After that, we return to Zayn and the others at the Pokémon Center.
"You know, I just realized something," Zayn said, leaning back in his chair. "When Pokémon use their Aspects, it's never as strong as when they were wild."
Xavier nodded thoughtfully. "Wild Pokémon usually have their Aspects passively active all the time. After being caught, they can still access them passively in their attacks, but it depends on how much access they have now."
"So what percentage of access do they need to unlock their Aspect again?"
Xavier shrugged. "Honestly? There's no specific number. It depends entirely on the Pokémon. They only fight seriously when they actually WANT to fight seriously."
Zayn's eyebrows rose. "So the reason my Pokémon can't use their Aspect is just because they don't feel like it?"
Xavier gave a small smile. "Basically, yeah."
Zayn turned to Rayne, a new question forming. "Hey, Rayne—I just realized something. This world is full of weird supernatural stuff. Mages, Espers, Cultivators... but why don't I hear about them using their abilities directly very often?"
Rayne crossed her legs. "We usually use our abilities to support our Pokémon. It's way more effective than fighting directly."
Zayn's eyes lit up with understanding. "Ohhh, so that's why almost no one used their abilities to fight directly on the train yesterday."
Rayne added, "Besides, direct fighting is exhausting. Especially against Pokémon with Aspects."
Xavier's curiosity got the better of him. "So what exactly can you do? You're an Esper, right?"
Rayne counted off on her fingers. "I can see the future, telekinesis, read minds, manipulate memories and thoughts, create illusions, see the past, and I can manipulate gravity a little."
Xavier stared at her. "That's... it?"
Rayne's eyes flashed. "Hey! You clearly don't understand what gravity manipulation means for an Esper."
Zayn leaned forward. "What DOES it mean?"
Rayne's expression turned serious. "You know gravity is the curvature of space-time, right?"
Xavier's eyes widened. "So you manipulate space and time."
"That's part of it, but let me finish." Rayne held up her hand. "For an Esper, gravity means everything related to space and time. That means dimensions, cause and effect, destiny... all of those fall under gravity's aspect."
Zayn's jaw dropped. "Seriously? You can manipulate ALL of that?"
Rayne smiled proudly. "Yes. I can. Impressive, right?"
Zayn's expression shifted to something more skeptical. "Honestly? You still fought like an amateur earlier."
Rayne's face reddened. "I only got my Pokémon YESTERDAY! I've been focusing on Esper training until now!"
"So before you got Litwick, you were training to be an Esper?"
"Yes! That's why my abilities are decent, but I don't know much about battles yet." She crossed her arms. "That's exactly why my mentor told me to pick up a Rotomdex from Professor Miranda's lab."
Zayn's eyes gleamed. "Then prove it. Use your abilities. Tell us what happened on the train."
Rayne sighed. "Fine. Since you're asking so nicely."
She closed her eyes. Her abilities reached out—manipulating information, accessing memories, viewing events. The train. The chaos. The explosion.
When she opened her eyes, she spoke quickly.
"Short version? You boarded the train at 7:30 AM. You got suspicious of someone carrying photography equipment. You went to Carriage 9 to eat. There, you met someone named Xian, who told you about an organization called Genryumon and showed you a picture of a girl. Then Astral Dynamite exploded—but Gible Redux had already moved all the bombs to the Shadow Realm. You and Xian went to another carriage, where you met someone named Alied healing passengers, and Theo with his Dragapult announced that every carriage had become infinite space."
She paused to catch her breath, then continued.
"The suspicious photographer turned out to be the culprit. He ran, chased by Theo and the other passengers. Xian and Alied went after the girl in the photo. You ended up finding her in Carriage 12. Eventually, everyone was captured. You tried to eat the food you'd ordered, but the train arrived at Ariestal City. You got off and said, 'What a terrible morning.' Then you received compensation for the incident."
Rayne stared at them. "Wait. That story is insane. What kind of morning WAS that?!"
Zayn's mouth hung open. "You actually CAN see the past." He frowned. "But how did you know their names? Even I didn't know half of them."
Rayne's voice was quiet. "I accessed the Hyperarrative Hall."
Zayn tilted his head. "The... Hyperarrative Hall? What's that?"
Rayne's expression grew distant. "You could say it's the place where all the world's stories and narratives are stored. Because of that, my predictions are more accurate. I can see stories—past, present, and future."
Zayn leaned forward eagerly. "Then predict what happens tonight! You must already know, right?"
Rayne closed her eyes again, reaching forward through time.
Images flickered through her mind. Fragments. Shards. Nothing coherent. The future was a storm of possibilities, each one conflicting with the next. Stories rewriting themselves faster than she could follow.
Then—one image crystallized.
Zayn. On the ground. A gunshot.
Her eyes snapped open.
"I couldn't see it clearly," she said slowly. "It was too chaotic. But..." She hesitated. "I saw you die. Shot."
Zayn's expression didn't change. "Shot? How is that possible?"
Xavier's voice was tight. "What time? Did you see what time?"
Rayne shook her head. "It was fragmented. Random. But from what I could tell..." She swallowed. "10 PM."
Xavier pulled out his Pokédex and checked the exhibition schedule. His face went pale. "10 PM. That's when the main exhibition starts."
Zayn frowned. "Seriously? I die at 10 PM? That doesn't make any sense."
Rayne pressed her fingers to her temples. "Honestly, I don't understand it either. My visions are never this chaotic. Something is interfering. It has to be the story rewrites."
Zayn's brow furrowed. "Story rewrites? What do you mean?"
Rayne looked at him like he'd just asked why water was wet. "You didn't know? Everything in this world has a story aspect. Everything. And because of that, things are constantly rewriting their own stories. Creating new narratives. The stories stack on top of each other, layer after layer, until eventually everything becomes chaotic. Like this."
Zayn's eyes widened. "So stories just keep stacking on top of each other? That's why this story has so many rewrites."
Rayne took a deep breath. "So, Zayn. How do you feel, knowing you might die tonight?"
Zayn met her gaze without flinching. "Honestly? I'm not going to believe it that easily. My fate isn't deterministic." A pause. "Besides... I'm not really afraid of dying."
Rayne's eyes widened. "How can you not be afraid?"
Zayn's smile was calm. "One of my friends is in this city right now. And besides—do you really think death is the end? You're an Esper. You know about reincarnation. Instant revival. There are a thousand ways to come back."
Rayne fell silent. She hadn't considered that. She didn't even know what abilities Zayn had.
Xavier broke the silence. "Shot dead. Tonight. Where?"
Rayne closed her eyes, trying to recall the fragmented vision. "The museum. I think. I saw it happening inside the museum."
Xavier's voice was sharp. "Did you see the shooter?"
Rayne shook her head slowly. "No. Just him. Falling. The wound."
Xavier let out a long, slow breath. "I guess we really can't know the future accurately until it actually happens."
Zayn stood up, stretching his shoulders. "Thinking about things that haven't happened yet is exhausting." He grinned. "Alright. Let's talk about something else."
---
Meanwhile, while the trainers were deep in discussion, their Pokémon were doing something completely different—because they were bored.
"Gible! Gible Gible..." Gible Redux grumbled, which roughly translated to, *I'm bored here. What are we supposed to do?*
*Click.* Joltik emerged from its Pokéball. *Click.* Cubble emerged from Xavier's.
Joltik sat thinking about what they should do. Cubble immediately fell asleep.
"Tik... Tik... Joltik!" Joltik buzzed, nudging Cubble awake. When that didn't work, it gave the Water-type a small shock. Cubble's eyes snapped open instantly.
"Cubble! Cuble Cuble Cuble!" it shrieked, furious at being woken up.
Joltik sparked again, unrepentant. "Joltik ... Tik Tik Tik." *If you're just going to sleep, you might as well go back in your Pokéball.*
Gible called them over. "GIBLE!"
The three gathered in a tight circle, their voices lost in the general noise of the crowded Pokémon Center.
"Gible! Ble... Ble... Ble..." Gible started the discussion, miming boredom with exaggerated gestures.
Cubble yawned. "Cuble! Ble... Ble ... Ble." *How about we just sleep?*
Gible smacked Cubble on the head. The impact left a red mark.
"Joltik! Tik! Tik! Tik!" Joltik bounced up and down, miming playing a game, fingers tapping at invisible buttons. Gible immediately understood—it wanted to play the game console from last night.
"Gible! Ble.. Ble.. Ble.., Gible! Ble.. Ble!" Gible pointed out the obvious problem. *That's a great idea, but how do we get the console? It's in the Inventory Box now.*
All three fell silent, thinking hard. Well, Gible and Joltik thought hard. Cubble fell asleep again.
"Gible! Ble... Ble.. Ble...?" Gible asked. *How do we even take something out of there? We don't even know what that box is.*
Joltik's eyes lit up. "Joltik! Tik! Tik... Tik.. Tik Tik Tik!" *I know! What if we use Zayn's Pokédex to look up information?*
Gible considered this, then shook its head. "Gible! Gible... Ble.. Ble?" *Good idea, but Zayn's Pokédex is an analysis type, not a complete index.*
Joltik deflated for a moment, then perked up again. "Joltik..., tik! Joltik!" *Then let's use Xavier's Rotomdex!*
"Gible!" Gible agreed enthusiastically. *Let's do it!*
They crept closer. Xavier's Rotomdex floated beside his head, humming softly. The two Pokémon realized the problem immediately—it was right next to their trainers. Any attempt to grab it would be noticed.
"Tik... Tik.., Joltik?" Joltik whispered nervously. *The Rotomdex is right beside Xavier. How do we take it without them noticing?*
Gible's face split into a mischievous grin. "Gible...., Gible!!! Gible! Gible!"
It focused, and suddenly the air rippled. Phantom Force—but not on itself. The technique wrapped around the Rotomdex, and in an instant, the device vanished from beside Xavier's head and reappeared in their hiding spot, already trapped in Joltik's Electroweb.
"Hey! What are you doing?!" the Rotomdex sputtered.
"Gible! Gible Gible!" Gible made elaborate gestures, miming an Inventory Box.
Rotomdex's screen flickered with understanding. "Oh! You want to know about Inventory Boxes? Fine, fine—but let me go after!"
"Giible..." Gible nodded cautiously.
"The Inventory Box is an essential item for beginning trainers—"
*ZZZAP!*
Joltik zapped the Rotomdex before it could finish. The device buzzed indignantly.
"Joltik! Tik... Tik! Joltik!" Joltik signaled to Gible, gesturing at the Rotomdex's volume. *Too loud!*
Gible scratched its head, thinking. How could they get the information without the Rotomdex broadcasting it to everyone in the Pokémon Center?
Its eyes lit up. "Hmmm.... GIBLE!!!" It mimed reading, pointing at the screen. "Gible! Gible Gible!"
Joltik understood immediately. Put the Rotomdex in silent reading mode. But this particular Rotomdex was notoriously chatty.
Joltik decided persuasion was in order. A little Thunderbolt should convince it to cooperate.
*Bzzzzzt!*
"Hey! What are you doing?! Stop that, or I'll increase the volume until your trainers hear!" the Rotomdex threatened.
*Bzzzzzt!*
"Do you think this is enough?! I have PRIDE! It won't crumble that easily!"
Gible realized this wasn't working. "Gible...! Gible." It signaled to Joltik. *Use the secret technique.*
Joltik nodded and unleashed Secret Power. Ghost-type energy surged through the Rotomdex. The device shuddered. Ghost-type moves were super effective against Rotom.
The Rotomdex's screen flickered weakly. It knew when it was beaten. Fighting back was useless—attacking Joltik would do nothing, and Gible Redux would just phase through anything it threw.
"Fine. Fine! I surrender!"
The screen displayed the information.
**Inventory Box:** An essential item for beginning trainers. Capable of storing any number of items without increasing weight. The system functions similarly to a Pokéball—items are transferred to a pocket dimension. However, the pocket dimension used by an Inventory Box is unique: items are converted into information and data. Once stored, they exist as data files that can be retrieved at will. Most trainers set a passcode on their Inventory Box for security.
The two Pokémon stared at the screen. Then at each other.
That was... easy.
"Gible.. Ble.. Ble.. Gible!" Gible commanded. *Joltik! Go get the game console from Zayn's Inventory Box!*
Joltik's eyes gleamed. Information and data were just electrical currents. And who understood electrical currents better than a Joltik?
It focused, and its form dissolved into pure electricity. A moment later, it was inside the Inventory Box—a space of pure data and information—and grabbed the game console.
"Joltik!!!" It emerged triumphantly, holding the prize.
Gible pumped its fist. Time to play!
They thought it was over.
*Click.*
Chatot's Pokéball opened. The little bird Pokémon flew out, drawn by the commotion. Despite the general noise of the Pokémon Center, Chatot's hearing was exceptional. It had heard everything.
And Chatot's voice was LOUD.
"Chatot Chatot Chatot!" The bird Pokémon chirped threateningly, wings spread wide. The message was clear: *Hand over the console.*
Gible and Joltik exchanged glances.
Not. A. Chance.
"Gibleee!!!" Gible growled, a long, low sound of defiance.
*ZZZZZZZZT!*
Joltik unloaded a massive Thunder Shock. Chatot's feathers stood on end, and the bird Pokémon collapsed, twitching.
Gible didn't waste a moment. It used Phantom Force on Chatot's Pokéball, and the stunned bird was sucked back inside.
Silence returned to their corner.
Gible powered on the console. Joltik leaned in close. They scrolled through the menus, looking for something good to play.
A notification appeared.
**RAIZER:** *Hey Zayn! Have you made it to Ariestal yet? I can see your location here. If you're wondering where I am—I'm at the Pokémon Center near the plaza. Here's a battle link if you want to challenge me.*
Below the message was a link.
Gible and Joltik ignored the message entirely. But the link... that was interesting.
Joltik tapped it.
The game loaded. Raizer had joined the lobby. Double battle format. Four Pokémon each. One round. Winner takes all.
Gible and Joltik exchanged grins. They picked their team:
- Garchomp (Redux)
- Gyarados
- Politoed
- Galvantula
Raizer's team appeared on the other side:
- Scizor
- Metagross
- Tyranitar
- Excadrill
Cubble, who had woken up during the excitement, decided to watch. Even it was bored of sleeping all the time.
**BATTLE START!**
Gible and Joltik led with Politoed and Galvantula. Raizer led with Tyranitar and Excadrill.
Gible and Joltik were confident. Type advantage. What could go wrong?
Politoed's Drizzle activated, summoning rain. The field was soaked. Perfect conditions.
Then Tyranitar moved.
Its Sand Stream activated. Because Tyranitar was slower, its ability triggered after Drizzle. The rain vanished, replaced by a howling sandstorm.
Gible and Joltik's jaws dropped. Their entire strategy—ruined. In one move.
They scrambled. Joltik recalled Politoed and sent out Garchomp Redux. Gible ordered Galvantula to set Sticky Web.
Excadrill's Sand Rush activated. In the sandstorm, its speed doubled.
It moved faster than Galvantula could react.
Galvantula was holding a Focus Sash. It should survive one hit. But Excadrill used Rock Slide. The attack hit both targets—and Galvantula flinched.
Tyranitar, holding a Choice Band, Crunched Garchomp Redux.
Garchomp went down in one hit.
The sandstorm battered Galvantula—not a Rock, Ground, or Steel type. Its health drained to zero.
Two Pokémon lost. Turn one.
Gible and Joltik stared at the screen in horror.
They sent out Politoed and Gyarados. Gyarados's Intimidate activated, lowering Tyranitar and Excadrill's attack. The rain returned with Politoed.
Hope flickered.
Joltik commanded Gyarados to use Waterfall on Excadrill. Gible ordered Politoed to use Weather Ball on Tyranitar.
Raizer recalled Tyranitar and sent out Scizor. His command to Excadrill was simple: Rock Slide.
Gyarados's Waterfall slammed into Excadrill. The mole Pokémon survived—Focus Sash—and retaliated.
Excadrill's Rock Slide struck both Gyarados and Politoed. Both hits connected. Politoed flinched. Gyarados took a critical hit.
Gible, Joltik, and even Cubble stared in disbelief. Rock Slide's flinch chance was 30%. Critical hits were rare. And both had happened at once.
Gyarados's health bar dropped to red.
Cubble, usually half-asleep, was wide awake now, eyes locked on the screen.
Gible and Joltik exchanged desperate glances. They couldn't win. But maybe—maybe they could take at least ONE of Raizer's Pokémon down with them.
"Gyarados! Waterfall on Excadrill!" they commanded.
Raizer was already one step ahead. "Scizor—Bullet Punch."
Scizor moved first. Its claw flashed forward, striking Gyarados before the Waterfall could land.
Gyarados fell.
Excadrill used Fissure on Politoed.
It hit.
Thirty percent accuracy. And it hit.
Politoed was gone.
YOU LOSE.
Cubble collapsed to the floor, still staring at the screen, processing what had just happened.
Gible and Joltik sat frozen. They hadn't taken down a single Pokémon. Not one.
A new message appeared.
RAIZER: FINALLY!!! I WON, ZAYN! After weeks of losing streaks against you, FINALLY! I told you I'd beat you! And now I have! Wait, though... that team wasn't like you at all. You usually have better synergy. Were you testing a new strategy? Or... was that not you?*
Gible and Joltik exchanged looks. Whoever this Raizer was, he was clearly close to Zayn.
Joltik extended its Electroweb, feeling for electrical signatures. The web pulsed once, twice—and found him.
Raizer was sitting at the table directly in front of Zayn's group.
The two Pokémon crept closer, peeking around a chair.
Raizer had silver hair, slightly long, tied back. Green eyes. A silver-blue jacket over a white shirt with black stripes. Dark jeans. Black boots with silver accents.
He looked up, sensing he was being watched.
His eyes met Gible's.
His gaze dropped to the game console in the Pokémon's claws. His face lit up.
"Zayn's console," he breathed. "That means Zayn is—"
He stood abruptly and looked past the Pokémon.
There, at the table behind them, sat Zayn. One table away. The whole time.
Raizer walked over.
"Hey. It's been a while, Zayn." He extended his hand, confidence radiating from every movement.
Zayn turned. His face broke into a grin.
He stood and clasped Raizer's hand firmly.
"Finally. We meet in this city." Zayn's grin widened. "My first day here was a disaster, but at least nothing got delayed."
Raizer smiled back. "You've been waiting to start your journey for a long time. I knew you'd start it even if you knew things wouldn't go smoothly."
"Of course." Zayn's grip tightened. "I'm already too far behind you."
Xavier and Rayne exchanged bewildered looks. These two acted like they'd known each other for years.