Pokémon Sword and Shield have been out in the wild for almost a week now, and thus, more and more Trainers are reaching the end of their Gym Challenge. In defeating each of Galar’s eight Gym Leaders, players will set up a final match against the region’s reigning champion which, should they emerge the victor, will see them crowned as the new top dog. As always, however, seeing that adventure through to its end is arguably only the beginning of your quest to Catch ‘Em All.

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In fact, before you’re even able to take on Leon and, assuming you win, watch the credits roll, you’ll come face to face with Sword and Shield‘s fearsome Mythical Pokémon, Eternatus. The dual Poison/Dragon-type, the first and only of its kind, is the entity responsible for the mysterious explosions that punctuate your journey to the Champions Cup Finals. As for the circumstances that lead to you encountering Eternatus itself, read on below, but be warned, you’re headed into spoiler territory from here on out.

Upon defeating the eighth and final gym leader Raihan, you’ll join Leon in venturing into Hammerlocke City’s Energy Plant. Here, you’ll be required to battle and defeat Chairman Rose in order to open a path to Eternatus itself.

Akin to the Max Raid Battles you’ll no doubt have stumbled upon in Galar’s Wild Area, you’ll need to defeat the one-of-a-kind beast in its unique ‘Eternamax’ form before it’ll be weak enough to capture. Fortunately for your wallet, however, the beast has a 100% capture rate once its hitpoints have been reduced to zero, so you won’t need to spend thousands of Poké Dollars on Ultra Balls – even a bog-standard Poké Ball will suffice.

In regards to the takedown strategy, as a Poison/Dragon-type, your best bet to ensure victory is to use an Ice-type Pokémon. Normally, we’d suggest using a Fairy-type for its immunity to Dragon-type attacks, but Eternatus’ access to Poison abilities makes that a no-go. Whatever your preferred method, once it’s been caught, you’re free to forge ahead with your quest to remove Leon from his throne and become Pokémon Sword and Shield‘s true champion.

Good luck!