Iron Boulder.
It stood there quietly at the center of the impact crater, as if it hadn't taken the hit at all.
"What Pokémon is that…?"
Iono instinctively covered her mouth, unable to hide the shock in her voice. It felt like her understanding of the world had just been flipped.
"That's Iron Boulder," Jason's voice sounded beside Cynthia and Iono.
"Iron… Boulder…" Iono repeated under her breath, then sucked in a cold breath. "That's insane! It just took a Dragon Rush from Garchomp head-on!"
Yes—the "missed" strike earlier was no mistake. In the final instant of the dive, Garchomp skimmed the two clan leaders by a hair; the real target was this Iron Boulder.
Cynthia's brows were knit, her face grave. When Garchomp abruptly adjusted course midair, she'd known something was off. With their bond, she understood in a heartbeat—there's something under that spot. Garchomp meant to use the sheer force of Dragon Rush to flush the hidden foe out.
It worked—the thing appeared.
But the result far exceeded her expectations. With Garchomp's power, taking a full Dragon Rush head-on should be brutal. Yet this Pokémon called "Iron Boulder" had no visible scratches after absorbing the attack.
Defense… that absurd?
This wasn't strength you'd expect from an ordinary wild.
While Cynthia wrestled with that, Iono's chat exploded. The viewers who'd been cheering Garchomp moments ago were reduced to gasps.
[???]
[Am I seeing things? What is that? A new Pokémon? Not in the Dex at all!]
[New here? That's Iron Boulder—a Paldean Pokémon!]
[Is that the point?! The point is— it ate a Dragon Rush! From a Champion's Garchomp! And it's fine?!]
[Good lord—look at the crater. If that hit me I'd be dead on the spot.]
Their reaction mirrored Cynthia's worry.
"Careful. Fall back a bit. This one isn't simple—I'll handle it."
Even as she spoke, she issued a new command to her ace.
"Garchomp—Dragon Claw."
No more words needed; Garchomp was already ablaze for battle. It growled; green light flared on its claws; its legs kicked—and it shot at Iron Boulder like an arrow.
Just then, the Armarouge and Ceruledge leaders Garchomp had knocked down—and the shockwave had tossed—struggled to their feet, bracing each other. Armor gouged and cracked, flames dim—their injuries were serious. But as leaders, they stood.
Their eyes, though, were conflicted. They flicked between the battle-hungry Garchomp and the silent Iron Boulder—filled with struggle.
One had just dismantled them without recourse.
The other had forced their tribes to fight each other.
Which to help?
A decision of survival and annihilation.
Armarouge's mind raced. Help Garchomp? Joke! It nearly took us apart! And its Trainer's human—what if, after winning, they capture our whole tribe as labor? No way! But… what is Iron Boulder? It has no trace of life—cold as a rock. Help it fight Garchomp and maybe we wind up slaves…
They met eyes—saw the same fear and confusion reflected.
Pick wrong, and the end would be wretched.
Stuck between blades, a voice snapped—impatient: "If you don't want to die, get lost!"
Jason.
Seeing their paralysis, he'd guessed their thoughts. He wanted neither unstable factor joining in—either way it would hamper Garchomp. And honestly? Even if they helped, it wouldn't change much. The aftershock from Dragon Rush alone had hurt them—best they clear out.
The bark landed like a smack. Right! Why choose a side at all? Why not help no one?
They traded one last look, and this time agreement came fast. Ceruledge hissed a sharp cry; Armarouge fired a flare. At the signal, their clans stopped at once and withdrew in a wave, clearing the core and watching from afar.
Cynthia caught on and nodded slightly toward Milotic. "Milotic—back."
The serpent, still hemming the enemy in, turned elegantly and swam toward her. Passing Garchomp, it hesitated—eyes worried—low whistle asking if help was needed. Garchomp didn't even turn its head—tilted just enough to give it a sideways glance, then rumbled a curt, firm answer:
"No need. This is my fight—no one interferes."
Message received, Milotic swept its tail and slid back to Cynthia's side, leaving the battleground to dragon and Paradox.
As Milotic withdrew, the Gastly that was Jason let the half-formed Shadow Ball dissipate, yawned, and affected a lazy air.
Across from him, the Ceruledge who'd just pulled back didn't disperse; they didn't look at Garchomp, either. They all stared at Jason together with one very strange expression—one-third aggrieved, one-third blank, four-tenths confused.
In the chaos, they'd had no time to notice the Shadow Balls thunking into their backs—too busy with Milotic's water. But as the fighting paused and they caught their breath, memories aligned:
That damned Gastly had targeted only them. Not one Shadow Ball had gone to Armarouge. It was discrimination!
We weren't stealing your lunch—why single us out?!
Jason felt their ghostly glares and, far from guilty, flashed the broad, cheeky Gastly grin. "Keh-keh-keh~"
One Ceruledge nearly lost it—sword half-drawn to go "discuss" things—but thought better of it with Milotic nearby and settled for seething.
Jason ignored the simmering knights and focused on his HUD.
[Ceruledge Dex: 82%]
Nice.
Eighty-two percent—the fastest he'd ever pushed a line. Barely half an hour since they'd arrived. Before, this would take days of shadowing and careful watching.
Luck, pure and simple. Best way to fill a Dex quickly was to observe reactions across states—especially combat—but wilds either outran you or ran from you. A stable, long-duration, safe sampling setup? Rare.
Today, though—everything lined up: two warring clans in numbers, fighting hard; Cynthia's presence; Milotic's and Garchomp's pressure pinning the field and leaving him ignored. His Dex bar had rocketed; even Armarouge was quietly at 20% from the occasional glance.
Time to push Ceruledge to 100…
He was about to morph back and check in on Cynthia when something bumped him from behind—light but urgently repeating.
"Jason…"
Gast—voice trembling, pitiful. He turned. The translucent purple body plastered against him was wilted; even the usual "keh-keh-keh" grin was gone—on the verge of tears.
"Jason… I just got lost," she sniffled.
"?"
He practically grew a question mark. Lost? Come on—she'd stuck to within three meters of him the whole time. How?
Seeing his "are you kidding me" face, she panicked and rushed on. "Really! Just now—when Garchomp used that Dragon Rush!"
She darted a glance at the dragon—still a little spooked—and looked a bit sheepish. "It scared me—I backed up. There was a rock wall behind me; leaning on it felt safe." She mimed drifting back to press to a wall. "My back was against it, I felt steady, and then—suddenly it was like some force on the wall was gone and I drifted through!"
Through? He understood at once. Ghosts can phase through walls. As for that "force"—he'd already noticed a faint Psychic ripple clinging to the cave walls. He'd assumed it was a tribal ward; now it seemed it was Iron Boulder. It had sealed the cave with Psychic so prey wouldn't escape. When Garchomp bared its fangs and the dragon faced the Paradox, Iron Boulder had to pull back its dispersed energy to face it—so Gast phased out by accident as she retreated.
"And… then I got lost." She finished her "adventure," pushed her face close, eyes blinking, body shivering twice for effect, the picture of aggrieved. "Jason, I'm scared. I was shocked. Comfort me."
Jason couldn't help a chuckle at the performance, but he still patted her head like a cat. "There, there—it's fine. You're back safe, aren't you?"
"Mnn…" She made a satisfied little sound, nuzzled his palm, and her pouting vanished in an instant. Three seconds later, she was back to carefree, circling him twice. "Hee-hee, being with Jason is safest!"
He shook his head. Her mood flipped faster than a page.
Comforted, she burst open with chatter. "Jason, listen—the world behind the rock is huge! So many tunnels—I almost thought I'd never get back!" A tremor of fear in her tone—but more excitement.
"I was so scared I dove into a random tunnel—and guess what I saw?"
She didn't wait. "I saw a flower! A white one! On a little mound—and it glowed! So pretty! I tried a lick—it was salty."
White—and glowing—and salty?
Herba Mystica—Salty! flashed through his mind. A key cooking ingredient—vital for making healing foods or buffing dishes that raised defense. He tamped the thrill down. "Oh? Which tunnel? Can you show me where?"
"I remember, I remember!" She lifted her "chin" proudly. "The walls there had lots of sparkly stones—not like anywhere else! I was drawn by the glimmer. From the spot where I phased through, take the third entrance on the left and go straight in—you'll find it!"
He memorized it. The "sparkly stones" were likely mineral crystals. So Salty Herba grew in special niches—probably guarded by the Lurking Steel Titan until now. With the Titan gone, it was unclaimed. He wasn't about to leave it.
He'd head there as soon as Cynthia handled Iron Boulder. A lucky bonus.
As he plotted, Gast suddenly pressed close again, voice dropping, secretive. "Also—Jason, something even weirder."
"Hm?"
"When I was lost inside… I think I heard a human girl's voice."
He blinked.
A girl's voice?
~~~
Patreon(.)com/Bleam
— Currently You can Read 50 Chapters Ahead of Others!