On August 8th, League Year 798, with a loud whistle, the ship that set sail from the Galar region arrived in the Paldea region and docked at the port of Levincia.
Riding Dragonite would've gotten him back to Paldea faster, but after receiving a message from Clavell saying there was no need to rush back, Lucas chose to take the boat home.
Basic classes were covered by Dendra, and Nemona's group of four were tallying their one-month training results in Galar. Aside from Paul, who had basically enrolled specifically because of Lucas, there wasn't anything urgent.
The voyage from Hulbury to Levincia took three days, most of which he spent on deck.
Lucas even rented a set of diving gear on the ship and, guided by Swampert, took a tour of the sea floor.
Onboard, neither Lucas, Calyrex, nor Pokémon like Cosmog felt seasick.
In contrast, the two steeds—Glastrier and Spectrier—got terribly seasick, so they were forced to stay in their Poké Balls. Though they weren't used to the confinement after living wild for so long, at least they weren't seasick inside.
Once his feet touched Paldea soil, the thrill of finally going home welled up in his chest. Lucas couldn't wait to head home immediately and see the partners he hadn't met for nearly a week.
Lucas turned to Calyrex, who was holding Cosmog, and said, "I'm planning to ride Dragonite straight back in one go. We can probably make it home before sunset."
Understanding what he meant, Calyrex had no objections. It nodded lightly. "Then Cosmog and I will stay in the Poké Balls for a while."
As it spoke, Calyrex used its psychic power to soothe Cosmog, who had sensed they'd be apart briefly.
For Calyrex, being held in a Poké Ball didn't mean acknowledging a master. Its friendship with Lucas wouldn't change because of that. The Poké Ball was just a convenient gadget invented by modern humans.
Be it Calyrex itself, Glastrier, or Spectrier, they could all leave or break free of a Poké Ball by their own will. Even Cosmog could teleport away during emotional swings.
This was probably true for many of Lucas's partners as well.
Poké Balls weren't shackles—they were tools that made bonds more convenient and deeper.
At Levincia's port, under the envious stares of those still waiting for Squawkabilly taxis, Dragonite fanned its mighty wings and kicked up a gale, soaring into the blue sky with Lucas on its back and vanishing in a blink.
Watching this, a neatly braided, doll-like little girl tugged on her mother's skirt, pointed at the sky where Dragonite had disappeared, and asked, "Mom, what Pokémon was that?"
Wearing a breezy long dress, the mother pulled her side ponytail over her shoulder, picked up her daughter, and recalled a news report she'd seen two months ago. In a gentle, unhurried tone, she said, "That's a powerful and rare Pokémon called Dragonite. That big brother is probably a Trainer."
The girl gazed at the sky in admiration. "I wants to be a Trainer too! I want a starter Pokémon like Dragonite, and to be friends with the chubby Dragonite!"
"Mm, that's a bit difficult," the mother said with a troubled look, but then encouraged her, "But if you enroll at Naranja Academy, you'll be given a starter Pokémon."
"Like Fuecoco or Sprigatito… Didn't you really like Sprigatito before? If you become partners and get stronger together, you'll be able to catch a Dragonite with your own strength!"
Though a bit disappointed, the girl still said with shining eyes, "Then I will study hard and enroll at Naranja Academy!"
…
Dusk approached, and the sky was filled with afterglow.
Dragonite landed steadily outside the farm. As soon as Lucas jumped down and found his footing, the Poké Balls on his belt opened almost in unison. In an instant, a dozen Pokémon surrounded him.
Some, like Luxray and the others, gazed nostalgically at the farm, which—bathed in the evening glow—radiated the feeling of home.
Glastrier and Spectrier were eager to see their future home.
Glastrier scanned the scenery, but standing on the ground made it impossible to take in the full scope of the farm.
So it snorted out frigid air from its hooves, building an ever-rising platform of solid ice on the packed earth outside the farm until it could overlook the entire property.
Spectrier had it easier.
Most Ghost-type Pokémon can float, and Spectrier was no exception.
Mist thickened around its hooves, and it rose as if riding clouds, coming level with Glastrier.
Meeting Glastrier's slightly hostile and angry gaze, Spectrier raised its head like a triumphant rooster and neighed smugly.
"Ni-iing—!"
What are you looking at?
Stare all you want—you still can't fly!
Glastrier wanted to kick Spectrier right then and there, but there were more important matters.
It surveyed the farm. With its experience pilfering crops from Calyrex's subjects' fields, its discerning eye found the place quite good.
Uniform plots full of crops, a broad pasture lush with grass for running, and a body of water about the size of a small lake—the essentials were all there.
Beyond the farm lay an even vaster wilderness with ample room for expansion.
The only flaw was that aside from a faint chill seeping up from the ground—something Glastrier found barely satisfactory—everything was green. Not a speck of white!
How was it supposed to plant ice carrots here?
Glastrier snorted in dissatisfaction.
Spectrier, by contrast, quite liked the environment.
The life energy wasn't just abundant; it practically flowed like a river through the air.
If you asked Spectrier what food it liked best, black carrots would be its top choice.
But if you asked what mattered most, it would forsake black carrots for the life energy in the air.
Black carrots were snacks; life energy was the staple.
Of course, a patch of land thick with ghostly miasma to grow black carrots would be perfect.
Compared to those two showoffs, Calyrex was much more reserved.
Using its unique method, it surveyed the entire farm and sincerely praised it. "This place is truly excellent."
"Mo—go~"
Cosmog chimed in.
Sensing Dragonite's landing, the first wave of Pokémon hurried over.
Serperior and Moltres led the charge, with Applin and Shuckle siblings riding on Tropius's back close behind.
Land Pokémon rushed in as well, each showing their ability. Mudsdale had it rough—it worried about punching holes into the newly paved roads like it did during that marathon incident, so it slowed down and held back its strength.
Soon, Lucas was surrounded on all sides by the farm's many Pokémon—even Calyrex looked surprised.
Basking in the star treatment, Lucas spread his arms and gave the hesitant Serperior—caught between acting aloof or enthusiastic—a big hug, then stroked the feathers beneath Moltres's flames, which weren't hot at all.
After a little while, the slower ones—Politoed and Poliwrath, Garganacl, Arboliva, Alcremie, and Dachsbun—arrived too.
At that moment, Lucas was interacting with Raging Bolt. Seeing this unusually tall, ancient, and primal-feeling Raging Bolt, both Glastrier and Spectrier brightened with interest after landing.
Compared to being smacked around by that freakishly strong and agile Luxray, brawling with a big, burly powerhouse like Raging Bolt would be fun.
Oranguru sauntered over still wearing an apron and holding a spatula. As soon as he arrived, his eyes met Calyrex's, who'd been quietly floating and watching Cosmog.
As a Psychic-type, Oranguru immediately sensed Calyrex's immense power.
Recalling what Lucas had mentioned before and the fact he'd gone to the Crown Tundra, Oranguru instantly deduced that their young master had somehow brought back an ancient legend from the neighboring region.
Honestly—bringing home the legendary monarch who once ruled Galar?
Every time the young master goes out, he returns with a new surprise.
Knowing Calyrex's identity, Oranguru bowed slightly and said respectfully, "Guru guru." (Welcome to the farm, esteemed King of Bountiful Harvests. I am Oranguru, the young master's most loyal butler.)
Before Oranguru finished, Calyrex raised a hand to stop him and corrected him. "Caly~!" (Hello, Butler Oranguru. My steed and I, along with Cosmog and the others, will be living here now.)
(Also, I am no longer the King of Galar. I have abdicated. There's no need to be overly formal—let's live in harmony.)
Calyrex's demeanor was less kind and more down-to-earth. You'd never guess it was once a dignified monarch.
Even Oranguru froze for a second before nodding lightly. "Guru!" (Understood!)
Calyrex smiled and asked curiously, "Guan… moongigi?" (By the way, what does butler mean?)
…
A little later—
Lucas finally finished giving cuddles to each of the thirty-some Pokémon on the farm, then, to be fair, did another round with the ones he'd brought along.
By then, dusk had turned to night.
Fortunately, the farm now had streetlamps everywhere, lighting up the area like day.
This made Luxray—who, out of habit, had been about to use Flash as it would on their travels—oddly wistful.
Right—this wasn't the old days, camping in the wild for weeks. Now they had a bright, spacious home and lots of partners.
It should be a happy thing, but for some reason, Luxray felt a trace of melancholy.
As if, with more and more partners, it was getting harder to return to that most difficult yet happiest time of solitude it remembered.
Having finally balanced the attention, Lucas introduced the newcomers to everyone. "This white Pokémon covered in solid ice is Glastrier, and this pitch-black one is Spectrier. As their names suggest, they're Ice and Ghost types."
"And this Pokémon by my side is Calyrex, once the ancient King of Galar—but now retired from that identity. Be polite, but no need to be overly formal. Just get along."
"The one in Calyrex's arms is Cosmog—it's still very young. Alcremie, Vulpix, and Victini, you can keep it company."
"From now on, they're part of our farm family and will live here with us. There's one more potential partner I'll introduce when the time comes."
As Lucas finished, the Pokémon all called out their welcomes to Calyrex and the others.
Calyrex smiled, and calm psychic waves flowed into each Pokémon's mind.
"My name is Calyrex. I once ruled Galar, but I have abdicated the throne. With Lucas's help, I've been re-employed as a farmer here. Please take good care of me!"
After the customary welcome feast, Calyrex and Cosmog moved straight into the house. Lucas gave them the last furnished room.
But with the rooms now full and their funds swelling thanks to booming milk subscriptions, Lucas was already considering adding a larger, more spacious building to the plans.
Spectrier said it liked the pasture vibe and went that way. Glastrier made do in the ice cellar for the night.
Glastrier even declared that after making do for one night, it would create an environment more to its liking tomorrow.
Calyrex immediately vetoed the idea.
It had inspected the ice cellar—the cold and the space were more than enough for Glastrier. Outside would naturally be snow-covered in winter.
Besides, it'd have to deal with that ice giant during the day.
…
The next day.
Sunday, August 9th—the start of a new week.
Naranja Academy doesn't hold classes on weekends, so Lucas didn't go teach. Instead, he and Calyrex went to an open field to unseal Regice's Poké Ball, repair its body, and try to install it as the farm's guardian deity.
Regice was the guardian of the Iceberg Ruins.
According to Calyrex, the Iceberg Ruins were constructed by an ultra-ancient human civilization long before it became Galar's king.
But with time, there was nothing left in the ruins needing Regice's protection. If no one awakened them, the Regis would sleep on indefinitely.
Before Lucas could release Regice, his phone buzzed several times in his pocket. He glanced apologetically at Calyrex, unlocked the phone, and saw a message from Oranguru.
[Young master, a Naranja Academy student named Paul wishes to see you.]