If Shiro hadn't seen it for himself, he wouldn't have believed a team under Macro Cosmos could be this disorganized.
The people inside the tent were a mess, like some amateurs thrown together last minute. They couldn't even explain what was going on, let alone deal with the situation.
"I got here two days ago," Leon sighed helplessly as he spoke. "B5 Squad was already missing by then. These people still haven't told me what actually happened."
Before now, he had been the only one here. Whatever he wanted to do, he had to think it through from every angle. And the researchers only knew how to say "wait a bit longer," which left him stuck and increasingly frustrated.
Now that four new trainers had arrived—and they looked way more reliable than these people in white coats—Leon finally felt some relief.
Hearing that, Shiro walked straight toward the researchers who were standing in a loose semicircle. He hadn't even said a word yet when they started shouting over each other.
"Hurry! The research is at a critical stage! You can take the place of the missing team and go in again!"
"Yes, exactly! This is a project personally approved by Chairman Rose! You're assigned to this too, right?"
"We still have plenty of scanning equipment. If you just follow B5's route for another few hours or so—"
"Shut up," Shiro said flatly. When the noise didn't stop, he gave a look to Corvisquire beside him. The bird flapped its wings hard, sending a blast of wind that immediately silenced the group.
Whooosh—
The sudden cold gust kept them quiet for a moment, but one short-haired woman pointed at Shiro and snapped, "Are you seriously going to attack us? If you lay a hand on me, I swear—"
Smack!
Shiro knocked her arm away with a single, forceful strike. She stumbled backward, clutching her arm with a groan.
"Allister," he called out, glancing at the boy riding Dusclops next to him. "Shut them up."
"Okay," Allister replied softly. He raised his hand, and Dusclops stirred.
Dark shadows stretched from beneath the Ghost-type. As two researchers helped the injured woman to her feet, several others stepped forward to protest—but before they could even raise their voice, shadowy bandages shot up from the ground and wrapped tightly around their limbs.
Dusclops's body was surrounded by gray-white bandages. It floated forward slowly with arms outstretched, mouth open, and its single red eye flashing with an eerie light.
A tall researcher with brown hair panicked and shouted, "What do you think you're doing?! Are you even with the League?! You're not really—"
Before he could finish, the bandages wrapped around his mouth. More strips followed, quickly turning him into something close to a mummy. He squirmed inside the wrapping, muffled groans escaping as he struggled.
The rest of the group fell silent. Fear filled their eyes as they stared at Shiro and his team.
"Now then, everyone," Shiro said slowly as he took a deep breath. "I don't want to waste time. So, I ask and you answer. Understood?"
"Y-yes! Yes...!"
The researchers all nodded wildly, panic written all over their faces. They had pride, sure, but they weren't stupid. They knew when to fold.
Shiro glanced around. There were seven people in white coats, plus one man in a gray uniform, fast asleep in the back corner of the tent.
Once he had a rough idea of who was who, he looked over their faces and asked, "What happened to the B5 Squad?"
As soon as the voice fell, the researchers exchanged nervous looks. Eventually, the bespectacled man Hagrid stammered, "They... might all be dead..."
Seeing him struggle to get the words out, Shiro growled, "Be more specific!"
Hagrid flinched and quickly started explaining.
The B5 Squad had actually entered the ruins four days ago and hadn't come back since.
These ruins had already been confirmed to be the remains of the kingdom once established by the heroes of Sword and Shield.
There were many legends about the Sword and Shield across Galar. The stories varied, but nearly everyone had heard of them.
According to the myth, three thousand years ago, a mysterious Pokémon known as Eternatus fell from the sky, radiating a red glow. Its arrival triggered a massive catastrophe. A swirling black storm, later called the Darkest Day, swept across the region. The chaotic energy from Eternatus caused wild Dynamax phenomena, throwing Galar into chaos. It became the darkest time for the people.
Just when things looked hopeless, two heroes wielding a sword and shield appeared and managed to repel the darkness, saving Galar.
But as for who those heroes were, some said they were two people. Others believed it was a single person who held both sword and shield. Some even claimed it wasn't people at all…
"It was two Pokémon! The heroes of Sword and Shield were two Pokémon!" Hagrid's whole body shook as he shouted, overwhelmed with excitement. "Two canine Pokémon! They held the sword and shield in their mouths and defeated Eternatus!"
He blurted it all out in one breath, then gasped heavily as the other researchers chimed in with more details.
The ruins beneath the desert were massive, home to many rare Pokémon that lived in tight-knit groups. To explore the place, the team had to drive them away.
But when their homes were destroyed or their family members captured by hunting squads, the Pokémon naturally became furious.
Most of them were Rock or Ground-types. They had fled to the far western edge of the desert and used Sandstorm attacks, letting the sea breeze carry the sand.
"So that's where the sandstorm came from..." Leon muttered as he listened from nearby. "That's the so-called Pokémon riot."
Unable to hold back anymore, he stepped forward and grabbed Hagrid by the collar and yelled, "Why didn't you say this earlier?!"
"I..." the man mumbled and lowered his head.
If Leon had gone earlier, he likely would have driven the Pokémon back underground. But doing that would have affected the B5 unit still exploring inside.
Leon's face twitched with frustration, but in the end, he let Hagrid go.
"Then what's the current situation with the B5 Squad?" Shiro continued questioning.
"The B5 members..." Hagrid furrowed his brow. "They saw the shadows of those two canine Pokémon. Then they just... lost contact."
'They saw shadows?' Shiro's heart tightened. He knew which Pokémon they were talking about—Zacian and Zamazenta.
He didn't know what level those legendary Pokémon would be. But the B5 Squad had at least three Gym-level trainers and captain Gareth himself, who commanded an Elite-level Rillaboom.
This team wasn't just strong—it was one of the best units Macro Cosmos had. And yet, just after seeing shadows of those two Pokémon, they completely lost the ability to fight?
'Zacian and Zamazenta… what level were they? Beyond Champion? Master?'
Shiro couldn't even imagine.
If the real Sword and Shield dogs were here, it might not matter who came.
"There are a lot of ancient murals in the ruins. We've been taking pictures and copying everything to store it," Hagrid continued slowly. "The last thing B5 saw was a decayed wooden sword and a tattered wooden shield… placed on a strange platform."
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