The situation Calyrex expected ultimately did not happen.
Neigh!
After letting out a loud snort, the hot-tempered Glastrier simply walked behind Calyrex and nudged its body.
Spectrier remained silent, but just as it was about to close its eyes, it suddenly turned its head and frowned in the direction of two strange gazes.
"..."
Aiden scratched his head, fully aware that they had been discovered.
Spectrier was a Ghost-type Pokémon. Although it wasn't a lifeform made of souls like Gengar or Lampent, it possessed incredibly unique power. Aside from its vision, its other five senses were extremely sharp. It was said it could sense its surroundings for several kilometers using its ears and breath, feeding on the life energy emitted by creatures in the air.
This was probably one of the reasons it chose to follow Calyrex. Therefore, it was perfectly normal that it had spotted him and Cynthia hiding.
Since they were already discovered, Aiden dropped the act and stepped out openly and confidently. If Spectrier identified them as enemies—the consequences would be terrifying.
Any creature kicked by it would have an out-of-body experience, temporarily separating the soul from the flesh. If attacked repeatedly, this effect might even become irreversible, which broadly speaking, was no different from death—
"My King, it seems you have reunited with your former best friends."
Aiden stepped forward, stopping at a corner of the shrine about three or four meters away from Calyrex.
"Indeed, they have forgiven Me." Calyrex nodded, reaching out to pat Glastrier's lowered head, a heartfelt smile appearing on its face. "I never expected that Glastrier and Spectrier would actually wait here for Me for three thousand years."
"Now, we shall never be parted again."
Whinny...
Glastrier didn't seem to quite believe Calyrex's words. However, it still held the reins that Calyrex had slipped over its face earlier, quietly waiting for Calyrex's next move.
The legendary King was seemingly about to regain its power today. Aiden couldn't help but feel expectant, quietly waiting with Cynthia for the scene of the "King descending from the heavens."
However—
About half a minute later, Calyrex was still standing in the same spot. Even Glastrier was visibly getting impatient, irritably nudging its back with its head again.
"Ahem..."
Only then did Calyrex finally clear its throat, looking at Aiden and speaking with a bit of embarrassment.
"O believer, could thou lend Me a small hand?"
"With Mine own power alone, I cannot mount it right now—"
Under normal circumstances, it could use psychic power to levitate, completely bypassing its inherent disadvantage of short legs and small stature. But the process of clinging desperately to Glastrier's neck and being dragged all the way to the Crown Shrine had completely depleted the little power Calyrex had just recovered.
Its legs were still a bit weak right now! Although it might be a bit embarrassing, fortunately, everyone here was a close friend or loyal subject who knew it well; it believed they would definitely keep this secret for it!
Under Calyrex's earnest gaze, Aiden tried his best to hold back his laughter, slowly stepping forward.
"Pardon me, My King."
"Think nothing of it!"
Calyrex actively spread its arms, waiting for him to give it a "boost."
But Aiden made an even bolder move. He directly placed both hands on the bud crown atop Calyrex's head and plucked Calyrex off the ground like pulling a turnip.
Hmm—
Sure enough, it was soft and squishy, just like a giant cabbage. The texture was actually quite nice!
"Hey, this is too disrespectful! This is high treason against the King!!!"
Calyrex's hands and feet dangled completely in the air, and its body tilted uncontrollably.
"But the King agreed to it."
Aiden replied with a smile, then exerted force with both hands, tossing Calyrex straight onto Glastrier's back.
Neigh~
"Glastrier! Art thou laughing at Me too?!"
The entire Crown Shrine was instantly filled with laughter and cheerful voices. Even Cynthia and Spectrier, who were quietly observing this farce, revealed smiles on their faces.
Perhaps three thousand years ago, this lost King had fooled around with its best friends just as unburdened as today?
Under Aiden's watchful gaze, Calyrex reached out and gently grasped the Reins of Unity made from Glastrier's mane.
This time, Glastrier no longer rejected its power. Calyrex and Glastrier simultaneously lit up with a dazzling white radiance, quickly converging into a sphere of light that completely enveloped the King and his steed.
Neigh—!
Within the light, the pale neigh of the white horse flashed by. When three thousand years of estrangement faded away, Calyrex would finally stand together with his beloved steeds once more. The majestic and powerful Wise King, who made it his duty to protect his subjects, had returned at this very moment!
"This is—"
Cynthia blinked. Among Pokémon evolution methods, there was indeed a very special one. Symbiotic evolution. For example, Slowpoke and Shellder completed their evolution through this method.
But—
Judging from the performance of Calyrex and Glastrier, it didn't really look like symbiotic evolution. As the evolutionary glow gradually dispersed, her confusion deepened—Calyrex and Glastrier had almost no changes at all, except that the almost non-existent wings on Calyrex's back had grown much larger.
Could this be considered an evolution?
"Gaze well upon the King's majestic figure, O My subjects!"
Calyrex's voice clearly became much more imposing, and its every gesture exuded a confident aura befitting a King.
"This is Calyrex's true form."
Perhaps noticing the confusion in Cynthia's expression, Aiden had retreated to her side at some point, taking the initiative to explain.
"Calyrex holds an authority known as Bountiful Harvests. Its life force and mental power are like the sun, spontaneously transmitting life energy to the outside world."
"And Glastrier and Spectrier happen to be able to absorb its power to become stronger, achieving perfect coordination."
"Their symbiotic relationship shouldn't count as evolution; it belongs to Calyrex's different forms."
"So, according to the naming standard set by Professor Oak, we should call it Calyrex (Ice Rider Forme) right now."
"..."
Aiden's explanation made Cynthia's furrowed brows relax slightly. However, she soon birthed a new question—
"Since the main body of the power comes from those two horses, what kind of power can Calyrex gain from this?"
"A fine question!"
This time, it wasn't Aiden who answered her. It was Calyrex, gripping the reins with its left hand and pointing to the sky with its right, looking high-spirited.
(A/N: The Ice Rider Calyrex's official art looks just like that famous painting of Napoleon; you could say it's a very dark joke—)
"I do not need overwhelmingly powerful strength of Mine own; I need only command My beloved steed, making its power Mine to wield!"
"Glastrier, use Glacial Lance!"
Neigh—
Glastrier sounded a bit reluctant, but ultimately chose to sync its soul with Calyrex once more after so long. When a blue light flashed in Calyrex's eyes, the cold air spewed from Glastrier's breath rapidly condensed, quickly forming a giant icicle in the air, its sharp tip pointing straight at a distant snowfield.
"Fire!"
Calyrex gave the order again, and the icicle, a full three or four meters tall, instantly shot out, crashing fiercely into the snowfield below the Crown Shrine.
Rumble—!
The power of Glacial Lance was truly terrifying; even from far away, they could still feel the ground beneath their feet shaking violently. Even the distant snowy mountains trembled under the effect of this mighty power. Soon, a considerable avalanche formed in the distance, and countless snow washed over the path they had just walked, completely submerging the road.
Looking down from their vantage point, the scale of the avalanche they witnessed was already this astonishing. The villagers of Freezington on the other side of the Crown Tundra would probably feel it even more deeply. If they didn't know it was most likely Calyrex's doing, they might have thought those sealed Giants had broken out—
Neigh!
After being scolded by Spectrier, Calyrex, realizing it had gotten carried away, scratched its head in embarrassment and forced itself to continue proudly, "Hast thou witnessed it? This is the bond between Me and My steed!"
"Galar, your King has returned!"
"As expected of the King's power—"
Aiden skillfully offered a flattering compliment, but his expression was a bit hard to describe.
Glacial Lance and Astral Barrage were respectively the different powers Calyrex wielded when riding its two steeds. The Glacial Lance used while riding Glastrier could not only be fired, but also used as a melee weapon, flexibly utilized for dashes or thrusts like a spear.
As for riding Spectrier, Spectrier's spiritual power would feed back into Calyrex, making its mental power even stronger, even allowing it to see through all events of the past and future.
The crisis of the falling meteorite back then was sensed in advance by Calyrex and Spectrier, and resolved using its ultimate move. The name "Astral Barrage" also originated from this. It aggregated spiritual power to the limit until it formed a saturated will-o'-the-wisp strike like a meteor shower.
Not only could it shatter meteorites, but it also possessed the power to burn souls, stripping away all life energy from whatever it touched. It was hard to imagine that such a powerful King would ultimately vanish into the long river of Galar's history.
Aiden vaguely felt that there must be some hidden inside story he didn't know about. Therefore, he brought it up without hesitation—
"My King, since you have regained your former power, then—"
"Have you also recalled more of your past memories?"
This question seemed to be within Calyrex's expectations. It didn't speak, only nodding calmly. Soon, it used the reins to turn its direction, looking with nostalgia at the ruined Crown Shrine behind it.
For Calyrex, this place indeed carried too many of its memories.
"This is the place where I was born."
After a moment of silence, Calyrex suddenly spoke leisurely.
"I know not from whence I came, and I am afraid I have no such thing as parents."
"For as long as I can remember, there was only a desolate world before Mine eyes, and a small sapling that was born alongside Me."
Following the direction of Calyrex's finger, Aiden looked up at the ancient tree encircling the entire main hall. Even amidst the ice and snow, three thousand years had not caused it to lose its vitality; it had silently supported this Crown Shrine all along.
"I had no need to eat; the life energy of this land would continuously flow into My body."
"Therefore, for a very long time, I only kept company with that small sapling, passing the long years in this way."
"The sapling gradually grew, and under the influence of My power, it began to bear fruit."
"The fruit attracted the first guests; a group of Pokémon that fed on fruits and leaves became My first subjects."
"They regarded Me as their leader, and the power of faith gushed forth from within living creatures for the first time, becoming the source of My power."
"From that day on, I knew the duty for which I had descended upon this world."
Calyrex smiled after finishing, seemingly reminiscing about the beautiful days of the past.
"Pokémon are a group of very pure, miraculous creatures."
"I gave them shelter and food, and they too saw that I needed more faith."
"So in return, more and more Pokémon were brought by them, and My territory continuously expanded outward."
"Until one day—"
"A human wandered into My territory."
Aiden had been silently listening to its words. But upon hearing this, his heart suddenly skipped a beat.
Going by the traditional tropes of the Pokémon world, a human appearing at this time wasn't necessarily a good thing. Could it be that humans had been playing the villains since ancient times?
Calyrex didn't notice his expression and continued speaking to itself.
"That man fell unconscious from hunger and exhaustion. I could not bear it, so I bestowed some food upon him."
"Using that man as a catalyst, the people of the snowfield also learned of My existence."
"They were very wise and unwilling to unilaterally accept My goodwill. Every time they came to visit, they would always trade things they had made for food."
"Humans had never possessed power as great as the Pokémon, yet in just a few short years, they carved out a mountain road leading straight to My territory."
"From then on, not only did it become much more convenient for humans to visit, but Pokémon could also use this road to go down the mountain and experience a broader world."
"This was the initial catalyst for the birth of bonds between humans and Pokémon."
Calyrex's tone carried a hint of nostalgia.
Hearing this, Aiden also let out a sigh of relief. Thank goodness, this time humans weren't the villains—
It sounded like a joyful story for all; barring any surprises, what followed would be the true story of how Calyrex became the "Wise King."
Sure enough, Calyrex soon continued—
"With the help of humans, My territory expanded further, and eventually, even humans began to believe in Me, becoming My subjects."
"I had but to exert My will, and the snow and ice would melt, the land would become fertile, allowing this barren land to nurture an endless supply of food."
"Humans no longer needed to worry about their livelihood."
"They called Me the King of Bountiful Harvests, revering Me with sincere devotion from the bottom of their hearts, hoping that My power could reach every corner of the world, so that all humans and Pokémon could be blessed by the King's grace."
"Thus, the grand expedition of Me and My subjects began."
"The most ancient Galarian Empire was born from this. Later, I encountered Glastrier and Spectrier one after the other, becoming soul friends with them."
"Originally, in My imagination, these beautiful days would continue forever."
"Until—"
"That day, a meteorite falling from the sky destroyed everything."
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