The Pokédex scanned the Ultra Beast suspended in midair for a long time, but the screen still displayed: Insufficient data.
"Ash!" Brock called out from the passenger seat. "That Pokémon looks like a Water-type. Try using something strong against Water-types!"
"Water-type?" Ash echoed. Taking Brock's advice, he immediately commanded, "Noctowl, use Thunder Shock!"
Blue sparks surged across the sky, striking the floating, jellyfish-like creature. But the electricity dispersed harmlessly across its translucent form.
"What?" Brock muttered in disbelief as Nihilego hovered there, seemingly untouched. "Did I guess wrong? It's not a Water-type?"
Of course not. Despite its slick, watery appearance, Nihilego wasn't Water-type at all, it was Rock and Poison.
Lucius's expression turned grim the moment Nihilego appeared. "Tighten perimeter security. Now."
Across the field, Terys caught the hesitation in Ash's eyes and smirked.
The unknown always breeds panic. And panic, in battle, is fatal. This match is mine.
"White Jellyfish, use Sludge Wave!" Terys shouted.
"Noctowl, Safeguard!" Ash responded quickly.
Noctowl swooped into the air, drawing a radiant circle as a diamond-shaped barrier shimmered into place around it.
"Nyuu~" Nihilego chirped, its bell pulsing with a rippling flash of prismatic light that soared upward, yet the expected sludge never came.
"??" Terys stared at Nihilego, baffled.
That hadn't been Sludge Wave. Disobedience? But that didn't make sense, he wasn't a novice Trainer. Nihilego was powerful, yes, but not beyond his command.
"What's going on? This rare Pokémon isn't responding to its Trainer's orders. Could it have a plan of its own?" The announcer's voice echoed through the stadium.
The multicolored energy Nihilego had launched suddenly expanded, then imploded inward, forming a tunnel in midair, its destination unknown.
"What kind of move is that? This rare Pokémon seems to be using a completely unfamiliar technique!" The commentator pressed on, voice rising with excitement and confusion.
"Ultra Wormhole…" a few in the audience whispered, those who recognized what they were seeing.
"Reeehh!" From the highest observation box, a Xatu launched skyward, speeding toward the warped rift in space.
Across the field, a Honchkrow followed suit, spiraling upward with dark intent.
Dark-type Elite Four Karen and Psychic-type Elite Four Will had entered the fray.
"Two Pokémon have just entered the battlefield, what's going on here?" The clueless announcer kept narrating dutifully.
On the field, Ash and Terys still assumed this was some kind of move, only to be interrupted mid-battle by the sudden arrival of the two Pokémon. Both Trainers stood dumbfounded.
Then, an explosion rang out from the stands.
Flashes of white light erupted across multiple sections. Strange Pokémon burst free, not from any visible Poké Balls, and began to rampage through the packed spectators.
Guzzlord. Buzzwole. Blacephalon.
A single Guzzlord devoured several people in one bite.
Buzzwole's diamond-hard proboscis pierced human bodies, draining them in seconds.
But the most terrifying was Blacephalon. It yanked off its vibrant, spherical head and hurled it like a bomb, each throw a grotesque firework of blood and viscera.
These violent Ultra Beasts had appeared out of nowhere in the densely packed arena, launching a full-scale attack on the crowd.
Worse still, some victims, blown apart, missing limbs, were somehow still alive, crawling along the ground with bloodied hands, screaming. The stadium filled with panicked shrieks.
Near death, their latent infection activated: their regenerative capabilities kicked in, warping the scene into something even more horrifying.
The match dissolved into chaos. Screams echoed in every direction as people frantically stampeded for the exits.
But this was a coliseum designed for spectatorship—a vast, circular arena with only a few narrow passageways. Now those corridors were bottlenecks. People pushed and trampled in desperation.
Lucius exhaled sharply. This is the nightmare scenario with any mass gathering.
This is why we don't push terror cells too hard, he thought grimly. Cornered animals lash out. Concerts, trade expos… they don't even need bombs, let loose a few snakes and people will crush themselves trying to flee. The death toll writes itself.
Weavile. Exeggutor. Bronzong. Dragonite. Aerodactyl…
Pokémon belonging to the region's Champions and Elite Four launched into action, engaging the rampaging Ultra Beasts in the stands.
At the same time, Lucius activated Heart of the Emperor on a mass scale for the first time.
He mentally commanded all infected hosts to remain calm and assist the League's Pokémon in taking down the Ultra Beasts.
Most of the crowd were his infection hosts. At his signal, they fell into sync, moving as a unit—precise, controlled, lethal.
High above, Xatu and Honchkrow began targeting the glowing wormhole.
Psychic and Dark Pulses lanced toward it, but a beam of white-hot energy surged from the rift, vaporizing both attacks in a flash.
Then something emerged.
White on one side, red on the other—its entire form sharp and angular like a paper doll folded into life. Humanoid. Blade-limbed. Swift beyond comprehension.
Kartana.
It dove, twin blades crossing in an X, slicing through Xatu midflight in a blur of white mist.
Twin gashes split Xatu's chest, spraying blood and exposing bone.
X-Scissor.
One blow, and the Elite Four-ranked Xatu was downed.
Kartana spun midair, cleaving with both arms in a flurry of air blades that slashed toward Honchkrow.
Honchkrow's wings unfurled in a cloud of black mist, launching back its own air blades.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Invisible scythes clashed in midair, wind howling, shockwaves radiating through the sky.
"Exeggutor, Light Screen!" Will shouted.
Exeggutor's three heads glowed blue in unison. A vast, radiant shield shimmered into existence overhead, enclosing the stadium like a dome, keeping the aerial battle from spilling into the chaos below.
The combatants were far too powerful. Even stray gusts from their attacks could turn the panicked crowd into shredded flesh.
While the battle in the sky blazed, the situation on the ground began to stabilize.
Guzzlord, Buzzwole, and Blacephalon had inflicted casualties, yes, but none were strong enough to challenge the Champion-class Pokémon arrayed against them.
"These Ultra Beasts were just a diversion," Lance said, watching as the last of the rampaging threats were subdued.
"I know," Lucius replied calmly.
When Guzzlord and Buzzwole began consuming humans earlier, Lucius had sensed it—the moment the infection passed into them.
They were only Elite-tier Pokémon, easily infected. That confirmed it for him: these were cannon fodder. Their true purpose was to draw attention and distract the defenders.
The real threat… was still up there.
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