Oleana pursed her lips, closed her eyes, and rubbed her temples in exhaustion. It wasn't just Raihan—truthfully, everything that had happened today had hit her like a truck.
To Oleana, the one who had worked and believed in Chairman Rose was like the "a wound" in her heart. But now, she had even lost Eternatus, the very foundation of Rose's dream.
She didn't even dare to imagine how she was supposed to face the Chairman tomorrow.
...
The night passed quickly.
After a good night's sleep, Lucas stepped out of the town.
And there, right at the entrance, stood a girl with a cool and quiet demeanor, as if she had been waiting for something.
She had jet-black, silky hair tied into two braids with a red ribbon, and her delicate, pretty features were framed by a soft pink short dress with a black jacket draped over it.
Her two long, slender legs—snow-white and smooth—instantly drew the eye.
"You're too slow."
Hearing footsteps, the black-haired girl turned her emerald eyes toward Lucas, a faint ripple of emotion surfacing in their depths. Her voice was crisp and pleasant, but like her face, utterly devoid of expression.
"Marnie, I think I told you already, the 'kuudere' act might be cute, but you're seventeen now. Not a little kid anymore."
Lucas raised an eyebrow as he approached the black-haired girl—Marnie—and under her furrowed brows, he mischievously ruffled her head while teasing her.
Marnie's eye twitched nonstop. Her fair and slender hand clenched into a fist.
"You jerk! How many times do I have to tell you—don't touch my hair!"
"I spent half an hour fixing it!"
For a moment, the atmosphere was quiet. Then came the girl's indignant shout, filled with embarrassment and fury.
"Where are you planning to go next?"
Back at the town entrance, Marnie pulled out a small mirror and meticulously adjusted her hair. Her pale, composed face regained its cool and distant look as she turned to Lucas with curiosity.
"The Crown Tundra. I'm heading to the Crown Tundra for a while."
Lucas didn't hide anything and answered casually. It was clear he trusted this girl quite a bit.
Right now, Eternatus was in a state of severe energy depletion. His top priority was naturally to help Eternatus regain its vitality!
And the best option for that? The energy dens scattered across the Galar region!
Coincidentally, the Crown Tundra had quite a few of those dens—and was largely uninhabited. So, without hesitation, Lucas chose the Crown Tundra as his destination.
"The Crown Tundra... I'm going too."
Marnie blinked her pretty eyes and tilted her head slightly before speaking.
"No problem. You can lead the way then."
Lucas nodded. He'd known Marnie for almost two years already.
Back when he was sixteen, he came to Galar on a mission assigned by Pryce, searching for intel on Eternatus to prepare for the future.
As fate would have it, he encountered Marnie during one of her rebellious runaway stints...
Back then, she was just a stubborn girl dragging around a barely combative Morpeko, daring to wander into the wild area.
Lucas ended up saving her from a wild, Dynamax Pokémon that was chasing her. From that point on, the two had stayed in touch.
"Dragonair."
He tossed out a Poké Ball, and the pink-and-purple Dragonair appeared before them. The Crown Tundra was a decent distance from the town, so of course, walking was out of the question.
"After you, Miss Marnie the Beautiful."
Lucas stepped toward the floating Dragonair and smiled at Marnie.
Marnie rolled her eyes playfully and leapt onto Dragonair's back with graceful agility.
Lucas followed suit, taking the seat behind her. Naturally, his hands landed on her waist.
"You better behave yourself."
Marnie's eye twitched again, her face blushing slightly, though her tone remained cool and composed.
After all, they had known each other for two or three years now. Marnie knew very well—Lucas was absolutely not a proper gentleman.
If she had a Pokémon that could handle long-distance flight, she'd never agree to ride with him like this.
"Relax. Don't you trust me?"
Lucas smiled, unfazed.
"Then how do you explain where your hands are right now?"
Marnie glanced emotionlessly at the hand that had slid onto her thigh. And it was even squeezing now?
They hadn't even taken off yet!
Smack!
Marnie slapped his hand away without hesitation. This guy—she couldn't let him get away with even a single inch.
"Tsk tsk~"
Lucas's grin deepened. The feel was just as good as he remembered. Truly, Marnie's skin was as soft and fair as always.
"Draaa~!"
With a high-pitched cry, Dragonair soared through the sky, carrying them toward the Crown Tundra.
Dragonair wasn't flying particularly fast, but according to Marnie, unless there were any unexpected delays, they should reach the Crown Tundra by the afternoon.
"Lucas, how did things go in Hammerlocke?"
With the wind brushing past her face, Marnie admired the scenery along the way. After a brief hesitation, she asked Lucas.
"Very fruitful, all thanks to your intel."
Lucas rested his cheek on her shoulder, breathing in her light fragrance with his eyes closed.
Yes—Marnie had been the one who provided him with the crucial information that Chairman Rose and Leon would both be out of town.
If not for that, his plan wouldn't have gone nearly as smoothly.
"You really caught Eternatus?"
Marnie's eyes sparkled slightly, her usually calm tone carrying a rare hint of surprise.
Back when Lucas asked her to monitor Rose and Leon's movements and inform him immediately, she had agreed—but with some hesitation.
She owed him her life, and over the years, their relationship had deepened considerably.
But at the end of the day, she was still a Galar Trainer. Not to mention, her dream was to one day become Galar's Champion. Her older brother was even the Gym Leader of Spikemuth.
It was very likely that one day, she'd inherit his position.
Still, she had chosen to pass the intel to Lucas. At the time, she didn't even understand why she did it herself.
She clearly knew—Lucas was no saint.
"Surprised? I'm Lucas Blackthorn, after all."
Lucas chuckled, his voice brimming with a bold and unshakable confidence.
"Tch~"
Marnie clicked her tongue, clearly unimpressed, but couldn't help feeling amazed deep down.
That was Eternatus, after all. Even knowing how strong Lucas was, the legend of Eternatus had been deeply etched into every Galar citizen's mind.
"So... what happened to Hammerlocke?"
After a pause, Marnie asked quietly. Ever since giving him the tip-off, she had been closely monitoring the situation in the city.
Although no official report had come out yet, she knew things had gotten pretty wild yesterday.
"Eh, it's fine. Only about a third of it got destroyed."
Lucas raised an eyebrow. This girl really did have a soft spot under that cold exterior.
But that made sense. After all, she would eventually replace her brother as Spikemuth's Gym Leader. She was a girl who looked cold but was warm at heart.
"..."
Marnie frowned slightly at that. A third of the city destroyed...?
But before she could think further, her eye started twitching.
Because a certain hand had silently slipped beneath her skirt...
"Take your damn hand out!"
Her flustered, furious shout echoed through the sky.
-----------------------------------------------------------
The Crown Tundra—a massive Pokémon habitat located in the southern region of Galar. In terms of wild terrain, it was one of the most dangerous areas in the region.
In fact, compared to Mt. Silver in Kanto, the Crown Tundra was even more perilous!
From a distance, the Crown Tundra looked like a majestic, snow-covered mountain range—a breathtaking sight. But that was only on the surface.
In reality, not only did it house countless powerful wild Pokémon, but it was also home to numerous energy dens.
What were energy dens?
Three thousand years ago, the awakening of Eternatus triggered the Darkest Day phenomenon. Though it was stopped by Zacian and Zamazenta, Eternatus's body was shattered.
Its broken pieces were scattered across Galar and became various artifacts.
That's when the energy dens appeared!
At their core, energy dens were manifestations of Eternatus's lingering energy.
Because of that, Trainers could use Dynamax Bands to channel this energy and allow their Pokémon to Dynamax.
In the wild, energy dens were almost always occupied by wild Pokémon, forming what were known as Pokémon dens.
And most Pokémon dens contained wild Pokémon in a Dynamaxed state.
"Hsshh~ So cold..."
Towering snow-covered peaks loomed overhead. Dragonair descended from the sky gracefully, and Lucas and Marnie leapt off its back.
Marnie blew into her hands, her face pale from the cold.
Although she was in decent physical shape, she had to admit—this place was really cold.
She'd totally underestimated it!
Gazing into the distance at the vast snowy landscape, Marnie found it stunningly beautiful...
But damn it was freezing!
She cursed herself for forgetting to buy a coat or two along the way.
"Well, it is a snowy mountain. I've heard there are quite a few Legendary Pokémon rumored to live here."
Lucas pulled a fluffy coat from his space backpack and draped it over Marnie, gently adjusting the collar for her and giving her soft cheek a quick pinch before turning toward the mountains.
The Crown Tundra truly was one of Galar's deadliest locations.
But it was also home to Legendary Pokémon!
"Yeah, but you don't just bump into legends every day, you know?"
With the coat wrapped around her, Marnie exhaled, warmth returning to her body. She glanced at Lucas, a faint smile flickering across her lips—though it quickly disappeared.
"Sure, there's a rumor that Galar's legendary king lives in the Crown Tundra, and some even claim to have seen a galloping figure... but that's all just talk."
"People have even said they saw the three Legendary Birds here."
Marnie tilted her head up, her chin slightly raised, her voice filled with disdain. Clearly, she had no patience for unfounded rumors.
She'd always believed in seeing to believe.
Rumors died in the face of logic and reason.
She, Marnie, wasn't the type to blindly believe in stories.
"Calyrex, huh..."
Lucas raised an eyebrow, giving the tsundere Marnie a very peculiar look.
(End of Chapter)