"What's wrong, Rayne? Why do you seem so tense?" Nora asked, noticing Rayne's sudden stiffness after she had just read the thoughts of the person beside them.
"That person next to us... I think they're going to be trouble," Rayne replied telepathically, her eyes narrowing slightly.
"Trouble? Who are they?" Nora asked, her curiosity piqued.
"I don't know exactly who they are, but I'm certain they're one of the people after the Nexus Sapphire," Rayne whispered, her voice barely audible.
"This isn't good. What should we do now!" Nora said, a hint of panic creeping into her expression.
"Quiet down! You're being way too loud—they'll hear us!" Rayne shot back through their telepathic link, her frustration evident.
"Sorry. Then how about we just keep an eye on them for now?" Nora suggested.
"That's actually a good idea," Rayne admitted, nodding slightly.
Meanwhile, Kyle stood beside Z and his Delta Charmander, utterly confused about what the two girls were discussing so intently.
"I wonder what they're talking about, Charmander?" Kyle murmured, glancing down at his partner.
"Charmander!" Delta Charmander replied with a shake of its head, equally clueless.
"I've got a bad feeling about this. I think we should join up with Zayn and the others. If I remember correctly, he was in room number 5, right?" Kyle said, his brow furrowed with concern.
Delta Charmander responded with a firm nod of agreement.
Kyle turned toward Z to ask for permission. "Big Sis Z, I think I'm going to head over to where Zayn and Xavier are now. I've got a really bad feeling about this place."
*"Wait a moment... If Kyle goes to join Xavier and Zayn now, this might actually work in our favor,"* Z thought to herself, quickly calculating the possibilities.
"Alright, but remember—keep them safe," Z instructed, her voice firm and commanding.
"Understood!" Kyle replied before slipping out of the room.
Z then shifted her focus back to Taylor, studying him intently.
*"If only Vane were here... She should be the one handling this,"* Taylor mused internally, then suddenly froze. *"Wait... Why am I even thinking about this? There are too many espers around here."*
He glanced to his side and caught Z staring directly at him. *"From her uniform, she's definitely from that esper academy,"* Taylor realized. *"She probably already knows a lot about what's going on here... It seems I really have no choice left but to fight."* His hand instinctively tightened around the Ultra Ball in his grasp.
*"Just as I suspected. You're the type who resorts to fighting immediately,"* Z thought, already having glimpsed the immediate future. Through her precognitive abilities, she had seen Taylor about to summon a Porygon-Z from that Ultra Ball.
Without hesitation, Z reached into her pocket and retrieved a Dusk Ball.
Taylor pressed the button on his Ultra Ball, and a shimmering Porygon-Z materialized beside him.
Z pressed the button on her Dusk Ball, and a massive Snorlax appeared beside her—lying flat on its back in a rather casual pose.
*"Hammer Arm!"* Z commanded telepathically through their psychic link.
Upon receiving the command, Snorlax pushed itself upright with surprising agility and lunged toward Porygon-Z, its right arm swinging in a devastating arc.
"Room!" Taylor commanded his Porygon-Z.
The Porygon-Z reacted instantly. The space around them began to warp and shift, transforming into an intricate landscape of streaming data, floating information nodes, and glowing electronic lines—like being inside a vast digital mainframe.
Nora, recognizing the immediate danger, quickly issued her own command. "Bulbasaur, use Sleep Powder on Porygon-Z!"
Her Bulbasaur released a cloud of shimmering, sleep-inducing spores from the bulb on its back, but the particles dissipated harmlessly before reaching their target.
*"Why isn't it working?"* Nora thought in confusion. *"Wait... The effect feels like Electric Terrain, but it's not quite the same..."*
Meanwhile, Porygon-Z easily sidestepped Snorlax's Hammer Arm, its movements unnaturally fluid and precise within the digital space.
*"She's an esper—she must have predicted my move. She's using Snorlax specifically to counter Porygon-Z. She's banking on Snorlax's special defense to withstand my attacks first, then she'll strike back,"* Taylor analyzed rapidly in his mind.
*"This Room ability is impressive. He's clever—inside this data construct, I can't read his thoughts at all,"* Z observed internally, watching Porygon-Z's next move intently.
"This is bad. I can't read anyone's thoughts in here," Rayne telepathically communicated to Nora, her voice tinged with alarm.
"Why can't you? You're an esper, aren't you? You could read minds just fine before!" Nora replied, equally worried.
"It doesn't work like that. Espers can read organic minds, but this is a Digital Room. Psychic abilities don't function properly here," Rayne explained.
"Digital Room? What is that? Some kind of data space or something?" Nora pressed.
Rayne let out a frustrated sigh. "Fine, since you're not from around here, I'll explain briefly. A Digital Room is an information space where everything—including us—is converted into raw data and code."
"And what does that have to do with reading minds?" Nora asked, still not fully understanding.
"Think of it like trying to read the mind of a machine," Rayne replied flatly.
Nora's eyes widened with sudden comprehension. "You can't read something that doesn't actually have a mind."
"Exactly. Here, everything is reduced to algorithms, code, and data streams. Trying to read thoughts here is like trying to read a computer's internal processing—impossible for me," Rayne admitted, a hint of panic creeping into her mental voice.
"Then why don't you use your future-sight ability?" Nora suggested.
"You think I can just use that over and over without consequences?" Rayne shot back, annoyed.
"Alright then, let me handle it," Nora declared confidently.
"You? Can you really do anything?" Rayne asked skeptically, her Litwick floating beside her with an equally doubtful expression.
"Let me show you what I'm capable of," Nora replied, raising her right hand to reveal a glowing symbol of Celebi etched upon her palm.
---
Meanwhile, Z and Taylor continued their intense standoff.
*"He's definitely going to use Body Slam next,"* Taylor predicted mentally.
"Fire!" Taylor commanded his Porygon-Z.
Electric energy crackled and coalesced in front of the digital Pokémon, forming into a crackling sphere of pure electrical power.
*"Electro Ball... Wait, no—that's Zap Cannon!"* Z realized with alarm as she recognized the signature attack.
"Protect!" she commanded Snorlax.
The massive Pokémon created a shimmering barrier in front of itself just as Porygon-Z launched the devastating Zap Cannon. The electric orb grew larger as it hurtled through the digital space, striking Snorlax's barrier with catastrophic force.
The resulting explosion sent cascading arcs of electricity rippling through the room, sparking dangerously close to Rayne and Nora.
Rayne reacted instantly, grabbing Nora and creating a psychic barrier around them just in time. Z, meanwhile, erected her own shield to deflect the electrical surge.
*"Not just any Pokémon can use Zap Cannon that effectively. If he can use it so proficiently, his Porygon must be a Digital-type, and probably Electric-type as well. And with that much power, he's likely holding a boosting item too,"* Z analyzed rapidly in her mind.
Without hesitation, Z recalled Snorlax back into its Poké Ball. She then produced a Quick Ball and released a sleek, powerful Flygon, which immediately launched itself toward Porygon-Z with a blur of motion, an ethereal blue aura enveloping its body.
"Porygon, Ice Beam!" Taylor commanded as Flygon closed in.
Porygon-Z began gathering energy for an ice-based counterattack, but Flygon was simply too fast—it struck first with devastating force, sending Porygon-Z flying backward in a cascade of distorted data.
"Damn! He's faster than Porygon!" Taylor gritted his teeth as his Pokémon tumbled across the digital floor.
*"Flinch,"* Z noted mentally. *"Dragon Rush's flinch effect—perfect timing."*
"Tch, this is going to be troublesome," Taylor muttered, recalling his stunned Porygon-Z back into its Ultra Ball. *"He's no ordinary opponent. If this drags on too long, my Pokémon will be exhausted before we even reach the main objective."*
Flygon, having just overpowered Porygon-Z, wheeled around and hurtled toward Taylor himself. But as the dragon Pokémon struck, Taylor's body shattered into a cascade of shimmering data fragments—a mere clone.
The real Taylor had already slipped out of the room, sealing the digital construct behind him.
"Annoying," Taylor muttered, brushing himself off. "You people really are a handful. No offense, but I'm not that foolish." He strode away from the sealed room without looking back.
---
Inside the now-sealed Digital Room, Z, Rayne, and Nora realized they had been trapped.
"It looks like we're stuck in here," Z stated grimly as Taylor's presence faded completely from the space.
Rayne's composure cracked. "What do we do now?! How do we get out?! What about the others out there?!"
Nora, however, clenched her fist tightly and held it in front of her face, a determined fire in her eyes.
"I'm just getting started."
**"Rewind!"**
The Celebi symbol on her right palm erupted in brilliant green light, and shimmering emerald energy swirled around her. Both Rayne and Z felt the very flow of data within the room begin to reverse itself, like a cosmic tape rewinding.
Outside, Taylor suddenly stopped mid-stride, a strange sensation washing over him.
Inside the room, everything snapped back to its previous state—and Z found Taylor standing exactly where he had been moments before.
*"Wait... How is this possible?"* Z's eyes darted to Nora, realization dawning. *"She rewound time itself..."*
"It's time for me to leave. I don't have time for this. Time to create a Porygon decoy—now, Ice Beam!" Taylor commanded, attempting to salvage his escape.
But Rayne wasn't about to let him get away so easily. "Fire Spin, now!" she ordered her Litwick.
"Wiiiick!" The small candle Pokémon released a barrage of purple-flamed fireballs that swirled around it before launching toward Taylor and his Porygon-Z.
Taylor desperately tried to recall his Pokémon, but Flygon was already upon him—a devastating Dragon Rush sent him hurtling backward across the floor before he could react.
Flygon immediately pressed the assault, its body wreathed in blue-violet draconic energy as it charged again.
Taylor, forced onto the defensive, grabbed a Heavy Ball from his belt and pressed the release.
A massive Bronzong materialized before him, its metallic body gleaming.
"Iron Defense, now!"
Bronzong's body took on a metallic sheen just as Flygon crashed into it. The bell-like Pokémon held firm, absorbing the impact.
*"This is bad—they're even more troublesome than I anticipated. If I use too many Pokémon here, I'll exhaust them all before the main operation. I need to get out of here immediately,"* Taylor strategized frantically.
But a nagging thought tugged at his mind—how had Z managed to attack him at the *exact* moment he was about to escape?
He glanced at Rayne, who was now supporting the exhausted Nora, barely able to stand.
*"Wait... why isn't the green-haired girl moving? Is that an effect of the Zap Cannon from earlier? No, that doesn't make sense—she was safely behind the black-haired girl's barrier..."*
Taylor's mind raced at lightning speed. *"An esper's precognitive ability can function in this space, but predicting the *perfect* timing like that... it's more than mere luck. What kind of ability allows for such precision? Is it something that girl possesses?"*
Z, noticing Taylor's moment of distraction, decided to seize the advantage. "Flygon, Fire Blast now!"
A massive inferno of flames gathered in front of Flygon's maw, and Taylor, snapping back to attention, commanded desperately:
"Protect!"
Bronzong created a shimmering barrier just in time, absorbing the brunt of the explosive flames. The shockwave, however, was immense—Taylor, standing behind Bronzong, was still caught in the blast radius and sustained several burns across his arms and torso.
Then, something strange happened.
Taylor's burns began to glow faintly, then faded away as if they had never existed. He looked up at Z with a calm, knowing smile.
"I understand now. Time manipulation—what a troublesome ability. No wonder you knew exactly when I was going to escape," Taylor said coolly, his tone infuriatingly composed.
Z and Rayne exchanged a startled glance—how had he figured that out?
In the next instant, Porygon-Z reappeared beside Taylor, and the Digital Room collapsed around them like a shattered mirror. The three of them found themselves standing back in the museum hallway, facing the painting from before.
Taylor was gone.
"Where did he go?!" Z exclaimed, quickly recalling Flygon into its Quick Ball. She turned to Rayne, who was now carrying Nora on her back. "How's she doing?"
"She's fine—just exhausted from using her ability," Rayne confirmed, adjusting her grip on the unconscious girl.
"Thank goodness," Z breathed, letting out a sigh of relief. "I never expected her to go as far as rewinding time like that."
"Neither did I," Rayne admitted. "But at least we're espers—if we weren't, our memories would have rewound too, like that guy. Unfortunately, he already knows about Nora's ability, and now she's completely drained."
A sudden realization struck Z. "What time is it?"
"About 9:00 PM, if I'm not mistaken," Rayne replied, checking her RotomDex.
At that moment, Raizer arrived at the scene, taking in the serious expressions on their faces and Nora's unconscious form being carried by Rayne.
"Z, where's the person you mentioned earlier?" Raizer asked urgently.
Z immediately used her psychic abilities to scan the entire museum for Taylor's soul signature—but found nothing. "I can't detect his soul anywhere."
"Seriously? That means he's not using a standard soul-based system. It must be some kind of Logic effect. But what Logic is he using?" Raizer mused, stroking his chin.
"It seems he has a Cyber-type Logic. His Porygon-Z was Cyber/Electric and could manifest a Digital Room," Z explained.
"Cyber/Electric? That's a rare combination, but did it still look like an ordinary Porygon-Z?" Raizer pressed.
"Yes," Z confirmed.
"Then there's a chance he's actually Cyber/Normal," Raizer suggested.
"That's possible," Z agreed. "I think we should regroup with the others. It's almost time for the main event to begin."
"Agreed. Come on, Rayne—let's join the others," Z said.
Rayne puffed out her cheeks in annoyance, gesturing indignantly at Nora's limp body. "Seriously?! Do I *have* to keep carrying her like this?"
"For now, yes. We still need her abilities," Z replied firmly.
Raizer casually snapped his fingers, and Nora's eyes fluttered open. "Is it over?" she asked groggily, sitting up.
"It's only just beginning—and we need your help," Z stated bluntly.
"If you need her so badly, why not just fully restore her energy right now?" Rayne demanded, pointing accusingly at Raizer.
"Because I know that if I fully restored her, she'd waste all that energy running around the museum without a care in the world. Truthfully, you two are quite alike in that regard—so it's easier this way," Raizer said with a knowing smirk.
Rayne and Nora both bristled at being compared to each other, exchanging mutual glares of irritation.
They all made their way toward the exit of the room.
---
Meanwhile, on the second floor, Taylor had rendezvoused with his partner—a young woman with sharp, calculating eyes.
"How did your mission go, Taylor?" she asked, her tone casual but expectant.
"I nearly completed it, but I ran into some troublesome individuals earlier," Taylor replied, returning his Pokémon to their respective Poké Balls.
"Why didn't you just defeat them?" she pressed.
"That would have been... difficult," Taylor admitted, his expression thoughtful. "And it seems we need to be particularly careful of time-based abilities here."