Leon was sweating as Charizard battled Eternatus. His partner was doing well, but it was still damaged. Leon forced a grin as he commanded Charizard, trying to put his battle with Ezria in the back of his mind, and yet, he knew time was running short, for Eternatus could be revived any moment. The way Leon looked at it, either he catches Eternatus soon or Timothy could capture it with a special Poéball.

"Charizard, use Air Slash!" Leon shouted.

Charizard flew toward Eternatus with its wings glowing light blue. It flapped its wings, firing multiple light-blue, glowing blades of energy that smacked Eternatus in the face.

"That's it! Aim your attacks into its mouth!" Leon shouted.

Just then, Leon heard footsteps coming from behind him. He turned around to find Ash and Pikachu climbing up the steps with a Lucario standing beside Ash. Ash grinned with his fist in the air as he watched Charizard battle.

"Way to go! Charizard's pushing hard!" Ash shouted.

"Ash...and Lucario?" Leon asked before giving the teenager a smirk. "That has to mean you beat Chairman Rose, right?"

"Sure did," Ash said.

"Pika!" Pikachu chirped.

"Hey, Ash!"

Ash turned around to see Goh. Beside him was a white bunny-like Pokemon standing on two legs. It had patches of fur on each shoulder that looked like shoulder pads, and the fur in its lower body looked as though the Pokémon was wearing sports pants and a belt. Ash and Pikachu gasped as they realized who the Pokémon was.

"It's Cinderance. Raboot evolved," he said to them.

"Wow!" Ash exclaimed with stars in his eyes.

"Pika!" Pikachu shouted.

Goh smirked at his friends until he noticed Lucario standing behind Ash. He gasped with his eyes wide open.

"What's up with Riolu?!" He exclaimed.

"It evolved too. Into Lucario," Ash said.

"Whoa, really?" Goh squealed in excitement.

The boys turned to each other and fist-bumped, simultaneously shouting, "Way to go!" Lucario and Cinderance fist-bumped to congratulate each other, with Pikachu jumping up to join them. Leon smiled as he watched, feeling a small sense of hope from Ash and Goh's accomplishments. Ash, Goh, and their Pokémon then looked up to see Eternatus and Charizard staring menacingly.

"So, that's Eternatus?" Goh asked.

"Yeah," Ash said.

"Formerly known as the Darkest Day, but the time for introductions is over," Leon said. "Let's have a Champion time. Alright, Charizard, use Air Slash!"

Charizard roared and fired multiple glowing blades of energy. The blades hit Eternatus in the face and neck, and Eternatus cried out in pain. It began plummeting to the ground on its side and Leon took out an Ultra Ball.

"Next up, I'll catch it," he said before throwing the ball.

The Ultra Ball hit Eternatus, turning it into red and white energy. The energy went inside the ball and the ball landed at the center of the tower floor.

"Wow!" Goh shouted.

"You did it!" Ash exclaimed as he and Goh ran over to Leon.

"Stand back!" Leon shouted, stretching out his hand to stop the boys.

Everyone waited for the Ultra Ball to shake and let out a ding, indicating that Leon caught Eternatus but the Ultra Ball laid perfectly still. After a few seconds, red lightning came out of the ball from multiple directions. Leon's eyes widened and he stepped in front of Ash and Goh to shield them. Charizard spread its wings in front of Pikachu, Lucario, and Cinderance.

"Look out!" Leon shouted.

The Ultra Ball exploded into a massive ball of red fire, knocking everyone off their feet. Ash, Goh, and Leon hit the wall and the Pokémon landed several feet away. Charizard laid on top of Lucario and Cinderance with Pikachu lying on its side. Leon and Charizard struggled to open their eyes, taking full force from the blast. Leon groaned as he lifted Charizard's Pokéball up to it.

"Charizard, return," he said weakly.

Charizard grunted before it went back into its Pokéball. Ash and Goh looked for Eternatus until they saw a red tornado where the Ultra Ball was. They looked up to see the tornado connect to a long and serpentine shape formed like a massive coil.

"The sky," Ash said.

"Could it be Eternatus?" Goh asked.

The tornado disappeared, revealing Eternatus' head shaped like a giant hand. Eternatus let out a mighty roar as it looked down at its enemies.

"Eternatus has gotten a whole lot bigger than it was before!" Ash said.

"C-could it be Eternatus' ultimate final form?" Leon grunted. His eyes grew heavy. "Y-you guys should run."

"Leon!" Ash shouted.

With another grunt, Leon passed out. Ash and Goh looked at each other worriedly, then turned to Eternatus, who roared again. Their faces grew serious as they and their Pokémon stood up. As they walked over to face Eternatus, Serena came up the stairs, followed by Delphox, Pancham, Sylveon, Poliwhirl, Absol, and Gengar. Serena gasped at the sight of Eternatus' massive form before noticing Ash.

"Ash!" She shouted.

Ash turned his head to see his girlfriend running over to him.

"Serena! How did you get in?" Ash asked.

"It's a long story. Where's Leon?" Serena asked.

"Over there," Goh said, pointing at Leon. "He tried to catch Eternatus, but his Ultra Ball exploded and now he's unconscious."

"Which means we're gonna have to stop it," Ash said.

"Then I got here just in time," Serena said as she took out the Master Ball. "Timothy gave me the Master Ball. We can use it to catch Eternatus and end this right now."

"Awesome," Ash said with a confident grin. "Then let's attack Eternatus so it's distracted, then you can throw the Master Ball."

"Right," Serena and Goh said simultaneously.

The Pokémon grunted in agreement and they took positions in front of their trainers. Serena held the Master Ball close to her. Eternatus kept its gaze on the trainers and their Pokémon, waiting for them to make their move.

"Let's give it the works!" Ash shouted. "Lucario, Aura Sphere! Pikachu, Thunderbolt! Gengar, Night Shade!"

"Delphox, Flamethrower! Pancham, Dark Pulse! Sylveon, Swift! Absol, Dark Pulse! Poliwhirl, Ice Beam!" Serena shouted.

"Cinderance, Pyro Ball!" Goh shouted.

But as their Pokémon began to attack, Eternatus closed its hand-like head, and the Pokémon's ranged attacks hit the purple armor. Goh grew uneasy as no scratches, bruises, ice, or scorch marks were found.

"It didn't do a thing," Goh said.

"Let's do it one more time!" Ash shouted.

The Pokémon used their respective attacks again. This time, they hit one spot on Eternatus's head simultaneously.

"Alright! Go for it, Serena!" Ash shouted.

"Right," Serena said as she moved her arm back to throw. "Go, Master-!"

"Look out!" Goh screamed.

Serena only had a moment after throwing the Master Ball to realize Goh's warning. A large purple light appeared from Eternatus's hand, followed by multiple smaller lights from around its body. Purple beams of energy fired from the lights and hit in multiple directions, creating a massive explosion. The explosion knocked everyone off their feet, sending Goh to hit the wall and nearly blasting Ash and Serena off the tower. When the smoke cleared, Pikachu, Lucario, Gengar, Delphox, Pancham, Sylveon, Poliwhirl, Absol, and Cinderace lay in the rubble.

"Pikachu! Lucario! Gengar!" Ash shouted

"Delphox! Pancham! Sylveon! Poliwhirl! Absol!" Serena cried out.

"Cinderace!" Goh shouted with tears in his eyes.

They ran to their Pokémon to find they were still conscious but badly damaged. Serena smiled in relief until she looked to her right and released a sharp gasp. The Master Ball was cleaved in two with both pieces lying several feet opposite each other. Serena put her hand on her mouth, devastated as Ash and Goh stood beside her.

"It's...it's got so much destructive power," Goh said. "What are we going to do?"

As they stood beside their injured Pokémon, Gwen, Sonia, and Winnie climbed up the stairs to the tower floor. Gwen gasped as she looked at Eternatus in its final form in terror. Winnie hid behind Gwen's leg, whimpering. Sonia looked at Eternatus and then at Ash, Serena, Goh, and their Pokémon before she found Leon lying against the wall.

"Leon!" She screamed.

Leon grunted again and slowly opened his eyes to see Sonia kneeling by his side. His heart leaped to hear her voice and see her face. Leon always thought she was cute when they were kids but he marveled at how she grew to be a woman as beautiful as she was friendly and a lover of Pokémon. For a brief moment, the edge of his mouth curled to see Sonia again finally, but the joy evaporated into fear as he realized she was in front of the danger.

"S-Sonia," he said.

Sonia's heart grew warm from Leon saying her name. The pain of not seeing or speaking to her childhood friend felt less numb knowing he remembered her. Sonia wrapped her arm around his back and helped him sit up, but just as she did, Eternatus fired multiple beams again. Ash, Serena, and Goh ran before the beams hit the center of the tower, creating a red explosion that sent debris flying everywhere. Ash, Serena, and Goh got down on the ground, with Ash covering Serena with his body to protect her. Sonia shielded herself from the flying debris with her arm. Gwen turned around, kneeled, and picked up Winnie, protecting both of them with the shield on Gwen's back.

Goh got up first when the dust settled, looking up at Eternatus in fear. Then he noticed Sonia holding Leon while Gwen stood up, still holding Winnie.

"Sonia! Gwen!" Goh shouted.

"Goh! Thank goodness Timothy rescued you," Gwen said.

"Yeah, but we can't do anything to stop Eternatus," Goh said. "Leon couldn't catch it and Serena tried to use the Master Ball, but Eternatus destroyed it."

Gwen's eyes widened as Goh pointed to the broken Pokeball. She turned her head to see both parts of the Master Ball and then looked at Serena, who Ash was helping up. She looked around the tower to find Timothy, Coovers, and Electchu nowhere around. Just as Gwen was about to ask where they were, she heard a low hum coming from behind her. She looked behind her and found the shield glowing red. Goh looked at the shield, puzzled as Gwen put Winnie down and took out the sword and shield.

"Where did you get these?" He asked.

"In the Slumbering Weald. We found Zacian and Zamazenta and they led us to the sword and shield," Gwen said.

"They're the legendary sword and shield?" Goh asked.

"I think so but I don't know what we're supposed to do with them. I don't even know why the shield is glowing," Gwen said.

Goh half-listened to Gwen. His eyes were transfixed on the shield glowing more brightly as he stepped closer. Noticing Goh wasn't paying attention to her, Gwen looked between him and the shield glowing brighter and realized it was reacting to his presence. Gwen handed the shield to Goh, and the shield lit up completely.

"Teddiursa? Teddi, Teddi, Tedd, Teddiursa?" Winnie asked.

Gwen hummed, saying, "The legend said two heroes partnered with Zacian and Zamazenta. If the shield reacts to Goh, it must have chosen him to be Zamazenta's partner."

"Tedd, Tedd, Teddi, Teddiursa, Tedd, Tedd, Teddiursa?" Winnie asked.

"Exactly. So, the question is, who does the sword choose?" Gwen said.

Goh looked away from the shield and asked, "What are you talking about, Gwen?"

Gwen held the sword forward and walked to Sonia and Leon, with Winnie following behind. Sonia held Leon in a side hug while he rested his head on her chest, whimpering with his eyes shut. Gwen walked until she was a couple of steps away from Sonia and Leon and held the sword out to Leon, but nothing happened. Gwen pursed her lips and turned to Ash and Serena, who were helping their Pokémon back on their feet. Serena noticed Gwen walking over to her and Ash just as she helped Absol get up.

"Who are you?" She asked

"I'm Gwen, Timothy and Coovers' companion, and I think one of you is the final key to stopping this," Gwen said. "Reach your hand out for the sword."

Serena tilted her head and reached out for the sword, but nothing happened. Gwen turned to Ash and swallowed, worried the sword wasn't going to choose the only remaining person in the tower. She held the sword out to Ash, and he hesitated before he reached out to it. As soon as he reached out, the sword glowed blue, surprising Ash and Serena. Gwen smiled in relief and put the sword in Ash's hands. She gestured to Goh to come over to them with her free hand, and he awkwardly complied.

"Ash, Goh, you have been chosen to be the heroes that will stop the Darkest Day from happening," Gwen announced. "Please save us from Eternatus's full wrath."

Ash and Goh looked at Gwen, confused, before turning to each other and smirking.

"Well, if that's the case, then all we can do now is become legends ourselves," Goh said.

"I guess you're right," Ash said.

Gwen smiled at how quickly the boys accepted their role. Ash and Goh turned to Eternatus and raised the sword and shield in the air, shouting, "Come on, Eternatus!" Leon watched the boys face Eternatus, and he lifted his head from Sonia's chest.

"I've got to help-" he said.

But as soon as he lifted his upper body, he felt a jolt of pain in his ribs.

"No. Don't do this to yourself," Sonia said as she pulled Leon to her again.

"For Galar's people and Pokémon..." Goh began.

"We'll stop you right here!" Ash finished.

Red lights appeared at the center of Eternatus's hand and around its body. Eternatus fired massive beams at Ash and Goh but the boys continued to hold the sword and shield, unfazed. Serena, Gwen, and the Pokémon braced themselves as Sonia protected Leon with her body. But instead of getting hit, two lights, one red and one blue, zoomed toward the tower and stopped in front of Ash and Goh. The beams collided with the lights, causing an explosion that shook the tower.

Ash and Goh covered their faces, not knowing the explosion didn't touch them. The sword and shield flew off their hands in the direction of where the lights stopped. Zacian and Zamazenta were standing in front of Ash and Goh when the smoke cleared. Zacian held the sword by the hilt with its mouth, and Zamazenta held the shield in its mouth by the handle.

"Are those...? Serena asked.

"Zacian and Zamazenta," Gwen answered.

Ash, Serena, Gwen, Sonia, Leon, Goh, and the Pokemon looked at Zacian and Zamazenta in awe as they glared at their mortal enemy. The next thing everyone knew, Zacian and Zamazenta howled and Zacian glowed completely blue while Zamazenta glowed red. They changed shape as though they were evolving and then stopped glowing to reveal themselves in the form they appeared in the statues at Stow-on-Side. The sword turned into gold and was decorated to resemble Zacian's colors. The shield merged into Zamazenta, becoming a set of golden armor that covered the front of its body. Gwen and Sonia watched in shock before they looked at each other.

"The sword and shield the legendary heroes used, they weren't actually objects. They were Pokémon," Sonia said.

"Then that means it was Zacian and Zamazenta that chose Ash and Goh. Not the sword and shield," Gwen said.

Pikachu, Lucario, Gengar, Delphox, Pancham, Sylveon, Poliwhirl, Absol, and Cinderance got up from the rubble, uplifted by Zacian and Zamazanta's arrival. Gwen took out Cufant and Drifloon from their Pokéballs and turned to Serena.

"Let's give Ash and Goh some support," Gwen suggested.

"Right," Serena said with a smirk.

"We'll all do this together!" Ash declared. "We're taking Eternatus down!"

With another howl, Zacian's sword glowed blue and grew in size. It jumped high into the air and slashed Eternatus's head four times. The shield on Zamazenta's chest extended, and it glowed red before it let out a mighty roar, jumped high into the air and rammed Enternatus with its shield. Zamazenta's attack caused a massive explosion that left Eternatus in a daze.

"It's taking damage!" Ash shouted.

Eternatus let out a vicious roar, and purple sparks surrounded its body. It fired multiple purple beams in all different directions, causing massive purple explosions all around Hammerlocke.

"Eternatus is trying to destroy everything! Let's end this now!" Gwen shouted. "Winnie, Rock Slide! Cufant, Rock Smash! Drifloon, Shadow Ball!"

"Delphox, Flamethrower! Pancham, Dark Pulse! Sylveon, Swift! Poliwhirl, Ice Beam! Absol, Dark Pulse!" Serena shouted.

"Cinderace, Pyro Ball!" Goh shouted.

"Lucario, Aura Sphere! Gengar, Night Shade! Pikachu, Thunderbolt!" Ash shouted.

The Pokémon released their respective attacks, creating several explosions hitting Eternatus's head. With their mortal enemy distracted, Zacian and Zamazenta jumped into the air again and simultaneously hit the center of Eternatus's head with the sword and shield respectively. The impact caused two balls of explosions, one red and one blue, that covered the entire city. When the explosions disappeared, Eternatus stayed afloat until it left out a wail and its head fell onto the top of the tower with a crash.

"We did it!" Ash shouted.

"Maybe that means I'll be able to catch it now," Goh said.

Goh reached into his pocket and took out a Pokéball. Suddenly, the Pokéball glowed red and grew in size, making Goh hold it with two hands. Ash caught the ball from the other side as the Pokéball grew until it was almost the boys' height.

"One, two, three..." Ash counted.

"Pokéball, go!" Ash and Goh shouted at the same time.

They threw the ball with all their might, and the ball hit the top of Eternatus's middle finger. Eternatus turned into glowing white and red energy as it was sucked into the giant Pokéball. The Pokéball closed itself and fell to the ground, creating a hole on the floor..

The Pokeball shook once.

It shook twice.

It shook a third time, then shrank to normal size before letting out a little "ding." Goh took out his Rotom Phone, and Eternatus appeared on the screen.

"Eternatus has been registered to your Pokédex," Rotom said.

Ash and Goh looked at the screen in shock. Then they looked at each other for a moment before they began laughing.

"Alright!" they shouted.

"We did it!" Serena cheered.

Pikachu, Lucario, Gengar, Delphox, Pancham, Sylveon, Poliwhirl, Absol, and Cinderace celebrated with their trainers. On the other hand, Gwen, Winnie, Cufant and Drifloon stared at the Pokéball in the hole in the ground. Neither of them could believe that Eternatus: the Darkest Day, the Pokémon that took away Gwen's mother and caused so much mayhem, was trapped inside a simple Pokéball. Hard as it was to believe, however, the Pokéball laid still and the clouds had turned from red to gray, proving Eternatus had submitted. Tears ran down Gwen's face before she choked out a laugh and turned to her Pokémon with a rapturous smile that lit up their faces. Winnie and Drilfoon jumped/floated into Gwen's arms and Cufant wrapped its trunk around Gwen's waist as they joined together in laughter.

"Wait, Zacian, Zamazenta!" Ash shouted.

The celebration stopped, and everyone turned to see Zacian and Zamazenta jumping high into the air and into the clouds, with Zacian glowing blue and Zamazenta glowing red. With a glimmer of light, the clouds disappeared, revealing nothing but countless stars in the night sky.

"The black cloud," Ash said.

"Gone. Just like the legend said," Goh said.

As they stared into the sky, the sword and shield, glowing blue and red respectively, floated down to Ash and Goh's hands, looking old and rusted again. Sonia helped Leon up with his arm over her shoulder, and together they walked over to Ash, Serena, Goh, Gwen, and their Pokémon.

"Thank you, everyone," Leon said. "Galar has been saved thanks to all of you."

"You were just amazing! Incredible!" Sonia chirped.

"I think you are the legendary heroes," Leon added.

Ash and Goh looked at each other, smirking, and nodded before they looked back at Leon and Sonia.

"No way. But we do know who they are," Goh said.

"They're Zacian and Zamazenta!" Ash declared.

Leon and Sonia gave the boys surprised looks before they smiled and looked at each other, silently agreeing. Ash and Goh laughed with toothy grins, and they held up the sword and shield to each other. Suddenly, Ash felt two arms wrap around him tightly from behind and Serena burying her face with his shoulder.

"I thought something happened to you when you charged in with Leon," she said. "When are you going to stop scaring me like that?"

Ash smiled and turned around to return the hug.

"I'm sorry, Serena," he said.

Serena smiled and closed her eyes as she leaned her head against Ash's while they embraced. They hugged for several seconds before Serena moved back and pecked her beloved on the lips. Ash gave her a toothy grin that made her chuckle until she looked past him and gasped, finally noticing Lucario and Cinderace.

"Riolu? Raboot?" she asked.

"Yup. They evolved into Lucario and Cinderace," Goh said proudly.

"That's wonderful!" Serena exclaimed before turning to Ash.

"Yeah, now I can battle with Timothy to see who's Gengar and Lucario are the best," Ash said.

Serena giggled and shook her head at her boyfriend, instantly thinking about battling one of his rivals. Leon smirked, seeing more of Ash's potential from the way he expressed his passion. He turned his head to Sonia and all other thoughts went from the back of his mind when he looked at her cyan eyes. Sonia gave him a heartfelt smile, taking the moment of peace to be happy to see her childhood friend again. Leon turned to give her a full-body hug, ignoring his injuries. Sonia stood taken aback before she closed her eyes and hugged Leon back. Sonia and Leon didn't say anything but nothing needed to be said. Leon's strong embrace showed how much he missed Sonia despite not seeing or talking to each other since they were children. Sonia felt tears run down her eyes as she rested her head against Leon's and tightened her hold on him. It was as though fate rewarded her for solving the mystery with Gwen by giving her childhood friend back and she would not let anything take Leon from her again.

Gwen smiled as she watched Sonia and Leon embrace. She put her hand on her mural necklace, thinking of the moment she and Timothy got together. Her smile disappeared, and she turned to the broken Master Ball.

"Uh, guys, has anyone seen Timothy, Coovers, and Electchu?" she asked.