Jacob and Nina sat atop Giant Metagross, their eyes scanning the world around them.
They were high above the clouds, surrounded by nothing but an endless stretch of white and the faint glow of a setting sun.
"Is this… the Secret Realm Gap you mentioned?" Nina asked. She had released her Dragapult and was now seated on its back, her gaze moving cautiously across the horizon, equal parts curious and nervous.
"Yeah." Jacob nodded. This was his third time entering a Secret Realm Gap, and the brief, sharp feeling of suffocation he had just experienced was something he had come to know well.
He kept his expression steady and turned to Nina. "Be careful. Each Secret Realm Gap is home to a different Eternal Gigantamax Pokémon. Their strength is generally at the Champion level or higher."
As he spoke, Jacob continued to scan their surroundings.
The first Secret Realm Gap had been an endless frozen sea buried under heavy snowfall — home to the Ice-type Gigantamax Lapras. The second had been a dreamlike forest shimmering with Fairy-type energy, belonging to Gigantamax Hatterene and Gigantamax Grimmsnarl.
This one was a vast open sky, blanketed in rolling clouds. Going by the environment, Jacob was fairly confident this Secret Realm corresponded to a Flying-type Pokémon.
And as far as he knew, only two Gigantamax Pokémon had the Flying type.
Gigantamax Charizard and Gigantamax Corviknight.
Between the two, Gigantamax Charizard leaned heavily toward the Fire type — its Gigantamax move was even G-Max Wildfire. That made Gigantamax Corviknight the far more likely resident of this realm.
Jacob's expression grew a little heavier at the thought. If a Permanent Gigantamax Corviknight truly lived here, they were in for a serious fight.
Corviknight was already one of the most formidable Pokémon around. Its Flying/Steel typing was nearly flawless — only weak to Electric and Fire, while boasting six 2x resistances, two 4x resistances, and immunity to two types altogether. On top of that, it had access to Iron Defense and Body Press, making it an exceptional physical wall, and moves like Roost and Clear Smog only added to its staying power. It was, without question, one of the toughest bulky Pokémon in existence.
What made things even trickier was the battlefield itself.
Aerial combat was not Jacob's strongest suit, at least not yet. His first team — Dragapult, Charizard, Noivern, and Salamence — could all handle themselves in the air, but none of them had fully grown into their potential. Their strongest members were sitting at quasi-King level at best, which wasn't enough for something like this.
His second team was a different story. Iron Valiant and Gigantamax Lapras were both more than powerful enough, but neither of them could fly. That left Darkrai and the newly-joined Metagross as the only realistic options for an aerial battle.
"Nina, stay behind me," Jacob said quietly. "The Pokémon we're about to face is almost certainly a Flying type."
"Got it." Nina's expression tightened with a mix of caution and something close to awe. She couldn't help but think back to the day they first encountered Shining Aegislash — it had been her protecting Jacob then. And now, barely a year later, their roles had completely reversed. Jacob was the one looking out for her.
As if the sky itself had heard them, the calm shattered.
The clouds lurched and trembled. A violent storm tore through the sky without warning, and the winds that followed were sharp enough to carve clean holes in the cloud layer. The howling gales spread outward like a shockwave, and Jacob and Nina gripped Metagross tightly just to keep from being swept off.
Then, from the churning clouds above, a powerful updraft rose — thick with Gigantamax Flying-type energy — and carried something enormous with it.
Dark crimson wings emerged through the clouds.
Gigantamax Corviknight descended like a sovereign claiming its sky.
Its steel-clad body burned with a deep, unnatural red, and surrounding it, dozens of smaller "blade birds" — pieces of its wing armor that had separated under the surge of Gigantamax energy — circled and wheeled in the air like a swarm of living weapons. The crimson eyes of the great bird locked onto Jacob and Nina the moment it spotted them, regarding them the way a predator regards prey that had wandered into the wrong territory.
The storm fell silent.
Every current of air seemed to converge on Jacob's position, as though the sky itself was holding its breath.
Jacob had been right. The Gigantamax Corviknight had indeed made this Secret Realm Gap its home.
In its Gigantamax form, Corviknight was not dramatically different in shape — but the color shift was stark, a deep dark red replacing its usual steel-black, and the blade birds drifting around it gave it an imposing, almost regal presence. In battle, those blade birds acted like an extension of its will, diving at enemies with full force and carrying hurricane-level winds in their wake. Each one struck with the power of a Heavenly King-level hit.
It was, in every sense, an aerial fortress.
"Darkrai, Charizard — come out!" Jacob's voice was calm but firm. He released Darkrai, then quickly mounted Charizard's back, directing Metagross and Darkrai to take the lead against Gigantamax Corviknight.
He took a moment to assess its strength. Just shy of Champion level — not the worst case, but nothing to take lightly. With Metagross and Darkrai working together, they had a chance. If it had been at full Champion level, with the home-field advantage of open sky, that calculation would have looked very different.
"Stay behind me!" Jacob called to Nina.
Nina had already released her own Charizard and moved back behind Jacob, though her eyes remained fixed on Gigantamax Corviknight with wide fascination. This was the first time she had ever faced an Eternal Gigantamax Pokémon up close. Its sheer size — like a living aircraft — filled the sky around them, and its dark crimson wings blotted out the last traces of the setting sun like a curtain being drawn shut.
"Caw!"
Gigantamax Corviknight struck first.
With a thunderous cry, it spread its wings wide. Steel-type energy surged across its body, coating its dark red feathers in a gleaming silver sheen — like armor being fastened before battle.
Iron Defense.
"Darkrai, use Dark Pulse!" Jacob called out at once.
Dark-type energy surged from Darkrai, forming a wide black beam that shot across the sky toward Gigantamax Corviknight.
"Metagross, Iron Defense!" Jacob followed up immediately, directing Metagross to reinforce its own physical defense before the counterattack arrived.