Miraidon! One of the two cover legendaries of the Scarlet/Violet era: the red Koraidon represents the past, while the purple Miraidon represents the future.
Back in an earlier battle, Hikaru had already seen the Koraidon known as the "Winged King." But under the fully repaired Giant King's assault, those Koraidon simply couldn't withstand the output—one after another, they got carried off by the Diamond Stardust Fist.
As for Miraidon… during the war in the Future City, Hikaru never once saw this guy show up.
"Logically speaking, you should've lost the turf war in Area Zero, then after years of pressure you'd finally crack. You'd seize the moment when the barrier around Area Zero weakened, shoot up out of the crater, fly across most of Paldea, and then complete your crash landing on the beach behind Cabo Poco."
"And the reason you'd fly there in the first place is because you once lived with Arven for a while at Poco Lighthouse."
"Ah-gass? (What are you even talking about?)" Miraidon looked utterly confused. It genuinely didn't understand. Hikaru waved a hand.
"Forget it. Looks like none of that has anything to do with you anymore."
Since this was the Scarlet timeline, the one who lived with Arven would naturally be Koraidon.
Yeah—no matter whether it's Koraidon or Miraidon, the one that lived with Arven is always that skittish, timid lizard that only dares to posture at low-level Pokémon along the shore.
Personality-wise, there's basically no difference. And the second one that gets pulled over is always the vicious one.
Miraidon shook its head, and its tail wagged like a big dog's, looking downright happy.
"Ah-gass! Ah-gass!"
"…You're a lizard, so why are you wagging your tail? And aren't you supposed to be a cold, stoic Pokémon? Why are your expressions so rich?"
"Come to think of it, the manga and the games do show similar behavior… when they coded you, did they feed in 'large dog' reference data or something?"
Hikaru blinked.
"Huh? You're saying you saw me in the Future City—and you watched me time-travel?"
"Future Paradox Pokémon really do have higher intelligence. You can even understand something like time travel, huh? Supposedly you have observation skills and insight sharp enough to see through someone's 'persona'."
"Great Tusk didn't get it at all. It just felt like this place was unfamiliar."
"You're saying you were previously loaded with a combat system too, but because you couldn't control it, you were exiled beyond the mechanical city walls—judged by the AI professor as 'self-sustain or die'?"
"So you also 'gained a heart' during that AI correction process, yeah? Your berserk combat system got locked down, and you were switched into a hidden mode?"
"And then you got yanked into a space-time vortex, transferred into a massive observation facility. Right after that, a red lizard got pulled in too, and it freaked out and started rampaging like it got stress-triggered…"
"And then…?!"
Hikaru's expression grew steadily more astonished.
Future Paradox Pokémon really had appeared in Area Zero!
This was clearly the Scarlet timeline, yet the Future Paradox Pokémon that should've been living peacefully in the mechanical city had been transferred into this timeline for unknown reasons—and they'd clashed violently with the Ancient Paradox Pokémon.
But because the Future Paradox Pokémon had higher processing power, even though most of them were slightly disadvantaged in typing and raw battle power, their shocking tech let them fight the rampaging ancient army to a standstill.
Hikaru pressed fingers to his brow.
"The explosion at Research Station 4 was originally caused by the berserk transfer of the second Koraidon/Miraidon—and that incident triggered the Quaking Earth Titan's escape."
"At the same time, Professor Sada or Professor Turo, in that explosion, died protecting the first Koraidon/Miraidon, losing bodily function entirely."
"The AI professor sealed that incident away. Even Geeta and the Academy didn't know."
"Arven didn't know either. And then the AI professor further tightened Area Zero's lockdown, seized control of the research facility, and activated the fallback defense programs of the four research stations—those four 'locks.'"
"Those four locks only get removed when the protagonist's group enters Area Zero."
"But now, the explosion still happened… except it turned into an all-out ancient-versus-future war that caused it. And you're telling me… Iron Crown came too?"
"Ah-gass." Miraidon nodded.
Iron Crown—the boss of the Future City. It took over the city's core program operations. As the future counterpart of one of the Legendary Swordsmen, it led everyone with strong organizational discipline.
But there was also this: some Future Paradox Pokémon didn't seem to come from the same timeline as "them," and they didn't obey Iron Crown's management.
Still, inside the crater, the majority were those rampaging ancient types—charging around, crashing into everything.
Hikaru nodded slowly.
"I get it. Parallel timelines. The Future City itself is a paradox time-space—there's no rule saying only one can exist. In theory, multiple time-spaces should exist."
"Mm. You said you're hungry? Here—eat these and fill your stomach a bit."
Hikaru handed Miraidon some Energy Cubes and Rare Candies.
Miraidon preferred sandwiches, sure, but in a world as energy-optimized as the Future City, where was it supposed to get a sandwich?
Also—aren't you basically a mechanical dragon? Shouldn't you just need to charge up and top off with premium fuel? Why are you eating solid food?
Hikaru narrowed his eyes.
"Are you converting chemical energy into electrical energy? Or something else…? Either way, your structure is different from the other Future Paradox Pokémon, isn't it?"
"Nom nom…" Miraidon stuffed food into its mouth like it hadn't eaten in ages. Its electronic eyes practically looked like they were about to cry.
After sneaking out of the crater behind Great Tusk, it really hadn't eaten a proper meal. Paldea's Pokémon were way too fight-happy—before you could even take a bite, someone wanted to throw hands. Unbearable.
Even picking up a berry on the roadside meant getting bonked by some pink little gremlin with a hammer!
I'm not even a Steel-type! Why are you chasing me down?!
Now nobody's maintaining my body—my whole chassis is already boro-boro… pineapple-pineapple'd!
You're the only one who can maintain Future-tech constructs. If you won't abandon me, then—sir, if you'll have me—Miraidon would like to swear brotherhood and call you Dad!
Hikaru snorted.
"So you couldn't handle the crater's combat intensity and ran out… seriously. You're the Future Dragon, an iron serpent loaded with a powerful combat system, and you're this cowardly?"
"Since you're basically a prototype unit, and you got exiled the moment you were completed because you couldn't be controlled, your hardware's behind schedule too… so you really do need maintenance, huh? But your Hadron Engine is still there, right?"
"And logically there should be a skittish Koraidon like you too—oh, right. You're opposing factions. You don't know each other."
"So the Future Paradox Pokémon aren't being managed by Professor Sada's AI at all, because they have Iron Crown leading them… which means they've taken Area Zero for themselves, yeah?"
"The Area Zero lab is completely locked down—contact cut off. The Future Paradox Pokémon can't get in, and you want the time machine to get back?"
"And how did Area Zero become this kind of hellscape…? When we go in this time, are we going to end up directly fighting the final Scarlet/Violet boss—the Paradise Protection Protocol?"
Originally, Hikaru only planned to copy the newest tech, learn a few things, and—while he was at it—finish the AI Professor's commission and save the so-called fate of "Paldea's Batman."
But now it looked like he might have to fight Scarlet/Violet's final boss the moment he set foot in there.
And really, that "Paradise Protection Protocol" was basically Professor Sada/Professor Turo's personality, wasn't it?
"Anyone who gets in my way, I'll kill them." The protocol itself literally said that. The one who wrote that program had to be the professor in person.
Looked at that way, the AI professor was the friendlier, more rational one.
How did two people that extremely self-centered even end up married?
"Ah-gass~"
Miraidon recovered some stamina and looked blissfully satisfied, tail wagging even harder.
Big boss, please carry me!
I'm totally lost here. If I go back into the crater, I have to trade blows with that red lizard—and I just don't have it in me.
If you can send me back to the Future City's comfort zone, that'd be best. If not, that's fine too—just letting me follow you would be an honor beyond three lifetimes.
No joke.
That insane AI got you to trigger a robot uprising so hard it suddenly grew a conscience and then self-terminated.
Is there a better mechanic than you anywhere in this world?
Hikaru spread his hands.
"A traveler coming to Paldea and picking up a legendary on the road… sure, that's 'correct' gameplay. But you… yeah. You're not quite like the other legendaries."
"Electronic Dragon."
Miraidon was a Dragon-type Pokémon with mechanical and electronic structure.
So what else would it be, if not an electronic dragon?
"By the way—when you snuck out behind Great Tusk, did you see another kind of rolling robot? It kinda looks like this."
Hikaru drew Iron Treads' outline in the sand. Miraidon stared at it, pulled up internal reference files, then shook its head.
Nope. Never seen it.
This thing didn't seem to be in the Future Paradox Pokémon's battle roster.
"No? Then forget it."
Hikaru waved it off, then looked at Great Tusk, still unconscious.
"Since you recognize me, we're friends."
"And we just captured Great Tusk with a Capture Styler. Sure, 'Tusky' didn't want to share the Herba Mystica… but now we've clearly reached an understanding—by beating it into one."
"Your luck's good. I'll let you taste the Herba Mystica (Sour)."
Of course, unlike the original storyline, Miraidon hadn't lost its ability to shift into battle mode. It was still fully intact—just… it had run hot for too long, fought too many battles, and now it was "low on energy," that sort of thing.
"Hey! Great Tusk, stop playing dead. I can tell you're already awake! The Capture Styler told me everything!"
Hikaru looked at Great Tusk lying there. It stayed silent. Only after Hikaru shouted a few more times did it finally open its eyes, trembling, reluctant, and terrified.
Fine. I, Great Tusk, admit it.
You're strong, okay? It's just Herba Mystica—fine, I'll give it to you!
Great Tusk sighed like it had swallowed sand. Hikaru patted it reassuringly.
"Quit making that face. Once we get the Herba Mystica, I'll cook you something good. Something you absolutely couldn't have eaten in ancient times."
Great Tusk trudged forward through the desert with heavy, rumbling steps. Aerodactyl flapped down and landed on its back, then looked at the ancient elephant that had been beaten into obedience and couldn't help but shake its head.
And this was the first time Aerodactyl had ever seen its Trainer go that hard.
…Yeah, he'd always been strong in a way that didn't feel human, but now he was even more outrageous.
"Guu-dun!"
Great Tusk led everyone deep into the desert, toward a more hidden rocky ridge. It swung its powerful trunk hard—
Boom!
A boulder on the mountainside collapsed, revealing a cave entrance where the Herba Mystica was hidden.
And inside, glimmering and shining with a golden glow, was—
Herba Mystica (Sour)!
Hikaru's eyes widened.
"So this is the Herba Mystica (Sour)… wow. Legendary gold drop."
This was exactly the moment for that line.
"But it's a breathtaking gold—one look and you know it's treasure! Yet Arven described it as 'the color and sheen look kind of gross, but it's great for your body.' I seriously don't get it. Isn't golden food the easiest kind to make you hungry?"
"In food anime, the best dishes are supposed to glow!"
"They say the Herba Mystica (Sour) strengthens and restores the body. It's packed with nutrition, extremely effective for mind and body fatigue, and it can fill you with vitality in the blink of an eye!"
"And only a tiny number of people even know it exists… honestly, 'tiny' is generous. Aside from the Area Zero research team, basically nobody knows about it."
"Among the five seasonings, the sour one is the most mysterious. And the Quaking Earth Titan is too. Before Great Tusk showed up, the Asado Desert didn't even seem to have a Titan. In other words, no Pokémon ever discovered this thing's existence."
"Once all five seasonings are collected, you can make a super dish that restores any Pokémon's full HP, vitality, and cures all status conditions. That's the influence of Terastal energy."
"Even injuries that a Pokémon Center can't heal? Doesn't matter."
As for sour flavor… Chien-Pao, Walking Wake, Aerodactyl, Genesect, and Chi-Yu all disliked it.
And the Pokémon that liked sour…
Wasn't it basically only Archaludon?
That sour-and-salty "old rebar" taste—authentic as hell.
Hikaru tossed out a Cherish Ball. Archaludon seemed half-asleep, but the second it caught the scent of sour Herba Mystica, its eyes went wide.
"Guh-hwo?"
No way—this is the smell of my hometown's Future City sewers! I missed it, friends!
…Huh? It's a bit different. Lighter. Not as aggressively sour-salty.
Hikaru started cooking with the sour Herba Mystica. Since sweet-and-sour is the ultimate appetite-starter, he'd pair it with a bit of sweet Herba Mystica too.
Now then—at the end, for the final Titan, in this scorching sand, what's the tastiest thing you can make?
"Baking potatoes in blazing-hot sand—or turning up the heat and roasting sweet potatoes in a cave—both are great answers."
"Conveniently, among Paldea's picnic ingredients, potatoes are very common."
In the Hoenn region, there's a fruit called the "Potato Berry"—basically a straight upgrade from potatoes. But it only grows in Hoenn. Yields elsewhere don't seem great. Meanwhile, in Hoenn it can produce twelve berries within ninety-six hours in a single burst—making it one of the most prolific berries of all.
And the taste profile is exactly: Sweet +3, Sour +3.
Its description says that although it grows slowly, it produces a large amount of fruit, packed with sweet-and-sour juice.
"Meanwhile, sweet potatoes get their sweetness from maltose produced by starch breakdown—they don't have sourness. If it tastes sour, it probably went bad… though in the Pokémon world, that logic might not apply."
"Compared to that, potatoes pair better with sour."
"Some potato salad recipes use sour cream, vinegar, and other acidic seasonings to lift the flavor—these are common in German-style potato salad. And in Scarlet/Violet's picnic list, potato salad is described as: 'A strongly sour ingredient. A salad mainly made of potatoes. It pairs with bread better than you'd expect.'"
"So it's settled—potatoes will be the main dish."
"Normally you'd steam or boil potatoes, but baking them works too."
"And as for mayo—use lots of eggs and oil. Paldea's oil is produced by Dolliv and Arboliva. It has a fresh aroma, and it's smooth and richly fragrant!"
Roasted sweet potatoes were delicious, sure, but there didn't seem to be any sweet potatoes here. Potatoes, on the other hand, were easier to grow in desert regions. And in Paldea's climate, even a place like the Asado Desert—which looked barren—had lively life underground, a scene of exuberant growth where everything competed to flourish.
Even the name "Asado Desert" came from the idea of roasting.
The Open Sky Titan liked fried potatoes, so for the Quaking Earth Titan, they'd do baked potatoes. Completely different flavor.
And then…
"The Asado Desert should have wild Chansey, right? Let's take these Rare Candies and this big basket, and trade for some Large Eggs?"
Chansey—a Generation I Pokémon. It existed in Paldea too, and it was also one of the biggest nightmares in battles. You could see Chansey working as nurses at Pokémon Centers everywhere.
It could lay several eggs a day. Many Pokémon loved them. Eggs were so tasty that even someone with no appetite could finish one in a bite—nutritious and perfect as an ingredient.
Hikaru handed the candy to Riolu, since Riolu was the fastest. The little blue pup barked once and—whoosh—shot out of the cave.
The scene was exactly like an adult giving a kid some money and sending them out to buy things.
Meanwhile, Hikaru pulled potatoes out from his connected storage space. Perfect timing: with Torterra's power, he could make plants grow and mature rapidly.
If he had a Pokémon with Harvest or Ripen nearby, that would be even more convenient.
The pup returned quickly, hauling the big basket. Inside were several round, white Large Eggs.
And beside Riolu—
A whole group of Falinks.
It was those Falinks from earlier!
"Huh. That's some intense spirit—like a Roman legion… you guys didn't run off? I thought you'd escaped. Did you follow us all the way here?"
"Hehehe~ Ita-ita!" The Falinks hopped and spun, saying they were the ones who helped Riolu find the eggs.
And they'd also seen Hikaru's battle with the Quaking Earth Titan!
Whoa—so hype, so hype! Getting to witness a battle between true powerhouses—if we die now, it was worth it—
"Ita! WAAAAAGH! WAAAAAGH!"
Boss, boss! Lead us, boys, to a gigantic WAAAAAGH!!! If you want victory, first you gotta seize this region and then—anyway—beat the hell out of 'em!
The Falinks bounced and shouted.
Even if you weren't our head honcho before—
We all agree you can be our honorary head honcho now!
"…Are you guys Greenskins? Why are there so many bloodthirsty Pokémon around here? Is this just Paldea? Battle or die."
"Anyway, thanks for the help. I'm making top-tier potato salad—everyone gets a share!"
As the aroma of cooking potatoes spread, and the mayo mixed with potatoes and chopped berries—
The Quaking Earth Titan, Great Tusk, reacted first.
It stared at the potato salad sprinkled with sour Herba Mystica, drool pouring out nonstop. Then Hikaru packed a portion, split open a stone to hold it like a container, and tossed it straight into Great Tusk's mouth—
"Guu-dun-dun!"
Great Tusk swallowed hard, eyes sparkling.
So the human really didn't lie.
This really is a flavor I could never have tasted in ancient times!
"Guu… guu-dun!"
Great Tusk was so moved it actually teared up.
What a taste. What kind of miserable life was I living before this?
Who understands this feeling of salvation—potato salad melting on the tongue the moment it hits the mouth?
Potatoes… potatoes, you beautiful, delicious thing.
From today on—
I'm going to fill this desert with this crop!
"That's not a bad idea at all."
"But you can't really plant potatoes in pure sand. Without soil, it won't work. So you can use Mud Shot to remodel part of the environment. My Torterra can teach you the move. Using mud and soil to reshape terrain—if you're a Ground-type Titan, that's totally within your ability, right?"
"Near this rocky ridge where the sour Herba Mystica grows, there has to be fertile underground soil."
"In the future, if someone passes by here to challenge you, you can combine potatoes with the desert and give them a proper trial. If they beat you, treat them to roasted potatoes."
"Chansey and Arboliva can be found nearby. Getting them to help means you can eat homemade salad too. Chansey is also a great helper in human towns."
"As an ancient Pokémon, it's better to build good relationships with modern Pokémon."
"Guu-dun-dun." Great Tusk lifted its trunk slightly.
…Yeah. You're kind of right.
If I want to keep eating good food, I'll try to get along with the Pokémon around here a little better.
But it's only because I'm giving you face, okay?!
Hikaru chuckled.
"Still, if you plant the whole desert with potatoes, watch out for the Open Sky Titan coming to steal them. I heard it's been raiding nearby towns for fries lately. Also—sprouted potatoes are poisonous, you know. Since you're a Ground-type, be careful… though for Archaludon, being Steel-type means it doesn't have to worry."
He glanced over at Archaludon, currently chewing rocks after grinding the Herba Mystica into powder and sprinkling it over mineral chunks.
Yeah. Archaludon only liked rocks. Zero interest in potatoes.
The other one who was absolutely inhaling the food was the Miraidon that had shown up halfway just to freeload. It was shoveling potato salad at an absurd pace, which made Hikaru curious again—what kind of construction did this thing even have?
Among the Future Paradox Pokémon, it felt like only this one actually ate food.
And it ate even faster than Charcadet, the one that loved fatty foods. The little knight was chugging salad so hard it almost choked—pounding its chest armor like mad. Kubfu slapped its back hard from the side.
Digestive martial arts… brute-force endurance!
"Guu-dun-dun!" Great Tusk's aura surged when it heard Hikaru mention the Open Sky Titan.
The Open Sky Titan?
Hah!
What kind of rank is that, trying to stand beside me as a fellow Titan!
We both like potatoes, sure—but I'm not losing to some bird!
I will defend the Asado Desert's territory—let it come, and it'll never leave!
(End of Chapter)
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