Raizer's eyes narrowed as realization dawned. "Wait a minute. If that's the case... then your vision applies to HIM, not Zayn."
Rayne's face went pale. "You're right. Zayn changed his appearance. And I just realized—I only saw an event. It was never confirmed to be Zayn." She pressed her hand to her forehead. "Who was that, actually?"
Diego's voice was calm, measured. "I'm fairly certain he's Zayn from another reality. Another possibility."
Rayne's head snapped toward him. "How can you possibly know that?"
Diego's smile was thin. "Don't pretend you didn't read my thoughts earlier. I'm a Logic User."
"What kind of Logic?"
"Möbius Strip Structure."
Rayne stared at him. "There are Structure-type Logic Users too?" She shook her head slowly. "My mentor was right. Logic has the most variations of any system." She straightened. "So what does your Structure access have to do with knowing he's from another reality?"
Diego's eyes gleamed. "I don't use just one Logic. I also have access to Multiverse Logic. My foundation is possibility. Because of that, I can access the multiverse of possibilities. And with Möbius Strip time structure..." He spread his hands. "I can see past and future events. Even from other realities."
Rayne's voice cracked. "What does that mean? How does that even work?"
Raizer stepped in. "Möbius Strip Structure treats time as cyclical. Past, present, and future exist on the same plane. They're not separate—they're connected."
Rayne let out a long breath. "This is why my mentor said Logic is too complicated." She managed a weak smile. "Glad I'm just an Esper."
Raizer turned back to Diego. "So what's his name? You clearly know."
Diego nodded slowly. "Kyle. He's like another version of Zayn. But perhaps not exactly—their identities are fundamentally different. This might just be coincidence."
Rayne frowned. "Coincidence? Then how did he end up here if he's from another reality?"
Diego's smile widened. "That will be explained in the next chapter."
---
**Meanwhile, Zayn and Xavier continued walking toward Professor Miranda's lab.**
Xavier studied the map on his Rotomdex. "Okay, we should be getting close." He glanced at Zayn. "Hey, are you planning to challenge the Pokémon League?"
Zayn shrugged casually. "Probably not seriously. But I'll still take on the Gym Leaders. I need the badges."
Xavier raised an eyebrow. "You're a badge collector?"
"I need them to access certain areas. You know how it is—some places require minimum badges or Gym Leader training just to enter."
They walked in comfortable silence for a moment. In the river beside the path, Gible Redux and Cubble floated lazily, letting the current carry them downstream. Gible's eyes were half-closed, enjoying the peace—
Then something flickered at the edge of its awareness.
Xavier felt it too—a subtle wrongness in the air, like a note played slightly off-key.
A figure approached from the opposite direction.
Zayn's steps slowed. Something about this person was... familiar. He turned.
The other trainer turned at the same moment.
They stared at each other.
Zayn's voice came out strangled. "Wait. We look alike. How is that possible?"
The other trainer studied him with equal bewilderment. "Alike? I think we're quite different."
Zayn's clothes shimmered and shifted. Within seconds, he was back in his original outfit—the one he'd worn before the shopping trip.
The other trainer's eyes went wide. "Okay, we do look alike. That's... actually reasonable." He squinted. "But how did you change that fast? I'd need magic to pull that off." His eyes narrowed. "Don't tell me—you're a Logic User."
Zayn grinned. "You could say that. I use Logic." He leaned forward, curiosity burning. "What's your name? Where are you from?"
The other trainer removed his cap. "You can call me Kyle. And I'm not from this reality."
Xavier's eyes widened. Suddenly, the resemblance made perfect sense.
Zayn's jaw dropped. "Another reality?! How did you end up here?"
Kyle's expression darkened. "I was forcibly displaced. By an enemy of mine." He paused. "Audrey, I think her name was."
He pulled a Pokéball from his belt and released his partner.
The Pokémon that materialized was unmistakably a Charmander—but wrong. Instead of warm orange scales, its body was bone-white, segmented like an exoskeleton. Its eyes burned with haunting purple light, and the flame at the tip of its tail flickered with spectral violet fire. A jagged, toothy grin stretched across its face.
Xavier's Rotomdex immediately tried to scan it. The screen flickered, displaying nothing but error messages.
Zayn pulled out his own Pokédex. The device whirred, then displayed:
[Delta Charmander: A skeletal variant of the classic Fire-type Pokémon, trading its warm orange scales for a pale, bone-white or light grey exterior. Its body is heavily segmented, resembling an exoskeleton or exposed vertebrae and rib-like plating.
The most striking changes are its eyes and tail: its eyes are a piercing, haunting purple, and the iconic flame at the tip of its tail has been replaced by a flickering spectral violet fire. Its mouth features a jagged, toothy grin, emphasizing its "Bone Lizard" classification.]
Zayn stared at the screen. "That's it?! Just a description?!"
Kyle chuckled and offered his own Pokédex. "Here. This might help."
Zayn took it and read:
**[Pokédex Entry**
**Name: Delta Charmander**
**Classification: Bone Lizard Pokémon**
**Type: Ghost / Dragon**
**Entry: This regional variant of Charmander was born from experiments involving ancient DNA and spiritual energy. Instead of heat, its internal body temperature is deathly cold. The violet flame on its tail does not emit warmth; instead, it is said to burn the very soul of anyone who touches it. It wanders through ancient graveyards, seeking the spirits of fallen dragons to increase its own spectral power.]**
Zayn and Xavier exchanged glances. This was real. Kyle really was from another reality.
Xavier looked at the Delta Charmander, now playing with Gible and Cubble by the riverbank. "A Delta variant. The description is completely different from anything in our world." He nodded slowly. "Okay. I believe you."
Kyle smirked. "Told you."
Zayn leaned forward. "So what's the multiverse like? You've actually traveled between realities."
Kyle scratched his head. "I already told you—I don't really know. I read some books about it back in my world. Pokémon alone are already a combination of possibility and impossibility." He shrugged. "So I think the multiverse is just... all possibilities and impossibilities combined. Everything that could be. Everything that couldn't be. I don't know beyond that."
Zayn frowned. "How can you NOT know?!"
Kyle threw his hands up. "Hey, if you want answers, ask a professor! Back in my world, this stuff was confusing enough. First I shifted to another timeline, then I got thrown into another reality entirely. So my conclusion? The multiverse is EVERY possibility and impossibility. All of it. End of story."
Zayn considered this. "Oh. That actually makes sense."
Xavier nodded slowly. "No wonder it works like that. The system is complicated."
Zayn's curiosity shifted. "This person who displaced you—what was she? And how could she do that?"
Kyle's expression darkened again. "An Esper, I think. And a cultivator."
Zayn's eyes widened. "Both?"
"That's what I said."
Zayn pressed on. "Do you know how to get back?"
Kyle's expression relaxed. "I can perform a ritual. But I'm in no rush." He glanced toward the museum district. "That relic exhibition sounds interesting. I might stick around for it."
He started walking again, then paused and looked back. "I'm heading to the museum. Maybe something interesting will happen there."
Zayn waved. "We're meeting friends at Professor Miranda's lab."
Kyle nodded once, then continued down the path, his Delta Charmander scampering to catch up.
Zayn watched him go for a moment. "Another reality," he murmured. "This world is getting more complicated by the minute."
Xavier was already walking. "Come on. We're going to be late."
Zayn shook off his thoughts and followed.
The afternoon sun continued its slow descent toward evening.