Early morning on July 30th, Lucas received a call from Galar.
It was Nemona's invitation to explore the Crown Tundra ruins, plus a plea for help with Freezington's haunting.
They described in detail their terrifying possessions, and Peony—lord of many heavy Steel-types yet helpless against the hauntings—begged, voice choking with tears.
Penny even said if it couldn't be solved, she might have to take a long leave to stay in the Tundra to find a solution—and might not make it back to Naranja Academy before term started.
Though Penny often mouths off about Peony, he's still her father—and more importantly, Peonia is there too.
She wasn't threatening Lucas with this, though.
As she said at the end:
"We hope you'll come—solve the haunting, then explore the ruins together. But it's your call; we won't force you."
If he declined, they'd stay for Penny's sake and look for another solution.
Honestly, after hanging up, Lucas stared into space for a while.
He'd gotten back late with piles of gifts for every Pokémon; the excitement kept them up, so he'd slept late.
He was sleeping soundly when the call came.
With only two days before school resumed, Nemona's group said their village in the Crown Tundra was haunted and wanted help.
Crown Tundra, Freezington, haunting—
Three seemingly unrelated words, but to Lucas they were a guiding light—he grasped the truth at once.
Just like the Pokémon he'd thought about before: those whose powers match a farm, bringing true abundance if you have even one.
Tapu Bulu, Landorus, and the star of this haunting: Calyrex.
Calyrex, a Psychic/Grass Pokémon.
Legend says that in ancient Galar, Calyrex ruled as a king over the land.
It's said to possess great wisdom, understanding past, present, and future—as if holding a triple-stacked Future Sight. Over on the Fate set, it could snag a Grand Caster seat.
Behind the title "King," Calyrex bore another now-forgotten epithet—
The King of Bountiful Harvests.
It comes from its unique power.
It can heal hearts and make plants sprout. With a wave of its left hand, fields grow fertile and crops abundant; with a wave of the right, flowers bloom and grasses green.
If Tapu Bulu can grow a seed to a towering, fruit-laden tree in a few breaths, then Calyrex—one tier above—should be even stronger.
Of course, that assumes its two beloved steeds haven't rebelled, and that it has the Reins of Unity to become one with them.
Exactly as Lucas suspected—
Calyrex's situation now is likely poor. It's a legendary king—but no longer reigning over the Tundra or Galar.
Calyrex's power is tied to faith; lose that faith, and it grows weak.
The true haunter in Freezington is probably Calyrex—hiding in the shadows, so weakened it can only speak by possessing people with Psychic power, mumbling in a dreamlike jumble. Forgotten, faithless.
Its two steeds likely abandoned it, galloping wild across the Tundra.
From Nemona's descriptions, either its power is too faint or the hosts are incompatible, so it can only mutter indistinctly.
As for the best match for Calyrex to possess—
Lucas immediately pictured a middle-aged man he'd heard of but never formally met.
Peony—the only one yet to be possessed.
"Nyuu nyuu"
A little fox with icy blue fur lay on Lucas's knees, belly up, showing its soft little tummy.
Having just eaten, its belly was slightly rounded—clearly, breakfast had been generous.
Absent-minded, Lucas stroked Alolan Vulpix with practiced, instinctively perfect fluffy petting technique, just the right pressure to draw soft little whimpers.
Normally it only got licked clean by its mom or rolled in the snow—no match for the devious techniques humans developed for small animals.
With dexterous fingers, he massaged exactly where it felt best; the already-soft fox nearly melted into a puddle.
Only when its soft little tongue licked his fingertip with a cool touch—
Lucas snapped out of his thoughts, withdrawing from his inner world and glancing apologetically at the concerned Vulpix.
"Sorry, zoned out a bit."
He thought Vulpix was reminding him because he'd stopped petting.
He reached to resume—only for the fox to spring off his lap with quicksilver grace, dodging the hand and leaving white hairs on his black cropped pants.
"Nyuu!"
Its bright eyes met his, a soft cry saying that wasn't what it was worried about.
Meeting those gradient blue-to-white almond eyes, Lucas felt oddly seen through by the little one.
He chuckled, bent down, and picked it up. "Didn't expect you to be so perceptive, little one."
"Nyuu~!"
This time, it didn't dodge, letting him lift it.
Head held high, as if preening under the compliment, its brows and eyes brimming with impish charm.
Though it hides from strangers, once it warms up to people or Pokémon, it drops its guard and shows its true nature.
That timid Vulpix from the Blueberry Academy snow-cave was gone for good.
After a mock-sentimental moment, Lucas booped its nose and teased, "You little rascal."
Maybe because it was once half-wild and still young, its uncanny intuition had sniffed out that he was hiding something on his mind.
It was a plea from students who respect him. Though he'd basically decided, he still asked Vulpix, "Want to go play on some snowy mountains?"
At "snowy," its eyes lit up.
It pictured the mountains where it grew up—its mother and its kin.
Was Lucas taking it home?
Sensing that the mountain in its head wasn't the one he meant, Lucas explained, helplessly, "Not your old home—an even bigger place, with countless snowy peaks: a wide tundra."
Slightly disappointed, but children are more curious than nostalgic. Hearing he'd take it to the snow, Vulpix brightened and nodded like a bobblehead.
"Nyuu nyuu!" (Let's go play!)
He petted its head and smiled. "All right—let's go."
Even after accepting the invite, he didn't depart immediately.
First, from what he knew, Calyrex is very kind. Even forgotten, it bears no grudge against humans—unlikely to harm Nemona's group.
The real dangers are the crop thefts—runaway Ghost Horse and Ice Horse—and the legendary titans sealed in the ruins they want to explore.
But with Peony—a former Champion forged in Galar's hyper-competitive scene—handling a single threat should be doable.
Second, after thinking it through, Lucas even consulted the system he usually avoided to keep life interesting. It indicated no imminent danger in Freezington.
So it wasn't urgent rush-now territory. Better to settle farm matters first, then go. With Dragonite at full speed, Galar was only hours away.
If Nemona's voices hadn't trembled with fatigue and fright, he might've even taken a ship and drifted over in a few days—tour some famous spots, see Dynamax in the Wild Area, then buy a ticket at Postwick for the Tundra.
The Crown Tundra—the summer's ultimate escape…
Well, maybe too cold.
He let Vulpix rest in the Ice-type cottage to avoid the morning sun, then checked that today's milk subscription runs were going smoothly.
Since promoting fresh Miltank and Skiddo milk at the Los Platos Marathon, orders had been falling like snowflakes in a blizzard.
Beyond curiosity buys, many customers truly wanted fresh milk. After a try or two and finding the value good, they phoned or wrote to set up longer-term subscriptions—mostly monthly, some for several months, half-year, or yearly. If he could maintain quality and service, they'd become stable regulars.
He was confident in the milk. For delivery, Dragonite had stepped back, letting the Corviknight team handle routes while it only kept an eye out for the Tinkaton.
They'd proven themselves qualified sky couriers!
As the Corviknight returned and he handed out fresh-made ice cream to cool them down, his gaze drifted to Moltres, idly circling the sky—lately low profile.
Since the Orange Islands affair, Moltres and its two good brothers… or sisters?
Because of their standout performance against the Three Legendary Birds, they'd earned the right to further channel natural forces.
They'd always been able to draw on nature to power up, fight longer—but compared to the climate-bound trio, it was shallow.
Now it was different. Moltres had the qualification to wield a similar ability; while it couldn't become a new trio, it could likely influence weather over a specific area.
As the Pokédex says: it's the legendary bird that comes with spring from southern lands.
Where Moltres appears, even a land of snow can meet spring early.
But… only if Moltres truly masters the ability.
Though it looked like it was copying Dragonite and napping midair—
It was actually sensing ambient natural energy, growing its control, aiming to affect climate.
Lucas called up several times, but Moltres didn't respond.
Thinking it was too absorbed in training, he whistled over a Corviknight enjoying ice cream, hopped on, gripped its feathers to avoid sliding off the smooth armor, and they soared up to Moltres.
Up close, Lucas fell silent.
Because Moltres was, in fact, asleep—holding a pose that required absurd core strength—taking a mid-morning nap right over the farm.