The Shield Hero… Is Gary?!**
"Ash, did you hear something?"
Goh shook her head blankly.
She really hadn't heard anything.
"Is that so…"
Not far ahead, the phantom that had spoken turned and slowly drifted toward one direction.
Ever since entering this sea of mist, Ash's Aura had been fully activated.
But the fog here seemed different—
even his Aura couldn't probe the surrounding environment.
And when that phantom appeared, Ash tried to sense it with Aura again.
But to his Aura, the figure had no physical body at all… like a ghost native to the mist.
Faced with that ghostly invitation, Ash hesitated for exactly one second before following.
After all—he was Ash!
What could possibly stop him from moving forward?
The answer: Nothing!
Even if the road ahead was full of danger, Ash would charge straight onward!
Ever since stepping into this forest, everything had become strange.
Right now, the only thing he could trust…
was that phantom.
So Ash grabbed Goh's hand and followed the shadow closely.
"Hey, do you know where this is? How far from Stow-on-Side? Do you know Sonia?"
Ash fired off questions like a machine gun.
But the phantom seemed completely unwilling to answer.
Ever since saying "Sword Hero, follow me," it had no intention of speaking again.
Even so, Ash kept chattering relentlessly.
Thus—
In the thick fog of the Slumbering Weald, only Ash's voice echoed through the trees.
Nobody knew how long they had walked.
Goh's legs were trembling already.
Yet the two still hadn't escaped the fog-shrouded forest.
Worse—
the phantom Pokémon guiding them… vanished!
Which meant—
They were completely lost in the forest.
From beginning to end, the fog's appearance and the phantom's appearance were mysteries.
Ash stopped walking the moment the phantom disappeared.
In an unfamiliar place like this, he needed to stay alert.
Just then—
A voice filled with obvious mockery came from the shadows ahead.
"Yo, isn't this Ash?"
It was just a casual greeting…
yet somehow extremely annoying.
Ash looked toward the voice.
Through the mist, a cluster of faint yellow glowing spots became visible.
Ash tugged Goh along and stepped forward.
And then the owner of the voice—and the glowing Pokémon—appeared clearly.
On a tall tree branch lounged a boy in a black leather jacket.
His short spiky brown hair was unmistakable.
At his side sat a very obedient Umbreon.
"Gary? What are you doing here?"
The boy in the tree was none other than Ash's childhood friend,
a current researcher at Professor Oak's lab—Gary Oak.
Also Ash's eternal rival.
Gary's strength was no joke. Pikachu's win rate against Gary in past battles?
0%.
That alone said enough.
Unfortunately, for some reason Gary had given up on becoming a trainer…
and instead inherited his grandfather's research work, becoming a Pokémon researcher.
"Why am I here? Before you ask me that, shouldn't you explain why you are here first?"
Gary jumped down effortlessly from the high branch.
Goh silently marked him in her mind—
Another monster like Ash!
"Me? I don't know either!"
Ash scratched his head, embarrassed.
"Are you stupid?" Gary couldn't help complaining. "How do you not know why you're here?"
"Says the guy who definitely doesn't know either…" Ash muttered.
"Of course I know!"
Gary shot him a displeased glare.
"Professor Magnolia asked me to investigate the frequent Dynamax incidents in Galar. According to our analysis, the Slumbering Weald is the only place in Galar where Dynamax doesn't occur. So I came to investigate why."
Gary hid nothing from Ash.
Hearing this, Ash suddenly understood.
"So this place is called the Slumbering Weald!"
Gary: "…"
He waved dismissively—he did not want to continue that conversation.
"It's like this—Ash and I were also invited by Professor Magnolia to investigate the Dynamax problem."
"Then why did you end up here?"
"On our way to Stow-on-Side, we ran into thick fog. The train couldn't move, so we had to walk. Then a phantom Pokémon appeared and led us here."
Before Ash could speak, Goh quickly explained.
She noticed Ash had no intention of explaining anything properly once Gary appeared.
Looking at the two boys the same age,
Goh silently thought: Children…
"I see." Gary rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
"That means we encountered the same situation. After I entered the forest, a phantom Pokémon appeared too—brought me here, then disappeared."
"Was it a blue wolf?" Ash asked.
"No. Mine was a reddish-brown wolf."
Ash and Gary exchanged looks.
What was with this sudden sense of destiny between them?
Both instinctively took a step back from each other.
[IronSpin: These two kids' dynamic is hilarious. They clearly care about each other but act like they can't stand each other.]
[DragonRider: I know this vibe! Green the Champion and Red were exactly like this—best friends pretending to hate each other.]
[Green: WHO is friends with HIM? Watch your mouth!]
[Gary: Exactly. My bro Green and Red are super close. He always secretly told me how amazing Red is, so I admired him since I was little.]
Green: "…"
Self-inflicted embarrassment.
[Prof. Oak: Haha, I can confirm it. Green really does value Red a lot.]
[Caitlin: Wait—I just realized something! Red and Green's relationship is exactly like Ash and Gary's!]
[Riley: Took you this long? Green and Gary are both Oak's grandsons. And if I'm not mistaken… Red and Ash might share that same connection.]
[Lorelei: Ash will become the Alola Champion in the future. Gary won't fall short either. So including Prof. Oak, Pallet Town has FIVE champions.]
[Prof. Kukui: Hold on—Pallet Town is THAT terrifying? How can a tiny little town hide so many champions?!]
[Diantha: No kidding… I think Pallet Town alone could wipe out a small region's entire League.]
[Kukui: Diantha! That sounds like you're implying something!!]
Back in Kanto, behind Oak Laboratory—
Gary stared at the barrage discussing him and Ash.
He felt… irritated.
Ash was destined to become a champion.
But what about him?
He only appeared now in the entire countdown so far.
Did that mean he would be forgotten in the future?
Or would he never reach Red or Green's level?
Otherwise—why would he be so unremarkable?
At that moment—
A large hand ruffled his spiky brown hair.
"Instead of worrying like this, focus on improving your strength."
"Gary—
you don't want Ash leaving you behind in the future, do you?"
Hearing Green's words, Gary unconsciously clenched his fists.
A man born under heaven should not remain beneath others forever.
If he could beat Ash when they were kids, why not now?
Just wait!
The future Champion will definitely be me!
I will surpass Ash, surpass Green, surpass Red—
and stand at the peak with them!
(Green: "You little brat, you've grown a backbone huh? Come on, let's spar. I'll show you who's the TRUE top dog.")
In the scene—
Although Ash and Gary moved in perfect sync…
They soon realized something important.
There were two phantom Pokémon in this forest.
They didn't know whether the Pokémon were real—
but one thing was certain:
Those two wolves intentionally gathered them here.
"Ash, did that Pokémon say anything to you?"
"You heard it too?"
"Shield Hero."
"Sword Hero."
They spoke at the same time.
But the words were different.
Gary nodded.
"That confirms my suspicion. In Galar's legends, the Sword and Shield Heroes defeated the Darkest Day together. But it seems the truth may not be the same as the legend."
"I know! Sonia told Ash and me the story of the Sword and Shield Heroes. But what does that have to do with this? It's not like a fairy tale where heroes receive inherited power and… you two are the new heroes who inherited it?"
Goh paused mid-sentence.
Wait.
The story WAS moving exactly in that direction.
Except…
The legendary hero wielded BOTH the sword and the shield.
But now—
It had become two heroes:
one Sword Hero
and one Shield Hero.
That… was interesting!
"Hey, I heard you're ranked in the World Coronation Series?" Gary asked casually.
"Don't 'hear'—that's FACT! I've already reached Ultra Ball rank 799! I'll be in Hyper Ball soon!" Ash said proudly.
"Oh really? Congrats then." Gary smirked. "But here's some bad news—I'm in the World Coronation Series too."
He held up two fingers.
"I'm already Hyper Ball rank 20. Maybe soon I'll reach the Master Eight."
Ash didn't react with annoyance as Gary expected—
He got excited.
"Really? That's awesome! On my journey to become the World's Strongest Champion, if you—my rival—aren't there to block my way, it just wouldn't be fun!"
"When you became a researcher, I was sad for a long time."
Ash said sincerely.
Though he supported Gary's decision…
Seeing Gary return as a trainer again—
that joy couldn't be hidden.
"Is that so…"
Gary smiled, finally relieved.
"Then be ready—
because with me here, the title of Strongest Champion definitely won't be yours."
"Who's scared? When YOU lose, don't cry!" Ash shot back.
[Prof. Oak: Didn't expect Gary to walk the researcher path in the end.]
[Prof. Sycamore: Gary's research talent is exceptional. Being a researcher suits him perfectly.]
[Oak: True. But ever since Green influenced him, Gary always dreamed of being the strongest trainer. Seeing him suddenly switch… feels surreal.]
In Oak Laboratory—
The professor put down his instant noodles.
If possible—
he actually hoped Gary would chase his dream first.
As for research…
he could do that after becoming Champion.
He himself had only retired to become a professor after being Champion.
No trainer from Pallet Town was ever weak!
Gary had top-tier talent both as a trainer and as a researcher.
But sadly—
he was only one person.
He couldn't split himself into two paths at once.
Otherwise—
Imagine a professor in a white coat taking out a Poké Ball…
and defeating the reigning Champion.
The mental image was terrifying.
[Steven: I've met Gary before. He may have lost to Ash at the Silver Conference, but it wasn't because he was weak—Ash was simply too strong.]
[Gary: Steven, please… any more praise will sound like sarcasm!]
[Cynthia: Whatever path you choose, never slack off. Talent is only talent until you turn it into strength.]
[Ash: Gary! If you don't work hard, the one standing shoulder-to-shoulder with Red will be ME!]
[Gary: Don't underestimate me!!!]
In the scene—
Ash and Gary kept bickering.
After all—
Even if they met, there was no way out of the forest yet.
If those unknown Pokémon brought them here…
There MUST be something hidden here.
One was the Sword Hero.
The other the Shield Hero.
Perhaps a sword and a shield were hidden somewhere here.
Goh thought so—and immediately told the two.
Ash and Gary both found her reasoning convincing.
So the trio started searching.
The fog was thick, but not to the point of zero visibility.
To avoid separating, they walked side by side.
As they advanced—
Just as they expected—
A ruined altar appeared before them.
"Ash! Gary! Over here!"
Goh called out.
Ash and Gary immediately rushed over.
"Look there!"
Following Goh's pointing finger—
They saw the altar.
It wasn't large.
But judging by its shape, it was definitely for rituals.
Ash looked around the altar. Seeing nothing else nearby, he rushed directly inside.
Gary sighed helplessly but followed.
Upon getting closer—
They noticed two objects placed at the center.
"The sword and shield used by the legendary heroes wouldn't be… these tiny things, right?"
Gary already felt the urge to complain.
Ash picked up the sword and shield, handed the shield to Gary, and inspected the sword closely.
The sword looked old—
but faint mysterious patterns still remained.
But the size…
These were basically children's toys.
"So why is Galar relying on two foreigners to save it again?" Ash complained.
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