"—?! A second Arven???"
Following closely behind Aiden, when the four students entered the Area Zero Research Institute through the corridor, the first thing they saw was the "little Arven" standing opposite Aiden, smiling as he watched them.
Nemona was clearly startled by his appearance, even subconsciously turning her head to glance at Arven, repeatedly comparing the two of them.
Because this child looked so much like Arven, though he appeared younger—only about seven or eight years old. Could he be some relative of Arven's?
But if he was a relative—
Then why did Arven look so terrible?
"You—you are!"
Compared to the confused Nemona who still couldn't figure out what was happening, Arven himself clearly knew something about the situation, so his face instantly flushed red. He frowned, clenched his fists, and roared at the other party.
But even when questioned by Arven, the "Arven AI" showed no extra expression, still maintaining that carefree smile.
"Hello, Arven."
"Although this is our first meeting, you should know my identity when you see me, right?"
As he spoke, faint lights could be seen rapidly flowing in the AI's eyes.
"My thoughts and actions are fitting results obtained through real-time calculations by the computer, based on the knowledge and memories of the two professors themselves."
"As for this mechanical body, it embodies their longing for their child, which is why it looks exactly like you as a child."
Originally, Aiden had been wondering whether the Arven AI's behavior would be considered a provocation to Arven himself, and whether he might lose control and rush up to punch the robot.
But as it turned out, he may have overthought it.
After the Arven AI finished speaking, the research institute fell into a strange silence, with only the still-operating large machines rumbling in the background.
"I understand."
After a long while, Arven finally sighed and showed a relieved expression.
"At the end of the day, you're just a robot that doesn't understand human hearts. Everything is predetermined emergency programming, and your purpose is just to call for outside help, right?"
"I understand. My parents have always been this kind of people—to achieve their goals, they can ignore anything, even willing to share all their memories with cold machines."
Arven paused suddenly, then when he looked at the AI robot again, he showed an expression of pity.
"If something happened to them, the memories preserved in the machine could still function and continue their unfinished work."
"For example, sending me emails in my parents' tone, or transmitting distress signals to the outside world, preserving their research results to the greatest extent."
"So, I'm not going to get angry with a pitiful creation like you."
Arven knew very well in his heart—
His parents perhaps did truly love him. Throughout the project reports Aiden had shared with him along the way, he occasionally saw them mention his name.
But ironically—he, their child, had almost never felt this "love."
Only now did Arven have a confirmed answer in his heart.
They perhaps loved him, but when faced with a choice between their research and their child at home, they unhesitatingly chose the former.
As for the AI before him, it was merely a product of the guilt they felt toward him.
…
After a moment of silence, the Arven AI looked up at Arven, then bowed down in apology.
"Sorry, I still cannot understand your feelings at the moment."
"Despite being such a high-end AI technology creation, future technology that cannot be achieved with current scientific capabilities, the only thing I cannot understand is biological emotions."
"Unachievable—future technology?"
Penny, who had been trying to minimize her presence, suddenly became interested. She stepped forward and curiously examined the AI robot before her.
"Like those metallic-bodied future species, is it technology brought to reality through the 'Time Machine'?"
"Indeed."
The Arven AI nodded.
"However, precisely because this technology's implementation utilizes the crystals inside the Area Zero Underdepths, I cannot leave this facility."
"Before rescue arrives at the Area Zero Research Institute, my task is only to maintain the institute's normal operation as much as possible."
"Of course, this mission is now complete, so before entering the next phase of work, do you have any other questions you would like to ask?"
The Arven AI continued to express maximum goodwill, and even Red, who had been wary of it, slightly relaxed and released his hand that had been tightly gripping a Poké Ball in his pocket.
Only Aiden remained silent. After carefully examining the internal environment, he finally spoke: "Where are the staff members of the Area Zero Research Institute? What exactly happened inside Area Zero back then? And where are those two professors?"
As he spoke, Aiden's gaze focused on an elevator-like structure at the center of the research institute.
If following the game's plot development, by this point all the staff in Area Zero should already be dead, completely taken over by the AI.
And to completely end everything and return Area Zero to peace, the Time Machine would have to be shut down, causing the two professors' life's work to go to waste.
And this place called "Paradise" by the professors naturally had its guardian.
That would be the Arven AI standing before them.
"—476 days ago, an accident occurred at the Area Zero Research Institute."
Perhaps due to Aiden's question, the Arven AI paused for a few seconds, seemingly accessing its database, then quickly continued in an emotionless voice.
"Professor Sada discovered a very special ancient specimen while operating the Time Machine and intended to use the Time Machine's power to bring it to reality."
"However, this specimen's power was far too strong, causing it to break through the Time Machine's energy threshold during operation, ultimately leading to an accident."
"The spacetime anchored by the Time Machine became entangled, forming bidirectional wormholes leading to both the ancient past and the future, allowing Paradox species to come to the present in large numbers."
Halfway through, the Arven AI suddenly stuttered, then continued.
"Ultimately—the two professors and a pair of very strong trainer spouses serving as guards for this operation joined forces. To completely resolve the problem, they had no choice but to travel to another spacetime."
"Their sacrifice was meaningful. On the 129th day after the incident, the wormholes connecting the ancient past and future disappeared one after another. The spacetime coordinates originally anchored by the Time Machine were cleared, and the crisis inside Area Zero was temporarily resolved."
"However, after this incident, the Time Machine also lost all its power. Unlike capturing Paradox species, it could not send them back to reality."
"This is also why I continued to send out distress signals—someone needed to go deep into Area Zero and restart the Time Machine to rescue the researchers."
After the Arven AI finished speaking, Arven, who had been immersed in sorrow and on the verge of tears, suddenly froze.
"—Wait, my parents aren't dead?"
But before he could speak, Aiden was the one who expressed surprise first.
"Your parents—?"
The Arven AI frowned, carefully examining Aiden for quite a while, before suddenly realizing.
"I see."
"Yes, the exploration team members who went deep inside Area Zero at that time—their life activities can still be observed currently."
"Perhaps because they are in a different spacetime, time hasn't passed as long in their perception. However, their current situation remains very dangerous."
"If you wish to rescue them, please activate the Time Machine immediately and re-anchor their target location!"
Aiden fell silent.
For a moment, he didn't know whether he should be happy or helpless.
Without him knowing, the timeline had changed again?
Originally, it should have been the two professors getting severely injured in the incident, unable to sustain their lives. But now it had become the exploration team members rising to the occasion, choosing to sacrifice themselves to minimize the incident's impact?
And all of this could perhaps be attributed to the only variable in this incident—
His own Gym Leader parents, who didn't exist at all in the game's plot. Was it their appearance that changed the tragedy that would likely have occurred?
And tracing back to the root cause, it seemed inseparable from himself, this little butterfly of a transmigrator.
"That's great—"
After being stunned for a while, Arven suddenly collapsed to the ground in exhaustion.
Though his eyes and expression were full of fatigue, the corners of his mouth clearly relaxed.
After all, he was still just a child. Even though he had acted like a strong adult just now, when he learned that he might still have support in this world, he couldn't help but show the vulnerable side that was hard to avoid at his age.
However, he had no time for sentimentality at the moment and immediately looked at Aiden beside him, excitedly saying with anticipation: "Brother Aiden, let's start the Time Machine now!"
"—No, calm down first. Things might not be that simple."
Aiden shook his head after speaking, then looked calmly at the Arven AI again.
"If it were that simple to accomplish, I think you should have completed the plan yourself at the first opportunity."
"So, what exactly is preventing you from restarting the Time Machine until our arrival?"
Aiden's words were like a needle, instantly bringing Arven, who had been immersed in joy, back to his senses. At the same time, Nemona and Red also became vigilant.
However, after being questioned by Aiden again, the Arven AI's expression didn't change at all. Instead, it showed an even friendlier smile.
"You are indeed very perceptive."
"Yes, to start the Time Machine, there are indeed some steps I cannot complete."
After speaking, the Arven AI walked to a table in the corner of the research institute and took out two books with completely different colored covers.
"Simply place the 'Scarlet Book' and 'Violet Book' as keys on the pedestal, and the Time Machine can be activated or deactivated."
"But this is the only thing that requires other people's participation to complete."
"Because—this will create a problem."
"As long as someone tries to affect the Time Machine's normal operation, I will likely attack you."
"???"
Nemona blinked, seemingly unable to understand what the other party was saying.
Could such words really be spoken so calmly to them? Wasn't he afraid they would take action against this AI robot first?
As expected, robots are stupid, not as useful as humans!
The Arven AI seemed to notice the confusion in Nemona's eyes but didn't explain, instead continuing to explain on his own.
"Simply put—as an AI, my will is hijacked by the programs left by the professors. I can still talk to you now only because we haven't reached the Time Machine's interior yet. So far, my mission is only to request humans from outside to come and assist."
"Once the program changes, I will likely switch to combat mode and attempt to defeat intruders attempting to interfere with the Time Machine."
"Although this may sound like boasting to humans, as an AI, I have analyzed large amounts of battle data from Paldean Champions and concluded—"
"I, created to protect Paradise, am an invincible AI."
"Even Paldea's Top Champion Geeta would likely not be my opponent, so—"
"Wait, I have a question too."
Before the Arven AI could finish speaking, Penny's expression had already become somewhat complicated, and she actively raised her hand to ask him a question.
After receiving the other's eye signal of permission, she slowly spoke: "If I'm not mistaken, since the incident happened over a year ago, the battle database you accessed should also be from an earlier time, right?"
"So—you shouldn't know about this 'Teacher Azure,' nor about the changes that happened outside?"
"Indeed, but one year of missing data won't cause any significant impact. Champions' strength won't change much.
The Arven AI nodded.
The four students, who had been struggling with their thoughts, seemed to have caught on by now, their expressions becoming as complicated as Penny's.
"Well—anyway, good luck!"
In the end, it was Nemona who sighed, walked to the Arven AI's side, patted his shoulder, and spoke with heartfelt sincerity.
"If someone can defeat you, it should be a good thing for you too, so rest assured."
"You will definitely lose, okay!"
The Arven AI clearly couldn't understand why Nemona would say this, but before it could analyze deeply, Aiden had already come before it and casually taken the two books from its hands.
"In that case, let's get straight to it."
"As long as I defeat you, the incident can be resolved, right?"
"Correct."
"That's easy then. What I'm best at is 'persuading with reason'~"
Aiden nodded and walked straight toward the pedestal at the center of the research institute without looking back. Following the colors below, he inserted the two books into their respective slots.
With a "rumble," the noisy mechanical operation sounds in the background stalled for a moment, then the sound of gears turning quickly came from below until the pedestal expanded and transformed into an elevator.
"This is the elevator to the Time Machine's interior. Please come aboard."
The Arven AI remained diligent. So far, it seemed its defense system hadn't been triggered.
Therefore, when the elevator rapidly descended and the enclosed space fell into silence, its voice came again: "The reason I said that earlier is because I hold in my possession a very powerful Paradox specimen."
"The 'Scarlet Book' calls it the Winged King, while Professor Sada named it Koraidon."
"Even the most powerful Paradox species cannot withstand a few moves from it. It is the ideal 'Paradise Guardian Dragon.'"
"If you confirm you cannot defeat it, please flee into the elevator immediately."
"Due to Area Zero's energy restrictions, it currently cannot leave the Area Zero Underdepths, so perhaps you can buy some chance of survival."
"—Koraidon?"
Contrary to the horrified expression the Arven AI imagined, Aiden only repeated that Pokémon's name in a low voice, then said nothing more.
Sure enough, the root cause of the problem that turned Miraidon into a "useless dragon" was this fierce beast from ancient times.
To untie the bell, one must tie it. To completely restore Miraidon's spirit and reclaim the dignity of a Legendary Pokémon, a great battle with the other party was probably unavoidable—
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