Bagon's sudden evolution had caught Rex completely off guard—even Bagon itself hadn't seen it coming.
Now that it had become a Shelgon, it was in a cocoon-like state, biding its time and building energy for the day it would break free and soar as a Salamence.
Rex wasn't sure how long Shelgon would take to fully metamorphose, so he consulted the ever-knowledgeable Professor Birch.
According to Birch, wild Shelgon often had limited energy reserves built up during their Bagon stage. As a result, they typically had to spend long periods in underground dens, waiting for the transformation to complete.
In contrast, a Bagon raised by a trainer—especially one who'd been rigorously trained—would likely have stored enough energy to greatly shorten the hibernation period.
The exact time varied, but most trainer-raised Shelgon completed their metamorphosis within a year.
That said, there were exceptions. If a Shelgon's trainer were ever in mortal danger, it might force itself to evolve prematurely to protect them.
However, this kind of emergency evolution came at a cost—leaving the newly evolved Salamence far behind others of its kind in development and requiring great effort to catch up.
After learning all this, Rex had firmly warned Shelgon not to rush into evolution. Fortunately, Shelgon's newfound calm and maturity helped it take the message seriously. It promised Rex with a firm nod that it wouldn't act impulsively.
With the excitement of Bagon's evolution settled, life at Rex Farm returned to its peaceful rhythm.
"Flaaffy, what's the matter?"
That day, Rex was in the grove where Machamp and the other Fighting-types trained. While practicing alongside them, he noticed the shiny Flaaffy rushing over in a panic and quickly called out.
His training had paid off. He could now execute Brick Break with less than a minute's prep time. It wasn't battle-ready just yet, but Rex was satisfied with the progress.
He'd even reached a point where he could spar evenly with Primeape—as long as neither of them used moves and it stayed a contest of pure physical prowess.
The sudden appearance of Flaaffy was unexpected. Normally, it stuck close to its flock, calmly watching the Mareep graze and play on the pasture.
"Maree! Maree!"
Flaaffy pointed frantically toward the direction it had come from, bleating anxiously.
"Something happened with the Mareep?" Rex asked, noticing its distress.
Flaaffy nodded vigorously.
"Let's go, quickly!"
Wasting no time, Rex followed Flaaffy toward the pastures.
Now that he'd become a Martial Artist, Rex could channel Fighting energy throughout his body. As he focused that energy into his legs, his speed increased dramatically. Before long, he left Flaaffy in the dust and arrived at the field alone.
"Everything seems fine…" Rex murmured.
The pasture was calm. Dozens of Mareep were happily grazing or dozing in the sun, nuzzling each other or lazily rolling in the grass. Nothing looked amiss.
He scanned the area several times but still couldn't find any signs of trouble. So, he paused and waited for Flaaffy to catch up.
Once it arrived, Rex asked again, "Flaaffy, I'm not seeing anything wrong here?"
Flaaffy began gesturing wildly, trying to explain—but the more it flailed, the more confused Rex became. They just weren't getting anywhere.
Luckily, Shaymin in its Sky Forme happened to be flying overhead. It noticed the situation, circled a few times, and then dropped onto Rex's shoulder in its hedgehog form.
With Shaymin's telepathy helping bridge the communication gap, Rex finally understood the panic.
Several Mareep had gone missing.
Flaaffy had been napping when it happened and hadn't thought much of it at first. Mischievous Mareep often wandered around the farm and usually came back on their own.
But this time, hours had passed and they hadn't returned. Flaaffy had already asked Swellow scouts to help search—but even they hadn't found a trace.
That was when it panicked and ran to get Rex.
With dozens of Mareep on the farm, Rex hadn't immediately noticed a few missing, but now the pieces fell into place thanks to Shaymin's help.
"Okay, don't worry. If they're not anywhere on the farm, they may have wandered off the property."
That seemed like the only explanation.
The missing Mareep had all hatched here and never left the safety of Rex Farm. They were pampered, protected from wild Pokémon, and had no concept of the dangers outside.
If they had wandered into the wilderness unsupervised, the consequences could be dire.
Realizing that, Rex couldn't help but feel anxious.
He quickly called on every available Pokémon to begin a full-scale search. These Mareep were part of his family—he couldn't let anything happen to them.
Before long, with the help of scouting Pokémon like Ursaring, fresh tracks were discovered near the edge of the Petalburg Forest.
Rex stared at the towering trees in the distance and sighed. He didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
Ignorance is bliss. These Mareep had wandered blindly into one of the most dangerous areas around—completely unaware of the wild, untamed world they'd just stepped into.
(End of Chapter)