"Uncle, hi! My name's Arven, and I'm ten years old this year!"
The moment they stepped into the wide, sunlit corridor of the lab complex, Arven launched into chatter right beside Akira Hayashi's ear, his voice bouncing off the metallic walls like a well-aimed Echoed Voice.
Akira rubbed the bridge of his nose, resisting the urge to sigh. So this bright-eyed chatterbox would someday become the quiet, storm-eyed teen from Zafrina Town? Life sure was a master of irony.
He'd sat through League summits that dragged past dinner and into dessert without losing composure, but this was testing him in ways no diplomatic summit ever could.
"Uncle!" Arven chirped again, voice rising in pitch. "Uncle Akira! Can I ask you, like, fifty questions? Just fifty!"
Akira exhaled slowly, a patient smile flickering across his lips. He placed a light hand on the kid's shoulder.
"Arven, what if I told you I'm only eight years older than you?"
Arven froze, blinking owlishly. Then, in a small, uncertain voice: "...Then can I call you Big Brother instead?"
"…Sure," Akira replied, amused. "Big Brother it is."
"Akira big brother~!" Arven beamed, instantly latching onto the new title like a Skwovet to a berry. The nickname caught on so fast it might as well have been a critical hit. Soon he was chanting it every other sentence, like he'd been doing it for years.
Somewhere ahead, Professor Sada's left eye twitched.
"Enough! Go play with Mabosstiff in your room , now!"
"Kay!" Arven chirped. He stuck out his tongue and dashed off with a giggle, vaulting onto Mabosstiff's back like a practiced rider. The faithful Pokémon gave a low wuff of amusement before bounding around the corner, the two vanishing in a blur of paws and laughter.
As their footsteps faded, Sada exhaled, arms crossed and brows furrowed. But a quiet softness slipped into her gaze, one she didn't even seem to notice. Something about watching her son vanish down the hallway always tugged at the edges of her otherwise ironclad composure.
Akira noticed.
He also noticed how different this woman looked from the typical image of a lab-bound researcher. Her coat was standard issue, but the primal leather gear beneath whispered of ambition far older than textbooks. Of ancient beasts and untamed frontiers.
And then, for just a breath, Akira's thoughts wandered, to the future.
To the older Arven, and that familiar anxious look he always wore. The one that lingered even when he smiled.
When the Professors vanished, when AI copies stepped in... that may have been the moment he realized his parents were gone for good. That realization , that cold, quiet hollow, it wasn't something any kid should carry alone.
No wonder Arven's brow always held a shadow of worry. Genuine emotion is almost impossible for AI to mimic. Even with all inherited memories, the Sada/Turo AI only began to understand those feelings after observing the heroes' grand adventures.
A pang echoed in Akira's chest. Maybe his presence here... could tilt things just a little. Maybe not everything had to go the same way.
The atmosphere turned heavy in the wake of Arven's departure.
Sada must've sensed it too, because she cleared her throat and spoke again , this time, more subdued. "Akira-kun. Do you know why I was so tense just now?"
He looked up, blinking. "Honestly... no. I thought it was just the noise."
Sada's eyes narrowed, her voice dropping to a serious whisper. "There've been reports lately. A criminal gang, not local. From outside the region. They've entered Paldea. Their specialty is... kidnapping."
Akira's gaze hardened in an instant.
"They target children. Wealthy ones for ransom, ordinary ones for... other purposes. The kind no Trainer wants to think about."
For a moment, the lab's quiet hum felt miles away.
Sada crossed her arms tightly. "It's why I reacted so strongly earlier. When I saw you, someone I didn't know standing next to my son... I panicked."
Akira gave a short nod. "I get it. And for what it's worth... if I do run into those kinds of people, I won't let them walk away unscathed."
There was no bravado in his tone. Just fact.
The tension slowly eased as the corridor opened into the heart of the facility, a surprisingly homey, open-concept lab that looked more like a rustic co-living space than a cutting-edge research center.
Bookshelves lined the walls, many overflowing with thick tomes and weathered field journals. The scent of roasted coffee beans mixed with the sterile tinge of lab disinfectant. Several Poké Balls clicked into charging cradles beneath soft lighting. A large table held models of Terastal crowns, rough Tera Shard samples, and sketches of ancient glyphs.
Sada noticed his wide-eyed stare and chuckled. "Not what you expected, huh? Everyone thinks we're surrounded by cold steel and glowing tubes. But this is our home too."
She strode over to one of the shelves and pulled down a thick book with a worn crimson cover.
The moment she did, Akira's breath caught.
That cover. The leather binding. The jagged emblem stamped in gold.
The Scarlet Book.
Heath's Scarlet Book.
He didn't hear her next sentence. His mind was already racing.
The tales inside that book are about monstrous Pokémon that defied logic, and the glittering abyss that was Area Zero, these were dismissed by scholars as exaggerated or outright fiction. Heath had been ridiculed for his claims. Branded a fraud.
But the descriptions he gave…
Roaring Moon. Great Tusk. The crystals that warped time itself.
He'd only seen the Academy's archived copy, protected under lock and key. And yet here it was, now in Sada's hands.
Akira swallowed, eyes narrowing. So… they're already thinking about it.
The time machine. The Paradox Pokémon. Area Zero.
The countdown had already started.
Sada, oblivious to his racing thoughts, caressed the book with unguarded reverence.
"I love this thing. The creatures inside... they're wild, powerful, beautiful. And the deeper you read, the more it feels like truth, not fantasy. That's why my husband and I started the Tera Project. To see what lies buried under Paldea's skin."
She looked at Akira, hopeful. "President Geeta said you're no ordinary trainer. If you're interested, there's always room on our research team."
The League president had mentioned Akira was a champion-level trainer not to be underestimated.
If she could convince him to join their research team, the wild Pokémon dangers lurking in Paldea Pit and Area Zero would no longer be a threat.
Akira hesitated.
Peace was his dream, slow days, scenic walks, soft battles in the breeze. But if peace came at the cost of letting tragedy repeat itself...
"I've read bits and pieces," he said carefully. "I wouldn't say I'm an expert."
"That's fine," Sada grinned. "We need passion more than pedigree."
"Oh, and speaking of passion, my husband's out right now talking to a few potential investors. If he doesn't wrap things up fast, he might not get time to finish crafting your Tera Orb this week."
Akira nodded absently. The gears in his head were still turning.
Time travel. Paradox Pokémon. The fate of an awkward kid who would one day stand alone, waiting for parents that never came back.
Maybe this Scarlet Book wasn't just a record.
Maybe it was a warning.
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Author's Note:
Hope you all enjoyed the chapter!
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