Master Craftsman of the Pokémon World

"Awooo~"

Walking Wake sharply sensed a familiar presence. It turned its head and stared into the distance for a long while, faintly feeling like it was about to run into some familiar guys again.

But before that, it needed to confirm their intentions.

Also, the Paradox Pokémon blocking the lower-level entrance in front of the massive cave had basically all been beaten. The path forward was open, and everyone was continuing deeper.

"Hrululu~"

Mm. Ancient Paradox Pokémon don't think about that many things. If they notice a big commotion and come running, it's usually one of three reasons.

First, to steal territory. As the saying goes, unclaimed territory is my territory.

Your territory is also my future territory. I'm just "letting" you live there for now. In that case, what counts as "territory invasion" becomes a very delicate question. The border lines get weird.

Second, to steal prey. But those vicious mammoths with dragon genes are not on our ancient dragon menu.

Third, to throw hands. Just plain itching for a fight, bored out of their minds, claws itchy, desperate to brawl. It doesn't matter what kind of brawl. A giant free-for-all works too.

Walking Wake swished its tail, then started looting Roaring Moon, who was sprawled on the ground after crashing and had lost all fighting ability. It tore up those originally gorgeous wings that could be called a "bloodstained new moon," ripping them to shreds until Roaring Moon was basically turning into a balding dragon.

Area Zero's surface had way too many good things. All sorts of materials dropped from Pokémon and Paradox Pokémon fighting were practically everywhere.

Walking Wake lowered its head and leaned toward Hikaru's big backpack, studying it carefully for a moment, then bit one of Archaludon's Poké Balls and knocked it onto the ground.

Bang!

[Walking Wake sent out Archaludon!]

"Guh-ho?"

"Awooo!"

The two dragons gestured at each other for a bit, and then Archaludon, with that ridiculous running posture, immediately went into "Let's Go" mode.

Walking Wake nodded, then looked at the row of Poké Balls again. But from one of the Luxury Balls came a sound of boredom and refusal.

Gimmighoul refused to come out.

Because this place wasn't "cool" at all.

They say there's treasure deep in this big pit. That's what I heard from that tomb-raider lady's Gimmighoul underling. But honestly, I've been watching from inside the ball this whole time. I'm one step away from holding an item called a Microscope.

There's no money here at all. Forget ancient coins. There isn't even a modern human's pocket change on the ground.

What a boring place. This is embarrassing for our "Pickup Trio." Call me when you actually find treasure.

"Awooo!"

"Peh!"

Walking Wake shook its head.

Money-grubbing little punk.

"Some ancient treasure-hunting crews start fighting over loot distribution," Hikaru said, watching the three of them bicker and couldn't help laughing as he teased them. "You guys haven't even split anything yet and you're already infighting."

Arven watched Archaludon scurrying around. He'd never seen that kind of Pokémon before, so he was curious.

Then he noticed Hikaru had pulled out a square device at some point.

"Big bro, you've got so many gadgets. That launcher top, the device that makes Pokémon listen… and this device too. Are they all those 'Ranger' devices you mentioned?"

"What even is a Pokémon Ranger?"

Hikaru said, "Paldea doesn't have Pokémon Rangers, but Chairwoman Geeta is considering applying to bring a group over. Simply put, Pokémon Rangers are a special type of worker whose job is to protect nature and protect Pokémon habitats. They're one of the international organizations."

"In different regions, they're also called Pokémon Breeders, Forestry Rangers, Guardians, that kind of thing."

"Of course, our work includes resolving conflicts and even fighting evil teams. The actual scope covers most of what real life would call anything from a community help squad to a big chunk of police work. Does that make sense?"

"But what I'm using right now isn't Ranger gear. It's a device developed by professors in other regions. It's called a Pokédex."

"It's something Pokémon Trainers carry. It records Pokémon you newly encounter or newly catch. It can also look up Pokémon data, distribution info, and so on. You can also treat it as an ecological survey device."

"A long time ago, Pokédex records were written on paper. It wasn't until modern times that it became an electronic device. The information it records, and the range it covers, is far more than what was recorded over the last 150 years. It's a revolutionary invention."

"Paldea's professors have all been pulled into Terastal research. Research on Terastallization began over 80 years ago, and it's only in the last six years that there have been results. But I think soon, the League will pull some researchers out specifically to investigate Paldea's ecosystem."

"Before long, Paldea will have its own Pokédex. For students at Naranja Academy, everyone should have one."

After all, this wasn't a special "spin-off Pokédex." A normal Pokédex was just a survey device. It didn't come with weird programs and resonance settings.

And time-wise, within the next two or three years, Professor Jacq, one of the researchers, would get transferred into ecological investigation. He'd even said before that he and Clavell had done ecological surveys for a while and found it really interesting.

And both Director Clavell and Jacq had done Terastal research before too, and had worked alongside Sada and Turo for a period.

Hikaru thought to himself, By the Scarlet and Violet era, the Pokédex is basically just a Pokédex app. There's no need for a separate dedicated device anymore. Time changes, and the Pokédex feels less "special" too.

"How do I put it. Old-era devices are a bit inconvenient, but they really do look cool. They give you this distinct feeling."

As he spoke, Hikaru handed the Pokédex to Arven.

Arven stared at it. "It's got so many Pokémon recorded in it. But some of the entries are kinda unclear. And the Area Zero Pokémon, the ones we just beat, they're already in here too? This thing is insane!"

Hikaru said, "I've seen some of them before. As for the unclear parts, it's because we can't do independent, individual research on those specimens. The person with more detailed data should be your mom. She's the one who transferred those Pokémon over."

"Let's go this way first."

Hikaru led Arven away from the entrance cave, circling outside and heading down a dark path on the left. This wasn't the route to the lower level.

Between towering cliff walls and natural terrain like collapsed stone pillars, a very secret cave was hidden away.

This cave wasn't the big hole behind Observation Station No. 3.

You had to follow the route between Observation Station No. 3 and the huge hole leading downward to find it.

At first it was extremely narrow, barely wide enough for a person. After walking dozens of steps, it suddenly opened up.

What appeared before the two of them and their Pokémon was a set of four combined patterns, like something out of the Nazca Lines.

"What is this? A drawing?" Arven thought the symbols on the ground were bizarre beyond belief.

This cave was so hidden. Who would come here just to doodle?

Hikaru observed it for a moment.

In the game, you could pick up the TM for Psychic Terrain here, which vaguely hinted that this was an uncanny place.

Inside the cave, the ground wasn't bare rock. It was a patch of lush green grass. On the grass were four circles.

"That's the mysterious symbol people found in Area Zero before. The Scarlet Book should have mentioned it, right?"

"'On the second day after the investigation began, a team member took a photo during a break. If you look closely at the ground in the photo, there is a mysterious symbol.'"

"Did it come from Imperial-era treasure hunters? Or did it exist from the beginning? It looks like a shape with some kind of meaning."

Some people guessed it referred to the four Treasures of Ruin.

Some said if you connected the four symbols, it formed Paldea and the central crater.

Some said the four symbols represented a time loop.

Others noticed this huge pattern matched the symbol in the top-right corner of the Scarlet and Violet Books. And the patterns in the four corners of those books each represented some strange meaning.

"Opinions vary, but the four circles are actually the same symbol. They're just rotated."

"In my opinion, this looks kind of like a Trail of Light."

Trail of Light, also called the Ranger Sign, was something from ancient imprint tablets. If you drew the matching imprint, you could summon a Pokémon to fight for you.

And that imprint summoning could cross space-time limits, which happened to overlap with Scarlet and Violet's theme of "time travel."

Considering how a lot of Scarlet and Violet mechanics drew from the Gen 3 Ranger elements, this might actually be a nod.

That Shuu-sensei move is ruthless.

After all, the last place you saw a similar symbol was Galar's Dark Night Geoglyph.

But that one was quickly explained as just a historical record, a realistic geoglyph with no special function. The geoglyph itself wasn't important. The nearby stone monument was what mattered.

"Symbol, recorded."

Hikaru recorded the symbol here. Beyond that, this underground space had another special point.

In the main series games, this was where Roaring Moon and Iron Valiant spawned.

But only in the early stage.

Later on, Roaring Moon and Iron Valiant basically ran around everywhere near the lab. This secret cave could still spawn them, but it wasn't that special anymore.

And right now, there wasn't much "evil dragon" presence here.

Even among Paradox Pokémon, Roaring Moon and Iron Valiant were more special than most.

Maybe their prototype designs and concepts made them the kind that didn't appear easily in their respective camps.

"Since we're here, we can't just do nothing."

"Arven, look over there. There's a really big Chansey. Go catch it."

Hikaru pointed like an immortal giving directions. Arven followed his finger and sure enough saw a giant Chansey dozing near the geoglyph.

Arven said, "That's the Pokémon Nurse Joy uses at Pokémon Centers."

Hikaru said, "You think it has no power? Then you're dead wrong."

"Even in battle, Chansey is a very strong Pokémon. And for a chef, Chansey's eggs are not only super nutritious, they're also delicious. They're used as premium ingredients."

Arven lit up. "Oh! Right, I've heard that!"

With Hikaru pushing him on, Arven decided to catch the big Chansey near the geoglyph. But Chansey's personality wasn't exactly the battle-loving type.

Faced with Arven's challenge, Chansey didn't even take this human seriously at first. It planned to do what it always did.

Run.

"It's going to run!"

"Chansey is said to bring happiness. It's a gentle Pokémon. But throughout its life, plenty of Pokémon have targeted its tasty, nutritious eggs, so they've tried to chase it down and capture it."

"During that constant pursuit, Chansey's running speed seems to have increased. Over time, Chanseys mastered a special trick: running away fast while still protecting their eggs from breaking."

Even though its base Speed stat was only 50, "Chansey runs fast" was recognized across regions. That was probably because in older generations, Chansey could learn Rollout through move tutoring.

Rollout doesn't raise Speed, but rolling is definitely faster than normal running. So in later generations, Chansey could also learn speed-boosting moves like Tailwind.

Back in the desert, Hikaru had even told Riolu to find wild Chansey. He used candy to buy a few eggs for making salad, and it was unbelievably good.

And in competitive battling, Chansey and its evolution Blissey were famous as "the big egg" and "the pink demon."

A massive 250 base HP that made even Regidrago look pathetic, plus 105 Special Defense. Serene Grace Rock Slide could disgust endless people. Natural Cure cleared status. It was a nightmare special wall that was hard to crack, a competitive evergreen.

In the so-called "Eternal Stall Squad," Chansey sat at the top. Add Eviolite and it got even more ridiculous, delivering endless surprises to battling players.

Of course, if the opponent had Psyshock, that was a different story.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Don't run, Chansey! I'm catching you!"

Arven fully showed off his superhuman physique. This was the kind of moment where you wanted to yell, what do you mean this kid is eight?!

"Lucky! Lucky! Lucky!"

Chansey sprinted around the geoglyph, trotting and circling, glancing back while running, and then it got scared out of its mind.

That human kid was chasing straight after it, not slowing down at all. He was about to catch up!

"Don't underestimate Arven. He's a human even a 146 Speed Cetitan can't catch. He's basically Superman."

In the end, Chansey finally ran out of stamina. Arven caught it and tackled it to the ground in one swoop.

"I, I outran you! Accept my capture! If I'm going to become a Herba Mystica chef, your eggs are essential!"

"Lucky!!!" Chansey finally collapsed, sprawled out with spiraling eyes.

Even Garganacl's eyes took on a thoughtful, evaluating look.

Hm. I thought this human kid was all dreams and no substance.

Didn't expect him to actually be strong. He can outrun Pokémon. His stamina beat Chansey's. This isn't a normal human anymore.

Hikaru said, "That's right. Chansey is a very powerful Pokémon. It's just that in most cases, Nurse Joy doesn't use this kind of Pokémon for battling."

"But if you do actual combat, you'll understand fast. Let me teach you some basic battling concepts."

Lead into Stealth Rock, then Toxic on the switch. Wish rotation until you're basically unkillable. Soft-Boiled to heal when you get chipped. Fight long enough and you win.

Soft-Boiled, Minimize, Toxic, Seismic Toss, that kind of thing.

Bring smiles through battling. Make opponents cry happy tears.

"So I raised another dirty-strats master. This is fun," Hikaru muttered under his breath.

Ruining the new generation protagonist and rival?

No.

This is positive education. How can that be "ruining"?

Chansey is such a wholesome Pokémon, and it really is what a chef needs. Add the Salt King too. How is that unwholesome?

It's like when I had Nemona go catch Incineroar.

Intimidate, Fake Out, Parting Shot, Flare Blitz. Very wholesome, okay. Pokémon battling's underlying logic is literally this.

If Mela catches Smeargle later and starts Spore-sleeping entire crowds, bullying the whole school, that's the true way to deal with bad vibes.

And Marnie will have the same kind of setup later too.

If you challenge Spikemuth Gym, one slap from Incineroar and the challenger's mind goes blank.

Arven wiped the sweat off his head. He'd outrun Chansey head-on with pure legs, and a massive sense of achievement surged up from deep inside.

This was the joy of beating a Pokémon battle without using Pokémon.

After recording and capturing, they officially advanced toward the lower hollow.

Those Great Tusk and Roaring Moon from earlier were still sprawled on the ground, unable to move, completely asleep.

And once they reached the lower area, shining Terastal crystals were almost everywhere, lighting the dark cave bright as day.

Along the way, they couldn't avoid wild Pokémon and the occasional Paradox Pokémon popping up to block the route.

But Hikaru's team, plus Arven's three Pokémon, were all extremely strong.

If the opponents weren't charging in as a group, there was basically nothing to worry about.

Even so…

"Maybe I shouldn't have spoken too soon. Why are there battle traces everywhere down here? And now another batch of Paradox Pokémon showed up?!"

It was a bunch of old friends. Blocking their way was a tribe of Sandy Shocks.

Close to thirty Sandy Shocks were rampaging around, yelling "Kill, kill, kill," like they were on a hunting spree, and they charged straight at them!

"Only thirty. Don't worry. I prepared muscle specifically for this situation."

Rumble, rumble.

The Capture Styler's capture limit was 6 to 8. After Rotom moved in and used future tech to slightly upgrade performance, the capture limit increased to 12.

With heavy footsteps, the wild Garganacl that had been drafted by the Capture Styler formed "Wall Maria," and pushed forward with a thunderous advance.

Stone, walls, giants, all the elements were there.

That day, the Paradox Pokémon remembered the fear of being ruled by Garganacl.

————————

In the lower area, close to the deepest layer, was Observation Station No. 4.

Not long ago, an explosion incident occurred here, killing the humans who originally managed the Area Zero Lab.

[We reached an agreement with the AI. We will help her contain those ancient Paradox Pokémon trying to escape outside. In return, she will try to send us back to the future.]

[However, no one helps us perform detailed, correct long-term maintenance. Our companions are decreasing day by day. The future Paradox Pokémon sent through by the time machine are not the same faction as us.]

[The AI sealed the Area Zero Lab. This was to prevent more Pokémon from escaping outward, but at the same time, the AI has undergone abnormal changes. She claims she will rebuild paradise, which clearly contradicts what she said before.]

[There are two red-skinned Pokémon individuals. One of them is extremely violent. The explosion incident at Observation Station No. 4 was also caused by it.]

Iron Crown, blue-green and gleaming, looked at an Iron Hands that had already crashed and could no longer be restarted, and let out a genuine sigh.

As a machine, gaining a heart should have been something that made it happy.

But being inexplicably transferred here and dragged into such high-intensity battles, watching companions get smashed apart again and again, was something it simply couldn't accept.

If it had known this would happen, it would have been better to remain a cold, unfeeling machine.

[The Paradox Pokémon outside are besieging the station again?]

Hearing the sound of moves slamming into the exterior, Iron Crown, one of the station's managers, knew that as long as they stayed in Area Zero, this kind of fighting was unavoidable.

Sure, if they escaped Area Zero, or found an upper area to hide in, they could avoid losses.

But the "Sacred Swordsman" heart inside it couldn't tolerate standing by.

[The heart of Cobalion, my prototype. It's because of you that I developed emotions I was never meant to have!]

[If we fight here until everyone is scrap, I will bear responsibility that cannot be escaped.]

Iron Crown looked at the future Paradox Pokémon clustered around, doing temporary repairs. Iron Leaves had also been badly wounded in the earlier battle.

Observation Station No. 4 was about to fall. In the end, the only thing left here would be a pile of Terastal-corroded scrap.

Iron Crown decided it would go out and fight.

No matter what, it had to keep fighting.

However, the sounds outside not only didn't subside, they grew louder. As Iron Crown was confused, the station door opened.

A green Pokémon that looked like a mechanical Tyranitar staggered in.

[Leader! We found battle traces in the upper portion of the lower area! The ancient Paradox Pokémon are being driven off their territory. We confirmed it from wild Pokémon!]

[Garganacl have formed a giant legion and are advancing toward Observation Station No. 4. Also coming with them are two humans!]

(End of Chapter)

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