The chime announcing the train's arrival echoed above Wedgehurst Station.
The doors slid open. There was none of that so-called fresh earthy scent, only a strange mix of curry smell and industrial smoke in the air.
Jason wriggled his body and hopped down from the seat.
Gast popped out of his shadow.
She clearly wasn't impressed with the surroundings. Her purple body floated in the air, tiny hands pulling down her eyelids as she grumbled.
"It's so noisy here," Gast said. "This lady does not like it."
"Bear with it," Jason shifted his center of mass a bit, trying to look like a dignified lump of slime. "We'll leave as soon as we grab what we need."
Only Jason himself understood just how tight the timing was.
He asked around a bit.
Turned out Eternatus hadn't shown up yet, but it was about to.
So Jason headed here immediately.
The Galar region.
And while he was at it—pick up a Dynamax toy.
Back when his HP base stat was low, he didn't care.
But now that his HP was high, Jason was dying to get his hands on a Dynamax Band to play with.
Right now, Chairman Rose was probably in the underground energy plant beneath Hammerlocke, performing the final awakening ritual on that colossal Eternatus.
Most people were still immersed in the hype of the Gym Challenge, chattering about Leon's undefeated streak.
No one knew that the gray sky over their heads was about to turn blood-red.
Jason had no time to save the world—but he was very interested in the "loot" that came with saving it.
The sword and shield deep in the Slumbering Weald—even decayed—were legendary-tier items.
Grab those, then head to Hammerlocke to wait for Eternatus to spawn. That was the correct order of operations.
Iron Valiant followed silently behind.
Its sleek, blade-edged, futuristic frame looked completely out of place in quaint, countryside-styled Wedgehurst.
Passersby couldn't help but stare—this kind of never-before-seen Pokémon was a natural focal point.
But soon, the focus shifted.
Someone suddenly shouted:
"That's Jason! I saw Kofu's stream! That Ditto is Jason!"
With that, travelers who'd been hurrying along all stopped, and dozens of eyes swung toward them in unison.
Then the crowd started surging their way.
Damn this big-data era.
Jason cursed inwardly, but his "face" quickly adopted a customer-service smile.
Dozens of phones went up, camera lenses flashing.
Bursts of flash blinded the air. The unauthorized filming made Iron Valiant's twin arm-blades lift slightly.
"Don't," Jason murmured to Iron Valiant, then turned to the crowd, raising his voice. "Everyone, you can take pictures, but no flash, and don't block the way."
As a viral Ditto, Jason had long since realized this would happen.
Gasps rippled through the crowd.
"It really talks!"
"Oh my god, it's actually the talking Ditto!"
"Jason! Over here! I'm your fan!"
A girl in a micro-skirt actually tried to push through the safety gap to reach him, hand stretched out, wanting to poke that bouncy-looking pink surface.
"I want a Ditto too! It must feel amazing to touch!"
Just as her hand was about to make contact, Gast lunged in front of her and pulled a horrifying face, scarlet tongue whipping out as if to lick the girl's hand.
"Ah!" The girl yelped and yanked her hand back.
"You think my man is something you can touch?" Gast rolled her eyes. To bystanders it might just have sounded like a few weird ghostly noises, but her possessive attitude was obvious.
Jason sighed and extruded a slim tentacle from his surface, gently pushing the girl back behind the safety line.
"Sorry. This is a private trip. No photos together, no autographs, and definitely no 'can I poke you' requests."
The crowd burst out laughing. That blunt, slightly teasing refusal just made the fans more excited.
"Jason, are you here to challenge Leon?" someone shouted.
"I'm here to sightsee," Jason lied casually. "And do a bit of shopping on the side."
He answered questions as he walked, while signaling to Iron Valiant.
Iron Valiant understood, using its tall frame to clear a path ahead.
The crowd might've been enthusiastic, but facing this future-tech monster radiating crushing pressure, they still instinctively parted to open a corridor.
Just when Jason thought he'd make it out of the station plaza, a vibrant voice cut in from the side, loud enough to drown out the chatter.
"Wow! It is you! The Ditto that can talk!"
Jason froze.
He knew that tone all too well.
In this region, there was only one person who stayed this hyped 24/7.
Hop.
The dark-skinned boy in a fur-collared jacket ran up with his Wooloo clattering behind him. His face was a mess of surprise, excitement, and raw hunger—for battle.
"I'm Hop! Leon's little brother!" He thumped his chest proudly, voice booming. "I've watched your videos! You're amazing! Using a Ditto to pull off those kinds of tactics! But my brother is the strongest—he's Galar's Champion! He's unbeatable!"
Jason looked him over.
To be honest, he didn't dislike Hop.
In the original story, Hop had a very solid growth arc.
But right now, Jason had no time to play therapist for teens.
He gave Hop a polite nod. "I know your brother—the Champion with no sense of direction."
Hop blinked, then immediately shouted back, "My brother—that's just—just being carefree! Anyway! Meeting you here must be fate! Let's battle! I'll show you the bond between me and Wooloo! If I beat you, I'll be that much closer to surpassing my brother!"
As he spoke, he was already mid–throwing pose, Wooloo baa-ing high-spiritedly and pawing at the ground.
The fans around them exploded with excitement, phones coming up en masse.
The Champion's little brother versus viral Ditto—headline material, easily.
Jason didn't move.
Gast, on the other hand, was intrigued. She floated in front of Hop and pulled another creepy face. "With just that little sheep? This lady could swallow it in one bite."
"Back, Gast," Jason called the Gengar off.
He looked at Hop; his simple beady Ditto eyes held no trace of battle intent.
"I refuse," Jason said.
Hop froze, arm still halfway through the throwing motion. Clearly he hadn't expected such a blunt rejection. "Why? When Trainers meet, aren't they supposed to battle? That's Galar's custom!"
"I'm in a hurry," Jason said flatly. "And at your current level, battling me is pointless. Instead of wasting time on me, you should go worry about your 'unbeatable' brother."
"My brother?" Hop frowned, lowering his Poké Ball. "He's fine! He's training for the next match, and I'm doing my best to get badges so I can challenge him in the finals."
This kind of pure-hearted hot-bloodedness was honestly exhausting.
Jason wriggled forward a bit, stepping closer to Hop.
He might be way shorter, but in terms of presence, this pink blob completely crushed the boy.
"You think Leon's just training for matches right now?" Jason lowered his voice. Even the surrounding noise seemed to dip. "There are things more important than the Gym Challenge. The sky over Galar is about to change, Hop."
Hop blinked, confused. "What are you talking about? What do you mean the sky's going to change?"
"You know what Chairman Rose has been doing lately?" Jason didn't answer directly, instead asking, "Hasn't your brother been disappearing a lot recently? Always busy dealing with some weird trouble?"
Hop's mouth twitched—clearly something had occurred to him.
It was true: Leon had been home less, and every call felt rushed.
"The trouble your brother's facing is bigger than you think," Jason went on, tone calm. "Hurry back and check on him—or go straight to Hammerlocke. If you're too late, you might not even get the chance to cheer for him."
"You—you know something, don't you?" Hop's face turned serious. Every instinct told him this bizarre Ditto wasn't joking.
"I know a lot," Jason said, turning away and signaling Iron Valiant to move again. "But I've got no obligation to explain. Believe me or don't."
"Wait!" Hop lunged after him. "Explain what you mean!"
Iron Valiant turned slightly, twin blades coming up to bar his way.
The cold shine of metal made Hop stop dead.
"Don't chase us," Jason called without looking back. "We're going to the Slumbering Weald. It's off-limits—kids shouldn't tag along."
At the mention of the Slumbering Weald, Hop's expression shifted.
Even he knew that was somewhere you absolutely didn't just wander into.
"You're going into the Slumbering Weald? It's dangerous! And the fog is so thick you get lost!" he shouted.
"Relax. I'm not like your brother," came Jason's voice from afar. "I'm not a walking compass malfunction."
He'd already mapped the route out in his head.
The barrier in the Weald wouldn't be an issue for him.
He didn't need to charge in like that dumb rookie Ash, or grind through wild encounters like a game protagonist.
He had Iron Valiant and Miraidon as absolute combat power, plus Gast, a Ghost that could phase through walls.
Most importantly—he knew the way.
Once they escaped the ring of fans outside the station, Jason's party quickly cut through Wedgehurst's streets.
"Jason," Gast drifted at his side, prodding his cheek with one stubby hand, sulky. "Why talk so much with that guy? We could've just knocked him out."
"You can't just go around knocking people out, Gast," Jason corrected. "Even if we're Pokémon, we still need basic manners. Besides, that's Leon's kid brother. Consider it giving the Champion a little face."
"Is this Leon really that strong?" Gast asked.
"Very, very strong," Jason admitted.
Then he glanced up at the sky and muttered, "Eternatus…"
Eternatus—
Sealed away, the source of Galar's Dynamax energy.
In the original storyline it took two legendary wolves to beat it.
But Jason had no intention of playing it that straight.
He wanted the sword-dog and shield-dog in his Pokédex, and he wanted Eternatus too.
"Iron Valiant, once we're in the forest, we might see some illusions," Jason briefed his bodyguard. "Ignore them. Just keep walking straight toward the deepest part. If you see wolves with a sword or shield in their mouths, don't attack them lightly."
Iron Valiant nodded.
By now, the clouds overhead had grown heavy.
It should've been the sunniest time of the afternoon, but the light felt dim. The air tingled with a suffocating static.
Jason looked up. "Seems like Rose has already started," he murmured.
They'd reached the edge of Wedgehurst. Ahead, a forest entrance shrouded in dense fog. A skewed warning sign reading "Keep Out" leaned at the roadside, paint peeling.
"We going in now?" Gast stared into the fog, purple eyes gleaming with a hint of excitement. "Smells nice in there. An old smell."
"Smells rotten," Jason corrected.
Without hesitation, he led Gast and Iron Valiant straight into the seated fog of the Slumbering Weald.
Behind them, Wedgehurst was still noisy, Hop was still confused, fans were still posting updates.
At the forest entrance stood that moss-covered warning sign, red letters flaked away, leaving a few broken words that looked especially desolate under the heavy sky.
The humidity here was insane. The water vapor didn't just hang in the air, it seemed to press down on your skin like a weight.
Jason remained in his default Ditto form—a stable pink blob perched on Iron Valiant's broad metal shoulder. The view from up there was excellent; he could see the almost solid wall of white mist ahead.
This wasn't natural fog.
Visibility was under two meters. It was so quiet it was eerie. No insects, no birds, not even the rustle of wind through the leaves—everything was smothered by the wet, heavy air.
"I hate this feeling," Gast muttered.
She floated to his left, purple body flickering in and out of the mist. She stuck out her short arms, trying to swat away the white around them, but the fog clung like something alive. The moment she cleared a patch, it slid back together again, sticky and damp against her skin.
"This wet, clammy place is terrible for my complexion," Gast complained, red eyes full of disgust. "I just did skincare. Jason, do we really have to go into this creepy dump?"
"Only creepy dumps have good treasure," Jason's voice seemed extra clear in the silent woods. "Endure it. We grab the goods and we're out."
For ordinary people, the Slumbering Weald was a forbidden zone.
The magnetic field here was scrambled, GPS went crazy, and that eternal fog meant you wandered in circles until you dropped.
Even local shorts-kids and bug catchers wouldn't come within spitting distance.
But Jason looked more relaxed than when he was in his own backyard. He knew exactly where this mist came from.
It wasn't weather. It was a passive ability.
Zacian and Zamazenta, the two legendary wolves, slept in the depths of this forest.
They might currently be in their "rusted couch potato" forms, but the energy leaking off them constantly warped this area, forming a natural barrier.
In other words—a high-tier fog ward.
"Can't see the road ahead anymore," Gast said, hovering as she nearly smacked into a dead oak. Irritated, she kicked at the trunk—her foot went straight through the rotted wood, connecting with nothing. "Why is the fog getting thicker? I don't even know where to throw my Shadow Balls anymore."