Olive was beyond furious, especially after Gary's biting comments about her "stress wrinkles," but she was ultimately powerless.
Her Milotic lay defeated, and her authority had crumbled along with her composure. Gary released his Skarmory and took to the skies toward the roof; he had to get to Ash.
The screen shifted back to the primary battlefield. Under the relentless, combined assault of Pidgeot, Mega Garchomp, Leon's Charizard, Ash's Charizard, Dragapult, and Pikachu, Eternatus was finally beginning to weaken.
Leon, observing from the fray, was particularly impressed by Ash's Charizard. As a fellow Charizard specialist, he could tell this specific Pokémon was a world-class powerhouse, possessing a raw tenacity that rivaled his own ace.
Victory seemed within their grasp. But just as the legendary beast reached its breaking point, a terrifying mutation occurred.
An impossibly brilliant red light erupted from Eternatus's core, nullifying every incoming attack instantly.
Then, Eternatus began to grow.
A shockwave of pure, distorted energy spread in all directions, swatting the Pokémon out of the sky like flies. Ash, Leon, and Cynthia were nearly thrown from their mounts, saved only by the desperate, last-second maneuvers of their flying partners.
However, the damage was absolute. Dragapult, Leon's Charizard, Pidgeot, and Mega Garchomp were all forced into their Poké Balls, unable to continue.
They had absorbed too much of the localized energy pulse. Only Ash's Charizard and Pikachu remained standing—largely because they had been positioned slightly further away—but even they were visibly exhausted, their breathing heavy and ragged.
The advantage had vanished. In its place stood a monster of impossible proportions. Eternatus had transformed.
Its body was now a colossal, swirling vortex of energy resembling a giant skeletal hand reaching out of a cosmic wormhole.
Five distinct heads branched out like clawed fingers, staring down with cold, alien eyes at the tiny humans below.
This was Eternamax Eternatus.
[The World's Reaction]
[Raihan: What kind of monster is that? It defeated Leon's Charizard in two blows? That shouldn't be possible!]
[Wallace: Only Ash's Charizard and Pikachu are left? If they had been just a few meters closer, the battle would already be over.]
[Professor Kukui: This presence... it must be comparable to Mega Rayquaza or even Hoopa Unbound.]
[Dr. Oak: Perhaps stronger. Given this size and the sheer intensity of the output... without Arceus itself, I fear only a combination of the strongest Mega Evolutions in existence could even scratch it.]
[Leon: Chairman Rose, do you still think you could control this?]
[Rose: … I will cancel the plan. I will find another way.]
Looking at the world-ending form of the Darkest Day, Rose finally understood. This was not a power meant for a human leash. It was a force of nature that demanded worship or flight, but never obedience.
In the footage
The pressure emanating from Eternamax Eternatus was so immense that the very ground of the stadium summit began to disintegrate into dust.
"It's no use," Leon grunted, struggling to push himself up. "We can't win like this. The scale is just too different."
"We're not done yet!" Ash shouted, his voice cutting through the roar of the storm. He reached into his bag and pulled out the two rusted items they had recovered from the Slumbering Weald: the Rusted Sword and the Rusted Shield.
"Gary! Now!" Ash called out as Gary's Skarmory touched down nearby.
The two of them held the ancient artifacts high toward the swirling vortex. For a moment, the world went silent.
Then, a cyan and a magenta light pierced through the bruised purple sky. The Rusted Sword began to glow with a sharp, ethereal blue, while the Rusted Shield expanded with a vibrant, protective pink energy.
From the pillars of light, two majestic figures emerged: the Heroes of Many Battles, Zacian and Zamazenta.
The ancient kings of Galar had returned. As Zacian took the sword in its mouth and Zamazenta merged with the shield, they transformed into their Crowned Sword and Crowned Shield forms.
"The legends were true!" Cynthia exclaimed, her eyes wide with awe.
Ash looked at the two legendary wolves. He could feel their Aura—it was noble, fierce, and ancient. They weren't there to destroy; they were there to protect their home from the intruder between the stars.
"Zacian! Zamazenta! Let's do this together!" Ash yelled.
Eternamax Eternatus unleashed a final, world-shaking beam. Zacian and Zamazenta leaped forward without hesitation.
Zamazenta braced itself, its massive golden shield absorbing the brunt of the Dynamax Cannon, while Zacian charged through the energy, its blade glowing with the blinding light of a Behemoth Blade.
Ash commanded Pikachu to use everything he had left. "Pikachu! Thunderbolt!"
Pikachu leaped into the air, its body wreathed in a golden tempest. The combination of the legendary heroes and Ash's unwavering spirit created a force that even the Darkest Day could not withstand.
The light of the Sword and Shield cut through the darkness, striking the core of the giant.
A final explosion illuminated the entire Galar region. When the light faded, the clouds of the Darkest Day began to dissipate like mist.
Eternatus, its energy depleted and its form shattered, collapsed back into a small, dormant core.
Ash caught the falling core in a Poké Ball, sealing the threat away. The sky over Hammerlocke cleared, revealing a beautiful, quiet sunrise.
Leon walked over to Ash and Gary, placing a hand on their shoulders. "You did it. You both saved Galar."
Cynthia walked up, looking at Ash with a smile that was softer than usual. "It seems the legends choose their heroes well."
Ash grinned, adjusting his hat to hide a bit of his exhaustion. "We all did it together!"
As the sun rose over the broken arena, the four trainers stood as a testament to the power of bonds over the madness of a single man.
The crisis was over, but the legend of the boy who stood before a god would be told for generations to come.
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