In Geosenge Town, the earth is torn apart and houses are destroyed as Team Flare deploys the ultimate weapon. In the Team Flare Secret HQ, Lysandre, wearing his Lysandre Machine, faces down Calem and Xerneas, remarking that he must recapture Xerneas to feed its energy into the ultimate weapon, and sends out his Gyarados before activating its Mega Evolution. The battle proves to be short-lived as Xerneas defeats Mega Gyarados in a single Moonblast.
As Shauna and Serena arrive on the scene, Lysandre lets out a roar in frustration, tossing his goggles to the floor and falls to his knees. In a series of flashbacks, Lysandre recalls his conversations with Diantha and Professor Sycamore, going over his fears that Kalos will one day lose its beauty and Pokémon will no longer exist. Getting to his feet, Lysandre addresses the Trainers before him, saying that he doesn't expect them to understand his perspectives. Gesturing at the ultimate weapon, he remarks that its original intention was to give life, and it has enough energy for one final shot. His mouth turns up in a crazed grin as he declares he shall use it on himself and the three Trainers, so they may know the pain of eternal life and watching the beautiful world fade away.
In fear, Shauna and Serena back away, with Calem following suit. Alarms sound through the base as Team Flare Grunts and Team Flare Admins alike evacuate the facility. Rippling with power, the weapon sends one energy blast skyward, piercing the clouds and flying into space before diving back down, before Lysandre screams that he and the Trainers shall live forever. The energy slams into Geosenge Town before the ultimate weapon sinks beneath the ground as Calem, Serena, and Shauna watch on silently.
A week later, Professor Sycamore watches Malva make an announcement on the Holo Caster. Malva acknowledges the shock felt throughout the region from Lysandre's actions, and plays a clip of Lysandre from a previous time, when he advised Trainers that the world was not set in stone, and they had the power to build a brighter future.