More than Lucas's high-handed proposal, what really got to Zacian and Zamazenta was a long-lost emotional surge.
Its name might have been humiliated and angry.
It was one thing for Lucas to hoist those sword-and-shield—their negligence meant they'd lost their hero-recognition power and sat loosely in the slots, weather-eaten.
But after putting them back, why did he look faintly disgusted—as if he'd touched dirt—and run to the river to wash his hands?
Had it been anyone else—someone they'd picked for potential and guided to draw the relics—Zacian and Zamazenta would've instantly summoned fog and sent them away.
But Lucas was the king's friend. They didn't dare.
They could only swallow their frustration and listen to Lucas outline his plan.
"After we take them, we can start scouting for Sword and Shield Heroes before the Darkest Day arrives—or as it looms. Calyrex, you'll do the vetting; I'll handle the legwork. Zacian, Zamazenta—you okay with that?"
Both nodded vigorously. Of course they had no objections—in fact, they were eager to see what kind of heroes the king would pick for them.
Since the relics were broken and their royal power drained, the only ways to rekindle them were either to reconstruct and repair them, or have true heroes resonate deeply with them, using the strength of their hearts to restore the Sword/Shield King forms to face the Darkest Day.
Telekinetically rocking Cosmog like a cradle, Calyrex stroked its chin in thought, then said:
"We can discuss hero selection later; I can vet them. It's a pity—if those excellent smiths still lived, we could try repairing the sword and shield."
"At the time, with deadlines tight and the crisis imminent, we hadn't yet found suitable Sword and Shield Heroes among my subjects, and you had to head to the front alone."
"If the repaired arms were wielded by outstanding heroes' hearts, even with the darkness spreading to the Crown Tundra, your chances would be high."
Zacian and Zamazenta froze. Even their battle-brained selves could infer Calyrex's meaning.
Calyrex would help—but wouldn't personally enter the fray or assist in battle.
Because it was no longer Galar's king; it had no reason to fight to injury and slumber to guard this land.
Lucas's expression turned thoughtful. "The sword and shield can be repaired?"
Calyrex nodded. "They're weapons. Of course they can."
"If they weren't this damaged, infusing my power would've restored their former brilliance."
"But in their current state, without repairs, they can't withstand my power."
"Sadly, those master smiths' lineage is likely broken. Where could we find new ones now…"
It sighed.
Hearing that, having stayed hidden in Slumbering Weald since defeating Eternatus, Zacian and Zamazenta—ignorant of the outside world—grew sorrowful.
Would their most important weapon and shield remain as they were?
Glastrier and Spectrier exchanged a look; for once, no schadenfreude—only guilt.
They had almost watched that grand kingdom under Calyrex vanish with their own eyes, too busy roaming to intervene. The broken lineage was, in a way, on them too.
Even Cosmog, happy with its telekinetic rocking ride, caught the mood and drooped.
While the six Legendaries brooded, Lucas and Luxray glanced at each other, the same thought flashing.
If it's smiths to forge weapons—we might have a way!
Calyrex noticed their look. "Lucas, do you have an idea?"
They nodded in sync. Lucas explained, "If you mean naturally gifted for smithing, I might have some leads."
Five gazes snapped to him.
Not counting Cosmog—it just echoed the room.
"Waa-oo—" (Friend of the king, is that true?)
"Absolutely," Lucas said, then added, "Well… they're Pokémon who'd be perfect for forging, but they probably don't know the craft yet."
"That's enough," Calyrex said, eyes distant, as if seeing the past. "I remember every detail of forging the sword and shield. I can teach it anew—if the Pokémon you speak of can learn."
Lucas brightened. "That's perfect. They only live in Paldea: Tinkatink, Tinkatuff, and Tinkaton—born smiths who make their own hammers."
He detailed the Tinkatink line's talents.
When Calyrex heard that Tinkaton not only wields hundred-kilogram steel hammers with ease but also has the cunning to snipe Corviknight, it knew this was like being fed by Arceus itself.
Couldn't be more suitable!
Calyrex decided: "Then we shall take the Rusted Sword and Shield with us."
Zacian and Zamazenta bowed, no objections.
…
A moment later—
After Lucas carefully rinsed the relics in the river and their true forms emerged, he stared, stunned.
These were Holy Blade and Holy Shield!
If the rusted versions had been just dirt-and-dust-caked gray toys…
Now they were pitted with rust, edges rolled, holes torn—tetanus-grade artifacts.
Lucas produced two larger cases, gingerly packed the genuine Rusted Sword and Shield, and sealed them tight—to avoid inflicting himself with a tetanus status the next time he rummaged his bag.
Only then did he visibly relax and look to Calyrex.
Calyrex nodded slightly and told Zacian and Zamazenta, "We shall rest here for the night and depart at dawn."
It was late. Calyrex still brimmed with energy, but Lucas, a human who needs to sleep a third of the day, had hit his limit.
While sealing the relics, his drooping eyelids made him nearly drag a finger along the blade more than once, giving Calyrex repeated scares.
Zacian and Zamazenta had no complaints. They even thickened their mist to hide the area and keep all disturbance away.
Before sleeping, Lucas fought his drowsiness, took out a camera, and asked, "May I take a photo?"
They blinked, not understanding photo, and looked to Calyrex.
Calyrex lifted its head proudly, showing off what it had learned that morning from Lucas. "This is a camera—a marvelous tool that stops a moment of time and makes it manifest!"
"Rest assured, it won't affect you."
With Calyrex's guarantee, they half-trustingly stood before the arch, in the largest patch of moonlight, while Lucas adjusted angles and clicked the shutter a hundred times.
Then he and Luxray picked the best shot, used the built-in instant print, and showed it to them.
They leaned in—and their eyes went wide as saucers.
They had only seen themselves in water's reflection, or in the precious mirrors of the king's temple.
Those couldn't compare to the photo.
In it—surrounded by fog, before a forgotten arch beyond the world—stood two dashing figures who drove away the Darkest Day. Cold moonlight draped them, cloaking their might in mystery—
All this was their own internal monologue.
For the record:
Zacian's view: a cool, mighty self plus foolish little bro.
Zamazenta's view: a reliable, cool, mighty self plus a sister who throws hands at the drop of a hat.
In short, with a single photo, Lucas evolved their impression from "annoying, but the king's friend—best not to cross him" to "he seems alright, made me look cool, and he's the king's friend—be nice to him."
After they admired the photo, Lucas took out an album. Under Calyrex's curious gaze, he opened it—only one photo inside; the first page was almost blank.
He slipped in the morning's shot with Mohn in chronological order. Seeing Calyrex's curiosity, he explained, "I want to fill this album with pictures of me, Pokémon, and friends."
Calyrex's eyes fell on the spine—thicker than books it remembered its subjects studying. It sighed. "That certainly will be meaningful."
Lucas gently brushed the plastic sleeve of the first photo—taken with Ferrin's help—the first group photo since he crossed over, of Lucas, the Pokémon he knew and those he didn't, all smiling in a golden wheat field.
The one preserved in Paldea's Champion Hall by Geeta didn't count—that unique, commemorative one had no duplicates, not even for Lucas.
Seeing this photo for the first time, Calyrex hugged Cosmog and stared at the happy faces.
Infected by the sentiment the photographer meant to convey, it murmured, "You must have been very happy then."
Lucas and Luxray shared a knowing smile, then looked to Calyrex and Cosmog. "We've made many more friends since. On this trip home, it's time to update the family portrait."
"You can be the photographer, Calyrex."
Calyrex blinked, looked down at Cosmog cheering for no reason other than general joy, and nodded softly. "A fine proposal."
…
Morning.
Under Zacian and Zamazenta's watch, Lucas and Calyrex set out for Paldea.
They first reached Wedgehurst—but didn't see the two boys outside the care home this time, so Lucas's idea of asking Calyrex to treat the vaguely familiar kids fell through. He headed to the station and took a train to Galar's eastern seacoast town, Hulbury.
For convenience, along the way Lucas temporarily captured Calyrex, Glastrier, Spectrier, and Cosmog in Poké Balls.
After leaving the station and releasing them again, Calyrex said it and the steeds didn't much like the Poké Ball environment—but for convenience, they didn't mind staying in for a bit.
While waiting for the ferry to Paldea, Lucas took Luxray and Calyrex's group to a famous seafood place in Hulbury and happened upon a young dark-skinned model who, on seeing Calyrex, blurted, "What a big head."
Because this world is vast, even professors focused on Pokémon wouldn't claim to know them all. Most people, seeing Calyrex, Spectrier, and Glastrier, simply thought, "Unseen Pokémon!"—which made traveling easy for Lucas.
Over seafood at the Captain's Table, he learned from the apologetic model, Nessa, some news circulating among Galar Gym Leaders.
Not long ago, Chairman Rose had hosted two Paldean students and a local trainer at this very restaurant.
He admired the talent of one of them, but she already had someone she idolized and didn't want to stay in Galar to show her battling prowess.
Speaking of the young girl, Nessa sighed: when her raging waves were effortlessly shattered by the girl, she knew the girl's achievements would surpass her expectations.
And yet this prodigy revered a certain trainer to the extreme—
By then, Lucas already had a bad feeling.
When Nessa said that, asked whether Galar's Champion Leon or her teacher was stronger, the girl—Nemona—had blurted without hesitation, "I can't imagine my Teacher Lucas losing," Calyrex looked intrigued, and Lucas's vision went dark.
If Rose really follows up and contacts Geeta, would I seriously have to fight Leon?
That's practically like challenging that certain silver-haired legend on Mt. Silver!