Looking at Glastrier, who still seemed a little stiff and awkward, but whose nose was practically pointing at the sky thanks to Vulpix's innocent "praise, praise, praise," Calyrex suddenly understood a truth.
Sincerity really is the ultimate finishing move.
Nothing moves hearts more than genuine emotion laid bare.
Calyrex knew very well that whenever it tried to soften its words out of consideration for Glastrier's feelings, Glastrier could actually hear the subtext. Spectrier was the same.
But they both always pretended not to notice, and quietly accepted its attempts to comfort them.
So when it met someone like Vulpix, whose compliments were completely unfiltered and genuine, Glastrier could change this much?
Calyrex silently picked the dropped ice carrot up off the ground and watched as Vulpix and Glastrier happily shared it together. It firmed up its resolve once more.
It was definitely going to help its antisocial beloved steed make lots of friends!
Off to the side, Lucas's eyes fell on Glastrier and Vulpix, and he somewhat regretted not carrying a camera with him so he could capture this precious moment.
Fortunately, as long as the relationship between Vulpix and Glastrier kept improving, he'd have plenty of chances later to take pictures like this.
Afterward, Lucas went to visit the Sandslash couple again, and under their lead finally saw the Pokémon Egg they had carefully hidden away.
The egg was primarily white, patterned with icy blue wave-like lines, a very standard oval shape, and looked beautiful.
This egg was probably the first direct offspring of any Pokémon on the farm, and thus very commemorative.
Calyrex also infused a thread of extremely pure life energy into the egg. That would greatly enhance the vitality of the unborn Pokémon inside, making it healthier and more gifted.
Afterward, the way the Sandslash couple looked at Calyrex was as if they were looking at a great benefactor. Even Glastrier, thanks to its relationship with Calyrex, received much kinder expressions from the Sandslash pair, easing the tension between them considerably.
Compared to those overwhelmingly powerful legendary Pokémon focused on battle, Calyrex was clearly much more suited to farm life. And besides, if they did truly need to fight, the horse-and-rider Calyrex would definitely not be much weaker than them.
…
August 14.
Today was the weekend; there was no work scheduled. Still, Lucas asked Nurse Joy in Los Platos Town for leave, deciding to temporarily pause his medical studies for a couple of days and take a trip.
Previously, Lucas had already asked Geeta to inform the Indigo League that he would be heading to Kanto sometime in these few days to pick up the Gold–Silver series of Berries.
Right before departure, Lucas happened to receive a photo via the Poke Ball's teleport function, sent by Delibird.
It was an aerial shot of the entirety of Goldenrod City, taken from the sky. That meant Delibird had already arrived in Goldenrod.
Lucas's current plan was to ride Dragonite to Goldenrod, meet up with Delibird, then take the city's maglev train to Saffron City, and from Saffron fly to the Indigo Plateau where the League's HQ was located.
Judging from this schedule, two days might be cutting it a bit too close.
If needed, Lucas was ready to reschedule Monday's classes to Tuesday, opening up three whole days so he'd have enough time to travel back and forth instead of rushing there and rushing back.
Because this trip to Kanto wasn't for fighting, Lucas was a bit conflicted about which Pokémon to take along.
Since he was going to Johto, Lucas thought: maybe I should bring Raging Bolt. Who knows, maybe just like when I met Suicune, I'll run into Raikou on the way?
If Raikou saw Raging Bolt, a Pokémon somewhat similar to itself but with a weirdly giraffe-like long neck, what kind of expression would it make?
Lucas felt that would definitely be amusing.
His indecision was just in time to be witnessed by Calyrex, who happened to be coming back from a walk with Cosmog.
Placing Cosmog into a little nest Oranguru had floated over with telekinesis, Calyrex asked curiously, "What are you doing here?"
Lucas and Oranguru exchanged a look, then briefly explained the situation.
After listening carefully, Calyrex looked enlightened. "So, you're agonizing over who to bring with you?"
Lucas nodded lightly. "I was planning to bring Serperior, but it said it's been doing nighttime special training with you these few days and doesn't want to leave for now. Luxray is the same."
"Right now I plan on bringing Dragonite, Victini, and Raging Bolt. I haven't decided on the rest yet."
Considering that Kanto was the active area and headquarters of that evil organization, Lucas felt he couldn't afford to be careless.
Calyrex remained silent under Lucas's gaze and slowly closed its eyes. Roughly a minute later, it opened them again and gave its suggestion.
"I think you might as well bring Moltres and Arcanine too. They haven't gone out in a long time, have they?"
Bring Moltres and Arcanine?
Lucas was taken aback, unsure whether Calyrex was giving a random suggestion, or if it had seen something through its future sight and was hinting to him because of that.
However, what Calyrex said was indeed reasonable.
It had been quite a long time since he'd taken Moltres and Arcanine out.
Last time in the Crown Tundra, because of the environment, Arcanine had spent nearly the whole time in its Poké Ball and had been awfully stifled.
This time, in their home turf, they could afford to loosen up a bit.
Thinking of this, Lucas stood up with a "whoosh," thanked Calyrex, and left the house. He found Moltres and the Arcanine that had just comfortably burned off its energy, then called over Raging Bolt, who was sunbathing on a hillside near the farm, and finally had Dragonite drag Victini out of bed.
That made exactly a five-Pokémon team. With Dragonite as the main force, and Raging Bolt plus Moltres as the mid-line pillars, their fighting strength should be more than sufficient.
If things went smoothly, Lucas didn't mind swinging by Pallet Town to finally accept Professor Oak's multiple overdue invitations.
When Lucas, Victini perched on his shoulder, was back in the house packing what he needed for the trip, he suddenly felt his pant leg being tugged.
"Mimikyu?"
Looking down, Lucas saw it was Mimikyu pulling at his pants.
"Ti-ni?"
Victini followed Lucas's gaze and looked down as well. When it spotted Mimikyu, who had somehow appeared there without them noticing, Victini shuddered slightly, as if recalling something unpleasant.
Even now, it still wasn't used to Mimikyu's sudden-appearing, ghostlike ways, and it would get scared if it wasn't careful.
"Kyu~!"
Staring with its tiny eyes, Mimikyu was working very hard to convey its wish to go out with him as well.
Lucas bent down and scooped up Mimikyu's body—light enough to not feel heavy, but definitely not weightless either—met the little eyes on the belly of the rag it inhabited, and smiled softly. "Then let's go together!"
…
9 a.m.
Fully prepared, Lucas, under the watchful send-off of Luxray and the others, mounted Dragonite and flew in the direction of Kanto.
As the saying goes, "The second time is always easier." This time Dragonite no longer needed to rely on navigation the whole way to find the route. They would likely see the outline of Johto, connected to Kanto, by dusk.
This time Dragonite was flying faster; clearly, it was rapidly digesting the gift from Lugia. As its control over air currents improved, its flight speed had made a qualitative leap as well.
By dusk, Goldenrod's dazzling neon lights were already shining brightly; the largest and most prosperous city in Johto was showcasing its depth and heritage.
Lucas didn't have Dragonite land in the city. Instead, he took out the Black Ball from his spatial backpack and, using its sensing function, traveled to the coordinates where Delibird was.
While searching for Delibird, Lucas chatted with Dragonite about Dragonite Island.
"They say that in the seas near Kanto, there's an island that belongs solely to the Dragonite species. It's a sacred place for them, where many Dragonite, Dragonair, and Dratini have lived for generations."
Dragonite flapped its wings slowly, tilting its head slightly and listening carefully.
Dragonite Island—this was its first time hearing of such a thing.
Lucas patted Dragonite's back with a smile and teased, "Maybe your mother used to be one of the Dragonite there. She might have met her Trainer when she was young and been taken away from the island~"
"Bwooo…"
Dragonite bit its chubby hand, looking somewhat conflicted.
Although it almost had no impression of its mother, and therefore no real feelings, that throb of bloodline when they met had made Dragonite clearly understand that the Dragonite leader was its blood-related mother.
Their time together afterward had also proven that the leader was an excellent mother—kind, very experienced, and extremely "knowledgeable."
If its mother really did come from Dragonite Island, then if the chance arose, maybe it could take her there to have a look?
Maybe it would help her state improve, even if just a little.
At that moment, the Black Ball in Lucas's hand suddenly vibrated. His attention snapped back, and based on the reaction from the Black Ball, he knew Delibird was already nearby.
Dragonite landed. Lucas looked around, searching for Delibird's figure.
He was currently in a small forest on the outskirts of Goldenrod. Judging from the chosen resting spot, Delibird had done well.
There was plenty of cover and trees to roost in, and humans rarely passed by, minimizing the chance of being disturbed. As a temporary resting place, it was perfect.
Lucas looked left and right. Seeing no sign of Delibird's conspicuous red-and-white body, he thought for a moment. Just as he was about to raise his head to check the trees and call out, Dragonite suddenly cried out.
"Bwooo!"
The next instant, the branches above Lucas's head shook, and a figure dropped straight down onto him!
Dragonite was the first to notice the change in air currents. Once it saw the figure pouncing at Lucas—and sensed that familiar aura—it withdrew its claws and instead looked at the newcomer in delight.
"Deli~!"
With a cheerful cry, Lucas's vision went black—his entire face had been engulfed by Delibird, who'd noticed their arrival and pounced on him like a Facehugger.
While hugging Lucas, Delibird's tail was still vibrating; clearly, the Black Ball inside it was still moving.
"Deli-bird, lon time no see…"
After finally prying the Facehugger-like Delibird off his face, Lucas didn't even have time to catch his breath before Dragonite rushed over and hugged him too.
For a while, the scene was pure chaos.
Once everyone calmed down, Lucas held Delibird and, smiling, explained to the puzzled Pokémon why he was there. "I had some business to take care of over here. I used the Black Ball and found out you were in Goldenrod, so I figured I'd swing by and say hi."
"Deli" (I see)
Delibird nodded happily.
It was obviously thrilled to see Lucas again.
At that moment, a Level Ball on Lucas's belt popped open, and his shadow wriggled. Victini and Mimikyu appeared one after the other, excitedly greeting Delibird.
After the Pokémon had played around for quite a while, Lucas looked up at the sky, which was gradually sinking into darkness, and made a suggestion. "Want to come along with us for a few days? I'll bring you back afterward."
Based on his estimate, if they went to the station now and took the 24 hour maglev, they should arrive in Saffron by tomorrow morning.
Faced with the chance to spend a few days with Lucas, Delibird had no reason to refuse. It patted its chest with its little wing and agreed at once.
Traveling could happen anytime, but time spent together with Lucas had to be treasured.
…
Goldenrod City.
Lucas walked down the street with Delibird at his side, Victini invisible and lounging on his head.
In Johto, Delibird wasn't particularly rare. Walking beside a Trainer, it didn't attract much attention.
However, Delibird was fairly popular among certain groups of people. Even Pryce, the Mahogany Gym Leader, had a strong Delibird.
Delibird had seen that Delibird before, back when Mewtwo took it along to challenge the eight Johto Gyms; they'd even battled.
The outcome, of course, was that this Delibird won.
To reach the maglev station, they had to pass through Goldenrod's busiest shopping street. If Lucas compared it to famous shopping districts from his memories, it was like Shibuya or Akihabara.
As they were walking past a large electronics store, Lucas, Delibird, and Victini had their attention drawn by the crowd gathered out front.
A huge group of people were clustered around the storefront, and it was unclear whether the electronics store was running an event or if someone was causing trouble.
Originally, Lucas had little interest in such things; his attention was caught only for a moment.
But suddenly, a wave of exclamations burst from the crowd. As Lucas was about to walk past, he glanced through the gaps between people and saw what they were so shocked by.
On the wall of TVs in front of the electronics store, a previous live broadcast was being replayed.
In the video, a massive orange bulldozer was in operation, mercilessly clearing away some strangely shaped crystal formations.
But soon, the bulldozer was counterattacked by some force. It was swallowed whole by a gigantic crystal and sealed inside.
That was the reason for the earlier gasps from the crowd.
The screen then froze for a moment before switching back to the live feed. A female reporter's slightly trembling voice sounded from the TV.
["Just now, above the Hale Mansion, we discovered a flame-like object in the sky. We're unable to confirm what that is at this time."]
["It seems the rescue team won't be able to arrive until tomorrow morning—eh, that's a Pokémon!?"]
With the reporter's surprised shout, the cameraman zoomed in. The screen clearly showed a boy with a Pikachu and his companions, entering the crystallized Hale Mansion—with the help of a Shiny Noctowl, Bulbasaur, and Chikorita.
Seeing that, not just the reporter, but also the people crowding around the electronics store outside in Goldenrod all let out cries of surprise.
"Oh my God, that's so dangerous!"
"What is that thing? I've never seen anything like it…"
"When is the League going to take action?"
"That place… Isn't that the 'number one place girls most want to visit in Johto,' the Greenfield?"
"Seriously? Isn't that just nearby?"
"Will this spread all the way here?!"
The more they discussed it, the more panicked the crowd became. Many people immediately gave up on shopping, turned around, and hurried away from the electronics store, clearly planning to go home and hide.
"Deli…"
Delibird tugged on Lucas's clothes, who hadn't reacted for a while, and asked what he planned to do.
Delibird was somewhat speechless. It was that boy with the Pikachu again. It didn't know if it was just its imagination, but Delibird felt like it could see that boy getting pulled into bizarre incidents at literally any time.
Lucas fell into a suspicious silence that looked like he was weighing his options.
But his heart was anything but calm.
Of all times to arrive, it had to be now—right at the events of "Spell of the Unown".
Judging from the rebroadcast footage, it looked like Ash and company had already entered the Crystal Tower, huh?
Next there'd be a gauntlet of battles, then they'd find Delia. At the last second, Charizard would fly in from the Charicific Valley and duke it out with the fake Entei for a solid three hundred rounds. Then Molly would be moved, Entei would lose its hostility, and in order to break the barrier trapping everyone, the false Entei would go all out, disappear, and dungeon clear.
From the looks of it, whether he went or not, no one would die. The missing Professor Hale would return. Everything would end happily ever after.
Except for that Entei the Unown created from Molly's dreams.
Lucas suddenly recalled his own emotions when he'd watched this movie.
There was no real villain in this film. And when that Entei, false in origin but absolutely genuine in emotion and conviction, vanished, Lucas had felt a deep regret in his heart.
"…Forget it."
With a sigh, Lucas gripped the Silver Wing hanging at his chest and pulled out his phone to glance at the contact Oranguru.
Whether he summoned Lugia, or called Oranguru and had it shake Calyrex over so Calyrex could teleport like Mewtwo from afar—even if something unexpected happened, they'd have more than enough insurance.
Even without counting them as regular combat power, he had the strength needed to intervene.
Since that was the case, why not just follow his heart?
Entei—he'd decided.
He was going to save it.
…