In the empty, silent corridor, Flutter Mane quietly observed Koraidon standing opposite it.

  Seeing Flutter Maer so long, a joyful expression spread across Koraidon's fabsp;

  "Raao!" it rumbled excitedly.

  Looking at Koraidon now, Flutter Mane couldn't help but recall the Koraidon from its memories—a Koraidon always scarred, its body battered from tless battles.

  They had traveled sether onbsp;

  In its quest to find that important person, Flutter Mane had followed Koraidon through forests of t arees, leapt alongside it from sheer cliffs into shadowed depths, and traversed mysterious, pitch-dark caves.

  Back then, its impression of Koraidon was that of a Pokémon who never smiled. No matter the danger or the trial, Koraidon's face always carried a somber, weary expression.

  It remembered how Koraidon had shared its thoughts and fears during their journey: how it came from a ranch filled with many Pokémon and how it was terrified it might never find Naoki or make its way home again.

  And now, seeing the wide grin on Koraidon's face, Flutter Ma a warmth stir within. The ers of its own mouth curled slightly, f a soft smile.

  It was genuinely happy for Koraidon.

  "Mrrream," Flutter Mane murmured softly, its ethereal voice gentle. (You found him.)

  "Raao!" Koraidon nodded eagerly, its tone brimming with excitement. (Naoki's here too!)

  Flutter Mane already knew. It had seen the human apanying Koraidon earlier.

  As it reflected on this reunion, Koraidon suddenly grew curious about Flutter Mane's journey. It tilted its head and asked, "Raao?"

  Flutter Mane replied, "Mrrream." (I waited there, but when you didn't return, I went down. That's when I was brought here.)

  Koraidon froze, trying to piece it together, before realization dawhe little turtle Pokémon must have used their crystal-like energy to send Flutter Mane here, just as they had done for it!

  Repying the past in its mind, Koraidon suddenly had an idea.

  "Raao!" it invited, its voice full of hope. (Would you like to e back to the rand live with us?)

  ---

  Meanwhile, in the monit room.

  Watg the two a Pokémon i peacefully on the surveilnce feed, Professor Sada's eyes sparkled with intrigue.

  "As I suspected—they know each other!" she excimed, her tone filled with fasation.

  Dr. Turo, standing beside her, couldn't help but feel a twinge of envy as he observed the se.

  Sada's researto a Pokémon had taken annifit step forward, yieldi another breakthrough.

  By trast, his researto future Pokémon had hit a wall.

  pared to the wild, ferocious nature of the primal Paradox Pokémon, future Pokémon exhibited a calm and calcuted demeanor. They seemed intelligent, almost too intelligent, but their uable as and inscrutable thought processes made them far more challenging to study.

  As Dr. Turo observed the se unfolding in the monit room, he couldn't help but g Naoki, who stood nearby.

  As aeemed Pokémon researcher, Dr. Turo had a keen eye for uanding human-Pokémon dynamics. It was clear to him that Naoki had a unique gift—no matter the Pokémon, they eventually became his friends, trusted him, and willingly listeo him.

  So, the question arose: could Naoki help bond with a Pokémon from the future, just as he had with Koraidon? Dr. Turo's thoughts turo Miraidon.

  He had previously attempted to help Arven ect with Miraidon, but for some reason, the boy remained indifferent, eveant, to the futuristion. The attempt had beehan successful.

  Deep in thought, Dr. Turo began to sider a new idea. If Miraidon were entrusted to Naoki, could it form a simir bond, akin to the one Koraidon shared with him?

  Uo suppress the idea any longer, Dr. Turo turo Naoki and asked, "Naoki, are you ied in Pokémon like Miraidon?"

  Naoki blinked in surprise, caught off guard. "What do you mean?" he asked.

  Dr. Turo crified, "I'd like to entrust Miraidon to you. Much like Koraidon, I want to see if you develop a deep bond with it."

  Naoki's eyes widened as the meaning sank in. "Are you serious?" he asked, incredulous.

  "Of course," Dr. Turo replied with a smile.

  From her seat at the monitor, Professor Sada, who had been ily Koraidon and Flutter Mane, overheard their versation. A pyful smirk crossed her face as she turo her husband and teased, "You're cheating, aren't you?"

  Dr. Turo chuckled softly, though his expression remained serious. "What choice do I have? A Pokémon, given time, adapt to this era with proper care and guidahey learn from their trainers and gradually ie into the modern world."

  He sighed, shaking his head. "But future Pokémon… They're entirely different. They possess advanced intelligence from the start, and they resist traditional methods of bonding. Building a e with them is infinitely more challenging."

  On one side were wild Pokémon, untamed and g in developed intelligehey were driven purely by instinct, ferocious in temperament, and focused solely on fighting for territory and hunting for survival.

  Oher side were futuristic meical Pokémon of unknown in. Though their metallic bodies were cold and unfeeling, they possessed extraordinary intelligend the ability to think and analyze in ways that were far beyond any ordinary Pokémon.

  Dr. Turo turo Naoki, his gaze steady. "So," he began, "I'd like to ask you to try iing with Miraidon. See if you establish a bond with it, just like you've doh Koraidon."

  Naoki took a deep breath, calming his excitement and nerves. He couldn't deny the uniqueness of Koraidon's circumstances. After all, he had back to health, which had been instrumental in gaining its trust and affe.

  But Miraidon was different. He had no prior e to it, and the process of f a bond seemed daunting.

  "I'll give it a try," Naoki said cautiously. "But I 't promise anything."

  Dr. Turo nodded, satisfied with his response. Gng at the monit s where Koraidon and Flutter Mane were still engaged in versation, he said, "It seems they still have much to discuss. Let's take this time to visit the biome where Miraidon resides."

  Professor Sada stayed behind to tinue Koraidon and Flutter Mane, while Naoki followed Dr. Turo to the ecological zone housing Miraidon.

  The automatic gates slid open, revealing a sprawling biome filled with t cliffs and deep basins. The enviro was stark, almost desote, yet it exuded a certain majesty.

  As soon as they entered, Naoki began sing the area for Miraidon. It didn't take long for his eyes to settle on a figure h he edge of a t cliff.

  There it was—Miraidon, floating silently in midair. Its pierg, lifeless gaze was fixed on the distant sky, its expression unreadable. It gave off an aura of unyielding stillness, as if pting something far beyond human uanding.

  Dr. Turo gestured toward it and spoke in a hushed tohat's Miraidon, also known as the Iron Serpent. It's said to have wielded the power of lightning to redutire ndscapes to ash."

  Naoki studied the Pokémon, noting its sleek, meical frame and eerie presence. "It looks a lot like Cyclizar's skeletal structure," he observed.

  Dr. Turo's expression turned serious. "That's true, but Miraidon is far more powerful and far more ruthless than any Pokémon like Cyclizar. It possesses an intelligehat's both impressive and uling. It assess a person's character with remarkable precisios meiature makes it impossible to decipher its emotions."

  Naoki houghtfully, taking in the imposing figure of Miraidon. pared to Koraidon, Miraido... alien. Its cold, metallic demeanor was a stark trast to Koraidon's warm and expressive personality.

  "As expected," Naoki murmured, "Koraidoions are much more vivid and easier to uand. Its appearance feels more natural, more biological."