"Leon, Eternatus has awakened. If I'm not mistaken, it's in the energy plant beneath the Hammerlocke."

Gazing at the ominous sky, Naoki ignored the championship ceremony entirely. He quickly relayed Eternatus's location to Leon, then swung himself onto Koraidon's back and took off toward the chaotic audience.

The sudden tremors had plunged the arena into disorder. All around, panic spread as spectators shoved and scrambled to escape. The sheer press of people caused dangerous crushes in the crowd.

Fortunately, the Galar League staff moved swiftly to guide people out, preventing a disaster.

Iono stood off to the side with Elara in her arms, Indeedee close by. She scanned the crowd, keeping her daughter safe amid the commotion.

Elara clung tightly to her mother, eyes wide and brimming with tears.

"It's okay, Elara. Mommy's here," Iono reassured her softly. Instead of joining the panicked rush, they remained in place, watching.

At that moment, Naoki descended through the smoke and dust on Koraidon's back.

Elara's eyes lit up when she saw him.

"Daddy!" she cried, reaching out her small arms toward him.

Naoki slid down and took her from Iono's arms, holding her close.

"A Legendary Pokémon is about to awaken. It's dangerous here. You two should head back to the ranch immediately."

"What about you?" Iono asked, worry in her voice.

Naoki gave her a confident smile. "Don't worry. Koraidon's with me. I'll be fine."

Iono hesitated, but she knew his strength well. Staying here would only slow him down.

"Elara, Entei and the others just called me," Naoki said, gently ruffling her hair. "They said they miss you. Will you go home with Mommy and see them?"

Hearing that Entei and the others missed her, Elara's face brightened.

"Okay!"

Naoki wasted no time. He pulled out his Rotom Phone and contacted Giratina. Moments later, a dark ripple in the air opened into a portal to the Reverse World.

With Indeedee at her side, Iono stepped through the portal carrying Elara, disappearing from the danger zone.

Naoki exhaled in relief, watching the gateway close. When he turned his gaze back toward the arena, Leon was nowhere to be seen.

Meanwhile, deep beneath the Hammerlocke in the sprawling energy plant, Leon raced down the final corridor. But when he reached the main chamber, it was eerily empty.

He slowed, scanning the shadows. Then Oleana stepped forward from the gloom.

"Champion," she said evenly, "President Rose has been waiting for you."

Without a word, Leon followed her.

They soon arrived before Rose himself. Behind the president, a massive skeletal Pokémon glowed faintly with a sinister purple light, its bony frame slamming again and again into the shimmering energy barrier that held it back.

Leon's eyes narrowed.

"It's you," he said coldly. "Why are you doing this?"

"Just listen to me patiently for a few words first."

President Rose ignored Leon's sharp tone. He turned to look at the massive Eternatus thrashing within its containment field and spoke in a measured voice.

"Maybe you think what I'm doing is absurd. Maybe you believe you can't possibly understand. But for the people to live and work in peace, for the Galar region to flourish forever, we must develop unlimited energy. This is my belief. This is my mission."

His eyes gleamed.

"And the only way to achieve this mission… is to awaken Eternatus."

Leon's jaw tightened. The memory of the chaos outside and the Alliance's report on the Dynamax Pokémon riots across Galar burned fresh in his mind. Everything told him this was wrong.

A sudden realization struck him. His expression darkened.

"You sought me out… just for this day?"

"I needed a Trainer strong enough to help me control Eternatus," Rose replied calmly. "That's why I recommended you to the League. Under our guidance, you haven't disappointed me."

"You're insane!" Leon shot back, the image of the ancient Darkest Day, shown to him by Calyrex at Naoki's ranch, flashing vividly before his eyes. "If Eternatus can't be controlled, the entire Galar region will be consumed by the Darkest Day!"

"So work with me, Leon," Rose urged.

"There's no way," Leon said without hesitation.

Rose's expression twisted, his voice rising with an edge of desperation.

"You don't understand… you don't understand at all! Leon, look at the vast land of Galar before you. The energy that gives it life will be gone in a thousand years. When that day comes, even this proud region will be nothing but a barren wasteland!"

He took a step forward, almost pleading.

"That's why we cannot waste a single day. Every second counts. To solve this crisis, to create a better future, we need Eternatus!"

Leon shook his head firmly. "We will develop the Galar region ourselves, without relying on Eternatus!"

His hand shot to his belt, fingers closing around Charizard's Poké Ball. But before he could act, a deafening roar shattered the chamber.

The very air trembled as Eternatus's voice echoed through the underground plant. The Galar particles raging within its body surged violently, overflowing in a blinding torrent.

With a sharp crack, the containment device that Rose had been so proud of split apart.

Now fully awakened, Eternatus threw back its head and unleashed an ancient roar. In a blur of motion, its titanic body tore upward through the earth, smashing through layers of rock and metal before bursting into the open air and ascending toward the storm-filled sky.

At that moment, everyone in Hammerlocke witnessed a sight that froze them in place.

Above, the dark clouds churned as if drawn by some unseen force, twisting tighter and tighter until they formed a colossal vortex.

From within the swirling mass, a second vortex spiraled downward. Its sheer energy warped the air, bending light and space.

Then, a pulse of crimson radiance flared from Eternatus's chest.

In the very next instant, the Galar region was thrown into chaos.

From Motostoke to Hammerlocke, from Circhester to Hulbury, from Turffield to every city and town with a Power Spot, thick streams of glowing red Galar particles surged upward.

Drawn as if by a magnetic pull, the energy raced toward the storm over Hammerlocke, converging in a blazing spiral in the sky above.

Everywhere the particles passed, Pokémon were struck by a sudden, uncontrollable surge of power. They Dynamaxed in an instant, and their eyes turned a feral, glowing red.

Roaring in madness, they rampaged without restraint.

In Hammerlocke, the streets were soon dominated by towering Gigantamax Pokémon, each one looming like a kaiju from a disaster film. Skyscrapers that once pierced the clouds now looked like flimsy toys beside them.

A Gigantamax Drednaw's tail smashed through a building in a single swing. A Corviknight the size of a fortress dove low, its wings tearing billboards from their frames. Flare after flare of destructive energy lit the skyline as G-Max moves tore through concrete and steel.

The ground split. Buildings collapsed. In moments, an entire district had become a raging inferno.

On the streets below, terrified pedestrians screamed and scattered. Cars were abandoned mid-road. The city's neat order shattered into pure, unrelenting chaos.

And Hammerlocke was not alone. Across the Galar region, every major city was now a battlefield of frenzied, oversized Pokémon.

Inside Hammerlocke Stadium, Naoki stood at the center of the arena, eyes fixed on the crimson storm above. From every direction, the streams of Galar particles were converging into the core of Eternatus's chest.

Others might not have understood, but Naoki knew exactly what was happening.

Eternatus was devouring Galar's energy.

...

Far beneath the city, in the underground energy plant, Oleana stared at her phone, her usually calm expression hardening with alarm.

"Chairman, Eternatus is out of control. It's drawing energy from across Galar, and Pokémon everywhere are Dynamaxing beyond control!"

Rose's face tightened. His thoughts raced.

'How could this be? Had the plan already failed? No. Not now. Not when they were this close. There could be no turning back.'

He looked to Leon.

Leon's eyes narrowed. "I'm not doing this for you, Rose. I'm doing it for the Galar region."

With that, he turned sharply and strode toward the exit, heading straight into the chaos, ready to face Eternatus head-on.