Everything went dark.
When Zayn opened his eyes again, he found himself back at the exact moment when he had still been holding his Inventory Box.
Eon and Walt were standing right in front of him, just as they had been before retrieving the Bad Night painting from Vera's Inventory Box.
Zayn took a deep breath.
Then, he slowly exhaled.
"All right. Time to put the plan into action."
He glanced at the objects in his hands.
His Inventory Box was in his left hand, while the Nexus Sapphire rested in his right.
Without hesitation, he slipped the Nexus Sapphire into his pocket before tossing the Inventory Box toward Eon.
Eon caught it effortlessly.
He examined the box for a moment, narrowing his eyes.
"Why are you giving this to me?"
Zayn shrugged.
"I just realized that I probably won't be able to protect it if someone suddenly tries to take it from me."
"That's reasonable," Eon replied, continuing to inspect the Inventory Box.
He didn't seem particularly bothered by the sudden change of ownership.
Meanwhile, Walt conjured a screen in front of them, displaying the situation at the museum.
The images revealed that Xian and the others were still fighting against Alvion. Much of the museum had already been reduced to rubble, with broken pillars, shattered displays, and scattered debris covering the battlefield.
Outside, however, the situation appeared to have calmed down somewhat, thanks to the police intervention against Team Epitaph.
"There might still be a chance for us to win, but I wouldn't count on it just yet," Walt remarked.
He carefully observed the ongoing battle, occasionally making notes in his notebook and taking photographs of the scenes displayed on the screen.
Eon, meanwhile, was focused on something else.
"Wait a minute. Something's wrong."
He leaned closer to the screen.
"I haven't seen a single member of the New World Association anywhere. Their objective is to obtain the Nexus Sapphire, so why haven't they made their move?"
"I don't know either," Walt replied, holding his notebook against his chest. "But we should still be prepared. I'm certain they've already made arrangements for this situation."
Zayn, however, was paying attention to something else entirely.
He stared at the screen in confusion.
"Eh? Why are they still fighting over there?"
"What do you mean?" Walt asked.
"They should have left the museum already."
Walt glanced at him before answering.
"Calm down. I'm sure this is part of the plan. Otherwise, Azure would have evacuated them along with the visitors and the museum's exhibits when he first relocated everyone."
Zayn fell silent.
After considering Walt's explanation, he slowly tried to calm himself down.
Nevertheless, something about his behavior had caught Walt's attention.
The boy seemed considerably more cautious than before, as though he already knew what was going to happen.
Walt's eyes narrowed slightly.
He activated his information-analysis ability, examining the subtle changes in Zayn's behavior.
After a brief moment, he approached the boy and placed a hand on his shoulder.
"I'm guessing you've just returned using a save state, haven't you?"
Zayn froze.
"Eh? How did you know? You don't even have the Nexus Sapphire anymore."
Walt smiled faintly.
"The power of an artifact doesn't necessarily disappear completely just because its owner is no longer holding it."
He leaned forward slightly.
"Now, tell us your plan. Did you think this was a game where you could reload a save file without anyone noticing what you'd already done? How naive."
Zayn could only respond with an awkward smile.
Well, there goes my attempt at keeping this a secret.
"Looks like there's no point in hiding it from you."
He scratched his cheek before continuing.
"To put it simply, an Esper named Borg is going to come here and try to steal the Bad Night painting stored inside my Inventory Box."
Eon immediately turned toward him.
"Hold on. He intends to steal your Inventory Box, which means you're planning to use me as bait, aren't you?"
"Not exactly," Zayn replied, snapping his fingers. "I'm just making preparations in case we lose or get transported to another dimension."
Eon stared at him.
"...What?"
He looked at Walt, then back at Zayn.
"Wait a minute. You aren't confident that we can win? And what do you mean by getting transported to another dimension? Who exactly are we fighting?"
"Well, I already lost once," Zayn explained. "You and Walt were transported to another dimension, and I couldn't do anything about it. I'm just trying to make sure that doesn't happen again."
Walt's expression became serious.
"How did he transport us to another dimension?"
"He used a camera."
"A camera?" Walt repeated.
Eon seemed to understand something.
"Let me guess. That camera possesses an ability derived from the Nexus Sapphire."
"Eh? I don't know anything about that. How did you figure it out?"
Eon raised his Rotomdex.
"I just received a report from Aron. Apparently, that camera was stolen from the Investigation Division's headquarters."
He shook his head in disbelief.
"I never expected the Investigation Division to suffer a theft case like this."
Eon then pointed behind Zayn.
"And I'm willing to bet that the thief is right there."
Zayn turned around.
A muscular man was approaching them, accompanied by his Mega Sableye.
Borg had finally arrived.
---
Battle Initiated
Without wasting a second, Eon reached into his pocket and pulled out a revolver.
He aimed it at Borg and pulled the trigger.
BANG!
The bullet shot through the darkness.
Borg immediately raised his hand, attempting to halt the projectile with his telekinetic abilities.
However, the moment his power made contact with the bullet, the surrounding space began to change.
The ground beneath their feet transformed into a designated combat platform.
A familiar system interface appeared.
[ GAME LOGIC ACTIVATED ]
[ BATTLE MODE: TURN-BASED ]
[ COMBATANTS REGISTERED ]
[ PLAYER TEAM: 6 COMBATANTS ]
[ OPPONENT TEAM: 2 COMBATANTS ]
The bullet stopped in midair.
Above Borg's head, an HP bar materialized alongside a target indicator.
Mega Sableye received its own status display.
The same thing happened to Zayn, Eon, and Walt.
Borg's eyes widened slightly.
What the hell is this?
He glanced around the battlefield.
For some reason, the situation felt strangely familiar.
Wait a minute. Why does this feel like something I've experienced before?
He couldn't quite put his finger on it.
Meanwhile, Zayn stepped forward, allowing Gible Redux to join the formation.
"All right. Time for the second attempt."
Gible positioned itself beside him.
Eon glanced at the boy.
"Zayn, you already know what to do, right?"
"We need to take the camera away from him first."
"Understood."
Walt stepped forward, his expression calm and confident.
"Then let's get started."
Borg immediately activated his telepathic abilities.
He began reading the thoughts of his opponents, searching for their intentions and possible strategies.
He could understand what they were planning.
He could even predict their next moves.
Unfortunately, none of that changed the situation he was in.
He couldn't act freely.
His body was bound by the rules of the turn-based system.
I know they're going to attack me, but I can't do anything until my turn comes around.
His expression darkened.
What kind of ridiculous ability is this?
He looked toward Mega Sableye.
"Sableye, use Protect!"
Mega Sableye immediately raised its arms.
The massive red gemstone embedded in its body glowed as a protective barrier formed around it.
At almost the same moment, Walt reached into his pocket and retrieved a card.
It was the Magician card.
The card's surface shimmered, revealing a list of magical elements.
[ MAGIC SELECTION ]
«Plant
Fire
Water
Wind
Ground
Electric
Astral
Dark
Light
...»
Walt selected Dark Magic.
Another menu appeared.
[ DARK MAGIC — TECHNIQUES ]
«Trick
Dark Slash
Paint It Black
...»
Walt's eyes settled on the first option.
"Trick."
He removed his glasses and tossed them toward Borg.
The glasses spun through the air.
Borg instinctively tried to track their movement, but his attention was divided between the incoming object and the combat system.
Then, something strange happened.
His camera disappeared.
In its place, a pair of glasses appeared inside his pocket.
Borg froze.
"...What?"
He immediately looked down.
His camera was gone.
When he raised his head again, Walt was already holding it.
The Magician card had allowed Walt to exchange the positions of two objects through his Trick technique.
And now, the most dangerous weapon in Borg's possession was in enemy hands.
Walt adjusted his posture and gave Borg a confident smile.
"All right. Now there's nothing you can do."
He raised his hand.
"Corviknight, use Brave Bird!"
Turn 1 — Walt
MOVE SELECTED: BRAVE BIRD
Corviknight spread its wings and soared high above the battlefield.
A fierce aura surrounded its body as it accelerated toward Borg.
Borg's eyes widened.
Damn it!
He knew the attack was coming.
He could even imagine how he might counter it.
But his turn hadn't arrived yet.
He had no choice but to endure the attack.
BRAVE BIRD!
Corviknight descended like a meteor, crashing into Borg with tremendous force.
The impact sent him stumbling backward.
His HP bar dropped sharply.
BORG — HP: 34%
Borg gritted his teeth.
One attack, and I'm already in critical condition?
Walt, on the other hand, was rather pleased with the result.
"Not bad."
Eon nodded.
"Good work, Walt. Now it's my turn."
Turn 2 — Eon
Eon reached into his Inventory Box and retrieved a small ammunition case.
He opened it, revealing several specialized bullets.
Among them was a dark purplish-black projectile.
He picked it up and loaded it into his revolver.
"Magnezone, Zap Cannon."
Borg immediately focused on the bullet.
A projectile? I should be able to stop it with telekinesis.
He raised his hand.
If that doesn't work, I can create a psychic construct to intercept it. At the very least, a protective barrier should be enough.
Eon pulled the trigger.
BANG!
The specialized bullet shot toward Borg.
He attempted to halt it with telekinesis.
Nothing happened.
His eyes widened.
What?
He tried to create a psychic construct.
Again, nothing happened.
The bullet continued moving toward him.
Why isn't it working?!
Borg instinctively tried to summon a protective barrier, but the projectile had already reached him.
It struck him directly.
A pale blue light suddenly spread across his body.
Borg looked down in disbelief.
Then, he noticed Magnezone hovering beside Eon.
Electricity was gathering around its metallic body.
The energy intensified, creating a brilliant glow that illuminated the entire battlefield.
Borg's expression changed.
Wait. That bullet wasn't meant to damage me directly...
The projectile had marked him as the target of the attack.
And now—
"Magnezone, fire!"
A concentrated blast of electricity erupted from Magnezone's body.
ZAP CANNON!
The attack struck Borg squarely.
A blinding flash of blue light engulfed him.
His HP bar plummeted.
BORG — HP: 0%
[ OPPONENT DEFEATED ]
Borg disappeared from the battlefield.
At the same moment, Mega Sableye vanished alongside him.
[ BATTLE RESULT: VICTORY ]
For a brief moment, nobody spoke.
Then the combat platform dissolved.
The structured battlefield returned to the familiar darkness of the Shadow Realm.
Walt stared at the empty space where Borg had been standing.
"...Wait. Seriously? That's it?"
Zayn shrugged.
"Yeah. What were you expecting from a six-on-two battle? If the trainer loses, the battle ends. That's how it works."
Walt looked unconvinced.
"That's true, but something still feels strange. I just can't figure out what."
He lowered his gaze toward the camera in his hand.
"This camera can trap people inside another dimension, and it possesses an ability derived from the Nexus Sapphire."
He examined its exterior, looking for any unusual markings.
Then, he tried placing it inside his Inventory Box.
The camera refused to enter.
Walt tried again.
Nothing happened.
He glanced at the Nexus Sapphire in Zayn's possession.
Just like the artifact, the camera couldn't be stored inside an Inventory Box.
"...Interesting."
He held the camera up for a closer inspection.
"In that case, I'll keep this with me. It's far too interesting to leave unattended."
Zayn, however, was no longer paying attention to their conversation.
Something else was bothering him.
I've already experienced this situation once. Then I used Save/Load to return to an earlier point in time.
But before that happened, Eon shouldn't have received a message from anyone.
His expression gradually changed.
So how did he receive that report from Aron this time?
A terrible possibility crossed his mind.
Wait...
What if my Save/Load ability doesn't affect the Shadow Realm and the real world simultaneously?
Zayn's face paled.
"Oh, no."
Walt turned toward him.
"What's wrong? We won, didn't we?"
"That's not the problem!" Zayn exclaimed.
He began explaining his concerns.
"Eon shouldn't have received that message earlier, but he did. What if using Save/Load doesn't reset events inside the Shadow Realm and the real world at the same time?"
Walt and Eon fell silent.
Then, they looked at each other.
"...Wait."
Walt's expression became serious.
"The Shadow Realm is separate from the real world."
Eon let out a long sigh.
"Exactly."
He rubbed his forehead.
"We can't keep sitting around in here. The Shadow Realm doesn't necessarily follow the same temporal rules as the real world."
He glanced at Zayn.
"Your Save/Load ability might restore the state of the real world without restoring the Shadow Realm to the corresponding moment. That's why the events here aren't consistent with what you remember."
Zayn swallowed nervously.
"So... what should we do?"
Eon turned toward the exit.
"We return to the real world."