Chapter 203: Isn’t This Way Too Ridiculous?

Chapter 203: Chapter 203: Isn’t This Way Too Ridiculous?

"How about we make a bet?"

Sora met the Hero Duo’s gaze, his expression calm and unwavering.

"I won’t ask Calyrex to force you to follow me."

"I’ll search for the Pokémon capable of reforging the Sword and the Shield, so you can regain your true power."

"And if the Darkest Day ever descends upon this land again..."

"I’ll come here."

"And fight alongside you."

So then...

If Sora truly accomplished all of that...

Would it still matter whether he had been chosen as the Hero?

Would it matter whether he was officially acknowledged as the master of the Sword and Shield?

At that moment, Sora was reminded of an anime he had once watched—Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End.

There, Himmel had encountered the Hero’s Sword, a blade said that only the true Hero could draw.

He failed to pull it free.

And yet...

Without ever wielding that sword, Himmel still defeated the Demon King and saved humanity.

"It isn’t because someone becomes a Hero that they save the world."

"It’s because someone saves the world..."

"...that they earn the right to be called a Hero."

Silence descended over the forest.

Sora’s Pokémon.

Cynthia.

Calyrex.

Even Zacian and Zamazenta.

All of them were immersed in his words.

"Only one who saves the world..."

"...deserves to be called a Hero."

For the first time, Zamazenta felt that perhaps their ability to see into people’s hearts...

Wasn’t all that important after all.

"Then let’s make that bet, Sora."

Zacian spoke first.

"Just as you said."

"Don’t judge someone by what they say."

"Judge them by what they do."

"If one day you truly accomplish everything you’ve promised..."

"...then we, the Sword and Shield..."

The two wolves declared in unison,

"...shall fight by your side."

"It’s a promise."

Sora reached out and rested a hand atop each wolf’s head.

This was their oath.

Witnessed personally by Calyrex.

One that none of them would ever betray.

Now that’s an unexpected gain.

Even Sora hadn’t expected an impulsive speech to produce such a result.

Still...

A promise had been made.

Which meant he intended to fulfill it.

Reforging the Rusted Sword and Rusted Shield...

He didn’t know much about the process.

From what he remembered...

Zacian’s weapon was originally the Sword That Cuts Through All, while Zamazenta’s was the Shield That Withstands All.

They had supposedly been forged by the Mythical Pokémon Melmetal, before Calyrex later infused them with the King’s power, transforming them into the sacred Sword and Shield of the King.

Then... I’ll have to find Melmetal first?

Only by repairing the sacred relics could the Hero Duo fuse with them once more and recover their true crowned forms.

As for where Melmetal was...

Sora had no idea.

He only remembered that the anime had featured Meltan—the pre-evolution of Melmetal—in Alola.

Do I need to make a trip to Alola?

He hesitated.

Alola wasn’t part of his current itinerary.

Besides...

Searching specifically for Meltan would be like looking for a needle in the ocean.

Compared to that...

He’d rather continue recruiting the Legendary Pokémon already on his list.

"No."

"Let’s try another method first."

Turning to the Hero Duo, Sora asked them to retrieve the Rusted Sword and Rusted Shield.

Then he called over Victini.

"Vee."

"See if you can recharge these two relics."

"Vini!"

Victini eagerly floated over.

"What a peculiar Pokémon..."

Zacian had never seen a Pokémon like her before.

She was tiny.

Yet the energy she’d displayed earlier had seemed utterly inexhaustible.

It was difficult to imagine such limitless power existing inside such a small body.

"Wait here."

The Sword and Shield weren’t carried around by the Hero Duo.

Instead, they’d hidden them somewhere deep within the forest.

Originally...

They had intended for the relics to serve as part of the Hero’s trial.

The chosen Hero would need to find them personally.

But now...

That hardly seemed necessary.

Rather than waiting endlessly for an unknown Hero...

Wouldn’t it be better to summon Sora and Calyrex whenever they were needed?

After all...

With the Pokémon gathered around Sora...

Even if the Darkest Day truly returned...

They would certainly possess the strength to stand against it.

"Here."

"What should we do?"

Before long, the wolves returned with the Rusted Sword and Rusted Shield.

The two weathered relics were placed before Sora.

Victini rubbed her little hands together excitedly before stepping forward.

"Vini~~"

Golden light blossomed from Victini’s body.

It was...

The King’s Power.

Though unlike Calyrex’s own divine authority...

This version contained no divinity.

It was simply pure energy.

"How is this possible?!"

"That’s... the King’s Power!"

"How can she use it?!"

"Why?!"

The Hero Duo were utterly dumbfounded.

Victini had completely overturned everything they thought they knew.

What exactly was her relationship with Calyrex?

How could she wield a power that only the King of Bountiful Harvest should possess?

"This little one is Victini."

"In Unova’s legends, she’s known as the Victory Pokémon."

"She possesses infinite energy."

"...What?"

Zacian blinked.

"When you say ’infinite energy’..."

"I mean exactly what it sounds like."

Sora nodded.

"She can endlessly generate any type of energy she’s learned."

"Elemental energy."

"Life energy."

"Even Calyrex’s King’s Power..."

"Or Eternatus’s Dynamax Energy."

"As long as she’s experienced it once, she can reproduce it perfectly."

"..."

The brother and sister exchanged glances.

Both wanted to ask the same question.

Can something this ridiculous actually exist?

She could copy any form of energy.

And generate it endlessly.

Other than having relatively low output...

She was practically a walking cheat code.

Of course...

Victini had previously experienced a trace of Calyrex’s King’s Power.

When Sora had used Blooming Grace, that very energy had been involved.

Which was why Victini could now replicate it.

"Hmm..."

As more and more King’s Power flowed into the relics...

The Rusted Sword and Rusted Shield gradually began to change.

The heavy rust faded beneath a layer of brilliant golden light.

It wasn’t a complete restoration.

But they finally looked like divine treasures again instead of ancient scraps of metal.

"So..."

"Did it work?"

Unable to judge the result himself, Sora turned toward Calyrex and the Hero Duo.

"...Mm."

Zamazenta nudged the shield gently with his nose, carefully sensing the aura within it.

"I think it works, Sis."

"No."

Zacian shook her head.

"It’s only a semi-finished product."

"But..."

"They’re usable now."

Because the Sword and Shield had once received Calyrex’s blessing...

They already possessed divinity within them.

They were divine artifacts, akin to exclusive sacred treasures.

That was precisely why...

Victini could awaken them using nothing more than the King’s Power itself, even without reproducing Calyrex’s divine essence.

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