Area Zero lay at the heart of Paldea's central abyss—the true interior of the Great Crater of Paldea.
It was a land of mysteries, one that had been drawing humans into its depths for the last two thousand years.
Broadly speaking, Area Zero could be divided into the Upper Layer, Middle Layer, Lower Layer, Bottom Layer, and the unknown Great Zero Cavern hidden beyond them all.
Each layer had a different landscape. It was an unbelievably enigmatic place.
The place Hikaru had arrived at was the Upper Layer.
The Upper Layer had lush green grasslands, sloping paths, and waterfalls formed by rivers cutting across the terrain. The spiral-shaped landforms allowed people to descend safely toward the Middle Layer. In the central region there was a massive pit leading down, but thick cloud cover made it impossible to directly observe what lay below.
Near the First Research Station, amid the complicated terrain, there was a narrow crevice-like hollow. A small figure was curled up inside it, trembling as he repeatedly pressed the button on his Poké-device, trying to contact an outside Flying Taxi.
At the entrance, a large black dog stood guard.
At the same time, several Slither Wing prowled nearby. They wandered as if aimlessly, yet they always circled around the hollow's mouth.
Their intent to attack was obvious.
And the Slither Wing leading them… was gold.
"Shiny Slither Wing can always serve as a 'leader'—clearly distinguished from the other fodder—or else it gets ostracized by the group and becomes a lone wolf on the outside. Either way, shiny individuals are always fiercer and more 'special' than the original."
"Even though a shiny is 'just a different color' in essence, the reason it becomes fiercer and more special is actually ecological change—brought on by being excluded by the group, or by making the group fear it."
After observing the shiny Slither Wing, it was obvious that the thing was in an "aggressive" state… and it was even starting to get "angry."
Meanwhile, Arven and Mabosstiff, squeezed into the narrow crack between rocks, were getting more and more tense.
"On the Path of Homecoming, Arven once described how, after his first entry into Area Zero, he cried and screamed for a Flying Taxi to come into Area Zero and take him out—claiming he'd lost at least two lives. That matches his backstory experience exactly."
"But because Area Zero's situation has shifted, Arven didn't manage to leave the First Research Station like he did in the original story and head deeper. Instead, he got trapped right near the First Research Station. Judging by the look of it, he's been here for days?"
Arven's Pokémon had also been seriously injured during this journey, which was why he later set off to search for Herba Mystica.
"But there's a confusing point. In the game, Arven also misreads the research station as 'Happy—' which suggests he's never actually been inside the station. However, the teleporter panel only sends you to the First Research Station. Without a flying Pokémon, and without teleporting into the station… how did Arven get down further?"
"Or did this kid get teleported down and immediately bolt out the door so fast that he never remembered anything about the station?"
That was seriously dangerous.
If nobody noticed this issue, Arven might have to struggle like crazy to escape. Still, with Flying Taxi help, he should have been able to survive.
Slither Wing were ferocious, but they were at an absolute disadvantage against Flying-type Pokémon. They didn't have proper anti-air options, and taxi pilots across every region usually had real skill—they wouldn't be beaten easily.
"As long as you get into the station, you can use the teleporter panel to return to the Upper Layer. If you swapped Arven out for Penny, she probably would've realized that immediately!"
"People really do have things they're good at and things they're bad at. What Arven's good at is cooking. When it comes to machines… he doesn't seem to have inherited his parents' talent."
Hikaru activated the Capture Styler.
The Capture Styler wasn't limited to capturing a single Pokémon.
In special circumstances, it could perform a "group capture."
Hikaru said, "Capture—start!"
"Ehehehehe!" Rotom's power amplified the Capture Styler to its maximum!
The Capture Top shot out like a beam of light, wrapping around the Slither Wing at blinding speed. The ancient Paradox Pokémon jolted in shock, then immediately reacted, preparing to strike the spinning top!
If the Capture Top was hit, the light-formed capture line would snap in half. The Capture Styler would be damaged, and its energy would drop!
"Armarouge, use Flash!"
At Hikaru's command, Armarouge thrust a palm forward.
A violent burst of light erupted into the sky, sending the Slither Wing into panic—yet also drawing their attention, stopping them from releasing their moves.
Insect eyes were built to perceive light and improve recognition of the surroundings. Even if most Bug-type Pokémon didn't have the Compound Eyes Ability, their bodies were still built like insects.
Amid the enveloping light, Hikaru forcibly established a mental connection with them.
At the same time, Hikaru tried to use his old special power: "Bug Friend."
For Bug-type Pokémon, this had the same function as capture via the Capture Styler—it made them see him as their leader and friend, fulfilling simple requests, instantly raising friendship by 100%.
But, just like with Great Tusk back then…
Ancient Pokémon had their own stubbornness.
Hikaru could feel the Slither Wing's irritation and unease. Their friendliness toward him wasn't high at all!
"Capture Styler—capture!"
"Capture complete!"
Hikaru struck the standard Ranger pose.
The Capture Top circled the Slither Wing, driving intense light and intent into their minds, yet the big insects still watched Hikaru warily as he descended from the sky.
"Wait. They're not wary of me… they're wary of Miraidon?"
"Ancient Pokémon get jumpy around Future Pokémon. Anything electronic or mechanical triggers a stress response—because they've fought things like that before. Hunting, feeding, getting driven off…"
Hikaru read the thoughts of these huge insects and directed them to spread out.
"These Slither Wing used to live in the Middle Layer. Because of the ancient-versus-future battles—and because of phototaxis—they came up into the Upper Layer. But they have nowhere to build a nest, and it's making them miserable."
"Build a nest?" Hikaru was genuinely surprised.
Some insects built nests and some didn't, but Slither Wing—modeled after Volcarona—shouldn't have been the nesting type.
Yet the truth was the opposite.
"Compared to Volcarona, their habits are actually closer to Genesect's."
As an ancient Pokémon, Genesect had nesting behavior, and the movie incident had been triggered by nesting, too.
The strange light of Area Zero kept the Slither Wing agitated, and outside threats forced them to wander without peace. They couldn't secure a nest at all. Under those conditions, they would attack anything they saw—anything that wasn't their own kind.
"But if that's all it is," Hikaru said, "then I can help."
"Chii-chii-chii…" The Slither Wing glanced at each other. Even though they had formed a faint link with this strange "creature," they weren't blind. They could clearly tell this human wasn't one of them.
So of course they stayed wary.
And now he was saying he'd help them build nests?
Didn't that sound… weird?
Your species does that?
Hikaru chuckled. "Heh. Humans are pretty amazing, right?"
"In the wild, finding safe shelter and carving out a suitable gathering point—starting from a settlement and drawing people who long for fire and light into one place—that's the beginning of civilization."
"It's called a tribe."
"Time passes. Tribes become city-states. City-states become cities. From a tiny patch of land… to territory stretching for thousands of miles."
"Humans and Pokémon are the same kind of living being. You're anxious because you want to survive. You try to hunt other Future Pokémon. I can't say that's 'wrong'—because for you, life from a savage era, that's simply part of survival."
"So at the very least, I can soothe you. And I can teach you a Hidden Move that doesn't exist in this region—one that can be used to build nests."
"It's called Secret Power!"
A unique technique Steven had once taught—one from the Hoenn region.
And one of the most special moves in every Pokémon player's heart.
Secret Power: used on different locations, and—at least in the games—used on specific terrain, it could open up a secret space that served as a Secret Base.
Aegislash had learned the move, and Hikaru had once thought: when Torterra got huge enough, he'd use Secret Power on the tree on Torterra's back. That way he could open a unique treehouse-like space—perfect for storing Berries and medicinal herbs.
The C-Gear was useful, but there had to be places where it couldn't receive a signal. If you didn't want the hassle of entering the dream world to retrieve supplies, carrying a portable space was necessary.
Whether it was linking into space, the black fog of the Distortion World, or Secret Power—these were all attempts at creating a personal storage space.
A "portable space" that sounded like something from a fantasy novel didn't exist in the Pokémon world?
In reality, it did.
It was the product known as the "infinite bag."
A bag—your backpack—was the place, separate from storage, where players kept items. In the first three generations, storage space was somewhat limited, but from Generation IV onward, the restraints vanished.
Everyone knew the absurdity: a tiny bag that could hold 999 of an item… was ridiculous.
So in Pokémon Legends: Arceus—back in the Hisui era—there was a unique addition to the setting.
The inventor of the space-expanding satchel… Bagin!
A man widely regarded by players as the true god of space—and an ancient-era profiteer!
"Secret Power is a deleted move. But during the generations when it existed, aside from a few special Pokémon, basically every Pokémon that appeared could learn it via TM!"
Hikaru took out an ancient bracelet. One bracelet held the record of Secret Power.
He handed it to the gold Slither Wing leader.
A question mark practically popped over its head. But as the bracelet glowed, the gold Slither Wing learned Secret Power!
"Chii-chii-chii!" The gold Slither Wing danced wildly with excitement. It understood how to use the move, and when it looked at Hikaru now, there was far more warmth and closeness.
"Even if insect eyes are compound eyes, I'm the Bug Friend—so I can still read emotions!"
"Once you've learned Secret Power, you can choose your nest site freely. Build as many as you want!"
"So… how about you disperse for now?"
Under the influence of the Capture Styler—and buoyed by good mood—the gold Slither Wing led the others away with wet, slapping steps.
However, the direction they headed was toward the broken relay stations near the Zero Gate.
That made Hikaru shake his head. He used the Capture Styler again, guiding them somewhere else.
"If you build nests near the relay stations, it'll be dangerous. And the reason you ran that way… is it phototaxis?"
Phototaxis: the instinct to move toward light. Insects sense sunlight to track time changes, and bright light helps them find food and mates and assess their surroundings.
Yet Area Zero had an unbelievable characteristic—
"Eternal daytime."
Like a certain well-known setting toggle in Minecraft, there were no moon and stars here. If you wanted to see true night, you had to go into the Great Zero Cavern and look for that little turtle.
Outside—especially in the Upper Layer—this place was always filled with light.
"The insects got fooled by the sky's brightness. After reaching the Upper Layer, they started running around, trying to reach the light source. But there isn't one in Area Zero's sky. No sun, no stars—only endless seas of clouds."
"That light… should be Tera energy."
"Normally, air molecules and tiny particles scatter sunlight. Even without direct sun, scattered light can brighten the sky. On cloudy days, water droplets and ice crystals in the clouds enhance this effect, keeping the sky bright."
"And inside the Great Crater of Paldea, the intense Tera glow everywhere may intensify the phenomenon, making it eternal daytime here—no matter the hour, never seeing true night!"
After sending the Slither Wing away, Hikaru walked toward the narrow hollow.
At the entrance stood Mabosstiff—protecting Arven, as if it were family. The big dog looked like a mafia boss fused with a "godfather" motif, and it gave two symbolic low growls.
Mabosstiff knew Hikaru didn't seem like a bad person. And even if he was, how bad could he be? Worse than those violent monsters just now?
Besides, the fact that he could drive them off meant something. Mabosstiff could tell Hikaru had used some kind of device.
"Ah… a human? You're amazing! You chased those monsters away!"
Behind Mabosstiff, the terrified Arven blanked out for a moment—then jolted like he'd been struck by lightning.
A human who could enter Area Zero wasn't an ordinary person. Maybe he was connected to Arven's mom.
"Who are you?!" Arven blurted.
Hikaru said, "Don't worry. I'm Paldea's… newly appointed Elite Four member. Or, if you prefer, an Area Zero investigator. And I'm also a Pokémon Ranger."
"You're the child of Professor Sada and Professor Turo—Arven, right?"
"Even if you're a professor's kid, sneaking into Area Zero like this is still a dangerous violation of regulations."
Hikaru shook his head. His tone wasn't harsh. Arven had family problems—doing something like this was tied to how long he'd gone without parental warmth.
After all, since birth he'd only spent a short time with his parent—no, with his mother. And her obsession with the time machine and Tera energy made her neglect the emotions Arven needed while growing up.
Hikaru was only pointing out that what Arven did was wrong.
But Arven—still a young kid at this point—burst into tears on the spot.
After days trapped in Area Zero, the psychological pressure had been immense. Now it all poured out at once.
Arven sobbed, "Waaahhhh…!"
"I-I'm sorry! I didn't know it was this dangerous! I'll never come again next time!"
Just like in his backstory.
Arven cried in the end.
Only this time, the one he cried to wasn't a taxi driver—
It was Hikaru.
"Woof! Woof! Woof!" Mabosstiff growled at Hikaru twice, but it wasn't warning or intimidation.
It was protective.
Arven was just a kid. Please, just let him off this once—he already knows he was wrong!
Hikaru said, "Huh. You look like a mafia godfather, and you're Dark-type, but you're this gentle with kids."
"Woof, woof…" Mabosstiff looked a little embarrassed.
Of course, Hikaru understood.
To Arven, Mabosstiff played a role closer to "parents." Otherwise, it wouldn't have protected Arven to the point of nearly losing its life.
And that was basically this species' nature: usually mild-tempered, loves playing with children. But when protecting family, its expression changes.
A Dark-type Pokémon, facing down a whole Bug/Fighting Slither Wing swarm without backing off… how much courage did that take?
"In the early days of the setting, Dark-type Pokémon were often portrayed as sinister," Hikaru muttered to himself. "And Bug and Fighting often symbolized the 'righteous' side."
"But later on, that implied contrast gradually faded."
After musing for a moment, Hikaru rummaged in his pocket and produced a Rare Candy.
"Here. Candy."
"I'm not eating that. I'm not a little kid… but thanks!" Arven cried for a while, then—at the sight of the candy—pulled a stiff face like he was trying to act tough.
Two seconds later, his composure collapsed. With snot and tears everywhere, he wailed:
"Y-You take me out! I want out right now!"
"I'm not looking for my mom anymore! I'll tell you how I got here!"
Hikaru sighed and shook his head.
Says he's not a kid.
But he's absolutely a kid—still not at the age where he can truly be serious and composed.
Arven and Mabosstiff crawled out of the narrow hollow.
The Upper Layer—beautiful, radiant, awash in light—spread out before them.
Arven still shivered with fear.
When he first arrived nearby, he'd been thrilled. He thought it looked like paradise.
Like he was the hero of a fairy tale, about to embark on a wondrous journey.
But not long after, he ran into violent monsters coming up from below and got chased all over the place.
It wasn't fun at all.
Listening to Arven's tearful rambling, Hikaru couldn't help thinking of Arven in that promotional footage.
On Glaseado Mountain, even a Cetitan—possibly with Slush Rush—couldn't catch Arven at full sprint!
Even if the Ability didn't trigger, Cetitan's base Speed was 73.
Doubled, it hit 146.
Now look at Arven's physical ability, and you could immediately see he wasn't normal.
This kid showed up every time with a huge yellow backpack. His stamina and load-bearing were the real deal.
And Slither Wing had a base Speed of 81—pretty high.
"You're really something," Hikaru said. "Your base Speed is at least 150! Slither Wing can't even catch you when they're sprinting. That's insane!"
Paldea's Superman… plus one.
With a body like that, not becoming a Ranger would be a waste. Train for a few years and he'd be elite—minimum.
While Arven was mid-cry, he suddenly noticed Miraidon nearby with its tongue out and froze in shock.
"K-Koraidon?!"
"Wait… no, it's purple."
Arven rubbed his eyes. Miraidon looked similar to something in his memory, but it was clearly a different Pokémon.
"Gahh…" Miraidon's digital eyes formed a smiling expression, totally non-aggressive.
Hikaru said, "I'll take you to the First Research Station. There's a space teleporter panel there that can send you back up. You ran straight out the door and never thought to look around, huh? So you got lost."
Arven looked embarrassed. "P-Please take me back. You're a good person!"
The Arven in front of him was still in the "kid" stage—nowhere near the more "adult" and "stubborn" version from Scarlet and Violet. Emotionally, he was much more expressive.
Hikaru set off with Arven. The First Research Station wasn't too far.
In the Upper Layer, there were originally plenty of wild Pokémon.
That matched what was recorded in the Scarlet/Violet Book.
The Upper Layer was the domain of normal Pokémon. Paradox Pokémon appeared only in the lower layers.
However, that record itself carried a paradox of its own—something Arven would later question after the story ended.
After all, the time machine was supposed to be a modern invention… so why did the Scarlet/Violet Book already describe Paradox Pokémon? Even Arven himself felt that was wrong.
But right now, because the Slither Wing had been rampaging, the nearby wild Pokémon had all fled—migrating to other areas.
So the trip to the First Research Station was smooth. Aside from a few Venomoth peeking around the trees, there were no obstacles.
Hikaru had permission to enter the station, though the stations didn't seem to restrict entry in the first place.
And the moment they stepped into the First Research Station, something eerie happened.
A harsh crackling buzz filled the room.
"Woof! Woof!" Mabosstiff bared its teeth, on guard.
Hikaru's Pokémon spread out to scout. Arven shrank behind Hikaru, glancing left and right in panic.
Hikaru asked, "When you came here before, did you hear anything in this building?"
"No! Nothing at all! I just—whoosh—I went straight down!" Arven shook his head, trying to recall what it was like when he first arrived.
He really had no memory of the station's interior. He didn't know what the place was for—only that it connected to the outside.
"Is that… an announcement system?" Hikaru looked up at the ceiling. Even though the facility had been built more than eighty years ago, its mechanical systems felt more advanced than Unova's tech—maybe even beyond Paldea's current level.
"Okay, Rotom, get ready—"
Hikaru was about to have Rotom enter the station's system and check what was going on.
At that moment, the crackling current abruptly cut off.
Then a distorted voice came through the speakers:
"You-you-you-you—bringing the Scarlet Book…"
"Bzzzz—"
"Who are you? Visitors are not permitted here."
Arven's eyes lit up. "Mom…? That's my mom's voice?!"
He stared up at the ceiling speaker in a daze. "Mom! It's me, Arven!"
"Who are you? Visitors are not permitted here."
"…M-Mom?"
"This is paradise. This is paradise. Not allowed. Visitors not allowed."
"Anyone who gets in my way… I'll have them removed."
"…!"
The abnormal broadcast voice made Arven's brief surge of hope collapse into dread. He pressed closer behind Hikaru, staring at the research equipment and the sealed doors.
It was fine.
The Pokémon standing here gave Arven a strong sense of safety.
That radiant, warrior-like Pokémon in gold, gripping a spear. The excited Falinks units. The silent steel giant insect. The sneaky electronic dragon.
All of it made the atmosphere feel less unbearably strange.
"Yeah…" Arven thought. "Being with Pokémon really does make you feel safer."
Still… the Pokémon around this big brother all looked insanely strong.
Hikaru stared at the broadcast device for a long time. The voice faded, and nothing else happened.
Which was only natural.
"The four locks to the Zero Lab haven't been opened. The professor can only communicate externally through broadcasts. They have partial control, but they can't break the four locks—so of course nothing here can actually happen."
Hikaru looked at Arven. "Arven, I've got a piece of good news and a piece of bad news. Which do you want first?"
That line…
Hikaru knew exactly who said the next part in the original.
"If the time machine's battle program gets upgraded further," Hikaru muttered, "it becomes the Paradise Defense Protocol."
AI Sada once called her time machine "cutting-edge technology."
No lies detected.
What normal researcher installs a combat program on a time machine?
If Dr. Tym and Dr. Buck heard this, they'd be yelling, 'Unbeatable!'
This Paldea time machine really was something else compared to Unova's.
What do you mean the time machine stood up and started fighting people?
Looking at the confused little Arven, Hikaru still shook his head.
The good news: that broadcast was just talking big. It couldn't do anything.
The bad news…
"Even though I probably shouldn't say this," Hikaru said quietly, "Arven…"
"Your mom might've been kidnapped."
(End of Chapter)
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