Pokémon and Ponies
#71-The Darkest Day
Galar Region, Hammerlocke, Night.
The region where Dynamax is the most prominent and present. And of course, the one region which holds the Pokemon responsible for the Dynamax Phenomenon.
Eternatus.
A Pokemon of unknown origin and alignment. One that had seemingly faded in obscurity centuries ago, supposedly from the efforts of either one single hero or two heroes.
But either way, the defeat of this Pokemon was only temporary. As it was only a matter of time until the day would come where it would finally regain the strength to cause havoc across the world as it did in the days of old.
However, Eternatus was currently being kept inside of a strange orb-shaped core at a hangar. As if it was a baby in an egg. But this hangar didn't just have Eternatus present there. The sphere was surrounded by scientists who were assigned to study and keep watch of the core.
The hangar let out a constant alert noise that wouldn't stop playing, indicating that something was definitely wrong, most likely relating to Eternatus. And the one overseeing this whole operation was none other than their boss and the director of Macro Cosmos.
Chairman Rose. Alongside his secretary, Oleana.
They had currently arrived at the hangar to check up on Eternatus after getting the alert. Despite how serious this seemed, Rose maintained a calm demeanour and face when entering the hangar.
"What's wrong?" Oleana said.
"When we had the core absorb Galar particles, it started overloading." A scientist answered.
"That's why we have the hangar then, isn't it obvious?" Oleana raised an eyebrow.
"Well...the energy tore through the hangar." The scientist replied.
"You intend to release it again?" Oleana crossed her arms. She seemed to take this much more seriously than Chairman Rose in terms of Dynamax and Eternatus.
Suddenly, the sphere lit up with red and purple energy, dazzling the entire hangar. Everyone turned their attention to the sphere as 10 Dynamax lights suddenly flowed out of the sphere.
This was a sign that Eternatus was finally starting to wake up as the raw energy of the mysterious Pokemon was so intense that it summoned Dynamax power spots that erupted near Hammerlocke.
However, these power spots weren't like the previous ones in which there is just one of them each and that's it. Instead, because of Eternatus, a single pillar of Dynamax energy was actually capable of creating more Galar Particles.
The purple pillars rose high enough to pierce the clouds as they each sent out streaks of Galar Particles that scattered across the Galar Region.
Rose simply smiled as he watched them fly off into the night sky. But the particles weren't just scattering across Galar. They had a second destination.
Eternatus always reacts to Dynamax energy, wherever it may be. The Galar Region is the only region filled with Dynamax power spots, so it was natural for it to focus on Galar and no other region
However, thanks to the actions of Lucien bringing Dynamax to Equestria, Eternatus now has a second location where it can absorb Dynamax energy as some of the purple streaks were heading straight for Equestria.
"Hurry and reinforce the hangar," Oleana ordered.
"Ma'am!" The scientists replied in unison.
"Truly unlimited energy..." Rose said to himself. "Marvellous."
Equestria, night.
"It's time," Lucien said as he opened his eyes, standing on top of a cloud with Sienna as always.
"What? What time?" Sienna asked him.
"This is what I've been waiting for." He rubbed his hands together as the night sky cast a shadow over his face, giving him a sinister appearance. "Time for the true Dynamax Phenomenon to show itself!"
"Oh! Is this when Eternatus finally wakes up?!" Sienna gasped. "I didn't think we'd be here so soon. This should be fun."
"It's more than just fun," Lucien smirked. "Don't you see what this means?"
"Uh..." Sienna looked at him with a poker face. "N-N-No not really." She shook her head.
"In the original timeline, Etenrnatus reached its peak power after absorbing all the energy in the Galar Region, entering a state of overload. But, now that Equestria has Galar particles here..."
Sienna took a moment to process what Lucien was talking about. It didn't take long since it was easy to understand what this all meant. "Oh no..." Her eyes widened.
"Oh yes. Sit back and relax, Sienna. This is where the fun begins!"
Cerise Labs, Vermillion City, Night.
"Rock, paper, scissors!" Both Ash and Goh said as they were having a small game of rock, paper, scissors on who would get the highest part of the bunk bed. Goh ended up winning with rock and Ash with scissors.
"I win!" Goh exclaimed. "Off you go, then."
"Darn." Ash groaned as he walked towards the door. "I'll just turn off the lights then.
"Okay!" Goh nodded as Ash turned off the lights.
Ash now had to navigate himself in the dark, but his best buddy Pikachu was there to help as the Electric Mouse Pokemon summoned an electric field around him, giving Ash some light. "Pi...!"
"Thanks, Pikachu." Ash thanked his buddy for helping him out.
But Pikachu's electric field wasn't the only source of light in the room at the moment. Inside of Ash's bag, a mysterious reddish glow emanated out of it, grabbing the attention of Ash, Pikachu and Goh.
"Pika?"
"Hm?" Ash, curious by what was going on, went over to his bag to check inside. Once he looked inside, he noticed that the source of the reddish light was none other than his Dynamax band. He picked up the band, looking at it as he wondered why it was glowing now of all times.
He wouldn't have to wonder much longer. He knew of the one person who could help give him an answer to this. The owner of Cerise Laboratory, Professor Cerise himself.
Luckily, he was still awake and available due to him being a Pokemon Professor after all. They rarely sleep most of the time anyway.
"Hmm...This is new." Cerise looked at the band that was now in his hand. "I know that trainers in the Galar Region use these bands to Dynamax and Gigantamax their Pokemon. But still, there are many things unknown about the exact mechanism."
"I was wondering about it for ages, too," Goh said. "Why do Pokemon Dynamax to begin with?"
"Yeah now that you mention it..." Ash crossed his arms.
"I thought it was limited to Wild Areas and Stadiums but Equestria has some of their own." Goh scratched his hair. "I don't really understand it..."
"Right." Ash nodded.
"There have been a number of exceptions, actually." Chryssa, one of Cerise's assistants replied.
"Exceptions?" Ash turned to her.
"Even before the two worlds crossed over and our connection with Equestria, Pokemon Dynamaxing outside of Wild Areas and Stadiums has happened before." The other assistant Ren further explained. The computer he was facing showed off the Galar map as multiple signs of Dynamaxing had been seen popping up. "There have been many reported cases as of late."
"I wonder if it has something to do with my Dynamax band shining." Ash looked over at his band.
"Anything we're curious about, we go straight to check it out!" Goh grinned. "That's our job as fellow researchers, yeah?"
"He's right," Cerise replied. "Goh. Ash. Head to the Galar Region to solve the mystery of Dynamax. There's also someone there who can be of great help to you."
"Got it!" They both said in unison.
"Pika!"
Meanwhile, at Equestria, Galar Particles have already interacted with the world itself.
The power spots plastered on different locations from Manehattan to Dodge Junction were reacting to Eternatus's energy. But this wasn't like before where Eternatus was only slightly influencing the energy due to it still being in a somewhat weakened state.
Instead, with a highly-active Eternatus who now seems to be getting back to full strength, its influence was much more present than before.
So present that when the streaks of Galar Particles flew in the air, a horrible chill filled the atmosphere, as if it was giving Equestria a warning.
Mostly everypony in Equestria couldn't feel this chill since they were asleep along with many Pokemon minus the nocturnal ones who weren't.
One Pokemon, in particular, definitely sensed it. The Pokemon who showed up when there was a Dynamax Crisis occurring in Equestria.
That Pokemon was none other than the Disaster Pokemon, Absol, who was, of course, living in the mountains on his lonesome. His horn already picked up on the presence of brand new Dynanax energy arriving here in Equestria. But it also sensed some over at the Pokemon World as well.
"Absol..." Absol growled as he felt the uncomfortable chill more than anyone. He knew that this wouldn't be like the previous Dynamax Crisis. From how intense and violent these Galar Particles were, whatever happens next will blow the previous crisis out of the water.
Absol knew that he had to set out and do something immediately. He wasn't sure that he could stop this due to his horn telling him the scale of this disaster, but Absol was willing to try anyways as he left the mountains, off to stop this second crisis.
And of course, the two ponies who can never sleep, Jade Skies and Cold Colt, felt this chill run through their bodies. And it wasn't the chill of the night, that's for sure.
The duo looked up to see red streaks pass by as Cold believed it was just a shooting star. But Jade wasn't so sure about that. She noticed that it was most likely going to land somewhere that wasn't close to Ponyville but much further.
Not at Lapras Lake, Bidoof Beach, Saddle Lake or even the Everfree Forest. Its landing spot was unknown to her, but she made sure to remember it. Everypony else in Ponyville hadn't even noticed or felt the chill that filled their town.
At least, most of them anyway. There was one other pony who was still asleep but could still feel something relating to Dynamax.
That being Twilight Sparkle was currently tossing and turning in her sleep. She didn't think too much of the chill as she thought it was just the night having a strong wind pressure at the moment.
That is until her head decided to ache out of nowhere. Although, this time, the cause of it wasn't a mystery to her. The headache ruined Twilight's perfect sleep as the young alicorn's heart started racing all of a sudden.
"Ow...!" Twilight sat up from her head, holding her head as a splitting pain came to her. She could automatically tell that this had something to do with Absol as she had visions of the Mega Evolution symbol like before. "Again...? Is Absol near?"
Curious if Absol was nearby, Twilight hopped off her bad as she looked outside the window, wondering if she could see the Disaster Pokemon.
But there was no sign of him. He wasn't even close to Ponyville at the moment. However, the visions of the symbol and constant headaches was a dead giveaway that she and Absol were currently feeling something together on two separate parts of Equestria.
Absol knew what was coming, but Twilight, not so much. She assumed that it was just another Dynamax crisis, and it technically was. However, she had no idea how large scale this second crisis could be at all.
No one does.
Galar Region, near Wedgehurst, day.
Ash and Goh were on a train to Wedgehurst under the orders of Professor Cerise. To find out about the mystery of Dynamax, they would have to meet one particular person in Wedgehurst who can give them some necessary answers.
"Train journeys have a special charm to them, don't they?" Goh looked outside the train window.
"For sure!" Ash agreed. "Since we're in the Galar Region, I just had to get these!" He dug his hand in his bag, grabbing out some scones that he bought earlier. "These nice-smelling tiny thingies!" Ash held two scones in his hands. "We've gotta kick things off with some of these! Here, Pikachu, have one."
"Pika!" Pikachu was given a scone as he and Pikachu were about to take a bite at the same time.
"You mean scones...?" Goh raised an eyebrow.
"Time to eat!" Ash exclaimed as he and Pikachu went to town on the scones, chomping and chewing away. Ash got a little bit too ambitious as the thickness of the scones got stuck in his throat "G-Gogh!" His face puckered out.
"Here, have some milk tea." Goh gave him something to clear his throat.
"T-T-Thanks...!" Ash grabbed the milk tea, drinking it aggressively.
"Honestly, did you forget why we're here, Ash?"
"I remember for sure! We're going to Wedgehurst to meet a friend of Professor Cerise, right? Her name was..." Ash tried to remember what her name was.
"Professor Magnolia." Goh gave him the answer as he showed Ash an image of Professor Cerise with Professor Magnolia on his Rotomphone. "The number one Dynamax Researcher."
"Oh, yeah, right!"
Just as the train was going along, there was an announcement that interrupted the ride. "We apologize for the inconvenience. The train will stop here for some time due to a thick fog up ahead."
"Fog?" said Goh.
The train had promptly stopped. And for once, it wasn't by any Wooloo's. Ash opened the doors as he and Goh looked outside to see this supposed fog.
But there was nothing there. "Hm...Don't really see anything from here." Ash squinted his eyes.
The announcement continued further with new information. "We're expecting to be here for a long time, so we will open some of the doors."
"What a mess. We get held up here when we're so close." Goh sat back down as the other train doors opened up. They had no choice but to wait here until the train got a move on.
"Well...if we wanna pass the time, we can always head back in the Board Game World and help out Dusknoir and Kathleen." Ash took out the board game from his bag.
"Maybe..." Goh closed his eyes as he slumped on his seat.
Things seemed slow for a bit until a Bunnelby showed up in front of them all, eating one of the scones.
"Bunnel. Bunnel."
"A Bunnelby?" Goh narrowed his eyes at the Digging Pokemon along with Ash and the Pokemon.
"Bun..." Bunnelby noticed that they were looking right at it. It tried to be sneaky and grab the scones without anyone noticing, but that was an instant failure. So, the best option now is to make a run for it. And that's what it did. "Bun!"
The Digging Pokemon hopped out of the window whilst still having the scone in its mouth. Normally, that would've been the end of it, but Goh being the eager fellow that he is, decided to catch Bunnelby.
"Oh! I haven't caught Bunnelby yet actually!" Goh stood up. "Wait!" He immediately went out, chasing after the Digging Pokemon.
"W-Wait up, Goh!" Ash followed him as well.
"By! Bunnel!" Bunnelby made its way to the forest as its way of hiding. Goh stopped to check the name of the forest on his Rotomphone.
"It's called the Slumbering Weald...What a name." Goh closed his phone as he continued to purse Bunnelby. He and Ash were now entering uncharted territory in the Galar Region.
The Slumbering Weald.
A forest that was full of fog and trees that are close to each other at all times. This is most definitely where the fog was coming from as seen by how thick it was. But because of the thick fog and entering this forest for the first time, they had currently lost sight of Bunnelby.
"This fog's thicker than I thought..." Goh uttered.
"Bunnelby!" Ash called out for Bunnelby's name.
"Pika!"
"Hm?" Just then, Goh spotted his target. Bunnelby. Turns out, it didn't get too far at all. The Digging Pokemon hopped along, not noticing Goh right behind it. "There!"
Eager to catch it, Goh chased after Bunnelby whilst Ash kept on calling Bunnelby's name. But whilst he called for it, his Xtransceiver started to ring.
On the screen it showed Twilight's face, indicating that she was the one calling him. Ash answered Twilight's call, wondering what it could be about. "Hey, Twilight. What's up?"
"Ash. We might have a problem." Twilight.
"Problem? What happened now?"
"Well, I was in bed last night and I started getting those same headaches and visions of the Mega Evolution symbol."
Like with Absol?"
"Mhm." She nodded. "I think Absol's sensed another disaster recently. But...I'm not sure what."
"Another disaster? Could it be...Dynamax?" Ash thought of connecting Twilight's call with his glowing Dynamax band.
"No idea. But if Absol sensed it then it must be something huge."
"Alright. I'll head over there and check it out as soon as I can. Gonna have to put my Dynamax research on hold then."
"Dynamax research?"
"Yeah. My band starting glowing all of a sudden last night, so Professor Cerise told me and Goh to head over to Wedgehurst and find Professor Magnolia. She's the number one Dynamax Researcher!"
"Number one Dynamax Researcher?!" Twilight exclaimed with her voice raised as she pressed her face on the screen, startling Ash and Pikachu.
"Ah!"
"Pika?!"
"Why am I now hearing about this?! There's someone who's an expert on Dynamax?!"
"Ah, I just learned about it too, Twilight." Ash rubbed the back of his head. "I had no idea who she was until Professor Cerise told us."
"If she's the best, then she'll give us all the answers we may need! Stay there, Ash! We'll come to you!"
"What about Equestria and the potential disaster?
"No need to worry. We've got gateways after all. If Dynamax Pokemon show up in Equestria whilst we're in the Pokemon, we'll be able to cover a lot of ground depending on which gateway shortcuts we take. So, be right there!"
"Alright." Ash nodded as he and Twilight both hung up on each other. "Guess we've got a lot more to do today, huh?"
"Pika..."
Ash turned around, noticing that Goh was no longer here. He was long gone, chasing after the Bunnelby. "Hm? Goh!" Ash called out for his name. Now he'll have to find him in this forest full of fog.
"Pika!"
And what about Goh?
He managed to finally catch Bunnelby after a short chase with his special curveball. "Gotcha! I caught it, Ash!" But as he turned around, he as well noticed that Ash wasn't with him.
With their separation, Goh would be forced to go through this foggy forest and search for Ash himself. Which was unfortunate but inevitable considering what kind of forest they were in.
Back at Ponyville, Twilight was getting ready to find Ash and Goh. The gateway to the Galar Region was a bit further away from Ponyville compared to others such as Kanto, Unova and Kalos.
The nearest Galar gateway was located near Trottingham. And that one was connected to the booming metropolis city of Wyndom. But getting to Trottingham was a long trip in itself.
"Do we have to be in such a hurry?" Starlight asked Twilight.
"Yes. If Absol senses something, then we can't afford to waste any time." Twilight placed her equipment in her saddlebag. Ash and Goh are already at Galar right now, searching for someone named Professor Magnolia. If we hurry, we can catch up to them."
"But Trottingham's so far away though..." Spike groaned. "Are we even gonna make it in time?"
"Don't worry about that. If we went to Trottingham the normal way, it would take up most of the day. Which is why I've got a better idea." Twilight smirked. "We'll take a bunch of shortcuts through each gateway by going through the ones that connect to different parts of Equestria."
"Oh, I get it." Spike understood what Twilight meant. "We'll go in and out of different gateways leading to Equestria and the Pokemon World, right? That is some pretty easy travel."
"I've already told the others and they're ready to go too. We can maybe learn about Dynamax and help Absol with the incoming crisis, whenever it shows up."
"What if we don't have enough time then?" Starlight asked.
"That's fine. The Swords of Justice will be there to help Absol like before. Equestria's in good hooves with them around."
"I guess so...I'm just a bit worried, ya know." Starlight bit her hoof.
"I feel ya." Spike nodded.
"We'll have fewer things to worry about once we know how Dynamax really works. Let's go."
With Twilight, Spike and Starlight heading out of the castle, their friends were already waiting for them, ready to get a move on. They understood that the situation might be dire considering the connection Absol and Twilight, so they were already raring to go.
Back at the Slumbering Weald, Ash and Goh were still searching for each other, but with zero luck so far.
"Goh! Where are you?" Ash continued to call for his name, but nothing.
"Pikachu...Pika?" The Electric Mouse Pokemon suddenly stopped as he sensed something nearby.
"What's wrong, Pikachu?"
"Pi...!" Whatever it was, it was enough to get Pikachu in a stance where he was prepared to defend Ash from whatever could be near.
A mysterious and eerie howl echoed throughout the forest, grabbing the attention of Ash and Pikachu's ears. It was unlike anything Ash and Pikachu have experienced before, even with the insane adventures they've been on.
That howl wasn't just the wind playing tricks on Ash and Pikachu, not at all. Instead, a Pokemon was causing it. But the howling didn't sound like it was apart of the living world. It almost sounded like it came from a spirit.
That's when the Pokemon behind those sounds revealed itself. And as a plus, it was a Pokemon Ash has never seen before once.
This Pokemon had a wolf-like-appearance with a cyan fur colour and sharp yellow eyes. It had a pink tail and pink braids going down the side of its body. Two pink fringes of fur were present on its back. Battle scars were visible on its sides, and part of its left ear is missing as if it had been through an intense moment in its life.
This mysterious Pokemon stared at Ash and Pikachu, not making a single sound whatsoever as the fog surrounded its body.
"Pika..." Pikachu had electricity come out of his sacs as he was prepared for the worst.
"A Pokemon I've never seen before..." Ash dug into his pockets, taking out his Pokedex to see who this Pokemon was.
However, surprisingly and unexpectedly, the Pokedex couldn't properly scan the mysterious Pokemon as there was no information for it at all. "No matching Pokemon found in past data." The dex informed.
"So it's a new species of Pokemon?!" Ash was surprised. Never before has he come across something like this before. All the other Pokemon he's met have data based around them. Even Arceus himself.
This was the first time the Pokedex was stumped and clueless.
All of a sudden, the mysterious Pokemon's eyes lit up as it lunged at Ash and Pikachu whilst letting out a howl.
Similarly, Goh had a mysterious encounter of his own. He heard the howling from the forest, unsure of where it was coming from. That's when he met a Pokemon that was identical to the one that Ash was currently with.
This Pokemon had magenta coloured fur along with the same yellow eyes as the other one. Compared to the other Pokemon which had a slimmer frame, this Pokemon had a bulkier frame and a ponytail on its head. Its forelimbs, tail, and ponytail were all a deep blue. Its body was covered in battle scars, like the other one and part of its right ear was missing too. Its head and neck have thick fur resembling a shield.
Naturally, Goh was curious about what this Pokemon was. "What's that...?" Goh took out his Rotomphone to scan it.
But just like the other one and Ash's Pokedex, the data for this Pokemon was also unavailable. "No registered data for this Pokemon! Unable to analyze!"
"That means...it's a new species of Pokemon?!" And just like with Ash, the unidentified Pokemon lunged at Goh with its eyes flashing yellow.
Back with Ash, he and Pikachu had just managed to avoid the lunge from the cyan Pokemon. "Pika?!"
"Heh! Just what I hoped for!" Ash grinned as he held his hat. "Let's battle!"
"Pika-Pika!"
"Pikachu! Iron Tail!" Ash put his arm out.
"Chu..." Pikachu jumped in the air, performing a backflip as his tail hardened up with a white glow on it. "Pika!" Pikachu then swung his Iron Tail forward, expecting to hit the unidentified Pokemon.
But to his shock, he went right through it along with Iron Tail. "Pika?!"
"Huh?!" Ash gasped.
Over with Goh, he instead tried to catch the Pokemon instead of battling it as he already had a Poke Ball. "I'll catch you! Go!" He tossed the Poke Ball. But even that phased right through the magenta Pokemon, tumbling on the ground. "W-What?!"
The magenta Pokemon stared at Goh, not moving an inch at all. Raboot kicked up a pebble, already knowing that some work had to be done against this Pokemon. "Boot..."
"Oh, right! Raboot! Use Ember!"
"Ra!" Raboot kicked the pebble two times as it was set on fire. "Boot!" The Rabbit Pokemon then sent the Ember right towards the Magenta Pokemon. But even that one failed and went through it. "Ra?!"
"It went right through?!" Goh pulled back. Confusion and bewilderment started to fill his head as he had no idea what was up with this Pokemon.
First, the Poke Ball goes through and now the Ember. It was as if this Pokemon along with the other one with Ash wasn't actually here. But just merely an apparition.
And speaking of Ash, his attempts to land a hit on this Pokemon failed miserably as the cyan Pokemon stared at him and Pikachu.
"What's going on?"
Just as Ash said that those same haunting howls came in. But not only that, the fog in the forest suddenly enveloped the entire area, thickening all of a sudden. For both Ash and Goh.
As if these Pokemon weren't mysterious enough. It seems as if they had control over the fog in some way. Pikachu stayed close to Ash whilst Sobble and Raboot stayed close to Goh as the fog started to the close in on them.
With Twilight and her friends, they were already making their way to Trottingham and Galar.
They did this by taking the gateway to Lumiose City which had a nearby gateway located East at Route 16. That Route had its own gateway that led to Neighagra Falls. And of course, that one had its own nearby gateway which led straight to Virbank City.
Obviously, with all these connections, getting to certain destinations had never been this easy before. If anything, the Rift had managed to gift Twilight and her friends the best form of transportation yet.
"So, this Professor Magnolia person. She's like the best with Dynamax?" Rainbow Dash said.
"Apparently. If we had known about her existence in the first place, we would've gone to her and learned more about Dynamax before the crisis." Twilight replied.
"At least we'll be meeting her for the first time." Fluttershy smiled.
"But which part of Galar are we gonna end up in even? And couldn't we have just taken the plane from Kanto?" Applejack asked.
"This is much quicker. As for the location in Galar...I'm not too sure about that one." Twilight shook her head. "We'll have to wait and see."
They continued on their way to the Galar Region by passing through the next gateway. Trottingham was nearly within their reach at this point, along with the gateway to Galar.
Along the way, they were already worried about other parts of Equestria They feared that Dynamaxed Pokemon had already resurfaced. But their fears had been quickly subsided once they remembered that the Swords of Justice were around.
Back at the hangar, one of the worst possible scenarios was occurring.
The core that Eternatus resided in was starting to break apart, showing that it was no longer able to hold the mysterious Pokemon any longer,
Eternatus has been absorbing Galar Particles from not just Galar but Equestria as well. As such, it's power has built up to such as a large level that the core was starting to look useless now.
In the original timeline, Eternatus reached its peak by absorbing all of the Dynamax energy from Galar. But now, with Equestria energy involved, the peak of its power was at a higher level.
The core was starting to crack with red lights shooting out of it. This prompted the scientists to pay close attention as they were all startled by this. They didn't expect the core to crack this soon.
With Eternatus almost breaking free of the core, the scientists all made a run for it as they weren't ready to be caught up in whatever chaotic shenanigans that might ensue with this Pokemon breaking free.
The hangar had been evacuated as more Galar particles flew out of the core, setting off to find some Pokemon to Dynamax instantly.
Over at the Slumerbing Weald, the outcome of Ash and Goh wasn't anything that involved them getting hurt once the fog had finally closed in on them.
However, the fog was capable of knocking them out as they had been unconscious for a while. It didn't take long for them to wake up as the heavy fog seemed to have subsided.
"Mrrgh..." Goh got up first, holding his head. "Where am I?" He took a moment to process why he came here in the first place. "Oh, right! Ash! Ash! Where are you?!" Goh tried calling for Ash's name, but no luck. "Ash!
Seeing how his calling wasn't effective at all, Goh decided to wander about in the forest until he could find his research friend.
That's when he got himself a call. But not by Ash. Instead, it was from Twilight. The Xtransceiver and Rotomphone could thankfully share trainer numbers. "Hm? Twilight?" Goh answered his Rotomphone.
"Goh! Glad I could answer you! I've been trying to reach Ash but nothing!" Twilight bellowed. "Where is he? Isn't he supposed to be with you?"
"About that...I've kinda lost Ash too. We're in this Slumbering Weald forest in Galar with all this fog." Goh looked around the forest. "We got separated once we came in here."
"Did you say a forest with fog?" Fluttershy moved her head to the screen.
"Mhm." Goh nodded.
"Funny story!" Pinkie went in front of Twilight and Fluttershy. "We just spotted one from super far away!"
"Eh? Eh?! Then does that mean you're close?"
"I think so." Starlight was now the focus of the screen. "Hold on. We'll be right there!"
"Okay. See ya soon." Goh hung up on them as he sighed. "Thank goodness...But where is Ash? Maybe he went back to the train without me?"
Speaking of the train, the sounds of it honking passed through Goh's ears, making the researcher's eyes widen. That could only mean one thing. The train was about to leave.
"Oh no!" Goh gasped as he ran to the direction where he heard the honk. He and his Pokemon ran as fast they could to try and catch up to the train, but unfortunately, it was already too late.
The train had left, leaving Goh behind and to an extent Ash as he and his Pokemon watched the train slink away, heading off to another location in the Galar Region.
"Curses." Goh sighed, feeling defeated that he had lost the train. However, his defeat soon turned to a semi-victory as his running led him out of the Slumbering Weald, finally.
And that prompted Twilight and the others to notice him. "Goh!" Twilight waved at him.
"Oh, finally. Some familiar faces." Goh felt relieved. So far this day has been a bit more eventful than he expected. Little did he know what was coming his way.
After passing through so many gateways, they had finally made it to the Galar Region. Trottingham's gateway led to a train track close to the Slumbering Weald from the looks of it.
"Goh. Have you found Ash yet?" Starlight asked.
"No..." Goh lowered his head. "I think he might've gotten on the train already but, I'm not so sure."
"You guys got lost in there?" Pinkie pointed her hoof at the Slumbering Weald.
"Right. That place is kinda creepy...I passed out all of a sudden from all the fog, I think. I'm not too sure."
"Well, we're here now right." Rarity said. "Where is this Professor Magnolia?"
"Well...that train was meant to take us to Wedgehurst but..." Goh sighed.
"Don't worry about it." Pinkie appeared behind Goh, patting him on the back. "We'll find both Ash and this Professor Magnolia person in no time." She reassured him.
"Esp?" Eve's ears perked up as she looked up in the sky. She was the first to see the purple streaks of Galar Particles flying shooting in the sky. "Espeon. Esp." Eve nudged Twilight's hoof.
"What is it, Eve?"
"Eon." The Sun Pokemon raised her paw, showing Twilight and her friends the sight of the Galar Particles and how they were passing by.
"Those purple lights..." Fluttershy gawked.
"They kinda look like Dynamax lights." Rainbow Dash narrowed her eyes. With her mentioning Dynamax, this gave everypony the conclusion that there was indeed a second Dynamax crisis heading their way.
But before they could decide what to do next, all of a sudden, a pink car almost crashed into all of them, causing each of them to jump in shock as they had been startled.
"H-Huh?!" Goh pulled back whilst Starlight and Rarity fell on their backs.
The person inside of the pink car was none other than Sonia, who had binoculars out, looking straight up at the sky. "Oh dear, even out here?" Sonia said.
"S-Sonia?!" Fluttershy exclaimed.
"Hm?" Sonia turned her attention to the one who called her. Very soon, she had seen so many familiar faces along with an extra one right in front of her. "Oh! My little ponies! Are you here investigating the Galar particles too?"
"Something like that. We're actually heading to find this Professor Magnolia person." Starlight replied.
"Professor Magnolia?" Sonia thought for a second. "Oh, you mean my grandmother!"
"Grandmother?!" They all shouted in unison, not expecting Sonia to be the granddaughter of Professor Magnolia. But, they've technically struck gold now and found an easier way to reach Professor Magnolia.
As for Ash, he had just woken up after being knocked out. He and Pikachu stretched their limbs, feeling a bit refreshed after that. "Why was I sleeping here?"
"Pika..."
"Where's that Pokemon?!" Ash looked around for the Pokemon as he still remembered seeing it. "We'd better get back to the train soon, Pikachu."
"Pikachu." Pikachu hopped on his partner's shoulder, ready to leave this unknown forest since it was already starting to make him feel sleepy again.
The duo ventured in the Slumbering Weald, trying to find a way out of here whilst also searching for Goh. "Goh! Are you here?! Goh!"
"Pika! Pika!"
"I won't make it aboard in a time like this. Goh could've gone on ahead. I'll have to take the chance."
"Pi. Pika?" Very soon, Pikachu and Ash would end up noticing the streaking purple lights in the sky themselves, making them aware of it. Still, where they'd up landing was a mystery. But one that Ash and Pikachu would end up following.
The closest Dynamax light to them seemed to be heading straight for a small town where the people there were unbothered by anything at the moment.
"Centi! Here's some Oran Berries." A little girl was giving a Centiskorch some berries to eat the moment alongside her father.
"Skorch!" The Radiator Pokemon took a bite out of the berries, getting the wonderful taste of them in its mouth. "Centiskorch!"
The Centiskorch, the little girl and the father seemed happy due to how peaceful it was here. But unfortunately, that peace wouldn't last at all.
A Galar Particle had found its way here at the small town. Despite it being a random streak of light, it still had the ability to aim and find a target due to Eternatus being apart of it.
The streak of light crashed down on Centiskorch, catching the Radiator Pokemon off guard. "Centi?!
"Ah!"The little girl backed up as her father held her.
"C-Centiskorch?" The father stammered.
"C-CE-CENTI!" That's when it had begun. Centiskorch was one of the first Pokemon to Gigantamax as its body was pulsating, growing in size as the skies around the town turned red all of a sudden. "CENTISKORCH!"
"W-What's going on?!" A townsperson said as they were all looking up at the Gigantamaxed Centiskorch. "Gigantamaxing in the middle of town?!"
"I don't know either!" The father replied, holding his daughter.
"SKORCH!" The Fire-Bug-Type bellowed as it suddenly coiled its body up. The circles on it started glowing bright yellow as massive fireball then forms before its body.
This prompted the townspeople to make a run for it as soon as they can as they were panicking and screaming. "No, Centiskorch!" The father screamed as he ran away.
"Centi!" The daughter called out for the Radiator Pokemon. But with Eternatus being in control, any sense of reason was knocked out of the park.
The fireball was released from Centiskorch's body as once it made contact with the ground, the nearest building had been wiped out in one go, leaving nothing but a small pile of rubble with fire spreading.
But Equestria wasn't safe from this either.
Over at Canterlot, they were all unaware of what was coming their way as well.
Daylight Blazer was currently at his home with his Medicham out as they were having a small conversation at the moment. "Alright, Medicham. We're going to swap out Fire Punch with Calm Mind. So let's train hard, okay?"
"Medi!" Medicham agreed to learn a new move if it means that he and Daylight can become stronger together. However, their moment of peace had been interrupted once a Galar Particle came flying in, breaking through the windows and choosing Medicham as its target. "Cham?!"
"Huh?!" Daylight backed away. "Medicham?!"
"Ch-Cham...Medi!" Just like Centiskorch and all the other Pokemon across the land, the Meditate Pokemon was growing in size, unable to control its body as he was in immense pain. "MEDI...CHAM!"
Medicham broke through the ceiling of the house, startling everypony as the skies turned red. They were all graced with the sight of a super-sized Medicham.
Daylight and Sunrise ran out of their homes before it crumbled into pieces. Daylight wasn't so sure what was going on or why his Medicham suddenly gigantified out of nowhere. "Medicham! What's wrong?!"
"C-Cham...Medicham!" Enraged with violent energy boiling from within, Medicham stomped its feet on the ground, causing a mini-earthquake to occur.
The buildings in Canterlot trembled with some of them having the windows shattered and ceilings falling off just by Medicham stomping his feet.
Naturally, it didn't take long for the Royal Sisters to notice the super-sized Fighting-Psychic-Type just standing there. After that commotion and sudden earthquake, it was impossible to ignore.
"What is that?!" Luna gasped.
"No idea..." Celestia narrowed her eyes. "But, I have an uneasy feeling about all of this."
"Kirlia..."
The second Dynamax crisis had finally begun. All across Galar and Equestria, Dynamax Pokemon were spreading like wildfire at an unfathomable rate. Eternatus was no longer slumbering. The time for it to finish what it had started centuries ago had begun as the journey continues.
...
A small town in the Galar Region.
A Gigantamax Centiskorch is currently on a rampage, terrorizing the town that it grew up in and was taken care of with tons of love. Now it was just another catalyst for Eternatus to reach its peak power.
The Radiator Pokemon crawled across the town, spreading destruction from just its movements alone. The townspeople watched in shock and horror as they saw Centiskorch going on a rampage from a far distance. The ones more distraught by this was the father and daughter who had a close bond with Centiskorch.
It seemed like the entire town would be destroyed by Centiskorch, however, thankfully, hope came in the form of Ash and Pikachu who tracked the purple streak here to this town.
"Sorry, coming through!" Ash exclaimed as he had entered the small town.
"Pi!"
"This isn't the Wild Area or Galar Stadium..." Ash narrowed his eyes. "So did that light streak cause this?"
"It glowed red and Dynamaxed all on its own..." The father said to Ash. "Then it stopped listening to me, its trainer..."
"What happened to you, Centi?" The daughter whimpered. "You were so friendly before."
"What is that...?" Ash took out his Pokedex to see who this Pokemon was.
"Centiskorch. The Radiator Pokemon. Gigantamax form. When it heats up, its body temperature reaches about 1,500 degrees Fahrenheit. It lashes its body like a whip and launches itself at enemies. Gigantamax energy has evoked a rise in its body temperature, now reaching over 1,800 degrees Fahrenheit. Its heatwaves incinerate its enemies. The heat that comes off a Gigantamax Centiskorch may destabilize air currents. Sometimes it can even cause storms."
"We'll sort it out!" Ash put his Pokedex away. "Everyone wait here!"
"Stop! Don't be so reckless!" The father warned him.
"I'll be fine!" Ash and Pikachu ran off to stop Centiskorch's rampage.
"H-Hey! Kid!" Trying to stop Ash was impossible when he sets his sights on something.
From the direction Centiskorch was facing, it was most likely prone to go on a rampage across the entire region instead of just this one small town. Dynamax Pokemon under Eternatus's control are unable to think for themselves. They only seek to rampage at this point.
"Centiskorch! Stop it!" Ash called out Centiskorch's name.
"Cent?" The Radiator Pokemon turned around.
"Everyone's worried and scared! So please, you gotta stop rampaging!"
"Pika!"
"Cent...CENTISKORCH!" Unable to listen to reason, Centiskorch attacked Ash and Pikachu by slamming its head on the ground.
Luckily, Ash and Pikachu managed to avoid it, but the shock of the impact made them tumble and fall on the ground. "No good...It's just like before in Equestria. Centiskorch's confused and mad." Ash stood up.
"Skorch..."
"I have to do something...Pikachu! Let's do it!"
"Pika!"
"Riolu! You too!" Ash sent out his Riolu to help.
"Rio!"
"Pikachu, use Electroweb! Riolu! Vacuum Wave!" Ash pointed up at Centiskorch who was staring them down.
"Pika-Pika-Pika-Pika!" Pikachu jumped up, summoning a web of electricity as he flung it towards Centiskorch's face. "Chu-Pika!"
The web of electricity stuck on to the Radiator Pokemon's face, causing Centiskorch to shake its head about. "C-Centi...!"
"Rio...Lu!" Riolu chimed in by creating a light blue wind around his palm. The Emanation Pokemon jumped up, firing the concentrated wind in the form of a beam.
The Vacuum Wave connected with the Electroweb as the beam smacked Centiskorch in the face, forcing the Electroweb further in. "S-Skorch!"
But it would take a lot more than that to take out a Gigantamaxed Pokemon. Especially one that's being controlled by Eternatus. Because very quickly, Centiskorch managed to recover as it broke the Electroweb from its face.
"Uh-oh!" Ash stood back.
It was Centiskorch's turn to attack by using a Max move known as Max Flutterby. Multicoloured sparkles of light appeared around Gigantamax Centiskorch's upper body, forming into light green orbs of energy.
"Dragonite! I choose you!" Ash sent out his Dragonite for assistance.
"Dra!" The Dragon Pokemon roared whilst Centiskorch was building up power with Max Flutterby.
"Dragonite! Hurricane! Pikachu, use Electroweb! Riolu, use Vacuum Wave!"
All at once, the three Pokemon worked in unison whilst Centiskorch had finished charging up. The orbs then burst, releasing blasts of light green energy and multicoloured butterfly-shaped energies towards the trio.
Pikachu, Dragonite and Riolu initiated a coordinated attack as a combination of electricity and wind were sent towards the Max Flutterby.
The moves had clashed with the Max move, entering a small struggle for a little bit. But it was then revealed that their combined power was enough to rival the strength of Centiskorch's Max Flutterby as they cancelled each other out, resulting in an explosion.
"Man...Dynamax Pokemon can really take hits like they were nothing...This is gonna be a bit tougher than I thought." Ash growled.
"Centi!" Centiskorch was about to pull off its signature G-Max Centiferno once more as it coiled its body up whilst building up heat.
"Not good!" Ash realized that standing next to this attack was a bad idea. "Run for it!" As they turned around whilst the fireball had been conjured up, Dragonite swooped in to grab all three of them in its large hands, saving them from the imminent fireball.
Centiskorch was still building up as it looked like it would end up being the biggest one yet. If it were to be released, the destruction of the town could be catastrophic.
Luckily, Ash wasn't the only one trying to prevent any further destruction.
"Charizard! Rock Tomb!" The voice of Leon could be heard nearby. All of a sudden, multiple large boulders came falling from above, outlined in white energy as they had interrupted Centiskorch's charging.
"Skorch...!"
"Huh...?" Ash looked up to see who could've possibly stopped Centiskorch's attack like that. And lo and behold, it was indeed Leon who was riding on his Charizard. "Leon!" Ash gasped.
"Ash! Leave the rest to me!" Leon waved at Ash as he and Charizard closed in on Centiskorch.
"Okay! Dragonite, we can stand back now."
"Dragon!" The Dragon Pokemon understood as it carried its friends away from the battle, leaving everything up to Leon and Charizard now.
"Centi...?" Cenitskorch turned around, locking its eyes onto Charizard and Leon.
"Charizard! Air Slash!"
"Char!" Charizard's wings glowed light blue as he dived down. He then flapped his wings, firing multiple light-blue glowing blades of energy from them. The blades rained down on Centiskorch, dealing heavy damage to the Radiator Pokemon as Charizard flew by.
And surprisingly, that one single Air Slash was enough to finish off Centiskorch as the Radiator Pokemon was beginning to shrink back down. Eternatus's energy was leaving its body.
"Leon is so awesome..." Ash gawked.
"Pika..."
"C-Cen...Centiskorch...?" The defeated Centiskorch was back to normal. And like every Pokemon when they're knocked out of Dynamax, the only thing left is utter confusion. Which is exactly what Centiskorch was feeling right now as it looked around.
"Centi!" The little girl ran over, tearing up as she gave the Radiator Pokemon a sudden hug. "I'm so glad you're okay! Centiskorch!"
"Skorch..."
"Thank you. You saved us..." The father sighed, going over to Ash. "Centiskorch. We were worried about you."
"Oh! Champion Leon!" The little girl exclaimed, noticing Leon walking over here.
"The odd gleam in its eyes have left too," Leon said. "That's good that Centiskorck is okay."
"I'd expect nothing less from Champion Leon!" A member of the town exclaimed.
"You really are the hero of Galar!" Another one spoke, praising Leon.
Multiple Thank you's flowed through Leon's ears. But that wasn't what he was focusing on right now. Like Ash, he was here for the same reason involving Dynamax.
"I only did what any champion would've done," Leon replied. "As for the string of rampaging Dynamax Pokemon lately...I hope to find the cause of it as soon as possible and make sure it doesn't happen again. So until then, everyone, please prioritize your own safety."
"Yes!" They all collectively listened to Leon.
"Charizard, let's go." Leon looked at his partner.
"Zard!" The Flame Pokemon nodded in understanding as Leon got on Charizard's back.
"Wait, Leon! Where are you going?" Ash ran over.
"To stop the Dynamax Pokemon that are rampaging everywhere."
"Then, let us help you too!" Ash insisted.
"Pika-Pika!"
"I appreciate the sentiment but..."
"Please!" Ash never backs down from the opportunity to help others in dire situations. The serious and sharp look in his eyes was full of fire and electricity from what Leon could see. Telling Ash otherwise was impossible. And Leon could tell.
"Understood." Leon accepted Ash's offer. "Let's get going then!"
"Sure!"
And so it was. Two champions would set off to stop the rampaging Dynamax Pokemon as they both rode on Charizard and Dragonite, high in the skies.
A somewhat perfect duo.
Meanwhile, with Twilight, Goh and the others.
They were all collectively inside of Sonia's pink car. Due to the size comparison of the ponies to the humans, all of them could fit inside of it. Especially Spike.
However, they had the unfortunate opportunity of having Sonia be their driver. Mostly due to the fact that her driving skills are a bit chaotic and unbalanced.
The car would shake, fly high over bumps and even almost go off-road. Right now, the ride was rickety for all of them as the ponies were holding on to dear life whilst Sonia advances towards Wedgehurst at high speeds with the car hitting constant speed bumps and going airborne.
The sounds of them screaming in fear, praying that Sonia doesn't bring them to their inevitable doom whilst Sonia just kept a straight face as if this whole thing was not a problem whatsoever.
"A-Aaah...!" Applejack's eyes widened as she held onto Rarity.
"I should've flown..." Rainbow Dash's head was sticking outside of car window as she felt sick from Sonia's unpredictable driving. "Ugh..."
"S-Sonia! Is driving your speciality?!" Twilight stuttered as she and Starlight held each other whilst closing their eyes.
"Don't worry! T-This is just a beaten-up car! I'm an expert at this!" Sonia's words didn't make any of them feel better.
"Mmrrgh...Is Ash available now?" Twilight whimpered.
"L-Let me check!" Goh grabbed the seats firmly as he took out his Rotomphone, calling for Ash. "Rotomphone. Call Ash."
"Okay! Calling Ash!"
The call from the Rotomphone managed to reach Ash as they weren't exactly too far away. They were in the same region after all.
"Incoming call from Goh." The Rotomphone said repeatedly.
Ash picked up the phone, answering his friend. "Hello? Goh? Where are you?"
"YOU PICKED UP!" Goh suddenly screamed in Ash's ear. "Same, to you Ash! Where have you been?!"
"I-I'm headed to stop the rampaging Dynamax Pokemon with Leon.
"You're with Leon?!"
"The Champion Leon?!" Pinkie suddenly said as her voice travelled through the phone.
"Hm? Pinkie Pie?" Ash raised an eyebrow. "Oh! Did you all meet up?"
"Yeah. All of us. We're headed somewhere else instead of Wedgehurst right now. Turrfield with Sonia." Goh explained.
"Sonia...?"
"Yeah, remember? From Wyndon Stadium!" Goh exclaimed. "The woman we met by the statue of the hero!"
"Oh, yeah! Wasn't she investigating a legend or something?"
"Yeah. The Dynamax Pokemon rampaging in Galar right now seems to be connected to the legend of the hero."
"I remember reading about that in the Galar book!" Twilight spoke on the phone. "Guess it was a good idea to skip ahead for once."
"So we're headed straight for Turrfield and the ruins there with Sonia to solve the legend," Fluttershy added her voice to the phone.
"Got it! And Equestria?"
"We haven't checked up on yet. But we're sure that the Swords of Justice and Absol are doing their best to protect it." Twilight replied. "We'll meet up with you later, Ash!"
"Okay! Take good care!" Ash nodded as he and Leon were approaching an area where a Dynamax Pangoro was present as the sky turned red.
"Ash! It's in sight!" Leon exclaimed.
"Oh! Right! See ya later!" Ash hung up on Goh.
"W-Wait...Ash!" Goh tried to speak to him more, but it was too late. "Honestly..."
Both sides were on their own missions but they promised each other that they would meet up eventually once each problem is somewhat sorted out. Galar and Equestria are both in the midst of a Dynamax Crisis, mainly Equestria since this is its second crisis.
Equestria, Canterlot.
Daylight Blazer's Medicham had been Dynamaxed by force thanks to an approaching Galar Particle that came straight from the other world, courtesy of Eternatus.
The Meditate Pokemon was on a rampage like many others, as the ponies of Canterlot backed away from this suddenly super-sized Pokemon.
"Medicham! What's gotten into you?! And how'd you get so big?!" Daylight bellowed, looking up at his Pokemon. "Return, Medicham!" He held out Medicham's Poke Ball, attempting to return him.
But unfortunately, with Dynamaxed Pokemon under Eternatus's control, that wasn't possible at all. Medicham's Poke Ball could not bring the Meditate Pokemon back inside, much to Daylight's dismay.
"Medi...CHAM!" Medicham was about to pull off a Max move. Specifically the move Max Mindstorm. By raising his hands, the Meditate Pokemon summoned a spiral of psychic energy from its head.
The buildings of Canterlot were starting to levitate as the power of Max Mindstorm was enough to control all of Equestria as all the ponies were now airborne unable to control their bodies.
Celestia and Luna managed to resist it thanks to their alicorn magic, but the force of Max Mindstorm was still overwhelming as their hooves were struggling to stay on the ground.
"I'm not sure what's going on but...Somepony has to subdue that Medicham!" Celestia growled. "Passion! Use Thunderbolt!"
"K-Kirlia...!" Passion was also being levitated by Max Mindstorm but she could still act and utilize moves. The Emotion Pokemon cupped her hands together as she sent a bolt of 100,000 volts forward.
The thunderbolt broke through the windows of the castle as it went straight for the unaware Medicham. Medicham was about to slam the entirety of Canterlot by using Max Mindstorm to do so as the castle was slowly being ripped out of the ground.
But, that didn't happen since Thunderbolt connected with the Meditate Pokemon's face, throwing him off his concentration as Max Mindstorm disappeared, bringing everything that had been levitated back down.
"CHAM?!"
"We'll just put it to sleep! Darkrai! Use Dark Void!" Luna ordered as Darkrai emerged from the shadows.
"On it." The Pitch Black Pokemon spoke as he flew out of the castle, phasing through it. Darkrai put his hands together, creating a crimson ball as he held it above his head, releasing multiple smaller balls from the larger one all around its body.
The Dark Void was a success as the moment it made contact with Medicham, the Meditation Pokemon's entire body was engulfed in a pink crimson bubble that was fading away into a dark crimson.
That one single Dark Void was enough to put Medicham to sleep with ease. Truly a very useful move indeed. Medicham was now asleep, immobilized but still in its Dynamaxed state.
"Phew...Thanks, Darkrai." Daylight sat down.
"Daylight Blazer. Are you alright?" Celestia flew over to him.
"Princess Celestia? Yeah, I'm fine." He nodded. "Not sure about Medicham though."
"Tell me, is there any reason why your Medicham is acting like this?"
"No idea." He shook his head. "One minute we're about to train and learn a new move and the next thing I know, Medicham suddenly gets big out of nowhere."
"Which was awesome!" Sunrise exclaimed as Daylight pushed his little brother back.
"I tried putting him back in his Poke Ball but..." Daylight held the Poke Ball out, attempting to return his partner. "It won't work for some reason. I don't get it."
"Hm..." Celestia went up to the sleeping Medicham for further investigation. She noticed how Medicham had an ominous red energy around his body.
This red energy reminded her a bit of the red pillars of light she saw through her telescope a few weeks back. Celestia wasn't sure what it meant since she hasn't heard of Dynamax yet, but she could tell that this red energy could be the cause of Medicham growing all of a sudden.
"Everypony stay back," Celestia ordered the citizens to not get close to Medicham. She could already feel something eerie about this energy as if it was telling her to be cautious at all times.
"What do we do now, sister? We can't just leave a giant Pokemon out here?" Luna went to her older sister. "Do we try and carry it away?"
"Hmm...This is a bit of a predicament. Medicham could wake up at any moment as well...Perhaps we should ask Hollow when he arrives here. He might know what this red energy means."
"You won't have to wait." Daylight said as he pointed his hoof over at the south.
The moment they mentioned Hollow's name, he had arrived at Canterlot, instantly spotting the Dynamaxed Medicham. Anyone would be able to notice it if they arrive here. It practically takes up most of Canterlot.
"Whaaa...?" Hollow squinted his eyes, gazing right at Medicham. "A Dynamax Pokemon? Here? How?"
"Hollow!" Celestia teleported to him. "Glad you're here. You might be able to help us in this situation. If you know whatever this means." Celestia turned to Medicham.
"...How is there a Dynamax Pokemon here?" Hollow pointed over at Medicham.
"Dynamax?" Celestia, Luna and Daylight both said at the same time.
"What is this Dynamax you speak of?" Luna asked. "And what do you mean by How is there a Dynamax Pokemon here?"
"Ah. Guess I should explain it first. Well...Dynamax is another of our world's many phenomenons. It's when a Pokemon changes size due to either a Dynamax den, a Dynamax band from the trainer or a Power spot."
"Dens? Power spots? I don't see any of those." Daylight moved his head around.
"Well, that's because Dynamax is only exclusive to the Galar Region and nowhere else. In fact, it should be impossible for a Dynamax Pokemon to be here. Did you Dynamax Medicham in my world first and then bring it here?"
"No." Daylight shook his head. "He just grew right inside of our home and things got a bit messy after that."
"If this Dynamax phenomenon is only meant to exist in the Galar Region...what could've caused it to occur here?" Luna wondered.
"We'll figure that out later. Hollow. How do we return Medicham to its original size?" Celestia asked him.
"Well, if a Pokemon Dynamaxes by the trainer's will, they'll return to their normal size in a few minutes. But if it isn't by the trainer's will and the Pokemon just randomly Dynamaxes out of nowhere, the only way you can return Medicham is by knocking it out. That way, all that Dynamax energy will leave its body pronto."
"Just knock out Medicham?" Luna turned to the Meditation Pokemon. "Hmph. This should be easy. Darkrai."
"Yes." Darkrai flew in front of Luna.
"Let's finish this in one go! Use Dark Pulse!"
"Hm!" Darkrai ascended to the sky as he crouched together, extending his arms quickly, making a wave of purple circles come out of its claws towards the sleeping Medicham.
However, it didn't take long for Medicham to wake up as the Meditate Pokemon could sense an attack coming its way. "Medi!" Medicham had woken up, noticing that it was being attacked at the moment.
As a response, the Meditate Pokemon put his arms out, blocking the Dark Pulse with its enlarged hands. "Rats! If it had just stayed asleep a bit longer..." Luna growled.
"CHAM!" Medicham's rampage continued, but this time, it was even more aggressive than before. Medicham was now utilizing its yoga skills to destroy as the Meditate Pokemon kicked an entire roof off in one go.
The roof was forced off the building it came from as Medicham directed it towards Darkrai. The Pitch Black Pokemon gasped as he instinctively moved out of the way, but the flying roof was still threatening Canterlot as it could crash anywhere.
The roof looked like it would crash into a house from the direction it was about to land as the ponies inside the house made a run for it.
"Passion! Mystical Fire!" Thinking quick on her hooves, Celestia ordered Passion to save that house by destroying the roof itself.
"Lia!" The Emotion Pokemon sent a spiralling blast of fire forward, incinerating the entire roof into nothing as the house was safe and sound, thankfully.
"MEDI!" Medicham didn't stop at roofs, however. He then started to levitate four buildings with his mind, using them as weapons that he could throw.
Which he did. And unfortunately, some ponies were still inside of the buildings and now their lives were being threatened by this sudden psychic levitation.
"Not good...!" Luna gasped as she was trying to think of a way to save the ponies inside whilst also stopping Medicham. But before she could think of something, Medicham tossed the four buildings as if they were baseball, endangering the lives of the ponies inside.
They held onto whatever piece of furniture appliance or solid object they could find as the ponies closed their eyes, bracing themselves whilst screaming in fear.
"Darkrai! Phase through and catch the ponies!" Luna came up with a way to potentially save the ponies. By using Darkrai's ability to phase through objects like a Ghost. Even if he wasn't a Ghost-Type.
Darkrai knew that this was risky and he couldn't save all of them that fast, but he took the risk anyway for the greater good. The Pitch Black Pokemon went for the closest house there was as he phased right through it with ease.
The two ponies inside saw Darkrai arrive as a smile graced their faces. They had faith in Darkrai since he was beloved in Canterlot by practically everypony here.
"I got you!" Darkrai grabbed the two ponies as he blasted a hole through the house with Dark Pulse. The hole was just big enough for him and the ponies to fit through as the Pitch Black Pokemon managed to save them both from their doom without a scratch.
However, he couldn't stop them all. He was just one Pokemon after all.
But that's why he has allies in the form of friends. Celestia knew that Darkrai couldn't do this alone so she pitched in to help alongside Passion.
"Passion! Catch it!"
"Kirlia!" The Emotion Pokemon was also capable of saving some lives thanks to her amazing Psychic abilities that far transcend a normal Kirlia.
Passion had used her mind to grab a house as a purple outline surrounded it. That was yet another building saved, but there were others still being thrown.
That's where Celestia and Luna came in. With their partners already catching two buildings, it was time for them to do the same.
Thanks to their amazing alicorn magic, they were just strong enough to catch two more buildings by holding them in place with their magic.
And with that, all four buildings had been saved, with the ponies being 100% alright. Albeit with a side of motion sickness and a racing heart.
"Arcanine! Quick! Use Flare Blitz!" Celestia ordered whilst she was still holding the building in place with her magic.
"Arc!" Since Arcanine wasn't holding any buildings or ponies, he was free to attack Medicham. The Legendary Pokemon's body became surrounded by red-orange fire as he shot at the Meditate Pokemon like a missile.
"Medi...Cham!" Medicham saw Arcanine coming as he was prepared to use Max Mindstorm on the Fire-Type by putting his hands out.
"I won't let you!" Hollow took out a very familiar Poke Ball. That being the Luxury Ball. And there was one particular Pokemon inside of it. "Come out and use Shadow Ball!"
The Pokemon that had been sent out was once a threat to Equestria but was now a tamed Pokemon who belonged to Hollow.
It was none other than Spiritomb. The Forbidden Pokemon.
"Spiritomb!" A purple-black ball formed in front of Spiritomb's mouth as the Forbidden Pokemon was actually listening to Hollow's commands. Mostly due to them spending some time together and a small part of it being the effects of the Luxury Ball.
The Shadow Ball flew towards the Meditate Pokemon whilst he was still focused on Arcanine. Thankfully, the assistance from Spiritomb was of great help as Medicham turned his attention towards the incoming ball of shadows.
Medicham couldn't actually do anything to Shadow Ball thanks to him being a Fighting-Psychic-Type. So, as a result, the Ghost-Type move smacked him in the face, dealing super-effective damage.
Not only that, but that immediate damage allowed Arcanine to attack without Medicham having enough time to stop him as the Legendary Pokemon smashed his fiery body into Medicham, dealing some heavy damage himself. "Canine!"
"M-Medi!"
Thanks to Arcanine and Spiritomb distracting Medicham, this allowed Celestia and the others to safely place the buildings back down without any interruptions at all.
The ponies of Canterlot were still safe, but their homes were a bit of a mess since they flew through the air, meaning the inside was a disaster right now.
"Excellent job, Arcanine." Celestia landed down next to her partner along with Passion.
"Arcanine!"
"Let's put an end to this as soon as we can before it causes any more destruction!" Luna put her hoof forward.
"Right. We'll end this in one go. Passion! Use Plasma Bolt! Arcanine! Flamethrower!"
"Darkrai! Dark Pulse!"
"Spiritomb! Shadow Ball!"
In perfect unison, all four Pokemon attacked from a great distance with their strongest special attack moves that they had to offer.
From Shadows, Darkness, Fire and Plasma itself, the four moves combined into one single move with a mixture of all kinds of different elements.
Medicham noticed that if this attack hits, it's game over. So as a way to protect himself, he had used the one move that was on the more defensive side.
Since he had the move Meditate, which wasn't an offensive move, Medicham was given access to the defensive Max move, Max Guard.
The Meditate Pokemon put his hands out, creating a light blue barrier of energy in front of itself. Medicham was expecting Max Guard to negate the attacks completely.
However, due to them being four attacks in one and one of them was pure plasma, they were actually able to affect the barrier, much to Medicham's dismay.
The combined force of all four attacks had broken through the Max Guard, surprising Medicham as the unified attack struck him square in the face.
He felt the scorching heat of pure plasma and fire and the sinister energy of shadows and darkness beat on his face at the same time, completely overwhelming the Meditate Pokemon.
And that overwhelming attack was just enough to seal the deal as Medicham couldn't take anymore. The Dynamax energy within him had faded away as he shrunk back down.
"C-Cham...Medi?" Medicham felt dizzy as he held his head. Usually, a Pokemon as focused as him rarely gets dizzy, but when he does, it stings.
"Medicham!" Daylight ran over. "Are you alright?!"
"Medicham...?"
"Return, for now, buddy. And get some rest." Daylight returned Medicham to his Poke Ball. "Whew..."
Finally, Canterlot could rest easy as the red sky returned to its normal azure colour as the sun shined through the clouds, beaming all over Canterlot.
"That solves that. Good job, Spiritomb." Hollow went over to the Forbidden Pokemon.
"Tomb!"
"Will your Medicham be alright, Daylight?" Luna asked him.
"I hope so. I'll just let him rest for a while, just in case. But uh..." Daylight looked over at his home, seeing how it was semi-destroyed. "What am I gonna do about my home?"
"No need to worry. We'll handle it." Celestia reassured. "But now that you've mentioned how Dynamax isn't supposed to be here, Hollow...I think I have a fairly good assumption as to how it arrived in our world."
"Really?" Hollow turned to her.
"Mhm. The only force that knows both of our worlds too well. The Rift. It has the power to control our worlds in any way it sees fit. "
"Oh, you're right." Luna nodded. "I didn't think about that possibility actually."
"So, what do we do then? Go up to it and stop it?" Daylight shrugged.
"Unfortunately, that seems impossible." Celestia shook her head. "The Rift far exceeds all of us in every way possible. Besides. We're not sure where it really resides. It could be anywhere."
"In the meantime, if this Dynamax thing forces Pokemon to grow out of nowhere without any control, what about the rest of Equestria?" Luna wondered. "It could be in great danger!"
"Possibly. But we won't have to worry. Cobalion and the Swords are without a doubt already on the job." Celestia smiled reassuringly. "But just to be safe, we'll search the rest of Equestria and see if any other Dynamax Pokemon have shown up. Luna, Hollow. Come with me."
"Right now?" Hollow pointed at himself.
"Yes. Right now." Celestia nodded. "Lessons can wait another day.
And so it was. Now another group was taking action to deal with the Dynamax crisis affecting both worlds as the trio set off to find out if any other Dynamax Pokemon have emerged.
Turrfield, Galar. A town within the nurturing bowl of many terraced farming fields.
Finally, Sonia, Goh, Twilight and the others had arrived after that nightmarish driving from Sonia. They all felt drained as they thought their lives would end right there.
Pinkie Pie was on the floor, Rarity and Spike held each other whilst Starlight shuddered uncontrollably. At least it was finally over.
For now.
Although, Applejack felt refreshed since Turrfield reminded her of home due to its familiar nature of being a farm and all. So she was alright.
"Ugh..." Goh groaned as he lowered his head.
"Are you all okay?" Sonia asked them, unaware of what she had caused.
"F-F-Fine..." Twilight stuttered.
"Those driving skills aren't okay..." Rainbow Dash said under her breath.
"Have a look at this, all of you," Sonia said to them as their attention had been pulled to something new.
Sonia had shown them a Geoglyph that was apart of Turrfield's expansive, lush green fields. It was hard to describe what this geoglyph was due to how erratic it was.
It had some form of a huge creature, most likely a Pokemon that was Dynamaxed along with this swirling thing next to it, possibly meant to resemble the vortex that always comes with Dynamaxed Pokemon from above.
And right below the supposed creature were smaller creatures being hit by what seemed to be a bolt of electricity. Most likely, the smaller creatures were humans or Pokemon being attacked by the Dynamaxed Pokemon.
"This is the Turrfield geoglyph?" Twilight gawked.
"They say it depicts the legend of Galar," Sonia replied to her.
"Let's see..." Goh narrowed his eyes as he was thinking back to what he had learned about the Darkest Day. "When the Galar Region was engulfed by a black vortex, gigantic Pokemon rampaged. Then a lone hero wielding a sword and shield appeared, and quelled the raging beasts."
"If it's lone, then why does my book mention two heroes?" Twilight wondered.
"That still has my curiosity." Sonia looked up. "Was it really one hero or two heroes who stopped the Darkest Day? If it was either of them, they must've had the power to stop the Darkest Day either way."
"And you're investigating the connection between that legend and Dynamax, right?" Fluttershy asked her.
"Mhm. It's my grandmother's homework for me. What does this geoglyph look like to all of you?"
They all observed the appearance of the geoglyph. Despite its obscure appearance, they were all able to tell what it was meant to represent considering why they're here in the first place.
"Gigantic Pokemon rampaging?" Starlight gave her answer.
"Oh! Is that giant swirly thing the vortex?" Pinkie pointed her hoof at the spiral.
"Possibly. Don't you all think it resembles the current situation a lot?" Sonia turned to them.
"It does." Twilight nodded. "That sure does look familiar to us."
"Perhaps the black vortex that brought about the disaster, the Darkest Day, is about to appear again? But this time in both worlds." Sonia theorized.
"A black vortex... the Darkest Day." Goh thought for a moment, recalling the first time he saw a black vortex.
"I thought I could figure something out by coming here..." Sonia grumbled.
"It looks like what happened back then. When Ash and I met Lugia." Goh recalled that moment. The only time he saw a black vortex was when Lugia first arrived at a Raid Battle.
"Lugia?! Amazing!" Sonia gawked.
"The clouds formed a black vortex back then too. Maybe vortexes form whenever a Legendary Pokemon shows up!" Goh gave his own theory. "So the Darkest Day might be connected with some crazy powerful Pokemon or something."
"Good point..." Sonia nodded her head. "This could be a real breakthrough!"
"Come to think of it..." Rainbow Dash was also thinking back to a past event. "When we first came to Galar to see Leon battle...we all saw a massive Pokemon in the clouds."
Rainbow Dash and her friends recalled their first trip to Galar by plane. From when the sky suddenly darkened in colour and how there was red lightning raging through the skies.
They all saw the body of an unknown Pokemon back then. But that was no unknown Pokemon. That was Eternatus itself, flying high above the clouds without them all even knowing who it was.
"Maybe that one has something to do with this." Twilight pointed her hoof at the geoglyph. "That could be what the giant Pokemon looks like."
"Looks like we've got a lot to work on. Let's head over to my grandmother's lab at Wedgehurst." Sonia was about to head back into the car as everypony shuddered, not wanting to head back inside that death trap.
"Y-You know...I-I think some of us will just fly." Rainbow Dash flapped her wings as she, Twilight and Fluttershy took flight, saving themselves from imminent doom.
The Underground Energy plant in the hangar. Beneath where Eternatus resides in the core.
Team Rocket were currently there, under the disguise of miners dragging coal along. They weren't here to work, whatsoever. Instead, this was a request from Giovanni himself with matters concerning Eternatus.
"Intel was that this plant hides the strongest, evilest Pokemon..." Jessie said, crossing her arms.
"But where is it?" James looked around whilst pushing the wheelbarrow full of coal.
Their answers were given to them once a tremor had startled them all. This tremor wasn't caused by a Dynamax Pokemon at all.
It was something far worse.
After absorbing a large amount of Dynamax energy from Galar and Equestria, Eternatus could finally break free of its prison at long last.
Hundreds of Galar particles emerged from the core as it was breaking apart with all the scientists inside backing away and making a run for it.
The particles flew off, searching for new targets to Dynamax. One of them ended up being a Coalossal who was just minding its own business.
But that wasn't important right now.
Eternatus was free.
The core had shattered into millions of tiny pieces as this overwhelmingly powerful Pokemon had finally awakened, emerging from the shattered core.
"Yes...! This is much better than I expected!" Rose gazed at the sight of Eternatus. "Is this not incredible, Oleana? Finally, Eternatus can become the saviour of Galar's Future by overcoming the Darkest Day itself."
"S-Sure..." Oleana stammered as her eyes widened, gazing at the overwhelming size of this Pokemon.
With Eternatus being free, the Gigantic Pokemon flew up, breaking through the hangar with ease as it was off to finish what it had started.
When Eternatus moved, Galar Particles began shooting out of its body, as if it had to let it all out constantly due to how much power is building up within it.
The force of Eternatus moving was enough to tremble Hammerlocke and any other location nearby. The skies turned red as the people of Hammerlocke looked up to see this behemoth of a Pokemon emerge and cloud the sky with its crimson colours.
Any nearby Pokemon made a run for it after seeing Eternatus for the first time whilst the people of Hammerlocke did the same, along with Team Rocket, who weren't ready for this whatsoever.
Eternatus's pressure was so immense that it was reaching other locations in Galar as well. One of them being near Sonia and the others.
For once, it wasn't Sonia's driving that was the most chaotic thing here, nor was it causing the car to act all wobbly.
"W-What's that pressure?!" Rarity gasped as she held on the seats.
"No idea!" Sonia kept her focus on the road, trying to ignore the immense pressure. But it was too difficult thanks to Eternatus exerting too much of it.
They couldn't exactly see what was causing it, other than Rainbow Dash, Twilight and Fluttershy who could fly. Since they were in the sky, above the car, they were the first ponies to see it all for themselves.
"What is that?" Fluttershy shuddered as she looked back.
"The entire skies turning red!" Rainbow Dash looked up to see how the energy of Eternatus was spreading across the skies, painting all the clouds red as any semblance of the colour blue was engulfed by the Dynamax Energy.
Twilight noticed a large figure in the clouds as she squinted her eyes. She looked closely, but she couldn't quite make out what she was looking at due to how chaotic this Pokemon looked.
It had a vaguely draconic shape and a skeletal appearance which was largely dark violet with red highlights. Its main body and tail was long, thin, and resembled a spinal column as it had four small, thin limbs ending in claws formed from spindly appendages attached at right angles.
Its torso was formed from a cage of appendages resembling ribs, and inside is a glowing pink core that serves as Eternatus's energy source, absorbing energy to sustain it.
Its head was triangular in shape and had a pair of white, eye-like markings in the form of three connected circles, as well as a spindly lower jaw with several diamond-shaped teeth.
Over its head was a translucent red film held between five long spikes extending toward its body's rear. Eternatus also had a pair of thin tendrils extending from its back, formed from numerous triangular segments.
"W-W-What is that thing...?" Twilight was horrified by this alien-like Pokemon as she kept on flying. She couldn't abandon her friends to check out that current scenario since they were already closing in on Wedgehurst. But her worries were starting to build up.
Eternatus was free at last.
...
Galar, Region.
The Darkest Day had finally come.
Eternatus has awakened and freed itself, hovering high above the skies of Galar as its shadow was cast over all of Hammerlocke.
Eternatus had already sent hundreds of Galar Particles that had spread across Galar the moment it broke free. And some of them had even travelled to Equestria, only worsening the situation even further.
However, due to how much power Eternatus had absorbed, it decided to cool off for a bit by concealing itself in the clouds. The Gigantic Pokemon flew high up, hiding inside of the clouds for the time being.
People of Hammerlocke watched as Eternatus had left their sights, but the crimson sky remained above Hammerlocke and the Wild Area. Eternatus was just taking a moment to process all this overwhelming power since it had never felt anything like this before.
They believed that the Pokemon had left them, thinking that there was now peace. But that was far from the truth. Eternatus was still affecting the world around it even with minimal movements.
Pokemon all across the Wild Area had been hit with Galar Particles, forcing them all to Dynamax as they were all going on a rampage now.
It wasn't limited to the Wild Area either. Towns across Galar had Pokemon who belonged to trainers suddenly Dynamax before their very eyes, losing all sense of reason as the sounds of people screaming and Pokemon roaring could be heard for hours.
Luckily, some would try their best to stop this disaster. Two of them being Ash and Leon who were flying from area to area, subduing any Dynamax Pokemon they come across.
Over at the Galar mines, Ash and Leon had come across another Gigantamaxed Pokemon. That being Gigantamax Coalossal.
"Ash! Do you see it?" Leon said to him.
"Oh. Who's that Pokemon?" Ash took his dex out for Coalossal.
"Coalossal. The Coal Pokemon. Gigantamax Form. It's usually peaceful, but the vandalism of mines enrages it. Offenders will be incinerated with flames that reach 2,700 degrees Fahrenheit. While it's engaged in battle, its mountain of coal will burn bright red, sending off sparks that scorch the surrounding area. Its body is a colossal stove. With Gigantamax energy stoking the fire, this Pokémon's flame burns hotter than 3,600 degrees Fahrenheit. When Galar was hit by a harsh cold wave, this Pokémon served as a giant heating stove and saved many lives."
"Here we go! Stay alert, Ash!"
"Got it!" Ash nodded as he and Leon closed in on Coalossal, ready to confront and return it to normal.
Meanwhile, with Sonia and the others, they were still making their way towards Wedgehurst, with only a few of them being aware of what was going on at the moment. That being Twilight, Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy who were flying beside the car.
"Uh, Sonia. What are these?" Goh asked Sonia as he had an image to look at that was of great importance. Applejack and the others leaned in to have a look at this image as well.
"They're four tapestries we found in the Hammerlocke City Vault. Turns out that the two heroes theory might be just as possible as the single hero theory." Sonia replied.
The image they were looking at told a story about the Darkest Day as Goh began reading the words on them.
"Two youths gazing at the sky."
"A disaster occurs before the two bewildered youths."
"The youths looking on at the Sword and Shield that stopped the disaster."
"The youths being crowned."
"It's said that they tell the story of the birth of Galar," Sonia explained further. "Mind telling me what you all may think of it?"
"It's a bit creepy..." Pinkie Pie shuddered as Applejack and Rarity nodded in agreement.
"This story might be the most likely one." Starlight pointed her hoof at the images. "Maybe it really was two heroes instead of one."
"But it wouldn't make sense on why there was a statue of one hero but another legend tells of two heroes." Rarity said. "Is the single hero merely a myth?"
"Or maybe, they're the same person!" Pinkie sat in-between them all. "Like Queen Pyrestar. They could've fused and become one super-amazing hero!" Pinkie mashed her hooves together.
"Which is it?" Applejack took off her hat. "Is it one or two?"
"Who knows. Over the years, people may have made mistakes retelling the legend."
"Oh...that does happen sometimes for certain legends." Starlight nodded.
"But whichever legend is true, one thing's for sure, a hero will rise and save the Galar Region from the Darkest Day. And Equestria too. You all agree, right?" Sonia looked out the window, talking to Twilight, Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash.
"Oh, um." Rainbow Dash's ears perked up. "Sorry, we weren't really listening properly."
"Listen, Sonia. We saw something nearby earlier." Twilight flew closer to Sonia.
"Saw what?"
"I think...we saw the Pokemon that's behind the Darkest Day. Just up North." Twilight pointed her hoof over at the North direction.
Despite Eternatus filling the sky with red, not all of Galar had been affected just yet. The crimson skies were still spreading. They'll catch up eventually.
"You saw it?!" Sonia gasped. "What did it look like?"
"Uh...It's a bit difficult to describe honestly."
"But we noticed that most of the sky had turned red all of a sudden." Fluttershy flew close. "Maybe, the Darkest Day really is coming?"
"Maybe. Which is why we need to see my grandma as soon as we can! I'm getting excited just learning and theorizing even more!" Sonia had sped up, forcing Twilight, Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy to keep up and accelerate themselves.
"A-A-Aaah...!" Applejack held on to her friends as Sonia was putting them in peril once more.
"Once I report all this to my grandma, I'll pass the test with all this research, and become a Pokemon professor myself!" Sonia grinned. "Yeah right. I'm reaching a bit too far there. Grandma's way too strict."
"Why do you want to be a Pokemon Professor, Sonia?" Goh asked.
"Huh? Well...part of it is wanting to be with grandma but...Mostly because of Leon, I guess."
"Leon?" They all said in unison.
"Leon and I are childhood friends," Sonia recalled a time where she and Leon would both go on their own journey. They were younger with Leon's Charizard being a small little Charmander back then.
"We both loved Pokemon and dreamed of becoming strong trainers." As she continued to reminisce, she recalled when they would grow up together, improving themselves as Charmander had now become a Charmeleon.
"When we were younger, I taught him about battling...But after he made his trainer debut it became clear real fast that he was a natural." She then remembered how Leon rose to the top at an incredible rate with his now fully evolved Charizard.
"And before I knew it...he was the champion." Another part of her memory was seeing how many people surrounded Leon who was in a smaller champion suit at the time.
Leon received so much praise and attention for his amazing skill as a trainer to the point where Sonia became far more distant from him. Their time together had abruptly ended ever since Leon became a champion, much to Sonia's dismay.
"Try as I might, there's no way I could beat Leon in a battle. So I thought I'd try working with Pokemon in an entirely different way."
"Oh...I see." Twilight nodded. She understood Sonia's struggle of having to grow distant from your friend due to their large amount of success. Twilight fears that one day, that might happen to her friends as well.
She worries that she might reach a point in her life where she's at the absolute best and peak of her life to the point where her role as a princess might eventually become similar to that of Princess Celestia and Luna. Where she will have many royal duties to attend to.
That was something she wasn't betting on, nor did she hope it would ever come true.
With Leon and Ash, they were currently dealing with the Gigantamax Coalossal at the moment.
Leon had sent out one of his Pokemon to assist him in battle. That being a Dragapult. Ash as well brought some assistance in the form of his Gengar.
"Dragapult! Dragon Darts!" Leon commanded.
"Pult!" Dragapult fired a pair of Dreepy from the holes on its horns as if they were missiles. The Dreepy's seemed to enjoy that surprisingly.
The smaller dragons crashed into Coalossal, exploding upon contact. "C-COAL!"
"Gengar! Shadow Ball!" Ash commanded Gengar.
"Gen...Gar!" Gengar pitched in by sending a ball of shadows directly at Coalossal's face.
"Ssal...! COALOSSAL!" Further enraged, Coalossal used Max Rockfall by summoning a large wall of stone from the ground itself as the miners there made a run for it, screaming.
Coalossal's attack missed the duo as the large wall of rock only crashed down on the ground, ruining the entire mine in the process.
Large shards of rocks came flying down as they threatened to harm the miners who couldn't run fast enough from the rocks as they screamed in fear.
"Gengar! Psychic!"
"Gen! Gen...Gar!" Thankfully, Gengar had saved their lives by manipulating the rocks with its mind.
"The longer this takes the more damage it'll cause. Ash! Let's finish this!" Leon turned to Ash.
"Yes!"
"Dragapult! Dragon Rush!"
"Gengar! Shadow Ball!"
Both Ghost-Types had attacked at the same time. With Dragapult diving down with a draconic blue aura surrounding its body and Gengar conjuring up a ball of shadows, tossing it, Coalossal was smacked in the face by the energy of a dragon and struck by an exploding ball of shadows at the same time.
"COAL!
"Pikachu! Thunderbolt, let's go!"
"Pika!" Pikachu hopped off Ash's hat, flipping in the air as he built up electricity from his body. "Pika...Chuuu!" The Electric Mouse Pokemon sent a blast of 100,000 volts downwards, smiting Coalossal from above.
Coalossal screamed as Dragonite flew by, allowing Ash to catch Pikachu mid-air. The Thunderbolt from Pikachu was enough to defeat Coalossal as the Coal Pokemon was shrinking with all the Dynamax energy leaving its body.
"C-Coal...Coalossal?" And of course, once Coalossal went back to its normal size, it was confused and unaware of what just happened as it stood up and went on with its day.
"Gengar! Return!" Ash landed back on the ground as he raised his arm up, returning Gengar to its Poke Ball.
"Dragapult, come back!" Leon did the same for his Dragapult.
As Coalossal walked off, the miners were mad at the Coal Pokemon for almost crushing them and ruining the mine overall as they started throwing rocks at it. "You messed up the mine!"
"What were you thinking?!"
"Get out of here!"
"Hm?" Ash noticed how they were throwing pebbles at Coalossal as he rushed over. "Wait! Cut it out!" Ash took the rocks for himself. "It's not Coalossal's fault! It couldn't control itself!" He put his arms out.
The miners scoffed as they returned to the inside of the mine to continue their work. Leon went over to Ash, placing his hand on the young trainer. They did a fine job together.
"Pika!" Pikachu hopped on Ash's shoulder.
There was a moment of peace as some clapping could be heard, heading to the general direction of Ash and Leon. That clapping came from Chairman Rose who was rather impressed by what he saw.
"Remarkable! I knew I could depend on the strongest champion!" Rose applauded. "And the young trainer who has his respect."
"Chairman Rose?" Leon turned to him. "Why are you here?"
"I just happened to be here for an inspection."
"Ash. Allow me to introduce you. This is Chairman Rose of Macros Cosmos." Leon introduced Ash to Rose. "The company behind the development and supply of energy for all of Galar. He took notice of me when I started as a trainer and raised me. I owe him a lot for that."
"Oh, well I'm..."
"Ash, yes?" Rose finished Ash's sentence "Leon told me about you. He said you showed great promise as a battler. I have wanted to meet you."
He went over to Ash to give him a handshake, but Pikachu was rather defensive and unsure of whether he could trust Chairman Rose.
"I-It's a pleasure." Ash stuttered as he had a somewhat similar feeling to Pikachu.
"Pika..." Electricity came out of Pikachu's sacs as he was ready to attack at any minute.
"Chairman Rose. Haven't you found out why the Dynamaxed Pokemon are running rampant?" Leon asked him.
"I did look into it extensively, but I couldn't find a clear answer. Is this a threat to Galar...or is it...simply a trial necessary for our future?"
"Hm. Well, we need to do something fast. At this rate, the lives of Galar's people and Pokemon will crumble. Ash. What about your friend's world?" Leon asked Ash.
"Hm? Oh, right!" Ash took out his Xtransceiver, calling for Rainbow Dash to see if they had returned to Equestria yet.
With Rainbow Dash, she answered her Xtransceiver, seeing that it was Ash calling her. "Hello? Ash?"
"Rainbow Dash. Are you guys back in Equestria yet?"
"Nope. We've just arrived at Professor Magnolia's lab. But it kinda took a while..." Rainbow Dash lowered her head. "We'll just finish up here and head to Equestria soon. What about you?"
"Leon and I are still dealing with some Dynamax Pokemon around Galar. Not sure how many are left."
"Uh...about that..." Rainbow Dash was a bit hesitant to tell Ash about the new Dynamax problem. "We kinda have a problem."
"Hm?"
"T-Twilight you tell him."
"Ash!" Twilight appeared in front of Rainbow Dash. "Bad news! I think the Pokemon that started the Darkest day is loose!"
"Eh? For real?!" Ash gasped. Hearing that grabbed Chairman Rose's attention since he definitely knows that Eternatus is free right now.
"Mhm!" Twilight nodded. "I saw it right in the distance! It looked exactly like what we saw on the plane when coming to the Galar Region."
"Has anything bad happened?!"
"Nothing yet." Fluttershy went in front of Twilight. "Oh, sorry Twilight. It showed up but it hasn't done anything yet...I think. We're far away from it now and in Wedgehurst anyway."
"Did you say the Pokemon that started the Darkest Day?" Leon came in front of the screen, blocking Ash.
"Champion Leon?" Fluttershy pulled back.
"Oh yeah!" Rainbow Dash got in front of the screen. "If it's the real thing, then we're in big trouble!"
"Hmm...This might make things worse if the Pokemon behind the Darkest Day is free." Leon looked up. "Where did you all see this Pokemon?"
"We saw it up North near someplace called..." Twilight was trying to name the city she saw Eternatus above.
"Hammerlocke," Sonia answered for her.
"Hammerlocke! That's it! We're not sure if it's in the same place anymore. It could be moving around right now."
"Okay. We'll check it out." Ash nodded as his stomach was growling. "But I gotta snack on something quick..."
"Pika..."
"Haha!" Rose laughed. "How about dinner to commence our meeting? I'll treat you to plenty of Galar's most famous dishes."
"Famous dishes?!" Ash's eyes became starry-eyed as he liked the sound of that. Pinkie Pie heard Chairman Rose speak about famous dishes as she pressed her face on the screen.
"Aw! Lucky!" Pinkie groaned.
"It'll be a good opportunity to join them, Ash. I'll help fix the mine and head over to Hammerlocke to see this Pokemon." Leon insisted.
"No way! I wanna help too!" Ash exclaimed, but his stomach said otherwise. "But eating first sounds good anyway...Rainbow Dash you guys finish up with Wedgehurst and make it to Equestria as soon as you can."
"Okay!" Rainbow Dash nodded as she hung up on Ash.
With Sonia and the others finally arriving at her grandmother's home, the opportunity to learn more about Dynamax was here.
"Alright. Grandma can be a bit hard, so be on your best behaviour alright?" Sonia asked them.
"No problem." Applejack flailed her hoof. "I've dealt with strict grannies before. Ain't nothing to-" Applejack's words were interrupted when out of nowhere, something came crashing down from the sky, causing a fairly large impact on the ground which startled everypony here. "Huh?!"
"W-What was that?!" Twilight's wings stood up along with her horn lighting up. They all turned to the face the spot where the crash occurred, expecting a Pokemon to be there.
But that wasn't the case. Instead, it was some sort of rock with red and purple energy around it, similar to the colours of Dynamax. This rock was also shaped like some sort of star as they all went over to the crash site to see it for themselves.
"A meteor?" Pinkie tilted her head.
"That's one small meteor." Rainbow Dash replied.
"Oh! Amazing!" Sonia gawked. "Its..."
"A Wishing Star." Her sentence had been finished by one person in particular who was very close to her. That person being the main reason they all came here.
Professor Magnolia. "They're said to fall into the hands of those who bear earnest wishes," said Magnolia as she stood there with a stern face.
"Grandma!" Sonia exclaimed.
"Professor Magnolia!" Goh stood up.
"Hm. You've brought along quite a colourful cast, Sonia." Magnolia observed Twilight and the others.
"Hiya!" Pinkie waved her hoof as she dashed over to Magnolia. "Professor Magnolia, right? Nice to meet ya!" She was about to shake Magnoliga's hand with her hoof but judging by how the old Pokemon Professor was glaring at her with those sharp eyes, that wasn't happening. "Oh, sorry..." Pinkie backed away.
"Sorry if it's a lot of them. And if they crowd up your lab, grandma. But we're here for something major."
"I came here from Cerise Labs in Kanto with my friend to learn about Dynamax even further," Goh said. "If it's okay with you, could you tell us all you know? You are the number one Dynamax researcher after all."
"I can." Magnolia turned around. "I'd be happy to share all the information I know to you young ones. Come inside."
Magnolia was glad to let them all in despite them hearing that she was fairly strict and stern, but when it comes to topics she enjoys and knows a lot about, she can be inviting.
"So, you came from Professor Cerise's institute? Is he doing well?" Magnolia asked Goh.
"Yes!" Goh nodded. "He's the one who recommended us to come here so that you could tell us more about Dynamax."
"Hm...There are still many things we do not know about Dynamax that have yet to be discovered. But what we do know is that a special power which only exists here in Galar is linked to the Dynamaxing Pokemon. We call them Galar Particles."
"About the uh...only existing part. Dynamax just recently came to our world not too long ago." Rarity interrupted.
"Did it now? That shouldn't be possible." Magnolia narrowed her eyes. "Dynamax is only for Galar and originated in Galar."
"But what are these Galar Particles anyway?" Spike asked.
"Galar Particles are found within the red lights that are released from special power spots," Magnolia explained further. "They bring out the power from within Pokemon and trigger Dynamax."
"Power from within Pokemon..." Goh said under his breath.
"And further research has revealed that the wishing stars falling from the sky likewise contain Galar Particles."
"Really?" Twilight gawked. "Wait...That Pokemon I saw had a somewhat alien-like appearance. If it's related to that Pokemon, does that mean that Dynamax, the Wishing Stars and the Pokemon come from space?"
"Possibly. But I haven't seen this supposed Pokemon for myself to give you any knowledge. But I do know this. Wishing Stars are capable of attracting and drawing in Galar Particles. I thought that making use of the capability should enable us to control the gigantification of Pokemon. And so I cooperated with Chairman Rose from Macros Cosmos and together we succeded in developing Dynamax Bands."
"Oh, so you helped create them?" said Fluttershy.
"Awesome!" Rainbow Dash squeed.
"And on that note..." Sonia walked over holding in her hand 9 Dynamax Bands. "Ta-dah! For all of you! Some presents!"
"Ooh!" Pinkie shot up, looking at Sonia's hands with her friends. "You're giving us Dynamax bands?!"
"Mhm! I took apart the Wishing Star and used 9 pieces of it to make these. Since Dynamax now exists in your world, I think you should have something to really protect yourselves from any crazy-strong Dynamax Pokemon."
"Thanks so much, Sonia!" Twilight took one band as she saw how Sonia made it so that they could fit on both hooves, hands and dragon claws.
"And you know...if Dynamax was never meant to come to your world since it's impossible, I figured that I might travel to Equestria one day and research why and how it's there myself." Sonia twirled her hair.
"You're welcome to visit any time!" Rainbow Dash put a Dynamax Band on herself. "Nice!"
"How do we activate them, though?" Spike tapped the band.
"Power Spots." Magnolia stood up. "That is the only way you, the trainer, are capable of Dynamaxing your Pokemon by will. As long as there is a Power Spot somewhere, Dynamax will occur."
"Oh. So if we go to Lapras Lake, we can just stand near the Power Spot and Dynamax there." Pinkie looked at the band.
"But it must also be done by the bond between you and your Pokemon. Galar Particles conceal much potential which can be linked to the trainer and Pokemon themselves. Remember that, my little ponies."
"Yes ma'am!" They all said in unison.
"After all, Chairman Rose and I researched how to turn that power into energy and..." Magnolia looked down with regret in her eyes.
"And?" Twilight leaned forward.
"Did something happen, grandma?" Sonia asked.
"Nothing. In any case, Sonia. If you're planning to go to Equestria, I hope you've finished your homework first. Haven't forgotten it now, have you?"
"Ah!" Sonia shot up.
"Please show me the results of your research into the legend."
"Okay!"
Equestria, Fillydelphia.
One of the many locations that have been unfortunately affected by Dynamax.
A Vanilluxe that belonged to a trainer had been Dynamaxed by force as it was already destroying the entire city with some of the most potent ice out there.
"VANIL!"
The Snowstorm Pokemon had managed to freeze most of the ponies and buildings in Fillydelphia in just about 8 minutes flat. They were immobilized as their bodies were freezing uncontrollably with 21 degrees Fahrenheit torturing them.
Not only that, but a violent blizzard had filled the entire city, freezing anypony that it manages to catch. And even if there wasn't a pony outside, the blizzard would just freeze the buildings themselves, trapping the ponies in an icy prison.
A few ponies had managed to last long enough to a point where Vanilluxe's ice hadn't frozen them yet. One of them being Vanilluxe's trainer.
But due to how aggressive the blizzard was, they couldn't avoid it for much longer as they hid behind large blocks of ice. The entire ground had been frozen solid, making it difficult to even walk around without slipping.
Vanilluxe roared as it was about to pull off the move Max Hailstorm. By controlling the weather itself, the Snowstorm Pokemon had managed to summon 5 gigantic blocks of ice from midair as they cast a large shadow over Fillydelphia.
The remaining ponies gasped as they witnessed 5 large blocks of ice appear in the sky. If these blocks fall, not only will they most likely crush them but it would also end up crushing the ponies who were frozen and unable to move.
The 5 ice blocks came falling as the remaining ponies held each other, ready to embrace their potentially inevitable doom.
But thankfully, help had arrived.
The ice blocks were all cut in half suddenly in a perfectly symmetrical shape. However, this only meant that a slightly smaller chunk of ice would fall and that was still enough to crush the ponies.
Luckily, the cuts didn't stop there. They were in fact cut numerous times at blinding speeds as they were no longer giant chunks of ice, but instead tiny little ice cubes that you could fit inside of a coffee cup. Bonus points for style.
The ponies gasped as they wondered who could've done something so impressive and save their lives at the same time whilst also looking stylish.
None other than the Swords of Justice themselves.
Virizion was the one responsible for it since she's the fastest out of the 4 swords, which would explain why her cuts were so lightning-fast.
"Are you all alright?" Virizion turned to the ponies as they nodded in response. "Good. Now then." Virizion turned to face the Snowstorm Pokemon.
"LUXE! VANILLUXE!"
"Stay here and don't move," Virizion ordered as she got out her sword, rushing over to the Ice-Type. Vanilluxe noticed that the Grassland Pokemon was headed straight for it with its sword being active and ready to slash.
As a response, Vanilluxe turned all of its attention to Virizion, using the full force of its rampage against her. Vanilluxe was about to perform yet another Max Hailstorm and crush Virizion and the entire city in one go.
But thanks to Virizion's amazing speed, that didn't happen. The Grassland Pokemon blitzed past Vanilluxe at such speeds that Vanilluxe didn't even see her perform the slash.
Which she had already done. Before the Snowstorm Pokemon knew it, Sacred Sword had landed as an aftershock struck its body, dealing immense damage.
"L-LUXE!"
That one single Sacred Sword was enough to actually defeated Vanilluxe as the Snowstorm Pokemon was shrinking back down to its normal size.
"V-Vani...Vanilluxe?" Vanilluxe looked around in confusion as to what just happened.
But even with Vanilluxe defeated, many of the ponies here were still frozen solid in ice, unable to move their bodies as they were freezing.
But Virizion had that covered as well. She kept her sword out as she was aiming to free every single pony here from their icy prison.
Now normally, this would take a while considering how populated Fillydelphia is. But since Virizion is so freakishly fast, this was lightwork.
The Grassland Pokemon bolted across the city as she rapidly swung her sword about. She made sure to carefully hit the right spots so that she doesn't end up shattering the ponies inside the ice.
Each time she slashed her sword, ponies were being freed as small little pieces of ice fell and filled the solid ground as they all looked at their hooves, glad that they were okay and still alive.
In just 3 minutes, Virizion had saved all of Fillydelphia without breaking a sweat. And as a bonus, she got rid of the ice that was on the floor and buildings as well, making sure she didn't destroy them either.
"That settles that." Virizion sighed as her horn faded away. The ponies were obviously grateful for what Virizion had done for them. She had just saved their entire town on her own.
However, some were furious at Vanilluxe for freezing their home and going on a rampage.
"What gives?! Freezing our entire home like that?!" A pegasus yelled.
"You jerk!" A unicorn used her magic to throw some rubble at the Snowstorm Pokemon.
"Luxe?!" Vanilluxe cowered in fear.
But, Virizion swiftly got in front of Vanilluxe, cutting the rubble in half as the unicorn gasped.
"Do not take your anger out on Vanilluxe," Virizion said. "It wasn't in control of itself. No Pokemon is when they are forcefully Dynamaxed. Remember that."
"Oh, S-Sorry." The unicorn backed away as Vanilluxe's original trainer ran over to hug the Snowstorm Pokemon, glad that it was alright.
Virizion looked up in the sky, seeing more Galar Particles fly by as they were heading for more locations and targeting more Pokemon with Eternatus taking the wheel.
Virizion could only hope that her fellow swords were doing their best to protect Equestria.
And indeed they were.
Over at Las Pegasus, a Dynamax Swanna was wreaking havoc as well.
The damage that Swanna had done to Las Pegasus was arguably worse than what Vanilluxe did. Mostly because Swanna had flooded the entirety of Las Pegasus with its rampage.
It was a horrifying sight to behold. Many unfortunate ponies were caught in the overwhelming flood, as the ones who were safe had managed to protect themselves by hiding inside the buildings.
The same couldn't be said for the ponies outside. Some of them were capable swimmers who managed to swim up for air, gasping uncontrollably.
But others weren't swimmers at all. The best they could do was hold their breath. The ponies that could swim offered to help those who couldn't by bringing them up to surface level, giving them some air.
However, that wouldn't last as Swanna had used a Max Geyser to make the situation worse than it already is. A blast of water had been shot downwards, adding more water to the flood and making things harder for the ponies.
Even the ponies who were capable of swimming couldn't keep it up due to the added pressure of Max Geyser. Very soon, they would end up succumbing to the overwhelming pressure of Swanna's water.
The ponies who couldn't swim couldn't hold their breath for much longer. As such, some of them gave entirely as they had passed out in the process.
Not even the buildings were safe from Swanna. Due to her immense size, she could easily crush them with even her very light feathers as the White Bird Pokemon approached some buildings with her shadow casting over the city.
Everything looked hopeless until another Sword of Justice came to the rescue.
This time it was Keldeo who was possibly the perfect Pokemon for this scenario. Due to him being part Water, he could easily swim better than anypony here and also breathe underwater.
So that's what he did. When he arrived, his first instinct was to lower the water level. It would seem impossible but Keldeo and many Mythicals are capable of performing the impossible.
Keldeo did this by transforming into his Resolute-Form for extra power. The Colt Pokemon then unleashed his sword as it grew to the length of a lamp post
Keldeo then swung his sword on the water with such force and power that it had split the entire flood in half, similar to how a Sawk can cleave the ocean in half. Perhaps it's just natural for Fighting-Type Pokemon to just cut things in half.
With the water being sliced in half and losing most of its liquid as it flowed somewhere else, many of the ponies inside of it had flown out, landing on the ground as they were either gasping for air or were unconscious.
Thankfully, some ponies knew CPR so Keldeo didn't have to perform something he had no idea how to do. But he wasn't done yet. He also had to save the ponies who were still inside of the water and drowning.
Luckily, Keldeo's swimming abilities were top-notch as he forced himself back inside of the flood. The Colt Pokemon carried ponies on his back whilst clearing a path with his signature move Secret Sword.
With courage and bravery, Keldeo had saved Las Pegasus from being an underwater city. But it wasn't over yet. There was one final obstacle to clear.
Swanna.
"I gotcha." Keldeo placed a little filly down on the ground as he faced the White Bird Pokemon. The Colt Pokemon ran over to Swanna, firing a small Water Pulse whilst he galloped.
That Water Pulse smacked Swanna in the face, making the Water-Flying-Type aware of Keldeo's existence. "SWAN?!"
Seeing Keldeo attack made Swanna switch her rage towards the Colt Pokemon instead of the city itself. Swanna was about to use the move Max Airstream as she created a whirlwind by flapping her wings aggressively.
Keldeo gasped, seeing that this move could blow him away with ease if he wasn't careful. So instead of avoiding it, Keldeo was planning on tackling the Max Airstream head-on.
He used Hydro Pump to boost himself in the air as he approached his fellow Water-Type with his sword still out. Swanna unleashed Max Airstream as a devastating burst of wind zoomed towards him. It was enough to almost blow away the buildings themselves due to the overwhelming pressure from the stream of wind.
Keldeo narrowed his eyes as he yet again did the impossible. He used his Secret Sword to cut the Max Airstream in half. Not only could he cut water but he could even slash the wind itself.
Naturally, that amazed the ponies and startled Swanna.
But what's more impressive was the shockwave from Keldeo's slash. It was so powerful that it knocked Swanna out in one single hit.
Keldeo didn't even make direct contact with Swanna at all. All he did was cut the Max Airstream in half and the shockwave just happened to finish the job.
"S-Swanna..." Swanna was thankfully back to normal as her trainer ran over to her.
"Phew." Keldeo sighed. "I aced that."
"That was amazing!" A filly bellowed as many ponies gathered around Keldeo, praising him and thanking him for saving their lives.
This was the most amount of praise Keldeo had ever gotten in his entire life. And it was worth it as he felt proud of himself at the moment.
But he couldn't soak in all the praise for long. He knew that there was still some more Dynamax Pokemon out there that needed to be stopped. Just like him, the Swords of Justice were working hard to save Equestria.
Back at Wedgehurst, Professor Magnolia's lab.
Magnolia had gone over Sonia's research and what she had to offer so far. There were some pretty juicy finds, much to Magnolia's pleasure.
"I see." Magnolia adjusted her glasses. "There were two heroes and the Darkest Day was caused by a Pokemon...A truly fascinating discussion. You did well Sonia."
"Really?" Sonia grinned. "Thanks, grandma! But to be honest...I did get some help from my friends here."
"Way to go, Sonia!" Pinkie hopped on Sonia's shoulder, congratulating her.
"But I cannot yet say that you have passed." Magnolia suddenly shut Sonia down.
"Huh?!" Sonia winced along with Pinkie and the others.
"Where are the sword and shield from the legend? How was the disaster prevented? You need to solve all the mysteries if you wish to pass."
"Aw..." Sonia sighed. "Figured as much..."
"She really is strict..." Twilight gawked.
"No need to worry. You just have to research it thoroughly Sonia." Fluttershy flew up.
"I suppose. I'll give it my all!" Sonia smiled. "You all should get going and protect your world."
"Oh, right!" Rainbow Dash's wings shot up. She and her friends were about to leave and head back to Equestria. "Now that we've got Dynamax on our side, this'll be easy!
"Hold on!" Twilight stopped Rainbow Dash and the others from dashing off suddenly. "Maybe some of us should split up."
"Split up?! Why?" Rainbow Dash raised an eyebrow.
"If both worlds are currently facing the Darkest Day, then we'll need to help out in more than just one place. Some of us have to help Ash and Leon."
"Twilight's right. If the Pokemon that caused the whole Darkest Day event is free, then Ash is gonna need a lot of help." Rarity said.
"I guess so. Then...I'll head back to Equestria and help out." Rainbow Dash offered.
"Same here." Applejack said.
"Then we'll help out Ash then." Rarity and Spike were going to stay here. "What about you, Fluttershy?"
"Me? Oh um. I'll take the safer route and come to Equestria." Fluttershy squeed.
"And I'll come along!" Pinkie dashed over.
"Then Starlight and I will also head over to Ash." Twilight made her decision. "And you Goh?"
"Well, I'm going to continue helping Sonia out with her research. It's why I came here after all." Goh replied.
The groups had been decided. One will head off and help Ash, the other will head back home to Equestria to see if everything is okay and the other will continue helping out with research about Dynamax.
Meanwhile, up in the skies, Eternatus had been refreshed.
After getting used to this newfound power, the Gigantic Pokemon was ready to officially continue its carnage. However, something was grabbing its attention.
Eternatus obviously recognizes the energy from Galar since it came here 20,000 years ago in a meteorite that fell from above. So it could easily absorb the Galar Particles from the entire region.
However, the energy from Equestria was something that Eternatus wasn't familiar with. In fact, that was the main reason it retreated into the clouds in the first place.
Learning about this made Eternatus make a decision. It was going to pay a visit to Equestria itself. Eternatus only seeks to cause chaos. And causing chaos in a brand new world is quite pleasing for a cruel Pokemon such as Eternatus.
So it was. Eternatus flew out of the clouds, separating them all as its movements sounded like a tornado ripping through the sky.
Eternatus's shadow cast over Hammerlocke and the Wild Area as it brought the red sky along with it. But even if Eternatus was leaving this world, it was still able to forcefully Dynamax random Pokemon by spreading more Galar Particles.
The carnage it brings is endless. And nothing can stop it.
Eternatus hadn't reached Equestria yet, but already, Celestia and Passion could feel an ominous chill run through their bodies as if their own bodies were warning them.
Celestia stopped walking as Luna and Hollow turned around to face her. "Sister? What's wrong?"
"Something malicious is coming this way." Celestia's eyes widened as her boundless Cutie Mark was flashing aggressively. Passion held on to Celestia's hoof, feeling fearful of whatever this imminent threat could be. "L-L-Let's keep going."
The trio continued on their way to find other Dynamax Pokemon running amok and on a rampage whilst Celelestia and Passion still had that uneasy feeling inside of them.
Wyndon. The booming metropolis and the second-most populous area in the entire Pokemon World, just behind Lumiose City.
Currently, at Rose Tower, Ash and Pikachu were enjoying the best gourmet food that Galar had to offer whilst sitting with Rose and his secretary Oleana.
"This is great!" Ash exclaimed.
"Pika!"
"Hm...I love the view here." Rose suddenly said, looking out the window. "Each and every one of these lights houses countless lives and dreams. Galar itself is what lifted me out of poverty and let me reach my current life. And I intend to do everything within my power in order for this marvellous view to last a thousand years."
"Oooh..." Ash gawked.
"Oh, right. By the way, Ash. I strive to guide talented trainers like Leon so that they can reach the top and have a promising future. What do you think?"
"Huh? Me?"
"I would support a strong trainer like you with everything I have. Please stay by my side, as well, and help me protect Galar's future."
"Oh, you're so lucky!" Oleana clapped her hands together. "Getting an offer like this from Chairman Rose!"
"Hmm..." Ash thought about it for a second. It sounded promising, everything that Rose was offering. But Ash had already made up his mind about how he'll reach his goal to the top long ago. "Sorry. I'll pass."
"Huh?" Rose's eyes widened.
"I wanna travel the world with my own two legs, meet loads of Pokemon and friends and become stronger with them!"
"...I see." Rose accepted Ash's decision and respected it. "Very well. I understand."
"Hehe." Ash chuckled as they were both on good terms. But, one person in particular who wasn't pleased with Ash's answer was Oleana, whose face was full of destructive intent with her hair flowing up as if there was an intense fire blazing behind her. "Eek!"
After their dinner, Ash was offered to stay at the hotel rooms of the tower to relax a bit.
"Pikaaaaa!" Pikachu and Ash hopped on the bed, landing face-first as they took in the comfortable feel of the bed for themselves. "Chuuuuu..."
"So nice and soft!"
"Pika-Pi!"
"Everyone's missing out on this!" Ash grinned as he and his best buddy laid on his back.
And the moment he mentioned his friends, he had gotten a call from Twilight by his Xtransceiver. He picked it up, wondering where Twilight and the others were at with their progress as he answered the call.
"Yo, Twilight. How's it going so far?"
"Ash. We've got all the info we need from Professor Magnolia." Twilight responded. "Right now, Starlight, Rarity, Spike and I are coming to help you out."
"Hm? What about the others?"
"We've split up. Rainbow Dash and the others are heading back to Equestria to see if everything's okay and Goh went with Sonia to continue researching Dynamax." Spike went in front of Twilight. "And check it out!" Spike showed his Dynamax Band.
"Oh! You've got a Dynamax Band?!" Ash gasped.
"Pikachu?!"
"Not just me. Everypony's got one now thanks to Sonia. Now, this Dynamax thing's gonna be a cinch for us." Spike grinned.
"Ash." Twilight went in front of Spike. "What about you? Did you see the Pokemon that's causing the Darkest Day?"
"Actually..." Ash looked outside the window. "I don't see it at all. The sky's pretty normal to me."
"Pika..." Pikachu pressed his face on the glass as a Staravia flew by.
"Really? I would've thought it would cause a ton of destruction now that it was free. Or maybe it's just a random Pokemon and not the cause of the Darkest Day..." Twilight thought.
"In any case, we can't be too careful." Rarity said, appearing on the screen. "You're at Wyndon, right?"
"Yeah. Right in a hotel room at Rose Tower. The bed here is super comfortable!" Ash laid on his back. "Where's Goh headed with Sonia?"
"They said they're going to someplace called Stow-on-Side. It has some ruins that further help with their Dynamax research." Twilight answered. "But Ash. You said you were at Rose Tower, right?"
"Yeah?" Ash nodded.
"Well...before we all left, Professor Magnolia told us one last thing," Twilight recalled the last words Magnolia said to them all back at Wedgehurst.
"Sonia. I need to tell you...why I broke off my partnership with Chairman Rose. It was because I could sense madness in his gaze. Chairman Rose will stop at nothing to achieve his goals. The recent incidents of Dynamax Pokemon rampaging could have his involvement. I have no proof, but I have a bad feeling about this. And that is why Sonia...You need to make haste in uncovering the truth behind the legend."
"And that's all she said." Twilight finished reminiscing. "Be careful Ash. If what Professor Magnolia is saying is true..."
"No need to worry. I'll be fine." Ash gave a reassuring smile and a thumbs up.
"Pikachu!" Pikachu hopped on his head.
"Alright." Twilight knew that was a high possibility considering how well she knows Ash by now. "See you there soon." She hung up.
Ash placed his Xtransceiver back in his bag as looked up at the ceiling, thinking about what Twilight told him that Magnolia warned them about. "Chairman Rose...madness in his gaze?"
"Pika..."
Ponyville, late afternoon.
"Mrrgh..." Scootaloo rubbed her eyes as she felt exhausted. "I don't wanna sleep right now."
"Same here..." Sweetie Belle yawned.
"If you two feel tired...I'll feel tired." Apple Bloom grumbled.
Peace was the only thing existing in Ponyville at the moment. The day was slowly coming to an end as many ponies were just minding their business, unbothered.
That is until something broke that peace.
The sound of a horrifying roar echoed throughout the town, sending chills down everypony's spine as the windows had almost shattered from this unknown roar.
The ponies all looked around to see what could've caused that roar at all. They didn't have to look any further but North. They noticed that a crimson sky was filling Ponyville, even reaching all the way up to Cloudsdale. This only meant one thing.
Eternatus was approaching.
The Gigantic Pokemon let out its horrifying scream once more, piercing the ears of everypony here. The citizens of Ponyville and Cloudsdale looked up in shock and horror, seeing this humongous Pokemon cast a large shadow over them.
When Eternatus flew by, a powerful wind pressure was created, almost knocking the buildings of Ponyville out of the ground. Eternatus's large body had chipped Twilight's castle, destroying a small part of it.
The end of its body whipped the top of Town Hall off as it had almost crushed somepony from above.
"What is that?!" Scootaloo was both mortified and intrigued as she took out her Pokedex.
"Eternatus. The Gigantic Pokemon. The core on its chest absorbs energy emanating from the lands of the Galar region. This energy is what allows Eternatus to stay active. It was inside a meteorite that fell 20,000 years ago. There seems to be a connection between this Pokémon and the Dynamax phenomenon."
Hearing that made Scootaloo and her friends fear that Eternatus might be here to destroy their own world.
But Eternatus wasn't going to do the dirty work itself. Instead, it had spread Galar Particles across all the sky to do so. The particles scattered, searching for random Pokemon to Dynamax.
A Galar Particle had found one Pokemon to affect with Dynamax. And that was the lovable Pokemon who belonged to Mayor Mare.
Stoutland.
The Big-Hearted Pokemon had been hit by the Galar Particle, forcing him to Dynamax without any control as he was groaning in pain.
"Stoutland?!" Mayor Mare backed away, seeing her partner grow right in front of her very eyes. All the attention was given to Stoutland as the Big-Hearted Pokemon was now in a state of rage like every Pokemon who are forcefully Dynamaxed.
"S-STOUT!"
Ponyville, late afternoon.
Eternatus had just arrived and had already forced a Pokemon to Dynamax in the town.
That Pokemon ended up being Mayor Mare's partner, Stoutland, who now had no control over himself and was bound to go on a rampage, destroying everything in his path.
"STOUTLAND!" The Big-Hearted Pokemon already got to work, stomping its paws on the ground as it caused a mini-earthquake that rumbled the entirety of Ponyville.
"Stoutland, stop! What's gotten into you?!" Mayor Mare exclaimed, trying to talk to her partner.
But it was no use.
Dynamax Pokemon under Eternatus's influence cannot listen to reason at all. All they seek is to rampage and destroy until there is nothing left.
Stoutland used its massive moustache as a weapon by swinging it about and destroying the upper part of Ponyville's Town Hall.
The upper part fell on the ground as Stoutland continued to whip its moustache about, destroying numerous buildings in the process.
The ponies inside of their own homes ran out as Stoutland had then destroyed the upper part of SugarCube Corner, causing Mr and Mrs Cake to run out with their two babies.
"Stoutland, please! You have to stop!" Mayor Mare persisted on reasoning with her partner. But it was all for nothing.
Soon, Stoutland would end up using Max Moves. One of its many moves was Thunder Fang, giving him access to Max Lightning.
The fur of Stoutland began to rustle as 500,000 volts of electricity were building up from within his body. The sound of a thunderstorm approaching could be heard as ponies were starting to make a run for it, seeing the sky flash with lightning.
Even the ponies of Cloudsdale flew away, knowing that this cannot end well whatsoever. "STOUT!"
Stoutland sent down a gigantic bolt of lightning from above, tearing through the sky as Mayor Mare's glasses had the reflection of lightning on them.
She was too horrified of her partner's current actions to even move an inch. Just behind her, multiple buildings had been obliterated into nothing due to the Max Lightning.
Mayor Mare's mane and tail flew up from the devastating shockwave as she could bear to see her Pokemon like this. She knew that Stoutland would never cause destruction like this.
But unfortunately, he was.
The buildings that had been hit by Max Lightning were gone as the ponies all looked back to see their homes wiped off the face of the planet with just one single attack.
But it didn't quite stop there. An electric terrain had been formed thanks to Max Lightning, making the entire ground a hazard field now.
And Mayor Mare was standing right on that hazard field with the electricity harming her hooves. But she was too focused on her partner to even care right now.
Stoutland was ready to unleash yet another Max Lightning as the skies were rumbling once more. The ponies could see that Mayor Mare wasn't moving at all and she was most likely bound to be hit by this next Max move.
"Mayor Mare! You gotta move!" Lyra yelled as she tried to run over there. But if she even dared try to get close, she could end up feeling the effects of the electric terrain as 500,000 volts were threatening her and everypony. BonBon pulled Lyra back as they all watched the lightning build from above.
"Gotta do something..." Scootaloo dug into her saddlebag, getting a Poke Ball out. "Ponyta! Come out!" She sent out Ponyta for help.
"Pony!"
"Use Flame Charge and grab Mayor Mare quick!" Scootaloo pointed her hoof forward.
"Ta!" The Fire Horse Pokemon understood clearly as he looked over at the field of lightning, seeing how the mayor was immobilized.
By surrounding his body in fire, Ponyta took the risk of going through the electric terrain, even if it means he'll end up getting hurt himself. The Fire Horse Pokemon galloped forward, feeling 500,000 volts punish his body as he winced.
But Ponyta's resilience is one of a kind. After all, when they're born, they can barely stand. However, by chasing after its parent Rapidash, their galloping speed increases.
And the same can be said for this Ponyta for sure. The time he had spent with Scootaloo has increased his hoof strength as he was able to take the 500,000 volts of electricity.
The Max Lightning had finally been unleashed as it was now a suddenly close moment between Ponyta and the lightning. But, Ponyta proved to be a bit faster as he used all of his extra strength the moment he got close to her.
In a burst of speed, Ponyta flipped Mayor Mare on his back whilst also avoiding and saving her from the Max Lightning as the devastating blast of lightning struck the ground, creating a gigantic crater with sparks flying out.
The sparks scattered across Ponyville, shocking anything that was even close to them. More buildings suffered from these sparks as they were being demolished left and right.
The ponies closed their eyes and covered their ears with either their hooves or wings as the horrible sound of thunder striking pierced the town, shattering any form of glass there was.
Ponyta returned to Scootaloo with Mayor Mare safe on his back. "Pony!" He let Mayor Mare off his back.
"Good job, Ponyta! Mayor Mare! Are you alright?!" Scootaloo asked her.
"My Stoutland..." Mayor Mare whimpered as she didn't even respond to Scootaloo. All she was thinking about was Stoutland as she watched her partner rampage mindlessly.
"LAND! STOUTLAND!"
"What do we do now?!" Sweetie Belle gulped. "We can't take on a giant Pokemon!"
"I'm getting out of here, that's what!" Carrot Top exclaimed as she made a run for it.
However, Stoutland didn't just use Max Lightning only. He also had a Steel-Type move in the form of Iron Head. That Steel move transformed into Max Steelspike. Which spelt a horrible outcome for Ponyville.
Stoutland slammed his paws on the ground, creating a series of jagged spikes that extended forward. With destructive intent, the spikes tore apart the buildings of Ponyville with ease.
SugarCube Corner had been torn apart along with Town Hall itself. Everypony tried to escape from the spikes with their lives as Scootaloo and her friends hopped on Ponyta's back.
But try as they might, the spikes were moving too fast, ripping the ground apart as Mayor Mare looked back whilst running, horrified that her Stoutland was doing all of this.
From the speed the spikes were moving at, it looked like there was no way the citizens were going to escape. Until...
The spikes had been stopped by a magic barrier as the impact between the spikes and barrier caused a shockwave that crumbled the ground beneath Ponyville.
The pony who had put up the barrier was Nyx, who had saved the ponies from imminent doom thankfully. "I think not!" She growled as she used her magic to blow away the spikes.
"Nyx!" Apple Bloom exclaimed.
"I would've never thought that the lovable and kind Stoutland would cause this much destruction," Nyx said.
"He wouldn't!" Mayor Mare shouted.
"In any case, it's clear that he needs to be stopped. Or else he'll just continue rampaging across Equestria." Nyx's horn lit up as she approached the Big-Hearted Pokemon.
"STOUT!" Stoutland locked his eyes on Nyx since she was the one who stopped his attack. The Big-Hearted Pokemon responded by going for yet another Max Lightning as sparks hovered over Nyx.
Nyx looked up to see the lightning above her as she had the instinct to interrupt it by sending a blast of magic that struck Stoutland's face.
"STOUTLAND!" Stoutland couldn't pull off Max Lightning thanks to Nyx interrupting him. The alicorn closed in, sending more and more magic rays at the Normal-Type, bombarding him with constant magic attacks.
Mayor Mare didn't enjoy seeing her partner getting hurt this much. But she knew that this rampage had to be stopped somehow.
Nyx got closer and closer to Stoutland with her magic beams getting larger with each hit. She saw how Stoutland was taking all these attacks and was only wincing afterwards.
"How strong are these Pokemon creatures...?" Nyx said under her breath as she poured more power into her magic, trying to force Stoutland down.
But no matter what, Stoutland wouldn't fall. Even if he wasn't in his right mind, he was still a Pokemon who can stand firm without even showing any signs of falling over.
"LAND...!" Once Nyx got close, Stoutland capitalized on the situation. He used his massive moustache to whack Nyx's entire body as a surprise attack. Not only that, but he added a bit of Max Lightning to his fur, making it electric.
Nyx's eyes widened as she felt 500,000 volts hit her directly. With such a devastating hit, Nyx was sent crashing to the ground whilst the sound of thunder boomed afterwards.
"Ah! Nyx!" Scootaloo tried to run forward, but Apple Bloom bit her tail, forcing her back since it was too dangerous.
Stoutland walked over to Nyx who was currently on the ground with electricity surrounding her body as she twitched in the crater she was in. "U-Ugh..." Nyx groaned.
"Stout...Stout...STOUTLAND!" Stoutland's eyes flashed red as his attacks grew more aggressive. He was about to finish off Nyx by stepping on her with his full strength as Nyx was still writhing on the ground with the electricity wearing her down.
"Stoutland no!" Mayor Mare screamed as she rushed in, trying to stop her partner and save Nyx at the same time.
It looked like it would be the end for both of them. Mayor Mare had gotten under Stoutland's paw as a large shadow had been cast over the two ponies.
That is until somepony else arrived.
"Braviary! Aerial Ace!" The voice of Rainbow Dash had bellowed.
With lightning-fast speeds and sharp precision, a blur had flown past the citizens of Ponyville faster than they could react. Braviary had swooped in, grabbing both Nyx and Mayor Mare at the same time whilst also using one of his wings to smack Stoutland's paw.
"Brav!"
"S-STOUT?!"
Braviary ascended high into the crimson skies as he safely rescued Nyx and Mayor Mare. And of course, if he was here, then that meant only one thing.
Rainbow Dash was here.
Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Applejack and Pinkie Pie arrived at Ponyille in the nick of time.
"Rainbow Dash!" Scootaloo grinned.
"Applejack!" So did Apple Bloom.
Braviary returned to Rainbow Dash, placing Nyx and Mayor Mare down on the ground safely. "Viary."
"Good job, Braviary." Rainbow Dash said. She then looked over Ponyville, seeing how it was a complete mess thanks to the actions of Stoutland.
It was a horrifying sight for her and her friends to see. Pinkie Pie saw how SugarCube Corner missing its upper part and how there were massive holes inside of the building.
"SugarCube Corner...?" Pinkie gasped.
Many buildings here had been affected in some way. Whether by the sparks or jagged spikes from Stoutland. So many nostalgic and familiar structures were no longer in perfect shape.
The crimson sky wasn't making it any better since it just made the mood depressing for everypony else. Applejack saw that not everything had been harmed by Stoutland. But there was still a hefty amount that had been affected.
"Stoutland did all of this...?" Fluttershy looked up at Stoutland in shock and horror.
"And it's all that giant Pokemon's fault that Stoutland's like this..." Rainbow Dash stepped forward.
"G-Giant Pokemon?" Mayor Mare stuttered.
"We'll explain later. Braviary!" Rainbow Dash called Braviary to her side.
"Viary!"
"This is gonna be a first...But I'm sure we can do it." Rainbow Dash held her hoof out, showing her Dynamax Band.
"You've got a Dynamax Band?!" Scootaloo gawked. She then noticed that Fluttershy, Pinkie and Applejack also had bands on them too.
"Here goes..." Rainbow Dash held out Braviary's Poke Ball as she returned him. She was ready to utilize Dynamax for the first time to be on an even playing field. "Braviary! Dynamax!"
The Poke Ball turned red as it started growing in size by Rainbow Dash and Braviary's bond. The weight of the ball had increased, making Rainbow Dash's body almost lose balance, but she was able to pull through.
With all her strength, she tossed the super-sized Poke Ball into the air as the ponies watched in amazement.
That's when for the first time, a trainer had Dynamaxed their Pokemon in Equestria. Once Braviary came out of the Poke Ball, he started to grow himself.
Bigger and bigger and bigger, the Valiant Pokemon reached a size that was slightly larger than Stoutland, in terms of height. With his eyes flashing red, Dynamax Braviary was here at last.
"BRAVIARY!"
"Awesome..." Scootaloo sat down gazing at the Dynamaxed Braviary.
"Stay back ya'll. This might get ugly for both sides." Applejack put her hoof out as everypony except for Rainbow Dash moved further away.
Two giant Pokemon were about to face off in a ruined Ponyville with the skies being full of crimson energy. The sight of it was something the ponies of Ponyville thought they would've never seen before.
Braviary narrowed his eyes at Stoutland whilst the Big-Hearted Pokemon snarled at the Valiant Pokemon. They were more than ready for each other.
"Alright. Braviary! Use Superpower!" Rainbow Dash went first.
"BRAV!" Braviary spread his wings out, harnessing energy from within. This was his first time battling in a Dynamaxed form which was a different experience for the Valiant Pokemon.
Braviary is most known for his agile and speedy movements, just like Pikachu. So this big and girthy form was a bit of a handicap for him.
However, as a bonus, this meant that his naturally heavy strength was heightened as his wings glowed red. Instead of this being Superpower, this was the Max Move known as Max Knuckle.
Braviary approached Stoutland who was already prepared to use Max Lightning on the Normal-Flying-Type. But even with their enlarged sizes, Braviary was still the faster Pokemon overall.
"VIA!" The Valiant Pokemon smashed his powered-up wing on Stoutland's face, stopping him from performing Max Lightning and dealing super-effective damage to the Big-Hearted Pokemon.
The impact of Max Knuckle was so immense that it caused a seismic wave that shook Ponyville and Cloudsdale at the same time whilst knocking Stoutland back.
"S-STOUT...!"
"One more time!" Rainbow Dash yelled.
"VIARY!" For a second time, Braviary used his other wing to attack. A second Max Knuckle smashed into Stoutland's face with Braviary's strength increasing each time.
"STOUT...LAND!" Returning the favour, Stoutland had decided to switch out from its Max moves and just regular moves instead. Stoutland used Iron Head as he smashed his hardened face onto Braviary's beak.
"B-BRAVIA?!" That really stung Braviary as his head cocked back with a red bruise on his beak.
"Ah! Braviary!" Rainbow Dash gasped.
"V-VIARY!" Braviary recovered quickly, despite his beak having a bit of a sting now.
"Fly up Braviary!"
"BRAV!" The Valiant Pokemon spread his wings out, taking to the skies with his huge size. The force of Braviary flying was enough to send some ponies flying as well due to all the wind he was creating from his wingbeat.
Stoutland looked up to see his opponent ascend above him. But this was the perfect opportunity to use Max Lightning from above. And that's what he did. With his moustache tingling, clouds circled Braviary with sparks showing.
"Not good...!" Rainbow Dash recognized it as an Electric-Type attack. "Braviary! Use Steel Wing to absorb it!"
Using their smarts and battle strategies, Braviary and Rainbow Dash went for the good old fashioned metal conductor tactic. By using Steel Wing instead of Max Steelspike, Braviary allowed the blast of lightning to hit him instead of just moving away or interrupting Stoutland.
Once it made contact, Braviary's metal wings had conducted the lightning, making them a part of him. "Brav!"
"Now! Smash Stoutland with it!"
"Brav...VIARY!" Braviary smashed his electrified metal wings onto Stoutland's face, dealing the heaviest damage that Stoutland had ever felt in his entire life.
500,000 volts and pure steel punished the Big-Hearted Pokemon along with Braviary's increased strength thanks to Max Knuckle.
And with that final hit, Stoutland couldn't take anymore. After minutes of rampaging, being blasted with magic beams and taking two super-effective hits and one combination attack, Stoutland reverted to his normal size as he shrunk down.
Everypony watched as the Dynamax energy left Stoutland's body as the Big-Hearted Pokemon was back to his lovable and huggable self. Although, he was greatly confused like every other forcefully Dynamaxed Pokemon.
"Stout...land?" Stoutland looked around, befuddled.
"Stoutland!" Mayor Mare ran over to her partner, tearing up a bit, seeing that he was back to normal. "Are you alright now?!"
"Land...?" Stoutland wasn't sure why his trainer had such a worried look on her face. But he was glad to see her anyway as he licked Mayor Mare out of love.
And fittingly, Braviary ran out of time with Dynamax as he returned to his normal size as well. "Good job, buddy." Rainbow Dash went over to the Valiant Pokemon.
"Braviary."
"They're no longer giant but..." Scootaloo looked around to see the damage that Stoutland had caused to Ponyville.
"Ponyville's nothing but a mess now." Mrs Cake said.
The once beautiful Ponyville was now tarnished with devastating effects. All from Stoutland being affected by Eternatus's influence.
As such, many of the ponies were actually now fearful of Stoutland as they backed away. What they saw as a lovable and brave-hearted Pokemon was now a monster that had demolished most of their beloved town in mere minutes.
Mayor Mare looked back to see the horrified faces of her townsfolk. She knew that Stoutland wouldn't do it on purpose. He loves this town as if it was his own home.
But Mayor Mare concluded as to why Stoutland suddenly went on a rampage. And it involved the arrival of Eternatus earlier.
"Everypony." Mayor Mare stood up. "Don't hate Stoutland for this. I know he's destroyed most of everything we love around us...But I can assure you. It wasn't his intention. It was most likely from that dragon-like creature that showed up earlier."
"Dragon-like creature?" Fluttershy shot up. "Wait, it arrived here?!"
"You've seen it before, Fluttershy?" Mayor Mare turned to her.
"Mhm. Just earlier, Twilight, Rainbow Dash and I saw it for the very first time over at Galar. We think it might be the Pokemon behind Dynamax. But we're not sure what it's called."
"Oh!" Scootaloo remembered that she got Eternatus's data on her Pokedex earlier. "I think I got it!" She grabbed everypony's attention, showing them all the data for Eternatus. "Look!"
As they all read Eternatus's dex entry and seeing how it has some connection to the Dynamax Phenomenon, the ponies of Ponyville were now fully aware of why Stoutland suddenly went on a rampage. It wasn't his fault at all.
"Yeah. That checks out alright." Diamond Tiara nodded. "Wait...is it from space?"
"See? My Stoutland would never do anything like that on purpose. Isn't that right?" Mayor Mare pinned Stoutland down, giving him belly rubs. "You're a good boy at heart! Such a good boy!"
"S-Stout! Stoutland!" Stoutland panted, enjoying his trainer's usual belly rubs as he held his tongue out.
"A good boy that hits like a train..." Nyx grumbled as she held her head.
"So if you saw this...Eternatus Pokemon, where'd it go?" Rainbow Dash asked.
"Well, when it showed up and Dynamaxed Stoutland, it looked like it was going North." Sweetie Belle answered them.
"North it is then." Applejack nodded. "Now that we know it's the real deal, we can catch that juggernaut and stop him. Ya'll stay here and call us if any other Dynamax problem shows up."
"Okay." Apple Bloom replied. "But um...What about Ponyville?"
"We'll have it fixed." Mayor Mare patted Apple Bloom's head. "That's for sure."
Suddenly, the roar of Eternatus could be heard from far away, indicating that it was already causing more chaos at this very moment and there was no time to stand by and chat.
"We gotta get moving!" Rainbow Dash spread her wings out. "If it's heading north, then Canterlot might be next!"
The pursuit of Eternatus had begun. Rainbow Dash's group would end up being the ones tackling the biggest threat here. The Pokemon that causes Dynamax itself.
Galar Region, Stow-on-Side.
Goh and Sonia had just arrived at the town, ready to investigate the ruins that apparently holds further information and knowledge about Dynamax.
Most of Galar seems to have at least one spot that holds Dynamax lore and history. Whether they're big or small. So far, Sonia's research was going swimmingly.
Before, she had given her grandma Professor Magnolia a ton of material to investigate and look over, such as the mural images of the two heroes found in the Hammerlocke Vault and the mysterious Geoglyph found at Turrfield's lush green fields.
As a bonus, thanks to Twilight and the others helping Sonia with her research before splitting up into groups, she had more to work with and show her grandma. However, she needed to show Magnolia further evidence if she wanted to pass her homework.
However, Goh and Sonia weren't alone.
From the very beginning when Sonia planned to investigate all of this for her grandma's homework, she was being followed by subordinates who were working for Macro Cosmos.
Ever since Magnolia warned Sonia and the others about who Chairman Rose really was and what how he'll stop at nothing to reach his goal, the subordinates were ordered by Oleana to pluck out any weeds as soon as possible.
They wouldn't allow anyone to know about their intel and stop Rose's plans or even expose him to the entire Galar Region and how he has some involvement with the Eternatus situation.
Arriving at Stow-on-Side, Goh and Sonia went over to the mural located at the higher steps of Stow-on-Side. However, compared to what Sonia has researched so far, this mural seems to be nothing but utter confusion to her as she and Goh had no idea what they were looking at.
"The Stow-on-Side mural...It's not what I expected." Sonia said as she looked at the mural. It had multiple colours just splattered everywhere with no clarity on what it was trying to be. However, if someone were to look closely, it looked like a human holding two objects. "It looks like it was painted long after the time of the legend."
"Looks more like a doodle," Goh spoke.
They continued to observe the painting, trying to figure out what it meant. It was related to the legend apparently from what is known, but how? At this point, they believed that they couldn't solve this one at all. "Guess that's a miss." Sonia chuckled.
"Don't worry about it! Let's go investigate at the next ruin!" Goh reassured.
"Can't let you do that!" Someone replied to Goh, grabbing his and Sonia's attention. That voice belonged to one of the subordinates of Macro Cosmos ordered by Oleana. They've been following them for a while now. "You'll come with us."
"Who are you?" Sonia questioned as she saw the suited man walk up the steps.
"Do as I say and you won't get hurt." He grinned.
"You have to be kidding about that!" Sonia exclaimed.
"Hm. Raboot." Goh went in front of Sonia to protect her along with Raboot.
"Boot!"
"Not gonna listen to me, eh? Then I've got no choice." The subordinate revealed in his hands both a Poke Ball and a Dynamax Band as there was already Galar Particles flowing out of the band, affecting the Poke Ball. "Come out! Gigantamax Garbodor!"
The subordinate tossed the super-sized Poke Ball up, bringing out his Pokemon in the form of a Giganatamax Pokemon. He was already prepared for this as a Gigantamax Garbodor fell from above with the skies turning red as always.
"GARBODOR!"
"G-Gigantamax?!" Goh stammered. "Wait, is this a Power Spot too?!"
"Ah!" Sonia turned around to see the Galar Particles behind her and near the mural. "There's Galar Particles coming from the mural!"
"Which means..." Goh thought for a moment as his brain struck an idea. "Come back, Raboot!" He returned Raboot, looking right at his Dynamax Band. He knew what time it was. "Dynamax!"
Goh's Dynamax Band was activating for the first time as his Poke Ball began growing in size with a red aura. "We just gotta give it a go, yeah?!" Goh tossed the giant Poke Ball upwards.
Once he did, out came a Dynamaxed Raboot in a flash as the Rabbit Pokemon was now on an even playing field with Garbodor.
"RABOOT!"
"Alright, Raboot! Let's use Max Flare! Go!" Goh commanded by pointed upwards.
"BOOT!" By reaching into its pockets, Raboot grabbed a giant rock that had also been affected by Dynamax which it carries at all times for a quick and easy Ember.
Dynamax Raboot kicked the rock, setting it on fire, and then kicked it again, launching it towards its opposing Dynamax Pokemon.
A direct hit on Garbodor's body, but it wasn't enough as Garbodor only slight cocked back from the giant ball of fire. "Garbodor! Use G-Max Malodor!"
"DOR!" Garbodor released a wave of green sludge from its body, filling the entire ground with it all as Raboot had backed away, trying to avoid the sludge.
"RABOOT...!" Raboot's wasn't as agile in its Dynamax form, which proved to be an issue for the Rabbit Pokemon. Raboot had ended up backing up so far that it had crashed into the mural without noticing, destroying it and the large rock that it was apart of.
Goh, Sonia and the subordinate moved away from the destruction as rocks from the stone fell from above. "Ah, Raboot!" Goh gasped.
"Ra...!" Raboot stood back up, carefully manoeuvring his body to the side.
However, when Raboot moved away from the spot of the now destroyed mural, it was revealed that there was something greater hiding behind it the entire time.
Four statues.
"Impossible! There were statues behind the mural?!" A flabbergasted Sonia said.
What they saw shocked them.
The 4 statues consisted of two Pokemon holding a sword and shield in the mouths and two humans wearing crowns, standing behind the two Pokemon.
"Two humans... and a Pokemon?" Sonia gawked.
"Those Pokemon..." Goh recognized one of the Pokemon as the statues. The one holding the shield looked very familiar to him.
"Hey! We can chit-chat later!" The subordinate yelled. "Garbodor! Knock them down with Max Steelspike!"
"GAR...BO!" Garbodor slammed its hands onto the ground, creating a series of sharp grey spikes that raced forward at Raboot.
Raboot had been hit by the spikes as the Rabbit Pokemon was knocked on its back, sitting down. "Ra...!"
"Raboot! Are you okay?!" Goh ran to Raboot."
"Boot!" Raboot nodded, looking down at Goh.
"Alright! Then use Max Knuckle!"
"Ra! Ra! Raboot!" Once the Fire-Type got up, Raboot ran straight towards Garbodor, pulling its paws back. The Rabbit Pokemon smashed its paws onto Garbodor's face, finally pushing the Poison-Type back.
Garbodor went sliding on the ground as it almost crashed into the subordinate, but instead, crashed into a stone wall. "GARBO!"
"Watch it! Finish them off with G-Max Malodor!"
"We'll finish you off first! Raboot, Max Flare!"
At the same time, both Pokemon pulled off their attacks with Raboot kicking up a large rock, igniting it and Garbodor summoning a pillar of poison.
In the end, it was Raboot's Max Flare that seemed to be faster as it had reached Garbodor whilst it was still charging G-Max Malodor.
The ball of fire made contact, engulfing the Trash Heap Pokemon with scorching flames. Afterwards, an explosion of fire emerged with smoke covering most of Stow-on-side.
It was then revealed that Garbodor had been defeated first As Goh stated earlier. The Trash Heap Pokemon not only returned to its normal size, but it also ended up fainting in the process. "Garbodor..."
"AH!" The subordinate gasped.
"How's that?! Want some more?!" Goh grinned as Raboot glared at the subordinate with its towering size. The Rabbit Pokemon stomped its feet near the subordinate, making him wince in fear.
"Y-You'll regret this!" He made a run for it whilst returning Garbodor to its Poke Ball.
"Goh! That was great!" Sonia congratulated him.
"Yeah. Guess it went well for being my first Dynamax battle." Goh smiled. Raboot returned back to its original size as the Dynamax energy had left its body. "Raboot! Great job! That's my Pokemon for ya!"
"Raboot."
"Oh, right! The statues!" Sonia remembered the real meat of this scenario. The statues that had been revealed once Raboot crashed into the stone walls.
They now had new research information to gather. They observed them closely as Goh could only think of the unidentified Pokemon he and Raboot encountered back at the Slumbering Weald.
"You know... I met a Pokemon that looked a lot like this statue." Goh went up to them. "Though it didn't have a sword or a shield. When I tried to catch it, my Poke Ball went through it and the fog got worse. Before I knew it, I fell asleep out of nowhere."
"Ooh..." Sonia nodded.
"Is that why it's called the Slumbering Weald?" Goh wondered as he climbed up the large rocks to get a closer look at the statues.
"And then?" Sonia wanted to know more.
"When I woke up, the Pokemon was gone."
"Hmm...What a bizarre experience." Sonia also climbed up the rocks.
Just then, Goh noticed something in the rocks that caught his eye. "What's this?" A plaque. Plastered right on the foot of the statues themselves. Sonia and Goh looked closely, observing what words were on this plaque.
"It looks like their names." Sonia noticed. "It says the one holding the sword is Zacian and the one with the shield is Zamazenta."
"Now we know for sure!" Goh took a picture of the statues. "The legendary hero wasn't one person, but two!"
"And they both had a Pokemon with them." Sonia continued Goh's words.
"Which were Zacian and Zamazenta!" Goh finished the sentence as he continued to read the plaque.
"The black vortex that once covered the sky was a Pokemon titled the 'Darkest Day'. It nearly wiped out Galar." He then put the pieces together by thinking back to the other images he had seen.
"But the two heroes and their partners, Zacian and Zamazenta quelled the calamity."
"Yeah. That about summarizes it." Sonia nodded. "Wait till Twilight and the others hear about this."
"Okay! There they are!" Suddenly, their time observing the statues had been cut short as more of Oleana's subordinates had arrived to capture Goh and Sonia. "Catch them this time!"
"Those guys again?" Sonia gasped.
"They don't give up..." Goh groaned.
"What do we do, Goh?"
"Times like these..." Goh grabbed Sonia's hand. "You gotta rush right through 'em!" He ran straight towards the subordinates whilst dragging Sonia.
"Ah-Aaah!" Sonia screamed.
"Raboot!" Raboot cleared the way by jumping up and kicking all of the subordinates in the head whilst Goh and Sonia rushed past them. That one kick from Raboot knocked them all out, thankfully.
The trio entered inside of Sonia's car, ready to head off to their next destination. Or at least, somewhere away from Oleana's subordinates.
"Where to?!" Sonia asked, buckling her seatbelt.
"The Slumbering Weald!"
"To do what exactly?"
"If the legendary heroes really quelled the Darkest Day, Zacian and Zamazenta might lend us their help!"
"Okay!" Sonia put her car into full gear as the engine was revving like crazy. Unfortunately, she put too much force into it. As such, the exhaust pipe let out a tiny puff of smoke with small flames. "Oh..."
"Hm?" Goh then noticed that the subordinates had already recovered, appearing in front of the car. "Oh, come on!"
"Hold on tight, Goh!" Sonia gave it another go. "This time the car actually decided to start up as Sonia stepped on the pedal, getting a move on.
She was aiming at scaring the subordinates by pretending to run them over with her car as she honked her horn aggressively. The subordinates actually thought she might do it due to how reckless her driving was as they screamed whilst scattering.
The car was now long gone, leaving the subordinates in the dust. But there was a 100% guarantee that they'll chase them down for sure. All for the sake of concealing Rose's plans.
Wyndon. Rose Tower.
Twilight, Starlight, Rarity and Spike had arrived to meet up with Ash who was waiting outside. He already had his Dragonite ready for takeoff.
"Ash!" Twilight ran over.
"Hey." Ash waved at them. "Nice timing, guys!"
"Pikachu!"
"I knew you'd be okay! I was a bit worried that something might've happened to you since you were with Chairman Rose." Twilight smiled at him.
"Told ya there was no need to worry." Ash gave a thumbs up. "Alright. If Rainbow Dash and the others are off at Equestria to see if everything's okay, then we'd best do the same."
Just then, Ash was getting two consecutive calls on his Xtransceiver One from Rainbow Dash and the other from Goh. "A double call?" Twilight peered her head over. "Which one are you gonna answer?"
"It's fine. The Xtransceiver works with four screens. Check it out." Ash answered both Goh and Rainbow Dash at the same time.
"Ash!" Both of them said his name as they heard each other. "Hm?"
"Yeah? What's up? How are things going so far with the research and Equestria?"
"Big news! The-" They both spoke at the same time before realizing that they were talking over each other.
"Oh, you go first, Goh." Rainbow Dash said.
"Thanks. Ash. When we got split up in the Slumbering Weald, did you happen to meet a strange Pokemon?"
"Hm? Yeah, I did!" Ash nodded, remembering how he saw what looked to be Zacian back there in the Slumbering Weald. "How'd you know that?"
"I saw one too. It looked like this." Goh showed Ash and Rainbow Dash the image of the statues over at Stow-on-Side.
"Oh yeah! Just like that!" Ash exclaimed, recognizing the build.
"Lemme see." Spike hopped on Ash's shoulder, getting a good look at the image as Twilight and the others did the same.
"Oooh! They're like wolves!" Fluttershy squeed as she got in front of Rainbow Dash's face.
"Is that wolf holding a sword in its mouth?" Rarity squinted her eyes.
"Their names are Zaciand and Zamazenta," Goh revealed their names.
"Zacian and Zamazenta?" Ash and everypony collectively said.
"Those Pokemon are linked with the legend of the hero."
"So was it really one hero who just owned two Pokemon?" Twilight asked.
"Nope. In fact, there really were two heroes and Zacian and Zamazenta were their partners and wielded the Sword and Shield themselves!"
"Would ya look at that then..." Applejack gawked.
"The black vortex was the Darkest Day, a Pokemon. And it was quelled by Zacian, Zamazenta and the two heroes. At least, that's what we found out."
"Wait, the Darkest Day is a Pokemon?" Pinkie Pie raised an eyebrow. "That doesn't sound like what we heard."
"What did you hear?" Goh questioned.
"Turns out the Pokemon behind the Darkest Day isn't called the Darkest Day. It's actually known as Eternatus." Fluttershy answered.
"Eternatus?" Ash and Goh both said.
"It showed up in Equestria and Dynamaxed Mayor Mare's Stoutland by force. Ponyville right now is well..." Fluttershy whimpered.
"Not looking too peachy, that's for sure." Pinkie shook her head. "Even SugarCube Corner..."
"We're chasing down this Eternatus Pokemon before it Dynamaxes another Pokemon out of nowhere. But it moves super fast!" Rainbow Dash was currently flying low in the air.
"Darkest Day...Two Heroes...Eternatus." Ash said to himself.
"Pika..."
"What do we do now?" Spike wondered. "Do we head back to Equestria or keep helping out here?"
"Hm..." Ash thought for a moment before making up his mind. "Dragonite. Change of plans. We're heading back to Equestria."
"Gonite!"
"Eternatus is over there after all. And a Pokemon that dangerous is gonna need a lot of help!" Ash and Pikachu ran off suddenly.
"A-Ash! Pikachu! Where are you two going?!" Rarity yelled.
"To find Leon! You guys head on back to Equestria! we'll catch up! Wait here Dragonite!"
"Pika-Pika!"
"But Ash-" Twilight tried to call for him but it was no use. Ash was already off. "Oh geez. Alright. It's back to Equestria then. To stop Eternatus. I just hope everypony else is okay..."
And so it was. Equestria was the main destination since the main threat Eternatus was currently there, flying about and spreading a crimson red sky everywhere it went.
And speaking of the crimson red sky, it didn't take long for all of Wyndon to be covered in it along with Hammerlocke and soon all of Galar if this continues.
Eternatus wasn't even here and it was already heavily affecting the Galar Region anyway.
The South of Wyndon. Near the entrance.
Leon was there, already getting prepared to take off as he got on Charizard's back. He looked up to see all of Wyndon covered in nothing but red. "Alright, Charizard. We've got a lot more work left to do. Let's clear out all the Dynamax Pokemon we can."
"Char!"
"Leon!" Ash called out his name, waving at him.
"Hm? Ash?"
"Leon, wait!" Ash skidded on the ground, screeching to a halt. "You gotta hear this!
"Pikachu!"
"Hear what?"
"It's Equestria. The Pokemon behind the Darkest Day is there! Eternatus!"
"Eternatus...?" Leon thought of a moment, feeling as he recognizes that name. Which he did. Because Chairman Rose kept on mentioning it to him, but he's never seen it for himself. Just heard names. "You mean the Pokemon from the hangar?!"
"You know of it?"
"Mhm. Chairman Rose mentioned something about a Pokemon known as Eternatus. About how it'll be the saviour of Galar's future. You're telling me that it's in the other world, right now?"
"Yeah! It's already forced Stoutland to Dynamax and rampage. My friends and I are already gonna head to Equestria and help stop Eternatus. It'd be a ton of help if you came along, Leon!"
"Pika!"
"Hmm..." Leon thought for a second. "Chairman Rose said it was for Galar's future. But forcing Pokemon to Dynamax and rampage...?" Leon knew that Eternatus wasn't exactly the great saviour of Galar that Rose kept repeating. "Alright. I'll take any opportunity to help those in need."
"Awesome! Just follow me! I know a way there!" Ash ran off to return to Dragonite so that he and Leon can get this started and hopefully reach Equestria in time.
The Crystal Empire.
Eternatus was indeed heading north according to Sweetie Belle. And up north is possibly the most visible location in that direction.
The Crystal Empire.
Completely unaware of the horror that was coming their way. They had just recovered from a previous Dynamax attack last week. They were ready for any other Dynamax Pokemon that might pop up soon.
But they weren't ready for Eternatus. That's for sure.
"M-Mana...!" Over at Flurry Heart's bed, Manaphy was starting to cry all of a sudden, flailing her body around. The same goes for Flurry Heart as she too started crying out of nowhere.
"Flurry! Manaphy! What's wrong?!" Cadence exclaimed as she and Shining Armor rushed in to see what was making them upset.
Manaphy's antennae's were twitching uncontrollably. As if they were sensing something ominous coming this way. And indeed, something ominous was heading this way. But ominous is an understatement.
Due to how fast Eternatus was, it didn't take long for the Gigantic Pokemon to arrive. And when it did, it knew how to make an entrance.
Aside from its overwhelming shadow and how it constantly looms over every area that it's at, one thing about Eternatus that is absolutely bone-chilling is the horrendous and gruesome ear-piercing roar that it lets out and the disturbing skeletal-like appearance it has.
Not to mention that every time it flew by, wind pressures equal to that of a hurricane were being created, sweeping many Pokemon off the ground from just passing by them.
The ponies of the Crystal Empire looked up to see this horrifying Pokemon arrive here as they all collectively screamed at Eternatus's terrifying appearance.
Eternatus was much worse than the Dynamax Pokemon. When it goes on a rampage, the destruction it creates makes a Dynamax Pokemon's destruction look like child play as it went straight to work. This time, it didn't bother to Dynamax a random Pokemon at all.
It was just planning on destroying the Crystal Empire by itself with its own power whilst also absorbing the Galar Particles near here.
Anywhere there was a semblance of Galar Particles, Eternatus will come. After all, they did originate from it. So it is just merely retrieving what was once its own whilst also wreaking havoc upon the earth, the land and soon the sea and sky.
"What is that...? A dragon?!" Cadence held Flurry Heart in her hooves, gazing at the Gigantic Pokemon.
"Mana...Mana!" The reason why Manaphy and Flurry Heart were constantly crying was because of Eternatus's presence. They both sensed the malevolent nature this Pokemon possessed.
And Sylveon could feel it too. The Intertwining Pokemon shuddered as she hid behind Cadence's hooves. "S-Sylveon..."
"Sylveon?" Cadence turned to her Pokemon.
Everypony was preparing for the worst since they already had a Dynamax Sableye attack them last week. Unfortunately, their preparations couldn't help them this time.
Mostly because Eternatus didn't waste any time whatsoever. It came here to destroy, not to sightsee. And destroy it did.
The Gigantic Pokemon started strong by charging headfirst into a building, obliterating it in one go. Luckily, the pony inside managed to run out before that happened, but her home had been wiped out in just one hit.
"Not good!" Shining Armor gasped as he quickly ran out of the castle, seeing that Eternatus was not here to just float around.
With the sounds of ponies screaming and panicking, Eternatus's violent rampage continued at the Crystal Empire. The Gigantic Pokemon used Flamethrower to breathe fire on its surroundings.
The crystals of the Crystal Empire had been melted away by Eternatus's flame which had the heat of 1610 oC. So many ponies had lost their home from Eternatus's hot breath as they watched this Pokemon destroy it all in front of their eyes.
Shining Armor appeared with the royal guards, attempting to put a stop to Eternatus's actions. But Eternatus had quick reaction time. It could sense when someone was threatening it.
As such, it had used the move Poison Tail to attack any aggressors that come near it. The tail of Eternatus glowed purple as the Gigantic Pokemon swung it violently, melting and destroying the crystals that surrounded it.
The guards gasped as they were hit by the Poison Tail with the poison melting away their armour in just one hit. Shining Armor gasped as he was incredibly lucky that he hadn't been hit.
The same couldn't be said for the guards as they had crashed into some crystals without their armour being there to protect them thanks to Poison Tail.
Seeing how Eternatus used a Poison move, Shining Armor decided to use the one Pokemon here who is immune to Poison. Honedge.
"I'm counting on you! Honedge!" Shining Armor sent Honedge out.
"Honedge!"
"Use Fury Cutter!"
"Edge!" Honedge locked on to Eternatus and no one else. It was the biggest target here. Therefore, there was no way Honedge could miss.
The Sword Pokemon hovered up towards the Gigantic Pokemon, ready to cut Eternatus up real good. But Eternatus wasn't that easy to attack.
The Gigantic Pokemon knew its own weaknesses. As such, it could counteract anything that is thrown its way. And it countered Honedge by using Flamethrower to do so.
Intense flames came out of Eternatus's gaping mouth and towards Honedge. The Sword Pokemon glared as it noticed that this Flamethrower was absurdly wide.
Even if Shining Armor told him to dodge, it would be impossible since it takes up so much space and Honedge was already close enough.
As such, Honedge had been engulfed by the devastating flames of Eternatus's Flamethrower. And just like that, Honedge was taken out in one single hit as his body fell from above with the flames almost melting him away.
"Ah! Honedge!" Shining Armor caught Honedge in his hooves, saving him from crashing.
Just like that, Eternatus took out a Pokemon in just one go. Now it was time to continue obliterating everything in its path. And the biggest target here had to be the castle itself.
A perfect object to destroy for Eternatus. But the Gigantic Pokemon wasn't going to fly in and do it. Instead, it would destroy the castle from afar.
Eternatus was preparing a Hyper Beam as an orange ball of hyper energy emerged in its mouth, building up heaps amount of power.
Shining Armor gasped as he saw that Eternatus was aiming for the castle which still had Cadence and Flurry Heart inside along with many other innocent citizens.
"Oh no!" Shining Armor used his magic to teleport up to Cadence out of desperation. But even that wouldn't stop Eternatus at all.
The Gigantic Pokemon was pouring heaps amount of power into this one Hyper Beam as it was still going. Shining Armor stood in front of Cadence and Flurry Heart, facing Eternatus and the Hyper Beam directly.
"Quick! Sylveon! Use Moonblast!" Cadence commanded with fear in her eyes.
But it wasn't just her. If anything, Sylveon was the most afraid of Eternatus by a large margin. More afraid than she's ever been.
Eternatus was a Dragon for sure. However, it was also part Poison. Which is not good news for the Intertwining Pokemon. But either way, Sylveon swallowed her fears, summoning a ball of pink energy that borrowed power from the moon itself.
"Syl...VEON!" The Intertwining Pokemon fired Moonblast towards Eternatus, in hopes of interrupting its attack.
But then. The worst-case scenario happened.
Once Eternatus fired Hyper Beam, the gigantic blast of energy obliterated the Moonblast into nothing. The Hyper Beam was wider than any Hyper Beam that has ever existed as it was wide and tall enough to engulf the entire castle and the Crystal Heart.
Shining Armor held his family close to him as they braced themselves for the worst to happen. In which, the worst did in fact happen.
Hyper Beam consumed the castle and the Crystal Heart all in one go. The ponies of the Crystal Empire watched in shock and horror as their beloved castle and heart had been hit.
The Hyper Beam travelled so far that it tore through the Frozen North and obliterated most of Mount Everhoof in just one go. A horrible sound echoed throughout the land as the Pokemon nearby retreated into their caves to hide from this horror.
After Hyper Beam had gone far enough, it faded away, leaving behind an explosion so vast it could be seen from possibly even space itself.
A large smoke cloud was the final aftermath of Hyper Beam as it covered the entire empire. Horror, fear, dismay and dread had filled the hearts of the Crystal ponies.
Once some of the smoke had cleared away, it was revealed that the entire Castle had been destroyed. Nothing remained whatsoever.
There was no sign of Princess Cadence, Shining Armor, Flurry Heart or even their Pokemon.
The feeling of despair kicked in, causing most of the Crystal Ponies to tear up. They didn't want to believe that their beloved royal family had been wiped out like that. But from how things were, that looked to be the case.
Millions of ponies wailed as their cries echoed across the empire and the Frozen North as well. It truly felt like somepony important in their lives had left.
But Eternatus was still here surprisingly.
That's because it knew that something wasn't right. The remaining smoke was starting to clear as the Gigantic Pokemon looked closer to see the true outcome.
Lo and behold, the Crystal Heart was still intact.
But it wasn't by any magic whatsoever.
Instead, Cobalion and Terrakion had arrived, using themselves as meat shields to protect the Crystal Heart. Since they're resistant to Normal Attacks, the Hyper Beam merely tickled them.
As for the royal family, Virizion and Keldeo saved their lives thanks to their superior speed. They jumped out of the smoke with the royal family on their back, still intact and in one piece.
Flurry Heart giggled as she pulled on Keldeo's mane, thanking him for saving her life. "Ow!" Ow!"
Joy returned to the face of the citizens as they saw how the family and Crystal Heart were both safe and sound, thanks to the Swords of Justice.
"Are you all hurt in any way?" Cobalion asked them.
"We're fine. Thank you so much Cobalion!" Cadence thanked him.
"Good. Leave the rest to us. This Pokemon will most likely head somewhere else in a few minutes." Cobalion stepped forward. "We'll stop it before it rampages any further."
Eternatus looked down at Cobalion and the Swords of Justice. One look at them reminded the Gigantic Pokemon of Zacian and Zamazenta in a way.
The Dragon-Poison-Type noticed that it required more energy. Staying in this one Power Spot wasn't helping since Equestria's Power Spots are less consistent than Galar's.
Equestria, Night.
Eternatus's rampage continues. It had recently caused havoc at the Crystal Empire, destroying many buildings there and even the castle itself.
The Crystal Heart was also threatened by Eternatus, but thankfully, the Swords of Justice had come to the rescue, saving Shining Armor, Cadence, Flurry Heart and the Crystal Heart too. Shame they couldn't save the castle.
Eternatus had flown away from the Crystal Empire to both cause more destruction across Equestria and absorb the remaining Power Spots scattered across the world. Thus, the Swords of Justice made chase.
But they weren't the only group after Eternatus.
Twilight's group, Rainbow Dash's group and Ash had all met up once more in the same spot with almost everyone being back together. Goh was still researching with Sonia about Zacian and Zamazenta. But, they had an extra member with them.
Champion Leon, who was more than ready to help them out with their Eternatus situation.
Since Sweetie Belle said Eternatus was heading somewhere up north, that's where they were all heading. But they weren't really sure which North.
Eternatus was a fast-moving Pokemon. It can go from land to land in just a few minutes or less. As such, it's hard to keep up with, but one way to find it is by listening for a familiar roar, which Fluttershy's Audino played a huge part in.
Also, there was the fact that the skies were turning red in every part of Equestria due to Eternatus moving around, so it was sort of a trail in a sense.
Up in the skies, Leon was on his Charizard, Ash was on his Dragonite with Applejack and Pinkie Pie sitting behind him whilst Spike used his Salamence to carry him, Rarity and Starlight whilst Twilight, Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash just flew.
Thanks to Audino's hearing, they could track down Eternatus by its roar, but keeping up with the Gigantic Pokemon was another story entirely.
As they flew over the land, Ash and everyone had witnessed the carnage and destruction that was caused by Eternatus and the Dynamaxed Pokemon.
From levelled mountainscapes, craters that expand far and wide, forests that have been torched by possibly a Dynamax Fire-Type, or even some melted grasslands from either Eternatus or another Poison-Type.
It was a dreadful sight to look at as many of the Pokemon living in most of these areas had their homes destroyed by the rampaging Dynamax Pokemon and Eternatus.
"Did Eternatus do all of this...?" Fluttershy gasped at the horrible sight.
"Possibly. It already made Stoutland wreck most of Ponyville anyways." Twilight replied. "I'm a bit worried about everywhere else."
Twilight was starting to think about how some of her other friends might be in danger. Since they were heading up north, the Crystal Empire would most likely be their next destination.
She was worried that her brother, old foalsitter and niece had been caught up in this mess. Or worse, perhaps Eternatus might end up appearing in Canterlot where Twilight's parents reside.
Judging by how much destruction had been spread, that fear was stirring in her. As they continued to fly over the land, Ash noticed some familiar faces below.
Those faces were Celestia, Luna and Hollow, who were also on their own Dynamax mission to find any other Dynamax Pokemon.
"Hm? Down there!" Ash pointed at the trio below, grabbing everypony's attention.
Dragonite, Charizard and everyone else descended, approaching the journeying trio. "Kir?" Passion noticed them arriving as she nudged Celestia's tail. "Kirlia!"
"Hm?" Celestia turned her head to face her subjects or rather friends along with a brand new face in the form of Champion Leon. "Oh, Twilight. Everyone."
"Princess Celestia! This is urgent!" Twilight landed down. "You have to hear this! A-"
"There's a Dynamax Crisis ongoing across Equestria, I know." Celestia nodded.
"I-" Twilight paused for a moment. "You do?"
"Right." Luna walked up to Twilight. "We've already had our own Dynamax encounter back at Canterlot. Daylight Blazer's Medicham suddenly grew and almost destroyed Canterlot in the process."
"What?! Are my parents okay?!" Twilight screeched.
"They're fine. Everypony is. Along with Medicham." Celestia reassured. "Right now, we're currently in search for other Dynamax Pokemon that are on a constant rampage."
"So far, we've only seen the aftereffects of Dynamax Pokemon rampaging." Hollow referred to how the landscape had various types of destruction scattered all over the place. "Not sure how many there are right now..."
"Well, we're doing the same thing." Rainbow Dash spoke. "We're after the Pokemon behind all of this. Eternatus."
"Eternatus?" The trio said in unison.
"Turns out that it's the cause of Dynamax itself." Leon hopped off Charizard. "It recently escaped from the Galar Region hangar and apparently came over to your world."
"Oh! Champion Leon?!" Hollow gawked as his eyes lit up.
"You mean that it's somewhere here in Equestria?!" Luna navigated her head around. "Where did you all last see it?"
"About that..." Pinkie rubbed the back of her head. "We haven't found it yet. BUT! We can track it down no problem!"
"We're following the red sky and trail of destruction." Leon pointed up. "Fluttershy's Audino's also being a great help with her hearing and all that."
"We do know that it seems to be heading North." Rarity pointed her hoof at the North. "But other than that, it's too fast for us to keep up with."
"Too fast is an understatement..." Starlight sighed.
"Hmm...In that case." Celestia thought for a moment. "We'll come with you. Since this Eternatus Pokemon is the source, then we'll focus on it mainly. We all have the same goal after all, don't we?"
"Can we even keep up? If it's as fast as you say it is..." Luna pondered.
"Perhaps chasing it directly won't do if it can outspeed us all. But..." Celestia smirked, averting her eyes to the West. "There are such things as shortcuts."
Indeed they were. Ruling over Equestria for so long meant that Celestia knew her way around the land, even with the newly created Pokemon areas that have been popping up recently.
One of the many perks of being the Ruler of Equestria.
The Slumbering Weald, Galar.
Goh and Sonia had arrived to see if Zacian and Zamazenta would be there to help them in this second Darkest Day event.
"Zacian! Zamazenta!" Goh called out their names.
"Come out!" So did Sonia. They tried, but the two Pokemon didn't respond at all. Not even some howling to indicate that they were listening. Or at least, that seemed to be the case, until the fog showed up once more. "Fog?"
"It's just like before! Maybe they can actually hear us." Goh looked around as he ran off. "Zacian! Zamazenta!"
"Ah! Goh, wait!" Sonia ran after him.
"Can you hear us?!" He shouted out. "Eternatus has revived! And the Darkest Day!"
"Both Galar and Equestria will be wiped out if we don't do something!" Sonia bellowed. "Please!"
"Come on out please!" After many attempts of calling out for Zacian and Zamazenta, finally, there was a legitimate response.
Eerie howling echoed throughout the forest as Raboot heard the sound of footsteps closing. Those footsteps were as familiar as the howls themselves.
And there they were. Zacian and Zamazenta. Both of them in the same spot instead of separate areas in the forest. The two mysterious Pokemon came out of the heavy fog, glaring at Goh and Sonia as they had responded to their cries.
"Zacian...Zamazenta...!" Sonia gawked.
"You really showed up!" Goh had a wide grin on his face.
The two Pokemon didn't say anything at all to Goh and Sonia's words. Instead, they just turned around all of a sudden, walking away without a word.
"Hold on!" Goh yelled.
"We need your help!" Sonia requested. They chased after the two wolf-like Pokemon, walking behind them. Zacian and Zamazenta didn't seem to mind this at all.
But that was because they were actually leading them somewhere. Somewhere that'll bring about the end of the Darkest Day.
The further they advanced in the forest, the thicker the fog became as Zacian and Zamazenta suddenly vanished out of nowhere.
"Boot!" Raboot suddenly ran towards the thick fog.
"Ah! Raboot?!" Goh chased after his partner along with Sonia. Raboot could tell that Zacian and Zamazenta were trying to show them something. The disappearing part was a mystery, however.
But what was an even bigger mystery was what lied beyond the thick mist. The trio soon arrived at an altar of all things, just laying here in the Slumbering Weald, perfectly disguised by the fog.
"Huh...?" And of course, Goh and Sonia were both surprised on what they had discovered beyond the mist. The altar was obviously old with moss surrounding it along with parts of it being broken off.
In fact, most of it was broken off, making it seem like an incomplete altar when really, it had just been here for so long it eventually lost some of its structure, leaving only an A shaped structure instead.
"I never knew this was here..." Sonia stepped up to the altar with go.
Goh noticed how there were leaves covering something that laid next to the altar. Curious, he swept the leaves away, wondering what they were hiding.
There were two objects.
A rusted sword and a rusted shield. "A sword and a shield..." Goh said under his breath.
"Are these the sword and shield from the legend?" Sonia leaned forward.
"Yeah. They must be." Goh nodded. "This must be what Zacian and Zamazenta were trying to show us." Goh picked up both the sword and shield.
"What now?"
"Well, we've got both the sword and shield now. I guess we use them to stop the Darkest but..." Goh looked at how beat up and old they were.
They looked like they wouldn't even be able to cut through paper from how they look as of now. Goh suddenly placed the sword inside of the shield. "What are you doing, Goh?"
"If the sword and shield belong to Zacian and Zamazenta, they may have some hidden powers." Goh stood up, placing the two objects on the back of his bag.
"Oh, I get it. Maybe they can help us stop the Darkest Day and Eternatus."
"Let's hurry to Equestria! That world's not built for Pokemon so we gotta be quick!"
"Right." Sonia nodded as the two of them made haste.
And what about Eternatus?
The Gigantic Pokemon was still on its seemingly never-ending rampage across Equestria as it constantly filled the naturally beautiful azure skies with a dreadful crimson.
Flying-Type Pokemon evaded Eternatus any time it got close to them or even if it was seen within their reach. And even if they did evade it, Eternatus's pressure was enough to knock them out of the sky.
Eternatus was still collecting Galar Particles from across Equestria and Galar at the same time. Granted, Equestria was currently giving the Gigantic Pokemon more power since that was the location Eternatus was currently in.
However, the Gigantic Pokemon sensed one area that not only had a gigantic amount of Galar Particles but was also connected to Galar.
That location was none other than Trottingham. The city which also has a gateway that leads to Galar. Eternatus found the jackpot.
If it absorbs all the energy from Trottingham, it might end up reaching its maximum power. Thus, Eternatus would be in its prime once more.
The Gigantic Pokemon knew that some would try and stop it. And at this very moment, Eternatus was being pursued by two groups. Celestia's group and the Swords of Justice.
However, that didn't matter to Eternatus. It would succeed in its goals one way or another. And nothing will stop it from reaching its goals, no matter what.
That is until a brand new individual decided to get in Eternatus's way.
This individual was a Pokemon who wasn't actually with any of the two groups. But on their lonesome, since they prefer to work alone.
And no other Pokemon fits that bill than Absol, who was standing on top of a hill, anticipating Eternatus this entire time.
Ever since the second Dynamax Crisis began, Absol had obviously set off to stop as many Dynamax Pokemon as he could. However, once his horn sensed something major, his attention averted somewhere else.
Absol could tell that somehow in someway, Eternatus was the cause for all of this. The fact that Eternatus always brought a crimson red sky with it wherever it went helped Absol come to that conclusion.
Absol growled, seeing that Eternatus was about to fly by him. When the time is right, Absol would strike, planning on performing a sneak attack on the Gigantic Pokemon.
As for Eternatus, it wasn't aware of the Disaster Pokemon at all. All it cared about was reaching Trottingham and that was it. If it did see a Pokemon, it would most likely either forcefully Dynamax it or just destroy it.
Eternatus got close to the hill that Absol stood on. The time was finally right. Absol was ready to strike. And he did this, not by hitting Eternatus from afar with Dark Pulse, but instead, Absol jumped off the hill and landed on Eternatus's back.
"Absol!" The Disaster Pokemon hitched a ride on the Gigantic Pokemon's back, going for physical contact. Although, this was the opposite of a sneak attack since Eternatus had noticed that someone was on its skeletal back. The Gigantic Pokemon turned its head around to see the Disaster Pokemon, locking eyes with him.
"Ab...sol!" Absol began attacking Eternatus's skeletal back by using Night Slash. By slashing on Eternatus's back, Absol was barely doing that much damage to the Gigantic Pokemon due to how freakishly powerful Eternatus was at the moment and how it kept absorbing Galar Particles from both worlds to build its power.
But even if Absol did little damage, he was still able to get a reaction out of Eternatus. The Gigantic Pokemon knew that if Absol kept using Night Slash, eventually he'll manage to really put the hurt on the Dragon-Poison-Type.
So the obvious thing to do now was to throw Absol off, which Eternatus attempted to do. The Gigantic Pokemon tried the classic flying upside-down trick, but Absol held on tight, using his sharp claws to dig inside of Eternatus's skeletal body.
Whilst holding on for dear, Absol fired a Dark Pulse from his mouth, blasting Eternatus's back. Dark Pulse had a slightly better result than Night Slash. Since Dark Pulse has a chance to make an opponent flinch, it could come in handy for a scare-tactic move.
Eternatus actually managed to flinch, but it wasn't scared at all. Instead, it almost lost its balance when flying, crashing into a mountain thanks to Dark Pulse flinching it. Absol held on, closing his eyes as Eternatus's body demolished an entire mountain upon contact.
"A-Absol!" Large boulders fell from the mountains above, almost crushing the smaller Pokemon below. Eternatus then hatched an idea that could work.
The Gigantic Pokemon used the mountains as a means to get Absol off its back. It did so by dragging Absol's body on the mountains whilst flying past them.
The Disaster Pokemon wasn't going to let that stop him either. He endured the pain, allowing himself to be dragged across the mountains whilst Eternatus gradually destroys it.
By opening his mouth and closing one eye, Absol released yet another Dark Pulse. He wasn't going to let up. He never does. Eternatus could see that Absol might be the most persistent Pokemon it has come across yet. Not even Zacian and Zamazenta acted like this.
The Gigantic Pokemon took the skies, deciding that the best way to get rid of Absol was to make him feel the true pressure of the wind.
By ascending high into the skies of Equestria, Absol could feel a fierce and overwhelming great turbulence hit his entire body due to how fast Eternatus was going.
With all this wind, his claws were scraping on the back of the Gigantic Pokemon, almost causing the Disaster Pokemon to actually fall off.
But he didn't. Absol proved how stubborn he can be by using his teeth to latch onto Eternatus's back. That actually got a roar out of Eternatus as the Dragon-Poison-Type spun around in the air, doing everything in its power to get this Dark-Type off its back.
But Absol wasn't going anywhere as he unleashed Dark Pulses whilst having his teeth sink into Eternatus's skeletal body.
It was now a seemingly endless struggle at this point. Eternatus couldn't focus properly thanks to Absol's constant attacking. And Trottingham was so close. Eternatus now had one major problem that it had to deal with along the way.
West of Equestria.
The large group had now taken a shortcut that would apparently get them to the north much faster. Celestia knew what she was doing, so everypony put their trust in her.
Through Audino's ears, she could hear Eternatus roar in the far distance. She noticed that it wasn't coming from the North, but instead, from the East, indicating that Eternatus was changing directions.
"Dino! Audino!" Audino called for Fluttershy.
"What is it, Audi?"
"Audino!" Dino-Dino!" Audino flailed her arms around, telling Fluttershy that Eternatus had changed its direction from North to East.
"Eternatus is going East now?!" Fluttershy gasped.
"Audino!" Audino nodded.
"Seriously?!" Rainbow Dash groaned. "We're already gone this far to the West!"
"Why would it be changing directions now?" Rarity wondered. "Unless it's just another one of those Pokemon that is just erratic and goes wherever."
"If it's heading East now, it might end up in Trottingham," Twilight said. "Eternatus might be heading East because it senses a Power Spot there."
"Wait, Trottingham?" Starlight noticed something. Trottingham has a gateway that connects to the Galar Region and is so far the only place in Equestria that has the quickest route to the Galar Region. Starlight thought this was a hunch but it could be possible. "I think I know why Eternatus is heading East."
"You do?" Pinkie and everypony turned to her.
"Remember what Scootaloo's Pokedex said about Eternatus? That the core on its chest absorbs energy emanating from the lands of the Galar region to help it stay active."
"Yeah...?" Rainbow Dash nodded her head slowly, trying to figure out what Starlight was getting at.
"If Trottingham is the one area in Equestria that connects to Galar, then that means Eternatus has a higher chance of gathering more Galar Particles for itself. The closer it is, the faster it'll regain power."
"Oh, I see what you mean..." Twilight looked up.
"Mhm." Starlight nodded. "Eternatus must've come here to Equestria since it sensed Galar Particles here. Our worlds were never meant to cross in the first place after all. So maybe back in the original timeline, the energy from Galar was all that it could absorb."
"And since this timeline has new Power Spots with more Galar Particles to consume, possibly as much as Galar, Eternatus wants to absorb every Power Spot that exists. " Rarity finished Starlight's sentence.
"And with Trottingham being so close to Galar...It'll be an infinite power source for Eternatus!" Fluttershy gasped.
"Princess Celestia! We have to go East now! Quickly!" Twilight screeched.
"Don't worry. The West can still help us." Celestia replied.
"It can?" They all said.
"I didn't say it only had a shortcut to the North," Celestia smirked. "Come along. We might be able to beat Eternatus to Trottingham."
And so they continued West, despite Eternatus heading East. They trusted Celestia to get them to Trottingham with this supposed shortcut.
However, Celestia hasn't yet revealed to them what this shortcut looks like. Because so far, all they've been doing is heading West in a straight line and that's it.
Some of them, mainly Twilight and Starlight, were starting to worry that this shortcut wouldn't actually be that effective and they're just wasting time.
Until they came across a cave system that they all stopped at.
"In here." Celestia pointed her hoof at the cave. "This will get us to the East at a quicker rate."
"A...cave?" Spike tilted his head.
"Princess." Twilight walked up to her fellow alicorn. "Are you sure this is a quicker way? It looks a bit..." Twilight looked inside of the cave, seeing how unearthly and dark it uncanny it was.
"Distrustful?" Celestia finished Twilight's sentence. "I know. But you don't have to worry about a thing. Just stay next to me or your Pokemon and you'll be fine." Celestia entered the shady and dubious cave. "Besides. I've been here before a few months ago."
"She's the princess. No arguing there." Rainbow Dash flew inside of the cave as the others did the same.
The ponies either stayed close to their Pokemon, Ash, Leon, Hollow or Celestia for protection. They weren't sure what was lurking inside this shifty cave, waiting for them.
Celestia used her magic to light up the place with a golden glow, allowing everypony to see better. And that also allowed them to see what the style and structure of these caves.
There were over 12 pathways in this cave system, each leading to various uncharted areas. Around the walls, blue and purple crystals were either on the ceiling, walls or floor as they seemed to emanate the same colour as the Rift. They gave this eerie cave a somewhat mystical feeling with beautiful blue and purple lights illuminating all 12 pathways.
Some Pokemon could be found here, unsurprisingly. The most common of which are Zubat and Woobat. Some Noibats could be seen trying to fly and some Sableye's were resting near the crystals.
Oddly enough, despite this cave having somewhat of a long history and being an old area in Equestria, the crystals seemed to be brand new due to their Rift coloured lights.
"You use this place as your means of taking a shortcut?" Luna said to her older sister.
"That's right, Luna. See all those pathways? They each lead to either North, South, East and West. Its complex design, however, is why not many ponies come here. It's easy to get lost."
"Lost?!" Fluttershy screeched.
"No need to worry, Fluttershy." Celestia put her wing over Fluttershy. "I've been here a few times, so I'll guide you all. I would recommend we go through either the 10th pathway or the 11th. They both head East."
"Well, I'm sticking with you all." Pinkie dragged her friends towards her. "So I say we go for the 10th one!"
"10th sounds good to us." Applejack nodded as the rest of the Mane 7 agreed.
"Sticking together is the best option. So we must head for the 10th pathway, sister." Luna said.
"Alright. We will choose the 10th one." Celestia nodded in understanding. The 11th one does have a fun ramp though..."
The 10th one it was. By advancing towards the 10th pathway and arriving there, they were all greeted with a colony of Joltiks, Durants and one single Galvantula.
Looking at this area gave Rainbow Dash and Applejack not so pleasant memories of when they were sucked inside of a board game and one of the many areas looked exactly like this one.
"Ugh...Durants..." Applejack winced as she stayed close to Grovyle whilst also looking down at the Durants, Joltiks and Galvantula.
But it wasn't just Applejack and Rainbow Dash having unpleasant memories. Luna as well saw something very familiar that she never wanted to see again.
A group of Ludicolo's.
Ludicolo is a common Pokemon so something like this is to be expected. Although, Ludciolo's aren't necessarily Pokemon that live in caves that much.
But the reason why it was so unpleasant for Luna was that it reminded her of the time the Ludicolo's at the Pokemon Festival tossed her around whilst dancing. She had developed somewhat of a fear of Ludicolo ever since then.
"Urrgh..." Luna shuddered as she hid behind Darkrai. "Ludicolo's..."
There was something odd about this pathway and the cave in general. Rarity looked at the walls to see a painting that almost spelt out the words Phero. Almost as if it was trying to say Pheromosa.
Rainbow Dash saw a rock formation that looked a lot like Spitfire, Daylight Blazer and Princess Luna. Three ponies who she's competing against in the upcoming Equestria League.
"Okay um...Something ain't right here..." Applejack shook her head.
"I'll say. Is anypony feeling a bit of deja vu at the moment?" Rarity gulped.
"Ah. I should've probably mentioned. When I came here a few months ago, I made a discovery." Celestia turned her head to them all. "The crystals here seem to affect anypony or Pokemon that enters this cave."
"How so?" Twilight asked.
"They seem to bring out illusions of what you love, hate or are neutral with. Just keep trotting. They're only here to throw you off guard." Celestia explained.
She was right. The illusions can't really do anything. They're just illusions at the end of the day. However, they were capable of stirring up memories and getting reactions out of ponies, that's for sure.
As they journeyed through the pathway, Ash's Xtransceiver was ringing with Goh making the call, prompting Ash to pick it up.
"Hello. Goh, how's it going so far?" Ash asked.
"Ash! Great news! I found something that might help us against the Darkest Day and Eternatus!" Goh yelled on the phone as he had grabbed the attention of everyone there.
"Really?! What'd you find?!"
"Pika?!"
"Zacian and Zamazenta led us to this altar place that had a sword and a shield. They're pretty rusted though, but I think they might have some sort of hidden power that'll work when facing Eternatus!"
"Oooh..." Ash nodded his head.
"Are you still in Equestria?"
"Yeah. We're heading over to Trottingham right now. It's got a gateway that connects to Galar. Eternatus looks like it's heading there too."
"Oooh! Perfect!" Goh exclaimed. "Sonia and I will meet you there! Wait...which part of Galar does the gateway lead to?"
"I think it leads to someplace called...Axew's eye." Pinkie went up to the Xtransceiver.
"Oh. That's in the Wild Area near Motostoke." Leon gave out the actual location.
"Motostoke. Got it! See ya there!" Goh hung up on Ash, giving him and everypony a set destination.
Back with Eternatus and Absol, their struggle continued.
Absol still hadn't let go of Eternatus as he kept firing Dark Pulses onto Eternatus's back along with some Night Slashes here and there.
Eternatus screeched as it was getting frustrated with Absol at this point. Everything that Eternatus tried proved to be futile as no matter what, Absol stayed on the Gigantic Pokemon's back.
So many Dark Pulses and Night Slashes have been unleashed by now. And yet, Eternatus hadn't fainted once. Although, the repeated Dark Pulses have managed to make Eternatus flinch a couple of times.
And that flinching made the Gigantic Pokemon lose focus. Eternatus's crimson sky was filling the area as it could spot the biggest Power Spot yet right in front of its eyes.
The duo had eventually reached Trottingham after constant movements that involved mountain crashes and dark explosions in the sky.
Their constant battling alerted the ponies of Trottingham who witnessed the sky turning red along with a gigantic 20.0 m skeletal dragon approaching.
Trottingham had already gone through their own Dynamax attack during the crisis. And they were all not up for a second one. Especially from a Pokemon of that size.
Panicking and screaming, the ponies of Trottingham scattered, taking shelter in their homes as Eternatus had finally reached its destination after so long. But Absol was still on its back, attacking constantly.
After trying everything from flying high into the sky, smashing Absol and dragging him on mountains ranges, spinning around, nothing seemed to be working.
Eternatus thought that Absol would never get off until the Gigantic Pokemon had an idea. Threatening the lives of the ponies in Trottingham.
Eternatus figured that if it endangers the lives of others, Absol would rush over and help no matter what.
Which is exactly what it planned to do. By using its signature move.
Dynamax Cannon.
Eternatus gathered Dynamax energy in its core, preparing to fire at a couple of small houses nearby.
"Ab?!" Absol gasped, seeing how Eternatus was planning on destroying innocent civilians on the spot with a move that devastating. As such, Absol stood up, jumping off Eternatus's back. Which is what Eternatus planned to happen.
Knowing that made Absol change its focus to Trottingham instead of Eternatus. But that is exactly what Eternatus wanted. With Absol's guard down, his claws and teeth no longer digging into Eternatus's skeletal body and only focusing on the city now, Eternatus could finally get rid of this nuisance.
The Gigantic Pokemon did so by instead shifting the aim of Dynamax Cannon to face Absol who was in Eternatus's line of fire.
"Ab?!" Absol's eyes widened as he was now free-falling in the air. He noticed a red and purple light shining behind him as he turned around, seeing that Eternatus was going for him instead.
Absol was ready to tackle this attack head-on by using his own. In the form of Dark Pulse of course. Absol opened his mouth as a light purple orb surrounded in black and purple circles appeared inside it.
With all his might Absol then fired a beam of black and purple circles from the orb inside its mouth, sending it straight towards the opposing Pokemon.
Eternatus gave its response by unleashing Dynamax Cannon, sending its own beam forward. Through its mouth a powerful red and purple beam burst out of Eternatus, tearing through the air itself.
The two beams clashed, causing a shockwave that spread across Trottingham, shattering roofs, windows and even bricks themselves due to how powerful their clash was.
However, it wouldn't last long at all. Dynamax Cannon overpowered Dark Pulse by consuming it whole. Absol gasped as he saw how easily his attack had been negated.
The last thing he saw was a red and purple beam come towards him as he had been engulfed as well. "ABSOL!" The Disaster Pokemon screamed as he felt his body being hit with Galar Particles. But they weren't being used to grow him. Instead, Eternatus just wanted to get rid of Absol.
With the beam fading away, Absol fell from above, on the verge of fainting as a smoke trail came from him as he fell. The ponies of Trottingham gasped, seeing how Absol crashed onto the ground, causing a semi-large crater upon impact.
"Ab...sol..." The Disaster Pokemon cried out with a weak voice. He opened one eye, seeing that Eternatus was now hovering over Trottingham. He knew he couldn't just lose and give up here. Absol, despite his injured body and horrible state, stood back up.
But his legs were weak at the moment. He could lose his balance and faint at any minute now. But he would continue to stay up and stop Eternatus. No matter what.
Back with the group.
The 10th pathway was short and quick, despite being seeming somewhat long at first glance. Celestia knew her way around this place so it was lightwork for her. The illusions may have been distracting, but they weren't enough to slow them all down.
Finally, they exited out of the cave and had arrived at the East side of Equestria. And it turns out that their little cave crawl went beyond just getting them to the East.
It actually brought them near Trottingham AKA the Griffish Isles. Much nearer than they expected. Just up ahead, they could see the city of Trottingham in all its glory and how it had a purple Power Spot in the distance.
It was impressive how close the 10th pathway brought them here as Twilight and the others were impressed. However, that impression soon turned to shock as they noticed their main target had already beaten them here long ago.
By looking up in the sky, they spotted the Pokemon behind all of this. The one who brings the Darkest Day.
Eternatus.
The dreadful red sky had occupied all of Trottingham's airspace in just a few seconds. Not only that, but the roar of Eternatus reached their ears. They didn't even need Audino to pick it up. It was a truly ferocious and loud roar.
"There it is!" Ash gasped, looking up at Eternatus. "Eternatus!"
"That's Eternatus?!" Leon's eyes widened.
"Oh my..." Luna backed away, seeing how overwhelming this Pokemon was.
All of them were and rightfully so. This Pokemon was difficult to describe and judging by its dex entry and appearance, it seems to be a Pokemon that was not from this planet. Much like the Ultra Beasts.
Only on a larger scale.
"I-It sure is..." Applejack gulped, lowering herself on the ground. "Big...!"
"No time to be scared!" Celestia stepped forward. "We came here to stop Eternatus and that is what we shall do."
Celestia, Ash, Hollow and Leon were already prepared to step up to Eternatus since they were the only ones not intimidated by its disturbing and weary appearance.
Twilight noticed Absol in the distance, seeing that he was badly injured and on the verge of fainting with scratches on his entire body. "Absol!" Twilight flew over to assist the injured Pokemon.
But when she got close, Eternatus let out a bloodcurdling roar that stopped Twilight in her tracks.
Eternatus was gathering an unnatural amount of energy in its core. More energy than it had ever dreamt of. The original timeline doesn't compare to the amount of power that Eternatus is gaining right now.
"We'll stop Eternatus. The rest of you protect everypony else!" Celestia ordered as she, Ash, Hollow and Leon were about to head towards Eternatus, but not before one more individual joined the scene. Or rather two.
"I think not." A familiar voice rang through their ears, mainly Leon and Ash's ears. The four of them came to a screeching halt, wondering who was the one who told them to stop.
By turning around, they noticed the man who had taken part in this whole Eternatus situation from the beginning.
Chairman Rose. Alongside his secretary Oleana as always.
"Chairman Rose?!" Leon exclaimed.
"Ah...this is much better than I expected." Rose walked forward, passing Luna and the others. "The enormous power it's displaying is even beyond my expectations. " He looked up at Eternatus. "I'm honestly also surprised that Power Spots even exist here honestly."
"Professor Magnolia was right about this guy...he's kinda sketchy." Rainbow Dash whispered.
"Leon. We often discussed the future of Galar together, remember?"
"Now's not the time Chairman Rose!" Leon replied. "Eternatus will end up destroying this world and soon Galar!"
"No, no. This is all for Galar's future."
"What do you mean?" Leon stepped forward.
"I found that in the near future, Galar's energy will be exhausted. I racked my brains on how I could solve this issue and discovered that Galar particles could serve as a new energy source."
"Wait..does that mean..." Rarity narrowed her eyes at Chairman Rose. "You're the one who's been feeding Eternatus from the very beginning?!"
"Yes, my little pony. And more than that. I learned that Eternatus was the Pokemon of my dreams, infinitely creating Galar Particles!"
"But those beams cause Pokemon to Dynamax and go on a rampage!" Pinkie bellowed at Rose's direction.
"Yes. It is very troubling." Rose nodded. "That's why I've guided talented trainers like you. Yes, Leon. You will be the one who shall catch the revived Eternatus and control it! As I desire!"
"Why are you doing this?!" Spike exclaimed.
"Why? To prevent further suffering in the future of course. My father, he worked in the mines. He worked day and night to extract the energy source and to support our family. But after an unforeseen accident, he never came back. But what do you think? If we have Eternatus nobody will ever need to suffer as I did and we'll have infinite energy."
"That's..." Fluttershy was about to say something.
"See?" Rose spread his arms out. "I'm thinking of the Galar from a thousand years from now! Leon...I've watched over you and nurtured you since you were young, all for this very moment. You can't turn me down now."
"Hmph. I'll catch Eternatus." Leon suddenly replied with a stern face.
"Ah- Leon?!" Pinkie and the others gasped, facing Leon.
"Excellent! And you'll be a true hero of Galar!"
"But...I'll only catch it to calm it down." Leon suddenly shut Rose down. "Eternatus has already caused major damage to this world that never deserved this in the first place! So many ponies have had their homes destroyed by this Pokemon and I can't let that happen again! Not to both worlds!"
"Hm, hm, hm." Rose suddenly chuckled. "How naive you are. And it looks like Eternatus's full revival is near. Now, Leon, you're up! Only you can control Eternatus!"
"Even if it creates Galar Particles for more energy, Eternatus is far too dangerous!" Leon exclaimed. "I'll catch it and seal it away!"
"Hmm..." Rose's smile turned into a frown after those words.
"Everyone, let's go." Leon turned to Ash, Hollow and Celestia.
"Okay!" Ash nodded.
"I think not!" Rose held out some Poke Balls along with Oleana. "You've greatly disappointed me, Leon. You as well Ash. I could've turned you into the world's greatest trainer!"
"I'll get there on my own!" Ash replied to him.
"Hmph." Rose sent out all four of his Pokemon. A Copperajah, Escavalier, Ferrothorn, Perrserker and Klingklang.
Oleana did the same, sending out her Milotic, Froslass, Salazzle and Tsareena. "No one is allowed to ruin Chairman Rose's plans!" Oleana's hair flared up.
"This just had to become more difficult, huh?" Applejack sighed.
"Ah, who cares." Rainbow Dash flew in front. "Ash, everyone. Leave these two to us." She took out her Poke Ball. "Eternatus is all yours!"
"Alright! Thanks!" Ash ran off with the others.
"Pikachu!"
"You all intend to make my effort all for nought?" Rose raised an eyebrow.
"Like we'd let you cause any more damage and have innocent Pokemon rampage!" Applejack growled.
"My poor little ponies. You're not from my world, so you'd never understand." Rose shook his head. "Perhaps, Eternatus could one day help your world as well."
"It's helped enough! Go Braviary!" Rainbow Dash sent out her Braviary.
"Viary!"
"Out you come, you three!" Rarity sent out her strongest Leavanny, Flaaffy and Pheromosa.
At this point, it was inevitable for a huge brawl to break out. The battle with Eternatus and the battle against Chairman Rose and Oleana.
On the plus side, it would mean that the ponies of Trottingham would have the opportunity to see possibly Equestria's most chaotic Pokemon battle yet as they observed from their windows.
Through the gateway connected to Galar and Trottingham, Sonia and Goh had finally arrived, expecting to see their friends there.
And well, their friends were indeed there, that's for sure. But some weren't really friendly faces at all. Mostly Eternatus.
"W-What is that thing?!" Goh winced as he had no idea what kind of Pokemon he was even looking at.
"Is that...Eternatus...?" Sonia gawked. She noticed that Trottingham might be the area where the final confrontation against Eternatus occurs. "Goh! You have the sword and shield! Head on and help!
"Huh...?" Ah, right!" Goh stuttered as he ran off to assist with Raboot on his side. "Guys! I got the sword and shield!" He called out for his friends.
"Hm? Goh?" Starlight turned to Goh.
"Now we can stop Eternatus with Zacian and Zamazenta's help!" Goh grinned. "Lucky!"
"I think not! Surround him!" Oleana exclaimed as she had her Milotic Salazzle and Milotic surround Goh, preventing him from moving.
"Eh?!" Goh came to a screeching halt.
"Raboot...!" But thankfully, his partner was here to protect him from whoever tried to harm Goh.
"Do you all have any idea how much money Chairman Rose has spent to revive Eternatus?" Oleana narrowed her eyes. "His dream is also my dream. I won't allow some random ponies and kids from who knows where to stop that dream!"
"Just our luck..." Goh groaned as he looked up at Eternatus. "Ash, you'd better be pulling off one of your crazy stunts to win this..."
The final confrontation with the Darkest Day and Eternatus has arrived. The fate of both Galar and Equestria is now being decided by two opposing forces and one chaotic force.
Trottingham. The Darkest Day.
The final confrontation against Eternatus is here. Two sides each having their own mission. One side will deal with Chairman Rose and Oleana whilst the other handles Eternatus.
As the Gigantic Pokemon gathers energy from both Galar and Equestria, Eternatus was nearing its peak power. Possibly even sooner than it expects.
"Alright!" Leon tightened his gloves as he returned Charizard to its Poke Ball. "We'll battle with Gigantamax!" Leon was planning on ending this battle pronto as he wasn't holding back for a second.
The Galar Particles emanated from his band, travelling into the Poke Ball as the time to Gigantamax was now.
However, in an unexpected turn of events, Eternatus had absorbed the Galar Particles from Leon's Dynamax Band, preventing him from even trying to Dynamax.
"W-What?!" Leon noticed that the particles were leaving his band, entering Eternatus's core instead. "It absorbed my Dynamax Band?!"
Eternatus was doing all of this to reach its final form. And once it does reach its final form, it would be nigh-unstoppable, a much bigger threat than it already was.
"Then we'll battle it without Dynamaxing! Passion! Use Thunderbolt!" Celestia commanded as she made the first move.
"Kir!" The Emotion Pokemon hovered into the air, putting her hands together. 100,000 volts of Electricity had appeared in her hands as she was building up power to make it really have that extra Oomph.
"Pikachu! You use Thunderbolt as well!" Ash pointed up.
"Pika...CHU!" Pikachu hopped off Ash's shoulder, summoning the force of 100,000 volts within his body. Both him and Passion had unleashed a dual Thunderbolt forward, merging their moves as one.
The move looked like it connected, which it did, but it barely did anything to Eternatus at all. Thanks to the massive amounts of energy it had absorbed, the Gigantic Pokemon could now take more hits than it usually could as the Thunderbolts shrunk.
"Charizard! Dragon Claw!"
"Delphox! Come out and use Psychic!" Hollow sent out his Delphox as Charizard flew up with green draconic energy in the shape of claws emerged around his own natural claws.
"Phox!" The Fox Pokemon had conjured up psychic power from within its wand with its eyes flashing blue.
Charizard went up to Eternatus's face, swinging Dragon Claw towards the Gigantic Pokemon, but Eternatus had instinctively dodged Dragon Claw, returning the favour to Charizard by smacking him away with his tail. "CHAR!"
Shockwaves of invisible Psychic energy were sent towards Eternatus from Delphox's wand as they passed by Charizard. But Eternatus reacted to that as well by flying over the shockwaves, getting to a higher level.
"Pikachu! Iron Tail!"
"Passion! Plasma Bolt!"
Pikachu hopped on Charizard's back as he took a ride on the Flame Pokemon, allowing him to get closer to Eternatus as his tail hardened.
Passion combined Mystical Fire and Thunderbolt, creating pure plasma in her hands. As always, it was difficult to control due to how overwhelming it was as Passion strained and winced. "K-Kir...!"
"Chu...Pika!"
"Charizard!"
Both Charizard and Pikachu attacked Eternatus with their hardest hitting moves. But Eternatus had a response for that. The Gigantic Pokemon butted heads with the two moves instead of countering with its own move.
Once Eternatus's head clashed with Iron Tail and Dragon Claw, both Pokemon felt their bodies tremble as they could see just how powerful Eternatus had become. Or in this case, how much more powerful it will become very soon.
Eternatus's headbutt forced Pikachu and Charizard back as they were both sent flying. "Pika!"
Luckily, Charizard had recovered, catching Pikachu with his claws. "Zard!"
"Kirlia!" Finally being able to hold it, Passion sent a bolt of plasma forward, tearing through the sky as the amount of force was so great that even Passion herself had been pushed back.
The plasma bolt actually connected with Eternatus, hitting the Gigantic Pokemon square in the face as 14,500° of heat had been poured onto it.
Passion's Plasma Bolt was surprisingly effective as Eternatus had actually cocked back. Not even it can easily withstand something hotter than the sun.
Obviously, Eternatus didn't take too kindly to that. So the Gigantic Pokemon became much more aggressive with its attacks. And it showed this by charging up a Hyper Beam.
"Delphox! Protect!"
"Del!" Delphox got in front of the other Pokemon, putting up a green barrier around them to shield them all from Hyper Beam.
Eternatus fired the devastating beam of energy as it was much louder than any other Hyper Beam out there. Everyone ducked for cover as Hyper Beam made direct contact with Protect.
The beam split in two due to Protect preventing the attack from hitting. However, once they were split into two, the remaining Hyper Beams tore through the ground, almost hitting the buildings of Trottingham.
"D-Delphox...!" The Fire-Psychic-Type kept the Protect barrier up as she felt the pressure of Hyper Beam beat on the barrier. But thankfully, most of the time, Protect always comes in handy as the attack had been negated.
Delphox let down the barrier as trying to hold back Eternatus's Hyper Beam was a bit of a struggle, even when using Protect.
"It's strong enough to almost break through Protect..." Ash said. "We're gonna need some extra help. Come out, Riolu!" Ash sent out Riolu to help out.
"Rio!"
Eternatus roared as it was oh-so-close to its final form. But to test out just how much more powerful it has become so far, the Gigantic Pokemon decided to see what it was capable of.
And it did this by firing multiple Dynamax Cannons into the air. It was planning on raining down destruction from above as several red and purple beams could be seen blocking out the moon itself.
"Not good...! Dodge Charizard!" Leon gasped, knowing that this was going to get destructive.
"That'll hit the buildings! Dragonite! Gengar! Farfetch'd! Save everyone!" Ash sent out the rest of his Pokemon, thinking about the safety of the citizens of Trottingham first instead of continuing to tackle Eternatus.
All of his Pokemon, including Pikachu and Riolu, scattered across Trottingham to rescue the ponies from being hit by the raining Dynamax Cannons.
The devastating red and purple beams were unsurprisingly, highly calamitous as one single hit had destroyed a building in one go. Dynamax rained down from above, terrorizing and obliterating everything that it came across.
Gengar phased through some buildings, grabbing the ponies inside with Psychic whilst Farfetch'd broke through their doors with Brutal Swing.
Pikachu used Quick Attack to zoom around, avoiding the raining Dynamax Cannons and also using Iron Tail to knock some of them away.
Riolu used Vacuum Waves to try and fend the Dynamax Cannons off, but he wasn't strong enough as one of them broke through his Vacuum wave.
With the others, they watched as Dynamax rained down from above, desolating everything around it with a horrifying sight and sound.
"Look at that! Isn't Eternatus amazing?!" Rose exclaimed. "And it hasn't even reached its final form yet!"
"You call that amazing?!" Rarity growled. "Everypony's homes are being destroyed because of that thing!"
"Yes. But with all the energy it posses, very soon, this world will have the pleasure of-"
"You talk too much! Braviary Superpower!" Rainbow Dash interrupted him.
"Viary!" The Valiant Pokemon flew forward, channelling all his strength into his wings.
"Copperajah! Zen Headbutt!" Rose ordered.
"Copper!" The Copperderm Pokemon clashed with Braviary by surrounding its head with its own mental power as Copperajah had managed to easily overpower Braviary.
"Bra?!"
"Escavalier! Swords Dance! Ferrothorn! Power Whip!" He ordered more of his Pokemon. His Escavalier had a white aura around its lances as its attack had been boosted.
"Esca!" Escavalier charged forward, aiming at striking all of the Pokemon at once with its long lances.
"Pheromosa! Triple Kick! Quick!" Rarity ordered.
"Phe!" Pheromosa defended her friends by blocking Escavalier's lances with her legs. The two Pokemon locked eyes as the Cavalry Pokemon began swinging ferociously at Pheromosa, who used her legs to perform Triple Kick as the two of them entered a back and forth clash.
"Ferrothorn!" Ferrothorn's large spiked feelers had risen, aiming directly for the ponies instead of the Pokemon.
"Grovyle! Use Leaf Blade!" Applejack exclaimed as Grovyle quickly moved in, blocking and protecting his friends from Power Whip as his bladed leaves clashed with Ferrothorn's spiked feelers.
"Darkrai! Put them all to sleep with Dark Void.!" said Luna.
"I think not. Klinklang. Wild Charge." Chairman Rose's Klinklang surrounded itself in electricity as it launched its own body forward.
Before Darkrai could pull off Dark Void, the Gear Pokemon smashed into the Pitch Black Pokemon's body, causing some recoil on itself.
"Salamence! Use Dragon Claw!" Spike pointed.
"Hatterene! Psycho Cut!" Starlight exclaimed.
"Now, Perrserker. Metal Sound." Rose smirked.
"Per...SEEERKEEER!" Perrserker let out a horrifying blast of sound that pierced the ears of the Pokemon whilst also pushing the ponies back as well. Everyone had been stopped by Metal Sound, including their attacks as Salamence fell.
"S-Salaaa...!
"A-Audino...!" Audino took the worst of it due to her sensitive ears as she got on the ground.
"Ph-Phero...!" Pheromosa's battle with Escavalier had been interrupted by Metal Sound as she held her antennae's. This allowed Escavalier to strike whilst her guard was down. The Cavalry Pokemon slashed Pheromosa with Swords Dance, knocking the Lissome Pokemon back.
"Gr-Gro! Grovyle!" Grovyle was feeling the same way. With his guard down, Ferrothorn had smacked the Wood Gecko Pokemon to the side with its feelers.
"B-Braviary! U-Use...!"
"Copperajah. Flash Cannon."
"Rajah!" Before Rainbow Dash could give out a command, Copperajah had sent a silver beam made out of metal forward as it had engulfed all of the Pokemon in front of it.
"Guys!" Rainbow Dash gasped.
The smoke cleared as they all leaned in to see the status of their Pokemon. They were still active and able to battle, thankfully. But that Flash Cannon did some damage, that's for sure.
"If I were you, I'd give up," said Rose. "I've been Pokemon battling for years, whilst you all have only known Pokemon for one year. You're outmatched."
"You'd wish we'd give up!" Spike growled.
"You don't stand a chance against an experienced trainer such as myself. Even if you have a Mythical Pokemon on your side. Let me show you!"
With Goh, he was currently dealing with Oleana and her Pokemon. He and his Raboot had the misfortune of going up against a Milotic and Salazzle while the rest of Oleana's Pokemon were standing by, ready to jump in at any moment.
"Raboot! Use Blaze Kick!" Goh commanded!
"Boot!" The Rabbit Pokemon's feet become surrounded in red-orange flames, dashing towards the two opponents in front of it.
"Salazzle. Grab Raboot."
"Salaz!" The Toxic Lizard Pokemon used its tail to suddenly wrap around Raboot's feet, nullifying Blaze Kick as she had the Rabbit Pokemon in her clutches that easily.
"Ra?!"
"Now, Milotic. Aqua Tail."
"Milo!" Milotic and Salazzle had teamed up on Raboot with Salazzle holding her fellow Fire-Type in place whilst Milotic approached with a tail veiled in water.
"Raboot! Break out of there with Quick Attack!"
"B-Boot...! Ra!" Raboot managed to slip out of Salazzle's slimy tail by using Quick Attack to do so as the Rabbit Pokemon became a blur that moved back. "Raboot!"
"Now! Double Kick!"
"Boot!" Raboot flipped up in the air, preparing a Double Kick.
"Salazzle! Fire Lash!"
"Lazzle!" The Toxic Lizard Pokemon stuck her tongue out as it suddenly ignited in flames. Salazzle then swung its blazing tongue towards Raboot as it clashed with the Rabbit Pokemon's feet.
"Boot?!"
"Water Pulse Milotic."
"Milo...!" A large ring of water appears around Milotic's body and expands, firing it at Raboot.
"Ah! Raboot! Dodge again!"
"Ra?" But it was too late, Water Pulse had hit its mark as Raboot was sent flying by both Water Pulse and an extra hit by Salazzle's tongue with Fire Lash. "Raboot!"
The Rabbit Pokemon tumbled on the ground, taking heavy damage after that sudden move combination attack. "Raboot! Are you okay?!"
"Ra...boot!" Raboot stood back up, still being able to continue.
"Great! Let's keep going!"
It was utter pandemonium in Trottingham.
The Dynamax Cannons were still falling from above, destroying Trottingham until it was nothing but a desolate wasteland. Ash's Pokemon had managed to save them all thankfully, but the damage had already been done to their homes, unfortunately.
With Eternatus, it wasn't going well for Celestia, Leon and Hollow. Not with how much stronger Eternatus was now.
"Delphox! Psychic one more time!"
"Charizard! Dragon Claw!"
"Passion! Teleport above and use Plasma Bolt!"
But they tried their best anyways. Charizard approached Eternatus whilst Passion teleported above the Dragon-Poison-Type. Delphox focused all of its psychic energy into one point, planning on using its full strength.
But Eternatus didn't let any of that happen. It was now at 90% full power as it let out a pulse of Galar Particles that had blown all three Pokemon back along with their trainers.
"Kir!"Passion spun in the air.
"Char!" Charizard was sent crashing down.
"Del!" Delphox was knocked off its feet.
Celestia strained as she used her magic to keep herself steady. Hollow and Leon almost lost their balance as they looked up to see that Eternatus somehow looked much bigger than it previously was as if it had grown out of nowhere.
The remaining Dynamax Cannons fell from above as they still hadn't stopped at all. Celestia gasped as she noticed that one Dynamax Cannon was heading for her.
She used her magic to put up a barrier around her, Leon and Hollow as the beams of Dynamax energy rained down on the barrier.
As for their Pokemon, Charizard had luckily recovered, catching Passion mid-air, saving her life as he returned to Leon's side whilst also avoiding the Dynamax Cannons.
Eternatus roared as it had then used Flamethrower out of nowhere. By opening its mouth, the Gigantic Pokemon sprayed flames across Trottingham, setting it all ablaze the moment the fire made contact with the ground.
Celestia's barrier couldn't stay up forever as the Dynamax Cannons had managed to create cracks around it. And there were still more coming.
"This is getting rough! Return, for now, Delphox!" Hollow returned his Delphox, sending out his Scrafty next.
"Scra!"
"Use Zen Headbutt!"
"Scrafty!" The Hoodlum Pokemon lowered its head as purple energy begins to form in front of its forehead. It charged in headfirst with the power of its mind being displayed.
But getting too close was far too dangerous at the moment. Once Scrafty approached Eternatus, it was given a sudden knockback with Eternatus exerting more of its power as Galar Particles pulsated out of it.
"Fty!" Scrafty went flying back from the particle outburst.
Ah! Scrafty!" Hollow gasped.
"If we can just land one good hit on it..." Celestia said under her breath.
Ash had returned after his Pokemon ended up saving everypony, taking them to a safer area that wasn't here. He could now continue to help out.
"Everyone! Go!" Ash pointed up at Eternatus, commanding all of his Pokemon at once.
Farfetch'd rode on Dragonite's back whilst Pikachu, Gengar and Riolu were about to attack from afar. Dragonite closed in on Eternatus, using Dragon Claw while Farfetch'd went for Night Slash.
Eternatus had taken a super-effective Dragon Claw to the face and a neutral Night Slash that didn't do much at all. Even the Dragon Claw wasn't enough.
As a response, Eternatus used Poison Tail to whack Dragonite and Farfetch'd back down to the ground. The Gigantic Pokemon couldn't be stopped by super-effective attacks, unfortunately.
All of a sudden, Eternatus was going for yet another Dynamax Cannon rain. The Gigantic Pokemon unleashed a double rain of Dynamax cannons, this time they were larger in size and the numbers were greater.
"You're kidding!" Leon gasped.
"Run!" Celestia exclaimed, knowing that this Dynamax Cannon rain was far worse than the last. They all made a run for it as the ground was being bombarded with Dynamax Cannons as red and purple explosions could be seen in the distance, tearing up the already demolished Trottingham.
And these new Dynamax Cannon rains threatened not just those 4, but everypony else here. The cannons rained down from above, landing in between Braviary and Copperajah as everyone's battle had been put to a screeching halt.
"What was-" Spike's sentence was cut off when a Dynamax Cannon almost hit him, but Rarity had grabbed the baby dragon, saving his life as the cannon grazed her tail.
Rarity and the others saw the barrage of Dynamax Cannon's rain down from above as they made the clever choice of making a run for it.
All of them and their Pokemon scattered, trying their best to avoid the cannons whilst Chairman Rose watched the chaos unfold. He smiled, knowing that Eternatus was truly one of a kind. A Pokemon that was overflowing with infinite amounts of energy.
"Yes...! This is the power of Galar's saviour!" Rose exclaimed.
Escaping from the Dynamax cannons was proving to be difficult. Their increased size and faster movements meant that they were almost unpredictable.
Pinkie Pie had almost been hit by a Dynamax Cannon as one exploded right near her. The force of the explosion knocked the pink pony back along with her Spinda as they both tumbled on the ground. "Ow!"
"Pinkie-" Rainbow Dash gasped as an explosion of Dynamax energy happened near her as well, knocking her back too along with her Braviary.
Applejack watched as her friends were being knocked down by the explosions. Soon, there looked like there was nowhere else to go.
The Dynamax Cannons were filling up most of Trottingham and everywhere was just a hazard zone with craters being formed left and right.
She ducked for cover as Grovyle had stood over her, protecting his trainer from any harm. Audino did the same by holding Fluttershy whilst Braviary and Rainbow Dash went into Rainbow-Braviary to better defend themselves.
Darkrai, Salamence and Hatterene also covered their trainers as Darkrai used the shadows themselves to create a field of darkness around them all.
Salamence had taken some Dynamax Cannons from defending Spike as his back was being pelted by super-effective Dragon moves that wouldn't stop coming down.
Rarity's Leavanny used her string to wrap Rarity, Flaaffy and Pheromosa in thick strings, hoping that they would be enough to protect them.
But they weren't.
The Dynamax Cannons soon overwhelmed the area where Applejack and the others were as they all covered their eyes, holding their Pokemon tight as the sounds of constant explosions filled their ears.
Twilight watched as she saw her friends being surrounded by Dynamax Cannon rains. Very soon, the red and purple explosions were all that could be seen as Twilight's eyes widened. "Everyone!" She screamed out in fear.
One Dynamax Cannon landed near her, almost knocking the young alicorn back as she held onto Absol. "A-Absol...!" Absol lost his balance as he fell out of Twilight's hooves, tumbling on the ground.
Finally, the aggressive Dynamax Cannon rain had stopped. For now.
The smoke was clearing as Twilight rubbed her eye, hoping that her friends were alright.
And indeed they were. Darkrai's shadow field managed to protect them all, thankfully. But the Dynamax Cannons did a number on the Pitch Black Pokemon. In fact, it was revealed that Darkrai's back had been hit, making him the one Pokemon here who was badly injured.
"Ugh!" Darkrai grunted. "S-Sorry for being that reckless."
"Darkrai!" Luna held her partner up.
"Impressive how you can all still stand." Rose nodded.
"You'd best believe it." Rainbow Dash stood up along with Rainbow Braviary. "W-We're not done yet." Rainbow Dash grunted as she was struggling to keep her balance.
"But unfortunately, this is the end. Copperajah. Knock them out with Power Whip."
"Copper!" Copperajah was about to knock every last one of them out by raising its trunk for the final blow.
"I won't let you! Ninetales!" Twilight tossed her Poke Ball forward, sending out Ninetales. "Mystica Fire!"
"Nine...TALES!" The Fox Pokemon unleashed a blast of magical fire that flew past Twilight's friends, engulfing Copperajah in the process.
"C-Copperaj!" The Copperderm Pokemon was pushed back.
"Get away from my friends! Eve! Dazzling Gleam! Ninetales! Mystical Fire!"
"Don't get too confident, my little pony. Copperajah. Earthquake!"
"Copper...RAJAH!" The Steel-Type had promptly stopped Eve and Ninetales's moves by slamming its huge trunk down, shaking the entire ground as shockwaves erupted from the ground below, striking Ninetales and Eve.
"Esp!"
"Nine!"
"Ah! Eve! Ninetales!"
"Flash Cannon."
"Rajah!" Copperajah continued attacking by sending a silver beam towards Eve and Ninetales while they were still recovering.
"E-Espeon?" Eve looked over to see Steel Beam approaching. Ninetales got in the way of Flash Cannon, using his resistance to Steel to protect Eve from any harm.
"Ninetales...!" Ninetales took all the damage from Flash Cannon as it wasn't very effective. However, thanks to the Earthquake from before, Ninetales was feeling a bit weary. "Nine..tales...!"
"Esp!" Eve helped Ninetales up.
"Copperajah. Power whip on these Pokemon." Rose pointed at the Pokemon in front of him. "Escavalier. Klingklang. Ferroseed. Perrserker. Finish off those." He pointed at Eve and Ninetales.
"I won't let you! Salamance! Block them!" Spike exclaimed.
"Sala!" Salamence, using all the strength he currently had, got in the way, preventing the Pokemon from harming his friends. Unfortunately, because he got in the way, it was him that ended up taking the damage instead.
The hard steel of Escavalier struck onto Salamence's head whilst Ferrothorn slammed Salamence down to the ground. "Ferro!"
"S-Salamence!"
Things were looking rough now. Rose had the upper hand as his opponents were all tattered from the Dynamax Cannon rain and his superior battling skills.
"I told you. You should've just given up." Rose shook his head. "Shame. Perhaps when this is all over, I can turn you all into great trainers too."
"N-No way! We've already got an amazing teacher who's much better than you!" Rainbow Dash stammered.
"So, nyeeeh!" Pinkie blew her tongue out at them.
"Oh well. Do it Copperajah."
"Copper!" Copperajah swung its trunk down as the ponies closed their eyes, preparing themselves for the worst.
But then, all of a sudden, Riolu had rushed in to save them as he held up Copperajah's trunk. "R-Rio!"
"Riolu...?!" Fluttershy gasped.
"Rajah?"
"It isn't over yet!" Ash stepped up, holding Pikachu in his hands. Dragonite held Gengar and Farfetch'd but Riolu seemed to have more resilience than them all.
"Such persistence, Ash," Rose smirked. "But it's not enough. Escavalier! Drill Run!"
"Esca!" Escavalier was about to attack Riolu whilst he was still holding up Copperajah's trunk. But thankfully, someone was there to save Riolu.
"Gro! Grovyle found some extra strength within him as he grabbed Escavalier's lances, holding them in place. "Grovyle...!"
"Grovyle?" Applejack sat up.
"How can they still have this much left in them? Klinklang! Paralyze them with Zap Cannon!"
"Klinklang!" To put an end to all of this, Klinklang's body charged up, preparing to make its opponents immobile and paralyzed.
But yet again, someone was there to save them. Flaaffy also had some strength left in him as he ran forward, grabbing Klinklang, trying to stop him from using Zap Cannon. "F-Flaaffy!"
"Flaaffy!" Rarity gasped.
"How many...Perrserker! Metal Sound!"
"Per-!" Perrserker went up next, but even it had been stopped thanks to Darkrai who used a Dark Void to put Perrserker to sleep. "Serker..."
"I don't think so..." Darkrai stood up as he held his chest. There were still some Pokemon able to continue.
With Goh and Oleana, Raboot was getting pummeled by Milotic and Salazzle as it looked like there was no chance of victory in this current battle as the Rabbit Pokemon tumbled on the ground.
"Boot!"
"Raboot!" Goh leaned forward.
"Ra...!" Raboot stood back up.
"Your Raboot can't keep this up forever. Just give up."
"Raboot! You're pushing yourself too-" Goh tried to stop his partner, but Raboot wouldn't back down. Raboot kicked up a pebble, attempting to use Ember despite the massive type disadvantage. "Raboot?"
"Boot!" Raboot kicked an Ember towards them, but Milotic simply slapped it away with its tail, proving that Raboot's efforts were futile.
So far, everything looked like it was reaching its worst. Eternatus was 97% close to its full power and most of everyone was exhausted by now.
Smoke covered the area as the crimson sky was darkening in colour.
Celestia got up from the rubble as her crown had fallen off. Leon and Hollow had been saved by their Charizard and Scrafty, but they themselves had taken damage from the Dynamax Cannon rain.
"Passion! Where are you?!" Celestia looked around for Passion.
"Kir...Kirlia!" Passion got out of her own rubble as she breathed in and out. "Unfortunately, her fragile body meant that she couldn't keep this up for much longer. She had the power but not the durability. "Kirlia...!"
Eternatus roared as it was now 99% at its peak power. The Gigantic Pokemon decided to go for one more attack to cause even further destruction before it reaches its true form.
And that was the mother of all Hyper Beams. Eternatus was aiming it at every single individual here From pony to human and Pokemon. They were all in Eternatus's line of fire as it was building up the strongest Hyper Beam yet.
"Ab..sol!" Absol turned around, seeing how Eternatus was about to blast everyone away with Hyper Beam. He wanted to try and stop it, but he was too weak to do so as Twilight carried him.
"Don't Absol! It's too dangerous!"
"Absol..."
Eternatus had finished building up power as it fired its full-power Hyper Beam forward. The beam was so large in size that covered all of Trottingham and even tore through the already ruined ground, making it worse.
Charizard and Scrafty got in front of their trainers whilst Twilight and Absol stared at the incoming beam of hyper energy. It looked like it was all over as Celestia closed her eyes.
Until Passion had suddenly got in front of the Hyper Beam, putting her arms out and using her mind to hold the beam in place.
"K-Kirlia!"
"Passion?!" Celestia opened her eyes.
"Kirli...!" Passion wasn't about to let some random Pokemon harm her beloved partner and friends. Not one bit. She didn't care if she was badly injured and exhausted. She would do anything to protect the ones she loves.
And the same can be said for Riolu and the others. "R-Rio!" Riolu and the other Pokemon put all they had left into their bone strength, trying to protect their friends.
"RIolu! Don't push yourself too hard!" Ash exclaimed.
"Pika!"
"Riolu..." The Emanation Pokemon got on his knees as Copperajah was starting to overpower him. It was clear as day that a baby Pokemon like Riolu cannot beat a bulky Pokemon like Copperajah.
Until...
All of a sudden, Riolu, Passion, Grovyle and Flaaffy, all four of them were suddenly glowing as their bodies pulsated. This pulse even grabbed the attention of Eternatus.
A blue aura erupted from Riolu's body as his eyes flashed red. Grovyle had a storm of leaves surrounding his body whilst Flaaffy had three great thunderbolts come down from above, smiting him.
Passion's body became surrounded in a gigantic ball of fire that was identical to the sun itself as a golden glow illuminated Trottingham, giving the ruined city some flair and beauty.
"What the...?" Rainbow Dash gawked.
Raboot was undergoing something similar. The Rabbit Pokemon got on one knee, running out of energy whilst Milotic and Salazzle were healthy.
That is until a pillar of fire erupted from Raboot's body, startling even Salazzle and Milotic. "R-Raboot...?" Goh gawked as he wasn't sure what was going on.
No one was.
And just like that, all four Pokemon and their respective auras had suddenly burst with high amounts of force. So much force that it knocked away all of Rose's Pokemon, the rubble around them and even Eternatus a small bit.
A unification of Fire, Grass, Lightning and Aura filled Trottingham as it could even be seen from space itself. All four Pokemon's eyes flashed red, pink, orange and yellow simultaneously. With something as stellar as that, that could only mean one thing.
They had evolved.
"Lucario!" Lucario roared as aura surrounded his entire body.
"Sceptile!" Sceptile had millions of leaves rise from the ground itself, moving like a tornado.
"Ampharos!" Ampharos's body was supercharged with a violent amount of volts.
"Cinderace!" Cinderace's eyes were on fire along with its arms and legs as the fire dispersed.
"Gardevoir!" Passion spun around in the air as a golden light circled her body.
"Oh finally!" Pinkie exclaimed as she shot up. "They all evolved!"
"Yes! Lucario!" Ash pumped his fist!
"Pikachu!"
"W-Who are you...?" Rarity took out her dex for Ampharos.
"Ampharos. The Light Pokemon. Ampharos gives off so much light that it can be seen even from space. People in the old days used the light of this Pokémon to send signals back and forth with others far away.
"Oh! Who's this?!" Goh took out his Pokedex for this new look.
"Cinderace! The Striker Pokemon. Fire-Type! It juggles a pebble with its feet, turning it into a burning soccer ball. Its shots strike opponents hard and leave them scorched. It's skilled at both offence and defence, and it gets pumped up when cheered on. But if it starts showboating, it could put itself in a tough spot."
"Passion...You evolved...?" Celestia gawked.
"Voir." The Emotion Pokemon nodded.
"Would ya look at that?" Leon stood up.
"Yeah..." Hollow nodded.
"Garde!" Passion turned her attention to Eternatus, glancing at the Gigantic Pokemon with sharp piercing eyes. Eternatus was actually intimidated by Passion.
"Alright! Lucario! Use Vacuum Wave!" Ash thrust his fist forward.
"Lu!" But Lucario had a different idea. By using the aura waves to communicate with Ash, he instead told his trainer to use the newest move he had learned.
"Huh?" Ash's eyes widened as he understood Lucario. "Ah, I gotcha! Aura Sphere!"
"Lu...CA!" Lucario puts his hands together, creating a blue ball of energy in between them. Lucario then fired the ball at Copperajah at speeds so quick that the Copperderm Pokemon couldn't react in time.
"RA-" An explosion of blue energy engulfed Copperajah's entire body as even a big Pokemon such as Copperajah was sent flying.
As the Copperderm Pokemon tumbled on the ground, that one single Aura Sphere was all it took as Copperajah had fainted.
"Okay...Sceptile! Dragon Breath!"
"Ampharos! Use Thunder!"
"Ampha...!" Ampharos suddenly opened his mouth up.
"Scep...!" It wasn't just Lucario who learned a new move. Sceptile and Ampharos no longer had Dragon Breath at their disposal. They had something much better.
Dragon Pulse.
A Dragon-shaped shockwave came out of both their mouths as they combined into an even larger Dragon Pulse. Rose's Pokemon looked in shock and awe as they saw a giant Dragon come directly at them.
"It will be fine! They're Steel-Types so there's no chance that-" Rose spoke too soon.
Once the Dragon Pulse got close enough, it crashed into all of his remaining Steel-Types. An explosion of draconic energy occurred as Rose's Pokemon were sent flying like ragdolls. They hadn't fainted but that did some heavy damage.
"What?!"
"Cool..! We can do just as good! Salamence! Hyper Beam!" Spike pointed up.
"Darkrai! Dark Pulse!" Luna groaned.
"Sala...mence!" Salamence and Darkrai finished off the remaining Pokemon by sending a Hyper Beam and Dark Pulse their way.
Even if none of these moves, other than Aura Sphere, were super-effective, their combined might was just enough to make all of Rose's Pokemon faint.
"Yes! Way to go guys!" Ash ran over to his Lucario. "Awesome job, Lucario!"
"Pika-Pika!"
"Cario!" Lucario and Ash gave each other a fist bump.
"Ampharos! That was wonderful!" Rarity hugged her Ampharos, feeling proud of him.
"Pharos!" Ampharos shocked Rarity out of love.
"Great job, partner!" Applejack went up to her newly evolved partner.
"Scep." Sceptiple crossed his arms, feeling proud of himself as he nodded. It was an unexpected victory against Chairman Rose, one that pleased the eyes of Twilight who had a wide grin on her face.
As for Cinderace, the tides turned as well. "Alright, Cinderace! Pyro Ball!" Goh commanded.
"Cinder! Cinderace repeatedly kicked a rock, igniting it into a flaming soccer ball. "ACE!" It then kicked the fireball, launching it at the two Pokemon.
"That won't do that much to these two!" Oleana exclaimed. But just like Chairman Rose, she spoke too soon.
Whenever a Pokemon evolves, they undergo a 5 minutes power boost that makes them 10x stronger than usual, allowing them to do unnatural damage in just a few minutes. After that, it's back to normal.
And thankfully, Cinderace had all the time it needed as that one single Pyro Ball, once it exploded upon contact, knocked both Salazzle and Milotic out with just one hit.
"Huh?!" Oleana stepped back.
"Yes! You did it, Cinderce!" Goh ran over to his partner.
"Cinder!" The Striker Pokemon did a handstand as it, high-fived Goh, with its feet. After that, it went over to hug its trainer.
"Alright! Time to get that sword and shield there pronto!"
"Ace!"
Passion's face-off with Eternatus was one that had a lot of tension behind it. Eternatus had actually become motionless after sensing Passion's presence.
Intimidated by Passion, Eternatus decided to attack by using Flamethrower. The Gigantic Pokemon breathed intense fire from its mouth, aiming at scorching Passion into nothing.
"Passion, look out!" Celestia stood up.
"Garde." But Passion wasn't bothered at all. Instead, she did the unexpected. The Emotion Pokemon held her arm out, looking directly at the incoming blast of fire.
With an unbelievable jump in power, Passion created a mini-black hole out of thin air, surprising Leon, Hollow and Celestia at the same time.
The Flamethrower had been absorbed by the black hole as it was now floating in an endless void of nothingness thanks to Passion.
"Did she just summon a black hole?!" Hollow screeched.
"Amazing...Alright, Passion! Let's see what else you can do now! Use Thunderbolt!"
"Gardevoir." Passion turned around as she suddenly communicated with Celestia by using telepathy. Before she could only use it for a few seconds.
But now as a fully evolved Pokemon, she could communicate much longer. Passion said these exact words to Celestia. "Let me use Dazzling Gleam, please."
"Dazzling Gleam...Alright. Use Dazzling Gleam!"
"Gar!" By putting her arms out, Passion created a small ball of rainbows in her hands, aiming them at Eternatus. Out of the small ball came multicoloured rays that dazzled as they flew towards Eternatus.
Eternatus had been pelted with these rays of rainbows as each time they hit, they seemed to get stronger every second. Even if Eternatus's Poison-Typing made it resist Fairy, Passion's attacks have been elevated to a large degree as the Gigantic Pokemon roared.
"Garde."
"What strength! Amazing work Passion!"
"Gardevoir."
For once Eternatus was looking like it was wearing down as it lowered its body. That one Dazzling Gleam from Passion was just that powerful, even if it was only neutral to the Gigantic Pokemon.
"Now, Leon! Catch it!" Celestia exclaimed.
"Oh, right!" Leon took out an Ultra Ball. "Thanks for wearing it down, Passion! Ultra Ball, go!" With all his strength Leon tossed the Ultra Ball up at the Gigantic Pokemon in hopes of catching and sealing it away.
The Ultra Ball connected as it absorbed Eternatus, placing the Gigantic Pokemon inside as the Ultra Ball fell back down. Everyone, who had just finished up their own battles, arrived at the scene to see that Leon had just used the Ultra Ball on Eternatus.
And now they all wait for the result.
"Stay back!" Leon put his arms out.
They noticed that even though Eternatus was inside the Ultra Ball, it wasn't shaking at all. They held their breaths, hoping that there would be at least one shake.
But that never happened.
Eternatus broke out of the Ultra Ball, sending a destructive pulse of Galar Particles across the city. Charizard got in front of everyone, shielding them from the pulse as he ended up taking the brunt of the Galar Particles.
The capture was a failure. Eternatus had grown too powerful. In fact, it had grown so powerful that it seemed to be taking on a new form.
With Trottingham and Galar fueling its core, Eternatus had finally reached its true form at long last.
Everyone had been blown back by the Galar Particles as they watched a red and purple light expand across Trottingham with Eternatus's body starting to change shape.
The Gigantic Pokemon took the skies, creating a dark purple vortex above its head. The sky was no longer a deep crimson, but just dark purple instead.
"The sky!" Fluttershy gasped.
"You're too late now!" Rose exclaimed. "Eternatus has finally reached its true form!"
"True form?!" Twilight looked up, holding Absol up.
"Absol...!" The Disaster Pokemon growled.
Eternatus's appearance was no longer familiar. In this form, Eternatus's shape drastically changed. Its body became incredibly long and serpentine with most of its body forming a massive coil.
Its entire body glowed red in this form, and present at regular intervals across its length are black rings with spikes extending outward. Its back tendrils now curl around its main body. Its energy core rests at the centre of the coil inside a cage of violet spikes.
Eternatus's head takes on the form of a giant hand, with its fingers covered in black armour with spikes extending from the back of each segment. At the tip of each finger is a glowing pink eye. It was larger than even Wailord, the largest Pokemon in existence.
This was Eternamax Eternatus. Eternatus's true form.
After absorbing all of the energy in Equestria and Galar, it was now in a state of power overload. Infinite amounts of energy pour from this Pokémon's enlarged core, warping the surrounding space-time.
"Is this its final form?!" Luna said.
"Show them your power! Eternatus!" Rose shouted.
"Doesn't matter what size it is. We'll stop it either way!" Ash stepped forward with Pikachu and Lucario.
"Pikachu!"
"Lucario!"
"If this is its final form, then defeating it here will be the end of it all. Ready yourself, Passion!" Celestia and everypony were ready to confront Eternatus for the final time.
"Garde!"
Trottingham.
Eternatus was at its absolute peak with its power overloading. It was now in its Eternamax Form. The form it took during the first Darkest Day many centuries ago.
The final confrontation against Eternatus was here. If they stop Eternatus now, the Darkest Day comes to an end and they can all go home and laugh about this.
Audino had healed all of the Pokemon that were injured here, giving them the extra strength they needed to continue. Meanwhile, Eternatus was in perfect condition and at its full strength. The absolute peak of its power.
"Let's use all we have at full power! Everyone! Go!" Ash commanded all of his Pokemon. From Pikachu to Farfetch'd.
Ash gave off the first command, which prompted everyone else to command their Pokemon as well. It started with some ranged attacks.
From Thunderbolt, Plasma Bolt, Aura Sphere, Hyper Beam, Dragon Pulse, Ice Beam and so on. All of these attacks were thrown at Eternatus, flowing together in perfect unison.
But even with their combined might, once their attacks connected, they just fizzled out all of a sudden. Even Passion's Plasma Bolt faded away despite how powerful it was.
"Nothing?!" Applejack stepped back.
"Then let's try getting up close!" Rainbow Dash flew up. "Braviary! Use Brave Bird!"
"Braviary!" Rainbow-Braviary surrounded itself in a rainbow aura as he charged towards what might be the largest Pokemon in existence.
But even Rainbow-Braviary couldn't get this thing to budge at all. Once he smashed his head into Eternatus, the Gigantic Pokemon didn't even move an inch.
"Viary?!"
"Dragon Claw!" Both Ash and Leon commanded Dragonite and Charizard. The two Flying-Types engulfed their claws with draconic energy. By dashing over at Eternatus, they swung their claws at its face, hoping to budge the Gigantic Pokemon.
But Eternatus still didn't move at all.
Hollow's Scrafty went in for a Zen Headbutt but to no avail. Darkrai tried putting Eternatus to sleep with Dark Void, but even that failed as Eternatus simply stood there with the Dark Void fading away.
"None of our attacks are having any effect?!" Rarity stepped back. "Why?!"
"Just how strong is it now...?" Luna said to herself.
Eternamax Eternatus seemed indestructible as more attacks were thrown at it. Passion teleported up to Eternatus's face, using Plasma Bot from up close. Not even an attack that was hotter than the sun could work on Eternatus now.
And yet, they persisted.
Gengar used Ice Punch whilst Darkrai used Ice Beam with both of them trying to freeze the Gigantic Pokemon, but with no luck.
Everything they tried was futile. From super-effective moves to neutral moves, Eternatus just stood there, floating endlessly as it just let the attacks come to it.
"Is it indestructible or something?!" Hollow exclaimed.
There was a moment of peace between them. Seeing how Eternatus was just floating there, not moving an inch made them all weary.
Was it unresponsive? Taking a nap? Nopony knew why Eternatus was acting like this. Was this just apart of its Eternamax form?
Turns out, Eternatus wasn't actually being unresponsive. Instead, it was both observing its opponents movements and charging up an attack at the same time.
The Gigantic Pokemon finally did something as it had used its signature move.
Eternabeam.
Eternamax Eternatus fires a purple beam of energy from its hand and multiple smaller, similar beams from around its body. These smaller beams scattered across Trottingham, targeting the innocent civilians who were all watching from afar.
The ponies of Trottingham gasped as they saw the Eternabeam race towards them. They held each other, covering their eyes as they expected the worst to happen.
"Darkrai! Grab them!" Luna turned her attention to the citizens, ordering Darkrai to save them instead of focusing on Eternatus.
The Pitch Black Pokemon went into the shadows, making himself move faster that way. He managed to outpace the Eternabeams as he manipulated the shadows, creating dark shadowy hands that grabbed some of the ponies.
The Eternabeams rained down as Darkrai held the ponies with his shadows whilst also trying to avoid the rain of Eternabeams from above.
"Hatterene! Help Darkrai!" Starlight ordered.
"Hatt!" Hatterene nodded in understanding as she went over to save the civilians.
As for the others, Audino put up a Protect by standing in front of everyone, shielding them all from Eternabeam. The purple beams blew upon contact with the barrier as numerous explosions cluttered the field.
"A-Audino...!" Audino managed to hang in there as she took a bit of damage from the aftershock of Eternabeam.
The sheer force of this attack was powerful enough to sweep everyone off their feet as they all either held on to their Pokemon or the ground.
They all screamed as they felt their bodies being blown back by Eternabeam's shockwaves as Audino did her best to keep the beam from breaking through.
"D-Dino...!"
Eternatus knew that Audino's attempts were futile. So to add insult to injury, the Gigantic Pokemon used another Eternabeam whilst the current one was still being blocked by Audino.
"Audi?!" Audino's eyes gasped as she saw the second Eternabeam heading her away. Even Protect wasn't enough to stop a second one since the first one was already proving to be difficult.
As such, the second Eternabeam broke through Audino's Protect, shattering the barrier. "Audino!" The Hearing Pokemon went tumbling as the Eternabeams blew upon contact with the ground, knocking everyone away like ragdolls as they had all now witnessed just how powerful Eternatus was now.
"Ugh!" Ash rolled on the floor as everypony else tumbled. Even if they hadn't been hit by Eternabeam, the shockwave was enough to injure them as they all had scratches on them.
"I-Is everyone okay?!" Celestia got up from the ground as her regalia had been chipped.
"We're fine." Spike held his head as Salamence broke out of some rubble.
"Sala!"
"So strong..." Goh got on one knee. "Now I wish we were just battling the original timeline Eternatus..."
"Cinder..."
"It's almost as if it's an entirely different Pokemon now." Rarity said as her Pheromosa helped her up. Things were getting difficult now.
Even with some newly evolved partners in the form of Lucario, Gardevoir, Cinderace, Sceptile and Ampharos, Eternatus was still proving to be quite the challenge.
Ash noticed that the sword and shield Goh brought along had fallen to the side after all those devastating hits. But he also noticed that they were both glowing red and blue all of a sudden.
"The sword and shield!" Ash got up, running over to them both. "Let's see if they can actually come in handy like you said, Goh." Ash held the sword and shield in his hands.
"But they're all rusted! What can they even do?" Starlight said.
"Let's find out. Over here, Eternatus!" Ash called for Eternatus, grabbing the attention of the gigantic Pokemon.
When Eternatus turned to Ash, it recognized the sword and shield from the first glance. And that sparked up some memories that Eternatus wasn't too fond of.
Eternatus roared in Ash's direction as seeing Ash reminded Eternatus about the two kings who fought alongside Zacian and Zamazenta long ago. It was ready to take out Ash by charging up another Eternabeam.
"Ash! Don't get too close to close to it!" Twilight shouted.
"No need to worry! I can tell that Eternatus doesn't like the look of these two weapons!" Ash grinned. "I don't know how, but I'm gonna beat it with just these two!"
"Ridiculous!" Luna stood up. "You can't defeat something like that with-"
Just as Luna was about to tell Ash why that was physically impossible, the sword and shield were emanating their colours once more. But this would be the final time they glowed since they were reacting to something from far away.
And that something came from the Slumbering Weald and the altar that laid there. Two lights similar to the colour of the sword and shield emerged from the altar for one reason.
They were reacting to something familiar. Someone was fulfilling the legend. That someone, of course, being Ash and his friends.
And because of that, the two Pokemon who fought alongside the two heroes from long ago had finally awoken, returning to the land of the living.
Zacian and Zamazenta.
Two beams of energy shot up from the altar, moving at speeds faster than light itself. These two beams managed to go from the Slumbering Weald to Trottingham in just 2 seconds flat.
The two beams got in the way of Eternabeam, halting the move and saving Ash's life. "Pika?!"
Everyone gawked as the Eternabeam was being held back by these two mysterious lights. Suddenly, the sword and shield left Ash's hands, flowing over to the two lights as they responding to their rightful owners. "Huh?"
The sword and shield entered the energy domes as Zacian and Zamazenta revealed themselves. A flow of beautiful red and blue energy spread across Trottingham, giving it a beautiful view despite its current state. They both held the sword and shield in their mouth's just like what the statues depicted.
And with the sword and shield reacting to Zacian and Zamazenta, their true forms had been revealed, just like Eternatus's true form.
Zacian now had fringes of fur on its back become wing-like armour as its braids grow to resemble ribbons. Additionally, its head is covered by a golden helmet, and it carries a golden sword decorated to resemble Zacian's colours.
Zamazenta had a set of golden armour covering the front of its body like a shield that resembled its colours; while the side portion covered its forelimbs. Its ponytail also grows to cover most of its backside.
These were their Crowned Forms. Their true forms.
"Would ya look at that..."Ash gawked along with everypony else. "The heroes of legend!"
Rainbow Dash took out her Pokedex to see what these two Pokemon had on them. Before, there was no data on Zacian and Zamazenta back in the Slumbering Weald.
But now that their true forms had been revealed, the Pokedex had something on them finally.
"Zacian. The Warrior Pokemon. Now armed with a weapon it used in ancient times, this Pokémon needs only a single strike to fell even Gigantamax Pokémon. Able to cut down anything with a single strike, it became known as the Fairy King's Sword, and it inspired awe in friend and foe alike."
"Zamazenta. The Warrior Pokemon. Its ability to deflect any attack led to it being known as the Fighting Master's Shield. It was feared and respected by all. Now that it's equipped with its shield, it can shrug off impressive blows, including the attacks of Dynamax Pokémon."
"Wait...So the heroes of legend who wielded the sword and shield... were the Pokemon themselves?!" Twilight screeched.
"Alright!" Ash grinned. "Let's do this! Let's finish this Darkest Day and stop Eternatus!"
"Pikachu!"
"Right you are on that, Ash." Leon stood beside Ash along with everypony else. "Let's finish this in one attack! Charizard! Dragon Claw!"
And so it had begun. An intense struggle between Eternatus and everyone. Pikachu hopped on Dragonite's back whilst Eve hopped on Charizard's.
Eternatus fired Eternabeams from above, raining down destruction in hopes of hitting its targets. Dragonite and Charizard evaded the Eternabeams as they were closing in on the Gigantic Pokemon.
Zacian and Zamazenta were about to use their signature moves. Behemoth Blade and Behemoth Bash. Zacian's sword glows blue and grows in size whilst Zamazenta's extended its shield on its chest as it glowed red.
Dragonite and Charizard both smacked Eternatus in the face with super-effective Dragon Claws whilst Pikachu and Eve hopped off, using Iron Tail and Psybeam to continue the damage chain.
Eternatus was about to blast them all away with Hyper Beam, but Salamence came to the rescue, blasting his own Hyper Beam point-blank.
Eternatus had been interrupted thanks to Salamence as Zacian and Zamazenta had their turn. Zacian slashed Eternatus once with its enlarged sword as 5 hits happened in one single slash.
Zamazenta launched itself, ramming its hard shield onto Eternatus's body, causing the Gigantic Pokemon to move back a bit as it roared.
Sceptile and Ampharos both combined their Dragon Pulses as Eternatus was now being overwhelmed by attacks, not getting the chance to counteract.
They all kept the pressure on as Eternatus was being bombarded with Ice Beams, Dragon Pulses and more. With all this damage alongside Zacian and Zamazenta's strength, Eternatus was finally weakening.
"It's working!" Ash exclaimed.
"Then let's finish it! Passion!" Plasma Bolt!"
"Pikachu! Thunderbolt! Lucario! Aura Sphere!"
"Cinderace! Pyro Ball!"
With their unified might, the four attacks smashed into Eternatus, flinching the Gigantic Pokemon as Darkrai was above Eterantus, using Ice Beam to distract the Dragon-Poison-Type.
Eternatus wanted to attack Darkrai, but its attention had been averted by Braviary carrying Scrafty. Braviary tossed Scrafty towards the Gigantic Pokemon as it had used Zen Headbutt, making direct contact with Eternatus by smashing its head with the Dragon-Poison-Type.
Eternatus had finally come out of the sky as its enormous body was now on a lower level instead of high into the air. This made it easier for Pokemon who couldn't fly to get more hits in.
Which they did. Pheromosa ran up to Eternatus's face, giving it a Triple Kick before running off. Eternatus roared, shooting out a Flamethrower from its mouth, spraying the fire across the ground, preventing anyone from getting close.
But that didn't matter to some Pokemon. Charizard flew threw the flames, using Dragon Claw on Eternatus's eye. Once Charizard hit the eye, Leon noticed how affected Eternatus was by that as it let out the loudest roar yet.
"Ah! It's the eye! Aim for the eye!" Leon exclaimed, giving out Eternatus's weak spot
"Then in that case...everypony aim for the eye!" Celestia ordered.
"Pika!" Pikachu and everyone did exactly that. All of the Pokemon here either rushed over towards Eternatus or stood afar, attacking from a distance as Zacian and Zamazenta passed by them with superior speed.
All at once, they all used their strongest moves to only focus on its eye and nothing else. Eternatus didn't have time to think of a way to fend all of them off. They were all gathered around it and were already too close to it.
As such, all of their attacks struck Eternatus's eye at the same time. This was all they had. All of their current strength poured into these final attacks. They had all essentially gone past their natural limitations for this one moment.
And it all paid off.
The result of all attacks hitting Eternatus's eye sent out streams of various colours that flowed into the sky. Whether they came from Zacian and Zamazenta or a combination of moves, it was beautiful nonetheless.
A red and blue explosion could be seen from afar as the ponies of Trottingham closed their eyes the entire city had been engulfed by this strange energy.
The energy had faded away as smoke covered the city with all the Pokemon being launched back at their trainers after the explosion knocked them away.
Eternatus had finally reached its limit. Hitting its eye was the ticket as its large hand crashed on to the ground, causing a mini-earthquake.
"Now might be the right time...!" Leon dug into his pocket, getting out an Ultra Ball. Once he got it out, the Ultra Ball reacted to Eternatus's energy, growing in size. "Ultra Ball, GO!"
Hoping that this was the final time they had to battle Eternatus, Leon put all of his strength into this one single throw as the giant Ultra Ball absorbed Eternatus inside.
And now. They had to pray and wait for the outcome. Before, the Ultra Ball didn't shake, but now, much to their pleasure, it was actually shaking as they all held their breath and anticipation.
1...
2...
3...
Gotcha! Eternatus had been caught as the Ultra Ball returned to its normal size.
"Yes!" Leon grinned as he picked up the Ultra Ball. "I got Eternatus!"
"Finally!" Rainbow Dash fell on her back, feeling exhausted. "That felt like forever!"
It was finally over. With Eternatus captured, the dark vortex in the sky had faded away, restoring it to its natural colours as the sun was starting to set.
Everyone was exhausted. They wanted to celebrate but they were too tired to move around so they all either sat down or laid on their backs.
"I thought that would never end." Starlight chuckled.
Zacian and Zamazenta had done their job. They reverted to their previous forms as the sword and shield were dropped. By surrounding themselves in red and blue energy, the two Warrior Pokemon flew off, returning to the Slumbering Weald.
"Ah! Zacian! Zamazenta! Wait!" Twilight called for them, but they were already long gone.
The defeat of Eternatus meant that Dynamax Pokemon across Equestria and Galar were returning to their normal sizes as Eternatus was no longer affecting them.
The Darkest Day had officially come to an end. The black clouds were gone. Just like in the legend. Ash went over to the sword and shield, picking them both up as they were back to their rusted states.
"Thanks, Zacian. Zamazenta." Ash said whilst looking at the sword and shield.
"Wait. If we saved both Galar and Equestria like in the legend, does this mean we're..." Spike pointed at himself.
"Legendary heroes? That's right." Leon nodded.
"Sounds good to me!" Spike grinned.
"Things got a bit aggressive back there, didn't they Passion?" Celestia giggled.
"Gardevoir!" Passion nodded as she hugged Celestia.
"Now we've got some even stronger partners on our side." Applejack took her hat off, placing it on Sceptile's head.
"Scep!"
"Dragonite!" Relieved that it was finally over, Dragonite pulled everypony in for a massive hug, having them all in its clutches.
"Oof! D-Dragonite...!" Twilight's eyes widened as she smacked her hoof on Dragonite's claws. Dragonite released them all, allowing them to breathe. Although, Pinkie PIe stayed for more hugs.
Twilight then noticed that Absol was walking away. Just like before, with the disaster over, he had no reason to be here anymore. But due to how much damage he had taken, his walking speed was relatively slow.
"Sol..." The Disaster Pokemon held his head, trying to ignore his injures.
"Absol, wait!" Twilight teleported next to him.
"Ab?"
"How about we heal you up first before you head back into the mountains. You've been hurt pretty badly after all." Twilight smiled.
"Absol." Absol expected something like this to happen. Twilight constantly coming towards him and offering to help with every opportunity she had.
However, this time, instead of being reluctant, Absol grew to admire Twilight's care for him. Whenever he gets hurt, Twilight is always there, thinking about his health instead of everything else.
She did this during the first Dynamax crisis and even for this one. Because of this, Absol was no longer reluctant being next to Twilight.
If she would help him get back to full health all the time, then Absol is grateful to her.
More grateful than Twilight expect.
"Absol." The Disaster Pokemon went up to Twilight, taking a Poke Ball out of her saddlebag.
"Hm?" Twilight saw Absol grab the Poke Ball from her bag, holding it in his mouth as he dropped it on the ground afterwards. "Absol?"
"Sol." Absol put his paw on the Poke Ball, rolling it to Twilight.
Twilight didn't need Fluttershy to understand what Absol was trying to tell her. By looking at the Poke Ball and Absol's eyes, Twilight knew what this meant.
"Absol...Do you...want to come with me?"
"Absol." The Disaster Pokemon nodded. Twilight had won him over after all.
A wide grin graced Twilight's face as she felt like she was about to explode but she calmed herself down. Twilight used her magic to raise the Poke Ball, tossing it to Absol. "Alright then!"
The Poke Ball absorbed Absol with its red light as Twilight waited for the triple shakes. However, there was no triple shaking. Once Absol was pulled in, it was a critical capture.
Absol had been caught the moment he was sent inside of the Poke Ball, making it seem like this capture was destined to happen.
Twilight smiled, picking up the Poke Ball as she released Absol from it. She now had a new partner who could be by her side at all times.
"Absol."
"Espeon!" Eve was happy to have a fourth teammate and new friend. Albeit one who is somewhat intimidating as she ran around Absol, welcoming him to the team.
"What do we do now?" Goh wondered.
"Guys!" Sonia's voice reached their ears as she ran over. This entire time, she had taken shelter since the battle between Eternatus was just too chaotic for someone to stand out in the open, especially if they're not battling.
"Sonia...?" Leon recognized his old friend.
"You did it! I thought that would never end!" Sonia sighed. "Where's Eternatus?"
"In here." Leon showed her the Ultra Ball. "It won't be causing any more Dynamax issues for a long time. But where to put it...?"
"Leave that to me! Grandma will handle that!" Sonia pointed at herself, knowing the one place that they can seal Eternatus in.
The next day.
Professor Magnolia's lab, Wedgehurst.
"That must've been quite tough." Magnolia drank some tea. "And Chairman Rose's whereabouts are still unknown?"
"Yes. Though Leon's helping search for him."
"Hm. Although Eternatus remains asleep, contained beneath the earth, the possibility remains that it may awaken. We need to look into countermeasures should that ever happen again. I'll be counting on you for that...Professor Sonia."
"Of course!" Sonia smiled as she was wearing the traditional Pokemon Professor lab coat. "I'll do my best to live up to this professor's coat you gave me!"
The Ultra ball containing Eternatus was hidden beneath the earth itself with a metal safe containing it. Not even Ground-Types would be able to reach it. But even if they did, they knew that it meant bad news if it was being locked up like that.
As for the sword and shield, they had been returned to the altar where they originally belong as Ash placed them both down. "Thanks again, Zacian. Zamazenta. Let's battle someday!"
"Pikachu!"
"Luca!"
"And I hope to catch one of them someday!" Goh exclaimed.
"Cinder!"
"I'm glad that's over with." Luna yawned. " I require some rest now...Darkrai carry me."
"Guess you won't have the chance to ride on my back anymore, Passion."
"Garde." Passion was actually upset about that one. The one thing she'll miss from being a Kirlia.
"You're gonna love Ponyville Absol. But uh...maybe not in the state its currently in." Twilight laughed nervously.
"Sol."
"But at least the Pokemon House is still intact. We can have every Pokemon there chime in and have Ponyville repaired in at least 1 week!" Fluttershy said.
"4 days if Big Mac's Machamp doesn't act lazy again." Applejack chuckled, prompting everypony else to laugh as they left the Slumbering Weald, heading back home for some rest.
With this grand case revolving around Galar's legends behind them, Ash, Twilight and everyone have all grown once more, advancing as trainers.
And with Absol joining Twilight, they essentially have their own personal danger detector and possibly their most resilient and stubborn friend so far.
The door to another adventure surely awaits them all as the journey continues!
