The moment Cyrus, Kina, and their Pokémon emerged from the Titan Goodra's den, the thick forest air felt weirdly still… until the giggling started.
"Heehee… Hooooopa sees you…"
Kina muttered, "Nope. Absolutely not. That is the sound of a problem."
A shimmer rippled. Rings chimed. And Hoopa popped into existence like a child photobombing a family picture.
Big grin.Wide gold eyes.Chaotic energy radiating like static.
"You fixed gooey-big-one! You're so slooow though! Hoopa got bored!"
Ditto shrank down, trembling, practically wearing Cyrus's shoulder like a scarf.
Cyrus stepped forward, jaw tight."Hoopa. You hurt it."
Hoopa blinked dramatically."Hoopa didn't hurt it! Hoopa helped! Hoopa woke it up!"It twirled midair. "Sleeping big Pokémon are boring. BIG Pokémon should play!"
Kina crossed her arms, voice sharp."You CRACKED its shell. The 'elder shell.' That's part of its body. That's like—ripping someone's leg brace off because you feel like it."
Hoopa floated sideways until it was face-to-face with her, upside down."You mad?"
"Yes," she snapped.
Hoopa giggled like that was the funniest possible reaction.
"Hoopa liiiikes when people get mad! Means they care! Means they're fun!"
Cyrus stepped beside her, tone dropping low and firm—not angry, but deliberate.
"Goodra wasn't playing. It was panicking. That spiral of destruction? That wasn't excitement. It was pain."
Hoopa's rings slowed.Just a little.
"Pain…?"
Kina nodded. "Yes. Pain. Real pain. You scared it. And you scared everything else on this mountain too."
Hoopa's grin faltered for half a second—no more than a flicker—but it was enough to show that on some level, he understood the word.
Then he puffed up like a toddler refusing responsibility.
"Hoopa didn't mean pain. Hoopa meant fun! Big-big fun! Everyone run! Everyone shout! Exciting!"
"That's not excitement," Cyrus said. "That's chaos. And danger."
Gengar drifted forward, eyes glowing with a slow, warning pulse.Even he wasn't amused.
Hoopa floated back a few inches, pointing accusingly.
"You're no fun! All of you! Boring humans! Boring ghosty!"
Cyrus didn't flinch."Fun doesn't come from hurting other Pokémon."
Hoopa's fingers curled inward. It swayed in the air, eyes darting left-right like it was thinking harder than it liked to.
"Hoopa just wanted big-one to wake up… Hoopa wanted… company."
The voice wobbled.And for the first time, Kina and Cyrus exchanged a look that wasn't anger—it was realization.
Lonely.Hoopa was lonely.
Kina softened her tone, just slightly."Then say that. Tell someone you want company. Don't… smash a Titan awake."
Hoopa's expression twisted—confusion battling stubbornness.
"Hoopa doesn't ask. Hoopa just does! Asking is slow."
Cyrus shook his head."And hurting others is faster? That's unacceptable."
Hoopa's rings flared, rippling with a frustrated hum."Stop! Stop! Stop! You're ruining everything! You're making Hoopa feel—funny!"
Gengar floated closer, whispering something dark and growly.Hoopa recoiled, sticking its tongue out.
"Bleh! Ghosty mean! Hoopa not bad! Hoopa not evil! Hoopa just wants…"
Its voice dropped to a whisper."…something to do."
Kina crouched a little to meet its eye-level.
"Then you need to fix what you caused."
Hoopa froze.A long moment of silence stretched.
Then—
"Hoopa doesn't fix things."A pause."…Hoopa breaks things."
Cyrus: "Not anymore."
Hoopa's eyes narrowed—challenged, intrigued.
"You're ordering Hoopa?"
"No," Cyrus said quietly. "I'm telling you that you can be better than what you just did."
The forest held its breath.
Hoopa glared.Scrunched its nose.And hissed:
"You're annoying… both of you."
But he didn't leave.
Instead, Hoopa floated up to the treeline, sulking, spinning one ring slowly between his hands like a kid dragging his foot after being put in time-out.
"Fine. Hoopa stays. Hoopa watches. Hoopa… thinks."
That, honestly, was the scariest sentence Cyrus had ever heard.
Kina whispered, "He's staying?"
"Apparently."
Ditto groaned.
Hoopa peeked back at them with a tiny grin.Not malicious.Just… messy.
"Heehee. Don't worry. Hoopa won't be bad. Not right now. Maybe later."
Cyrus sighed."Kina… we're in trouble."
Kina nodded."Oh yeah. Big trouble."