Pokemon: Bounty Hunter Alex

Chapter 545: Chapter 545. Ultra Space Expedition

Alex shared a meal with the Kahunas of Alola on Aether Paradise before deciding to leave this world for the Ultra Dimension. He figured it would be good karma to ensure none of the worlds in this dimension were left in darkness because of Necrozma. It might weaken unnecessarily, but at least its power would be purer if it consisted of its own scattered body parts rather than stolen light.

”You’re leaving already?” Kahuna Hapu asked.

”You should stay a little longer and allow us to treat you to a festival,” Kahuna Hala added.

”I’m not one for celebrations,” Alex replied as he began packing up and recalling his Pokémon. ”Besides, Necrozma is eager to retrieve pieces of itself now that it’s no longer driven insane by pain.”

Even after surrendering Alola’s light and Solgaleo, Necrozma was still able to maintain its Ultra Necrozma form as a Psychic Dragon, though it was considerably smaller and weaker than before. Alex suspected it would continue to weaken as it surrendered more and more sources of light, but he hoped they could find enough Sparkling Stones to compensate and allow it to maintain its sanity.

”When you return, you have to allow us to hold a festival in your honor,” Kahuna Olivia said.

”Yeah, it’s the least we can do,” Kahuna Nanu added.

”Sure,” Alex said with a smile knowing that was impossible.

He had never planned on returning to this world again. His current plan was to restore Necrozma’s body by looking for Sparkling Stones, hunt for Master ranked resources across different worlds, and return as much of Necrozma’s stolen light as possible. After that, he’d activate the return beacon and head home.

Once they said their farewells, Alex had Necrozma open an Ultra Wormhole to the next world whose light it had stolen. As soon as they arrived, Necrozma weakened itself by returning the world’s light, allowing Alex to begin his search for resources.

He would explore the immediate region where they arrived in each world, searching for Sparkling Stones and Master ranked resources, since Necrozma’s light had only spread that far. Alola, for example, was the only region known to possess Sparkling Stones and had developed Z-Crystals from them. Once he’d gathered what he could, he and his Pokémon would move on to the next world.

He visited countless worlds with his Pokémon, each one stranger and more dangerous than the last.

The first was the Ultra Deep Sea, a water world teeming with diverse marine life, terrifyingly gigantic sea creatures, and countless Nihilego. Beneath the ocean, Alex discovered the ruins of an ancient city riddled with Sparkling Stones, along with deposits of ultra-dense metal that rivaled the Master ranked metal he’d purchased from the Training Center to satisfy Guzzlord’s appetite. There were enough Sparkling Stones to give Necrozma the boost it needed to restore the world’s light without severely harming itself, allowing it to continue releasing more and more of its stolen light as they traveled between worlds.

Next was the Ultra Jungle, a tropical world of extreme heat, oxygen-rich air, and vast rainforests dotted with volcanoes. The dense jungle was teeming with gigantic insects and carnivorous plants, making it an ideal habitat for Buzzwole. Alex found plenty of Sparkling Stones buried within the deep craters scattered throughout the region, but no Master ranked resources. The thick vegetation made searching difficult, and finding anything beyond the exposed craters would have required him to systematically comb the entire region, something he wasn’t willing to do.

The Ultra Desert was an entirely different beast, a post-apocalyptic world almost completely buried beneath shifting sands. The ruins of an ancient civilization were scattered across the wasteland, while the native creatures had adapted to its brutal heat and arid environment. Among them was Pheromosa, which proved particularly troublesome for Alex. The Ultra Beast emitted a powerful scent that could drive his Pokémon into a frenzy, making every encounter unexpectedly dangerous. Fortunately, Guzzlord was largely immune to its effects and could protect the others whenever they encountered one.

Unfortunately, the shifting sands made it nearly impossible to locate any Sparkling Stones or rare resources. Alex couldn’t help but regret not having a powerful digging team like Sable’s. There were likely countless treasures buried beneath the sand, but digging them up would have taken far more time and manpower than he was willing to spend.

The Ultra Plant was a world of perpetual thunderstorms. Its sky was shrouded in darkness, constantly illuminated by lightning discharging across the landscape. Other creatures were relatively rare, but Xurkitree thrived there in enormous numbers, forming vast forests of brilliant living electricity. If Alex had one complaint about the world, it was that it was incredibly noisy. The constant thunder and electrical discharges made silence virtually nonexistent.

At least the place proved highly profitable. Alex managed to acquire plenty of unique materials with exceptional electrical resistance or conductivity, along with a considerable number of Sparkling Stones.

The Ultra Crater was a world of falling stars. It had a thin atmosphere and resembled a barren, moon-like planet, with meteorites constantly raining down from the sky. The place contained plenty of rare materials, though Sparkling Stones were surprisingly scarce. That wasn’t particularly strange considering countless meteorites had likely buried them beneath layers of newly fallen debris over the years. They did, however, manage to capture plenty of Celesteela.

The Ultra Forest was perhaps the most peaceful world Alex visited. It was an enormous evergreen forest where Kartana roamed freely, their territories marked by enormous clearings created as they cut down trees to hone their swordsmanship. The forest was also rich in valuable resources, particularly its massive trees. They even found plenty of Sparkling Stones scattered throughout the large craters, making it one of the most profitable stops on their journey.

Finally, there was Ultra Ruin.

It had once been a world filled with life, but Necrozma’s theft of its light had left it completely shrouded in darkness. Once the darkness was lifted, Alex found little more than ruins stretching across the landscape, with barely any signs of surviving life.

Yet the ruins themselves proved incredibly valuable. Sparkling Stones were scattered throughout the craters left behind by Necrozma’s rampage, while rare resources could be recovered from sealed vaults and abandoned industrial sectors. Based on the satellite readings, there were also indications that a significant number of the world’s inhabitants had survived.

According to Necrozma, this had been its home world, the place where it had been captured and tortured for its light. It hated returning here and never wanted to see the place again. So when Alex eventually offered to take it with him when he left the dimension, Necrozma accepted without hesitation.

By the end of their journey, they had visited every world from which Necrozma had stolen light, leaving it in its purest state yet still significantly weakened. They had spent roughly half a year exploring the Ultra Dimension, and with Ultra Ruin being the last world on Necrozma’s list, there was nowhere left for them to go.

With nothing else to find and all his objectives fulfilled, Alex finally activated the return beacon and prepared to head home.

He had managed to completely fill Guzzlord’s stomach and his backpack with Master ranked resources, making the expedition a resounding success. He had also captured more than 50 Ultra Beasts ranging from Elite to Master rank, along with a Zeraora and an Ultra Necrozma that was already 70% of the way to completing its full form. Overall, it had been an exceptionally profitable venture.

Now, all he had to worry about was paying his taxes, or as the League called it, fulfilling the responsibilities of a Master ranked trainer. He also had to pay off his debt, which amounted to roughly 1 billion credits. Hopefully, he’d collected enough resources to still come away with a decent profit.

A few hours after activating the return beacon, a blinding flash of white light erupted around Alex as multicolored energy streaked past him. His Deep Suit groaned under the crushing pressure as space twisted around his body, dragging him through what felt like an endless tunnel.

Then, less than a second later, it was over.

The light vanished, the pressure disappeared, and Alex found himself standing inside a familiar glass bubble within the Prism Tower’s laboratory in Lumiose City. The air inside the chamber was quickly evacuated, creating a vacuum before being replaced with mist. After a few minutes, scientists approached with various scanners, taking readings before nodding in satisfaction and stepping back. Finally, they gave their approval, and the glass bubble lifted.

”Welcome back, Alex Wattson,” a woman in a lab coat greeted him. ”Congratulations on a successful expedition. Please follow us to the Research Center for your debriefing.”

Alex followed her out of the Prism Tower, accompanied by a team of six scientists.

”How long was I gone?” Alex asked as they walked.

”Two days,” the woman replied.

”Only two days?” Alex asked in shock. ”I spent six months on that expedition.”

”It isn’t particularly unusual when dealing with random spacetime discrepancies. Though, a difference this significant is quite rare.”

They escorted him to the nearby Research Center, where he was brought into a large room similar to the one Clarissa had been placed in after her return. He surrendered his backpack, removed his Deep Suit, and underwent a thorough examination, including a full-body scan. Once the scientists confirmed he was in peak physical condition with no abnormalities, the debriefing finally began while his belongings were taken away for inspection.

”To start things off,” the same woman who had greeted him earlier said, ”please explain where you landed and the conditions you encountered.”

Alex began recounting his expedition from beginning to end. Once he finished, the woman nodded before moving on to the most important part of the debriefing.

”How much of your spoils are you willing to surrender?”