1. Ash's Story (Part 10: Galar)

Chapter 77: The Stolen Shield

The celebration after my battle with Leon lasted longer than my voice did. Wyndon had roared when the referee raised the flag, but the next few days gave that roar faces, hands, and stories.

My class went wild the moment the result reached them. Messages came so quickly that my Rotom Phone nearly overheated. Some were congratulations. Some were battle questions. A few were just strings of excited words that probably made sense only to the person typing them.

The strangest part was how many people called me Galar's Champion before I had fully slept off the battle. It was not the first Champion title I had ever carried, and I was not going to pretend it was, but Galar's celebration had its own shape. It carried Leon's smile, Pikachu's last Thunderbolt, and the red sky we had survived three days earlier.

Alice and Serena stayed closest through all of it. Alice knew when to let me smile and when to guide me out of a crowd before the attention became too much. Serena knew when I needed to hear that being proud did not mean I had to enjoy every camera pointed at me.

Flora and Helen left for Kalos that morning after breakfast, both hugging me hard enough to remind me that celebrations could feel like farewells too.

"Do not make us hear about your next disaster from the news," Flora warned.

Helen smiled, but her eyes were serious. "And rest, Ash. Champions are allowed to rest."

"I'll try," I said, which made both of them look like they did not believe me.

Gloria and Victor had decided to help with Poké Jobs around Galar while the region recovered, and Hop joined them with the kind of energy that made errands sound like a Gym Challenge.

"Poké Jobs aren't glamorous," Hop said, "but after everything, Galar needs Pokémon helping towns get back on their feet. Besides, if I stay near Leon too long, he'll start giving speeches again."

Gloria laughed. "As if you don't give just as many."

Victor gave me a firm nod. "We'll keep things moving. You handle whatever Professor Magnolia wants."

That left Alice, Serena, and me heading toward Route 2 because Professor Magnolia had asked to see us. After battles against Leon, Eternatus, and the weight of Galar's celebration, the quiet road felt almost strange.

Pikachu rode on my shoulder, tail brushing my neck while he watched the trees, "Quiet does not mean empty. It means something is waiting politely."

I smiled. "Then we listen politely too."

Serena glanced at Pikachu, then at the road ahead. "After this week, I would be very happy if the polite thing waiting is just tea."

Alice smiled softly. "In Galar? Tea is never just tea."

That made us laugh, and I was grateful for it. The laugh did not erase the exhaustion, but it reminded me that not every step after victory had to be heavy.

Professor Magnolia's house looked peaceful, which made the storm memories feel further away for the first time. She greeted us with a firm smile, but her eyes studied me, Alice, and Serena like she could still see Hammerlocke's red sky around us.

"Congratulations, Champion," Magnolia said. "Here, I've got a little something for you in celebration."

She placed a Master Ball in my hands. The purple shell gleamed with the quiet weight of something rare.

"Thank you," I said. "Another one for the record."

"After everything you have achieved, it is the least I can offer." Magnolia looked toward the window, where sunlight rested over the garden. "The Wishing Stars that make Dynamaxing possible are parts of Eternatus. When Eternatus awakened, Dynamax energy flooded the region. Pokémon Dynamaxed where they never should have, and Galar nearly paid the price."