At the checkpoint at the foot of Glaseado Mountain, cold wind whipped up snowflakes and tried its hardest to burrow down people's collars.
This was the highest point in Paldea, and the last stop on Jason's gym challenge.
The air was thin, the temperature freezing.
Gast was curled up beside him, her ghostly body balled into a tight purple lump against the white snow, making her stand out even more. She huffed warm breath onto Jason's jelly-like body, trying to generate some heat.
"Jason, it's so cold up here!" she complained, voice dripping with displeasure. "This lady's skin is going to get ruined! Why would anyone build a gym in a place like this?"
Jason was sprawled on top of the legendary Pokémon Miraidon's head.
Miraidon was warmer than an electric blanket. Lying on it, Jason felt no cold at all—just comfortably sleepy.
Miraidon ignored Gast's whining. It lifted its head. "Are we near the end?"
Iron Valiant said nothing.
He just stood there, feeling the cold, arms hanging naturally, back straight, as if analyzing the air currents and any potential threats.
"Alright, everyone, focus!" Jason wriggled a bit on Miraidon's head to find a comfier spot. He was in a great mood; even his voice sounded lighter.
"Once we finish this one, our Paldea badge set is complete! All eight—no more, no less!" he declared. "After that, I'm treating everyone to the most expensive ice cream in town. All you can eat!"
"Ice cream?" Gast immediately snapped to attention, her purple eyes lighting up. "Wow! Like the one Cynthia had last time? I want three scoops! No—five!"
The cold was promptly forgotten.
Revitalized, she spun twice in the air and even floated to the front of the group, urging them on.
"Come on, hurry up! Beat the gym, clock out, eat ice cream!"
Braving wind and snow, they headed toward the gym building clinging to the side of Glaseado Mountain.
The gym sat halfway up—a sturdy, solid structure. They pushed the doors open, but instead of enthusiastic staff or a tense challenge atmosphere, they were greeted by… nothing.
The lobby was empty. Not a soul in sight.
Just the heater cranked up high.
"Huh?" Gast floated a lap around, puzzled. "Where is everyone? Not a single fighter? Did they all go nap together?"
"Quiet," Iron Valiant said.
"There are people inside," Miraidon murmured.
They headed for the reception desk and finally found someone behind it—a staffer in a gym uniform, curled up in a chair hugging a hot water bottle, still shivering.
"Hi, excuse me—" Jason started.
The staffer practically jumped out of his skin, then, recognizing them, plastered on an apologetic smile. "Ah! You're Jason, right? I'm so sorry! You're here to challenge the gym?"
"Yeah," Jason nodded. "We're here for Gym Leader Grusha."
The staffer's expression grew even more awkward. He rubbed his hands together, stammering, "Well—really, I'm very sorry. Gym Leader Grusha… he's, uh—out."
"Huh?" Gast exploded first. "Out? What do you mean out? Isn't this work hours? How can the gym leader just ditch his shift?"
Spooked by her aura, the staffer took half a step back. "He was here this morning, but just a bit ago he said he needed to step out for a while and left—"
"So he knew we were coming and ran," Miraidon chuckled.
Iron Valiant frowned. He couldn't wrap his head around that kind of behavior. Accepting challengers was a gym leader's duty. Walking off mid-shift was neither by the book nor respectful to challengers.
"When will he be back?" Jason asked the key question.
"That's… hard to say." The staffer looked like he was about to cry. "Sometimes half an hour, sometimes… maybe not until tomorrow. He said he got 'inspired' and needed to go board for a bit—"
"Board? Board what?" Gast blinked.
"Snowboard," Jason answered for him.
Silence.
The last gym… and the leader bailed on his job because he "felt like snowboarding."
Gast wilted on the spot, stretching out in the air like a lazy puddle. Iron Valiant quietly walked over to the wall to look at the gym badge plaque, clearly considering whether to just pry the badge off and call it a day.
Just when it seemed they'd have to leave empty-handed, Jason, still draped over the counter, suddenly snickered.
"Don't stress."
He hopped down, his pink body bouncing twice on the floor. "I know exactly where he's slacking off." He turned to the three very differently shaped teammates behind him. "Come on. Let's go drag him back."
Gast's eyes lit up. "You do?"
Iron Valiant also glanced over curiously. How would Jason know where the leader was? This was their first time at Glaseado.
Jason didn't explain—just gave a smug, "I know everything" smile.
Come on—he was Jason, a Ditto with past-life memories and a full mental map of every NPC path in the region.
For a serial slacker like Grusha, if you were trying to find him during work hours, the gym was the last place he'd be.
There was only one possible spot.
"Let's go! If we don't hurry, he'll flatten the whole slope," Jason said, wriggling out the door and heading deeper up the mountain.
"Wait for me, Jason!" Gast followed right after him. Iron Valiant and Miraidon exchanged a look, then moved out behind them.
Outside the gym, the path to the peak grew more treacherous. The wind and snow here were several times worse than on the mid-slope. Snow lay deep—every step sank past the knee.
"Jason, you're sure it's this way?" Gast called from the front; she wasn't cold anymore—just irritated. She spat out a purple-black Shadow Ball, hurling it at a drift blocking the trail.
Boom.
Snow flew everywhere, blasting the path open.
"Of course it's this way," Jason replied from behind, lying comfortably on Miraidon's back. The legendary's sprint mode gave a smooth ride, and its internal energy kept its body hot—like the ultimate heated mattress.
"You've got it easy!" Gast shouted back. "I'm clearing the road, and you're riding in style!"
"The capable do more," Jason drawled. "Besides, didn't you say you're worried about your skin? More exercise, better blood circulation—better skin."
"Twisted logic!" she snapped, tossing another Shadow Ball.
Iron Valiant walked silently alongside Miraidon, each step placed on the firmest ground. His sharp gaze swept the surroundings, ready to respond if any wild Pokémon showed through the storm. Miraidon played the perfect mount, carrying Jason through the snow without slowing.
They climbed for a long time. The blizzard grew so thick it blocked sight.
"Jason, how much farther?" Gast felt like she was using Shadow Ball as a basic attack.
"Almost there. Just ahead," Jason said, lifting his head.
They rounded another massive ice boulder—and suddenly the terrain opened. They'd reached the summit.
Strangely, the wind and snow had stopped up here. A flat, wide plateau lay under a pristine layer of untouched snow. The view was incredible; they could see everything below.
At the edge of the plateau, near the cliff, stood a lone figure.
Bundled in blue-and-white snow gear, long scarf covering half his face, he stood motionless with his back to them, looking over the snowfields below. Beside him lay a massive Cetitan, quiet and still in the snow, eyes closed like a carved boulder.
The scene was very still—almost desolate.
The group stopped. Gast drifted quietly to Jason's side and whispered, "Jason, that guy… is that the gym leader?"
"Yeah."
"He looks so… depressed," she murmured. "Did something bad happen to him? Standing up here in the cold wind… poor guy."
Iron Valiant watched Grusha's back seriously. "No. He's not spacing out. He's watching the way the wind and snow move."
He narrowed his eyes. "No—he's merging with the mountain. His presence is almost indistinguishable from the environment. Is this some sort of special training? Using meditation to deepen his understanding of ice and snow?"
Miraidon said nothing—just stared ahead, aloof.
Listening to his team, Jason almost burst out laughing. Still sprawled on Miraidon's head, he muttered under his breath, too low for anyone else to hear:
"Depressed? Poor?"
"Training my ass."
"That guy's definitely thinking about snowboarding."
He knew Grusha too well. The guy had been a professional snowboarder before an injury forced him into gym work. His love for the slopes hadn't dimmed one bit. The gym was the side gig; boarding was life.
And right now, with spring near and the snow melting…
"Look at that pose, that stance…" Jason thought. "Training, he says… Iron Valiant is such a good boy."
He decided he couldn't let the misunderstanding drag on—plus, he was getting impatient. He was still thinking about that ice cream down the mountain.
He cleared his throat and yelled, pushing his Ditto lungs to max output.
"Hey!"
The sound rang across the empty summit.
"Are you Grusha, gym leader of Glaseado Mountain?"
The shout shattered the quiet. Cetitan's eyes flew open; it swung its massive head around, body shifting to block Grusha. The young man himself reacted a beat slower—turning slowly to face them.
His scarf still covered his lower face, only his eyes showing—calm, even sharp. He'd noticed them ages ago. And when he saw the floating Gengar, the Iron Valiant, the Miraidon, and—most importantly—a talking Ditto perched on Miraidon's head, he knew exactly who they were.
"The talking Ditto. Net celebrity Jason," he said. His voice came muffled through the scarf, but clear. "I've been waiting for you."
"Oh? You know me?" Jason wasn't surprised.
"Your exploits are all over the League," Grusha said, tugging the scarf down. A delicate face appeared, expression neutral. "You've beaten gym leaders across Paldea. You're a celebrity now. I figured it was about time you came for me."
"Then it's simple," Jason hopped off Miraidon, bouncing twice on the snow. "I am here to challenge you."
Grusha's eyes passed over him, then his three Pokémon.
"Here?" He glanced at the open plateau.
"Big enough. Works for me," Jason shrugged.
Grusha nodded. He clearly didn't feel like moving locations either.
"Then here it is."
He pulled something from his coat pocket—an ice-blue badge sitting in his palm.
"I just happen to have it on me," he said. "Beat me, and it's yours."
The air froze.
The wind stopped; the snow stopped.
Grusha's movements were crisp. He put the badge away and took a Poké Ball from his belt. Thumb on the button, eyes locked on Jason, clearly waiting for his first Pokémon.
And that's when the hornet's nest was kicked.
Before Grusha's ball was even steady in his hand, two shapes—one purple, one white—stepped in front of Jason.
"Jason!" Gast lunged into prime speaking position, floating right in front of him, voice loud and urgent. "This is the last gym! This lady is leading the charge!"
She spun around, gesturing at herself. "Look at me! Look at my condition! Never been better! I've almost gone moldy this whole trip! The final battle has to be mine! You know what that's called? That's called seeing something through to the end—no—this is called taking the finale slot!"
"Jason."
Another voice cut in—short, cold.
At the same time, Iron Valiant stepped up on Jason's left. No wild gestures; just a slight shift into battle stance.
"Ice-type. I believe I'm suitable."
He wasn't good with words, but his meaning was clear. Against an Ice gym, he was a good choice.
Gast immediately bristled, floating right up to his face and circling him. "Hey! You tin can—do you even understand what style is? This is the last battle, got it? We need flair! We need spectacle! You going out there 'clang clang chop chop'—how boring is that?"
Iron Valiant lifted his head and looked at her calmly. "But I'm stronger than you."
~~~
Patreon(.)com/Bleam
— Currently You can Read 50 Chapters Ahead of Others!