Contrary to expectations.
Ryuto had not fallen to the very bottom of the Great Crater.
At least, he had no memory of it. He only remembered being knocked out by some strange Pokémon and waking up near the lower levels.
"I feel like I've lost a lot of memories."
Ryuto looked deeply troubled.
What hurt even more than never going out on an adventure was having gone on one, only to forget it.
Arven said, "Don't tell me you got hit so hard you lost your memory?"
"Huh!?"
Penny was startled.
Baimu gave Ryuto's back a hard pat and scolded Arven, "Don't talk nonsense. I was in a similar state when I first came back. Don't rush it. Think slowly, and you'll remember eventually."
"I'll try... Oh, right. Didn't you run into that Pokémon? It was red and looked a lot like Cyclizar. I suspect it's Cyclizar's evolved form."
Ryuto described it vividly.
Nemona said, "You mean Koraidon, right? It's the guardian here. We almost got attacked by it when we arrived too."
"A guardian?"
Ryuto froze for a moment, then asked eagerly, "Is it nearby?"
Everyone turned in unison toward Turo AI, who stood motionless. All kinds of data streams were still flashing wildly in his eyes. He had remained in that state for quite some time.
"Dad—"
Arven swallowed the rest of the title as if choking on it. Looking somewhat conflicted, he asked, "...How is Koraidon?"
Though he had accepted that the AI before him possessed memories equivalent to Professor Turo's, calling him Dad to his face still felt incredibly awkward. The word simply would not come out.
Fortunately, Turo AI did not mind. His awareness returned as his eyes flickered. "After losing to Miraidon, it has stayed inside its Poké Ball and refused to come out.