"What's wrong with it?"
Hanzawa frowned, glancing worriedly at Iron Valiant, then at Lucas for answers.
Lucas was equally stumped, having never seen anything like this before.
Being stared down by both Hanzawa and Ceruledge was making him feel pressured.
After racking his brains, Lucas noticed Iron Valiant's sounds were growing weaker and weaker, its "audio quality" degrading from 'Master Recording' to 'Highly Compressed MP3.'
Wait… Could it be… out of power?
Lucas blinked, even he found his guess far-fetched.
Future Paradox Pokémon were so mysterious, how could they run out of electricity?
Even if they did, couldn't they just find an Electric-type Pokémon to recharge?
But the changes in Iron Valiant accelerated. The shiny patches on its body flickered a few times, then went completely dark.
That was it.
It really shut down from running out of power.
"Dragonite, could I trouble you to charge it with Thunderbolt?"
Luxray wasn't around this time, so Lucas had no choice but to ask Dragonite for help.
Water, fire, electric, ice, flying, dragon—even without Mega Evolution, Dragonite's coverage was incredibly broad.
Iron Valiant wasn't as fragile as Iron Bundle, but Dragonite had to control its energy output to avoid frying it by accident.
Soon, a brilliant arc of electricity crackled across the mountaintop, bathing Iron Valiant in just the right intensity of Thunderbolt. It seemed largely unaffected.
But—Dragonite unleashed Thunderbolt nearly ten times, enough to power the entire grid on a farm.
Yet Iron Valiant remained motionless.
It was only then that Lucas sensed something wasn't right.
Hold on—if it were Iron Bundle, the same one sent back to Paldea's Great Crater, all that electricity would've been enough for it to run that techy 'basketball' and create a whole snowy field.
And Iron Treads in the Asada Desert? Research showed that even though it wasn't Electric-type, it could still run on electricity.
Lucas frowned at Ceruledge.
Ceruledge, as if reading his mind, shook its head.
In their short bout just now, Ceruledge had barely used any moves—at most, it only struck Iron Valiant with its flaming sword. There was no way any status condition could've lingered.
"..."
Lucas fell silent as Ceruledge denied it.
His gut told him he was missing a key clue.
Unable to think it through, and with Ceruledge and Hanzawa both waiting for answers, Lucas decided to use a "cheat." He called for system assistance in his mind.
A few seconds later, a line of cheerful text appeared in his vision.
Reading it carefully, Lucas whispered: "Booster Energy...?"
Ceruledge, Dragonite, and Hanzawa all turned to face the muttering Lucas.
With the system's guidance, the cause became clear: Iron Valiant's sudden shutdown and odd behavior were essentially because—
It lacked energy. Not electricity, not "type" energy, but an energy specific to Paradox Pokémon.
In the games, this item was known as Booster Energy; in gameplay, it activated Paradox Abilities like "Protosynthesis" and "Quark Drive," circumventing the need for intense sunlight or Electric Terrain.
But in truth, Booster Energy is the actual energy source for these Paradox Pokémon.
Ancient Paradox Pokémon could still absorb energy by eating or basking in the sun, maintaining energy balance.
But Iron Valiant, being almost half-mechanical, wasn't so lucky.
It had a far greater need for Booster Energy.
For example, Iron Bundle, the one Lucas caught, handled its energy depletion by powering down and sleeping.
That Iron Treads from the Asada Desert? It only recently escaped from the Great Crater.
As for this Iron Valiant—
Lucas looked at Hanzawa and asked, "When did you set out on your journey?"
"Ten years old."
Hanzawa answered without hesitation.
"And when did you first meet Iron Valiant?"
"Around age eleven."
Hanzawa picked up on Lucas's train of thought, so he added, "I'm 21 now, so that was about ten years ago."
Lucas fell silent. If—just if—Iron Valiant had been active for ten years straight, then naturally its Booster Energy would run out faster than Iron Bundle or Iron Treads, right?
Not just ten years—it might have even left the Great Crater long before then.
He felt he'd pieced the truth together.
Using his own words, he explained his theory in simple terms to Hanzawa and Ceruledge.
Ceruledge trusted Lucas completely, no doubts at all.
Hanzawa, unfamiliar with Paradox Pokémon or the Great Crater's many mysteries, just blanked at the jargon. He understood one thing: Iron Valiant was out of energy, so it shut down.
"So, this energy…"
Hanzawa asked Lucas in a small voice, hoping for a solution.
He still hadn't thanked Iron Valiant; how could it just power down now?
Lucas shook his head. "I don't know exactly how to get Booster Energy right now, but I'll try to find a way."
That was a kind lie.
Really, Lucas knew Booster Energy was a tool developed by Professors Sada and Turo, designed specifically for Paradox Pokémon.
There was a good chance it involved the time machine tech, or at least the same technology—maybe even principles Lucas didn't really grasp.
Both professors were still waiting for him in the Great Crater, in Area Zero.
Which meant… Booster Energy probably didn't exist yet.
Ceruledge now understood why Iron Valiant had changed so much compared to their previous encounter.
So it realized its energy was nearly depleted, and that's why it did all this…
"Bwoo..." Dragonite nibbled at its paw, sounding worried.
Compared to Iron Valiant, it was even more concerned for the Raging Bolt back at the farm—did that Pokémon lack Booster Energy, too?
Fortunately, according to Lucas, Raging Bolt could balance its needs through food and sunbathing.
A hint of distress flashed in Dragonite's eyes. From now on, it decided: of its daily teatime desserts, half for its mother, half for Raging Bolt.
Lucas, after thinking it over, decided not to leave Iron Valiant's body here atop the mountain.
Better bring it back to the farm.
Luckily, Powering Down really just meant it lacked energy—a Poké Ball still worked, letting Lucas finally breathe easy.
As long as he could recall it, it meant Iron Valiant would wake up once Booster Energy was restored.
Back at the farm, until Booster Energy could be found, Iron Valiant would just… serve as a life-size figurine for a while.
After returning to Hanzawa's farm atop Dragonite, and finding it late at night, Lucas decided to spend the night there. In the morning, he visited Nurse Joy before leaving Zapapico.
That night, at Hanzawa's request, Lucas released Iron Valiant from its Poké Ball. Hanzawa carefully touched its arm.
Asked how it felt, Hanzawa smiled, replying without hesitation: "It's cold to the touch, but my heart feels warm. Thank you for letting me see it again, and for letting me see its Swords Dance once more."
"When we find Booster Energy, you can see it again."
"Alright, I'll look forward to that."
"…Now that you've seen Iron Valiant and completed your wish, are you going back to Johto?"
"Nope. Zapapico is nice. I'll stay."
…
October 28th, Morning.
After visiting Nurse Joy Yumi of Zapapico (who'd helped Lucas a lot during his travels), Lucas took Dragonite back to the farm just before lunchtime.
He returned with an evolved Tinkatuff whose hammer was made from Kingambit armor, fourteen Applin, and Iron Valiant.
The Applin were settled in the new orchard, cared for by Appletun, Tropius, and Shuckle and co., ensuring these wild Pokémon could quickly adapt to their new home.
Lucas reminded Appletun and the others to make sure the Applin learned not to fear the Corviknight and Corvisquire overhead, emphasizing they're all friends.
After all, pre-evolved Applin were most scared of bird Pokémon. They only settled in the bamboo grove because there were so few bird Pokémon.
Adapting Applin to their new home would time well with the apple trees blooming in Comfey's care.
Nearly November now, the apple trees were already putting out beautiful blossoms. Had he not chosen farm life, Lucas might've never known apple blossoms could look so lovely.
Each blossom had five petals, shaped like a white plum-flower trumpet, tinged with pink blush, as delicate as the rosy cheeks of a bashful girl.
The flowers also carried a unique fragrance.
Vespiquen had already claimed the territory, driving away wild Bug-types to gather honey and brew a special "Combee Honey: Apple Honey" that Lucas was looking forward to.
Living Room of the New House.
"Alright, just put it here," Lucas said, looking left and right before revealing a satisfied smile.
"Yare yare yuta..." Oranguru muttered its sage's "incantation," waving its fan as Iron Valiant's body floated firmly into place.
Lucas deliberately posed Iron Valiant in a meditative cross-legged posture; it looked less like it had powered down, more like it was deep in cultivation.
Judging from Ceruledge's expression, it seemed satisfied.
As for where to put Iron Valiant, Oranguru had suggested the ice cellar. But after some thought, Lucas chose a corner of the living room, where plenty of Pokémon passed by every day.
That way, if Iron Valiant woke early without Booster Energy, Lucas would be the first to know.
The only risk? If Iron Valiant woke up suddenly… considering its temperament, the living room might need a full renovation.
Before that, though—
He spotted Arcanine sneaking up, ready to take a bite out of Iron Valiant.
Just as Arcanine was about to clamp down, Lucas's eyes snapped open: "Hey! Stop that right now!"
He shot out a hand, snagged Arcanine's jaws, and held them fast, no matter how much it struggled.
He knew it!
Even as Arcanine approached, Lucas suspected it only wanted to "test the taste," same motive for biting all those slippers—and countless other victims of its mouth.
Thankfully, Lucas was quick and sharp. Arcanine's tricks never got past him.
Muzzled, unable to fight back, Arcanine let out a pitiful "whimper," begging for mercy.
Lucas released him, chuckling, "You little rascal."
Arcanine backed off in embarrassment, glancing around but staying quiet.
Lucas knew its type well. With this ancient canine, it was always "I know I was wrong, but I won't change," and Lucas was already used to it.
Clamping its jaws would keep it quiet for a few hours.
Humming a tune, Lucas left Ceruledge to watch over Iron Valiant in the living room and headed out.
Next up was testing Tinkatuff's new hammer. Unlike other Tinkatuff who attacked Bisharp, Lucas's Tinkatuff's hammer shell was crafted from Kingambit's armor: a true work of art, both tough and powerful.
He had to test its effect thoroughly.
If the results were strong, Lucas considered collecting shed armor from other Steel-types—Aggron, Metagross, Steelix.
Maybe even, in theory, the metals from Registeel, Dialga, Heatran, Solgaleo, Magearna, and Melmetal.
How awesome would Tinkatuff's next hammer be after evolving to Tinkaton?
But Lucas didn't know—
Outside, Houndoom had just witnessed Lucas subduing Arcanine through the window, as Arcanine whimpered helplessly.
At this, Houndoom's pupils shook in shock.
Could it have misjudged? This Lucas, who seemed so weak to Pokémon, could actually make Arcanine beg for mercy with his bare hands?!
…