"Maybe I should explain some things you don't yet know about my abilities and other Logic Users," Diego said, turning to face Rayne.
Rayne blinked. "Seriously? You're going to explain it now? Isn't this a little early for that kind of explanation?"
Diego waved a hand dismissively. "It's better than you being confused when I actually use them. I'll start from the basics." He walked toward the whiteboard in the corner of the lab and picked up a marker. "A Logic User's ability, as the name suggests, is to manipulate and alter logic itself. The reason it's complicated is that to use a specific logic, you first have to create your own logical model." He drew a simple diagram on the board. "Take Zayn, for example. He uses Game Logic, so he follows the logic of games. This logic also determines what abilities he can access." He added another figure beside the first. "Raizer also uses Game Logic, but his isn't as complex as Zayn's. Why? Because the model Raizer built isn't as fully developed as Zayn's—Zayn's is already a complete framework."
Rayne studied the diagram. Two figures, both with a game console symbol above their heads.
"Two people with the same Logic type—Game Logic," Diego continued. "But you can't assume their abilities are identical. Raizer and Zayn can both access Game Logic, but the way they access it—and what they can do with it—is completely different." He glanced at Raizer. "You want to explain?"
Raizer nodded. "My Game Logic has to be activated manually. Changing clothes instantly, that kind of thing—I have to consciously trigger it. Zayn's, though? His is always active. It's part of his Aspect."
Rayne's eyes widened. "What kind of things can he do?"
Raizer counted on his fingers. "Auto-respawn. Save states. View stats. All the stuff you'd expect from a game character."
Rayne's jaw dropped. "So THAT'S why he wasn't afraid of dying. He literally has extra lives."
Diego smiled. "Exactly."
Rayne processed this quietly, her brow furrowed in concentration. *So you have to create your own model and then follow its rules. That's... a lot of work.*
Diego nodded as if reading her thoughts. "And that's the hard part. If you only use one Logic type, you can focus entirely on it. But if you combine multiple Logic systems, you have to create new logic to connect them." He drew a third figure on the board, this one with a more complex diagram above it. "Most people default to Normal Logic or Real Logic—models based on standard space, time, and physical laws. And honestly, studying Logic isn't difficult. People have been doing it for centuries. But becoming a true Logic User means having a working model you can actually use."
Rayne's expression brightened with understanding. "So if I wanted to use Logic, I'd just have to create my own model."
"Exactly."
"So what's YOUR Logic system?"
Diego drew a shape on the board—a single continuous loop twisted into a figure-eight. "You know what a Möbius strip is, right?"
Raizer answered first. "A single-sided surface. One continuous loop."
Diego tapped the drawing. "My Logic system is based on the Möbius strip, combined with Multiverse-type Possibility. Möbius strip Logic means I perceive everything as existing on a single side. Time is my foundation, so I can see or move through past, present, and future events regardless of what happens. I can ignore linear progression entirely."
Rayne's head tilted. "So every Logic needs a foundation? That sounds exhausting."
Diego laughed. "Of course. Why do you think I said you need a working model?"
Rayne pressed further. "And how does the Möbius strip time system connect to Multiverse-type Possibility?"
Diego drew a branching line, then another branch from each branch, and another, and another, until the board was covered in fractal patterns.
"I told you—I access time through the Möbius strip structure. And the possibility foundation of the multiverse I access is also time-based. I can shift to other possibilities, other realities, all using that foundation. That means I access infinite branching paths."
Rayne squinted at the chaotic diagram. "If you're accessing branching timelines, why do you call it possibility-based?"
Diego's smile was patient. "Because everything is possibility-based. And you think those branches don't have their own branches? Imagine each branch splitting again, and again, and again, endlessly, with no limits. That's not just time—that's pure possibility."
Rayne's brain was starting to hurt. "So the reason you knew about that trainer earlier—you saw his past or future in another possibility?"
Diego shook his head. "I didn't need to do that. I just saw or heard when he told Zayn his name in the future." He paused. "Besides, his foundation is different from mine. He operates under a different model entirely."
Raizer leaned forward. "What model?"
"If I'm not mistaken..." Diego's voice dropped slightly, "All Possibility and Impossibility."
Rayne frowned. "Isn't that basically the same as yours? All possibilities?"
"The model is different." Diego drew another diagram, this one more abstract. "His foundation is pure, unfiltered possibility—all of it, without any branching time structure. Just... everything that could be and couldn't be."
Rayne closed her eyes, trying to piece it together. *So his ability sees time as a single surface, with access to other realities based on possibility and time...*
Raizer broke the silence with a new question. "I want to ask something else. What exactly are Aspects? You've only ever told us they're the 'core' of something."
Diego set down his marker. "Aspect... Zero once said it's the fundamental concept of something. The core identity. Because of that, an Aspect can create or change anything according to its nature. And Aspects are influenced by their users—they can evolve. If a Pokémon adapts or evolves, its Aspect evolves with it."
Raizer exhaled slowly. "That's more complex than I thought."
Diego nodded. "Especially now that Zero and I are researching Limitless Potential."
Both Raizer and Rayne leaned forward. "Limitless Potential? What is that? And what does it have to do with Aspects?"
Diego's expression grew thoughtful. "In simple terms? It's the idea that anything can change. That anything can become anything else, without being bound by limitations. This theory came from our research into how far possibility can extend." He paused for effect. "And we found there are no limits. Possibility doesn't end."
Rayne tilted her head. "Why call it 'limitless' instead of just 'infinite potential'?"
Diego's smile returned. "Because even infinity can be surpassed by possibility. Everything that can be modeled—including infinity itself—is just one possibility among countless others. That's what we're researching now. And we've discovered that the Aspects used by Pokémon and humans operate on completely different systems."
Raizer raised an eyebrow. "I thought no two Aspects were the same anyway."
"That's not what I mean." Diego drew two circles on the board. "The difference is in how they work. A human's Aspect—or an object's Aspect—is more like an identity connected to their abilities. Logic, Esper powers, things like that. But a Pokémon's Aspect? It creates entire worlds. Their own laws. Their own reality. They can rewrite everything according to their Aspect."
Rayne and Raizer exchanged shocked glances.
Raizer spoke first. "I always thought the effect of an Aspect was just teleporting us to another dimension."
Diego shook his head. "That can happen too. But this is the core definition. We collected this data because Pokémon use their Aspects even outside their own worlds. The effect is always there."
Rayne's voice was barely a whisper. "No wonder they're so strong."
Diego nodded slowly. "That's why a friend of mine once said this world is a place where anything can happen. Stories, fate, space, time, history, information, concepts—they're all just small pieces of possibility."
Diego glanced at his watch. A smile crossed his face. "Looks like they're about to arrive. In three... two... one..."
"Knock... knock... knock!"
Professor Miranda walked toward the door. When she opened it, Zayn, Xavier, and Welt stood on the threshold.
Zayn stepped forward with a polite nod. "Good afternoon, Professor. We're here to meet our friends."
Miranda smiled warmly. "Come in, then."
The moment Zayn stepped inside, his eyes landed on Diego. His expression shifted instantly from polite to accusatory.
"Finally! I've been looking for you! You almost got me killed yesterday because you forgot to give me my starter equipment! I had to buy everything myself!"
Diego didn't look the least bit guilty. "Hey, I already gave you compensation. Besides, if you die, you can just respawn."
Rayne watched the exchange with wide eyes. "I never thought a professor who accesses Möbius strip time and the multiverse would be arguing with a kid who uses Game Logic."
Raizer chuckled quietly. "That's just how they are. You never know what's going to happen with those two."
---
Meanwhile, Miranda had pulled Welt aside near her desk.
"So you got the data?" Welt asked, keeping his voice low.
Miranda reached into her pocket and pulled out a flash drive. "Of course."
Xavier, who had been listening nearby, frowned. "So this is why you only took photos earlier? You didn't follow them?"
Welt nodded. "I'm not insane enough to walk into their headquarters. Do you think they wouldn't notice? Besides—their base is in another dimension. I'd have been caught before I even got close."
Xavier considered this. "They're smarter than I expected." Then something occurred to him. "Wait—how did Professor Miranda get that data in the first place?"
Miranda smiled, a knowing glint in her eye. "I have my sources. The special investigation team sent it over yesterday."
Welt shook his head in grudging admiration. "As strange as those guys are, they're reliable." He glanced toward the window. "I just hope their preparations go smoothly."
---
Across the lab, Zayn had apparently moved on from his argument with Diego and was now examining the aquarium tanks with genuine fascination. Xavier stood beside him, watching the Bubbleo swim lazy circles in the clear water.
Rayne and Raizer lingered near the whiteboard, still processing everything Diego had explained.
Raizer broke the comfortable silence. "So what's your plan now? Are you staying in Ariestal for the exhibition?"
Rayne nodded slowly. "I think so. It sounds like something important is going to happen tonight." She glanced at Zayn, who was now enthusiastically explaining something to Xavier about one of the fish. "And I want to see what happens."
Raizer's gaze followed hers. "Something will happen. That much I'm sure of."