Chapter 115

Furthermore, because Qiao Ran was being observant, he noticed that Rose frequently mentioned "underground experiments" in his conversations, which was the experiment Qiao Ran had previously proposed to inject Gigantamax power into the sword... Was this guy trying to imply something?

"There's no other way now... Even in this situation, we have to find a way to move forward. We have an emergency outpost in Hammerlocke, established specifically to deal with the worst-case scenario."

Despite his sorrowful expression and dejected mood, Rose quickly rallied, patted Qiao Ran on the shoulder, and gestured for him to catch up.

"Let's go there right now!"

"Um."

Qiao Ran's eyes flickered for a moment, but he decided to follow the other party for a while longer.

Perhaps, like him before him, Rose is someone who doesn't know he's traveled to another world?

The group began their long trek, walking through the broken streets. Even though Qiao Ran had received a hint from the Vulpix and had already planned to consider this place as another world, he still felt a pang of sadness as he looked at the somewhat familiar street scene.

However, just as the group was preparing to head to the so-called "emergency base," a device on Rose suddenly went off.

"Ah, it's a satellite phone we set up in an emergency."

Rose pointed to the sky and briefly explained to Qiao Ran why his phone was working. Then, he picked up the communicator and began a quiet conversation.

Qiao Ran couldn't hear the other person's voice clearly, but Qiao Ran did hear a lot of noisy and sharp background noise. This peculiar sound gave him a strange sense of familiarity.

However, just after Rose ended the call and continued walking a short distance, something unexpected happened.

"Dear Hero."

The chairman and Secretary who were leading the way suddenly stopped and surrounded Qiao Ran from two directions.

A thoughtful expression appeared on Rose's face, which exuded the charm of a middle-aged man.

"Are you having some particular thoughts?"

Section 221, Chapter 218 [Ultimate: Final]

"What... does this mean?"

Qiao Ran placed his hand on the Poké Ball at his waist. Rose hadn't treated him like this before, but ever since he received that phone call, things seemed to have quietly begun to change.

Qiao Ran's alert level instantly rose to its highest point. He was ready to fight at any moment. In this "unfamiliar world," only he could protect himself.

Moreover... right after Rose answered that call, Qiao Ran deduced an important clue: this guy was different from the one he had previously imagined who had also been dragged into Otherworld —this guy was actually from this world!

Otherwise, how could he use this world's satellites and communicate with them?

Even if the two worlds have similarities, it would be too much of a coincidence if such things could be used interchangeably.

"What do we mean? It's very simple, we just hope that you, Hero, can get some rest."

Upon hearing Qiao Ran's answer, Rose, who was standing in front of Qiao Ran, actually laughed.

"Yes, hand over that sword and the Legendary Pokémon you have. That will make things easier from here on out."

Like a thug revealing his true colors, Rose uttered words that sounded like those of a villain. Looking at him like this, even Qiao Ran felt a sense of unreality. Even though Qiao Ran had always been wary of Rose, he didn't think that the seemingly composed "chairman" with his own principles would do such a thing.

Even in the game, after causing the most serious crisis in Galar, Chairman Rose was willing to take full responsibility. He was even able to give up all his wealth and honor and choose to accept legal Punishment.

Qiao Ran believed that this level of awareness was beyond the capabilities of most people.

Who exactly is this guy...?

"You want my sword and my Pokémon? Do you think that's even possible?"

Even though he had thought a lot about it, Qiao Ran still wore a mocking expression. Asking him to hand over his Pokémon was definitely crossing his bottom line—it was absolutely, positively impossible.

"That's a real shame. I thought we could work together."

Upon hearing Qiao Ran's words, Rose shook his head, his words truly filled with regret.

"We'd love to work with you, but we're helpless. Some people have already Frisk your true feelings. We're sorry, but the task of saving the world is now in our hands."

"You guys? Save the world?" Qiao Ran laughed out loud as if he had heard something hilarious.

These two people who were stopping him, trying to force him to hand over his weapons and Pokémon, were actually talking about justice and saving the world?

Is this some kind of hilarious farce?

"You..." Hearing Qiao Ran's laughter, Rose, who had been looking completely at ease, suddenly showed a Rage expression. He clenched his fists, like an enraged lion, his eyes blazing with fire.

Qiao Ran's words undoubtedly touched a nerve.

"I've done so much for my Galar, I've even done nothing."

They're all willing to do it! What do you even know?!

Rose roared and looked at Secretary Oleana standing behind Qiao Ran. The two nodded at the same time, and in an instant, their appearances began to change. Their originally healthy skin turned sickly pale, and their hair turned a strange purple, as if they had merged with the boundless darkness of this world.

"You...!"

Qiao Ran's pupils contracted slightly. The sudden change caught him off guard. However, looking at the skin color and appearance of the two people in front of him, Qiao Ran instantly thought of something.

"Ultimate... World...!"

That's right, in the Pokémon games, there have actually been humans with very strange skin color and appearance.

However, these people are not residents of the original world, but come from Otherworld outside the Pokémon World —a place called the "Ultra World". And most importantly, the Ultra World and the Pokémon World are intricately connected, with many places even having a "mirror" relationship. The chairman and Secretary in front of me are most likely similar figures in this world.

No wonder... no wonder the Gym Leader and Professor X in the Pokémon League were surprised by their whereabouts in Hammerlocke.

Furthermore, Nihilego also comes from this world.

Is this... the hometown of Nihilego?

"I don't know how many years ago it was, but that Monster stole our light, it stole everything we had."

Rose... no, or rather, Rose from the Ultra World stood before Qiao Ran, his entire body trembling. And in the sky above him, the Blood Moon continued to silently mock everything around him.

"When the world is in peril, Hero will come to the rescue—that's a basic principle, isn't it? However, our world's Hero are falling one after another, falling before that ultimate power, so we have no other choice... We need more power... Since you don't intend to cooperate, then we only have one option left."

Rose glanced at Qiao Ran one last time, a hint of sadness in his eyes, while Oleana, the Secretary on the other side, did not hesitate at all and directly pulled out a strangely shaped Poké Ball from her pocket.

"Eeeeeee!!"

As a faint light appeared, a dragon-shaped Pokémon, entirely purple with Dual Wingbeat on its back and a giant needle-like appendage on its tail, appeared before Qiao Ran. The moment this "Pokémon" appeared, a peculiar aura began to emanate outwards, as if one had plunged their feet into icy seawater. Both Vulpix and Qiao Ran shivered.

"Ultimate... Ultra Beast..."

Qiao Ran and Vulpix both knew this feeling without a doubt. Back in Alola, they had also faced these chilling "Ultra Beast". Unlike ordinary Pokémon, most of them had extremely unusual appearances, and some even had an aura that made people feel very uncomfortable.

I'm sorry.

Seeing that Secretary Oleana had already made her move, Chairman Rose also released his own "Pokémon".

In an instant, a colossal creature, towering over three or four stories high, appeared before everyone. When its heavy steel body Tackle the ground, the ground trembled.

"... This thing is!"

Staring at that extremely bizarre object, Qiao Ran couldn't help but open his mouth wide.

Ultra Beast are called Ultra Beasts because they are bizarre enough. Even Ultra Beast like Nihilego, which look relatively harmonious and even a bit cute, could be considered outliers among Ultra Beast.

If he could, he wouldn't even want to call this thing a "creature," because just from its appearance, it was a bizarre shape pieced together from various steel pipes and jet nozzles. Even if Qiao Ran were to describe its appearance, he wouldn't be able to, because it was just too... weird.

"Give up, Hero, you have no way to beat us!"

After releasing two Ultra Beasts, Rose once again issued a declaration of surrender. His expression was incredibly confident, as if victory was already assured.

"Hand over the sword and the Legendary Pokémon, and we'll send you back! That's already the maximum concession we've made!"

Section 222, page 219 [Ultra Beast: Mythical Pokémon]

The night sky was pitch black, with only a Blood Moon visible.

In this world where light and everything else have been taken away, the atmosphere at the scene was on the verge of exploding.

However, compared to her initial panic, Qiao Ran is now becoming increasingly at ease.

He even felt a sense of relief.

There is no better news than hearing that the person you care about is safe and sound, and that everything he cares about is still there.

Moreover, the moment everything was revealed, Qiao Ran understood most of the truth, such as the identities and purposes of the two people in front of him, and the reasons for their previous actions.

They are not from the Pokémon World, nor are they the real Chairman Rose and Secretary Oleana, but rather beings from another world similar to those two.

It is precisely because they are so similar that they are able to disguise themselves so well.

Flawless.

Back in Hammerlocke, they had already impersonated "Rose" and "Oleana," gaining everyone's trust. But they weren't natives of that world; they should be from this world.

This is precisely why there was an information gap between Bea and Sonia; neither of them expected the student council president to appear in Hammerlocke. Furthermore, the reason these two imposters went to Hammerlocke is quite intriguing—were they actually searching for "power" to save their world?

No wonder... that's why I went to such lengths to deceive him, making him believe that this was the real world. I wanted to use him as a useful tool.

Everyone is selfish; everyone wants their world to be saved. But unfortunately, things don't always go smoothly.

Qiao Ran narrowed his eyes and looked at the huge black shadow in the distance. Ever since the two people in front of him revealed their identities, the black shadow in the distance had stopped moving and then gradually dissipated into the air—they no longer wanted to pretend.

The crisis this world faces is different from the Gigantamax of Galar, so there's no need to continue pretending to be Galar —and if this really is Nihilego's homeland... then it is indeed a million times more dangerous than Galar's.

If these two could have discussed it with him properly, then he might have been willing to help them. However, since they had chosen to Snatch his partner, there was no room for negotiation from the very beginning.

"This time, the opponents are... Naganadel and Celesteela? One is Poison-type / Dragon-type, and the other is Steel-type / Flying type..."

The two Ultra Beasts that appeared before Qiao Ran each possessed distinct dual attributes—the dragon-like Ultra Beast with long needles on its tail was a possessor of both Poison-type and Dragon-type, named "Naganadel," and known as "UB: Stinger" within the Aether Foundation.

The other one, despite resembling an iron tower with countless jets, shares the same Steel/Flying attribute as Corviknight, and boasts a rather cool-sounding name. "Celesteela." However, it doesn't receive the same treatment from the Aether Foundation; its researchers simply call it "UB: Jet."

"Ultra Beast are incredibly powerful; fighting them alone is definitely not an option... Besides, this is their home turf, so we must finish this quickly."

"... Not only that, we also need to capture these two alive to get information from them. They just said they could send me back, so they must have a way to get back, right?"

Many thoughts flashed through his mind, Qiao Ran had already formed a general battle plan. He had to fight back, rather than sit and wait for his death.

"Come out, my Pokémon!"

Qiao Ran first released his three main combat forces: Dianxi, Suicune, and Yveltal. After a burst of light, the three Legendary Pokémon appeared before everyone.

A dazzling Diamond Princess, a serene Emissary of the north wind, and... a tyrannical incarnation of death.

"Legendary Pokémon from Otherworld... How wonderful... Such beautiful light..."

Rose stared wide-eyed at the three Pokémon Qiao Ran. Their world had always been shrouded in darkness, so they had an innate longing for anything that could produce light, especially Dianxi, which was simply Mew, Deity Pokémon.

"..."

However, under the intense gaze of the other party, Dianxi couldn't help but shrink back. Why did these guys always stare at her like that?

"You three be careful, prioritize your own safety."

Qiao Ran explained the current situation and battle strategy to his Pokémon. Due to the large amount of stamina they had expended outside Hammerlocke, Dianxi and the others were not in very good condition. Although Pokémon Pioneer Land could restore stamina, it was only a drop in the bucket.

--During the day, they broke through the blockade of Pokémon with the convoy, and at night they followed Qiao Ran to Otherworld to fight Ultra Beast. Even if they are Legendary Pokémon, they will eventually be unable to withstand it.

Qiao Ran was well aware of this, so he needed to send out more combat power. Due to their level, Altaria and Mimikyu might not be able to participate in this kind of battle yet, and could only stand by and watch.

So--

"Come forth, Nihilego!"

Qiao Ran threw out a Poké Ball, releasing the Ultra Beast Queen that he had captured at the Aether Foundation. When it was first captured, it was quite disobedient, but since it Humanoid Transformation, the situation has improved a lot. Now, under Suicune's tutelage, it can even utter some human-like sounds.

Qiao Ran felt that there wouldn't be any major problem with letting her participate in the battle.

"Wait! How could you have something like this...!"

Qiao Ran didn't react much yet, but Rose stared wide-eyed in surprise at the "white jellyfish" that Qiao Ran suddenly released.

Ultra Beast... It's Ultra Beast?!

How could this Hero from Otherworld possess their world's Ultra Beast?

"If you encounter it, you capture it."

Qiao Ran would never mention that he had a nest of jellyfish like that in his open area; a slight smile played on his lips.

He threw out another Poké Ball with a dark blue mesh pattern on its surface.

Nihilego is a powerful force, but in fact, Qiao Ran's favorite is actually the next Pokémon—

Amidst a dazzling light, a four-legged beast-type Pokémon with a helmet on its head and various biological features suddenly appeared before everyone.

"Roar... Roar roar roar roar!"

"...!"

The atmosphere seemed to change instantly the moment this Pokémon appeared.