Calyrex was asking for stories - and Hideo would deliver. He approached the lordly Pokemon atop his Spectrier, his Beheeyem carried along by the boy's hand (the Beheeyem levitating itself, moved with the ease of a balloon).

He dismounted once he was close enough, his Beheeyem following behind him by foot. The Calyrex spoke to him - through someone else that had wandered close.

"An honor to meet you, King Calyrex," Hideo said, offering a bow - a motion his Beheeyem mimicked. "I think I have the kind of story you're looking for."

Hideo took a seat, his Beheeyem by his side.

"There was once a boy, who wanted to prove his strength to everyone. Everyone around him thought he was a weak, sickly child, but he still struggled to prove himself. Every step may be a challenge, but he took each step with his own strength, and he wanted to prove that he could do anything he put his mind to if he just tried hard enough."

"But there were some things he couldn't do, no matter how hard he tried. And he thought if he could accomplish those goals, he'd feel satisfied. He tried anyways, even when he was warned not to. And the results ended up harming not just himself, but those close to him…"

"He had to stop and think, before his actions could cause permanent harm. He thought about why he wanted to prove himself to everyone, why he pushed himself past his limits until the consequences spilled onto others."

"It was then that he realized the truth, what was truly driving him: the one person whose faith he wanted to earn, was his own."

"It was upon learning that truth, that he could truly start to achieve satisfaction. It was only then that he could make a difference in the world."

With that, Hideo stood up. The Calyrex let out a "Cro rown!", its satisfaction evident.

Firja dramatically reared in front of the Dyna Tree in Ever Grande City, the Glastrier making even Shalin hold on tight. Though she was an equine, the ice-type Pokémon proved to be difficult to control, prone to bucking and thrashing with strength even the expert rider could not overcome. The saddle on her back was especially thick, keeping her rider from being frozen merely from sitting on her ice-covered body.

Sitting astride the royal Galarian horse, Shalin approached the familiar Calyrex, jostling her memories of wielding a bow that fired ICE SHARDS at just below supersonic speed. Memories of her first run on her Flygon's wing mid-Boomburst: the fastest vibration any of her Pokémon had to offer. Repeated rides that violent had taken a toll on her back over the twenty years that alternate reality spanned. Having perfected her Sygna bond, that would not happen in the real world. No matter the whiplash-inducing speeds her Pokémon buzzed, rattled, or even whipped her about with, her Sygna Suit would protect her.

"High King Calyrex, I am Shalin Nariya , one of Hoenn's greatest explorers. I come to you with a story of fire and ice: one based on one of my favorite expeditions of all time. The expedition to the Fiery Path's Mirage Palace." The memories of visiting the place with Julia Davis and Eduardo Hisakawa came flooding back in. The adventure the duo had while Julia was a budding Ranger and before Shalin had as a Ranger was unforgettable. While most of the story about the location itself was true, she would not be beyond making some... embellishments.

Not comfortable with reciting her story from memory, Shalin had brought a clipboard with the tale typed out on it. Though she was reading, she still made it sound like she was telling it from memory.

[player]https://fi.zophar.net/soundfiles/nintendo-snes-spc/seiken-densetsu-3/310%20Electric%20Talk.mp3[/player]

THEME SONG - Electric Talk - Seiken Densetsu 3 ORIGINAL GAME AUDIO

"Long ago, in a world before Poké Balls existed, raising Pokémon was a true rarity and a privilege only the wealthy or fortunate could. Those who raised Pokémon used their power to rule the masses. They formed dynasties, and several descendants of those dynasties live on today." As she and Alexei Ivanov had discovered, the Birdfather was a descendant of the dynasty that made their quarters at the Braviary's Nest near Fortree.

"One such dynasty was the Loyal Vulpines, a large, tight knit family of twelve barons that bonded exclusively with Ninetales, Zoroark, and Delphox. The Mirage Palace was theirs - the mystic palace erected in defiance of reality. A family of mystics themselves, they shared the powers of their fox partners, wielding fire, ice, darkness, light, and even that of the mind. Their fortress, split in two by a dance of illusion and telekinesis, was nigh unassailable. The bottom level was heated and powered by geothermal technology the modern world would kill to have. The top level, a mile in the air, was constructed almost completely out of Never Melt Ice. Yet the two were mere feet apart. With a grand hall hot as a volcanic crater and a throne room as cold as an arctic cave, no army could conceivably come prepared for both." Just reading her story brought back memories of the intense battle she had with the Kantonian and Alolan Ninetales, as well as their two Zoroark riders masquerading as king and queen.

"Masters of illusion thanks to the Zoroark they raised, the very bridge to the Mirage Palace was masked both aurally and visually. Light would travel through it as though it weren't there; nothing could even cast a shadow upon it. Anything stepping upon the bridge would look like it was levitating in midair. Even the palace itself was full of traps designed to deter those not familiar with its intricacies; false walls, false floors, and even invisible walls and floors both. It's little wonder the Rangers tell people not to go there now." To this day, the sign placed in the center of the invisible bridge warned all but the most avid explorers to stay away from the hazardous place.

"The source of their power was Infinity Energy," Shalin continued to read, flipping the page on her clipboard as Firja whinnied, shuffling her icy hooves. "Infinity Energy powering two different kinds of artifacts each of its royals possessed. The first was the Lazuli Lens, a looking glass that would let the person who looked at it see the truth. The second was the Lazuli Mail, armor that gave them unnatural magical toughness, able to blunt even Hyper Beams like they were mere Swift sprays. With Ninetales for steeds, Zoroark for front-line fighters, and Delphox for rear guards, there was little that could stop these ruling trainers." It almost sounded like the same technology that powered Sygna Suits. When honed to their full potential, they, too, allowed their wearers to wield Pokémon attacks as though they were their own.

"Their true treasure, though, was the Mirage Medallion, a relic of the Steamlord Volcanion's divine strength. One of the Medallions of Eight that now rests within the antechamber of the Halls of Origin, its scathing mist permeates even the most arid environments. Used as a conduit for Infinity Energy, it would amplify its wielder's powers to be on par with that of a legendary Pokémon such as yourself. While I am unsure if that last part is actually true, given the technology no longer exists, the Mirage Medallion is very real. I'll even show you." Shuffling her pack in front of her, careful not to skewer it on the Glastrier's spear-sharp mane, she procured the blue-and-red medallion with the bust of a Volcanion engraved into it. "This isn't the real one; it's just a replica."

Stowing the medallion, she went back to reading her tale... not realizing she had already reached the end of it at first. "We can accelerate toward a better future by learning from the past. I am sure there are more stories like these in Hoenn, or even in nearby realms such as the Ultra Wilds, just waiting to be discovered. We can learn from their technology, and from the past as a whole, to improve our own lives... and our chance at turning the war around."

With that, she took a bow, the Calyrex letting out a regal cry of approval.