Chapter 113

Besides, he really wanted to go back to the world he had before... He hoped that Mei and Lillie wouldn't blame him.

"Pour your power... into this place!"

Qiao Ran stated his requirements, but the content of his words still startled the people present.

"Injecting Gigantamax energy into a sword?... A sword... isn't Pokémon? And what if the uncontrolled Gigantamax Energy spreads through the air... in this particular situation..."

Sonia was the first to raise an objection. Gigantamax Energy is a power that can change Pokémon, but it's impossible for it to react to non-living things other than Pokémon. They had known this from the very beginning of their research.

If you had to put it in perspective, Qiao Ran's request was as strange as asking her to feed a banana to a rock—everyone knows that rocks can't eat.

Moreover, no one knows what the consequences would be if uncontrolled energy were leaked out at this time. There are already a bunch of Gigantamax Pokémon out there that are out of control. Even Sonia was actually terrified when she Gigantamax her Pokémon.

"No, this sword is different from ordinary swords. I feel it's worth trying... I have this feeling, please believe me."

Qiao Ran didn't know how to explain it to Sonia. He could only try to gain her trust, since he knew that what he had proposed carried certain risks. All he could do was persuade her.

Therefore, Qiao Ran and Sonia had a more in-depth discussion. Sonia felt that it was not too late to conduct more tests on the sword before starting the experiment, but Qiao Ran insisted on starting as soon as possible.

Finally, someone who surprised Qiao Ran stepped forward.

"Sonia, let our Hero give it a try."

With a nonchalant smile, Chairman Rose offered his opinion.

This guy...

Qiao Ran was slightly taken aback. What on earth was this guy thinking?

Is he helping me?

Section 217, page 214 [Apparatus: Injection]

"Rose Club"

Long... this...

Rose's statement was quite persuasive; he was not only Sonia's elder but also Sonia superior. Therefore, after further discussion, Sonia ultimately agreed to Qiao Ran's proposal.

"Alright, I'll do as you say, but I have one condition: if anything unexpected happens, it must be stopped immediately, absolutely!"

Although Sonia eventually agreed to the plan, she also stated her bottom line: it must be terminated if danger arises, regardless of the reason.

"OK, the device has been debugged. If it's just about injecting energy, I think it can do that now."

Although the plan was only a spur-of-the-moment idea, Sonia was very capable and completed the preliminary preparations in no time. She originally wanted to ask Oleana's Secretary to help her with the preparations, but she couldn't find Oleana anywhere, so she simply did it all by herself.

"Qiao Ran, come here first."

Sonia grabbed Qiao Ran's shoulder and then reached out and groped his arm for a while. The strange action made Qiao Ran's skin crawl.

This wasn't because Qiao Ran was full of strange ideas and prone to misinterpreting things, but rather because Sonia's... figure was simply too terrifying for a researcher.

"What are you trying to do...?"

"It feels like I've been working out, not bad at all, different from girls..." Sonia didn't seem to hear Qiao Ran's question immediately, and was talking to herself, but after realizing what was happening, she still answered.

"Ah, I'm just taking some basic measurements for you. After all, your situation is a bit complicated. If we can't remove the sword, then we'll have to attach it to the device along with your body..."

Sonia uttered many things that Qiao Ran couldn't understand, but since what she said seemed to make a lot of sense, Qiao Ran simply didn't resist her slightly strange behavior.

--Although I still feel a little uncomfortable.

After some preparation--

Sonia led Qiao Ran into a room and handed Qiao Ran a bracelet connected to a "conduit," the other end of which was connected to some strange devices.

"This is a prototype of the Gigantamax Band. Although it's no longer needed, it can still be useful after some modifications—like now."

Sonia didn't explain the underlying principles to Qiao Ran in detail. Simply put, it's an energy conversion device that can inject collected energy into the body of a living being that can receive energy. Since Qiao Ran wanted to inject energy into a "sword," direct injection was impossible. So Sonia's idea was to use Qiao Ran's wrist as a bridge to accomplish this seemingly impossible task.

"Let's get ready to begin."

Everything happened very quickly. Qiao Ran and Sonia were ready, while the others observed everything from outside the transparent shield. No one knew what would happen next, and no one knew what kind of Ember would be generated between the legendary sword of the Hero and the Gigantamax Energy.

Ultimately, this is likely just Qiao Ran's imagination. Sonia couldn't even fathom the significance of doing this, but she didn't understand that Qiao Ran had actually been waiting for this moment for a very long time.

The energy of Gigantamax began to flow in; it was something that looked like a blackish-purple mist. Surprisingly, Qiao Ran could now see it with the naked eye, as if he had known these things from the very beginning.

"That's right..."

Gradually, Qiao Ran felt a natural sensation. Energy began to flow through his arm, and the originally raging and violent Gigantamax Energy merged with the Tokiwa Power within his body, gradually becoming docile.

Then—it flowed into the Long Sword held in the left hand.

Qiao Ran could feel the "Long Sword" Absorb upon this power. He didn't know why he knew, but he certainly understood it.

Although swords are the Gigantamax, they are also driven by this energy. It's like an endless cycle; as long as the source of Gigantamax doesn't disappear, everything will continue to repeat itself.

As time passed, Qiao Ran gradually closed his eyes. He felt as if his consciousness had detached from his body, and everything around him began to quiet down.

"Aww--"

Qiao Ran even thought he heard a faint wolf howl, the sound coming from a very, very far place, but it was rapidly approaching him.

... Mist began to surround him...

"Okay... it went smoothly."

On the other side, Sonia, who was operating the device and observing Qiao Ran's condition, showed a relieved expression. Qiao Ran's heartbeat and pulse were very stable, and his current state... could he be asleep?

Is it even possible to fall asleep at a time like this?

How carefree is this guy?

Although Sonia was inwardly complaining about Qiao Ran, everything went smoothly, which made her the most relieved. The energy injected into Qiao Ran's body didn't even produce the effects she had initially expected.

It didn't leak out, but actually entered the Long Sword.

The impossible had actually happened before her eyes.

The Gigantamax energy was absorbed by Long Sword that was nothing at all.

"Go for it..." Through the transparent barrier, Bea was also observing everything, but there was nothing she could do. She could only silently pray that everything would go smoothly and that Qiao Ran's choice this time was the right one.

Everyone seemed to see a glimmer of hope for success, except for --

"Drop."

A slight smile played on Chairman Rose's lips as he, who had also witnessed everything, pressed the button he held in his palm.

"Click."

In an instant, everything around Qiao Ran began to descend into chaos, as a powerful energy began to rage within, and the source of that energy was precisely beneath Qiao Ran's feet.

The alarm began to blare, and dangerous red lights flashed everywhere.

"This energy is... no, no... what is this thing?!"

All of this happened so suddenly that Sonia, who had been quite composed, panicked. She began frantically manipulating the device in front of her, but she couldn't resolve what was happening at all, and she didn't even know why it was all happening.

Everything was going perfectly fine just now, so why did it turn out like this???

"No... no, this isn't Gigantamax energy! What is this...?"

Sonia's mind raced, and she quickly came to a basic conclusion. However—just as she was thinking, the energy beneath Qiao Ran's feet formed a crack-like cavity with Spider Web -like edges.

"No!"

On the other side, Bea had already shouted. She rushed forward and smashed through the transparent shield in front of her that was strong enough to block Pokémon moves, but she was too late.

By the time she arrived at Qiao Ran's location, it was all over.

Qiao Ran's figure vanished from the spot, leaving the place where she stood empty, as if Qiao Ran had never been there at all.

"No... it's impossible...!"

Bea stared at everything before her, her eyes filled with utter despair and disbelief. Sonia the same way; she couldn't believe what she was seeing either.

A person... just disappeared like that?

Did it disappear... or was it because of that energy...?

The two men present were plunged into a deep abyss of confusion, shock, and fear, while the other man, who remained standing still with an unmoved expression, narrowed his eyes slightly.

He quietly put away the device in his hand, but uttered words full of sympathy.

"Oh dear, this is terrible... How could our Sword Hero encounter such a thing..."

Milotic

Section 218, page 215 [Memory: Awakening]

Everything in the energy plant happened so fast that almost no one could react in time. However, as the person at the center of the storm, Qiao Ran was completely unaware of what was happening, or rather, his mind was already preoccupied with something else entirely.

"Here it is..."

As if in a distant and illusory realm, Qiao Ran opened her eyes and felt as if she were surrounded by a thick fog.

"Who are you..."

Qiao Ran saw a familiar figure beside him—a giant wolf as tall as a person, exuding a solemn aura. The wolf's body was covered with blue mane, interspersed with some red parts. Moreover, its body was covered with many scars, recording scenes that had truly happened in the past.

"Aww--"

The giant blue wolf took a step forward and probed around Qiao Ran with its nose for a while, as if trying to memorize his scent.

"Zacian..."

This wasn't the first time Qiao Ran had seen her. He had seen this Legendary Pokémon before at the entrance of Hammerlocke. However, this time was different. When Qiao Ran reached out, he could even feel the touch of her body. It all felt real.

"Where exactly is this place? What exactly is this place...?"

Qiao Ran tried to talk to the other person, but Zacian didn't answer and instead looked to the other side.

"Look."

A calm and clear voice rang in Qiao Ran's mind. This voice was unlike any girl Qiao Ran had ever met before. The first thing Qiao Ran thought of was an expressionless ice beauty.

Following the direction of the other person's gaze, Qiao Ran saw a thick fog, no different from the surrounding fog. However, the fog quickly dissipated, revealing what was hidden behind it... or rather, presenting a surprising image.

"This is..."

Qiao Ran knew that this was perhaps what Zacian wanted him to see—he could sense the other's thoughts.

The first thing that catches the eye is a purple, gloomy sky.

Above the sky, Monster, seemingly inorganic and godlike, lurked, its body in a bizarre spiral shape, with a long claw extending from its body, attacking everything around it.

Even though Qiao Ran had already

Even though he knew it was just an illusion, he still felt a chill run down his spine. The Pressure and discomfort this Monster gave him were even more terrifying than when he first encountered Ultra Beast.

This kind of creature... shouldn't even exist on this planet.

Facing this Monster were two giant red and blue wolves, one of which was carrying a magnificent Long Sword, while the other had a mane as hard as a shield next to its face.

The battle lasted a very long time, from the sky to the ground, with both sides suffering heavy injuries. Even many giant Pokémon affected by the "Monster's" energy joined the battle, but they were all forced back to their original forms by the two giant wolves who kept getting up. No matter how many times they fell, they did not give up the fight. Finally, through their relentless efforts, the battle came to an end.

Pokémon resembling an evil god fell from the sky, its body falling into a deep sleep. Countless red and purple energies began to spread outwards, even coalescing into the shape of stones, transforming into a meteor shower that fell across the Galar continent and was buried deep underground.

This was the beginning of the appearance of Gigantamax Energy in Galar, and it was also the true legend recorded in Galar's history. However, unlike the "legend" that is circulating now, the one Defeat that Monster was not a Hero wielding Sword and Shield, but merely two Pokémon.

These histories have long lost their original form in the process of being passed down, and the present-day Galar has forgotten the heroes who once saved this continent.

"..."

Qiao Ran took in all the images without missing a single one, and when he looked at Zacian beside him again, he felt as if the distance between them had become closer.

Thank you for doing so much.

Qiao Ran wasn't a Galar, but he also loved this beautiful world, so he felt he should express his gratitude to the person who had never left their name, and whom Qiao Ran admired most.

"Um."

Zacian's voice was as crisp and clear as ever, but Qiao Ran knew that she must have sensed her inner thoughts as well.

"Aww--"

Another Howl rang out, and the mist around Qiao Ran began to thicken. Gradually, he felt his consciousness begin to drift off.

Qiao Ran closed her eyes.

When Qiao Ran opened her eyes again, the first thing she saw was a man's face.