Bighorn Bull is in charge of leading, and I, Beria, am in charge of raising it.

Wow, that's great! I'm about to learn how to use the Ultra Bomb all by myself...

……

Beria's Diary

I'm wrong.

I was really wrong.

I knew this damn thing was unreliable.

But I didn't expect it to be this unreliable!

Do you think you can just walk into a black hole like that?

Oh, wait, given Ultraman's physical strength, being sucked in doesn't seem to pose any real danger to his life...

No, that's not the point! If they get sucked in, where am I supposed to find them?!

And what do you mean by "I care about him"?

I was afraid that if this little calf got lost, no one would be able to beat Alien Empera!

Hiss... No, once we get back to the Land of Light, I have to find Mary beforehand.

Someone needs to keep this brat in check.

He's not even afraid of me getting angry and taking action now; he's truly out of options!

Chapter 8 Belial's Weary Heart

After taking a detour to avoid the gravitational pull of the black hole, Belial and Ken plunged into the nebula before them, beginning their exploration of this unknown region.

At first, Beria thought that the interior of this star system would be like the star systems he had encountered before, either consisting of barren planets unsuitable for life.

Or perhaps the timing was wrong; there are indeed signs of life on the planet, but a systematic civilization has not yet developed.

This is why planets that can give birth to life and continue to thrive are often worthy of the word "miracle".

But this time it's different.

When Belial and Ken finished exploring most of the star system and were about to leave, they unexpectedly discovered a planet that had developed a highly advanced civilization in a dangerous area near the gravitational pull of a black hole, a region where any expansion of the black hole would immediately result in its destruction.

"Beria, shall we go in and take a look?"

Jian pointed to the planet ahead, and that familiar light, that light belonging to explorers, shone in his eyes again.

Upon hearing this, Beria did not refuse outright, but pondered for a moment.

According to the scan results from the equipment I carry, there seems to be nothing unusual about this planet.

There is no high-energy radiation, no chaotic magnetic field, and the gas density is within an acceptable range.

Moreover, the evolutionary cycle of a black hole is generally measured in tens of thousands of years. From a purely probabilistic perspective, it is highly unlikely that you and Jian, who happened to be passing by, would happen to be there on the day it expands.

If they were truly that unlucky, it could only mean that fate was determined to force the two brothers to embark on a "time-travel journey."

"Okay, but you have to stick close to me, keep a low profile, and especially don't act on your own."

"no problem!"

Jian readily agreed, looking like a dutiful and obedient child.

But Beria knew that, given this cowardly calf's personality, once he encountered something interesting or some unexpected situation, he would definitely get carried away and rush out without thinking.

However, considering that one of the goals he set for himself during this trip was to try to find "Earth" in the Ultra Universe and see if there was still a chance to "go home," Belial didn't say anything more.

Surely such a simple observation task couldn't possibly cause any huge trouble for this cowardly little thing.

With that thought in mind, Belial and Ken mobilized their internal energy and released it outwards, enveloping their entire bodies. They transformed into two red spheres and flew towards the interior of the planet.

At first, Jian showed great curiosity and excitement about everything inside the planet.

After all, the Land of Light, a highly advanced civilization, possessed almost everything one could desire. However, because its lighting relied entirely on the Plasma Spark Tower, ordinary plants and animals simply couldn't withstand it. Even though Ken was already ten thousand years old, this was the first time he had ever witnessed such a vibrant and beautiful scene outside of textbooks.

Even Beria showed a rare expression of relaxation and nostalgia.

Ten thousand years... Finally, I see scenery similar to Earth again...

Having lived through such a long period of time, the short two or three decades of his life before this journey had been completely diluted. And then, unknowingly, he was completely replaced by the life of "Beria".

If it weren't for the constant worry about the invasion of the Alien Empera and whether he would be forcibly possessed by the Blue Pliers and transformed from a male model of the Silver Tribe into a black thunder bullfrog.

Belial would probably forget that he was originally a "time traveler".

"Beria, look over there!"

Just then, Jian suddenly shouted.

His voice was very low, but his tone was no longer as lighthearted as before; instead, it was tinged with a hint of anger.

This puzzled Belial, who wondered what Jian had seen that would make such a kind-hearted person like him angry. So he turned his head and looked in the direction Jian was pointing.

Then, Beria saw thick smoke rising from the eastern coast near the sea.

That's black smoke from city fires.

Thick and sticky, like ugly scars, it rises from the ground and twists and deforms under the winds of the upper atmosphere.

The number of smoke columns was astonishing, stretching from east to west, almost covering the entire eastern coast of that continent.

Below the column of smoke are dilapidated buildings.

Among the dense cluster of low-rise buildings, several taller towers have been smashed in half, with jagged cross-sections revealing their fractured internal structural framework.

Meanwhile, grotesque monsters are wreaking havoc in the city.

There were quite a few of them; just by taking a quick look, Belial could see seven or eight scattered in different parts of the city.

They are not particularly large; the smaller ones are only a dozen meters tall, and the larger ones are only a little over forty meters tall.

But to these panicked humans, they were walking natural disasters! Invincible enemies!

It was at this moment that Beria suddenly heard a certain sound.

It was not simply the screams and wails of the victims before their deaths, but rather a cry for help from the planet itself, filled with extreme grief, resentment, and grievance, directed towards Belial.

This caused Beria to pause, then he abruptly turned to look at Ken.

Because he was certain that if he could hear that sound, then Jian could too!

Given Jian's character of hating evil as if it were his enemy...

This giant bull might break its previous promise and charge straight into the monster horde!

"Damn it... I can't take it anymore!"

As Belial had expected, Ken, who had also heard this faint cry for help, had completely changed his demeanor.

His gaze was fixed on the smoke-filled land, his fists clenched unconsciously, his knuckles turning slightly white beneath his silver skin. His iconic horns gleamed coldly in the firelight.

Beria knew what he was thinking. He also knew what he wanted to do.

But Beria not only didn't agree with Jian's idea, he also reached out and blocked Jian's way, reminding him in a cold and hard tone.

“Jian, I know you can’t bear to watch… but do you remember what the instructors told us before we set off?”

"..."

"We are here to gain experience, not to interfere in the affairs of other planets. Without official mission orders, warriors of the Land of Light are not allowed to intervene in the disputes of local civilizations. This is a basic rule."

As he spoke, Belial watched as aliens, who resembled humans by seven or eight points, were being slaughtered in large numbers by monsters, and he subconsciously clenched his fists.

But for some reason, Belial had a feeling that the faint cry for help did not come from these intelligent life forms, but from someone else. This made Belial force himself to calm down and remind them again.

“I know what you saw, and I saw it too. But we don’t know the background of this conflict, or which side is in the right. If we judge based solely on our personal preferences, and we’re wrong, then…!”

“Beria...I heard it, the cries of children.”

Just then, Ken finally spoke.

His voice was soft, but his fists clenched even tighter.

These words silenced Belial instantly.

It was at this moment that, as the monster unleashed its fiery breath, another muffled explosion echoed through the city. A brand new mushroom cloud rose slowly, the flames piercing through the smoke and dust, illuminating the two distant cities in a dark red hue.

"...I can hear you too."

"They are calling for help, hoping someone can help them."

"I know too."

"So you're telling me to just stand here and watch?!"

Jian abruptly turned his head, his eyes blazing with anger. Mixed with it was also a sense of shock and disappointment that Belial, knowing someone needed help, could stand there and coldly watch.

"They can't even protect themselves! This isn't a war, it's a one-sided massacre! We clearly have the ability to stop it, so why should we stand idly by!?"

"Because we cannot arbitrarily interfere with what is happening on other planets, and objectively speaking, if those monsters are also native to this planet, then their attacks on intelligent life forms are like carnivores eating herbivores—it's part of the planet's food chain. Now, just because one side seems weaker, we're arbitrarily getting involved. Do you think that's fair?"

Beria noticed the change in Ken's eyes and sighed at the Great Horned Bull's personality, which remained as straightforward and reckless as ever. He pressed Ken's shoulder down and lowered his voice, trying to reason with him to calm him down a bit.

"And I always felt there was something we hadn't figured out about this attack. You should be able to tell, right? The monsters' behavior pattern was off... They were too concentrated, and they didn't attack each other, unlike the indiscriminate attacks of wild monsters. It was more like..."

"I can't see it! All I see is that someone is in danger and needs help!"

But at this moment, Ken, who was young and full of vigor, couldn't listen to Beria's words at all.

He slapped Belial's hand away, turned to face the city, and said, word by word.

"If you don't want to help, or you're scared, then stay here! I'll go myself!"

The moment he finished speaking, Jian transformed into a silver streak of light and rushed towards the city before him without looking back.

This caused Belial's outstretched hand to freeze in mid-air. Watching Ken's rapidly shrinking back, he was held in place for a second in silence.

Then he took a deep breath, raised his hand and slapped it hard across his face, then dragged it down forcefully, bit by bit. He muttered to himself in a tone of exasperation.

"...This brainless idiot...Ugh, I can't carry this teammate...What should I do if I suddenly have an urge to touch the Plasma Spark Tower?"

But despite his complaints, Belial couldn't really let Ken face so many monsters alone.

The next second, Belial, stretching his arms and cracking his knuckles, cleared his mind of all distractions. He too transformed into a streak of light and rushed towards the other side of the city.

……

Beria's Diary

Do you know what the most desperate thing is?

The most despairing thing is not that you've fallen into a trap.

It's not that you know there's a trap, but your stupid teammates, like they're not fully developed, insist on going against you!

And what do you mean I'm scared? These little monsters aren't even qualified to warm up for me!

I should have known better than to bring this idiot with me in the first place.

...That won't work either. If he goes on a long trip by himself, he'll either end up killing himself like this time, or he might get lost in space because he can't understand those high-tech navigation tools!

Forget it, I was hoping to make this idiot the captain of the garrison, so he could be at the forefront and retire peacefully. I'll just put up with him this time...

Sigh, I had a bad argument with someone in my past life, and now I'm reborn as Belial, running around like a slave...

What a tragedy!

Chapter 9: Change Your Pokémon Trainer

As the two streaks of light pierced through the clouds one after the other, the scorching air currents exploded in the sky, creating a visible shockwave that tore a huge hole in the surrounding cumulonimbus clouds.

Finally, they transformed into two giants whose entire bodies radiated dazzling light. Like gods descending to earth, they landed in the eastern and western parts of the city respectively.

Of course, to avoid the impact of a full-speed fall that would destroy the entire city, Belial and Ken deliberately slowed down during their descent. This prevented a dramatic earthquake, like Gaia's, upon impact.

Directly in front of Belial's landing point, a ferocious-looking monster let out a series of intimidating roars in response to Belial's appearance.

It is about forty meters long, crawls on all fours, and has a row of bony spurs standing upright on its back. Its skin is an unhealthy grayish-brown, as if it has been corroded by something. Thick saliva drips from its mouth, making a sizzling sound when it falls to the ground, clearly indicating that it is extremely corrosive.

But, to Beria's surprise...

The monster before them clearly possessed a certain level of intelligence, able to discern that the suddenly appearing giant of light posed a far greater threat than the crowd that could only flee in terror.

But its gaze lingered on Belial for only a moment before turning back to the fleeing crowd.