"Very good. This was a great harvest."
Damian placed the Rusted Sword into his backpack.
With this, his goal for coming to the Slumbering Weald was achieved.
Although he only obtained one "sword," it was enough.
To be honest, Damian wasn't very interested in Zamazenta anyway. However, in Damian's eyes, the King of Swords, Zacian, was truly impressive.
"Congratulations, Damian."
Caitlin walked over gracefully. She offered her congratulations with a gentle smile.
Although she didn't know exactly what that sword was, anyone with a brain could tell it was extremely important.
And since Zacian had given the sword to Damian, it was basically the same as giving herself to him, right?
That interpretation was certainly correct.
"That's amazing. You've been chosen by a hero."
Sonia also walked over, her face full of admiration.
From her perspective, it seemed Damian had obtained a sword directly from Zacian just by saying a few words.
But Sonia wasn't stupid. There had to be many other factors involved.
Otherwise, she didn't believe Zacian would give the sword to Damian so easily.
This leader of Team Rocket is truly powerful...
Sonia looked at the young man before her with curiosity.
He looked so young, yet he was much more capable than Leon was back in the day.
"Thank you. Things are mostly finished here. We are going to leave now. What about you, Sonia?" Damian replied with a smile.
"I came here to find clues about the sword and shield heroes. Since the truth is now clear, I'm leaving too, of course."
Sonia showed a bright smile. She was in a very good mood.
For a researcher like her, being able to figure out the true historical facts was very important. It also gave her a great sense of achievement.
Perhaps she could even become a real Professor because of this.
"But there isn't quite enough evidence yet. Also, the Galar Royalty isn't completely gone," Sonia said, tapping her chin as she felt a bit of a headache.
As mentioned before, this was the era of the Pokémon League. The age of divided kingdoms was long gone.
However, the Galar Royalty still had some fame and supporters.
If she wanted to reveal the truth, opposing the Galar Royalty was inevitable.
"They are just remnants of history. Those outdated things should have been thrown in the trash long ago," Damian said with a look of contempt.
Sonia let out a small sound of surprise.
She had to admit that while those words were arrogant, she understood that Damian actually had the power to back them up.
"Sonia, if you're worried they will cause trouble for you, how about joining Team Rocket? If those old-timers dare to bother you or your family, hehe..."
Damian smiled slightly, his meaning very clear.
"Ha... don't be like that. I'm a law-abiding person."
Sonia's heart skipped a beat.
She hadn't forgotten that Team Rocket was an evil organization. Even though Damian said they were now a proper organization, Sonia wouldn't just believe him right away.
Doubt first!
"As for joining Team Rocket... hmm. My heart is only in research. I don't have other plans for now," Sonia added as she politely declined.
"Fine. If you ever change your mind, feel free to contact me."
Damian chuckled and gave Sonia a meaningful look.
"Personally, I'm quite fond of you, Sonia. After all, talented researchers like you are rare."
Sonia was indeed very attractive.
She had a slender figure and a lively charm.
Hearing this, Sonia secretly swallowed hard.
She especially felt Damian's intense gaze. It made her want to take two steps back.
Are you interested in my status as a researcher, or are you interested in me? Leon never mentioned that you were a womanizer, Damian!
"Don't be so nervous. Just relax. I'm someone who always respects other people's wishes."
Damian noticed Sonia's mood, and his smile remained easy and warm.
Then, Damian directly threw a Poké Ball.
"Reshiram."
The magnificent white dragon carried the three of them and spread its wings, flying away from the Slumbering Weald.
Down on a patch of grass in the Slumbering Weald, Zacian raised her head.
She watched the Vast White Dragon fly into the distance, her eyes flickering with emotion.
Zamazenta, standing beside his sister, couldn't help but speak up.
"Sister, why did you give your 'sword' to that human? Weren't you..."
Zamazenta still didn't understand why his usually strong and cold sister would give the Fairy King's Sword to that man.
Was it really because he said that being a few minutes late would cause the "Darkest Day" to hurt more innocent people and Pokémon?
To be honest, Zamazenta thought that reason was a bit weak.
Regardless of whether Eternatus truly woke up, the battle 3,000 years ago had definitely damaged its core.
Even if it wasn't dead, causing trouble again in a short time wouldn't be easy, let alone recreating a "Darkest Day" of that scale.
So, Zamazenta believed that they would definitely make it in time if they rushed there the moment Eternatus reappeared.
Furthermore, Zamazenta remembered that at the beginning of the year, Zacian had personally met a human girl.
That was the first time in 3,000 years that Zacian had appeared before a human.
Although she used thick mist to hide herself, she did indeed show herself to that girl.
This proved that Zacian had a bit of goodwill toward that young woman.
"He came specifically for me," Zacian said calmly.
"He is very strong. There is no need for us to have a conflict with him. Since he wanted my 'sword,' I just gave it to him."
Zacian's voice was completely calm, but it made Zamazenta fall silent.
Zamazenta felt a bit hurt.
He knew his sister had a very strong and cold personality. The fact that she was willing to compromise now, besides the factor of Eternatus, was mostly because she was worried about him, right?
After all, that man carried several auras that made even them feel a sense of threat.
If a conflict really started, it probably wouldn't end well.
"Don't think too much. Even if he took my 'sword,' it doesn't mean much. If what he says is true, I don't mind following him for a hundred years."
Zacian's voice was still very cold as she looked at the distant sky.
Anyway, they had stayed in this Slumbering Weald long enough. She could just treat it as going out to see the scenery.
Besides, Zacian was indeed curious about what kind of charm this man had to make so many Legendary Pokémon follow him.
Furthermore, humans only live for a hundred years. That was an unchangeable fact.
And a hundred years for Legendary Pokémon like them was just the length of a short nap.
So, Zacian actually didn't care that much.
Zamazenta remained silent.
Wedgehurst.
This was a town relatively close to Postwick, but it was much larger in scale.
The white dragon descended from the sky and landed on the ground, its head held high and its expression cold.
"Thank you. And thank you, Reshiram. I never thought I'd get to ride a Legendary Pokémon one day. It's so beautiful."
Jumping down from Reshiram's back, Sonia spoke to Damian with a grin.
Then, she looked at the white Reshiram with great excitement.
Oh my god!!
Sonia was truly seeing such an amazing Pokémon for the first time.
There probably wasn't a more striking Pokémon in the world than Reshiram, right?
And its aura was so noble and cold. It was perfect!
Moreover, Sonia specialized in researching Legendary Pokémon, so she knew very well that Reshiram was the White Dragon from the Unova region!
Grandmother, your granddaughter has made it! I even rode Reshiram.
Hearing the woman's praise, Reshiram didn't even blink.
It still looked into the distance with a cold expression.
However, it might have been an illusion, but Reshiram's posture seemed a bit more upright.
"You're welcome. Contact me if anything happens."
Damian didn't get down.
He waved his hand at Sonia.
"Okay! Safe travels."
With a long, melodic dragon roar, Reshiram spread its wings and flew up, gradually disappearing into the horizon.
Dropping Sonia off at Wedgehurst was just on the way.
To get back to Hammerlocke, they had to pass through Wedgehurst anyway. But Damian didn't plan on resting in Wedgehurst for the night.
Sonia watched Reshiram disappear from her sight.
The smile on her face slowly faded.
After hesitating for a long time, she took out her phone and dialed a number.
Even though she didn't feel much ill will toward Damian after meeting him, and he had helped her, she felt she had to tell Leon about this.
Team Rocket coming to Galar was definitely not a small matter.
"Hello? Sonia, what's wrong?"
The call connected, and Leon's voice came through.
"Leon, I think there's something I need to tell you." Sonia's tone became much more serious.
"Go ahead."
"Team Rocket, the one you mentioned to me before, and Damian. He has come to Galar."
"What? Really?"
Leon was stunned.
Damian came to Galar?
"Yes. I met Damian and his companion Caitlin at the Slumbering Weald today."
"Okay, I understand. This news is very important," Leon said in a deep voice.
Although Team Rocket had started to change its image, their arrival in Galar was still something that couldn't be ignored.
"I'll talk to the Chairman about this. By the way, are you okay, Sonia?"
Now you finally care if I'm okay?!
Sonia's lips twitched.
"I'm fine. To be honest, I think Damian is actually a pretty good person."
Sonia was quite speechless but didn't care too much.
After all, she knew Leon well.
"Is Team Rocket really an evil organization?"
"Well... how should I put it..."
Hearing this, Leon didn't know how to answer for a moment.
He scratched his head, looking quite troubled.
"The old Team Rocket was definitely an evil organization that did all sorts of bad things. But this person, Damian..."
Leon thought for a while but still couldn't find the right words to describe him.
After all, many of Damian's actions were hard to categorize.
"He's not a bad person?" Sonia asked tentatively.
"No, I don't think he can be described as simply good or bad. In short, under Damian's leadership, the current Team Rocket really can't be called an evil organization anymore." Leon shook his head.
"I can't say for sure what Damian's personality is like. He's on that threshold between good and evil. He isn't a villain, but he definitely isn't a 'good person' either."
"Sonia, you don't need to get involved in this. If you can avoid it, it's best not to have much contact with Damian. The League's attitude toward Team Rocket is also quite complicated right now."
Leon warned Sonia.
Even though Damian and the current Team Rocket weren't a malicious organization, Sonia was just a researcher and wasn't very strong.
Leon was still worried about his childhood friend.
"Okay, I get it."
Sonia was thoughtful, but after hearing Leon's description, her interest in Damian actually grew.
"By the way, there's one more thing. Leon, I saw Zacian and Zamazenta in the Slumbering Weald."
"Zacian and Zamazenta?"
Leon was surprised.
He had heard Chairman Rose mention those two names. They were the legendary heroes.
"Yes. And Zacian gave her sword to Damian. They also mentioned Eternatus and the Darkest Day from 3,000 years ago."
"I understand. This news is also very important. Thank you, Sonia."
Leon's brow furrowed slightly.
He didn't expect that Zacian and Zamazenta, whom the Chairman had been searching for, were actually in the Slumbering Weald.
And Zacian even gave her sword to Damian... did she approve of him?
This is bad. It feels like Damian came to Galar to rob us! Just like he did in Hoenn and Unova.
The Legendary Pokémon of those two regions had almost all been taken by Damian, hadn't they?
After hanging up the phone with Leon, Sonia rushed back to her laboratory and began writing an article quickly.
Having learned about the true heroes, even though the evidence wasn't quite sufficient yet, Sonia didn't plan to wait any longer.
She wanted to reveal the truth!
On the other side, Leon quickly called Rose.
"Chairman! This is bad! Damian has come to Galar!"