23x43 - Sword and Shield: The Darkest Day!

[bunniefuu]

[narrator] Ash and Goh traveled to the Galar region

to learn more about the mysteries of Dynamax.

They became separated in a forest, and each encountered a mysterious Pokémon.

Later, Ash teamed up with Leon to stop a rampaging Dynamax Pokémon!

Goh teamed up with Sonia in search of clues to the mysterious hero legend.

Now, what destinies await our heroes?

♪ It's a big, big world But you know where to find me ♪

♪ We'll be together And we're gonna do it our way ♪

♪ We'll discover We believe in each other ♪

♪ On adventures with my friends Like everyday ♪

♪ And we're already on our way ♪

♪ The journey starts today! ♪

♪ The journey starts today! ♪

♪ The journey starts today! ♪

[Ash] "Sword and Shield…"

[Goh] "The Darkest Day!"

[mysterious music]

[Jessie] Enough already!

The heavy loads and oppressive heat, sweating from my brow to my toes!

[James] Tell me again, why must we do this?

[Meowth] Boss's orders. It's his way or the highway!

Wobbuffet.

[Jessie] But it's all for evil justice, remember?

-Correct! -[Wobbuffet] Wobba!

[foreman] You over there! It's not break time!

[all groaning]

[Goh, Raboot groaning]

Are you all right?

[shakily] I guess.

Sonia's driving leaves a little bit to be desired.

[Raboot] Uh-huh.

-[Sonia] Goh, look at this! -Huh?

[Goh] Oh, wow!

[Raboot] Raboot.

So that must be the Turffield geoglyph.

It has been said that the legends of Galar are depicted here.

If I remember…

the Galar region was engulfed in a huge, black vortex

and giant-sized Pokémon went on a rampage.

[Goh] It is then that a young hero with a sword and shield appeared

and finally put an end to the rampaging.

So, wait, does that mean you're investigating the connections

between Dynamaxing and the hero legend?

Right! It's a homework assignment from my Gran.

Now what do you see in that picture?

[Goh] Hmm. A gigantic Pokémon is going on a rampage, perhaps?

Oh, look, that's a vortex!

[Sonia] Yes, it is.

But don't you think that seems uncannily similar

to what we're experiencing now?

[Goh] Hmm.

Now that you mention it.

I'm thinking about the black vortex that brought such disaster

so many years ago.

I believe that the Darkest Day might just be in the process

of appearing here in the Galar region once again.

Wow. Black vortex. Darkest Day.

[Sonia] I thought that maybe coming here would lead to some answers, but…

-[Goh] It's a lot like that time! -Huh?

You see, I had an encounter with Lugia recently.

Lugia? That's impressive!

[Goh] The clouds were spiraling and swirling then, too.

Maybe when a Legendary Pokémon arrives, it's with a spiral of some kind.

And so, on the Darkest Day, maybe a Pokémon with great power appeared.

Ah! That's brilliant! You may be onto something!

And come to think of it,

the time we went to see Leon's battle,

there was a huge Pokémon hidden in the clouds.

Ah?

Is it possible that Pokémon is somehow related to all of this?

Our intel tells us that pernicious Pokémon is hidden somewhere within this plant.

-The question is where. -[land rumbles]

[all groaning]

[tense music]

[gasping]

[Coalossal roaring]

[workers screaming]

[Coalossal groaning]

Chairman Rose? Until the hangar is reinforced,

shall we halt the release of the Galar particles?

Isn't it stupendous, Oleana?

Energy so strong, we can't even begin to control it!

Once there was a time when the entire region

was brought to the brink of destruction.

That Darkest Day will now be the salvation of Galar's future.

[Rose] The revival of Eternatus!

[land rumbling]

That's it!

The most malicious of Pokémon!

[Meowth] We've just gotta nab it!

I see. Just make sure that you don't lose sight of her, no matter what.

Ma'am, I'll handle it. If I stay right here--

[screams]

Ha? Sonia, what happened?

Well, what happened, happened again.

Now, where were you supposed to be heading when we crossed paths again?

A town called Wedgehurst. To meet up with a Professor Magnolia.

Ah, then we're heading in the same direction.

Huh?

Professor Magnolia just so happens to be my gran.

[Goh screams] Ha?

[Leon] Ash, see it now?

[Ash] Huh. Isn't that?

[pings]

[rotom] Coalossal. Gigantamax form.

The Coal Pokémon. A Rock and Fire type.

Coalossal's torso is a giant furnace that heats up to more than , degrees.

We're going in. Keep your eyes peeled!

[Ash] Right!

[Coalossal roaring] Coalossal!

What is this photograph of?

It shows four tapestries that were discovered

within a vault located in Hammerlocke.

[Goh] "The two youths watching a Wishing Star."

"A disaster occurs. The two bewildered youths."

"The youths looking on at the sword and shield that stop the disaster."

"The youths being crowned."

It's said the tapestries show the story of how Galar was created,

but I'd like to know what you think of it.

All four of these pictures depict the same two people.

[Goh] Did they become the heroes who dispelled the Darkest Day?

That means the hero is actually two heroes, not one.

An interesting conclusion.

I was thinking the exact same thing myself.

[Goh] But the hero statue in the stadium is only one person.

[Sonia] Right.

It's possible that over the years,

there may have been mistakes in the retelling.

If so, might there be other parts that they told differently?

[Sonia] That's a possibility for sure!

Hm.

Wow, It's all so exciting!

I want to report all of this news to my Gran!

Soon, I'll be a Pokémon Professor!

Although, things never work out quite that smoothly.

And Gran is really strict, to boot!

And so what was the thing that made you want to

become a Pokémon Professor in the first place, Sonia?

[Sonia] Oh, um, part of the reason is I want to stay close to my gran.

-But it's mainly because of Leon. -[Goh] Leon?

We grew up together. We were childhood friends.

[Sonia] We both loved Pokémon, so we both wanted to become strong Trainers.

When we were younger, I was the one who taught Leon about Pokémon battles, but…

once Leon made his debut as a Trainer, his talent appeared front and center!

And before I knew it, he had become the Champion.

There's no way I could've trained hard enough to be able to defeat Leon.

So I figured maybe there was a different path I could take

that still involved Pokémon.

Now, Dragapult,

Dragon Darts!

Dragapult.

Dragapult!

-[both Dreepy] Dreepy. -[Coalossal roars]

Gengar, use Shadow Ball!

Gengar!

[Coalossal groans]

-[Coalossal roaring] -[workers screaming]

Coalossal!

[Ash gasps] Gengar, use Psychic!

Geng!

Gengar!

[workers groan, gasp]

We can't let this go on much longer!

Let's stop it, all in one shot!

Right!

Dragapult, use Dragon Rush!

Draga!

Quick, Gengar, Shadow Ball!

-[Gengar chuckles, grunts] -[Dragapult] Dragapult!

-[Coalossal groans] -Now, Pikachu, use Thunderbolt!

Pika! Pi-ka-chu!

[Coalossal roaring]

Coala?

[Ash] Gengar, return!

[Leon] Dragapult, return!

[worker ] You awful Coalossal!

-[worker ] You ruined everything! -[worker ] The worst!

Knock it off!

It's not like Coalossal wanted to do it!

[worker scoffs]

Hm?

Pika!

-[hands clapping] -[Ash gasps]

Stupendous! Just what I'd expect from our undefeated champion

and the talented young Trainer who accompanies him.

Chairman Rose. Why are you here?

I was already inspecting the site

but when I heard there was trouble, I rushed over.

Let me introduce you.

This man is Chairman Rose, the president of Macro Cosmos,

a company that develops and supplies energy to Galar.

He discovered me as a young Trainer and helped me get to where I am now,

and I owe him a lot.

-I uh-- -You are Ash, aren't you?

Leon has been telling me about a young Trainer

overflowing with talent, and that's got to be you!

I've wanted to meet you ever since I heard about you.

-Whoa. It's nice to meet you too. -Pika.

Chairman Rose? By any chance,

have you discovered the reason for all of the rampaging Pokémon?

Hmm. We've been researching different possibilities,

but none have quite panned out.

This may simply be a present danger

or perhaps,

it's a test needed to jump-start Galar's future.

Something must be done quickly!

If we do nothing, the safety of Galar people and Pokémon

will stay at risk!

And I'm gonna help them!

What do you mean?

Pokémon aren't rampaging because they want to you know!

[stomach rumbling]

[laughing]

I know! Let's celebrate our meeting!

Let me treat you to a gourmet dinner, Galar-style!

Gourmet dinner?

That's a rare invitation indeed.

Go have fun. I'll go help repair the mines.

I wanna help, too!

-[stomach rumbling] -[Ash groans]

[Leon and Rose laughing]

[light music]

[Goh] This is Professor Magnolia's research lab?

The thought of seeing her research gets me all nervous!

[Sonia] Oh? Can you feel it?

You bet I can!

Whenever I see or hear anything about a new Pokémon,

all I wanna do is see more and catch more!

Learning new things I didn't know before is totally expanding my horizons.

And I know the future is in the palm of my hand!

That's true! You might have the makings of a Pokémon professor yourself!

A Pokémon Professor, huh?

First, I'm gonna have to fulfill my dream

of catching every single kind of Pokémon there is!

Wow! Impressive dream!

Me? I refuse to lose! Pokémon professor, here I come!

Hm.

-Raboot. -[Goh] Huh?

[Goh gasps]

[Sonia gasps]

[meteor thuds]

-[all gasp] -[Goh] Oh, heck!

A meteor?

Amazing! I think that's--

-[Magnolia] A Wishing Star. -[Sonia, Goh] Huh?

They say that when one makes a wish from their heart, it falls near them.

Hey, look, it's Gran!

Hi, Professor Magnolia!

[Magnolia] You're from Professor Cerise's lab?

-How is the professor? -[Goh] Great!

I came here hoping to learn as much as possible about Dynamax.

I see.

Of course, most of it is still shrouded in mystery.

It is a special power that exists only here in the Galar region.

But we do know that Pokémon and this special power are related.

That relationship has to do with Galar Particles.

Galar Particles?

I'm curious to know if you've ever witnessed

a Pokémon Dynamax in the Wild Area.

Yes, I have.

[Magnolia] Galar Particles can be seen as red light

given off at special Power Spots.

The particles are part of that light.

They bring out a power that lies within Pokémon

and beckons them to Dynamax.

A special power within Pokémon?

Huh?

And after further research, we discovered that the Wishing Stars

falling from the sky,

have within them those very same Galar Particles.

You mean the meteor we just saw?

The Wishing Stars have a certain property that attracts and absorbs Galar particles.

I had a theory that one could utilize this property

to control the enlargement of Pokémon.

And with that in mind, I approached Chairman Rose of Macro Cosmos,

and we successfully developed the Dynamax Band.

That's incredible!

[Sonia] Which brings us to…

Ta-da!

Take it. It's a present.

I whipped it up from the Wishing Star that just fell.

A Dynamax Band?

[Sonia] If you're traveling through Galar, having one is better than not, right?

[chuckles] Wow!

Thank you so much!

So, why is it that Pokémon can Dynamax only in the Wild Area or in stadiums?

[Magnolia] Power Spots.

A Pokémon is only able to Dynamax within a Power Spot.

Wow. That's fascinating.

There are many possibilities contained within Galar Particles.

In cooperation with Chairman Rose, I've researched the possibility

of converting this power into usable energy.

But now…

Wait, has something gone wrong with your research?

No, no.

Which reminds me. You haven't forgotten your homework, have you?

[Sonia] Ah!

Then, why don't you show me the fruits of your labor from researching the legend?

[Sonia] Sure!

[crickets chirping]

[Magnolia] I see.

There are two heroes. And I see the Darkest Day is actually a Pokémon.

[both] Mm-hm.

[Magnolia] A fascinating bit of research. Your hard work shows, Sonia.

[both sighs]

Of course, I'll admit I did get a little bit of help from my new friend Goh!

Thanks, Sonia! My pleasure!

[Magnolia] However. I cannot give you a passing grade just yet.

[both gasps]

Exactly where are the legendary sword and shield?

Precisely how did they dispel disaster?

We must have answers to all these questions.

[Sonia sighs] I knew it!

I told you my gran is really strict.

It's perfect! I want to know everything there is to know!

Let's research it as far as we possibly can!

[Sonia] You're right. Let's figure this out!

[Ash munching] Umm. This is the best!

[Rose] I must say, I love the view from here.

-[both munching] -Hm?

Every one of those flickering lights out there

represents someone living their life, along with a dream.

I was raised from humble beginnings to the position I now occupy,

and I have Galar to thank for it.

I want this gorgeous nighttime view to be here a thousand years from now.

And I intend to do everything I possibly can to see that it is.

[gasps]

Let me be frank!

I am in the process of recruiting talented young Trainers such as Leon into my fold.

Trainers much like you. What do you say?

-Like me? -Pika?

[Rose] I make it my business to support strong Trainers just like you.

It's all for the future of Galar.

Please work with me and lend us all a hand!

Oh, my! How wonderful it must be

to receive such an invitation from Chairman Rose!

You see…

-Thanks, but no! -[gasps]

I've been wandering around the world on my own power!

Meeting all kinds of Pokémon.

I want to get stronger with them!

I see.

Well, I understand your position.

[laughing]

[gasps]

-[Ash chuckles nervously] -[Pikachu] Pika.

-Pika! -[Ash sighs]

-This bed's so soft! -Pikachu!

Too bad Goh isn't here to see this!

[Pikachu] Pika.

[Ash grunts]

Hey, didn't we say we were gonna meet up?

-[rotom] You have a call from Goh. -[Ash] Huh?

-Pika. -You have a call from Goh.

Hi there, Goh!

[Ash] Huh? You're at Professor Magnolia's place?

That's right!

She's putting me up for the night, isn't that cool?

And tomorrow, I'm gonna head out with Sonia to the ruins

in the town of Stow-on-Side.

No kidding? Then I'll head over there tomorrow, too.

Great! See you then!

Right!

[phone clicks]

[suspenseful music]

Or, perhaps it's a test needed to jump start Galar's future.

[Leon] Does Chairman Rose know something about all the rampaging Pokémon?

I wonder. What's actually going on in this underground plant?

[Sonia] We'll see you later, Gran.

[Goh] You can leave the researching to us!

Hmm.

Sonia, dear?

There's something I need to tell you.

Why I withdrew from the research I was doing with Chairman Rose.

You see,

I saw a certain madness in his eyes.

[both gasp]

[Magnolia] Chairman Rose will stop at nothing

when it comes to realizing his dreams.

The incidents of Pokémon Dynamaxing and rampaging,

although I have no proof, I have a bad feeling.

That is why, Sonia.

I need the legend's mysteries solved. As quick as you can.

Don't you worry!

I'll get to the bottom of it! Just you wait and see!

Me, too!

[suspenseful music]

We must root out the weeds before they spread.

-[Raboot] Raboot! -[Goh] Wow!

[Sonia] Is this the ancient mural of Stow-on-Side?

I expected something a little bit more.

It looks less legendary, and more like it was drawn much later.

It actually looks more like graffiti.

Well, we took a shot.

Never mind. Why don't we just go and check out the next ruin?

-[agent] I think not! -[Sonia gasps]

The two of you will be coming with me instead.

Who are you?

As long as you come along quietly, I promise, no one will get hurt.

Wait, you're kidding, right?

Raboot, now!

Raboot!

If you choose to resist, good luck!

All right, Garbodor, Gigantamax!

Garbodor!

Gigantamax? So this must be a Power Spot!

[Sonia] Oh! Galar Particles are coming from that wall!

[gasps] Then that means…

[Goh] Raboot return!

Time to Dynamax!

All we can do is give it our very best!

[Goh] Go!

[tense music]

All right, Raboot, let's do this!

Now, Max Flare!

Ra!

Ra-boot!

-[Garbodor groans] -[agent] G-Max Malodor!

[Garbodor roars]

[Raboot groans]

[all gasping, screaming]

No, Raboot!

[Raboot gasps]

[Sonia gasps] I can't believe it!

Statues? Really?

[narrator] As the journey continues!

[closing theme music]