Snowy Valley.

  This was the first stop on Naoki and Calyrex's journey.

  A cool stream wound through the snow-bed nd, its gentle gurgling the only sound in the serene valley. Naoki and Calyrex stood side by side at the edge of an open field, surrounded by quiet beauty.

  Naoki crouched down, scooping up a handful of soil with a small shovel. He sifted it through his fingers, paring it to the soil from his ranbsp;

  "It feels tough and pact," Naoki observed. "Probably because of the enviro—frozen solid, uhe soft soil back at the ranch."

  Curious, Naoki took a closer sniff. Then, on impulse, he put a pinch of soil in his mouth.

  "Hm… It tastes like regur soil," he muttered, befrimag slightly. "But there's a sharp, iergy in it."

  Feeling the frosty tingle spreading from his mouth to his nose, Naoki spat out the dirt and rinsed his mouth with water. As he pohe peculiar qualities of the soil, a thought struck him:

  "This nd is saturated with ice-type energy. Could that be why the carrots here mutate? The energy must ihe seeds and turn them into the snow-white carrots Gstrier loves."

  Calyrex floated nearby, his serene gaze fixed on Naoki. "Have you discovered anything?" he asked.

  Naoki nodded. "I think so... If we could infuse soil in other pces with the same iergy, maybe we could grow these white carrots elsewhere."

  Calyrex sidered this for a moment before replying, "When I ride Gstrier, I el ice-type energy through it using my powers. Let's try infusing the soil here with that energy."

  "Sounds good." Naoki grinned, eager to test the theory.

  Meanwhile, Gstrier showed little i in their versation, fog entirely on the field. It impatiently scraped at the ground with its hooves, sn clouds of frosty air from its nostrils, eager to see the white carrots it loved so mubsp;

  Calyrex sighed, the affe in his voimistakable. "My beloved steed has always been this way."

  Naoki chuckled as he rummaged through his bag, pulling out several packets of carrot seeds. With Koraidon's help, he carefully phe seeds across the snowy field.

  As the st seed settled into the soil, Calyrex floated to the field's edge. He raised his hands, eling a wave of shimmering blue energy.

  The light spread across the field like a tide, the iergy merging with the soil. When the glow faded, the field was bursting with rows of plump, snow-white carrots.

  Gstrier neighed joyfully and trotted toward the crop, its hooves cttering rhythmically against the frozen ground. L its head, it eagerly began mung on the frosty carrots.

  Across the field, Spectrier watched quietly. Its usually posed expression softened with a hint of envy as it observed Gstrier enjoying the feast.

  Naoki plucked one of the carrots from the ground and exami closely. It ure white, like freshly fallen snow, and cool to the touch—radiating a faint, icy chill.

  Naoki took a curious bite of the snow-white carrot and was surprised by the experie wasn't just cold oside, but the flesh was icy too. The taste was unusual, ced with a distinct chill as if it carried the essence of ice-type energy.

  This strange discovery firmed Naoki's earlier theory, but further experiments would be o fully uand the properties of these unique crops.

  Orier had finished mung down every st white carrot from the field, Naoki and Calyrex mouheir Pokémon—Naoki on Koraidon and Calyrex orier—a off toward their destination: the cemetery.

  Though much of the Tundra was covered in snow, the southern parts gave way to vast wilderness. By mid-afternoon, they had crossed the snowy expanse and reached a ndscape full of greenery, dotted with trees, kes, hills, and caves.

  Standing atop a hill, Naoki squioward the distant south and spotted something incredible—a colossal tree that towered at least fifteeers high. Near it, another field stretched out, dominated by a vibrant, light-red fruit tree.

  Even though Naoki knew about the giant tree from the games, seeing it in real life was awe-inspiring.

  Calyrex followed Naoki's gaze and gave a thoughtful nod. "That tree has stood here for many, many years. Its fruits sustain the Pokémon of this nd, drawing powerful creatures to its trunk. Many great Pokémon have rested beh its boughs over the ages."

  Naoki's heart skipped a beat. "Wait… are you talking about the Garian forms of the legendary birds?"

  He recalled that, in the games, the legendary trio—Artio, Zapdos, and Moltres—had visited the giant tree. And it wasn't just them; ends, like the Regi Pokémon, had also made their presenown here.

  "Yes, they are among the many Pokémon drawn to this nd," Calyrex firmed. "But not only the birds—other a giants rest here as well."

  They traveled further, soon arriving at the remnants of an a stone ruin. Cracked pilrs and worn carvings hi its immense age, and a heavy sense of mystery hung in the air.

  Calyrex's voice was soft, filled with reverehis ruin is known as the Giant's Bed. Long ago, a Pokémo here. They have slumbered for turies, guarding this nd."

  "The sleeping giants..." Naoki murmured. "You mean the Regi Pokémon?"

  His heart raced at the thought of entering these powerful beings—Regice, Registeel, Regirock, Regieleki, and Regidrago.

  " I open the ruins and take a look inside?" Naoki asked eagerly, his excitemeing the better of him.

  Calyrex, however, shook his head with quiet caution. "I would advise against it. These giants rest peacefully now, but waking them could provoke their anger. Such a disturbance would not only endanger us but also the nearby Pokémon."

  Naoki nodded in uanding. "Right... It's best not to mess with them, then."

  As they tinued onward, Calyrex gnced ahead and poioward a patch of dark soil. "There—this is where the shade root carrots grow."

  Naoki looked up and saw a deserted field led between graves.

  The area was scattered with crumbling tombstones, casting an eerie, ominous atmosphere. A faint chill lingered in the air, making the pce feel as though it could easily be haunted.

  'A cemetery… The people buried here must be from turies aght?' Naoki thought to himself.

  He silently whispered an apology in his heart for disturbing the resting souls, then walked forward with his Pokémon trailing behind.

  Calyrex floated beside him, the field. "Do you pn to tinue your iigation here?"

  Naoki shook his head almost immediately. "...No, thanks. Humans 't sense ghost energy the same okémon do."

  Calyrex gave a slow nod, uanding his reasoning. "Very well. How do you io proceed with your experiment?"

  Naoki pulled out a small pouch of carrot seeds from his backpack. "Let's see if this soil grow shade-root carrots."

  "I see," Calyrex replied, his voice calm and supportive.

  W with Koraidon, Naoki pnted all the seeds into the bed soil. The seeds disappeared beh the earth as he gently patted the ground, pleting his task.

  Once finished, Calyrex floated forward. A soft glow surrounded him as he raised his staff, eling his energy.

  In an instant, the seeds sprouted, transf into a patch of dark purple carrots. Their eerie clistened against the bck soil, giving them a peculiar appearanbsp;

  Naoki turo Spectrier with a gentle smile. "Alright, Spectrier, these are for you. Go ahead a."

  Spectrier stared at Naoki for a moment, snorted quietly, and then stepped forward with elegas movements were slow and deliberate as if sav the atmosphere. L its head, it began nibbling at the freshly grown carrots with refined, measured bites.

  Urier's messy, ravenous eating, Spectrier's approach was calm ahodical, as though it was sav every bite. The Pokémon's graceful demeanor made it seem as if eveing was an art form.

  Naoki watched, gng bad forth between Gstrier and Spectrier.

  And now, the real question loomed in his mind: Which horse should he ride i year's Pokémon race?

  Wherever Gstrier passes, the ground freezes instantly. Its immerength aructive power are undeniable, but its personality is rough, prideful, and battle-hardened.

  In trast, Spectrier carries an air of tranquility. It never initiates flict with other creatures and moves with graceful elegas hooves treading lightly ohereal, ghostly mist. Its calm demeanor and sleek five it an otherworldly beauty, like a fleeting shadow in the moonlight.

  Naoki scratched his head, caught in a real dilemma.