Clive: Professor Layton, Luke, welcome to London of the future.
Layton: Hmm.
Clive: Still not convinced? You met with Dr. Schrader, didn't you? What did you think after seeing him? I'm sure you noticed the toll that time has taken on the good doctor.
Layton: Yes, that seemed to be the case.
Clive: And what of fair London herself? You've walked around enough now to see how it's transformed. Can you imagine a 24-hour casino in this sleepy part of town 10 years ago?
Luke: Everything's changed so much. What happened to this city?
Clive: A genius appeared. An evil genius who turned the city on its ear.
Luke: Oh, I know where this is going. Don Paolo took over the city, didn't he!
Clive: Don Paolo? Oh, no, I'm talking about a truly brilliant man. Someone the three of us all know quite well.
Luke: Well, if it's not Don Paolo, then who is it?
Clive: Hmm... What do you think, Professor?
Layton: ...I'm not sure.
Clive: I thought you'd say that.
Luke: Who is it? I've got to know.
[Music stops dramatically.]
Clive: His name is Hershel Layton. That evil genius is you, Professor.
[Loud dramatic noise.]
Luke: WHAAAAT?!
[Music starts up again.]
Layton: I was afraid you'd say that.
Luke: That can't possibly be right!
Clive: I'm sad to say that there's no mistake here. They call him the devil in the top hat, and he rules London from the shadows. This is common knowledge to everyone in London.
Layton: Tell me more, Luke.
Luke: More? I don't know any more than you do, Professor.
Layton: No, I'm referring to the other Luke. ...Goodness, this is getting rather complicated, isn't it?
Tell me, Luke--how did I rise to rule over all of London?
Clive: Where to begin... Here, Professor, surely you remember this?
[Shows them a newspaper.]
Luke: Of course. This is an article about the accident that happened just the other day.
Clive: Ha ha ha! Yes, to you two, I suppose it was just the other day. However, here it's been a full 10 years since that fateful day.
Luke: Whoa.
Clive: It was a dark period for London. You see, the prime minister vanished, leaving Parliament in utter chaos.
Luke: Yeah, everyone in Parliament is in a state of panic. Um, in our time, I mean.
Clive: Professor, you yourself witnessed the accident that changed London forever. The demonstration was a total failure.
Layton: Yes, both the prime minister and that scientist--
Luke: You mean Dr. Stahngun?
Layton: Yes, that's right. Several people, including those two, disappeared in the blast. It seems likely the force of the explosion killed them.
Luke: Didn't the paper say that a few of Dr. Stahngun's assistants vanished in the blast as well?
Clive: That's the story in the papers. But what would you say if I told you Stahngun was still alive?
Luke: I'd say it's impossible.
Clive: Well, then you'd be wrong. Dr. Stahngun escaped the blast, but he decided to go into hiding to avoid fallout from the experiment.
Layton: Well, the man was responsible for the loss of our national leader.
Clive: Desperate for a place to lay low, the doctor was given shelter from an unlikely person. You, Professor.
Layton: Me? Why would I aid a man responsible for this pandemonium?
Clive: My question exactly. In the months that followed the explosion, you slowly grew distant from me. Before long, you began fraternizing with key figures of the criminal underworld.
Luke: The professor? Never!
Clive: Don't be so sure. Time has a way of changing people, Luke. It was clear that something about Stahngun's research captivated you, Professor. You couldn't stop talking about time travel. You seemed possessed by the idea of changing the past.
Layton: Changing the past?
Clive: Dr. Stahngun was very interested in continuing his research, but he needed financial backing to do it. So you used your superior intellect to assume control of London's underworld.
Luke: No way...
Clive: Of course, there were those who tried to stop you. But no one was a match for your smarts. Before long, you were raking in the pounds from all sorts of dirty business. With all the funding he needed, it wasn't long before Stahngun completed his work.
Layton: Completed it, you say?
Clive: That's right. He built the time machine in the Midland Road clock shop. Though I suppose "completed" is an odd choice of words...as the machine is far from complete.
Layton: How so?
Clive: It doesn't allow users to select their destination. Nor where they will reappear in the flow of time. It simply opens a hole of sorts in between two areas of time.
Luke: You mean a wormhole!
Clive: Precisely. And by sheer chance... the machine opened a wormhole in the clock shop that spans the 10 years between our two times. This gives us the ability to move back and forth between your present and mine.
Layton: So, you used the wormhole to get the message to us and to bring us here. But one thing is bothering me. This wormhole was obviously very important to my future self. Surely the Layton of this era must keep a close eye on the place. How did you gain access to it?
Clive: I'll get to that, but right now there's more pressing business I'd like to attend to.
Layton: Go on then. Tell us why you called us here.
Clive: Always one step ahead of me. You haven't lost your touch, Professor. I wish to enlist your help in stopping the future Hershel Layton.
Layton: You want me to stop myself?
Clive: Even as we speak, future Layton is racing to complete a fully operational time machine. He's been ducking back into the past to gather every bright scientist working in time travel.
Luke: But why bother going back through time to find scientists? There must be plenty here.
Clive: Actually, many of the experts in the field were lost when Stahngun's demonstration went awry. Therefore, Layton had no choice but to travel back to before the blast in order to gather talent.
Layton: ...Hmm.
Clive: Things are bad already... But if Layton manages to build a working time machine, there's no telling what could happen. Someone has to stop him from completing his scheme. But the only person up to the challenge--
Layton: Is me. That is what you were going to say, isn't it?
Clive: Exactly. We have to fight fire with fire. No one else stands a chance against him.
Layton: But how? I'm unfamiliar with my current surroundings, and I have no clue where to find the man.
Clive: That's one obstacle we'll have to overcome together. Layton's actions are shrouded in secrecy. But his base of operations is well known. We can start our search for him there.
Luke: You mean this casino isn't the future professor's headquarters?
Clive: No, this facility is just one of the many ways he makes money. His actual headquarters is in the heart of Chinatown.
Layton: Let's visit the place and see if we can't learn something more. Just so you know, Luke, there's still quite a bit that I find dubious about this situation. Much is still unclear. But the only way to get to the bottom of this is to meet the man claiming to be me.
Clive: Somehow I figured my brief explanation wouldn't be enough to convince you, Professor. Ha ha ha!
Luke: Don't forget me! I'm coming too.
Clive: Of course you are. If I can't count on myself for help, who can I count on?
Luke: Thinking about what you just said makes me feel kind of...dizzy.
Clive: Ha ha! Well, I hope you get used to it soon. I'm going to need your help getting to the bottom of all this. Oh yes, and there's one more interesting fact you should know about, Professor.
Layton: Yes?
Clive: There's no record of a scientist matching Dr. Stahngun's name and description. The name's a fake.
Layton: Really now?
Clive: Whoever he was, he made an effort to hide his real identity from the people at the demonstration.
Layton: Now that you mention it, few people at the demonstration seemed to know the man. What would motivate Stahngun to use a false name? Just what was he planning?
Clive: Another interesting question we'll hopefully answer along the way.
Layton: It doesn't make any sense. Hmm.
Luke: What are you thinking, Professor?
Clive: We can talk more as we go. For now, we need to head back to Flatstone Street.
Casino Storage
Layton: Hmm.
Clive: Still not convinced? You met with Dr. Schrader, didn't you? What did you think after seeing him? I'm sure you noticed the toll that time has taken on the good doctor.
Layton: Yes, that seemed to be the case.
Clive: And what of fair London herself? You've walked around enough now to see how it's transformed. Can you imagine a 24-hour casino in this sleepy part of town 10 years ago?
Luke: Everything's changed so much. What happened to this city?
Clive: A genius appeared. An evil genius who turned the city on its ear.
Luke: Oh, I know where this is going. Don Paolo took over the city, didn't he!
Clive: Don Paolo? Oh, no, I'm talking about a truly brilliant man. Someone the three of us all know quite well.
Luke: Well, if it's not Don Paolo, then who is it?
Clive: Hmm... What do you think, Professor?
Layton: ...I'm not sure.
Clive: I thought you'd say that.
Luke: Who is it? I've got to know.
[Music stops dramatically.]
Clive: His name is Hershel Layton. That evil genius is you, Professor.
[Loud dramatic noise.]
Luke: WHAAAAT?!
[Music starts up again.]
Layton: I was afraid you'd say that.
Luke: That can't possibly be right!
Clive: I'm sad to say that there's no mistake here. They call him the devil in the top hat, and he rules London from the shadows. This is common knowledge to everyone in London.
Layton: Tell me more, Luke.
Luke: More? I don't know any more than you do, Professor.
Layton: No, I'm referring to the other Luke. ...Goodness, this is getting rather complicated, isn't it?
Tell me, Luke--how did I rise to rule over all of London?
Clive: Where to begin... Here, Professor, surely you remember this?
[Shows them a newspaper.]
Luke: Of course. This is an article about the accident that happened just the other day.
Clive: Ha ha ha! Yes, to you two, I suppose it was just the other day. However, here it's been a full 10 years since that fateful day.
Luke: Whoa.
Clive: It was a dark period for London. You see, the prime minister vanished, leaving Parliament in utter chaos.
Luke: Yeah, everyone in Parliament is in a state of panic. Um, in our time, I mean.
Clive: Professor, you yourself witnessed the accident that changed London forever. The demonstration was a total failure.
Layton: Yes, both the prime minister and that scientist--
Luke: You mean Dr. Stahngun?
Layton: Yes, that's right. Several people, including those two, disappeared in the blast. It seems likely the force of the explosion killed them.
Luke: Didn't the paper say that a few of Dr. Stahngun's assistants vanished in the blast as well?
Clive: That's the story in the papers. But what would you say if I told you Stahngun was still alive?
Luke: I'd say it's impossible.
Clive: Well, then you'd be wrong. Dr. Stahngun escaped the blast, but he decided to go into hiding to avoid fallout from the experiment.
Layton: Well, the man was responsible for the loss of our national leader.
Clive: Desperate for a place to lay low, the doctor was given shelter from an unlikely person. You, Professor.
Layton: Me? Why would I aid a man responsible for this pandemonium?
Clive: My question exactly. In the months that followed the explosion, you slowly grew distant from me. Before long, you began fraternizing with key figures of the criminal underworld.
Luke: The professor? Never!
Clive: Don't be so sure. Time has a way of changing people, Luke. It was clear that something about Stahngun's research captivated you, Professor. You couldn't stop talking about time travel. You seemed possessed by the idea of changing the past.
Layton: Changing the past?
Clive: Dr. Stahngun was very interested in continuing his research, but he needed financial backing to do it. So you used your superior intellect to assume control of London's underworld.
Luke: No way...
Clive: Of course, there were those who tried to stop you. But no one was a match for your smarts. Before long, you were raking in the pounds from all sorts of dirty business. With all the funding he needed, it wasn't long before Stahngun completed his work.
Layton: Completed it, you say?
Clive: That's right. He built the time machine in the Midland Road clock shop. Though I suppose "completed" is an odd choice of words...as the machine is far from complete.
Layton: How so?
Clive: It doesn't allow users to select their destination. Nor where they will reappear in the flow of time. It simply opens a hole of sorts in between two areas of time.
Luke: You mean a wormhole!
Clive: Precisely. And by sheer chance... the machine opened a wormhole in the clock shop that spans the 10 years between our two times. This gives us the ability to move back and forth between your present and mine.
Layton: So, you used the wormhole to get the message to us and to bring us here. But one thing is bothering me. This wormhole was obviously very important to my future self. Surely the Layton of this era must keep a close eye on the place. How did you gain access to it?
Clive: I'll get to that, but right now there's more pressing business I'd like to attend to.
Layton: Go on then. Tell us why you called us here.
Clive: Always one step ahead of me. You haven't lost your touch, Professor. I wish to enlist your help in stopping the future Hershel Layton.
Layton: You want me to stop myself?
Clive: Even as we speak, future Layton is racing to complete a fully operational time machine. He's been ducking back into the past to gather every bright scientist working in time travel.
Luke: But why bother going back through time to find scientists? There must be plenty here.
Clive: Actually, many of the experts in the field were lost when Stahngun's demonstration went awry. Therefore, Layton had no choice but to travel back to before the blast in order to gather talent.
Layton: ...Hmm.
Clive: Things are bad already... But if Layton manages to build a working time machine, there's no telling what could happen. Someone has to stop him from completing his scheme. But the only person up to the challenge--
Layton: Is me. That is what you were going to say, isn't it?
Clive: Exactly. We have to fight fire with fire. No one else stands a chance against him.
Layton: But how? I'm unfamiliar with my current surroundings, and I have no clue where to find the man.
Clive: That's one obstacle we'll have to overcome together. Layton's actions are shrouded in secrecy. But his base of operations is well known. We can start our search for him there.
Luke: You mean this casino isn't the future professor's headquarters?
Clive: No, this facility is just one of the many ways he makes money. His actual headquarters is in the heart of Chinatown.
Layton: Let's visit the place and see if we can't learn something more. Just so you know, Luke, there's still quite a bit that I find dubious about this situation. Much is still unclear. But the only way to get to the bottom of this is to meet the man claiming to be me.
Clive: Somehow I figured my brief explanation wouldn't be enough to convince you, Professor. Ha ha ha!
Luke: Don't forget me! I'm coming too.
Clive: Of course you are. If I can't count on myself for help, who can I count on?
Luke: Thinking about what you just said makes me feel kind of...dizzy.
Clive: Ha ha! Well, I hope you get used to it soon. I'm going to need your help getting to the bottom of all this. Oh yes, and there's one more interesting fact you should know about, Professor.
Layton: Yes?
Clive: There's no record of a scientist matching Dr. Stahngun's name and description. The name's a fake.
Layton: Really now?
Clive: Whoever he was, he made an effort to hide his real identity from the people at the demonstration.
Layton: Now that you mention it, few people at the demonstration seemed to know the man. What would motivate Stahngun to use a false name? Just what was he planning?
Clive: Another interesting question we'll hopefully answer along the way.
Layton: It doesn't make any sense. Hmm.
Luke: What are you thinking, Professor?
Clive: We can talk more as we go. For now, we need to head back to Flatstone Street.