In the real world, Leon was far from the only one struggling to comprehend Chairman Rose's logic; few people on earth could truly wrap their heads around his ideology.
It was one thing to plan for the upcoming decade, but to argue that Galar must be plunged into immediate chaos just to prevent an energy shortage a thousand years away? It was a thought that defied all reason.
Even if one set aside the question of whether humanity would discover new energy sources over the next ten centuries, a more pressing question remained:
If Rose were to forcibly subdue Eternatus now, what would happen once Leon was no longer there to hold the line?
If the Champion's strength regressed or if he passed away, who would control a creature that had been bent only by force?
Could a divine beast, brought to heel through coercion, truly be expected to provide stable, endless energy?
Many wondered if the Chairman's mind had simply "entered the water" to have conceived such a reckless plan.
[Leon: No matter what you say, Chairman Rose, please stop this experiment immediately! Otherwise, what awaits you… is jail time!]
Leon warned Rose with a heavy heart. On the screen, Eternatus had already broken free and ignited the Galar crisis, but in the real world, the clock was still at "now." Rose likely had not yet begun his most dangerous experiments with the Infinite Energy.
If he turned back now, there was still time. He would not have to face the law, and he wouldn't have to carry the crushing weight of this false righteousness.
For the current Leon, this was the best possible outcome.
However, Leon looked at his counterpart on the screen with profound sorrow. He knew his on-screen self would have no choice but to send Chairman Rose to prison.
Whether acting as the President of Macro Cosmos or the Chairman of the Galar League, Rose had broken the law and incited regional chaos. Sending his own mentor to a cell was a blow Leon could hardly bear to imagine.
[Rose: … Why can't either of you understand me!!]
Rose's roar echoed across Galar. He didn't understand why, despite his warnings about the future of the region, no one supported him.
Even the Champion he had personally cultivated was denying his vision. How could they be so blind to the crisis that would eventually consume their home?
[Ash: It's Chairman Rose who is doing something wrong!!]
[Rose: Ash… what could you possibly know? You aren't even Galarian!]
[Ash: It has nothing to do with where I'm from! If Mr. Lance or Professor Kukui had done something like this to Kanto or Alola, I would still tell them they were wrong!]
[Lance: ...]
[Kukui: …]
The two men blinked in unison. Could this kid not find a more normal example? Why would they ever do something so catastrophic? They were heroes—hardly in the same category as a madman.
[Ash: A thousand years from now is too long! No matter what happens then, it's no reason to hurt everyone now! If you're planning for people a thousand years away, what's the point if you're destroying the people living today? Abandoning the present for the sake of the future is pointless!!]
[Ash: And… He is a Pokémon, not an object! Eternatus is not a prop for Galar's energy!! He is a living creature with feelings and desires—a creature of this world! When you treat them like they aren't alive… what's the difference between you and the evil organizations?!]
[Rose: …]
Rose recoiled. He was actually shaken by the words of a child. But he quickly steadied his resolve. Surely, the images would prove him right.
If his on-screen self succeeded, then his path was justified. For the future of Galar, small sacrifices were a necessity.
In the Footage—
The red light emanating from Eternatus's body grew increasingly brilliant. Even from a distance, Ash and his companions felt a terrifying sense of oppression.
Ash noted that the pressure was far more intense than what he had felt on the airplane. Was Eternatus's strength surging, or was this simply a glimpse of its true power?
"The energy of Eternatus is rising too fast! The machines can't hold it!" "Run!"
The researchers, seeing the situation turn dire, prepared to flee. But as they turned toward the exit, they found four formidable figures blocking their path.
While three were unfamiliar, every Galarian recognized Leon at a glance. Their hearts sank; the secret experiment had been laid bare.
"Mr. Leon… how could you be here?" one researcher stammered.
"You don't need to worry about that. I'll interrogate you all properly when the time comes! Charizard, Air Slash!"
For the first time, Leon spoke with a voice like ice. He threw his Poké Ball, and the orange-red Charizard positioned itself before the vibrating, unstable orb.
With a powerful beat of its wings, countless white air blades rained down, striking the sphere. Leon intended to suppress the explosion with sheer force, but the air blades alone were insufficient.
"Pikachu, Electroweb!"
Pikachu flicked its tail, casting a massive golden net in front of the group. A second later—
"BOOM!!!"
A colossal explosion rocked the facility, sending terrifying shockwaves outward. Charizard's Air Slash blunted the initial force, and Pikachu's web caught the rest.
The perfect cooperation between the two Pokémon shielded everyone from the blast. As the smoke cleared, Eternatus stood before them, no longer shackled by machinery.
Without a glance at the humans, it tore through the ceiling and ascended toward the sky.
"Mr. Leon!" "We chase!"
The four of them mounted their flying Pokémon—Charizard, Garchomp, Pidgeot, and Skarmory—and soared after the dragon.
However, as they emerged through the hole Eternatus had carved, they froze.
Eternatus loomed against the sky dome, and the heavens over Hammerlocke had turned pitch-black. Purple-red particles rushed in from all over Galar, swirling toward Eternatus.
"The Darkest Day!" Cynthia whispered, looking at the bruised, swirling sky. It was exactly like the legends she had studied.
As Eternatus gorged on the Dynamax energy, a helicopter arrived—journalists from the Galar region. Driven by a keen sense for news, they had sensed the anomaly and were waiting.
This was the story of a lifetime, however dangerous. They broadcast the scene live to the entire world.
Now, everyone knew Galar was facing an apocalypse. They saw Eternatus at the epicenter, clearly the culprit behind the worldwide riots.
In Kanto, Chloe watched the television in shock. She recognized the Pokémon immediately as the one she and Ash had seen from the plane.
The feeling of dread she had felt then echoed in her mind. "Be safe, Ash…" she whispered.
Back in Galar, Eternatus noticed the helicopter. It halted its absorption of energy as a brilliant light erupted from its core.
An incredibly thick, purple-red pillar of light burst forth—a Dynamax Cannon. Only the pilot's sheer skill saved them as they narrowly dodged the beam.
The pillar struck a distant mountain peak, instantly reducing it to powder.
[Leon: Chairman Rose! Did you see that?! This is the power you think you can control! If it runs wild, it will cause casualties beyond imagining!]
[Flint: This power is easily on par with the primary legendary gods we saw in previous battles. And this is an Eternatus that hasn't even recovered its full strength yet?]
[Volkner: If it recovers completely, it may be a super-legendary class. Even four Champions might not be able to stop it, even with Leon, the world's number one trainer.]
[Rose: …]
Watching the raw, destructive power on display, even Rose's confidence wavered. Could Leon truly control something capable of vaporizing mountains with a single breath?
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