The vaulting ceiling, the walls, and even the floor of the chamber were all made of brilliantly colored crystals. The only exception was the area where Lucas and the others stood — a platform of black triangular stone, astonishingly resilient, set atop the crystals perhaps to avoid human contact with them.
At the room's center stood the time machine's control console, its details varying slightly from Lucas's memory of the final confrontation in the game's main story, but on the whole quite similar.
Pausing before leaving the elevator, Lucas called out to the professors ahead:
"If a battle breaks out, should we avoid letting the shockwaves hit those shining crystals at the edge?"
"The difference between fighting recklessly and holding back can be the difference between victory and defeat."
For ordinary Paradox Pokémon, it might not matter, but Lucas didn't know how strong Scarlet and Violet really were. If they matched Calyrex or the black Rayquaza in combat power, even with type advantage, he might only be able to hold them off long enough to call for Calyrex's help.
So he needed to know in advance if the battle area was safe for Swampert to fight in, to avoid any unexpected disaster.
Sada replied,
"Don't worry — those crystals are stronger than you can imagine. Even crustal shifts from a million years ago left them undisturbed."
She was tactful enough not to say, "Few things today could ever break them."
Lucas understood and dropped the subject.
It seemed these crystals, resembling Terastal crystals but subtly distinct, were tremendously sturdy.
As Lucas stepped from the elevator, the other researchers emerged in single file. Under Sada and Turo's direction, they gathered around the console and began their work.
Pulling Arven to his side, Lucas sighed — this child clearly hadn't inherited his parents' research genius — and said,
"When the machine starts, you and your parents should stay as far back as possible. Got it?"
"Why? Don't you have full confidence? Aren't you a champion trainer?"
Lucas could only chalk up his warning to intuition, his tone carrying a firmness, "Just trust me and do as I say."
"Alright," Arven agreed, choosing to trust him.
At the central console, after all the advance preparations, it only took moments to complete the final checks.
With a heavy breath, Sada and Turo exchanged glances and exhaled together.
As the energy source — the "Zero Treasure" — checked out, there was nothing left but to proceed.
For both, this moment brought a tangle of emotions: their lifelong dream of contacting the past/future was about to come true; excitement, longing, and hope couldn't possibly describe their mood.
But at the same time, they were afraid: what if it failed? What if there was a fatal flaw?
Sada clutched a scarlet-bound book to her chest; Turo gripped a purple-bound tome — subtle, nervous gestures.
Led by Moru, several researchers stepped back, some readying cameras, others mapping escape routes "just in case."
Everyone in the Zero Lab pinned their hopes on the experiment's success.
Lucas took out two purple-painted Master Balls—each with a large "M"—from his bag and handed them to the professors.
"Chairwoman Geeta asked me to bring these to you."
"Wonderful! With these, we can perfect our time machine plans!" they exclaimed with delight, each taking one.
The prototype could only transfer Paradox Pokémon through time for now, but the real goal was a time machine that could capture and safely retrieve Paradox Pokémon from any era.
By sending a Poké Ball back in time, capturing a Paradox Pokémon, and transferring it forward, they could ensure safe, controlled results — using less energy than simply teleporting a living Pokémon directly.
Their theory had come together thanks to Lucas, who gave Geeta Paradox Pokémon caught in Poké Balls, and she'd been sending more ever since.
"Come on out, Swampert, Dragonite, Raging Bolt!"
Lucas pressed the Poké Balls, summoning his trio in flashes of red light.
The professors and Moru all knew these Pokémon — Swampert had beaten Raging Bolt in the past, and Dragonite and Raging Bolt were familiar to all.
Seeing these aces put everyone at ease.
With no battle rules restraining them, Lucas had the three immediately begin buffing up: Swampert used Bulk Up, Dragonite used Dragon Dance, Raging Bolt used Calm Mind. Then both dragons boosted Swampert further by Roar.
Next—
"Swampert, Mega Evolve!"
Lucas touched his Key Stone, and in a blinding light, Swampert stepped up to a new level of power.
The moment Mega Swampert completed its transformation, a shockwave rippled out, and if Moru hadn't grabbed Arven, the boy might have been blown away.
Now, they were fully prepared.
Lucas nodded at the professors, signaling readiness.
"That's… remarkably cautious," the couple remarked, astounded by Lucas's thoroughness.
Especially the newly evolved Swampert — they suspected its strength wasn't below, or might even surpass, Chairwoman Geeta's ace Pokémon.
But they felt secure.
The professors exchanged smiles. Everything about the procedures had been discussed; there would be no arguing over who went first.
Professor Sada went up, gently placing the "Scarlet Book" into its slot as the activation key.
Then Professor Turo set the "Violet Book" into the other slot.
The time machine required vast energy; with the Terra energy gathered so far, they could only run it three times.
They'd planned: once for the "past," once for the "future," and the final time for "destiny."
For the first activation, they left it up to "destiny." This, they felt, was deeply romantic.
The two books, containing their ID authentication, triggered the program upon insertion.
[Sada: ID confirmed.]
[Turo: ID confirmed.]
[Commencing first run of Prototype Time Machine No.1.]
[Preparing…]
[Preparation complete. Time Machine No.1 starting.]
A synthesized voice filled the room — not the AI from Area Zero's system, but a cold mechanical tone.
Lucas watched as immense energy concentrated overhead, a spectacle of swirling currents.
The voice sounded again.
[Beginning transmission; coordinate: random.]
Energy at the center of the machine clashed and tuned, building to a miraculous crescendo.
Stable space-time began to warp, becoming a vortex of pure Terra energy, linking to an unknown era—
…
Roughly two million years ago.
A colossal being, a pillar connecting heaven and earth, stood across the world.
Half of its body was submerged in a raging sea, grasping ropes winding deep below the earth; with every stride, the trembling ground shifted, a thunderous rumble roaring through the sky.
Endless rain pounded down, yet the Titan remained unmoved, doggedly pressing forward.
From a grand perspective, this was an epic endeavor.
But for the creatures who lived on the continent, it was a catastrophe.
All around, communities of deep-blue, tortoise-like creatures suffered, howling in despair as they gazed at the devastating colossus on the horizon, hearts overwhelmed by helplessness.
They tried to crystallize their inner energy into shields, but most crystals shattered under the planet's seismic violence.
Only the strongest, who generated crystal ceaselessly and entered deep hibernation, endured.
But the protagonist this time was not "he," but "she."
An individual of this species, smaller than the others, with brighter sky-blue eyes and striking rosy eyeliner, pushed her potential to the limit in the face of this crisis.
Radiant crystal formed and shattered again and again. Her injuries multiplied. In the face of endless calamity, she gradually succumbed to despair.
At last, her energy was spent. She could no longer generate protective crystal.
Once more, the ground trembled — the fiercest quake yet. The earth lifted and surged like clay in a child's hand, rising in a deadly wave.
Survival was impossible.
She resembled a land turtle, capable of flight, but even airborne she could not run from this cataclysm, and her strength was gone.
Is this the end?
Terapagos raised her head, longing for one last look at the blue sky — but the sky was already lost to the storm.
Just as darkness was about to engulf her heart, she sensed a call from a kindred source.
An unknown power sparked within her, barely enough to notice.
She used it to respond to the call, and a beam of crystal light enveloped her just as the disaster struck.
Sensing the crisis recede, she finally gave in to the urge to sleep. Her eyes drooped shut.
Surrounded by her own crystal, as if in her birthplace, Terapagos curled up and, without realizing, transformed into a delicate, hexagonal crystal.
Bathed in Terra energy, the crystal crossed time, heading into the future.
…
Elsewhere in that devastated world, these events passed almost unremarked by the greater powers — hardly noticed at all.
Only in another dimension, outside the world, a diamond-like, deep-blue dragon god opened its red eyes, awakened by the disturbance in time.
…
Paldea Region, Area Zero, the Deepest Point.
Lucas, watching the ripples of energy overhead, silently raised his guard.
Mega Swampert, Dragonite, and Raging Bolt were ready; if anything hostile emerged, they would strike together with ruthless force.
Meanwhile, Sada and Turo had retreated to a safe distance, each gripping Arven's hand tightly, gazes locked overhead.
Which era's Paradox Pokémon would the prototype time machine bring?
The past — or the future?
The researchers held their breath, tension in the air.
The apparatus overhead spun explosively, casting off electric sparks. As the energy peaked, there was a blinding flash.
When vision returned, an object landed on the ground with a crisp sound.
Mega Swampert, Dragonite, and Raging Bolt stared at the mysterious item. Unsure whether to attack or hold back, they hesitated.
What… is this?
For a human, Lucas recovered his sight slower than the Pokémon. When he opened his eyes, he saw — not any Paradox Pokémon he recognized, and certainly not Scarlet or Violet.
No roars, only his own breathing and those behind him.
Prompted by his three Pokémon, he looked down and spotted — lying quietly on the ground — an exceedingly small, mysterious crystal in this vast chamber.
Staring in confusion, Lucas blinked and murmured:
"What… is that?"
…
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