Chapter 0796: All Pokémon Feel Pain, but Ultra Beasts Do Not(Two-in-One)

UB Countermeasures Division, Secret Base beneath the waters of Melemele.

The calm surface of the sea suddenly parted, revealing a metallic fortress with a silvery shell rising from the strait below.

The passage hatch opened, and a streak of light shot gracefully out—it was the infinite Pokémon, Latias!

Latias, red like a jet, sent water spraying as she soared and kicked upwards with joy.

Natsume rode on Latias, glancing back at Anabel and “Handsome.”

They were mounted on Salamence, Anabel in command, “Handsome” standing guard.

Natsume looked back at the slowly sinking base—a scene so familiar that he muttered to himself,

“Did I really pick up the wrong script this time…”

Humans, led astray by alien lifeforms, leading an Ultra Beast invasion of Alola?

I know this story too well!

Natsume’s dark hair fluttered in the wind, reflected in his eyes was the artificial island.

Aether Paradise, close at hand!

……

Aether Paradise, Space Research Institute.

A bright silver laboratory crammed with research equipment.

Inside a canister, Nebby looked exhausted, listless as it lay collapsed.

Machines droned as a progress bar on the giant screen neared its end.

A dazzling light flickered—the lab ceiling warped, a spatial rift forming and steadily growing.

Faba gazed up, a fanatical gleam in his eyes.

Bzzz—

The security door slid open, Lusamine entered with Burnet and Wicke, demanding:

“Faba! What is the meaning of all this?!”

Faba, back to the Ultra Wormholes, spread his arms wide and bowed dramatically,

“As you can see, President Lusamine, I have completed your commission and opened the gateway to the Ultra World on your behalf.”

Lusamine looked up at the scene, eyes vacant for a moment, then asked:

“I’ve already entrusted this to Mr. Natsume—why did you act on your own and steal Nebby from Lillie?!”

“Natsume? Do you really believe a Champion-level trainer actually wants to cooperate with Aether Foundation?”

“What do you mean?!”

“According to my investigations, the one who destroyed Team Plasma for the International Police wasn’t ‘Handsome,’ but a rarely-seen police consultant.”

“All I know is, that consultant invented his own strategies, captured Colress and Ghetsis, and if anyone should be promoted to Countermeasures HQ Director, he’s the best candidate—even over Lady Anabel.”

“In other words…”

Faba continued:

“The famous Natsume-sensei was just fishing for evidence!”

Lusamine’s gaze faltered. At her side, Wicke called out:

“Faba! That’s still no reason for you to release Nihilego and start a panic!”

“I only made the President’s plans move a bit faster, that’s all.”

Faba pressed a button, the canister’s walls slid away, and Nebby rolled limply out.

He picked up the 0.1kg Nebby and lifted it overhead beneath the swirling Ultra Wormhole light, shouting:

“Come, Nihilego! Take us to your world!”

Sensing Nebby’s aura, the lab’s walls began to squirm. Immediately, a transparent, jellyfish-like Nihilego slithered a tentacle through, forcing its whole body through the wall with a cold hissing sound.

Wicke’s face changed, Burnet shouted urgently, “Get back, President Lusamine! Nihilego will unleash its neurotoxins!”

But Lusamine stood her ground, watching quietly.

“I know,” she whispered, “because this Nihilego was the one Mohn and I left with Aether Paradise five years ago.”

Burnet gasped a little, while Faba nodded knowingly.

“Five years ago, Nihilego opened an Ultra Wormhole and came to Alola. Mohn and I researched Ultra Wormholes, but Mohn disappeared within one later… So I thought, maybe with Nebby’s power, I could enter the Ultra Deep Sea, and see him once more.” Lusamine’s eyes went blank.

“Faba, you always knew the President’s plan! Why didn’t you object?” Burnet demanded.

“Object?” Faba sneered, “Why should I object?”

“President, look.” Faba spread his arms. “These beautiful Ultra Wormholes.”

“I’m the one making your dreams come true, not anyone else—me, Faba!”

Nihilego phased through the lab wall, floating in the air like a jellyfish, a menacing presence.

Lusamine stared at Nihilego, her gaze growing empty and dull.

“Yes… I’ve always loved Ultra Beasts…”

“Please, don’t be fooled, President!” Burnet desperately pulled Lusamine back. “That’s just Faba’s lie, so he can control the Foundation and the Ultra Beasts for his own ambitions!”

Faba folded his arms coldly, watching.

“She was the one who opened the Ultra Wormhole, who snatched Nebby—I did everything as ordered! How is that wrong?”

Burnet could only watch helplessly as Lusamine drifted step by step toward Nihilego, like a girl bewitched by a lover.

“Type: Null, Triple Attack!!”

Burnet and Wicke spun around. The blond young man used his authority to open the lab doors and ordered Type: Null to attack Faba directly!

Beams of ice, fire, and electricity roared in unison.

Faba’s face changed; he dropped Nebby and rolled away, beams blasting into a row of canisters, clouds of steam and frost spreading everywhere.

“Nebby~” Nebby, drowsy, started snoring, as a bubble of snot formed; a white cocoon of light gathered around it.

Faba, hiding behind the lab counter, looked up and shouted:

“Gladion… That’s the Type: Null I created!!”

“No, it’s not called Type: Null anymore.”

Gladion’s eyes were sharp. “Five years ago, you researched Nihilego in the lab without permission, scaring Lillie. Type: Null repelled Nihilego for her, but Lillie thought it was the culprit. To hide your guilt, you forced a mask on Type: Null to suppress its mind and made it more violent.”

Lusamine stared at her long-lost son, murmuring, “Gladion…”

Faba gritted his teeth, crouching behind the lab bench without a word.

“You’re probably wondering how I know all this.”

Gladion’s tone was cold. “I met Mr. ‘Handsome’ on my travels. More importantly, I used my own authority to get Silvally’s data.”

“Silvally…” Faba muttered, “Impossible, even I never finished the Silvally experiment!”

“Emotions are an amazing power. Even artificial Pokémon can have a heart of their own.”

Gladion suddenly tossed a dark, gleaming disk—Dark Type Memory—into Type: Null’s slot. Its silver armor blazed with brilliant white light!

“Silvally, Dark Pulse!”

CRACK!

The mask atop Type: Null cracked and shattered, revealing a noble beast’s face with white crested feathers.

Silvally’s mouth surged with a swirling Dark Pulse, black energy lashing out!

At the same time, Faba smashed a button.

BOOM!!

Smoke and debris exploded. Gladion shielded Lusamine, while Wicke and Burnet backed away in alarm.

Gladion’s pupils shrank. Nihilego floated in front of Faba, having absorbed the blast of dark energy for him!

“That was close.” Faba brushed his sleeve and twirled a remote, “I designed an Ultra Beast signal system—based on the Colress Machine—very effective.”

“You can control Ultra Beasts by radio?!” Burnet cried.

“To be precise, only Nihilego for now,” Faba shrugged, “But that’s enough.”

“Nihilego, go find yourself a host.”

Nihilego, codename UB-01 Parasite, shows its true power when it latches onto a human.

Classic in every Ultraman series, this kind of parasitic monster always brings the darkest episodes—childhood nightmares.

Nihilego waved its tentacles, slipping past Silvally’s beams, and appeared right before Lusamine.

“Gladion!”

Lusamine’s eyes went wide, hugging Gladion protectively.

Nihilego’s tendrils reached to Lusamine, the jelly head covering her golden hair, turning its color from white to black.

The horrifying scene stunned everyone, even Faba’s face blanched with fear.

“What… what sort of monster is this…?” Faba finally admitted to underestimating Ultra Beasts.

“Kartana—!”

A line of white light flashed, supersonic, as a young man’s voice drifted in.

When any Pokémon is attacked, it feels pain, or fear, or exposes a weakness.

But Ultra Beasts have no such feeling.

The black-haired young man’s gaze was fierce, standing backlit as he called,

“Guillotine!”

Swish!

As the words fell, Kartana finished its strike with the precision of a master surgeon, calmly floating behind Nihilego.

“Kartana…” Kartana sheathed its blades.

Just chopped another boring thing.

WHAM!!

A cross-pattern of light flared—tentacles severed in all directions.

Lusamine collapsed, weak, into Gladion’s arms.

Nihilego flopped to the floor like a limp jellyfish.

Gladion glanced sideways, eyes going wide, exclaiming, “Master?!”

Natsume: “Who are you again?”

Gladion stammered, “I-I’m the student you took in Kanto, maybe you forgot about me…”

“I was kidding, I remember.” Natsume smiled gently, mussing Gladion’s golden hair until it lay flat.

“You did great, Gladion. You bought us precious time.”

Gladion’s eyes grew hot for an instant; it took him back to the father who left years ago.

“No way… How can you control an Ultra Beast?!”

Faba couldn’t hide his frustration.

I spent five years on this and barely scratched the surface!

“Even Ultra Beasts can form bonds with humans... That’s something you’ll never understand.”

Even monsters can become partners—just as with Ultraman.

Natsume casually tossed a golden cube.

Kartana’s eyes gleamed, unsheathing its blade and instantly dicing the golden cube into tiny squares, stacking them on its blade before elegantly popping them in its mouth.

Faba: “……”

I’m an idiot.

I should’ve been a chef, not a scientist!

Standing at Natsume’s side were Anabel, clad in black, and “Handsome,” in his brown trench coat.

Handsome took out his badge photo, speaking calmly:

“Faba, you are under arrest for illegal smuggling, unsanctioned scientific research, and other crimes. Please come with us.”

Faba slumped in defeat, clutching the edge of the lab table, stammering, “I, I…”

Then his eyes glinted fiercely; suddenly he lunged for Nebby, trying to grab it!

“He wants to use Nebby’s power to pass through the Ultra Wormhole!” Burnet cried.

Shadows stretched out from beneath Natsume’s feet—before Gengar could even move, Nebby burst forth in a dazzling light of evolution!

“What’s going on?!” Wicke exclaimed.

Natsume recalled Cynthia’s investigation.

“Nebby’s method of evolution is unlike other Pokémon. When its Ultimate Power runs dry, it evolves into Cosmoem, the Cocoon of the Stars, and accumulates energy once more.”

“And Cosmoem…”

Natsume watched as the red-faced, panting Faba tried—uselessly—to lift Nebby.

“It weighs 999.9kg. Not many people can lift it by hand,” Natsume said dryly.

Faba wanted to weep. Just for evolving—and its weight changed so much?!

Cornered on all sides, Faba glimpsed the still-living, weakly twitching Nihilego, and in desperation, slammed the button and shouted,

“Nihilego, parasitize me instead!”

Nihilego jerked, floating like a ghost to Faba’s side, suddenly engulfing his head with its jelly mass.

A scream echoed; everyone grimaced.

With Faba’s life energy, the dying Nihilego was revived.

When Nihilego possessed Lusamine, it almost had a strange beauty…

On Faba, it was just unsettling.

The Ultra Wormhole in the ceiling generated an enormous suction—Nihilego, controlling the unconscious Faba, dragged him up toward the Ultra Wormhole.

Faba still gripped the remote tightly, his eyes vacant.

“Gengar, stop him!” Natsume ordered.

That is the gateway to the Ultra Deep Sea, home to countless Nihilego.

If Faba got in with his control frequency, it could be disastrous.

“Gengar~” Gengar’s eyes glowed blue with “Disable,” darkness stretching from his feet, grabbing Faba’s legs.

The light from the Ultra Wormhole flickered wildly. Natsume called,

“Kartana, please cut them apart!”

Kartana nodded, dashed out at blinding speed, and with a swift slash, severed Nihilego’s tentacles once more!

Faba tumbled to the floor, along with the bisected tentacles, with a heavy thud.

“Nihilego~!”

Nihilego’s tentacles immediately regenerated like panicked jellyfish, scrambling to escape through the Ultra Wormhole.

Any slower, and it really would have been decapitated!

Nihilego: o(╥﹏╥)o

They say we can’t feel pain—what a lie!

Lusamine, weak, opened her eyes and watched the fleeing Nihilego vanish into the Ultra Wormhole, her eyes growing red and brimming with tears.

All these years… Building Aether Foundation, obsessing over Ultra Beast research, even drifting from her children—she ended up here…

“Mother,” Gladion whispered, “You still have me and Lillie.”

Lusamine went quiet for a long time, a single tear slipping down her cheek as she gently stroked her child’s face.

Handsome spoke up:

“Ms. Lusamine, your husband may not be gone after all.”

Lusamine turned to the seasoned, skilled International Police agent.

“According to years of investigation by the Countermeasures Division, the Ultra Wormhole might toss humans who enter it to a random world, where they become ‘fallers’—losing all memory.”

Handsome continued: “That means he’s started a new life somewhere; he just forgot his past.”

“I see…” Lusamine’s body trembled. Supported by Gladion, she covered her face and sobbed, “Thank you…”

Natsume glanced at the unconscious Faba, then down at his phone—a news article glowing on the screen.

“Faba, Alola’s Youngest Genius Scholar, Vows to Save Alola From the Ultra Beast Crisis”…

Anabel, in black, stood silent beside the chief.

Natsume said:

“In every heart, there is darkness—and there is light.”

“That’s why, good or evil, our job as the Ultra Defense Team is to protect them all.”

“Is it really worth it?” Anabel said softly.

“I don’t know, but I’m sure that even if one’s inner darkness never completely fades, there is still a chance it will turn into light.”

Natsume smiled. “Having faith in, and creating, such a future… that’s a teacher’s calling as well.”

Anabel’s eyes shone, deeply moved. She saluted. “Yes!”

The lab doors opened again.

Kukui led his students inside, pausing at the chaotic lab.

“Mother! Brother!” Lillie ran forward and hugged Lusamine tightly.

“Lillie, I’m fine.” Lusamine kissed her daughter’s golden hair. “Thank you—and Gladion—both for never leaving my side…”

“Are you all right?” Kukui asked, joining Burnet.

Burnet shot Kukui a glare, arms folded. “You took too long!”

“Sorry…” Kukui gave a sheepish smile, glanced at the unconscious Faba, “But… it looks like Natsume-sensei’s solved everything.”

“No, not yet,” Burnet replied seriously. “That Ultra Wormhole must be sealed, or it’ll attract even more powerful Ultra Beasts!”

The Ultra Wormhole in the ceiling flashed, spilling Ultimate Aura everywhere.

Kukui’s gaze drifted to Cosmoem. He smiled,

“If that’s the case, we can use Nebby’s power to shut the Ultra Wormhole!”

“If it evolves into Solgaleo, that’s even easier… but let Cosmoem rest for now,” Burnet said.

“That’s Nebby, isn’t it?”

Ash ran over curiously, bending to touch Cosmoem—the Cocoon of the Stars.

“Wait, Ash!” Kukui gasped.

Cosmoem weighs 999.9kg—when knocked out, no one should be able to pick it up!

Ash lifted Cosmoem and cradled it in his hands, marveling,

“It evolved!”

The students crowded around Ash, clamoring, “Let me see~!”

Kukui stared, jaw slack.

Ash not only picked up Cosmoem—he was holding it!

How is that even possible?!

Natsume’s expression was complicated.

With Ash and Bewear around,

I’m not the least bit worried about Necrozma showing up now!

In the darkness, Darkrai’s face fell and he let out a long, mournful sigh.

Maybe…

Even a Pokémon as strong as the one from Alamos Town has its share of troubles…