"You don't have to be so surprised."
Seeing Ash standing there dumbfounded, Axel smiled and started explaining.
"When we first arrived, we just happened to land right at your destination. We saw those Ultra Beasts looking really miserable, so I let them go."
"Huh?", Ash's face filled with shock, "You mean those Ultra Beasts were being forced?"
"Such cute Ultra Beasts, and they were actually being forced by humans."
"That's way too much. I'm going to demand an explanation from them!"
(#`O′)!
Axel grinned wide, and all of a sudden he felt like he was reliving his youth.
Liking every Pokémon without conditions, willing to fight for Pokémon he had never even met before. That's our Ash, all right.
"Come on, let's go demand an explanation for them. But asking for an explanation doesn't always mean we have to fight. Just watch how I handle it."
"After some time, I'm going to turn this world into one just like the Pokémon world."
"When that happens, no one will be able to force Pokémon to be captured by humans anymore."
"Okay, Brother Axel, I believe you!"
———
After walking for a while, the outline of a city slowly came into view.
Both of them had great eyesight, and they almost raised their heads to look at the city at the same time.
Unlike the Pokémon world, this was a world that had developed in an extremely unbalanced way.
There was almost no development in the Pokémon field, yet in terms of technology, it was far ahead.
They had even managed, countless years ago, to use technology to seize the light of a top-tier legendary Pokémon like Necrozma.
It was just that when they tried to return it, they failed.
Still, the fact that they were able to survive for so long in a world without light was already proof of how powerful their technology was.
Maybe because this city had lost its light very early on, all of its buildings were made in a dark style, with black, sharp-edged exteriors.
At the very center of Ultra Megalopolis stood a tall tower radiating light.
After those rays of light shone outward, they were cleverly refracted by the city's buildings and guided back into the Megalo Tower, making the most out of every bit of light.
Farther out, you could see many cannon barrels. There were no soldiers guarding them, only maintenance workers taking care of upkeep.
Axel had a rough guess about that too.
These cannons were probably only used during the periods when Necrozma was asleep, to prevent Ultra Beasts from invading.
When Necrozma was awake, the Ultra Beasts were merely its subordinates.
As if sensing Necrozma's aura inside the Megalo Tower, the Zeraora beside Axel slightly crouched down. Its fur stood on end, looking extremely alert.
"Don't worry," Axel casually patted the back of Zeraora's neck and gave it a couple of strokes.
"That guy usually doesn't come out. If he really does come out, that just saves me some trouble."
Axel had originally planned that after winning this competition, he would ask for the qualification to enter the Megalo Tower alone a few days later.
That way, his battle with Necrozma wouldn't affect the Ultra Beasts of the entire world.
"Let's go, Ash. Time to knock on the door and collect our reward!"
———
At the same time, inside the Ultra Recon Squad.
"Huh? Why did that guy who was keeping pace with Chris come back?"
The president pointed at the screen, looking surprised.
After learning that this person was an intruder, they had carefully investigated his information.
Later, to their shock, they discovered that this person could survive in the harsh outer world without wearing a protective suit.
While that made the president anxious, it also gave him high hopes for this man.
If someone like that could help Megalopolis, they might be able to restore the Blinding One to its former state more easily.
But he hadn't expected that after walking for a while, this person would actually come back.
"Well…", the vice captain quickly explained, "In this crossing competition, there were actually two or three different routes."
"Chris and the others chose the one that's farther, but relatively safer. This infiltrated contestant was different. He directly chose the outer edge of Blacklight Forest."
"That makes it faster, but it's even more dangerous than going through the interior."
"There are many environments there that even Ultra Beasts have trouble crossing. The Weakwater Black River where not even a feather can float, the Blackwater Swamp that collapses from time to time, and the Thunder Plains that are frequently covered in lightning."
"Judging from his path just now, it looks like he only recently crossed the Weakwater Black River. Maybe he got scared off by the Thunder Plains."
Another person beside him chimed in, "Thunder Plains is extremely dangerous. The power of that lightning is almost comparable to Xurkitree's Thunderbolt."
"When I went on a mission last time, I took one look at it. It's definitely not something humans can get through. Even Ultra Beasts can't."
"That's a pity…", The president sighed to himself. He still hoped Megalopolis could have more talented people.
"Still, giving up in that situation is understandable. Have the members guarding the gate inform them that if they're willing to continue competing, they can choose another route and see if they can catch up to Chris and the others."
"As long as they obtain the best Ultra Beast, the Ultra Recon Squad can still grant one of their wishes."
"Understood, President!", The vice president stood up and pressed a button on his clothing. The helmet of his protective suit immediately dropped down, covering his pale face as he prepared to head outside.
Suddenly, hurried footsteps came rushing over, followed by loud knocks on the door.
The vice president casually opened it. After seeing who it was, he immediately frowned.
"Look at you. What kind of behavior is this?"
"At a time like this, you should be guarding the city gate to welcome the contestants, not standing here."
"I… I… huff…", The man panted heavily for a long while before finally managing to speak.
"I came here this time because a contestant has returned."
The vice president nodded impatiently, "I already know someone came back. You can go inform him now that there's still one chance left. He can switch to another route to chase after Chris and the others.
As long as he captures the most perfect Ultra Beast, the Ultra Exploration Team can still grant him one request."
"That's not it, Vice Captain," The man yanked off the mask of his protective suit, his face full of excitement as he looked at everyone present.
"It's the one who can survive in the wild without a protective suit. He came back, and he seems to have a companion too. Even our detectors can't detect that companion."
"So what?", The vice president waved his hand, "Hurry up and go notify them. No matter how many people came back, it doesn't matter."
"What we need is to capture the most perfect Ultra Beast, not—"
"That's the problem," The staff member looked thrilled, "They brought an Ultra Beast back too, and it's a very powerful-looking Pheromosa!"
"Huh?"
As soon as he said that, everyone present was stunned.
They had clearly placed the Ultra Beasts on the other side of Blacklight Forest. Many people had participated in that task. There was no way it could be faked.
And according to the detector, the returning contestant hadn't even crossed Blacklight Forest. So how did they get an Ultra Beast?
"Let's go. We'll all go take a look!"
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