Brair had been in a remarkably good mood lately, so much so that even the string of unexpected incidents in Kitakami Village hadn't managed to dampen her spirits.
The reason was simple—
the Terastal phenomenon here in Kitakami turned out to be far more unusual than she had imagined.
And among her current companions, she had discovered someone with tremendous "research value."
As a Terastal researcher, this made her extremely excited—so much so that she even felt the sudden urge to settle down here long-term.
Unfortunately, she still had her duties as a teacher at Blueberry Academy, and staying for too long wasn't an option. All she could do was seize this rare opportunity while it lasted.
Brair wasn't from Paldea. She had never even set foot in the Great Crater of Paldea, let alone ventured into its deepest depths.
Yet she was deeply connected to both Terastalization and the Great Crater, and her interest in them was exceptional.
While the origin of Terastalization and the Paradox Pokémon lay in Area Zero,
the first to discover these strange creatures—and approach the source of Terastalization—had not been a native of Paldea.
That honor belonged to a researcher named Heath.
Over two hundred years ago, Heath had ventured deep into Area Zero with his Cyclizar, where he encountered Paradox Pokémon.
From later records, it was highly likely that he had also come into contact with the "Disc Pokémon" that resided at the very bottom of Area Zero—Terapagos.
After returning, Heath compiled his discoveries into two books: The Scarlet Book and The Violet Book.
These books recorded the existence of Paradox Pokémon, the source of Terastalization, and even seemingly absurd details like the "Herba Mystica."
According to Heath's theory, those Pokémon that resembled but were not identical to existing species came from the distant past or the far future. Hence, he named them "Paradox Pokémon."
But if you think about it carefully, there's something that doesn't add up.
Everyone knows that Paradox Pokémon first appeared in Paldea only after Arven's parents completed their time machine research.
They used that time machine to catch Pokémon from other timelines with Master Balls and then transported them into the present.
The games make it clear: Koraidon and Miraidon were the very first past-form and future-form Pokémon to arrive in Area Zero; others like Great Tusk or Flutter Mane came later.
And the time machine itself was only created after Arven was born…
Which means there's at least a hundred-year gap between Heath's first encounter with Paradox Pokémon and the arrival of the first Paradox Pokémon in Area Zero.
At Heath's point in history, it should have been impossible for him to encounter them—Arven's parents weren't even born yet.
And yet, he did encounter them.
Not only that, but the illustrations in his books matched the Pokémon we know today, down to the smallest detail.
This, naturally, was quite the mystery.
Perhaps for that very reason, after The Scarlet Book and The Violet Book were published, most people dismissed them as nonsense.
Some even ventured into the Great Crater themselves—only to find nothing resembling what the books described.
Over time, the two works were dismissed as little more than third-rate sci-fi, the kind you'd mention in the same breath as "a cute girl posting online to ask which computer specs would make her boyfriend happy."
And yet… some people were intrigued.
For instance… Arven's parents.
The records of past and future Pokémon in Heath's books piqued their interest to an extraordinary degree.
So much so that they resolved to venture into Area Zero themselves.
And they actually built a time machine—eventually seeing the very Pokémon depicted in those books.
One could say Heath and Arven's parents formed a paradox of their own—
a result that created its own cause.
Aside from Arven's parents, Brair herself was fascinated by these paradoxes.
Because Heath was, in fact, her ancestor.
She had been trying for years to verify the contents of his books.
Progress… well, it wasn't great.
Come on—
the Scarlet Book claims that Screaming Tail is a Jigglypuff from a billion years ago.
Who on earth would believe that?
It's not even certain if humans in the Pokémon world have existed for a billion years.
And in all that time, Jigglypuff only changed that much? What kind of nonsense is that?
Still, Brair had once applied to the Paldea League, hoping to explore the deepest depths of Area Zero herself.
The request was denied.
In plain terms, that place was one of Paldea's most classified areas, and she was just a relatively unimportant outsider.
Iono could go in, but Brair couldn't.
And of course, the more humans are denied something, the more they want it.
Even after being refused, she still longed to go deep into Area Zero to uncover the secrets of Terastalization and Paradox Pokémon.
She also hoped to find the mysterious "Disc Pokémon" buried in its depths.
Yes, she knew of Terapagos's existence.
She just didn't know what it really was—or what power it held.
It was around then that she learned about Kitakami.
A place with a natural Terastal phenomenon similar to Area Zero.
If she couldn't get the real thing, at least she could have a "substitute meal."
She had only been hoping to gather a bit of Terastal-related intel here in Kitakami.
But today, she suddenly received news from Naranja Academy.
It turned out that Haru—the man traveling with her—was a mysterious figure who had returned from Area Zero! And that he likely had Paradox Pokémon with him.
Well, that got her attention.
This was a man who had returned from Area Zero! That's far more interesting than some "Dragonborn Blue-Silver God King."
Maybe he even knew some of Terastalization's secrets.
At first, it was just curiosity.
But after she finished her breakfast of purple mochi this morning…
Everything changed.
She never imagined that the purple mochi wasn't even real food—it was a byproduct of Pecharunt!
So she abandoned her original plan to investigate Crystal Pool, and began scouring the land in search of Haru.
If Iono and Sabrina's feelings were filled with unspoken emotion, then Brair's was an extreme hunger for knowledge.
She had to advance—enough to shake the foundations of certain things.
After all, curiosity is just another form of desire.
---
Meanwhile…
Haru still refused to let Carmine follow him, insisting she return to Blueberry Academy at once. Kitakami was dangerous right now.
But Carmine wouldn't listen.
If he wouldn't take her, she'd just turn into his little shadow, tailing him wherever he went.
Seeing her so stubborn, Haru couldn't be bothered to argue anymore. He just let her follow.
They were all grown-ups—everyone had to take responsibility for their own actions. Haru couldn't arrange everyone's fate for them; the most he could do was pull someone up if they were about to fall.
If Carmine insisted on courting disaster, and something happened, well… that was on her.
Liko, still reeling from this morning's shock, tugged at Haru's sleeve.
"Professor Haru, what should we do next?
Are we going straight after Team Rocket?"
Liko had always felt that Haru knew an awful lot of strange things, and always kept a certain air of mystery—like he was hiding something.
It made her feel like she didn't know him at all.
And yet, in another sense, she'd already seen through him completely. After all, she'd seen him in action.
"No," Haru shook his head. "In this whole Kitakami affair, Team Rocket isn't actually that important. Right now, they're most likely just… victims."
"The only one that matters is Pecharunt. Take it out, and Kitakami's problem is basically solved."
…And then there was Necrozma, still missing.
Who knew what it was up to? It hadn't made a move all this time.
The only thing certain was that it was still safe.
As Haru was thinking this, his gaze shifted to a patch of grass nearby.
"Wouldn't you agree, Ponpon?"
"Umma?"
A puzzled voice came from the bushes, wondering how Haru had seen through her disguise.
She'd been hiding here for quite a while, and so far only Haru had found her.
But since she'd been discovered, there was no point in hiding.
Even though there was a local around, this was Haru—her "kindred spirit"—calling her, so she had to show some respect.
With a few casual swings of her club, Ogerpon pushed aside the grass and trotted excitedly around Haru twice.
That was probably her way of expressing a certain mood.
But Carmine, trailing behind Haru, froze.
"This is… the Ghost?"
She had heard about Haru battling the Loyal Three with an unknown Pokémon… but she had never expected that "unknown Pokémon" to be the Ghost.
Ogerpon didn't look at all like a malicious ghost, but Carmine had been there when Haru used her to help thrash Team Rocket—and when Kieran had chased her up the mountain.
So she knew. Maybe the local legend didn't say who the Ghost really was, but this one was definitely the "Ghost" Kieran spoke of.
And yet here she was, clearly very close to Haru. Not quite his Pokémon, but close enough.
What about Kieran? Wasn't he still searching for the Ghost's power?
Carmine felt a flicker of confusion. Things were getting murkier and murkier. Only the tight sensation around her body felt… real.
"Hey, don't call her 'Ghost.'" Haru waved a hand. "Does Ponpon look like a ghost to you? Have you ever seen a ghost this cute?"
Hearing this, Ponpon quickly hid her club behind her back, blinking her starry eyes and looking utterly harmless.
What bad intentions could Ponpon possibly have?
Lillie, however, eyed Haru suspiciously, then glanced at Ogerpon.
Thanks to her experiences in Alola, she was wary of any female creature that appeared near Haru.
What if something… happened again?
And wouldn't you know it—something did happen.
Haru had planned to have Ogerpon resume her role as a "Ponpon-radar" to locate Pecharunt, but before they could, a massive energy reaction erupted from the direction of Crystal Pool.
Before setting off, they were also ambushed by several Team Rocket members under mind control.
These small fry were dealt with instantly—Haru didn't even bother using Mew.
Hidden in the shadows, Kieran was left stunned by Haru's power.
The legendary strength… was terrifying.
How could such might belong to that man?
He was supposed to be the main character!
And the Ghost—he had been the first to seek her out!
But when Haru's group reached the source of the energy reaction, they found that while it was close to Crystal Pool, there was still some distance left.
And nothing unusual remained at the scene—
except for an unconscious Bai Leia.
---
The entire space was steeped in gray.
A heavy iron door sealed away the noise of the outside world. Inside, the laboratory was lit by a single fluorescent lamp—its cold, piercing light seemingly able to lay bare the shadows in one's heart.
The air reeked of disinfectant and chemical reagents, sharp enough to choke on.
And at the very center of the lab, the artificially-created Legendary Pokémon had once again fallen into slumber.
Yes—Mewtwo's rampage had finally been subdued. At present, it was strong—but not yet strong enough.
To carry out Giovanni's plans, the researchers had prepared countless contingency measures, most of them designed to suppress or neutralize Mewtwo's berserk states.
They knew all too well what an unhinged Legendary could mean.
According to protocol, Mewtwo should have been rendered completely unconscious, only to wake once they'd reinforced their control measures.
And yet… that wasn't the case.
From the moment it closed its eyes,
someone—or rather, something—was already waiting for it in its dreams.
Necrozma—the Pokémon Haru had been searching for all this time.
It now sat in the darkness, gazing down at "Mew No. 2."
"Mewtwo—that's your name, right?"
"From this moment on, I declare you… my next creation."
"Oh, and by the way—
you may call me 'Mama.'"
"…?"
Only newly born, with no grasp of the world, Mewtwo was left utterly bewildered.
***************************
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