"Be careful!"
Hayate crouched at the edge of the crater, watching his sister like a worried sentinel...
"Don't rush into anything! Stay behind Terrence! And whatever you do, don't be reckless!"
Setsuka couldn't take it anymore. She turned to Caleb and said, "I'm going down first!"
With that, she commanded Talonflame into a steep dive.
Caleb gave Luna and the others a nod before gripping Dragonite and following closely behind.
The wind howled past their ears as they plummeted downward. As they descended, the light around them dimmed, swallowed by the cavern's depths.
Caleb was mentally calculating the distance when Setsuka suddenly gasped...
He snapped his head up, and saw it... A massive, sinister figure lay coiled on the ground below, its body glowing with an eerie light.
It was a dragon-like Pokémon, its skeletal frame resembling a fusion of a mosasaur and a whale, exuding the aura of a mythical bone dragon. Its colors were deep purple and crimson.
Caleb immediately used Scout:
[Eternatus (Fake): Lv. 70]
[Objective: Congratulations! You've found this Scenario's final boss! Work with your Pokémon to defeat it!]
«Note: Created by the Infinite World, not the real Eternatus. Cannot be captured. Will dissipate upon defeat...»
Setsuka and Talonflame immediately flew back to Caleb's side, silently questioning him.
Caleb pointed upward and silently said, "Let's retreat for now."
Before the fake Eternatus could wake, the two quietly returned to the surface...
...
"How was it?" Hayate asked.
Caleb shared the boss's stats, "It's at Level 70. Also, it's not the real Eternatus, so its strength should be nerfed."
"Still, we can't underestimate it," Hayate said, "Even a fake Legendary is still a Legendary."
Luna frowned, "You think it's stronger than those level 100 Gigantamax Pokémon?"
"Those were just decoys," Setsuka cut in, "This Instance is so deceptive... It even threw a bunch of max-level Gigantamax Pokémon at us while hiding the real boss at the end!"
"If this thing is stronger than them, the difficulty would be on par with a punishment Instance," she continued, "No player could clear that!"
Hayate nodded, "The Infinite World would never give players an impossible quest."
Then Tristan suddenly spoke up, "Hey… what do you guys think the Infinite World really is? Does this Pokémon-verse have a 'R.O.B' of some sort?"
No one had an answer...
Walter rubbed his chin, "I once heard an old-timer in another Instance say the Infinite World isn't like those web novels."
"...There's no 'R.O.B', and there's no alien civilization behind it. It's more like… a collective subconscious creation of all humans who love Pokémon in our world."
He scratched his head, continuing, "No idea if it's true, but it's an interesting thought."
"Alright, enough chatter," Hayate said, "Time to go down and fight our last battle! If we win this, then we can all go home for a proper meal!"
*Grrr...*
The mention of food instantly energized Luna.
She clutched her empty stomach, her cheeks reddening, "I haven't eaten a full meal in three days…"
Hayate gave her a sympathetic look, "None of us have. So let's wrap this up fast. Let's go!"
Caleb peered into the abyss...
"Only two people can go down at a time. Until everyone is in position, stay quiet. Don't wake Eternatus."
"Got it!" the group replied.
Dragonite and Talonflame began ferrying them down...
The First to go down were Hayate and Luna. Followed by Walter and Tristan.
Caleb and Setsuka went last.
Soon, the entire team stood on the cavern floor...
The underground chamber was vast, its ceiling studded with stalactites. Glowstones embedded in the walls cast an eerie green light across the space.
The six exchanged glances and nodded. Then, the battle officially began.
Tristan barked, "Lickitung, use Supersonic!"
Luna: "Pachirisu, Thunder Wave!"
Setsuka: "Talonflame, Tailwind!"
Walter: "Magcargo, Rock Tomb!"
Hayate: "Sceptile, Leaf Blade!"
Caleb "Dragonite, Dragon Rush!"
Six attacks from six different Pokémon slammed into the sleeping Eternatus at once.
The beast roared, its massive body lurching upward, only to collapse again as a crackle of paralysis locked its muscles.
Luna cheered, "Terrence! Terrence! Did you see that?! I nailed the paralysis!"
Caleb: "…Dragonite, use Dragon Rush again!"
With Tailwind's speed boost, their Pokémon moved like lightning. Add in the pre-battle buffs; Swords Dance, Agility, and more... and their offensive pressure was overwhelming.
The still paralyzed Eternatus endured another brutal onslaught before finally breaking free.
Its eyes burned with fury as it reared up, a terrifying white beam gathering in its maw.
Luna didn't hesitate, "Pachirisu, use Follow Me!"
- Follow Me: A move that redirects all enemy attacks to the user...
Sure enough, Eternatus' Dynamax Cannon obliterated Pachirisu in a searing blast. The tiny Pokémon was swallowed by the light.
Seizing the opening, the others attacked:
Tristan: "Lickitung, Disable!"
Setsuka: "Talonflame, Brave Bird!"
Walter: "Magcargo, Flamethrower!"
Hayate: "Sceptile, use Leaf Blade again!"
Caleb sprinted toward Luna while shouting, "Dragonite, Dragon Rush!"
By the time Eternatus' attack ended, Pachirisu was on the verge of fainting...
"Please!" Luna handed her limp Pokémon to Caleb.
He nodded, then activated the Viridian Power to heal Pachirisu. As the electric squirrel recovered, Caleb said, "Have it use Endure next. Don't let it get one-shot."
"Got it!" Luna replied.
Meanwhile, Setsuka's Talonflame was swatted out of the air by Eternatus' tail, crashing into the cavern wall.
A follow-up Dynamax Cannon blasted it point-blank.
Caleb ordered Dragonite to attack again, before rushing to Setsuka's side and used the Viridian Power to heal Talonflame...