Song: "Team Star Boss Battle Theme" (Pokémon: Scarlet & Violet) - Gamefreak

"Sara! What's wrong?!" was the first three words Miraidon, Ouka and Sara heard Kirara say, as she and the others approach them hurriedly.

Even Celebi was tailing along with them.

For a moment, Sara didn't say anything nor did she turn around to look at them.

"Sara?"

After her name was mentioned the second time, Sara turned around to face everyone with an empty look of a doll in her eyes, as they were glowing again, as she finally responded.

For a few seconds, Sara remained silent, until she jerked her head in Sada's direction, nearly making the AIs flinch a little at that sudden movement.

"Sada...." Sara began as she reached over and grabbed a pokéball from her belt, before sharply drawing it out in front of her. "...I challenge you to a battle."

"HUH?!?!" Everyone went.

Then there was silence for a split second, while Sara maintained a serious look on her face, as she continued holding her pokéball out.

"Sara, you can't be serious...You don't know what Sada's capable of when it comes to pokémon battling." Kira speaks up as she looks at her daughter worriedly.

"Actually, I'm already aware about it." Sara replies as she looks over at her mother.

"How - " Scarlet began.

"I'll just call it a hunch I had, from the moment I met her recently, once we arrived in the past." Sara adds.

"Oh..."

Then Sara focused her gaze back to Sada.

It was very clear to Sada that Sara was really serious in wanting to battle her.

"I doubt Sara'll back down...She has a fire burning in her eyes." Sada thinks to herself as her gaze meets Sara's.

"But, at the same time...Her eyes...She has the look of a manipulated puppet's...And why is she so determined to battle me?"

Knowing she won't be getting any answers by standing around and mentally debating it, she sighs a little before pulling out a master ball from the right pocket of her lab coat.

"If you insist on wanting to battle me this badly, I won't refuse and stop you..." Sada sighs. "However, I hope you're truly ready for what's coming your way."

"I'm prepared for that." Sara nods.

"Also, Sada, since this battle isn't gonna be very serious in comparison to what I heard from Scarlet on her experience, let's do it without terastallizing any of our pokémon, to make it fair for you."

"I'm alright by that." Sada nods in return, understanding why.

Apparently for some strange reason, Sara had somehow figured out that Sada can't terastallize her pokémon like everyone else normally can. Mainly because she's an AI, and possibly can't seem to handle the terastal energy being absorbed in, when the Tera Orb is activated, if she guessed it right.

Surprisingly, Sara's a quick thinker and very observant for someone her age.

But, it definitely goes to show she's Kira and Sada's daughter as proof of that.

Looking over, Scarlet asked Nemona to help Sada and Sara a little with the battling preparation, in which she was happy to do.

"Sure thing!" Nemona says before she grabbed a strong, broken tree branch and started to draw a battle court in the dirt, so it'll be easier on Sada and Sara.

Once she was done, Nemona tossed the stick aside, before gesturing Sada and Sara to come over to her, and began to point out who was taking which side of the custom made battle court.

Once that was dealt with, it was time.

"Ready?" Sada asks.

"Yes." A response was heard from Sara.

"Then get to your places and be at the ready..." Nemona says, after hurrying over to the sidelines.

In those words, Sara and Sada took their places.

- - -

For a moment, Sara couldn't understand why her heart was pounding really hard in her chest, as she had her hand hovering over for a pokéball clipped to her belt, and at the ready for hers and Sada's cue from Nemona.

This feeling strangely felt...incredible...as Sara would describe it. It also felt like her immune system was given a sudden boost out of nowhere, but at the same time, she was slightly nervous and concerned about herself.

Amidst of it all, every time she inhaled and exhaled to calm her mind and steady herself, it felt like she was breathing in and breathing out the cool, crisp air during her gym challenge battles with Grusha and Rhyme all over again, back in the present.

Was she high on Hopo and Nanab berries to be doing something so strange and reckless like this?

Battling Sada's AI assistant, who's like an identical twin sister of the original Sada, but with a different persona??

Without thinking and considering what the consequences could result in, should Sara proceed further???

"No....Now's not the time to be doubting all of this or anything else, when I have already made the decision and can't turn back now." Sara thought to herself as she shook her doubts out of her mind.

"I need to focus on what's going on in front of me..."

Then she returned her attention to Sada.

"And.....Battle!" Nemona shouts.

Immediately as soon as she heard this, Sara was the first and the quickest to draw her pokémon out before Sada did.

"Go Lukari!" She calls out, in sync with her shiny Lucario coming out of her trainer's pokéball.

"Let's do this, Scream Tail!" Sada calls out, revealing the ancient paradox of the well known Jigglypuff. "Use Zen Headbutt!"

"Lukari, dodge it with your speed and go for Meteor Mash!" Sara commands, which was easily said and done.

As Lukari dodged Scream Tail's attack, she turned around and slammed Scream Tail with Meteor Mash, easily landing a critical hit and knocking it out.

"Now this is interesting...Sara, do you truly know the ancient past pokemon's weaknesses so easily? And a critical hit on top of this?? That stings but impresses me at the same time..." Sada asked as she looks up at Sara, before returning her fainted Scream Tail to its Master ball, and began getting ready to bring out her next pokémon.

In response, a wicked smirk was seen on Sara's face, before she chuckled a little.

"Of course..." She says, as she pushes her glasses up, just the exact same way as how Director Clavell does it sometimes.

"I've been learning and studying very hard and well on pokémon type advantages and disadvantages, in Battle Studies class for a decade and 5 years."

"I see you're very knowledgeable about it since you were little...

Well then, let's see if you can figure out my next pokémon's weakness." Sada replies as she raised a brow in amusement before she brought out Flutter Mane next.

In return, Sara smirks again before she switches Lukari out for her next pokémon that she had already had in mind.

"Come on out, Susie!" She speaks up next, before throwing another pokéball, revealing a Tinkaton.

"Flutter Mane, use Mythical Fire!"

Just before the attack could land on her, Susie brought out an Occa berry that Sara gave to her in advance and ate it in the nick of time, until the attack hit.

When the fire cleared, Susie was still standing.

"You gave your Tinkaton an Occa berry to weaken the damage of any fire type attack, huh?" Sada went in amusement.

"I always prepare myself and my pokémon in advance for situations like this..." Sara replies, before issuing a battle command to her Tinkaton.

"Now, Susie! Hit Flutter Mane with your Gigaton Hammer!!"

"Dodge it, Flutter Mane!"

Unfortunately, Sada spoke a little too late because before Flutter Mane could dodge, Susie had already slammed her attack down on the ancient paradox, resulting in an instant KO.

If Sada were to express her emotions, she probably would've said that she wasn't expecting it.

"You did your best, even if it was for a short moment...Return to your ball, Flutter Mane." She says next, before bringing out her Master ball again and returns the ancient paradox to it.

"I'll admit it and be blunt with you, Sara...I've actually been going easy on you since the beginning of the battle, but it seems like I'm gonna have to get a bit more serious this time..."

As Sada says that, she then brought out her Brute Bonnet.

"Brute Bonnet, use Earth Power!"

"Dodge it, Susie!"

Unfortunately, just like what happened with Sada's Flutter Mane, Susie failed to dodge in time as Sara spoke up too late.

After Susie fainted and Sara returned her to her pokéball, Sada smirked a little as she watches her, amused, while also wondering at the same time on what Sara's next pokémon could possibly be.

"What's wrong? I thought you knew your type advantages against the ancient paradox pokémon?" Sada taunts a little, almost like the same way Geeta did to Sara back in the present.

"Shut up, what you just did was playing dirty!" Sara shot back, her face turning red lightly a little in embarrassment, since she's always been the type who dislikes it when her pokémon battle opponents taunt her the same way Sada just did.

In her opinion, Sara finds it very cringy. Just enough to the point where it would've been on the same level as watching a heavily cutesy kids cartoon show.

Like 'My Little Ponyta' for example.

"Well, I do like to play dirty anyways, so suck it up buttercup. However, I get the feeling you do the same thing too, for you to be single handily landing critical hits on my pokémon...Is that how you became champion too for Naranja perhaps?" Sada continues, in response to what Sara said to her.

"How did you - ?" Sara started to ask as she looked at Sada in surprise.

"I overheard from Nemona earlier." Sada chuckles.

"Nemona! What did I say about telling anyone about me becoming champion?!" Sara screeched at her, after turning to look at the student council battle-addict, as her face turned red again over being humiliated.

"Hey, someone's gotta know." Nemona responds as she lifts both of her hands up to her chest in defense, while shaking her head a little. "Can't always keep it in the dark forever."

"As soon as this is over, you and I are gonna have a chat later..." Sara growls as she cracks her knuckles angrily, giving Nemona the immediate message that she's screwed and in for a long lecture with her.

In response, Nemona ducked behind Scarlet, making Scarlet chuckle awkwardly as she reaches over and just gives Nemona a light pat on the head, in attempt to reassure her.

"Don't worry, Nemona...I know Sara's not actually gonna beat you up." Scarlet says to her

"I already know that...It's just the fact Sara's well known around the school to get really scary when she gets irate like a rampaging Cetitan. That's what scares me." Nemona replies, as she chuckles awkwardly too, before she lets go of and steps away from Scarlet a little, so she's not up in her personal space.

Focusing her attention back to Sada and her Brute Bonnet, Sara gritted her teeth a little before she grabbed another pokéball and threw it.

"Go Cinder! Use your Fire Blast on Brute Bonnet!!" Sara calls out, revealing her Talonflame.

"Use Sucker Punch, Brute Bonnet!"

In sync to Sada's words, Brute Bonnet landed a Sucker Punch on Sara's Talonflame, before she could attack the ancient paradox first.

In turn, Sara's Talonflame attacked next, landing a critical hit on Brute Bonnet and fainting it.

Once that was done, Sara returned her pokémon back to the pokéball in sync to Sada returning Brute Bonnet to it's Master Ball, before she drew the ball back, and covered her face with her arm as she stood still.

For a moment, Kira and everyone else started to grow concerned until Sara lowered her arm and clipped her pokéball back on her belt, lifting her head up to look back at Sada next, once she was done.

Afterwards, silence filled the atmosphere for a minute, until Sara spoke up to break the said silence.

"Alright...I suppose it's time to explain why I wanted you to battle me, Sada." She begins as she started walking over to her.

"My reason why I wanted to battle you is plain and simple....There's something I can't shake off about you."

"What do you mean?" Sada asked. "I need more context on that..."

"I'm saying there's something about you that makes me feel different about myself. It's hard to describe what that feeling is, but to reassure you and Arven, it's not what you're thinking." Sara explains next, before she looked away for a moment.

"This kind of feeling is like some sort of a sudden burst of determination and wanting to give it your all. And the desire to learn more about you. But at the same time, it's like communicating to one or two ghosts that's possessed your body and one of them would sometimes take control over you temporarily."

After hearing this from her daughter, Kira was a little stunned, but at the same time, she already knew and understood what that feeling is, that her daughter's feeling.

"I see...Well, if you want to learn more, I'm all ears to hear your questions." Sada replies to Sara next, as she nods in understanding, since Kira went through something like that before, when she and the original Professor Sada were alive.

"I appreciate it. And in turn, as my way of showing thanks, I'll heal your pokémon up." Sara smiles as she takes out three max revives from her bag and begins to heal up Sada's pokemon, once Sada brought out the fainted ancient paradoxes that she used in the battle earlier.

Once she was done, Sara got herself back up to her feet and stretched a little before relaxing, as Sada returned the ancient paradoxes to their balls once again, since they're now back at full health.

"I've gotta admit...You impressed me, Sada." Sara, then, speaks up next.

"How so?" Sada asked.

"No one else has ever fainted some of my pokémon, since my battles with Nemona back in the present, until now..." She answers before smiling next.

"Thank you. And just by looking at you, I can easily tell Kira raised you right, even before her original self's death." Sada smiles back.

"What makes you say that?" Sara asked.

"Because of the fact you're respectful and using your manners very well. One good example of that would be when you were healing up my pokémon for me not too long ago." Sada chuckles.

"Wha - ? Hey! You made it sound like I'm always being rude and hardly the type to ever use manners!"

"She was only kidding, Sara." Kira giggles.

"Well, that joke was bad." Sara pouts next, as she looks over at her mother.

"You're such a spoil-sport, y'know that?" Kira says next as she wrapped an arm around Sara's shoulders and pulled her close before giving her a noogie.

"Gyah! Mom, cut it out!"

After seeing the mother and daughter interaction between Sara and Kira again, Scarlet couldn't help but giggle a little, while Arven wondered if he'd have that kind of lifestyle too, if his mother was still alive and wasn't so absorbed into researching the ancient past like she had been until the knowledge of her death was revealed to him, during the event that happened in Area Zero.

Pushing the thought aside, Arven looked over and watched for a moment as his friends started to go back inside the building that they were staying in with Kira and Sada, before he started to follow his mother as she began to head back.

But, as he was about to enter, Penny pulled Arven aside in an attempt to show and try to convince him that his mother's an AI, due to him refusing to believe it and still suffering from grief.

Unfortunately, he still didn't believe her, and a fight broke out between them until Nemona had to come over and break up the fight.

Upset, Penny went back inside, and in disbelief over the fact Arven would choose his AI mother over his own friends, as Nemona followed after her while Arven was left alone.

Before Sara could start heading her way back in the building too, she suddenly fainted just after being hit by the head hard by something, as the sound of a tree branch snapping in half was heard, immediately alerting Miraidon as that happened.

Alarmed, Kira quickly picked up and carried Sara's unconscious figure, holding her close to her chest as she ran inside, spotting the source of what knocked Sara out.

"Sada! Run! It's that pokémon again!" Kira yells over her shoulder as she ran, making Sada and Arven turn around and see a pokémon that's similar to her Slither Wing, but more futuristic instead.

- - -

Sara's consciousness

Location: ???

Opening her eyes, and looking around for a moment, the first thing she noticed was her surroundings was completely pitch black.

Softly groaning a little, Sara rested a palm to her forehead and sighed wearily, unable to comprehend what was going on, while for a moment, her body felt like she was having an indescribable experience with it.

"Oh...What was it called?" Sara thought to herself in question as she closes her eyes, trying to find the right word for this.

"That's right. Outer body experience..."

An unusual, but somewhat a commonly rare experience.

Surprisingly for her, it's also the first time for her to be experiencing this...this strange anomaly. All by herself.

"Nevermind it tho...Where am I? And why does my body and forehead feel like it's on fire, but in a gentle yet in a painless way??" Sara thought as she sat up and gently rubbed the back of her head a little, before moving her hand away from her head.

In the nick of time, after she said those words, Sara heard something from behind her, that sounded like someone was running through a grassy field.

"Huh? Who's there?!" She asked next, turning around to see if there was someone approaching from behind her.

But there wasn't anyone coming up to her from behind.

However, when she turned around, Sara nearly jumped out of her skin a little when she saw someone standing in front of her.

Recollecting herself after the sudden jump scare, Sara started to take a better look at the mysterious figure in front of her.

Unfortunately, for starters, Sara couldn't tell if the figure she's looking at is a person or a pokémon, most likely because of the fact the figure was wearing a mask over their face.

But, something felt a bit off about them.

Their appearance carries a mysterious vibe. Almost the same as her hisuian zorua, Ouka, does.

"Who...are you?" Sara asked as she gazed at the masked figure.

In return, the masked figure looked up at Sara, before it smiled at her.

Even though Sara couldn't tell if the figure was smiling at her or not behind that mask, she can tell it is, just by body language.

Before disappearing without any warning, the mysterious masked figure pointed at Sara's pendant, almost like it was trying to give her a hint about something.

"Wait! Where are you going?! Come back!" Sara says as she extended her hand out to where the figure disappeared.

Realizing the figure wasn't gonna return home soon, Sara slumped forward and sighed a bit in defeat.

"Well, that was pointless anyways..." She says to herself. "Like telling it to wait is gonna do me any good."

But...There was another thing she found very strange.

And that would be the fact the mysterious figure was pointing at her pendant. The pendant that she found in Area Zero, back in the present...

Why was that figure pointing at the pendant? Is there something special about it, behind closed doors, that she has no knowledge of??

"Whatever it is, hopefully I'll get my answers later, next time I see that masked figure. Whenever that might be..." Sara sighs while speaking to herself again, as she lifts the pendant up with one hand, and gazes intently at it.

Then her pendant suddenly shined brightly, catching Sara off guard, as more light appeared, before everything faded.