"30 minutes left, it looks like we should head to the first floor now, the speech is about to start," Xavier said, glancing at the clock on his Rotomdex.
He then turned his head toward where Zayn had been standing moments ago, but instead found himself squinting in confusion—because all he saw there now was Ao.
"Wait a minute… where is he?"
"He already left earlier," Ao replied nonchalantly.
"What! Why did you let him go? Weren't we supposed to keep an eye on him until Diego gave the word?" Xavier shot back, a hint of frustration creeping into his voice.
"Relax. He should be with Diego by now. Diego said he'd go meet him," Ao assured him, his tone calm and steady.
"Fine... So, what now? Are we heading downstairs or staying put?" Xavier asked, trying to gauge their next move.
"Of course not. We'll keep watch here. Just in case anyone suspicious shows up," Ao replied, his eyes already scanning the hallway.
"Alright..." Xavier sighed, though he couldn't quite shake the uneasy feeling settling in his chest.
Meanwhile, Zayn had just stepped out of the room. In the grand hallway, his gaze drifted toward the ominous painting of *Bad Night* displayed at the center. His eyes narrowed as he spotted two suspicious girls lingering in front of it—and he immediately recognized one of them. She was the very person Diego had explicitly warned him to avoid at all costs.
It wasn't long before Zayn reunited with Diego on the third-floor hall.
"You already know what you need to do later, right?" Diego said, his voice low and serious.
"Of course. And what are you doing here?" Zayn replied, raising an eyebrow.
"Obviously, I'm here to watch your back," Diego said with a faint smirk.
"Seriously? Are you not aware of *them*?" Zayn gestured subtly toward the two girls still examining the *Bad Night* painting.
Diego's expression shifted the instant he followed Zayn's gaze. "Wait... They're already here? That's not good. We need to get to the first floor. Now."
"What's so dangerous about them? And didn't you only warn me about one of them?" Zayn asked, clearly confused.
Without answering, Diego grabbed Zayn's arm and pulled him swiftly down the staircase.
"I don't know how your brain works, but it's obvious—they could call in the rest of their people, and we're not ready for that," Diego said, urgency creeping into his tone as he dragged both Zayn and his Joltik along.
"Shouldn't you be able to take them on, though?" Zayn asked, stumbling as he was pulled.
"It's not that simple, Zayn. Beating an Esper is a pain. They don't fight fair—they don't fight by normal rules at all," Diego replied grimly.
"Really?" Zayn pressed.
"Esper have abilities that give them their own gravitational field—one that bends time and ignores the laws of physics. Whether they realize it or not, they're constantly warping reality around them," Diego explained, his pace quickening.
"Bending time? I've been around Rayne and I was fine. Wait... is this about that time you mentioned earlier?" Zayn's eyes widened as the pieces clicked together.
"Exactly. They distort space and time as if the universe itself is being drawn toward them. And that distortion affects everything around them," Diego confirmed.
"So how do we beat them?" Zayn asked, a hint of determination seeping into his voice.
"That's the easy part. I've already got a plan. All you have to do is follow my instructions," Diego said with a confident grin.
Just then, Zayn and his Joltik suddenly remembered something crucial.
"Oh, I just remembered," Zayn blurted out.
"What now?" Diego asked, not slowing down.
"Don't tell me you lent your Gible Redux to Xian?"
They both froze and locked eyes. The next thing Zayn knew, Diego had shoved him hard against the wall—and when he blinked, he was suddenly on the first floor, right at Xian's location.
Zayn looked around and spotted Xian, Walt, and Eon keeping watch over the Nexus Sapphire. Xian turned at the sound of his arrival, visibly confused.
"What took you so long?" Xian asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Long? I don't think I was gone that long at all," Zayn replied, equally puzzled.
"It's 9:20 PM. What exactly were you doing for 20 minutes going from the third floor to here?" Walt chimed in, adjusting his glasses.
"I honestly don't know. Diego just threw me, and suddenly I was here," Zayn said, scratching his head in bewilderment.
"Diego can do that? I never knew he had that kind of ability," Xian mused thoughtfully.
"Oh, right—where's Gible?" Zayn asked, shaking off his confusion.
"Relax. He's safe inside his Poké Ball," Xian assured him.
As if on cue, Gible burst out of the Dusk Ball in Xian's pocket, snatched the ball from Xian's hand, and tossed it to Zayn—who caught it instinctively. Gible then leaped onto Zayn's shoulder with a happy chirp.
"And you haven't forgotten our deal, have you?" Zayn asked, a sly grin spreading across his face as Gible and Joltik both perked up with enthusiasm.
"Of course not. I've already sent it to your ID. As for the berries—I didn't have time to buy them, so I transferred the cash equivalent instead," Xian replied casually.
Zayn immediately pulled out his Pokédex and checked to make sure the money had been properly credited.
[₱ 65,500]
"Alright, this checks out. Good work, Gible," Zayn said, glancing at the little dragon on his shoulder.
"Giible!" Gible chirped happily.
Eon, who had been quietly observing, suddenly interjected. "I knew it. Diego doesn't actually have a direct teleportation ability—he must have thrown you across time itself."
"Seriously? He can do that?" both Xian and Zayn said in unison, their eyes wide with shock.
"That's not important right now. Get ready—it's almost time for the old man's speech," Eon said, his tone shifting to one of command. Behind him, Magnezone was already positioned, its sensors detecting that the runes they'd planted earlier were beginning to activate. Eon could feel it too.
"I'm sure they'll go off any moment now. All of you—prepare yourselves," Eon ordered.
Walt and Xian immediately responded, releasing their Espeon and Metagross.
"Alright, I'm ready. Should I make a save now?" Zayn asked, adjusting his cap.
"No. Stick to Diego's instructions—it's not time yet," Xian replied firmly.
"By the way, where's Diego now?" Walt asked, glancing around.
"I have no idea," Zayn admitted with a shrug.
---
Meanwhile, inside the museum's main hall, the crowd had swelled to capacity. Scholars, scientists, artists, and even ordinary citizens had gathered, eager to admire the stunning artworks and catch a glimpse of the Nexus Sapphire—the night's main attraction.
Alfred slowly climbed onto the podium at the center of the museum, standing just behind the Nexus Sapphire still housed within its warp box. He approached the microphone as the crowd's attention turned toward him.
"Good evening, honored guests. Allow me to introduce myself—I am Alfred, the director of this museum. First and foremost, I'd like to thank every single one of you for being here tonight at this exhibition of artifacts and artworks. Whether you are academics, artists, or simply curious citizens, you are all welcome here. Tonight is a historic evening—for the first time since the Alcrypna Incident years ago, we are able to display a Relic to the public. Since that incident, Relics have been kept under the protection of the Relic Protection Division, with a select few housed by other divisions. And I have been granted the privilege of showcasing the Nexus Sapphire here tonight."
He paused, letting his words sink in.
"Unbeknownst to many, Relics have drastically changed our lives. Many of them have been used to make our daily lives more convenient—and the Nexus Sapphire is one of them. If you've ever used an Inventory Box or similar devices, you have this Relic to thank. Without it, efficient storage systems wouldn't exist—or if they did, they'd likely be far too expensive for most. Relics are, at their core, a mystery. They function through the logic of their usage, and some even operate autonomously. There is still so much we don't understand about them—they hold countless secrets yet to be uncovered, and there are still many undiscovered Relics scattered across the world. That is why I hope tonight's exhibition will inspire you to learn more about art, about this world, and about yourselves."
The crowd erupted into applause as Alfred stepped down from the podium. And just as he did, a loud crack echoed from the ceiling above.
Azure looked up, a grim smile forming on her face. "It's starting."
**[Point Set]**
In an instant, all the unrelated visitors were teleported safely outside the museum grounds. A massive explosion erupted from the runes Eon had planted, creating a specialized barrier zone around the museum. Azure remained completely unscathed by the blast.
She watched as Ao, Xavier, Rayne, Nora, Raizer, and Zayn came crashing down from the upper floor. Below, she could also spot the members of Team Epitaph and Taylor's New World Association.
Azure sighed deeply, then teleported Ao and the others to her location in a flash of light.
Meanwhile, Vera and Kanna, who had successfully secured the *Bad Night* painting, were already making their move—they needed to find Roxanne to activate the Line.
"I knew this would happen," Walt muttered, adjusting his glasses and wiping his camera lens clean from within Espeon's protective barrier. "But I didn't expect you to have planned this all along, Eon."
From within Magnezone's shielding, Eon replied, "I told you—with Azure here, we don't have to worry about collateral damage."
"But this is still going to be tough. We have no idea how much of Alcrypna they can utilize now. Remember, the documents we read were from quite some time ago," Xian countered from inside Metagross's psychic barrier. "This is your job, Zayn."
Zayn, standing behind Xian, responded with a confident smile and a small nod.
"It's time. Save."
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┌────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ SAVE DATA │
├────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ TRAINER : Zayn │
│ ID NO. : 39201 │
│ BADGES : ⭘ ⭘ ⭘ ⭘ ⭘ ⭘ ⭘ ⭘ (0/8) │
│ │
│ POKÉDEX : 2 Caught / 12 Seen │
│ LOCATION : Ariestal City │
│ QUEST : Chapter 1 - "Play The Game" │
│ │
│ PLAY TIME : 37:30:00 │
│ MONEY : ₱ 65,500 │
├────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ [ Would you like to save the game? ] │
│ ▶ [ YES ] [ NO ] │
└────────────────────────────────────────────────┘