Kanto Region
After a long day's work, Professor Oak finally finished up.
He let out a weary, drawn-out yawn before casually shrugging off his white lab coat.
As the most renowned and prestigious Pokémon Professor in Kanto, Samuel Oak always had a mountain of tasks on his plate. The constant visits and invitations from Trainers alone were enough to give him a headache.
Yet lately, he hadn't been able to settle down to focus on his research at all.
Every time he sat down to write a paper—or even when composing his beloved Pokémon senryū—his mind would inexplicably drift back to that Trainer named Haru, and the "daughter" by his side… Mewtwo.
After all, that "father and daughter" pair touched on the very core of his research.
Which, as it turned out, had also led to him getting beaten up by Pokémon more often than usual these days.
Yes… though many of his Pokémon acted like they disliked Professor Oak, the truth was they actually held a certain fondness for the old man.
So when Oak's attention started to wander, his Pokémon decided it meant he wasn't paying enough attention to them.
And so… well, who says only humans can be tsundere?
Rubbing his tired eyes, Oak rifled through his mailbox and came across a letter from a far-off corner of Kanto.
It came from Alto Mare, the "Water Capital." And it was a plea for help.
---
Among the many protagonists of the Pokémon world, Gloria probably ranked among the stronger ones.
After all, she had managed to rise to the top by defeating Leon.
And Leon's strength needed no explanation—he was the "unbeaten legend," second only to Red himself.
Not to mention, before entering the Champion Cup, Gloria had also caught Eternatus…
Well, technically "caught." It was more that Zacian and Zamazenta subdued it for her rather than her winning outright.
Still, that was the Gloria of the future. Right now, she was just an ordinary girl who didn't understand battling at all.
She had a long way to go before reaching those heights.
During that journey, Haru could conveniently… well, let's not say "run a light-bringer project." Let's just say he could "offer some guidance" to speed up her growth.
And honestly, Haru's main interest wasn't even in her battling talent, but rather… well, her as a person.
You could call him something of a "Pokémon Fashion Master"—when it came to looks and style, Gloria certainly had his full approval.
Perhaps sensing his strange shift in focus, Cynthia turned her gaze on Haru.
"What's the matter? Don't tell me you actually know that girl, Gloria?"
Haru spread his hands, smiling.
"Ah, no, I've never met her. This is my first time in Galar, after all.
"But you know me—people call me 'Intel Haru.' I tend to know all sorts of interesting things. Including some rather interesting Trainers."
As he said this, Haru suddenly turned to Leon.
"Speaking of which, Champion Leon, how about a little bet?"
"Huh?"
Leon blinked, puzzled by the sudden challenge. Instinctively, his thoughts went to battle.
Was Haru itching for a fight, wanting to wager on the outcome? If so, Leon would never lose—and neither would his Charizard!
But then Haru chuckled and clarified:
"The wager is that this girl, Gloria, will earn your recognition in her very first battle."
It wasn't a direct battle invitation, but the idea piqued Leon's interest nonetheless.
"Oh? And why would you think that?"
In truth, this was quite the risky bet for Haru. Recognition or not depended entirely on Leon's own judgment.
No matter how Gloria performed, Leon could simply say, "I don't recognize her," and Haru would automatically lose.
Not that Leon was the type to be stubborn just for the sake of it.
At that moment, Liko tugged at Haru's sleeve, a mysterious look in her eyes.
"Professor Haru, could it be… is she like me and Lillie?"
Liko remembered that Lillie had a Legendary by her side, and she herself had a certain slumbering turtle Pokémon. Naturally, she wondered if Gloria might also have a Legendary partner.
Having run into Legendary Pokémon often enough, Liko was pretty much desensitized by now. Even if Haru's Reshiram showed up as a Dragon Maid tomorrow, she probably wouldn't even bat an eye.
But Haru quickly shot that theory down.
"Of course not. Her situation's different from yours."
Liko was the protagonist of the anime, Lillie was a heroine of both the anime and games, but Gloria—she was the bona fide player character.
And the big difference was that game protagonists typically become Champions in no time flat… usually with a Legendary or two in tow.
That's just the privilege of being a "player character."
"I see…"
Even with that denial, Liko nodded thoughtfully. In her mind, she'd figured it out.
Since Gloria wasn't a "special role" like her, then the only explanation was… she was really pretty, and that's why her sensei was interested.
She knew Haru all too well—yep, that had to be it.
Meanwhile, Cynthia spoke up again:
"You know, sometimes I wonder if you secretly run some kind of shady intel organization. Otherwise, how could you know so much about Trainers from other regions?"
She'd suspected as much before, but now she was mostly just teasing him.
Haru was too kind, too… yasashii. No way he was running some spy network. Maybe he really did mean it literally when he said he'd "seen it with his own eyes."
"Ahaha, why would you think that?" Haru scratched his head, dodging the question.
He wasn't the leader of any intel group—but the things he knew were far beyond the reach of any intelligence network.
Because much of it came from the future.
Leon, however, shook his head firmly.
"No, Hop and Gloria aren't even official Trainers yet. Especially Gloria—she doesn't even have a starter Pokémon. I don't believe Haru could possibly have found out anything about her."
But after a while, Hop and Gloria still hadn't shown up.
By distance and timing, they should have arrived long ago. Unless… something had gone wrong.
"Could something have happened?"
Even the usually carefree Sobble skater began to look worried.
"Hmm… I'll go look for them."
Leon turned to Haru and the others. "Would you mind waiting here? Charizard and I will check it out."
But Haru calmly shook his head.
"Not the best idea. Champion Leon… are you sure you won't get lost?"
For all his power, Leon's defining trait was his sense of direction—or rather, his lack thereof.
He might have become Kubfu's Trainer during the Isle of Armor trials… except he literally got lost on the way, failing the final challenge outright.
Even worse, Leon could get lost in Hammerlocke, practically his own backyard.
At the very start of his story, Hop had to escort him from Postwick just to make sure he didn't wander off.
So sending this chronic wanderer to find two lost kids? Odds were, they'd end up with three missing people.
"…I'll be fine. Charizard will guide me."
Even Leon himself didn't sound very confident.
"Forget it. Better if I go."
Before Leon could object, Haru released Mew. In an instant, Mew grabbed him (and its partner, "Mew No. 2") and Teleported them away.
Yes—Haru already had a pretty good idea what was happening.
Even if the timing was a little off, this had to be Hop and Gloria chasing after a missing Wooloo, wandering into the Slumbering Weald, and stumbling across the illusions of Zacian and Zamazenta.
Technically, this should've happened after Gloria received her starter Pokémon.
But apparently, these two were bold enough to dive in without a single Pokémon between them.
Well… almost none. Hop, the "Wooloo Domain God," already had his trusty Wooloo as his starter.
And throughout his entire Trainer journey, Hop would carry that Wooloo into every battle. Trainers, Gym Leaders, Champions, even Legendaries… all faced down by Wooloo.
But as for protecting them here and now? That might be asking a bit too much.
Following the Teleport, Haru quickly reached the entrance to the Slumbering Weald.
He'd passed by here once before while looking for Leon's home, but hadn't ventured inside. Now, here he was again so soon.
Sunlight filtered through patchy clouds, scattering across the shadowy forest. Jagged tree shadows crossed the ground like ancient runes, as if concealing a secret waiting to be deciphered.
The towering trees locked their branches together into a natural canopy, only slivers of light breaking through in long, narrow beams—gateways to another world.
Though it was daytime, visibility inside was poor, making the search all the more difficult.
The good news was Haru quickly spotted two sets of footprints pressed into the muddy soil, leading deeper into the forest.
To locals, the Slumbering Weald was a place of danger. Ordinary people avoided it, and children especially so.
Which meant these tracks almost certainly belonged to Gloria and Hop.
Haru clutched Mew tighter and pressed on.
The deeper he went, the more suffocating the atmosphere became. It was less a forest now than the gaping maw of some colossal beast.
The footprints grew more erratic, hurried—as if something was chasing the two young Trainers.
A bad sign. Haru quickened his pace.
---
Elsewhere in the forest…
Two figures, a boy and a girl, were sprinting desperately through the mud.
They were fit, but exhaustion was closing in fast.
Behind them, a pack of vicious Houndour snapped at their heels.
Regret—that was all they felt now.
If they had known the Slumbering Weald was this dangerous, they never would have set foot inside.
If they really wanted to find the missing Wooloo, they could've asked Leon. Sure, he was a hopeless case with directions, but they could've just led him along…
Too late for that now. Forget finding the Wooloo—just keeping themselves alive seemed uncertain.
What do we do? What now?!
Gloria's mind raced, but no solution came. With no Pokémon of her own, how could she fight back against the Houndour? How could they possibly make it back safely?
And then… she noticed something.
The mist around them had thickened without her realizing, curling denser and denser.
And within that fog, straight ahead, two enormous wolf-like Pokémon appeared.
One gleamed with a shimmering blue body, its golden braids flowing like ribbons. The other was crimson, a small tuft of hair jutting up like a warrior's crest.
Just one look, and both Gloria and Hop knew—they were facing beings far beyond their strength.
Even the Houndour behind them shrank back, powerless before these two.
Perfect. Hounds at their backs, wolves blocking their path. No matter how you looked at it, they were finished.
But… just as the Legendary wolves seemed ready to strike—
A "passing knight" suddenly emerged from the mist.
Cradling a pink little feline, he lashed out with one swift kick, sending the pursuing Houndour flying—then planted himself squarely between the two young Trainers and the mighty wolves.