Professors Sada and Turo did not keep Naoki waiting for long.
Half a month later, after listening carefully to Arven recount the events of the past two years, they came to a decision.
They would abandon their research into Paradox Pokémon and remain in Cabo Poco, establishing a research institute dedicated to the study of Terastallization and Stellar Power, and, most importantly, to stay by their son's side.
When news of this spread, the Paldea League, led by Champion Geeta, immediately pledged funding for the construction of the new institute. It was both an act of friendship and a gesture of gratitude for the professors' original discovery of Terastallization.
By the early spring of 209, the Terastal Research Institute was officially completed.
On the day of the opening ceremony, friends and colleagues from all across Paldea came to celebrate. League staff, former researchers from the Area Zero Laboratory, Director Clavell of the Academy, Champion Geeta, Juliana, Nemona, and Penny, all gathered for the occasion.
Naoki also arrived, bringing Elara with him to witness the historic moment.
The new research facility was built on the old lighthouse site in Cabo Poco. Inside, displays showcased crystal fragments brought back from Kitakami and vials of lake water rich with Terastal energy.
Professors Sada and Turo stood proudly at the front, welcoming guests with genuine smiles. They had shed their stiff lab coats in favor of light, casual clothing, radiating warmth and new purpose.
At that moment, Sada was happily chatting with Director Clavell, while the other guests mingled among themselves.
Naoki and Elara stood on a grassy patch nearby. But Naoki's gaze wasn't on the professors, it was on the four young Trainers standing together not far off.
Juliana.
Arven.
Nemona.
Penny.
The sight made him smile faintly. Arven, reunited with his parents, looked as if a heavy weight had been lifted from his heart. His face shone with a brightness that hadn't been there before, his smile wide and unrestrained.
"Arven, that's amazing!" Nemona exclaimed, slapping him on the shoulder with her usual enthusiasm. "Now Professors Sada and Turo will always be by your side!"
"Come to think of it, it's all thanks to Juliana," Penny added with a small smile.
Juliana shook her head quickly. "No, it wasn't just me. Mr. Naoki helped just as much!"
"Huh? Mr. Naoki's here too?" Nemona perked up immediately, her eyes scanning the crowd.
It didn't take her long to spot him.
Their eyes met across the field, and Nemona's face lit up. She jumped up and waved her arms energetically. "Hey! Mr. Naoki!"
Naoki chuckled, nodding politely in return.
"Mr. Naoki's here too?" Penny murmured.
"Yeah, that's right!" Nemona replied, her gaze shifting to the small girl standing beside him. "And that must be Naoki's daughter, Elara, right?"
Juliana nodded, smiling knowingly. "That's right. Don't be fooled by her age, she's already a full-fledged Trainer. I even battled her once, and my Meowscarada lost."
"What?!" Nemona's eyes widened in shock, but then immediately began to sparkle with excitement.
"Then I have to battle her too!" she declared without a second thought.
Without waiting, Nemona charged off across the field toward Elara.
Juliana, Arven, and Penny: "…"
"Nemona is still the same as ever," Juliana muttered helplessly.
More than three years had passed since their first adventure together. So much had changed, and yet Nemona remained exactly the same.
"That's Nemona for you," Arven added with a laugh.
The three friends looked at Nemona's retreating back, then exchanged glances and smiles. The world might change, but their bond never would.
Elara, meeting Nemona's bright eyes and enthusiastic challenge, agreed without hesitation.
The two battles raged fiercely in the open courtyard, drawing cheers and gasps from the gathered crowd. Nemona and Elara threw themselves into the match with fiery determination, their voices carrying above the din as they commanded their partners.
Naoki and Geeta stood off to the side, watching intently.
"Elara's personality is so much like Nemona's," Geeta said softly, her lips curving into a faint smile.
Naoki let out a helpless sigh. "That's true."
Geeta's expression softened with a touch of nostalgia. "Time flies so quickly. In the blink of an eye, she's already six."
Naoki glanced sideways, sensing something behind her words.
"Champion, what are you thinking?"
Geeta smiled knowingly, her tone calm but purposeful. "Nothing more than this, Elara seems perfectly suited for the future of the Paldea League. One day, she could stand in for Nemona and take the title of Top Champion."
Naoki blinked, momentarily at a loss. "She's only seven years old."
Geeta chuckled. "I'm talking about the future. Children grow, just like Pokémon. One day, they'll leave their parents and start journeys of their own."
Naoki's chest tightened. She was right.
That was the way of this world.
At ten years old, children set out on their Pokémon journeys. They traveled far and wide, returning home only for the holidays or between adventures.
By twenty, they were adults, choosing their paths, whether to strive for Champion status, lead a Gym, become breeders, scholars, or simply live peaceful lives. Eventually, they would meet someone they loved, start families, and continue the cycle.
As these thoughts ran through Naoki's mind, a bittersweet ache welled in his chest, the same kind of emotion he had once felt at a dear friend's wedding. That day, watching the father's quiet tears, he had understood, letting go of a child was both the hardest and most beautiful moment for a parent.
Beside him, Geeta's eyes followed the clash on the field, her smile calm and steady.
"You seem… very happy today, Champion," Naoki remarked quietly.
"I am," Geeta admitted with a serene nod. "Professors Sada and Turo have made the right choice."
The Paldea region had long lacked a pair of dedicated professors and a research institute of renown. Now, with their decision to stay, things would change.
From this day forward, the Terastal Research Institute could take on the responsibility of supporting new Trainers. Children turning ten would not only receive their first partner Pokémon there, but also the chance to begin their journeys with a Tera Orb entrusted by the very people who had first uncovered Terastallization itself.
No one was better suited for the task.
Following Geeta's gaze, Naoki spotted Professors Sada and Turo in the crowd.
Geeta's quiet smile lingered, and Naoki finally understood the reason for her joy.
The battle between Elara and Nemona was drawing to a close.
Nemona had entered the match with high expectations. After hearing Juliana mention that Elara had once defeated her Meowscarada, Nemona had assumed the little girl was already at Champion level.
But since returning from her journey to Kitakami, Elara had rarely relied on Terapagos in battles. Instead, she chose to focus on her own partners, Dratini and Larvesta.
Though both Pokémon were extraordinary for their age, they were still far too young to match Nemona's full strength.
One by one, Elara's partners fell in battle.
Nemona realized the truth at once and immediately apologized, bowing her head to the younger Trainer. But Elara wasn't discouraged. She only smiled and promised Nemona that one day, when her Pokémon were stronger, they would battle again properly.
By then, the celebration had reached its end. Guests slowly bid farewell to Professors Sada and Turo.
"I have matters to attend to at the Paldea League," Geeta said, offering her goodbyes to Naoki and Elara. She also paused to exchange a few words with the professors before taking her leave.
Naoki, however, was in no rush.
He stood quietly with Elara and Koraidon in the stands, gazing out toward the distant sea.
Elara, perched on his shoulders, pointed excitedly at the flock of Wingull gliding across the golden horizon.
"Dad, look! Wingull! There are so many of them!"
"I see them," Naoki said with a faint smile. His thoughts lingered on his earlier conversation with Geeta, and before he could stop himself, the question slipped out. "Elara, what do you want to do in the future?"
Her eyes sparkled as she watched the Wingull wheel above the shimmering sea. "I want to be like them, flying far, far away, to see new places and meet all kinds of Pokémon!"
Naoki gave a soft chuckle. "But then Mom and Dad wouldn't get to see you anymore."
The words made her pause. She had never thought about that before.
After a moment, Elara tilted her head and asked earnestly, "But… I could always come back to visit you and Mom, right?"
Naoki: "…"
Ah, never mind.
It was too soon to burden her with such thoughts. For now, as long as Elara's dreams made her happy, that was enough.
Suddenly, gentle applause came from behind them.
Naoki turned to see Professor Sada walking toward them. Her expression was soft, her eyes glimmering as she looked at Elara perched on her father's shoulders.
"What a wonderful dream," she said warmly.
"Professor Sada!" Elara cried with delight.
"But," the professor added softly, kneeling slightly so she was level with the girl, "while it's important to chase the wonders of the world, never forget your family."
"I won't!" Elara promised earnestly. "I'll never forget Mom and Dad, Koraidon, Dragonite, and all the others!"
Professor Sada's smile deepened.
Then, her gaze shifted to Naoki and the Koraidon standing faithfully at his side.
Though she and Professor Turo had been told about the events of the past two years, neither of them had fully grasped the truth about Koraidon's fate.
Her expression grew serious.
"Naoki," she said quietly, "can you tell me everything about Cyclizar… about how it became Koraidon?"
Naoki didn't refuse.
He looked at the Koraidon beside him, its scales glinting faintly in the light, and slowly began to recount the story.
He spoke of how his Cyclizar had fallen into the time machine and emerged as Koraidon.
He told them of the journey through ancient times, millions of years ago, where Cyclizar had met Flutter Mane and Terapagos.
He explained how, eleven years ago, the two professors themselves had summoned it to the present through that very same time machine.
And then, he spoke of something that had not yet happened. He told them how, in some distant future, he would return to the past, walk alongside Koraidon through its journey, and ensure Terapagos would be saved from extinction.
"I see."
At that moment, Professor Sada finally understood.
She understood why Naoki's Koraidon was unlike any other, why Flutter Mane was drawn so naturally to its side.
Her own research with Turo had shown her the theory: Terastal energy could indeed link together different points in time and space, but the power required was beyond comprehension.
A single Terapagos could never sustain true, permanent time travel.
That was why, during her explorations of the Great Crater, she had once been pulled into the future but only remained for a short time. That was why the time machine could only ever exist within Area Zero, the one place where Terastal energy overflowed endlessly.
Past, present, future, an endless paradox.
Sada's eyes softened as she looked at Koraidon.
"Its bond with you transcends time itself."
"I know," Naoki replied gently.
Her thoughts raced. "And in the future… you will return to the past, save Terapagos, and alter its fate."
The Terapagos alive today, the ones standing here now, had in turn used their power to change her and Turo's fate.
If Naoki had not taken that path, a single Terapagos would never have held the strength to shift their destiny.
And at the root of everything was Cyclizar's transformation into Koraidon.
Because of that transformation, everything else had followed. Their deaths, their survival, the paradox unraveling, and the countless lives touched along the way.
Sada's chest tightened with a storm of emotions.
Did Naoki have to shoulder the price for mistakes she and Turo had made?
To the outside world, his Cyclizar had never left. But for Naoki… the partner he had raised for nearly a decade was suddenly gone. What Trainer could truly accept that?
If Cyclizar hadn't become Koraidon, none of this would have unfolded. She and Turo would have perished at the Fourth Station… and Naoki's world would have remained untouched.
"I…" Her voice faltered. She didn't know what to say. At last, her eyes filled with regret as she whispered, "I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry."
But Naoki only smiled faintly, and asked her something unexpected.
"Professor… doesn't all of this feel like an ouroboros to you?"
Sada blinked in surprise.
"Cyclizar keeps falling back into the past, becoming Koraidon, only to watch its younger self fall into the time machine once more. And now… it's my turn to complete the cycle."
Her lips parted, and for once, she had no words.
Finally, she asked quietly, "But if you return to the past and send Koraidon forward eleven years… what happens to you? Where will you go?"
Naoki shook his head. "I don't know. But if I have a choice… I'd return to this moment, to this Koraidon. And I'd stay with it forever."
For a long moment, Professor Sada stood in silence, overwhelmed by the weight of his words.
At last, she spoke softly, her tone filled with a rare gentleness.
"I understand. If you ever need us, anything at all, contact us. We'll do everything in our power to help you."