For the third time that day, the cloudy sky above Area Zero turned infrared. Wavelengths bounced off the clouds and hit the pedestal next to Zero Lab’s gate.

A new voice spoke in Arven’s head. “Arven, please,” Sada begged. “Let Miraidon and Celebi guide you. I will be waiting.”

Arven said nothing to his friends. He merely tried to make sense of the voice—if it was really his mom or not.

Before he knew it, Miraidon’s eyes lit up cyan blue, ridding him of his pupils, and giving him the appearance of AI… No, Professor Sada’s defensive mode. Instead of attacking, though, he came within reach of the gate and placed his forehead on it. Electrical energy blasted through it, glowing as brightly as his eyes, and the gate booted up.

Scarlet, Nemona, and Penny placed their hands on their pokéballs. The last time they opened the Zero Lab, Paradox Pokémon attacked them.

Celebi, who seemed to be in a trance, shook its head and smiled at Arven.

Slowly and carefully, Zero Lab’s gate opened. A creaking sound passed through the Tera Crystals in the area, and then the gate clicked in place.

“Are there any Paradox Pokémon to battle?” Nemona wanted to know. She still had yet to get her battle.

“Come on, Nemona,” Penny groaned. “For once, can you not think about Pokémon battling?”

“I can’t help myself!” Penny excitedly argued. “I’m losing my mind here, Penny! Losing it!”

Scarlet guessed that Nemona was way too excited to be in Area Zero again.

The infrared sky faded, but Miraidon’s eyes still glowed. It started up Zero Lab’s ramp and peered back at Arven and his friends.

Stolen story; please report.

The look Miraidon gave them reminded Koraidon of the Alpha Koraidon who scared him out of Area Zero a few months ago. Ashamed, he stretched his body back and plopped down on the ground. Scarlet’s hand on his head comforted him. With her guiding the way, Koraidon followed her up the ramp, with Arven and the others close on their heels.

Zero Lab was still messy as ever, with scattered books and papers on the floor and a single bed in one corner of its hexagon—all of which built up some dust in the past month.

Scarlet remembered that chair behind the bed. That was where she found Professor Sada, still, and with her eyes wide open. She seriously thought something was wrong with her, but then she learned that Sada had been in sleep mode. Dang, Scarlet felt even worse for Arven now. She didn’t want a robot for a parent, but apparently, he did. Although, Scarlet understood why.

A hand on her shoulder brought Scarlet back to reality.

Arven gave her a quick nod before he and Celebi accompanied Miraidon to the elevator at the back of the lab. “I’m sorry,” he told his friends, who snuck up behind them, “but this is something I must do myself. I can’t put you guys in danger.”

“What are you talking about?” Nemona inquired, pointing at herself. “Danger is my middle name!”

“Arven, we’re not letting you go in there by yourself,” Penny sternly said. “One bad move and that time machine will kill you.”

“At this point, if it means being with my mom, I don’t really care what happens to me,” Arven countered. And just like that, he pressed the button for the elevator.

***

The very bottom of the Zero Lab was still Terastallized. The giant crystals on the walls and floor sparkled like spectrums, covering the void in a few other colors: red, green, and purple. There was the time machine, hanging from the ceiling like a spider, its black legs hanging limply.

Miraidon, Arven, and Celebi hurried to the time machine’s main computer, which was in the heart of the room. Why did it suddenly look even more intimidating than before? Perhaps it was because Arven knew there was a chance he could die if something went wrong. Yeah, that sounded accurate.

“Be brave, my son,” Sada’s voice spoke in his head again. “I know you can do this. Take the Violet Book and put it on the pedestal. Celebi and Miraidon will do the rest.”

Arven’s eyes rolled over to Celebi. It clutched its bulb-shaped head with both hands. Was it the one communicating with Sada? Arven decided to ask it later.

He unzipped his knapsack and pulled out the Violet Book. Arven ran his palm across its cover and took a deep breath. His infrared. His Treasure. He had to do this.

Arven placed the Violet Book on the pedestal.