Sonia drove from Hammerlocke for a few hours before she, Coovers, Gwen, and Winnie camped for the night. At seven in the morning, Gwen's alarm on her Rotom Phone went off, and she prepared a quick breakfast before waking everyone up using Cufant. Coovers whined about how he thought they were past Gwen forcing him to wake up so early while Sonia made coffee. After breakfast, they got back into Sonia's car, and Sonia continued driving to Wedgehurst, recklessly making sharp turns and hitting bumps on the road as she drove.
But, while Coovers struggled not to speak ill of his crush's questionable driving with his eyes full of fear, Gwen stared at the window, downhearted. All she could think about was whether or not she, Coovers, and Sonia could solve the mystery and whether Timothy was okay. The thought of him getting hurt or ending as he did in her nightmare made her hold on to her mural necklace as if it was Timothy himself. Gwen considered calling him after she, Sonia, Coovers, and Winnie saw red clouds far away in the direction of Hammerlocke but decided against it, thinking he may be too busy battling Dynamax Pokémon. She wanted to be there to battle alongside Timothy and keep an eye on Ezria, but she knew she and Timothy had separate roles in saving Galar.
Winnie watched its partner stare out the window as it sat next to Gwen. Gwen told Winnie that she and Timothy got together while making breakfast. The Little Bear Pokémon was happy for Gwen, but as they sat in the car, Winnie grew worried, knowing Gwen missed Timothy. Winnie scooted close to Gwen and rubbed its head against her side, grabbing her attention. It gave Gwen a cute smile for support, and she gave it a small smile before she picked it up and hugged it like a child with her favorite toy. Winnie looked through the window together while Gwen was still holding it.
"How close are we to Wedgehurst?" Coovers asked.
"We'll be there in an hour," Sonia said. "Hopefully, Ash, Serena, and Goh are either already there or will arrive at Gran's laboratory shortly after we do."
"Do you have any idea where to start looking for clues?" Coovers asked.
"I was thinking we should go to Turffield and take a look at the geoglyph," Sonia answered.
Gwen snapped out of her glum state and turned to her rival, confused.
"Sonia, I've seen the geoglyph hundreds of times and haven't figured out anything," she said. "Do you really think you'll discover something?"
"Maybe, maybe not, but it's one of the biggest wonders of Galar connected to the Darkest Day," Sonia said. "Maybe we'll find something that supports your theory of Eternatus causing the storm back then or about the two kings. Plus, it's closest to Wedgehurst."
"So basically, you're thinking we go to every place in the Galar region that has some connection to the Darkest Day and see if we discover something new?" Gwen asked.
"Yup, yup," Sonia said with a smile.
"It sounds like we're risking a lot of time just to visit places you two have seen before, but if you think that's the best way to look for answers, then I trust you, Sonia," Coovers said. "Gwen, any objections?"
Gwen furrowed her brow and thought about it before she said, "I abide. It will be very time-consuming, but I don't have any better ideas. That said, I hope your idea will produce results, Sonia."
"Relax. We're both experts in the legend. We'll find something," Sonia said. "Besides, it might be good that Ash, Serena, and Goh will be here to help. The more minds on the mystery, the better."
"That's the spirit, Sonia," Coovers said.
Sonia responded with a cute smile that made Coovers' heart skip a beat. Gwen rolled her eyes, but then her face softened as their moment made her think of Timothy again. She shook her head and reached into her backpack to take out her sketchbook. Gwen looked through multiple drawings of the geoglyph and the mural, hoping to discover something ahead of time, but she didn't find anything that hinted at Eternatus or of there being more than one hero.
"Look! Over there!" Coovers said.
Gwen looked up from her sketchbook, and her eyes widened to see Coovers pointing at Galar Particles falling from the sky. Sonia took a sharp turn and drove in the direction the Galar Particles were falling, driving off the road and through the grassy field. Gwen and Winnie held each other, and Coovers held on to his seat as Sonia once again hit rocks and little bumps of grass.
Finally, after driving through a set of train tracks, Sonia stopped the car with a screeching halt next to a hill leading to a forest. Coovers got out of the car, hugging his stomach. Gwen got out of the car with one hand, watching the Galar Particles fall while holding Winnie. Sonia stood on her car seat while still wearing her seatbelt, her upper body peeking out through the car window as she looked through her binoculars.
"Fascinating. Even out this far," Sonia said.
"They must be falling as far south as Postwick. Maybe even the Crown Tundra," Gwen said.
"Huh?"
Sonia and Gwen turned to the right while Coovers looked up, still carsick, to find Goh, Sobble, and Raboot standing only a few feet away. Everyone stood in awkward silence until Sonia and Coovers pointed at Goh, and Goh pointed back at them. All three of them shouted, "Ha-ha" at the same time.
"Goh, what are you doing out here?" Coovers asked.
"What am I doing out here? What are you doing out here?" Goh asked before noticing Gwen. "And who is this?"
"I'm Gwen, Timothy's gi - uh, Timothy and Coovers' friend," Gwen said. "And this is my partner, Winnie."
"Teddiursa," Winnie greeted.
"Nice to meet you. My name's Goh, and these are my partners, Sobble and Raboot," Goh said.
Coovers looked at Goh's Pokémon curiously, and he took out his Rotom Phone to scan Sobble.
"Sobble, the Water Lizard Pokémon. A Water type." Rotom said. "When Sobble touches watery substances, its body takes on the color of its surroundings. Because it's timid, it produces large amounts of sweat and tears that cause it to become invisible. It is said that when Sobble cries, its tears have the same effect as chopping one hundred onions."
"A hundred onions? Now, there's an experience I don't want to -" Coovers began before his eyes widened, and he shook his head. "What am I saying? Where's Ash, Serena, and Pikachu?"
"We got separated," Goh said while taking out his Rotom Phone. "I'll try calling them again. Rotom Phone, will you please call Ash again?"
"Right away," Rotom chirped.
Everyone's eyes were on Goh's phone, waiting as Rotom said, "Now calling Ash" every two seconds. After waiting for fifteen seconds, Goh sighed in defeat.
"Don't know why I hoped that would work. Ash never answers his phone," he said. "Rotom Phone, will you try calling Serena?"
"Okay," Rotom replied.
Once again, everyone waited as Goh's phone repeatedly said, "Now calling Serena." Goh waited longer for Serena to answer, but eventually, he slumped in defeat before turning to the others with a concerned look.
"This isn't good. Serena's pretty quick to answer her phone; this is the second time she hasn't answered," Goh said.
"Seriously? Where in the world are they?" Coovers asked.
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Serena let out a soft moan as she half opened her eyes. She first saw Pikachu lying on the grass on its side, lightly snoring. She looked down and realized she was lying on top of Ash with her head on his chest. Serena lifted her head to find Ash sleeping with his mouth wide open as he held her. The honey blonde girl smiled lovingly at her boyfriend, her tired mind thinking they had fallen asleep while laying down on the grass back at Cerise Park. Serena kissed Ash's cheek before she closed her eyes, wrapped her arms around him, and laid her head on his chest again with a happy sigh.
A few seconds later, Serena remembered the last thing that happened before she passed out, and her eyes snapped open. She sprung into a sitting position with a gasp and looked around, realizing the fog had cleared up and the strange Pokémon was gone.
"Ash. Ash, wake up," she said, shaking Ash.
Ash moaned and robotically got up in a sitting position while Pikachu woke up to the sound of Serena's voice. The raven-haired boy and his trusted partner stretched with Ash, yawning.
"How did we fall asleep in a place like this?" He asked.
Ash's eyes widened, suddenly remembering what happened, and looked around frantically.
"Hey! Where's that Pokémon?!" He asked.
"I don't know, but we better get back to the train. Hopefully, Goh made his way back," Serena said.
Ash nodded and stood up with Serena before they began searching again with Pikachu. They had a better sense of direction with the fog gone, but they still didn't know how to get out of the forest and back to the train. Ash, Serena, and Pikachu called out for Goh, Sobble, and Raboot again, but there was still no sign of their friends.
Finally, after several minutes of searching, Ash, Serena, and Pikachu found an opening out of the forest, but instead of finding train tracks, they found themselves in a green valley with only trees and a small town seen in the distance. Ash and Serena grew unsettled as Serena took out her Rotom Phone and opened the maps app.
"Oh, no. We're nowhere near the train tracks," she said. "Do you think Goh left without us?"
"We better move, or we'll miss the train," Ash said. "Maybe if we walk around the forest, we can -"
"Pika pi!" Pikachu shouted.
Ash and Serena looked down at Pikachu to see it was looking at the sky, then looked up to see Galar Particles above. The couple watched in awe, having never seen red light falling from the sky.
"What are those things?" Ash asked.
"I don't know," Serena said.
They continued watching until they saw a Galar Particle land in the direction of the town. Almost instantly, the sky turned red, and a red glow came from the town. A centipede-like creature grew in size from the town and coiled up, creating a massive ball of fire. Ash, Serena, and Pikachu's eyes widened as the Gigantamax Pokémon launched the ball of fire, obliterating a nearby building.
"Do you think those lights are what's causing Pokémon to Dynamax outside of a Power Spot?" Serena asked.
"Looks like it," Ash said with a serious face. "We better head on over there and check it out."
"Right," Serena said
Together with Pikachu, they began running toward the direction of the town, their eyes fixed on the giant Pokémon. Whether the young couple and their Pokémon would be enough to stop the Pokémon, they didn't know, but the hearts of Ash and Serena knew that they would fight together till the very end.
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Rose kept calm as his chauffeur drove him and Oleana back to Hammerlocke. The chairman and his secretary had a meeting with one of the power plants residing in the mountains near Wyndon. The meeting was abruptly interrupted when an intern came into the meeting room, saying there was an attack on Hammerlocke. Everyone went to their phones and watched a reporter standing behind a large hole in Hammerlocke's wall as she talked about two trainers battling a Dynamax Claydol and Rapidash. Chairman Rose smirked as the reporter went on to say the two trainers were Ezria and a man that the reporter speculated to be Timothy based on the description Ezria gave the news during her interview.
The head of the power plant grew concerned with Dynamax Pokémon rampaging until Chairman Rose stepped in and made a speech claiming there was nothing to fear and promised Ezria and Timothy would always be there to protect the region. The head of the plant was skeptical of Rose's claim, especially after admitting Timothy wasn't under his payroll yet. Eventually, they picked up where they left off and finished the rest of the meeting, but it was clear that Timothy and Ezria battling Dynamax Pokémon was on everyone's mind.
On the ride back to the city, Oleana called the crew at the Energy Plant to expect her and the chairman shortly. She then called her special agents residing in various places in the region, asking for reports of Dynamax Pokémon as the limo entered the city. After making one last phone call, Oleana put her phone down and turned to the chairman.
"Chairman Rose, the energy that passed through the hanger's walls has caused Pokémon to grow giant-sized in every area. Not just in Hammerlocke. They're rampaging," she reported.
The chairman stayed silent for a moment before he spoke without looking at his loyal minion.
"A certain amount of this is unavoidable, but it's all for the sake of Galar's future," he said. "Are there any Pokémon that are serious threats?"
"At the moment, a Pangaro is endangering a village in the mountains, a Gigantamax Lapras is heading to a coastal town close to Spikemuth, and there is a Gigantamax Centiskorch rampaging in one of the towns near Slumbering Wield. ETA on Lapras is five hours," Oleana said.
Chairman Rose raised his eyebrow and turned to Oleana.
"Leon is doing a Pokémon Battle presentation for charity at one of those towns. Isn't he?" He said.
"He is, sir," Oleana said. "Shall I call him?"
"No, don't bother," Rose said. "He's close enough that he'll be able to see what's happening and come to the rescue regardless of which town he's in. He might be heading there already. Get in contact with Ezria. Tell her and Timothy to take care of the Lapras."
"Very good, sir," Oleana said. "And what of the Pangaroo?"
The chairman thought and asked, "Have you still heard no word from Venarge?"
"I'm afraid not, sir," Oleana answered.
The chairman's mouth curled down slightly.
"Then either he's picking training for the Gym Challenge over his job, or something has happened to him," he said. "Tell your agents to search everywhere for Venarge and send him to fight the Pangaro."
"Right away, sir," Oleana said.
Oleana dialed a number to her head agent and began ordering him with a focused look. Chairman Rose huffed and pinched the bridge of his nose in disappointment.
"Perhaps I gave that boy too much freedom," he said before looking out the window. "No matter. If the worst happens with the Pangaro, it's still a small sacrifice for what must be done. With Leon, Ezria, and Timothy, the citizens of Galar in the present will feel more than safe while Eternatus secures our future."
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