Five minutes later, Kairos reached the edge of the volcano.
Last time, Gouging Fire hadn't given him the chance for a good look. This time, from a safer distance, he could finally take it all in.
Gouging Fire's massive body looked like it had been carved from solidified magma and burning rock. Its dark red mane rippled in the heat waves like eternal flames. Its golden eyes blazed like twin suns, radiating an authority that seemed to pierce straight through him.
The creature had already sensed his arrival. That majestic gaze cut through the shimmering air, locking directly onto Kairos.
A flicker of surprise crossed those golden eyes, then recognition.
Gouging Fire remembered him. The human from the outer ring not long ago, the one who carried that strange aura.
Standing before a Legendary Pokémon, Kairos felt terrifying pressure bearing down on him. The weight of something far beyond human existence pressed against his chest.
But this wasn't his first time facing such power. He was getting used to it.
His enhanced physique meant that even in this intense heat, his skin didn't burn.
He didn't back down. Taking a deep breath of scorching air, he stepped forward and reached for that unique power inside himself.
Mythical Resonance.
This time, he wasn't just letting it happen passively.
After his experience with the plate fragment earlier, Kairos had gained some actual control over this ability. It lived deep in his soul and let him communicate with Legendary beings.
He concentrated hard. A moment later, a gentle intention rippled outward with a unique spiritual frequency. It spread like waves across water toward Gouging Fire on its lava platform.
Buzz...
The invisible pulse touched Gouging Fire's mind.
Those golden pupils flickered with unmistakable surprise and intense curiosity.
The crushing pressure around Kairos pulled back like a receding tide.
He could still feel it, but Gouging Fire had clearly decided to reduce its intensity.
A good start.
Kairos didn't waste any time. He immediately pulled out what he'd prepared.
First, several high-quality Fire Stones. They radiated rich Fire-type energy in the volcanic heat. Red light pulsed across their surfaces.
Gouging Fire's gaze lingered on the stones for a moment. The creature sniffed the air, looking mildly interested but not particularly impressed.
That much Fire-type energy probably didn't mean much to it. This made sense. As a Fire-type Legendary Pokémon, it needed more powerful resources. A few Fire Stones weren't going to impress it.
Kairos had expected as much.
He pulled out the stone he'd gotten from the black market.
The moment that deep brown crystal appeared, thick Ground-type energy poured out. It created an odd harmony with the volcanic energy around them.
Gouging Fire's golden eyes lit up instantly.
Its massive head leaned forward. A low rumble rolled from its throat.
Compared to those Fire Stones, this gift clearly made a stronger impression.
When Kairos had left the black market, he'd checked the ore with his system. It was rated A+.
Technically speaking, for a Legendary Pokémon like Gouging Fire, A+ wasn't exactly low-tier. It shouldn't have gotten this kind of reaction.
Kairos quickly understood. Surface world resources must be scarce. That would explain Gouging Fire's strong response.
Kairos tossed the ore over. Gouging Fire opened its mouth. An invisible force pulled the pure energy from the stone in golden threads that merged into its jaws.
As the energy was absorbed, the dark red mane across Gouging Fire's body seemed to come alive. The flames burned brighter and more stable. The aura radiating from the creature grew more solid.
Finally, Kairos pulled out Ho-Oh's feather.
The feather had already been used once and needed recharging. But the vitality and rainbow light it gave off hadn't dimmed at all.
Against the volcanic backdrop, it almost looked out of place.
Naturally, Gouging Fire had the strongest reaction to this.
Its massive body trembled. Those golden eyes locked onto the feather with intense focus.
The creature let out a roar filled with complex emotions.
It sounded like longing. And maybe a hint of curiosity.
Gouging Fire itself probably didn't fully understand what it was feeling. But Kairos knew exactly what was happening.
Gouging Fire was the ancient form of Entei. It still carried a connection to Ho-Oh, the being that had created it and given it purpose. That bond was burned into its very soul, persisting even across time itself.
The aura of Ho-Oh on the Rainbow Wing brought it an unprecedented sense of comfort. An inexplicable feeling of kinship.
This gift was the most powerful one. It proved his connection to Ho-Oh.
Though, technically speaking, Kairos didn't actually have any connection to Ho-Oh.
But he had the feather, so why not use it to make an impression?
The three gifts worked perfectly. The ore and the Rainbow Wing especially dissolved whatever wariness Gouging Fire had left.
The way it looked at Kairos had shifted. Before, the creature had shown scrutiny and curiosity. Now it showed acceptance and a willingness to communicate as equals.
Gouging Fire let out a low rumble. It shifted its massive body slightly and used its head to gesture toward another large rock nearby. The creature seemed to be inviting Kairos to come closer.
Kairos's heart skipped a beat. This was the moment of truth.
He put the feather away and walked to the edge of the scorching rock. Chandelure floated quietly beside him. Its ghostly red flames blocked most of the heat from the lava.
In truth, Kairos's enhanced body could handle these temperatures without Chandelure's help.
He focused his mind, fully activating Mythical Resonance while trying to send clear intentions to Gouging Fire.
"Hello?"
"Roar~"
Gouging Fire nodded, returning the greeting.
"I'm Kairos. Good to meet you. I came to find you because I've got some questions. Do you know where those Pokémon that are made entirely of metal come from?"
Kairos sent the intention again.
Gouging Fire clearly understood his somewhat clumsy description.
The next moment, its massive head lifted slightly. Fury blazed in those golden eyes.
A raw wave of disgust slammed into Kairos's mind through the Mythical Resonance connection. It hit like a shockwave, leaving him reeling for several seconds.
Then fragmented images appeared before his eyes. They came accompanied by Gouging Fire's low, angry roars.
First came a twisted, cold, barren world. Nothing lived on that earth. Nothing natural existed at all. Only groups of Paradox Pokémon roaming the wasteland.
Then a rift tore open in the sky. Endless Paradox Pokémon, as if drawn by some invisible force, began flying toward it.
Looking at that familiar rift, Kairos's stomach dropped. Wasn't that the same rift that had appeared in the banquet hall? It looked exactly the same.
So his suspicions were right. They didn't originally belong to this world. They'd come through rifts like that one.
But where did the rifts come from? What was the deal with that barren world where these Paradox Pokémon lived? Those answers remained unclear.
Still, since these images came directly from Gouging Fire's memories, it might know more.
Just as Kairos was about to ask, an intention pushed directly into his mind. It helped him understand.
These Paradox Pokémon didn't belong to any world. From the moment of their creation, they'd had only one purpose.
Destruction.
Destroy all natural energy nodes. Drain the world's vitality. Cover everything in metal.
It sounded like some kind of invasive species. They attacked whatever world they found, then transformed it into something suitable for their own survival.
As for the ancient Paradox Pokémon, including Gouging Fire itself, they weren't natives of this world either.
But unlike the ancient Paradox Pokémon, they'd been forcibly thrown into this world from their distant homeworld. Some mysterious, powerful force had done this.
However, unlike the Paradox Pokémon, the ancient Paradox Pokémon hadn't come to invade. On the contrary, they'd integrated into this world.
Kairos saw flashes of images. ancient Paradox Pokémon fighting over territory, resources, or mates. Others transforming their surroundings to help their groups thrive.
After learning about the origins of both the Paradox Pokémon and the ancient Paradox Pokémon, Kairos wanted to ask Gouging Fire what its attitude toward humans was.
But he quickly realized the Mythical Resonance ability was working even better than he'd thought. Before he could even frame the question, Gouging Fire seemed to already understand what he meant.
They didn't have the instinctive hostility toward humans that the Paradox Pokémon did.
Gouging Fire made it clear. As long as humans didn't actively destroy the natural environment they depended on and didn't attack them first, they were even willing to coexist with humans who could understand nature and respect them.
And not just humans. Pokémon too. In the world where the ancient Paradox Pokémon originally came from, humans and other Pokémon had existed alongside them.
As for why Gouging Fire felt such fury and disgust toward the Paradox Pokémon? That was obvious.
Whenever those things showed up, they launched attacks on everything around them that wasn't one of their own. They tried to turn everything into a mechanical hellscape. Hard to like creatures like that.
Once Kairos understood Gouging Fire and the ancient Paradox Pokémon' stance, he felt a wave of relief. As the leader among the ancient Paradox Pokémon' Legendary Pokémon, Gouging Fire's position basically represented the entire group's attitude.
So he started asking other questions. Like when it had arrived in this world and whether it had personally witnessed the destruction of the surface.
Gouging Fire's answer was straightforward. The creature hadn't witnessed those events directly. But it could sense the history of this land.
The disaster Kairos asked about had deeper roots. It wasn't simply humans causing problems on their own.
The deeper cause was the arrival of the Paradox Pokémon.
Before humans even realized what was happening, the Paradox Pokémon had already quietly infiltrated.
The energy they spread and their destruction of nature acted like a catalyst. It massively accelerated the ecological collapse.
Human overdevelopment lit the fuse. Meanwhile, the Paradox Pokémon's invasion and destruction worked in the shadows. The two forces intertwined, leading to the final outcome. They forced humanity underground.
Not long after that, Gouging Fire had arrived with the ancient Paradox Pokémon. It led them to drive back many of the Paradox Pokémon on the surface.
They prevented the creatures from completely transforming the world, which was why things were the way they were now.
Unfortunately, for reasons unknown, the Paradox Pokémon seemed endless. No matter how many times they were defeated, they'd come back. There was no way to completely eliminate their influence on the surface world.
And this whole situation had been giving Gouging Fire a serious problem lately.
Having shared this information, Gouging Fire's massive golden eyes settled on Kairos. The fury had faded, replaced by something that looked almost like hope.
Through their communication via Mythical Resonance, it had gained a new understanding of Kairos. This human wasn't just someone who happened to have some nice gifts.
He possessed a special ability that could link their minds.
Plus, it sensed he carried an item containing tremendous life energy.
And most importantly, deep in Kairos's heart, it sensed that he genuinely wanted to fix the surface world's problems.
Gouging Fire let out a low rumble. The next moment, a clear and solemn promise appeared in Kairos's mind through the Mythical Resonance connection.
If Kairos could solve the root cause of the Paradox Pokémon's rampage, if he could stabilize those rifts tearing through space-time, if he could completely restore this land's vitality—perhaps it was the power of the World Seed that made Gouging Fire see this possibility—
Then it, and the ancient Paradox Pokémon it represented, wouldn't just accept humans returning to this land. They'd even help these humans rebuild their homes.
And then stand on the same front line with humanity to make the entire world better.
Actually, Gouging Fire had already known about the humans living in the underground world.
But those humans hadn't seemed very reliable. And communicating with them was nearly impossible.
The person standing before it right now was the only one it could actually talk to. The only one showing this kind of potential.
That's why Gouging Fire was making this promise.
Through the Mythical Resonance connection, Kairos could clearly sense Gouging Fire's thoughts. Without it, the rapid developments would've caught him completely off guard.
At this point, no more words were necessary. Kairos nodded firmly.
"I promise you. Let's do this."
"So... how about you come back with me first?"
۞۞۞۞
~ Push the story forward with your Power Stones