Jason raised the Glaseado Mountain badge.
He adjusted its angle in his hand.
Then he turned on the front-facing camera.
In the viewfinder, there was him and the gleaming badge.
"No good—the background's too empty."
He grumbled to himself.
He wiggled around, shifting the phone's angle toward the opposite side of the field.
Grusha was still standing there, looking completely baffled.
He'd just lost a battle that represented his gym's pride… and now his opponent was flattened on the ground, holding up a phone pointed straight at him.
For a moment, Grusha's brain just blue-screened.
"Hey!"
Jason gathered what strength he had and shouted.
"Grusha!"
Grusha flinched.
"Look at the camera! Smile!"
"Huh?"
That famously "melancholic" expression vanished under sheer confusion. His mouth hung open a little; his eyes were full of question marks.
Behind him, the Cetitan he'd just recalled and re-summoned to comfort him stuck its huge head forward curiously, also staring this way in utter puzzlement.
Click.
The photo was taken.
Jason pulled the phone back and studied the screen with satisfaction.
"Perfect."
His hand flew as he opened his chat app. He ignored the 99+ unread messages and went straight to Liko's icon.
Photo: sent.
[Jason]: [photo.jpg]
[Jason]: Liko, if you ever run into this guy in the future,
[Jason]: if Grusha ever dares bully you, just drop my name!
Send.
"Phew…"
He let out a long, slow breath. Even the puddle of his body seemed to relax.
"Vengeance for Liko: complete."
At that same time—
Kanto region, Indigo Academy.
The sun was bright, the breeze just right.
In a freshly furnished dorm room, a girl with black hair was sitting on the edge of her bed, staring at the floor in mild distress.
In front of her sat a green, cat-like Pokémon.
Sprigatito.
"Um… Sprigatito?" Liko whispered. "My name is Liko. From today on, we're partners so… c-can I pet you?"
Sprigatito lifted its head, glanced at her, then turned away with a haughty flick and started licking its paw.
"Sigh…" Liko sighed.
She'd just received her very first Pokémon from the school, and she wanted so badly to get along quickly with Sprigatito.
Bzzz—
The phone on her nightstand lit up.
"Eh? It's from Jason?"
Her eyes lit up as she grabbed it and opened the message.
First was a photo.
"Wow!"
A small gasp escaped her.
In the picture was Jason's familiar pink, blobby body. He looked like he was splatted out on snow, with a badge next to him. In the background stood a blue-haired older boy in heavy winter clothes whom she didn't recognize—wearing a very strange expression.
[Liko]: Wow! Jason, you went somewhere weird again!
[Liko]: Who is this guy?
She had just sent her reply when she saw his next message pop in.
"If Grusha ever dares bully you, just drop my name!"
Liko tilted her head.
"Bully me?"
She looked from the "melancholic" big brother in the photo down to herself.
"Why would he bully me…?"
She didn't really understand, but still broke into a happy smile.
Jason was always thinking about her.
[Liko]: Okay~ I'll remember that!
She glanced down—and noticed Sprigatito had somehow flopped onto her slipper and was letting out a huge yawn.
Liko hurriedly snapped a picture.
[Liko]: [Sprigatito yawning.jpg]
[Liko]: I'm working on making friends with my new partner Sprigatito. Very soon I'll be able to travel with you, Jason!
Back on Glaseado Mountain's peak—
Jason's phone buzzed again.
He saw Liko's reply and the photo of Sprigatito. The pink puddle's "face" curved into a smile.
"Badge: acquired."
"Perfect."
"Alright!" his voice suddenly regained a hint of life. "Gast! Iron Valiant! Miraidon! We're heading down—ice cream time!"
"Woo!" Gast cheered instantly.
The group began their descent—leaving Grusha standing there in a daze.
That Ditto…
He'd 1v5'd Grusha's entire team.
Then sent a message and smiled in pure satisfaction.
A shiver ran down Grusha's spine.
For the first time, he felt like the summit wind… wasn't quite cold enough.
That talking Ditto—
Was kind of terrifying, in a weird way.
The Glaseado trails were rough, snow deep and wind biting. Jason was sprawled on Miraidon's head like a pink pancake, covering it completely. Humming some unknown tune, he was in a very good mood.
Badge number eight in hand—the Paldea gym challenge was officially complete.
"Jason, you're amazing! But I'm still annoyed!"
Gast floated beside Miraidon's left flank, arms crossed, cheeks puffed out. She hated staying in shadows, so she floated in full view.
"Why didn't you let me do the Ice gym? You soloed the whole thing! I didn't even get to go out once!"
She was deeply unhappy—she'd grown to really love fighting, and had been all set to show off.
"Efficiency," Jason said lazily. "That leader Grusha's Pokémon are tanks. If I let you in, the back-and-forth would've taken forever."
"I don't care! I don't care!" Gast rolled around in the air. "You stole my battle! You owe me!"
"Fine, fine. On the way down, every wild Pokémon we run into is yours. Happy?" he said, trying to placate her.
"That's more like it." She immediately stopped rolling and snapped back into a "cool" pose.
At the rear, Iron Valiant trailed quietly, footsteps so light they made almost no sound in the snow. He looked up at the pink blob on Miraidon's head.
The power Jason had shown in the gym had grown even further since last time.
That rate of growth made Iron Valiant feel… envious.
"Jason," he said.
"Yeah?" Jason glanced back.
"You've gotten stronger again," Iron Valiant stated.
"Have I? Everyone's getting stronger," Jason said, jiggling a bit. "You too, Iron—your blades are sharper. Miraidon's running faster, too."
"Rrnn. I suspect you're mocking me," Miraidon rumbled.
Still, it carried him down the mountain at a steady pace.
Gast drifted over, circling Iron Valiant: "Exactly! Don't just say Jason—you've gotten ridiculously strong too!"
Iron Valiant fell silent, but accepted the praise.
As they talked, a translucent panel only Jason could see popped up in his view. He glanced at it, then down the mountain trail.
Before he could say anything, a gust of icy wind blew past, carrying ice crystals—and an elegant shape burst from the trees ahead: a Frosmoth.
It spotted them at once and went on alert, scales on its wings glittering with cold light.
"Mine!" Gast yelled, and shot forward.
"Make it quick! We've got ground to cover!" Jason called after her.
Frosmoth wasted no time—launching Icy Wind. Gast twisted midair, slipping past its main path without using any phasing—just raw speed and reflex.
"Take this! Shadow Ball!"
She rolled a black-and-purple energy sphere between her hands and hurled it. Frosmoth tried to veer aside, but the projectile was too fast—it hit squarely on one wing, sending it spinning in the air.
"Don't give it a chance—Dazzling Gleam!" Jason called.
"Don't need you to tell me!"
Pink light exploded around Gast as she unleashed Fairy power. Frosmoth vanished in the glare, then dropped into a snowbank—unable to battle.
A prompt flicked into Jason's vision right on cue:
[Frosmoth Pokédex entry complete. +1 allocatable base stat point obtained!]
He nodded in satisfaction. Ever since his bonds with Gast and Iron Valiant had deepened, Pokédex completion felt easier—whether he fought personally or commanded, it all counted.
The gym run had let him snag a lot of entries quickly.
"Nicely done," he praised.
"Heh, of course. When this lady moves, it's always clean," Gast said proudly, floating back.
They moved on.
Ten minutes later, they passed a frozen lake.
"Rooaar!"
A huge roar echoed. A muscled Beartic rose on the far bank, rearing on its hind legs, over three meters tall and clearly angry—pounding its chest in territorial warning.
"So… Gast, you still want this one?" Jason asked.
She glanced at the Beartic's hanging icicles, then at herself.
"Yeahhh… Iron Valiant, don't you need some fights too? This one's all yours!" she said, decisively passing the turn.
Iron Valiant nodded and stepped forward.
Seeing this, Beartic roared and charged, shaking the ice; it swung a massive fist, Ice Punch glowing.
Iron Valiant didn't dodge. He raised his blade into it—a Psycho Cut cleaving upward. The green strike split the icy power—and then the arm.
Beartic stopped. It looked down at itself, then toppled backward into unconsciousness.
Another one-hit KO.
"Efficient," Iron Valiant said, retracting his blade and returning to formation.
"That was too fast…" Gast muttered. "There's no fun in that kind of fight."
Another prompt chimed:
[Beartic Pokédex entry complete. +1 allocatable base stat point obtained!]
"Next," Jason said, patting Miraidon's neck. "Let's pick up the pace."
Miraidon broke into an easy lope; Iron Valiant and Gast kept pace.
Past the lake, they entered a sparse conifer grove.
"Chirp—"
A clear birdsong drifted from above. An Altaria perched on the highest branch, cottony wings fluffed as it watched the odd group below.
"That one, that one!" Gast pointed up. "Dragon/Flying! Jason, didn't Miraidon say it needed practice with Electric moves? Send it!"
Jason looked at Miraidon. "Feel like stretching a bit?"
A low, eager rumble answered. It didn't love fighting—but it hated being treated as just a ride even more.
Altaria felt its battle intent. It launched from the treetop, spitting a Dragon Pulse.
"It moved first!" Gast shouted.
Miraidon didn't even flinch. It tilted its head and fired a Charge Beam. Lightning and dragon power met midair and blew apart.
Altaria circled, readying another attack.
"Too slow," Jason said.
Electric light crackled around Miraidon; an Electric Terrain snapped on under its feet.
"Double Shock."
Miraidon vanished. A heartbeat later it was above Altaria; its electrified body crashed down on its back.
Altaria cried out, feathers scattering as it was driven toward the ground. Before it could recover, Miraidon hit again—another slam.
It couldn't stay aloft and crashed into the snow.
[Altaria Pokédex entry complete. +1 allocatable base stat point obtained!]
"Nice and fast," Jason nodded.
They kept going.
Just as they were about to leave Glaseado's boundary, one last powerful Pokémon blocked their path.
Baxcalibur.
One of Paldea's mightiest Ice-types—a pseudo-legendary. It stood squarely in their way, ice spikes on its back radiating cold.
It spotted them and let out a low warning growl.
"Well now." Jason pushed himself upright on Miraidon's head. "Big guy."
Gast and Iron Valiant both halted, eyes on the dragon.
"This one's mine," Jason said.
He hopped off Miraidon, his pink form bouncing twice in the snow.
Baxcalibur stared at the little pink blob and rumbled in confusion.
"Jason, you can still fight?" Gast asked.
"Of course."
He faced the dragon. Baxcalibur lost patience and spat a Dragon Breath.
Just as it was about to hit, Jason's body began to change—stretching, reshaping, recoloring.
A second later, a Roaring Moon stood where the Ditto had been, its own Dragon Breath crashing into the incoming blast.
Two dragon forces canceled out midair. The wild Baxcalibur froze in shock.