Time slipped by, and a week had passed.
Today marked another occasion for the third batch from Rosaria's "Adventurers" to come and select their Pokémon.
They had already been briefed that this time would differ from the first two occasions, when they simply chose an Egg that caught their interest. Now, they would have to enter the Safari Zone, be given a Poké Ball and a temporary Pokédex, and attempt to capture a Pokémon themselves—relying mainly on persuasion and friendship rather than chance.
This approach came with both advantages and disadvantages compared to simply getting an Egg.
The advantage was clear: they could observe a Pokémon firsthand, gauge its potential with their own eyes, and use the assistance of the Pokédex. This was impossible when all they had were Eggs, where the best they could do was guess the Pokémon's species based on the Egg's appearance. The downside, however, was that capturing a Pokémon was considerably more challenging.
Still, the idea of personally capturing a Pokémon was far more enticing than merely choosing an Egg.
Some members of the group, high-ranking nobles, felt a measure of discontent at being "lectured" by a lowly commoner named Roland stationed at the entrance booth. Yet, since Wentia had been ordered by Rosaria to stand as a formidable presence—a deterrent against disorder—no one dared to cause a scene. The cost was Roland and his Farfetch'd enduring the intimidating stares of the warrior-like Wentia, a small price to pay for preserving order and sparing Roland from humiliation.
Unbeknownst to Roland, this group of Adventurers were in fact disguised Royal Knights, Mages, and high-ranking nobles. He treated them no differently than any other villagers.
He never questioned why Arthur allowed a group of a hundred Adventurers inside the Safari Zone. After all, the Safari Zone belonged to Arthur, and who he let in wasn't Roland's concern.
Roland's focus was singular: to perform his duties well and shed the "apprentice" title, earning his rank as a full-fledged Pokémon Ranger as quickly as possible.
So, during his free moments at the booth, he dedicated himself to studying Pokémon diligently.
Thanks to the existence of magic, once a newborn's magical potential was assessed, the Astesia Church would bless them with the ability to read and write the common language—ensuring that literacy was granted to all.
Most human nobles dreaded this. To them, unless one could read without relying on magic, they weren't truly literate—instead, they were seen as inferior, lesser humans.
As Arthur had expected, most of them Bloodthorn quickly sought out Growlithe to choose as their starter Pokémon.
However, since he hadn't prepared enough Growlithe, he had no choice but to place Growlithe Eggs around the dog pack. One week was simply not enough time to hatch a Pokémon like Growlithe, which boasted a total base stat of 350.
Based on the previous two rounds, about thirty Growlithe would be needed, so he added an extra twenty Growlithe Eggs to the area. Unlike the first two times, when the Eggs were summoned entirely at random and limited to just 100 options, this time there were many more choices available. Surely, the Bloodthorn members wouldn't take 30 Growlithe again... right?
He hoped not—otherwise, he'd have to summon even more Growlithe Eggs and raise them all over again...
Currently, Arthur sat in a chair inside the monitoring room, accompanied by Rosaria, Reden, and Virelyra, all surrounded by their Pokémon.
"Eren's personal funds are enough to raise Munchlax, but we still help cover the food costs. Even so, it's still quite expensive—so he's learned to cook for himself," Rosaria said, thinking of Eren, a young Knight of the Bloodthorn, who was training while holding a cookbook—multitasking to ensure his Munchlax was well-fed.
She smiled and added, "Though Munchlax is undeniably a glutton, we remain optimistic about its growth potential since it's working hard in training."
"Impressive," Arthur nodded in approval, pleasantly surprised that Munchlax was putting in effort rather than lazily eating all day. It seemed the environment played a huge role in any creature's growth. Witnessing the Bloodthorn members train daily—especially its Trainer Eren—had clearly stimulated Munchlax's motivation to exercise and improve its strength as well.
Gently stroking the Rotom Egg resting in his lap—temporarily taken out of its incubator—he listened as Rosaria continued recounting the chaos Pokémon had brought to the Bloodthorn.
With such a high total base stat, the Rotom Egg would take time to hatch—even with the most advanced incubator he could find. Still, in a world infused with magic, its untapped potential left him genuinely eager to see what it might one day become.
Perhaps it wouldn't even be an Electric-type by then?
Once Rosaria finished her stories, his gaze then drifted to her Eevee—no, her Flareon now—curled up at her feet, napping peacefully.
"I see your Eevee has evolved into a Flareon. Congratulations," he said with a smile.
Rosaria nodded, returning the smile with genuine warmth. "Yes! This fiery fluff is just too cute!"
She did feel a twinge of regret that she hadn't managed to evolve her Eevee into a dual-type—just a pure Fire-type in the end. Still, she was content with the outcome. Her Flareon seemed perfectly happy with it too.
Now, her curiosity had shifted toward Reden's Eevee, which had yet to evolve at all—despite being a much higher level than her Flareon. No signs of evolution, no changes. Nothing.
Rosaria hadn't been able to make a dual-type happen. Maybe Reden could.
Arthur glanced over at Reden—more precisely, at her perpetually dazed Slowpoke—then, after a moment's thought, asked, "Reden, do you want your Slowpoke to evolve?"
Reden blinked, snapping out of a trance filled with spinning Arthur's magic circles and daydreams. Her eyes lit up.
"Evolve?! Yes! Yes forever!" she exclaimed. "I've been waiting for the stars to align, and now you're telling me it's happening?! Will it grow wings? A second tail? Psychic eyebrows? I don't even care what happens—turn it into a Mage! A Mage that uses its tail as a wand! With socks on its head!"
She leaned forward, eyes sparkling with manic hope. "Arthur, what do I have to do? Dance? Shout at the moon? Eat a rock?? I'll do anything to make my Slowpoke evolve into a Slowerpoke!"
Slowpoke's dazed expression slowly turned toward Arthur. For a brief moment, its eyes shimmered with an unusual spark of life. Rising onto its hind legs like a Slowbro or Slowking, it wore an expression full of intelligence and ancient knowledge—so much so that its usual vacant look felt like nothing more than an elaborate ruse.
Arthur's mouth twitched. As expected of Reden… she's somehow trained her Slowpoke into a Fastpoke.
Accustomed by now to Reden's chaotic energy, he pretended not to hear half of her nonsense and replied calmly, "Yes, I can help it evolve—but there are two possible paths. One will stop you from being able to eat Slowpoke's tail ever again. The other won't."
At that, Reden's eyes widened in horror. She shook her head furiously. "No! Slowpoke's tail is my life! It's my destiny, my soul, my very reason for existing! I refuse to give that up, no matter what! Right, Slowpoke?"
Slowpoke visibly shuddered at Arthur's words and, after a brief moment, nodded quickly—clearly agreeing with Reden. It wouldn't give up its tail either.
Arthur blinked, surprised by Slowpoke's immediate and spirited agreement. But when he noticed the line of drool trailing from its mouth, his expression turned strange. Wait… you're drooling over your own tail? What kind of self-cannibalism is this?
Then again, some animals did eat their own shed skins. Maybe this was the same?
As expected of Reden's Slowpoke.
He let out a quiet sigh before explaining, "Slowpoke's evolution is a bit unique—it requires another Pokémon. You'll need to go into the Safari Zone and catch a Shellder. Then, let Shellder bite either your Slowpoke's tail or its head. If you want to keep the tail-eating tradition alive, have Shellder bite the head instead..."
"Pokémon are so amazing..." Rosaria said, awe in her voice. She pictured a Shellder biting Charmeleon's fiery tail—and at that moment, Charmeleon, who had been curiously listening nearby, shuddered violently. It spun around and clutched its flaming tail protectively, sensing a vague but imminent danger.
Meanwhile, Virelyra was already eyeing her Dratini and Swablu with intense curiosity. Both Pokémon shivered under her gaze and began inching away, clearly sensing trouble and quietly plotting their escape.
"But…" Arthur added after a pause.
"But…?" Reden leaned in, her usual chaotic energy replaced by a rare look of seriousness.
"For the head evolution to happen… you'll need a King's Rock," Arthur said, hesitating.
In truth, he was actually hoping Reden would choose the Slowking path—not just to observe the special evolution that required another Pokémon, but also to see if anything in this world could substitute for the elusive King's Rock.
"King's Rock?" all three women echoed at once, confusion written on their faces.
Calmly, he explained, "Or... you could think of it as a 'King's Proof'. Any item bearing the symbol of royalty might work... I hope."
"You hope?" Rosaria repeated, visibly confused.
"Yeah," Arthur admitted. "Aside from the symbol itself, it might also need to carry a specific kind of energy... something like 'King energy.'" He rubbed the back of his neck, uncertain.
Honestly, he wasn't sure. But if Friendship-based evolutions could work in this world, then maybe a symbolic qualification—no matter how abstract—could too.
Arthur's eyes drifted toward the frowning Virelyra.
If even she, a Dragon Race with extensive magical and historical knowledge, didn't know of any comparable item in this world, then the chance of replicating the King's Rock might be slim.
He could always adjust the evolution conditions—but part of him genuinely hoped it wouldn't be necessary.
As for crafting one himself? That was a whole different challenge altogether. How could one replicate something as abstract as the "King's Proof"?
Reden gasped, eyes lighting up again. "Alright then—I'll go snatch His Majesty's crown right now!"
She spun toward the door in a full sprint, arms pumping with determination.
"Reden, stop!" Rosaria shouted, lunging forward to intercept her.
Arthur chuckled, the corners of his mouth curving into a wry smile. "The King's crown," he said with a more serious tone, "would probably work. Quite well, in fact."
Virelyra chimed in with a playful smile, "That idea falls somewhere between 'terrible decision' and 'public execution'"
After Reden finally calmed down, the three of them put their heads together, trying to come up with a solution—but nothing came to mind.
"This intrigues me," Virelyra said suddenly, a smirk playing on her lips. "Yours truly still has a bunch of junk and old relics piled up in her old nest. She'll go take a look for you."
Then, without moving, she leaned back onto the sofa, showing no intention of going anywhere.
The others stared at her in silence.
"Not now. Later," Virelyra added lazily, stretching.
Rosaria could only sigh and give Reden a firm order not to impulsively go snatch her father's crown.
After a bit more casual chatter, Arthur suddenly recalled something and asked, "You didn't mention Zeth earlier—what happened to him?"
Reden paused, then gave a tired smile. "Zeth's having a hard time training his Magikarp. Out of everyone in Bloodthorn, his Pokémon has the lowest level—still stuck at level 10, and showing no signs of improving. The others actually begged me to let him come back here and choose a second Pokémon... out of pity."
Magikarp being hard to raise makes sense, Arthur thought to himself. Even in the Pokémon world, Magikarp had an absurdly low growth rate. The seas are full of them, yet only a rare few ever manage to evolve into Gyarados.
In the games, Magikarp evolved into Gyarados at level 20—but was that really lore-accurate? Arthur had his doubts. Realistically, something as weak and fragile as Magikarp becoming a powerful Gyarados should've required far more effort. But from a game design standpoint, a higher level would have ruined the experience, so it made sense that they kept it simple.
In Ocasia, he had kept the evolution level at 20 as well. But in reality, where Magikarp was frail in every sense, reaching that point was far more difficult than other Pokémon.
"Oh—look, that's him!" Rosaria suddenly pointed toward one of the monitors showing the entrance booth.
There, Roland was currently explaining the rules to Zeth.
"He actually agreed to come?" Arthur asked, mildly surprised. In his mind, a devoted Arceus fanatic like Zeth would never give up on Magikarp just to get another Pokémon.
Rosaria nodded, though a hint of embarrassment crossed her face. "Yes... He said, 'Lord Arceus has blessed me with his second divine child!'"
Arthur was speechless.
He chose to ignore what he'd just heard and said calmly, "I wonder what his second Pokémon will be."
---
"Look, Magikarp. This is where I found your Egg. There are lots of Magikarp here." Zeth hugged his Magikarp gently as he stood by the lake, not far from the cave behind the waterfall—where, two months ago, he had discovered the Egg.
Splash! Splash!
The Magikarp flopped slightly in his arms, responding with its usual splash.
Though two months had passed, its growth had been painfully slow. But to Zeth, that only confirmed what he already believed: slow growth was a sign of high potential!
There was no way the divine child of Lord Arceus would grow into a weak Pokémon!
Smiling, he crouched down and gently released his Shiny Magikarp into the water so it could play with the others.
However, the moment the wild Magikarp noticed the golden one approaching, they panicked—darting away in all directions. It was clear they were terrified of the strangely colored newcomer.
It was a familiar sight—similar to how the pack of Vulpix reacted to Queen Lavinia's Alolan Vulpix.
"I thought it was just the water's reflection messing with me… but it looks like my Magikarp really is the only golden one," Zeth muttered, watching as his Magikarp swam back to him with visible disappointment.
This was his first time seeing other Magikarp. Until now, even after Princess Rosaria had told him his was a Shiny, he'd assumed the difference wasn't that significant. But now he understood—he'd underestimated just how different it truly was.
"Don't worry," Zeth said, dropping to his knees beside the lake. "Your golden color is proof! You are the chosen one—the champion of Lord Arceus! You should be proud!"
With that, he raised his hands toward the sky in a dramatic prayer pose, his voice echoing through the trees and scaring away several nearby Pokémon.
Splash! Splash!
Magikarp had no idea who Lord Arceus was. But ever since it hatched, its Trainer had always spoken of this being with such awe and devotion, it had come to believe too.
It couldn't kneel like Zeth, so instead, Magikarp lifted half of its body above the water's surface, raised its face skyward, closed its eyes, and pressed its lips together as if forming praying hands—an earnest mimicry of Zeth's gesture.
The pair—fish and human—prayed toward the sky in quiet companionship, unaware they were being observed.
Rosaria blushed with embarrassment, Virelyra found the scene amusing, and Arthur was mostly speechless.
Thanks to Porygon obscuring his gaze, Arthur's surveillance went unnoticed. Unless you were as powerful as Gadeon's group, no ordinary person could detect his surveillance system anymore. At this moment, Zeth no longer felt the Divine Gaze upon him, but he didn't mind—having Lord Arceus's attention once had been honor enough.
After their prayer, Magikarp's mood brightened noticeably, flexing its golden body proudly before the other Magikarp.
Simple creatures by nature, the others soon grew accustomed to the Shiny's golden hue. But now, they swam away for a different reason—they were wary of the persistent Shiny Magikarp pestering them to pray to Lord Arceus.
After a while of 'playful' tag with the others, Zeth called his Magikarp back, lifted it from the water, and headed toward the cave behind the waterfall.
"This place feels different… it must have been blessed by Lord Arceus!" Zeth's eyes sparkled as he stepped carefully, worried that a heavy footfall might leave a footprint and defile this sacred spot.
No, it's just me and Virelyra doing some renovations... Arthur muttered to himself, rubbing his forehead.
After reaching the deepest part of the cave, where a pedestal-like rock stood—the very spot where he had found his Magikarp Egg—Zeth knelt down. One hand rested on the pedestal-like rock while the other gently held his Magikarp, which mimicked his posture and "prayed" alongside him.
With a voice both solemn and otherworldly, Zeth began:
"O Lord Arceus, Origin of All Forms;
The Sacred Essence of All Pokémon;
The Primordial Light of Creation."
"This lowly one prays for your grace and mercy…"
After a while, Zeth lifted his gaze reverently toward the cave ceiling and continued, "This lowly one has followed the path laid out by your divine hand—fate and destiny guiding each step—until I returned to this sacred ground, where once you blessed me with your divine child… my Shiny Magikarp."
"Please grant me a second companion..." he faltered, nearly saying "a second divine child", but quickly caught himself. His humble self did not deserve to raise another divine child of Lord Arceus.
Arthur observed Zeth's deep devotion with a stiffed smile. "Yeah, like a wild Pokémon or Egg is just gonna drop from the ceiling…"
He had checked earlier with Porygon's help—aside from some Zubat sleeping in a shadowed corner, no other Pokémon were present.
"Surely not…" Rosaria echoed, nodding hesitantly.
Then—to the surprise of everyone but Zeth and his Shiny Magikarp—a shadowy bug-like figure suddenly emerged from the soft earth, climbing atop the pedestal-like rock. It stood proudly, as if summoned—an answer to Zeth's prayer.