Chapter 555. Is this Cannibalism?

Ultra Necrozma and weakened Necrozma could hardly have looked more different despite being the same species. Necrozma was a strange, alien creature of jagged black crystalline plates, its body resembling a fractured, living mass of dark crystal. Its four limbs were thin and angular, while its central body and head were dominated by an eerie, hollow appearance that made it look like a shattered gemstone given life. In stark contrast, Ultra Necrozma was a colossal, radiant dragon. Its magnificent skeletal frame was composed of prismatic crystal, with two pairs of immense wings and elongated limbs radiating an overwhelming golden brilliance.

Ultra Necrozma didn’t hesitate. The moment it detected its counterpart in this universe, it surged forward to attack. It opened the battle with a Prismatic Laser the moment it came within range, bombarding Necrozma with an array of multicolored beams of concentrated light.

The attack dealt surprisingly little damage, and Ultra Necrozma was forced to pause and recover from the recoil. That brief opening allowed Necrozma to close the distance and retaliate, launching a Power Gem that struck like a grenade of condensed brown Rock type energy.

“Only use Night Slash,” Alex called out loudly enough for Ultra Necrozma to hear. “Trust me. It’s the only attack worth using.”

Following Alex’s command, his Pokémon materialized around him and immediately joined the battle. They rushed forward, bombarding Necrozma and Ultra Necrozma with status moves. The sudden appearance of so many powerful Pokémon seemed to frighten Necrozma out of its rampage. Realizing that it was badly outnumbered, it quickly began forming an Ultra Wormhole behind itself, clearly intending to escape.

It never got the chance as the Crobat couple swooped in from above and used Mean Look, locking Necrozma in place and preventing it from escaping through the wormhole.

Ultra Necrozma, equally unwilling to let its prey escape, rushed forward and slashed directly at the forming wormhole. The spatial nature of the attack destabilized the dimensional tear, causing it to collapse in on itself and vanish.

With its escape route destroyed, Necrozma had no choice but to resume its assault.

As Alex had instructed, Ultra Necrozma relied exclusively on Night Slash, each strike tearing into Necrozma with far greater effectiveness than its other attacks. What followed was a brutal clash at close range, the two Necrozma repeatedly exchanging vicious Night Slashes.

Necrozma occasionally attempted to change tactics, using Iron Defense or other moves in an effort to survive the onslaught. It was ultimately futile. Its increased defenses were quickly nullified whenever Raticate landed a well-timed Screech, while Ultra Necrozma continued carving into it with one Night Slash after another.

The battle raged on for several more minutes, the sheer violence of their clash reducing the already ruined surroundings to little more than scattered rubble and cratered ground. Their attacks occasionally sent shockwaves through the ruins, drawing the attention of nearby Ultra Beasts, including a massive Guzzlord lurking in the distance. Alex’s Pokémon were forced to intercept the interloper, striking it from behind and keeping their distance from the hungry Ultra Beast’s enormous mouth.

Eventually, the outcome became inevitable. The difference in rank and raw stats between the two Necrozma was simply too great. The weakened Necrozma was only at the Champion rank, while Ultra Necrozma was a Master ranked powerhouse. After several more minutes of punishment, it finally collapsed beneath Ultra Necrozma’s relentless assault.

It then proceeded to consume its spoils, biting off chunks of Necrozma’s crystalline body and swallowing them one after another. It continued without pause until it had completely devoured the entire corpse.

Alex watched from a distance, curious to see what would happen. Perhaps consuming an entire Necrozma might somehow allow Ultra Necrozma to complete itself.

“Is this cannibalism?” Alex wondered.

Technically, it was. They were the same species, after all. What made it even stranger was that Necrozma was supposedly unique to this universe. There shouldn’t have been another one of its kind, meaning Ultra Necrozma was essentially eating another version of itself rather than merely consuming a member of its species.

Once it finished, Ultra Necrozma let out a triumphant roar as blinding golden light erupted from its body. The radiance spread across the darkened sky, dispelling the unnatural darkness that had shrouded the world and restoring the light that the weakened Necrozma had consumed. Even at noon, the world had been plunged into darkness, but within moments, sunlight once again bathed the land. When Ultra Necrozma’s radiance finally faded, it was visibly more complete than before, its body shining just a little brighter.

“So? How was it?” Alex asked, curious to see if it had finally managed to complete itself.

Ultra Necrozma responded with a cheerful cry, though it still ended with a weary sigh. Alex interpreted the reaction as confirmation that it had received a significant boost, but the conversion had been too inefficient to complete its body entirely. He estimated that it was now around 80% complete, up from 70% when they had first arrived in this universe.

If it wanted to fully restore itself, it would likely need to repeat the entire process at least two more times. Of course, there were other options. It could consume Solgaleo or Lunala to regain its former power and potentially surpass it, absorb even more light from other worlds, or return to its original world and hunt down every remaining fragment of its missing self.

Alex preferred this method by far. It was simple, relatively safe, and most importantly, all he needed to do was go on two more dimensional expeditions.

“Don’t sweat it,” Alex said. “You’ll get there eventually. You just need a little patience.”

Ultra Necrozma ignored Alex’s encouragement, but took comfort in knowing that he was right. The human was fulfilling his promise little by little. After such a long wait, it would soon be able to complete itself.

In the aftermath of the battle, Alex’s Pokémon went to work hunting for more Sparkling Stones throughout the Ultra Ruins world. They also encountered several Guzzlord, taking them down for their meat while collecting any valuable Master ranked resources they came across. In particular, they prioritized materials that Rhea wanted for personal use, which ended up replacing some of the powdered Fortressite they had mined. Once they had finished clearing the immediate area of anything worth taking, they moved on to the next world.

For the next 3 months, Alex and his Pokémon continued exploring Ultra Space in much the same way. Their efficiency had improved considerably compared to their previous expedition. With battles ending faster and a better understanding of where to search, they were able to spend far more of their time locating Sparkling Stones and gathering valuable resources.

After 3 months of exploration, they finally reached another Ultra Megalopolis.

Alex stepped through Ultra Necrozma’s wormhole and found himself in a magnificent, high-tech city unlike anything he had seen during his previous journeys through Ultra Space. Towering structures stretched into the sky, connected by sleek bridges and surrounded by an intricate network of advanced machinery.

Unlike the Ultra Megalopolis they had visited before, this one had never suffered the devastation caused by Ultra Necrozma’s rampage. Its civilization remained intact and, judging by the technology on display, was still one of the most advanced in the Pokémon world. That technological superiority also meant they were prepared for unexpected threats, allowing them to detect and respond to Alex’s sudden intrusion.

“Halt! Identify yourself and state your business, or you will be fired upon!” a loudspeaker announced the moment Alex arrived.

Special forces surrounded him from all sides, armed to the teeth. They wore futuristic, snug-fitting uniforms of white and dark teal, while Poipole and Naganadel stood behind them, ready to attack. Guns were trained on Alex from every direction, while armored tanks occupied the streets. High above, snipers and car-sized automated turrets stood on the rooftops, their barrels pointed directly at him. Some had even locked onto the wormhole behind him.

Judging by their strength, their forces were only Elite ranked at most. If Alex truly wanted to, he could probably tear the entire city apart and take whatever he wanted. His own team was more than strong enough to accomplish it, and he could probably cause even more destruction simply by releasing Ultra Necrozma and letting it rampage through the city. It had happened before, after all.

But that would require Alex to suddenly develop an interest in committing mass genocide over a few Sparkling Stones and some precious metals.

He might have been a bloodthirsty battle maniac, but he still had some sense of humanity.

“Ahaha...” Alex laughed awkwardly as he scratched the back of his head. “It seems I entered the wrong door. My bad.”

He slowly began backing toward the wormhole, hoping to leave before things escalated. Unfortunately, Ultra Necrozma followed him through the portal and gave him an unexpected shove from behind.

“It’s the Blinding One in full power! Everyone attack!”

The city erupted into chaos.

Plasma bullets, poisonous globs of energy, and all manner of attacks came raining down on the pair.

Aegislash emerged from Alex’s shadow and immediately deployed Protect, creating a barrier that intercepted the incoming barrage.

Alex shoved Ultra Necrozma back through the wormhole before grabbing Aegislash and retreating after it. Aegislash continued protecting him as they backed through the portal, deflecting attack after attack until they finally escaped to the other side.

The moment they returned to the world they had come from, the wormhole collapsed behind them, closing before anyone could follow.

Alex let out a sigh of relief before activating the return beacon on his vambrace. He recalled the rest of his Pokémon, then prepared to leave this universe behind.

So much for peacefully visiting another Ultra Megalopolis.