Before him was a sturdy metal door forcibly twisted and blasted away by terrifying monstrous strength, building wreckage with half its height directly cut off, and obvious claw marks and scorch marks.
If Aiden were to describe that miserable scene—
Observation Station No. 4.zip
Would probably be the most fitting.
Just looking at the devastation outside, one could roughly guess what had happened back then.
"How could—"
Arven, who had remained silent the entire way with "I have something on my mind" written all over his face, went weak in the legs and nearly collapsed on the spot.
Before being able to extend to the depths, even knowing that last year's incident victims were likely to have a morbid outcome, at least he could comfort himself in his heart—what if they were just out of contact, and the Paradox Pokémon hadn't actually breached Observation Station No. 4?
And the intact scenes of the previous three observation stations had also invisibly strengthened the resolve in Arven's heart, giving him some unrealistic expectations.
Until now, when Observation Station No. 4 appeared before him, he was forced to accept the cruel reality—
"..."
Aiden remained silent for a moment, forcibly calming himself down before speaking in a calm tone.
"There's no time to hesitate. Every minute we stay here could be dangerous. Let's quickly gather the remaining clues."
"There might be danger inside the research institute. I'll go alone."
"At least Red and Nemona can protect you outside. Having more people inside would require more considerations."
After speaking, he didn't turn back to comfort Arven, but walked in on his own.
After all, among last year's victims were his Gym Leader parents. Right now, his own heart was also in turmoil.
But as the backbone of the students, at this moment he couldn't show anything unusual that would make them panic as well, so there was simply no extra time or mood for it.
Only by forcibly calming down and solving the problem first.
Perhaps because of its extremely dangerous location, Observation Station No. 4 wasn't very large in space, though its structure was similar to previous facilities.
Since the facility had been completely destroyed, this time Penny's technical support wasn't needed. Aiden smoothly walked straight to the research area of the doctor couple.
Most documents inside were damaged—looking at the remaining parts, one could only roughly understand they were experimental data about Paradox Pokémon, with little other content.
Besides that, there were only notes left by the two doctors.
From the elegant handwriting, it should be Dr. Sada's notes.
[Insufficient manpower, not enough time.]
[Even if we make demands to the League, newcomers can't immediately establish trust. Just getting them accustomed would take a long time, completely useless.]
[Our main research topic is time, yet we're actually limited by time?]
[How laughable, the insignificant power of humans—]
—
[Speaking of which, it's truly ironic. After that child Arven was born, our family seems to have rarely sat down for meals together.]
[But now is not the time to stop. I believe he will understand us.]
[Sigh!]
[If only there could be one more of me!]
[Besides providing technical support, two of me might also be able to spare some time to witness Arven's growth—]
Another note's title page had "Turo" signed on it.
[Recently added two special researchers, efficiency successfully doubled!]
[Although one of them has the same knowledge and technology as me, it always feels somewhat too rigid. Occasionally even Sada gets angry at it.]
[However, overall nothing to nitpick.]
[With their help, the truth about Area Zero is finally going to be discovered by us!]
[Even the location of the second Paradise Guardian Dragon has been confirmed. Just waiting for successful transfer to strengthen our power again!]
[That special Tera energy at the deepest part of Area Zero can indeed achieve "time machine" functions to a certain extent. Perhaps that "Miraidon" was attracted by this power and came to our world.]
[How to specifically implement it may need further exploration, however—]
[When the next batch of exploration plans officially begins, I believe our results will shock the entire world, and time will thus become a tool easily mastered by humans!]
After reading the notes, Aiden could only helplessly shake his head.
"As expected, they suffered backlash, actually attempting to master time—
Should I say these two doctors' minds were too single-minded, or simply lacking in foresight?
If there really was such a good thing, why did Heath's expedition team disband on the spot after returning, and why was Heath himself branded as the world's most foolish liar, with his written records labelled as "deceitful and fraudulent"?
Someone must have realized the risks that accompany such power, so they timely hit the brakes.
But this curiosity that was suppressed back then was inherited by this doctor couple two hundred years later, ultimately causing great disaster—
"So, do we need to go even deeper?"
After surveying the surroundings, Aiden fell into contemplation.
Observation Station No. 4 also didn't reveal anything useful. From the timeline, last year the team led by the doctor must have entered the deepest layer and caused the biggest mess there.
But with his student team's configuration, would going down really not cause problems?
If it were only Aiden alone, he would definitely go all out first. Even if surrounded and unable to win, he had ten thousand ways to escape.
At worst, he could call for help—call Legendary Pokémon to assist.
But wanting to protect the other students, the risk might be a bit high?
Just as he was seriously considering whether to act cautiously, walking toward the remaining rooms while trying to find more clues, he suddenly felt a Poké Ball in his pocket shaking.
Soon, one of the Poké Balls fell to the ground, emitting a flash of red light.
"Roar!!!"
An electronically distorted roar exploded indoors, the sound waves immediately making Aiden frown. "Miraidon?"
Normally, this fat otaku dragon would amaze Aiden if it could take one more step, let alone actively jumping out of its Poké Ball and roaring so aggressively—
Of course, Aiden was also very clear that the situation was different now.
For Miraidon, Area Zero was its pain point, it contained painful memories it didn't want to recall.
From the documents left by the doctors, Miraidon should have relied on its fierce combat power to subdue those uncooperative Paradox Pokémon, allowing the research plan to continue smoothly.
So Miraidon's status in the research institute should have been very high, at least living a good life for a period.
Until the second Paradise Guardian Dragon appeared—
By the time Aiden encountered it near Cortondo, Miraidon had completely lost its spirit, becoming a trash dragon waiting to die.
And now, it actually appeared on his own initiative beside him, and seemed to be guarding against something.
You must know, even when they arrived at Observation Station No. 4 just now, Miraidon had no reaction.
From the obviously electric scorch on the door fragments outside, the two Paradise Guardian Dragons probably once battled here.
The final loser was naturally his own Miraidon, like a martial arts master who lost everything in a martial arts novel, he never recovered from that setback until recently, finally recovering some fighting spirit.
Does that mean there's danger!?
Aiden's eyes instantly sharpened, and his footsteps immediately stopped.
His gaze looked toward the remaining few rooms.
Two of the doors were slightly ajar, yet gave him a sense of "once I walk in, a monster will jump from from beside the door or overhead the next second."
So Aiden acted very cautiously. After carefully walking over, he didn't forget to push the doors a few times as a test.
Miraidon: ?
Miraidon, who was originally on guard, tilted its head, watching Aiden's performance with a look at an idiot for a good while, before finally understanding.
It then walked forward, lightly biting Aiden's clothes with its mouth, dragging him toward the deepest room with its door wide open.
Aiden always felt like he was being despised by a slacker.
Walking into the room, it seemed to be the research room where the research team originally obtained Paradox Pokémon data, but had long been destroyed beyond recognition, not even leaving a complete piece of ground.
Many special Poké Ball fragments were scattered on the ground, seemingly forcibly destroyed by some creature's monstrous strength, identical to the destruction outside.
Even though not very clear why Miraidon brought him here, Aiden also subconsciously began observing the surroundings, rummaging through drawers and cabinets to confirm if anything was missed.
Soon, he discovered that a cabinet in the corner actually still held several intact special Poké Balls.
"These?"
"Roar!"
Aiden blinked, took out one and looked at Miraidon, quickly receiving its nod of confirmation.
It seemed these were Miraidon's target.
Did it think these Poké Balls could help itself? Or—
Were there still Paradox Pokémon that hadn't been rescued inside?
Aiden concentrated, hoping to see through the Poké Ball to its interior.
Of course, he saw nothing.
So he simply used the most direct method, taking out all these Poké Balls and pressing the trigger one by one to confirm if there was "cargo" inside.
Gotta say, his caution was indeed correct.
There was no reaction at all until he took out the last Poké Ball and became somewhat relaxed—
This time, Miraidon left him a big one.
He only saw a red light flash, and Aiden instantly became much more alert, subconsciously on guard, ready to command Miraidon into battle at any moment.
In an indoor environment with only one exit and narrow space, fighting against these brutal Paradox Pokémon, clearly the Trainer would be the first to suffer.
This was also why he specifically didn't let Penny and Arven come in—if something happened, at least he wouldn't need to be distracted managing others.
However, the situation soon changed again.
"Meow—"
A cat-like sound somewhat similar to Mew's cry but not as familiar entered his ears. Aiden subconsciously blinked.
Among Paradox Pokémon, are there feline creatures?
The three ancient forms of the legendary beasts seem to be dogs—
Could it be Slither Wing?
Is the caterpillar also a cat?
Soon, the flashing red light outlined a silhouette, quickly revealing that Pokémon's true appearance.
Just looking at its size, it was somewhat similar to Misdreavus, but its long body hair showed a primitive style, wildly and unrestrainedly dancing everywhere.
In an instant, Aiden recognized this famous Paradox Pokémon's name—it's you, Flutter Mane!
If he didn't even know Flutter Mane, then Aiden's previous life playing Scarlet/Violet ranked battles for so long would have been for nothing.
Tragic news from the competitive scene: Misdreavus's ancient form permed its hair and directly squeezed the "Great Tusk/Iron Bundle/Chien-Pao/Iron Hands" from the T0 tier, throwing the entire competitive environment into chaos!
However, although he frequently used it as a team pivot in his previous life, Aiden only reminisced for a moment before becoming serious again—Paradox Pokémon can't be judged by appearance alone, especially these battle-craving ancient forms.
So, even though this Flutter Mane seemed still asleep, floating in the air carefreely with its eyes closed, occasionally letting out a murmur from its mouth, Aiden still prepared for it to attack at any moment.
However—
Flutter Mane indeed quickly opened its eyes, looking around dazedly, seemingly not yet understanding the situation.
But the scenario Aiden anticipated—seeing him and immediately pouncing to attack—didn't happen. Instead, Flutter Mane widened its eyes upon noticing him, looking at him with interest.
Or rather, his hair?
Then, it floated toward him completely without any concerns.
Aiden: ?
He could feel that Flutter Mane seemed to have no hostility toward him, but that was precisely what was strange—
Normally, ancient forms' territorial awareness should make them attack any unfamiliar creature in their sight indiscriminately. Even if forcibly restrained, they would certainly maintain vigilance against him.
Yet Flutter Mane actually approached him instead?
Moreover, looking at Miraidon completely showing no intention of stopping it, instead relaxing after confirming Flutter Mane's appearance.
Then visibly losing its sharpness at a visible speed, lying on the ground recovering to slacking image Aiden remembered.
"..."
After simple consideration, Aiden still decided to gamble—he simply completely relaxed, quietly waiting for Flutter Mane's next move.
Thinking carefully, Flutter Mane is indeed a relatively unique existence among Paradox Pokémon.
It is said that it was born from the soul of an ancient pterosaur, thus possessing Ghost Pokémon characteristics, which is also unique among Paradox Pokémon.
Perhaps Ghost creatures don't have such strong territorial awareness?
Under Aiden's gaze, Flutter Mane quickly approached him and rapidly began its "prank."
"Meow!"
The dazed Flutter Mane suddenly extended the body hair on both sides of its head, lightly pressing on Aiden's hair, seemingly treating it as a support.
Aiden only felt darkness before his eyes, then about 4 kilograms of weight appeared on top of his head.
"Meow~"
Swaying purple feathers could be vaguely seen above his line of sight, and Flutter Mane's even breathing soon came to his ears.
Aiden finally understood.
So Flutter Mane simply hadn't woken up yet, and planned to continue sleeping directly on his head???
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