Approximately 20 minutes later.
As Arven waited outside with growing anxiety, pacing back and forth with no other option, Aiden finally emerged from Observation Station 4.
However, when he appeared, the four students quickly noticed something new about him—
"Teacher Aiden, why are you wearing a hat on your head—wait, no! Why is it moving!"
Nemona was someone who couldn't hide her thoughts, so she immediately asked, only to suddenly realize something was wrong halfway through her sentence.
What appeared to be a dark blue felt hat on Aiden's head had "ears" on both sides that seemed to have a mind of their own.
"Meow..."
When Aiden walked up to the students and stopped, it quietly released the feathers that had been wrapped around Aiden's chin, transforming into a lazy, drooping posture on his shoulder.
It seemed to be talking in its sleep.
"Well... to be honest, I don't really understand what happened either."
Because he couldn't figure out the situation himself—
Aiden subconsciously tried to scratch his head, but when he touched Flutter Mane's cool body, he remembered the "uninvited guest" on his head.
So, he started petting Flutter Mane instead.
"I didn't find anything useful in the observation station, but I discovered it inside a Poké Ball."
"Even though it's an ancient Paradox species, it didn't show any hostility at all. Quite rare, actually, so I just let it do as it pleased."
And honestly, although Flutter Mane was a Ghost-type Pokémon, it felt quite nice to pet—fluffy, just like an Eevee.
"—It looks a bit like Misdreavus."
Red, who had been silently staring at it for a long time, suddenly spoke.
Having traveled this far, he and Nemona had seen quite a few Paradox species—ones that looked like Wigglytuff, ones resembling Amoonguss, and even some resembling Gallade.
It seemed just as the Paldean scientists speculated: Paradox species were past or future forms of modern Pokémon.
But this Pokémon's appearance gave Red a new question—all other Paradox species made sense, but Misdreavus was a Ghost Pokémon, right?
Born from the spirits of deceased Pokémon, they theoretically didn't have lifespan issues.
So what was the deal with Misdreavus's ancient form—
Shouldn't they all look the same? Were ancient Pokémon spirits different from modern ones?
Red fell into deep contemplation.
"I think I recognize this Pokémon—is it... Flutter Mane?"
Arven seemed to have identified this special little creature, so after thinking for a moment, he finally had a realization.
"Yes, I remember now!"
"I heard my father mention it before. Their research institute discovered a very special Paradox species that not only didn't attack, but was actually quite friendly toward humans—"
"As long as you didn't disturb its sleep, it was as quiet as a Skitty and very cooperative."
Quiet like a cat?
Aiden looked upward, catching a glimpse of the dark blue fur barely visible in his field of vision.
That seemed quite accurate.
Who would have thought there were Paradox species like this—
As the child of those two professors, it made sense that Arven would know about these things.
Aiden nodded, deciding not to worry about Flutter Mane anymore.
After all, they had other important matters to attend to and couldn't afford to waste more time.
So Aiden poked the Flutter Mane on his head. Seeing no reaction, he simply reached out and picked it up.
Then he crouched down, looking at the shadow extending beneath his feet.
"Since you're a Ghost Pokémon—sleeping in another dimension should be fine, right?"
"So, I'll leave it in your care for now, Marshadow~"
As he spoke, Aiden smiled and held Flutter Mane out.
Just as the students showed confused expressions, not understanding what Aiden was trying to do, two pitch-black arms suddenly extended from Aiden's shadow, rapidly taking Flutter Mane and quickly disappearing.
Only a somewhat depressed voice remained: "Understood."
Marshadow always felt that with its status, it shouldn't be doing nanny work like this.
It was the Shadow Envoy of Lord Ho-Oh, after all! Although virtually unknown in human society, it was at least an examiner for the Hero, right!
How could a candidate order the examiner around to do all sorts of menial labor!
But there was nothing it could do. This Rainbow Hero candidate was simply too overpowered—
Ever since witnessing Aiden 'punching' the Temporal and Spatial gods, being able to freely command that terrifying Giratina, and even having a close relationship with the black Rayquaza, Marshadow knew it had taken on a job far beyond its capabilities.
So, to satisfy this Hero candidate and bring him back to meet Lord Ho-Oh, Marshadow could only lower its stance indefinitely.
At least compared to the three Sacred Beasts who were supposed to test him, it didn't have to get beaten up—
Thinking this way, Marshadow's mood suddenly brightened.
These were all necessary sacrifices!
Marshadow quickly submerged into the shadows with the sleeping Flutter Mane, and Aiden, feeling his head finally free, breathed a sigh of relief and quickly stretched his neck.
"What was that just now—?"
Penny, who had witnessed the "ghost hands" appear and silently take away Flutter Mane, was clearly startled. She quickly hid behind Nemona while asking in a small voice.
"Nothing, just a Pokémon called Marshadow."
Nemona knew about Marshadow's existence, so she began explaining to her.
"It appeared in Teacher Aiden's livestream before—the dark fellow who kicked the Temporal and Spatial dragons in Sinnoh."
Penny thought for a moment, then suddenly understood.
"So this Pokémon lives inside Teacher Azure's shadow? No wonder we rarely see it."
"It's more of a cooperative relationship. I occasionally need it to help with some things."
"You can think of it as my Stand~"
Aiden casually explained a couple of sentences, then immediately ended the topic about Marshadow.
"Alright, let's continue."
"This time, our target is the deepest part of Area Zero, near the 'Area Zero Underdepths.'"
After entering the deeper layers of Area Zero, sunlight had almost completely disappeared. They could barely make out the structure thanks to the wild-growing Tera Crystals emitting faint light and reflecting off each other.
However, the good news was that the innermost layer was indeed safer than the outside.
At least along the way, they barely encountered any Paradox species, thus avoiding battles.
Though Nemona and Red felt somewhat disappointed, their travel efficiency had genuinely improved significantly.
"Speaking of which, who knew there were so many Tera Crystals beneath Area Zero? Isn't the quantity too exaggerated?"
"If we could mine all of them out, we'd probably never run out!"
Passing through many eye-catching giant colorful crystals, Nemona blinked her eyes curiously, looking eager to pack them all up and take them away.
"This is just the tip of the iceberg. We've only just reached the entrance near the Area Zero Underdepths. Apparently, the scenery inside is even more spectacular."
Aiden replied while looking around left and right, seemingly searching for something.
Soon, he spotted his target at the cliff ahead.
A ridiculously large modern building complex—part of it even built on the edge of a bottomless cliff, extending downward through elevator-like structures until disappearing into the abyss.
It looked completely out of place with the surrounding natural scenery, appearing very surreal.
"This—is this the new research facility the League temporarily built before the last plan began?"
Only upon reaching this point did Arven react—yes, Observation Station 4's functions had gradually been perfected during his childhood, and the discovery of Paradox species had been long ago.
Only this "Area Zero Research Institute," which had just been completed and barely put into use before the accident occurred—he knew absolutely nothing about it.
His own parents, and even all of Paldea, had spared no expense to build this research facility. What was its purpose?
What secrets lay deeper within Area Zero?
Perhaps only by understanding these could he comprehend their thoughts.
So, Arven decisively turned his gaze toward Aiden.
However, Aiden didn't notice Arven's action. While walking, he continued observing his surroundings and soon spoke: "Have you noticed—some of the crystals around here look different from the others?"
Prompted by Aiden, the four students dispersed their attention and began carefully comparing the surrounding scenery.
"Ah, I see. They are indeed quite special."
Penny, with her keenest observational skills, was the first to react. She nodded in realization and pointed to a protruding crystal growing beneath the research institute on the cliff.
"That Tera Crystal displays a very special color."
"The color is more saturated than other ores, and—there's no color variation at all, as if all eighteen types have perfectly fused together."
Even as someone from Galar, Penny had some exposure to Tera Orbs while studying abroad in Paldea.
Especially along the way, the Tera Crystals they'd seen all had obvious color distinctions, making it easy to identify which part corresponded to which Tera Type.
Grinding these Tera Crystals into powder and filling Tera Orbs with them was the Tera Mechanism most commonly used by students.
Precisely because she understood this, Penny could better appreciate that crystal's uniqueness.
What effect would Tera Crystallization with all eighteen types fused together produce—
The same question immediately appeared in Arven's mind.
Seeing that they seemed to have caught on, Aiden sighed and patted Arven's shoulder.
"Yes, that was the new discovery that piqued Paldea's curiosity back then."
"A special Tera phenomenon called 'Stellar,' which researchers in the deepest part of Area Zero only discovered by chance once or twice."
"But—this wasn't your parents' only goal."
As he spoke, Aiden had already led the students to the front of the Area Zero Research Institute and stopped.
Looking at the magnificent tall metal building ahead, blocking the way to the Area Zero Underdepths like a gate, Aiden's gaze slowly moved downward until he looked at the "elevator" beneath the building that led to unfathomable depths.
Because he knew the plot of Scarlet and Violet, he was very clear—
The building before them wasn't actually a checkpoint for entering the Area Zero Underdepths, but rather a very unique precision machine with special functions.
The Time Machine, the great invention that Professors Sada and Turo devoted their lives to, capable of freely transporting ancient or future Pokémon to the present.
The equipment connected to the Area Zero Underdepths actually functioned to absorb the overflowing Tera energy from within and convert it into power to activate the Time Machine.
It was also with the construction of the Time Machine as the critical turning point that the malignant incident in Area Zero occurred—
"Anyway, shall we try to go inside first?"
Upon hearing the keywords "brand new Tera phenomenon," Nemona's interest was immediately piqued. She was already rubbing her fists and palms, clearly looking like she planned to force her way in.
"—No, it's better not to force our way in."
Just as Nemona was about to throw out a Poké Ball, Aiden decisively stopped her.
"If I'm not mistaken, we should be able to enter directly now."
After speaking, Aiden walked forward to the tightly locked doors and reached toward the unlocking device beside them.
Meanwhile, a voice completely devoid of emotion suddenly rang out:
[Human presence detected.]
[Analyzing————]
[Lockdowns on Observation Stations 1 through 4 have been fully lifted. Confirmed that current crisis has been deactivated.]
[Sleep mode automatically deactivated.]
The voice abruptly stopped, followed by the sound of air hissing as the gates opened.
As four layers of steel doors slowly opened, Arven standing behind wore a completely bewildered expression—"That voice just now was————"
His own mother and father?
That voice was familiar enough to be etched into his soul—even though he hadn't heard it in a long time, Arven couldn't possibly mistake it!
But why did the two voices completely overlap, and why were they completely emotionless?
Just like the strange letters signed by his parents that had been regularly sent to his email this past year—though every aspect felt familiar, they instead gave him an inexplicable, chilling fear.
"Brother Aiden, what was that voice just now—"
As he spoke, Arven's voice was already beginning to tremble. An indescribable, nameless fear was eroding his heart.
Perhaps only by getting an answer from Aiden could he feel slightly more at ease.
"—I'm not entirely sure either."
Aiden shook his head. So far, he couldn't confirm the answer, so he didn't provide an explanation.
"Anyway, let's go inside and take a look first."
After Aiden took the lead and stepped into the facility, Arven gritted his teeth and immediately followed.
"Hey, wait for us!"
Nemona's voice came from behind, followed by a rush of footsteps.
The interior structure of the Area Zero Research Institute wasn't as large as imagined. After passing through a long circular corridor, Aiden quickly arrived at what should be the main control room.
At the same time, he immediately noticed someone standing in the center, seemingly waiting for their arrival—
A child?
Aiden subconsciously frowned, silently observing the other party.
They looked somewhat similar to Arven, as if they were him as a child.
But those lifeless, hollow blue pupils had already exposed its true identity.
"Hello, I'm very glad you could come here."
Perhaps it should be called "AI Arven"—the robot proactively greeted Aiden and the others. At the same time, it seemed to have seen through Aiden's thoughts, nodding with a smile.
"Just as you're thinking, I am indeed not human, but an artificial intelligence created by the two professors based on their memory of their child—an 'AI.'"
"Since Arven never responded to my messages, I was worried about whether I could establish contact with the outside world."
"Now it seems, I was overthinking things."
Though an AI, its manner of speaking was like that of a real human.
Of course, that was assuming you ignored its completely emotionless voice.
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