The descent took less time than the climb, but neither Cyrus nor Kina spoke much. Their boots snapped twigs and skidded on loose shale, the valley growing wider and calmer the farther they got from where Titan Goodra slept… or sulked… or seethed. Ditto rode on Cyrus's shoulder in its usual glob-perch, amber eyes half-lidded but tracking every sound. Occasionally it gave a soft "bwep" whenever the ground trembled — the same delayed aftershocks from Goodra shifting under the mountain.
Kina kept scanning the tree line, Araquanid gliding just behind her like a silent orb-weaver sentinel. Mudsdale followed heavily, occasionally snorting steam. Leafeon and Toucannon flitted in and out of the brush, alert but not panicked. They all felt the same thing: the forest wasn't right yet.
But they did have the data.
Once they reached the lower path, Cyrus tapped the storage case slung over his shoulder — the one containing the fragments, scans, and surface readings from Titan Goodra's shell. "Mom and Dad should be able to model the fracture lines with this," he said. "If they can get molecular density and residue sequencing, they'll know how to tailor the binder."
Kina nodded. "And maybe figure out what smashed it in the first place."
Ditto wobbled an anxious "bworp," which Cyrus pretended not to hear.
The inn finally came into view — warm windows, woodsmoke drifting up, and the dinner hall bustling now that evening was settling in. The contrast with the eerie quiet of the mountain almost made the building feel like it was clinging to safety by its shingles.
Inside, Cyrus immediately beelined for a corner table and unpacked the scanner-console. Gengar phased halfway out of the floor beside him, stretching like a cat and floating up with a yawn. Ursaluna Bloodmoon's Poké Ball sat beside the device, still faintly pulsing from its ongoing healing process.
Kina slid into the seat across from him, folding her arms. "Alright. Send the data. Your parents need every scrap."
Cyrus nodded, initiated the encrypted uplink, and watched the packets begin transferring. The hologram ring blinked with the King Company sigil.
A second later, his mom picked up.
Her face appeared — tired but razor-focused. "Cyrus. Kina. We've got the telemetry. The crack pattern is… unusual."
"Unusual how?" Cyrus asked.
"Directional force with no thermal signature. No pressure shock either," she said. "It looks like something punched the shell cleanly — and then twisted."
Kina frowned. "Who does that to a Titan Goodra? And lives?"
His father's voice chimed in from off-screen: "We're running simulations. But listen — we may have something. A prototype binder lattice meant for fractured Ultra Beast armor. It's experimental, but… well… Goodra's composition isn't that different on the structural level. We can adapt it."
Cyrus exhaled in relief, then shot Kina a look — hopeful, but still wary.
His mom continued, "We'll need six to eight hours to finish the formulas. It should be ready by morning."
Cyrus thanked them and ended the call.
Kina leaned back, rubbing her forehead. "Okay. So we wait."
"Until morning," Cyrus confirmed. "We're not climbing again at night."
Gengar snickered. Ditto bobbed approvingly.
They packed up and stepped outside for air — the inn's porch creaking under their weight. The night was cool, stars peeking through gaps in the clouds, and for a moment everything felt still.
Then the stillness broke.
From the treeline to their left — low, playful, lilting — a giggle floated through the dark.
A giggle that did not belong to any human.
Or any Pokémon that should be here.
Kina went rigid, hand flying to Leafeon's ball. "Did you hear—"
Another giggle. Closer.
Followed by the faint jingle of rings clinking together.
Ditto shuddered, scooting behind Cyrus's neck.
Cyrus swallowed. "That wasn't Goodra…"
Kina whispered, "…that wasn't anything that lives on this mountain."
The shadows shifted.
The laughter faded.
And just as quickly as it arrived — the presence vanished, like something slipping back between worlds.
Cyrus and Kina exchanged a look that said everything:
Whatever broke Goodra's shell…
is still there.
And tomorrow, when the binder is ready,
they'll have to go right back up that mountain
straight into whatever laughed at them and a massive Titan Goodra.