Suddenly, a group of highly muscular bodybuilders wearing only underwear rushed out from a sliding door in the biome, accompanied by equally muscular Pokémon. There was Machamp, Conkeldurr, Rillaboom, and Incineroar, and they all made their way toward the gathering of Ultra Beasts before starting to flex their muscles as well.
"That was close, ladies and gentlemen," the tour guide said with relief. "We were almost attacked by these Buzzwoles. They have a tendency to eat those they consider physically unimpressive, viewing them as prey and therefore food, so we employ these extremely muscular individuals to distract them whenever they begin one of their flexing competitions."
The group's attention remained fixed on the Buzzwoles who were now roughhousing with the bodybuilders in a very gym-bro-like interaction, trading playful grapples, flexing contests, and displays of raw strength that shook the ground without breaking form. It was a strange scene to witness, made even stranger by the faint sense of camaraderie behind it.
"Native to Ultra Jungle environments and possessing Bug and Fighting type attributes, they sustain themselves by absorbing biological energy and nutrients from their surroundings. They accumulate this energy to dramatically increase their physical strength, resulting in extreme muscle development and immense power output over time," the tour guide explained. "To be considered a worthy trainer for one, at minimum, a person is expected to possess a powerful, muscular physique and a strong affinity for Fighting types."
"Hey, Alvera, do you think your dad would be able to train one?" Nohea asked, waggling her brows with a mischievous smile.
"No way," Alvera said, shaking her head. "Dad never works out with weights. At most, he promotes obstacle courses to build stamina. He says big muscles just get in the way of combat. The key is fast-twitch muscles, stamina, and technique. He'd rather build strength through fights that break his bones than specifically train his muscles to grow bigger."
"Your dad's pretty big though," Malia pointed out.
"But he isn't bodybuilder big. Just look at them flexing. I bet they can't even wash their own backs."
"Good point," Malia said as the girls chuckled.
The next biome they visited was a sunny desert encased in thick glass walls with powerful vents embedded in the ceiling. A high-speed blur cut across the enclosure, kicking up fine synthetic sand as containment fields shimmered under repeated strain. In fragmented flashes, a tall, white, stick-thin insectoid silhouette skimmed across the terrain.
"Pheromosa are classified as Bug and Fighting type Ultra Beasts originating from Ultra Desert regions," the tour guide explained. "Their most distinctive traits are their incredible velocity, their beautiful appearance, and their powerful pheromones. Most organisms that engage them become mentally disrupted, as though overwhelmed by their beauty, and lose the will to continue fighting. The defining characteristic needed to train Pheromosa is a very high sense of pride, which must allow the trainer to withstand the effects of their powerful pheromones. Fun fact: Lusamine, the former president of the Aether Foundation, had one in her roster."
The next biome was a dark forest with lightning arcing between the trees, which all looked mechanical in nature as they absorbed the arcing lightning. Scattered among them were trees that looked like twisted wires, producing the deadly electricity in the biome.
"Xurkitree are Ultra Beasts with the Electric typing found most commonly in Ultra Plant environments. They are by far the most useful Ultra Beasts we have in our facility, as they supply us with all the power we need, so long as they can freely eject their electricity while absorbing nutrients from the soil. In order to train one, trainers must have the ability to resist powerful electric currents that would normally be deadly even to powerful trainers."
"That looks like something you'd be able to train," Malia said to Alvera.
"Probably. I've already survived Zapdos's love taps, so how hard could that be? Unfortunately, they seem like a hassle to keep around if they have to constantly shoot out electricity like that. I don't think my camera could survive a tantrum."
A large rocky environment followed, fully enclosed in glass with vents in the ceiling, with floating clumps of green, sleek metal suspended in the air or buried in the dirt. They seemed to float from their arms, expelling a gaseous substance with enough force to lift their seemingly heavy forms.
"Celesteela are Steel and Flying type Ultra Beasts that originate from Ultra Craters. They are our second most useful Ultra Beasts, as they expel a highly flammable gaseous substance that is used as rocket fuel, while only requiring gravel with heavy minerals to sustain themselves. As for their ideal trainers, they are those who can survive living with the highly toxic gas or those with a Flying Affinity to blow it away."
The next enclosure contained a flat, blade-like Ultra Beast moving through a dry forest environment. These paper-thin beings fought against each other in swordsmanship matches to quell their need for combat.
"Kartana are Grass and Steel type Ultra Beasts found in Ultra Forest regions. They sustain themselves by absorbing plant matter and minerals. Their defining trait is extreme cutting power due to their blade-like structure. Only those who know their way around a sword have any chance of attracting these dangerous Ultra Beasts' attention, with a high probability of failure and death during the attempt."
They paused at a heavily reinforced containment bay filled with all forms of junk and heavy rock. Strangely, however, it was empty.
"This particular habitat is where we eject all of our trash and is normally occupied by a rather docile Guzzlord, an Ultra Beast with the Dark and Dragon typing found in Ultra Ruins, with a propensity for consuming anything that gets near it. But as of a few days ago, it escaped and is currently being examined by our top scientists after it was recovered. I heard that they may have finally found a method to bond with them to guarantee a degree of obedience, but it is still being determined."
Everyone in Alex's group smiled knowingly at the mention of Guzzlord. Only Alex was unhinged enough to end up bonding with one by jumping into its mouth, with the knowledge that they had never spat anything out of their stomach before.
The tram moved on to a smaller adjacent enclosure containing two purple lifeforms flying around comfortably in a rather open, modern space. The environment featured sleek metallic structures, reinforced glass barriers, and suspended platforms where staff interacted with the creatures and appeared to be playing with them. One was an alien-looking bipedal being that floated with a needle on its head, while the other looked like an alien fighter plane with a needle at its front.
"Poipole, with Poison typing, and Naganadel, with Poison and Dragon typing, are related Ultra Beasts, with Naganadel being its evolution when Poipole is taught Dragon Pulse. Both are native to Ultra Megalopolis and sustain themselves on Ultra energy, which is easily harvestable from Ultra Wormholes. They are docile enough to be comfortable with humans, making them one of the official starters for those who live permanently in Ultra Megalopolis. Unfortunately, they are currently unavailable for acquisition due to their limited numbers and popularity."
The next biome was a dense, rocky forest filled with towering stone formations and jagged boulders rising between clusters of sparse, hardy vegetation. Within it, a stacked, modular rock-like organism composed of interlocking stone blocks moved through the terrain, shifting and reassembling into a walking, fortress-like structure with faint glowing seams between its segments.
"Stakataka are Rock and Steel type Ultra Beasts found in Ultra Ruin regions. They sustain themselves through mineral absorption and, interestingly enough, are made up of multiple smaller organisms that stack together, hence their name. They are similar in the way a Dugtrio is made up of three Digletts and Magneton is made up of three Magnemites. They are relatively docile Ultra Beasts that can be trained by just about anyone, but they have a propensity for remaining motionless near tall rock formations, seeming like walls, so battles will be a hard sell."
"Do you think we can replace the base's walls with them?" Mika asked jokingly.
"Too short," Lyra replied. "Maybe if they were fed Kaia's Herba Mystica and turned into Titan versions, it might work. But even then, we'd need an army of them to assemble into a full wall to defend against the annual Pokémon Flood."
Their last stop on the tour was a small containment unit with a dry, desert-like environment of cracked sand and heat-scorched stone, enclosed by significantly thicker, reinforced glass than they had seen before. Inside were unstable fire-based entities with elongated, clownish humanoid forms, oversized spherical heads that periodically detonated in controlled bursts of flame and energy, and thin, elastic bodies.
"The final Ultra Beast we have on the island are Blacephalon that have Fire and Ghost typing native to Ultra Desert environments. They sustain themselves through lifeforce absorption of their victims, whom they defeat through volatile energy discharge. These require a trainer with a high Fire Affinity to survive their hunting methods and irregular discharges that could accidentally kill everyone within close proximity."
"Now this is my kind of Ultra Beast," Rhea said, with stars in her eyes.
"Right~" Nyx said, rolling her eyes. "Imagine them inside your laboratory for a second and you'll see why that'd be a horrible idea."
"I can always just put them in a similar containment unit and unleash them upon my enemies," Rhea said.
At the end of the tour, the group returned to their accommodations and enjoyed a luxurious dinner before settling in for the night. Tomorrow, they had plans to visit the rest of the island, including museum tours, tech demonstrations, and, of course, the gift shops.
Meanwhile, Alex was still undergoing a comprehensive physical examination to determine the reason for his compatibility with Guzzlord, who was happily munching on dense rock, the facility's excess electricity, and their trash.
"How much longer will this take?" Alex asked as he ran on a treadmill with wires attached all over his body.
"It shouldn't be long, Mr. Wattson. Once you get through a few more tests, we'll have you out and about to continue your vacation."
Alex hoped so. He was starting to get bored of the sterile white of the lab's walls. Hopefully, he would be able to return to his vacation and reach their final destination, Ula'ula Island, where he had planned some truly fun activities at the headquarters of Team Bones.