Previously on Galarian Days...
Zander, Wufu and Sophia are taken on Peony's latest "adven-tour" through the Crown Tundra, where they're treated to a few surprises: a new ally in the form of a deer named Calvin, and a virtual appearence of Calyrex through Peony. After the King of Bountiful Harvests grows a full Shaderoot Carrot patch that Calvin planted (and picked one from), he sets the deer on a quest to prove himself as the third messenger with a written poem, and that he'll have help from the others and himself...
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Now the group of four had just been upped to five: three anthros and two humans. While one of the latter was still puzzled about what just happened, the other had gotten over her shock enough to sort the situation out in her head.
"So, let me get this straight," Peony said. "You three are really telling me that Calyrex, a.k.a. the King of Bountiful Harvests himself, managed to take over my body with his psychic powers like it did last year, and grew this entire patch of Shaderoot Carrots through me by making me dance?"
"That is... most of what happened, yes," Calvin confirmed. "If you don't believe me, ask the others. They were also witnesses, they can vouch for me."
"It's true," Wufu said. "You were floating in midair and glowing blue while you were speaking clearly and with purpose."
"You also gave Calvin a piece of paper that Calyrex wrote instructions on for him to become the third messenger," Zander said. "Now we just have to look past the A-B-A-B rhyme scheme to understand what we have to do."
"I think I know what it is," Sophia piped up. "One of the verses was, 'After you gain from spirits' rest, and also gain from snow...' We got one of the Shaderoot Carrots from this field in a cemetary, the place where spirits are laid to rest, so that means we have to get something else from a field with snow in it."
"Of course! Iceroot Carrots!" Calvin summed up before he took out a packet of Carrot Seeds from his coat pocket. "I just hope there's enough seeds in here to plant another field's worth, but at least I have an idea where we need to go next!"
"Well, what are we waiting for?" Peony said with his spirit back up. "Let's get this adven-tour back on track!"
"Right!" And so the group left the Old Cemetary to their next destination: Snowslide Slope. Along the way, Calvin decided to strike up a conversation with Zander. "So, uh... Zander, was it?"
"Yes, Calvin?"
"Since it appears we're going to be along for the ride of whatever this is, am I allowed to ask what sort of endgame we're working towards here?"
"Right, kind of forgot you were just thrusted into this with no idea," Zander said. "Well, simply put, Wufu and I have been chosen by legendary Pokemon to stop a crisis opposite of the Darkest Day. Perhaps you've heard of it before?"
"Ah, isn't that when the old chairman of Macro Cosmos set Eternatus upon Galar, but the current Champion stopped his plans and he was thrown in prison for such?" Calvin asked.
"That's the one," Zander confirmed.
"So, we're trying to stop the opposite of that? By keeping Eternatus contained, have the Champion not stop us, and we don't go to prison? I'm sorry, I'm just having trouble following the logic here."
Sighing, Zander explained. "No, it's my fault for not saying this right. See, it's like this: Chairman Rose started the Darkest Day because he was on some cockamaime kick about using the resulting Dynamax energy from Eternatus to 'save Galar from an energy crisis in 2,000 years' or some nonsense. And the crisis we're trying to stop is threatening to decrease Dynamax energy to an absence for... reasons we still don't quite understand."
"Ahh, so we're trying to establish a balance here!" Calvin realized. "Enough energy to keep the dens glowing, but not so much that we're smack-dab in the middle of a rampage of giants!"
"Now you're getting it!" Zander praised.
"Ah," Calvin said, then paused before adding on, "Well, in any case, I'm just glad Rose got what he deserved for what he did. Serves him right."
"Here, here," Wufu chimed in.
"Snowslide Slope at 11 'o clock!" Peony called out, snapping the anthros out of their conversation. Once again, the group stepped on snow instead of grass, but this time, it was on a slant. After a bit of a climb up, they managed to reach a small cluster of stone walls, and next to it... was another plot of soil.
"Okay, everyone," Calvin said as he extracted the packet of Carrot Seeds again, "getting to the plot was the easy part. Now comes the hard work: planting the seeds. It may take some doing, but we should be able to make quick work of this if we all work together. All we have to do is poke holes in the soil, put a seed in each one and cover it up... a bunch of times."
After recieving their instructions, everyone took their positions around the plot and began poking holes in the soil. Calvin then dropped a seed in each hole and quickly covered it up as he went, and in just two short minutes, the other half of his Carrot Seed supply was in the ground, leaving him with an empty packet.
"There," Zander said, "we're done."
"And it only took two minutes to finish," Wufu added.
"Well, you know what they say," Sophia said, "more hands make the work go smoother."
"Yep! Well done, everybo..." Peony started, but suddenly the blue aura shone around him, and Calyrex took over. "Splendid work, all. It seems I made the right decision in letting you join in. Now, allow me to once again demonstrate the fullest power of the King of Bountiful Harvests!" Once again, Peony's body was made to dance, just as before, and in a flash of blue was a full carrot patch, just as before. Calvin picked from the patch, just as before, and just as before the resulting hole was instantly refilled with another carrot. But in the end, Calvin now had a squatty, ice-blue Iceroot Carrot to go with his Shaderoot Carrot.
"Now, the first task has been completed, young buck," Calyrex commended, "so I am quite sure you know what to do next. In the meantime, I shall be working on my part to assist you with one of the tasks, but do not stray from your quest."
"Of course, Your Majesty," Calvin said in respect. "Now that I have gained from spirits' rest and snow, my next task is to ascend the mountain towards the shrine. And I do intend to do just that."
Peony's mouth was turned up into a pleased smile as Calyrex said through him, "Presicely, young buck. And I have faith that you are capable of such." Upon finishing his sentence, the blue aura was turned off again, and Peony was back in control.
"Agh... It happened again, didn't it?"
"Yep," Zander said, "but now we got what we needed for the next task!"
"One Shaderoot and one Iceroot," Wufu added.
"And now, to coin the rest of the verse," Sophia said, "we must ascend the mountain's best, and towards the shrine we'll go."
"Then let's keep on trucking!" Peony said before the group continued on their climb...
