"That's just how Darmanitan is. Right now it's in its Standard Mode. When its stamina drops below a certain point, it transforms into the Zen Mode you saw earlier, and even its fighting style changes. So, Little N, you don't have to be so surprised."
Walking through the desolate desert, Liam wiped the sweat from his forehead as he looked helplessly at Little N, who was still riding on Darmanitan's back and hadn't recovered from the shock.
"So... so amazing! It can actually change its form! Darmanitan is incredible!"
After hearing Liam's explanation, Little N finally regained his composure and shouted excitedly.
"Daruma!"
Darmanitan, who was carrying Little N along the way, immediately responded proudly.
"Hehe, Pokémon are amazing creatures to begin with. Pokémon that can change forms aren't actually all that rare. You've already met my Deoxys, Little N. Including its normal form, Deoxys actually has four different forms!"
Perhaps feeling a bit competitive, Liam said with sparkling eyes.
"Wow! So Deoxys is that amazing! Big Meanie, Big Meanie! Next time... next time, can you show me too?"
The moment Little N heard that Deoxys had four forms, all of his attention immediately shifted to Deoxys, his face full of excitement.
"Daruma! Daruma!"
Little N's sudden change in attention made Darmanitan feel somewhat neglected. It immediately shouted loudly at Liam, seemingly issuing a challenge to Deoxys.
Click!
At that very moment, one of the two special Dream Balls on Liam's back suddenly opened, and Deoxys's tall figure appeared beside him.
"Dar... ma..."
In an instant, Darmanitan fell silent as it stared at the overwhelmingly imposing Pokémon before it.
Without saying another word, it quietly turned around as if nothing had happened and continued moving forward.
"Ahem... Deoxys, I think Darmanitan was only joking. You don't have to take it so seriously."
Liam assumed Deoxys had come out to teach Darmanitan a lesson, so he quickly spoke up on its behalf.
But unexpectedly...
"A powerful presence is flying toward us."
Deoxys completely ignored Darmanitan. Instead, it gazed into the distance, its cautious voice echoing directly in Liam's mind.
"Hm?"
Hearing Deoxys's warning, Liam's expression immediately became serious. He looked toward the direction Deoxys indicated.
Then he saw it.
A golden figure was speeding through the sky toward them. Everywhere it passed, it left behind a long trail of golden light.
"Landorus!!"
However, the golden Pokémon merely flew straight over their heads. It clearly wasn't targeting Liam's group.
As it passed overhead, the golden Pokémon glanced sideways at Liam and Deoxys. Although surprise flashed through its eyes, it didn't stop for even a moment and hurried toward the distant horizon.
"…So it's Landorus. Judging from how rushed it is, Tornadus and Thundurus must be fighting again somewhere. Heh... having two troublesome younger brothers really isn't easy for that guy."
Although the Pokémon had only flashed past for an instant, Liam still recognized it immediately.
It was Landorus, one of Unova's Legendary Forces of Nature.
At that moment, the system's emergency mission notification sounded.
[Ding!]
[Emergency Mission Issued!]
[Emergency Mission: The Pokémon That Stirs the Earth!]
[Mission Objective: High above the clouds, the golden Spirit of the Earth soars through the skies! Discover its true nature! Obtain a biological sample from the Spirit of the Earth—blood, fur, scales, or anything similar.]
[Mission Reward: 2,000 Exchange Points; One Mysterious Gift Pack.]
[Note: There is no penalty for ignoring this mission. The host may choose not to complete it without suffering any consequences.]
To be honest, the mission had appeared a little too late.
If it had shown up just a bit earlier, Liam would probably have asked Deoxys to stop Landorus.
But now Landorus had already disappeared into the distance. There was nothing more to be done.
"Alright, Deoxys. Everything's fine now. You can come back... Oh, right. Here are a few TMs. Take a look at them and see if you can learn any of these moves."
Seeing Landorus disappear, Liam raised his Dream Ball to recall Deoxys. Before doing so, however, he handed Deoxys several TMs.
Afterward, Liam got his bearings once again and continued traveling toward Nimbasa City with Little N.
...…...
Time passed quickly.
Just before nightfall, Liam and Little N finally arrived at Nimbasa City.
By this point, Darmanitan had transformed back into its Zen Mode, clearly having exhausted much of its stamina during the journey.
Ironically, after entering Zen Mode, Darmanitan actually moved faster.
Now Liam sat cross-legged atop Darmanitan's head, holding Little N in his arms.
Using its psychic powers, Darmanitan floated through the air, slowly gliding toward Nimbasa City. Although it wasn't particularly fast, it was still quicker than walking through the desert.
Thanks to that, they managed to reach the city before sunset.
The first thing they did after arriving in Nimbasa City was head to the Pokémon Center to register for a room.
Only after they reached the Pokémon Center did Liam jump down from Darmanitan's head.
Turning around, he looked at the wobbling Darmanitan and said with a grin,
"See, Darmanitan? I'm the one who really cares about you. I carried Little N myself the whole way instead of making you carry him. Hahaha! I'm just that helpful. No need to thank me."
Thud!
The moment Liam shamelessly finished speaking, Darmanitan's eyes spun in circles.
With a loud thump, it collapsed onto the ground, its round body rolling several meters away.
Little N: "…Big Meanie... Darmanitan got so angry it fainted..."
Liam: "…"
...…...
Night soon fell over Nimbasa City.
The city was brilliantly illuminated.
Nimbasa City was the busiest city in the Unova region and was known as the City of Entertainment.
Concert halls.
Sports stadiums.
Game arcades.
Battle facilities.
Every kind of entertainment imaginable could be found throughout the city.
Among all of them, however, the most famous attraction was Nimbasa Amusement Park.
Located in the very center of the city, it could be seen from almost anywhere.
No matter which direction one looked from, a gigantic Ferris wheel slowly turned above the skyline. Its colorful lights shimmered brilliantly against the night sky, creating a breathtaking sight.
For a child, the attraction of an amusement park was simply irresistible.
Even though Little N had been frightened and exhausted after everything that had happened that day, the moment he heard there was an amusement park in the city, his eyes lit up like shining stars and remained fixed on Liam.
Unable to resist that pleading gaze any longer, Liam finally relented.
After dinner, he took Little N to Nimbasa Amusement Park.