So it really is Alice.
Chen Shi sighed inwardly.
The moment he had seen Alice and Tonio, he had already begun to suspect their identities.
Now, he was almost completely certain.
These two were indeed the same people who had appeared in the movie from his previous life.
They were simply a little older than he remembered. Judging from their appearances, they were probably around fourteen or fifteen years old.
Chen Shi removed his mask and smiled.
"Hello. It's nice to meet you. My name is Chen Shi."
Cynthia also took off her mask and introduced herself warmly.
"Hello. I'm Cynthia."
Alice immediately froze.
Her eyes widened as she stared blankly at the two people before her, disbelief filling her face.
When she failed to respond, Chen Shi gave her a friendly wave and asked in confusion,
"Is something wrong?"
"Ah... N-No, nothing! I-I... Oh my goodness!"
Alice finally snapped back to her senses.
Her face instantly turned bright red, like a ripe apple.
Then, as though she had suddenly remembered something, she rushed over to Tonio.
"Tonio, look! Hurry and look!"
"Your idol is here!"
Tonio had been completely absorbed in his work.
Hearing Alice call out to him, he turned around in confusion.
The two strangers from earlier had already removed their masks and were now smiling at him.
Tonio froze.
A moment later, his eyes widened, and his expression became a mixture of shock and delight.
"Professor Chen Shi!"
"Is it really you?"
Tonio hurried over excitedly.
He initially wanted to shake hands with his idol, but then seemed to remember how dirty his hands were.
He quickly wiped them against his clothes several times before hesitantly holding one out.
"H-Hello, Professor Chen Shi. I'm... I'm one of your admirers. My name is Tonio."
"I've carefully studied every paper you've published."
Chen Shi paused in surprise before smiling and shaking his hand.
"Hello, Tonio. I suppose I don't need to introduce myself anymore."
"Thank you for supporting my work."
"No, no, I... I..."
Tonio had imagined countless times what it would be like to meet his idol.
He had always believed he would have endless things to say.
Yet now that Chen Shi was actually standing in front of him, his mind had gone completely blank.
Tonio silently cursed himself for being so useless.
Sensing his nervousness, Chen Shi spoke in a gentle tone.
"Could I ask you a few questions?"
Tonio blinked, then nodded repeatedly.
"Of course! Ask me anything. I'll tell you everything I know."
Chen Shi nodded.
"You're a local of Alamos Town, aren't you?"
"How much do you know about the Space-Time Towers?"
"The Space-Time Towers?"
Tonio thought for a moment before answering.
"The legends surrounding the towers are widely known, so you've probably heard most of them already."
"Rather than calling them towers, it would be more accurate to describe them as one enormous musical instrument."
"They play music four times every day—at dawn, at noon, at sunset, and before people go to sleep."
"As for anything beyond that... I honestly don't know very much."
Chen Shi then asked another question.
"When I arrived in Alamos Town, I overheard people saying that, for the past hundred years or so, residents have sometimes suffered from frequent nightmares."
"I also heard rumors that a god of nightmares is secretly responsible."
"Do you think those rumors are true?"
Cynthia glanced at him in confusion.
They had indeed heard townspeople mention nightmares.
But no one had said anything about a so-called god of nightmares.
After hearing Chen Shi's question, Tonio fell silent.
Only after a long pause did he answer hesitantly.
"Maybe..."
"I-I'm not really sure."
Chen Shi gave him a meaningful look.
Because he had watched the movie in his previous life, he knew Tonio was lying.
A Darkrai truly did live in Alamos Town.
When Tonio had been in danger as a child, it had even been Darkrai who saved him.
Most importantly, this Darkrai was exceptionally powerful.
In the movie, it had even confronted Dialga and Palkia directly.
The occasional nightmares experienced by the townspeople were most likely caused by traces of Darkrai's aura leaking out unintentionally and affecting those nearby.
Otherwise, if Darkrai had truly wished to harm them, they would likely have remained trapped in endless nightmares, never to awaken again.
Chen Shi did not pursue the subject.
Instead, he said to Tonio,
"I'm very interested in the Space-Time Towers."
"Would you mind showing us around?"
"Right now?"
Tonio scratched his head.
"It's already evening, and the lighting inside the towers isn't very good."
"If you want to tour them properly, I'd recommend waiting until tomorrow."
"Yes, you should probably go tomorrow," Alice added.
Chen Shi shook his head.
"I'm not planning to tour the inside."
"I want to take a look from the top."
"The view should be better at night, shouldn't it?"
"Oh, I see."
Tonio suddenly understood.
"The view from the top of the Space-Time Towers really is spectacular at night."
"I can take you there."
Cynthia quietly glanced at Chen Shi from the corner of her eye.
He had only just suggested finding somewhere to rest.
Now, he suddenly wanted to climb to the top of the towers.
Sometimes, she truly had no idea what was going through his mind.
In truth, Chen Shi had not originally planned to go either.
Mew had suddenly informed him that the two gazes watching them seemed to be coming from the top of the Space-Time Towers.
That was why he had changed his mind at the last moment.
Once the decision was made, Tonio and Alice enthusiastically led them toward the towers.
Night had already fallen, so there were very few visitors around.
After entering the Space-Time Towers, Tonio took a flashlight from his shoulder bag and illuminated the dark interior.
As they made their way upward, Tonio and Alice occasionally explained the architecture and history of the towers.
Alice did most of the talking, while Tonio only added a few details from time to time.
Alice was an excellent speaker, and both Chen Shi and Cynthia listened with great interest.
Eventually, the group reached the top of the Space-Time Towers.
However, before anyone could admire the view from above, two pitch-black rifts suddenly tore open in the empty air.
A colossal figure emerged from each one.
"W-What are those things?!"
Tonio and Alice stared in horror, unable to understand what was happening.
They had visited the top of the towers many times before.
Nothing like this had ever occurred.
Even Cynthia felt uneasy as she gazed at the two terrifying behemoths.
She lowered her voice.
"Those look like Dialga and Palkia."
"Why would they suddenly appear here?"
Unlike the others, Chen Shi remained completely calm.
He did not seem frightened of the two Legendary Pokémon in the slightest.
"I don't know either."
"Let's wait and see."
Then his eyes narrowed slightly.
"But I think they came here because of me."
"Or rather..."
"They were waiting for me."
...
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