With Arven—whose kind yet absent-minded father had forgotten him—Lucas recalled Raging Bolt, and finally managed to board the elevator.
It required an ID to operate. Moru had to come over and swipe his card for them, which was a little awkward.
After a long ascent, the doors opened. Lucas, Dragonite, Swampert, and Arven filed into a room far tidier than the one in the game, immediately realizing where the two professors had gone.
They'd likely taken Koraidon and Miraidon outside to acclimatize to the new environment.
Which, honestly, didn't need further supervision. Besides, the two legendary Pokémon weren't as overwhelmingly strong as he'd expected—just a bit stronger than a Champion's ace, but still nowhere near the "overpowered" tier.
Maybe they were just young?
If so, no wonder in the games the second transfer (more violent, possibly more powerful) left them so traumatized.
Lucas felt he was slowly unraveling the kind of story details you never see in the games.
The feeling was oddly addictive.
Precisely because Koraidon and Miraidon, as "transfer #1," weren't at full strength, their eventual heroic comeback to save the protagonist's locked-out Poké Balls felt that much more moving.
Now that he could relax, the exhaustion of two straight days on the road finally hit. Fiddling with the odd crystal in his pocket, Lucas yawned.
He wondered when the two doctors would come back for the crystal—until then, he decided it was time for a nap.
The two professors, with their new Pokémon friends, had plenty of quality bonding time ahead—all the more chance to solidify those relationships.
But as for—
He grabbed Arven by the collar as the kid tried to sneak off. Lucas sternly intoned, "You'll have plenty of time to bond with those two Pokémon tomorrow. For now, time to sleep!"
Dragging Arven back to their twin bedroom, Lucas surveyed the small, cozy space—just two beds, a little room to move, and a small wardrobe. But given that they were in the heart of Area Zero, this was surprisingly safe and comfortable.
Arven was so tired he fell asleep the moment his head hit the pillow.
Lucas wished the Poké Balls on his nightstand good night, then joined him in sleep.
When he woke up—
Although the hard mattress made his body ache a bit, much of the fatigue was gone. After all, he and Arven had already gotten used to the research outpost's beds by now.
Glancing at the bed beside him, Lucas saw Arven still sleeping, drool staining the pillow.
He recalled how, when traveling, they'd always share a big tent, sleeping bags clustered together for warmth—except Arven had a horrible habit of kicking off the covers and sometimes even kicking himself out of the sleeping bag entirely. Each night, poor Eri had to re-stuff Arven back inside, grumbling she was becoming Arven's mom.
Yet now, Arven's blanket was perfectly tucked—either Professor Turo or Professor Sada had come in at some point during the night.
Strange, those two seemed to care deeply for their son, yet in the game's original story, they'd left him half-an-orphan…
With a peculiar look, Lucas fished out a disposable wash kit from his bag, gathered his Poké Balls, and made sure the crystal was still secure, then quietly slipped out of the room.
Let the kid sleep—he needed it.
He followed the signs to the washroom, nodding to researchers he passed in the hallways.
He was reminded of what Geeta had said: the Zero Lab had only about twenty researchers on staff.
Hard to imagine, given how massive the place was and the epoch-making work underway.
After washing up, he bumped into Moru wandering like a ghost down the hallway.
Moru yawned as he waved, "Morning, Mr. Lucas."
"Morning, Moru." Lucas glanced at the black rings under his eyes. "You… haven't slept all night?"
"To be precise, I haven't slept for three days." Moru forced a smile.
"You probably don't realize, but this is normal for researchers. Once you're a full member, the pressure's enormous…"
Lucas hurried to cut off his ramblings, asking, "Why not get some rest?"
Moru froze up for a moment, then slowly replied, "Oh… That's right, I was going to sleep…"
"There's a meeting at nine, I'd better get on with it…"
Still muttering, Moru shuffled away.
Seeing his exhausted state, Lucas—once an overworked office drone himself—completely empathized.
He asked a reasonably-alert researcher for directions to the exit, as well as the professors' location.
Under their guidance, Lucas soon reached the area outside the Zero Lab.
This was officially Area Zero's bottom floor. The "Great Paldea Crater" owed its name to the environment around it. Who would have thought there would be a cave system as massive as a skyscraper deep underground? The time machine's core was located even deeper below, and there was said to be an even vaster cavern yet beneath that.
Perhaps because of the deep cavern below, Area Zero's bottom was perpetually damp, pools of water everywhere, huge crystals growing sky-high, and the infamous Glimmora flower blooming along the walls.
Glimmora, the signature ace of Geeta, was supposedly captured here.
Thankfully, the structure was stable enough that even the rampaging Paradox Pokémon and wild threats couldn't upset it.
Carefully picking his way over puddles, Lucas rounded a massive crystal.
According to the researcher he'd spoken to, after collecting data on Koraidon and Miraidon, the professors were now out for a walk with the restless Pokémon.
Normally, just leaving the lab for a few moments would risk attack from wild Pokémon—but now, the instruments showed all hostiles avoided this area. Apparently, the presence of these two Paradox Pokémon scared everything away.
That, and the two Pokémon were surprisingly easy to communicate with.
But one thing still bothered Lucas…
When the researcher had told him that, his expression had been especially odd.
Upon finally spotting the professors with Koraidon and Miraidon, Lucas understood why.
How to put it… The relationship between these two legend-class Paradox Pokémon and their "trainers" looked awfully like... owner and pet.
This wasn't just Lucas's imagination.
First, Professor Sada's side:
Koraidon, now in its restricted form (its majestic feathers drooping, on all fours, tail wagging) trotted eagerly this way and that, sniffing everything with boundless curiosity. Honestly, it looked just like an exuberant dog.
On Professor Turo's side, Miraidon was off the ground no longer, instead using the same "limited mode" the protagonist first encountered it in the game, surveying its territory with kingly bearing, head raised, subtly observing the area.
At a glance, it resembled the stealthy, watchful Luxio Lucas had once met.
Lucas made no attempt to walk quietly, attracting the Paradox Pokémon's attention.
Initially wary, the two Pokémon relaxed when they recognized Lucas. Miraidon's tail tip even lifted a bit in acknowledgment.
Koraidon, meanwhile, raced over, sniffed at Lucas, and then hurried back to Professor Sada, as if to verify it had remembered the right person.
Both professors greeted him, "Morning! How did you sleep?"
Lucas skirted a puddle and nodded, "Pretty well."
"That's great!" Professor Sada smiled. "Want to join us for a walk?"
Professor Turo added, "Thanks to these two, all the wild Pokémon and Paradox forms have cleared out. It's a little humid, but the air's fresh—much nicer than that sterile lab smell."
"Sure." Lucas agreed, then chatted with them as they strolled. He took the chance to ask about last night.
Koraidon and Miraidon turned out to be more docile than even Raging Bolt. At least they hadn't almost sent the professors to the hospital, unlike a certain someone.
As long as their curiosity was satisfied, the professors could easily collect all the data they needed—creating official records.
Professor Sada's cheeks flushed as she recounted, "It's hard to imagine how much power they have. Every measurement exceeded our wildest expectations. Under the same conditions, they could match the legendary Pokémon of other regions!"
"I found relevant passages in the Scarlet Book. It's true—Koraidon may really be able to split the earth!"
But her voice also held some regret.
"However, based on the numbers, the 'Ancient #1' is still only partway to its potential—its growth isn't at the limit yet."
"Gaa-si?"
Apparently Koraidon understood that "Ancient #1" meant itself. It cocked its head in confusion.
What are they talking about?
Professor Turo's report was similar—just swapped "power" for "energy," "Ancient #1" for "Future #1," and "split the earth" for "turn it to ash."
Miraidon, for its part, was the picture of aloof detachment, yet Lucas felt like its head was held a bit higher than before.
During their walk, Lucas asked why the Pokémon's forms looked different from what he remembered.
The answer: this was a kind of "restricted mode" that conserved their strength—the new environment hadn't upset them, but they were still cautious, saving as much energy as possible.
After a long lap of the area, Koraidon and Miraidon seemed content, but soon both stopped moving, apparently troubled.
Professor Sada massaged her forehead, puzzled by Koraidon's unusual calls.
Miraidon, too, simply settled in place, ignoring Professor Turo's questions, its electronic eye blinking rapidly.
The professors were at their wits' end. Despite being on good terms with the Paradox Pokémon, they couldn't figure out their problem.
After quietly observing both for a while, Lucas ventured, "Maybe… they're hungry?"
"Hungry?" The couple exchanged looks. Possibly...
"We should just get them some Pokémon food, right?" Professor Sada guessed.
"And for Future #1, what should I bring? Electricity? Motor oil?" Professor Turo joked.
Lucas thought for a moment, then said, "If you have the ingredients, let me try preparing their first meal—they just arrived in our time, after all. I might be able to guess what they'd like."
In Lucas's mind, an idea of the perfect meal for these two ancient legends was quickly forming…
…
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