Yuga took the box from Chimecho and examined it thoroughly, flipping it over and over, but found no way to open it.
The box was generally rectangular in shape, less than half a meter long, and only about 0.1 meters wide and high. It was covered in dust and dirt, but once Yuga wiped it clean, he discovered it was still smooth and pristine, as if brand new—he couldn't even tell what material it was made of.
There was indeed a combination lock on the box, but Yuga didn't know the password. After fiddling with it for a while, he still couldn't open it.
"Chimecho~ Chimecho~ Chimecho~"
Seeing that Yuga had been struggling to open the box for a long time without success, Chimecho patted Yuga with its body.
"You're saying you want to give it a try?" Yuga asked in surprise.
"Chimecho~ Chimecho~ Chimecho~"
Chimecho lifted its head confidently, indicating that it could definitely open it.
Yuga pushed the box toward it. "Alright then, go ahead and try."
"Chimecho~"
Chimecho happily floated up, stared at the box, and began to emit a faint purple glow from its body. When the glow enveloped the box, it produced a series of clicking and clacking sounds.
About half an hour later, Yuga heard one final click, and the box suddenly sprang open, revealing what had been hidden inside.
"This is…"
Yuga stared in astonishment at the item inside the box. It was a cylindrical object about twenty to thirty centimeters tall, roughly the thickness of an arm, emitting a soft, white glow. Yuga could even see streaks of light resembling shooting stars slowly flowing within it.
He reached out and touched the cylinder, discovering it was very warm—like the sunlight of spring.
At the very moment Yuga opened the box, far away in another Ultra Space, Necrozma seemed to sense something. It lifted its head and looked toward a particular direction, its eyes filled with eagerness and urgency.
But at that moment, it was under siege by the three Legendary Birds and the three Forces of Nature.
After escaping to this Ultra Space, Necrozma repeated its old trick, absorbing all the Ultra Aura from the area, rendering this space desolate once again.
Having absorbed a vast amount of Ultra Aura, Necrozma's presence grew even more powerful. Meanwhile, Team Rocket had once again caught up, bringing with them the three Legendary Birds and the three Forces of Nature.
Although the birds and the clouds had previously been seriously injured by Necrozma's Prismatic Laser, after receiving treatment from Carol, they had returned to their lively, battle-ready states.
"Mr. Giovanni, the Radiant One seems to have grown even stronger. If we don't capture it soon, things may get more and more troublesome," Matori said to Giovanni with a frown.
Giovanni praised it, saying, "As expected of the Radiant One. That's what makes it worth capturing. Hurry up!" Giovanni was very satisfied with the display of power Necrozma was showing.
Under Giovanni's command, the three Legendary Birds and the three Forces of Nature launched an even fiercer assault on Necrozma.
However, Necrozma now seemed to have no patience to tangle with them any further. It was anxious to break free and fought back against the six Legendary Pokémon with even greater ferocity.
Back on Yuga's side, after examining the cylinder, he realized it might just be a container—the important part was the unknown energy stored inside.
Yuga tried to find a way to open the cylinder but failed. The container was incredibly sturdy, and even under Chimecho's intense psychic pressure, it remained completely intact.
Helpless, he had no choice but to put the cylinder back into the box and lock it up again.
Just now, after Chimecho successfully opened the box, it had effectively deduced the password. So now, Yuga could simply use the code to unlock the box whenever he needed. Thanks to the special material of the lock, it hadn't been damaged at all.
Yuga also discovered that the box had energy-isolating properties—once closed, the energy fluctuations emitted by the cylinder were completely sealed off.
The moment Yuga locked the box, in another dimension, Necrozma suddenly became restless. It unleashed a massive attack that repelled the three birds and the three clouds, then tore open an Ultra Wormhole and dove in headfirst.
"After it!"
Seeing that the Radiant One had fled, Giovanni quickly gave the order.
After searching around once more on the top floor of the tower and finding nothing else, Yuga had no choice but to pack all the instruments that could be taken into the system space, including the giant egg-shaped object in the center, and then he left the tower.
After searching around outside again and still finding no other clues, Yuga saw that time was almost up, so he could only return to regroup with Phoebe and the others.
"Did anyone find anything?" asked Phoebe.
"No."
"Nothing at all."
…
Acerola, Phoebe, and the others, including Naganadel and Solgaleo, all shook their heads.
"I found something," Yuga said.
As he spoke, he took out the box he had found and opened it, revealing the cylindrical object inside.
"That's the aura of Necrozma!"
The moment the box was opened, Solgaleo cried out in alarm.
"Necrozma?" Yuga exclaimed in surprise. "But I've seen Necrozma, and this aura doesn't feel the same at all!"
Solgaleo explained that the aura within the cylinder was that of Necrozma in its former state as the Radiant One. The current Necrozma's aura was completely different from what it used to be.
After Solgaleo's explanation, everyone suddenly understood.
"But what exactly is this?" asked Phoebe.
Everyone shook their heads, including Solgaleo. Even though Solgaleo had known Necrozma in the past, it couldn't possibly know all of Necrozma's secrets—especially considering they didn't often stay together.
Yuga then told the others about encountering the wreckage of the Rocket Team's aircraft, which deepened everyone's confusion even more.
Just as everyone was at a loss for what to do, a loud rumble suddenly came from the sky. Immediately after, an Ultra Wormhole appeared, and Necrozma emerged from it, its gaze immediately locking onto the cylinder below.
But right after that, the three Legendary Birds and the three Forces of Nature followed out of the Ultra Wormhole one by one, with the Rocket Team's aircraft trailing closely behind.
"Necrozma!"
"Team Rocket!"
This sudden and dramatic turn of events caused Yuga and the others to cry out in shock.
Seeing Necrozma pounce down, Solgaleo didn't hesitate and charged straight toward it.
Boom~
The two Legendary Pokémon collided, generating a massive shockwave that made the Rocket Team's aircraft sway and tremble violently.
"Mr. Giovanni, that looks like the legendary Solgaleo," Carol said excitedly to Giovanni.
"What matters now is the Radiant One!"
Giovanni didn't understand why Necrozma had brought them to Yuga's location, but he had a strong sense of foreboding in his heart.
Whenever they ran into Shimizu Yuga, things never went well for Team Rocket. This time, he had clearly planned to avoid this man, yet they had still crossed paths.
As for Solgaleo, under normal circumstances, Giovanni would definitely have been interested in it—but right now, it was with Shimizu Yuga.
"Yes, sir!"
Carol responded respectfully to Giovanni.
As Solgaleo engaged in fierce combat, the three Legendary Birds and the three Forces of Nature suddenly launched a surprise attack from behind, knocking it out of the sky.
Seeing this, Phoebe said, "This is bad—Team Rocket's target is Necrozma. We can't let them succeed."
Hearing this, Yuga said to Lunala, "Lunala, go help!"
"Ooooh~"
Lunala responded with a cry and flapped its wings, soaring into the sky.
"Naganadel, you go too," Phoebe said to Naganadel.
"Naganadel~"
Naganadel nodded, its gaze toward the three Legendary Birds filled with hatred.
On the other side, Thundurus, Tornadus, and Landorus were about to launch a follow-up attack on Necrozma. At that moment, Lunala teleported in front of them and used Wide Guard to shield Necrozma.
Meanwhile, Naganadel's Dragon Pulse intercepted the Fire Blast, Ice Beam, and Thunderbolt from Moltres, Articuno, and Zapdos.
However, Necrozma showed no gratitude toward Lunala and Naganadel for saving it. As soon as it broke free, it lunged again at the cylindrical object beside Yuga.
Seeing this, Solgaleo hurried to block it, but Necrozma blasted it away with a Prismatic Laser, charging toward Yuga without hesitation.
Necrozma, who had previously been relentlessly attacking Solgaleo, now seemed completely uninterested in it.
Just as Necrozma pounced, Aegislash and Dusknoir appeared in time, blocking its path. At the same time, Yuga activated the power of the King of Ghost, empowering the two Ghost-type Pokémon.
Buzz!
Aegislash activated King's Shield, stopping Necrozma outside the barrier, and Dusknoir followed up with a Shadow Punch that knocked it away.
"Is this what Necrozma is after?" Yuga said in surprise as he hugged the cylindrical object.
"It appears so."
Phoebe and the others had also noticed.
Yuga quickly placed the cylindrical object back into its container and locked it. The moment the lock clicked shut, Necrozma, who had been about to pounce again, suddenly looked dazed. It glanced left and right, as if it had suddenly forgotten what it was trying to do.
Inside the Team Rocket aircraft, Carol looked at Giovanni with a grave expression and said, "Mr. Giovanni, the situation's not looking good. The other side has not only Solgaleo but also Lunala!"
Giovanni felt a headache coming on. The appearance of Lunala and Solgaleo was indeed beyond his expectations.
With the cylindrical object no longer visible, Necrozma once again turned its attention to Solgaleo, and now, Lunala too.
Necrozma lunged toward Solgaleo, and the two Legendary Pokémon clashed once more.
Meanwhile, Lunala swept out a Moongeist Beam, knocking away Landorus, Tornadus, and Thundurus. The two Genie Pokémon together were no match for Lunala.
Although Lunala had only just evolved, its combat power was formidable and showed no signs of being newly evolved. This was largely due to it being a mutant with a deep reservoir of experience.
Naganadel's situation, however, was not as optimistic. Its combat power was inferior to Lunala's, and under the joint assault of Moltres, Articuno, and Zapdos, although uninjured, it was steadily forced back.
Seeing this, Yuga said to Dusknoir and Aegislash, "Go help Naganadel."
Dusknoir and Aegislash hesitated. If they left, what about Yuga's safety?
Yuga noticed their concern and took out the Poké Balls for Ninetales and Florges. Releasing them, he smiled and said, "Don't worry, Ninetales and Florges will protect me."
Hearing this, Aegislash and Dusknoir finally responded and flew toward Naganadel.
At that moment, Phoebe said, "Gym Leader Shimizu, keep an eye on Necrozma here. We're going to attack the Team Rocket aircraft."
Unaware that Giovanni was aboard the aircraft, Yuga nodded and said, "Alright, be careful."
And so Phoebe, Acerola, and the others mounted their flying Pokémon and flew toward the Team Rocket aircraft.
With Aegislash and Dusknoir's help, the situation with Naganadel turned around, and the three Legendary Birds gradually fell into a disadvantage.
But Solgaleo's condition was worsening.
Necrozma had absorbed a large amount of Ultra Aura in another Ultra Space. Its current power was far beyond what it had been before, and Solgaleo was slowly losing the upper hand.
Inside the Team Rocket aircraft.
"Mr. Giovanni, the weapons are ready," Carol said to Giovanni.
Matori also came over to report, "Mr. Giovanni, some people are heading toward our aircraft."
"Ignore them," Giovanni said, glancing at Matori. Then he turned to Carol and said, "Begin the attack!"
"Yes!"
Carol pressed a red button in front of her. Outside the Team Rocket aircraft, several gun barrels emerged. After some adjustment, they aimed at Necrozma, Solgaleo, Lunala, Naganadel, Aegislash, and Dusknoir.
Outside, just as Phoebe and the others approached the aircraft, they saw this scene.
"Not good!"
Phoebe realized something was wrong and cried out. But it was too late—the gun barrels simultaneously fired powerful energy blasts.
Aegislash reacted in time, activating King's Shield and protecting Dusknoir and Naganadel.
Boom!
The powerful energy waves slammed into the shield. At first, Aegislash held firm, but after a few seconds, cracks appeared in the energy barrier formed by the shield.
With a crack, King's Shield shattered, and Aegislash, Dusknoir, and Naganadel were engulfed in the energy storm.
Lunala was extremely alert and noticed the energy cannon from far away. It teleported away just in time, causing the blast to miss and strike the ground instead.
The ground trembled violently, thick smoke blotted out the sky, and the shockwaves from the explosion sent Thundurus, Tornadus, and Landorus flying.
Solgaleo fared the worst. Chased relentlessly by Necrozma, it had no time to watch its surroundings and was struck head-on by the energy cannon.
In contrast, Necrozma dodged the attack using its powerful instincts and reflexes.
"Mr. Giovanni, the Radiant One escaped!" Carol said regretfully. The energy cannon took a long time to charge, and after one shot, a second would not be possible in a short time.
"It's doesn't matter."
Giovanni didn't care. As long as several of Shimizu Yuga's Pokémon hadn't escaped, the next phase of his plan would be much easier.
"Commence the operation!"
"Yes!" Carol responded enthusiastically.