Chapter 171: Capturing Calyrex

Chapter 171: Chapter 171: Capturing Calyrex

By now, Calyrex already knew that Sora was a Pokémon Trainer, and understood what that title meant.

But He didn’t dislike it.

Sora had saved Him.

He had even helped Him reunite with one of His beloved steeds, Glastrier.

As for Spectrier...

Its return was only a matter of time.

Thus, Calyrex found Himself contemplating His future.

Should He continue remaining in the Crown Tundra...

Or...

"I am no longer the king of Galar."

"The people of this land have long since forgotten Me."

Freezington was an exception.

Yet Calyrex had no wish to trouble its people any further.

His existence...

Would only bring them unnecessary complications.

Only Sora possessed the strength to stand against anything that might come.

Only Sora could walk beside Him.

"Would you..."

"Be willing to grant Me a place to belong?"

Calyrex wished to accompany Sora.

Just as Ogerpon, Volcanion, and the others did.

"Of course!"

Sora had never expected happiness to arrive so suddenly.

He had come here specifically to invite Calyrex to join him.

Yet before he could even ask...

Calyrex had already expressed His desire to come along.

It filled Sora with genuine joy.

"To become your companion, Lord Calyrex..."

"Would be my honor."

Those words weren’t empty flattery.

Calyrex truly deserved that respect.

He had once saved countless humans and Pokémon throughout Galar.

He had enriched the earth.

He had blessed harvests.

If one judged solely by accomplishments...

Few Legendary Pokémon could rival Him.

Dialga and Palkia were undoubtedly magnificent.

Yet they rarely intervened to aid humanity directly.

Reshiram and Zekrom possessed tremendous power...

But were equally willful, forever entangled in ideals and truth.

Xerneas and Yveltal embodied life and death themselves.

They represented the laws of the world and favored no living creature.

Among all divine Pokémon...

Perhaps only Zygarde could truly stand alongside Calyrex.

The guardian and overseer of natural order.

It possessed the qualifications to surpass even the King of Bountiful Harvests.

However...

The Zygarde Cells were far too simple.

Unlike Calyrex.

Who was wise, knowledgeable...

The sort of elder from whom Sora genuinely wished to learn.

"But..."

"Are you truly certain?"

Sora asked.

"Even if you are no longer Galar’s king..."

"This is still your homeland."

"I have done enough."

A trace of loneliness entered Calyrex’s voice.

Yet far more than sorrow...

There was relief.

"They..."

"No longer require My protection."

Looking toward Freezington...

Calyrex saw its people living peacefully.

Even without His blessing...

They had built lives of their own.

If that village could flourish...

Then surely the rest of Galar could as well.

The age in which Pokémon ruled the land...

Had long since ended.

Now...

Galar belonged to humanity.

"Sora."

"Yes?"

"You are an adventurer, are you not?"

Earlier, Calyrex had asked about Sora’s identity.

Besides being a Pokémon Trainer...

He was also a traveler and explorer.

In the distant Kalos region...

He even managed his own Pokémon preserve.

The latter wasn’t something Calyrex entirely understood.

It sounded vaguely similar to being the lord of one’s own territory.

But travelers...

Adventurers...

Those He understood.

Even in His own era...

Such people had existed.

And once upon a time...

He had envied them greatly.

"I would like..."

"To experience what it means to travel."

"To journey freely..."

"To witness lands unknown..."

The thought genuinely excited Him.

"Oh, right."

"Those little spheres from earlier..."

"They’re called Poké Balls?"

Remembering something...

Calyrex spared Sora the awkwardness.

Instead, He asked directly.

"I noticed..."

"All of your Pokémon have one."

"I would like one as well."

"Would that be acceptable?"

"You... don’t mind?"

Sora looked at Him.

"You’re the King of Bountiful Harvests."

"Being confined inside such a tiny space..."

He certainly intended to capture Calyrex.

But before doing so...

He wanted everything to be perfectly clear.

Others might call him overly cautious.

But Sora preferred honesty over trickery.

Most importantly...

He believed Calyrex already understood exactly what a Poké Ball represented.

Otherwise...

He would never have asked for one Himself.

"It is of no concern."

As expected...

Calyrex accepted without hesitation.

He had spent countless centuries asleep.

Had Sora not awakened Him...

Who knew how much longer that slumber would have continued?

Compared to that...

What difference did staying inside a Poké Ball truly make?

He had long since grown accustomed to solitude.

Besides...

A Poké Ball symbolized the bond between Trainer and Pokémon.

Calyrex wished to possess such a bond as well.

"In that case..."

Sora produced a collection of Poké Balls.

The one used to catch Glastrier had been an Ultra Ball.

But naturally...

He had prepared far more than just one variety.

"These are every type of Poké Ball I’ve collected."

"Which one would you like?"

"I choose this one."

Calyrex pointed toward a green Poké Ball.

"Within it..."

"I saw our future."

The King of Bountiful Harvests possessed the ability to glimpse destiny itself.

Clearly...

One reason He had decided to accompany Sora...

Was because of that fleeting vision.

Somewhere along the river of fate...

He had seen Himself standing beside Sora.

"A Friend Ball?"

Picking up the green Poké Ball...

Sora glanced toward Ogerpon.

The little oni was looking at Calyrex with admiration.

"Big Head."

"You’ve got excellent taste!"

"Looks like we’re going to become great friends!"

"So I believe as well."

With that...

Calyrex gently touched the Friend Ball.

The capture proceeded flawlessly.

At that moment...

Sora finally obtained his very first Pokémon revered as a true deity.

"I caught Calyrex!!"

Certain rituals simply couldn’t be skipped.

Suppressing his excitement...

Sora immediately released Him once more.

Calyrex was exceptionally respectful of rules.

Now that He understood the meaning of a Poké Ball...

He would never leave it without Sora’s permission.

Even though...

Breaking free from a mere Friend Ball would be effortless.

He would never do such a thing.

"Once we leave here..."

"I’ll take you around Galar first."

"You’ll be able to see how the world has changed over the past thousand years."

"After that..."

"I’ll show you every corner of the world."

It was Sora’s promise.

And his way of honoring Calyrex.

Pokémon were never tools.

They were companions.

Family.

On that principle...

Sora would never compromise.

"I look forward to it."

Calyrex smiled gently.

Though He possessed the wisdom and dignity of an ancient king...

That oversized rabbit-like head still made Him look remarkably adorable.

"This is amazing, Master!"

Korinna beamed.

"Congratulations, Sora!"

"You earned Lord Calyrex’s recognition!"

Throughout the entire exchange...

Korinna and Mairin had watched in complete silence.

When Calyrex declared His intention to accompany Sora...

Neither girl had even dared breathe too loudly.

They feared interrupting such an important moment.

And in the end...

Sora truly had succeeded.

He had gained the companionship...

Of a god.

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