Pokemon Paldea [357-358] (Patreon)

Chapter 357: Luxray vs. Spectrier

"Calyrex's two beloved steeds are called Spectrier and Glastrier, right?"

Walking behind Lucas, who was holding Cosmog, and Calyrex, Penny asked her older sister, Peonia.

To be honest, she'd only skimmed the book once, so she wasn't actually sure if that silly dad's traded book had really said Calyrex had two steeds named Spectrier and Glastrier.

Hearing the question, Peonia thought for a moment, then shook her head. "That book never stated it clearly. No—rather, it didn't confirm that at all."

"It said Calyrex had a steed that served at its side. Some accounts said it was as black as the deep night, others that its form was as pure white as an ice lotus blossoming atop a snow-capped peak… There were many descriptions, but the true identity of that steed could not be ascertained."

"If they're actually two steeds likeTeacher Lucas said—one named Spectrier, one named Glastrier—then that would make sense."

Penny mused, "Just from the names, Glastrier and Spectrier sound like they'd be Ice-type and Ghost-type."

Their conversation didn't escape Lucas and Calyrex up front. Calyrex paused mid-levitation, and a voice sounded via telepathy to Lucas alone: "Lucas, how dost thou intend… to help Us find Our steed?"

"One of them is elusive by nature, and the other is perfectly suited to traveling this icy Crown Tundra."

The Crown Tundra was simply too vast. Even those Pokémon enlarged by energy from meteorites that had erupted from the earth were but a drop in the ocean here.

In this expansive land, finding them would be extremely difficult.

Lucas didn't answer immediately. He walked a bit more, stopped at the edge of the Snowy Slope's valley, and pointed toward a fallow field, smiling slightly. "Do you remember what they like to eat?"

Looking at the abandoned plot, Calyrex blinked, falling into recollection.

After a moment, it said uncertainly, "We only recall that they particularly liked to cause mischief in the farmlands of Our former subjects. Priests would often come to Us, asking Us to pacify Our steed that was wreaking havoc in the fields."

"We had to rack Our brains to get them to behave. But before they left the fields, their bellies were always full… Could it be—"

Lucas nodded, confirming Calyrex's guess. "That's right, they love the crops in the fields. More precisely, they're especially fond of the special carrots grown here."

"Carrots… I see. Thou meanest to use crops to lure Our steed?"

Calyrex was a little moved; it hadn't expected Lucas to have thought this far.

"I've already sent my other partners to the Old Cemetery to plant carrots. According to that book, the fields there produce black carrots that are especially attractive to the black Spectrier."

Lucas explained the preparations he'd made.

Then, he circled around to ask, "If you can just meet Spectrier and have Victini empower you, can you suppress it and restore your strength?"

Calyrex thought, then said, "Nay… We and Our steed are ultimately two beings. To combine our powers, We require an item once offered by Our people, called the Reins of Unity."

"Yet since Our awakening… We have not received the Reins of Unity from humans in a very long time."

Calyrex's tone grew heavy. Without the Reins, it couldn't reunite with its steed to regain its full power.

In the past, with abundant faith to draw upon, it hadn't been overly reliant on merging or the Reins, but now it found itself in this awkward bind.

It didn't know the exact method of making the Reins of Unity, not even the materials.

Lucas knew what was on Calyrex's mind. He told it not to worry—he had a plan. The immediate priority was to get to the Old Cemetery.

With Comfey's Grassy Terrain effect, those ordinary carrots might already have sprouted by now.

At that moment, Penny and Peonia noticed Lucas and Calyrex standing before the abandoned farm plot in the Snowy Valley.

They remembered this was one of the fields where Lucas mentioned planting carrots.

Just as they were about to ask, Calyrex linked to them via telepathy, a dignified voice sounding: "Then… let Us use Our Teleport to travel in one instant to the resting place of the departed."

Space began to ripple.

The Old Cemetery was one of the rare spots in the Crown Tundra not completely blanketed by snow.

Timeworn headstones had long lost their original appearance. Just outside the leaning forest of gravestones was an abandoned field.

Unlike the more dangerous Snowy Slope fields, few dangerous wild Pokémon wandered near the Old Cemetery—although at night it became a paradise for Ghost types.

Graveyards are always fertile ground for Ghost-type Pokémon, and this one held countless departed.

Because most Ghost types are nocturnal, the villagers of Freezington hadn't abandoned the field due to danger—it was simply that they found it unsettling.

Before setting out, Peony and the three kids had asked villagers for directions.

With the guidance of surprised locals, the three reached the Old Cemetery and found the abandoned field, the soil as hard as overwatered concrete.

Peony came from a well-off family; Nemona was even more of a heavyweight, and Eri had only a half-baked notion of farming.

Fortunately, Lucas had anticipated this and sent Arven, who often followed him around, to help.

Under Arven's direction, Peony sent out his Excadrill that knew Rototiller but rarely used it; under Arven and Comfey's guidance, it clumsily loosened the soil.

Then, with Comfey instructing, they dug small holes to bury carrot seeds.

Though from a wealthy family, Nemona didn't mind the work. Even with dirt on her clothes, her smile was bright.

Unfortunately, her stamina lagged behind the indoorsy Arven who traveled with Lucas. After a short while, she was panting, and Peony, who knew well by now she was hopeless at sports with terrible endurance, persuaded her to rest.

Soon, half a bag of carrot seeds was sown. Following Lucas's instructions, Arven kept the other half. Luxray summoned rainclouds to water the field, Comfey set Grassy Terrain to nourish and speed growth.

Before long, oddly purple leaves unfurled.

Based on Comfey's experience, they would mature in about half a day.

Nemona, Arven, and Eri, with Peony, squatted in a circle by the field, watching the sprouting carrot leaves with odd expressions.

Nemona: "So carrots in the field look like this!"

Eri: "But I remember carrots should be almost translucent…"

Peony: "Maybe they're black on the outside and white inside?"

Arven: "…Could it be because we're by a cemetery?"

Luxray and the Comfey perched on its head fell silent for a beat. These people…

Just then, the air around them rippled.

Luxray's ears twitched, the star-tipped tail swished. Its sharp senses didn't miss the fluctuation—nor the scent that was etched deep into its memory.

"Lux~."

Luxray lifted its head and looked to a tree not far behind.

Lucas was already standing there.

Luxray's golden eyes glanced at Calyrex beside Lucas. It held Calyrex's regal gaze for a second, then looked away as if nothing had happened.

Calyrex, however, narrowed its eyes. By its judgment, this big cat might be even stronger than its own steed.

As expected, Lucas's position in the human world was likely far from simple.

Because of Luxray's reaction, Peony and the others turned from their carrot debate to the tree. Seeing who stood there, they lit up with delight.

A short while later.

Lucas eyed the black-violet carrot leaves in the field and mused, "So these are the black carrots Spectrier likes…"

Calyrex's gaze swept the expanse of gravestones nearby, a trace of reminiscence in its eyes. It nodded slightly. "Come to think of it, We oft saw Spectrier around here."

Comfey had finished healing Ceruledge. With the repeated Grassy Terrain and Floral Healing, Lucas decided to let it rest in its Poké Ball.

In its place, Victini lay on Luxray's back. Due to the solemn atmosphere, it was unusually quiet, not poking around everywhere.

Because of Calyrex's complicated feelings toward the people of Galar, Peony and the others, following Penny and Peonia's advice, retreated to a distance from the field and quietly exchanged what they'd experienced over the past few hours.

When they heard that King of Bountiful Harvests was Calyrex itself, the Old Cemetery team was stunned for quite a while.

Then Penny and Peonia shared how Lucas had easily cleared the Iceberg Ruins and caught the legendary titan Regice.

Number-one Lucas fan Nemona got excited, her cheeks slightly flushed. "As expected ofTeacher Lucas!"

Peony looked a bit deflated, glancing at Lucas's back with reluctant admiration. "He even knew how to awaken the giant in the ruins…"

Lucas didn't hear their talk. He beckoned to Victini. "Victini, over here."

"Vtini~?"

Victini flew over, tilting its head in confusion.

Lucas jerked his chin at the Cosmog in his arms. "Cosmog seems to have used a lot of power and fallen into a deep sleep. Can you try giving it a bit of energy?"

"V-tini~!"

Victini planted fists on hips and nodded.

Helping others was its favorite—and Cosmog was its partner in scamming Poké Beans from Lucas!

Victini touched the sleeping Cosmog with its tiny hand. Infinite energy rose with a golden aura and flowed into Cosmog's body.

Calyrex watched, eyes full of curiosity and the desire to understand.

This little one called Victini was even more incredible than it had thought.

Not only could it charge Calyrex… even with Cosmog—whose inner power's origin Calyrex couldn't discern—Victini could pour energy in.

Just as Lucas had said: Victini's energy was universal.

Midway through the transfer, Cosmog stirred.

Its eyelids fluttered, then it opened confused eyes.

Once again, the first thing it saw was Calyrex.

Cosmog blinked, not bothering to think about why Calyrex was there again. With a delighted cry, it floated out of Lucas's arms and bumped straight into Calyrex's embrace.

"Mogo~!"

Calyrex's expression turned complicated. It sighed inwardly but, unlike before, it didn't push Cosmog away. It hugged it.

Seeing Cosmog snuggling into Calyrex's arms, Lucas's smile deepened.

For some reason, looking at a big head and a small head together.

With Calyrex present, Cosmog's emotions steadied and grew more excited.

After the two had their tender moment, Lucas said, "Calyrex, may I witness the power of bounty?"

Calyrex heard the tease in his tone. Perhaps because it had faced its own heart, it was in a good mood.

Floating closer to the field by the Old Cemetery, Calyrex nodded slightly. "Very well. Let Us show thee how Our grace shall return to this land!"

With that, Calyrex drew on all the energy it had left after Victini's charge and repeated Teleports and telepathy.

A lively green light blossomed from it, brimming with vitality. Its mere presence seemed to purify the faint decay lingering over the cemetery.

Then, under Calyrex's control, the green light became countless firefly-like motes, forming a radiant river that poured into the field, rippling outward like waves on a lake.

The black carrots seemed to drink a potent tonic, and before the stunned eyes of Peony and the rest, they grew at a visible pace.

In a short while, the field was full of curved black carrots.

"Momo~~~"

Cosmog cheered excitedly, circling around Calyrex. Even if it didn't understand the meaning, it was thrilled by the display of power.

Penny's pupils shrank. She whispered, "So this is the power of Calyrex…"

Peony thought further, worry flashing in his eyes.

His hateful older brother's anxiety about Galar's future—energy depletion, the exhaustion of natural resources…

If Calyrex in its prime could do as legend said—bring green to even barren land—

What a noble being Galar had lost…

But understanding the truth now, he couldn't bring himself to shamelessly ask Calyrex to remain in Galar.

After finishing, the glow around Calyrex flickered like a failing bulb and quickly faded to a firefly's faintness.

Calyrex was back to barely levitating by psychic power, unable even to speak aloud.

Calyrex looked at Lucas. Before it finished the call, Lucas, guessing its worry, said to Victini, "I'll have to trouble you to boost your output this time—help Calyrex recover to where it can fight freely."

"Vtini~!"

Victini nodded, came to Calyrex, and clasped its outstretched hand. Infinite energy began flowing.

As it received sustained energy, Calyrex quickly regained its telepathy and urgently spoke:

"We sense it—Our steed's presence is approaching rapidly!"

"Perhaps thy companions' carrots had already sprouted, and Our steed detected it and headed this way!"

"And now this field is half full of black carrots—irresistible to Our steed that hath not tasted them in hundreds of years!"

But Victini was restoring energy lost to weakness; it couldn't fully recharge Calyrex in mere seconds.

By Calyrex's estimate, Spectrier would arrive in under a minute.

With Victini's continuous charge, Calyrex needed at least three minutes to reach the level needed to subdue Spectrier.

That meant a dangerous window.

Lucas knew what Calyrex feared. He knelt, deftly pulled a black carrot from the ground, then looked at Peony in the distance, signaling him to protect the kids. He said,

"Don't worry. I'll hold Spectrier off during this gap. You just focus on recovery—then make a dashing entrance and make Spectrier bow to you again."

As if echoing Lucas's confidence, Luxray stepped forward. Its golden eyes shone brighter. Through countless trees, it clearly saw the black stallion galloping through the air on soul-like mists—heading straight toward them.

Before long, even Peony and the others heard the loud drumming of hooves.

Then a Pokémon appeared in everyone's sight—its body jet black, with a blue mane and pale blue tail, galloping through the air!

Perhaps the carrots' lure was too strong. Even in broad daylight, Spectrier—a Ghost type that prefers quiet—swaggered in.

With a ringing neigh, Spectrier closed in, eyes glued to the black carrot in Lucas's hand, and charged straight at him!

Seeing its long-lost steed, Calyrex grew a little excited. "Oh! Spectrier, Our steed—it has been long since We saw thy night-black, noble figure!"

But Spectrier acted as if it had forgotten Calyrex, not sparing it a glance, sprinting right at Lucas!

Calyrex felt awkward. It used telekinesis to bring Cosmog closer so it wouldn't be caught in the fight.

Just as Spectrier neared Lucas, Luxray flashed in front of it like lightning, lowering its body and letting out a threatening growl.

"Neigh—!"

Spectrier neighed in surprise and skidded to a halt, warily eyeing Luxray.

Its instincts told it: Luxray was a serious threat!

But the field full of black carrots was equally impossible to ignore. Spectrier stared longingly at them and decided to take a gamble!

With another ringing black neigh, Spectrier raised its powerful forelegs. Dense Ghost-type energy gathered in its mouth, forming a dark sphere that shot toward Luxray!

Despite its robust frame, Spectrier actually favored special attacks.

"Thunderbolt!"

Lucas upheld the sacred opening rite of Electric trainers—lead with Thunderbolt.

Luxray lit up with blinding electricity, which clashed violently with Shadow Ball.

In the blast's roar, Luxray moved without pause, electricity wreathing its body as it slammed toward Spectrier!

Wild Charge!

But Spectrier's response was swift. Using its sharp senses beyond sight, it tracked Luxray's movement—

It sank into unfathomable shadow. With Shadow Sneak, it dodged and reappeared behind Luxray, forehooves raised to strike!

Knowing Spectrier well, Calyrex quickly warned, "Beware! If struck by Our steed's hooves, thy consciousness may be separated from thy body temporarily!"

However, Luxray and Lucas's response exceeded Calyrex's expectations.

"Snarl!"

"Rooaaar!"

A thunderous roar burst from Luxray. Near-tangible black energy and sound waves mixed and rippled outward from Luxray, flipping Spectrier head over heels!

"Neigh—!"

The world spun. Spectrier stared blankly at the sky, neighing in disbelief.

It had only been a few centuries since it last came here—since when were those farmers it remembered as hopelessly weak this strong?!

Lucas seized the chance to emphasize to his students, "Remember—Dark-type moves are super effective on Ghost types!"

"And if that Ghost type is a special attacker—don't hesitate. Just roar at it!"

Chapter 358: Spectrier That Bends and Stretches — Mohn and Lillie

"Yessir!!!"

The four—Nemona and the others—stiffened, nodding like pecking chicks, overwhelmed by Lucas's presence.

Not only was Lucas strong—he seemed a capable teacher, too. Even while fighting the powerful Spectrier, he could still distill key points for his students.

After a long moment, the dazed Spectrier struggled up.

Its head felt oddly sluggish, and even its usually smooth flow of energy felt clogged.

It quickly found the reason.

Energy like the one in Luxray's roar now clung to its internal energy flow like a bone-deep curse, forcibly slowing Spectrier's energy circulation and output…

Facing Luxray, whose whole body seemed devoid of openings, Spectrier hesitated to bring its hoof down.

This was tricky…

At the very least, Spectrier didn't want to eat another Snarl like that—the feeling was more miserable than the pain.

But…

Spectrier's gaze fell on Lucas behind Luxray and the black carrot in his hand—and the many more in the field. Its mouth watered; longing filled its eyes.

Just as it steeled itself for another gamble—

"Electric Terrain."

At Lucas's word, Luxray let out another intimidating bellow. Blinding currents surged and poured into the ground, and in a blink the area transformed into a crackling Electric Terrain.

Spectrier's senses were keen. It could clearly tell Luxray's aura had risen to yet another level.

"Neigh—"

Mountains will not move; rivers keep flowing.

That field wouldn't be guarded forever. Spectrier had patience to wait!

Next time, it would fight under cover of night—its home turf.

Snorting black mist from its nostrils, Spectrier scraped its forehooves, and without further hesitation, turned to flee.

Seeing it about to bolt, Luxray tensed, electricity arcing over its body, ready to explode into motion—

But a strange psychic ripple swept out, racing ahead of both the starting Luxray and the fleeing Spectrier.

A dignified voice rang out. "Thou hast done well buying time. Leave the rest to Us!"

Lucas caught the weary Victini. Calyrex floated forward, then set Cosmog gently into Lucas's arms with telekinesis, its eyes blazing blue.

Invisible psychic power shook the air. It seemed to lock onto Spectrier, threads of blue telekinetic force lashing out like unseen tentacles, binding Spectrier tight!

"Neigh!?"

Spectrier neighed in fright, struggling with its body, but to no avail.

Even the Ghost-type energy it hurled—the kind Spectrier favored as a special attacker, and that had a type advantage—was helpless against Calyrex's ever-growing telekinetic output bolstered by Victini.

Calyrex floated before its long-unseen steed, a nostalgic look in its eyes. "Our steed, fear not. It is We."

Even with dulled daylight vision, Spectrier stiffened the moment it saw Calyrex, terror written across its face.

A—A ghost?!

Spectrier clearly remembered Calyrex's slumber. It had waited so long that even the hot-tempered Glastrier left the King's Castle. Only then had Spectrier accepted that Calyrex might never wake.

It had taken a hundred years to move on and had grown used to a free life as a lone horse.

But now Calyrex had popped back from who-knows-when—restraining it with power equal to its own prime. Was it about to be shackled again and lose its freedom?

"Neigh—!" (Can we talk about this!)

Spectrier snorted, trying to negotiate.

It had once forged a deep bond with Calyrex and even merged as one, and it didn't truly dislike that feeling.

But right now, it still wanted to chase the winds of night across the tundra a while longer!

"Thou art being foolish."

Calyrex frowned, not expecting its steed to suddenly get petulant.

After hearing Spectrier's request, both Calyrex and Lucas—who heard the mental translation—were speechless.

In short, Spectrier had grown wild and hadn't had its fill of being wild.

Calyrex wavered. It could sense that Spectrier's affection for it hadn't faded despite the centuries, and its request wasn't unreasonable.

But…

Lucas came over with Luxray and Victini, Cosmog in his arms.

Reading Calyrex's face, Lucas knew what it was thinking.

He sighed. At heart, Calyrex was still the compassionate king.

It was actually considering letting Spectrier roam a while longer.

With that in mind, Lucas shared his idea with Calyrex via telepathy.

"…Will that work?"

Calyrex blinked at him.

When Lucas nodded, Calyrex thought it over and decided to try it.

It had to reclaim both steeds to regain its power—this was no time for indecision.

Seeing Spectrier staring at it expectantly, Calyrex's eyes flashed coldly. It hardened its heart, increased telekinetic output, and said coolly, "As the defeated, thou hast no right to bargain!"

Feeling the tightening pressure, Spectrier, caught between pain and fear, suddenly recalled the first time it met Calyrex.

Back then, after losing, it was lectured by Calyrex not to attack humans or their partner Pokémon and was let go.

But as the Pokémon king who once ruled the ancient Crown Tundra, it wouldn't accept defeat. It challenged Calyrex again and again, seeking revenge.

Until even the merciful Calyrex lost patience, telekinetically pinning it, coldly demanding to know what it wanted—Calyrex's expression then had been just like now.

Time had blurred the past. Spectrier couldn't remember everything, only that afterward it bowed to Calyrex, and their bond grew deeper and deeper…

While Spectrier was lost in memory, Calyrex sighed and murmured so only Spectrier could hear, "Thou lovest black carrots. These here were planted for thee by humans at Our request."

"If thou wishest to go, then go. We shall return these carrots to seeds and have humans plant for Glastrier instead."

With that, Calyrex released its telekinetic bind, shook its head, and floated toward the field, as if to revert the black carrots back to seeds.

"Neigh—!" (Wait!)

Spectrier cried out in anguish, trying to stop Calyrex.

Freedom was great—but not at the price of black carrots.

If there were black carrots to eat, and it could serve by Calyrex's side again, then, well… freedom who?

Under Spectrier's pleading gaze, Calyrex kept up the pretense to the final step, then, as if relenting out of old affection, sighed and stopped.

"Very well. Since thou art so earnest, We shall accept thy renewed fealty."

Spectrier's eyes lit up. It hastily lowered itself, bowing before Calyrex again.

Calyrex mounted, and as the familiar feeling flowed back, a surge of pride rose in its heart.

It could finally reclaim its former might!

If only it had the Reins of Unity to become one with Spectrier again…

But this was a solid step forward. Calyrex looked to Lucas, to Victini and Luxray beside him, and said gratefully, "Lucas, Luxray, and Victini—Our thanks."

"Vtini!" "Mogo!"

Cosmog and Victini flew up excitedly to Calyrex's side and, at its invitation, rode along.

Spectrier dared not complain, only shrinking its neck and keeping quiet.

Best to behave and earn those carrots.

"So this is Calyrex's steed of legend… Incredible. And now the legend is real before my eyes!"

To avoid upsetting Spectrier, Peony watched from a distance.

For him, simply seeing a legend made real was enough.

Knowing how much Peony had prepared for his legendary-chasing, Peonia didn't snipe at him for once—she just exchanged a smile with her sister Penny.

Nemona, Eri, and Arven played under a tree with Victini, Cosmog, and Vulpix. Luxray lay quietly nearby, eyes half-closed, as if resting.

You'd never guess from its calm that it had just roared Spectrier upside down.

But its ears twitched at every sound, showing it was still paying attention.

Mid-play, Arven counted on his fingers, face odd. "Isn't the number of baby Pokémon at the teacher's farm getting bigger and bigger?"

At that, Luxray cracked one eye at Arven, sharing the sentiment.

Indeed, over the last few months, it felt like countless young Pokémon had joined the farm. With Cosmog joining, chaos was sure to follow.

Especially with a perpetual-child Dragonite—he'd likely join the mischief. Just imagining it made Luxray's stomach ache.

Thankfully, Oranguru the butler was now helping out, which eased Luxray's load.

Elsewhere—

After discussing the Reins of Unity with Calyrex, Lucas noticed Spectrier's expression, nudged Calyrex with his elbow, and whispered, "Look at it."

Calyrex, contemplating the Radiant Petal, blinked and followed Lucas's gaze. Seeing Spectrier's look, it couldn't help but smile.

Spectrier was staring fixedly at the black carrots, clear drool dripping, eyes full of yearning.

Calyrex's mouth twitched. What had its steed gone through while it slept, to change from the noble image in its memory to… this?

"Our steed, canst thou finish nearly half a field of crops?"

As if waiting for that line, Spectrier neighed excitedly, indicating it could easily handle three fields' worth!

With Calyrex's permission, Spectrier trotted into the field, hooves clip-clopping in the air, and nimbly pulled up carrots with its mouth, happily devouring them.

Watching Spectrier devour the field like a storm, Lucas's mouth twitched like Calyrex's.

Good grief—Spectrier could really eat!

If Calyrex later agreed to come with him, and if Glastrier ate like this too… wouldn't the farm end up with a Four Gluttons Elite Four?

Calyrex lifted a hand. A tuft of blue mane from Spectrier detached under telekinesis and floated into Lucas's hand.

At the same time, Calyrex said, "By thy account, the Reins of Unity require Our steed's mane and a Radiant Petal."

"The mane is here. The Radiant Petal must be bloomed by Our power. As for the key crafting process—hast thou an idea?"

Lucas nodded. "Freezington should still have the tradition."

"We see."

At some point, Calyrex realized its first reaction to Lucas's words was simply to believe—but it didn't mind that feeling.

"To make the Radiant Petal bloom requires vast energy. That was beyond Us when We were weakened."

"But with Victini's power now… it can be done. Our friend—let Us bloom the Radiant Petal again in this distant age, before thine eyes!"

Calyrex's bearing turned majestic in an instant.

Drawing on the infinite energy Victini had left within it, the great green bud-like crown upon its head flared with dazzling light.

Under Calyrex's control, the light—nourishment—flowed like a small stream in the air and poured into the flower bud at its neck.

In a flash, a blossom radiating a mesmerizing blue glow opened and drifted into Lucas's hands under Calyrex's guidance.

Lucas stared, dazed for a moment at the softly glowing blue petal.

A Radiant Petal—how beautiful. If only he could plant a whole greenhouse of them—it would be stunning.

A field of luminous blue flowers shimmering under the quiet night…

"The Radiant Petal is entrusted to thee."

Having spent a great deal of energy, Calyrex's voice was tinged with weakness.

"I'll take it from here." Lucas carefully stored the Radiant Petal and Spectrier's mane, then looked at Calyrex with concern. "Can you still keep Spectrier in line?"

He worried that, after creating the petal, Calyrex might have dipped too low to suppress Spectrier.

He considered sending Mimikyu to shadow Calyrex and keep an eye on Spectrier.

Calyrex glanced at Spectrier—already halfway through the carrots—and shook its head gently. "Our friend, worry not. Having renewed its fealty, Our steed will not betray Us."

Since Calyrex said so, Lucas didn't press the issue. He asked Calyrex to wait a while at the Old Cemetery, then called Peony and the others to return to Freezington.

"The Reins of Unity crafting?"

On the way back, Peony stroked his chin, thoughtful.

"When I was drinking at the mayor's, I heard him brag that his great-grandfather knew how to make offerings for Calyrex of legend."

Lucas nodded. "That's probably it. Can you take me to the mayor's house?"

Peony nodded slightly. "No problem."

Soon, with practiced ease, Peony led them back to Freezington.

Nemona and Peonia went home to refuel and warm up with hot drinks.

Peony took Lucas to the mayor's house, where they met Freezington's white-haired mayor in black round glasses.

Judging from his hair, he was probably past sixty—the village's most senior elder.

After Peony explained, the mayor—understanding Lucas's request—looked as if an exclamation mark had popped above his head. "What?! You want me to make the Reins of Unity?"

"Do you know how?" Lucas asked.

"Ah, that's a bit tough…" The mayor looked troubled. "I dabbled a little as a child, learning for fun from my great-grandfather."

"What's more, we don't have the necessary petal and mane!"

"I have them."

Lucas produced a Radiant Petal and a bundle of Spectrier's mane sufficient for reins.

"This is…" The mayor adjusted his glasses, staring in disbelief. "If these are real, then Calyrex legend is true? No—how could that be!"

He remembered that his ancestors—and his great-grandfather—had imitated the Reins of Unity using ordinary flowers and Galarian Rapidash mane.

Could Lucas's items truly be a Radiant Petal and black mane from the legend?

He couldn't bring himself to believe it. In fact, he reflexively denied it.

No one knew the falsehood of Calyrex better than he did—the scant yields of the village fields were proof.

To keep the village alive in the harsh cold, he'd promoted Calyrex legend to attract tourists.

The weather had let up a bit today; the hauntings had ended. A few more tourist groups had arrived.

Regardless of truth, it was a great publicity opportunity.

Thinking of this, the mayor showed a mercenary smile. "You drove out the ghosts troubling Freezington—our great benefactor. Since it's your request, I must show appropriate sincerity."

"Thank you," Lucas said politely, handing over the Radiant Petal and black mane.

He could read the mayor's thoughts from his expression, but he didn't care.

If he didn't believe, let him continue as is.

Even if they believed again, Calyrex likely wouldn't accept their faith.

By then, regret would be too late.

…

A short while later—

Freezington's square.

"Did you hear? The mayor's going to publicly demonstrate crafting the Reins of Unity from Calyrex legend!"

With the villagers spreading the word, the rumor raced through the tourists.

Before long, a crowd had gathered at the village center.

The mayor, tools in hand, raised his arms and shouted, "It's time to revive the village's tradition!"

Pleased by the turnout, his eyes flashed. He began stitching at high speed with dazzling technique.

Cheers rose around him, and he grew more excited.

Perhaps the commotion was too conspicuous.

A blond, bearded man who had just bartered for supplies at the village entrance paused, looking curiously toward the square.

Then he felt a small hand tug his clothing. He looked down at the blonde girl in a white hat by his side, her face anxious, and his voice softened.

"In such a hurry to go home, Lillie?"

The girl's cheeks flushed, and she nodded slightly.

Mohn smiled helplessly, took his daughter's hand, gave up on the idea of watching the spectacle, and turned toward the tundra.

Their home was far. They had to get back before nightfall.

"Lucas, what are you looking at?"

Peony, a bit dazed by the mayor's flashy show, noticed Lucas seemed distracted.

"Do they come to Freezington often?" Lucas asked suddenly.

Peony blinked and followed his gaze toward the village outskirts, spotting the receding figure of Mohn leading someone.

"Oh, him? I heard from the mayor he's an odd fellow who lives deeper in the Crown Tundra—probably a strong trainer. He often comes to Freezington to trade goods."

"Right, his name's Mohn. He supposedly has a very cute daughter, which he often boasts about, but no one's seen her."

"Looks like today he brought his daughter along."

Peony squinted into the sunlight at what looked like a translucent parasol-like hat rimmed in white and yellow. He hesitated. "That… should be a hat, right?"