The four trainers quickly shook off their initial shock.
"We have to stop Eternatus! It's absorbing Galar Particles at an alarming rate. If it reaches full capacity, the Darkest Day will never end!" Leon shouted.
At that moment, a spotlight cut through the gloom, illuminating the stadium floor below. Chairman Rose appeared on the stage of Hammerlocke Stadium, looking up at the chaos above.
"Chairman Rose! Why did you do this?!" Leon's voice thundered down.
Rose launched into his familiar rhetoric regarding the future of Galar. Leon gritted his teeth in frustration.
"Just for a thousand years from now? Look at the scourge you've brought to Galar today! At this rate, there won't be a future! I will subdue Eternatus, but I will seal it away! If it regains its full strength, no one will be able to stop it!"
Rose's expression darkened. On the screen, he appeared as a man entirely consumed by his own authority and a growing madness.
Dissatisfied with what he perceived as Leon's "cowardice," he shook his head in feigned disappointment and pulled out two Poké Balls.
"It seems training you was my biggest mistake. Since you are so fearful, I will control it myself! You can stay here and grow old with your cowardice, just like that old man Mustard!" Rose sneered. "Go, Ferrothorn! Copperajah!"
The durian-like Ferrothorn and the massive, bronze-patterned Copperajah materialized on the field. Rose intended to stall the group with his signature team.
"Ash, Mr. Leon, Miss Cynthia—leave him to me!" Gary Oak stepped forward. He threw a Poké Ball, and an Electivire appeared, crackling with intense power.
Its aura was unmistakably that of a high-level Pokémon; though Gary had transitioned into a researcher, he had clearly never neglected his training.
"Then we'll leave it to you, Gary! Let's go!"
"Is he… going to be okay?" Leon asked, unfamiliar with Gary's background.
Ash grinned confidently. "Don't worry, Mr. Leon! Gary is incredibly strong. Before he became a researcher, he was my greatest rival!"
The three of them soared toward the summit of the stadium tower. Rose tried to intercept them, but Electivire's Wild Charge blocked his path with a roar of electricity. Gary smirked, a hint of his old arrogance returning to his features.
"Laughable. You think you can subdue Eternatus at your level? You're a Chairman, Rose. Stick to your paperwork and leave the Pokémon training to the pros! If the world faces a crisis, it won't be saved by someone like you!"
Rose's face turned a deep shade of purple with rage. "What does a brat like you know?!"
Gary merely laughed softly. "I know that the people who actually solve these problems are the ones who truly love Pokémon—like the guy who's headed for the top right now!"
[Glacia: Has Gary become Ash's number one fan over the years? Now that's true friendship!]
[Flint: It's the bond of rivals! Just as I believe in Volkner, Gary believes in Ash!]
[Volkner: Gary has been so calm during this inventory that I thought he'd changed completely, but he still knows exactly how to mock an enemy!]
[Steven Stone: Mature, yet still possessing that sharp edge. That is the mark of a good trainer.]
[Red: Blue is much the same. Even as he grows up, his tongue remains a weapon against his enemies.]
[Leon: Chairman Rose… I don't understand how you could be so confident. You've seen Eternatus's power firsthand. How could you think those two Pokémon could possibly stop it?]
[Rose: …]
Rose found himself without an answer. In the real world, his own strength was that of a high-level trainer at best—nowhere near the level required to challenge a legendary deity. His on-screen confidence now seemed like pure delusion.
[Diantha: Look, the screen is shifting back to Ash and Leon. The final battle is about to begin!]
Following Diantha's prompt, everyone turned their attention away from Chairman Rose's arrogance. The situation had reached its most critical juncture: three Champions now stood against the might of Eternatus!
In the Footage —
Ash, Leon, and Cynthia arrived at the summit of the Hammerlocke Stadium. Above them, Eternatus was perpetually absorbing Galar Particles from the atmosphere, its presence becoming more suffocating by the second.
"It's more oppressive than before… we have to stop it quickly!" Leon shouted over the howling winds.
"Understood!" Cynthia replied.
The battle systems were engaged immediately. Leon recalled his Charizard, preparing to trigger its Gigantamax form. Cynthia reached for her lipstick, tapping the Key Stone embedded within; a brilliant light burst forth, forming a psychic link with her Pokémon.
"Garchomp—MEGA EVOLVE!"
Ash, too, was ready. He adjusted his hat over Pikachu's head and crossed his arms. The Z-Ring on his left wrist emitted a dazzling golden radiance.
He was preparing Pikachu's ultimate exclusive Z-Move: 10,000,000 Volt Thunderbolt!
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