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"Please, this is the most important request of my life!"
Hearing this, Mammon almost couldn't hold back, looking at Gym Leader lono with a strange expression.
"What kind of resolve did you have to say that?"
Mammon watched Iono subtly.
Constantly saying 'the most important request of my life' was a bit too exaggerated.
"Ah haha… Handsome, your gaze is a bit dangerous."
Iono snapped back to reality and immediately took two steps back.
"Your words are even more dangerous," Mammon clicked his tongue.
"But I really like that Iron Valiant…"
Iono pouted; that Iron Valiant had completely captured her heart!
"Alright, if we encounter a weaker one later, I'll help you catch it."
Mammon thought for a moment and didn't refuse; it was just a matter of convenience.
"Wow!! Handsome, you're so nice~!"
"It's not free."
"Huh?"
Iono was stunned.
"I believe in equivalent exchange. Freeloading is not acceptable, Iono. How about this, promise me one thing, okay?"
Mammon scrutinized Iono from head to toe, his predatory gaze making Iono instinctively clench her thighs and carefully retreat another step.
"No way, no way! I won't accept that kind of thing!"
Iono shook her head firmly, saying no.
"Don't worry. Although Iono is beautiful, I'm not that unprincipled. It will definitely be something you can accept."
"Really?"
"Of course."
Mammon's lips slowly curved into a smile.
"Alright then."
Iono was half-skeptical, but she figured that since he was Team Rockets' boss, he probably wouldn't resort to force, right?
Meanwhile, Selene discussed with Platinum. Since both of them liked Iron Valiant, they decided to play a fair game of rock-paper-scissors.
In the end, Selene won and sent out Incineroar to battle.
"Yay~! I caught it!"
Selene was very happy, as she had obtained another Pokémon she liked.
"Don't be discouraged. There will definitely be more later. There are probably many Paradox Pokemon in this place."
Mammon rubbed Platinum's head, who seemed a bit disappointed.
Platinum thought about it; it seemed that was really the case?
The group continued downwards, and as they descended further, the sunlight gradually disappeared, becoming darker and darker.
Along the way, they encountered many other Paradox Pokemon.
Sandy Shocks, Roaring Moon, Flutter Mane, Iron Hands, Iron Thorns, Iron Jugulis, and so on.
Undoubtedly, the number of Paradox Pokemon was quite large.
Area Zero's bottom layer.
This was a place where sunlight could no longer reach, but huge, dazzling gems, covered in Glimmora, illuminated the surroundings.
Allowing Mammon and the others to barely see their way forward.
Silence!
It was incredibly silent; this tranquil atmosphere, combined with the surroundings, was a bit eerie.
"This environment is a bit strange."
Selene kept looking around; this place was like another world.
"Hmm, this is the bottom layer of Area Zero. Next, we just need to go to the Area Zero Research Lab."
Mammon nodded and led the group forward.
"Hello everyone! Catch your eye with an electric net! Who's telling the story? Iono's here!"
"I'm Iono. Everyone, guess where Iono is now? You probably can't guess."
"It's the bottom of the Great Crater of Paldea! The bottom layer of Area Zero. It's super spectacular here~!"
Iono held her phone in one hand, filming a selfie video, while the other hand gripped Mammon's coat.
Hmm, she felt very safe near Mammon.
"You're really dedicated," Mammon couldn't help but laugh after Iono finished filming.
"Of course~! Videos and live streams are my passion. Whenever I do them, I'm full of energy!"
Iono proudly lifted her delicate chin, grinning.
"An inside video of Area Zero. This video is sure to go viral once it's made and released!"
The mysterious interior of the Great Crater of Paldea, with its bizarre and fantastical internal landscape, was something all Paldean people wanted to understand.
Iono couldn't even imagine how popular her video would be then!
"Probably. It looks like we've arrived."
Mammon was noncommittal, then his gaze fell forward, and he raised an eyebrow.
"Wow~ Is it that spectacular?"
Selene couldn't help but exclaim, her eyes widening considerably.
Nothing else, because the sight before them was truly magnificent and breathtaking.
It was a huge research lab, and the entire building was almost completely covered by massive crystal formations, with colorful gems standing all around the lab.
"This…"
Iono filmed the Zero Area Research Lab, clicking her tongue in awe.
"It's almost like the research lab Terastallized," Arven frowned.
If the research lab had become like this, what about the people inside?
At this moment, a deep, majestic dragon's roar came from the horizon.
"What's that?"
Selene and the others looked up.
They saw a huge red dragon descending from the sky, landing heavily in front of the research lab.
It had a thick, long tail, a strong and robust body, a tire-like structure seemingly embedded in its chest, and wild white fur on its head.
It was Koraidon, one of the Paradise Protection Dragons!
A powerful and fierce aura practically rushed at them, and the immense, heavy pressure was astonishing.
"Koraidon…" Arven's brows were still tightly furrowed as he watched the powerful dragon, softly calling out its name.
But… something was wrong.
Arven looked at this powerful Koraidon. Although he hadn't seen it in many years, this Koraidon seemed a bit different from the one he remembered.
"Gass~!"
Koraidon's hearing was very sharp. Hearing Arven's voice, its fierce dragon eyes immediately looked over, letting out a low snarl.
However, before Koraidon could make any move.
On the large door of the Zero Area Research Lab, warning lights began to beep intensely. Before long, the research lab door opened.
A large number of Paradox Pokemon ran out from inside, while Koraidon stepped inside the research lab.
"Phew~ That Pokémon is so scary, I couldn't even breathe!"
With Koraidon gone, Iono finally let out a sigh of relief, patting her chest and whispering.
Because Koraidon's aura was too wild and fierce, the pressure made her instinctively hold her breath, fearing that Koraidon would notice her.
"Interesting."
Mammon chuckled softly.
"This Pokémon is definitely very strong, probably legendary level, Arven? You know it, right?"
Selene's eyes sparkled. She rather liked this Pokémon; it had a wild beauty to it.
"Hmm… It's Koraidon, my mother's Pokémon."
Arven hesitated, then opened his palm, revealing two empty Poké Balls.
"Koraidon? Never heard of it," Platinum asked, puzzled.
"It's normal not to have heard of it. After all these years, besides my mother's Koraidon, I've never seen any other Koraidon, nor have I even heard any news about them," Arven said, shaking his head.
"My mother and father brought Koraidon and Miraidon back from somewhere, but Koraidon and Miraidon's wild instincts were very strong, causing them to frequently attack other innocent Pokémon."
"So, in order to prevent outsiders from discovering them, and to protect those innocent Pokémon, my father and mother took them into Area Zero, and later… they never came out."
Arven said in a low voice, his eyes slightly red.
And the two empty Poké Balls in his hand were actually Koraidon's and Miraidon's Poké Balls, given to him by Sada and Futo.
Hearing the sadness and sorrow in Arven's words, Selene and the others exchanged glances, not saying anything.
Although they couldn't understand why Dr. Sada and Dr. Turo never came out. Didn't they care about their child?
"Then let's go find the two professors and ask them clearly, ask them why they haven't come out to see you for all these years."
Mammon patted Arven's shoulder reassuringly and led the way towards the Zero Area Research Lab.
"Let's go, we're entering the research lab."
The Zero Area Research Lab, the source of everything.
Mammon and the others slowly walked into the Zero Area Research Lab, but the lab was utterly silent, frighteningly quiet.
Or rather, there was no sign of life!
"Human reaction detected in Zero Area Research Lab. Deactivating sleep mode."
Suddenly, two emotionless voices abruptly rang out, startling Iono.
They were clearly two voices, one male and one female, yet they overlapped perfectly without any discrepancy, which was very eerie.
And just as the voices fell, footsteps approached, and a man and a woman, both wearing lab coats, walked out from a corner ahead.
"Hello~ Mammon and these few. We're glad you could come."
The speaker was a woman with healthy, tanned skin. She was Dr. Sada.
She had long brown hair, and beneath her lab coat was an old-fashioned bandeau. Her lower body was clad in shorts, giving her a distinctly ancient style.
The other person was a man wearing a form-fitting, technologically advanced bodysuit, with a mature face. He was Dr. Turo.
"Hello, Dr. Sada, Dr. Turo. It's a pleasure to meet you both," Mammon greeted with a smile.
Arven looked at the two, his eyes as complex as a pie chart.
Caitlin and the others also looked curiously at these two young professors. Although young, they were renowned throughout the Paldea Region.
"Dr. Sada, Dr. Turo, hello. I'm Gym Leader lono from Levincia. Do you mind if I film you?"
Iono was very excited; she also greatly respected these two professors.
"Hello, Gym Leader lono. We know you. Theoretically, we don't mind your filming, but the upcoming conversation might not be suitable for you to broadcast," Dr. Turo said with a magnetic, faint smile.
However, if one paid close attention, they would notice that both Futo and Sada were constantly smiling, but their smiles were like perfectly mechanical smiles, devoid of any emotion.
"Huh?" Iono was stunned.
"It's like this: there's something I must tell you. He and I…"
AI Sada pointed to herself and AI Turo.
"We are not Dr. Sada and Dr. Turo themselves."
"??"
Upon hearing this, Iono, Arven, and the others were all extremely astonished.
What did 'not themselves' mean?
"What does this mean?" Selene asked, puzzled.
"Literally. The professors created two artificial intelligences, or AIs, based on their own knowledge and memories…"
"And we are robots driven by those two AIs."
"Due to the accident at Observation Station 4, the real professors are no longer here."
AI Sada explained.
"How could… this be…" Arven's pupils trembled slightly as he looked at these two 'parents' in disbelief.
So, his father and mother had actually died long ago?
Arven's mental state was somewhat broken at this moment.
"Then, two AI professors, I'd like to ask, what exactly are those Paradox Pokemon outside?"
Mammon patted Arven's back reassuringly and asked AI Sada.
"Paradox Pokemon are all brought by the time machine," AI Sada replied.
"Time machine?" Caitlin was startled upon hearing this and subconsciously glanced at Mammon. Mammon had mentioned the time machine to her before.
"The time machine is a device developed jointly by the professors themselves and us two AIs. It can capture Pokémon from different timelines and summon them to the modern era," AI Turo explained.
"Huh?" Iono was shocked.
"Pokémon from… different timelines?"
Platinum's small face crumpled into a frown. Was it what she understood? No, was this really true?
No, no, rather, these two AIs, almost indistinguishable from ordinary people, were already astonishing enough.
"That's right, this is the origin of Paradox Pokemon. From a young age, both professors had a high passion for Pokémon from other eras."
"They each immersed themselves in ancient Pokémon and future Pokémon, dreaming of creating a world where Paradox Pokemon and modern Pokémon could live together harmoniously."
AI Sada continued.
"Tsk tsk~ Amazing…" Selene could only say she was impressed. Was this the talent of a research professor?
They could even build a time machine?!