In Levincia City of the Paldea region, Miss Iono had finally wrapped up her livestream for the day.
Amid a barrage of chaotic messages like "But it's only 8 PM!", "Just a little longer—I'll do anything!", and "Croagunk cries! So early… why, why must you cause me such pain, Lady Iono?!" the young woman shut off her stream camera.
The incident at Area Zero had recently earned Iono a wave of new followers.
It had caused some trouble, yes—but mostly, it brought opportunities.
Still, for someone who always prioritized her streaming career above even her duties as a Gym Leader, Iono's focus had recently shifted elsewhere.
Specifically, to that dangerous place she'd just been—Area Zero.
The place that held someone she deeply cared about.
Even knowing that Haru had two powerful Pokémon at his side, Iono couldn't help but worry for his safety.
And the fact that Haru refused to leave with her… that stuck in her mind like a thorn.
What was he hiding down there? Were there others with him in Area Zero? If not, then why was he still acting all mysterious and secretive?
Every time she thought about it, Iono felt even more unsettled.
She absolutely couldn't accept someone else becoming Haru's companion before her. Even if nothing had happened yet, she still couldn't accept it!
Maybe that sounded a little possessive—but hey, that's just how she felt.
Spinning twice in her ergonomic chair with theatrical flair, the girl made up her mind once again.
Time to head back to Area Zero!
After all, she was Iono—a girl of boundless determination and unstoppable action!
No matter what the outcome, the first to act always has the upper hand. It's better than sitting around and regretting missed chances later.
But just as she was gearing up to leave, the hyper-energized girl got a call from someone she hadn't known for long.
"Y'ello, this is Iono! Who's this on the line?"
"Oh, it's Nemona! Good morning–afternoon–evening–hello–ciao!"
"What? You say you want to go to the Great Crater of Paldea again? You want to battle Haru and the Pokémon down there?!"
---
Elsewhere in Paldea, deep within the crater, Haru casually shut off the camera on the ground and ignored Lusamine's "visit request" without hesitation. He turned toward Faba.
It was time to deal with this man properly.
But as he approached within about five meters, Haru suddenly felt… off.
Something around him didn't feel quite right—
—or rather, he didn't feel quite right.
The next moment, his body began to change. He was turning translucent.
Haru glanced down at his fading right hand, showing no particular surprise.
He understood immediately: it meant the cooldown on his time travel had ended.
All he had to do was will it, and he'd vanish from this timeline—sent randomly to another time and place in the past.
Of course, the time spent in those past travels didn't sync with the present.
In other words, even if Haru spent a year or two in the past, when he returned to the current timeline, only about three seconds would have passed.
So he didn't have to worry about Faba fleeing while he was gone.
Naturally, this wasn't the proper use of the Area Zero time machine. Normally, you had to access it from the lab inside Area Zero—random jumps like this were… not exactly standard procedure.
But whatever. To Haru, time travel was fun.
It's not like there was much else to do in this crater, and he couldn't leave yet anyway.
Not like some beautiful girl was going to drop out of the sky and keep him company, right?
...Well, last time, time travel brought back a pair of underpants-turned-charm. Something kind of dumb. Wonder what it'll be this time?
Hopefully nothing too outrageous—or he might be too embarrassed to show it to anyone.
After knocking Faba out the "physical" way, Haru activated the time jump while idly mulling over all this irrelevant nonsense.
And now, he was kind of looking forward to which "old acquaintances" he might run into next.
---
The disorienting weightlessness vanished as quickly as it came. Haru completed the time jump and looked around.
Last time, he'd been dumped straight into the Tagtree Thicket in Paldea. But this time… he'd landed somewhere surprisingly nice?
It looked like the grand hall of a wealthy estate, decorated with a refined and lavish aesthetic. The high-arched ceiling boasted elegant crystal chandeliers casting a soft glow.
Exquisite bas-relief carvings adorned the walls, each depicting vivid images of Pokémon—most of them from the Alola region.
Just then, a woman's voice rang out in front of him.
There was a natural authority in her tone—she clearly held a high status, and spoke with an unspoken dominance that allowed no dissent.
"What exactly have I done to make you treat me with such disrespect?"
"Lillie, I'll ask you one more time—why did you steal Cosmog and run away?"
With just two lines, her identity was clear.
Lusamine—Lillie's mother.
Fate sure had a way of bringing them together. Haru had met them in Area Zero, and now again here, after another time jump.
Like her mother, Lillie was a blonde beauty—but far gentler by comparison.
Honestly, Haru mused, if he were dating Lillie and ended up cheating on her, she'd probably forgive him as long as he apologized properly. (Not that he should, of course.)
But maybe the two were too caught up in their own confrontation—because neither had noticed the stranger who suddenly appeared in their midst.
"I… I did it because it looked like it was in real pain," Lillie said, her voice trembling. "Please stop forcing it to open Ultra Wormholes. It can't take it anymore."
"Lillie, you've truly disappointed me."
"I'll say this one more time—give me Cosmog."
"No! I refuse to watch Nebby suffer again!"
"…Fine. You leave me no choice."
Lusamine had finally reached her limit. She was about to resort to force.
But just then—at the very moment she prepared to issue her command—a man appeared before her.
A man she had never seen before, who had somehow infiltrated her presence.
He wore a smile on his face, but there was an unmistakable arrogance in it—like he didn't take her seriously at all.
And in that moment, as Lillie clutched the small Pokémon resembling Nebby in her arms, a flicker of hope crossed her heart.
This man… What was he going to do?