His logic was simple: no matter who the opponent was or how strong—just fight.
After saying goodbye to the Sky Titan who'd literally bolted at the mere stench, Jason's group headed north and finally reached their next destination:
The picturesque Casseroya Lake.
This is Paldea's largest lake—water clear, weeds lush. Sunlight spilled over the broad surface in glittering ripples; distant snowy peaks mirrored in the water, painting a breathtaking scene.
Compared to the rugged mountain ranges from before, this felt like paradise.
They walked the shallows along the shore, carefully searching for traces of the False Dragon Titan.
Perhaps the scenery soothed it, or the sound of water felt familiar, but the ever-timid Gast suddenly grew a little bolder here.
It no longer clung to Jason or Iron Valiant's side, instead darting happily back and forth over the open lake.
It curiously watched all kinds of Water-types gliding below and even tried to make friends with a Magikarp spacing out near the surface.
"Ke-ke! Bro, whatcha staring at?"
Gast floated to the Magikarp and offered a friendly greeting.
The Magikarp gave it a blank look, apparently unable to tell what this floating black puffball was.
Then, by force of habit, it used its signature move right in Gast's face:
"Splash!"
Whoosh—!
A sheet of water slapped Gast head-on.
"Ke!"
Gast shrieked, deflated like a punctured balloon, and in a blur of light-speed panic hid behind Iron Valiant again, peeking with half a head around its hip as if the fish were some calamity.
Iron Valiant: "…"
It looked once at the dripping-wet Gast, then at the innocent Magikarp, and chose silence.
It really couldn't figure out how this thing ended up at Jason's side.
So timid.
Afraid of a Magikarp.
Jason read Valiant's mind and didn't explain. Give it time—Iron Valiant would discover it on its own.
Gast may be skittish, but in clutch moments it delivers.
After that little episode, they continued along the shore.
Roughly half an hour later, they finally found signs near a grassy islet toward the lake's center.
The islet teemed with small orange fish-like Pokémon—miniature Magikarp lookalikes.
Paldea's own Tatsugiri.
"Ke? Jason, is the False Dragon Titan here?" Gast asked in a whisper from behind Iron Valiant.
"Should be," Jason nodded.
They crept closer to the islet.
Soon, amidst the ordinary Tatsugiri, they spotted one obviously different individual.
Also a Tatsugiri, but several sizes larger than its peers—over a meter long.
Yet despite its size, its presence was… nonexistent.
It radiated none of a Titan's oppressive aura.
On the contrary, it looked weak—almost listless.
It lay lazily on the sandy edge of the islet sunbathing, mouth opening and closing, occasionally letting out a few feeble little "bo-juu, bo-juu" chirps.
Jason eyed the languid creature and grinned. "Heh—found you."
"That's it?" Gast slid out from behind Iron Valiant, circled the oversized Tatsugiri twice, and practically manifested a cloud of question marks.
This thing… doesn't look like a Titan at all!
Compared to the Klawf and Bombirdier from before, it seemed less spirited than that splashing Magikarp.
Iron Valiant also looked puzzled. In its head, "dragon" linked to "power," "majesty," "destruction."
It had expected the False Dragon Titan to be more intimidating than the last two.
And yet… this? A fragile fish that looked one tap from shattering?
Perhaps noticing newcomers pointing and muttering, the so-called "False Dragon Titan" finally reacted.
It pried open sleepy eyes, gave Jason, Valiant, and Gast a slow glance, then asked in a drowsy, just-woke-up voice:
"Bo-juu… you here to challenge me for the Herba Mystica too?"
Before Jason could answer, his two teammates had already voiced their opinions.
"Cut it down," Iron Valiant said, blunt as ever—the only solution in its mind.
Its arm-blades were already primed, pink light glinting, as if it would dart in the next second and fillet the fish that looked awfully edible.
"Ke? This thing calls itself a Titan? I should take the title instead!"
Gast didn't bother to hide its disdain. It circled the big Tatsugiri twice, then drifted back to Jason with a tone dripping contempt: "Jason, sure we're in the right place? This guy looks like I could take ten of it."
Jason stared helplessly at one sore loser and one fight-brain.
He cleared his throat and nodded to the Tatsugiri—answering its question.
The big Tatsugiri didn't square up. Instead it yawned hugely.
"Bo-juu… but I don't feel like battling today," it drawled. "How about this: answer a question. If you get it right, I'll hand over the Herba Mystica. Deal?"
Jason's face turned… complicated.
What the heck?
Since when did Titan fights turn into a quiz show?
Totally off-script.
Iron Valiant clearly had no patience for "civil discourse." Its blades hummed; output ticked up a notch. It glanced at Jason, data streaming in its eyes, seeking permission.
"Shall I just go cut it down?"
"Whoa, no!" Jason threw a hand up to stop the single-track murder machine.
Fine—let the scholarly Tatsugiri play; see what trick it was hiding.
"Ask," Jason said.
The Tatsugiri seemed to flash a sly glint in its lazy eyes. It cleared its throat and intoned its first riddle:
"Listen well. What has a neck but no head; a back but no body?"
Gast and Valiant both fell into thought.
Jason took less than two seconds.
"Clothes," he said, calm as could be.
Silence.
The Tatsugiri's smug look froze solid. Its already small eyes popped wide with disbelief.
"Bo-juu? H-how did you know that?" it blurted. "When a human trainer gave me this question, I wracked my brain till my scales fell out! How could you just—"
Feeling its authority challenged, it immediately moved the goalposts. "Doesn't count! Too easy—doesn't count! I'll ask another one—this time you'll never get it!"
"Ke-ke…" Gast cackled openly at the sore-losing act. "Changing the rules, huh? Hilarious."
Iron Valiant, icily practical, offered its suggestion again: "Shall I cut it now?"
Jason: "…"
He rubbed his brow, breathes deep. A riddle sore loser, a slash-first talk-never duelist, and a heckler ghost—what a party.
Still, since this was a riddle, he couldn't be bothered to fuss. He stayed Valiant's blades and nodded at Tatsugiri to continue.
Relieved, the fish squeezed out its "ultimate" stump-the-chump:
"Hmph—listen up! What walks on four legs in the morning, two at noon, and three in the evening?"
It stared at Jason, already savoring the vision of him sweating and failing.
Reality slapped it again.
Jason's mouth twitched; he didn't even pretend to think. "A human."
Tatsugiri short-circuited.
It gaped soundlessly for a beat. "Bo-juu… how… how did you know again? And so fast?" it muttered, questioning life itself. "Are you… smarter than me?"
"Heh-heh—of course!" Gast floated over and folded its little arms, preening. "Our Jason is the smartest Pokémon in the world! Your little tricks don't cut it. Pay up—hand over the Herba Mystica!"
Iron Valiant stepped forward on cue, blades pointed, pressure thickening the air.
Seeing that words had failed and fists would too, the oversized Tatsugiri chose a new kind of shameless.
"Ahem." It cleared its throat and lied without blinking. "Just kidding earlier! Want the Herba Mystica? Beat me in battle—proper rules!"
Jason: "…"
Gast: "…"
Iron Valiant: "…"
They'd seen shameless; they hadn't seen this.
The vein on Jason's forehead popped. He jabbed a finger at the fish and barked to Valiant, "No more patience—clobber him!"
But just as Valiant coiled to launch, a black blur slid in front of them.
Gast.
It barred Jason and Valiant, then let loose a villain's cackle. "Ke-ke-ke!"
"Jason, Valiant—cool it," it said with faux profundity. "To deal with a promise-breaking little cheat like this, you don't even need to lift a finger. Leave it to me!"
Gast had been itching to show off. Against Klawf it'd muddled through; against Bombirdier it had been benched by its own queasiness. Now, at last, a target that looked soft—it would prove it belonged.
Before Jason could stop it, the purple blur darted straight at the Tatsugiri.
Jason flinched, then realized—and yelled, "Gast, get back! This one isn't as simple as it looks!"
But Gast was already in the fish's face. It even waved breezily back at Jason.
"Don't worry! I'm strong!"
It turned and loomed over the lazy Tatsugiri, casting a shadow.
"Ke-ke-ke! You dare toy with us?" its voice went low and spooky. "There's nothing I hate more than oath-breakers like you! Today you'll taste a ghost's wrath!"
The Tatsugiri didn't flinch. It lazily lifted its eyelids and gave Gast a glance that screamed: unimpressed.
Gast's temper flared. How dare it not take her seriously!
It gathered itself to strike—
And the Tatsugiri opened its mouth wide and, with everything it had, bellowed a shout that shook the lake:
"DINNER—TIME—!"
The cry was a switch.
At that instant, the placid surface of Casseroya Lake heaved violently.
~~~
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