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!"
Eternatus's rampage is only just beginning. With its existence in Equestria, which was not built for Pokemon whatsoever, the destruction and carnage it'll end up bringing is unknown and honestly terrifying to imagine as the journey continues.
Chapter 285 End.