[New Fanfic is Up!!]
[Bleach: No System, Just Skill]
After Calyrex awakened in the snowy plains, it sensed Eternatus's vast aura and power.
All the bitter blood, sweat, and tears from battling endlessly in the Eternal Battle Reverie, teaming up with so many partners to grind levels, and getting beaten half to death by Arceus from another world—at this moment, all of it condensed into a powerful force of spirit and will.
At last, training would surely bear fruit.
"Mm! Quickly, go lure out my beloved steeds! Bring those two horses out at once! Begin farming immediately!"
Calyrex waved its little hands. Under the stunned gazes of the villagers, it pointed toward the fields.
"However, the village's land is currently extremely barren. Therefore, we must sow the seeds in the fields of the Old Cemetery and Snowslide Slope! Iceroot Carrots and Shaderoot Carrots!"
The villagers looked at one another. At that moment, Calyrex realized they could not understand its words, and a bright gleam flashed in its eyes.
Hmm. There was no "human loudspeaker" to act as its interpreter. So Calyrex looked toward Hop.
"Wait a moment." Hikaru smacked Calyrex's huge head, triggering a clamor from the villagers.
That person had actually hit the king's big head!
But it looked soft, bouncy, and very nice to touch.
The villagers discussed this among themselves. Since they were all elderly, they had little restraint when speaking. After being smacked like that, Calyrex came back to itself.
"Mm! I forgot. My friend, thou canst communicate with Pokémon. Then quickly relay my words to the villagers!"
"Still, I do wish to speak personally through a human mouth. What a pity."
Hop asked, "What's the king saying? What is it? Is it interested in me?"
Hikaru's expression became very subtle.
So in the absence of a flying Peony, it had chosen Hop? That made sense. If Marnie, Bea, or the village chief were turned into a floating oracle, it would look rather silly. But somehow, when it happened to Hop, there was no sense of dissonance.
Maybe because Hop naturally had a gag-character art style.
"Iceroot Carrots and Shaderoot Carrots. We were just preparing to make those. Snowslide Slope and the Old Cemetery..."
Hikaru explained the upcoming work to the chief and the villagers. Although the villagers did not understand the current situation, there was one thing they did understand.
"It seems something truly incredible is about to happen!" The chief pressed down on his hat. "Oh my! Freezington is only a small village. Tourists never came before, and we couldn't sell our local products. So it turns out that was because we never restored the king's statue correctly."
"Now even the king has come out of a fairy tale. But Snowslide Slope and the Old Cemetery... With all due respect, the village's land is indeed terribly barren, but the whole tundra is like this now. The two fields the king mentioned are even worse."
"The land of bone-chilling cold and the place where the dead are mourned were abandoned long ago. Especially the soil at Snowslide Slope. Plants sown there can't even sprout. If you're planning to grow carrots, you should forget it."
"Though... how exactly do you plan to make carrots mature instantly? Is it the power of the King of Bountiful Harvests?"
"Indeed!" Calyrex's big head floated right in front of the chief's face, taking up his entire field of vision.
"So long as my power is used, it can be done with ease! Even with only one seed, I can nurture an entire field of carrots! However, the seeds must be carrot seeds that are a specialty of the Crown Tundra!"
"That's what it said," Hikaru explained.
The chief suddenly remembered something. "Come to think of it! In the story of the King of Bountiful Harvests..."
Hikaru said, "The king's beloved steeds trampled the village fields. Glastrier has a crude, arrogant, and extremely belligerent personality. It forcibly steals whatever it wants. Spectrier feeds on the life energy living beings release into the air. They say if it kicks you, your soul will leave your body."
"The beloved steeds are not merely ordinary mounts, either. They can awaken the king's power. When the two become one, they can nurture a forest overnight. The steeds were originally brutal in temperament, raided farmlands, and made humans suffer terribly. But the king admonished them and took them as subordinates."
"Glastrier's color is as white as freezing ice. Spectrier's color is as black as a midnight ghost."
The chief said, "There are two horses? The village's legend is vague. Some say it was white, while others say it was black. So both of them actually exist!"
"Right! The Reins of Unity! The Reins of Unity!"
"That was the offering presented to the king every year as proof of gratitude for the harvest!"
"However, what did that require again...?"
"The Radiant Flower." Hikaru looked toward Calyrex. "Although the grafting results were abundant, Radiant Vegetables still cannot compare to the Radiant Flower. As you are now, can you bloom an entire flower?"
Calyrex said, "Mm! There should be no problem! I brought out soil from the dream world! It is special soil used to cultivate Radiant Petals. If I combine it with the soil on Torterra's back, it should reduce the cost of producing the Radiant Flower."
Blooming the Radiant Flower was an extraordinary feat. In the dream world, Calyrex had originally planned to cultivate flowers, but growing vegetables had become far more addictive. Still, the final result reached the same destination by a different road.
Selling vegetables could obtain faith, and what was eventually born from that faith was still a flower.
The chief said, "If I remember correctly, we combine the king's thing, with the steed's thing, and our thing..."
Marnie asked, "Thing...? What exactly is that supposed to mean?"
Calyrex said, "The bond of the heart formed between the villagers and me can also become the source of the power connecting me to the twin steeds!"
Hikaru said, "In the ancient books of the Crown Tundra, it is written as follows."
"When the king raises his right hand, flowers bloom and grass covers the land. When the king raises his left hand, fields grow fertile and crops become abundant."
"It makes its enormous crown shine with a blue-green light and gallops across the earth together with its beloved steeds. Its arrival brings new life to grass and trees and grants bounty to the land. We honor it as king, placing our faith in it and worshiping it."
"When the king tamed its beloved steeds, it poured its own power into the reins. These reins were offerings presented by humans in gratitude for the harvest granted by the king. Through the reins, not only the beloved steeds but also humans were tightly connected to the king."
"At the beginning of every year, the reins are presented to the king. They must be woven by layering the Radiant Flower together with the mane hair of horse Pokémon. This method shall be passed down to future generations, inherited by children and grandchildren for all ages."
"However, there is one thing I do not understand!"
Calyrex saw the T-shirt the chief was carrying and used telekinesis to pull it out.
"The design on this T-shirt clearly includes my large head. Why did no one notice when the statue broke?"
"Still, at least the correct image has been preserved! If my T-shirt had become popular merchandise, surely my faith would have recovered long ago!"
After Hikaru explained, the chief scratched his hair.
"There was nothing we could do about that. That statue was already broken when I was a child. Also, using old materials saves on design costs."
Bea began thinking. "If that is the case, the chief seems to be from the same generation as Master Mustard. Then the damage must have happened at least fifty years ago..."
Marnie said, "I never expected that, through a strange twist of fate, the king's true appearance would be passed down instead."
Hop said, "What's wrong with that? The design on this T-shirt is pretty cute! It looks no different from Calyrex!"
Fifty years ago, there were only one or two Pokémon Leagues in the world. Humanity's understanding of Pokémon was still not deep, and that was even more true in a place like the Crown Tundra. Although the Galar League was one of the earliest leagues to be founded, as the saying went, what did England's bustle have to do with Wales?
Calyrex patted its head.
"If I make the flower bloom now, there may not be enough power left to subdue both horses. First, I must make my beloved steeds submit!"
"Chief! I thank thee for protecting my legend. I have already learned from my friend that the villagers even reduced their own rations in order to make offerings to me."
"Because of my negligence and powerlessness, this once-prosperous land became so barren. The young people left their hometown, leaving only the elderly here to labor and guard the old land. All of that must change!"
"The duty I failed to fulfill, the future of Freezington—I shall grant it!"
"A king exists to bring salvation to the people, and should be one who sacrifices himself for the 'path' that leads to the proper ideal!"
Although Calyrex spoke with burning passion, from the chief's point of view, Calyrex was only saying "Crown-crown, mm-mm-ca" and other sounds he could not understand.
Even so, some bond still remained.
The chief said, "Although I don't know what the king just said, it was definitely related to us, wasn't it? I can tell from the king's expression. It looks as if it has made some kind of decision."
"Endless gratitude, endless gratitude."
The villagers also prayed sincerely. The power of faith flowed into Calyrex's body, filling it with strength.
Calyrex's expression became extremely solemn.
"Oh! The power of faith has grown stronger still. Their gratitude is not false. It is something passed down from ancient times. The Draconids of Hoenn formed a thousand-year bond with the Dragon God, and the elderly people of the Crown Tundra have not completely forgotten me either!"
"I too... am endlessly grateful!"
"To answer everyone's hearts, there is no time to lose. My friend, let us depart at once!"
"Everyone, wait a moment!" Sonia looked extremely nervous. She had been staring at the values on the Power Spot detector. "This isn't right. It's not only that mountain where a Power Spot has appeared."
"There are other places too. More and more Power Spots are appearing!"
"Galar particles are everywhere!"
"Starting from this village, south, southeast, east... six—no, ten... they're still increasing!"
"And there are electromagnetic wave abnormalities too. This wavelength is... Gigaremo!"
Hikaru asked, "Where are the Gigaremo units located?"
Sonia immediately marked the locations of those remote-control waveforms on paper, while also asking the chief, "Do you have a map of the Crown Tundra?"
This was her first time here. The chief answered twice and hurried back into the house to retrieve a map of the Crown Tundra.
Everyone looked at the locations Sonia had marked.
Hikaru said, "When Eternatus is active, once it triggers the Darkest Day phenomenon, even places that were not originally Power Spots will erupt with energy. As for the reason, it is probably because Wishing Stars were once buried deep underground there, or because something like Dynite Ore is being stimulated into releasing similar power."
"For example, this place: Dyna Tree Hill."
"Then Eternatus's target must be the giant Wishing Star inside the mountain near Freezington. That much can be confirmed with complete certainty."
Dyna Tree Hill had no Wishing Star, but the Pokémon there would still Dynamax in fixed encounters. In other words, that strange pale red giant tree itself might be a Power Spot. Otherwise, there was no way to explain that squirrel in a constant Dynamax state.
"The places where Power Spots have erupted should all be Pokémon Dens. In the Crown Tundra, there seem to be eighty-seven dens. That number is astonishing."
Hikaru looked at Sonia, whose expression was starting to slip out of control. "As for the dens confirmed on mainland Galar... no, I should say there are ninety-nine dens in total that can trigger Gigantification, plus one giant den buried beneath an ancient watchtower. That makes one hundred in total."
"In other words, the tundra and the mainland together have one hundred eighty-seven dens. The Isle of Armor has another ninety, but we do not need to count those for now."
Sonia's face turned deathly pale.
"The mainland actually has one hundred eighty-seven Power Spots? If we add the Isle of Armor, then—?!"
"These Power Spots erupting will trigger the phenomenon of Pokémon Gigantification, and with Gigaremo added on top..."
Power Spots were things originally hidden underground. Only a small number of Power Spots would burst into towering pillars of energy. For example, the location of Rose Tower had once been a place where an energy pillar shot straight into the sky and caused panic. But after the chairman calmed the Power Spot and built his tower there, people had almost forgotten about it.
Marnie said, "The giant Wishing Star is hidden beneath that mountain... Right, didn't you say there was something else down there too?"
Hikaru said, "That thing is an Ultra Wormhole."
"In other words, a cave leading to a parallel world. It is extremely dangerous. If someone passes through without protection, they will be sucked into the distant universe or another world and lose their memories and sense of self, almost like mental contamination."
"However, for a period of time, the Ultra Wormhole cannot suck humans from our world away, because it has been locked by a certain power."
"Even so, there is still one important creature. A creature that can actively open Ultra Wormholes."
Hikaru immediately asked the chief about Nebby. Although it was called Fwoofy here, the answer he received was that the little Pokémon had disappeared toward the mountain.
"It disappeared. In other words, it has already gone into the cave."
"Alola's Dimensional Research Lab has not yet established a research branch here, and that cave has not been studied either. The relevant researchers have not arrived yet. Therefore, Pokémon that are not adapted to the conditions inside the cave will be unable to battle inside."
Hikaru had already told everyone about this, but because the particles released from the Dynamax Adventures location did not match the particles from mainland Power Spots, even Pokémon that possessed Gigantamax potential might still lose control.
"Huh? You know about Fwoofy?" The chief and the old woman were both very curious. "That child was found on the snowy plains. It is very mysterious. We have never seen a Pokémon like it before. Though ever since it came here, there have been more strange Pokémon on the tundra."
"That is a Pokémon called the Child of the Stars. Originally, it should not have appeared in such a cold place." Hikaru explained, "In the distant Alola region, it is worshiped as the young child of the Beast That Devours the Sun and the Beast That Calls the Moon."
"In other words, it is the child of the sun and moon."
"It must absorb enough light on a specific altar built by the ancient Alolan dynasty before it can grow. If it remains in the snowy plains, it will never mature."
"As for why it appeared here... I think it was probably related to Calyrex."
"The Crown Tundra of the past was a thriving place filled with sunlight. It was protected by Calyrex, who was like a King of Light. Grass and trees flourished, and all living things grew strong. It would have been highly suitable for the beasts of sun and moon to nurture offspring."
"Perhaps by coincidence, or perhaps by accident, a certain moon beast, Lunala, gave birth here, and the child was escorted here by its father, the sun beast Solgaleo."
"But with the passage of time, this place is no longer suitable for the Child of the Stars to grow. Therefore, it must be brought back to the Alola region."
The villagers looked at one another. For the elderly people of Freezington, simply knowing about things near Galar was already impressive enough.
They could not even imagine how far Alola was from the Crown Tundra.
"Fwoofy is actually such an incredible Pokémon?!"
"The child of the sun and moon beasts... Oh my, the decline of this land has even made it impossible for Pokémon to adapt and survive here."
The elderly villagers felt great regret, but also happiness for the Child of the Stars.
The old woman said, "If you can find it, then sending it somewhere it can grow up healthy would be best."
The chief said, "Yes. Then it must be sent back. These snowy plains can no longer raise such a powerful Pokémon. That region you mentioned... Are you perhaps a tourist from there?"
Hikaru laughed. "Although I am not exactly from there, I am indeed an Island Kahuna of that region."
"Since ancient times, ensuring that the Child of the Stars can grow successfully in Alola and become a Legendary Pokémon that protects the dynasty and the region has been the responsibility of the Island Kahuna and the local guardian deity. This ceremony exists to give thanks to the two Legendary Pokémon for granting light to the Alola region."
"Just as the king protected these snowy plains, the humans of Alola formed bonds and agreements with the beasts of sun and moon to express gratitude to them. Even if they are creatures from another world, that remains true."
Bea took the task on herself.
"Then Sonia and I will investigate that cave!"
"I know nothing about research, but when it comes to fighting, I am the best!"
"This is what becoming Champion is for. I will scout the path for everyone and locate the giant Wishing Star, as well as the direction of the Ultra Wormhole!"
Hikaru said, "Legendary Pokémon and powerful Pokémon from other worlds may appear inside the cave. You must be extremely careful."
"The battle method you learned from Piers, the method of subduing giant Pokémon even without using Dynamax..."
Bea smiled. "I will use my full strength!"
What she had learned could certainly be used next time.
And that time was now!
"Eh? We're going to investigate?!" Sonia was very frightened as she looked at the mountain and the terrifying large cave beneath it. "Pokémon won't come pouring out from inside, will they?"
Hikaru said, "Of course Pokémon will come pouring out. That is why Bea needs to stop them."
In the main story of the game, there was an incident where the Pokémon inside went out of control and scared everyone taking part in Dynamax Adventures out of the den. The protagonist was simply fearless, so no matter what giant Pokémon appeared, the first step was to punch it.
On top of that, Gloria had the same cold, smiling face as Selene. Their expressions were practically inherited from the same source, as if a fake smile had been welded onto their faces. The veins on their fists looked ready to burst, and any Pokémon that saw them would feel dread in its heart.
Sonia's mind warred with itself. Then, gradually, she remembered.
"I'm being too cowardly, too cowardly! I used to be a Gym Challenger, at least! Right, exactly! I even defeated Leon when we were children! Rounding up, that means I'm stronger than Leon! I can't be afraid!"
A single childhood defeat could give Sonia material to talk about for the rest of her life. But to Leon himself, being remembered forever by his childhood friend was probably still a good thing.
"If this place is going to become a battlefield, then let the elderly villagers take refuge in my shrine."
Calyrex raised a hand. "As my friend said, the ancient cave is a highly dangerous place. I never imagined there would be an Ultra Wormhole there as well. Is that the terrifying thing I saw in my dreams, opening from the cosmos? Even in dreams, the sight of that black god facing off against the three Dragon Gods is difficult to forget."
"However, this is my snowy land. Before I fall, I cannot borrow the power of other gods!"
Flutter, flutter—
Heavy black feathers fell from the sky, flashing with a metallic sheen. Along with noisy and frightened cries, everyone looked up and saw the Pokémon appearing on the distant mountains and fields beyond Freezington. They flew in all directions, as if trying to escape this ancient habitat.
Anywhere was fine, as long as they did not stay here.
"Waaah... Cor-Corviknight?!"
"What is going to happen to the village?!"
The chief was shocked, and the villagers were the same.
"An ancient legend of Galar."
"When Corviknight vanishes..."
"Galar will perish."
The ancient legend of Galar had reappeared. Now, none of the elderly villagers could remain calm. Although the atmosphere had already been tense, it had not reached this level before.
And the same thing was spreading from the Crown Tundra to the whole of mainland Galar.
"Sonia, I'm sending you this number."
Hikaru sent a number to Sonia. "If you run into trouble during the investigation, call this number immediately."
Sonia asked, "Th-this phone number is...?"
Hikaru nodded. "It is the number of Alola's Dimensional Research Lab. If nothing unexpected happens, the person on the other end will be Director Professor Burnet. She is an expert in the study of space and Ultra Space."
"Although the current amount of research is still limited, you can trust her completely."
"I will lend you Garganacl as well. If a dangerous situation arises, Garganacl will choose an advantageous battle method on its own. You do not need to worry about commanding it."
"It can use Salt Cure for purification, Iron Defense and Body Press, Recover, as well as things like Earthquake, Stone Edge, and Dig. Operating a stone man is simple, right?"
"O-okay!" Sonia accepted Garganacl's Poké Ball and looked at the huge white Pokémon beside her. Garganacl's eyes flashed.
It would use the power it had accumulated over one hundred fifty years to display its strength here.
The white giant clenched its fists.
Of course, although the chief said Garganacl resembled some dot-eyed giant, Sonia had absolutely no investigation records or literature on that subject. She herself had never seen a Pokémon like Garganacl either.
For some reason, even when the legendary Swords of Justice appeared in the tundra, Sonia could find some corresponding records in ancient texts. Yet regarding the six legendary giants, only Peony had discovered a few fragments of information.
Then Hikaru looked at Marnie and Hop.
"All right. We are setting out now. We will capture the two horses, restore the king's full power, and then destroy the Gigaremo units placed all over the tundra!"
"Likewise, to cover the weak points in your teams and prevent sudden emergencies, I will lend you Pokémon!"
Hikaru handed Marnie and Hop three Poké Balls each. The styles of the Balls were not the same.
"To move freely across the snowy plains, you will need Genesect and Aerodactyl!"
The steel giant insect appeared again and grabbed Hop. The immortal ancient rock dragon roared and spread its wings, using its claws to seize Marnie.
Marnie said, "The Pokémon inside these two Balls are Dark types!"
She looked at the other two Balls in her hands. She could feel the fierce Dark aura inside them, and her eyes immediately lit up.
"As expected, Mr. Hikaru is also a Dark-type expert! I finally get to see them. These are your Dark-type Pokémon."
Hikaru said, "The Pokémon I am lending you are called Chien-Pao and Wo-Chien. They are Ice/Dark and Grass/Dark respectively. Long ago, they destroyed a certain kingdom and were sealed away as beasts of disaster."
"However, Chien-Pao has an extremely innocent personality and is skilled at manipulating snow, while Wo-Chien possesses deep wisdom. You can listen to its suggestions."
"As for Hop, I am lending him the other two Treasures of Ruin, Chi-Yu and Ting-Lu."
"Considering that you are looking forward to becoming as strong as your big brother, I am lending you these two. If you encounter an enemy you cannot defeat, summon them to battle. Chi-Yu can spew flames of three thousand degrees and spread a sea of fire. Ting-Lu can swing its great vessel and trigger a fifty-meter fissure."
"With such power, you do not need to consider tactical style. No matter what kind of enemy it is, you can defeat it. No matter what kind of machine it is, you can smash it cleanly."
"However, the Gigaremo units contain large amounts of fuel, so if an explosion is triggered, keep far away."
As for Hikaru, he sent out Miraidon.
"Agias!"
The electronic dragon's pixel eyes looked worriedly at the dark red sky.
Hey, hey, hey, this again?
Could there not be some regular competition for it to fight?
It only wanted to stomp weaklings in low-level matches!
Complaints were complaints, however. Miraidon still faithfully performed its duty as transportation.
Full-speed sprint! High-speed world!
Calyrex also mounted Miraidon with practiced ease. The three Pokémon with high-speed flight capabilities departed from Freezington. They saw the nameless temple where an ancient giant was buried, but before they could even feel anything about it, the wind howled, snow flew, and the Old Cemetery appeared before their eyes.
The Old Cemetery itself was closer to Freezington. By comparison, Snowslide Slope was much farther away. For the elderly villagers of Freezington, crossing the cemetery, circling around those Pokémon Dens, and reaching the snowy valley was already nearly impossible.
"It is just ahead! Sow the seeds immediately!"
As Calyrex said this, it threw the carrot seeds down. Then it used psychic power, glowing with blue light.
"Mm, mmm, mui, cam, mui!"
The spell-like dance was the Freezington Dance passed down from ancient times. It had once been a dance Calyrex used to make the earth bountiful and crops mature. Now, the elderly villagers believed it had the effect of loosening joints, improving blood circulation, and extending one's life.
And with Calyrex's current power, the Shaderoot Carrots it produced could not possibly be limited to a single root like in the original story.
Hop said, "The field at the Old Cemetery is visibly becoming fertile!"
Marnie said, "The carrots are growing like bamboo shoots... Is this the king's power?"
This greatly shocked the boy and girl. After all, they were seeing barren land transformed in an instant with their own eyes, crops directly entering the harvest stage while ignoring climate and environment. On top of that, their quality looked excellent.
Wherever Calyrex existed, agriculture would inevitably flourish. And that indeed suited its position as the head of the three legends.
The two heroes drove away the Darkest Day, while the Pokémon that was lord of the holy lance and king protected the people of the land. In the age when the King of Bountiful Harvests existed, no one in the world should have suffered from hunger.
However, the story of the King of Bountiful Harvests had not spread across mainland Galar.
Marnie heard a sound in the distance. Urgent hoofbeats were approaching from far away.
As a Dark-type Trainer, she was extremely sensitive to the approach of a "ghost."
"Hoofbeats!"
"It's here. Spectrier. But we don't have much time to argue with it, so let's settle this at once."
Hikaru checked the area and noticed the Pokémon rushing wildly from around the cemetery.
"The locations Sonia marked, the places with abnormal waveforms—there are four here. Even more extend outward from the Old Cemetery. You two go destroy them. Remember the destruction methods from Slumbering Weald."
Hop began scratching his head, his expression grave. "Uh... about that..."
Marnie reminded him, "Red uses water, green uses fire, blue is electricity, and yellow is Rock or Fighting. It's related to type."
Hop suddenly understood. "Right, right! That's how it works! Your memory is really good."
"Still, Genesect... Can this Pokémon launch attacks of multiple types?"
Hikaru said, "As long as its Drive is switched, it can use attacks of different types. And that's not even counting its regular move pool. Fire, Ice, Electric, Grass, Steel, Psychic, Poison—it lacks none of those elemental moves."
"Go quickly. Remember, if you encounter danger, escape immediately. We will meet near Dyna Tree Hill. I have an idea, and we absolutely must go there... because there is a stone monument there that targets souls."
"Long ago, one hundred eight evil souls were bound to an Odd Keystone by a legendary traveler who used strange magic. The medium for that mysterious spell is here."
Marnie nodded. "Although I came here at first to become a hero, well, now there are things I have to do no matter what."
"Perhaps this is one of the trials for becoming a hero."
Hop did not understand the situation. "Hero... I don't really get it, but as long as I destroy those coffee machine-looking things, that's fine, right?"
"Okay! I'll train myself properly during this incident. This might even become my way of gradually getting closer to my big brother! If we're talking about experience, then this is a perfect opportunity!"
"Still, besides Gigaremo units, there was another kind, right?" Marnie recalled Hikaru's earlier explanation. Hikaru nodded.
"Miniremo. We have not seen any yet. Their appearance is similar to a portable laptop."
"They have over one hundred commands for controlling Pokémon. Of course, extremely excessive commands still cannot be carried out. They can directly control Pokémon in battle by inputting commands. However, while Gigaremo can manipulate a large number of Pokémon over a wide area, Miniremo has an upper control limit of only eight Pokémon."
"I do not think many Miniremo units will appear here unless... those royal celebrities have all come to the tundra."
"But even if that is the case, Angel Company would not hand over large quantities of extremely important Miniremo units to these inexplicable celebrities. In the end, remote-control devices all consume crystal fragments."
"Eight Pokémon. I understand!" Marnie gripped the Poké Balls. Carried by Aerodactyl, she was the first to fly toward the map markers on the Pokégear. Hop followed closely behind. Although he was somewhat flustered, his heart was pounding hard, and he felt as though he was about to accomplish something incredible.
Both of them had older brothers, and both had grown up aiming for those brothers. Although they had not yet reached the original age for taking the Gym Challenge, perhaps participating in this kind of operation in the Crown Tundra would be even more beneficial for the children's growth.
Hikaru said, "Heroes must experience great events personally before they can grow. After all, Gloria is not here yet. Fortunately, her rivals can shoulder some of her future burden for her."
After all, in the original plan for Sword and Shield, Marnie and Hop still had quite a lot of roles. They had even become positioned as the new Elite Four and the speedrun Champion. Unfortunately, in the official games, Marnie and Hop mostly appeared to fight the protagonist. Although the plot where they became a cheering squad was delightful, Hop getting soloed by the Sword-Shield duo in the postgame still felt like a real shame.
Then again, if Hop did not lose, it was not as though they could have Gloria lose instead. That left only the option of kidnapping Sonia as the supreme hostage, and that kind of content could never be aired.
Leon would directly enter his second enraged phase. At that point, even Chairman Rose getting out of prison would not be able to stop him.
Clop, clop, clop, clop!
The hoofbeats approached rapidly. Just like in the original story, Spectrier did not know the carrots had appeared in the Old Cemetery and charged directly toward Freezington.
But that also fit its setting.
"Spectrier's vision has degenerated, but its other senses, such as hearing and smell, have become extraordinarily sharp. It uses senses other than sight to explore its surroundings and accurately grasp the positions of terrain and living creatures."
"So this creature has no eyes and cannot see the carrots."
Hikaru had no intention of chasing Spectrier again, so the moment the eyeless black steed approached at high speed, he immediately sent out a Pokémon.
A base Speed of 130 was indeed absurd.
Unfortunately for it...
He had a Pokémon with a base Speed of 135!
"Hababababa!"
Flutter Mane appeared with its classic laughter. Hair-senpai looked extremely excited to be able to battle. Its ancient genes began to stir, especially when facing that kind of very, very strong enemy. Even if it could not win...
It still had to harass the opponent a little!
However, with a Trainer's help, how could it possibly fail to win? Love connected humans and Pokémon, did it not?
"Shadow Ball!"
Flutter Mane's Shadow Ball struck the galloping Spectrier with extreme speed. The black horse let out a shrill cry. It was just about to rally and counterattack when it suddenly sensed a familiar power.
So great. Such enormous power!
"The king?!"
Spectrier was shocked, and just as it thought, what appeared beside it was the king it had not seen in so long.
"Mm! It seems thou still rememberest me! Spectrier, I have now recovered my former power. In order to subdue the enemy, I require thy aid!"
"There is no time to reminisce about the past or scold thee for thy wrongdoings. Form a bond with me again, thou bully of the weak and coward before the strong!"
As for this so-called forming of a bond, the thing that had happened long ago, the story passed down among the villagers as "the king admonished the two horses," had in truth been—
It beat them into submission!
Calyrex made a beam-firing gesture with its hands. Although the attack had already been completed, this alien-like beam pose was... honestly very cool!
"By the time thou sensed danger, the move had already completed its rehearsal and activation!"
"Take this blow and become my steed once more!"
"Future Sight!"
Base power 120. Psychic type.
Calyrex caused Spectrier to enter the state of a future attack, and in this instant, it completed the activation.
Two turns after the move was used, a massive psychic force was sent at the opponent to attack.
The future attack on Spectrier took effect. A psychic power so strong it was unbelievable nearly shattered its body completely.
"Neeeigh!!!"
The king. The once-invincible king had returned?!
Thud!
Spectrier collapsed to the ground, completely unconscious, losing the ability to battle.
Calyrex's eyes widened. "Oh no. I got carried away and defeated it in one blow! If that is the case..."
"That's fine. You can just catch it yourself." Hikaru rummaged around and tossed Calyrex a Poké Ball. "Although ordinary Poké Balls require certification, meaning Pokémon normally cannot catch each other, and even if a catch succeeds it would belong to a certain Trainer, some Poké Balls do not have that restriction."
"For example, Apricorn Balls or Jade Balls. Spectrier's Speed is high, so the Ball that can be used is—Fast Ball!"
If the target's base Speed is 100 or higher, the catch rate is multiplied by four.
"Then give it a Max Revive. That way, it can recover its ability to battle."
Calyrex said, "I see. In that case, I too can be said to possess the name of Trainer. Ah, truly fair and impartial. I no longer need to have a headache over which beloved steed to ride!"
"Once the Reins of Unity are finished, I shall also carry forward the riding system! While we are at it, make some little cards for me as well. I want to collect twelve ride Pokémon! Why twelve, you ask? Because they correspond to the twelve important constellations in the sky!"
"Right, right! Did you not say this before? Ancient Hisui had ten nobles, five of which became ride Pokémon that helped humans. And in the Alola region, there are Ride Pokémon very similar to those in Guardian Signs, not to mention the Track Riding of Oblivia. Although thou said they have not appeared locally yet and are only stories, they did exist in ancient times. That is correct, is it not?"
"Mm! All of this is enough to prove that the riding system is an ultra-ancient system with more than three thousand years of history! My dream will soon be realized with the help of these powers!"
Calyrex excitedly danced around. Hikaru watched the king's huge head swing back and forth.
"How naive... But that's not bad either."
"And what it's saying does make some sense."
The Pokédex number after Calyrex was, coincidentally, Hisui's Lord of the Highlands, Wyrdeer.
A king who rode mounts. The previous Pokédex entry was a mount, and the next entry was also a mount. It was hard to say this was not deliberate.
"But the riding system is ultimately a niche system. After all, only you can use it. Even if we ride them, we will not gain an Ability like As One."
"Hmm. But that ancient hero could still freely throw Balls while riding Pokémon. In a way, wasn't that also a kind of 'As Ball'? Throwing a Heavy Ball weighing at least five to ten pounds at a speed of over 165 kilometers per hour..."
"Right, Calyrex, do you want to awaken the giants here?"
"Giants... Ah! My friend, are you speaking of the request given to you by Unova's king of giants? However, the king of giants in the tundra was once affected by the Darkest Day. Although it fought Eternatus, it ultimately still went berserk."
"The people of the past feared the giants' power. After building temples for them, they sealed them away. Dost thou think the technique used to seal these giants is the same sealing art as the Sealed Chamber?"
Hikaru thought about it for a moment.
"What if I said it really is a similar sealing art, or even the same one?"
The background music of the Split-Decision Ruins was indeed the background music of the Sealed Chamber from Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire.
The world where the giants were born was described in Registeel's Pokédex entry. Most of the three Legendary giants had been born ten thousand years ago, while Regieleki and Regidrago were exceptions.
Regieleki's power had once caused disasters for people in ancient times.
And ancient people also feared that if Regidrago's entire body were completed one day, their own nation would suffer destruction.
Although it was unknown whether the twin pillars had any connection to Calyrex, the king itself could not remember anyway, and the pillars were probably in a hazy state as well.
If it truly was the same sealing art as the Sealed Chamber, then the sealing point was roughly between one thousand five hundred and one thousand years ago. If this time frame held, then the pillars' connection to Calyrex could be approximated as nonexistent. It was probably only that Galar's toilet king had a sudden whim and made two more.
"Hmm. Although those two—Electric and Dragon—may come in handy later. The attributes they represent are extremely important: light and lightning, life and bounty."
"As for the three Legendary giants here, let's leave them for Gloria to explore when she comes here in the future."
While Hikaru and Calyrex talked and moved toward Snowslide Slope, Spectrier dazedly woke inside the Fast Ball. Its heart was full of fear and lingering dread, but also a sense of giving up.
The king returned like lightning, and has regained power close to what it once had. In this situation, I have no chance of victory at all. It has even formed a bond with humans again. Too terrifying.
At a moment when heaven and earth are changing, the king has returned... and brought a human sage with it.
Forget it. Being a mount is not so bad. Under the king's command, I can see a broader world too.
Glastrier is next. I cannot escape, and neither can you!
That was what it said, and also what it thought.
Likewise, Spectrier did not waste too much time.
As Calyrex gnawed on a Shaderoot Carrot while casting its spell, causing large numbers of Iceroot Carrots to appear in the fields of Snowslide Slope...
The sound of heavy stomps shook the earth. Wearing its mask of ice, Glastrier charged furiously down from Crown Shrine.
"A base Speed of only 30, yet it can run this fast! Hmm, is it because the path from the shrine to here is downhill?"
Glastrier saw the floating Flutter Mane, the human intruding into its territory, and...
"...A little familiar. Not sure!"
"I was wondering who it was! Isn't this the fallen king? Hand over the Iceroot Carrots!"
Glastrier had a brutal temperament. If it wanted to rob something, it would take the initiative and attack. Likewise, Glastrier and Spectrier both originated from the Horsehead Nebula in Orion, as well as the same design element as Galarian Ponyta and Rapidash: the unicorn.
The white unicorn was a symbol of Scotland. At the same time, it also represented a legendary warhorse from Celtic mythology.
In the Welsh legend Culhwch and Olwen, King Arthur's warhorse was Hengroen. Spectrier, meanwhile, represented the mare Llamrei.
Calyrex said, "This is my other horse! Glastrier!"
"Although its speed is not as fast as Spectrier's, its Defense is exceedingly strong. The cold air it releases covers its face and hooves to form ice armor, allowing it to use attacks of outstanding destructive power. The ice mask on its face is one hundred times harder than diamond!"
Hikaru shook his head. "No matter how high an Ice type's Defense is, it can only be so strong. Come back with someone riding on your back."
Although pure Ice-type Glastrier had only four weaknesses—Fighting, Rock, Steel, and Fire—its only resistance was Ice itself. This was exactly why Ice type being guilty by resistance was the original sin.
Failing to resist anything was the greatest crime!
"Come to think of it, you clearly don't have any moves that are super effective against it, yet you still managed to subdue it. As expected of the king."
Hikaru roasted Calyrex. Among the four types super effective against Glastrier, Calyrex could not use any corresponding moves. In fact, Grass/Psychic was instead weak to Ice and also weak to Ghost.
Being able to win under those circumstances really proved something. Even if one said that early Psychic types did not fear Ghost, Ice had always been super effective against Grass. Even if one reverted to the version from three thousand years ago, that would still be the case.
Glastrier had no interest in saying much to this weak king. The world-changing abnormality had already made it tense and on edge. It had finally prepared to eat something good, only to unexpectedly run into the king it had abandoned long ago.
"But the past is the past, and the present is the present! A thousand years have already made our bond vanish without a trace!"
Glastrier used Swords Dance and Iron Defense, then violently charged forward with the horn on its head.
Double-Edge!
"If it has vanished without a trace, then we shall simply build it anew!"
Calyrex's sigh sounded in Glastrier's heart. The horse braked sharply and saw a brilliant sun.
"Habababa~~" Flutter Mane covered its mouth and laughed.
Sunny Day!
Even in an environment where the Darkest Day was about to descend, and where its omens had already begun to affect the world, Sunny Day could still be used. Power from ancient times did not care about reason.
Flutter Mane looked toward the big-headed king. Hair-senpai clapped its feather-like wings as if applauding.
Hee!
Helping Hand!
Helping Hand was something one had to learn as a partner, and it was also a move with an extremely wide learnset. It was one of the simplest ways to increase a move's power—plain and direct.
And so, under sunlight...
"What a shame, my beloved steed! It is time for thee to remember the days when thou fought beside me, and the days when I subdued thee!"
"Now, there is not so much time to recount the past. Lend me thy power!"
Calyrex raised both hands. Intense sunlight gathered in them, forming an enormous blade of light.
At the same time, psychic power flickered in Calyrex's eyes. That blue glow, completely different from the light of other Psychic-type Pokémon, seized Glastrier's power.
Power Swap!
Using psychic power, it swapped its own Attack and Special Attack stat changes with the opponent's.
Power Swap always hit!
Calyrex's Attack rose sharply.
Calyrex absorbed light!
On the first turn, the user gathered abundant sunlight. On the second turn, it concentrated that power into a blade and attacked. Base power 125. Same-type Grass bonus. Effective base power 187!
Under harsh sunlight, the charging ended immediately.
A Miracle Seed appeared on Calyrex's body, increasing the power of Grass-type moves by another 20%.
At this time, in this moment...
The King of Bountiful Harvests swung a massive blade of light at its opponent.
Although this was also Solar Blade, Calyrex's light sword possessed the enhancement of faith. With Helping Hand and Miracle Seed alone, the power of this one slash reached 337. After it stole the opponent's Swords Dance boost, its Attack increased by another 200%.
And under the power of faith, its true power was—
???
Like King Arthur's Sword of Promised Victory, the blade swung down once, easily smashing through the icy mountain road and piercing Glastrier's frozen body.
Solar Blade!
At this moment, the Ever-Victorious King sang the true name of the miracle in its hands!
(End of Chapter)
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