Brandon had always been fond of the legendary giants, having spent years tracking down Regirock and its companions. It wasn't about collecting or chasing legendary power—he simply loved them. And now, seeing two more legendary titans, he was completely satisfied.
"Electric and Dragon types, Dylan, be careful. Even after being sealed for so long, they won't be easy to handle," Brandon warned kindly, like a senior offering advice. After all, he'd caught Regirock and the others one at a time back in the day.
"No need to worry, Mr. Brandon. My brother is super strong now!" Lillie beamed with pure, adorable confidence, not worried in the slightest.
Please. Just two legendary giants—nothing compared to the mythical Regigigas who was said to have created the others. But even Regigigas? If it showed up, she believed her brother could beat it and catch it too!
Brandon nodded, saying nothing. He could tell how much Lillie admired Dylan, so her saying that wasn't surprising.
Up on the altar, Dylan decided to go with Iron Valiant and Garchomp for the job—purely for matchup advantage.
And then…
"Well, that was a little tricky. Took some effort."
Picking up the two treasured balls, Dylan let out a casual sigh.
Brandon: "…"
Brandon glanced at his watch. From start to finish, the entire capture took about ten minutes.
"'A little tricky'? Dylan, are we even speaking the same language here?"
"Well, sorry for the wait. Captured successfully. Let's go," Dylan said as he stepped down from the altar. It had taken a bit of time, sure—but within acceptable range. The important part was they were caught.
"Didn't take long at all. So, Dylan, where to next?" Brandon asked as they returned to the entrance of the Split-Decision Ruins, where his gear was already packed.
"Probably explore the rest of the Crown Tundra. Might as well take a look around while I'm here. Oh, by the way, Mr. Brandon—tomorrow I'm having an exhibition match against Champion Leon. Want to come watch?"
"Wait—Dylan, you're having a match with Leon?" Brandon blinked in surprise.
"Yup."
"A public match?"
"Seems like it. The venue is Wyndon Stadium," Dylan smiled. Rose had already mentioned this.
"So they reached out to you, huh? Figures. They're clearly trying to piggyback off your recent rise to Champion status," Brandon frowned. Though he wasn't from Kanto himself, he still found Galar's PR games off-putting—especially since Dylan was someone he respected.
"Still, this could work both ways. If you win, no one can question your title anymore," he added thoughtfully.
Brandon had always been more of a free agent, but technically, he was registered with the Hoenn League. His experience gave him insight—this was more than just a simple match.
"Well, I wasn't thinking too much about that. I'm more interested in facing Leon seriously," Dylan shrugged. That was honestly his goal.
"In that case, I'll head to Wyndon. Dylan, make sure to win—and win clean," Brandon chuckled. With Dylan looking so relaxed and confident, he could tell the young Champion was more than ready.
"I'll be off then. Been stuck in this tundra way too long. As much as I'm used to roughing it, I could really use a hot bath."
"See you later."
Watching Brandon disappear into the snowy horizon, Dylan took out Reshiram again.
"Peppa, hey, wake up." He rummaged through his backpack and pulled out a round, fluffy "Clefairy" and gave its chubby face a gentle tap.
"Mm… what is it…? I was having such a good nap," the creature muttered groggily. Then it quickly shrank back into the warmth of the bag, shivering from the cold.
"All you do is eat and sleep. Use your psychic sense and help me scout for any unusual Pokémon nearby."
"Ugh, nooo~ I'm still tired. I'm just a baby, you know. Babies need their sleep to grow…" it whined, pulling at the zipper of the backpack to close it again.
"Twenty cans of premium food."
Cough "Well, sleep can be made up later! What are we looking for, Dylan?" Peppa asked with a bright grin.
Typical.
Dylan rolled his eyes, picked up the chubby Peppa, and got on Reshiram. The dragon rose into the sky with its three human passengers and one rotund psychic "pig."
"If there's anything special nearby, let me know."
"You got it, boss!"
After flying for about thirty minutes, they passed over a snow-covered valley.
"The view is gorgeous," Lillie whispered, eyes sparkling. She was slowly getting used to the cold, and the snowy landscape beneath them looked like a dream—pure white, gentle snowfall, utterly magical.
"If you like snow that much, I could have Kyurem and Articuno make you a snowy landscape back home," Dylan offered with a chuckle.
His Ice-types did like to hang out at the snowy hill in his backyard, but with their growing numbers, that space was getting a bit cramped.
"Emmm… Natural snow looks nicer," Lillie replied with a blink. The mention of Kyurem made her nervous—that one was a bit too wild. Of all the legendaries Dylan owned, Kyurem was the hardest to approach.
"Below us, Dylan—there's a strong one," Peppa suddenly reported.
"Got it. Let's go down, Reshiram."
Reshiram descended per Peppa's guidance, landing in a snowy clearing. Just ahead, a white horse was munching on a carrot, head tilted curiously at them.
"Ah, this guy," Dylan muttered.
It was a large, muscular horse covered in snow-white fur. Its hooves were encased in ice, and it wore a spiked, icy mask—giving it a fierce, almost monstrous look.
This was Glastrier—one of the King's beloved steeds.
Beep—Glastrier. Ice-type. Wild Horse Pokémon
Ability: Chilling Neigh
Moves: Swords Dance, Double-Edge, Taunt, Thrash, Icicle Crash, Mist, Avalanche…
Entry: Emits intense cold from its hooves. Extremely aggressive. Will do anything to obtain what it desires.
Hearing the Rotom Dex's description, both Lillie and Leaf paused.
"Huh? This is Glastrier? Isn't it supposed to be with Calyrex?" Leaf asked, puzzled. Based on Dylan's story, Glastrier became Calyrex's mount after being defeated, right? So where was Calyrex?
"Who knows," Dylan said with an amused look as he eyed the carrot-munching horse.
This guy's nerves were made of steel. It didn't care about their presence at all and just kept chomping away.
"Glastrier! (Buzz off!)"
The ice horse turned with an annoyed snort.
Even without understanding Pokémon-speak, both girls could sense that it wasn't exactly welcoming them.
"Short temper, huh? I like it."
Dylan smirked. Despite its white coat and Ice typing, Glastrier had a fiery, violent personality.
Its counterpart, Spectrier, was calm and quiet.
"Looks like you've met plenty of humans before—probably been bothered more than a few times. But I'm not like the others," Dylan said, fiddling with an empty treasure ball.
"Come on, fight me. If you lose, you become my Pokémon."
"Glastrier!!"
Glastrier stomped its hooves and turned to face him, eyes gleaming behind its icy mask—half mocking, half amused.
You know who I am, right? You've got guts, human.
"Glastrier, the steed of legend, Calyrex's loyal mount—but right now, you're wild. I've got every right to catch you," Dylan grinned.
"Glastrier?"
Glastrier blinked. Wait, this human can understand me?
"Glastrier!!"
The horse's eyes lit up in excitement. This human was different from the countless others who had tried—and failed—to tame it. Maybe this one would be fun.
It had roamed the Crown Tundra for over a hundred years. Calyrex was always napping in the temple, while Glastrier—less inclined to sleep—would sneak off to wander.
Over the years, it had encountered many trainers. The Crown Tundra was a famous destination, after all.
But none of them had posed a challenge. It had beaten them all easily—and gotten bored.
"Glastrier!!"
Glastrier neighed proudly.
Bring it on, human!
"You still haven't answered. If I beat you, will you willingly become my Pokémon?"
Dylan pulled out his phone and hit 'record.'
"Glastrier! (Like that'll happen!)" Glastrier snorted arrogantly.
"And if you do lose?"
"Glastrier! (Then fine, I'll be your Pokémon.)"
Perfect. Dylan saved the recording.
Everyone heard it. If he caught Glastrier, it would be by agreement—even Calyrex couldn't object.
"Glastrier!! (Come on, human! Let's have a real fight!)"
The horse neighed with glee. It loved a good battle.
"Nice spirit. Reshiram, you're up."
Reshiram, who had been suppressing its presence, stepped forward.
Its blue eyes were calm, its snowy-white wings folding slightly as it stared down Glastrier.
Beautiful, holy, noble—the embodiment of truth.
"Glastrier!!"
Glastrier reared up, eager and ready, then launched into a fearless charge.
Let's gooo!
Meanwhile…
A shadowy black steed slowly walked through the snow. Upon its back sat a small, regal white Pokémon, a dark green bloom on its head like a crown.
This was Calyrex, the King of Bountiful Harvests—the ancient monarch who once ruled all of Galar.
"Sigh… must I always look for you myself?"
Holding the reins, Calyrex sighed in resignation. Every time it woke up, it had to find its steeds again.
Each nap meant a missing horse. After thousands of years, it was exhausting.
Spectrier: "…"
"Snowy brute… who knows what kind of mess you've caused in town this time. Hmm?"
Calyrex lifted its head toward the distant gorge, suddenly sensing something odd. Its voice trailed off.
Glastrier!!
Was that Glastrier's voice? And it was saying…
'Your Majesty!! Help me!!'
Wait—humans are this savage now?
Someone was beating its horse so badly it was crying for help?
(End of Chapter)