The boss of the Future Forms—though also called the God of the Future—Miraidon acted more like a battle-shy lizard in the story. Well, the second Miraidon was indeed pretty "ferocious," though.
There are legends that say Miraidon once turned the land to ash with lightning, but that's clearly not in this era.
"Everyone's always threatening to turn the land to ash… Even Koraidon's description says it shattered the earth with its fists. The poor earth sure has it rough."
Thinking this, I did feel a little regret—but there might still be a chance to meet that guy in Paldea someday.
After all, it's a Legendary Pokémon. And lately, I've been bumping into way too many Legendaries.
"E-even though I don't understand what just happened… it feels like those robots suddenly gained life. Just a feeling," said the professor who had the same face as Kyouhei, adjusting his glasses. Whether it was Palkia appearing in divine form or the changes that later happened to the other Paradox Pokémon, they stirred intense curiosity and doubt in his heart—but this wasn't the time to dig in.
We had to reboot the time machine at once and return to his own era!
"Hah! Human, you ought to be grateful! If I, the great me, hadn't mercifully saved that other traveler from the past, you'd have been converted into a robot already!"
Ledian got carried away, swaggering at the professor, while staring at the great mass of Paradox troops here. A hot idea was kindling in its heart.
If Bug-type Pokémon also focused on developing technology, maybe they could create "weapons" as powerful as these mechanical constructs. Then it would become a hero among Bugs, and humans wouldn't be able to resist Bug Pokémon any longer—
"Hey. I heard that."
"Eep! Bad!" Ledian jolted in fright!
Only now did it remember the human at its side had the power to read Pokémon's thoughts!
Tch, why does a superhuman like this even exist? Doesn't that leave no room for us who've got a bit of a dark streak?! If I could beat him it'd be different—except I can't!
"S-sorry! That was just my delusion! I absolutely didn't intend to analyze the time machine or manufacture a Zerg army!"
Ledian instantly fell to its knees and slid, leaving the professor gaping.
How did that blustering would-be human overlord get so timid all of a sudden?
"It's fine." I raised a hand toward Ledian. "I can't just leave you be, either."
Mind Crush—activate!
With a bang, all the shadows in Ledian's heart detonated. Its mind suffered a heavy blow; its body stiffened, then it toppled straight back with a thud.
"Uwoah—y-you, did you kill it?" the professor asked, tense.
I spread my hands. "How could I? I just helped it with a little 'Bug-nature correction,' is all."
"After all, in your world, Bug Pokémon are dangerous, right? They enslaved humans and even created that 'Human Ball' thing, and they perform slave brainwashing—you've seen that, haven't you?"
"H-how do you know so much?" The professor stared, pushing his glasses up.
I chuckled. "Because, in my world, you're all just movie characters."
"Ch-movie characters? You mean I'm fictional?" he said, stunned.
"In our world, that's how it is. So anyone who saw the movie knows the plot pretty well. The film's called Voyagers Through the Gate of Time."
"Reaching the future is the bad ending in the original movie."
"So it really is a terrible future," the professor murmured, accepting that he was a fictional character in a heartbeat. "No wonder I get excited whenever I talk about science and my voice gets louder and my actions exaggerated—turns out I'm a movie character."
"But in my own world, I'm a real person. Ah… maybe they shouldn't make a sequel to that movie! I don't want to be stared at from behind, thank you."
"So… Ledian won't impact our world anymore? Has history been changed?"
I shook my head. "That's unknowable. But at least we can be sure of one thing—it should become a much easier Bug to deal with."
"Maybe it'll even lead some kind of Human Liberation Movement. Either way, it won't affect the history of your era. Bug Pokémon can't develop a time machine."
"Take out the time machine. That capsule in your hand—that's your time machine, right?"
He grimaced. "You really do know everything… Yes, this capsule houses the time machine. Miniaturizing the time machine into a capsule was originally deemed impossible, but my assistant and I pulled it off."
"Now we just need to gather the energy—" He didn't finish before the Paradox Pokémon around us grew restless. Under our gaze, Iron Leaves led the other Paradox Pokémon into the lab. Before long, they brought out a mass of Booster Energy!
[Item: Booster Energy (Future)!]
[Description: An energy-packed capsule. If held by a Pokémon with a certain Ability, its capabilities increase!]
[Effect: When held by a Pokémon whose Ability is Protosynthesis or Quark Drive, upon entering battle its highest non-HP stat is boosted by 30%; if that stat is Speed, it's boosted by 50%.]
[Extra (Future Effect): The holder's moves deal +20% damage to the opposing battling Pokémon.]
[Thank you.]
Iron Leaves bowed to me. [The genes of the Swords of Justice were taken by humans, then modified into weapons. That is a disgrace to the Swords.]
[Though I am not truly Virizion, as a continuation of its genes, I am obligated to carry on the Swords' work.]
[The god of mind has granted us new identities. Now we live in this world as new kinds of Pokémon. As the mechanical metropolis develops, more mechanical Pokémon will naturally be born in the future.]
[And the legend of the Swords will reappear in this era.]
It looked behind at another Sword—this one was entirely blue, like a steel antelope!
It was Iron Crown, the Future Form of Cobalion!
[We have hearts now. We know what is right. No system will control us again.]
Iron Crown also bowed. [Human from the past, you freed us from the role of "weapons." We will take up the ancient ideal again and forge a true future.]
[But first, we must reunite the Swords. The modified being with Terrakion's genes has not appeared, but the Swords' power is calling—it must exist somewhere in this world.]
[Yet we sense no call from Keldeo. Perhaps its genes were never taken and never weaponized. That is good.]
[Maybe we'll meet again someday—let us hope so.]
Their mouths both pointed downward. They couldn't make a smiling shape; all they could do was bend their pixel eyes into two upside-down U's—
(^︵^).
The look of being both happy and not happy was oddly comical.
[Ahem. Seems the developers never intended us to have emotions—the mouths are designed way too ugly.] Iron Crown quipped. [Anyway, I hope you return safely to your time.]
"Energy is sufficient. We can start the time machine!"
The professor inspected the machine and injected the Booster Energy. I also linked the C-Device to the time machine.
The connection button lit up!
Energy verified. Energy sufficient. Initiating reconnection!
Vrrrmmmm—
A strong, black-hole-like temporal vortex appeared!
"We can go!" The professor exhaled. Glancing at the fainted Ledian, he hesitated, then stuffed it into the time machine.
Hopefully it would really become a better Bug.
"In the perfect ending, what happens to me and this Ledian?"
He still asked. I searched my memory. "I think it let you off, and you returned to your era. I don't remember the specifics that well."
"T-that's a cop-out ending." The young professor sighed, then grinned. "But maybe this is the real ending!"
"Thanks, hero of justice from another world! Oh, right—this is for you. It's nothing valuable, but it's a research material from our era. Really, thank you."
[Item: Secret Mega-Evolution Stone!]
[Description: Not a stone for Mega evolution, but a special stone that can awaken the wisdom of Bug-type Pokémon, from a parallel world tied to a certain movie. Activate it with a special apparatus to grant Bug Pokémon high intelligence, triggering a 'species evolution' phenomenon. Loses effect upon leaving the movie world.]
[Taking it away will alter that movie world's future—Bug Pokémon will not enslave humans or attack other Pokémon. That timeline will be 'overwritten' by proper history.]
[Effect (New): If held by your Bug-type Pokémon, after it defeats a wild or other Bug-type Pokémon, it can extract different power boons based on the defeated Pokémon's specialty. (e.g., Scyther excels at slashing; Kricketune at melodies; Forretress at reaction speed.)]
[Unlocks Profession: Bug Pokémon Scholar.]
[Your understanding of Bug Pokémon +180%; your appeal to Bug Pokémon +20%; move power +20%; "Voice of Another World (Lore)" effect +10%; Psychic-type suppression on you −30%.]
A flood of knowledge poured into my mind along with the strange stone. I thanked the professor and told him, "This stone is what allows Bug Pokémon to evolve—the 'Super-Evolution Stone.'"
"Eh?!" His reaction was just like in the movie—he'd had no idea that this research stone was the very culprit of the troubled future. I calmed him:
"If this stone is gone, the future changes. But the Paradox future here won't be affected. I think this future is just a far-off parallel world, like mine and yours—mutually non-interfering."
"Whew… then take the stone," he said, pushing up his glasses. "I never imagined I accidentally saved the future. So because the 'plot' has turned into a happy ending, the worldline corrected itself?"
"Oh, and… those two Pokémon look like they want to go with you?"
Following his finger, I turned and saw Iron Valiant and Duraludon.
Iron Valiant blinked its pixel eyes and walked over.
[Per our final agreement, you should carry me with you back to your era.]
"The final agreement? You mean the promise between you and me—or the scientist's last instruction?"
Iron Valiant pondered seriously.
[In my emotion module, promises take higher priority than instruction protocols. I 'want' you to honor it.]
"Well now—you've learned to make 'requests.' Yes, that's what a true lifeform does. Since you have something you want, I still need to ask: leaving the era of your birth and traveling with me to an unknown past—do you accept?"
Iron Valiant blinked again and gave a formal knight's salute.
[I do.]
Human and machine looked into each other's eyes. I took out a special Poké Ball.
"In the future world's electromagnetic field, normal Poké Balls don't work. In case of emergencies, I made this earlier. If you're willing, press the switch."
[Item: Blue Poké Ball.]
[Description: A special-order Poké Ball not used by Trainers nor supplied to any League. Original maker: Dr. Andrew Park. This Ball functions flawlessly amid spatiotemporal waves and abnormal magnetic fields. It's a Poké Ball for ultra-long-range spatiotemporal transfer.]
[Normally, ordinary space-time distortions and signal jamming can't control the Blue Ball. Aside from the color, it looks identical to a common red Poké Ball.]
[Effect: Capture Pokémon safely in abnormal space-time and magnetic environments; protects the Pokémon. When thrown at special existences, it produces special effects.]
[Extra: After you master the Wave of Time, this Ball will be regarded as the "Treasure of the Town of Time"—though that's rather extravagant as a Time-Town relic.]
Iron Valiant stared at the Blue Ball. Of course she'd seen these—though other Balls were red. Ah, there was one that was blue, but not like this.
"This one? That's a Great Ball, different from a Blue Poké Ball." I shook Riolu's Great Ball. "Mm. If you like, after we get back I can swap you into one of these."
[I think… green and white look nice.]
"Then a Friend Ball, a Strange Ball, or… a Cherish Ball?"
Iron Valiant didn't know what those looked like—but a small anticipation welled up in her heart.
They were just ordinary tools from the past, yet they carried a different meaning.
She pressed the button. A powerful force drew her in; the Ball flashed once—capture completed.
A Resonant Capture.
"I've caught Iron Valiant."
My feelings were complicated. This robot from the future was the first Pokémon whose "heart" I'd awakened. She was special. The AI scientist said she'd undergone a special kind of evolution.
It's just… no matter how you look, Iron Valiant feels like the scientist's daughter.
"Teaching you what love is—that's one grand assignment."
"Mm—and you?" I turned to Duraludon. The junk-picker waved its alloy claws and looked at the nearby Paradox forms.
Guh… Got a feeling if I stay here, I won't even find scrap to eat.
Besides, Duraludon had grown fond of me. Compared to Iron Valiant, who was grappling with strange new feelings, Duraludon—being a normal Pokémon—understood emotions more straightforwardly.
Like means like; acknowledgment means acknowledgment. That's how life is!
Also… your Steel Tera Shard tastes great! Stick with you and I'll have more to eat! That's basically my life's pursuit!
"Weren't you into the salty rebar taste?"
"Guh-roar! (Both together is a balanced diet!)"
I laughed.
This Duraludon was simple and very easy to get along with.
"Then, I'll be in your care."
Under the light of a second Blue Poké Ball, Duraludon was also caught.
"Congrats on your new Pokémon… though I've never seen that kind of Poké Ball," the professor muttered, not pressing the issue.
We were parallel worlds, after all. Maybe the other side just had special tech trees.
Iron Crown: [Farewell. Safe travels.]
Iron Leaves: [Goodbye, human friend.]
Iron Jugulis: [Gulalalala—]
Iron Hands: [Thanks.]
A passing Iron Moth: [Observe. Record… bye?]
Blessings rose from the Paradox ranks. From within the army, a shiny Iron Valiant walked step by step toward us.
Upon gaining a heart, Unit-02 recalled the things she'd told Unit-01 before.
She didn't fully grasp "kinship," but once she had a heart, Unit-02 suddenly realized that the many other "Iron Valiants" with faces like hers weren't just robots.
With "hearts," they were true living beings—brand-new life forged of steel.
[Farewell, kin.]
[Thank you, kin!]
Unit-02 looked around, found a steel bar, and raised it—just like Unit-01 had done for her before.
Inside the Blue Ball, Unit-01 saw this too. The Ball quivered lightly, and her pain turned into a curious warmth.
Perhaps we'll never meet again.
But no matter how far apart in space-time, our souls are alike.
Time flared. The distant future world receded like it was four-dimensional space. Parallel ripples swirled with a dark vortex, and the Miracle Diamond shone once more!
Something was resonating with it—and getting closer!
The world before my eyes rapidly reassembled: a not-so-familiar room, scattered instruments, two huge monitors, and Dr. Taim frozen mid-pose as if his molecules had been reconstructed.
When the Miracle Diamond's glow faded, time in the present began to flow again like the sea!
"The Miracle Diamond carries Dialga's power… When Dialga is born, time in the world flows like a mighty river."
"Hey! I went back to the past—I saw my father!" Dr. Taim's excited voice pulled me from my thoughts. He chattered on about what he'd seen after returning to the past!
"Thank you. Thanks to you, I could complete the time machine—fulfill my dream! Though it may never boot up again, since I can't find a Pokémon from another world to power it… but I'm satisfied!"
"Instead of regretting the past, it's more important to live hard in the present that's connected to the future!"
"Ah—why do you look so beat up?"
Only then did he notice how grimy I looked—completely different from "just now."
I grinned. "While you were in the past, I hopped over to the future for a bit. Got messy without noticing."
"Mm. That was a very interesting trip. Thanks, Taim."
He would've loved to dig deeper with me, but when he learned I still needed to challenge Gyms, he could only smile wryly.
"You've got such powerful knowledge, yet won't start a lab with me, huh? Fine! Make sure you beat Drayden-san!"
"Since you're in Opelucid City, that'll be your eighth Gym, right? Are you… aiming for the top of Unova? I won't lose either! Let's both keep at it!"
We said our goodbyes. Then I opened my notebook and recorded my new partners:
"Duraludon, a Pokémon from the future metropolis.
A bit easy-going.
In theory dislikes bitter flavors, but actually accepts all tastes.
Loves to eat, very tanky."
Given its love of food, Duraludon should get along well with Walking Wake.
"Iron Valiant, a Pokémon from the future metropolis.
A little reserved.
Likes astringent flavors.
Just a bit stubborn."
I thought a moment, then added:
"A Pokémon that seeks to know what love is."
——
After the time machine started—
Near the lab, a wandering Miraidon also gained a heart. Hiding in the cracks of the mechanical city, floating, it had watched the entire Paradox rebellion from beginning to end.
Before this, it had been created as a "special piece," but exiled outside the metropolis for being uncontrollable.
But the large-scale movements of the Paradox Forms in the city, the fierce clashes of power, drew it back. Its violent, battle-hungry nature urged it to join the fray, lightning crackling as it flew over the mechanical skyline.
It arrived a bit late.
Feeling a change within its chest, the "rampaging lizard" became a "rational lizard." The berserk, uncontrollable system shifted into a hidden mode; calm calculation and powerful compute replaced its former mania.
The purple mechanical lizard watched the time machine depart with curious eyes.
"Agasss?"
It remembered the human who came here, and the giant centaur. Then, a strange power of space-time surged. Flustered, the rational lizard was yanked into another temporal vortex.
Eh?
Time travel? Me?!
I—I'm not ready yet!
(End of Chapter)
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