1. Ash's Story (Part 11: Paldea,Kitakami,Unova)

Chapter 82

As we head back to the Terrarium Entrance, we're taken aback when we spot Perrin, the same woman who helped us find the Blood-Moon Ursaluna. Perrin notices us and gasps, "Hey, wait a minute - don't I know you from somewhere? That's right! My old partners! How are you, partners - I mean, Ash, Serena, and Alice?"

I respond, somewhat surprised, "It's surprising to see you here, Perrin."

"That's right! Good ol' Perrin is still kicking around! You're doing well yourself, eh? I sure appreciated all the help you gave me back in Kitakami, tracking down the Bloodmoon Beast. I never thought I'd bump into you like this. How about I teach you a new pose to celebrate!"

Perrin proceeds to teach us the 'Looking Good!' emote for our poses. Lillie chimes in, looking slightly puzzled, "Sorry, but are we missing something?"

After introducing her, we introduce Perrin to the others. Perrin then says, "So you're here as some sort of exchange student, huh? Nice! What a coincidence - I just started working here! As a photographer, of course!"

"That's amazing," Serena exclaims, her eyes filled with admiration.

"Heh heh! Yeah, it pretty much is, right?" Perrin grins. "Though I'm still sort of waiting to hear if the school likes my work, to be fair. They say they want snapshots of the Terrarium and the students and all for upcoming marketing stuff, so...how about some photos of you?"

We agree to let Perrin take some photos, and she seems genuinely excited. "Ah! Speaking of photos, I've got a hot tip I could let you in on! But if I told you, I bet you'd just go running right off... How about this: I'll snap some candid shots of you catching tons of Pokémon in the Terrarium. Don't worry - you won't even notice I'm nearby! If I make enough headway in my work by the time you register, say...200 Pokémon in the Blueberry Pokédex, I'll share that hot tip!"

I share the current status of our Pokédex, showing her the impressive count of 235 Pokémon we've already registered. "Perrin, sorry to say this, but we already have 235 Pokémon already," I say, somewhat proud of our accomplishments.

"Well, look at you, putting in all that effort! I like to see that in a kid," Perrin chuckles. "You probably know more about the Pokémon in the Terrarium than I do - and I got here first! I guess you've earned yourself that hot tip! Take a look at these photos, would you?"

Perrin eagerly presents six photos, and Drandon is the first to make a connection, exclaiming, "Hey... those colors seem to match Raikou, Entei, and Suicune..."

Lucine chimes in, her curiosity piqued, "And those three match the Swords of Justice. But where are those places?"

I scrutinize the images for a moment before realization dawns on me. "Wait... that's Area Zero... I know that because we've been there before."

Perrin leans in, her excitement palpable. "See those strange Pokémon?" she asks. "For those pictures, they are called Raging Bolt, Gouging Fire, and Walking Wake, and the other three are Iron Crown, Iron Boulder, and Iron Leaves. Totally unknown Pokémon in totally unknown places! If they're real, it'd be a huge deal!"

Alice gasps in astonishment, connecting the dots, "Wait, those naming..."

Serena finishes her sentence, her voice filled with anticipation, "Are you saying that they are Paradox Pokémon?"

Perrin nods with a hint of excitement as she responds, "You know how it is these days, right? These photos could totally be fakes. But if you want to know for sure, maybe you could go try to search these Pokémon out! I can show you the photos again anytime you like. Just give me a shout. And find me something good! I've got faith in your survey skills!"