Ponyville, late afternoon.
Eternatus had just arrived and had already forced a Pokemon to Dynamax in the town.
That Pokemon ended up being Mayor Mare's partner, Stoutland, who now had no control over himself and was bound to go on a rampage, destroying everything in his path.
"STOUTLAND!" The Big-Hearted Pokemon already got to work, stomping its paws on the ground as it caused a mini-earthquake that rumbled the entirety of Ponyville.
"Stoutland, stop! What's gotten into you?!" Mayor Mare exclaimed, trying to talk to her partner.
But it was no use.
Dynamax Pokemon under Eternatus's influence cannot listen to reason at all. All they seek is to rampage and destroy until there is nothing left.
Stoutland used its massive moustache as a weapon by swinging it about and destroying the upper part of Ponyville's Town Hall.
The upper part fell on the ground as Stoutland continued to whip its moustache about, destroying numerous buildings in the process.
The ponies inside of their own homes ran out as Stoutland had then destroyed the upper part of SugarCube Corner, causing Mr and Mrs Cake to run out with their two babies.
"Stoutland, please! You have to stop!" Mayor Mare persisted on reasoning with her partner. But it was all for nothing.
Soon, Stoutland would end up using Max Moves. One of its many moves was Thunder Fang, giving him access to Max Lightning.
The fur of Stoutland began to rustle as 500,000 volts of electricity were building up from within his body. The sound of a thunderstorm approaching could be heard as ponies were starting to make a run for it, seeing the sky flash with lightning.
Even the ponies of Cloudsdale flew away, knowing that this cannot end well whatsoever. "STOUT!"
Stoutland sent down a gigantic bolt of lightning from above, tearing through the sky as Mayor Mare's glasses had the reflection of lightning on them.
She was too horrified of her partner's current actions to even move an inch. Just behind her, multiple buildings had been obliterated into nothing due to the Max Lightning.
Mayor Mare's mane and tail flew up from the devastating shockwave as she could bear to see her Pokemon like this. She knew that Stoutland would never cause destruction like this.
But unfortunately, he was.
The buildings that had been hit by Max Lightning were gone as the ponies all looked back to see their homes wiped off the face of the planet with just one single attack.
But it didn't quite stop there. An electric terrain had been formed thanks to Max Lightning, making the entire ground a hazard field now.
And Mayor Mare was standing right on that hazard field with the electricity harming her hooves. But she was too focused on her partner to even care right now.
Stoutland was ready to unleash yet another Max Lightning as the skies were rumbling once more. The ponies could see that Mayor Mare wasn't moving at all and she was most likely bound to be hit by this next Max move.
"Mayor Mare! You gotta move!" Lyra yelled as she tried to run over there. But if she even dared try to get close, she could end up feeling the effects of the electric terrain as 500,000 volts were threatening her and everypony. BonBon pulled Lyra back as they all watched the lightning build from above.
"Gotta do something..." Scootaloo dug into her saddlebag, getting a Poke Ball out. "Ponyta! Come out!" She sent out Ponyta for help.
"Pony!"
"Use Flame Charge and grab Mayor Mare quick!" Scootaloo pointed her hoof forward.
"Ta!" The Fire Horse Pokemon understood clearly as he looked over at the field of lightning, seeing how the mayor was immobilized.
By surrounding his body in fire, Ponyta took the risk of going through the electric terrain, even if it means he'll end up getting hurt himself. The Fire Horse Pokemon galloped forward, feeling 500,000 volts punish his body as he winced.
But Ponyta's resilience is one of a kind. After all, when they're born, they can barely stand. However, by chasing after its parent Rapidash, their galloping speed increases.
And the same can be said for this Ponyta for sure. The time he had spent with Scootaloo has increased his hoof strength as he was able to take the 500,000 volts of electricity.
The Max Lightning had finally been unleashed as it was now a suddenly close moment between Ponyta and the lightning. But, Ponyta proved to be a bit faster as he used all of his extra strength the moment he got close to her.
In a burst of speed, Ponyta flipped Mayor Mare on his back whilst also avoiding and saving her from the Max Lightning as the devastating blast of lightning struck the ground, creating a gigantic crater with sparks flying out.
The sparks scattered across Ponyville, shocking anything that was even close to them. More buildings suffered from these sparks as they were being demolished left and right.
The ponies closed their eyes and covered their ears with either their hooves or wings as the horrible sound of thunder striking pierced the town, shattering any form of glass there was.
Ponyta returned to Scootaloo with Mayor Mare safe on his back. "Pony!" He let Mayor Mare off his back.
"Good job, Ponyta! Mayor Mare! Are you alright?!" Scootaloo asked her.
"My Stoutland..." Mayor Mare whimpered as she didn't even respond to Scootaloo. All she was thinking about was Stoutland as she watched her partner rampage mindlessly.
"LAND! STOUTLAND!"
"What do we do now?!" Sweetie Belle gulped. "We can't take on a giant Pokemon!"
"I'm getting out of here, that's what!" Carrot Top exclaimed as she made a run for it.
However, Stoutland didn't just use Max Lightning only. He also had a Steel-Type move in the form of Iron Head. That Steel move transformed into Max Steelspike. Which spelt a horrible outcome for Ponyville.
Stoutland slammed his paws on the ground, creating a series of jagged spikes that extended forward. With destructive intent, the spikes tore apart the buildings of Ponyville with ease.
SugarCube Corner had been torn apart along with Town Hall itself. Everypony tried to escape from the spikes with their lives as Scootaloo and her friends hopped on Ponyta's back.
But try as they might, the spikes were moving too fast, ripping the ground apart as Mayor Mare looked back whilst running, horrified that her Stoutland was doing all of this.
From the speed the spikes were moving at, it looked like there was no way the citizens were going to escape. Until...
The spikes had been stopped by a magic barrier as the impact between the spikes and barrier caused a shockwave that crumbled the ground beneath Ponyville.
The pony who had put up the barrier was Nyx, who had saved the ponies from imminent doom thankfully. "I think not!" She growled as she used her magic to blow away the spikes.
"Nyx!" Apple Bloom exclaimed.
"I would've never thought that the lovable and kind Stoutland would cause this much destruction," Nyx said.
"He wouldn't!" Mayor Mare shouted.
"In any case, it's clear that he needs to be stopped. Or else he'll just continue rampaging across Equestria." Nyx's horn lit up as she approached the Big-Hearted Pokemon.
"STOUT!" Stoutland locked his eyes on Nyx since she was the one who stopped his attack. The Big-Hearted Pokemon responded by going for yet another Max Lightning as sparks hovered over Nyx.
Nyx looked up to see the lightning above her as she had the instinct to interrupt it by sending a blast of magic that struck Stoutland's face.
"STOUTLAND!" Stoutland couldn't pull off Max Lightning thanks to Nyx interrupting him. The alicorn closed in, sending more and more magic rays at the Normal-Type, bombarding him with constant magic attacks.
Mayor Mare didn't enjoy seeing her partner getting hurt this much. But she knew that this rampage had to be stopped somehow.
Nyx got closer and closer to Stoutland with her magic beams getting larger with each hit. She saw how Stoutland was taking all these attacks and was only wincing afterwards.
"How strong are these Pokemon creatures...?" Nyx said under her breath as she poured more power into her magic, trying to force Stoutland down.
But no matter what, Stoutland wouldn't fall. Even if he wasn't in his right mind, he was still a Pokemon who can stand firm without even showing any signs of falling over.
"LAND...!" Once Nyx got close, Stoutland capitalized on the situation. He used his massive moustache to whack Nyx's entire body as a surprise attack. Not only that, but he added a bit of Max Lightning to his fur, making it electric.
Nyx's eyes widened as she felt 500,000 volts hit her directly. With such a devastating hit, Nyx was sent crashing to the ground whilst the sound of thunder boomed afterwards.
"Ah! Nyx!" Scootaloo tried to run forward, but Apple Bloom bit her tail, forcing her back since it was too dangerous.
Stoutland walked over to Nyx who was currently on the ground with electricity surrounding her body as she twitched in the crater she was in. "U-Ugh..." Nyx groaned.
"Stout...Stout...STOUTLAND!" Stoutland's eyes flashed red as his attacks grew more aggressive. He was about to finish off Nyx by stepping on her with his full strength as Nyx was still writhing on the ground with the electricity wearing her down.
"Stoutland no!" Mayor Mare screamed as she rushed in, trying to stop her partner and save Nyx at the same time.
It looked like it would be the end for both of them. Mayor Mare had gotten under Stoutland's paw as a large shadow had been cast over the two ponies.
That is until somepony else arrived.
"Braviary! Aerial Ace!" The voice of Rainbow Dash had bellowed.
With lightning-fast speeds and sharp precision, a blur had flown past the citizens of Ponyville faster than they could react. Braviary had swooped in, grabbing both Nyx and Mayor Mare at the same time whilst also using one of his wings to smack Stoutland's paw.
"Brav!"
"S-STOUT?!"
Braviary ascended high into the crimson skies as he safely rescued Nyx and Mayor Mare. And of course, if he was here, then that meant only one thing.
Rainbow Dash was here.
Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Applejack and Pinkie Pie arrived at Ponyille in the nick of time.
"Rainbow Dash!" Scootaloo grinned.
"Applejack!" So did Apple Bloom.
Braviary returned to Rainbow Dash, placing Nyx and Mayor Mare down on the ground safely. "Viary."
"Good job, Braviary." Rainbow Dash said. She then looked over Ponyville, seeing how it was a complete mess thanks to the actions of Stoutland.
It was a horrifying sight for her and her friends to see. Pinkie Pie saw how SugarCube Corner missing its upper part and how there were massive holes inside of the building.
"SugarCube Corner...?" Pinkie gasped.
Many buildings here had been affected in some way. Whether by the sparks or jagged spikes from Stoutland. So many nostalgic and familiar structures were no longer in perfect shape.
The crimson sky wasn't making it any better since it just made the mood depressing for everypony else. Applejack saw that not everything had been harmed by Stoutland. But there was still a hefty amount that had been affected.
"Stoutland did all of this...?" Fluttershy looked up at Stoutland in shock and horror.
"And it's all that giant Pokemon's fault that Stoutland's like this..." Rainbow Dash stepped forward.
"G-Giant Pokemon?" Mayor Mare stuttered.
"We'll explain later. Braviary!" Rainbow Dash called Braviary to her side.
"Viary!"
"This is gonna be a first...But I'm sure we can do it." Rainbow Dash held her hoof out, showing her Dynamax Band.
"You've got a Dynamax Band?!" Scootaloo gawked. She then noticed that Fluttershy, Pinkie and Applejack also had bands on them too.
"Here goes..." Rainbow Dash held out Braviary's Poke Ball as she returned him. She was ready to utilize Dynamax for the first time to be on an even playing field. "Braviary! Dynamax!"
The Poke Ball turned red as it started growing in size by Rainbow Dash and Braviary's bond. The weight of the ball had increased, making Rainbow Dash's body almost lose balance, but she was able to pull through.
With all her strength, she tossed the super-sized Poke Ball into the air as the ponies watched in amazement.
That's when for the first time, a trainer had Dynamaxed their Pokemon in Equestria. Once Braviary came out of the Poke Ball, he started to grow himself.
Bigger and bigger and bigger, the Valiant Pokemon reached a size that was slightly larger than Stoutland, in terms of height. With his eyes flashing red, Dynamax Braviary was here at last.
"BRAVIARY!"
"Awesome..." Scootaloo sat down gazing at the Dynamaxed Braviary.
"Stay back ya'll. This might get ugly for both sides." Applejack put her hoof out as everypony except for Rainbow Dash moved further away.
Two giant Pokemon were about to face off in a ruined Ponyville with the skies being full of crimson energy. The sight of it was something the ponies of Ponyville thought they would've never seen before.
Braviary narrowed his eyes at Stoutland whilst the Big-Hearted Pokemon snarled at the Valiant Pokemon. They were more than ready for each other.
"Alright. Braviary! Use Superpower!" Rainbow Dash went first.
"BRAV!" Braviary spread his wings out, harnessing energy from within. This was his first time battling in a Dynamaxed form which was a different experience for the Valiant Pokemon.
Braviary is most known for his agile and speedy movements, just like Pikachu. So this big and girthy form was a bit of a handicap for him.
However, as a bonus, this meant that his naturally heavy strength was heightened as his wings glowed red. Instead of this being Superpower, this was the Max Move known as Max Knuckle.
Braviary approached Stoutland who was already prepared to use Max Lightning on the Normal-Flying-Type. But even with their enlarged sizes, Braviary was still the faster Pokemon overall.
"VIA!" The Valiant Pokemon smashed his powered-up wing on Stoutland's face, stopping him from performing Max Lightning and dealing super-effective damage to the Big-Hearted Pokemon.
The impact of Max Knuckle was so immense that it caused a seismic wave that shook Ponyville and Cloudsdale at the same time whilst knocking Stoutland back.
"S-STOUT...!"
"One more time!" Rainbow Dash yelled.
"VIARY!" For a second time, Braviary used his other wing to attack. A second Max Knuckle smashed into Stoutland's face with Braviary's strength increasing each time.
"STOUT...LAND!" Returning the favour, Stoutland had decided to switch out from its Max moves and just regular moves instead. Stoutland used Iron Head as he smashed his hardened face onto Braviary's beak.
"B-BRAVIA?!" That really stung Braviary as his head cocked back with a red bruise on his beak.
"Ah! Braviary!" Rainbow Dash gasped.
"V-VIARY!" Braviary recovered quickly, despite his beak having a bit of a sting now.
"Fly up Braviary!"
"BRAV!" The Valiant Pokemon spread his wings out, taking to the skies with his huge size. The force of Braviary flying was enough to send some ponies flying as well due to all the wind he was creating from his wingbeat.
Stoutland looked up to see his opponent ascend above him. But this was the perfect opportunity to use Max Lightning from above. And that's what he did. With his moustache tingling, clouds circled Braviary with sparks showing.
"Not good...!" Rainbow Dash recognized it as an Electric-Type attack. "Braviary! Use Steel Wing to absorb it!"
Using their smarts and battle strategies, Braviary and Rainbow Dash went for the good old fashioned metal conductor tactic. By using Steel Wing instead of Max Steelspike, Braviary allowed the blast of lightning to hit him instead of just moving away or interrupting Stoutland.
Once it made contact, Braviary's metal wings had conducted the lightning, making them a part of him. "Brav!"
"Now! Smash Stoutland with it!"
"Brav...VIARY!" Braviary smashed his electrified metal wings onto Stoutland's face, dealing the heaviest damage that Stoutland had ever felt in his entire life.
500,000 volts and pure steel punished the Big-Hearted Pokemon along with Braviary's increased strength thanks to Max Knuckle.
And with that final hit, Stoutland couldn't take anymore. After minutes of rampaging, being blasted with magic beams and taking two super-effective hits and one combination attack, Stoutland reverted to his normal size as he shrunk down.
Everypony watched as the Dynamax energy left Stoutland's body as the Big-Hearted Pokemon was back to his lovable and huggable self. Although, he was greatly confused like every other forcefully Dynamaxed Pokemon.
"Stout...land?" Stoutland looked around, befuddled.
"Stoutland!" Mayor Mare ran over to her partner, tearing up a bit, seeing that he was back to normal. "Are you alright now?!"
"Land...?" Stoutland wasn't sure why his trainer had such a worried look on her face. But he was glad to see her anyway as he licked Mayor Mare out of love.
And fittingly, Braviary ran out of time with Dynamax as he returned to his normal size as well. "Good job, buddy." Rainbow Dash went over to the Valiant Pokemon.
"Braviary."
"They're no longer giant but...." Scootaloo looked around to see the damage that Stoutland had caused to Ponyville.
"Ponyville's nothing but a mess now." Mrs Cake said.
The once beautiful Ponyville was now tarnished with devastating effects. All from Stoutland being affected by Eternatus's influence.
As such, many of the ponies were actually now fearful of Stoutland as they backed away. What they saw as a lovable and brave-hearted Pokemon was now a monster that had demolished most of their beloved town in mere minutes.
Mayor Mare looked back to see the horrified faces of her townsfolk. She knew that Stoutland wouldn't do it on purpose. He loves this town as if it was his own home.
But Mayor Mare concluded as to why Stoutland suddenly went on a rampage. And it involved the arrival of Eternatus earlier.
"Everypony." Mayor Mare stood up. "Don't hate Stoutland for this. I know he's destroyed most of everything we love around us...But I can assure you. It wasn't his intention. It was most likely from that dragon-like creature that showed up earlier."
"Dragon-like creature?" Fluttershy shot up. "Wait, it arrived here?!"
"You've seen it before, Fluttershy?" Mayor Mare turned to her.
"Mhm. Just earlier, Twilight, Rainbow Dash and I saw it for the very first time over at Galar. We think it might be the Pokemon behind Dynamax. But we're not sure what it's called."
"Oh!" Scootaloo remembered that she got Eternatus's data on her Pokedex earlier. "I think I got it!" She grabbed everypony's attention, showing them all the data for Eternatus. "Look!"
As they all read Eternatus's dex entry and seeing how it has some connection to the Dynamax Phenomenon, the ponies of Ponyville were now fully aware of why Stoutland suddenly went on a rampage. It wasn't his fault at all.
"Yeah. That checks out alright." Diamond Tiara nodded. "Wait...is it from space?"
"See? My Stoutland would never do anything like that on purpose. Isn't that right?" Mayor Mare pinned Stoutland down, giving him belly rubs. "You're a good boy at heart! Such a good boy!"
"S-Stout! Stoutland!" Stoutland panted, enjoying his trainer's usual belly rubs as he held his tongue out.
"A good boy that hits like a train..." Nyx grumbled as she held her head.
"So if you saw this...Eternatus Pokemon, where'd it go?" Rainbow Dash asked.
"Well, when it showed up and Dynamaxed Stoutland, it looked like it was going North." Sweetie Belle answered them.
"North it is then." Applejack nodded. "Now that we know it's the real deal, we can catch that juggernaut and stop him. Ya'll stay here and call us if any other Dynamax problem shows up."
"Okay." Apple Bloom replied. "But um...What about Ponyville?"
"We'll have it fixed." Mayor Mare patted Apple Bloom's head. "That's for sure."
Suddenly, the roar of Eternatus could be heard from far away, indicating that it was already causing more chaos at this very moment and there was no time to stand by and chat.
"We gotta get moving!" Rainbow Dash spread her wings out. "If it's heading north, then Canterlot might be next!"
The pursuit of Eternatus had begun. Rainbow Dash's group would end up being the ones tackling the biggest threat here. The Pokemon that causes Dynamax itself.
Galar Region, Stow-on-Side.
Goh and Sonia had just arrived at the town, ready to investigate the ruins that apparently holds further information and knowledge about Dynamax.
Most of Galar seems to have at least one spot that holds Dynamax lore and history. Whether they're big or small. So far, Sonia's research was going swimmingly.
Before, she had given her grandma Professor Magnolia a ton of material to investigate and look over, such as the mural images of the two heroes found in the Hammerlocke Vault and the mysterious Geoglyph found at Turrfield's lush green fields.
As a bonus, thanks to Twilight and the others helping Sonia with her research before splitting up into groups, she had more to work with and show her grandma. However, she needed to show Magnolia further evidence if she wanted to pass her homework.
However, Goh and Sonia weren't alone.
From the very beginning when Sonia planned to investigate all of this for her grandma's homework, she was being followed by subordinates who were working for Macro Cosmos.
Ever since Magnolia warned Sonia and the others about who Chairman Rose really was and what how he'll stop at nothing to reach his goal, the subordinates were ordered by Oleana to pluck out any weeds as soon as possible.
They wouldn't allow anyone to know about their intel and stop Rose's plans or even expose him to the entire Galar Region and how he has some involvement with the Eternatus situation.
Arriving at Stow-on-Side, Goh and Sonia went over to the mural located at the higher steps of Stow-on-Side. However, compared to what Sonia has researched so far, this mural seems to be nothing but utter confusion to her as she and Goh had no idea what they were looking at.
"The Stow-on-Side mural...It's not what I expected." Sonia said as she looked at the mural. It had multiple colours just splattered everywhere with no clarity on what it was trying to be. However, if someone were to look closely, it looked like a human holding two objects. "It looks like it was painted long after the time of the legend."
"Looks more like a doodle," Goh spoke.
They continued to observe the painting, trying to figure out what it meant. It was related to the legend apparently from what is known, but how? At this point, they believed that they couldn't solve this one at all. "Guess that's a miss." Sonia chuckled.
"Don't worry about it! Let's go investigate at the next ruin!" Goh reassured.
"Can't let you do that!" Someone replied to Goh, grabbing his and Sonia's attention. That voice belonged to one of the subordinates of Macro Cosmos ordered by Oleana. They've been following them for a while now. "You'll come with us."
"Who are you?" Sonia questioned as she saw the suited man walk up the steps.
"Do as I say and you won't get hurt." He grinned.
"You have to be kidding about that!" Sonia exclaimed.
"Hm. Raboot." Goh went in front of Sonia to protect her along with Raboot.
"Boot!"
"Not gonna listen to me, eh? Then I've got no choice." The subordinate revealed in his hands both a Poke Ball and a Dynamax Band as there was already Galar Particles flowing out of the band, affecting the Poke Ball. "Come out! Gigantamax Garbodor!"
The subordinate tossed the super-sized Poke Ball up, bringing out his Pokemon in the form of a Giganatamax Pokemon. He was already prepared for this as a Gigantamax Garbodor fell from above with the skies turning red as always.
"GARBODOR!"
"G-Gigantamax?!" Goh stammered. "Wait, is this a Power Spot too?!"
"Ah!" Sonia turned around to see the Galar Particles behind her and near the mural. "There's Galar Particles coming from the mural!"
"Which means..." Goh thought for a moment as his brain struck an idea. "Come back, Raboot!" He returned Raboot, looking right at his Dynamax Band. He knew what time it was. "Dynamax!"
Goh's Dynamax Band was activating for the first time as his Poke Ball began growing in size with a red aura. "We just gotta give it a go, yeah?!" Goh tossed the giant Poke Ball upwards.
Once he did, out came a Dynamaxed Raboot in a flash as the Rabbit Pokemon was now on an even playing field with Garbodor.
"RABOOT!"
"Alright, Raboot! Let's use Max Flare! Go!" Goh commanded by pointed upwards.
"BOOT!" By reaching into its pockets, Raboot grabbed a giant rock that had also been affected by Dynamax which it carries at all times for a quick and easy Ember.
Dynamax Raboot kicked the rock, setting it on fire, and then kicked it again, launching it towards its opposing Dynamax Pokemon.
A direct hit on Garbodor's body, but it wasn't enough as Garbodor only slight cocked back from the giant ball of fire. "Garbodor! Use G-Max Malodor!"
"DOR!" Garbodor released a wave of green sludge from its body, filling the entire ground with it all as Raboot had backed away, trying to avoid the sludge.
"RABOOT...!" Raboot's wasn't as agile in its Dynamax form, which proved to be an issue for the Rabbit Pokemon. Raboot had ended up backing up so far that it had crashed into the mural without noticing, destroying it and the large rock that it was apart of.
Goh, Sonia and the subordinate moved away from the destruction as rocks from the stone fell from above. "Ah, Raboot!" Goh gasped.
"Ra...!" Raboot stood back up, carefully manoeuvring his body to the side.
However, when Raboot moved away from the spot of the now destroyed mural, it was revealed that there was something greater hiding behind it the entire time.
Four statues.
"Impossible! There were statues behind the mural?!" A flabbergasted Sonia said.
What they saw shocked them.
The 4 statues consisted of two Pokemon holding a sword and shield in the mouths and two humans wearing crowns, standing behind the two Pokemon.
"Two humans... and a Pokemon?" Sonia gawked.
"Those Pokemon..." Goh recognized one of the Pokemon as the statues. The one holding the shield looked very familiar to him.
"Hey! We can chit-chat later!" The subordinate yelled. "Garbodor! Knock them down with Max Steelspike!"
"GAR...BO!" Garbodor slammed its hands onto the ground, creating a series of sharp grey spikes that raced forward at Raboot.
Raboot had been hit by the spikes as the Rabbit Pokemon was knocked on its back, sitting down. "Ra...!"
"Raboot! Are you okay?!" Goh ran to Raboot."
"Boot!" Raboot nodded, looking down at Goh.
"Alright! Then use Max Knuckle!"
"Ra! Ra! Raboot!" Once the Fire-Type got up, Raboot ran straight towards Garbodor, pulling its paws back. The Rabbit Pokemon smashed its paws onto Garbodor's face, finally pushing the Poison-Type back.
Garbodor went sliding on the ground as it almost crashed into the subordinate, but instead, crashed into a stone wall. "GARBO!"
"Watch it! Finish them off with G-Max Malodor!"
"We'll finish you off first! Raboot, Max Flare!"
At the same time, both Pokemon pulled off their attacks with Raboot kicking up a large rock, igniting it and Garbodor summoning a pillar of poison.
In the end, it was Raboot's Max Flare that seemed to be faster as it had reached Garbodor whilst it was still charging G-Max Malodor.
The ball of fire made contact, engulfing the Trash Heap Pokemon with scorching flames. Afterwards, an explosion of fire emerged with smoke covering most of Stow-on-side.
It was then revealed that Garbodor had been defeated first As Goh stated earlier. The Trash Heap Pokemon not only returned to its normal size, but it also ended up fainting in the process. "Garbodor..."
"AH!" The subordinate gasped.
"How's that?! Want some more?!" Goh grinned as Raboot glared at the subordinate with its towering size. The Rabbit Pokemon stomped its feet near the subordinate, making him wince in fear.
"Y-You'll regret this!" He made a run for it whilst returning Garbodor to its Poke Ball.
"Goh! That was great!" Sonia congratulated him.
"Yeah. Guess it went well for being my first Dynamax battle." Goh smiled. Raboot returned back to its original size as the Dynamax energy had left its body. "Raboot! Great job! That's my Pokemon for ya!"
"Raboot."
"Oh, right! The statues!" Sonia remembered the real meat of this scenario. The statues that had been revealed once Raboot crashed into the stone walls.
They now had new research information to gather. They observed them closely as Goh could only think of the unidentified Pokemon he and Raboot encountered back at the Slumbering Weald.
"You know... I met a Pokemon that looked a lot like this statue." Goh went up to them. "Though it didn't have a sword or a shield. When I tried to catch it, my Poke Ball went through it and the fog got worse. Before I knew it, I fell asleep out of nowhere."
"Ooh..." Sonia nodded.
"Is that why it's called the Slumbering Weald?" Goh wondered as he climbed up the large rocks to get a closer look at the statues.
"And then?" Sonia wanted to know more.
"When I woke up, the Pokemon was gone."
"Hmm...What a bizarre experience." Sonia also climbed up the rocks.
Just then, Goh noticed something in the rocks that caught his eye. "What's this?" A plaque. Plastered right on the foot of the statues themselves. Sonia and Goh looked closely, observing what words were on this plaque.
"It looks like their names." Sonia noticed. "It says the one holding the sword is Zacian and the one with the shield is Zamazenta."
"Now we know for sure!" Goh took a picture of the statues. "The legendary hero wasn't one person, but two!"
"And they both had a Pokemon with them." Sonia continued Goh's words.
"Which were Zacian and Zamazenta!" Goh finished the sentence as he continued to read the plaque.
"The black vortex that once covered the sky was a Pokemon titled the 'Darkest Day'. It nearly wiped out Galar." He then put the pieces together by thinking back to the other images he had seen.
"But the two heroes and their partners, Zacian and Zamazenta quelled the calamity."
"Yeah. That about summarizes it." Sonia nodded. "Wait till Twilight and the others hear about this."
"Okay! There they are!" Suddenly, their time observing the statues had been cut short as more of Oleana's subordinates had arrived to capture Goh and Sonia. "Catch them this time!"
"Those guys again?" Sonia gasped.
"They don't give up..." Goh groaned.
"What do we do, Goh?"
"Times like these..." Goh grabbed Sonia's hand. "You gotta rush right through 'em!" He ran straight towards the subordinates whilst dragging Sonia.
"Ah-Aaah!" Sonia screamed.
"Raboot!" Raboot cleared the way by jumping up and kicking all of the subordinates in the head whilst Goh and Sonia rushed past them. That one kick from Raboot knocked them all out, thankfully.
The trio entered inside of Sonia's car, ready to head off to their next destination. Or at least, somewhere away from Oleana's subordinates.
"Where to?!" Sonia asked, buckling her seatbelt.
"The Slumbering Weald!"
"To do what exactly?"
"If the legendary heroes really quelled the Darkest Day, Zacian and Zamazenta might lend us their help!"
"Okay!" Sonia put her car into full gear as the engine was revving like crazy. Unfortunately, she put too much force into it. As such, the exhaust pipe let out a tiny puff of smoke with small flames. "Oh..."
"Hm?" Goh then noticed that the subordinates had already recovered, appearing in front of the car. "Oh, come on!"
"Hold on tight, Goh!" Sonia gave it another go. "This time the car actually decided to start up as Sonia stepped on the pedal, getting a move on.
She was aiming at scaring the subordinates by pretending to run them over with her car as she honked her horn aggressively. The subordinates actually thought she might do it due to how reckless her driving was as they screamed whilst scattering.
The car was now long gone, leaving the subordinates in the dust. But there was a 100% guarantee that they'll chase them down for sure. All for the sake of concealing Rose's plans.
Wyndon. Rose Tower.
Twilight, Starlight, Rarity and Spike had arrived to meet up with Ash who was waiting outside. He already had his Dragonite ready for takeoff.
"Ash!" Twilight ran over.
"Hey." Ash waved at them. "Nice timing, guys!"
"Pikachu!"
"I knew you'd be okay! I was a bit worried that something might've happened to you since you were with Chairman Rose." Twilight smiled at him.
"Told ya there was no need to worry." Ash gave a thumbs up. "Alright. If Rainbow Dash and the others are off at Equestria to see if everything's okay, then we'd best do the same."
Just then, Ash was getting two consecutive calls on his Xtransceiver One from Rainbow Dash and the other from Goh. "A double call?" Twilight peered her head over. "Which one are you gonna answer?"
"It's fine. The Xtransceiver works with four screens. Check it out." Ash answered both Goh and Rainbow Dash at the same time.
"Ash!" Both of them said his name as they heard each other. "Hm?"
"Yeah? What's up? How are things going so far with the research and Equestria?"
"Big news! The-" They both spoke at the same time before realizing that they were talking over each other.
"Oh, you go first, Goh." Rainbow Dash said.
"Thanks. Ash. When we got split up in the Slumbering Weald, did you happen to meet a strange Pokemon?"
"Hm? Yeah, I did!" Ash nodded, remembering how he saw what looked to be Zacian back there in the Slumbering Weald. "How'd you know that?"
"I saw one too. It looked like this." Goh showed Ash and Rainbow Dash the image of the statues over at Stow-on-Side.
"Oh yeah! Just like that!" Ash exclaimed, recognizing the build.
"Lemme see." Spike hopped on Ash's shoulder, getting a good look at the image as Twilight and the others did the same.
"Oooh! They're like wolves!" Fluttershy squeed as she got in front of Rainbow Dash's face.
"Is that wolf holding a sword in its mouth?" Rarity squinted her eyes.
"Their names are Zaciand and Zamazenta," Goh revealed their names.
"Zacian and Zamazenta?" Ash and everypony collectively said.
"Those Pokemon are linked with the legend of the hero."
"So was it really one hero who just owned two Pokemon?" Twilight asked.
"Nope. In fact, there really were two heroes and Zacian and Zamazenta were their partners and wielded the Sword and Shield themselves!"
"Would ya look at that then..." Applejack gawked.
"The black vortex was the Darkest Day, a Pokemon. And it was quelled by Zacian, Zamazenta and the two heroes. At least, that's what we found out."
"Wait, the Darkest Day is a Pokemon?" Pinkie Pie raised an eyebrow. "That doesn't sound like what we heard."
"What did you hear?" Goh questioned.
"Turns out the Pokemon behind the Darkest Day isn't called the Darkest Day. It's actually known as Eternatus." Fluttershy answered.
"Eternatus?" Ash and Goh both said.
"It showed up in Equestria and Dynamaxed Mayor Mare's Stoutland by force. Ponyville right now is well..." Fluttershy whimpered.
"Not looking too peachy, that's for sure." Pinkie shook her head. "Even SugarCube Corner..."
"We're chasing down this Eternatus Pokemon before it Dynamaxes another Pokemon out of nowhere. But it moves super fast!" Rainbow Dash was currently flying low in the air.
"Darkest Day...Two Heroes...Eternatus." Ash said to himself.
"Pika..."
"What do we do now?" Spike wondered. "Do we head back to Equestria or keep helping out here?"
"Hm..." Ash thought for a moment before making up his mind. "Dragonite. Change of plans. We're heading back to Equestria."
"Gonite!"
"Eternatus is over there after all. And a Pokemon that dangerous is gonna need a lot of help!" Ash and Pikachu ran off suddenly.
"A-Ash! Pikachu! Where are you two going?!" Rarity yelled.
"To find Leon! You guys head on back to Equestria! we'll catch up! Wait here Dragonite!"
"Pika-Pika!"
"But Ash-" Twilight tried to call for him but it was no use. Ash was already off. "Oh geez. Alright. It's back to Equestria then. To stop Eternatus. I just hope everypony else is okay..."
And so it was. Equestria was the main destination since the main threat Eternatus was currently there, flying about and spreading a crimson red sky everywhere it went.
And speaking of the crimson red sky, it didn't take long for all of Wyndon to be covered in it along with Hammerlocke and soon all of Galar if this continues.
Eternatus wasn't even here and it was already heavily affecting the Galar Region anyway.
The South of Wyndon. Near the entrance.
Leon was there, already getting prepared to take off as he got on Charizard's back. He looked up to see all of Wyndon covered in nothing but red. "Alright, Charizard. We've got a lot more work left to do. Let's clear out all the Dynamax Pokemon we can."
"Char!"
"Leon!" Ash called out his name, waving at him.
"Hm? Ash?"
"Leon, wait!" Ash skidded on the ground, screeching to a halt. "You gotta hear this!
"Pikachu!"
"Hear what?"
"It's Equestria. The Pokemon behind the Darkest Day is there! Eternatus!"
"Eternatus...?" Leon thought of a moment, feeling as he recognizes that name. Which he did. Because Chairman Rose kept on mentioning it to him, but he's never seen it for himself. Just heard names. "You mean the Pokemon from the hangar?!"
"You know of it?"
"Mhm. Chairman Rose mentioned something about a Pokemon known as Eternatus. About how it'll be the saviour of Galar's future. You're telling me that it's in the other world, right now?"
"Yeah! It's already forced Stoutland to Dynamax and rampage. My friends and I are already gonna head to Equestria and help stop Eternatus. It'd be a ton of help if you came along, Leon!"
"Pika!"
"Hmm..." Leon thought for a second. "Chairman Rose said it was for Galar's future. But forcing Pokemon to Dynamax and rampage...?" Leon knew that Eternatus wasn't exactly the great saviour of Galar that Rose kept repeating. "Alright. I'll take any opportunity to help those in need."
"Awesome! Just follow me! I know a way there!" Ash ran off to return to Dragonite so that he and Leon can get this started and hopefully reach Equestria in time.
The Crystal Empire.
Eternatus was indeed heading north according to Sweetie Belle. And up north is possibly the most visible location in that direction.
The Crystal Empire.
Completely unaware of the horror that was coming their way. They had just recovered from a previous Dynamax attack last week. They were ready for any other Dynamax Pokemon that might pop up soon.
But they weren't ready for Eternatus. That's for sure.
"M-Mana...!" Over at Flurry Heart's bed, Manaphy was starting to cry all of a sudden, flailing her body around. The same goes for Flurry Heart as she too started crying out of nowhere.
"Flurry! Manaphy! What's wrong?!" Cadence exclaimed as she and Shining Armor rushed in to see what was making them upset.
Manaphy's antennae's were twitching uncontrollably. As if they were sensing something ominous coming this way. And indeed, something ominous was heading this way. But ominous is an understatement.
Due to how fast Eternatus was, it didn't take long for the Gigantic Pokemon to arrive. And when it did, it knew how to make an entrance.
Aside from its overwhelming shadow and how it constantly looms over every area that it's at, one thing about Eternatus that is absolutely bone-chilling is the horrendous and gruesome ear-piercing roar that it lets out and the disturbing skeletal-like appearance it has.
Not to mention that every time it flew by, wind pressures equal to that of a hurricane were being created, sweeping many Pokemon off the ground from just passing by them.
The ponies of the Crystal Empire looked up to see this horrifying Pokemon arrive here as they all collectively screamed at Eternatus's terrifying appearance.
Eternatus was much worse than the Dynamax Pokemon. When it goes on a rampage, the destruction it creates makes a Dynamax Pokemon's destruction look like child play as it went straight to work. This time, it didn't bother to Dynamax a random Pokemon at all.
It was just planning on destroying the Crystal Empire by itself with its own power whilst also absorbing the Galar Particles near here.
Anywhere there was a semblance of Galar Particles, Eternatus will come. After all, they did originate from it. So it is just merely retrieving what was once its own whilst also wreaking havoc upon the earth, the land and soon the sea and sky.
"What is that...? A dragon?!" Cadence held Flurry Heart in her hooves, gazing at the Gigantic Pokemon.
"Mana...Mana!" The reason why Manaphy and Flurry Heart were constantly crying was because of Eternatus's presence. They both sensed the malevolent nature this Pokemon possessed.
And Sylveon could feel it too. The Intertwining Pokemon shuddered as she hid behind Cadence's hooves. "S-Sylveon..."
"Sylveon?" Cadence turned to her Pokemon.
Everypony was preparing for the worst since they already had a Dynamax Sableye attack them last week. Unfortunately, their preparations couldn't help them this time.
Mostly because Eternatus didn't waste any time whatsoever. It came here to destroy, not to sightsee. And destroy it did.
The Gigantic Pokemon started strong by charging headfirst into a building, obliterating it in one go. Luckily, the pony inside managed to run out before that happened, but her home had been wiped out in just one hit.
"Not good!" Shining Armor gasped as he quickly ran out of the castle, seeing that Eternatus was not here to just float around.
With the sounds of ponies screaming and panicking, Eternatus's violent rampage continued at the Crystal Empire. The Gigantic Pokemon used Flamethrower to breathe fire on its surroundings.
The crystals of the Crystal Empire had been melted away by Eternatus's flame which had the heat of 1610 oC. So many ponies had lost their home from Eternatus's hot breath as they watched this Pokemon destroy it all in front of their eyes.
Shining Armor appeared with the royal guards, attempting to put a stop to Eternatus's actions. But Eternatus had quick reaction time. It could sense when someone was threatening it.
As such, it had used the move Poison Tail to attack any aggressors that come near it. The tail of Eternatus glowed purple as the Gigantic Pokemon swung it violently, melting and destroying the crystals that surrounded it.
The guards gasped as they were hit by the Poison Tail with the poison melting away their armour in just one hit. Shining Armor gasped as he was incredibly lucky that he hadn't been hit.
The same couldn't be said for the guards as they had crashed into some crystals without their armour being there to protect them thanks to Poison Tail.
Seeing how Eternatus used a Poison move, Shining Armor decided to use the one Pokemon here who is immune to Poison. Honedge.
"I'm counting on you! Honedge!" Shining Armor sent Honedge out.
"Honedge!"
"Use Fury Cutter!"
"Edge!" Honedge locked on to Eternatus and no one else. It was the biggest target here. Therefore, there was no way Honedge could miss.
The Sword Pokemon hovered up towards the Gigantic Pokemon, ready to cut Eternatus up real good. But Eternatus wasn't that easy to attack.
The Gigantic Pokemon knew its own weaknesses. As such, it could counteract anything that is thrown its way. And it countered Honedge by using Flamethrower to do so.
Intense flames came out of Eternatus's gaping mouth and towards Honedge. The Sword Pokemon glared as it noticed that this Flamethrower was absurdly wide.
Even if Shining Armor told him to dodge, it would be impossible since it takes up so much space and Honedge was already close enough.
As such, Honedge had been engulfed by the devastating flames of Eternatus's Flamethrower. And just like that, Honedge was taken out in one single hit as his body fell from above with the flames almost melting him away.
"Ah! Honedge!" Shining Armor caught Honedge in his hooves, saving him from crashing.
Just like that, Eternatus took out a Pokemon in just one go. Now it was time to continue obliterating everything in its path. And the biggest target here had to be the castle itself.
A perfect object to destroy for Eternatus. But the Gigantic Pokemon wasn't going to fly in and do it. Instead, it would destroy the castle from afar.
Eternatus was preparing a Hyper Beam as an orange ball of hyper energy emerged in its mouth, building up heaps amount of power.
Shining Armor gasped as he saw that Eternatus was aiming for the castle which still had Cadence and Flurry Heart inside along with many other innocent citizens.
"Oh no!" Shining Armor used his magic to teleport up to Cadence out of desperation. But even that wouldn't stop Eternatus at all.
The Gigantic Pokemon was pouring heaps amount of power into this one Hyper Beam as it was still going. Shining Armor stood in front of Cadence and Flurry Heart, facing Eternatus and the Hyper Beam directly.
"Quick! Sylveon! Use Moonblast!" Cadence commanded with fear in her eyes.
But it wasn't just her. If anything, Sylveon was the most afraid of Eternatus by a large margin. More afraid than she's ever been.
Eternatus was a Dragon for sure. However, it was also part Poison. Which is not good news for the Intertwining Pokemon. But either way, Sylveon swallowed her fears, summoning a ball of pink energy that borrowed power from the moon itself.
"Syl...VEON!" The Intertwining Pokemon fired Moonblast towards Eternatus, in hopes of interrupting its attack.
But then. The worst-case scenario happened.
Once Eternatus fired Hyper Beam, the gigantic blast of energy obliterated the Moonblast into nothing. The Hyper Beam was wider than any Hyper Beam that has ever existed as it was wide and tall enough to engulf the entire castle and the Crystal Heart.
Shining Armor held his family close to him as they braced themselves for the worst to happen. In which, the worst did in fact happen.
Hyper Beam consumed the castle and the Crystal Heart all in one go. The ponies of the Crystal Empire watched in shock and horror as their beloved castle and heart had been hit.
The Hyper Beam travelled so far that it tore through the Frozen North and obliterated most of Mount Everhoof in just one go. A horrible sound echoed throughout the land as the Pokemon nearby retreated into their caves to hide from this horror.
After Hyper Beam had gone far enough, it faded away, leaving behind an explosion so vast it could be seen from possibly even space itself.
A large smoke cloud was the final aftermath of Hyper Beam as it covered the entire empire. Horror, fear, dismay and dread had filled the hearts of the Crystal ponies.
Once some of the smoke had cleared away, it was revealed that the entire Castle had been destroyed. Nothing remained whatsoever.
There was no sign of Princess Cadence, Shining Armor, Flurry Heart or even their Pokemon.
The feeling of despair kicked in, causing most of the Crystal Ponies to tear up. They didn't want to believe that their beloved royal family had been wiped out like that. But from how things were, that looked to be the case.
Millions of ponies wailed as their cries echoed across the empire and the Frozen North as well. It truly felt like somepony important in their lives had left.
But Eternatus was still here surprisingly.
That's because it knew that something wasn't right. The remaining smoke was starting to clear as the Gigantic Pokemon looked closer to see the true outcome.
Lo and behold, the Crystal Heart was still intact.
But it wasn't by any magic whatsoever.
Instead, Cobalion and Terrakion had arrived, using themselves as meat shields to protect the Crystal Heart. Since they're resistant to Normal Attacks, the Hyper Beam merely tickled them.
As for the royal family, Virizion and Keldeo saved their lives thanks to their superior speed. They jumped out of the smoke with the royal family on their back, still intact and in one piece.
Flurry Heart giggled as she pulled on Keldeo's mane, thanking him for saving her life. "Ow!" Ow!"
Joy returned to the face of the citizens as they saw how the family and Crystal Heart were both safe and sound, thanks to the Swords of Justice.
"Are you all hurt in any way?" Cobalion asked them.
"We're fine. Thank you so much Cobalion!" Cadence thanked him.
"Good. Leave the rest to us. This Pokemon will most likely head somewhere else in a few minutes." Cobalion stepped forward. "We'll stop it before it rampages any further."
Eternatus looked down at Cobalion and the Swords of Justice. One look at them reminded the Gigantic Pokemon of Zacian and Zamazenta in a way.
The Dragon-Poison-Type noticed that it required more energy. Staying in this one Power Spot wasn't helping since Equestria's Power Spots are less consistent than Galar's.
As such, Eternatus flew off, searching for more energy to absorb and of course, rampage even further. This prompted the Swords of Justice to get a move on as they were now in pursuit of Eternatus as the journey continues.
Chapter 286 End.