Chapter 639 - 636

At the Paldea League headquarters, sunlight streamed through the windows of the chairwoman’s office and spilled across the seats.

Rika—the green-haired Ground-type specialist of Paldea’s Elite Four, as well as a League executive and interviewer—was happily chatting over the phone.

The door eventually opened, and Larry walked in carrying his briefcase. For once, he looked remarkably well-rested.

He found a seat and sat down without interrupting Rika’s pleasant conversation. Several minutes passed before she finally ended the call.

"Whew..." Rika brushed aside her bangs. "A lot of major stuff has happened, Larry. So, how was your business trip? Have fun?"

"Traveling from Hoenn to one region after another could hardly be called fun." Larry closed his eyes wearily, then seemed to remember something.

"However, the restaurants in Hoenn’s various cities were excellent. I enjoyed the local specialties, especially Magnemite-yaki."

"And I saw something unforgettable in Hoenn. Even after traveling elsewhere on business, I couldn’t stop thinking about what I’d witnessed there."

"It truly was a beautiful meteor shower. Even someone as ordinary as me can occasionally experience such happiness and good fortune. Oh, and now that I’m back, I’d like to request some time off."

"Any time this year will do. It isn’t especially urgent, but it’s best to arrange vacation days as early as possible."

"By the way, Geeta isn’t here? Who were you talking to just now?"

"You said all of that in one breath," Rika replied. "You really are in a good mood. It’s rare to see you looking even slightly motivated."

"As for the boss... She’s given us a bit of a headache. Take a look at this first."

She handed Larry a thick stack of documents. He accepted them and began reading closely. Before long, his normally impassive expression shifted.

"The Galar region’s..."

"A massive blackout," Rika said with a shrug. "They were knocked straight from the industrial age back into an agrarian one. A King Pokémon reappeared, and the local legend of the Darkest Day sparked a war. The ancient royal family tried and failed to seize power, and the person who captured them was none other than Hikaru."

"That phone call was partly about all of that. There were a few other important matters too."

"We’ve both met Calyrex in our dreams, haven’t we? It’s hard to believe that big-headed Pokémon was actually such an incredible figure. I thought it was just bragging."

"The ancient monarch who symbolizes Galar’s history and ideals has now gathered the region’s legends beneath its banner and transformed the Crown Tundra into a genuine sacred land straight out of myth. Other regions have similar legends, of course. Johto, for example."

"There are the legendary beasts and Ho-Oh. However, Legendary Pokémon rarely reveal themselves to humans. Even someone who obtains a Rainbow Wing may never earn an audience with Ho-Oh. A great king willing to gather its power and return openly to the world, as Calyrex has done, is extremely rare."

"Now that Calyrex has reclaimed its power and is being revered throughout Galar, those vegetables it used to sell in Paldea have become popular again. They had its face on the label, remember? The logo looked so cute and silly that it became trendy."

"Do you know where the name Galar comes from? ’Galar’ is said to draw from ’gallant,’ meaning brave; ’gala,’ meaning a grand celebration; and..."

"Saint-Graal," Larry answered. "The Holy Grail from Arthurian legend."

"Exactly—the legendary object said to grant any wish and allow people to live without wanting for food or clothing. Looking at things now, that was probably Calyrex!"

Rika spread her hands dramatically.

"The legend of the King of Bountiful Harvests!"

"After those reports were published, plenty of people here saw them. Combined with the massive blackout and the fear inspired by the Darkest Day, it seems some Galar residents who already disliked Dynamax are considering moving to Paldea."

"Meanwhile, some of our Trainers are planning to travel to Galar and participate in the knightly trials."

"That should be a good thing," Larry said. "They’ll become stronger, earn honors, and then return here. I’m not worried about them staying in Galar. Competition there is fierce, and securing a permanent position isn’t easy. Their working environment is quite stressful."

"And Hikaru only went there to watch the Champion Cup and wake up a king," Rika said. "Somehow, he still got dragged into the Darkest Day."

"As a member of Paldea’s Elite Four and Unova’s new Champion, he unexpectedly became famous during the ancient royal family’s live broadcast of their attempted restoration. Some people in Galar are calling him the Sage Champion. It even made the newspapers."

Larry said nothing, merely continuing to study the documents.

"Come to think of it, something happened in Hoenn too. I don’t know what occurred in space, but that meteor shower was called the Wish. Hikaru was there at the time as well."

"Hahaha! For that, you need to read this report."

Rika passed him another file.

"Declassified Documents: The Gigantic Meteorite and the Revival of Faith in the Dragon God."

"You went to the Sky Pillar, didn’t you?"

Larry finished reading. His expression shifted again, and he slowly closed his eyes.

"So that’s what happened. Without my even realizing it, Hoenn nearly faced total destruction. The Sky Trainers were assembled to search for traces of the Dragon God, but because the Dragon God returned, the event was changed into a wishing ceremony."

"We had the riot in Area Zero, but compared with other regions suffering world-covering darkness and gigantic meteorites... Paldea remains exceptionally safe and comfortable."

Rika shrugged helplessly.

"Even the head of Macro Cosmos has changed. Leon, Galar’s Champion, has taken over. Doesn’t that make them just like us? Their Champion is simultaneously the League Chairman and the leader of a corporate conglomerate."

"Apparently, he wants to deepen Galar’s cooperation with Paldea. This could become a truly enormous commercial partnership."

"In short, although Galar has just suffered a disaster, it’s rebuilding quickly. Its legends are protecting the people and breathing new life into the region. It’s practically being reborn from the ashes."

"It’s a good thing all of Paldea’s royals are already... Hm?"

Rika had been about to say they were all dead, but then she remembered someone Hikaru had once mentioned.

Right. She couldn’t exactly say the entire royal bloodline was gone. One descendant remained and was already preparing to become an academy teacher.

Still, as far as royal descendants went, that person’s circumstances were downright miserable.

"If legends alone were enough," Larry said, "then the legend of Terapagos wouldn’t have attracted so little attention."

"That’s obvious." Rika laughed. "The only account of Paldea’s legends came from Heath, and his writing was treated like something out of a paranormal conspiracy magazine. Paldea had no psychics, so supernatural phenomena were always dismissed as lies."

"Thanks to Hikaru’s help, however, Heath’s books have now been recognized as accounts of genuine events. The files concerning The Hidden Treasure of Area Zero will almost certainly be declassified next year. Once Paldea possesses a recognized legendary symbol of its own, it will attract even more people from other regions."

"Geeta has been paying close attention to all of this. She received the news immediately, then dumped a mountain of paperwork on me and forced me to call back for confirmation. Meanwhile, she went off to climb that tower."

"Climb the tower..." Larry murmured. "So she’s slacking off."

"What? Slacking off?" Rika stared at him. "Oh, right. You’ve never seriously challenged that tower, have you? It’s an amazing place! You can strengthen yourself and farm items at the same time. I’ve already made it past the tenth floor, but La Primera seems to have terrible luck. She keeps getting stuck on the first floor, so she isn’t always happy when someone brings up the tower."

"Still, she claims the dream tower makes it easier to communicate with Champions from other regions and even scout new talent. Apparently, she’s reached some new agreement with Unova. She’s preparing to leave on another business trip there soon, which means I’ll have to serve as acting chairwoman. What a pain."

"Whew! Even good old Rika has become terribly busy."

"Luck is also part of battling," Larry said.

"I’m not particularly interested in climbing the tower. As long as I’m not ordered to defend it and it isn’t a compulsory assignment... Although, if the tower could drop delicious food, that would be another matter."

"About that!"

Rika raised a finger while Larry looked at her blankly.

"That genuinely is one of the tower’s development goals!"

"You remember what Hikaru said, right? The tower’s true purpose is to offer people the possibility of advancing beyond their current limits. That’s why it offers between two and four types of challenges. By battling powerful Trainers from the past and future—even Legendary Pokémon—challengers can discover new possibilities for their own growth while accelerating their Pokémon’s training."

"After all, whether you win or lose, the tower drops valuable training items."

"That means anyone who appears inside the tower possesses the potential to become a Champion. The boss is obsessed with climbing it partly because she wants to recruit talented people."

"Of course, there are powerful Trainers like you who have no interest in anything outside their jobs. But if someone is strong, they must care deeply about something. If it isn’t battling, then perhaps it’s..."

"Materials, treasures, culture, history—even food."

"Sometimes you wonder what people in the distant past or future ate, don’t you? Our world is a mysterious place. Certain ancient foods can no longer be recreated in the modern era. The same is true of some ancient tools."

"Take the weapons of Galar’s legendary Sword King and Shield King, which appeared in the news. Those heroes’ weapons were seemingly forged from a special metal that can no longer be produced. The tribe capable of forging that metal and crafting those weapons supposedly lives hidden in some remote, uninhabited region."

"Likewise, according to Hikaru’s Theory of Regional Ecology, local environments and different Pokémon species can cause certain foods to appear or disappear. As the regional environment changes, some Pokémon evolve while others fade away. Once the food they favor becomes extinct, those Pokémon may vanish from history as well."

"I won’t go into greater detail. Hikaru will present it at an academic conference eventually. Paldea is going to be cited as one of the most important models for the theory."

"In other words..."

Larry’s expression suddenly became serious.

"If I work hard at climbing the tower, I might have a chance to eat foods lost since ancient times—or even delicacies from other worlds?"

"And they’re free!" Rika declared. "That’s right, completely free. All you have to do is battle, and you get a meal. Even if you lose, you receive a consolation set. It isn’t like those battle restaurants where one match only earns you one meal, and you have to pay again the next time."

"This is free food! Anything you eat in the Dream World is converted into energy because it’s technically another dimension."

"You still need to eat in reality, though. Otherwise, your body will begin malfunctioning. You can’t spend all your time inside the tower."

Larry took a deep breath, his gaze turning resolute.

It was the expression of a man who had decided to work overtime.

Every corporate drone eventually lost his mind. But even corporate drones had dreams and things they looked forward to!

Some overtime simply had to be worked, even without overtime pay.

Such was the nindō of the wage slave!

Rika smiled.

"There’s one more piece of good news."

"What is it?"

"The Frontier Brain selection. A new Brain has been nominated."

"My, she’s an incredible child. She’s the second daughter of one of Galar’s former Champions, who was also once a Steel-type Gym Leader. A genius hacker known as the Meteor Hacker. Macro Cosmos has been negotiating fiercely with us over where she’ll end up."

"She’s a genuine prodigy. Even better, she already wanted to attend school here. Our interests aligned perfectly."

"Even her title as a Frontier Brain has been prepared—Cassiopeia!"

"So!"

Rika abruptly slapped the desk. A great many documents lay before her, and she tapped one especially thick stack.

"The moment the boss received Hikaru’s call, she began making active preparations. Most importantly, that long-awaited matter is finally being put into action!"

"’Regarding the Rectification of Numerous Internal Problems at Naranja Academy and the Disciplinary Measures to Be Imposed upon Relevant Personnel!’"

Rika smiled.

"Looking back, it really wasn’t easy getting this far."

"The events in Galar frightened certain local officials. It would look terrible if this ended in a sweeping purge, so rectifying the academy while encouraging certain people to resign voluntarily has become unavoidable."

"These measures are also necessary so talented people from other regions can feel at home in Paldea. If they can’t find happiness here, they’ll simply return home. It doesn’t matter how many recruitment incentives we offer if one troublemaker can ruin everything. What would be the point?"

"So we’ll be dismissing a large number of teachers," Larry said. "Harrington will also have to step down. His opinion... Well, I heard he made Geeta quite unhappy recently, so I suppose his opinion no longer matters."

"And the students? Will those with disciplinary records be suspended or encouraged to withdraw? The academy has never imposed punishment on such a scale."

"Geeta truly made up her mind. It seems she hasn’t been slacking off after all. In short, she has already dealt with the opposition."

"No." Rika waved a hand. "The descendants of nobles who became frightened and backed down, and the entrepreneurs whose children attend the academy... You must understand, investigating students is complicated. Sometimes children are even better liars than adults."

"Some children could be called heroes. Others possess no empathy at all. Those ones are especially skilled at concealing the truth or turning it on its head. Simply interviewing the people around them isn’t enough to identify every delinquent. Where do we draw the line between severe and minor wrongdoing? Some children of prominent families never act personally. They merely tell others what to do."

"And who can guarantee that the new disciplinary team won’t abuse its authority and become the academy’s next gang of tyrants? Schools are large enough for that sort of thing to happen. I know it better than most."

"I used to be a delinquent myself. My school’s atmosphere was terrible. Johto didn’t have a respectable university at the time, so all the best students gathered at Celadon University in Kanto. Johto itself was also a place deeply bound by tradition."

"I know about your past," Larry said. "Are you planning to conduct a detailed investigation so this proposal can be implemented properly?"

"Not exactly. In fact, the people who fear being investigated have already begun gathering together. And I’m not talking about children. I mean those who possess genuine authority."

She suddenly grinned.

"This is new intelligence the boss collected while resolving the opposition."

"Under the Paldea League’s control, the old regional powers have steadily weakened over the past two thousand years while pursuing treasure. They never managed to become one of those enormous underground organizations found in other regions. That’s the gist of it."

"Furthermore, because we’re a corporate giant ourselves, our positions and interests naturally conflict with theirs. Those people have therefore assembled a rather comical organization. They intend to seize control of various areas throughout Paldea and cause trouble for us, resisting the boss’s orders while venting their dissatisfaction."

"They’re calling themselves the Battle Gang."

"The Battle Gang. That’s certainly a straightforward name." Larry sighed. "But what meaning could such resistance possibly have? It looks like I’ll be working overtime again."

"If they’re all obscure nobodies, they should stop causing trouble for society and the academy’s students."

"This isn’t trouble. It’s an opportunity."

Rika waved the documents in her hand.

"I discussed this during my call with Hikaru. He sounded quite surprised, but then he offered a suggestion."

"Isn’t this the perfect opportunity to promote the Battle Frontier facilities? The academy can select outstanding students to oppose the Battle Gang. These groups of young Trainers will be placed under the Frontier Brains, forming a new subordinate organization."

Rika explained the plan in detail.

"They’ll function similarly to Pokémon Rangers, fulfilling requests from local residents while strengthening the students’ sense of belonging to Paldea. It will also encourage them to learn more about this land and promote the idea of overcoming immediate hardships through their own strength and that of their partners."

"We’ve therefore drafted a charter based on the work of Pokémon Rangers to serve as the new organization’s core mission."

"The Frontier Brains are also students, but they belong to a League institution and act as specialized leaders in Pokémon battling. This will make it easier for vulnerable students to rely on the powerful Trainers of the Frontier facilities, devote themselves to training, and pursue comprehensive development with the goal of becoming high-level Trainers."

"It will be the subordinate institution of the five great Symbols. Its Galarian abbreviation will be STC—Star Training Center. A place for stars and the rising stars of tomorrow."

"’Twinkling stars in the night sky.’"

"Hikaru said that long ago, someone in Sinnoh once described people’s talents as stars shining in the heavens. The person who said it had originally come from Galar."

"Since Hikaru gave the new Frontier Brain, Miss Penny, the title of Cassiopeia, I discussed whether we should imitate Galar’s system of naming certain things."

"In the end, we settled on an official name for this subordinate battle organization—Team Star!"

"Each Frontier Brain will command a division, with five squads under every division. Members may be reassigned, and every squad’s code name will come from a star!"

"Apparently, the constellations known in Galar contain three hundred especially notable stars!"

"You remember the five Symbols, don’t you? Battle, Exploration, Trial, Obstruction, and Victory."

"Once Miss Penny finishes her studies in Galar, she’ll come here to become the Brain of Obstruction, a position symbolizing wisdom and technology. Her second division will therefore be designed around both her title of Cassiopeia and her personal style."

"The chosen stars connected to Cassiopeia are Navi, Segin, Ruchbah, Schedar, and Caph! And I already have someone I’d like to recommend!"

"The Battle Gang may try to capture the Titan Pokémon to strengthen itself. Therefore, the areas surrounding Paldea’s five Titans will be our highest-priority defensive zones!"

Strictly speaking, "Battle Gang" meant little more than "Battle: Gang." It was merely a placeholder without any deeper significance.

In Paldea’s original design documents, the Battle Gang had been the region’s antagonist faction and the predecessor of Team Star.

Rather than being composed of students, it encompassed a wide variety of characters, ranging from nobles and wealthy celebrities to biker gangs.

Its most distinctive feature was the use of different Pokémon to power its gang vehicles, allowing them to fly through the sky, burrow underground, or dive beneath the sea and appear virtually anywhere.

They treated Pokémon as tools, appearing throughout Paldea to cause riots and harass the public.

They specialized in group battles between Trainers and deliberately interfered with the normal functioning of society.

Whether they had some deeper objective remained unknown.

The Battle Gang had three leaders.

The first was a wasteland-style punk biker specializing in Normal-type Pokémon. He commanded the Land Team and had originally been named Chikakai.

The second was an elderly nobleman specializing in Fairy-type Pokémon, with an appearance combining aristocratic fashion and Pokémon Contests. He commanded the Battle Family and had originally been named Nimiji.

The third was a vacationing young man covered in gold ornaments, resembling a celebrity or wealthy heir. He specialized in Water-type Pokémon, led the Sea Team, and originally had the human name Kō.

The dark-skinned elderly nobleman who specialized in Fairy types appeared to possess particularly high social status and was explicitly identified as a company president. Judging by his design, he may have been an early version of Director Cyrano.

Before the final version of the games was completed, the Battle Gang concept was discarded and buried in the historical development files.

The far more benign Team Star was born in its place.

However, the concept of obstructing travelers never changed.

"The Battle Gang has been revived? Paldea finally has an antagonist faction after having none before, though they’re still nothing more than a third-rate organization."

"The prototype Team Star against the newly created Team Star?"

Still in Galar, Hikaru felt rather conflicted after ending his call with Rika.

"Competition drives progress. The Battle Frontier can strengthen the region, but it’s a high-level facility ordinary people can’t challenge. And if things become too peaceful, it’s easy for laziness and internal conflict to spread."

"If the students have an enemy they can unite against, they’ll inevitably gain a great deal from the battles. This will become a long-term struggle against Paldea’s old powers. Using Pokémon battles to increase political influence really is convenient, isn’t it?"

"The Battle Gang versus Team Star. Will the villains from the original concept prove superior, or will the children of the new era transform into meteors?"

"Either way, our side looks much more like the final boss. League Champion—Elite Four—Frontier Brains—Team Star Captains."

"That’s an extremely clear battle hierarchy. It resembles a Demon King’s castle with a collection of outsourced officers."

"Even if the Battle Gang is easily defeated and the old powers retreat, members of the Elite Four or other League employees can take turns serving as new antagonists. In any case, this isn’t an enemy they’ll finish fighting in a year or two."

"After all, monsters like Juliana or Florian haven’t even moved here yet."

"The position of Brain of Victory will inevitably remain vacant."

"That should encourage the Team Star Captains to compete actively. Defeat the villains, obtain Badges, claim the Symbols, and finally break through Champion Road in Area Zero to defeat the Paradise Guardian Dragon. It forms a complete path of development."

Unfortunately, the "Dad Champion" from the original concept no longer existed. Geeta had already been Champion for quite a long time.

The Glimmora-wielding Top Champion’s enormous reach had eliminated nearly every source of potential instability in Paldea. The so-called Dad Champion from the prototype—branded a liar for attempting to create an ideal land—could no longer return as a former Champion and assume the role of the final villain.

Even though he had indeed been the final boss in the original concept.

His characterization had been carved up and distributed among Sada, Turo, Heath, Geeta, and several others.

They had practically divided him into six pieces.

When one dad falls, an entire cast flourishes.

Hikaru was currently in the Dusty Bowl near Hammerlocke.

"Miss Oleana has given her guarantee. She’ll send people to restore the damaged ruins of the Sword King and Shield King in the Slumbering Weald. They’ll follow the principle of faithful restoration and ensure the ruins match the original photographs and records."

"Many regions have similar projects to restore ancient ruins and pray for the return of Legendary Pokémon. But unlike Ho-Oh and Lugia, who were disappointed in humanity and vanished from sight, the Sword and Shield Kings have decided to support humanity and continue living alongside them."

"That’s wonderful!" Standing beside Hikaru was none other than Raihan, the local Gym Leader who had helped suppress the unrest in Hammerlocke.

"Miss Oleana is incredibly efficient. We can have complete faith in both the speed and quality of the restoration!"

"I really have to thank you this time. Who would’ve thought inviting you to watch the Champion Cup would lead to Galar’s rebirth? In other words, the great Raihan saved Galar!"

"Leon stole most of the spotlight, but everyone in Hammerlocke witnessed my outstanding performance too. How many rampaging Pokémon did Archaludon blast away with Electro Shot?"

"In the next Champion Cup, the one who becomes First Knight and clears the Crown Tundra’s trials will definitely be yours truly!"

Raihan raised a thumb toward himself in his classic pose.

"You should probably stop making that gesture," Hikaru said with a dismissive wave. "Anyway, you claimed something was excavated here. Was your information reliable?"

"Of course! I’m a local! Nothing that happens around Hammerlocke can escape my notice. After the unrest ended, someone accidentally dug up a special fossil here."

"Fossils! We’re talking about fossils! Restoring Pokémon from fossils is an incredible thing. I heard Dragon-type Fossil Pokémon have appeared in the Crown Tundra?"

"Tyrantrum is Rock/Dragon, while Aurorus is Rock/Ice. Aerodactyl... Well, Aerodactyl isn’t a Dragon type, but Dragon-type specialists from many regions still favor it."

"As for Aurorus... At least it looks like a dragon."

"I know, I know!" Raihan grinned. "You have an Aerodactyl yourself. A Pokémon restored from Old Amber. Old Amber must have been one of the earliest fossils successfully restored, right?"

"Just thinking about wild ancient Dragon Pokémon gets me so excited I can hardly stay still! I want to charge into the Crown Tundra right now."

"But if we’re going through the entire process, wouldn’t it be better to obtain a Shiny ancient dragon?"

"Peony’s daughter, Peonia, has a recently restored Tyrunt," Hikaru said. "Tyrunt is the pre-evolved form of Tyrantrum."

"It was originally an exceptionally rare Pokémon. But Fossil Pokémon of that kind are now everywhere in the Crown Tundra, so they’ve become commonplace."

"That’s a good thing!" Raihan declared. "A Rock/Dragon typing fits perfectly into my sandstorm team. I can combine rain and sand, though I’ll have to abandon sun completely."

"The Weather Boy’s team is about to become even stronger!"

"Well, then. The rumored excavation site should be somewhere around here."

Raihan examined their surroundings.

"The Dusty Bowl has some strange legends even by Galar’s standards. There’s a stone arch here. Have you ever seen a Yamask carrying a clay tablet instead of a mask?"

"It’s called Yamask, but it doesn’t have a mask. They might as well call it Tabletmask."

"According to legend, the arch is filled with ancient resentment and curses. You can also see the rising approach into Hammerlocke directly from this area. Strange, isn’t it?"

"Perhaps the people who died during the ancient wars had their resentment gather here, leaving behind supernatural phenomena."

"The first Runerigus ever discovered appeared beneath that stone arch. Still, I never expected you to know even more about that Pokémon than I do."

Raihan had heard Hikaru’s findings concerning Runerigus. Hikaru had first shared that information with Peony, then passed it along to Professor Magnolia.

They still hadn’t captured another specimen in the wild, but they could leave that part of the investigation to Gloria.

"I’m not planning to catch one of those Pokémon," Raihan said. "That new Ghost-type kid in Stow-on-Side can supposedly see the world of the dead. It would suit him better."

Hikaru searched the surrounding area. As an Antiquities Collector, his instincts made it easier for him to locate hidden relics—provided any were present.

And in the Dusty Bowl, there was a sixty-six percent chance of this particular item spawning...

"Found it. There are signs of excavation here."

Raihan curiously studied the stone Hikaru uncovered.

"Oh? Is this the new fossil you were looking for? A unique Galarian fossil?"

"I heard there was an embarrassing incident involving these. Supposedly, the fossil excavated here was fake, and they couldn’t restore anything from it."

"Tyrunt, a Rock/Dragon type, was only restored recently. What could this thing possibly become?"

"If you restore it together with a Fossilized Drake, you’ll get Dracovish," Hikaru answered.

"A dragon?!" Raihan’s eyes sharpened instantly.

Keyword detected.

"What type is it?"

"I’m not sure what type the original species possessed. But if two different fossils are spliced together, they can be restored into an exceptionally rare Water/Dragon Pokémon."

"However, because it’s a composite fossil, that leads into a rather unpleasant subject."

"This particular piece isn’t the dragon portion. It’s the fish portion—the part common to both possible restorations."

"It seems to have come from an extremely ancient Pokémon that lived in the sea. Do you know why Galarian Corsola looks dead? The places where they now live were once ocean."

"A meteorite struck the surrounding area and caused a rapid environmental shift, killing them."

"I’d like to say Eternatus might have been responsible, but the extinction date doesn’t seem to match. Perhaps it happened in an even more distant era. Or maybe Eternatus’s impact wiped out another group later."

"Whatever the truth, the Pokémon represented by the Fossilized Fish was undoubtedly much older than Galarian Corsola."

[Fossil Item: Fossilized Fish.]

[Description: A fossil fragment left behind by an ancient Pokémon. It once lived in the sea, but its original appearance remains a mystery.]

[Effect: What Pokémon would be restored if this fossil were revived by itself...? Galar’s fossil-restoration technology appears incapable of doing so. Selling price: ???. Similar specimens were discovered before, but because they were regarded as fraudulent artifacts, they only received the ordinary price of 2,500.]

[Ancient moves have been preserved within the fossil. Once properly carved, it can be used as a Technical Machine with unlimited uses.]

[If used on a Pokémon with exceptionally powerful jaws, that Pokémon can learn the special move—Fishious Rend!]

Considering that the Dusty Bowl had a sixty-six percent chance of spawning this item, this place may once have been the site of a mass extinction involving the original fish Pokémon.

"What?" Raihan said. "So it isn’t the Dragon-type part but the fish part. That means it’s the Water-type component."

"A Water-type Pokémon could set up rain, but I already have Goodra. I don’t need another one."

"Why are you looking for this fossil?"

"The Fossilized Drake actually isn’t important. The Fossilized Fish is."

"Four genuine ancient species represented by Galar’s fossils have yet to be discovered. But only the fish and bird fragments possess true value."

"The Pokémon restored from this fragment was supposedly known as the Ruler of Ancient Galar. It wielded a unique ancient move that has long since vanished."

"Those two moves are truly terrifying. If they could be taught to other Pokémon... How should I put this? Their numbers are ridiculously overtuned!"

"They’re called Fishious Rend and Bolt Beak. If the user attacks before its target, the power of either move doubles!"

Fishious Rend was the move that had made Dracovish famous.

Two of Dracovish’s three possible Abilities were also extremely useful, and both worked particularly well with Raihan’s weather teams.

Strong Jaw combined with Fishious Rend.

Countless dragons had called down meteors, but only one had bitten them apart!

Its Hidden Ability, Sand Rush, was even more remarkable. It doubled Dracovish’s Speed during a sandstorm while protecting it from sandstorm damage.

Although Dracovish was a Pokémon created through reckless fossil splicing, it was astonishingly powerful.

The other three Galarian fossil combinations, by contrast, rarely saw any use.

And despite being assembled at random—with the restored Pokémon’s bodily cross-sections clearly visible—how could they still eat normally?

Their bodies were truly miraculous.

Or did Galar’s third-rate restoration technology secretly contain some kind of advanced black-box technology?

Dracovish’s design looked like someone had jammed Kyogre’s head onto Groudon’s body.

Raihan rubbed his chin, visibly intrigued.

"Hold on. A move that directly doubles in power? That sounds interesting!"

"So, are we going to analyze this fossil next?"

"You said Tyrantrum’s Ability was Strong Jaw, didn’t you? Peony’s little girl didn’t want her baby dinosaur to hurt itself when using moves, so you gave Peony a special item and changed its Ability to Rock Head."

"Looking back, wasn’t that a mistake?"

"If Tyrantrum can learn Fishious Rend, it would fit perfectly into my dragon army!"

Raihan was dreaming, but there was no harm in fantasizing. He had already decided to travel to the Crown Tundra and catch a Tyrantrum.

A vast sandstorm swept across the Dusty Bowl.

"Come to think of it, I saw a kid in Hammerlocke earlier," Raihan said as they headed back. "He was leading a crowd that wanted to visit someone in prison. They were also preparing to march with banners."

"’Chairman Rose was sent to prison—it has to be a Paldean conspiracy! What "Sage Champion"? He’s obviously a schemer! Wasn’t he the one who met the chairman at the hotel in the first place? And no matter what happened, the chairman was dragged into this by the royal family! If that man captured the royals, then the chairman should be released without charge!’"

"That’s what the kid said."

"He was a little boy with hair like a Wooloo, wearing a dark pink coat. I think he came from one of Galar’s welfare facilities."

"The chairman used to sponsor many homeless orphans. The children from those facilities only had the opportunity to become Trainers because of him. That’s probably why they’re so upset about the chairman turning himself in."

"Was that child Bede?" Hikaru asked.

"A Paldean conspiracy... Hahaha. This is precisely why senior officials from other regions shouldn’t interfere too deeply in local affairs."

"Still, no one could have predicted a world-changing disaster like this. And we had already prepared countermeasures from the very beginning."

"No matter what hand the enemy played, we could strike back."

"If Bede remains confused and resentful, then let him come to Paldea for revenge."

"First, however, he’ll need to pass our academy’s entrance examination and overcome Paldea’s Gyms and Battle Frontier facilities."

"For a child raised in Galar, the Gym Challenge isn’t an activity that can be attempted whenever one wishes. It’s an enormous occasion, comparable to a major sporting competition."

"If he travels to another region and discovers that Gyms can be challenged at any time, it will greatly broaden his horizons."

"Hahaha!" Raihan laughed. "If he wants revenge, he’ll have to prove himself with strength. Is that what you mean? That’s a pretty good line!"

"But the kid is simply too young. He isn’t entirely wrong to say the chairman was dragged into this by the royal family. He’ll understand once he’s older."

"Chairman Rose really might receive a reduced sentence. Several prominent people recorded footage of him standing up against the royal family. Many believe those scenes are important evidence that the chairman was deceived."

"It seems the argument will drag on for quite a while."

But if Bede left Galar, what would happen to Opal’s successor?

"I think Bede and Miss Opal may get along surprisingly well," Hikaru said.

"Her creed is: ’When hardship comes, true character is revealed. Search high and low, and let the answer arise freely from your heart.’"

Come to think of it, Opal and Diantha had both been designed after Audrey Hepburn.

In a portrait of Opal from her youth, she looked almost identical to modern-day Diantha.

Perhaps the two of them were somehow related. They were both Fairy-type specialists, after all.

Diantha’s Gardevoir was still a little too weak, though.

When Raihan returned to the entrance of Hammerlocke Stadium, he encountered the following scene.

The pink, sheepish-looking boy had blocked the stadium entrance with his supporters.

"If the Executive Committee refuses to meet with us, we’ll hold a protest march!" Bede shouted. "We’ll keep blocking this place until you let us visit the chairman and accept our demands!"

He had brought children from the welfare facilities, along with several adults who supported Rose.

"Chairman Rose is the reason orphans like us were able to become Trainers! Even someone like me had the chance to become an elite! The chairman is absolutely not a bad person!"

A considerable number of people answered Bede’s call.

Then a withered hand suddenly reached out of the crowd like a witch snatching a child and seized the protesting boy.

Opal had happened to wander by.

She only visited dusty Hammerlocke once every few years to take care of a few minor matters.

Unexpectedly, she would become the person who ultimately granted Bede’s wish.

"Pink! Pink!" Opal exclaimed.

Bede’s face went pale.

"Wah! A witch! Wait—you’re Gym Leader Opal, aren’t you?!"

"Frank and contrary. Good, good," Opal said. "That’s how a person ought to be. Otherwise, you’ll never accomplish anything great."

"Rose saved you, and now you’ve lost your chance to repay him. The Executive Committee refuses to yield, so you’ve reached the end of your rope, haven’t you?"

"Come with me. I can find you another path—and I may even be able to let you see Rose."

"Of course, the final result will depend on whether you’re willing to work hard."

"The person who captured the royal family is a genuine Champion, one whose name has been entered into the Hall of Fame. Galar doesn’t have a Hall of Fame, so you probably don’t understand what that means."

"His status is comparable to that of one of the legendary Champions of an earlier age."

"If you truly aim to reach Champion level, dominate Galar, and challenge Paldea as well, then you’ll need to undergo the appropriate training."

"No one will recognize you merely because you call yourself an elite!"

"Fifty years ago, I lost to a Fighting-type Gym Leader with whom I had a long-standing grudge. Because of that defeat, I failed to become Champion."

"Doesn’t that sound a little like the Rose you admire?"

"I was still an adorable young girl back then. Not that I’m any less adorable now, of course."

"The children of the new generation are beginning to distinguish themselves, but not one of them possesses the pink I adore!"

"Come, come! You’re coming with me!"

Raihan stared blankly as Opal dragged Bede away, apparently taking him directly to the Executive Committee’s headquarters.

He shook his head in astonishment.

"I—I was planning to recommend him!"

"And they simply ran into each other?"

"That prediction came true awfully fast!"

"Is this some kind of resonance between the sorcerer Hikaru and the magician Opal?"

"Anything they say becomes reality? That’s terrifying!"

The Eternal Battle Reverie.

Calyrex held its head high and led the heroes of Galar as they began their conquest!

(End of Chapter)

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