Glastrier let out a violent neigh.
No, not pale. It was more like a death whinny.
[You said you were borrowing my power, but you just swapped my power away outright, you damned king!]
The white ice horse collapsed with a crash, without the slightest ability to resist. Its ice mask shattered, and the last thing its lone eye saw before it blacked out was—
The king throwing a Heavy Ball.
Glastrier was knocked out cold.
Calyrex held the Heavy Ball high, visibly delighted.
[Mm-hmm! I have caught Glastrier!]
If reaching a consensus would not work, then beating one into place was also a very simple answer.
[There is no time to lose, my friend! Let us make the Reins of Unity at once!]
Calyrex raised both hands. Blue light shot straight into the sky.
It was ready. Blooming was an extremely dangerous matter. In the dream, there had been countless chances for trial and error. But now, Calyrex knew that after the flower bloomed, before the Reins of Unity were used, it would enter a state of utter powerlessness.
Hikaru, however, said there was no need to worry.
Calyrex blinked. [No need to worry...? Though I know the vegetables have sold reasonably well, they have not yet become runaway bestsellers at home and abroad.]
Hikaru said, "That's why connections are important sometimes. One region's purchasing power is limited, but multiple regions together are something else. Besides... modern society has a useful way of collecting faith."
"You saw it, didn't you? The T-shirts the village chief sold with your big head printed on them. Well, Freezington is only a remote village, so tourism can barely develop there. But what if it were in a big city?"
"On the way to the tundra, I used a few connections and helped you place some... ads."
"As long as people become aware you exist, your power rises a little, right? Ads are time-sensitive. Maybe the audience won't buy anything right away, but as long as they remember you in that instant, it's enough."
"The Hoenn region, the Ranger Union, the Unova region, the Sinnoh region, the Paldea region, and Leon's cape here in Galar will all run ads at the same time."
[L-Leon's cape?]
Hikaru coughed. "It's normal to hire an image spokesperson for an ad. And it's only an inserted commercial, about ten seconds. It won't waste too much of the audience's time, but it can gather a huge amount of faith in an instant."
"Of course, even ten seconds of airtime costs quite a lot, so this miracle only happens once."
"This is as much as I can do."
In Hoenn, getting President Stone to place ads through the Devon Corporation was easy. In Unova and Paldea, Hikaru could use his own authority to open a back door. Wanlong and the others had done the same thing before anyway.
In Sinnoh, while he could not ask Cynthia for help, Jubilife TV accepted advertisements as part of its business. After all, Sinnoh's modern development history was not that long. It had only been a hundred and fifty years since it transformed from Hisui. It was only one ad, and besides, he had acquaintances in Eterna City.
As for the Ranger Union, that was even easier.
"The faith is coming from seven regions in total."
"Hoenn, Fiore, Almia, Unova, Sinnoh, Paldea, and Galar!"
Kanto and Johto could not be helped. Leaf was sitting on the Silver Throne, and Pryce's town had no TV station. However, faith from Mahogany Town also arrived together with the other lights.
Faith like flowing radiance, like flashing stardust, brief yet real, rushed from all over the world to the Crown Tundra.
"We have the horse's mane. Now we only need to wait for the flower to bloom, and we can begin making it immediately!"
[Ohhh! What is this power? Such immense power! Never before have I possessed such strength!]
[My friend! A power greater than even my prime... I once thought humanity had ceased to believe in me. I had lost my beloved steed and drifted in the lonely abyss. It was thou who pulled me from that abyss.]
[Perhaps this feeling I have toward thee is what people mean when they say they are so grateful they can never repay the debt... Truly, this kindness is beyond repayment!]
Calyrex lifted both hands high. A blue pillar of light shot into the sky, releasing dazzling blue-white radiance like the stars of Orion.
It illuminated the world before the arrival of the pitch-black night, like an omen of dawn.
The gathered breath of stars. The shining torrent of life. Now, past, future—the noble thoughts held within the hearts of all people, and the gazes they turned toward him, carried that faith to its end.
Even if that brilliance lasted only ten seconds.
This was the true name of a miracle.
[Power of the entire world! Corone, Clawsus, Blooms—Crown Flower, bloom!]
————————
[Legendary Item: Reins of Unity!]
[Description: A blue cloth that shines when held up to the light. People once presented it to the King of Bountiful Harvests to express their gratitude. It strengthens the power of abundance and allows Calyrex and its beloved steed to become one. The two connected by the reins can communicate with each other.]
[What the reins connect are the king, the beloved steed, and the hearts of humanity. If Calyrex can communicate with more Pokémon and cooperate with or tame them, the reins crafted by human hands will also take effect on other Pokémon!]
[No matter what kind of mane is used to craft the Reins of Unity, there is no difference in appearance or effect. What truly activates the power of the reins is the complete Radiant Flower.]
[Effect: Allows Calyrex and the selected Pokémon to fuse. After fusion, the Ability changes to "As One," allowing it to possess two Abilities at the same time!]
————————
Inside the ancient cave, Sonia dialed the number, trembling as she waited for the call to connect.
In the distant Alola region, Professor Burnet—who was hard at work preparing academic papers and recruiting staff for the Dimensional Research Lab—received the call.
An unknown number.
Confusion flickered in Professor Burnet's eyes, but she quickly answered.
["Hello... This is the Dimensional Research Lab. I'm Director Burnet."]
"Hello! I'm Sonia, assistant to Professor Magnolia of the Galar region! Ah, I'm terribly sorry for calling so suddenly, but there's something extremely important! Please listen to me!"
Sonia nervously monitored the cave as she spoke. "I got your phone number from Mr. Hikaru."
["Oh my?! So that's how it is. That guy seems to have done something unbelievable before, and he's also the deputy director of our Dimensional Research Lab... Ahem! What I mean is, if that's the case, do you have a spatial matter you need to ask about?"]
Deputy director of the Dimensional Research Lab?
Sonia froze. She had not expected that distant visitor, one of Paldea's Elite Four, Unova's Champion, and whatever that Island King title meant, to have an identity like that too.
Honestly. Just how many identities did that man have? Was he some kind of Thousand-Faced Dragon?
Sonia immediately steadied herself, though her voice still trembled.
"Yes, it's a spatial issue! And it's extremely urgent. In fact, the Galar region is facing a crisis of extinction. I'd like to ask for your guidance."
"In the mountain range of the southern tundra, we discovered a massive cave. Inside it is an enormous space with strange Galar particle parameters. No, the most important thing is that here, we've detected..."
"An Ultra Wormhole!"
At the Dimensional Research Lab, Professor Burnet slapped the table and shot to her feet in shock.
["You said what?! An Ultra Wormhole?! In Galar?"]
["So it really is connected to the previous return of the stars..."]
["Understood. Don't hang up. Keep the signal open. I'll send you Aether Foundation data right now! Gather the cave's conditions and information and send them to me. The space on the other side of the cave is unknown, and Ultra Beasts may emerge from it. Follow my instructions exactly. Don't do anything reckless!"]
["Sonia—Miss Sonia, are you listening?!"]
"Ah... Ah! The Darkest Day! The Darkest Day has rushed out!"
What appeared before Sonia, deep inside that vast world within the ancient cave, was a fierce dark-red pillar of light roaring upward.
So much so that the thought running through her mind at that moment was—
Before I die, should I call Grandma?
"Dr. Sonia, wake up! The light pillar scared you stiff!"
Bea shook Sonia hard, and only then did Sonia come back to herself.
At that moment, deep inside the world within the cave, countless Pokémon were frantically rushing outward.
There were actually so many Pokémon in the depths of the cave.
"All Pokémon, battle positions!"
They did not have Pokémon adapted to this environment, but short-term combat would not be a problem. Bea took a deep breath.
And it would not be just her Pokémon. She herself would also join the fight.
That was what it meant to be a true martial artist.
"Sirfetch'd, use Meteor Assault!"
"Urshifu, Wicked Blow!"
"Falinks, Megahorn!"
"Grapploct, Liquidation!"
"Hawlucha, Flying Press!"
"Machamp—"
Bea saw the Pokémon pouring out from the depths.
Ancient Pokémon.
Some of these Pokémon looked completely different from modern Pokémon. That thing should be...
She had no data. After all, she did not have something like a Pokédex. But she was certain they had been mentioned before.
Tyrantrum and Aurorus.
They could be seen near Snowslide Slope as well. If what the villagers said was true, these ancient Pokémon had suddenly appeared here only after the Star Child showed up.
In other words, they had poured out from another world.
Perhaps the other side was connected to a Paleozoic world.
"It isn't just Fossil Pokémon. There are ordinary Pokémon too. Poliwrath, Persian, Slowbro, Kangaskhan..."
"They're coming out one after another!"
"What... is that?"
Bea saw a scarlet figure flash past. It was tall and powerful, accompanied by collapsing rock, surging dust, and... an aura of light.
A violent, explosive aura triggered even further frenzy among the Pokémon inside the cave world. But to that monster, it made no difference whether its targets were rampaging Pokémon, Dynamax Pokémon, or Bea's Pokémon. It attacked all of them indiscriminately.
It was a red Pokémon resembling a large artificial mosquito, its entire body covered in terrifying, swollen muscles. Its body looked packed with bulging muscle, as though its sacs were filled with red liquid and rising white bubbles.
It would show off its body to others, flaunting muscles swollen to an abnormal degree, though it was unclear whether this was out of pride or intimidation.
A punch unleashed with the full force of those muscles had power beyond estimation.
"Maaas!"
The red otherworldly creature saw the muscle-swollen Machamp, and it was like a bro recognizing another bro. Excessive bodybuilding attracted its own kind. It directly sent the Pokémon blocking its path flying, then, in a display of both intimidation and vanity, threw a power-packed punch at Machamp.
An effect appeared on its body.
[Beast Boost!]
When it defeated an opponent, its highest stat rose.
A violent blow capable of shattering a boulder.
Bea said, "That red muscle creature—whatever it is!"
"Use Fissure on it!"
Machamp calmly watched the Ultra Beast charging in, focusing its energy.
From Sonia's phone, a voice suddenly shouted.
["Stop! Do not make contact! Recall your Pokémon!"]
Professor Burnet's shout forced Bea to halt her command, and she saw the red monster, moving at high speed, make no attempt to dodge. Instead, it stabbed its sharp proboscis straight toward them.
Bea abruptly withdrew Machamp, who had been about to attack.
The red Ultra Beast's attack missed.
What a pity. It had felt certain that blow would hit.
That was what the red Ultra Beast thought.
Burnet said, ["What I'm about to tell you is classified information. You must not disclose it to anyone!"]
["Code name: UB-02 Absorption!"]
["That creature has the ability to absorb energy. The energy it absorbs undergoes a chemical reaction with its bodily fluids. If you're pierced by its proboscis, your blood will be drained!"]
"A creature that absorbs blood?!"
After all, there seemed to be no mosquitoes in the Pokémon world. If one were to speak of a true mosquito, then naturally, it would be the Buzzwole before them.
Pokémon from another world that emerged from Ultra Wormholes were bathed in massive amounts of Ultra Aura when they crossed into another world, so whatever their original Abilities had been was already impossible to know.
All Ultra Beasts had the Ability Beast Boost.
Only after a long time, once that aura completely disappeared, would they reveal their original Abilities, like Solgaleo and Lunala. However, ordinary Ultra Beasts did not possess the same ability as the beasts of the sun and moon to freely travel through space-time holes.
Some descended to attack. Some merely wandered in by mistake. And others... were fleeing in panic through space-time holes to escape the one who plundered light.
"This thing looks very different from Pokémon. 'Bizarre' is exactly the right word."
Buzzwole struck a pose to show off its muscles. A powerful aura appeared around it, flowing with brilliant light, and its Attack rose.
Before it attacked, it had already knocked away several Pokémon, triggering Beast Boost.
Attack +3.
With an extremely high base Attack of 139 and rapidly stacked speed, if its opponent had a body of flesh and blood, all it would need was one stab—
[Fell Stinger!]
Thud!
Buzzwole's proboscis was caught by a white hand. The sharp mouthpart failed to draw even a drop of blood. All it got was unbearably salty salt.
"Uuugh!"
Buzzwole yanked its proboscis free. A huge crack had been drilled into the white giant's body, but after a burst of healing green light, the crack disappeared and returned to normal.
[Recover!]
Bea said, "Garganacl... Ah! That's right! Garganacl has no blood. Its whole body is made of solid salt!"
"Salt."
Garganacl's body gleamed with the sheen of iron.
It had begun.
The power accumulated over a hundred and fifty years.
Iron Defense, Iron Defense!
"Maaas!"
Buzzwole looked at the white stone man before it in considerable surprise. It decided Garganacl was a good training dummy. The muscles in both arms swelled again, and it slammed both fists toward Garganacl.
Garganacl raised its hands to block, but both arms were shattered in an instant.
Sonia cried, "G-Garganacl's arms exploded!"
Bea said, "Don't worry. That's just how Garganacl's ecology works...!"
[Correct. There is no need for concern.]
[This, too, is part of the plan!]
Garganacl muttered this to itself. Arms made of salt being shattered by a Fighting-type move was perfectly normal. But as long as it was not instantly taken out, the result of the fight was already foreseeable.
Although this did not fit its direct-attack style, after traveling and battling a little with human Trainers, it had to admit that filthy stall tactics really did earn higher placements in both wild battles and official competitions.
Especially when facing a crisis, the margin for error was extremely high.
For example, right now.
By repeatedly using Iron Defense, the opponent's attacks no longer had any real effect. Even a type advantage was useless.
[Recover!]
The fallen salt scattered across Buzzwole's body and began to grow into small crystals.
"Maa?!"
Buzzwole felt its body being restrained. It swung its arms, only to discover that training only the upper body and not the lower body was useless. The salt grew wildly like living crystal.
"That is... Salt Cure!"
It inflicted the salt-cured condition on the target, damaging it each turn. Steel- and Water-type opponents suffered even more.
Taking advantage of the instant when Buzzwole could not move, Garganacl's huge hand slammed down onto its head.
[Body Press!]
Six stages of Iron Defense. A Body Press powered by base 130 Defense.
Even Buzzwole, which resisted Fighting twice over, was dazed by that punch. But the Salt Lord's little combo was not over yet.
Psychic power surged over its palm.
It poured a hundred and fifty years of thought into mind and body.
[Zen Headbutt!]
Sonia said, "So strong! It won!"
"Rock types have quite a lot of weaknesses, but it actually defeated an otherworldly monster. Come to think of it, Garganacl, which can't have its blood drained, is practically the perfect counter to these monsters!"
No wonder they said it was extremely reliable. This was too reliable.
And it did not need a rookie like her to command it at all.
"Garganacl's strength seems extremely high..."
That made Bea start thinking as well.
At first, she had not noticed that this Pokémon was at such a level.
Garganacl waved a hand.
After all, its starting level had been 80.
And that creature down there was at most battle level 70.
But peace of mind never lasted long. Sonia heard the instrument's alarm and looked at the wavelength parameters appearing on the screen while listening to Professor Burnet's instructions over the phone.
"Yes, something unexpected just happened. I'm sorry, Professor Burnet!"
"There's an even larger wavelength inside now!"
"The fluctuations—the values are still rising!"
"It's like space itself is about to be torn open! The wavelength is... Huh? Is this one, or two?"
What had appeared deep inside the Ultra Wormhole did not seem to be the pitch-black god.
Rather, it was a certain beast that invited the moon, captured by the pitch-black god.
That made sense, of course. That beast of the moon came from the same world as the pitch-black god and was used by the Ultra Recon Squad.
——————
Intense Galar particles triggered masses of red clouds, shattering the cave's rock and surging outside through the vast hole that pierced heaven and earth along the mountain range.
At the core of the red pillar of light was a skeletal giant dragon.
It had obtained the enormous Wishing Star. Its former half had returned—the gigantic Wishing Star that had fallen into the Crown Tundra and later caused the Dynamax Adventures.
It was back.
The incident that gathered energy and Wishing Stars from all across Galar, the great undertaking that had taken years to complete, could be surpassed here in this tundra simply by consuming this one gigantic Wishing Star. It would exceed all the stars Macro Cosmos had gathered over the years.
And its power would go even further beyond.
[It's all back!]
[My power!]
[No need to think about anything. Just let go and do it!]
Eternatus was beyond excited. This was power equal to the self that had once caused the Darkest Day. No, perhaps it was even stronger.
And this time, it did not sense the aura of the heroes of the sword and shield. Perhaps they were dead. Perhaps they had been harmed by some scheme. Perhaps...
Who cared?
Its self, granted intelligence by the dark crystal, had chosen to search proactively. As expected, compared with waiting passively to be fed... in short, it held more initiative that way. It was more advantageous, right?
[Eternamax!]
The Crown Tundra was completely swallowed by the Darkest Day. Dark clouds that covered heaven and earth, together with red light, illuminated the land and spread from the southern reaches of Galar toward the north. A total of 187 energy points were gradually activated in full.
When it Eternamaxed, Eternatus's appearance changed drastically.
The red portions of its body became more prominent, mixed with white markings. Its body grew thicker and extremely long, and the spine-like appendages it had originally possessed became even larger.
Its ribcage vanished, while its core separated from its body and hovered in midair, encircled by its original four claws.
Most of its body coiled around the core into a gigantic vortex, with its tail above and its front end extending out from below. Its original tendrils also detached from its body and circled the outside of the vortex.
The front end split into five heads, like a gigantic dragon claw. The center of the branching point was white and covered with five pieces of deep purple material. Each head was covered in segmented, thorny dark-purple matter, and at the end of each was a glowing pink eye.
The spreading power was faster, stronger, and greater than the legendary event. The second gigantic Wishing Star that had gone unrecovered for twenty thousand years brought Eternatus almost equally close to a complete form it had never reached before.
The enlarged core released infinite energy, distorting the surrounding space-time.
Endless. Eternal. Immortal.
"Waaah, Chief, what the heck is happening?!"
"I told you, I don't know!"
The people of Freezington were leaving their homeland and heading toward the ruins of the Crown Shrine. The elderly, escorted by the village Pokémon, continued migrating, turning back from time to time in terror at the huge dragon skeleton that had appeared over the mountain range.
They had lived fifty years and never seen anything like this.
The specialty T-shirts of Freezington could print a new label now, but what about the design fee?
————————
At the end of Dyna Tree Hill, beside Ballimere Lake.
A destroyed yellow remote control lay shattered on the ground, fragments blasted everywhere.
[Scientific Item (Destroyed): Remote Control.]
[Description: A research product completed by Angel Company with the help of the genius scientist Ichi after decades of effort. By embedding derivative fragments of a dark crystal, it can control Pokémon within certain areas and ranges, making them obey commands. This method of control differs from those used by Team Rocket and Team Plasma.]
[The machine's technology fully analyzes the dark crystal's power and activates it. This technology can be used to activate other energy bodies, such as Wishing Stars or Mega Energy. Through analysis of specific energy objects, it can be advanced and modified into the Mega Evolution Wave Staff (a mysterious scientific creation).]
[Effect: Manipulates Pokémon minds. Controlled Pokémon will have a yellow spiral appear above their heads.]
"Do you want to become heroes?"
A gentle voice suddenly sounded from behind the grass and trees not far away. Hikaru looked ahead. In the mist, a figure gradually appeared, dressed in the heavy clothing of the tundra.
At first glance, he thought it was Peony, but in reality...
"Chairman Rose? You actually came here?"
Hikaru was somewhat surprised. Chairman Rose appearing in the tundra... was that legal? Shouldn't this have been Peony? Well, this was certainly...
Chairman Rose said, "The remote controls in this area have all been destroyed by me."
Hikaru said, "You destroyed the remote controls, Chairman? Weren't those exactly what you wanted?"
Rose said, "I am wholly devoted to Galar. The remote controls are evil things. Naturally, I could not allow them to remain here. But I must also ensure the Darkest Day continues to exert its influence. That does not conflict with my destruction of the controls."
"I am not a madman like Blackhole."
Hikaru said, "Chairman, are you planning to hand Macro Cosmos over to Ms. Oleana or Mr. Leon?"
"That's why you came to the Crown Tundra alone... I heard that in the past, you also investigated the Darkest Day alone."
Rose said, "Correct. For the sake of not affecting anyone else's future. The world will be guided and changed by the right person, and I am that right person. Even if I must bear infamy, I will not hesitate."
"Still, I did not expect the black crystal to fail to tempt me. I really don't know whether I was being looked down on or whether it gave up because my conviction overcame it. It leaves me with a subtle feeling of both having been used and having been foolish."
"Returning to the matter at hand, the heroes have already been defeated. And they have been controlled."
"Look here."
Chairman Rose pointed toward some strange black metal near the hill.
"The sword and shield attacked each other. The shield shattered."
"The Rusted Shield is gone."
"With one hero missing, the goal can no longer be achieved. Those royal descendants are not limited to Sordward and Shielbert. Others came after them, though they are merely small fry. They're raising cameras to record everything, intending to show all of Galar the glorious moment of the royal family."
"At this point, victory is impossible."
Hikaru shook his head. "Three thousand years ago, the Darkest Day affected neighboring countries. You know that too, right? Under the circumstances of Pokémon losing control... it was probably something like this. The rulers at the time may have launched a war against the Kalos region in order to obtain resources."
"Chairman, do you know how that war ended?"
Chairman Rose looked utterly confused. Hikaru had no choice but to explain.
"The first king of Kalos created a device known as a divine tool."
"It could create a sun upon the earth. I told you that, didn't I? Until the end of the first world."
"The ultimate weapon burned Kalos clean in a single blast and killed all the invaders. The oldest Galar was therefore destroyed as a country. Only afterward came the legend of the heroes of the sword and shield founding the nation anew."
"And that weapon still exists in Kalos. If someone wants to activate it, it can be activated immediately."
"If the Darkest Day you trigger becomes uncontrollable, someone in neighboring Kalos may dig that weapon up ahead of time and... fire it at Galar."
"Originally, that person may merely have wanted to eliminate the people of Kalos in order to obtain resources and select the chosen people. But if he can eliminate the enemy nation of Galar, wouldn't that be even more advantageous?"
"One shot is all it would take. Whether Eternatus or the land of Galar, everything would be burned to ash. In modern society, people have already entered an era of happiness and development. The relationship between humans and Pokémon has never been so harmonious."
"If a great war is triggered again, it would be hard to imagine the consequences. That should have remained dust in the background of history."
Rose said, "You are being alarmist. I know you understand many myths, legends, and stories, and I know most of the stories in this world are true!"
"But that kind of weapon—a three-thousand-year-old ancient weapon—how could it still function now? Could the power of ancient people surpass modern science and technology?"
Hikaru said, "Mystical science is still science."
"What has been will be again. What has been done will be done again."
The chairman's mind wavered.
He had always been a swift, decisive man. For that very reason, he did not dare gamble.
What if those legends became true?
What if history really repeated itself?
Then he would not be the man who changed Galar. He would be the sinner of all Galar.
Could something like that happen in this world?
This...!
Hikaru said, "If you don't want to win, then Kalos gets to win instead. But the result would certainly be terrible."
In the end, the chairman did nothing. He watched Hikaru walk up to a gravestone.
Rose said, "What are you... going to do?"
Hikaru said, "Use a Keystone. I'm going to imitate the legendary traveler a little. In the end, the Darkest Day itself might really be able to coexist with the people of Galar."
Rose said, "Coexist?"
Hikaru said, "Eternatus itself is only a Pokémon. It drifted here alone from space. Without understanding anything, it slept for twenty thousand years. When it awakened for the first time three thousand years ago, it plundered energy and grew larger. That, too, was its survival instinct."
"Gaining a little intelligence might actually be a good thing."
"In the future, you can hold a Champion Cup to decide who becomes the Trainer of the contemporary Eternatus. That's basically it. That was what you were thinking anyway, wasn't it?"
"However, when someone tries to command it, the burden on the Trainer is great, and it can easily go berserk. That's why the strongest person is needed."
In that case, this was basically a twist on Sword and Shield's original draft plot.
However, even in the official work, Chairman Rose had planned to have the strongest person capture Eternatus. He believed Leon would definitely be able to do it, though Leon ultimately failed.
At the end of the day, the fact that Leon would not be chosen had already been made clear at the beginning of Sword and Shield's story.
Because Gloria and Hop entered the forest in violation of Postwick's rules while searching for the Wooloo, and when Leon arrived afterward, he specifically warned them not to break that rule.
Chairman Rose had also said that Leon truly understood the responsibility of a Champion. Precisely because he understood rules, he would not touch taboos.
But if one did not investigate taboos, then naturally, one would not be chosen by them. Someone who did not dare draw the sword was only a supporting character and would not become a hero. That was perfectly normal. Sword and Shield itself was a hero-versus-dragon story.
The kings of the sword and shield would not look favorably upon someone who simply followed the rules. That also overlapped with what the chairman had said in the original draft.
[Is there hope in your future? Will you just live boring lives from now on? Adults never consider children at all. Adults merely struggle desperately to live in the present. You hate that kind of world, don't you? You want to change it, don't you? Then leave it to me!]
Afterward, the Leon of that original draft also pointed out the flaw in Chairman Rose's words.
[The world is created by children. The future is created by the younger generation.]
Then, was there someone who was both a child and a powerful Trainer?
There was.
Of course there was.
Hikaru said, "In other words, when Leon became Champion, his era ended. The strong Trainers of a new era began preparing to set out on their journeys. That is what we call the constant change of the times. Weren't those your words?"
Rose paused. "Me? I never said anything like that. Compared to ever-changing times, wouldn't it be better to preserve the good era we have now?"
Hikaru said, "Is that so? Still, I also like certain eras. Preserving good eras and letting bad eras disappear is also the wish of ordinary people, so there's nothing wrong with that."
Chairman Rose smiled faintly, seeming relieved, as though he had figured something out.
Hikaru said, "A Wishing Star falls beside someone who truly has a dream. Isn't that a proverb of Galar? It's said that Wishing Stars, which are parts of Eternatus's body, cross space-time and descend into the hands of people who sincerely pray for strength."
"That young person—I make this prophecy here and now. Probably three or four years from now, in Postwick, they will seize the Champion title with astonishing speed. Of course, there won't be another Eternatus incident afterward, unless you take the initiative to test it again, Chairman."
"But at that point, it will be a play performed by you and Eternatus together."
It was impossible to determine who would seize the Champion title, because in Twilight Wings, Gloria and Victor appeared together and rode in a Corviknight Taxi, which meant Hop was not involved. Those two were the ones who had both moved in from outside and were childhood friends.
However, in Pokémon Masters EX's setting, Victor had not defeated Leon, while Gloria had seen Zacian. That was enough to know who the protagonist was.
Chairman Rose suddenly smiled.
"You mean I should wait for that Trainer to appear... That really does have the style of an ancient Galar fairy tale. So that is the role assigned to me."
"That makes sense. Since I was never able to become Champion, this is as far as I go."
Hikaru pulled out the gravestone. Words were carved into the ancient stone.
[Spread my voice.]
Beneath the gravestone, the Keystone faintly flickered with light.
[Legendary Craft: "Keystone."]
[Description: A stone that the legendary traveler used long ago to bind evil spirits. Sometimes, voices can be heard coming from within the stone. By binding 108 spirits together, a Spiritomb can be born. The Keystone is like Spiritomb's home. Every Spiritomb must rely on a Keystone to exist.]
[Sometimes, one or two of the 108 spirits may slip out. It is also possible for all of them to escape, becoming will-o'-wisps drifting through the world. Once it loses spirits, Spiritomb feels terrible discomfort.]
[An ancient gravestone can be directly carved into a new Keystone. The size of a Keystone is not fixed.]
[A "mysterious technique" remains on it: Aura Seal!]
The technique used to seal Spiritomb was only described as a mysterious art. It was expanded upon only in the anime. Though Hikaru had no idea how "Aura," a Fighting-type power, could seal a Ghost/Dark-type Pokémon... well, perhaps the human had used Foresight.
Because the so-called "no weaknesses before Generation VI" was actually false.
When affected by Foresight, Spiritomb would take super-effective damage from Fighting-type attacks.
"Hmm. Talking to thirty-two people? I don't have time for that. Spread the voice? Next time, definitely. I'm borrowing the gravestone."
Hikaru understood the method for creating a Keystone and carved Spiritomb's gravestone on the spot into a new Keystone. It was somewhat flat, but as a sealing item, it was already good enough.
At that moment, he received a communication from Hop.
[...Mr. Hikaru, while destroying the remote controls, I saw it! That thing was a red knight!]
[It swept across the sky and howled toward the cold sea in the east. I heard it speaking to me!]
["Spread the voice, you who took the 'Rusted Shield' in the dream! Let the smith who shaped the Noble Phantasm awaken the power of the sword and shield. The shield... the shield has shattered. But in the Crown Tundra, there is still precious metal left behind by an ancient Pokémon."]
["Somewhere, there must be metal left behind. It is by the sea!"]
[I'm chasing in the direction it disappeared, but it's really fast!]
Even Genesect, which possessed Extreme Speed, could not immediately lock on to the Shield King's escape route.
In the plot of Sword and Shield, it had also covered the distance from the Slumbering Weald to Hammerlocke in almost an instant, moving faster than Extreme Speed.
Crossing mountains and wilderness, flying to distant lands—that was the power possessed by the kings of the sword and shield, Pokémon known as heroes and mighty ones.
"When it comes to searching for metal, I do have a Pokémon that's very good at that."
Thud!
Relying on magnetic levitation and extremely active in snowy lands, Beldum made its return.
Hikaru picked up the shield fragments from the ground and handed them to Beldum.
Beldum sensed the magnetism, then flew off like a silver comet toward a certain cold sea.
That direction was... the Frigid Sea.
Nearby, there was a very famous ancient ruin.
Hikaru paid attention to the routes taken by the gigantic Pokémon, and considering that Marnie had still not sent word at the scheduled time, he spoke to Hop over the communication line.
"You go to the Dynamax Pokémon first. Marnie hasn't contacted us at the planned time."
"I already know where the metal Zamazenta mentioned is hidden. I'll head over now. It won't take long. About twenty minutes."
[But... I ran into—waaah! A Psychic attack! Av—]
Hop's communication cut off. But before it did, Hikaru could still hear Avery's howl.
Clearly, though Hop's communication had been cut off, Genesect had probably fired a shot at that clownish senior-brother type.
With Chi-Yu and Ting-Lu around, worst case scenario, they could simply fire off a Fissure. Psychic-type specialists really were flashy for no reason.
"So he ran into Avery. The comic-relief character didn't act together with Sordward and fled on his own... That's fine too. I'll test the Keystone on our little senior brother first."
"As for the ruins, they'll open very soon!"
Chairman Rose's expression was extremely complicated.
"Reforging the shield? How could such a thing possibly be done... The smith who shaped the Noble Phantasm..."
His emotions became difficult to describe.
"Legend... returns?!"
——————
After Hikaru left, and after Chairman Rose also headed toward another direction in the tundra with strange feelings in his heart, the Keystone that had been dug out of the grave and shoved back in again emitted a ghostly glow.
Spiritomb stared blankly at its missing gravestone.
Wait. Who was that? He didn't follow the procedure at all!
Do you not have your own stone?
[My... Where did my gravestone go?! Where's my gravestone?!]
(End of Chapter)
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