Early the next morning.
When Aiden and Cynthia arrived together at the place where they had encountered Calyrex yesterday, a crowd had already gathered around.
Aiden looked around but didn't see any trace of Calyrex among the people. He only saw those giant carrots buried deep in the soil, completely defying the laws of the season.
This was obviously Calyrex's handiwork.
"The legend is true after all! That King is destined to lead Galar to prosperity as the King of Bountiful Harvests!"
"Look at those carrots in the ground. There's no way normal farming could yield such massive sizes."
"This magnificent power is exactly why it is the King!"
It seemed the villagers really loved the gift Calyrex had left behind, and their respect for it had grown even more.
After all, Freezington itself couldn't produce much food, and transporting it from the outside was quite troublesome, relying entirely on the Galar cruise train, which served as a lifeline.
If there could be a stable food source right here in the snow, more locals would probably be willing to stay on this land.
However—
Aiden's attention was drawn to those carrots, and he quickly shook his head. Although they looked special, they seemed to just be ordinary carrots, only a bit larger in size.
These probably weren't the favorite food of Calyrex's two beloved steeds.
Where did Calyrex go now?
"Excuse me."
Squeezing through the chattering crowd, Aiden shifted his gaze to the wooden statue nearby.
Cynthia, on the other hand, reached out to touch the land that had been born amidst the ice and snow, her eyes filled with amazement.
"As expected of Galar's King of Bountiful Harvests. This power is almost akin to creating life out of thin air."
"The authority over bountiful harvests is inherently linked to life itself. And this is just the tip of the iceberg of Calyrex's power; it's still far from its prime."
After replying casually, Aiden soon found the answer he was looking for on the wooden statue.
On the body of the horse, about a meter off the ground, someone had deliberately scratched a crooked arrow mark using a stone. It was something you wouldn't notice unless you looked closely.
An image of Calyrex before it left automatically generated in his mind.
Calyrex's height was only about a meter, and that was including its massive crown. If it didn't ride its beloved steed or float with psychic power, its majestic aura as a King would instantly vanish when making eye contact with humans.
This guy probably couldn't even reach the horse's butt even if it stood on its tiptoes. Did it jump to carve this?
No wonder the lines of the mark were so wobbly and the depth was so uneven. Aiden felt a little amused.
If the other villagers found out about this, its newly established reliable image would immediately crumble to dust, wouldn't it?
Looking in the direction the arrow pointed, all he could see was a vast expanse of white snow.
Aiden then turned his gaze to the Village Chief standing nearby, who had dark circles under his eyes and was tightly gripping a pair of reins in his hands. For the sake of reviving Freezington, this elderly Village Chief was really giving it his all.
"Village Chief, what is over there?" Aiden stepped forward and asked politely.
The Village Chief's attention seemed a bit scattered. It took him two seconds to react. He looked in the direction Aiden was pointing, pondered for a moment, and then gave an answer.
"Over there... should be the direction of the Snowslide Slope?"
"Legend has it that our King tamed the white horse that trampled the fields there, making it his mount from then on."
"Did Lord Calyrex go there?"
Aiden nodded and added a sentence.
"Calyrex doesn't seem to want the villagers to know where it's going, which is why it left without saying goodbye."
"So, after we leave, please keep this secret for it."
"I understand," the old Village Chief replied quickly, simultaneously extending his hand and offering the reins he was clutching to Aiden.
"Mr. Aiden, please deliver these two sets of Reins of Unity to the King."
"Without the reins to remind the black horse and the white horse of their bond with the King, taming them might be very difficult."
Aiden didn't say anything else, simply nodding as he took the reins.
Afterward, he and Cynthia quietly distanced themselves from the crowd and slipped away in the direction the arrow pointed.
Snowslide Slope.
This was a vast, endless stretch of snow; aside from the snow, there seemed to be nothing else.
There was neither a stream nor a valley to be seen, though there was a rather conspicuous cave.
Evidently, after Calyrex lost its power, the geography of the Crown Tundra was now vastly different from what it once was.
"That place seems to be where Calyrex sealed Regice, the Iceberg Pokémon, in ancient times." Recalling the myths and legends she had looked up in the village last night, Cynthia looked at the prominent cave entrance in the distance and whispered.
"I didn't expect Galar to also have creations of that Colossus King."
Aiden nodded. "Because the current continents were all moved manually by Regigigas, it makes sense."
"Knowing that guy's personality, when he gets tired, he probably just finds a place to rest for a while, uses local materials to sculpt action figures resembling himself, and brings them to life."
"So, it's entirely possible that there are other Legendary Titans left behind by him elsewhere?"
The Legendary Titans were indeed not unique. Just from what Aiden knew, there were at least three different groups. The ones sealed in three ancient chambers in Hoenn, the ones intricately connected to the "Toilet King" himself, and the ones acting as guardians of the Tree of Beginning.
And then there were the five Galarian Titans buried in the soil by Calyrex itself—
They continued forward along the snowfield. When a slope finally resembling a valley appeared, Aiden immediately spotted Calyrex in the distance, surrounded by a group of wild Pokémon.
Beside it was a field of crops that stood out starkly against the surrounding snowy environment. At this moment, the ground and Calyrex's body were emitting the same pale green glow, looking full of vibrant life and boundless vitality.
No wonder those usually highly alert wild Pokémon had appeared by its side. This was probably also part of its process of establishing its faith.
Calyrex's power stemmed from faith, but it wasn't limited to humans alone; the faith of Pokémon could also help it recover its peak form.
It was never just the King of humans. However, three thousand years had passed, and the Pokémon of today probably didn't remember it anymore. It could only resort to the clumsy method of "starting over."
[Messengers of the Creator, thou hast arrived!]
As Aiden and Cynthia stepped onto the lush green land, Calyrex immediately turned its head to look at them, and the telepathic message it sent carried a clear tone of delight.
This time, Calyrex no longer needed Mewtwo as a medium; it could communicate with them relying purely on its own power.
It seemed its power had indeed recovered significantly.
"Yeah, did you come here to make preparations for taming Glastrier in advance?"
Perhaps due to Calyrex's influence, when he walked over and spoke loudly, the gathered Pokémon didn't immediately flee. Instead, they looked at him with curiosity.
[Indeed!]
[O faithful ones, We have already introduced thee to Our believers. Come forth without worry.]
Calyrex narrowed its eyes. Its mental state looked much better than yesterday.
Especially when looking at Aiden, its gaze carried a hint of showing off.
[Look, this perfect territory We have carefully selected is exactly suited for growing the Iceroot Carrots that Glastrier loves most!]
A blue light flashed in Calyrex's eyes, and then the nearest carrot actually uprooted itself from the ground, flying straight into its hand.
Watching its blatant showing off, Aiden suddenly felt an urge to laugh.
Was this really the majestic King from Galar's legends? Why did it look like a child?
However—
To be fair, when it came to growing carrots, Calyrex was indeed a professional. The carrot in its hand not only had a shell as crystal clear as ice, reflecting sunlight, but it also faintly emitted a uniquely sweet and refreshing aroma.
This scent clearly had a special attraction for Pokémon; it had already made the nearby Audino and Mawile drool.
With this farming skill alone, it was enough to capture the hearts of these foodie Pokémon. Didn't that mean its faith would immediately surge like flowing water?
No wonder its power had recovered so much overnight; relying solely on the faith provided by humans definitely couldn't have achieved this.
"It looks like you're ready to tame Glastrier?"
Aiden looked at Calyrex, and its expression immediately turned much more solemn, nodding with great gravity.
[Indeed. They are not just Our beloved steeds, but Our dearest friends.]
[If We are to revive Our former kingdom, their strength is indispensable.]
[This is a trial We have set for Ourself, and naturally, it is only fitting that We handle it personally, as befitting a King!]
Although Calyrex spoke with absolute resolve—
Aiden still noticed that its short little legs, which severely mismatched its body weight, were trembling slightly.
As a King, it was actually afraid of reuniting with its dearest friends. If word got out, it would probably be quite embarrassing, right?
So, it left without saying goodbye, leaving only a scratched mark behind, because it was afraid of losing face in front of the villagers?
Aiden and Cynthia exchanged a smile, choosing to keep this secret for it. They should at least save some face for this three-thousand-year-old King.
Aiden then stepped forward, passing through the group of foodies drooling over the carrots, and squatted down in front of Calyrex. He handed the two sets of Reins of Unity—one black and one white—to it.
"The Village Chief asked me to deliver these to you."
In Aiden's eyes, this old Village Chief was quite a character. According to the DLC lore, the materials needed to craft the Reins of Unity should be the manes of Spectrier and Glastrier. The fact that an ordinary person could get his hands on this stuff, and seemingly in large quantities, was pretty ridiculous—
Who knows how he managed to do it.
Calyrex remained silent, and as it reached out to take the white reins, a look of nostalgia clearly appeared on its face.
[After gaining more faith from the hearts of Our subjects, We have recalled some fragments of Our memory.]
[Over three thousand years ago, when We led the people of Galar outward to explore, it was here that We first encountered Our beloved steed—]
[It had a fiery temper and a body of pure white, so We later named it Glastrier.]
[The Iceroot Carrots We planted here attracted it, and alongside it came a howling blizzard.]
[The blizzard blew away the homes of Our subjects and swept up the rations We had grown for them.]
[Therefore, We had to defeat it in order to continue protecting Our subjects.]
As it spoke, Calyrex's eyes were incredibly resolute. This further cemented one thing in Aiden's mind— the Calyrex of the past was truly a King who loved its people like its own children.
So, how exactly did it gradually fall to its current state? Aiden didn't ask this question out loud.
Calyrex was still in an amnesic state right now; even if he asked, it would probably be in vain. Once it re-established faith in itself, he believed many questions would naturally come to light.
So, they quietly listened as Calyrex continued.
[Without Our steed providing Us with power, Our strength possessed almost no combat capabilities. At the time, We too thought that perhaps We could not defeat it at all.]
[Thus, We used a method We are ashamed to speak of to persuade Glastrier.]
After Calyrex finished speaking, its old face flushed red, looking somewhat embarrassed.
[When it came to attack, We requested a Machamp contracted to humans to throw Us into the blizzard.]
[Using a set of reins crafted from the mane Glastrier left behind, We successfully bound it temporarily, initiating a grueling month-long tug-of-war with it.]
[In the end, perhaps Our never-give-up spirit finally moved Glastrier; it actually acknowledged Our kingly aura and became willing to share its power with Us!]
Aiden blinked, finding it somewhat hard to believe.
Wait, what? It actually managed to tame this fierce horse by pestering it to death until Glastrier couldn't take it anymore?
What "acknowledged your never-give-up spirit"— it was clearly just that the horse had completely run out of options!
Although Aiden was a bit speechless, he unexpectedly found it quite reasonable. Because humans taming wild horses seemed to be the exact same process, just perhaps not lasting as long as Calyrex's?
Bumping on a horse's back for a whole month—even Superman's butt would split open!
[Thinking back... We were indeed a rather immature King back then, but because of that, We left behind many interesting memories.]
Calyrex sighed with genuine emotion.
[Just like—]
[Just like the blizzard coming from over there. Back then, when We were competing in endurance with Glastrier, We were also facing that bone-chilling storm simultaneously.]
[But as a King, We naturally had a reason We could not lose!]
After Calyrex's telepathy came through, it immediately prompted Aiden to turn his head and look behind him.
Then—
Looking at the howling blizzard that was rushing toward them with a very clear and direct trajectory, Aiden immediately frowned.
"Wait—"
"That seems to be the blizzard that appears alongside Glastrier's arrival—"
[What?!]
Calyrex, who had just been immersed in memories, suddenly shuddered and subconsciously hugged Aiden's thigh, cautiously peeking in that direction.
Sure enough—
Within the blizzard with extremely low visibility, a snowy white figure could be faintly seen charging recklessly toward them.
And its target was naturally the scumbag who had once abandoned it (lol)—
The King of Bountiful Harvests, Calyrex!
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