After emerging from the cave, we notice Peony rushing toward a town known as Freezington. So, we follow him and see some fields and the houses around. Then, a person walks toward us and he says, "Hello, hello! What have we here? Another visitor?"

"Um... you can say so," I say.

"I am the mayor of this fair town of Freezington. I must say, it's a surprise to have visitors arriving in our out-of-the-way town one after another. Might you be here to learn about the legend of the King of Bountiful Harvests as well?"

"What is that?" Alice and I ask simultaneously.

"Ah, never mind. It hardly bears asking. After all, there's very little otherwise to attract visitors to our sleepy corner of the region. Which is a bit of a shame, really... People come all this way to investigate what turns out to be a mere fairy tale. But since you've made the journey, I must offer you this Freezington specialty as a memento!"

Then he presents us with a boatneck sweatshirt featuring a Pokemon design we haven't seen before.

"It's a shirt emblazoned with the likeness of the King of Bountiful Harvests. I'm afraid it hasn't sold quite as well as we'd hoped. We've got a fair number left over... The illustration is based on extremely ancient accounts of the king's appearance, hence the unusually sized head. But we thought it might make the design a touch more 'hip,' as they say..." the mayor explains. "If you'd like to see what the king really looked like, I suggest you take a look at the statue by the fields in the center of our village. Farewell for now, then." With that, the mayor departs.

"Over here!" Peony calls out to us as we make our way to where he is. We then spot the house adorned with a flag, and Elena sighs, "What is it now, does he think he's a pirate or something?"

"You really do have an interesting uncle, Elena," I remark as we enter the house.

"Aha! Here you are! This poky little place will be our lodgings," Peony exclaims as we remove our heavy jackets and settle down by the fireplace.

"But as of this moment, it's also something far more important—our base camp!" Peony declares.

"Base camp?" Alice inquires, and Peony lets out a sigh. "I know, I know. Not much of a base camp, is it? Still, we've got to give it a proper air of importance, haven't we? Now, enough faffin' about, Ash, Alice, Elena! Let me tell you what the Peony Exploration Team is after! Round here, they've got a fair few strange and mysterious legends!"

"Such as?" I inquire.

"FOR EXAMPLE! A huge-headed Pokémon known as the King of Bountiful Harvests!" Alice exclaims, "That was the one that the Mayor was talking about..."

"NOT TO MENTION! A massive red tree where legendary flying Pokémon gather!" I add, "Legendary Flying Pokémon? I wonder what that's about..."

"AND FURTHERMORE! These great, hulking, dot-faced giants that sleep in some ruins or something!" Elena chimes in, "That must be the Regis."

"ET CETERA! See what I mean? This place is just bursting with juicy legends! And we're not stopping until we've found just how much truth they've got to 'em! And there you have it! We are the Peony Exploration Team... and that is our grand, noble, magnificent goal! Of course, if I had my way, I'd be doing this with my darling Nia... But who knows? They say even Chansey meetings can lead to Blissey-ful friendships! So here's to a grand adventure, Expedition Chief Elena!"

"Wait, I am the Expedition Chief?" Elena asks in surprise. "I thought you would be the chief..."

"Obviously! Look... What do you think would happen if the two of us went gallivanting off together? My dear Nia could come along for a grand, emotional reunion... and find this place empty! Just the thought of it... My own darlin' daughter, sittin' alone in this room, pinin' for her papa... Gaaah! Nope, not on my watch! I'd never let that happen! So I'll be the hold-down-the-fort chief! Which means you get the pleasure of being the expedition chief!"

"But why not Ash or Alice? I mean... why me?" Elena asks.

"Maybe it's because you are my niece," Peony laughs. "Or maybe Ash and Alice want to be one?"

"I think Elena is the one that is suitable for this job," I say, and Alice also agrees.

"Okay... if you say so," Elena sighs, and Peony takes out three outfits. "Gahaha! Which brings me to... this! Go on, have it!"

We are pleasantly surprised to receive the outfits from Peony and promptly try them on, now donning the expedition clothes. Alice remarks, "Hey, these are warm."

"Yeah, not bad at all," I agree.

"Gahaha! Look at that. Fits you like a glove! I brought some spare uniforms so my dear Nia would have a few to change into. So there's enough to give you one! And if you ever need to change or take a nap, by all means... just head into the bedroom back here! I've got some different-colored scarves in there, so switch it up if you fancy a bit of style! Here, have these, too!"

He takes out three papers, and Elena takes them. "What are those, Uncle?" she asks.

"They are Legendary Clues I've meticulously compiled from hours of dedicated telly watchin'! First off, why not have a look at that clue about the King of Bountiful Harvests? Seems like this king's bond with its loyal steed—or whatever you call it—runs proper deep! So if I had to name this expedition, I'd call it..."

The Sacred Bonds of Sovereign and Steed!

"There's a great, big statue of it bang in the middle of the village! Though its head isn't as massive as in my notes..." Peony adds, and Ash questions, "So we need to check it out first?"

"I guess so," Elena replies. Peony then has an idea and continues, "Aha! I've just had an idea. Here's a little somethin' to help you out!"

Much to our surprise, we receive three Master Balls, and Peony says, "This is supposed to be one ultra-mega-corker of a ball! Use it wherever you think you ought to! I got it ages ago from somebody I used to know. I'm sure Elena knows about it. But I never could bring myself to use it, though... If you ever get a bit turned around, come on back to base camp anytime! You can't miss it—just look for the adventurin'-crew flag I stuck out front! Handmade by yours truly! Anyway, I suppose that's that! Let the grand adventure begin! Have a smashin' time out there!"

Elena acknowledges, "It is true that my father gave some of them to Uncle Peony..."

"But now let's just go check out the statue outside," I suggest as we all head outside to see the statue. We see a Pokemon riding on a horse, and Elena opens the first clue.

"There's a fairy tale in Freezington about the Legendary Pokémon known as the King of Bountiful Harvests. In the legends, the king is said to wear a massive crown on its head, but the wooden statue near the fields in the middle of the village shows no sign of a crown," Elena reads the unfinished report.

"So does that mean someone took the crown that was supposed to be on the king's head?" I suggest.

"I guess so," Elena responds. "I think we should ask if Uncle Peony has the crown..."

"Do you think he has it?" Alice asks, and Elena says, "We don't know if we don't find out."

As we reenter the house, we spot the crown resting on the table. Alice points it out, saying, "Hey, guys, do you think this is it?"

Elena and I rush towards the table, examining the crown and the clue, just as Peony chimes in, "Hey, Chief! My pillow's caught your eye, eh?"

"Pillow?" I ask in surprise.

"Oi, listen here, Chief and Teammates. I've got some wisdom to impart. If you can put your head on it and have a kip, it's a pillow! Unfortunately, I went and left my favorite pillow back at home. So I went to have a look around town for somethin' to rest my head on... and I found this back behind the inn!" Peony explains.

"Oh, so can we have this?" Elena asks, and Peony looks shocked. "C-come off it! You want me to hand over my ultra-mega-comfy pillow?! That's askin' a lot, even comin' from you, Chief!"

"But we think that it might be related to the statue outside..." Alice says.

"Hm? What's that? You think my pillow's got somethin' to do with a Legendary Pokémon? Gaaah, ultra-mega-seriously?! This is just some old thing I found! But if you really want it... Who am I to refuse? All right, all right! Go on, then—have it! But you'd better make sure you track that legend down!" Peony concedes.

"We will, uncle," Elena assures Peony as we take the pillow and then quickly head outside. We carefully place the crown back onto the statue's head, and I gasp, "Wow, it fits."

"Yeah," Alice agrees, but then they notice two Pokemon with big crowns watching them. The Pokemon then turn around and leave.

"What are those Pokemon?" I ask.

"Do they want us to follow them?" Elena suggests as they decide to rush toward the Pokemon before they disappear out of sight.

We manage to chase the two Pokemon until we reach a corner, and I cautiously ask, "Who are you two Pokemon?"

Suddenly, the one with a distinctly female voice says, "You put the crown back... battle us."

"A battle with you?" Alice questions, taken aback by the fact that they can understand the voices of these mysterious Pokemon. Nonetheless, they decide to accept the challenge.

The ensuing battle proves to be quite a challenge. The two crown-wearing Pokemon display unique abilities and tactics. It takes some time, but Ash, Elena, and Alice eventually discover their weakness in Bug-type moves. With strategic planning and teamwork, they emerge victorious, with the two mysterious Pokemon acknowledging their strength and relenting.

"Oi oi, what's up?! I heard a big ruckus comin' from over here! What's this now, Chief? Were you havin' a Pokémon battle?" We turn around to find Peony, and Elena questions, "Uncle Peony?"

"Hm?" Peony notices the two Pokemon, and he exclaims, "What massive noggins!"

Suddenly, the male one takes action, causing Peony to start floating into the air. Elena asks with concern, "What did you do with Uncle Peony?"

"Ah, yes. A sturdy body, just as I expected," we hear another voice coming from Peony. "I hope he doesn't mind that I make use of it for the time being."

"I don't think you need to do that, especially since we are aura users and can understand your voices," Alice says, trying to establish communication with the two mysterious Pokemon who have taken control of Peony's body.

"Oh? That's even better. We are Calyrex. I am the one known as the King of Bountiful Harvests, and this is my queen," the male Calyrex says. "I will release the man after this meeting."

The female Calyrex says, "We want to thank you. There are no words to adequately express our gratitude toward you for restoring our statue. In days long past, my king and I reigned over these lands."

The male Calyrex continues, "The humans offered me their loyalty and respect, as we were able to bring lush vegetation to the land and give them plentiful harvests year after year. However, it seems that over many, many years, the people of this land have forgotten our existence."

"They used to make offerings to us every year, but even that tradition has long since been lost to the ravages of time," the female Calyrex adds. "You see, it is the faith of the people that grants us strength..."

"And now we have lost all but a fraction of our former powers. Even our loyal steeds have abandoned us..." the male Calyrex says with a hint of sadness. "However, you three were kind enough to restore my statue! That act has returned some strength to us, at least enough to speak to you by borrowing the body of another. Now, kindhearted human children... We have a favor to ask of you."

"Okay..." Alice says with curiosity. "So what do you want us to help you with?"

"We must know once and for all whether the people have truly forgotten about us," the female Calyrex says earnestly. "So we wish to speak to the villagers and ask if they remember the King and the Queen of Bountiful Harvests. We have tried asking them ourselves, you understand. But they treated us like some sort of fairy-tale creature or flew into a mild panic at the sight of me... Please, kindhearted humans. We beg you to help us..."

I say, "Of course, we're going to help you. So I think we should go ask the villagers?"

Elena agrees, "I think we should. I'll also write down the report." She shows us the report and reads aloud, "Calyrex appeared once we placed the crown on the statue of the King of Bountiful Harvests. Calyrex can apparently speak to humans by taking over a person's body—Peony's, in this case. Now, we need to gather more information on the King and the Queen of Bountiful Harvests from the people of the village!"

After reading the report, we begin to approach the villagers for information. Alice decides to ask two old women, and one of them says, "The King and the Queen of Bountiful Harvests? I used to believe they were real, you know? I was told that if I made mischief in the fields, the king and the queen would steal my body away."

"The Pokemon King and Queen? Oh, sure, my gran used to tell me stories about it all the time when I was a kid," the other woman adds. "An old fairy tale, that..."

Elena approaches a man, and he responds, "The King and the Queen of Bountiful Harvests? Well, if it exists, why don't they heal the land around here so we can grow crops for a change?"

Elena sighs in frustration as she encounters another uncooperative villager, who replies, "Oh dear, I'm sorry. I'm rather busy doing nothing right now."

Meanwhile, I decide to approach the mayor for information, and he responds with a touch of sarcasm, "Do I remember the King and the Queen of Bountiful Harvests? Of course I do. It's only the main tourist attraction of our lovely Freezington, after all! I imagine we would see more visitors if only the king and the queen were real..."

"Of course they are real..." I mutter in a low voice, frustrated by the villagers' skepticism and the fading belief in the legends. It becomes clear that the legends of Calyrex, the King, and the Queen of Bountiful Harvests are indeed fading from the memory of the villagers, and their faith in these legendary beings has dwindled over time.

After gathering again, we share the information we gathered from the villagers with the two Calyrex, the male one still possessing Peony.

"Ah, human children! I trust you were able to speak to the villagers," the female Calyrex says.

"So, how was it? Did they say anything about us?" the male Calyrex asks.

"We did, but..." They decide to tell them the truth, and the expressions on Calyrex's faces turn somber.

"Hm... it is as we suspected. Nobody truly believes that we are real," the male Calyrex says.

"It seems the people of this land have indeed forgotten the bond they once shared with us..." the female Calyrex says, her voice quivering with emotion.

Concerned, Alice asks, "Are you okay?"

The male Calyrex quickly reassures them, "Hm? Oh no, of course we are not grieving! We are the king and the queen of Bountiful Harvests, after all! We know better than to count on humans to remember us."

The female Calyrex adds, "This proves beyond doubt that we can't simply rely on human faith if we want our powers to return. If only our loyal steeds were to return to us, we would regain something of what we've lost..."

"Loyal steeds?" Elena asks, intrigued by this new piece of information.

"Yes! The four-legged Pokemon that we used to ride all across the land. You have seen one from the statue in the village shows me riding," the male Calyrex says.

"Alas, though in ancient times, we spent many days together, dashing through the valleys and over the mountains of this land... but our powers waned, and we were forced to part ways with them," the female Calyrex adds with a touch of nostalgia.

"Now, we know not where they may be," the male Calyrex frowns. "Even if we should succeed in locating our loyal steed, we have our doubts as to whether they have remained... well, loyal. We have lost so much power..."

I suggest, "Maybe somebody in the village will know about your... currently not-so-loyal steeds?"

"We would be in your debt if you could speak to the head of the village on our behalf," the female Calyrex says. "If you are able to find any information at all, I ask that you let me know..."

After Peony is freed from Calyrex's possession, he returns to his normal self and expresses confusion. "*snort* Gah?! Huh?! Chief?! Ash and Alice?! With a massive noggin! Or... Wait. No, it's normal. I must've fallen asleep where I stood! Sorry 'bout that, Chief! Still, I feel strange. Like my body's not quite my own... Guess I'll head back to base and get some rest! 'Sides, it's freezing out here!"

With Peony gone, we make plans to find the mayor and seek his assistance in locating Calyrex's loyal steeds, hoping that this might be the key to restoring the King and Queen of Bountiful Harvests to their former glory.

Here is a new chapter, and in this chapter, you can see that I put two Calyrex for a reason. I hope you like this chapter and the next chapter will be finding the steeds.

Ash and Alice's Pokemon:

Venusaur x2, Charizard x2, Blastoise x2, Butterfree x2 (One Pink), Pikachu, Meowth, Machamp, Rapidash (Galarian), Slowbro (Galarian), Gengar, Kingler, Weezing (Galarian), Lapras, Eevee, Snorlax, Meganium, Typhlosion (Hisuian), Espeon, Slowking (Galarian), Mantine, Sceptile, Gardevoir (Shiny), Milotic, Absol, Infernape, Lucario, Abomasnow, Gallade, Samurott, Audino, Darmanitan (Galarian), Garbodor, Zoroark, Stunfisk (Galarian), Greninja, Meowstic x2, Aegislash, Hawlucha, Decidueye, Lycanroc (Dusk), Mimikyu (Shiny), Melmetal, Rillaboom, Cinderace, Inteleon, Greedent, Corviknight, Orbeetle, Thievul, Eldegoss, Dubwool, Drednaw, Boltund, Coalossal (Shiny), Flapple, Appletun, Sandaconda, Cramorant, Barraskewda, Toxtricity x2 (Amped, Low-Key), Centiskorch, Grapploct, Polteageist (Antique), Hatterene, Grimmsnarl, Obstagoon, Perrserker, Cursola, Sirfetch'd, Mr. Rime, Runerigus, Alcremie x9 (Each Flavor), Falinks, Pincurchin, Frosmoth, Stonjourner, Eiscue, Indeedee x2, Morpeko, Copperajah, Dracozolt, Arctozolt, Dracovish, Arctovish, Duraludon, Dragapult, Zacian, Eternatus, Urshifu x2 (Single Strike, Rapid Strike), Zarude, Kleavor