In truth, Arven had wanted to ask for a while:
Why did Brother Lucas's belly under his clothes bulge like a woman several months pregnant?
Granted, a man's not likely pregnant, and it's unlikely he got fat overnight.
Arven remembered clearly that sometimes when he and Mabosstiff visited Lucas's farm, after work Lucas would lift his shirt to wipe sweat, revealing a tight, sturdy abdomen.
No way that became a paunch in a single night.
Only when a dazed little creature popped out of Lucas's collar did Arven sigh in relief.
A Pokémon…
But Arven's smile vanished in the next second.
Because Lucas was at the center of their gaze, the newly revealed Pokémon naturally became everyone's focus.
Maybe their stares burned it, or maybe someone among them happened to be a little scary in its eyes.
"Mo—goooo—!"
In an instant, a cry like Supersonic blasted their ears. The flaming hearth quivered. A half-filled glass trembled, ripples rolling inside, as if it would shatter any second—
Eri clutched her ears, grimacing; Arven looked terrified; Penny, Peony, and Peonia covered their ears and flopped back in unison, faces like they'd fossilize on the spot.
Only Nemona, though struggling with the noise, had stars in her eyes, scrutinizing Cosmog with intense curiosity.
To Arven, Nemona's stare was like a starving lecher in a bar ogling a dancer—well, not far off…
Luckily, the sonic onslaught lasted only a dozen seconds before Lucas—now prepared, and not about to be beaten by the same move twice—plugged it with a Pokéblock.
Hands over his ears, Lucas watched Cosmog cradle the Pokéblock in its starry arms and munch with eyes squinted in bliss, feeling shaken.
Good thing he was ready; even so, since Pokéblocks weren't exactly pocket-ready, it took him those ten seconds to dig out the box, pop it open, and shove one in.
Maybe he should prepare some more portable treats to soothe Cosmog quickly.
He remembered that in the anime, Ash's Cosmog liked sugar candy?
He roughly remembered the method, from reading dessert manuals aloud for Alcremie: you make syrup from rock sugar and water, add large sugar crystals, then rotate them in a special turning drum for one or two weeks. A time- and labor-intensive sweet…
If there's a chance back at the farm, he'd try making some.
With that, Lucas looked at his six companions, still calming their racing hearts; under Nemona's sparkling gaze, he apologized, "This little one's too young to control its emotions. Seeing too many people at once scared it."
"Its name is Cosmog, entrusted to me by the King of Bountiful Harvests."
"Mo-go~"
Hearing its name, Cosmog chirped happily.
"It's fine."
They shook their heads, not bothered by such details.
Nemona, Penny, Eri, and Peonia wanted to get closer but feared scaring it, so they kept a little distance and admired with sparkling eyes.
"So cute! It's called Cosmog? It looks like a sparkling nebula!"
They sighed in admiration—Cosmog's cute looks and adorable eating posture had them enraptured.
Even Penny, used to Eeveelutions' cuteness, couldn't resist Cosmog's charm.
Peony tried to approach for a look but was yanked back by Peonia, sitting there aggrieved, muttering about "a Pokémon I've never seen."
Once the novelty faded a bit, with Lucas's permission, the girls each took small cut Pokéblock pieces and tried feeding Cosmog on Lucas's lap.
Lucas continued recounting last night.
"As I said, Calyrex is real. It often appears in Freezington because it wants to find someone to entrust Cosmog to."
"Its condition is poor—so weak it can only communicate by possessing people… That's why it feels it can't care for Cosmog."
After gently feeding Cosmog a piece, Eri pulled back her slightly damp fingers; the smile on her face faded somewhat.
She murmured, "I don't know what kind of being the King is, but it truly loves Cosmog."
Having experienced Cosmog's innocent nature firsthand, Nemona nodded. "Willing to bear the pain of parting to keep Cosmog safe—so noble…"
Penny rubbed her chin, thoughtful. "I recall that in Galar there's almost no legend of the King left. Only Freezington has scraps, and it's used as a tourism pitch…"
Peony, serious for once, leaned on the wall, arms crossed. "They say the King once ruled Galar as a legendary monarch… but the royal family branded that history fake and burned it."
"Only now that the royals have waned can Freezington use the King to attract tourists…"
"But to focus on the Snowy Slope ruins, I didn't dig deeper into the King."
Lucas had expected that. He glanced at Cosmog, which reacted when it heard Calyrex's name.
He asked, "Could you help me collect some info around the village?"
"Like whether villagers remember Calyrex, its legend, if they think it truly existed, and if any books remain about it…"
As planned, to get Calyrex moving, he had to make it aware of its situation.
Only if Calyrex wanted to change could the plan proceed.
He wasn't worried—judging by last night's decisiveness, Calyrex wasn't a dithering, past-obsessed king.
The four students agreed at once, and doting dad Peony and siscon Peonia followed Penny's lead, nearly making her break character.
With no haunting last night, villagers were out and about again.
They split up, questioned people, and quickly regrouped with intel.
…
Penny: "I'm not great at chatting up villagers… but I searched Galar historical databases. The King's history has been lost. Most tourists think Freezington's King is made up."
Eri: "A farmer said, if the King truly exists, why are crops so hard to grow now?"
Arven: "Same as theirs. Oh, a villager sold me a bag of carrot seeds…"
Nemona: "An old granny asked, if the King existed, why didn't it save Galar during the Darkest Day when the meteor fell?"
Peonia: "After chatting with students back in Freezington for vacation, I recalled school history class."
"The teacher said Galar was always ruled by the royals; two legendary heroes with sword and shield drove away the Darkest Day and saved Galar."
"The so-called king in Freezington is just a made-up legend to attract tourists."
Peony was more direct.
He produced a dusty, yellowed book—bought from the village chief with his prized liquor—and handed it to Lucas.
"I skimmed it on the way back. It records things about the King. Can't confirm authenticity… but since you met it, this book's likely real."
Lucas nodded, took it, and flipped it open under Cosmog's curious gaze.
After a bit, he closed it and exhaled. "This should be the complete and genuine legend."
He passed it to the others to read.
A long silence followed.
Until Peonia, unable to hold back, frowned and trembled. "If the book is true… then what about the history I learned since childhood?"
Penny pushed up her glasses. "If it's false that Galar was ruled by royals for generations, and the King was real… then maybe the Darkest Day and the sword-and-shield heroes also have hidden truths?"
Peony's face twisted with distaste, as if recalling something. "I've dealt with the remaining royals—especially those two, uh, Sordy and… Shielbert or whatever. Reek of arrogant nobility."
"My annoying brother was happy to mingle with them—hmph! Forget it!"
"Now it seems they're fully capable of falsifying history."
If Penny and Peonia were shocked at the contradiction of their homeland's history, their childhood teachings shattered—
Then Peony, who already despised the royals, simply chose to believe his brother and the King's legend.
Nemona, Arven, and Eri, living in Paldea, had fewer preconceptions and sided with their teacher, indignant for Calyrex.
"The book says Calyrex brought bounty—making flora bloom and land flourish so people lived well—yet people forgot it? That's too much!"
Holding Cosmog, Lucas sighed.
According to the book, the people approached Calyrex after witnessing miracles, asking it to be Galar's king.
But now they've forgotten it, and some base people stole its identity and deeds. This is…
Even a clay idol has some temper. Calyrex likely doesn't react because it's in the dark.
Lucas remembered Calyrex's Pokédex entries:
"They say it once transferred a large forest and the forest's dwellers to another place overnight."
"They say it saved the forest's Pokémon from a falling meteor by using its power to see past and future."
A falling meteor sounds related to Eternatus from outer space.
The forest and life it moved were likely at the meteor's impact site.
Perhaps saving countless lives drained Calyrex, leaving it unable to face Eternatus and even forcing it into slumber. When it woke weakened, the Galar royals stole its glory.
Awakening to find its followers gone, its power waning, its steeds Glastrier and Spectrier—once tamed by strength—left it.
In confusion, it met Cosmog, and the benevolent king, unable to raise it, entrusted it to Lucas…
Tragic barely covers it.
Though pieced together from clues and his own knowledge, this was highly likely the truth.
"Teacher, what can we do to help the King—to help Calyrex?"
Lucas exhaled heavily and looked at the pained faces. After thinking, he said, "I have a plan to put Calyrex at ease so it can reunite with Cosmog."
"Peony, please take Nemona, Arven, and Eri to plant those carrot seeds Arven got in the fields at Giant's Bed and Old Cemetery. It's important, so Comfey will go with you."
"Penny and Peonia, you're with me to the Snowy Slope ruin. If we just stay in the village, Calyrex likely won't appear. Even if I go searching, it'll probably Teleport away ahead of me."
He hadn't expected to trap himself like this.
After Victini's brief charge, Calyrex was still weak but could Teleport long-distance.
Psychic-types' strongest edge is their incredible perception. Even if Lucas used his system to locate Calyrex, he was sure if he approached, Calyrex would Teleport away.
Like now—he knew Calyrex was on a snow-laden cliff, watching the village—but he couldn't ride Dragonite to it.
So he had to lure Calyrex out—make it come to him.
Having Peony lead the kids to plant carrots was also for their safety; otherwise, Lucas would've brought the exploration expert Peony to the ruin.
Glastrier and Spectrier are temperamental. If not for Peony, the former Steel Champion, Lucas would do it all himself and never risk the students.
The students agreed immediately, wanting to help Calyrex. The Peony family, shaken by historical whiplash, had no objections. Soon, they moved out.
…
Outside Freezington, Lucas released two Poké Balls. Besides Comfey, Luxray appeared on the snow.
He stroked Luxray's mane and said softly to it and the Comfey on its head, "Protect them. I'm giving Arven the Tera Orb—remind him to empower you if needed."
"Lux!" "Comfey~"
Comfey chimed happily; Luxray nodded gravely and followed Peony's team toward the Old Cemetery.
If asked which Pokémon Lucas trusted most, Luxray would be first—hence this protection duty.
Once they were gone, Lucas turned to Peonia in full winter gear. "Please take me to that ruin in the Snowy Slope."
"Okay…"
Peonia nodded nervously.
She was only a few years older than Eri and a few younger than Lucas. Though she mocked her dad, her sense of safety in the Tundra came from Peony.
Fortunately, per Penny's whispers, Lucas was no worse than Peony—he'd even beaten legendary birds.
Peonia's nerves eased. Like Penny, she edged closer to Lucas and led the way.
…
On a cliff, Calyrex watched the village with distant eyes, then noticed Lucas heading out, Cosmog in his arms.
Calyrex frowned. "That direction is—"
…
Snowy Slope—before a ruin buried under heavy snow, only an ancient door remaining.
Peonia pointed at the old, patterned door with unspoken pride. "This place used to be covered in perennial snow. My dumb dad found the door by experience and digging."
By now, her nerves were gone.
Her gaze drifted to the two Pokémon guarding her, her sister, and Lucas—still amazed.
In the depths of the Snowy Slope, powerful wild Pokémon were everywhere. Each visit required thorough prep.
But aside from having her lead and Penny map, Lucas only sent out Swampert and Ceruledge, and they kept everyone safe—including Cosmog.
What shocked Peonia most was when a massive Aggron underwent Max Raid-like Gigantamax glow and fought them; Swampert simply overpowered it in a few blows, knocking it out of its Dynamax.
Penny, who had been here before with Peony, pointed to a nearby cave. "Water and Ice Stones are in there… but you're not here for that now, right, Teacher?"
"You guessed right."
Lucas smiled, took Cosmog from Ceruledge's arms, and walked straight to the shut ancient door with the two girls.
"Peonia, you said you and Peony tried many ways and couldn't open it, right?"
She nodded, not hiding that Peony had tried brute force. "It's very sturdy, material unknown. Even Copperajah couldn't kick it open."
"Without the right method, it's basically sealed—that's where we're stuck."
Penny pulled out her laptop, analyzing previous photos, trying to glean a clue from the patterns.
"There is a method."
Lucas didn't plan to hide it. He'd state the way outright—so the Calyrex watching in secret would know he could indeed enter the Iceberg Ruins.
Then Calyrex should appear to stop him.
And because he had the strength, there'd be no danger—even if the tactic was a little underhanded.
"We just need to go back to the frozen river and catch a Regi—"
"Mo-go~"
Before he finished, Cosmog suddenly chirped with delight, a unique Psychic power welling up inside it…
In the next moment, Cosmog used group Teleport.
Lucas, Penny, Peonia, Ceruledge, Swampert—including Cosmog—all vanished.
A few seconds later, Calyrex appeared outside the Iceberg Ruins.
Its brow tightened, anxiety on its face. "When did that child learn Teleport? It even bypassed the Iceberg Ruins' anti-Teleport measures for Psychics—this is bad."
"In my current state, I can't break the seal to get inside!"