"Wait for what? That thing's way too arrogant—today we have to teach it a lesson!" Raging Bolt barked, confused and furious.
"Look at our own condition first," Walking Wake warned. "We've been fighting them this whole time—don't you know how much strength we've burned?"
The reminder cooled Bolt's head. It felt out its reserves—sure enough, after that high-intensity brawl, they were far from peak. Especially itself—Jason and Garchomp had tag-teamed it hard; everything still burned with pain.
Wake continued, "And look at the other side. That Garchomp, that Lucario—neither are pushovers. Even without this Gouging Fire, taking them out 'easily' would take real work."
Its gaze swept Cynthia's team, growing more serious. The Pokémon across the way looked tired, yes, but their fighting spirit was undimmed—battle-hardened elites, all of them.
"Now add this one to the field—fresh and full power. Two of us against their whole squad—how many odds do you think we have?"
"You don't want our own underlings replacing us, do you?"
The analysis washed over Raging Bolt like a pail of cold water. It wasn't stupid—just hot-tempered. Thinking it through, Wake had a point. On a normal day, the two of them together feared no one—fight's a fight. But not now. They were low, the enemy many, and a full-strength monster had just arrived. Pick a fight and never mind counterattacking—would they even get out?
Weighing it up, the lightning along Bolt's mane slowly died. It shot Gouging Fire a resentful look, then glared venomously at Jason sheltered behind the others.
"Count yourselves lucky… today." It spat the line and turned away.
Wake held Gouging Fire's gaze for a long beat. "We'll remember this. We'll be back."
Then both ancients left without lingering.
As their hulking forms vanished, the suffocating pressure went with them. Only the lava trench's heat and the ragged breathing of the survivors remained.
With the interlopers driven off, Gouging Fire slowly turned. Its eyes passed over every human and Pokémon present.
It paused on Cynthia's Garchomp. Even facing Gouging Fire, the veteran predator held its stance, eyes fearless. In those golden flames, a flicker of approval—Gouging Fire never stinted respect for strength.
Its gaze shifted to Jason—obvious curiosity there. What kind of Ditto fought like this?
Finally its eyes settled on Liko—or rather, the pendant at her chest that had become Terapagos and now lay dormant again. It stared for several seconds, as if confirming something. Seeing no sign of reactivation, it rumbled once and turned to leave this troublesome place.
"Wait!" Jason's voice called after it.
Gouging Fire stopped, turned back, a hint of doubt in its golden eyes as the little Ditto trotted up. "What is it?" Its voice was deep.
Jason looked up at the flaming colossus with a bright grin. "How about sticking with us a bit longer? I'm worried Raging Bolt and Walking Wake will skulk in a corner and try something the moment you go."
Gouging Fire's brow tightened. It glanced toward Liko—hesitation in the look. Knowing Bolt and Wake, vindictive to the core, an ambush wasn't impossible.
After a beat, it nodded once. "Rrr…"
It rumbled assent and started toward them—and the hearts Cynthia and the others had just managed to lower jumped to their throats again.
"Everyone, careful!" Cynthia swept Liko and the rest behind her. Her team snapped back to battle-ready, eyes tracking the advancing Gouging Fire. The champion's face hardened once more; gray eyes locked on, mind racing. What was it planning? Had it chased off the ancients not to save them but to clear the board? The true target… them?
"Jason, take them and go! I can hold it for a while—when I shake it, I'll regroup with you!" she barked, decisive. A champion's duty was to protect the young; even against a legend, she had the confidence to buy time.
Jason blinked, then understood—and couldn't help a wry smile. He sprang, a shadow flipping lightly to perch atop Cynthia's head.
"Eh?" The sudden move wrong-footed her; she raised a hand to pluck him off. Jason spoke, easy as ever: "You've got it wrong, Cynthia. This one isn't our enemy. Quite the opposite—he's about to be our bodyguard."
Silence fell. Everyone stared.
Cynthia froze mid-reach. Nemona's jaw dropped, her Poké Ball almost slipping from her fingers. Liko blinked between Jason and the now-halted Gouging Fire, her mind a tangle of question marks.
Iono's chat exploded.
[?????]
[Did I hear that right? Bodyguard? The goat just hired Ancient Entei?]
[Jason W.]
[Is there anything this manmon can't do?]
[With Gouging Fire on escort, this is VIP convoy service!]
[Mom asks why I'm kneeling…]
While eyes were still wide, Gouging Fire looked down at Jason balanced on Cynthia's head and spoke, a note of warning in its tone. "Little one, you'd best leave soon. Go any deeper and you may meet that one. Even I may not be able to keep you safe then."
Jason hopped down, looked up, thought a moment, then probed: "You mean Koraidon, right?"
"Hm?" At that name, Gouging Fire's great head dipped; surprise flashed in those molten eyes. "You know of it? It seems you understand the Zero much better than most. And you… knew from the start I wouldn't harm you."
"Heh." Jason chuckled, declining to answer directly. (What, and admit he knows the plot) As one of the Six Heroes, Gouging Fire guarded the legacy of the ancient hero Lucius—how could it harm Lucius's descendant, Liko?
He slid the topic along. "Outside, I saw a Miraidon badly hurt, fleeing the Zero. Was that Koraidon's work?"
Gouging Fire nodded, matter-of-fact. "Likely. But the one you saw should be the weaker of the two. There's another as strong as Koraidon; those two clash constantly. That one shouldn't be getting thrashed."
"Two Miraidon?" Jason caught the key point.
"Mm." Patiently, Gouging Fire continued. "The Zero is fragmented now—chaotic. Koraidon, cruel by nature, holds the best territory and expels all who won't kneel. The two Miraidon hold another region."
"So my advice—if your task is done, leave soon. This place is no refuge."
With that, Jason finally had a broad map of the mess below. He turned and relayed the exchange to Cynthia and the others verbatim.
Light dawned all around. Cynthia's gray eyes glinted with thought, and she nodded. "I see. No wonder the Iron Treads we met outside was desperate to flee—and even tried to found a faction."
"In short, Koraidon and the Miraidon are expanding, shattering the balance and spreading chaos. It couldn't live here anymore, so it ran."
The League's brief now had a clear answer.
"So that's it…" Nemona smacked a fist into her palm. "No wonder they're all so vicious—it's turf wars every day."
She sobered, glancing at their battered partners, then the lava rent. "If our job's done, let's bail. This place isn't for us."
Iono agreed, fussing with her rig. "You heard the champ, family—water's too deep; your host can't swim! Let's dip!"
They knew they were outclassed here; without Jason and Cynthia they'd already be ash. Staying only meant dragging the team down. Consensus formed quickly—leave the Zero.
Just as they were about to move, Liko did the unexpected: the seemingly delicate girl mustered her courage and walked toward the blazing colossus that made air itself thin.
"Liko, don't!" Nemona blurted, reaching—Cynthia caught her arm and shook her head.
Liko stopped before Gouging Fire. She tilted her face up, clear eyes holding no fear—only pure curiosity and fondness. She reached out and gently touched a foreleg like burning rock.
To everyone's surprise, Gouging Fire didn't react harshly. It dipped its proud head; in the golden fire of its eyes was something rare—softness.
Emboldened, Liko's anxious face blossomed in a bright smile. She leaned in and snuggled her cheek against its leg like a child embracing a giant plush. "So warm."
Nemona and Iono gaped. "Whoa… that works?" Nemona breathed.
Behind Jason, the newly spooked Gast peeked out, eyes sparkling. Who wouldn't want to pet something that big and majestic?
She crept out, tiptoed closer, reached—
"RROAR!"
Gouging Fire whipped its head around and blasted a roar square at her. A wave of heat slammed her back several meters. Those golden eyes blazed with warning and displeasure—a total contrast to the gentleness for Liko.
"Waaah!" Gasy shrieked and dove behind Jason like a rabbit, clutching him and shaking, any brave thoughts gone.
Awkwardness rippled. Jason patted her head, helpless. So—this legend's softness depended on the person.
When the moment passed, Cynthia, Nemona, Iono—even the still-quivering Gast—all looked to Jason.
Go? Stay? They wanted his call.
He felt the weight of their eyes. Instead of answering, he tipped his head back to Gouging Fire—this ancient Entei who only had gentleness for Liko. He was silent a moment, then asked:
"Do you know where the Stellar Tera Shards are in the Zero?"
~~~
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