Zacian—Forge the Bond!
Whenever a world-ending disaster descends,
someone will inevitably shoulder the responsibility of saving it.
Such people are collectively known as heroes!
In Galar's legends, the catastrophe known as the Darkest Day, which nearly destroyed all of Galar three thousand years ago,
was ultimately resolved by the heroes known as Sword and Shield.
As Sword and Shield begin to shine—
The legacy of the heroes begins at this very moment!
Ash and Gary stood side by side.
A step behind them, Leon gazed at the broad backs of the two boys before him.
A surge of heroic emotion welled up in his chest.
Even these two youths—who weren't even natives of Galar—were willing to stand up at this moment.
So what reason did he have left to hesitate?
This was already the final, desperate battle.
Then let them fight with everything they had!
It was a shame his Charizard's Dynamax had been sealed—
otherwise, this would have been the most exhilarating battle imaginable.
Gary leaned toward Ash and asked quietly,
"Are you scared?"
"Scared? Why would I be scared?"
"That thing's this strong—don't tell me you're confident of winning?"
"Of course! I'm going to become a Pokémon Master. There's no way I'm falling here!"
"You really haven't changed at all, even after all these years."
Suddenly, Ash realized something.
He poked Gary beside him and said in an extremely shocked tone,
"Wait—Gary, you're asking me this… don't tell me you're scared?"
"W-Who said that?!"
"Looks like you are!"
"Ash! You wanna die?!"
"BZZZZZZ—!!!"
Just as the two were bickering—
An endless hum echoed across the sky.
It was as if some world-destroying device had been activated!
All three looked up at once.
In the sky, Eternamax Eternatus, now fully transformed,
was gathering massive energy within the crimson core located at the center of its five heads.
It was clearly preparing to attack.
Seeing this—
Ash and the others launched an immediate assault.
"Mega Charizard X—Dragon Pulse!"
At the same time, a multicolored light flashed across the Z-Crystal on Ash's wrist.
In the next instant, Pikashunium Z reappeared on the Z-Ring!
"Witness the power of bonds—shine forth!
Ten Million Volt Thunderbolt!"
A prismatic dragon wrapped in rainbow-colored lightning shot straight into the clouds!
At the same time—
From the triple cannons of Gary's Mega Blastoise,
a violent torrent of water erupted once more!
"Hydro Pump!"
"Flamethrower!"
Leon's attack followed close behind!
Lightning, flames, water pillars, and draconic waves surged together,
all rushing toward Eternatus's core in the sky!
BOOM!!!
At the moment of impact, a deafening explosion and billowing smoke blanketed the heavens.
Remembering what happened last time,
None of them relaxed.
Instead, they stared even more intently at the smoke-covered sky.
The Darkest Day had not dissipated—
which meant Eternatus hadn't been defeated.
Sure enough—
As the smoke cleared, Eternatus stood unharmed at the center of the massive black vortex in the sky.
Even Ten Million Volt Thunderbolt,
a move that had never failed since its debut, was ineffective against Eternatus.
(In the games, Eternatus's base stats exceed 1000—its strength surpasses that of ordinary box-legendary Pokémon.)
At the same time—
Five extremely sharp purple beams shot down from the sky.
They originated from Eternatus's five heads.
Though thinner than the earlier beam,
the pressure they radiated left no room for doubt.
"Ash! Gary! Watch out!"
The five beams had only one target—
The three atop the Battle Tower.
Leon and Charizard immediately rushed toward Ash and Gary,
pulling them out of the attack's path.
The five beams swept through where they had been standing moments before.
The upper levels of the Battle Tower were cleanly sliced apart.
But in saving Ash and Gary,
Leon and Charizard were grazed by the beams.
It was obvious—they couldn't keep fighting like this.
"Run… You can't beat it!"
Leon struggled to his feet, his gaze still fixed on Eternatus above.
Ash and Gary staying would accomplish nothing.
This enemy was far beyond what the three of them could handle.
Neither Charizard nor Pikachu could deal damage to Eternamax Eternatus.
That earlier attack had already combined all of their strength—
And yet it was futile.
Now, against Eternatus's counterattack, all they could do was desperately dodge.
This battle had lost its meaning.
Rather than all three dying here—
Leon would rather shoulder everything himself!
Letting Ash and Gary escape safely
was the best choice he could make.
Even if he died,
he would protect them until they left—
Until they left Galar!
"Hey—aren't you underestimating us a bit too much?"
Gary broke free from Charizard's grasp, dusting off clothes that weren't even dirty, his tone arrogant as ever.
"Mr. Leon, we absolutely can't leave right now!"
Ash supported the heavily injured Leon.
Leave?
That thought had never crossed Ash's mind.
Abandon everyone else?
That was something Ash could never do!
"I was entrusted by the old man to help Galar through this crisis. If I just ran back like this, I'd be laughed at forever!"
"Exactly! Mr. Leon—behind us are the countless lights of Galar! If we all leave, what happens to Galar?!"
A few meters apart, Ash and Gary exchanged a smile.
That familiar feeling again—
"So we're not leaving!" ×2
If memories are pearls, then friendship is diamond!
The bond between Ash and Gary had long surpassed even diamond in strength!
Their eyes burned as they stared at Eternatus above—without the slightest fear.
At this moment!
Eternatus's second wave of attacks arrived!
This time, it came directly from the central core.
Dozens of purple beams converged from all directions toward the Battle Tower!
Wherever they passed, grasslands and buildings were instantly reduced to ashes.
If the beams converged on the tower—
Everyone present would cease to exist.
"Mega Blastoise! Hydro Cannon!"
"Mega Charizard X! Blast Burn! Pikachu! Volt Tackle!"
As the beams closed in,
Ash and Gary immediately ordered their Pokémon to attack with full power!
Both Hydro Cannon and Blast Burn
were ultimate techniques only accessible to fully evolved starters, taught by others of their kind—
The pinnacle of same-type moves!
Their base power rivaled Hyper Beam itself!
Volt Tackle was even known as a god-slaying move!
The blazing fireballs of Blast Burn and the raging torrents of Hydro Cannon slammed into the approaching beams!
Volt Tackle, meanwhile, charged straight at Eternatus's core!
However, learning from Mega Charizard X's earlier strike,
This time Eternatus retracted its five heads the instant golden lightning lit up the sky, completely blocking Pikachu's attack.
Still, Pikachu's strike wasn't meaningless.
Eternatus's defensive movement clearly weakened the beams' power.
That opening allowed Blast Burn and Hydro Cannon to shine!
One by one, the dozens of beams were destroyed by Mega Charizard X and Mega Blastoise!
Now—
Only one threat remained.
The thickest beam of all.
It fired straight from the core's center.
Its size far exceeded even the Battle Tower itself!
Against an attack of this scale,
Neither Hydro Cannon nor Blast Burn had any effect.
They couldn't even slow it down.
At this moment—
Whether watching the TV broadcast
or the ranking livestream—
Everyone's heart was clenched tight.
In the real world, countless people had learned Ash's name for the first time through these broadcasts.
Through stream after stream, they witnessed his growth.
They came to understand the weight carried by the name Ash.
No matter when.
No matter where.
No matter how dangerous the situation—
Ash always left his back to those he vowed to protect.
Ash always stood at the front, facing the enemy's attacks.
Just like now.
Facing the invincible Eternatus—
Ash still stood resolutely in front of everyone.
He was Ash.
That hot-blooded boy.
Everyone prayed for him.
Misty. Brock. Dawn. May…
Cynthia. Steven. Diantha…
Whether they had known Ash for years
or only met him through the screen—
Everyone shared the same wish.
That everyone would survive this ordeal.
Across time itself,
those watching the livestreams and those watching on TV
made the same choice.
"Come on! Please—don't lose!"
—
On screen—
As the beam drew closer, everyone held their breath.
"Cough…" Leon had already prepared himself for death.
Dying here wasn't shameful.
It was just a pity—
he hadn't been able to save Galar.
What kind of Champion was he, really?
At this moment, Rose—who had been completely frozen until now—finally snapped back to reality.
The two Pokémon beside him had already been recalled by Ash.
On a battlefield like this, Pokémon without Champion-ace strength were nothing but fodder.
Rose tried to run, but years of indulgence had left his body unfit.
Even a short distance was exhausting.
Just before Leon collapsed, Rose used his body to support him.
"Rose… do you regret it?"
"I deserve to die! I'm sorry—truly sorry! I caused all of this!"
"It's too late… isn't it?"
Leon looked up at the sky.
If he had noticed something wrong with Rose earlier,
maybe he could have stopped everything.
But apologies couldn't turn back time.
The beam kept approaching.
The ending seemed inevitable.
Ash and Gary clenched their fists in frustration.
The helplessness of being unable to do anything filled them with resentment.
And then—
A vision flashed through both of their minds.
In that vision stood a massive wolf.
Blue in one mind.
Red in the other.
"Take up the sword!"
"Raise the shield!"
"Then call out our names!" ×2
A gentle, loving female voice
and a cold, solemn male voice echoed within them.
Sword… and Shield?
Sword and Shield!
At that moment, the Sword and Shield stored in their backpacks began to shine!
"Your backpack?" ×2
Ash and Gary spoke at the same time.
They froze—then immediately realized the truth.
At incredible speed, they removed their backpacks and took out the seemingly toy-like Sword and Shield they had brought from Slumbering Weald.
Now—
The inscriptions covering the Rusted Sword and Shield glowed brightly.
One blue.
One red.
Their lights intertwined.
Even Leon and Rose were drawn to them.
"What… are those?"
The two stared at the glowing Sword and Shield in confusion.
Of course they recognized Sword and Shield—
But the ones in Ash and Gary's hands were far too small.
Not just for adults—even Ash and Gary holding them felt like toys.
"You mean these? Gary and I found them in Slumbering Weald. Honestly, I don't really know what they are… but I feel like they can deal with Eternatus."
Ash scratched his head, saying something even he didn't fully believe.
"Are you an idiot?! Can't you see it now? These are the legendary Sword and Shield!"
Gary couldn't help but complain.
He'd already told Ash about Galar's legends before.
Clearly, Ash's attention had gone straight to the Legendary Pokémon—
Completely ignoring the actual protagonists: the heroes of Sword and Shield!
"You're saying… these are the legendary Sword and Shield? Then does that mean—you two are the heroes?!"
Rose stared at Ash and Gary in disbelief.
If the legendary heroes were supposed to take these mini Sword and Shield
and chop down Eternamax Eternatus in the sky—
No matter what, he wouldn't believe it.
But did Rose's belief matter?
Not at all.
The moment their hands grasped Sword and Shield—
The light intensified.
Brilliant radiance engulfed Ash and Gary entirely.
As if answering a call—
They raised the sword and shield high into the sky!
In an instant!
The light condensed—
then transformed into a blade of pure brilliance that shot through the clouds!
Even the sky shrouded by Eternatus was pierced by that radiance!
But—something was still missing!
Ash held his sword aloft!
The image of the giant wolf grew clearer and clearer.
The blue wolf seemed to circle around him.
That breeze-like voice echoed once more.
"Call my name."
"My name is—"
"Zacian!"
"Zacian—forge a bond with me!"
"Contract established."
With that shout, the Rusted Sword in Ash's hand burst forth with even brighter blue light!
At the same time—
Gary made the same choice!
"Zamazenta!"
Though unlike Ash, Gary didn't quite have the heart to shout such an embarrassing line.
Still—
The effect was the same!
As blue light erupted on Ash's side,
the Rusted Shield in Gary's hands burst forth with dazzling red light!
Red and blue intertwined.
In an instant, they enveloped the entire Battle Tower.
And the massive beam only inches away—
The moment it touched the red-and-blue light,
It melted away instantly.
In the sky—
"ROOOOAR!!!"
Eternatus's howl shook the heavens.
This was fear born from the depths of the soul!
The terror of prey facing its hunter!
At that moment, far away in Slumbering Weald at the eastern edge of Galar—
Two beams of light, one blue and one red, surged forth from the forest's depths.
They turned into streaks of radiance, crossing thousands of miles—
Reaching the Battle Tower in Hammerlocke in mere seconds!
The lights fell like meteors before Ash and Gary.
Then, the red and blue radiance changed targets, flowing from Ash and Gary into the falling stars.
As the light was fully absorbed—
The true heroes, sleeping for a thousand years, awakened at last.
The light faded!
Two massive wolves—one blue, one red—revealed their true forms.
"My name is Zacian!"
The blue wolf stepped beside Ash, circling protectively around him.
This was the partner of Galar's Hero of the Sword—
Zacian, Hero of Many Battles!
On the other side, the red wolf did the same.
The partner of the Hero of the Shield—
Zamazenta, Hero of Many Battles!
"So the legendary heroes of Sword and Shield… were never humans—but Trainers and Pokémon together!"
The aura radiating from the two Pokémon—
Leon had never felt anything like it before.
This sharp, battle-honed presence surpassed even the legendary Pokémon of other regions.
After all—
Among all Legendary Pokémon,
The only two gods whose domain was battle itself—
Now stood right before them.
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