Chapter 223:The Legend of King Arthur and the Sword and Shield

The old man's house stood at the entrance of a forest.

A solitary brick house.

Next to the house was a sheep pen, where about twenty Wooloo were resting.

Warm yellow light shone from inside the house, giving it a cozy feel.

Click~

The wooden door of the house opened, and a little girl with freckles around her nose and two braids ran out.

She saw Wooloo walking ahead and happily rushed over. "Thank goodness, Wooloo!"

"I was so worried you’d gotten lost."

"Baa~"

The old man hung the lantern on the railing by the door.

The light from the lantern dispelled some of the surrounding fog.

The fog was growing thicker.

The old man spoke, "Cathy, take Wooloo back to the pen."

"Okay, Grandpa."

The little girl glanced curiously at Natsume and Gardevoir beside the old man, then led Wooloo to the nearby pen.

"Please, come in."

The old man smiled at Natsume and Gardevoir.

"Thank you."

Natsume followed the old man into the house.

The house wasn’t large, but it was well-equipped and very comfortable.

Near the fireplace was a recliner.

A Leavanny lay on it, knitting a blanket with Wooloo's wool.

Wooloo's wool was sturdy, warm, and comfortable, making it a popular material for sweaters and blankets.

"Leavanny~"

Leavanny looked up as Natsume and Gardevoir entered and set down its knitting needles.

The old man hung his coat on the rack and said with a chuckle, "Leavanny, we really owe them our thanks."

"If it weren’t for their help, who knows how long it would’ve taken to find Wooloo."

"Leavanny~"

Natsume waved it off. "We just happened to find it. No need to be so formal."

"Leavanny~"

Leavanny led Natsume and Gardevoir to the dining table and gestured for them to sit.

The old man brought over a teapot and poured them each a cup of steaming milk tea.

The tea had a strong aroma, with a hint of sheep's milk.

"This is milk tea I made with our own sheep's milk. Please, try it."

Natsume took a sip.

The milk flavor was rich, with a sweet aftertaste, likely from added honey.

"Grandpa, I’ve closed the pen."

The little girl, Cathy, came back inside and shut the door.

She then ran over to Leavanny. "Leavanny Grandma, can you keep teaching me how to knit the blanket?"

"Leavanny~"

Leavanny patted Cathy’s head.

Its expression truly resembled that of a kind grandmother.

Natsume watched this scene, then glanced at the old man sitting across from him, his expression slightly puzzled.

Natsume remembered that in Great Britain, the relationship between humans and Pokémon had always been quite open.

Of course, Natsume himself was open-minded about it, but seeing such a relationship for the first time was still surprising.

The old man smiled and explained, "After my wife passed away, Leavanny has been like a mother to Cathy."

"So to this child, Leavanny is no different from her grandmother."

Natsume nodded in understanding. "I see."

Under the warm yellow light, the small countryside girl lay on Leavanny's lap, learning to knit the blanket while occasionally yawning.

"Leavanny~"

Seeing that Cathy was getting sleepy, Leavanny set aside its work and carried her into the inner room.

The old man looked at Natsume and Gardevoir. "Are you two from the Japan League?"

"Yes, we just arrived today."

"Are you here to challenge the gym, or are you searching for legends?"

"Searching for legends?"

Natsume asked curiously, "What legends are you referring to?"

"Actually, we came from the sea and aren’t entirely sure where we are."

Great Britain Island was once a place of great turmoil.

Multiple nations coexisted here, constantly at war with each other.

But thousands of years ago, the arrival of the Dark Night changed everything.

At that time, a massive unknown Pokémon appeared in the sky above Great Britain Island.

This Pokémon is now known as Eternatus.

Eternatus attempted to absorb the life energy of the entire island to restore its own strength.

During this process, its body emitted a red glow.

Under the glow, a black vortex appeared.

The land turned pitch black under the influence of the black vortex, and many Pokémon inexplicably underwent Dynamax.

This event later became known as the Dark Night Incident.

The arrival of the Dark Night brought Great Britain Island to the brink of destruction.

It was then said that whoever could defeat Eternatus would become the king of all Great Britain.

In this context, a Trainer named Arthur emerged.

Arthur, wielding a sword and shield, led two Pokémon named Zacian and Zamazenta in an attack against Eternatus.

The battle was fierce, even splitting the once-whole Great Britain Island into two.

The separated half is now called Ireland Island.

However, under the unique circumstances of this world, they still belong to the Great Britain League.

The result of the battle, of course, was Arthur and Zacian and Zamazenta's victory.

In the end, Eternatus was sealed beneath the island.

And thus, the legend of King Arthur and the Sword and Shield was born.

The old man looked at Natsume. "After King Arthur unified Great Britain, Zacian and Zamazenta returned to their homeland and fell into a deep sleep."

"Do you know where their homeland is?"

Natsume's expression turned odd. "It’s not... here, is it?"

"Exactly."

The old man said proudly, "This is the Lake Island."

"In the middle of the island, there is a lake. Inside the stone temple in the lake sleeps the legendary Sword and Shield Kings."

"However, it’s been a long time since anyone has seen the Sword and Shield Kings."

The old man sighed. "So, some people think the story of King Arthur is just a myth."

Natsume looked at the old man. "Do you believe the story of King Arthur is completely true?"

"Of course it’s true!"

The old man said firmly. "Because I’ve seen the legendary Sword King, Zacian, with my own eyes!"

He pointed out the window at the forest shrouded in increasingly thick fog.

"Right in that forest!"