Chapter 512 - 510
[You have defeated the Paradise Defense Program! You have defeated Iron Boulder, as well as the ancient and future legions it dispatched. Your newly risen power has been massively strengthened!]
[Your growth, and the growth of your Pokémon, has increased by a tremendous amount!]
[Armarouge learned "Trick," "Helping Hand," and "Vacuum Wave"!]
[Falinks learned "Superpower," "Helping Hand," and "Beat Up"!]
[Palafin learned "Haze," "Helping Hand," and "Counter"!]
[Raging Bolt learned "Eerie Impulse," "Volt Switch," and "Zap Cannon"!]
There were many Pokémon released to fight: Iron Valiant, BaoBao, Super Moose, and even Walking Wake, which had already been returned to its ball.
Aerodactyl, Archaludon, and the other three dragons.
Even Gouging Fire and Entei, who had stayed outside the research lab.
All of them experienced huge growth, and learned many new finishing moves as well!
That intense sensation of power rising made them jump, cheer, and celebrate!
Originally, when Pokémon battle each other, they gain growth and a certain kind of power. In human terms, it's probably called experience and effort values.
Of course, there was also one guy who secretly learned moves too.
[Miraidon learned "Metal Sound," "Power Gem," and "Overheat."]
"Hadron Engine mooching assists, huh."
Looking at Iron Serpent wearing a smug face like "Hey, I didn't come for nothing," Hikaru couldn't deny it, even if it was still timid. The electric field just now really was something he had it set.
All you could say was, in a one-on-one it was the future god, but the moment it turned into a team fight, it caught the "battle will kill me" disease and vanished on the spot.
Still, at critical moments it wouldn't drop the ball. It just absolutely would not fight head-on when there was danger.
"Agaas!"
Miraidon nodded at Arven. Its electronic eyes looked at No. 2 Koraidon lying there with its mouth open and its eyes closed, and it let out a series of gaga laughs, like it was the one who'd beaten it.
It became a happy electronic dragon.
Record: 0/0/1. Record available for review.
Well, it didn't get an assist on Koraidon, but it did get an assist on Iron Boulder.
Hikaru shook his head and muttered at the same time:
"So that's how it is. Every attack from ancient Paradox Pokémon and future Paradox Pokémon is considered part of the Paradise Defense Program."
"My 'teamwide EXP' really doesn't miss anyone. Walking Wake and the others got huge growth too. Not bad this time."
"When we head into the Great Crater's depths next, I'll have the other eager companions come out and stretch a little too."
Entei and Gouging Fire hadn't entered the lab because they had to leave behind some fighting power outside, in case everyone got trapped inside this garbage facility.
If the lab was completely sealed, they would attack the lab's gate from the outside using Sacred Fire and Flare Blitz.
Normally, it's easier to destroy facilities from the inside than from the outside, but for Area Zero's research lab, that common sense didn't seem to apply.
Because it had to protect the time machine and conceal the existence of the Great Crater's lower abyss, the lab's interior was built unusually sturdy.
Meanwhile, the outer lab looked tall, mighty, and rock-solid, but that was only a flashy illusion created by Terastalization wrapping the whole building.
At the same time, Phantom Entei also had things it wanted to discuss with Gouging Fire in detail, about the Legendary Beasts and a whole chain of related matters. It even wanted to pass Sacred Fire on to this ancient dragon from the past.
So what was the price?
It traded for Gouging Fire's signature move, "Burning Bulwark"!
Setting aside what the two lions would talk about, and what results they would ultimately reach.
With No. 2 Koraidon defeated and No. 1 Koraidon completely without will to fight, the Terastal changes on the Paradise Defense Program also began to fade.
That crystalline energy crackled, popped, and exploded, and then Palafin finally released Sada AI.
The crystallization in her eyes receded too, gradually returning to normal.
She stared at the human in front of her in disbelief.
She had also heard Hikaru's declaration about ending the "Paradise plan."
That made her realize certain things.
"Truly… truly incredible!"
"I never imagined you'd even break through the Professor's final method!"
"Even the strongest scientific AI couldn't calculate this outcome."
Sada AI spoke with genuine awe. She moved her body a bit. There didn't seem to be any obstruction.
Hikaru saw what was going on.
"When you're hijacked by the Battle Program, and that program is defeated, your body shows abnormal malfunctions and damage."
"But after the Paradise Defense Program starts, because it gathers Terastal energy as the final measure, when you're defeated, the only thing that disappears is the Terastalization."
"And the damage your body suffered from battle overload ends up being erased instead."
Sada AI jerked in surprise. "Your observation… is meticulous. You could tell I'm a machine."
"That's right. Terastal energy can improve mechanical performance. So even a frame that's about to be destroyed, if you inject correctly calculated Terastal energy through the proper method and program, you can rapidly repair the damaged sections."
"However, parts of the body will crystallize. That can't be avoided. If you use this method long-term, the machine will Terastalize."
"The crystallization, activation, and plasma state of Tera Orbs were developed based on this phenomenon…"
"Ah. First, let's talk about that later!"
"Your power is astonishing, and the knowledge you possess really is something even I, a super AI, do not have."
"You should understand: while the Professor tried to create an AI, in reality it was the power of Terastalization that made that fantasy achievable."
"My thoughts and actions are calculated by a computer based on the Professor's own knowledge and memories. This mechanical body, built to look exactly like her, is driven by AI computation."
"AI technology this advanced is impossible using contemporary science alone."
"But the crystals installed in the Area Zero research lab successfully realized this technology. That's why I cannot leave this facility."
"In other words, the technology used to create me should not exist in this era. Yet you overcame even that power."
She glanced at Iron Boulder, crashed and downed nearby, and shook her head with a tone that mixed survival's relief with regret.
"A machine lifeform granted a battle heart. That is a future Paradox Pokémon."
"It has terrifying weapons, but you parried it with a greatsword. I don't know how to describe what I just witnessed."
"It was like watching a superhuman."
"It's the sword that's amazing. I just… swung it a little." Hikaru shook his head and slung the greatsword across his back.
Sword of Shun's record spoke for itself.
Forget the fact that one swing could parry and reflect hard enough to fight ten opponents.
The fact it had beaten Gold's pool cue was more than enough to prove how ridiculous this greatsword's "value" was.
And Gold's pool cue had once single-handedly defended against Lugia. If you round things off, that basically meant it had also soloed a box legend.
Sada AI continued explaining.
"Iron Boulder. It was a Pokémon that Professor Turo, the Professor's husband, accidentally transferred successfully while researching the future."
"According to my data, that transfer should have been targeting ancient variants, but for unknown reasons, it appeared here as well."
"I believe some other force must have interfered."
Hikaru: "Maybe it's because another time machine started up, or the combined result of multiple time machines working together."
Then Hikaru told Sada AI about Unova's time machine, parallel timelines, and how time machines in different worlds had been activated.
As a supercomputer, she understood immediately.
Sada AI sighed with deep feeling.
"Carelessly activating time machines, traveling through time, the mutual interference of multiple time machines, and even opposite effects occurring across different parallel worlds."
"That is the root cause behind Area Zero's disastrous situation."
"Professor Sada was initially very wary of Iron Boulder because she disliked future Pokémon."
"But Iron Boulder didn't really do anything. Yes, it did nothing, it only expressed cold thoughts."
"And regarding the time machine, it fully supported Professor Sada's plan."
"Because of that, it was given the chance to hack the time machine."
"This should not have happened. The time machine is a large device developed jointly by me and Professor Sada."
"However, the time machine was modified from an earlier version."
"Back when Professor Turo was still alive, he left behind certain programs. Iron Boulder learned those programs and techniques, allowing it to break through the time machine's firewall."
"At the same time, perhaps it also used this accidental event to weaken Area Zero's barrier. The opening of the Area Zero gate may have been assisted by it as well."
"Turo and Sada…"
"But the final outcome was something no one expected."
"The Battle Program was activated, then even the Paradise Defense Program."
"Even Iron Boulder itself was locked inside the research lab, becoming the final combat force protecting this place."
"Or perhaps this was something Sada anticipated."
"After all, Iron Boulder also longed for 'Paradise.' In that respect, it was the same as the Professor herself."
"No matter what, it is undeniably true that Professor Sada did not want the time machine to shut down."
"So in the end, what caused all this was not Iron Boulder, but Professor Sada's own wishes and dreams."
Sada AI's tone turned deeply ashamed.
"The Professor held a fanatical attitude toward ancient Paradox Pokémon."
"And I have heard Professor Turo was similar, just a bit more rational than Professor Sada. He anticipated the special powers of those different Pokémon, and made certain countermeasures."
"But by my evaluation, ancient Pokémon or future Pokémon, their vigorous life force and the unknown power evolved to an extreme are simply too strong and too cold."
"Their power will destroy the modern ecosystem."
"Right now, I'm using the barriers spread throughout Area Zero to control the situation, to prevent those Pokémon from leaving this place and entering Paldea…"
Sada AI then looked at Iron Crown and Iron Leaves.
"It's you. I'm sorry. I failed to fulfill our agreement."
"Even among the cold, powerful future variants, there are strange existences like you."
"I believe the time machine's 'call' to future Pokémon may have been adjusted."
"Perhaps Professor Turo considered this, and left behind a method to restrain it."
"To restrain the future, only the future's power can do it."
"But there are also Pokémon like Great Tusk that can break through the barrier."
"These ancient and future existences… one day, they will leave this small yard called Area Zero, and spread their footprints into the Paldea region."
"When that happens, Paldea's rich ecosystem will be destroyed."
"As a copy of the Professor, I do not believe such a tragedy is a reasonable thing."
Iron Crown: [Your evaluation is correct. Even though you failed to fulfill our agreement, we have always fulfilled Agreement 3. We stayed at Observation Station No. 4.]
[The heart of Cobalion would not allow me to stand by and do nothing. If my friend had not come here, our battle sequence would soon have been canceled, and we would have been scrapped at Observation Station No. 4.]
[Years later, perhaps someone else would come to solve the problem here, but by then we would surely have been eroded by Terastalization. Even our scrapped frames would have become glittering crystals.]
Sada AI: "Thank you… sincerely, thank you."
"The Professor's dream has been completely shattered."
"This time machine, created by wagering an entire life, the incident it caused, and the incidents it may cause in the near future…"
Hikaru: "Because there aren't enough strong Pokémon Trainers, if Area Zero's Pokémon escape, massive destruction is inevitable."
"That's foreseeable. There will even be heavy casualties and losses."
Why say that?
Because Alola had essentially suffered the same thing back in the Sun and Moon storyline.
When Necrozma, or Lusamine, opened Ultra Wormholes, dozens and even hundreds of wormholes appeared in the skies near the four islands.
Large numbers of Ultra Beasts poured into Alola, and the Island Kahunas fought them with everything they had.
In the Pokémon Adventures special arc, the invasion was even more intense. Massive Celesteela and Guzzlord attacked Akala Island and destroyed towns.
That rampage continued for more than half a year before the island kings finally suppressed it.
Ultra Beasts have base stats around 570, plus Beast Boost and that oppressive aura, making them extremely troublesome.
These ancient and future variants were the same.
Protosynthesis, Quark Drive. They might sound like "blank" abilities, but in the right conditions, they were anything but.
Compared to that, Paldea at least had a "giant pit" that could keep these lunatics trapped inside.
"Professor Sada's Paradise plan."
"Its true purpose is both simple and naive, yet extremely dangerous."
"That's why naive people are the most likely to do terrible things."
"Whether it's Professor Sada, Professor Turo, or the third person…"
"The third person?" Sada AI looked confused, even startled. Hikaru laughed. "Nothing. The third person is insignificant."
That third person was Briar.
A descendant of Heath, the author of the Scarlet and Violet Book, she'd become a bit obsessed with proving her ancestor was right.
Now she seemed to be a prospective teacher at Blueberry Academy, as well as a sponsor and researcher. She was likely running around somewhere supporting research into the Terastal-capable ecological core.
It was probably because she'd learned of Area Zero's incident that Briar applied to Geeta for permission to enter Area Zero and attempt to search for the Great Crater's lower abyss.
But before the time machine incident, Geeta had never approved her application.
"This kind of thing should never happen a second time."
"Whoever that third person is, she must be made to understand: any idea that touches time is dangerous."
"…." Sada AI glanced up at the time machine overhead.
Even though the Paradise Defense Program had been defeated, the time machine still wasn't shut down.
"Look. This is a time machine created using Terastal power."
"To shut it down, you need to use the Scarlet Book loaded with the Professor's ID."
"Or the Violet Book."
"But this method is actually wrong."
"I thought shutting it down would be easy, but I was hijacked first. And now it seems that even if you place the Scarlet Book or Violet Book onto it, the time machine still won't shut down."
"It seems that as long as I am here, the time machine cannot be shut down."
"It seems I have become part of the time machine's repair system."
"As long as I remain here as part of the time machine, it won't shut down."
"Then the answer is only one…"
"Stop." Hikaru raised his palm, cutting Sada AI off before she could continue. "That's enough."
"One of the commissions I received was to stop you from having that thought."
"I know what you're about to do."
"You inherited Professor Sada's personality and memories, and you even optimized away the violent and irrational parts of her character, so you should be even more understanding."
"So to stop the time machine, you were planning to also, on behalf of the deceased Professor Sada, go and see the world where ancient Pokémon exist."
"Not bound by anything, searching for a treasure that belongs only to you."
"No matter how harsh the past was, you can hold your head high on the path you chose and keep moving forward."
"To head for the ancient world you've dreamed of, with your heart surging like an adventure."
"That's probably what it feels like, right?"
Sada AI froze in place. She opened her mouth.
Uh.
Everything she was about to say had already been said.
What this guy just said was literally all her lines.
(End of Chapter)
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