On screen—
Just as Ash was lost in thought, all the lights on the plane suddenly went out.
An ear-piercing alarm blared throughout the cabin.
The sudden chaos scared Koharu half to death. She quickly clung to Ash's arm, as if only that could give her a shred of safety.
The flight attendants hurried to calm the passengers.
"The plane just hit some turbulence. It won't affect the flight. Please don't worry," they reassured.
Hearing this, Koharu finally relaxed a little.
"That was terrifying… I thought the plane was going down." She patted her chest in relief.
But when she turned to share her feelings with Ash—
She saw Ash and Pikachu pressed against the window, staring intently outside.
"Pikachu, you saw it too, right?"
"Pikachu!"
Pikachu nodded with grave seriousness.
Saw what?
Curiosity piqued, Koharu leaned over to look out the window as well.
"What are you two looking at?"
The clouds outside, once pure white, had turned faintly purple-red.
Peering closer, Koharu caught a glimpse—a massive violet figure flashing briefly within the thick clouds.
Its body glowed with a sinister crimson light, resembling the skeletal frame of a gigantic dragon.
"What… What was that? Was it a Pokémon?" Koharu's voice trembled.
The sight had shaken her to her core.
Even with just one glance, every hair on her body stood on end.
It was fear—pure, soul-deep fear.
Just like the murderous intent Lugia had radiated back then.
Could it be… that thing was also a god?
Koharu was still doubting, but Ash's words confirmed her suspicion.
"That thing… It's a Pokémon. A legendary one. Its power is definitely on par with Lugia or Ho-Oh."
Ash prayed it was only passing by.
If it attacked the plane, not a single soul would survive.
To fight a god of the skies, in the skies—that would be suicide.
But if it really did attack, Ash wasn't helpless.
In his bag, he carried both Ho-Oh's Rainbow Wing and Lugia's Silver Wing.
If push came to shove—he could call for backup.
Ash's hand hovered above the feathers. At the first sign of hostility, he could use them to contact Ho-Oh and Lugia.
Fortunately, his worries were unnecessary.
The enormous figure drifted through the clouds, then sank deeper into the mist—disappearing completely from sight.
Moments later, the cabin lights flickered back on.
Ash let out a breath of relief.
Looks like help wouldn't be needed.
[Aaron: What kind of Pokémon was that? I've never seen it before!]
[Diantha: Most likely another legendary Pokémon. Cynthia, you're the mythology expert—do you know?]
[Cynthia: I only know a little about Galar's myths. But I'm certain—there's no record of such a Pokémon in their legends.]
[Leon: Then it must not be native to Galar. Maybe it was just passing by.]
Indeed, Galar had many legendary Pokémon.
But neither the Isle of Armor nor the Crown Tundra had any that matched what they just saw.
[Mustard: No… that was a Galarian legend.]
[Leon: Master?! How do you know? Have you seen it?]
Mustard didn't answer Leon directly. Instead, he began telling a tale.
[Mustard: Twenty thousand years ago, a meteor fell on Galar. At first, people didn't realize what it was. But three thousand years later, it awoke—becoming the legendary Eternatus.
After traveling through space for so long, Eternatus had lost most of its power. To recover, it tried to absorb all of Galar's life force.
It brought about the Darkest Day, transforming into a black vortex that triggered the most catastrophic Dynamax disaster in history.]
[Cynthia: So that was Eternatus…]
[Professor Magnolia: Allow me to elaborate. Legends describe Eternatus as a massive draconic Pokémon. Its body consists of glowing red energy, encased in dark purple, exoskeleton-like armor. It resembles the skeletal remains of a dragon.]
Professor Magnolia—the most renowned researcher in Galar.
She was the one who developed the Dynamax Bands that could control that very power.
In her youth, she had studied mythology extensively. Her granddaughter Sonia had followed in her footsteps, choosing to research Galar's ancient myths as well.
[Cynthia: That matches Ash's description perfectly. The figure he saw was indeed Eternatus.]
[Professor Oak: But I still have a question. If Eternatus's appearance means destruction and calamity, why hasn't Galar suffered any disasters in recent years? What happened to it in the legends?]
[Sonia: It was sealed away—by human heroes wielding a sword and a shield.]
Human heroes?
Not with the aid of other legendary Pokémon?
Then… Do people today still possess the power to seal Eternatus?
Would Galar face another calamity?
Everyone grew heavy-hearted.
In Galar – Macro Cosmos Headquarters
Chairman Rose sat with a dark expression.
Eternatus's reappearance meant his long-laid plan was finally working.
But it also meant it had already failed.
In Rose's vision, Eternatus would serve as an "infinite battery," a power source for the dwindling energy of Dynamax.
As long as Dynamax existed, Galar could continue to thrive.
But all of this hinged on Eternatus being controllable.
If it went out of control—everything Rose had built would burn to ashes.
Now, surrounded by piles of research on "Eternatus," Rose's mind raced.
Should he gamble?
For Galar's future, he was willing to sacrifice everything.
"Olive, call Leon here. There's something I need to discuss with him."
On screen—
After that terrifying encounter, Ash and Koharu finally arrived in Wyndon.
The World Coronation Finals would be held the next evening.
They still had plenty of time.
After booking two rooms with the help of Rotom Phone, Ash dropped his luggage and collapsed straight into bed.
Keeping his guard up against Eternatus had drained him mentally.
He slept until noon the next day, only waking when Koharu knocked on his door.
After a quick wash and change, the two of them went out for Galar's local delicacies.
Then—they made their way to the Wyndon Stadium.
Its grandeur was beyond anything Ash had ever seen.
Even after traveling through so many regions and competing in countless tournaments, he had never witnessed such a magnificent arena.
And yet—
Every seat was filled. Not a single empty spot remained.
Of course.
This was the battle to decide the strongest Trainer in the world!
The strongest in the world!
Just the name alone was enough to set blood boiling.
Who would ever want to miss such a fight?
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