Ren, his face hidden by a cloak, wandered near the Piltover airship port. He was hoping that today was, in fact, Progress Day from the stories, and that he might run into the person he so desperately wanted to find.
Not long after arriving in Piltover, the group had split up.
Twisted Fate took Fizz on a tour of the city, keeping an eye out for any houses for sale that could serve as their base of operations.
Graves headed down to the mid-level plaza in Zaun to gather intelligence on the local gangs and Chem-Barons, also scouting for a potential headquarters.
Boom! A plume of thick smoke in the distance caught Ren's eye.
On the deck of one of Silco's Shimmer-smuggling airships, the Firelights steadied themselves against nearby barrels, exchanging confused glances.
Clang—creak…
A hidden door on the deck creaked open, drawing their attention. A pale purple mist billowed out.
The faint sound of footsteps, mingled with the clinking of metal rings, slowly approached. A figure emerged from the smoke, gradually coming into focus.
A splash of blue entered their vision. Peeking her head out like a curious cat, a blue-haired girl appeared before the Firelights, her two long braids stretching nearly to her ankles.³
Stepping fully out of the smoke, the girl crossed her arms and lazily blew a strand of hair from her right eye. "Hi~"
Before anyone could react, her expression shifted. She produced two grenades, used her teeth to pull the pins, and flung them into the group.
Two Firelights were struck in the head, the impact knocking them back against the ship's railing and sending them tumbling overboard. A moment later, the grenades detonated in a cloud of pink mist.
The last remaining Firelight directly in front of her snapped to his senses and hurled two yellow 'grenades' at her, which she dodged with ease.
The yellow devices didn't explode when they flew past her. Instead, upon impact with a surface, they rapidly solidified into a lattice of yellow energy.
The girl returned fire with her pistol. Suddenly, she seemed to sense something, spotting an enemy with a spear leaping at her from the side.
She twisted her body slightly, dodging the spear as it stabbed down, and fired a shot straight at her attacker's head. Incredibly, he managed to dodge it at the last second.
Without missing a beat, she kicked him away. Using the spear now embedded in the deck as a springboard, she returned the favor with a great leap of her own, landing with both feet planted squarely on his head.
Ignoring the motionless body on the ground, she strode toward two other Firelights who had taken the opportunity to start pouring gasoline. Just as one of them raised a torch to ignite the Shimmer, she shot her right hand out, grabbing his arm in an iron grip.
With her left hand, she leveled her pistol and delivered a heavy backhand slap to his head, sending his mask flying.
But as the mask fell away to reveal a girl with short, red hair, the blue-haired girl froze, her eyes wide with shock. She asked, her voice raspy and uncertain, "Vi?"
The red-haired girl seized the chance to let go of the torch. It fell, igniting the gasoline on the deck, and flames began to spread rapidly. Yet the blue-haired girl didn't move, her hand still locked on the girl's arm, holding her fast no matter how much she struggled.
Her face trembled, her pupils dilating and constricting as a storm of emotions raged within her. As her inner turmoil grew, the red-haired girl finally managed to break free.
Pulled back to reality by the escape, the blue-haired girl raised her pistol, an almost instinctual reaction as she aimed at the fleeing redhead.
"Powder!"
The name cut through the haze, and her finger, which had been about to squeeze the trigger, went slack.
She spun around toward the source of the voice and saw Ren, who had just lowered his hood.
For some reason, Ren fought back the urge to explain or re-introduce himself, instead just looking at her with hope in his eyes.
The girl stared at the figure, so strange yet so familiar, and a blurry memory slowly sharpened into focus.
"Ren? You're alive?" she whispered. She started running toward him, only to stop halfway.
A look of panic crossed her face. She raised her right hand, reaching out for him, a pitiful expression on her face, as if she wanted to grab him but didn't dare.
Ren closed the distance in an instant and pulled her into a hug. "It's me. I'm still alive. I'm back." He cradled the back of her head with his left hand, pressing his face into her blue hair, unwilling to let go.
Tears streamed down the girl's face as she threw her arms around him, hugging him tightly, as if to confirm he was real, as if she could never bear for him to leave again.
The red-haired girl, having escaped death, grabbed her hoverboard and leaped from the side of the ship. As she passed another Firelight, she tapped him, signaling for them to retreat.
But that Firelight didn't move. He, like the blue-haired girl, was staring at Ren. When the girl had first called out in question, his whole body had trembled violently.¹ When Ren embraced her, confirming her guess was right, he had taken a slow step forward, his hands outstretched as if to embrace something himself.⁵
He didn't get two steps before a companion swooped in on a jet-powered hoverboard, grabbing him and flying away, leaving only a single, desperate shout behind: "No!"¹
Surrounded by flames, the two of them remained locked in their embrace. The girl spoke softly. "You were gone for so many years. Everything's changed."
"I'm back, Powder. I'm back!"
She gently pushed him away. "I've changed, too. My name is Jinx now." She tried her best to force a smile, but she couldn't stop the tears from falling from the corners of her eyes.
Ren's left hand, which had been hovering uncertainly, came up to stroke her cheek. He said gently, "Is that so? When did you change it?"
"You know, I used to complain to my aunt about that name all the time."
"Besides, Powder is obviously a nickname. Of course you have to pick a new name when you grow up. Are you going to be an old lady and still go around telling people, 'Hi, my name is Powder~'?"
The girl gave him a sharp elbow jab to the ribs that made him stagger. "You're the old lady! Your whole family is old!"³
Despite herself, Jinx couldn't help but let out a "hehehe" giggle. Ren laughed with her.
Just as they were about to embrace again, the ultimate third wheel showed up.¹
"Ren? You're alive?" Sevika's voice cut in. She then turned to Jinx. "You were supposed to be watching that shipment!"
Jinx didn't say a word, just cocked her head like a cat, raised an eyebrow, and let out a little 'hmph.'
Just as Ren was about to step between them, the wail of sirens grew louder, breaking the tense atmosphere.
Sevika turned her head, gesturing for Jinx to retreat. Then, as if remembering something, she said to Ren with her back to him, "You too. This is a good chance for you to meet Silco."
Before Ren could answer, Jinx ran over, grabbed his hand, and pulled him toward the edge of the ship. As they leaped off, her words drifted back on the wind.
"Tell Silco I'll be back later~"
Sevika started to give chase, but the sirens were growing louder still. She had no choice but to give up and retreat, to report what had just happened to Silco.
"Hei, Hei? Heim-ding-dong!"
"Heimerdinger! Ahem~ Little one, remembering people's names is a good habit. It helps improve their impression of you."⁵
"Improve impression = make more friends! I'll remember your name, Hei… Heimer…"
"Dinger." "Right! Heimerdinger!"
Behind them, Twisted Fate crossed his arms, desperately trying to hold back his laughter as he watched the two 'little guys.'
Beneath Fizz's innocent expression lay a glint of mischief that was easy to miss.
"Why do you call me 'little one'?"
"Ah, my apologies. What is your name? I've only just met you, and you seem quite young, so I referred to you as such." Heimerdinger said apologetically. "How old are you, by the way? I'm only three…"¹
"Nine thousand years old, give or take."
The professor's words caught in his throat, his expression frozen. Behind him, Jayce clapped a hand over his mouth, his shoulders shaking, though thankfully he managed not to laugh out loud.
Heimerdinger stammered, completely flustered. "Y-you, ah, esteemed elder? I…"
"My name is Fizz. You don't have to be like that. Just call me Fizz."
The professor let out a sigh of relief. "Hello, Fizz. Welcome to Piltover! Please, you must come to my home this evening. I shall host you."
Fizz replied cheerfully, "Hello, little one. It's nice to meet you. I'd love to see your home, but I have to stay with my friends."
Ignoring the dumbfounded professor, Jayce finally lost his composure and burst out laughing.⁵
Noticing the professor's bewildered gaze land on him, Jayce suddenly remembered he had somewhere to be.
"The exhibition is about to begin, and Mrs. Kiramman is waiting for me. Professor, my deepest apologies for not being able to accompany you and your friend. I must be going."
Translator's Notes:
The numbered footnotes in the original text were author's notes pointing out specific character moments or references. I've integrated these observations directly into the narrative (e.g., describing Ekko's reaction) or kept them as translator notes for clarity. The "third wheel" line is a translation of "电灯泡" (lightbulb), a common Chinese slang term for someone who interrupts an intimate moment. "大比兜" (dà bǐ dōu) is slang for a big slap. I translated it as a "heavy backhand slap" to capture the force of the blow. The text uses "牢大黑肘" (láo dà hēi zhǒu), a very specific and modern Chinese internet meme referencing LeBron James, to describe Jinx's elbow jab. Since a literal translation would be nonsense, I translated the action and humorous intent as a "sharp elbow jab to the ribs." "猫猫探头" (cat peeking its head) is a cute description of Jinx's entrance, which I translated more descriptively. "爆爆" (Bàobao) is Jinx's original name, which directly translates to "Explosion" or "Pop Pop." The official English name is "Powder," which carries the same emotional weight and is used here. The comedic timing of the Fizz/Heimerdinger scene relies on the age reveal. I've structured the dialogue to make the punchline—Fizz calling the 300+-year-old Heimerdinger "little guy"—land as effectively as it does in the original.