Hikaru muttered to himself as he knocked on the inventor's door. A voice soon answered from inside.
A spiky-haired man, looking very much like an anime protagonist, appeared in the doorway. He froze for a moment at the sight of Hikaru, then his expression shifted:
"Ah! Welcome! You're the item developer that Mayor Drayden mentioned, aren't you?"
"Please, come in, come in! I've been waiting for you!"
Hikaru raised an eyebrow. "Mayor Drayden did contact you, but… waiting for me?"
Dr. Tamm chuckled. "Yes! I've been struggling with a certain device recently, and I've been hoping for a craftsman, inventor, or researcher—anyone who could lend me a hand!"
"Of course, if you just want to look at my inventions, you're more than welcome! After all, we're colleagues of a sort."
Dr. Tamm ushered Hikaru inside. His child was there too.
Tamm—the name itself derived from "time."
He led Hikaru upstairs to his workspace, showing off various research instruments and a large computer that looked fairly ordinary. Beside it stood another, far older computing machine.
"May I ask you something bold? Do you think humans can return to the past—or travel to the future?"
Dr. Tamm smiled as he rested a hand on the older machine. "This was invented by my father, Dr. Buck. It isn't finished yet."
"This machine was designed to connect the present to the future. Meanwhile, I'm working on one that links the past to the present. If the two are combined…"
"A time machine. Sounds unbelievable, doesn't it? Like something out of science fiction. But that's what I'm researching right now. I've hit some bottlenecks, to the point I sometimes feel helpless."
"But I still believe time can be controlled by human hands. Don't you?"
Hikaru carefully examined the two machines. On the surface, they looked no different from ordinary mainframes.
"Indeed. Some Pokémon can travel through time," Hikaru confirmed. "And from what I know, not just here in Unova—people in distant regions are conducting similar research."
Yes—the time machine!
In the Pokémon world, the earliest "time machine" was indeed created by Buck and Tamm in Unova! Though in the games it looked more like they connected parallel worlds, the result was the same—they reached into past and future.
The problem was, their prototype had a very limited "operation time."
Later, in Paldea's Zero Lab, Professors Sada and Turo—through research on Terastal energy—completed a more advanced time machine.
That machine constantly brought paradox Pokémon from ancient and future eras. Though, strictly speaking, it may not have been a true time machine either, but rather a gateway into distorted timelines…
Perhaps those paradox worlds were more like "Lostbelts"?
Stranger still, paradox Pokémon had appeared in the Zero Lab long before the time machine was even built—perhaps the coordinates of the transfer had been corrupted?
Just like how the Tablets of Ruin distorted Walking Wake, Unova's Dream World, Sinnoh's Creation Trio, Johto's Celebi—all represented true time-crossing phenomena.
"Do you know Professor Park? He's been developing a Century Transfer Machine—said to teleport people vast distances through space, though in terms of time the difference is minimal."
"And in Paldea, I've heard others are researching the same thing as you."
Dr. Tamm blinked, then lit up with excitement: "Professor Park! Yes, I've heard of him—the designer of the Transfer System! I didn't expect that beyond him, there were others with ideas like mine."
He sighed ruefully. "But to be honest, my reasons aren't so grand."
"I quarreled with my father long ago. I want to return to the past. There are so many things I wish I could redo."
"My father, on the other hand, built his machine because he feared for me—he wanted to glimpse the future, to be sure I wouldn't stray down the wrong path."
"Such a petty reason, right? Yet the machine we created turned out to be great. If a time machine existed, people could choose the right future… or mend their past regrets. That's what I truly believe."
"When I was little, I often thought—what kind of person will I be when I grow up?"
Hikaru placed his hand on the joined computers.
[Item: Machine Linking Past and Future (Time Machine)]
[Description: Designed to connect past, present, and future. Still incomplete—missing vital components, coding unfinished, and lacking an energy source. Requires a Pokémon from another world that knows the move Charge.]
At that moment, Hikaru's Miracle Diamond pendant shone again, as though resonating with something. The strange feeling of being watched grew stronger.
He pulled out the Link Cable, activating the C-Device.
"I think I can help you finish this. Aside from being an item developer, I'm also a programmer and mechanic. I've even helped Professor Park repair his Transfer Machine. I understand machinery quite well!"
The C-Device booted up, loading special knowledge—knowledge derived from interworld communication systems. It could sync with nearly any program or machine, provided the proper coding and a special item: the Link Cable.
The Link Cable first appeared in the Mystery Dungeon series, and in mainline games only became an official item in Legends: Arceus, allowing trade-evolution Pokémon to evolve without external connection.
"O-oh… you're willing to help? That's amazing… you really are incredible!" Dr. Tamm stammered, overwhelmed. Then he snapped out of it: "Wait, no—I'll work with you!"
"I never imagined anyone else would share such passion for a time machine. Everyone else calls it delusion. Even Professor Park—people mock his experiments constantly, saying they always blow up."
Dr. Tamm rambled on, then pointed out: "This part here—this component was supposed to finish the drive program, but I never managed to complete it."
[Knowledge Acquired: Time Machine Assembly!]
[Description: Partial knowledge for building a prototype time machine. Incomplete due to missing code and parts. Use the C-Device and advanced coding to finish it!]
[The Miracle Diamond is resonating! Starting it with this might yield unusual results!]
[Time sync has begun. Space distortion detected!]
With Tamm's assistance, Hikaru rapidly fabricated the missing parts, his speed shocking the inventor.
"You already finished them?!" Dr. Tamm gaped at the newly built components.
"Of course. Mechanics work fast!" Hikaru grinned. You've never seen Team Rocket build something in a day.
Next came coding. Hikaru hooked the C-Device to the machine via Link Cable and began programming a new startup system.
This was normally a highly technical task—but Dr. Fennel and Professor Park had both proven themselves masters at quick coding, whether from genius or sheer practice born of countless explosions.
As Hikaru entered code, the C-Device absorbed knowledge in return. The machine's systems expanded rapidly, producing strange phenomena.
Rotom stirred, drawn awake by the energy surging through the C-Device. Its mischievous face flickered across the screen.
"Amazing!" Dr. Tamm exclaimed, trembling with excitement. He had never expected a guest inventor to also be a top-tier technician capable of advancing his life's work so far.
"No wonder it never started before… that was the flaw…"
"With this redesign, even temporary, it should work!"
"Master Hikaru, you've done me a great service—no, this machine is practically yours now! You've completed the dream my father and I shared!"
"So… can we start it now?"
Hikaru shook his head. "One more thing—what power source will you use?"
"Well… a Pokémon that knows Charge. But last time it failed. Maybe this time?" Tamm sounded unsure.
Hikaru understood.
In a single-timeline world, Tamm could never have guessed the solution: using Pokémon from other worlds. To him, that would seem too bizarre.
In fact, research on alternate worlds wouldn't become widespread until the Alola era, through Professor Burnet and the Aether Foundation. Only Dr. Fennel had studied Dream Worlds before then.
"I'll use my Pokémon. It comes from another world—the Spirit World, the realm of the dead."
"Rotom, Overdrive Form! …No, base form is fine this time."
"Roto-roto~!"
Rotom popped out of the C-Device in its plasma form, circling the time machine curiously.
"What is that Pokémon?" Dr. Tamm asked in amazement. Hikaru explained: "Rotom, the Plasma Pokémon. Research hasn't caught up yet, but the first academic paper is due soon. Keep an eye on Professor Yew's institute. Rotom can possess electrical devices, powering them—and sometimes playing pranks."
"Now, Dr. Tamm, what matters is timing. If the theory holds, then in some past moment, your father activated his prototype. If we align to that exact instant, we can connect to him."
"Yes… precise to the millisecond! My father left records!" Dr. Tamm scrambled to retrieve the notes.
Once the crucial time was set, Hikaru commanded: "Rotom, enter the time machine—use Charge!"
Rotom zipped inside. Its face appeared on the monitor, mischievous grin flashing as pixelated sparks flew.
The whole machine hummed and whirred, roaring to life with tremendous power.
Rotom, Time Machine Form!
Bzzzt—!
The screen blazed with light.
"Fair warning—it may still fail. I just patched the code and parts…" Hikaru began—
But Dr. Tamm suddenly shouted in joy:
"It worked! I've gone back! Father—I see you! Father, it's me, Tamm—"
He froze mid-sentence. His body locked as though time itself had been stripped away. On the screen, the middle-aged man—his father Buck—was also frozen, eyes wide in shock.
Then, with a spatial twist, Tamm vanished.
Zzzzt—crackle—
Whummm—!
The Miracle Diamond flared with blinding light. Time warped. Space fractured.
{Regret of the past. Fear of the future. Hearts full of unease split the fabric of space.}
{Space is the extension of all things. The mind, too, is part of space. In certain spacetime, thoughts become reality.}
{Offer it. Offer me your heart.}
The hollow, vast voice echoed out of the glowing time machine.
In the light, Hikaru glimpsed a colossal pink centaur-like Pokémon!
[Knowledge Triggered: Shining Time / Voice of Another World!]
[Description: An impossible summons has arrived. Time cannot bind you. The vortex of the mind expands. Longings for past and future distort reality. With the birth of the time machine, some "pasts and futures" become real!]
[The Miracle Diamond releases waves of Time!]
[Sensed: the Breath of Space!]
[Temporary Power Acquired: Great Psychic Amplification!]
[Effect: All your psychic/telekinetic/aura/creation powers increase by one tier in this space-time! Mental strength maximized!]
[Link Proven—creatures of another world begin with +50 affinity toward you.]
As the light faded, the enormous pink centaur bowed its head and vanished.
In its place stood towering skyscrapers made of unknown alloys—and the ruins of collapsed structures.
"A spacetime leap?! That was… Shiny Origin Form Palkia?!"
No doubt, one of the Creation Trio. Then the distortions in Opelucid made sense—caused by the time machine!
"The Miracle Diamond and Palkia's power resonated—sending me to some future node?"
"Tamm returned to the past… while I've arrived in the future? How do I get back?"
Opening the C-Device, Hikaru saw a new option: "Time Machine Link."
"But the button shows insufficient power…"
Machines were the riskiest way to time travel. Dialga could roar you safely through ages without issue. This was Hikaru's first time with a mechanical crossing.
Looking around, the changed buildings still faintly resembled Opelucid. A parallel Opelucid, perhaps?
Then—an explosion!
A massive Pokémon was blasted into the ruins, gasping heavily. Its body gleamed like alloy metal, battered with dents and rust.
Even so, Hikaru recognized it instantly.
Yes—a Duraludon!
The Alloy Pokémon, Steel/Dragon-type. Standing upright like a kaiju, body of aluminum-like steel, its head and torso clearly segmented, a large protrusion forming its tail. Its design evoked Mechagodzilla.
And from atop the ruins, shadows spilled down between skyscrapers. A humanoid machine descended—half Gardevoir, half Gallade.
Click—clack—metallic steps echoed.
It had pixel-red eyes, locking onto the fallen dragon before turning toward Hikaru.
[Duraludon. Steel/Dragon-type Alloy Pokémon.]
[Anomaly detected: organic form not mechanized?]
The android's melodic but cold synthetic voice rang out as it raised a gleaming energy blade.
Hikaru's breath caught.
This was… the future! The Violet timeline's paradox world!
And the opponent—Iron Valiant!
The Paradox Fairy/Fighting-type Pokémon! A fusion-like entity resembling both Gardevoir and Gallade. Rumor had it a mad scientist created it as the ultimate psychic warrior. Brutal by nature, it slashed down any who opposed it without hesitation.
Hikaru grabbed a Poké Ball—but it remained shrunken.
Electric sparks flickered through the ruins. Strange interference scrambled the electromagnetic field!
"Locked… electromagnetic jamming?"
That was the flaw of mechanical Poké Balls. Suddenly, Apricorn Balls made by Mr. Kurt felt invaluable.
At their feet, currents surged—Iron Valiant's power rising! It had created the field itself!
Electric Terrain! Grounded Pokémon couldn't sleep, and Electric moves grew 30% stronger.
Iron Valiant's ability activated—Quark Drive! With Electric Terrain, its highest stat increased by 30%—if Speed, by 50%!
It moved. A massive pink aura gathered on its blade, the air shaking with heat!
Aura Sphere!
The android's battle cry rang out. Duraludon wheezed, weakly summoning light in its jaws—trying to fire a Flash Cannon. But its beam was pitiful, its strength nearly gone.
The Aura Sphere blasted forth. Duraludon's Flash Cannon collided—only to be instantly overpowered. The energy sphere surged closer, about to level the battlefield—
Hikaru slammed a potion into Duraludon and shouted: "Use Metal Burst!"
The dragon blinked, then obeyed—the bond of Dragon Tamer's aura reaching it.
As the Aura Sphere struck, Duraludon's body shone with metallic brilliance, absorbing the force.
Then—
BOOM!
A burst of steel energy erupted, detonating across the ruins. Iron Valiant was engulfed in the shining blast!
For the first time, its pixel eyes flickered with confusion. Even in the glare, it saw Duraludon—and the strange human.
"Whoa… what a powerful move!"
A voice piped up. Hikaru shielded his eyes with his dark glasses and turned—only to see… a Ledyba holding a spear?!
"Quickly! Follow me, human!"
The Ledyba spoke, then darted off. Hikaru frowned, hefting the fallen Duraludon.
Despite its size, it was surprisingly light—lighter than a Larvitar. About 40 kilograms on average.
This one was even lighter. Its Ability must be Light Metal—halving its weight.
A 20-kilogram dragon? Practically hollow!
As Hikaru carried it away, Iron Valiant knelt among the wreckage, smoking, one knee to the ground.
Its eyes blinked. Data recorded.
[Anomaly confirmed.]
[Species: Extinct organism "human." Possesses flesh, social traits, and the ability to command Pokémon in battle.]
Iron Valiant's cold expression wavered, deep in thought.
It was the strongest machine Pokémon. Yet this sortie had failed.
Humans… unknown beings, unknown data, unknown power.
Its eyes glowed blue and yellow.
A command came from base, harsh and reprimanding:
[Unit T-1006-01. Why didn't you unleash full power? Why did you disobey orders in capturing Duraludon?]
(End of Chapter)
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