It's All Eternatus' Fault!
After obtaining the sword and shield from the altar,
Ash and Gary examined them for a long time…
and still couldn't figure out anything useful.
The materials were indeed special—
though small, they were unnervingly heavy and solid.
And beneath the decayed-looking surface, countless runic carvings were faintly visible.
Gary even used his portable scanner—
and got nothing.
The only certain conclusion was this:
These relics were absolutely linked to the legends.
Otherwise, why would those two mysterious Pokémon bring them here so deliberately?
"How are we even supposed to use these things?"
Ash swung the tiny sword a few times, baffled.
"If these little toys can really solve the Dynamax outbreak in Galar," Gary muttered,
"I'll eat them on the spot."
Truly—these looked WAY too abstract.
Could anyone save the world wielding a toy-sized sword and shield?
Gary remained unconvinced.
[Sonia: …huh?]
[Professor Magnolia: …excuse me?]
[Leon: …wait WHAT?]
[Mustard: Why do I suddenly feel like my childhood heroes might be a lie… Hard to imagine the Sword & Shield Heroes used THESE to save the world.]
[Bea: Oh! I knew they looked familiar! These are literally the toy Sword & Shield Hero props from the gift shop!]
[Sonia: No, no—legends can't be that wrong! And since Ash and Gary met different phantom Pokémon, these items MUST be connected to them.]
[Magnolia: I once found non-Galar royal records. It said the Sword & Shield Heroes were NOT humans, but two Pokémon. These miniature relics might be summoning artifacts.]
[Steven: If so, everything makes sense. Hoenn also has similar myths—stones used to summon Kyogre and Groudon. Ash may have encountered something equivalent.]
These were only theories.
How to actually use the sword and shield remained a mystery.
But since Ash and Gary had been entrusted with them,
they would clearly play a crucial role later.
Just as the phantom Pokémon said—
Ash was the Sword Hero.
Gary was the Shield Hero.
Perhaps the calamity swallowing Galar was the return of the Darkest Day.
Ash and Gary might truly need to "cut through the night" with sword and shield.
Destiny.
Heroic duty.
And the rivalry between Ash and Gary—
The audience was thrilled.
What would unfold next?
Scene—
After the boys secured the sword and shield,
the thick fog engulfing the Slumbering Weald began to thin.
Past the mist, one could even see the pastures beyond the forest.
Ash's group hurried to escape while the fog still allowed it.
Stepping out into the clear grasslands,
Ash stretched dramatically.
"YES! I'm alive again!"
Just then—
"Beep beep! Professor Cerise is calling~"
Rotom Phone buzzed in Ash's pocket.
He answered it, and Professor Cerise's voice burst through.
"Ash! Are you all right?!"
"We're fine!"
"Good. I couldn't reach any of you earlier—I've been worried sick!"
"Is something wrong, Professor?"
"It's from Professor Magnolia. The Dynamax incidents are worsening. She's hoping you can help deal with the rampaging Pokémon."
After hearing the situation,
Ash hung up.
Cerise also sent a full Dynamax-event map to Ash's Rotom Phone.
"Gary! Want to compete?" Ash asked.
"Oh? Compete how?"
Gary immediately perked up.
"Let's see who can handle more Dynamaxed Pokémon!"
Ash sent him the marked map.
Gary didn't hesitate.
"I'll take the east side. You handle the west. We meet back here after."
He pulled out a Poké Ball.
A flash of light—
A large, powerful Aerodactyl appeared.
"Whoa! You caught an Aerodactyl?"
"Had it for years," Gary sighed, climbing on its back.
"Try to keep up. If I win too easily, I'll be bored."
He waved and shot off into the sky.
"Don't worry! I'm NOT losing!" Ash yelled, fist raised.
"You two really get along well," Goh teased.
"WHO gets along with him?!"
Ash snapped instantly.
Goh smiled silently.
If that wasn't "getting along," nothing was.
Ash looked at the map again—
the nearest Dynamax outbreak was right by Motostoke.
He wouldn't make it by walking.
Thankfully, Ash had brought some old teammates.
He tossed two Poké Balls.
Flashes of light—
Charizard and Dragonite appeared.
At first, Ash had wanted to bring Charizard and Pidgeot.
But Pidgeot was still living in the forest…
Realizing he had nearly forgotten Pidgeot, Ash felt guilty.
Next time I go home, I'm bringing her back.
Without Pidgeot, Dragonite was more than fast enough.
And so—
Ash and Goh mounted their partners and flew toward Motostoke.
In only minutes, Motostoke came into view.
But—
A thick vortex of black clouds swallowed the entire city.
At its center, a massive flaming centipede raged violently.
Eternatus-Max Centiskorch!
The colossal monster was destroying everything recklessly.
Normal trainers stood no chance.
"This is the same as that G-Max Drednaw… totally berserk and irrational!"
Ash patted Charizard's shoulder.
"Charizard! Let's go!"
He left Goh in a safe spot.
Charizard shot forward—
straight to the face of the towering G-Max Centiskorch.
Even though the opponent dwarfed it by hundreds of times…
Charizard wasn't scared—
it was EXCITED.
Challenge Entei? Sure.
A G-Max Centiskorch? Child's play.
"Charizard! Air Slash!"
Ash already identified its typing: Fire + Bug.
Flying would hit hard.
Charizard's wings whipped—
countless razor-sharp blades of air formed and launched in an instant.
"BOOOOM!"
The attack made even the monstrous body stagger.
At that moment—
Another silhouette descended from the sky.
Ash looked up.
A man atop another Charizard—
Leon, Champion of Galar!
"Leon's here!"
Citizens below sighed in relief.
But—
Leon had barely arrived before the Centiskorch was already defeated.
"Finish it! Charizard—maximum Air Slash!!"
Ash's Charizard soared upward.
A massive, several-meter-wide Air Slash shot downward.
The berserk G-Max Centiskorch couldn't react—
and was smashed to the ground.
Then—
"End it! Dragon Claw!"
"ROOOOAR!"
Charizard was enveloped in green energy—
then pierced straight through the giant body.
With a wave of distortion—
The G-Max form unraveled.
Centiskorch returned to normal and fainted.
Leon had arrived too late to help.
He stared at the other Charizard—
"…It's you."
[Lance: What the—how is Ash's Air Slash THAT strong?! Air Slash is about quantity, not giant sword beams!]
[Wallace: Maybe Ash is a Flying-type master too. This is an advanced application of Air Slash.]
[Lance: …I'm testing this on Dragonite later.]
[Lorelei: Aha! So you really are a Flying-type champion, not Dragon-type!]
Lance: "!!!"
Busted.
[Leon: Clean execution. No hesitation. Even modifying standard moves to increase power. Impressive!]
[Drake: Ash's Charizard is terrifyingly strong—probably second only to Pikachu.]
[Gary: Just as I thought! You secretly trained with Red! This Charizard feels exactly like his!]
[Steven: No wonder the déjà vu was so strong…]
[Leon: So Ash trained under Red… I never got the chance to battle Red, but fighting someone he trained? A good consolation.]
[Wallace: The growth is insane—but Ash's intuition as a trainer is even scarier. Did you notice? The moment the battle starts, his IQ spikes exponentially. One glance at G-Max Centiskorch and he instantly knows the optimal move.]
[Lusamine: That's called growth, darling~]
Scene—
After the crisis ended,
Ash landed with Charizard.
Goh and Leon both approached him.
They looked toward a small girl hugging Centiskorch and crying.
"What happened before this? Why did it suddenly rampage?" Leon asked.
When the father saw that Leon was asking, he explained immediately.
In short:
A purple meteor-like streak fell from the sky.
It struck Centiskorch—
and it instantly transformed into G-Max form and went berserk.
When he finished, the father grabbed Ash's hands tightly.
"Thank you! You saved us—and saved Centiskorch!"
"You're incredible! Maybe you'll be Champion like Leon one day!"
"Yeah! When we first saw Charizard, we thought Leon had arrived. But it was YOU who saved us!"
"So talented at such a young age!"
The townspeople all praised Ash.
Their gratitude was entirely sincere—
Ash had saved their lives.
After hearing the full story—
Ash and the others immediately understood the severity.
The G-Max energy wasn't rising from the ground…
It was falling from the sky.
Falling randomly—
like meteors.
Just like the ancient myths:
Dark clouds devouring the heavens,
violet spheres falling across the land,
turning Pokémon into mindless G-Max monsters.
They had to stop the outbreaks quickly—
and find the true source behind all this!
Leon exchanged a few words with Ash,
then hurried off again.
The entire Galar region's trainers were mobilizing.
Leon wanted to battle Ash—
but today wasn't the day.
Ash understood completely.
Both flew off in opposite directions.
Same mission.
Same goal.
Ash headed next toward Turffield.
There—
he found a familiar face.
Sonia—surrounded by black-uniform thugs.
Ash and Goh rushed in and took them down.
Speaking with Sonia afterward,
Ash finally learned the deeper truth.
She discovered an old text that contradicts Galar's commonly told legend:
The Sword and Shield Hero…
was not one person.
It was two.
Two heroes who together stopped the Darkest Day.
Ash suddenly remembered the figure he once saw from the plane during his first arrival in Galar.
"Eternatus…
The one said to have caused the disaster three thousand years ago!"
Sonia pointed to an ancient hillside mural—
A huge dragon-like shape.
"This is the culprit behind everything—Eternatus!"
"But wasn't Eternatus defeated by the Heroes? How can it still appear?"
"…Someone might be reviving it."
To read 30+ future chapters, head over to patreon:
patreon.com/ToastWizard