"Stellar shards?" Cynthia was the first to react; a flicker of surprise crossed her keen gray eyes. "Is this related to the Tera Orb?"
"That's right." Jason grinned, flashing white teeth. "We came all this way—can't go home empty-handed, right? Stellar typing is too rare. If I don't bring some back, it'd feel like a waste."
At the words "Stellar shards," Gouging Fire's pupils glinted with understanding. It looked Jason over, as if it had put something together.
"Come," it rumbled at last. "For the sake of how close you all are, I'll take you to them."
Three days later—
Nemona was putting her Skeledirge through drills against a wild Great Tusk. Skeledirge's song echoed through the cavern while the mammoth dodged bursts of flame with ponderous footwork. For three days straight, Nemona had trained daily.
Not far away, Iono had her Rotom Phone on a tripod, giddily streaming outdoors.
"Family—check it out! This is Great Tusk! Huge body, those tusks are sick! Big thanks to Gouging Fire for the personal security detail—lets us get close for science!"
She panned to Gouging Fire, sprawled on a massive boulder with eyes closed. Feeling the lens, it cracked one eye, glared once, and snorted a ribbon of heat.
Iono flinched and whipped the camera away, chuckling dryly. "A-ha… looks like Gouging Fire's not a fan of being on cam. We, uh, respect privacy here!"
Chat exploded with laughter.
[Streamer survival instincts maxed!]
[Gouging Fire: Point that at me again and I'll broil you.]
[This is the coziest 'wild' stream I've ever seen—legendary bodyguard IRL, who gets this treatment?]
Liko, meanwhile, clung to Gouging Fire like a tiny charm, a comb in hand, earnestly trying to groom its cloudlike smoke mane. It was, of course, futile—the comb passed through vapor each time—but she was having a great time. Gouging Fire let her fuss, even squinting contentedly and rumbling like an oversized cat.
With a top-tier bodyguard in tow and the League brief finished, everyone fully relaxed—tourists ambling through a deathtrap. Raging Bolt and Walking Wake never reappeared; other Paradox Pokémon skirted far, cowed by Gouging Fire's aura.
Fox with a tiger behind it? No—shade beneath a very large tree.
Only Jason didn't ease off. He still had business.
Three days earlier, after he'd said he wanted Stellar shards, Gouging Fire had given him a look and led them to a crystal cavern buried deep. The walls there were laced with glittering facets; at the back, clusters of radiant polyhedral crystals hung in the air, humming with power.
Stellar shards.
Since getting a Tera Orb from Nemona, Jason had agonized over what Tera type to assign. As a Ditto, his style is pure flexibility—any form for any fight. A single type would boost some forms and hamstring the rest. The Stellar type—the nineteenth—was the perfect fit: buff everything, and most importantly, its signature hits Terastallized foes for double damage. For a soon-to-be badge runner in Paldea, that's a godsend.
With Gouging Fire as guide, gathering enough shards was trivial. Now he just needed to swing by Porto Marinada's Treasure Eatery—er, by the chef in Levincia's Treasure Eatery or the artisan in Kitakami—(Jason's plan was the Paldea staple) to have them refined and imbue his Orb with the Stellar type.
With that done, he dumped the rest of his time into the true grind: the Paradox Pokédex. The Zero is a paradise of ironclad and primeval oddities—each a Dex page Jason craved.
"Gouging Fire, know where a Roaring Moon naps?" Jason asked. Gouging Fire blinked, then snorted in a direction. Half an hour later, at a cliff edge, Jason found one dozing. It looked up, ready to snarl—then spotted Gouging Fire on a ridge, giving it the "try me" look. Its hackles fell flat; it lay meekly while Jason observed, even spamming moves at thin air on request.
With Gouging Fire doubling as intel and muscle, the Dex fill was absurdly smooth—Brute Bonnet, Flutter Mane, Slither Wing… one by one, done. It was exhausting and deeply satisfying.
If only it could stay this easy.
It didn't. On the third day, Jason felt the entire zone sour—more violent, more unstable. Tremors grew frequent; distant roars and blast-waves punched the air. Once, a violet bolt and a crimson beam collided at the horizon—like a sun blooming—its shock even at range made their skin crawl.
"Koraidon and the stronger Miraidon," Gouging Fire said mildly. "They scrap every month or so."
Jason could only stare. Decision made.
"We should go," he told the others. Gouging Fire or not, nobody knew when a stray map-wipe might roll through.
No one argued. They'd had enough and gained more than enough. Time to cash out.
At the boundary, Jason gave Gouging Fire one last shot. "Look, all this hacking and slashing down here is kind of a drag. Want to come with us? Outside's wonderful—top-tier PokéPuffs, hot springs, and—"
Gouging Fire actually rolled its eyes. "That doesn't work on me," it said, voice old and dry. "I've seen more than you've eaten."
It didn't let Jason get a second pitch in; with a spring of its hindlegs, it bounded to a ledge, looked long at Liko, loosed a long roar, and loped into the depths.
"What a waste," Jason sighed, watching it go. "Thought I could talk it into being a long-term hitter. That's one thick thigh to cling to."
Back on the surface, Nemona and Iono filed their report to Geeta—every detail of the mission and the Zero's chaos. When they finished, Geeta's face was grave; she promised immediate higher-grade lockdown and monitoring.
With the handoff done, Nemona and Iono split off. She had finals to prep; Iono had challengers waiting. Before she left, Nemona grabbed Jason, unwilling, and swore the next time they'd have a full 6v6 brawl.
Jason and Cynthia took Liko home. By the time they reached little Cabo Poco—Paldea village on Cortondo's edge, the sunset had painted the streets gold.
At Liko's door, after the thanks and goodbyes, Liko tugged Jason aside. There was parting sadness on her face, and something new—resolve.
"Jason," she said, lifting her eyes to his. "This trip… I was really happy. Thank you and Cynthia for showing me so much I've never seen."
She squeezed the pendant at her throat. "I'm about to go to Indigo Academy. I'm going to work hard—really become a Pokémon trainer."
She clenched two small fists. "Next time, I won't hold you back. I'll fight beside you."
Seeing that bright, determined gaze, Jason and Cynthia both smiled.
"Go for it," Jason said.
"We believe in you," Cynthia added.
As for Terapagos, Jason asked Liko to keep it quiet for now.
They watched Liko run inside, then shared a smile. With Gast and Iron Valiant in tow, they had Garchomp turn for Artazon's—no—Mesagoza's—okay, back to Levincia's Naranja Hotel.
In their suite, Cynthia shrugged off her signature black coat; in a simple white blouse and black slacks, her figure cut sharper lines. She tucked a strand of gold hair behind an ear; languid allure filled the room.
No one else was there. The air grew quiet—and charged.
Cynthia brought over two glasses of juice, handing one to Jason, and sank onto the sofa beside him. Those calm, clever gray eyes were fixed on him now, unblinking.
"Now there aren't any other girls to fight me for Jason," she said, soft and smiling. She opened her arms.
Jason looked into those eyes—eyes you could fall into. He didn't hesitate. One light hop, and he settled into that warm, soft embrace.
Night deepened; Levincia's noise fell away. Moonlight silvered the balcony rail. Only a warm bedside lamp glowed, hazing the room in amber.
Air held the clean scent of bath foam—Cynthia had just washed. In silky, loose pajamas, she sat at the bed's edge toweling half-dry hair. Beads slid from strands and traced the pale curve of her neck. Jason, a gel-pillow of Ditto, lay at her side, bouncing gently with her motions.
It was still. Only the dryer's soft whirr.
Cynthia set the towel aside, turned, and lay on her side by Jason. With one slender finger, she stroked the Q-spring of his body in slow rhythm, savoring the cool elastic feel.
"Tomorrow… I should get ready to head back to Sinnoh," she murmured, breaking the hush. Her gaze drifted to the night outside, a thin seam of parting in it—this Paldea run had been full of surprises, and unforgettable. She dipped her eyes to the small creature on the pillow, lamp-light swimming in her gray irises.
"Will you come with me?" she asked.
Jason stopped his little jiggle. He didn't answer right away; he oozed into a more comfortable shape so he could better see her face. He heard the invitation inside her words—a genuine wish for him to join.
"Sinnoh, huh…" Jason said at last. "I will go."
Cynthia's eyes brightened.
~~~
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