After the longest match Rillaboom, Scorbunny and Drizzile had ever fought, it seemed as if they were finally down to the home stretch. Eternatus, Zacian and Zamazenta had set up one of their most powerful moves, and while this failed to defeat the heroes before, there was still a chance it could finish them off.

Rillaboom gulped nervously and uttered, "Well, I don't see any other options. There's no way we can just dodge this," Drizzile nodding and replying, "I'm certain it'll work this time. Even though they've dominated us with these types of moves so far, I have a funny feeling we can overcome them this time."

Scorbunny nodded and stated, "And even if we don't, well, it was great fighting alongside you guys. I'm so happy I met all of you. I can't think of a better pair of people to go down with."

With that in mind, Drizzile leapt onto Rillaboom's shoulders before Scorbunny jumped onto the chameleon's. A bright light covered Zacian's sword, Zamazenta's shield and Eternatus' entire body. And when the heroes saw this, they suddenly realized something they could do to make their move stronger.

"Oh god, why didn't I think of this sooner?" Rillaboom grunted before she sharpened her hair. Drizzile nodded and sighed, "It really should have been obvious," lathering his body in water while Scorbunny made sure he did not drop her after releasing her feet. Scorbunny of course added to this when she lit her feet on fire, Drizzile's water suit allowing him to handle it.

Eternatus and his allies all raced toward the heroic trio and shouted, "ETERNAL BEHEMOTH CHARGE!" Drizzile and Scorbunny leaning forward until the rabbit was touching Rillaboom's ankles.

All three rolled toward their opponents with their elements now sure to make them stronger. And when they clashed with the villainous trio, they exclaimed, "TRI-ATTACK WHEEL!"

Much like before, sparks of light flew from the two teams. However, these ones were much bigger and more intense. As if that was not enough, Zacian's eyes widened when she noticed her movement start to slow down, Zamazenta grunting, "Come on! Pick up the pace!"

Thus all three started to run more quickly while Rillaboom cried, "Don't you dare let up, guys!" the others grinning and retorting, "As if!"

After a few seconds, Zacian, Zamazenta and Eternatus' foreheads all came open. Blood squirted out of the wolves as the dragon's odd mix of soot and black blood flew out of him. And all it took was another little while for all three to cough up the substances and rise upright before flying backwards.

The villainous trio fell hard on their backs and slid against the canvas while the heroes retracted back to their normal states. While the villains' attack had put a few bruises on them, they all still managed to stand while they released deep breaths.

"Did we do it?" Drizzile uttered, Scorbunny and Rillaboom examining their opponents. However, all three trembled when Eternatus placed his hand against the mat and pushed himself up, the wolves following suit.

But just as the heroes frowned and struck a fighting pose, Eternatus held out his hand and exclaimed, "Relax!" before holding up both hands and sighing, "I give up."

He then nodded at Zacian and Zamazenta, and while a part of them hated to do this, they fell to their knees, bowed their heads and added, "Though it pains us deeply to say this, we concede this victory to you."

Scorbunny's jaw dropped while Rillaboom rubbed her finger in her ear and asked, "Did I hear that right?" Drizzile gazing upon their opponents and uttering, "Yeah. They just surrendered."

With that in mind, all three turned to one-another, smiled wide and held each other in a tight embrace. Joyous laughter filled the air while Eternatus smiled at them, Zacian and Zamazenta forming light grins of their own. As humiliating as this was, it seemed as if this was the result they had wanted, but why?

"Excellent work," Eternatus stated, "You have all passed our test," Scorbunny retorting, "Damn right we did! Now you won't have to destroy our planet!"

"Oh yes, about that," the dragon replied before he cleared his throat, "We actually had no intention of consuming Earth," the others staring blankly, "I mean, look at this place. Do you seriously think a whole planet could fit in here?"

Drizzile looked up at the ceiling, pointed at the planets hanging from it and uttered, "But what about-?" Zacian uttering, "Um, yeah, just so you know, those are just models. See, whenever a trio loses to us, we create a scale model of the planet to remind us to come back and test them again later."

"Yeah, sorry, we lied," Eternatus stated while the heroes all stared in stunned silence, their eyes twitching and their jaws dropped. The dragon took a deep breath and said, "I guess a simple apology doesn't make up for what we put you through, does it?"

"You think!?" Rillaboom retorted, "Seriously, that was the most hectic match we've ever had! We honestly thought everyone was gonna die!"

"Yes, but if we didn't stir that fear in you, would you have fought nearly as well as you did today?" Eternatus enquired, the heroes all staring while he sighed, "Yes, I suppose there is a lot of unpack. See, we come from a long line of gods. In truth, you never really could have defeated us. Technically, only another god could."

Zamazenta sighed, "Yeah, as much as we hate doing it, we deliberately held back so all three of you would stand a fighting chance. The truth is, you only fought us at half our power. If we had used our full strength, you all would have died in seconds."

"Wait, so if our test wasn't to best you in combat, what was it?" Drizzile remarked before Eternatus explained, "You see, when a planet that's repeatedly in danger is somehow able to last a really long time without evil consuming it, we come to that planet and challenge the three fighters with the most potential to face us in combat. In fact, prior to coming here, we made a stop on Hero Planet to challenge the three with the most potential there. The test comes in five phases, and a trio can only truly win if they can surpass all five of them."

Looking up at the ceiling and noticing that Hero Planet was not up there, Drizzile nodded and stated, "Figures people from there would be able to pull that off," the dragon nodding and replying, "Oh, yes. They were just as incredible as legends whose job is to teach a new generation should be."

They remembered how the three in question who had faced them were Shaymin, a white cockroach named Pheromosa and a buff red mosquito named Buzzwole. While they did struggle much like Rillaboom, Scorbunny and Drizzile, all three proved to be incredible fighters despite their age.

Shaymin unleashed all sorts of techniques, weakening Eternatus when she curled up into a ball and allowed Buzzwole to use Pheromosa like a cricket bat and smack her toward them. She then released razor sharp thorns from her back and rammed them into the dragon, calling the move Thorny Hedge.

Then with Zacian and Zamazenta still standing, Buzzwole and Pheromosa flew toward them and set them up for their strongest move, Lover's Flying Slam. This involved Buzzwole carrying Zamazenta high above the ring while pulling back on his arms while Pheromosa wrapped her legs around Zacian, performed a handstand and leapt high into the air. This was followed by the mosquito planting the male wolf's skull into his sister's gut, thus spelling the first time they ever coughed up blood in a match.

Back in present time, Zacian smirked and said, "Well, they technically passed the last part," Eternatus nodding and stating, "Anyway, I suppose you're all probably wondering what the phases of the test were. See, phase one was to test your resistance to pain. If you could get up after taking in Behemoth Blade Edge, then there's no doubt facing you is certainly worth our time."

Rillaboom blinked while the others nodded in understanding, Drizzile uttering, "Even at half strength, it does feel like a miracle that we got up after that."

"The second phase was a test of your resolve," Eternatus continued, "That move you took in from all three of us usually breaks the spirit of anyone who makes it past the first phase. I noticed it almost did, but you still got up and continued despite how much pain you took in."

Zacian nodded and added, "The third phase, though this one is more optional, was to see just how well you could all perform against one of us at a time. Each of you did an impressive job keeping up against us when you were alone. Again, this one's not mandatory since most heroes are already fairly good by themselves, but it's still necessary at times."

Zamazenta then explained, "The forth phase is the second-most important step of all, and that's how well the three of you fight as a team. It seems each of you have never fought in a proper team match up until now, but despite that, you all did a very good job, proving your camaraderie in a dire situation."

"And the fifth and final step was to see if you could truly overpower all three of us, draw an impressive amount of blood or a mix of both," Eternatus stated, "And you managed to do both. The last three didn't quite pull off the first option, but they still managed to draw blood."

Rillaboom blinked, Scorbunny starting to understand and Drizzile nodding while the dragon said, "So this wasn't merely a test of strength. This was a test to see just how well the three of you work as a team. See, we imagine there might be a time when a trio like you will need that level of camaraderie, resolve, intuitiveness and spirit in a much more serious situation. It's why we put all this pressure on you. In fact, we even told the staff of Hero Planet not to inform you about us otherwise you could have planned for our coming in advance and gotten an unfair advantage."

"Oh, okay, that makes sense," Scorbunny replied only for Rillaboom to bark, "What do you mean we'll need this in the future!?" Eternatus sighing, "Well, planets that last this long are destined to face bigger and bigger threats all the time. Having power is one thing, but having amazing teamwork is another and it can help during the most dangerous of circumstances."

Rillaboom nodded before she enquired, "But wait, if that's the case, why specifically did you choose us?" Drizzile sighing, "Yeah, I hate to say it, but I'm not sure if we're really the best choices. If we were one team out of, say, a whole bunch, that would make sense, but why just us?"

Scorbunny bit her lower lip and whimpered, "I'm fast, but I'm sure there are faster fighters out there with better skills," Rillaboom adding, "And I may be strong and smart, but, well, I faced someone who was better in both those departments quite some time ago."

"And just because I'm the world champion doesn't mean I'm instantly the greatest fighter in the world," Drizzile stated, Zacian nodding and replying, "Yes, and we're not exactly the strongest gods in the universe. There are plenty out there who could probably best us even if we were to face them at full strength."

"Again, we didn't choose you based off of your power, impressive as it is," Eternatus explained, "We chose you because of how much we could tell that you get along, how well you work together. Such a bond is very rarely seen, especially in this day and age."

"Well, your reputation definitely helps," Zacian replied, "Shaymin told us all about how much the three of you had improved since you joined the side of good. You seemed like the best choice for us," Zamazenta nodding in agreement.

All three heroes stared while their eyes sparkled. They never would have expected that their friendship would be this important in the grand scheme of things. But either way, this was truly something they would remember for years to come.

With all said and done, Eternatus opened up the floor and all six emerged from the big black hole in the sky. Everyone watched, Allie gasping when she saw her friends alive and well. Thus she smiled wide and released tears, Brian and Wendy resting their hands on her shoulders. Although deep down, they hoped this meant what they thought it did, and it seemed to when after landing, Eternatus held his hand up in a grabbing motion in order to seal up the hole.

When the sky returned to its normal colour, the dragon stated, "Attention, citizens of Edmonton! You are all safe! Your heroes have bested us in combat!"

The citizens all stared in stunned silence before big smiles formed on their faces. They then rose their arms in the air and cheered, the news crew breathing a simultaneous sigh of relief. The heroes, meanwhile, gave the dragon a look of confusion only for him to hold his finger up to his mouth. After all, if the citizens knew there was no danger to begin with, this moment likely would have meant less to them.

However, all three were surprised when Vaporeon of all people leapt toward them and held their necks in a tight embrace. She let down tears and squealed, "OH MY GOD, YOU DID IT! YOU ACTUALLY WON!"

"How are you still-?" Rillaboom uttered before remembering what Eternatus had explained. As such, it all made sense. Despite the big injuries, the dragon and his allies must have held back to make sure the heroes were not crippled.

It seemed so when Morgrem and Rolycoly approached them as well. Sure, the goblin's hair was still much shorter than before and the golem had a slight chip in his head, but none of this was fatal. All that mattered was that they were up and about.

"Hey, Zacian, don't you think you went a little overboard?" Zamazenta whispered while pointing at Morgrem's hair, the female wolf grinning nervously and replying, "I didn't mean to do that, honest."

Morgrem and Rolycoly joined in with the hug, the golem sighing, "Wow, you guys really are something else. I knew you were amazing, but I'll admit, I had my doubts this time," Morgrem chuckling, "Yeah. Even I wasn't sure if we were truly safe, no offence."

Allie chuckled, "Well, I had my doubts too, but I knew things would turn out for the best," kissing Drizzile on the cheek while Geneva and Bailey nodded with a big smile.

At that moment, Eternatus bowed his head to the heroes and said, "Congratulations on your victory. You have displayed incredible skill and power. Therefor your planet has been spared," before winking at them and fibbing, "Oh yes, and all the other planets we have taken have been returned to where they once were."

All three grinned nervously before Rillaboom whispered, "We can at least tell our friends the truth, right?" Eternatus nodding and replying, "As long as you can trust them to keep our secret, or not. Honestly, it doesn't matter what you choose to do in the long run."

And so, a great energy surrounded him as he rose up into the air. He then lifted Zacian and Zamazenta with him while both bowed their heads in respect. All three proceeded to fly off into space in search of the next planet that needed to be tested while everyone watched in amazement.

With all said and done, Scorbunny, Rillaboom and Drizzile fell to their knees before Allie, Bailey and Geneva put their coats back on them. The tall girl then breathed a sigh of relief and asked, "What say we head inside? We'll catch our death of cold if we spend anymore time out here," Scorbunny sighing, "Yeah, that sounds nice."

And so, everyone headed back home with plans to meet up later for a celebratory dinner. Right now, all the heroes wanted to do was rest up after such an intense match. Of course, Eternatus' would always stick with them, but they would worry about that when the time came. For now, they could take pride in knowing that they had technically won what was likely the hardest battle they would ever partake in.

Once dinner rolled around, Brian and Wendy had dropped off all nine friends at a fancy Chinese restaurant. The others had no problem with them joining in, but the parents decided to let the teens have their time together. Allie figured they had other intentions, but she was fine with this.

And soon enough, all of them were seated on a round table with a wide assortment of food before them as they raised their glasses and shouted, "TO VICTORY!" clinking them together.

They all took a sip of their beverages before letting out a sigh, Bailey saying, "I really wish I could have seen all of that. I mean, it is a little disappointing knowing you didn't really save the planet, but still, they seemed really tough."

"They were," Morgrem groaned, touching the back of her neck before Rolycoly patted her on the shoulder and directed her attention to his chip, which seemed like it might be permanent.

"Well, what matters is that we're all in good health," Allie said with a big smile and her arm resting on Drizzile's shoulder, "But seriously, I was so scared during all of that. I knew things would turn out well, but there was this part of me thinking this might very well be the last day I'd ever see you."

"Hey, we're not going anywhere!" Rillaboom retorted with a smirk, "Not only are we awesome, but we got great friends to make us even more awesome!" Scorbunny chuckling, "Wow, that was even cheesier than what I was gonna say."

Vaporeon giggled and sighed, "I'm just so impressed with you all. Seriously, to think you all lost so easily and me and my friends," Drizzile uttering, "Yeah, no kidding."

The fox wanted to say something else but ultimately decided not to. After all, she knew that it would spoil the mood, thus she smiled and said, "Well, what say we dig in? No sense letting all this food go to waste."

And so, all nine friends nodded and ate happily. The day had started off dark and scary but had ended perfectly.

Although deep down, the trio would not forget what Eternatus had told them. They knew someday they would need to use their teamwork skills again, though for what purpose, no one could say. But regardless of what sorts of challenges awaited them in the future, they knew they were ready for whatever life had to throw at them.

To be continued.

Note: Just so you know, this will be the final chapter of this particular part of the story, but only because I plan on doing something very similar to what I did with the first Earth's Protectors. For those unaware, I essentially made the final story arc its own separate story, a direct sequel if you will. (Much like what Kinnikuman does with its continuations) Though whereas that was initially unplanned the first time I did it, this on the other hand has been my plan from the start. So for anyone who wants to see where this goes, be on the lookout for part two coming soon.