A/N: I made it on time, yay! As we catch up with some old friends, the second arc of the story comes to an end. The time has come for the all-important final arc of the story and the climax to everything that our cast has been working toward. Hope everyone's as excited as I am! Once more, thank you for reading and putting up with my upload schedule. All your reviews are greatly appreciated!
Geeta's office was too cramped. Impractical renovations clashed with an excessive number of people to compress Ortega into a corner between a bust of some former top champion and his least favorite fellow students. Granted, he didn't have a frame of reference for the office before this terrible introduction. There was no way a lowly Team Star Admin would have been able to set foot in a supposedly posh room when Geeta was in control. But Geeta wasn't in control and Penny was gone, leaving Ortega a bit lost and more than a bit cramped. If there was a chair around, he'd be sitting in it wondering how everything could have changed so quickly in the last 24 hours. While he was out protecting students and recovering tera shards, Geeta had become a turncoat, Atticus had returned in service of the League, and the tera phenomenon had somehow gotten worse. More critically, Penny hadn't taken the hand he'd offered her. This failure sat heavily in his mind, overwriting the argument that had been going on around him for the better part of an hour. Listening to adults haggle about peaceful transfer of power had to be one of the most useless things he could be present for anyways. At least he could be validated in knowing there were others with him that felt the same way.
Nemona was standing on one side of him while Atticus stood on the other. Ortega hadn't seen Atticus since he'd graduated from Uva Academy and he'd seen too much of Nemona since she started taking her job seriously. The bully who had spent most of her time oppressing Team Star before Penny stepped in was now using her authority to force Ortega and Team Star's other remaining leaders to attend these meetings. He'd only gotten out of the last one because there had been an outbreak of tera pokémon near Mesagoza. She'd offered no explanation when pressed about Penny and instead had insisted that he follow her lead. Useless.
On the other side of him, Ortega couldn't ask his fellow admin where he'd been for the past two years. Little had changed of the man's appearance, yet his presence was reduced, like he was making his best effort to appear invisible despite his attire. The ninja rocked gently back and forth on his feet, drifting between consciousness and unconsciousness. Ortega made a mental note to let Penny know he was okay if she ever bothered to reach out. He wouldn't forgive Atticus for ignoring Penny's order without reason, but their leader deserved to know what her former subordinates were up to.
These two people were the only ones Ortega found himself even remotely empathizing with. The rest could jump into Area Zero for all he cared. Aside from some nameless faces Ortega didn't recognize whom he presumed to be mostly international police, Colress, Director Clavel, and Ms. Tyme were deep in conversation at Geeta's desk and none of them were acknowledging the trio in the corner of the room. Ms. Tyme was sitting at the desk currently, which felt fundamentally wrong to Ortega. He had no special feelings about Geeta or the way she ran things, but having her not be there when she had been there Ortega's entire life was messing with his head a little. "The region doesn't have the resources to withstand this for much longer. Our best bet would be a full incursion into Area Zero to resolve the problem," Ms. Tyme argued.
"You're asking for needless waste of life," Colress repeated. "Ingressing into that area unprepared is akin to stepping into a massive microwave, albeit with terastilization instead of radiation."
"Simply charging in doesn't account for how we're going to tend to the citizens of the region," Clavel added. "They should be our first, and perhaps only priority. Thanks to the mismanagement of your organizations, we have a potentially massive humanitarian crisis on our hands."
"There was no way to predict that things could escalate this quickly. Even if we dedicate our forces to citizen safety, the international police has to fulfill their primary duties too. We can't allow dangerous criminals to wander around where they please. There's an obligation on the part of our organization to bring in Geeta and Juliana." The most important-looking cop placed a hand firmly on Geeta's desk.
"Is that right? Then tell me, have you successfully devised a way to infiltrate Area Zero?" Clavel challenged. The old man was more worked up than Ortega had ever seen him. Even when he was chewing out Team Star he hadn't been this aggravated.
There was a pause from the International Police agent who had been speaking. Ortega assumed by his stance that he was one of the ones in charge. "Colress." He addressed calmly.
"Present. I will explain for those unfamiliar. The tera phenomenon, as it is described by you natives, is spreading. Pokémon and living beings alike will terastilize when exposed to enough of this energy leaking from what appears to be networks of teraite running through the ground and originating in Area Zero. Since our arrival, we have been tasked with finding a way to breach Area Zero to both capture Juliana and find a way to end this crisis. Sadly, the mountain range surrounding Area Zero is too thick with teraite to bulldoze, the skies above are filled with a hurricane of teraite, and the elevator normally used to access Area Zero was destroyed by Juliana. In the absence of better alternatives, I have devoted extensive manpower to repairing this elevator."
"You're the one who said Area Zero is a death trap," Ms. Tyme pointed out. "Why bother getting in when we can't get around?"
"The way into Area Zero is a death trap," Colress corrected. "The quarantine zones are a result of Area Zero expelling whatever is generating tera energy from itself. My hypothesis is that much of Area Zero itself is likely free of tera energy or possesses no more than it did before this incident began. If there were a way to leave, it would likely be a reasonable place to construct a lab. In any case, we cannot proceed until we breach Area Zero. Arven managed to obtain some information from late Professor Turo's AI that likely gave him the information he needed to access Area Zero via a less complicated method."
"And you haven't been able to access what he took, so we're stuck in this situation," Clavell assumed, folding his arms.
"Hardly an optimistic outlook, but yes," Colress agreed, pulling up an image of Professor Turo in hologram form using his wrist keypad. "The AI functions based on instructions from a server in the heart of Area Zero. It had multiple 'children' that it controlled once upon a time, but no AI will function if it's not connected to that server. It is nearly impossible to access its memory directly without Arven's approval. But now that he's shown us what opening that door looks like, there's a chance that I can get in from this side to access the information that he has. In the meantime, that leaves the option of repairing the Zero Elevator. After a tremendous effort, I believe that it will be functional within a few days. That being said, I would not remain confident in the job that was done to allow the elevator to work for long. We should seek to end the phenomenon to increase our abilities to enter and exit the region or we should treat those who enter as permanent residents. In essence, a strike team or two will be our only guaranteed contribution to Area Zero in the immediate future."
"And the tera junk in the air?" Ms. Tyme questioned. "How much protection will we need?"
"Once you're in, very little," Colress explained. "As I said, the tera energy is coming from Area Zero, yes, but it's being suffused everywhere else. Think of it like the eye of a hurricane. Standing in the center is relatively safe, so long as you're close enough to the source."
The thinly veiled explanation of what going into Area Zero meant for people didn't sit well with Ortega. He already knew that three of his friends were down there, and there was a good chance that Penny would be following their example soon. How could she not see that tagging along with a traitor was going to undo all the work that her friends had done to help her out? They were down there with Juliana right now because Penny couldn't be there, following Juliana's request that her closest friends not join her. It was that concern for her friend that had prevented Penny from doing any more than she had up to this point. Now everything was turned around and confused.
Atticus did not react to this implication of Penny's potential demise any more than he had reacted during the rest of the meeting. Ortega honestly found it unnerving. It hadn't escaped his notice that Atticus had a fair number of bandages on him. Whatever he'd been doing, it hadn't been done cleanly. Another burning urge to ask questions welled up in Ortega, but he remained silent. It was killing him inside to not speak up, but he needed all the context her could get before doing something. It was hard enough listening to these people prattle on about useless topics knowing that they would eventually talk about the things that interested him.
"Why not just send Team Star into the Area Zero then?" Ms. Tyme suggested.
Instantly the meeting halted. Ortega smacked his cane against the ground as the one thing he had a right to stand up for was questioned. His moment had come much sooner than he thought. "We can't do that," Ortega protested. "Of all people, my team has the least need to be in Area Zero."
Ms. Tyme clicked her tongue like Ortega had answered a math question incorrectly. "There's motivation. Team Star is more mobile than larger organizations and is more likely to obtain the trust of those close to Geeta. This will make it easier to surprise her and take her down when we-"
"Why are we acting? To catch Geeta, or to save the region?" Nemona cut in.
Everyone turned to look at her, even Ortega. "I'm serious. If we don't have our priorities in order, we're not going to get anything done. I for one have no intention of letting Academy students go down there if they're only criminal hunting. There are police for that."
"And they've done such an incredible job so far that it's not done," Ms. Tyme rebuked. "We-"
"Should listen to the youth of our region," Clavel cut in. "Ms. Tyme, though I agree that the situation is suitably dire to consider all options, we cannot in good faith foist that burden onto the children. Rather, we should be evacuating them. The Academy is too close to Area Zero to be safe. As I said, civilians first."
"I disagree about the students. They're the strongest batch of trainers the region can offer. Just look at Nemona if you want proof. Team Star is trained for larger operations. If they volunteer, who are we to turn them away?"
"Responsible adults with developed brains," The head agent cut in. "I'll be the first to admit we're not completely on the ball here, but the game's not over. We can still win the chase if we get our acts together. Respectfully, Ms. Tyme, no more civilians will be involved from here on out."
"If you're not involving civilians, why are we here?" Ortega questioned again, now pushing his advantage. "There's too much to do to waste time talking here. Aren't you the ones talking about how the region is in peril? People are waiting on me."
Nemona muttered something under her breath that sounded like an agreement. Ortega wasn't exactly pleased to agree with her, but having any sort of support when a bunch of adults were breathing down your neck was welcome. He wasn't getting any of Atticus' normal vibe, so he took what he could get. "Let's just rip this band-aid off now then. I brought you and the other two students here as part of our emergency restructuring," Ms. Tyme explained. "Normally, gym leaders would take the place of absent elite four members, but since they're all busy tending to their towns, the three of you will be handling their affairs in their place." A silence fell over the room.
Ortega looked to the other adults. None of them were surprised by this information. He knew a child had been allowed to be an elite four member, but this was ridiculous. Nemona was the only champion rank trainer here! "What, like take their jobs? I didn't ask for that," Nemona denied before Ortega could.
"Being an elite four member means we can send you into Area Zero without any of the concerns that I just outlined," Director Clavel admitted with no small amount of concern in his voice. "To be frank, we are circumventing our own rules for our personal benefit. You three have proven yourself to be the shining examples of bravery in a crisis. More importantly, you have the most experience with those currently in Area Zero. We need your help to lead our teams after the source of the Tera Phenomenon. With your consent, of course."
Ortega turned to the agent, who nodded grimly. Had things really gotten so dire that they were willing to resort to children, strangers to fight their battles for them? The fairy trainer was disappointed. He couldn't believe that all of this incompetence had been in control or vying for control while he was barely keeping things together on the ground. It felt like all the hard work he'd been doing to keep the region together was being upended because the customer didn't like the taste of the dish he'd been lovingly preparing. "Oh, if that's why, then you can count me in," Nemona immediately answered. "I will do whatever it takes to save Paldea."
Clavel nodded approvingly. "The mission will be completed," Atticus added, contributing for the first time since he'd arrived.
Eyes were turning to Ortega, who was already shaking his head. "Nope. I have plans, sorry. You're going to have to find someone else to do your hero thing."
"Penny's not coming back for you," Nemona pointed out before anyone else could say anything. "She left with Arven. There's a good chance she found a way to flee the region without you."
"Even if she did, then that means she wants me to stay here, so that's what I'll do," Ortega refuted. "She has a phone. I have my role as Penny's friend before anything else."
"Cur!" Atticus spat, suddenly animated. "You would bite the hand of our mother region?"
"I'll bite you if you keep acting weird. What's up with not answering the summons, huh? I'm Penny's second in command, the one in charge of keeping tabs on her. What's your excuse, huh? Thought you were too good for us and decided to ditch your friends just like all the others? What's wrong with all of you for that matter? Atticus hasn't even been around and suddenly he's a shining example for our region? I'm not down to play whatever stupid game you're playing here. Have your stupid power struggle without me."
Atticus said nothing, but a glint of steel appeared in his hand. Ortega tensed up, tightening his grip on his cane in a slightly defensive position. He didn't think Atticus would actually attack, but he hadn't seen the man in months. It was entirely likely that something worth ignoring a summons had happened in that time period. What it was, Ortega couldn't fathom, but he didn't want to find out. "What are you going to tell Penny if Paldea burns because you didn't do what you could to protect it?" Nemona asked, her hand hovering over her belt.
"This isn't her region, and it's not mine," Ortega spat back, still keeping his eyes locked on Atticus. "I have no reason to fight for a lame ponyta."
"Enough," Ms. Tyme ordered, and Atticus stood down immediately. "This is unproductive. To Ortega's point, miraidon disappeared after it was defeated. If anything could get out of the region outside of our notice, it could. That being said, Ortega, if you are unwilling to assist us, then you'll be needed back at your post."
"That's what I've been saying," Ortega complained, already turning for the door. "None of you give a rattata's ass about anything but yourselves. You're no better than Juliana. Don't call me again unless you have an actually important job to do." He wouldn't get anything he wanted from anyone in this room. That much had become perfectly clear.
"Wait!" Nemona insisted, grabbing Ortega's shoulder as he attempted to leave. "You can't just go! The region-"
Ortega's rage overcame him. He swung his cane back, batting Nemona's hand away and causing the champion to yelp. "The region this, the region that. All you people do here is talk and talk and TALK! When are you going to take some sort of decisive action already?! Just because someone else is in the seat you're suddenly ready to throw bodies at that pit? I'll have nothing to do with it. Ruchbah squad has a job to save civilians and collect tera shards. If you can't understand the importance of that, the region is doomed anyways." Shaking off Nemona's arm, Ortega stalked toward the exit.
Nobody stopped Ortega this time until he got into the elevator and pushed the button to go down. As he watched the room of adults disappear before his eyes, he felt his irritation overcome him all over again. Who were they to presume that he'd just do whatever they wanted? Why was Atticus doing exactly that? Ortega wanted to punch something, so he drove his fist through the hologram that had appeared before him as the elevator's descent slowed. Startled, Ortega jumped back, colliding with the elevator wall. "This is difficult enough to maintain without you attacking it. Please restrain yourself," Colress the hologram requested.
Ortega covered up his embarrassment with a firm tap of his cane on the ground as he checked his head for bruising. "What do you want?" The trainer made his tone as surly as he could.
"Don't be obstinate. We both have something to gain from you entering Area Zero. I'm merely here to confirm that hypothesis where we cannot be observed."
Now curious, Ortega stepped forward and poked the hologram. It wavered but didn't disappear. Other regions were supposedly far ahead of Paldea in this sort of technology, but seeing it in person still surprised him. Colress looked down at him, unamused. "Wait, aren't you in the meeting up there?"
The hologram nodded. "I am. You'd be surprised how little those people pay attention when you're not the one talking."
Ortega wasn't surprised by that at all. He'd seen enough hot air in that room to inflate a blimp, and the present company wasn't excluded from guilt in that. "You should have said your piece up there so you wouldn't have to waste all the effort. I haven't forgotten what you've been doing with those mercenaries, scientist. I don't see how you could feel desperate enough to need something from me."
"On the contrary, I'm the one who needs you." A new voice cut in as Colress' form flickered.
The unreadable expression on Colress' face shifted. "Oh my. Is that you, assistant?"
Ortega had instantly recognized the voice. He swept his gaze around the small elevator, not convinced he wasn't hallucinating. "Penny? Where are you?"
Colress' form sputtered out and disappeared, briefly replacing itself with Penny. Ortega locked eyes with her. She looked tired, but otherwise exactly as he remembered her. "Hard to explain. Harder to lie. Listen, I'm heading into Area Zero. Using a backdoor in his communication network. If this guy is talking to you, he wants you to go into Area Zero too, right? Go with him. Help him out. I owe him one."
It was impossible to keep up with Penny. That wasn't because she was constantly on the move like Arven or ceaselessly stubborn like Nemona, it was because she didn't move. Penny would unwaveringly take the path of least resistance, even to the detriment of herself and others as long as it meant she didn't have to think about it. Her making this request meant something had fundamentally changed after all. "So you're going after them," Ortega presumed. "Why?"
Colress didn't say anything, content to let the conversation play out. Hearing Penny's voice from the man's flickering body as he switched between himself and Penny was disconcerting, but Ortega shoved it out of his mind long enough to focus. "I made some mistakes, so I'm fixing them. But it's gonna be dangerous, and I know better than to tell you to stay away. So I'm telling you to come to me. I need your help."
He was being taken advantage of. Anyone who knew Ortega well enough knew he would do anything for his boss except abandon her. An order like this was one he had no right to refuse under normal circumstances. But as he looked at the hologram in front of him, he found the confidence to shake his head, emboldened by turning down the region's leaders minutes before and by Penny's denial of his own wish. "How do I know this isn't just Colress messing with me?"
"It's not." Both Colress and Penny spoke at the same time, which did nothing to help their cases.
Colress fiddled with his wrist keypad long enough to stabilize his form for a moment. "Listen, boy. This is a private police network. Penny shouldn't be able to get into it, yet here she is. By all accounts, it makes more sense for me to be faking this to win your sympathy. But I feel I can draw out the most of your strength by having you work with others. Penny is choosing to use placing herself in danger to bring out your strength. That sort of strength is… unreliable. I would never count on it in anything but a crisis, and certainly not consistently. What I mean to say is that Penny's tactic here, while seeking the same goal, is inefficient."
"Thanks for the lesson," Ortega scoffed. "You can dress it up however you want, a suspicious call is still a suspicious call."
Had he the means, Ortega might have cut the connection off right there. Instead, he was forced to listen to what Penny had to say next as she broke into the connection again. "Ortega, I was about to take your offer. I went so far as to try to flee the League a few days ago. But something stopped me. I can't take your offer because there are people here who need me. This isn't my fight or my region, but it is my friends. I asked them to jump into that pit while I stood at the edge and watched. It's my turn to go. If I don't, they'll die. You know that."
That was news to Ortega. Juliana's life he could care less about, but he'd been under the impression that Team Star's ingress into Area Zero was a round trip. "You sent our friends to their deaths?" He asked in disbelief.
"No! That's why I'm going after them. And I'd prefer to have an ally by my side. Let them get you through the Zero Gate."
"What about the Top Champion?" Colress asked, eliciting a small gasp from Penny. "Surely if you want his help that badly you could get her to fill the role instead."
"You knew?"
"I have eyes, yes," Colress remarked. "Nemona's report was quite clear. Only one individual has access to the teleportation grid around the League Building. Terrible single point failure system, but I digress. If the grid came up right after Arven and Penny fled, and Penny is now able to interfere with my communication on a secure line, she has co-conspirators that form a limited pool of potential individuals."
"There's no innocents here," Penny rebuked before Ortega could say anything. "And everyone, even bullies should get the chance to right their mistakes. That… includes me."
The fairy type trainer tapped his cane on the ground indecisively. The first floor was approaching rapidly. If he said nothing and simply walked away, would anybody say anything? Would he feel responsible when he went to bed tonight knowing he'd ignored a call to action that would get him killed in all likelihood? Penny was asking him to work with the people that he knew for a fact were scum. Bullies were bullies and scum was scum. But even scum had its uses. If that was Penny's mentality, then Ortega could understand how she got to this point. She was usually one step ahead of him anyways. But that didn't mean he was a pushover. "I have a condition:" Ortega declared after a moment. "No, two conditions. One for both of you. One, I'm not joining the elite four. If you want me to go in there, it will be for my own purposes to find my friend. I have no intention of being the hero in this messed up story. If that's not acceptable to you, I will continue doing the region's job with my squad."
"I have no complaints. It will make things easier for me," Colress responded easily.
They were only two floors away. Ortega took a deep breath. "Condition two: no more deaths or mercenaries from Colress or Geeta. If the Leage or Geeta gets someone killed, I'm done. You won't have my help."
"You speak like you're going to be a decision-maker in the upcoming battle, yet you purport that your impact is minimal. Curious. But I don't need mercenaries anymore…" Colress muttered before Penny cut in.
"Nobody else is dying on my watch. That's a promise I can keep without question," she reassured her friend.
The former admin felt himself sighing as Colress convinced himself that this deal was still worth it. As the first floor was reached, he nodded. "Alright. Your terms are acceptable. I'll be in touch shortly to instate you as a member of the police's squadron. We'll have a separate team from the League. I'm sure you can understand why."
The doors opened. Ortega took one more moment to glare at Colress and Penny at the same time. He wasn't doing this for them, he was doing it for him. That's what he wanted to say, but he didn't trust his voice to hold. Instead, he waved. "Just call on me when you need me. That's what I promised, and friends don't break promises."
Ortega couldn't feel like his words rang a bit hollow as the hologram disappeared behind him. Though he was walking away from the League building and into the region, it felt like he had just turned his back on Paldea entirely. Ruchbah Squad was going to have to survive without him, just for a while. The trainer shook his head as he exited the League Building. The familiar sunlight blinding him for a moment. "They needed a real leader to step up at some point anyways."
It had been a long time since Looker saw the sun. He stood on a ridge overlooking the gaping maw of Area Zero's depths, appreciating the fresh air and violent pokémon from an observer's perspective for once. This was the only place he could come to think. When he was in the caves his senses had to be perfectly attuned to fighting, to respond to potential threats with excessive force lest his small party be overwhelmed. As the newbie of the group, he had more to prove than his intentions. The admins of Team Star were more formidable than their tactics implied. It gave Looker a new respect for Larry as he took a deep breath that ended in a cough.
"That's not gonna be good enough. If you're gonna yell into the void, you gotta do it with all your strength."
Juliana's chiding voice echoed down the yawning chasm despite not raising her tone at all. Looker shook his head. "You're cruel to ask someone nursing a broken rib to start bellowing out his feelings, Juliana."
The champion trainer snorted. "Aw, come on, we're friends by now, aren't we? Look, I'll do it first: MY NAME IS JULIANA VIOLET! I'M HERE TO SAVE PALDEA FROM DESTRUCTION! See? Easy."
Frowning, Looker concentrated on a flock of starraptor scattering below him, disturbed by Juliana's yelling. Just a few seconds of observation let him identify the leader and that their numbers had shrunk in recent time. They flew apart before reforming in a tight formation that avoided the local hunting grounds for the sky predators. Normal pokémon had decreased in number even in the short period of weeks Looker had been here. This land hadn't been created for them. Juliana was adamant about this point, but elaboration wasn't her strong suit and Looker had no need to pry anymore. In a way, this was his vacation time that he'd resisted taking until now. Until Juliana reached and subsequently revealed her objective, there wasn't much need or opportunity for Looker to think about his situation. "Mm. I might find it a touch more inspiring if you were more upfront about your intentions."
"This coming from the guy who dropped everything to join me down here?"
Looker barked out a short laugh that fell into another coughing fit. "Right indeed. You assume that I came down here with benign intentions. This was simply the best way I could do my job."
An eyebrow was raised as Juliana wandered over to sit down next to Looker. She let her legs dangle precariously off the cliff, unbothered by the dizzying height. "I'll tell you why I'm really here if you do?" Juliana offered.
"I'll pass until our primary objective is achieved."
The two smiled without looking at each other. This routine had become comfortably familiar over the past few weeks. Running into near-constant dead ends had worn them both down to the point that they were grasping on anything that provided some semblance of a positive routine. Their rare moments off to spend in the sun were more valuable than any treasure to Looker right now. Despite the dark clouds covering Area Zero's head, the sun still poked through from the eye of the storm, a weakness that Looker supposed even Larry's pokémon wouldn't have been able to identify. Area Zero had a spotlight on it that only Looker and his party could see, and not taking the time to appreciate it was a crime the detective wouldn't abide. He tried to take another deep breath, only to break it off in a cough that brought him back to reality. Juliana looked up at him with genuine concern that was waved off. He had a job to do, contrary to what his private sanctuary would have him believe. The past month had taught him that Juliana needed direction for the boundless energy within her. He would have to be the one to provide it(eh). "We have a job to do," Eri informed them redundantly as she approached from behind the cliff.
"There has been a breakthrough then?" Looker asked as Juliana rose to her feet.
Eri shook her head. Of his companions, Eri had been the most curt with Looker. The detective suspected this had something to do with Eri's protectiveness of Juliana, though the rational reason eluded him. Nobody who wasn't committed to something would be here. "The robot is chatting again. Come on."
"About time. I was getting sick of watching him argue with himself about what to say." Juliana took the lead as she ran ahead toward their home base, ignoring the potential danger of wild pokémon.
This was excellent news for Looker as well. Juliana's pet AI that Looker had forwarded to his team before going on vacation had been oddly quiet since they'd arrived in Area Zero. He'd reluctantly allowed Juliana to return it to the Zero Lab, but it had done very little beyond making the occasional request for more teraite to keep it running. If it had something to say, Looker wanted to hear it. The duo made their way into the fourth research station, the effects of destruction that Juliana explained came about due to a battle between Geeta and Turo still evident everywhere. Only the teleporter leading to the Zero Lab was still functional, which was all Looker cared about in the moment. He'd attempted to reconstruct the scene of the battle, but too much time had passed for him to be confident in any of his assertions. As they teleported into the Zero Lab, Looker and Eri were met with the rest of their party standing around sans Juliana, who was already sitting at a computer.
"Turo thinks he can speed things up for us," Juliana announced, stepping over a sleeping bag into the middle of the room.
The Zero Lab had been the base of operations for the team since arriving. Looker could still recall the first few nights they'd been forced to sleep outside as they made their way down to this point. The memories haunted his quieter moments in a way that he lamented being unable to express properly. There was never enough time to unload his stress when on the job. "If he knew a way further down, he should have shared it sooner," Looker responded dubiously.
"My primary server was accessed today," AI Turo explained, coming to life on a nearby screen. "When it was, I was able to pull out some information for myself, namely the most likely location of an entry point."
"Likely? What good does that do us? I'm sick of prodding every weird crystal we come across to find a stupid entrance," Giacomo complained.
"I'd rather know who accessed those core servers. We're here, and we can't touch them," Looker pointed out. "You insisted that even with all your abilities that biometric identification was necessary."
"Only someone with Turo's DNA or his son could access the files, yes. But I had presumed that even blind guessing would have opened a path to our destination by now."
"Arven…" Juliana muttered to herself. "So you're saying we're about to lose our lead. Geeta and the others will come for us soon."
"It is likely."
Looker wanted to admonish someone, but he was the guy who decided to follow the girl who didn't have a clear plan. If anyone was at fault for that, it was him and him alone. Sorting that out meant he didn't need to consider alternatives anymore, so he moved on. "Allow me to presume our situation then," Looker announced, moving over to a whiteboard. "We entered Area Zero approximately a month ago with the intention of reaching the source of the tera phenomenon and eliminating it. We were guided by what remains of AI Turo's research to possible ingress points to a deeper level of Area Zero where this supposed source resides. It is worth noting that Turo never found these ingress points, only their potential locations. Rather, if he did, we have no means of accessing the data. We have exhausted nearly all of the potential search locations at this point, and they are either buried too deep for us to find or simply impossible to locate. What I'm hearing now is that the AI has withheld information that could have expedited our search."
"He's talking sense," Mela agreed, glaring angrily at the AI. "What gives? You could have at least told us you had more to share."
"I cannot give that information freely. The professor's programming prevents it," Turo responded simply. "In hindsight, my memory may have been updated with information that was intentionally full of false leads while the true path remained behind the biometric wall."
"Sounds like a cheap excuse to me," Eri scoffed. "But that doesn't matter now. Do we have an entrance or not?"
If the AI could have nodded, Looker figured that's what it was doing. "The easiest access point to the depths of Area Zero is through the vents that have appeared throughout the region as a result of the tera phenomenon getting worse. They are normally inaccessible, but recent events have reversed that fact. While the main body of Area Zero experiences the benefits of these vents, their source was impossible for me to discern until now."
Most of the room felt inclined to punch the nearest computer. Only Juliana kept her head. "Then the information I found in the shrines to Lu-lu and the others were correct. But you told us that a main entrance was supposed to be here, so there's an alternative, right?"
Turo's form on the screen flickered as it thought about a reasonable response. "The access point to Area Zero's depths were buried under mountains of rubble that has now mostly become teraite. The professor took advantage of this to create his machine to bring pokémon from the future to the present. If you wish to reach Area Zero's depths, the best course of action would be to start from that point and proceed from there."
In concept, that was a simple plan, to the point that Looker and Juliana had already thought to try it. An experimental hole or twenty hadn't revealed anything but a falling hazard that would get one of them killed. "We're a step ahead of you, robot," Giacomo complained again. "That song was played out weeks ago."
"And we have myriad holes in Turo's machine to show for it," Looker added. "But you're suggesting something else, aren't you?" He badly wished he was alone with the AI. There was no way for him to get the information he really wanted in this state. Closing in on the truth was the only thing that had made these days bearable.
The AI was quiet for a moment. If it could sense the malintent coming from Looker, it didn't seem to be able to decide what the best method of response was. In the end, it decided to approach neutrally. "Who am I speaking to? This device does not have eyes."
The AI hadn't bothered to inquire about the people here before. Looker exchanged looks with the Team Star Admins. They shouldn't know Turo either, but he'd spoken to them familiarly before. Looker noted the anomaly down for a future investigation in his mind. "Agent Looker, International Police," Looker introduced brusquely, adjusting the lapel of his worn jacket with a modicum of pride. "I'm very interested in your work, Professor Turo."
A pause from the AI. Juliana's look implied that he had probably said something wrong, but Looker ignored it. He could be as direct as he wanted when he was on vacation. "I see. Agent Looker, you are correct. Going down is the wrong direction. You need to proceed forward."
"Forward? Are you trying to cave us in?" Eri denied immediately. "You know how caves work, right?"
"It's not an ordinary cave though," Juliana countered. "it's made of teraite. I think I get it. We were trying to dig deeper into Area Zero when we'd already reached the lowest point. That's why the teraite eventually just gets too dense. Nothing livable would be down there. Turo already found the depths of Area Zero."
Looker approved of the deduction. Juliana had come a long way from using a blanket to explain her case to people. In what little free time the group had afforded themselves, they'd passed the hours by going over each other's trades. Looker was now able to use a computer to make simple noises and had gotten a bit more effective at battling, two skills he didn't value equally but made time for regardless to help improve his mental health. "Correct. Area Zero's depths, or rather, the lost empire's hub that it contains, are located in the vicinity of the time machine. It would not have been possible for the machine to function had it been placed anywhere else."
Was that a logical deduction? Looker didn't have enough information to be sure. All he knew was that he now had a new target to reach. "So people are about to come rushing through these vents and get there first," Eri presumed.
"The vents are designed to remove terastilized energy in the air. You could think of entering the vent as being blasted with an unerring stream of tera energy. Specialty equipment or inane strength would be necessary to survive in that environment."
Small miracles were possible. The team still had a chance, even with the information Turo had withheld being used against them. "Then it sounds like we only have a single path forward," Looker announced. "How are our supplies of tera shards?"
"Overflowing," Juliana reported with a mock salute. "That's the one thing we're not running out of. Food, on the other hand…"
The group turned their attention to the storehouse entrance on the far side of the Zero lab. AI Turo had been kind enough to let them raid it, but there was only enough food in there for a few months. Without a breakthrough like this, they would have been in trouble. Area Zero in this state was a one-way trip. "Then let's check it out already," Mela decided, starting for the elevator. "No time like the present."
The party proceeded with those words into the elevator. Turo followed using a monitor that was installed in the elevator. Though they'd found the remains of several of Turo's AI bodies, none of them functioned well enough to let the professor walk around with them again. Looker and the others remained silent as the elevator descended. They'd exhausted the pool of available small talk options a long time ago, and there was no desire from either side to get closer when boredom wasn't on the table. The Team Star admins didn't trust Looker and he didn't trust Turo. There was no way to consolidate those feelings in a way that wouldn't break apart their fragile trust that Looker could determine. When the elevator came to a stop, Juliana was the first off.
As the foremost expert in hole digging, Juliana took the lead in guiding them around all the holes they'd put in Turo's time machine. Looker covered his face with his jacket as they proceeded. The vents, as the AI had described, did a fine enough job keeping their bubble clean, but so much disturbed teraite concentrated in this room wasn't controllable. It needed to be removed, but the room had no direct exits. Everyone except Juliana covered their faces as they made their way to the far wall. "This is the optimal location," The AI's voice echoed throughout the chamber in a way that was eerily familiar to Juliana alone.
Immediately, the others pulled out the necessary tera shards and set them against the wall. As they came together, Juliana brought everyone back. On the off chance the room collapsed, they would need to give themselves the best chance of surviving by sticking together. Fortunately, the teraite did exactly what it was supposed to do when surrounded by tera shards, and a large pathway in front of them was converted from teraite back into stone. Immediately, Eri released several of her pokémon and had them start breaking down the wall as subtly as fighting types could do anything. Looker half-expected the cave-in to happen anyways, but the digging team hit another layer of teraite before that happened. "Fascinating. The teraite levels run deeper than the professor ever calculated," The AI commented.
"Doesn't matter, we just need to keep whacking away at it!" Juliana cheered, already preparing the next wave of tera crystals.
This was technically true, but Looker couldn't fathom how Juliana stayed so positive about it. From his perspective, they were heading in a ceaseless direction that had no defined end. It could be days, even weeks before they came across something other than more teraite. Fortunately, that number ended up being hours. As the sun probably set over the group continuing their work, an attack finally pierced through the long tunnel, causing a wind to come gusting through. Looker shielded his eyes along with the others as light assaulted him. Somehow, there was something as bright as the sun in front of him. Even stranger was the air they were being buffeted with. It felt… clean, sterile, like he'd walked into a doctor's office. The air in Area Zero, while breathable, was undeniably heavy, like it was only barely fending off the tera shards that attempted to get into the air. It carried the sense of impending doom that this fresh breeze wiped away. When Looker's vision cleared, he gasped.
What looked like tera shards lined the walls of an absolutely massive cavern. Cavern didn't even begin to describe what he was seeing properly. He was staring out at no less than a city, surrounded on all sides by a perfect dome of teraite that shined gently in all colors. Below them, a sprawling cityscape of buildings, skyscrapers, and even residential districts was spread out before them. Looker couldn't even see the other side of the city despite the light. If he didn't know better, he might have been able to trick himself into thinking that this was outside. "Where the hell are we?" Giacomo asked.
"This is the place Turo's notes and the shrines described!" Juliana exclaimed excitedly as she stared into the horizon. "This is the place that existed before Paldea and the treasures of ruin came to be. I forget the exact name, but this is what the people who lived here before anyone else built."
"That's impossible," Looker denied, shaking his head. "This sort of technology is barely understood even today. If it existed in the past, then surely some evidence of it would have made its way to other regions."
"It didn't and it's here. Shouldn't we just focus on what we can see in front of us?" Giacomo asked, already looking for a way to the ground. "Hey, there's life down there!"
Indeed, several pokémon were wandering around on the ground floor, small specks against the luminescent landscape. They were all terastilized, giving the appearance of a bunch of illumise and volbeat hovering around a silent city. It was a strange sight, but what Looker found himself focusing on was the pokémon he had never seen before. Some sort of creature that vaguely resembled a Tortuga was hovering around above most of the other pokémon. There were many of them, but on their backs were crystals in the same pattern as those used to destroy teraite. "Those pokémon…" Looker muttered.
"They're called terapagos," The AI explained from a laptop Giacomo had brought. "And you could call them the last citizens of this nation. The nation that existed long in the distant past and will exist long into the future. This is Paldea as it should have been."
This was what had been under Area Zero this entire time? Looker couldn't believe it. He'd seen his fair share of insane architecture in his day, but this beggared belief. It was exactly the sort of place he would expect some sort of power that could potentially destroy a region to exist. Any answer he could possibly want had to be down there. As he locked eyes with Juliana, a mutual understanding passed between them. They were here for different reasons, but they both knew this was where they were supposed to be. "This is the sort of place that the professor wanted Paldea to become…" Juliana explained as she indicated the shining city with a wave of her hand. "And now we have to kill that dream for good. You okay with that, Turo?"
Looker didn't care if the AI was okay with it, and neither did the admins by their body language. "My interests are no longer that of my creator's. The region should survive," Turo responded simply.
Taking this as an acceptable answer, Juliana turned her hand out to point at the sprawling city line. "Right then. Everyone, on me. If we don't want to deal with the rest of the region coming down on us, we better shut the tera phenomenon down quickly."