Jason slowly turned around.
The Gastly who'd been peeking from behind the engine now hovered fully in the open. She floated there in silence, her white eyes—nearly a third of her body—fixed on him without blinking.
Usually those eyes flickered with timid doubt or the sly glint of a successful prank. Now there was only hope. Her whole orb trembled, as if it had taken every ounce of courage she had to say those words.
Seeing her like that, a gentle curve rippled across Jason's jelly surface—a smile, from the heart.
He could refuse. Traveling with a partner meant more responsibility, more risk.
But somehow, imagining the road without Gast's chaos and surprises made it feel… drab. He remembered the cold sneak-lick of her tongue, the goofy faces she'd pulled to cheer on Tinkatuff, the way she watched him from the corner with the purest gaze.
He didn't want to lose that.
So he answered, steady and sure: "Okay."
Two simple syllables—like flipping a switch. Gast lit up, her faint lavender aura blooming bright. The heart that had been suspended by nerves and worry finally came down with a tiny "plop."
"Hee-hee!"
Her laugh chimed, airy and clear, like wind stirring bells. After he'd teased her about only "keh-keh-keh"-ing, she'd practiced to make it sound nicer.
The next instant she blurred into a purple shadow and pounced—no impact, just a cool mist wrapping around him.
"You're the best, Jason!" she cooed, nuzzling him, voice bubbling with joy.
Jason wobbled helplessly, letting her hang on like a charm. "Alright, alright—off. We need to find Cynthia."
"Mm!" Obedient, she drifted up—but stuck close at his side, as if afraid he'd rethink it and run.
He led his new partner over to Cynthia.
Cynthia was lounging, arms folded, against a sheet of rusted steel—elegant even in boredom. When she saw him approach with a Gastly, one fine brow ticked up.
"Goodbyes done?" Still cool as ever—but a thread of teasing tugged at the tail of her voice. Clearly she hadn't forgotten the last "farewell."
"Ahem." He coughed to mask the awkward. "This is Gast. She wants to travel with me. You don't mind one more Pokémon around, do you?"
Cynthia's gaze moved between them, lingering a couple seconds on Gast. A Gastly was hardly rare, but the way this one looked at Jason—with absolute trust and reliance—was novel.
Not that it mattered. She was here to observe one Ditto; one extra ghost made no difference.
"Doesn't matter," she said with a lazy wave. "Just don't make me wait another two days and two nights. Come on—we need to get to the Levincia hotel. Any later and they'll file a missing-person report."
She straightened to lead—and paused, turning back. A Luxury Ball had appeared between her fingers, black lacquer traced with gold, gleaming in the sun. An irresistible, knowing smile played at her lips as she twirled it and held it up.
"By the way, one thing," she said, voice dropping to a coaxing lilt. "You're walking around without a Trainer. What if someone else takes a shine to you and force-catches you? For safety… why don't you hop into my ball for a bit?"
He nearly laughed out loud. The Sinnoh Champion—the famously cool "ice queen"—trying to lure a Ditto with such a clumsy pretext? If word got out, jaws across the Trainer world would hit the floor. He had no doubt if he nodded, that Luxury Ball would smack him on the forehead in the next second.
He shook his head hard, whole body swaying. "Nope!" Crisp and clean. "I'm a Ditto who's going to be the strongest Trainer. No way I'm just jumping into someone else's ball!"
Then, shamelessly, he tacked on the perfect compliment: "Besides—with you here, who'd dare?"
Both of the others froze.
Gast was simply lost. She peeked out from behind him, tilting her body, big eyes full of question marks. "Jason, what are you saying? We Pokémon can't be Trainers. Only humans can. And… from how you say it, this lady is very strong?"
She sneaked a careful glance at Cynthia.
Unlike Gast's wide-eyed confusion, Cynthia's eyes went very deep at his words. The coaxing smile vanished; something keen flashed in her gaze. In these days together, she'd only grown surer: this Ditto was not ordinary. Talking Pokémon existed—Team Rocket's Meowth was famous—but even that Meowth still thought like a Pokémon.
Jason was different. His logic, his mannerisms—even that half-flattery, half-boast line—tracked closer to a human's than a Pokémon's. A Ditto… wanting to be a Trainer? Absurd. And stranger still, she felt he'd known her from the start—the identity, the strength. His look had curiosity in it, yes, but deeper down… recognition.
Too many oddities. Her "research value" rating of him ticked up several notches. No rush to conclude; keep observing. This little one hid more secrets than she'd thought.
She smoothed her expression back into mild regret and tucked the Luxury Ball away. "Mmn, if you don't want to, forget it. Shame." With a light pivot, she let it drop and changed tack. "But if you do want to be a Trainer… I can introduce you to someone."
His heart slammed.
Wait—really?
"That family's company happens to make Poké Balls," she said evenly. "They might be able to engineer a special ball Pokémon can use. If you're interested, I can connect you."
Joy erupted through him. His eyes sparked; his purple body trembled. He knew exactly who she meant.
Steven Stone—Hoenn's Champion, rock geek, ultra-rich heir. Devon Corp.
Of course he knew.
As a Ditto, his biggest regret was not being able to do what human Trainers do: recruit partners, challenge Gyms, enter the League—feel the roar of the crowd from the arena floor. Now, Cynthia was dangling a chance.
A storm of ideas flashed. He glanced at Gast's puzzled face. As he traveled, more would join him. Without Poké Balls, how would he keep them safe? What would stop bad Trainers from snatching them? Human Poké Balls might not work for a Pokémon user; but Pokémon-only balls… that was safety.
Like Mewtwo's custom balls in Mewtwo Strikes Back. If Devon could make such a ball, then even as a Ditto he could hang Poké Balls at his "waist," challenge Gyms, enter regional leagues—even chase a world championship. And if all his team fell… he could enter the field himself. The image alone thrilled him.
He tamped down the joy and looked up. "Then—thank you, Miss Cynthia!"
"Miss…," really—his came straight from the heart.
Cynthia blinked, surprised. A small, genuine warmth touched her usually placid face. Watching the little jelly jiggle with excitement, she found him… a bit cute. The urge to grab and knead rose again.
"Sweet talker," she smiled at last. Apparently she didn't mind the title—maybe she liked it.
"Let's go." In good spirits, she waved and set off.
Under Paldea's warm sun, a curious trio hit the road: a golden-haired woman in black gliding with elegant steps; a lazy Ditto sprawled on her head; and a lavender wisp of a Gastly bobbing up and down around them, buzzing with excitement at every new sight.
Their destination: the bustling town of Levincia.