Once Kairos confirmed he was safely out of danger, the tension finally drained from his body.
Honestly, the speed and precision of that Paradox Pokémon ambush had caught him completely off guard.
He even suspected someone might be controlling them from behind the scenes—otherwise, how could they coordinate that well?
Gengar emerged from his shadow, looking unusually dull. His purple glow seemed faded, and his usual mischievous grin was nowhere to be seen. Instead, he looked thoroughly rattled, stubby arms crossed over his chest.
That narrow escape had clearly shaken him.
"Gengar... gengar..."
He muttered something, and Kairos got the gist:
That was way too close. Do you have any idea how exhausting it is to carry a full-grown human while phasing through shadows?
Thank god those things didn't have any abilities to mess with my incorporeal form, or we'd be toast.
Kairos raised an eyebrow, thinking back to what had just happened.
His original plan had been to have Gengar cause a distraction while he forced his way through using his enhanced body. But when things went sideways, Gengar had pulled him straight into the deeper shadow realm and teleported them both out in one move.
This ability to carry living beings through short-range shadow jumps was something Kairos had never seen Gengar pull off before—or at least, he hadn't realized it was possible. Apparently this guy had a real gift for shadow manipulation.
An unexpected bonus. Once they got back and things settled down, he'd need to train and develop that ability further.
"Good work."
Kairos patted Gengar's round head. "Quick thinking. You really pulled through back there."
Gengar shook his head, seeming to perk up a bit. He floated up to Kairos's face, red eyes full of confusion. "Kekeke?" If we could slip away that easily, why didn't we just keep going?
That really powerful thing, wasn't that what you were looking for? I could feel it just ahead, not even that far.
At the question, Kairos shook his head, his gaze sweeping across the area covered in strange blue crystals and the faint metallic hum coming from deeper within.
"Couldn't risk it. The closer we get to the center, the more Paradox Pokémon there are. The density goes up significantly.
And they're way too coordinated. What we just faced was probably only a fraction of what's out there.
If we'd kept pushing forward, the risk would've been too high. If we got completely surrounded, I might've found a way out, but it would've cost me."
He paused.
"I'm glad I brought you instead of Chandelure. I don't think he could've pulled me along like you did. We would've had to fight our way out."
Gengar looked completely lost during the first part of Kairos's explanation.
Paradox Pokémon?
What the hell is that?
Wait, those were Pokémon?
He'd thought they were some kind of mechanical creatures.
That's when Kairos realized that unlike him, Gengar had no clue what Paradox Pokémon were.
After a moment's thought, he gave a simple explanation. "Listen up. They're called Paradox Pokémon.
Basically, they're what regular Pokémon might evolve into in the distant future—from a different timeline than ours.
For example, that one with the blade arms that was crazy fast? That's actually the future form of Gardevoir, called Iron Valiant. When we make games later, we might include these forms too."
"Gengar..."
Gengar responded reflexively, then froze solid, staring at Kairos in disbelief.
They'd just barely escaped with their lives, nearly got shredded by those metal lunatics, and you're already thinking about putting them in future games?
Talk about dedicated!
Ignoring Gengar's reaction, Kairos leaned against the trunk of a massive fern-like tree and started processing everything that had just happened.
He'd definitely been too hasty. Seeing the Legendary Pokédex prompt and having the right items on hand, he'd wanted to strike while the iron was hot and approach Gouging Fire—completely overlooking other potential threats in the area.
He'd almost wasted the life-saving Ho-Oh feather for nothing. Thankfully, things worked out.
If he'd brought Chandelure instead, the raw combat power might've been slightly higher, but without that emergency escape option, things could've gone very wrong. Gengar had really come through. He deserved some serious rewards when they got back.
But... as he surveyed this primitive yet dangerous landscape, several critical questions formed in his mind.
First, where exactly did these Paradox Pokémon come from?
Earlier, when he'd seen the Pokédex note that Gouging Fire "detests chaotic metallic sounds and unnatural energy," he'd found it strange. Where would those things come from on the surface?
Now it made sense.
What Gouging Fire hated was precisely the metallic noise and unnatural aura these Paradox Pokémon gave off. Ancient and Future Paradoxes weren't exactly natural allies to begin with.
Second, the Ancient Paradoxes' presence was more complicated than he'd thought.
His earlier theory was that after five hundred years without human interference, surface Pokémon had naturally evolved into stronger ancient forms. The logic seemed sound enough.
But the Future Paradoxes threw that whole natural evolution theory out the window.
If that was the case, the Ancient Paradoxes probably weren't as straightforward as he'd assumed either.
No answer to that question yet. He'd need to dig deeper later.
Kairos instinctively pulled up the system interface in his mind.
Sure enough, the [World Background Analysis] progress bar had jumped from 33% to 55%.
Discovering the surface's current state and encountering both Ancient and Future Paradoxes—confirming their existence—had significantly advanced his understanding of this world.
To push the analysis further, he'd probably need to figure out where the Future Paradoxes came from and the real reason behind the Ancient Paradoxes' appearance.
Now, the third question: Gouging Fire.
Thinking about it rationally, even if he'd managed to push through and deliver the Earth Core Fragment and Oran Berries, he would've only established the most basic connection at best.
The Legendary Pokédex's [Contract Chapter] quest required the Legendary Pokémon to "willingly play the game" and "give their approval."
Out here in the middle of nowhere, facing a proud and solitary ancient Entei, without even having his phone—how was he supposed to get it to play a game?
That requirement was impossible to fulfill in one shot.
Establishing initial contact and laying groundwork for future interaction? That seemed doable.
If he wanted to complete the Legendary Pokédex quest later, he'd still need to solve this problem somehow.
After working through these three issues, Kairos made his decision.
The recorder was intact, and he'd documented the surface information. Priority one was getting this intel back to the Watchers' base.
As for Gouging Fire—once things stabilized at the base and he was properly prepared, he could find another opportunity to make contact.
"Let's go, Gengar. We're heading back." Kairos made up his mind.
"Gengar."
Gengar responded and melted back into his shadow, though this time the shadow seemed noticeably less animated than before.
Clearly, after that ordeal, even Gengar was spooked.
On the return trip to the underground passage entrance, Kairos was far more cautious than he'd been on the way out.
With his enhanced senses and Gengar's help, he perfectly avoided several groups of Ancient Paradoxes. He didn't run into any more Future Paradoxes on the way back either.
Finally, the hidden entrance disguised as a massive section of pipe appeared before him.
As Kairos approached, his steps faltered.
He noticed several unnatural footprints in the damp moss and rust around the entrance. Someone had tried to cover them up, but he still caught them.
What made him pause even more was a device about the size of a fingernail, emitting an extremely faint red glow, wedged into an inconspicuous gap in the metal near the entrance's edge.
"Surveillance device... League?"
Kairos understood immediately.
So the League already knew about his movements. Interesting.
He reached out and pressed lightly on the device.
The faint red light instantly died. A tiny click came from inside, then nothing.
Only then did Kairos follow protocol, using the access key to open the entrance. His figure quickly disappeared into the darkness.
The heavy gate closed silently behind him, cutting off the fresh, primitive air of the surface world.
In its place came the underground passage's mix of machine oil, rust, and a faint musty smell.
Kairos wrinkled his nose. The air quality down here was absolutely terrible. No wonder everyone in the underground wanted out.
He immediately checked the environmental recorder strapped to his chest, confirming the indicator light showed steady green and the data was intact. Only then did he relax and quickly descend the metal grate stairs.
Ten minutes later.
When Kairos pushed open the heavy metal door of the Watchers' base, a thick atmosphere hit him like a physical force—even heavier than the stale passage air.
Dozens of people were gathered behind makeshift barricades in the bar area, but no one was talking.
Only heavy breathing and the subtle sounds of weapons and equipment being handled broke the silence. The air was thick with tension and fear.
Kairos picked up on it immediately, frowning.
What happened while he was gone?
Old Smoker and Elara stood by a makeshift command post cobbled together from a salvaged control console, speaking in low, urgent tones. Both looked grim.
Elara's arm was wrapped in fresh bandages with faint bloodstains showing through. Her previous injuries clearly hadn't healed—instead, they'd gotten worse under continued strain. Anvil and some core members stood nearby, equally tense.
"Kairos!" Axuan spotted him first and rushed over, practically tackling his leg with a tight hug, face full of worry and relief.
"You're back! Thank god!"
That shout broke the silence. Everyone's eyes snapped to Kairos, filled with surprise and questions.
"Yeah, I'm back." Kairos patted Axuan's head, gently prying him loose, then walked toward Elara and Old Smoker. "What's the situation here?"
"Not good."
Elara's voice was rough with exhaustion.
"Shortly after you left, the League tightened the blockade. There are at least three times as many troops outside now, plus heavy weapon emplacements. They're waiting for us to run out of ammo and supplies, or..."
She didn't finish, but everyone knew what she meant.
Old Smoker took a long drag on his pipe and exhaled a thick cloud of smoke. "Bastards are really digging in. So, tell us—how was it up there?"
With that question, the room went silent. Every eye turned to Kairos.
Clearly, this was what mattered most right now.
Kairos didn't waste time. He pulled out the palm-sized environmental recorder.
"See for yourselves."
He activated the playback, and a beam of light projected onto a relatively clean section of metal wall.
Clear footage began to play:
The vast blue sky with sunlight breaking through clouds in brilliant shafts.
Endless primordial forests, towering canopy reaching toward the heavens...
A leisurely Walking Wake with massive bronze antlers, and mighty Great Tusks rolling playfully in mud pits, radiating rock-solid presence...
Sharp gasps filled the base.
Blue sky! Forests!
Powerful, never-before-seen Pokémon!
Was this the surface world their ancestors once lived in? The world they'd only dreamed of?
Then suddenly, the light in the footage dimmed dramatically.
An invisible, overwhelming presence seemed to radiate through the image itself, making everyone watching feel their breath catch.
They saw a massive beast with a body covered in flame-like patterns—a saber-toothed giant, Gouging Fire, rising to its full height.
Its molten-gold eyes carried ancient authority as it slowly emerged into the clearing.
Just from the footage alone, the searing aura and primal pressure were enough to make everyone present—human and Pokémon alike—go weak in the knees.
Kairos stopped the playback. He pressed the button, and the beam of light on the wall disappeared.
He hadn't fully investigated the Future Paradoxes yet, so he wouldn't show that footage.
No point giving them more to worry about, especially since in their current situation... they couldn't get out anyway.
The entire base fell into stunned silence.
Everyone's face showed shock, then the room erupted into overlapping voices.
"My god... there really is... a blue sky..."
"Just like in my dreams..."
"Those Pokémon... so powerful... unbelievably strong..."
"So... those are wild Pokémon up there? If we go to the surface, can we actually survive? Won't it just roast us alive?"
A young Watcher voiced what most were thinking, his voice shaking.
The power Gouging Fire displayed far exceeded their understanding of what Pokémon were capable of.
The fear it brought nearly overshadowed their longing to return to the surface.
Seeing that everyone had more or less processed what they'd seen, Kairos spoke up, breaking the silence:
"You saw the environment. It really has recovered and can support human life. As for those Pokémon..." He paused.
"Actually, the strongest one there didn't show any direct hostility toward humans—at least not toward me."
"So I believe humans returning to live on the surface is actually possible."