With Togepi and Mime Jr teaming up to save the day, their fatal fall is reduced to nothing more than an inconvenience. Of course, they still have to find a way out of the cave at some point, but it could be far worse. It could be another deserted island, after all.

"They're certainly dangerous, but they're also pretty useful. They let you change your Pokémon's type, so maybe they're not all bad." They spread like disease, spawned in messed up Pokémon for no other reason than to cause people misery, and they were obnoxious to work around. "They're like, a six on the Rex Approval Meter."

Anything that created more enemies for Rex to fight was a good thing.

As if acting on his intrusive thoughts, Rex cracked a piece off with his thumb and forefinger and let it sparkle in the night. A Fighting-type Tera Crystal? He made a silent note to give it to Gallade when the opportunity arose.

"Plus you can spice up your wardrobe with them." Rex compared a pink crystal to Keiko's hair. "Tera Crystal hairpins, maybe?"

---

keiko mori

As the minute clown led the way, Rex mused on her question for a bit.

"Depends. Occasionally you're a one. When you kicked my ass at that card game you like, for instance. More often, you're a ten. That's you normally, right. Sometimes you're an eleven when you take the hair pins out." He nodded in approval, clearly deep in thought. Keiko without the hair pins was best Keiko. "When you delivered that package to that poor fisherman and gave him a big smile..."

He winked, his face reflecting a million colors in the kaleidoscopes that Tera Crystals were formed from. Infinite alternate versions of Rex appeared in their facets, before disappearing into ephemeral mist.

"There, I'd say you were about a thousand." He looked away to inspect the cave, thoughtful. "If it's any consolation, Togepi is about ten thousand, so you have a loooooooong way to go. But I think one day, if you try really hard, you'll be able to beat Togepi."

'toge toge!'

---

keiko mori

He butted her shoulder like an over-friendly cat.

"Don't be so blue. I'm sure you can catch up if you really try. I've seen what you can do when you go all in on Yun-gi-oh. You're unstoppable when you want to be." Rex frowned, thoughtful. When that happened, it was clear that he was a million miles away in a place nobody else could reach. "It's scary, actually. I don't think anything can stop you when you decide to do something."

It was funny. He wondered if she'd describe him in the same way. Things that were impossible were just things that nobody had done yet. Impossible things didn't exist. People just hadn't tried hard enough to make them possible.

Then, she brought up Togepi. The small Pokémon looked up at Rex and cocked his head. Rex absentmindedly dangled his finger in front of the egg, letting him play with his trainer's hand.

"Of course. It'll be different, and I think it'll take Togepi a moment to adjust, but I want him to be happy. It's just... this was my neighbor's Pokémon. If Togepi evolves, he'll stop being hers and start being mine."

---

keiko mori

Keiko would always be her parents' little girl, but her parents were still around to utter that title. There was no more neighbor to call his own and to spend time with. There were no parents waiting for him back in Littleroot, just extended family. There was nobody else to enforce that bond.

There was only Althus Rex. His parents' surnames had been Rex, thus he used that name now. 'Althus' was his name, but Rex? That was his mother's name and his father's name. It was the only way to remain connected to ghosts buried in the past.

"I'd like to meet your parents someday. I gotta figure out what two people can make a Keiko. Unless you're secretly a homunculus. That'd be pretty cool, actually." He flushed slightly as she ruffled his hair. It had taken him forever to actually style it properly, but he didn't complain. "That would get you another ten points on the scale."

Time. Even after their chat about time, it felt like such a defective thing. He felt defective for not indulging in Dialga's domain, but he had no choice but to swim along with the current. Keiko tried to predict the stream of the current, but there was only so much that one could do.

"Are you as you should be, then?" He raised an eyebrow. "Do you feel like you've reached your zenith?"

---

keiko mori
BINGO: PAST

He was distracted by the Gliscor when she leaned in to kiss him. At first, his response was hesitant, though he leaned into it with much more enthusiasm as it extended into infinity. Unfortunately, this moebius strip had an ending, and they reached it when their lips parted.

"You're ridiculous. In a cave?" He muttered, oddly embarrassed despite the lack of audience, beyond the scant few Pokémon that bore witness to the deed. "That was bold of you. You always get more assertive in the middle of nowhere."

In response to the Dazzling Gleam, Rex's pupils dilated into slits, almost like a cat's. Lithe. Alert. Awake. Acutely aware of the woman standing next to him. His gaze flicked from crystal to crystal, gem to gem. A Tera Crystal glimmered like an emerald, but ultimately it was her who stole his attention.

"Next week, you'll be worth another ten points." She winked, and he quickly corrected himself. "Eleven. Maybe twelve, if I'm generous."

---

keiko mori
BINGO: EMERALD

He stared at her, awestruck. Mentioning badges made him want to keel over and die on the spot. If she had been serious, he would've likely started to sulk. Instead, he flushed red and punched her arm, realizing she was joking.

"You're messed up." He grumbled, before looking away and crossing his arms. "Watch! I'm gonna go back to town when this is over, get my gym badge from Tsubaki, and then sweep up the rest of the gyms in a few months. Trust me! I'll be worth six million Keiko points when this is all over!"

So competitive, for a man saying that ten Keikos equaled one Togepi. Nonetheless, it was fortunate that the courier's faith in him went unmentioned, lest he turn around and kiss her while muttering incomprehensibly. Yet luckily they were saved from that faith from the shelf of rock. Rex grabbed the new information and latched onto it like a shipwreck survivor latched onto driftwood.

"Alright, I'll give you a boost." Rex crouched down and offered both hands as a foothold. "Couriers need to climb mountains too, right? Think of it as practice for your next delivery."

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keiko mori
BINGO: SIX