With Hanzawa's help as a professional Miltank breeder from Johto, Lucas finally understood how to care for Miltank Eggs and the logic behind their hatching.
According to the books he'd read with Calyrex and Oranguru, and their discussions:
Miltank and Tauros are female and male counterparts. Thus, their eggs may hatch into either Miltank (female) or Tauros (male)—the result is usually a fifty-fifty chance.
As for which Tauros form hatches: Kanto/Johto standard or Paldea regional variant—Hanzawa had clear answers:
Father's form and birthplace matter.
Mother's form and birthplace matter.
If the father is a regular Tauros from Kanto/Johto, the egg will likely hatch a matching Tauros. The same works for the mother's breed—and if either parent is a regional form, then regional forms have a chance of appearing (such as Aqua, Blaze, or Combat Breed in Paldea), with precise sub-form determined by environment.
Considering his own five Miltank and Ash's thirty Tauros, Lucas realized all are native to Kanto/Johto. Hanzawa's Miltank are Johto-born; so are those he bought from Whitney.
According to Hanzawa, regional forms emerge only after generations adapting to new environments—like his Ursaluna at the farm.
The conclusion: his farm's eggs will almost certainly be regular mono-Normal-type Tauros—not the Paldean tricolor breeds.
Hours slipped by as they swapped farm stories, and soon it was dusk.
After dinner, Hanzawa herded the Miltank indoors, except for one raised since childhood, and together they set off under the gathering dark for the edge of town.
Hanzawa offered to drive his little truck, used for feed and deliveries, but Lucas declined:
Not only is the mining area closed to vehicles at night, but the area near the Tyranitar's cave, where Ceruledge and he had once fought, has no proper road anyway.
Much better to ride Dragonite: faster, smoother.
When Lucas released Dragonite, Hanzawa—being from Johto—could hardly believe it.
Dragonite!
For someone of Johto descent, the exploits of Lance and his Dragonite are legendary.
And now, he was about to ride one!
His hands shook with excitement—if Lucas hadn't reminded him, he'd have forgotten to recall his own Miltank.
Even with two passengers, Dragonite hardly felt a thing; the only limit is how much space is on its back.
"Boo-oo～"
Dragonite kindly reminded Hanzawa to hold on—if afraid of heights, best to clutch Lucas's waist.
With a sweep of its wings, Dragonite soared skyward, breaking the sound barrier within seconds and racing for the mines.
Protected by Dragonite's air flow, even at these speeds, they felt no wind at all.
Despite the smooth ride, Hanzawa's face turned pale; only after landing—on the verge of "Dragonite-sickness"—could he gasp out, "No wonder Lance could reach every corner of Johto in a single day... That speed is just outrageous."
His Miltank, released by the auto-opening Poké Ball at his waist, immediately used Heal Bell to help him recover.
Lucas had been about to order Comfey to use Aromatherapy, but withdrew his hand.
Miltank really are all-rounders.
"Feeling better? Time to go—the opponent should be waiting atop a nearby mountain."
"Yes…"
Hanzawa took the tissue Lucas handed him, wiped his mouth, and followed as Lucas set off.
"Go at your own pace. I'll keep up," Hanzawa promised. "I'm here to fulfill a dream, not create trouble for you."
Climbing a little further, Lucas released Ceruledge from its Poké Ball, asking, "Dragonite and I circled overhead just now—didn't spot Iron Valiant. Can you sense it?"
Ceruledge paused, then nodded firmly.
"Sulo."
If they reached a clear mountaintop, it could draw Iron Valiant out.
"Alright."
Dragonite had landed them halfway up. Walking to the summit would take just over ten minutes. No need to call Dragonite again—it'd serve as a decent warm-up.
Thirteen minutes later, they (Lucas, Hanzawa, Ceruledge, and Miltank) reached the top. It wasn't the highest peak, but it was open enough that sound would travel far.
It was nicely positioned—near but not at the area's center.
Lucas gave Ceruledge a look.
Ceruledge nodded and stepped to the edge of the platform. Beneath the starlight, the blue-violet flames on its helmet flickered in the wind.
For a moment, it shut its eyes.
Then—Ceruledge opened its eyes sharply, both flame blades flaring, and struck its swords together, sending a clear ringing chime into the night.
The sound carried far—Ceruledge's gaze turned to the starry sky, waiting for Iron Valiant's response.
It didn't have to wait long. On the highest peak, a crescent-pink blade of energy shot toward the sky.
Iron Valiant's "Psycho Cut".
Signal given. Location set.
"So, it's there…"
The glow was dazzling. Shielding his eyes, Lucas looked up.
How dramatic. Was Iron Valiant planning a classic "final duel at the summit"?
With Hanzawa retrieving Miltank and Lucas calling Dragonite, they flew toward the other peak, Ceruledge using Shadow Sneak to keep pace.
They arrived quickly.
Dragonite stayed to watch (and protect them) rather than entering its Poké Ball.
Ceruledge reappeared, locking gazes with Iron Valiant. For Hanzawa, it was a shock—the appearance matched perfectly the "hero" from his childhood memory.
If there were no others, then surely this was the one who had rescued him!
Instinctively, he stepped forward, but Lucas reached out, blocking his way.
Hanzawa trembled, then met Lucas's eyes, regaining his senses.
That's right—Lucas had told him: most Paradox Pokémon lack reason, and Iron Valiant, being "from the future," is cold, cruel, emotionless—a remorseless "killing machine".
But… how could that be? Iron Valiant had once saved him from Tyranitar.
It had already begun.
Ceruledge and Iron Valiant clashed without a word. Their feelings were channeled through their blades alone.
Each strike sent metallic chimes echoing through the summit, as if orchestrating a duet.
Iron Valiant advanced with dancer's footwork, split its blade in two—a short one batted away Ceruledge's flaming sword, while the longer slashed four crescent energy arcs toward Ceruledge.
Ceruledge steadied itself, eyes flashing, spun swiftly, and defended against the Psycho Cut with a hot, swirling blade.
Iron Valiant seemed almost satisfied, stepping up the aggression—recombining its swords for an even more intense close-quarters duel.
Having witnessed their first two duels, Lucas had to admit Iron Valiant's improvement was astonishing.
First duel: Iron Valiant was overwhelmed by Ceruledge's skill and fell.
Second duel: Iron Valiant had improved, even suppressing Ceruledge at times, but lost after Ceruledge blended both their sword styles into a new hybrid technique.
This third duel… Perhaps because Iron Valiant called it the "final battle," its technique and strength had evolved even further.
Ceruledge now struggled.
Impressive—Paradox Pokémon from the future really were "mechanically ascendant".
Tonight, under a rare, cloudless sky, beneath the twinkling stars and mischievously half-lit moon, both Iron Valiant (Fairy-type) and Ceruledge (Ghost-type) could fight at full power.
At least, it was an honorable duel—no flashy moves to destroy the summit.
Armors and plates dulled and scratched, but under the mounting pressure, Ceruledge found itself improving rapidly, even relishing the fight.
Given a second shot, Ceruledge now believed it wouldn't need nearly as long to cut through Regice's ice shell.
Yet at a certain moment, as its growth accelerated and the pressure on it faded, Ceruledge noticed Iron Valiant's assaults slowing—almost like it was teaching Ceruledge, patiently feeding it new maneuvers.
Finally, Ceruledge's flame blade sent Iron Valiant's own weapon spinning away, embedding in the rocks. Flame blade paused at Iron Valiant's shoulder.
Ceruledge frowned at Iron Valiant, who had sat down silently.
"Sulo–" ("What are you doing?")
Chest full of emotion it didn't even recognize as "relief", Iron Valiant, using its still-functioning "speech module," produced a mechanical sound through its mouth speaker:
"Bu-jin." ("You win.")
"Sulo!" ("That wasn't even a duel!")
For once, even Ceruledge lost its composure—its voice tinged with fury.
Iron Valiant, uncaring, continued:
"Bu-jin." ("As promised, I am at your disposal now.")
Ceruledge, rule-abiding as ever, had no clue how to handle Iron Valiant's "template customer service robot" answers, and could only look at Lucas in confusion for help.
As Hanzawa and Lucas approached, Iron Valiant, still kneeling, simply repeated the same mechanical monotone, over and over.
Like a baffling robot…
…
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