BOOM!
With a thunderous crack, the haughty Hypno dropped without even a scream—the phantom strike from Spiritomb's Phantom Force hit clean. Its eyes rolled back; it toppled, out cold.
Hypno was unable to battle.
The fight ended in near-total domination.
As for the Hypno's underlings—the six Drowzee and the Bronzong—Cynthia didn't even bother having Spiritomb fight. She just flicked a hand lightly.
Spiritomb understood. The mass of 108 souls pulsed with eerie waves—
Hypnosis.
Already heartbroken by their boss's one-shot KO, the lackeys hit the mental wave and dropped like dominos, snoring in seconds.
"Hmph! That's for bullying me before!"
Seeing the enemies down, Gast reverted to type—vindictive, petty, and proud. She floated above the sleeping Bronzong and repeatedly body-bumped its big frame, venting all the grievance she'd swallowed.
On the other side, the freed Tinkatink rushed to their big sis. Tinkatuff raised her hammer and stared warily at Cynthia and her Pokémon. In their experience, human Trainers loved catching Pokémon. Sure, following a strong Trainer wasn't necessarily bad—growth could be faster—but given the choice, they preferred forging and living with their own.
Their worries proved unfounded. Though it was her first time seeing Paldea's Tinkatink line up close, Cynthia's eyes held only pure curiosity—no desire to capture.
She walked straight to Jason.
He was still in Bronzor form, and even he felt breathless under the aura of the Sinnoh Champion approaching.
Cynthia stopped, then naturally crouched, so he didn't have to crane up to see her.
A warm smile touched her lips. She slowly extended a fair, slender hand.
"Hello. I'm Cynthia. A scholar of myth."
"…"
Internally, Jason short-circuited. His brain spun at lightspeed as he stared at the offered hand.
What now? If he spoke, that would confirm he was the Ditto from Iono's stream.
So he played dumb.
He shuffled awkwardly in place, chirped like a proper Bronzor, and even nuzzled her fingertips.
Cynthia chuckled at the "I'm just a cute Bronzor" routine; a spark of amusement lit her gray eyes.
"Don't play dumb," she said, eyes glinting. "I know you can speak."
Jason froze—but kept at it, doubling down on the cutes. He rubbed his face against her palm again.
Cynthia shook her head, helpless and amused. She tilted her head slightly. "Spiritomb—sorry, one more favor. Put him to sleep. We'll talk back at the hotel."
Vmmm.
Spiritomb's pressure locked onto him.
Oh come on—straight to force?
Panic spiked. If he kept pretending, he'd be "persuaded" the hard way.
As Cynthia glanced back, the "Bronzor" in her palm flashed to purple jelly.
"You see? Now you're rushing," Jason said.
For the first time, the calm mask cracked into a bright smile; her gray eyes curved to crescents.
Good luck indeed—fresh off the plane and she'd already bumped into her goal.
"So it was you," she said, rising, unsurprised now. Seeing a Bronzor when there were none around had already tipped her off. Hearing him speak sealed it: this was the Ditto from Iono's stream.
Jason sighed. Can't fool Cabbage Lady. With fools he could've sold the act; not her.
He scooted closer, playing it up. "That's right! It's me! Go on, catch me—drag me home and bully me!"
Cynthia laughed softly. "What's with that 'eager but reluctant' tone?"
Studying him, she added, "Relax. I'm not here to catch you."
He blinked. "You're not?"
She shook her head, serious. "I can tell you prefer freedom. Why would I catch you? I'm simply curious about your abilities."
He exhaled, long. "Could've said so sooner. Nearly scared me to death."
She explained her visit: a short academic exchange in Paldea—she wouldn't be staying long. Would he accompany her in the meantime? She wanted to observe him up close.
He hesitated, then agreed. A person of her standing wasn't likely to go back on her word. And more importantly… walking with a Champion maxed out his safety bar—and gave him front-row seats to scan Dex entries of Garchomp, Spiritomb, Lucario, Milotic, Togekiss… Pure profit.
Cynthia was pleased. Even if he had refused, she wouldn't have forced the issue—but this was better.
"Then let's go."
Just as she invited him to the League-arranged hotel, Jason spoke.
He glanced at Tinkatuff and the Tinkatink watching them with complicated eyes.
"Um… if you don't mind—could you give me a little time?"
"I'd like to say a proper goodbye to the friends I just made."