Ekko sat down beside Heimerdinger and held out his hand. Heimerdinger hurriedly passed the hoverboard to the boy in front of him.
"Did you make this?" Heimerdinger asked, curiosity written all over his face as he watched Ekko pick the board up and confidently smack it a couple of times like he already knew it inside out.
Heimerdinger was standing, but he was about the same height as Ekko sitting down.
Big eyes. Fluffy face. Weirdly adorable.
Even though Heimerdinger looked like a tiny old man, among yordles his age actually wasn't that old. The reason he looked like this was because of a yordle's strange adaptive nature.
Every yordle blends into their surroundings, shifting into an "appearance" that the environment finds likable and welcoming.
So that big-headed "little old man" look? It actually made him younger than purple-skinned garlic Poppy, classic Poppy, and scout Poppy.
A big part of why he ended up like this was because Piltover respected "scholars" and "wisdom."
Hearing Heimerdinger's question, Ekko gave him a quick look, then said, "Listen. Zaunites aren't like you Pilties. We don't care about user experience at all. When we build something, that whole 'smooth transition from A to B' thing? That's not our problem."
"So we ditch A right away and go straight to B—start from practicality, and throw out looks, convenience, portability, all of it."
As he spoke, Ekko pulled a screwdriver from behind him and clenched it between his teeth, dropping his head to start working on the hoverboard.
Heimerdinger watched Ekko's hands move, and the longer he watched, the more captivated he became. Admiration filled his eyes.
"You're a genius," Heimerdinger said.
"Yeah?" Ekko thought for a second, then answered casually, "Well, there's someone in Zaun even more of a genius than me."
Of course, the person Ekko meant was Jinx. When it came to hands-on building, Jinx was even better than Ekko—just look at the weapons she'd made.
But Ekko was also being modest. Because maybe he couldn't match Jinx in weapons development, but when it came to pushing boundaries—breaking new ground—Ekko outclassed her by quite a bit.
Of course, if you wanted to talk about pure creativity, that was a different story.
Jinx built things purely based on what she liked. She never considered the user—only whether she personally enjoyed it. And because of that, when it came to creativity, Jinx could always produce the weirdest, most unexpected stuff.
Heimerdinger didn't believe him. "You're already almost on par with my two students. And there's someone even better than you? That's impossible. Are you saying this person is more talented than Jayce and Viktor?"
Heimerdinger didn't buy it.
At the name Jayce, Ekko's eyes shifted slightly. He kept repairing the board as he spoke. "What does it matter whether you believe it?"
"By the way," Ekko added, "I'm curious. Someone as important as you—how did you end up in Zaun?"
Heimerdinger froze, twisting his hands together in front of his chest, voice small. "I… I got kicked out."
"Who could kick you out?" Ekko frowned. "The Father of Piltover, the creator of Piltover Academy, the witness to this city-state—someone like you gets kicked out? Who has that kind of authority?"
Heimerdinger hesitated. "I made a mistake."
"I get it," Ekko said with a grin. "Another Councilor nominated it, then they voted and removed you, right?"
He passed the repaired hoverboard back to the masked kid beside him, patted his own thigh, stood up, and looked at Heimerdinger.
"Want to come with me?"
"Where?" Heimerdinger asked.
"To meet that genius I mentioned," Ekko said. "She's the most brilliant genius in Zaun."
Heimerdinger had been feeling a little down after what Ekko said earlier, but the moment he heard there was a genius to meet, he nodded immediately.
He loved science.
And he loved talent even more.
Spirit Blossom Gang.
Heimerdinger followed behind Ekko, small and fluffy and impossible to miss.
Just like every Piltovan knew who Heimerdinger was, every Zaunite knew him too.
This was a figure who'd existed since Piltover was founded—a Councilor for centuries, a status higher than anyone in history. "Father of Piltover" wasn't a title you could just slap on somebody.
So Spirit Blossom Gang members stared at the fluffy little figure trailing behind Ekko.
"Why is he here?"
"He's a Piltie—he's even a Councilor. Are we kicking him out?"
"Professor Heimerdinger isn't like other Pilties. He's a pure scholar. We should respect him."
"Enough yapping. Ekko brought him here, so he's obviously introducing him to the boss. We'll see what the boss says."
"Yeah. Listen to the boss."
They murmured among themselves as Heimerdinger followed Ekko into the largest room in the base.
"This place…" Heimerdinger began.
"Yeah," Ekko said, glancing down at him. "That first Piltover defeat? That was because of us. I'm Spirit Blossom Gang too."
Then Ekko tilted his head. "What—are you scared to keep walking with me now?"
"No," Heimerdinger said quickly, shaking his head. "I've already been expelled from the Council. And I want to see just how incredible this genius of yours really is!"
Then, following Ekko, Heimerdinger finally saw the genius Ekko was talking about.
A blue-haired girl.
It was the first time Heimerdinger had ever seen a human woman with hair that long. Two blue braids hung so far down that when she stood, they nearly brushed the ground, swaying beside gray-black leather boots.
She wore brown work overalls, and under the straps was a short black top. Her arms—pale enough to glow—were bare, thick straps resting on her narrow shoulders. You could see part of her profile too, a pair of wind goggles on her face, as she spoke to a little girl nearby.
A speaker sat on the table beside them, blasting metal music so hard it felt like it was pounding the room itself.
In that deafening noise, the big one and the little one were still working on something.
"Jinx," Ekko called out.
But the music was so loud his voice didn't reach her.
"Jinx!" Ekko raised his voice.
Heimerdinger frowned at the noise—too loud. He preferred refined music, not this… chaos. But he wasn't about to comment. Everyone liked different things. Taste wasn't fixed.
Still… someone like this really was a genius?
"JINX!!!"
"Huh? Who's calling me?" Jinx whipped around. Her small face was hidden almost completely behind oversized goggles.
Her face really was tiny. Heimerdinger couldn't help noticing his own face felt like it could fit three or four of hers—and that was hard not to be a little stunned by, considering he wasn't even half her height.
Ekko took a deep breath, looking at Jinx's blank expression. "It's me. Ekko."
"Oh~ shortstuff." Jinx pulled her goggles off, leaned back with one hand braced on the table, legs stretched out and crossed, goggles dangling from her other hand. She looked at Ekko like a smug little delinquent and whistled. "What do you want? Hey, we're not that close, you know. Or what—are we friends again now?"
Her expression was animated, her voice playful with a rough edge as she spoke like it was obvious. "Nope. Not happening. You still haven't apologized to me."
"…." Ekko felt like he was about to pass out.
Me—apologize to you?
If it weren't for Logan… if it weren't for the fact Zaun really was getting better… if it weren't for the fact that you really have been changing—
A lot of Firelights died by your hand.
I should be grateful I'm not hunting you down.
Irritation flared in Ekko's chest. He really couldn't get along with Jinx. Even if… she really was changing.
"It's me," Heimerdinger stepped forward, putting on a Topside posture. "I'm the one looking for you."
"Whoa!" Jinx's eyes lit up instantly, mouth falling open as she stared at him. "A talking plush doll?!"
She pointed at Heimerdinger and asked Ekko, "Did you make this thing?"
Heimerdinger: "???"
Ekko: "…"
"You don't know who he is?" Ekko's mouth twitched.
"Kinda familiar," Jinx said, pressing a fist to her chin and thinking. "Feels like I've seen him somewhere? Huh… where was it…?"
Then she shook her head. "Whatever. Who cares. So—why are you looking for me?"
"I just met Ekko," Heimerdinger said. "Ekko is a genius. The hoverboard he made shocked me."
"Uh-huh. And?"
"He said Zaun has someone even more brilliant than him."
"And?" Jinx blinked. "What does that have to do with me?"
Heimerdinger walked closer, looked up at her, and said clearly, "That person is you. Your name is Jinx, yes? You're the most brilliant genius in Zaun?"
The instant Jinx heard that, she bent down and lunged forward, hugging Heimerdinger and lifting him right off the ground. She buried her face against his huge fluffy head and shouted happily, "Yes, yes, yes! That's me!"
"Logan said I'm the best in Zaun too!"
"Fluffy, you talk so nice!"