The moment the voice fell, its owner slowly emerged from the shadows.
He was an elderly gentleman, wearing an elegant pair of round spectacles. Through the faint reflection on the lenses, one could glimpse a pair of deep, kindly eyes.
His white hair was neatly combed, slightly sparse but orderly, exuding an air of competence and composure.
Haru recognized who it was, but instead of immediately answering the man's question, it was Nemona whose curiosity was piqued.
"Pokémon from the Zero Lab?"
"Wait, does that mean Pokémon from the Zero Lab become stronger than normal ones?"
When the newcomer mentioned the Zero Lab, Nemona suddenly recalled the Delibird that appeared in Iono's livestream.
That wild Delibird had displayed strength far beyond what one would expect of its species.
And the "Mismagius" in Haru's possession was clearly not your average Mismagius—there was no way a regular one could give her this much pressure.
Which raised the question: if she were to live in the Zero Lab, would her Pokémon also become stronger?
With that thought in mind, Nemona's eyes lit up as she turned to the man and said:
"Director Clavell, can I—"
The elderly man, Clavell, immediately shook his head.
"Absolutely not. That place is off-limits. It's far too dangerous—entirely unfit for human habitation."
"And on top of that, your reckless intrusion into a restricted area is extremely inappropriate. What if something had happened to you? How would we explain that to your parents?"
Yes—this white-haired gentleman was none other than the headmaster of Naranja Academy.
Unlike the quirky, dream-obsessed principal of Unova, Clavell was a highly competent administrator.
He personally investigated matters to uncover the truth and had even once disguised himself with a pompadour haircut to get to the bottom of a case. He was tactful and never condescending.
Naranja Academy held special significance in Paldea—it shared close ties with the Pokémon League and couldn't simply be regarded as a regular school.
Still, Haru couldn't shake the strong feeling of déjà vu... The first official witness to battle in the games also seemed to be this very headmaster.
Are we really doing a full remake of Scarlet and Violet now? If so, where's my legendary motorcycle Pokémon?
"So then, sir, would you mind answering my question? Who exactly are you?"
As he spoke, Clavell pulled a few documents from the bag in his right hand.
"After you appeared in Iono's stream, we received three separate travel applications requesting to visit the Paldea region."
He pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose and continued:
"One from the Alola region, and two from Kanto. All three mentioned wanting to meet you—and the people behind these requests are far from ordinary."
"The Alola branch of the Aether Foundation, a former Champion from Kanto, and the Gym Leader of Saffron City…"
"But in our local database, we could find barely any information on your identity."
"And another thing—your presence in the Zero Lab is also concerning. You do understand that it's a restricted area, don't you?"
"I do. But I only found that out after the fact. When I first became conscious, I was already inside the Zero Lab."
"When I woke up, I had only a vague sense of general knowledge. Everything else was a blank, so I'm afraid I can't answer your question of 'who I am.'"
Haru explained the truth—or at least, a half-truth—calmly and evenly.
"I see…"
Clavell stroked the whiskers on his chin thoughtfully.
Despite how suspicious Haru's situation was, Clavell's demeanor remained fairly measured.
In the Pokémon world, all manner of bizarre events and miracles occurred regularly. No matter how strange Haru's background seemed, it didn't automatically make him a liar.
Moreover, Haru had no criminal record. And he seemed to have a longstanding relationship with Iono.
That suggested he was probably fine—or at least, not some major threat.
Besides, there was the matter of the Zero Lab…
Just then, an impatient voice rang out—the ponytailed girl in tights raised her hand eagerly.
"Um… can we resume the battle now?"
"Of course. My apologies for interrupting your match earlier."
Clavell nodded and walked quickly to the edge of the battlefield.
This would be a good opportunity to observe the man's strength.
He was already familiar with Nemona's skills.
To put it bluntly, Clavell believed it was only a matter of time before Nemona claimed the Paldea League Championship.
And although this man wielding Pokémon from the Zero Lab was clearly strong, Clavell still believed Nemona would emerge victorious.
No—she would win decisively, with overwhelming force.
Even if the Zero Lab Pokémon were strong, it's not like the man could have caught six of them, right?
Come on—catching a single Zero Lab Pokémon is hard enough.
"Then let's begin. Flutter Mane, use Moonblast!"
"Coming at me right away, huh? Great! This is going to be an epic match!"
Nemona clenched her fists in excitement and immediately gave her Lycanroc its command.
"Lycanroc, hit back with Rock Slide!"
Though there were now four people on the scene, including two strangers, Flutter Mane didn't retreat back into Haru's body out of stage fright.
After the chaos of Alola, she hadn't gained much in raw power, but her mental resilience had grown considerably.
After seeing the horrors of MeowTV, what's left to be afraid of?
Though she was still trembling, Flutter Mane took advantage of her superior speed—faster than even Hakamo-o using Water moves—and quickly gathered her energy, forming it into a glowing blue full moon.
For a high-speed attacker like Flutter Mane, who lacked physical durability, winning meant ending the fight quickly. The longer it dragged out, the more likely she'd get wiped by a strong physical hit.
And Lycanroc? That was a dangerous one…
Lycanroc followed Nemona's command and used the move that boasted endless potential—Rock Slide.
In the games, this move had a chance to cause the opponent to flinch, preventing them from acting in the next turn.
So theoretically, a Pokémon could spam Rock Slide and flinch-lock their opponent into submission.
Theoretically.
In reality, though, it was just as likely the move would miss entirely…
***************************
Read advanced chapters ahead of everyone else on my P@treon.
P@treon/GodDragcell