Marnie froze for a moment upon hearing his words. Why exactly was the Crown Tundra called the "Crown Tundra"?
She honestly didn't know the exact reason. Nor did she know when the name had started being used.
"There is a legend that long ago, in the Galar region, there was a remarkably benevolent king," Lucas said, his gloved hand lightly brushing the railing beside him.
As he did, the snow accumulated on its surface fell away, revealing the weathered texture underneath. "This king was said to be elegant and dignified, able to perceive everything in the present, the future, and the past."
Marnie's dark eyebrows furrowed slightly. She seemed to have guessed something but didn't interrupt Lucas's narration.
"With a wave of his right hand, flowers would bloom and lush grass would cover the earth. With a wave of his left, the fields would become fertile and bring abundant harvests. Because of this, he was also called the King of Bountiful Harvests. Under his rule, the kingdom once prospered in great wealth and power."
"In order to bring green vitality back to barren lands, he rode across the Galar region with his beloved steeds, with whom he shared a deep bond."
"When the meteor crisis came, he spent an entire night relocating vast forests and all the creatures living within them to safer locations."
Lucas's voice, under the softly falling snow, seemed to take on a slightly ethereal quality. Marnie listened intently, entirely absorbed.
"What happened to that king afterward?" she asked curiously. With such a powerful and kind king and a flourishing kingdom, why was there no trace of it left in history?
"No kingdom can remain prosperous forever. Even the realm ruled by the King of Bountiful Harvests eventually faced decline."
"There is no definitive evidence, but it's believed that the king's kingdom was ultimately buried and decayed by the passage of time. The once-glorious land was completely covered by endless snow and ice."
"The Crown Shrine, where the king once resided, has now become nothing more than an icebound palace."
Lucas shook his head with a faint smile. This so-called King of Bountiful Harvests was none other than the legendary Pokémon — Calyrex.
And the Crown Shrine — that was the king's palace, where Calyrex had once dwelled. With that in mind, the Crown Tundra was, in fact, the core of the territory that Calyrex once ruled.
But that was all in the past. The present-day Crown Tundra had long since lost its former glory and prosperity, completely buried beneath the snow.
Even so, looking at the greenery that still remained in the southern parts of the tundra, one could imagine how fertile and thriving the land must have been in its prime.
"So, you're saying that legendary king actually lives in the Crown Tundra?" Marnie muttered, her small face deep in thought. She wasn't stupid — it was clear that everything Lucas had just said was referring to Galar's legendary king.
"Yes. And he should be residing near the Crown Shrine. Whether we'll be lucky enough to encounter him, though… that I can't say," Lucas nodded, a smile of intrigue playing on his lips.
To be honest, he was genuinely curious about the legendary benevolent king — Calyrex.
But whether they would actually meet him wasn't something he could control. If this were a game, then sure, Calyrex would indeed be residing in the Crown Shrine.
But this was the real world — who knew if Calyrex wouldn't just randomly go out for a stroll?
After all, even Zamazenta had taken the initiative to leave the Slumbering Weald to go and cause trouble for Eternatus.
"By the way, Marnie, do you have any goals going forward?"
As they walked along the ancient path buried in snow, Lucas casually glanced around before asking Marnie. His eyes, however, suddenly narrowed.
On either side of the old road were trees coated in white snow — a very picturesque sight — but…
"I might go traveling," Marnie replied after pursing her lips and hesitating for a moment. "I want to become stronger."
Yes, she wanted to grow stronger! The reason she left Spikemuth in the first place was to become stronger and more well-known, to bring her fading hometown back into the spotlight.
"Then why not travel with me?" Lucas invited without hesitation. "Galar is still too small. I'll take you to explore every corner of the world."
Marnie's clear eyes widened slightly. "Eh?"
Was this… a confession?
"But before that—Dragonair!"
Before Marnie could respond, Lucas suddenly shifted his gaze toward a pair of trees and called out to Dragonair with a sly grin.
"Draaa~!"
With a high-pitched cry, Dragonair's long body lifted into the air, a beam of Dragon-type energy forming in its mouth.
Boom!
A powerful Dragon Pulse exploded, scattering the snow. A dark silhouette leapt from behind the trees and landed in front of Lucas and Marnie, turning to face them directly.
"How interesting. The king's steed appearing here must mean we're very close to the Crown Shrine," Lucas mused, his grin widening.
The creature resembled a black horse, its muscular body pure black, with a light purple tail and a long, deep purple mane flowing down its neck.
It was the legendary Pokémon — Spectrier, one of Calyrex's beloved steeds!
"That Pokémon is…?"
Marnie stared at the unfamiliar Pokémon in front of her, confused. She'd never seen it before, but it felt strangely familiar.
"Spectrier!"
It didn't take long for Marnie to recall the Pokémon's name, her eyes widening in surprise.
Yes — yet another legendary Pokémon!
She had gone over a decade without ever seeing even one legendary Pokémon, but in the past two days alone, she had encountered three.
"Neighhhh~"
Abruptly, Spectrier let out a loud whinny, then turned and galloped off into the snowy wilderness.
Its appearance had been sudden, and its departure just as swift.
Lucas could have ordered Dragonair to stop it, but he chose not to. After all, that horse had powerful backing…
Snatching someone's steed was akin to killing their father or stealing their spouse and children. Lucas had no desire to be hunted down by Calyrex.
"Lucas?"
Marnie looked at Lucas, puzzled and confused.
"Let's keep moving. It's giving us permission to proceed," Lucas said with a smile. Spectrier had probably been lurking nearby from the start, and it was only just now that he had noticed it.
"Oh… okay."
Still somewhat dazed, Marnie blinked, but obediently followed Lucas.
Wait — giving them permission to proceed? What did that even mean?
She remained completely bewildered, but decided that following Lucas was the right move regardless.
"Spectrier is a Pokémon that loves solitude and silence," Lucas explained, noticing her confusion. "Because it enjoys peace and quiet, it usually doesn't interfere with other creatures' lives."
"But as Calyrex's steed, even if separated from its king, it continues to guard the king's palace."
"And that palace… is the Crown Shrine!"
Lucas's grin widened. Calyrex was a rather unique legendary Pokémon, capable of fighting while riding its steed.
What's more, both of its steeds — Spectrier the black horse, and Glastrier the white horse — were legendary Pokémon in their own right.
To battle Calyrex on horseback was effectively to fight two legendary Pokémon at once!
And when riding, Calyrex and its steed's power wasn't a simple 1 + 1.
"Which means, if we're seeing Spectrier here, we must be very close to the Crown Shrine."
Marnie's eyes lit up in sudden realization. If Spectrier truly guarded the Crown Shrine, then its presence here made things clear.
"Exactly. Spectrier doesn't actively seek out other creatures, but if someone intrudes on its territory or disturbs the peace, it will attack to drive them off."
"But just now, Spectrier didn't attack us. That probably means it's allowing us to move forward."
Lucas nodded with a smile.
Of course, there was also another possibility — they were so close that Spectrier had sensed Eternatus on Lucas.
Realizing it couldn't win, Spectrier may have run off to tattle to its master…
Though… Spectrier's proud nature made that seem unlikely.
Or maybe it had overheard their conversation and decided the two of them were respectful enough toward its king that it didn't see them as enemies.
Who knew?
Lucas didn't care about the real reason. The important thing was that Spectrier had left, and they could continue forward. No problem.
"I see."
Marnie nodded in understanding. Then her beautiful eyes sparkled with admiration as she glanced at Lucas.
She had always known he was strong and knowledgeable — but she hadn't expected him to know so much about Galar's history and legends.
Even as someone born and raised in Galar, she hadn't heard most of this before.
Standing next to Lucas, Marnie felt like she was just a clueless newbie.
The two of them continued walking, and after a while, an ancient building came into view in the distance.
But at that very moment, the sound of pounding hooves began to approach rapidly — a white silhouette charged toward them at high speed.
"Dragonair, Dragon Rush!"
Lucas raised an eyebrow but didn't hesitate. He gave a low order to Dragonair.
"Draa~!"
Dragonair soared upward, swirling through the air, a deep green glow condensing around it. In the blink of an eye, a fierce dragon-shaped aura took form.
Dragon Rush!
Dragonair rushed straight toward the incoming white figure.
Boom!
The force of the collision exploded outward, sending snow flying in all directions as the fierce and turbulent energy overflowed.
After a long moment of stalemate, Dragonair was finally forced back, its long body pushed back a considerable distance before it could neutralize the impact. Its jewel-like eyes stared forward with a serious expression.
"Dragonair…"
Marnie's lovely face was filled with shock. It was the first time she'd seen Lucas's Dragonair lose in a head-on clash.
Snow swirled and billowed in the air, obscuring visibility — but Lucas and Marnie could see it clearly: a tall silhouette slowly emerged from the snowstorm.
Clop… clop… clop…
The heavy sound of hooves grew louder, and a pure white horse appeared before them.
Glastrier!
And on Glastrier's back was a slender and petite creature riding.
The Ice Rider Calyrex!
Lucas's eyes sharpened, a wide, delighted grin spreading across his face.
"So, it was you two who intruded on my domain?"
(End of Chapter)