Just as Jason and Orthworm were staring each other down—one furious enough to burst a vein, the other craven yet righteously so—and the scene was sinking into an awkward stalemate, Iono's Rotom Phone suddenly went "beedly-beedly."
She glanced at the screen; the look of amused spectating on her pretty face snapped into seriousness.
"Bad news! Miss Cynthia, Jason!" she said hurriedly, holding up the phone, voice tight. "Urgent League bulletin! Just now, everyone in Zapapico felt a strong quake—lots of windows shattered! The town's in a panic; people think a Pokémon's about to cause trouble!"
At that, Cynthia's always placid gray eyes sharpened at once.
She stopped dawdling; she didn't even spare the trembling giant worm another glance, just gave a crisp order to Garchomp.
"Garchomp, let it go. We're going down to check."
Gast pressed tight to Jason, only her big eyes peeking out.
Right as Garchomp moved, Iono looked to Cynthia, a bright spark in her lively eyes.
"Um… Miss Cynthia," she asked, hopeful and seeking permission, "given the situation… would you mind if I go live?"
Remembering Iono's day job, Cynthia nodded lightly. "Go ahead. Just be careful."
"Roger!"
Permission flipped a switch—Gym Leader Iono shifted in an instant into top-tier net idol Iono. She launched the stream at lightspeed.
A clickbait title popped up on the cover frame:
"IRL Peacekeeping! With Miss Cynthia and my Future #1 Top Gifter Ditto!"
A traffic nuke. The moment the stream went live, the viewer count shot up at a terrifying clip. Tens of thousands piled in; chat poured like a waterfall.
[Am I seeing things? Is that the real Champion Cynthia?]
[Top gifter— is that the talking Ditto from last time? Did the streamer finally find it again?!]
['Peacekeeping'? What fight needs Cynthia-level mediation?! This title is loaded!]
[Move over—let me see the Ditto!]
Seeing the wall of messages about Cynthia and the Ditto, Iono slipped into full theater. She puffed her cheeks, feigning outrage at the camera:
"Hey, hey! Fake fans! You come in and don't even say hi to your cute and charming Iono-sama—you go straight to ogling other women and other Pokémon! My heart—crushed! I'll never love again!"
Even so, she sensibly swung the Rotom Phone to frame Cynthia and Jason.
On screen, Cynthia's flawless face filled the lens. She seemed a little unused to streaming, but still offered a small smile to camera and lifted a hand in an elegant wave.
That simple gesture sent chat into meltdown.
[Aaaaah! Cynthia smiled at me! I'm dead!]
[So this is Champion aura… I'm in love!]
While everyone was lost in Cynthia's charm, Jason suddenly muscled into the frame, filling the screen. He smooshed his jelly up to the lens and, cocky, declared:
"'Scuse me, folks—allow me to IRL stream on your behalf!"
He even gave the lens a deliberate squish—smooch.
The stream went silent for three full seconds.
Then chat detonated.
[????]
[Bro this Ditto has material]
[Damn—it beat us to the IRL stream!]
[Streamer! Quick—bonk it!]
"Jason, you little menace!" Iono, half flustered, half fuming, yanked him from the camera and lovingly bullied the squishy blob. "Stealing my shot! Teasing me!"
"Ow ow! My bad—mercy, Iono-sama! I won't do it again!" he pleaded theatrically.
And so, human and Pokémon roughhoused on Garchomp's back. The audience howled—no one expected such clownery in front of the Sinnoh Champion herself.
Iono, for her part, was floored—and secretly delighted. She hadn't expected Jason to help keep the stream hot with bits. The little guy really knew his stuff.
"Alright, you two—enough."
Cynthia, finally, ended the skit. She looked at the squashed Ditto and the red-cheeked streamer, shook her head, then gave the command.
"Let's go, Garchomp—take us down."
"Rooar!"
Garchomp answered, sprang—and plunged into the vast, bottomless maw.
Weightlessness hit—then Garchomp's control smoothed it out. The light dimmed fast; only wind howled and rock walls streaked past.
Riding its keen feel for energy, Garchomp homed in on the source. It stopped in a giant cavern—and the sight stunned them all.
A hollow as big as several football fields. The floor was pitted and scarred by countless moves. In the air, two utterly different energies crackled against each other—zzzz.
Dozens of Armarouge hurled Armor Cannon—massive fireballs falling like meteors. Across from them, dozens of twin-bladed Ceruledge carved arcs of purple Bitter Blade light with every slash.
More shocking still: swarms of small, shadowy forms joined the melee—Charcadet. The devolved form of both lines, the little ones traded baby Sparks at one another, not very damaging, just adding to the chaos.
The chat, watching through Iono's lens, blew up again.
[Holy—this looks like an epic war film IRL. Rare shot!]
[Wait—the "peacekeeping" in the title is these two clans? Streams are this hardcore now?]
[What Pokémon are these? Sick designs!]
[Careful, streamer! That splash damage looks scary!]
[What's there to fear—Cynthia's here. She'll clap them in minutes.]
While everyone's eyes were glued to the brawl, Jason scanned—and something in a dim corner snagged his gaze. A flicker.
He squinted. In the shadow stood another Pokémon, quietly observing the fight. Its whole body gleamed with a hard metallic sheen—at odds with the rock around it. Most striking: its head.
On that metal skull grew a pair of axe-like horns—now glowing.
Metallic body…
Glowing horns…
Orthworm's vague description clicked perfectly into the figure before him.
A wave surged through his chest.
So that's it— that's who!
The one stoking both sides into frenzy… was this Paradox Pokémon—
The future form of the Swords of Justice's Terrakion:
Iron Boulder.
~~~
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