Chapter 250

Qiao Ran, Mei, and the others watched the family reunion from the sidelines. It was indeed a rare and precious moment in this Torn World. However, after a brief exchange of pleasantries and emotional release, Gladion turned his attention to the group of people in front of him.

As if he already knew Qiao Ran and the others to some extent, he nodded at them—except when he frowned at Qiao Ran.

Qiao Ran: "...?"

Wait, why are you looking at me like that?

We haven't seen this before, have we?

"Since you came with Lillie, you must be companions."

Gladion raised his hand and pointed to the crack in the sky.

"I think we should discuss that matter in detail."

"Ahem... ahem, long time no see."

In a cave on the island, the group followed Gladion and found Lusamine, whom they hadn't seen in a long time. She was leaning against the cave wall, looking rather pale.

"Mom... Mom...?" Lillie was startled and quickly went forward to check on the other person.

"It's nothing, it's just that some things happened before, and I got caught in the crossfire a little."

Lusamine forced a smile.

"I'm pretty embarrassed that I suddenly ran out and ended up like this."

"Don't say anything, just rest."

Gladion interrupted his mother, saying that Lusamine needed rest more than anything else right now, and that he could handle the rest.

"I'll introduce myself later. Let me tell you what's been happening lately. Let's hurry, because those things might come at any moment—that deep darkness and pain."

Gladion sat on a nearby Rock-type, his right hand covering his forehead in a very strange pose.

"..."

Mei and Mei exchanged a glance, completely clueless about what this person was up to.

Lillie was speechless. She knew her Older Brother's personality pretty well, but she didn't expect him to switch seamlessly into his chuunibyou (middle school syndrome) mode at a time like this.

"Cough."

Seemingly sensing his sister's gaze, Gladion coughed lightly and began his story.

"After being caught in the Ultra Wormhole last time, I ended up in another world. I stayed in that world for quite some time until I encountered an organization called the 'Ultra Recon Squad,' and I asked them to send me back to this world."

"Ultra Recon Squad?"

Seemingly having heard a familiar term, Lillie couldn't help but ask, and even glanced at Qiao Ran discreetly.

It seems... she heard Qiao Ran mention this organization some time ago, right?

"Yes, it's the Ultra Recon Squad."

Gladion answered Lillie's question, but his sister's strange little actions still made him frown.

Although my mother had mentioned this before...

But...

That can't be right, can it? It shouldn't be like that, right?

With his thoughts in a bit of a jumble, Gladion took a breath and continued talking about what he had been saying earlier.

"That organization possessed an Ultra Beast capable of traversing worlds. Through the Ultra Beast's power, I returned to this world, but... as a consequence of traversing worlds..."

Gladion pointed to the crack in the sky.

"Ultra Recon Squad couldn't explain why this was happening, but they still left that gap. Every so often, Ultra Beast would continuously pour out of it. We have no way to leave this place. All the vehicles we could use have been destroyed, and the Pokémon that can fly don't have enough stamina to cross this sea area."

"Besides... we can't just leave this thing unattended..."

Upon hearing Gladion's words, Lusamine nearby, added some further information.

"... This kind of problem shouldn't happen in a normal world. According to previous research, the creation of spatial rifts requires the release of energy to sustain them... otherwise, the world's self-repair mechanism would automatically fill the rifts."

"But the current situation... is somewhat incomprehensible. Once the crack opens, it cannot be closed, just like having a wound on your body, but the bleeding won't stop."

Lusamine's pale face was filled with bitterness. Everything was developing in an unknowable and unpredictable direction, and even she was somewhat confused about how this world was behaving.

Alright.

However, looking at her son and daughter in front of her, a warmth still welled up in her heart.

At least... it's good that they're alright.

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Protecting her son and daughter's safety was a kind of obsession for Lusamine.

She made too many mistakes in the past, mistakes that caused a lot of harm, and it's impossible to erase them all. All she can do is try her best to make amends.

"After the spatial barrier was removed, I located the position of Gladion's signal and rushed over immediately, but... I was attacked by Ultra Beast as I approached the island, and my ship was sunk. In the end, Gladion saved me."

Lusamine also shared her experience: the sudden disappearance of the spatial barrier left her no time for preparation, and the sudden discovery of the signal left her with no room for hesitation.

As a mother, she made a decision immediately: she had to find Gladion and not repeat the mistakes of Lillie's father.

However, Lillie still felt that something was off. "The signal...?"

Does the Aether Foundation have devices to detect this kind of signal?

"This is it."

Gladion raised his right hand, on which he wore a white bracelet.

"This thing is..."

Looking at this thing, Lillie seemed to remember something.

"This is... a bracelet that my father made especially for us when we were little, to prevent us from getting lost?"

When she was very young, her father had given her the same thing. According to him, it was just a little toy he made in his spare time. However... according to Lillie's memory, neither Gladion nor she had taken it out since her father Disappearance.

"So... you still have it with you...?"

"Um."

Gladion nodded and gently closed his eyes. When he was alone in the Otherworld, these things gave him the strength to persevere, and he never expected that his mother would actually be able to locate him through these things.

"So that's how it is..."

Lillie had more or less figured out what had happened, and the situation was gradually becoming clearer.

"So, what we need to do now is deal with that thing up there?"

After a long silence, Qiao Ran finally spoke up. While listening to what was happening, he had also been observing the situation in the sky. The writhing cracks gave him a very unsettling feeling, a feeling quite different from the black Pokémon he had encountered in the Unova Region.

"Do you have any ideas? Or do the Ultra Recon Squad members have any ideas?"

"... The Ultra Recon Squad has left. They said something's not right in this world, so they probably won't be coming back anytime soon."

Gladion clutched his head. Although those Otherworlder had helped him a lot, they ran away faster than anyone else as soon as they saw a problem arise.

However, he could understand that before returning to this world, the Ultra Recon Squad had emphasized that their power was only enough for one round trip and would not be used elsewhere.

The journey across the world had already exhausted the Ultra Beast's energy. Moreover, there were still many problems to solve in their own world, and using too much power here would have very serious consequences for them.

"It's good that they just ran away."

Qiao Ran curled her lip. These Otherworlder were indeed unreliable. If they wanted to solve the problem, they would have to rely on themselves.

"So..."

Qiao Ran turned his gaze to Lusamine. If anyone among those present might have the answer, it would probably be this cutting-edge researcher.

Mei and Mei are both pure Trainer, while Lillie, although she has read a lot of information, has no practical research experience. To get a real conclusion, Lusamine's Analytic is essential.

The one who tied the knot must untie it.

Lusamine shook her head and sighed deeply.

"Only Pokémon with spatial abilities can exert the power to influence space. Since they can tear open rifts in space, then conversely..."

In fact, it is possible to do so.

"And here, the only one capable of doing this is..."

Her gaze drifted past Lillie and landed on Nebby in Lillie's arms. However, the moment their eyes met, Nebby trembled and Teleport behind Qiao Ran.

"Nebby...!"

Lillie was startled by Nebby's sudden movement. She hadn't expected that Nebby would still be so afraid of his mother even now.

"It's alright, it's alright."

Upon discovering that Nebby had moved close behind him, Qiao Ran had no choice but to reach out and hug it, using some of his Tokiwa Power to soothe it.

Gradually, the Nebby calmed down.

"... So, we need to rely on its power? But it's currently..."

Qiao Ran didn't think Nebby had such an ability. It might be more likely if it were its evolved form, Solgaleo or Lunala. Besides, Nebby hadn't even participated in any battles yet. Asking it to deal with Spatial Rift was really asking too much of a question.

"No, it does have that ability, but... how much of it it can utilize depends on itself, or rather, on how well you can achieve it."

Lusamine had participated in the Nebby's experiments and was well aware of what the Nebby was capable of. It could undoubtedly open the Ultra Wormhole, and as for repairing spatial damage... since it could influence space, doing so was theoretically feasible.

"..."

Qiao Ran looked at the crack in the sky, then at the Nebby in his arms. He was conflicted about whether to give it a try, but given the current situation... he had no choice but to make a decision.

"Qiao Ran..."

Lillie looked at Qiao Ran with some worry. She didn't want Alola to be harmed, nor did she want Nebby to be in any danger. But everything comes at a price, and in this world, there is probably no such thing as a perfect choice.

"..."

Qiao Ran pursed his lips. He didn't want to force Pokémon, which wasn't his principle all along. Besides, Nebby really was like a little child, but... right now, it seemed like Nebby was the only one who could do all this.

"Mo..."

Lying in Qiao Ran's arms, Nebby seemed to sense Qiao Ran and Lillie's feelings at this moment. It was afraid of Lusamine because of the past, but now... it also had a different and happier life.

If it's for their sake...

"Mo... Mo... Mo..."

You said you wanted to try it?

Qiao Ran was startled by the sudden message conveyed by Nebby, but when he looked up at the sky, something even more surprising happened before him—

The Spatial Rift is gradually widening, and many Ultra Beasts are crossing through it, their figures even darkening the sky considerably.

"It seems... it will be a while before you can try it."