Chapter 395: Chairman! Bad News! Mammon Has Come to Galar!
"Excellent. A good haul this time."
Mammon put the Rusted Sword into his bag. With that, he'd accomplished what he came to the Slumbering Weald for.
He'd only gotten the "sword," but that was enough. Honestly, Mammon had never been all that interested in Zamazenta.
But the King of Swords, Zacian, he thought was genuinely cool.
"Congratulations, Mammon."
Caitlin came over gracefully and congratulated him with a lovely, faint smile.
She didn't know exactly what the sword was, but anyone with half a brain could tell it was extremely important.
And Zacian giving her sword to Mammon was as good as giving herself to Mammon, wasn't it? That reading had to be right.
"Wow, handsome, impressive. The heroes picked you."
Sonia walked over too, full of admiration.
From where she stood, it seemed like Mammon had just said a few words and Zacian had personally handed over her "sword."
But Sonia wasn't stupid. There had to be plenty of other factors at play. She didn't think Zacian would hand over her "sword" that easily otherwise.
This Team Rocket Boss is really something~
Sonia studied the handsome young man in front of her curiously. He looked so young, and yet he was far more impressive than Leon had been at that age.
"Thanks. We're about done here. We're heading out. What about you, Miss Sonia?" Mammon replied with a smile.
"I came here looking for clues about the heroes of the 'sword' and 'shield.' Now that the truth's come out, I'm heading out too, of course."
Sonia broke into a bright smile. She was in a great mood.
For a researcher like her, uncovering the true history was hugely important.
It was also very rewarding. She might even become a full-fledged professor because of it.
"But the evidence still isn't quite enough. And the Galarian royal family isn't completely quiet these days." Sonia tapped her chin, looking a bit troubled.
As had been said long ago, this was the era of the Pokémon League's rule. The age of rival kingdoms was long since history.
But the Galarian royal family still had some name recognition, and still had a few supporters.
Restoring the truth meant going up against the Galarian royal family. That much was inevitable.
"They're just relics of history. Outdated junk like that belongs in the trash heap." Mammon smiled contemptuously.
Sonia smacked her lips cutely. She had to admit, it was an arrogant thing to say, but she understood that Mammon really did have the clout to back it up.
And... it's actually kind of cool!
"Miss Sonia, if you're worried they'll come after you, how about joining Team Rocket? If those relics dared to give you or your family any trouble, heh heh~"
Mammon smiled slightly. The meaning went without saying.
"Ha~ Don't do that, handsome. I'm a law-abiding citizen."
Sonia's heart skipped a beat. She hadn't forgotten that Team Rocket was an evil organization.
Mammon said they were a legitimate organization now,
but Sonia wasn't going to take Mammon's word for it. Doubt first!
"As for joining Team Rocket... ummm, my mind's only on research. I'm not thinking about anything else right now." Sonia declined politely.
"All right. If you ever change your mind, Miss Sonia, feel free to contact me."
Mammon chuckled, giving Sonia a meaningful look.
"I think very highly of you, Miss Sonia. Talented researchers like you aren't easy to find."
"No need to be so tense. Relax. I always respect people's wishes."
Mammon noticed Sonia's unease, and his smile stayed as bright and warm as ever.
Then Mammon threw a Poké Ball.
"Reshiram."
The magnificent white dragon carried the three of them up and flew away from the Slumbering Weald.
On a patch of grass in the Slumbering Weald, Zacian raised her head and watched the dragon god of truth fly away, a ripple passing through her eyes.
Beside her, Zamazenta looked at his older sister and finally couldn't hold it in.
"Sister, why did you give your 'sword' to that human? Aren't you..."
Zamazenta still didn't understand why his strong, cold sister would give the Fairy King's Sword to that man.
Just because he said that if we arrived late, the Darkest Day would hurt more innocent people and Pokémon?
Honestly, Zamazenta thought that reason was a bit of a stretch.
Whether or not Eternatus really reawakened, that battle three thousand years ago had definitely damaged Eternatus's core.
Even if it wasn't dead, it wouldn't be easy for it to cause trouble anytime soon, let alone recreate a Darkest Day on the scale of three thousand years ago.
So Zamazenta was sure that if Eternatus resurfaced, the two of them could get there in time.
And Zamazenta remembered that at the beginning of the year, Zacian had personally appeared before a human girl.
It was the first time in three thousand years that Zacian had shown herself to a human. She'd actually hidden herself in thick fog at the time, but it still counted as appearing before the girl.
Which meant Zacian had taken a bit of a liking to that girl.
"He came for me," Zacian said flatly.
"He's strong. There's no need for us to clash with him. If he wants my 'sword,' let him have it."
Zacian's tone was completely even, but it left Zamazenta silent.
Zamazenta felt a pang in his heart. He knew his sister was strong-willed and cold by nature.
Yet now she was willing to compromise. Apart from Eternatus, it was mostly because she was worried about him, wasn't it?
That man carried several presences that made even the two of them feel deeply threatened.
If they really had come to blows, it probably wouldn't have ended well.
"Don't overthink it. Even if he has my 'sword,' it doesn't mean anything. If what he said is true, I don't mind following him for a hundred years."
Zacian's voice was still cool as she looked up at the distant sky.
They'd stayed in the Slumbering Weald long enough anyway.
She could think of it as going out to see the world. And Zacian really was curious what kind of appeal this man had, that so many Legendaries followed him.
Besides, a human lifespan was only a hundred years, an irreversible fact. And a hundred years, for Legendaries like them, was no longer than a short nap.
So Zacian really didn't mind all that much.
Zamazenta was silent.
Wedgehurst.
It was a town fairly close to Postwick, but far bigger.
The magnificent white dragon descended from the sky, landed, and lifted its head aloofly.
"Thanks, handsome, and you too, Reshiram. I never thought I'd get to ride a Legendary Pokémon someday. It's so beautiful."
Sonia hopped down from Reshiram's back, grinning at Mammon, then gazed at the beautiful, pure-white Reshiram with great excitement.
Oh my gosh!!
Sonia had truly never seen such a beautiful, stunning Pokémon. There probably wasn't a more beautiful Pokémon in the whole world than Reshiram!
And its air was so noble and aloof. Absolutely incredible!
Sonia specialized in researching legends, and she knew very well that Reshiram was Unova's dragon god of truth!
Grandma, your granddaughter has made it! I've ridden Reshiram!
Hearing this woman's praise, Reshiram didn't so much as blink. It kept gazing into the distance with an aloof expression.
Though maybe it was just her imagination, but Reshiram seemed to stand a little taller.
"Don't mention it. Keep in touch."
Mammon didn't get down. He waved to Sonia.
"Will do. Take care."
With a long, resonant dragon's cry, Reshiram beat its wings and took off, gradually disappearing over the horizon.
Dropping Sonia off in Wedgehurst was just on the way, since it was on the route back to Hammerlocke.
But Mammon had no plans to spend the night in Wedgehurst.
Sonia watched Reshiram until it disappeared from sight, and her smile slowly faded. She hesitated for a good while.
Then she took out her phone and dialed a number.
After spending time with him, she didn't really dislike Mammon, and he had helped her out.
But regardless, she felt she had to tell Leon about this. Team Rocket coming to Galar was no small matter.
"Hello? Sonia, what's up?"
The call connected, and Leon's voice came through.
"Leon, there's something I think you need to know." Sonia's tone was much more serious.
"Go ahead."
"Team Rocket. The Team Rocket you told me about before, and Mammon. He's come to Galar."
"What? Really?"
Leon froze. Mammon is in Galar?
"Yeah. I ran into Mammon and his companion Caitlin in the Slumbering Weald today."
"Okay. Got it. This is very important information."
Leon said gravely. Team Rocket had begun to transform, true, but Team Rocket coming to Galar was still not something to take lightly.
"I'll talk to the Chairman about this. Oh, and Sonia, are you all right?"
NOW you ask if I'm okay?
The corner of Sonia's mouth twitched.
"I'm fine. Honestly, I think Mammon's actually a pretty nice guy."
Sonia was rather exasperated, but she didn't let it bother her too much. She knew Leon well.
"Is Team Rocket really an evil organization?"
"Well... how do I put it..."
For a moment, Leon didn't know how to answer. He scratched his head, quite troubled.
"The old Team Rocket was definitely an evil organization that did every bad thing imaginable. But Mammon..."
Leon thought about it, but still couldn't find the right words.
So much of what Mammon did was hard to categorize.
"He's not a bad guy?" Sonia asked tentatively.
"No. I don't think you can describe him as simply good or bad. Anyway, under Mammon's leadership, Team Rocket really can't be called an evil organization anymore."
Leon shook his head.
"Personally, I can't really pin down Mammon's character. He's right on the threshold between good and evil. He's not a villain, but he definitely isn't a good guy either."
"You don't need to get involved in this, Sonia. If you can avoid it, it's best not to have too much contact with Mammon. The League's stance on Team Rocket is pretty delicate right now."
Leon warned Sonia. Mammon and the current Team Rocket might not be a malicious organization,
but Sonia was just a researcher, and not a particularly strong trainer. Leon still worried about his childhood friend.
"Okay, I get it." Sonia looked thoughtful, but after hearing Leon's description, her interest in Mammon had only grown.
"Oh, one more thing, Leon. I saw Zacian and Zamazenta in the Slumbering Weald."
"Zacian and Zamazenta?"
Leon froze. He'd heard Rose mention those two names. They were the legendary heroes.
"Yes. And Zacian gave her sword to Mammon. And Eternatus, the Darkest Day from three thousand years ago, came up too."
"Got it. That's very important too. Thanks, Sonia."
Leon frowned slightly. He'd never imagined that Zacian and Zamazenta, whom the Chairman had been searching for all this time, were in the Slumbering Weald.
And Zacian gave her sword to Mammon... Does that mean she's acknowledged him?
This is bad. It feels like Mammon came to Galar to "rob" us! Just like in Hoenn and Unova.
He nearly cleaned out all the Legendary Pokémon in those two regions, didn't he?
After hanging up with Leon, Sonia hurried back to her lab and started writing an article as fast as she could.
She'd learned who the true heroes were. The evidence wasn't complete yet, but Sonia didn't intend to wait any longer.
She was going to expose the truth!
Meanwhile, Leon quickly called Rose.
"Chairman! Bad news! Mammon has come to Galar!"
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