Shiro directed Drakloak to fly toward the Sableye. His eyes stayed fixed on the dangerous wild Pokémon as he reached into his backpack and pulled out a red-and-white Poké Ball.
"Drakloak, could you break out of this kind of Poké Ball by force?"
He waved it in front of the Dragon-type. Without hesitation, Drakloak bit down on the ball and crunched it to pieces in a few casual chews.
"Looks like I'll need a Great Ball… No, better to go with Ultra Balls," Shiro muttered as he dug through his backpack.
He dug deeper into his bag, searching, but his expression darkened. He hadn't stocked up on any. The only Ultra Balls he had were trophies taken from the Stow-on-Side Gym Leader, and those were already occupied.
Letting out a frustrated sigh, he thumped himself lightly on the forehead and glanced around. A strong wild Pokémon was right in front of him, and he didn't have the right ball to catch it?
'No way I'm losing a chance like this over something so dumb,' he thought.
His gaze drifted toward the unconscious B5 members lying nearby. Since none of them had woken up yet, and considering they'd ended up like this from their own mistakes, taking a few Ultra Balls as compensation for handling a dangerous situation seemed fair enough.
With that thought, Shiro stopped hesitating and began rummaging through their backpacks and pockets, searching through them one by one.
"Hmm... these guys are loaded," he mumbled. From just the second person, he already pulled out five empty Ultra Balls. His eyes flicked to the other scattered supplies for a moment, but he resisted the urge.
He only took five Ultra Balls and put the rest back. He didn't really need more Pokémon or resources right now. There was no point in acting like some petty thief.
With the Ultra Balls in hand, he returned to the Sableye's side.
Looking at the unmoving Pokémon sprawled out on the ground, Shiro asked Drakloak to double-check that it was really unconscious. After a brief check, the Ghost-type's lack of response gave him the green light.
A black-and-yellow Ultra Ball sailed through the air and struck Sableye cleanly on the forehead. After a few tense wobbles, the ball clicked shut.
Just like that, an Elite-level Sableye was now his.
Shiro stared at the Poké Ball for a few moments, unsure what to do with it. Selling it on the black market felt wasteful, but keeping it didn't help either.
This Sableye wasn't the obedient or gentle type. It wouldn't listen to orders and definitely wasn't easy to control. For him, it had no real value.
"I'll just hang on to it for now..." he murmured, tucking the Poké Ball into his pocket. Then he let Drakloak carry him up toward the bronze platform.
The immediate problem needed to be solved first.
Shiro guessed that picking up the wooden sword and shield might wake everyone from their sleep. But if that didn't happen...
That would be a serious problem. With so many people unconscious and no signal in this underground cavern, he'd have to carry a few back manually and call the company for backup.
He just hoped Leon could hold the front line and keep those displaced Ground-type Pokémon from getting through. If even a few of them slipped past and saw this cave full of enemies...
Shiro shook the thought away. He didn't want to imagine that scenario.
Hovering in mid-air, he took a deep breath, reached out, and grabbed the edge of the decayed wooden shield, then quickly stuffed it into his bag.
The moment he lifted it, a wave of vivid blue energy rippled from the bronze altar and swept through the cavern like a shockwave.
'They should be waking up now…' Shiro was thinking when he spotted one of the gray-uniformed group members twitching a hand.
"Let's go, Drakloak! We still need the wooden sword!" He called out.
The Dragon-type dove downward, and Shiro snatched the wooden sword. But as soon as it touched the shield inside his backpack, something changed.
Twin flashes of red and blue burst from the items and surged into his body.
"You humans are too greedy!" Zacian's voice echoed again.
Suddenly, the world went dark for Shiro, and he found himself standing in a white space.
"Human!"
From one side of the space, a canine Pokémon with crimson fur stepped forward. Its body was riddled with scars, its limbs were slender, and its face resembled a small shield.
"Zamazenta?" Shiro blurted out the name instinctively.
Zacian also walked in from the other side and growled in a low voice, "Human, your strength is not enough to wield both the sword and the shield."
Shiro looked around and realized he was inside some kind of spiritual space. Zacian and Zamazenta stood on either side, both staring at him with serious eyes.
When he didn't respond, Zacian repeated its words.
"Human, your strength is not enough to—"
"What kind of strength is enough to wield both?" Shiro interrupted.
"Uh…" Zacian paused, clearly caught off guard, then turned its head toward Zamazenta as if to pass the question over.
Zamazenta stepped forward calmly and said, "Your body is unusual. It holds two memory cores. In other words, two souls."
Shiro's eyes narrowed. He immediately thought of the body's owner—the original Shiro. The one who had been beaten to death and dumped like garbage in a stinking alleyway in Spikemuth.
The original had died, but his memories had remained in the body and were eventually absorbed by him.
Apparently, these two legendary Pokémon—creatures who held part of the world's power—could actually see through him.
"Maybe it was Arceus's will," Zacian added. "We don't know why either." It paused. "But it doesn't matter. Every Sword and Shield Hero through history—"
Before it could finish, Zamazenta cut in, "You can wield both, Shiro, because your body houses two souls. In a way, you exist as two people at once."
Zacian turned to Zamazenta, confused by its words.
But Zamazenta ignored the look and went on, "Shiro, soon this region will need your power. That is the duty of the one who carries the sword and shield."
"Alright." Shiro nodded in agreement.
He already knew what was coming. Rose wanted to collect a massive amount of Dynamax energy to revive Eternatus and give Galar endless Dynamax power.
When that happened, Zacian and Zamazenta would emerge from the Slumbering Weald to stop the disaster.
It was just like following a script. Shiro knew the story by heart.
"Very well," Zamazenta said, then asked, "Since you've accepted this duty, do you have any requests from us?"
"Requests?" Shiro didn't even need to think. "Can you follow me and step in at the critical moment? Not all the time. Just until the disaster ends. Then you can leave. How about that?"
The two Pokémon exchanged a look. Then, in perfect sync, they shook their heads.
"Arceus maintains balance," Zacian said. "If the disaster hasn't appeared yet, we cannot reveal ourselves to humans."
"Tch..." Shiro clicked his tongue.
'Figures, Legendary Pokémon are not easy to fool. Not like Drakloak. That guy followed me around just for a snack.'
**
**
**
Thank you for reading! If you'd like access to extra chapters and want to support my work, you can visit my P@treon:
P@treon/SilverShark769
Vote with Power Stones for Bonus Chapters!
Your support means a lot, thank you!