Seeing his Arcanine fall in a single blow, Flint felt his fingers twitch slightly.
"This guy…" His expression froze. But after a brief moment of silence, he shook it off and clenched his fists.
No.
I don't care how strong you are, my team won't go down without a fight!
The unyielding fire in Flint's heart roared back to life.
"Come on out, Infernape!" Flint shouted, hurling his final Poké Ball.
A brilliant flash of light erupted from the battlefield as a powerful Infernape landed with a heavy thud. Its body radiated heat, flames flickering atop its head as it crouched low, glaring straight at the massive Giratina.
"The third match will now begin!"
"Infernape, Double Team!" Flint commanded without hesitation.
The Fire-Fighting-type blurred as it darted forward, splitting into a dozen shadowy afterimages that began circling around Giratina like a fiery pack of wolves.
Giratina narrowed its blood-red eyes. Its gaze tracked the flickering illusions, but remained eerily calm.
"Now, Thunder Punch!" Flint shouted.
The field lit up as multiple copies of Infernape surged in, fists crackling with electricity, all targeting the same massive dragon in the center.
But Giratina released a low snarl. It opened its jaws and exhaled a wave of Dragon Breath across the field. Purple, crackling mist surged outward, tearing through illusion after illusion with rapid puff sounds.
Just then, the real Infernape broke through the smoke from above. It had leapt high into the air, right arm drawn back, lightning swirling around its fist.
BAM!
The Thunder Punch struck square into Giratina's chest, and for a moment, the crowd gasped.
"Hit confirmed!" Flint exclaimed, pumping his fist in triumph.
But before he could finish celebrating,
WHAM!
A massive claw swatted Infernape out of the air like a fly. The momentum cracked the arena floor as Infernape tumbled backward in pain.
"Let's finish this," Naoki said.
Giratina vanished.
Flint's eyes widened. "No...!"
Shrrkkk!
Giratina reappeared behind Infernape and slammed into it with full force, its colossal frame erupting from the void like a nightmare made real.
BOOM!
Infernape was sent hurtling across the battlefield, slamming into the glowing energy barrier. It collapsed to the ground, eyes swirling. Unconscious.
"Infernape is unable to battle! Naoki wins all three rounds!" The refree raised his hand. "Naoki is now officially one of the Masters Eight!"
The entire stadium erupted in cheers. Fireworks exploded above the arena as Giratina descended, casting a long shadow over the ground.
Scarlet eyes gleaming, Giratina looked slowly across the stands, drinking in the roar of the crowd.
A wicked, prideful smirk crept onto its face.
'Finally… I am the star.'
Naoki sighed and scratched his cheek awkwardly. "If this keeps up, I might have to start managing its fan club…"
Just then, Flint approached with a big grin.
Even in defeat, the Fire-type Elite Four member seemed more fired up than ever.
"I did it!" he beamed.
Naoki blinked. "Did what?"
"I landed a clean hit on Giratina!" Flint puffed out his chest proudly. "Not everyone can say that!"
Naoki stared at him for a moment, then laughed. "You really are something else, Mr. Flint."
The next event was the draw ceremony for the Masters Eight tournament.
Naoki returned Giratina to its Poké Ball and walked backstage alongside Flint.
Flint was just as warm and high-spirited as the Fire-type Pokémon he trained. In no time at all, the two had struck up a friendly rapport.
As Naoki stepped into the waiting area, the large monitor at the front of the stadium lit up, and the commentator's voice echoed across the arena:
"Now, please welcome Mr. Rose, the president of Macro Cosmos and the head of the Galar Alliance, to conduct the draw for the Masters Eight quarterfinal matchups!"
A spotlight illuminated the entranceway.
There, a well-dressed man in a sharp suit, polished shoes, and a tidy bow tie stepped out with confident grace. His hair was slicked back, and he wore a practiced, amiable smile as he waved politely to the cheering audience.
The commentator quickly offered him the microphone.
Rose took it with ease and began, "Ladies and gentlemen! Welcome to the Galar region. I am Rose, president of the League."
He smiled wider. "I'll keep it short. Whether you're here in the arena or watching from home, thank you for your patience! The long-awaited Masters Tournament is about to begin!"
"And now, I'll be conducting the draw for the eight champions who stand at the very peak of our world!"
As his words rang out, the massive screen above the arena lit up with the images of the eight trainers:
Leon, ranked first
Lance, second
Steven, third
Cynthia, fourth
Diantha, fifth
Raihan, sixth
Drasna, seventh
And finally, Naoki, newly entered in eighth place
"Aah…" Flint, watching beside Naoki, let out a long sigh. "I thought I would have a chance to participate in the quarterfinals this year!…"
He glanced at Naoki with a bitter smile. "Didn't expect two Legendary trainers to crash the party at the last second."
Flint had already come to terms with it. Even if Naoki hadn't claimed the final spot, someone like Tobias would've swept in and pushed him out anyway.
Just thinking about it made him feel a little gloomy.
Naoki simply smiled: "…"
As Flint stared at the screen in quiet resignation, a staff member in uniform approached the stage carrying a large glass sphere filled with draw lots.
There was a hole at the top of the glass ball, and many small folded slips were placed inside.
In front of the expectant crowd, Chairman Rose reached into the ball and drew the first slip.
He unfolded the note, and a hovering Rotom Drone immediately zoomed in to broadcast the result. The next moment, Cynthia's name appeared on the big screen, and her avatar was placed in the first bracket of the quarterfinals.
Next came her opponent.
Chairman Rose continued with the draw, reaching in again and pulling out another slip. This time, the screen revealed: Drasna.
Cynthia vs. Drasna, the first quarterfinal battle was set.
One by one, Rose drew the remaining names. The full quarterfinal matchups were finally revealed:
Cynthia vs. Drasna
Leon vs. Raihan
Steven vs. Diantha
Naoki vs. Lance
The screen flashed brightly, displaying the full bracket for the Masters Eight tournament.
"The four winners will move on to the semifinals," the commentator announced excitedly. "We're in for a legendary showdown!"
Naoki folded his arms, eyes narrowing at the screen. "Three matches... Quarterfinals, Semifinals, Finals."
But when he saw who his first opponent was, he blinked.
"Lance?" he murmured.
From the side, Flint, his recent opponent, let out a low whistle.
"You're up against Lance of all people?"
Naoki turned. "What about him?"
Flint's tone was serious. "He's gotten terrifying this year. Back in the day, the Kanto region didn't have many strong Dragon-type Pokémon, so his team was a bit all over the place.
But I heard that in recent years, Lance has traveled to many regions and captured countless Dragon-type Pokémon. He's formed a real dragon army!" Flint explained.
Naoki: "..."
'Has Lance's reputation as the Dragon Master already reached Sinnoh?'
The quarterfinals would be held over three days, with only one match per day, meaning his battle against Lance wouldn't take place for another week.
With nothing pressing to do in the meantime, Naoki said goodbye to Flint and flew back to the ranch on Koraidon.
The moment he got home, he released Giratina from its Poké Ball.
Giratina didn't linger at the ranch. As Naoki carried his daughter, the massive Pokémon lowered its head affectionately, then dove into the lake, vanishing into the Reverse World.
It landed on Flower Island, and immediately summoned Rotom.
"Read me the online comments," Giratina ordered.
Rotom beeped. "A netizen named [Cute Pikachu] said: 'Giratina is really strong! It crushed all three of Flint's Pokémon without even taking damage! I wonder who's stronger, Giratina or Calyrex?'"
"A user called [Shadow Messenger] replied: '+1! I'm curious too, though I think Calyrex might have the edge..."
Before Rotom could finish, Giratina's crimson eyes flared in anger.
Why do humans always love to compare battle strength?!
What stung the most was that it really couldn't beat Calyrex.
Feeling its rage bubbling, Giratina growled, "What about my fan count?"
Rotom hesitated, then reported, "Despite your recent performance boost... Calyrex's follower growth is still ahead."
Giratina was so furious it nearly passed out in midair. It paced restlessly in the sky, growling in frustration.
Seeing this, Rotom scrambled to calm it down.
"Here's one from [VoidOverlord13]: 'Giratina's battle was awe-inspiring! I hope to see it again in the finals!' And another from [PlasmaKing]: 'That Shadow Sneak was wicked cool!'"
As the praise rolled in, Giratina slowly calmed down.
Maybe... humans weren't so bad.
Rotom, watching the shift, had a realization. 'So if I mention Calyrex, Giratina flips out, but if I only read praise about Giratina, he gets happy again.'
And if there wasn't enough praise online... well, he could just make some up.
'Giratina doesn't know how to read human languages anyway,' Rotom thought slyly. 'As long as I keep him happy, everything's fine.'
Meanwhile, in Wyndon's Arena...
Leon and Chairman Rose stood high in the VIP stands, watching the flood of visitors in the streets below.
"Compared to the last two years, the number of tourists attending this year's World Championships has skyrocketed," Chairman Rose said with pride.
In recent months, the surge of visitors had boosted regional development across the Galar cities, hotels, restaurants, stadiums, and transport had all seen tremendous growth.
Seeing his hometown so full of life, Leon smiled. "It's amazing."
Chairman Rose nodded, then paused as his phone vibrated urgently. He glanced at the screen, his expression tightening.
"Something's happened at the underground energy plant," he said quickly. "Leon, I'll leave this to you. I need to head out and deal with it."
Leon was suspicious.
According to his own investigation, Eternatus, the source of the Darkest Day, was likely sealed beneath the Power Plant in Hammerlocke.
But he didn't speak his thoughts aloud. Without betraying any expression, he simply nodded.
Chairman Rose hurried away.
Meanwhile, beneath the Hammerlocke Energy Plant…
Sonia, disguised in a staff uniform, stood face to face with Oleana, visibly tense.
"I had a feeling… I've been sensing someone tailing me lately. So it was you," Oleana said coldly, her eyes narrowing.
"Oh? Miss Sonia, don't tell me you 'accidentally' wandered into a restricted energy facility?"
Around them, employees of Macro Cosmos began to circle in, tightening their net.
Sweat trickled down Sonia's temple.
But even in the face of danger, she didn't back down.
"The Pokémon sealed here, Eternatus, is dangerous beyond measure! If it breaks loose, it could destroy the entire Galar region!"
"So you do know," Oleana replied, her voice turning icy.
"I don't know how you learned about Eternatus, but I won't let you ruin Chairman Rose's plans."
With a sharp gesture from Oleana, the staff rushed in.
They confiscated Sonia's Poké Balls and Rotom Phone, then locked her in a small, dimly lit chamber deep underground.
Heart pounding, Sonia clenched her fists.
She had seen something terrifying: Chairman Rose was using star energy to feed Eternatus, fueling the very creature responsible for the ancient cataclysm.
It was madness.
She couldn't begin to imagine what would happen if Eternatus gathered enough power.
The Darkest Day, the calamity that once nearly brought ruin to Galar, could return at any moment.
The small room was silent. Cold. Hopeless.
She wanted to contact Leon, but had no way.
She didn't know how much time had passed when the door creaked open again.
Chairman Rose himself stepped inside.
Sonia looked up warily, her body tense with anger and fear.
Rose, however, simply smiled.
"Long time no see, Sonia," he said pleasantly. "How's Professor Magnolia doing these days?"
Sonia didn't answer.
Rose didn't seem to mind.
He continued speaking, almost nostalgically.
"You know, I owe a great deal to Professor Magnolia. Without her research into Dynamax, we never could have built the Dynamax Bands. Thanks to that, the Galar region has thrived, our stadiums are filled, tourism is booming."
He spread his arms, voice swelling with pride.
"Have you seen the cities lately? Crowds flood in from every region. It's never been livelier."
At this moment, President Rose suddenly shifted the topic.
"But scenes like this won't last a thousand years. By then, there may be no one left in the Galar region. To prevent that future, we must rely on the power of Eternatus."
He looked at Sonia coldly.
"You may not understand how I feel right now, but that's fine. I don't need your understanding. Everything I do is for Galar's survival."
Then, Rose's expression hardened. "I don't know how much you've uncovered, but from now until the World Championship ends, you'll remain here."
With that, President Rose turned and exited the room, slamming the heavy door shut behind him.
Outside, Oleana was already waiting. She stepped forward and asked quietly, "President Rose, what are your orders?"
Rose thought for a moment. "How much energy have we gathered so far?"
"If we put them all to use," Oleana replied, "the energy is enough to fully awaken Eternatus."
"Then begin the activation sequence. We move the plan forward."
Rose's eyes gleamed with ambition.
"The trainers gathered for the World Championship, Leon among them, can serve as the perfect means to restrain and control Eternatus. With its power in our hands, we can guide Galar's future. Our region's prosperity will last another millennium."
Even if people misunderstood him now, Rose believed history would vindicate him.
Oleana hesitated, then voiced her concern. "If we do this… the energy backlash could cause uncontrolled Dynamax phenomena across the region. There may be widespread chaos..."
Rose looked at her firmly. "This is the price we must pay for a future. Some sacrifices... are necessary."
Oleana was silent for a moment. Then, nodding with resolve, she answered, "Understood."