Arven approaches me.

  “Hey, Carmina. You know that book my mom told me to bring? I think it’s got something to do with this pce. Or more like… EVERYTHING to do with this pce. But I’m not the one she expects to fix whatever all this is… You are. I think you should be the one to carry it. Take care of it for me… Okay, Carmina?”

  He reaches into his jacket, pulling out the red-bound volume, holding it out to me. I slowly take it, sliding it into my bag and smiling at Arven.

  “Don’t worry, I’m totally gonna throw it at her!” I wink.

  After a rest, Nemona looks much better, and we step outside of research station 2, making the short trip to the third station. Arven points it out as we approach, before we hurry towards it.

  Nemona sighs, “Nice! We get to chill here for a minute!”

  Penny whines, “Something’s gonna jump out at us again… one hundred percent guaranteed…”

  Nemona grins. “Oh, Penny. Such a worrywart!”

  “Duh-DON!”

  I point. “Uh, Nemona? Penny’s right.”

  A Great Tusk has somehow managed to sneak up on us while the other girls were chatting, and I pull my Pokéball, sending Azumarill out to battle. Arven yells, “This is just like that Titan Pokémon we saw! So it was an ancient Pokémon all along?!”

  Nemona squeals, “Whoa, you’ve battled one of these before, Arven? It looks seriously strong!”

  Arven straightens. “Yeah, well, Carmina and I are old pros when it comes to Titans! Leave this to us! Go, Mabosstiff!”

  “Liquidation, Azumarill!”

  “Py Rough, Mabosstiff!”

  Between our combined efforts, Arven and I manage to force the wild Great Tusk into retreat, the huge beast grumbling as it gres, backing off and lumbering away.

  Arven pats me on the back. “See that? Victory is ours! Hmm… Maybe the one we saw when we were searching for the Herba Mystica came from down here…”

  Nemona pouts, “You two got to meet one of these Pokémon before our crater get-together? Jealous!” until I kiss her and send her into a bubbly ‘pink’ haze.

  Penny adds, “Uh, I think we’ve got bigger problems, if we’ve got things from literal ancient times wandering around Paldea. Isn’t Professor Sada doing anything to prevent this??”

  Arven huffs. “Yeah, right. ‘Cause it’s not like oh-so-brilliant Professor Sada ever messes up… C’mon, Carmina. Let’s get into that research station.”

  I nod. The door slides open and allows us to enter, and I only spot one book by the bed this time. While everyone else rexes and Arven begins to make sandwiches, Penny looks thoughtful. Nemona asks if she’s feeling okay, to which Penny blinks and shakes her head.

  “No, I’m fine. I’ve just been thinking… ever since the professor mentioned that time machine… the Pokémon here in Area Zero came to our time from the distant past, right?”

  I nod. “I think so. I mean, the Great Tusk we just fought looks very simir to Donphan, right? I guess that, over time, Great Tusk changed into what we know as Donphan, but these ones are basically just walking into our time from however-long-ago.”

  “Well... what about Koraidon? Isn’t it pretty likely that it’s ALSO one of those ancient Pokémon?”

  I nod.

  “You’re probably right on that. I think there’s a good chance Rairai’s from the past.”

  Nemona lets out a ‘huh…’ of surprise, and I take her hand for reassurance, feeling her slim fingers squeezing mine.

  “I think you’re onto something. It does kind of give off ancient vibes. Even its name sounds…past-y! Wait a sec- I totally forgot! Hey, Arven! You had Koraidon’s ball! And you told us about its forms in the first pce! You must know something about it, right?!”

  Arven tch’s. “Urk… you still remember that from half a year ago? No wonder you’re everybody’s little star pupil. Guess I’ve got no choice but to tell you what I know… That Pokémon… Koraidon, that is… it was found by my mom when she was working on her time machine.”

  “I believe it would be best for me to take over the expnations at this point.”

  Professor Sada’s voice crackles from the speakers built into the room.

  “Koraidon, which I entrusted to Carmina… was the first Pokémon to be successfully retrieved from the past by the time machine.”

  Arven’s eyes widen. “Seriously…?”

  “Through analysis of its genetic makeup, as well as its behavioural patterns… I came to realise that what I had discovered was in fact an ancient form of Cyclizar, the Pokémon still commonly ridden in this region.”

  Penny nods, chewing her lip. “That makes sense, I guess… they DO look alike.”

  “Many other Pokémon also came to this pce from across the boundaries of time. But I was never able to bring across more than two specimens of Koraidon.”

  Arven splutters, “You mean, there’s another one around her somewhere?!”

  Nemona adds, “what if they’re family?! The other one could still be somewhere in Area Zero, waiting to finally be reunited with OUR Koraidon!”

  Penny tilts her head. “A heartwarming family reunion…?”

  “Exactly! Imagine how thrilled they’ll be if we can get the family back together after all this time!”

  “If we could proceed, Carmina? Please disable the next lock using the central console.”

  Before I do as the professor asks, I head to check out the book lying near the bed.

  “Our time machine research has yielded a triumph- a Pokémon from the ancient past! I’ve named it Koraidon. I was expecting one new life to treasure, but what fortune to be blessed with this gift as well!”

  I set the book down, and step over to the console, thumbing the button to disable the third lock. One left to go…

  “Well done. Only one remains now… please continue on to the final research station.”

  The next research station is below ground, and we follow a natural path through the stone, waterfalls flowing downwards as we find a way down, a hole far above allowing sunlight to shine down, the huge crystals protruding from the ground catching the light and refracting it all over the cavern’s walls and ceiling.

  Nemona gasps, “Oh my gosh, look at all these huge, gorgeous crystals! They go all the way to the bottom!”

  Penny, on the other hand, has a more grim outlook. “One slip and we can kiss our short lives goodbye…”

  I nod. “Good call. Everyone, watch your step.”

  Penny notes, “is it just me, or do these crystals give off the same glow as when Pokémon Terastallize? There’s gotta be some sort of connection…”

  Arven shrugs. “Only one way to find out. Come on, everybody. Let’s keep moving… we’ve got to get all the way down.”

  After wending our way through the paths and around massive crystal formations, we spot the fourth research station. It looks partially crystallized, with gleaming stones sprouting from the roof and walls. The door still works, though, and we step inside.

  The interior is… trashed. Everything’s been smashed to pieces, and the lights aren’t even working. Luckily, some glowing crystals shed enough light to see by.

  Nemona stares around. “Whoa, what happened? This pce is a mess!”

  Penny gulps. “It looks like something went berserk in here.”

  Arven nods. “Yeah, but… what?”

  “Hello, children.”

  Penny yelps. “Gah! Professor! Y-you scared us…”

  “I’m sorry.”

  Nemona asks, “Why is everything in here all busted up?”

  “I’m sorry. Hello, children.”

  Arven blinks. “… Come again?”

  “I’m s-s-s-s-s-sorry. Sorry. S-s-s-s-s-s-sorry. I-I-I-I-I-I’m ssssssssssssssorrrrrrrr-rrrrry-eeeee- Hello, children. Hello. Hello.”

  Arven look weirded out like I’ve never seen before.

  “What the heck?!”

  Penny whimpers, “S-stop that! You’re creeping us out!”

  “Hello, child. Childenen. Childnen. Childeren. Children….. Initiating restart.”

  Nemona giggles nervously, “The professor must be having some… weird connection problems or something, huh?”

  Arven shrugs.

  “Well, it was definitely weird, at least. Almost like… I dunno…”

  Penny huffs, “If she meant it as a joke, it wasn’t funny. I’ve still got goosebumps and all…”

  I shrug, turning to look for any more books. Maybe they’ll fill us in on what happened here? There are two of them, at least…

  “I need more people. More time. That man walked out not long after the boy was born. I need another set of hands, but could they be trusted? And how long would it take them to even understand? If only there were two of me.”

  I tilt my head, and then turn to the second book.

  “My new assistant has intellect and technical skills to rival my own. A bit rigid at times, but I’ve no serious compints. Productivity has doubled. We even brought in a second Koraidon via the machine- though this one has proved aggressive.”

  I swallow, an ominous feeling working its way down my spine.

  I’m starting to get a bad feeling about this whole thing…

  With no other option, I head to the terminal in the centre of the room. The screen is cracked, but still functional enough to work. The st lock is disabled. All four locks are unlocked.

  “Ah, ah, ah. Hello. Can you hear me now? Please ffffvforgive mYy previous transmission. There seems to be some signal interference.”

  Arven mutters, “that’s not what that was.”

  Nemona tilts her head, having overheard. “What do you mean, Arven…?”

  The line crackles as Professor Sada stays silent, then speaks a minute ter.

  “The locks have all been disabled at st. Please make your way to the Zero Lab- which lies at the very bottom of Area Zero.”

  I can feel the unease that had been starting to build growing more intense. I step outside, the rest of my friends following. Everyone else seems to be feeling the same weird unease after that interaction with the professor. Nemona, at least, is ciming that she’s now super jazzed, but I can see the tension in her eyes.

  After another three hours, we reach the bottom of the crater. The Zero Lab is entirely crystallized, except for the door. I can’t shake my apprehension. Something feels way, WAY wrong…

  Approaching the Zero Lab’s entrance, I keep Garchomp’s Pokéball in my hand, ready for any sudden moves.

  Ro-to-to-to-to!

  I jump, as the professor’s voice emanates from my Rotom Phone.

  “Hello, children. You’ve done well to make it here. The structure you see before you is the Zero Lab.”

  Nemona cps. “That’s where you are, right, professor?”

  Penny gulps, “But, wait... Why does it look like the whole pce is being swallowed up by crystals?”

  “The crystals here in Area Zero possess a peculiar energy. This energy can alter the functions of living things and optimize the performance of machinery. It is the same energy that allows Pokémon to Terastallize.”

  Arven folds his arms. “So, this entire building’s been Terastallized? That’s what you’re saying?”

  Penny gulps, “Don’t be silly, Arven. The professor implied something important about Tera Orbs just now. They’re made from the crystals down here in Area Zero… aren’t they?”

  Indeed. Though not many know it. Since you have disabled all four locks, the gate to the Zero Lab should now open for you. But, once you open the gate, you will be quickly confronted with the dangerous Pokémon inside. They will likely make a break for freedom.”

  I swallow. “That sounds like a problem… how many are we talking about here?”

  “With the four of you working in tandem, you should be able to best them. Prepare yourselves well, then open the gate.”

  Nemona pats Penny on the shoulder. “You’ve got me and Carmina here! Doesn’t matter WHAT we’re up against! We’ll be fine!”

  Arven ughs, “Hah! Well then, that puts all my worries to rest.”

  Once everyone’s ready, I approach the door, heading for the console to one side of the ramp. With some prompting from the terminal, I type, ‘Door_1.exe: open’, and prepare to hit the ENTER key.

  “Hold it!” Arven yells. “If there really ARE a whole bunch of dangerous Pokémon inside, shouldn’t we have Koraidon help?”

  Nemona purses her lips. “Yeah, if Koraidon were like how we first saw it in the Inlet Grotto, that’d be a huge help! I wanna see it battle!”

  Penny adds, “But it hasn’t even wanted to let us ride it since we came down to Area Zero… maybe something bad happened to it here? Like, Arven’s Mabosstiff got attacked here, so maybe the same thing happened to Koraidon? Plus, you said it can’t enter its battle form in the first pce!”

  Arven nods. “But it’s really strong. I know it is. It ate all those Herba Mystica we found, too! When it really matters, I’m sure it’ll fight! And Area Zero is where it used to live! If you bring it out of its ball now, maybe Nemona’s right and it’ll be able to find its family, too. Right?”

  Nemona pumps her fist. “That’s pretty sensible by your standards, Arven! Go on, Carmina! Let Koraidon out!”

  I don’t think this is a good idea, but I reach for Rairai’s Pokéball, trying to coax it out. It appears in a fsh of light.

  “Agia…?”

  I pat it on the head, rubbing its chin. “It’s okay, Rairai. If you feel up to it, I’d be very grateful if you could help us?”

  Then, I hit the ENTER button. A kxon bres as the door opens, before something nds behind us with an earthshaking crash.

  “GRAAAAAH!”

  Whirling, I see.. another Koraidon! It’s all battle-formed up! Nemona squeals, “The family reunion! It’s happening!”

  Arven gasps, “Whoa… no way!”

  I feel Rairai tremble against my hand as it… tries to hide behind me…

  The second Koraidon stalks towards us, and Rairai retreats even further, plumes drooping as it backs up. Then, it roars, right in Rairai’s face, cws out!

  Rairai whimpers, “Agia…”

  “I shout, “No, something’s not right!”

  As the second Koraidon raises its cw to strike, it gets distracted by the gate of the Zero Lab. It’s almost fully open now, and, instead of continuing its attempt to sh out at Rairai, the second Koraidon lopes up the ramp and into the Zero Lab…

  Rairai nuzzles under my arm, and I rub its head protectively. “I’m sorry, that was really scary, huh? You were very brave for sticking close to me, Rairai.”

  “Gyaaansss…”

  Nemona blinks. “What’s wrong? Are you bummed out that your heartwarming family reunion got cut off so quickly?”

  Penny and I shout, at the exact same time, “Are you JOKING?!”

  Penny continues, “there was nothing heartwarming about it!”

  I add, “Did you not see that second Koraidon try to cw Rairai to bits?! It was seconds away from actually swiping! And Rairai wasn’t even trying to defend itself! It wanted to hide, or run!”

  Penny finishes, “We were THIS close to getting caught up in a nasty brawl!”

  Nemona starts. “Wait, for real?!”

  I gesture. “Just LOOK at Rairai. Poor baby’s completely terrified…”

  Penny nods. “I guess that other one isn’t exactly its pal.”

  Arven nods. “Yeah, that other Pokémon was giving off some real bad vibes… Uh, not that you should worry a bit about any of that! Once we get you back in your battle form, I’m sure you’ll be going toe-to-toe against that jerk!”

  When he notices the gre I’m shooting at him, Arven amends, “Uh, y’know, if… if you want to.”

  “Kiusss….”

  I shake my head. “I really don’t think Rairai’s not in any fit state to battle anything, especially not now.”

  Penny gulps, “Do you think that other Koraidon was one of the ‘dangerous Pokémon’ the professor warned us to watch out for?”

  Nemona points out, “But didn’t the professor say that the dangerous Pokémon would come out from inside?”

  I turn and point. “Well, I’M not going to tell them they should wait for us to finish our chat! Get ready to fight!”

  Several wild Pokémon are barrelling out of the Zero Lab, and I send out Garchomp, as they surround us.

  “Come on, guys! It’s pretty clear that they’re not here to roll out a friendly welcome mat!” Arven groans.

  “Come on, Carmina! Let’s do this together! It’s time to go all out!” Nemona adjusts her armbrace, and I nod.

  “Garchomp, Dragon Cw!”

  “Lycanroc! Drill Run!”

  The Great Tusk we’ve started on takes down Lycanroc with a Stomping Tantrum, and Nemona’s Goodra repces it.

  “Dragon Rush, Garchomp!”

  The Great Tusk colpses, and Nemona whoops, “Wow, they’re strong! Now THIS is a worthwhile challenge!”

  Penny compins, “I’m gd you’re on our side, but you’re still REALLY annoying when you say things like that!”

  Two weird, Amoonguss-looking Pokémon advance on our hacker.

  “Gyah! Why’re they coming at ME?!”

  I duck back and take up position behind her, leaving Garchomp to face off with another Great Tusk.

  “Galde! Come on, buddy! Sacred Sword!”

  “Dark Pulse, Umbreon!”

  The strange Pokémon go down in a few moments, and I pivot to stand with Arven, already starting to struggle with commanding half my team at the same time.

  Arven’s Mabosstiff snarls at another Pokémon, one that looks like a Misdreavous, but Rairai roars at them, and a good part of the pack flees. Nemona whines in disappointment, “Oh no! They’re running away!”

  Penny raises an eyebrow. “Yeah, and?”

  “If those Pokémon get out, we’re gonna have a gigantic mess on our hands! We gotta go after ‘em, Penny!”

  “Why me?!”

  Nemona doesn’t even stop to expin, sprinting off. “Waaaaaaaiiiit! Hah… hah…”

  “Gah! Hold on, Nemona! And why do I get the feeling you’re enjoying all this?!”

  Penny sprints off after my girlfriend, and Arven looks pensive. “I hope the two of them can handle their part… but at least the crowd’s been thinned out now. Guess it’s up to us to deal with what’s left!”

  I nod, and call back my Galde, commanding it to use Dagon Rush, but it doesn’t affect the wild Pokémon at all! Earth Power works, though, and Arven’s Mabosstiff nds several good Crunches. Once the Pokémon faints, we swivel to face the next.

  “See! The power of friendship has us perfectly in sync! All thanks to our Titan hunting together!”

  “Agia….”

  Arven looks over at Rairai, who’s still clearly wigging out.

  “Still scared, huh? You worried you might have to face that other one of your kind? Well, then, lemme take on some of the burden!”

  Three more primal Amoonguss waddle towards us, as Arven throws a hand out.

  “These stragglers should be nothing! Me and Mabosstiff can take them!”

  “Bawf!”

  Arven shoots me a grin. “So, Carmina, you take your partner there, and go take care of business!”

  “But…”

  “Aw, come on! If you’re not even gonna rely on your friends, then who ARE you going to rely on? Mabosstiff here is raring to go! Leave this to us!”

  “Bau-wauuuw!”

  Arven snaps, “Koraidon! You really ruined my whole childhood, you know. But it’s not like seeing you cowering and scared outta your wits makes me feel any better about it. You’ve got amazing powers, if you just use ‘em! And you’ve got us, too! So… so… So don’t you even THINK about losing to that jerk! Be brave- stand up and fight!”

  I pause, and then nod. “Okay. Don’t lose, Arven! I know you’re strong! I’ll go and sock your mum in the chops for you, okay?!” I recall my Garchomp, letting Rairai back into its ball, running up the ramp as I hear Mabosstiff barking, its deep, powerful voice echoing around the cavern, as the door closes behind me, cutting off all sound from the outside world…

  Inside the Zero Lab, I follow the cylindrical entryway, until I find a hole smashed in the wall. It looks like something tried getting out, leaving a great wound in the entrance. Stepping through, I find a room with a bed, books piled everywhere, and, sitting in a chair, chin resting on her chest, slumped over as though asleep, is the professor.

  As I step into the room, she speaks without even moving. “Human presence detected within the Zero Lab.”

  Rairai pops out of its ball and tilts its head curiously.

  The professor speaks again. “Deactivating sleep mode.”

  Then, the professor jerkily stands up, before approaching, her eyes briefly glowing red.

  “Hello, Carmina. Thank you for coming.”

  I gulp. Okay, this is fucking creeeeepy!

  “Rrrraaawwwrrrr!” the other Koraidon stalks towards us, bu the professor pulls a purple Pokéball out, a white M embzoned on the front.

  “No. Back to your ball.”

  The other Koraidon gets recalled, and I start, as the professor turns to me.

  “That one is far less tractable and far more aggressive than the one you’ve travelled with. Your Koraidon fled Area Zero because it lost to the other one in a territorial struggle.”

  “Agias…”

  Sada looks at it, then back at me. “I’m afraid there is something for which I must apologize. I… am not the true Professor Sada.”

  I narrow my eyes. “Then… who are you?”

  “I am an artificial intelligence the professor created, imbued with her memories and knowledge. In other words, I am an A.I-powered robot. The real professor passed away during the incident that destroyed Research Station no. 4.”

  I gulp. I KNEW something was way wrong! Don’t tell me we’ve got a murderous Terminator on our hands now!

  Steeling myself, I ask, “The incident?”

  A.I Sada nods. “The Pokémon was not to be bmed. It was the original professor who failed to accurately judge its full power. I believe the professor wanted nothing more than for the Koraidon to survive and thrive. That is why she threw herself in front of your Koraidon in an attempt to protect it.”

  I gasp softly. The robot professor continues, “From the time I first reached out to Director Cvell and asked to be put in contact with you… I was never more than an A.I… Carmina. The reason I asked you to come to me is because I have one st thing to do here at the Zero Lab, and I desire your help. In short… I wish for you to put a stop to the time machine the original professor created.”

  I blink. “wait… what? Why?!”

  “Any questions can be addressed as we make our descent. Follow me.”

  The Professor-bot starts walking, and I follow it- no, her? Ugh, this is confusing, and I don’t wanna get something wrong! I’ll stick with ‘her’ to be safe. Anyway, I follow her over to an elevator.

  “This will take us down to the lower level. Step inside.”

  I follow, and the elevator goes down for what feels like an age. The Professor lets out a sigh that seems so real I can barely believe she’s not human.

  “Carmina. It truly is a great relief to me that you came. I will answer any questions you may have. Is there anything you wish to know?”

  In a soft voice, I ask, “What happened to the real professor?”

  “As I expined to you before, the original professor no longer exists. During the destruction of the research station, her physical body received grievous injuries that left it unable to sustain life. I am afraid that this fact may be difficult for her son, Arven, to accept. I now manage the Zero Lab in the original professor’s pce. Is there anything else you wish to know?”

  I nod. “What IS this time machine?”

  “The time machine is a device that the original professor and I worked on together. It sends Pokéballs to a different point on the timeline to catch Pokémon there, and it can then draw them back here to the present. When she was alive, Professor Sada had a great fascination with Pokémon from another age- what you might call ancient Pokémon. Even as we speak, the time machine continues to automatically draw ancient Pokémon to this time. Is there anything else you wish to ask?”

  I shake my head. “What IS an A.I, really?”

  “An A.I is an artificial intelligence created by a human being. A computer draws on the professor’s knowledge and memories to calcute all of my thoughts and actions. The results of those calcutions are expressed by this mechanical body, built to resemble the Professor in every way. Humanity does not, in fact, possess the knowledge to develop such a sophisticated A.I at present. But the crystals that make up the Zero Lab have made such a thing possible here. They are also why I cannot leave this pce. Is there anything else you wish to ask?”

  I swallow, then ask the one question that’s really been on my mind for the st few minutes.

  “What is it you REALLY want?”