Iono was holding up her Rotom phone, filming her segment; Nemona was stubbornly locked in yet another doomed arm-wrestling bout with Garchomp; Liko was patiently tending to each of the powerful Pokémon.
Cynthia's lips wore an auntie-warm smile the whole time. She savored the quiet while slowly hand-feeding the Ditto in her arms, who was happily munching from his rice bowl.
Everything felt so harmonious. So peaceful.
And then… singing drifted in.
At first it was faint and far away—like wind through a valley. Every note carried a strange, soothing magic. As you listened, your guard fell; your eyelids grew heavy; drowsiness crept in.
The first to be affected were the ones most wound up or most intensely focused.
"Haah!" Nemona had just sucked in a breath, pouring everything into her right arm; her face was beet red with effort. She was starting a new round against Garchomp. But the instant the song reached her ears, it was like a popped balloon—the tension just whooshed out. Sleep surged up her limbs into her head; her bright eyes turned glassy; her arm slowed before your eyes.
"No… I… I can't lose…" she slurred. "I… I'm going to be… Champion…"
Her words got slower, softer—until she held the pose, head tilting to the makeshift stone "table," and started to snore lightly.
Opposite her, Garchomp yawned, shook her head, and the haze blew away. Then she stared, wordlessly, at the battle maniac who could fall asleep mid-match. Again? Weak and playful…
Over by Iono, the vlog hit a snag too.
"Family… look at… this crystal flower… it's… it's so shiny…"
Lens trained on a prismatic blossom scattering rainbows, her patter turned gooey. Her tongue felt knotted and useless; double images crept into her view. The airy song stroked her nerves—frayed from long streaming—like a gentle hand.
"S-so… sleepy…" her voice melted. "Iono-sama… feels like… about to… can't… mm…"
"Jason… come nap…"
She let her back slide down a tree, eyes going glossy with sleep.
Liko, the least resistant of all, surrendered earliest. She'd just finished brushing Lucario's fur smooth. The song started, and she felt like she was small again—lying in her mother's arms under a lullaby. Sleep wrapped her up. She yawned; a tear beaded at her eye. Her little hands stopped doling out food. Leaning against a likewise drowsy Bellibolt, her head began to bob like a dozing kitten.
Only one person in the party stayed fully awake: Cynthia.
"A psychic-type move!"
By the third second she'd already pegged it. The lazy light in her gray eyes snapped crystal clear. She dropped her voice and warned the Ditto in her arms and the girls about to keel over. "Stay alert—don't drift!"
Jason, too, was unaffected. He poked a little head up from her arms. "Not quite," he murmured after listening closely. "Sis Cynthia—the song doesn't feel malicious. It's not aimed at us on purpose."
Even as Cynthia weighed that, a drowsy, muffled voice piped up beside them.
"?"
Liko, barely awake, rubbed her eyes and pointed at the top of a large crystal boulder. "Is… that… a Jigglypuff?"
They all looked where she pointed.
Atop the boulder sat a pink, round Pokémon—about nine-tenths a Jigglypuff by looks—but larger than usual. A heart-shaped curl on its forehead; a long devilish tail behind. Most striking: beneath its closed eyes, two tiny sharp fangs peeked out.
Eyes shut, a bone "microphone" clutched from who-knows-where, it was singing its heart out to the empty valley. The sleep-steeped song was coming from that mouth.
The instant they saw it, the girls' reactions were wildly different—and perfectly in character.
"So cute!!"
Liko and Iono fell first, almost in unison, squealing with delight. Whatever drowsiness the song had stirred in their eyes vanished; starlight of pure "I want to squish it" took over.
Iono even forgot she was doing a survival vlog. She reflexively punched in for a massive close-up on the pink puffball belting away. "Family! Family! Look—this is too cute! I want to kiss!"
"Woooah…" Nemona was transfixed, though alongside awe her gaze lit with hunter's thrill. "That form… that aura… Ancient species—has to be an ancient Pokémon!"
"But it doesn't feel aggressive?" She cocked her head, puzzled. Her battle sense told her it held massive energy—yet that power was strangely placid, with no intent to harm.
Cynthia propped her chin on one hand, studying every detail without blinking. "The body does resemble a Jigglypuff we know—but the energy it emits is entirely different."
"If I'm not mistaken," she murmured, "this should be the Paradox Pokémon your Paldea League records as Scream Tail. Astonishing creature."
Just as the group's attention was completely captured, a metallic swish split the air overhead. A red-and-white metal form dropped and thunked down beside the singing Scream Tail—a Delibird look-alike, but wholly metallic. A precise little robot. No eyes on its head—just a single circular red sensor pulsing like an electronic eye.
Iron Bundle.
An ancient and a future—two Paradox Pokémon from different "eras," together out of nowhere. They held their breath. Nemona stepped forward in excitement; Pawmot crackled with charge, ready to go.
Everyone expected the next second to explode into a fight.
Instead, what came was more outrageous: a duet.
Iron Bundle showed zero hostility. It carefully set down the spherical device it had been hugging, and began tapping it—laying down a beat. Scream Tail's song shifted, locking perfectly onto the rhythm.
A new "sleep banger" was born.
This time, it wasn't just drowsiness. The mashup of two extremes was like an invisible hand plucking their neurons—jerking their brains back and forth between "I want to sleep" and "I want to hype."
Even Cynthia and Jason felt the temples throb when the upgraded earworm hit. Nemona, Iono, and Liko lost all resistance—lids heavy as lead, bodies swaying helplessly.
And just as they were about to drop the whole party—
ROAR.
Garchomp had had enough.
To her, the "song" was noise. Her bellow slammed into the clearing like a shockwave; the bewitching music staggered and stumbled. Iron Bundle fumbled; its ball rolled away. Scream Tail's lilting line caught in its throat.
Jolted out of the stupor, they blinked and shook their heads.
The two Paradox "musicians," concert cut short, turned slowly. Scream Tail's always-closed cute eyes snapped open—flames of offended joy blazing; its little fangs bared. Iron Bundle's gentle red sensor flared to a harsh deep crimson.
They fixed the source of the interruption in unison: Garchomp.
Garchomp's response was… eerily calm. She rose from her "bed," unhurried but oppressive, and looked at Scream Tail and Iron Bundle. Just a glance.
Under that gaze, the two felt a pressure like mountain and abyss rolled together. Strong as they were by Zero standards, they'd never faced this kind of battle-scarred terror.
The standoff flipped 360 degrees in a heartbeat. Scream Tail's scowl melted—the tiny fangs tucked away; rage-bright eyes turned clear and innocent. Iron Bundle's sensor blinked fast, swapping back to soft blue.
"D-don't come over!"
"We were just singing for fun! No harm meant!"
The two, fierce a moment ago, deflated under absolute power.
Jason couldn't help a laugh. He hopped from Liko's arms onto Garchomp's back, just as she was about to stride over and "educate" the rude duo. He patted her armor.
"Alright, alright," he soothed. "Scaring them is enough. No need to actually throw hands."
Garchomp's steps paused. She glanced back at her Trainer. Cynthia met her eyes, helpless smile, and gave the tiniest nod. Permission granted, Garchomp halted and snorted a warning at the pair—who were now almost clinging to each other in fright.
~~~
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