothing good.
If she chose to listen to Axel now, later the Radiant Great God would come for her.
If she didn't listen, the Sun and Moon deity would punish her.
No matter how she chose, it would be bad.
Nihilego hesitated a moment, then finally nodded.
The Ultra Wormhole was small; news spread quickly.
Just this month she'd heard something: the Sun and Moon deities, with the help of that trainer-relative, had successfully resisted the Ultra Metropolis' assault and even held off the Radiant Great God.
Nihilego knew the power gap between the Sun and Moon deities and the Radiant Great God. In any era, the Radiant Great God usually trampled the Sun and Moon deities.
That the Sun and Moon deities could stand even only meant one thing.
That trainer-relative was more powerful than the Sun and Moon deities themselves.
Besides surrender, what choice did she have?
With determination set, Nihilego gently picked up her tribe's little princess and drifted behind Axel, turning away from Zaci with a flick of her tentacles.
'Can't win, surrendering. You guys find someone else.'
"What's going on?", Zaci looked at Axel in bewilderment, not understanding why Nihilego had suddenly defected.
Neither Nihilego's nor Pheromosa's telepathic messages reached Zaci's mind.
From his perspective, Axel had simply asked Nihilego, "Aren't you supposed to listen to me now?"
Immediately after, Nihilego had without hesitation joined Axel's side, seemingly as a subordinate.
This was ridiculous.
At the Aether Foundation, that Nihilego's status was nearly equal to president Lusamine's.
She ate the best Pokémon rations every day and slept in the softest big bed.
Even her Poké Ball had been specially modified, a Beast Ball prepared for Ultra Beasts.
A Pokémon so carefully tended, now she was led away with a wave of the hand?
Thinking of the terrible consequences of losing Nihilego, Zaci felt chills down his spine.
'No, I absolutely can not let Nihilego be taken!'
Otherwise the best result for him might be to become lab research material, neither fully human nor beast.
"Nihilego, come back!"
Zaci pressed the Poké Ball in his hand. A deep black light immediately appeared, enveloping Nihilego's body.
Nihilego hurriedly retreated, afraid Axel would think she was cooperating with the Aether Foundation.
But that black light seemed to have a great restraining effect on Ultra Beasts. No matter how Nihilego tried to evade, she couldn't escape its illumination.
"You can't get away. Come back!"
"The president has already reached an agreement with your side, if you run now, what about that agreement?"
Seeing the black light about to recall Nihilego, Zaci's tone grew increasingly arrogant.
"Pheromosa, you go," Axel frowned slightly and sent a command to Pheromosa in his mind.
The moment the order issued, a dazzling light appeared in Pheromosa's hands. A shimmering electric net skill, crackling with arcs, shot out and almost instantly reached Zaci.
Zaci was about to release his Pokémon in resistance when he suddenly realized something terrifying.
Without him noticing, Pheromosa and the electric net had already appeared right in front of him.
The next moment, Zaci felt his hand go light; the brilliant Beast Ball under Pheromosa's legs shattered into fragments.
At the same time, Axel took a step back and sent his Gardevoir to the very front. His calm voice echoed across the whole field.
"If we let you lose like this, you'd be sore about it."
"Since that's the case."
"Gardevoir, show them what true mind power is!"
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