***CONTENT WARNING: This chapter contains some intense violence and depictions of death. While the scenes themselves are not gruesome (They'd comfortably fit in a PG-13 movie and are still fine for a 'T' rating on here), they are still there. If you don't wish to read them, I will provide a brief chapter summary at the bottom of the page so that you don't miss out on any details.***

Hop and I follow Zacian and Zamazenta through the ruins, on the selfsame path we walked with Allister and Sonia weeks ago, yet something feels different this time around. There is an energy among the ruins around us, and the ghost Pokémon that had stood watch as we walked then are not here now. Not yet. The rubble that we walk through this time is dusty, obscuring our vision greatly. Pieces of stone and wood are smoldering. This time, the ruins are fresh. Through the hazy streets, sound begins to pierce through the fog. I hear the groaning and screaming of human and Pokémon alike, sounds of pain and confusion far worse than any I've heard in a Pokémon battle before. They speak in a language similar to mine, yet just different enough that I cannot quite tell what or who it is they are screaming and moaning for. A chill runs down my spine and I inch closer to Hop. Something in their tone tells me I am better off not knowing the answer.

Zacian and Zamazenta pick up speed and take a sharp right turn. Hop and I silently follow and upon turning, we find ourselves in an alleyway where the damage is far less severe. The haziness of the sky becomes clearer and we watch storm clouds roll in, aiming for a central spot in the sky, but something seems off about these storm clouds as well, as if we are watching a tape being rewound to the beginning. The wolves take another turn, and as we follow them around this corner, my suspicions are proved correct. Hop and I no longer have to wander around rubble but are instead walking through buildings crumbling in real-time, to our left and right. The muffled screams in the distance become explosions and shouting an arm's width away. It is a terrifying sight and I flinch with almost every blast, yet no stone falls in our way, no townsperson, dressed in the fashion of a time long lost, crashes into us. Hop and I slow our pace, watching the chaos unfold. Zacian and Zamazenta continue theirs, and we soon begin to lose sight of them in the chaos. They take another right turn. I tug at Hop's sleeve and the two of us rush to the intersection and turn right again.

Suddenly, we are alone in another alleyway, and all is silent. No one is on the street besides Hop and me. Even Zacian and Zamazenta are gone. I try to speak to Hop, and thought I move my mouth, I cannot make a sound. The world around us feels less vibrant than before; as if all the color has left the land. We look up in the sky to see that it is pitch black. Is this where they brought us? The Darkest Day? With nowhere else to go, we rush to the other end of the alley.

Instantly, all sound returns to the world around us. The sky opens up completely, though the deep blue I know it to be remains muted. Though we still cannot speak, the city folk do plenty of talking for us. There is a massive crowd gathered in front of an intricately designed stone gate. Something draws Hop and me to the crowd. They do not pay us any mind, and I do not think they even sense us, which is fortunate, as we look like we come from an entirely different world with our modern clothing. As we sift through the crowd, we feel the excitement that is coursing through their veins. They are ecstatic about what is going on at the gate. I am filled with curiosity and I push harder through the ranks of people. What could have them so excited?

Finally, Hop and I burst through the crowd and see what the fuss is all about. Zacian and Zamazenta have returned as well, though they are no longer the brilliant red and blue of before. Their fur is also muddied, and though they look around at the crowd cheering for them, they look right through us. But I can hardly focus on the two great wolves. Instead, I focus on the man that stands between them.

He is shorter than I would have expected, though his handsome and chiseled face closely resembles the face in his many statues that stand in the Galar I know. His armor, even in the drab color of this lost world, shines like obsidian, no doubt crafted by the finest smiths in the realm. In his arms, he carries the great sword of Zacian and the impressive shield of Zamazenta. They also gleam violently, so much differently than the way they did when I saw them in the Circhester bathhouse. He flourishes the sword valiantly and holds the shield proudly, but something feels off about the great hero. I'm hardly an expert at swordplay yet even I can tell he rarely uses this sword in battle, and I see in his left shoulder the strain of an arm not used to the weight of such a massive shield. He truly must have been a fraud, I think to myself.

The crowd around us does not notice the fraud for what he is; they just continue to cheer. I begin to familiarize myself with the archaic words they speak; phrases become clear. They are cheering for the hero, of course, but they are also singing the praises of Zacian and Zamazenta.

"Citizens of Hammerlocke!" the hero bellows, his voice like thunder. Instantly, the crowd goes silent. The hero revels in the power he holds over the crowd for a moment with a deep inhale, then continues. "I am here today to speak with your king again! There is a great danger that is lurking, and though that danger is immense, I know that I can quell it, like I have all else."

More cheers from the crowd. Hop and I glance at each other warily. His cadence and his tone feel far too flowery. As sickly sweet as a rose. We turn our attention to Zacian and Zamazenta. Their expression is blank, though we cannot parse the why. The doors behind him open up, revealing a handful of armed guards. Their iron helms and chainmail pale in comparison to the flashy getup of the hero, and likewise, their expressions upon seeing him are equally dour. The hero turns and laughs jauntily, beckoning for some others to follow him.

Up until now, I did not realize that the hero had traveled with a party, though a man like him would need at least a few hands to uphold his bloated ego. From the crowd, four young squires emerge. I recognize them instantly. Two brothers, dressed in shabby armor, hesitant, as if already aware of the evil that lies in the heart of the hero. Zacian and Zamazenta turn their heads and stare at them curiously. Behind the two brothers, a woman with thick black hair but otherwise mousey features. Behind her is an ominous looking Urshifu, looking just as powerful as I remember from a previous vision, and just as I remember every time I see Victor battle with his. No one else joins them. I blink. Shouldn't there be a fourth?

My thoughts are unanswered, and the hero quickly rushes into the castle with his party. Hop and I follow suit, dreading the scene we are about to witness. As the gates crash shut behind us, the world fades to inky black, then quickly comes to. I gather my bearings. We have gone from the courtyard of a castle to the chamber where the king's throne sits. The king himself, a man in grey hair and beard of about sixty, sits upon it, looking at the hero in a state of bewilderment. Next to him, in a throne nearly as lavish, sits a woman with icy white hair – no doubt the queen of Soan. Behind her is a Hatterene, standing tall and staring fiercely at the hero as he speaks his piece, and behind her is a small company of armed guards, still looking unimpressive in their iron armor.

"I tell you, your reign of terror ends here," the hero roars with his greatest bravado. He still holds the sword and shield in his hands tightly. Zacian and Zamazenta stand behind him, growling in warning. The two brothers, the true champions look bravely ahead, but I can tell their conscience is weighing heavily on them. Urshifu and its master are both emotionless, waiting for either the hero or the king to make the move to bring this confrontation to blows. I cannot read her expression as her eyes dart back and forth to all parties in the room.

"What have I done?" the king scoffs, his voice somewhat withered in age but still vibrant. "I tell you, the people of Soan have no quarrel with you. In fact, we heartily celebrate you for all the good deeds you've done our nation!"

"Your lies are unbecoming," the hero growls, his grip tightening on his sword. Zacian barks loudly, causing most of the soldiers in line behind the king to jump in fright. I note a frenzy in Zacian's eyes. Is there some control that the hero has on her while he holds the sword? "Your army grows along the southern border," he continues, gesturing with his shield. This time it is Zamazenta's turn to bark. I notice the same strange frenzy in Zamazenta's eyes as well.

"And what of it?" the king asks, leaning forward. "A kingdom needs an army. We cannot rely on disputes being solved by a single man, no matter the power his Pokémon may wield. If you are only here to make base accusations at my ruling, you are excused."

"I will not leave until I hear your reasons," the hero spits, puffing his chest out.

"I have just given my reasons," the king roars back, his temper rising. "I warn you, Buckingham, you may be in our good graces, but your absurd claims are wearing those graces thin."

"Is that a threat?"

"Oh, for—don't be ridiculous!" the king roars, slumping back into his chair in frustration. The queen's Hatterene shutters for a moment as the emotion and tension in the room spikes, but otherwise does not move. Urshifu's whiskers twitch as it lays eyes upon it, for a brief moment, and then it turns its attention and its entire wide body to the hero, observing carefully. After a great sigh, the king, in a much steadier voice, turns to address his armed guard. "Please escort this man from the chamber. His words are tiresome, and if he continues in this way, I feel all of us will suffer."

There is a murmur of laughter among the guards. A few break rank and step forward. "See how he refuses us like this?" the hero cries, turning to his companions and flailing wildly. "These are the antics of a man with violence on his mind and evil in his heart!"

The king, no longer entertaining the words, rises to his feet. "You insolent—" he begins to start. The Hatterene behind him begins to hum, spreading her wispy arms left and right, trying to hold her pain at the heightened emotions in the room.

"Gentlemen…" the queen warns.

"See how his anger consumes him!" the hero yells.

"You lie!" The king roars, his anger now fully on display. "Guards, you will remove him from this chamber by force!"

And just like that, as if waiting for his opportunity, the hero swings his sword forward. "You will not sully the path of righteousness!" he roars theatrically, and as empty as his words feel to Hop, me, and all else in the room, the frenzy in Zacian and Zamazenta's eyes return, and they leap forward, snarling.

I bring my arm up to shield my eyes from what I am about to see, but before I can, the world fades to black. I glance around. Hop is still with me, his eyes wide with terror. Before we can say or do anything, the dim light of the chamber returns to our view. Not much time has passed since , but the battle has completely ended. Soldiers lie strewn about the room. A few groan and gasp still, but most remain silent, their bodies limp. In the chaos of the attack, the Hatterene has wrapped Zacian in her hairlike tendrils, spurred on with help from Urshifu, who it seems has broken rank with the hero. His champion is crouched in a far corner of the room next to a ripped tapestry. She holds her gut and even in this grey world, I can see the red stains on her shirt. Her breathing is labored but steady; it seems she still has some fight left in her.

The hero pays no mind to them, nor does he pay any mind to the two brothers I know to be the true companions of Zacian and Zamazenta, who stand cowering in the rear of the room. Instead, he focuses on the two figures still standing their ground at the base of the throne. The queen stands, her emotions tied with Hatterene's as they struggle to keep Zacian under wrap, but the King is leaning on the base of the throne, wounded and weak. Zamazenta is approaching, growling, ready to strike him down.

"P-please…" the king wheezes weakly. A trickle of blood runs down his mouth. "Zamazenta, heed the call of your kingdom…"

"He serves no false king such as you!" the hero roars triumphantly. His hand grips the shield tightly, and Zamazenta bares his teeth. They are long and sharp. Perfect weapons for murder. But before he can finally leap and finish his attack, he pauses.

"Please…" moans the king, before slumping back, his energy nearly spent. As he does, it is as if a spell affecting Zamazenta is broken, and he falters. His eyes become clearer, and he looks upon all the damage he and his sister have wrought before turning and looking at the hero before him.

"What are you doing, Zamazenta?" the hero said, his grip tightening on the shield. But whatever it was that gave the shield power over Zamazenta had gone.

"I…I do not wish this," Zamazenta replies. His eyes, glinting bright, tell the story of a soul slowly piecing together the hero's true intentions. "I am meant to be a shield to the innocent, not the sword that breaks them down."

"W-what?" the hero gasps, aghast. "You fail to listen to me? Now, of all times?"

"This is no victory," he says, baring his fangs and turning his entire body to face the hero, standing between the fallen king and the hero. "Zacian, will you dispel this wicked man's influence?"

Zacian struggles a bit more, then calms herself. I see clarity come to her eyes as well. The hero also notices this and takes a step back.

"You…turn against me…in our greatest hour of triumph?" he asks in shock, lowering the sword and shield for the first time. His shock, however, is quickly replaced by a malicious smirk. "Well then, no matter. I have no more use for you anyway. Come, my dragon."

"Your dragon…?" Zamazenta whispers. In answer to his question, the hero reaches into a satchel slung around his waist and pulls out an apricorn with a slick metal grove around its circumference. The precursor to the Pokéball, and it seems to be a design even cruder than the ones I have seen in any history class I'd taken. The hero twists each half of the ball in separate directions and pulls them apart, and slithering out from inside the ball is Eternatus itself. It quickly expands to its full size, and Hop and I step back, though we know we are in no real danger here. As Eternatus rears back, I can tell that it's much larger than it was when Rose had revived it. Is this what we must face after the Pokémon League? It's nearly twice the size that it was on top of the Hammerlocke Power Plant tower! It's almost too big for the audience chamber it's currently in. It spreads its bony wings, revealing the pink membrane that holds its bones together, and a rush of Dynamax Energy floods the room.

"That Dragon…" Zamazenta says, before shuddering as the Dynamax energy overwhelms him.

"I thought we…" Zacian says, before screwing up her face. Hatterene's grip on her loosens as the Pokémon also begins to lose focus at the power of the Dynamax energy filling the room.

"M-Milord!" One of the brothers speaks, from behind the hero. He tentatively took a step forward, swallowed, and continued. "Please! You're hurting them! Recall the beast!"

"Not when I'm so near to achieving everything I've worked for!" the hero cried. "Dragon! Finish the deed!"

"No!" the young man yelled, but it was too late. Eternatus, with unmatched speed, flew past Zacian and Zamazenta, its bony jaws closing on the torso of the king, who gave out a final, weak moan and slumped backwards.

I brought my hand to my mouth, feeling nausea rising inside my stomach, but nothing came out. Instead, I could only look on in horror as Eternatus shook his head once, playing with the king's body in his mouth like a Yamper would a stick, before tossing it aside and turning its focus to the two wolves. The king's body crashed into a tapestry and crumpled to lie broken atop the bodies that were once his brave soldiers.

"Now," said the hero grimly, walking towards Eternatus and whirling about to see the rest of his party, meeting their shocked and sickened expressions with resolve and malice. "The kingdom of Soan is under my control now. Any of the kingdoms that fall from the light, such as Soan had, will face our divine might."

"What had we even done?" the queen roared, her voice brittle with heartbreak. "What had my husband done that deserved this treachery?"

"SILENCE!" the hero hissed. "I see he has poisoned you with his lies. A pity. Now I will give you one final chance. I will give you all one final chance." He turned his attention to the three young people who arrived at the castle with him, especially the one brother who had spoken out before Eternatus had killed the king. "Evil nearly took this day, and though we put an end to it, its allies still stand in our way. Can I count on you, my friends—"

"You bastard!" The young woman yells, clutching her fist. Urshifu, still behind her, also readies itself for battle.

"I…I cannot abide by wanton acts of murder!" the second brother agrees.

The hero blinks, surprise in his face for a brief moment before his eyes turn dark again. "So you, my friends, my brothers in arms, those that I trusted all this time…? Could it be that evil has shackled you against me as well?"

"You speak lies," the first brother says, stepping forward. "Since you fought that dragon that stands behind you, your actions have grown crueler by the day. Can you not see that you are becoming the one thing you set out to destroy?"

But the hero has no interest in debate. "So be it," he says with a hollow laugh. "I have no more use for you anyway. Dragon! Four more traitors in our midst. See to it they do not live to tomorrow."

Eternatus snaps to attention and roars, sending a new wave of Dynamax energy blasting through the room, a blast so powerful I can almost feel it myself despite only bearing witness from another time and place. It speeds toward its new prey, the two brothers, and Zacian and Zamazenta spring into action, trying to stop it in any way they can…

I shield my eyes and the world around me grows dark again. The sounds of snarling, biting, and violence fade to nothing, and soon all I can hear are my breath and Hop's. I turn to him in the darkness.

"Bloody hell, mate," he says. He is white as a sheet and breathing heavily. "I knew the Darkest Day was bad, but seeing it myself…"

"That wasn't even the darkest day," I remind him. My voice is weak, shaking with anxiety. "That…that was just Eternatus. That wasn't even the Black Hand."

"So, you finally see our urgency," Zacian's voice sounds out. Hop and I spin in our places, but we see nothing.

"Eternatus is currently locked away," Hop said. "But if Rose is going to keep conducting experiments on it, and if anything in those experiments goes wrong..."

"How much time do we really have?" I ask him. Somehow his face becomes even paler, as the world fades back into view. We are once again in the audience chamber of Old Hammerlocke, though the only thing recognizable there was the throne and the man who leaned against it, covered in scrapes and cuts and blood. Was the blood his or someone else's? The ceiling of the chamber, once ornate and tall, lay in ruin at the hero's feet. Giant stones, splinters of wooden beams, and piles of rubble have fallen, leaving an open sky above us. The sky is a deep crimson, more vivid than anything I have seen tonight, and five massive black tendrils spread across the sky, less like a hand and more like a necrotic web, its nexus directly above the blown-out ceiling of the chamber. I look around for Hop and see him on the other side of the room. I scream for him, but again, no sound can escape my throat. Frantically, we run towards the remains of the once-great entryway to the room, but before we can get there, the doors, barely hanging on their hinges, are blasted through with a burst of energy that I recognizes as a Moonblast. The Hatterene and Urshifu from before enter, alongside a much more ragged looking Zacian, Zamazenta, and Urshifu. Behind them, the four champions file in. Their clothes and armor are torn and dented from battle; their faces hardened from over a year of hardships fighting the man who once called himself a hero. Zacian and Zamazenta pick up their pace, breaking away from the party and heading directly for the wounded man at the base of the throne.

"Do you see what you have wrought, now?" Zacian taunts, her voice harsh with hatred. The man looks up, remorseful, but does not speak.

"Do you know why we're here?" Zamazenta asks with a gruff and bitter voice. No doubt returning to this place stirs memories inside him as turbulent as the skies above.

The man who was once the hero looks up, resigned. "They are here still," he wheezes weakly. "In the room…behind me." The two brothers break from the pack and rush past him, heading to a corridor in the north side of the chamber. The queen and Urshifu's champion slowly approach until all are standing in a line flanking the king. Urshifu's champion narrows her eyes analytically, but the queen looks upon the man responsible for her husband's death with open hatred.

"There is no punishment great enough for the damage you have brought to our realm," she spits. The man does not respond, only turns his head to the side, waiting for the brothers to return with the sword and shield. They do, and quickly they join the line, staring at the man in front of them. Their eyes gleam with pity. He in turn, does not meet their gaze, hanging his head low instead.

"Well, you can see I've been made the fool. Do your worst. I will take none of the energy you'll need after my death." He loosely gestures up towards the sky.

There is a pause as everyone in the room's tension drops. They had been expecting a fight, not immediate surrender. No one moves. My heart begins to race. Zacian and Zamazenta have shown me so much death already tonight, but nothing like this.

Zamazenta looks to his champion and nods. The two brothers bring the sword and shield to their respective, true owners. One brother loops the shield around Zamazenta's neck, letting it hang just underneath the chin, and the other brother holds the sword up to Zacian's mouth and she gingerly grips the hilt between her teeth. The two wolves stand there, looking somewhat ridiculous until their armaments begin to glow a bright yellow. As the glow increases, I have to shield my eyes again, and when the glow finally subsides, I see the two wolves in their completely resplendent forms. They are each a whole head taller, their matted and bloody fur now long and flowing, free of the dirt and death they must have waded through to get here. Their eyes shine, filled with new power that even I had not seen in them in any previous vision or dream, and their red and blue fur is now spattered with flecks of gold, becoming the legends they truly were meant to be. Zacian steps forward and raises her sword, also transformed into a long and brilliantly sharp claymore, with such ease that it might as well have been a butter knife and speaks to the man who she used to consider a hero.

"You will not die today, but do not for a single moment think that you have been spared."

Zamazenta comes to her side, his shield now merged with his entire head to create a mane of shining steel stretching far wider than I could stretch with my arms. "It is time, my sister," he says. The two leap from the foot of the throne, and in one powerful jump, they have cleared the remains of the back wall. Urshifu and its champion follow, and so do the two brothers. The queen, meanwhile walks slowly to the man, and bends down to whisper in his ear. But as it is the memories of Zacian and Zamazenta I am witnessing, all fades to black before I could parse what she told him. Her words are fully lost to history.

In the blackness, I look around for Hop again, but he is nowhere to be found. Light comes again, and as if looking through a photo album, I am shown flashes of memory. Zacian rushing towards the central eye of the Black Hand with her brilliant behemoth of a blade while Zamazenta shields his champion from the whips of Eternatus' tendrils. Urshifu pinning one tendril to the ground just long enough to create an opening where Hatterene can fire a Moonblast into the creature. Zamazenta blocking what could have been a fatal blow against his sister in the heat of battle. And finally, Zacian swinging her sword one last time, slicing Eternatus through, and an explosion of light as the monster has finally been quelled. Eternatus withers, and like a Pokémon knocked out of its Dynamax state, it shrinks until it has crumpled onto the ground. It withers around feebly, but Zacian does not grant the dragon life like she did its old master. She swings her sword down one last time.

More blackness. I feel myself being pulled somewhere, and when the light returns, I find myself in a cave tucked away among tall-standing stones that have been shaped by erosion. Zacian and Zamazenta, still bleeding from the battle, drag the body of Eternatus to its final resting place. They leave the cave. Urshifu appears and with a stamp of his foot, rocks fall, covering the body entirely. Though it is not the smooth wall that will eventually cover Eternatus' final resting place, I finally recognize that we are just outside of modern Stow-on-Side, where likenesses of the heroic Pokémon will soon be carved into the misshapen stone pillars.

"Come," one of the brothers says to Zacian and Zamazenta, "your battle is over. Let us tend to your wounds." But Zacian rears back, and with one look at Zamazenta, they run like the wind. I do not feel myself pulled along with them, but I know their destination is the Slumbering Weald, where they came from, where they brought themselves to die, and where they need me to go to allow them to be born anew. The world arounds me fades to blackness yet again, and I let it take me, feeling a shred of comfort for the first time all night.

When light comes again, it is in the modern day. Nothing gives away the exact time, but I can sense it is either happening now, or in the near future. I am in a blank hall with walls, a floor, and ceiling of white. It is lit by cold fluorescent lights. They hum softly as I walk towards a door at the end of this hall. I try to look around, but I can't actually move my head, or any part of my body beyond what is already in motion. Why can't I control myself?

I reach the door and see a black sensor next to it. I lift a hand, but I do not recognize it. It is a smooth, almost dainty hand, a hand that has never known trauma or struggle, and it is definitely not my own. Whose body am I in? I, or the body I am trapped inside, presses it against the black sensor. There is a flash of blue light, then a flash of green. I hear a click come from the door and it jolts toward me half an inch as it unlocks. With another hand I do not recognize, this body opens the door.

Inside is a room filled to the brim with machines, wires, and ductwork. I cannot make heads or tails of what is going on in here, but whoever is controlling this body is unimpressed by anything happening around him. I see a few scientists in white lab coats, a few more in bulky plastic safety goggles. All but the body I am trapped in are wearing sterile blue latex gloves. As the body walks forward, most of these scientists actively avoid making eye contact. I sense annoyance from some as the body walks past, but in some others I sense fear. The body turns and looks upon the central machine in the room – a gigantic orb made of glass, forty feet across. I cannot tell for sure, but the glass seems to be almost an entire foot thick, and it is just for the best, because inside, writhing angrily, is Eternatus. No scientist wants to get near it, though it seems that at least for now, the dragon has not been able to do any damage to its glass container. But it looks much stronger since its rebirth atop the Hammerlocke Power Plant, and as the body comes close to it, it snaps its head and looks directly at me with its hungry, angry eyes. I feel a rush of dread wash over me as the body reaches into a breast pocket – the body is wearing a stylish suit, completely unlike any of the scientists around them, and pulls out a simple steel hammer.

The body looks left, then right. No one is paying it any mind; they've all purposefully averted their gaze. Convinced no one is watching, the body approaches Eternatus and looks down. At the base of the glass ball is a small control panel, one no one else dares go near. On top of it are a series of buttons and a Master Ball, cased in glass. The body reaches out with its free hand and presses a button and the glass around the Master Ball twists until the ball is fully exposed. With one last glance around, the body looks up at Eternatus, now completely calm and watching the body's actions intensely, the only living being to do so. The body grabs the Master Ball and clicks it open. The bottom half swings on the hinges and then the body sets the ball down on a flat part of the panel. They then take the hammer and wind up.

"Wait, NO!" I hear a voice yell. Someone finally looked over, but it is too late. The hammer comes down and smashes the bottom half of the Master Ball. The bottom shatters entirely, and before anyone else can see what is going on, the body presses another button and looks up to Eternatus. A glint of recognition flashes across its alien eyes. There is a brilliant flash of white light and a terrible sound of shattering glass.

I gasped as I lurched forward. My heart was racing like no other and despite having spent an entire night alone in my bed, it took almost a full minute of heavy breathing to finally catch my breath. I shook my head and grasped at my phone, checking the time. Damn! I had turned it off the night before. I held the power button just long enough to force a boot up and stumbled to the window.

I wrenched open the curtains and saw that the city around me was perfectly fine. The sun was just peeking over the eastern side of the city, and with only a few fluffy white clouds spread across the lavender sky, it was making to be a wonderful autumn day. I felt my heart rate recede a little bit as I looked towards the mountains to the south, where I knew Hammerlocke to be. I couldn't see the city, as it was hidden by the curve of the planet and the peaks of the mountains, but a threat like Eternatus was sure to have given me something to see from the hotel room, right?

My phone vibrated loudly as notifications from the night popped up, and my heart started kicking again. I rushed to the bed and flicked through the notifications. A couple texts wishing me luck for today's match, some general updates from social media and news apps, but nothing suggesting a new Darkest Day was upon us. I allowed myself to start breathing again. As real as the dream felt, and as real as I knew it to have been, it seemed to have been just that.

A knock came at the door. I checked the time. Just past seven. Hop and I would have to be at the stadium soon, but I doubted anyone else would be up already. I slipped my phone in my pocket…eurgh, unbelievably, I really fallen asleep in my clothes from last night…and made for the door. "Coming, gimme a sec!" I said as I circled the bed.

I opened the door to see Hop, who looked just as shell-shocked as I felt. He was, at least, dressed for the day ahead of him instead of the night before. He looked at me and then inexplicably laughed. Hard.

"What?"

"It's just…mate, we look like shite," he said, wiping his eyes.

I leaned on the doorframe. "You had the…"

"Yeah," he said, his face darkening as his laugh dwindled. "Bloody near killed me of fright. Was not expecting a war doc right before the big battle."

I frowned. "Was that all you dreamed?"

Hop looked at me curiously. "What do you mean?"

"You were in my dream, but then—"

"Yeah, I saw you the whole time—"

"—you were gone."

Hop scratched his head. "What are you talking about, mate? We were there the whole time."

"Not for me," I argued. "Somewhere after we saw them drag Eternatus away I looked for you…"

"Drag Eternatus where?" Hop asked.

I looked at him, saw the genuine confusion in his face, and pulled him into the room with me, shutting the door behind him. "What all did you see?"

"The hero, er, for lack of a better title, attacking the king, then calling out Eternatus, and then them getting the sword back and going off to fight the black Hand. I woke up then. Was…was there more? Whoa, Gloria, are you okay? You look like you're about to pass out!"

"I feel that way…" I muttered, "because you missed a lot." I recounted everything, all the way to the person in the suit smashing the Master Ball, and when I finished, Hop looked like a reflection of myself.

"You don't…you don't think Eternatus has escaped, do you?" Hop gulped.

"Who do you know who would have access to Eternatus and wears suits?" I answered.

"Rose is still here in Wyndon, though, isn't he?"

"We need to talk to Leon, he'd know," I asserted.

"Good thing I came to find you then," Hop said, "because he said he was downstairs and wanted to head to the stadium with us…wait, that's not why, is it?"

"Shit, it better not be," I groaned. "Go meet him. I'll catch you up, I need to get ready."

"Is this not urgent?" Hop asked.

"Well Eternatus hasn't ushered in a new Darkest Day yet so I think I can risk a shower and a couple swipes of deodorant," I insure Hop, opening the door for him. He nodded and made an exaggerated sniffle, as if he was picking up a particularly foul scent. I slammed the door in his face before his inevitable comment could leave his mouth.

Ten minutes later, I exited the elevator. It was completely empty save for Hop, Raihan, and Leon, who were chatting near the entrance. The tension that was building in my chest loosened at seeing Raihan looking as relaxed as he was. He certainly would have known if something happened with Eternatus, he was housing it at his gym complex in the first place.

"Morning, Gloria," Raihan said with a wave before returning to something on his phone.

"How's Hammerlocke?" I asked tentatively.

Raihan laughed. "You too, eh? It's fine, I keep telling you all. It's under control, same as always."

"But what about Rose?"

"What about Rose?" a voice asked. I whirled around to see the man himself, just walking through the doors, Oleana in tow behind him as always. "Wonderful, my four semifinalists are all waiting for me? Here I was thinking myself the punctual one. Gloria and Hop, you continue to surprise me."

"The chairman personally wanted to escort us to the stadium today after a quick breakfast," Leon said, with a strange intensity in his voice that suggested I not push it.

"One of my favorite traditions of the League Challenge!" Rose said, beaming and rubbing his hands together. "And I am particularly peckish tonight, so if we're all ready…"

"Busy night?" I asked, not particularly trying to hide my bitterness. Leon frowned as Rose turned to me.

Rose, however, after a quick glance around the empty hotel lobby, let out an easygoing laugh. "Yes, you battlers may have the hard work during the day, but behind the scenes there's always something! I was up early this morning on a call with some investors from the Sinnoh region. Time zones always make for funky hours. Now come on, let's eat!" He rushed out the door as quickly as he came, gesturing us to follow. Leon and Raihan went without another word, but Hop and I exchanged a glance before joining them. Oleana did not take her eyes off us as we left the hotel, and followed us all to a large, black SUV that stood parked at the edge of the sidewalk in front of the hotel and flanked by six bodyguards. I tried to allow myself the briefest bit of hope. Certainly if Rose had been here in Hammerlocke all night, he couldn't have done something so reckless in his own lab.

Somehow, it didn't make me feel much better.

A/N: 50% of the writing of this chapter was just me double-checking all my other flashback scenes to make sure I wasn't tripping over myself. Hope I caught it all. The other half was me frantically typing into my laptop, giddy as all hell that I could finally get this scene out in the open. I had really hoped for some kind of flashback in-game about the original Darkest Day. Hope you liked it as much as I liked writing it! Chapter Summary below:

In her dream, Zacian and Zamazenta lead Gloria and Hop to the castle in old Hammerlocke, on the day the Great Hero showed his true colors. They find the hero in the town square with two young knights and a third companion, who Gloria recognizes as three of the four champions who would go on to stop the Darkest Day. They enter the castle.

Inside, the two witness the Hero accuse the King of vile things to gauge a reaction, and when the king orders his men to escort them out, he sends Zacian and Zamazenta to attack the king and his men. All of the king's men are killed before Zacian and Zamazenta realize the error of their ways, but it is too late, for when they refuse to fight with the hero any longer, he releases Eternatus, who kills the king without second thought. The hero asks his companions and the queen of Soan, who Gloria recognizes as the fourth champion, to join him as they spread their power across the realm, but they refuse and another battle ensues.

Time flashes forward to the Darkest Day itself, where Zacian, Zamazenta, and the four champions, now united on their behalf, return to the same chamber. The hero is grievously wounded, but still alive. They threaten to fight him so they can retrieve the sword and shield, but it seems the hero had finally realized the error of his ways, letting them take the sword and shield without conflict.

Gloria then sees a tableau of short scenes showing the end of the darkest day and the disposal of Eternatus' body outside modern-day Stow-on-Side before seeing one more vision, as Gloria sees through the eyes of a person in a suit who enters the lab where Eternatus is currently being held and smashing the Master Ball it was caught in, effectively setting it loose among the world.

Gloria wakes up in fright, and soon realizes that tragedy has not struck. Eternatus is still safe, but she does not know if her last vision was her own anxieties or a true look at the future. She meets Leon, Raihan, and Hop in the lobby of the hotel just as Rose arrives, offering to take them all out to breakfast before the semifinal matches of the Pokemon League.

NEXT WEEK: RIVALS UNTIL THE END!