The Slumbering Weald is a mysterious forest located to the south of Postwick.
For most people, it is just a mysterious forest filled with thick mist. It is seen as a place worth exploring.
However, because the fog is sometimes far too thick, adventurers are often unwilling to come here.
Yet, for Damian, he knew very well that this Slumbering Weald was the home of the legendary heroes, Zacian and Zamazenta.
Damian and Caitlin entered the Slumbering Weald.
At first, things were fine. But as they went deeper, the fog became thicker and thicker.
Visibility was only about two meters, and even that was quite blurry.
"Caitlin, hold onto me. Be careful where you step."
"Mm-hmm!"
Caitlin held Damian's hand tightly. She nodded with a smile on her face.
Feeling the touch and warmth of his hand, Caitlin's smile grew even wider.
They walked for about ten minutes. The fog grew even heavier.
Visibility was now less than one meter.
However, these problems were not actually a big deal for Damian. If he weren't afraid of disturbing Zacian and Zamazenta, he would have cleared the mist away long ago.
"Aah!!"
Just then, a frightened female voice came from not far away.
Is there someone else here?
Damian and Caitlin were surprised. Damian thought for a moment and then led Caitlin toward the direction of the voice.
"Ow, ow, ow, ow!"
When Damian and Caitlin arrived, a young woman with orange hair was leaning on her side.
She was rubbing her bottom, and her face looked pained. Clearly, she had taken a very hard fall.
However, she soon noticed Damian and Caitlin walking over. Her movements stopped, and she looked quite embarrassed.
After all, her current posture was not very graceful.
Damian raised an eyebrow. He recognized her immediately.
This was the researcher Sonia, Leon's childhood friend.
Even though Sonia looked more like a stylish young woman than a researcher, he knew who she was.
"Hello, you two. Are you here for an adventure?"
Sonia gave them a wave and a smile that she thought looked friendly.
"Yes. But I didn't expect to run into you, Sonia. Do you need help?"
Damian gave a neutral answer. He looked at Sonia's left foot.
It was currently shaking slightly and hanging at an unnatural angle. It looked like she had sprained it.
"Oh! So you know who I am. Well, that's for the best then."
Sonia's smile became even more awkward. Although she was a researcher, she was still a young woman.
Being seen in such a messy state made her feel a bit shy.
"Could you help me up? I sprained my ankle, and I really can't get up on my own."
"Alright."
Damian stepped forward and helped Sonia up. He carefully supported her as she sat down on a nearby tree stump.
"Hiss... phew. Thank you. Otherwise, I would have been in real trouble."
Sonia hissed in pain while also letting out a sigh of relief.
"Sonia, it's a bit too dangerous to come to a place like this alone. You should at least bring a friend along," Damian said with a smile as he watched Sonia look through her bag.
"Hah! We researchers aren't that delicate. I was just startled by a Musharna that suddenly floated out," Sonia said as she found a bottle of Max Potion.
"But why are you two here? The Slumbering Weald is quite a mysterious place right now. It's not exactly a great spot for a date," Sonia teased, winking at Damian and Caitlin.
Sonia truly had a very outgoing personality.
"You certainly are cheerful, Sonia," Damian chuckled. He didn't deny her comment.
As for Caitlin, the smile on her lips was almost impossible to hide. Her liking for this sudden "wild researcher" grew instantly.
"A person's life always goes through many twists and turns. But I believe everything will turn out for the best," Sonia replied casually.
She reached down to try and take off her boot, but unfortunately, the pain in her foot was too much. She couldn't do it.
Sonia had no choice but to look up at Damian innocently.
"Can you help a girl out?"
"You should really be thankful we happened to pass by today."
Damian didn't refuse. He knelt down and took off Sonia's boot.
Then, he rolled up her jeans. The area was red and swollen. It was a serious sprain.
"That's why I said everything is the best arrangement. Look at my... Hiss!!"
"Please be a little gentler. I'm not afraid of pain, but don't be so rough!" Sonia's face turned pale from the pain, and she spoke quickly.
"???"
Damian glanced at Sonia. What kind of suggestive words was this woman saying?
Damian didn't say anything else. A golden light began to glow from his hands.
The gentle golden light slowly started to heal Sonia's sprain.
"That feels good..."
Sonia's eyes widened slightly, but she soon felt a wave of warmth.
"It's done."
Soon, Damian pulled back the Power of Arceus.
The redness and swelling on Sonia's ankle had completely disappeared. Sonia was shocked.
"Wait, isn't this ability of yours a bit too useful?"
Sonia pressed her finger on the spot where the sprain had been. She couldn't feel any pain at all.
Sonia immediately put on her shoe and stomped her foot on the ground.
"I can't believe it!"
Sonia felt like the Max Potion in her hand was completely useless now.
What was the point of this medicine?
"Keep it low-key. I don't usually show off miracles like this," Damian replied very humbly.
"Pfft! Fair enough. This is the first time I've seen someone with powers other than Psychic abilities," Sonia laughed, covering her mouth.
But as soon as she took a step, she gasped again and grabbed her bottom tightly.
"It looks like your rear end took a hard hit too. Do you want me to help heal that as well?" Damian asked, showing her his palm.
"Ha... let's skip that spot. I'm afraid your girlfriend might get jealous."
Although Sonia was past her "innocent young girl" stage, that area was still quite sensitive.
Caitlin's lips curled upward at the remark.
"I'll just spray some medicine on it later. Thank you both. By the way, I don't even know your names yet," Sonia said openly.
"Damian."
"Caitlin."
As soon as they spoke, Sonia froze.
"Damian?" Sonia went quiet for a moment before asking, "As in... that Damian?"
"Yes. Is there a problem?" Damian looked at Sonia with a half-smile.
"Hehehe..."
Sonia gave a forced laugh. She moved her feet slightly, seeming like she wanted to get a little farther away from Damian.
I'm dead! I'm so dead! How did I run into Damian?!
Sonia was Leon's childhood friend. She used to be a Pokémon Trainer, but her talent was only average.
Although she collected badges smoothly, she could never beat Leon.
This almost made her lose hope, so she gave up her dream of being a trainer.
However, that was what led her to Pokémon research.
She followed in her grandmother's footsteps and became a researcher.
Even though she quit being a trainer because of Leon, her relationship with him was actually very good.
After all, how many people in this world had monstrous talent like Leon? Being in the same era as him was a tragedy for average trainers.
Giving up the competition was a logical choice.
Because of this, Sonia and Leon still contacted each other occasionally. She had heard Leon mention his trip to the Hoenn and Unova regions to help the local Leagues fight Team Rocket.
And one of the most important names mentioned was Damian!
"Tsk. No need to be so nervous. You can relax, Sonia. Our Team Rocket is a legal and proper organization." Damian clearly understood why she was acting this way.
"If I were really a bad person, I wouldn't have helped you just now. Wouldn't it be better to take advantage of the situation? After all, you are quite the beauty, Sonia, and your figure isn't bad either." Damian spread his hands, explaining with a look of mock innocence.
"Hehehe... you sure like to joke." Sonia's laugh became even more awkward.
What do you mean "quite the beauty"? And "figure isn't bad"? I am clearly a total beauty!
Since she was still young, Sonia felt a little annoyed by Damian's words.
She was a famous beauty in Wedgehurst, after all!
However, after hearing Damian speak, Sonia did lower her guard a bit. These two really didn't seem like bad people in person.
"Why did you come to the Galar region?" Sonia asked curiously.
"To expand the organization's territory and influence," Damian replied casually.
Sonia: "..."
"Why did you come to the Slumbering Weald, Sonia?"
"For certain reasons, I wanted to come here to investigate a legend. The correct historical legend!" Sonia didn't hide anything.
Her current project, assigned by Professor Magnolia, was to investigate the legend of the Sword and Shield.
"Do you know the history of our Galar region?" Sonia became talkative again once the topic shifted to her field of expertise.
"The history regarding the 'Legendary Heroes'?"
"Yes!"
"I do know a thing or two," Damian said with a light laugh.
"Tell me what you know," Sonia said, her interest piqued.
"Let's talk while we walk."
Damian nodded. He still wanted to see if he could obtain the "Sword" or the "Shield."
The three of them set off carefully.
Damian held Caitlin's hand, and Sonia also held onto Caitlin.
"3,000 years ago, a great disaster happened in the Galar region. A black vortex covered the sky. It caused many Pokémon to grow out of control through Dynamaxing and Gigantamaxing. It was called the 'Darkest Day'."
Damian's voice wasn't loud, but it was clear enough for Caitlin and Sonia to hear.
"Because giant Pokémon were rampaging and destroying everything, Galar was almost destroyed. At this critical moment, two heroes used a sword and a shield to work together and defeat the source of the 'Darkest Day,' returning Galar to normal."
"Because of that, the story of the Legendary Heroes has been passed down until now."
This was the story of the Darkest Day.
And the source of that disaster 3,000 years ago was Eternatus.
In the games, Rose called it the "strongest and most evil Pokémon." The cause of the Darkest Day was simply Eternatus trying to absorb Galar's energy to stay alive.
But that simple act almost destroyed the entire region.
"Impressive. I didn't expect you to know our region's history so well," Sonia said, quite surprised.
"I know a little bit about the legends of every region," Damian replied with a smile.
"Actually, in our known history, the two legendary heroes were members of the Galar royalty. However..." Sonia frowned.
Based on her research, she seriously doubted the truth of that history.
While investigating the ruins in Stow-on-Side, Bede's destruction of the wall had revealed hidden statues of Pokémon holding a sword and a shield.
This gave Sonia a strong feeling that something was wrong.
"The royalty?" Damian scoffed without holding back, his voice full of mockery.
"?" Sonia was stunned.
"Nowadays, any random loser can call themselves a hero. Those useless people only know how to hide history and steal credit." Damian felt extreme contempt for the so-called Galar royalty.
They were a group of do-nothings who used their royal influence and power to force a twisted version of history.
"What do you mean?" Sonia thought of something.
"Exactly. You have your suspicions too, don't you? The legendary heroes were never humans. They were those two Pokémon."
Damian looked ahead. The thick mist was becoming thinner.
They were now in the deep heart of the Slumbering Weald. Sonia's eyes immediately lit up.
"Galar has three kings. Calyrex, the High King who ruled all of ancient Galar, and the King of Swords, Zacian, and the King of Shields, Zamazenta, who saved Galar during the 'Darkest Day'!"
"But after the disaster ended 3,000 years ago, some stupid and ignorant people were afraid these two heroes would affect their rule. They forced the statues of the two kings to be sealed away and gradually twisted history until nothing was left."
"By now, no one knows they exist. The heroes have been completely forgotten."
The fog had become very thin.
Damian looked at the grass, the shrine, and the lake ahead of them.
While fame and titles didn't matter to Zacian and Zamazenta, Damian felt that being too passive only invited others to take more, just like in the game's story.
Those two idiots from the Galar royalty were honestly a joke to him.
"How pathetic those people are. They even took the twisted history as the truth and passed it down for generations until today."
"Are you still not coming out? I think I've given you enough face already," Damian said, tilting his head slightly as he looked at the surroundings.
"Or do I need to invite you out myself?"