Chapter 166: Level 95

Chapter 166: Chapter 166: Level 95

"I have been an unworthy king."

Calyrex’s expression dimmed as he spoke of his steeds.

"Having lost my power, even the beloved steeds that once followed me came to disdain me and left my side."

"However, I can still sense them. They have never truly left this land."

"They continue to wander somewhere nearby."

"I ask that you help bring my beloved steeds back to me."

Calyrex’s strength was still too weak to communicate telepathically with the girls directly.

As such, he had to rely on Volcanion to relay his words.

"Oh, I see."

Korrina nodded.

As a true Trainer, there was no way she could ignore a Pokémon in need.

"Leave it to us."

Sora smiled.

"Finding your lost faith is exactly why we came here."

Everything Sora knew about Calyrex mostly came from the games.

In Pokémon Sword and Shield: The Crown Tundra, Calyrex himself only had a base stat total of 500.

Only after mounting Glastrier or Spectrier did he reveal his full strength, reaching a base stat total of 680—equal to that of true Legendary Pokémon.

But there was one problem.

Was Calyrex himself really that weak?

Sora didn’t think so.

He believed the games only showed part of the truth.

"Still, I have one question."

"I wonder if you could answer it for me."

"My dear believer, there’s no need to be so formal."

Calyrex said,

"I am no longer the King of Galar. Please don’t call me ’Your Majesty.’"

"Then... Calyrex?"

"Mmm."

"And I shall simply call you Sora."

Calyrex narrowed his eyes happily.

It pleased him greatly to have found a friend like Sora.

"So then, Sora, what is your question?"

"I want to know..."

"How powerful were you at your peak?"

Sora was extremely interested in this.

After all, he truly had high hopes for Calyrex.

"You mean... my strength before I lost everything?"

"Yes."

"I mean before you subdued Glastrier and Spectrier."

"Your own strength alone."

Calyrex wasn’t only worthy of the title of Galar’s third great deity because of his Rider Form.

He had been powerful enough to confront Eternatus even by himself.

That was why he had once been revered as the King of Galar.

"Well..."

Calyrex found it difficult to explain.

He glanced at Ogerpon and Volcanion beside Sora before saying, "In terms of raw power... I was probably still above them."

"Oh?"

Volcanion asked, "Stronger than I am now?"

"Not exactly."

Calyrex shook his head.

"Compared to the Sword King and Shield King, I have never specialized in combat."

He could tell that Volcanion was exceptionally powerful.

Especially when it came to actual fighting.

In that regard, Volcanion was probably superior.

So Calyrex wasn’t referring to who would win in battle.

He meant something more fundamental.

"More specifically?"

"A qualitative transformation."

Calyrex answered,

"If they continue growing stronger, they will eventually encounter a new barrier."

"Only by breaking through it can they reach the realm I once attained."

Sora doubted this bottleneck referred to Level 90.

Ogerpon and Volcanion both possessed divinity by nature.

As long as they found the proper opportunity, reaching Level 90 wouldn’t be difficult.

Yet Calyrex still referred to another "barrier."

"What exactly is this bottleneck?"

Through careful questioning, Sora gradually pieced together Calyrex’s explanation.

Level 95.

That was the conclusion Sora ultimately reached.

In this world, even true gods encountered an overwhelming bottleneck upon reaching Level 95.

The vast majority of divine beings could never cross it.

Only a select few, through unimaginable accumulation, could shatter those shackles and stand at the very summit.

Without question, Calyrex at his peak had been a Pokémon beyond Level 95.

"According to the game’s lore..."

"When Eternatus awakened, Calyrex first bestowed his royal power upon Zacian and Zamazenta, helping the siblings become the Hero Pokémon."

In the games, the Hero forms of Zacian and Zamazenta originally possessed a base stat total of 720.

Only later were they nerfed to 700.

If Calyrex could elevate them to that level...

How could his own true strength have been only 500?

It simply didn’t make sense.

"So that means..."

Sora summarized,

"After dividing away your royal power, and after exhausting yourself saving Galar..."

"You still retained enough strength to rival the gods?"

Exactly.

That was what made Calyrex truly terrifying.

He could grant away power without immediately returning to his prime.

Even after spending enormous amounts of energy, leaving himself heavily weakened—

He still remained the King of Bountiful Harvests.

"If we use your system..."

Calyrex said,

"Then I suppose that is what you call power beyond Level 95."

Naturally, Calyrex himself had never thought in terms of Pokémon levels.

Legendary Pokémon didn’t classify strength that way.

But after hearing Sora’s explanation, he found that this system described the various realms of power remarkably well.

Hiss...

Sora inwardly rejoiced.

Coming to find Calyrex had absolutely been the right decision.

First obtain Calyrex’s trust.

Then help restore him to his former glory.

A Calyrex beyond Level 95...

As long as beings like Arceus or the Creation Trio weren’t involved—

Who in the world could rival him?

"So awesome..."

Korrina looked completely confused.

"I don’t really understand any of that..."

"But it sounds incredible!"

"Mhm! Mhm!"

Emma nodded repeatedly.

The two girls couldn’t keep up with the conversation between Sora and Calyrex at all.

Still...

If it sounded impressive, then it was impressive.

"So Master is trying to recruit a Pokémon this powerful..."

Korrina admired Sora even more.

As expected of Master.

He’s amazing.

"Let’s go."

"I’ll help you find your beloved steeds."

"Korrina. Emma."

"Let’s move out."

"Yeah!"

Neither girl understood the details.

But following Sora was enough.

As his faithful companions, they had already given up trying to understand everything and simply hurried after him.

"W-Wait."

Seeing Sora so eager, Calyrex quickly said,

"I haven’t even told you how to subdue my beloved steeds."

"And... even I don’t know exactly where they are."

"Don’t worry, Calyrex."

Sora smiled confidently.

"If I came all the way here to find you, then naturally I already did my homework."

"How to lure out Spectrier and Glastrier."

"And how to help you win them back."

"Leave all of that..."

"To me."

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