"Release an announcement and tell the citizens to calm down. This anomaly poses no danger."
As the Darkest Day phenomenon continued to expand, Oleana's and Raihan's communication devices rang almost simultaneously.
Raihan was the Gym Leader of Hammerlocke City, while Oleana was Chairman Rose's representative. Naturally, the city's executives contacted the two of them first.
And it was impossible for them not to be nervous—this phenomenon was simply far too similar to the disaster that had occurred earlier in the year.
Moreover, this time the anomaly was far larger than before. That black vortex nearly enveloped the entirety of Hammerlocke City.
It was broad daylight, yet the world had dimmed as if night had fallen, and this darkness was filled with eerie black-and-red light.
How could the people of Hammerlocke City not feel anxious and afraid?
"That endless black vortex… this must be the Darkest Day phenomenon from three thousand years ago, right?" Leon said, raising his head to look at the constantly rotating black vortex in the sky, amazement flashing in his eyes.
What an incomparably vast and terrifying amount of energy!
"That's right. According to our research, Eternatus is the source of Dynamax energy. Its power is so overwhelming that it can cause nearly all Pokémon to lose their rationality and Dynamax uncontrollably," Oleana explained calmly, adjusting her glasses.
"Three thousand years ago, it was precisely the chaos and destruction caused by Dynamax Pokémon that nearly led to the downfall of Galar."
Before becoming Rose's secretary, Oleana herself had been a researcher.
It was she who had developed the Dynamax Band, allowing Trainers in the Galar region to successfully harness Dynamax energy!
"If no one can control it, Eternatus would become a true calamity capable of destroying the world. But as long as it can be controlled…" Oleana continued, her eyes beneath the lenses gleaming sharply.
Eternatus was both a terrifying disaster and an unimaginably vast treasure.
Its energy was simply too immense—and more importantly, it was a form of power that humanity could develop and utilize!
"It's a crazy proposal," Leon commented, "but what's even crazier is that it actually succeeded."
Rose cast a sidelong glance at Leon and sighed quietly in his heart.
Originally, according to his plan, the one he had chosen to control Eternatus was Leon himself.
But it was precisely because he understood Leon's character that he hadn't told him the plan from the very beginning. Rose had intended to wait until everything was already set in stone, then reveal the truth and have Leon take control of Eternatus.
Now, however, it seemed unlikely Leon would ever agree…
And the truth was indeed so. Leon was upright, selfless, and kind-hearted. A calamity like Eternatus was something he would never accept.
In the original course of events, when Eternatus emerged, Rose had asked Leon to subdue and control it—but Leon refused outright, severing ties completely with Rose, his former benefactor and once-close friend.
"It's taken shape!" Lucas suddenly spoke.
He had not joined their conversation at all—his gaze had been fixed unwaveringly on the vortex in the sky.
Within the swirling darkness, a colossal and terrifying silhouette could now be vaguely seen.
Huge—truly enormous!
"ROOOAAAR—"
A deep dragon's cry seemed to resonate directly within everyone's hearts.
The black vortex slowly ceased its rotation, and Eternamax Eternatus' gigantic body gradually descended from within it, fully revealing itself to everyone's eyes.
Terrifying massive claws, a body coiled into spiraling rings, and at its center, a glowing red core surrounded by its form.
"This is just… way too big, isn't it?" Raihan said in shock, staring at the monstrous figure floating in the air, utterly unable to hide his astonishment.
That layered, coiling body and the gigantic 'claws' beneath it were shockingly sinister.
As a Dragon-type Champion level trainer who specialized in Gigantamax, Raihan was no stranger to grand sights.
After Dynamax or Gigantamax, Pokémon would grow tenfold or even dozens of times larger!
But he had never seen anything as massive as Eternamax Eternatus.
Even the smallest Dynamax Pokémon were usually over twenty meters tall (according to official data, almost all were at least that tall), while well-trained ones often exceeded thirty meters.
That was already enormous—but this Eternatus? At a glance, it had to be at least a hundred meters tall!
"As the source of Dynamax, isn't it only natural for it to be larger than other Dynamax Pokémon?" Lucas raised an eyebrow, looking with satisfaction at Eternamax Eternatus as he replied to Raihan.
Eternamax Eternatus' official height was indeed one hundred meters. As for ordinary Pokémon, their Dynamax size varied depending on training, but no matter how exceptional they were, they could never compare to Eternatus.
Leon's Gigantamax Charizard was powerful enough, right?
Yet even then, its standard height was only twenty-eight meters. Even with Leon's exceptional training, it would barely exceed thirty meters—completely incomparable to Eternamax Eternatus.
Eternatus' normal form was already close to twenty meters tall, meaning it wasn't even that far off from ordinary Dynamax Pokémon.
Raihan fell silent. That was true—how could the origin of Dynamax possibly be smaller than other Dynamax Pokémon?
"Truly magnificent," Rose murmured in awe as he gazed at Eternamax Eternatus. It was an overwhelming sight.
"Eternatus, how do you feel?" Lucas asked.
"Very good. My power… has all returned," Eternatus' deep telepathic voice echoed within Lucas's mind, unmistakable joy laced within it.
After all, three thousand years had passed. It had been far too long since it last felt this boundless, overflowing power coursing through its body!
Damn it—it finally had strength again! No more worrying about being beaten senseless someday!
"That's wonderful," Lucas said, unable to suppress the grin spreading across his face.
With this, he had gained yet another top-tier trump card.
"Chairman Rose, thank you very much," Lucas said sincerely to Rose beside him.
Without Rose contributing such an enormous amount of energy, restoring Eternatus to its peak would have required tremendous effort.
With Lucas's strength, absorbing energy from power spots across Galar was certainly possible—but it would have been far too troublesome and time-consuming.
"You're welcome. I only hope you'll visit Galar more often in the future," Rose replied with a gentle smile.
Though a vast amount of energy had been consumed, it was worth it. Now that Eternatus had recovered to its peak, simply leaving a few Power Spots around Galar would allow the energy to gradually replenish.
Moreover, Eternatus could now leave Power Spots in other regions as well—and where there were Power Spots, Dynamax was possible!
For Galar, this was also a form of publicity.
"Of course. I understand your meaning, Chairman Rose," Lucas chuckled softly.
He had always believed in repaying kindness with kindness. Even in his past, though he acted ruthlessly at times, he had never repaid benevolence with betrayal.
He had once been a villain—but never a despicable one.
"However, Lucas… it seems you've got some trouble coming," Rose said with a smile, his peripheral vision catching sight of two streaks of light—one blue, one red—racing toward them in the distance.
The two legendary heroes of Galar!
Eternatus sensed it as well, its massive claw slowly turning toward the incoming lights.
The blue and red lights were incredibly fast, reaching Lucas's group in the blink of an eye before landing.
As the light faded, Zacian and Zamazenta stood revealed!
"So, it really is you," Zacian said coolly after scanning the scene, its gaze settling on Lucas.
"I thought you might come, considering how obsessed you are with Eternatus," Lucas said with a smile as he turned to face Zacian.
The energy from Eternatus' Eternamax form was simply too immense—Zacian and Zamazenta sensing it was only natural.
Zamazenta's steady gaze rested on the human before it, curiosity flickering faintly within.
During the previous incident at the Arche Valley, it had been summoned by Evil Hoopa, only to be… well, taught a lesson by its older sister Zacian and then sent back.
Though it had been controlled the entire time, Zamazenta still remembered quite a bit afterward.
"With you restraining it, there's no need to worry about this calamity going berserk for now," Zacian said coldly through telepathy, casting a glance at Eternatus.
In truth, Zacian had sensed Eternatus the moment it appeared—but had hesitated over whether to come.
After all, Eternatus was now under Lucas's control. Yet in the end, Zacian couldn't suppress the emotions in its heart.
Eternatus' claw swayed slightly. If Zacian dared to glare at it again this time, it would glare right back without hesitation!
Before, it had only backed down because it couldn't win—but now things were different!
Although Zacian's Crowned Sword form countered it in terms of typing, the sheer difference in power was now enough for Eternatus to suppress Zacian.
In simple terms…
Eternatus had finally stood up!
Zacian? Just a little dog, that's all!
"To be trusted like this by the legendary Zacian is truly an honor," Lucas said, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly.
"Hmph!" Zacian snorted, clearly not sensing even a shred of sincerity in Lucas's words.
As Zacian turned to leave, its figure paused slightly.
"Though it seems harmless for now, I still stand by my judgment. Take this," Zacian said, pulling a sword from its fur and tossing it to Lucas.
Lucas caught it and examined it carefully—it was the Rusted Sword!
"Sister?" Zamazenta exclaimed in surprise.
The Rusted Sword was the key item that allowed Zacian to enter its Crowned Sword form. Losing it meant Zacian could no longer transform.
In other words, if Eternatus were to go on a rampage now, even with Zamazenta in Crowned Shield form assisting, the two of them would absolutely not be a match for Eternamax Eternatus.
"Are you sure about this?" Lucas asked, raising an eyebrow as he looked at Zacian in surprise.
This cold and proud big dog was actually trusting him this much?
"This is my power. Through it, you can contact me at any time, and I will come to you as quickly as possible," Zacian said calmly, not turning its head.
With the Rusted Sword on Lucas, Zacian could always locate him—and Lucas could also contact Zacian through the sword.
"I see. Then I'll accept it," Lucas said after a brief pause, smiling as he put the Rusted Sword away.
Sure enough, the goodwill he had built up in the past hadn't been for nothing. Officially, it was about worrying that Eternatus might go berserk in the future—but from another perspective…
Wasn't this Zacian acknowledging him?
By giving him the Rusted Sword, Lucas had effectively become the legendary Hero of the Sword chosen by Zacian!
Mm. Compared to the White Dragon, Reshiram, this tsundere sword dog really was something else—so roundabout even in choosing its hero.
"Come visit me sometime," Lucas said as he saw Zacian preparing to leave.
Zacian didn't reply. After a few steps, it transformed into a streak of blue light and vanished into the horizon.
Zamazenta glanced back at Lucas before turning into a red beam and following after Zacian.
"My sister likes you very much. Farewell, human." Zamazenta's steady telepathic voice echoed in Lucas's mind.
"Farewell," Lucas replied warmly.
They had come suddenly—and left just as suddenly.
"So even after seeing it many times, it still feels incredible," Leon said as he watched the blue and red lights fade away.
After pondering for a moment, Leon cast a strange look at Lucas.
"Lucas, tell me honestly."
"Hm? What is it?" Lucas replied with a puzzled expression.
"Are you… perhaps a Legendary Pokémon in human form as well?"
Lucas stared at Leon in silence.
"Forgive my sudden thought," Leon said awkwardly, scratching his head. "It's just really hard to imagine why so many Legendary Pokémon treat you so kindly."
Raihan nodded emphatically in agreement.
"Maybe the goddess of luck is watching over me," Lucas said, blinking as he joked. "After all, people like me are usually called the Chosen One."
"Well then, Eternatus, come back. Don't scare the city's residents."
Ultra Space — Ultra Megalopolis World.
Endless darkness still stretched without bounds, but the once lifeless Ultra Megalopolis had, at some point, welcomed new life once more.
At the top of the Megalo Tower.
"Hm? Was it Necrozma?" A handsome young man clad in a dark crimson robe gazed at the shattered black crystals scattered across the ground, a intrigued smile slowly forming on his lips.
He recognized them—these were the black crystals that sealed Necrozma. But now they were broken, which meant Necrozma had been released?
(End of Chapter)