As expected, when the Leader-class Kartana drove away the Xatu and intercepted the Honchkrow, the Ultra Wormhole opened by Terys's Nihilego continued to widen, until dozens more jellyfish-like Nihilego came pouring through.
Each invading Nihilego latched onto a different spectator, lifting them into the air like puppets on invisible strings.
All around, Trainers released their Pokémon to engage the Ultra Beasts in battle.
But only a few could actually hold them back. Most Pokémon were completely overpowered. Within moments, hundreds of people had been seized.
"Cobalion, use Sacred Sword!" cried a woman's urgent voice nearby.
A Pokémon gleaming with blue metallic light burst forth, the golden horns on its head shining brightly as countless sword-shaped beams rained down like a storm, tearing a white Nihilego to pieces in an instant.
"You broke the agreement," Lucius said, turning to face Daisy Oak.
"It had my brother, I had to act!" Daisy snapped, eyes blazing with frustration. "You promised not a single one would escape! Why are you still holding back?"
The Nihilego that had just been destroyed had been the one ensnaring her younger brother, Gary Oak.
And now there had already been casualties. The fact that Lucius remained unmoved as the Nihilego floated down to abduct more humans left Daisy frantic with rage.
"Hmph. Acting now would only let the real target slip away," Lucius replied coldly. "You've already saved your brother. Don't make this worse with impulsive heroics."
Daisy's expression shifted. Though protected by Arceus's blessing, which rendered her immune to infection, she knew that if she angered the source of the virus too much, not even that divine light could shield her from a direct attack.
True enough, the Nihilego didn't retreat into the Ultra Wormhole with their captives. Instead, they hovered silently in midair, holding their prisoners aloft.
Then, something emerged from the wormhole, a Pokémon wreathed in silver-blue radiance.
It resembled a bat, its crescent-shaped wings vast enough to eclipse the sky. Black crystalline armor encased its head and wings, jagged and ominous, while the rest of its body shimmered with a silvery-blue glow, like the luminous curve of a new moon. Its entire presence exuded the splendor of a star-drenched night.
It was Him.
UB:BLACK. The mythic Pokémon said to hail from another dimension—
Necrozma.
And not just any form, this was Lunala-absorbed Necrozma, the Dawn Wings Form.
The moment it appeared, everyone present felt as if their energy had been drained from their very souls. A wave of exhaustion crashed down, sapping willpower and strength alike.
Even Champion Lance and several Elite Four members staggered beneath the oppressive aura.
"What's happening…?" Daisy looked around in disbelief.
At that moment, Ash, Misty, Brock, and Gary arrived at Lucius's side.
"Volkner! What's going on?!" Ash demanded. He'd seen Gary rescued by Cobalion earlier and had rushed over with him to find the woman who'd saved him.
"Thanks, sis," Gary said quietly to Daisy.
She forced a faint smile for her brother, but when Lucius offered no explanation, she gave Ash and the others a brief summary of the situation.
"Pokémon from another world…?" Ash, Misty, and Brock exchanged stunned glances.
But Ash was Ash. Even though he was encountering Ultra Beasts several years earlier than in canon, he was already adapting quickly. He turned to Lucius and said urgently, "Mr. Volkner, we have to help them, right now! If you and Lance work together, we can beat it!"
"…Don't worry," Lucius said with a small nod. "We will."
Dawn Wings Necrozma was absorbing Ultra Energy from this world, sapping the vitality of almost every adult nearby. That was why Lance and the others had collapsed so suddenly.
But Lucius wasn't human.
Which meant he was unaffected.
And Daisy, blessed by Arceus, seemed untouched as well.
Then, an earth-shaking roar echoed from above.
A colossal creature descended from the heavens. Over 200 meters long, its body was a serpentine blend of dragon and leviathan, covered in countless wings of various sizes. Crimson-gold scales shimmered brilliantly beneath the sun.
Leviathan.
Dawn Wings Necrozma locked eyes with the approaching beast. Though He had lived countless eons, even He seemed unfamiliar with this entity. And judging from its aura, it would not be an easy foe.
"What is that Pokémon?! It's huge!" Ash gasped, staring wide-eyed at the sky.
Even those drained of energy managed expressions of awe as Leviathan loomed overhead.
A flash of light glinted in Leviathan's eyes.
Suddenly, a wave of psychic force surged across the stadium like a silent tsunami. As the mental tide crashed outward, every Nihilego's gaze turned blank. One by one, they released their captives, who began plummeting back to the ground.
An Exeggutor on the battlefield quickly used Psychic Terrain to cushion their falls, catching the victims with its powers before they hit the ground.
Dawn Wings Necrozma roared, launching a barrage of multicolored lances from its wings like a meteor storm, hurtling toward Leviathan.
The attack struck head-on. Leviathan, too massive to evade, was riddled with searing holes, yet it didn't falter.
Unfazed, it surged forward, wings rippling, and lunged, jaws snapping down toward Necrozma's massive wing.
A myth-tier battle was now unfolding in the skies above. The people below could do nothing but watch.
Lucius issued quick orders for the fallen Nihilego to be secured immediately, including the now-unconscious Leader-class Kartana.
The Ultra Energy had dulled everyone's drive, but under the virus's absolute command, Hive staff forced themselves to move.
Aside from recovering the Ultra Beasts, they also began evacuating spectators. People shuffled out in a slow, zombie-like daze, lifeless and limp.
See? Even when they've lost all motivation, Hive employees don't slack off. They still do their jobs.
Lucius ordered every camera on the field to pan upward, broadcasting the battle between Leviathan and Necrozma to the entire world.
This form of Necrozma, having merged with Lunala, wielded the combined power of two mythic Pokémon. On raw individual strength, it surpassed most legends.
Even against Leviathan, it fought blow for blow.
And yet…something strange.
Neither of them was using full force. Just like Leviathan, Necrozma was holding back, carefully restraining its power to avoid collateral damage.
If even a fraction of their true strength hit the stadium, it would be wiped off the map.
Heh… Just as I thought.
Lucius narrowed his eyes at the still-gaping Ultra Wormhole.
He could feel it.
Someone, or something, was watching them from the other side.
This Necrozma wasn't acting alone.
Those Nihilego hadn't taken humans to kill. They were hostage-takers, a tactic no Pokémon would instinctively understand.
It was a message.
And if that was true, then their enemy wasn't just a rampaging beast.
They had a plan.
Lucius smiled coldly.
"All right, then. Let's see who you really are."
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