Chapter 29: "Human time machine"

    "Whoa!" Arven shouted at the sight of an immense, foggy rainforest below the portal Miraidon popped out of. He was sweating under the warm sun. Scattered in the rainforest like ponds of rainwater were coal swamps.

    Kabuto left the sea and explored the young Earth alongside their evolution, Kabutops.

    "Welcome to the Carboniferous Period," Sada explained. "It's known for its coal swamps, rainforests, and the Kabuto who started to live on land. Oh, and its high oxygen levels, too. They allowed the Ancient Pokémon to grow bigger."

    "Wow... so cool," Arven squealed, sounding like a little kid on Christmas.

    Miraidon assumed he never paid attention in his biology class. It surely taught the students a little bit about geologic time.

    While Arven admired the alien world, Sada, lost in thought, peered down. It looked like she was checking something.

    Noticing her, Miraidon inquired, "Do you want to tell him, Sada?"

    "No!" she barked without hesitation.

    "But I think it will help you."

    "No!" Sada calmed herself when Arven glanced at her. "I mean, no, Arven, that's not everything."

    "I didn't say anything," he said.

    Sada patted Miraidon's shoulder. "Let's go, Miraidon. Next time period."

    Boom!

    Miraidon leaped into another infrared portal. His team next found themselves soaring over a slick ocean that had rock towers and arches sticking out of it. Bits and pieces of the rocks splashed into the water.

    Arven popped up on Miraidon's back. "Where are we now, Mom?"

    She smiled and pointed at the clear, glass-like sky. "Look."

    A flock of feathered, flying Pokémon flapped their wings and soared down to Miraidon. They showed off their toothless jaws and seemed to wave at the group with the claws in their wings.

    "Archeops," Sada said. "They're the evolved form of Archen and are some of the earliest known ancestors of all Bird Pokémon. They first appeared in the Jurassic Period, 150 million years ago."

    "Oh... my... gosh. So cool!" Arven bounced on Miraidon's back and jiggled Sada's shoulders. "More, more! Can you take me to the time of Slither Wing or Roaring Moon? Please, please?"

    "Now, just wait a minute, Arven," Celebi interjected. It turned on Sada's head. "Sada is not a toy."

    Arven chuckled. "Of course, she's not. She's a human time machine!"

    Those words did it.

    Sada rested her hand on her exposed belly and whispered, "I'm not a science experiment."

    "What are you waiting for, Mom?" Arven moved closer to her. "More. I want to see a real-live Roaring Moon in its natural environment."

    "Arven, Sada's had enough," Celebi growled. "We need to return to the future so she can rest, and you can help your friend's injured Pokémon."

    "She can do that herself," Arven said. "It's her fault her Pokémon's injured."

    "Arven, you're hurting Sada and Nemona. Sada cannot time travel a lot in her condition. That's why I'm here. And Nemona is counting on you to help her. What about your dad, too?"

    "But this is so fascinating!"

    Miraidon believed Arven was not in the right mindset at the moment. He glared when he pushed Celebi off Sada's head and prodded her back.

    "Do you have a computer where I can choose a time period?"

    "Don't touch me, Arven!" Sada didn't yell, but she did shove him right off Miraidon.

    "Whoa!" he shouted, splashing into the ocean. He emerged at the surface soon after, riding on the shell of a Carracosta, a large, turtle-like Pokémon. Sudden guilt flashed across his face. It looked like reality started to hit him again. "I'm sorry, Mom," he chokingly apologized. "I'm so sorry."

    "It's okay," she replied. "I know you didn't mean any harm. I'll take you to one more time period, and then we can go back, okay? It was Roaring Moon you wanted to see in its natural environment, right?"

    "Sada, I don't think you should," Miraidon protested. "What about—?"

    "Oh, hush, Miraidon. The Cretaceous Period shouldn't hurt. The Tertiary is too far away, but not the Cretaceous."

    Nevertheless, as Miraidon expected, the second Sada's eyes flashed again, she cried out and tumbled onto his neck. She, too, slid off him, but luckily, he caught her before she hit the ocean.

    "Mom!" Arven yelped, sounding even guiltier. He rolled off Carracosta and free-styled toward Miraidon, who floated a few feet off the ocean's surface.

    He tossed Sada onto his back and switched to his mobility form. His front and back tires touched the water. Miraidon looked like a waterproof motorcycle.

    "Enough of this nonsense, Sada," Celebi insisted. "I know you love the past, but we are returning to the future—no ands, ifs, or buts."

    Arven soon made it to Miraidon. He reached for Sada, but he realized he was wet and stopped himself. "What's wrong with her, Celebi?"

    "You pushed her wanting to see your dumb Roaring Moon; that's what's wrong." A splash of red touched Celebi's cheeks. It puffed them out. "Arven, you need to steer Miraidon to the beach before I can transport you guys."

    "Me? But I'm wet!"

    "We'll create a gap so you don't get Sada wet. I'm going to move her to Miraidon's rump, and you're going take her place at his front."

    "Are you kidding, Celebi? I don't know how to steer Miraidon!"

    "Well, too bad because you are. I sure hope you've learned your lesson not to—"

    "Don't say anymore, Celebi!" Sada piped out.

    "Sada, he needs to know."

    "I don't want him to."

    "What do I need to know?" Arven said. "What are you hiding, Mom?"

    "Nothing," she replied. "Let's just focus on getting out of here, please."

    Huffing, Celebi said, "Very well." It gestured for Sada to slide back on Miraidon, and she obeyed. She buttoned up her lab coat in the process. A scared look was on her face the entire time she worked.

    Arven pushed—one, two, three times—and grabbed Miraidon's handle-like features. Before long, he sat in front of Sada. "Why do you hide secrets from me, Mom?" he asked while he adjusted his seating position.

    "Some things are best kept as secrets," she admitted, "and right now, Arven, you are not ready."