The same high-tech cannons blasted forth again. Three beams of technological energy collided midair, detonating in a brilliant explosion.
"You actually had another Genesect?!"
Ghetsis's face turned grim as he stared at the shiny Genesect. What was worse—the beam clash just now had clearly been won by this shiny Genesect!
So, this was the trump card Colress had kept in reserve?
"The Colress Machines are my proudest technological creation. Even I can't reprogram them on a whim. But Genesect… is a different matter," Colress said with a faint smile. The four Colress Machines he had given to Ghetsis had been preset, with the control authority designated specifically to him.
And without the proper equipment now, Colress couldn't take that control back.
But that was hardly an issue.
"Genesect is a swarm Pokémon. Like many insect species, they instinctively choose a leader to guide them." Colress spoke calmly, his tone serene. Among the five Genesect he had revived, the shiny one was the king of the swarm!
Ghetsis's expression darkened. He more or less understood now what Colress was really saying.
Damn it—Colress had never trusted him from the start!
"The Colress Machines can forcibly control Pokémon, so you don't need to worry about the Genesect turning against you." Colress chuckled softly, as if he could read Ghetsis's thoughts.
Yes, the shiny Genesect had an innate authority over the others. It could influence their will, even forcefully.
But that influence could be resisted—if the other Genesect had strong enough wills. In that case, not even the swarm leader could command them.
(AN: This follows the setup from the Genesect Army in the movie.)
However, that was only under normal circumstances. Right now, the other four Genesect were still under the control of the Colress Machines.
That meant not even the shiny Genesect could sway them.
But of course, if those machines were destroyed, the Genesect would be free again. And for Colress, the creator of said machines, that wouldn't be difficult at all—especially with a shiny Genesect whose strength vastly exceeded that of the regular ones.
"Wouldn't it have been better to part ways on good terms, Ghetsis?" Colress sighed and spread his hands. "Human ambition is the root of all evil. Your greed has swallowed you whole and led you into the abyss."
Colress hadn't originally planned to go this far. The Genesect and the Colress Machines—he had intended them as farewell gifts.
But Ghetsis wasn't content with that. He'd come knocking, trying to drag Colress back by force.
So Colress had no choice but to resist.
In the end, it was Ghetsis's own stupidity.
"What an idiot," muttered Lucas, a mocking smirk tugging at his lips. "He really dared bring the Genesect in front of Colress?"
With such a strong foundation, and he still couldn't conquer the Unova region?
Among all the villain teams in history, Team Plasma had to be among the strongest.
N, Ghetsis, Colress—none of them were easy to deal with. N was the Hero of Ideals. Colress later captured Kyurem. And they even had the Genesect army.
Who could say Team Plasma was weak?
And yet, such a powerful evil organization had crumbled into ruin.
N betrayed them. Colress turned his back. Ghetsis, humiliated repeatedly by children, was driven nearly insane.
Aside from Rainbow Rocket—the ultimate gathering of villain bosses—only Team Rocket could be considered stronger than Plasma.
But even so, Team Plasma ultimately shattered.
It wasn't without cause. Ghetsis had ambition, but he lacked the temperament and foresight to match.
"…Still, these Genesect don't seem all that impressive," Lucas added with a frown.
Though he had little respect for Ghetsis, he was starting to feel more intrigued by the Genesect themselves.
He observed them carefully.
There wasn't that overwhelming divine pressure you'd expect from a true legendary. These Genesect hadn't even reached the level of high-tier legends.
But the Techno Blast they'd fired earlier? That was about at the top-tier Champion level.
"Hmph, better than the ones in the movie at least. Could make for a decent collector's item," Lucas muttered, rubbing his chin.
Genesect is classified as a Mythical Pokémon—a different category from true legendaries.
And Mythicals? They varied wildly in power.
Some, like Arceus or Unbound Hoopa, were on par with or beyond legendaries. But others were practically powerless, like the ever-cute but totally harmless Phione…
Even Celebi, Manaphy, and Jirachi weren't exactly powerhouses.
That's not to say they had no potential. But their battle instincts? Barely usable. Their potential was high, but the actual combat strength they showed was often laughable.
Genesect, at least, was supposed to be one of the few Mythicals built for battle.
Yet in the movie, aside from the shiny swarm leader, the other four Genesect were practically useless. They were cornered in an eco-park by a bunch of common Pokémon and left shivering against a wall…
They embarrassed the name "World-Destroying Bug."
Only the shiny Genesect held the line.
By contrast, the Genesect army in front of Lucas now didn't disgrace themselves so badly.
Their strength was… unexpectedly solid.
"Talk about a parting gift. Ghetsis really is such a thoughtful guy~"
Lucas smirked, feeling rather touched.
After all, Ghetsis had personally delivered four Genesect to them, knowing they'd be leaving Unova. Wasn't that touching?
But then—
"Rooaar!"
A low, uneasy growl from Reshiram echoed abruptly.
Lucas blinked and turned his senses inward, linking with Reshiram.
What he heard made his brow furrow.
Not far away, Zekrom also gave a tense snarl.
"…Why is the temperature dropping?"
Having just dealt with some Team Plasma grunts, Green blinked and rubbed her bare arms.
She could feel it—it was getting colder. But none of the Pokémon around had used any Ice-type moves.
Then—
"ROOOOAR!"
A violent dragon's roar tore through the sky.
Green froze.
"…No way. This is Castelia City!"
A chill of anxiety climbed up her spine. She whipped her head toward the source of the roar.
She remembered that unique, ferocious roar all too well.
"…It's Kyurem!" Marnie said, brows knitting tightly as she stared at the figure approaching from the distance.
The Ice Dragon Kyurem.
It had followed them all the way from the Giant Chasm to here?!
What the hell kind of grudge was this?!
Green could already see it clearly now—the massive form of the ice dragon, looming in the sky.
White Kyurem.
Its draconic eyes swept over Reshiram, Zekrom… and the Genesect. They gleamed with cruelty and madness.
All its enemies were here—White Dragon, Black Dragon… and those damned bugs that got in its way last time.
Perfect.
"Kyurem!"
Both Ghetsis and N's expressions twisted.
Ghetsis wanted to capture Kyurem, sure—but he definitely didn't want to run into it like this.
Especially not in the wild.
He still remembered what happened the last time—how terrifying Kyurem's power had been.
And now they were cornered.
"It really followed us…"
Even Lucas frowned slightly. He had considered the chance that his battle with N might draw Kyurem's attention…
But Castilia City was so far from the Giant Chasm.
Yet here it was.
Clearly, Kyurem wasn't about to let White and Black Dragon off the hook.
"All of you are here. Good. Saves me the trouble of hunting you down one by one."
A cold, hoarse telepathic voice echoed in everyone's mind.
"Today… none of you are leaving. White Dragon. Black Dragon."
"ROOAAAR!"
With a ferocious roar, White Kyurem unleashed a storm of freezing air.
Blizzard.
In the next instant, a terrifying snowstorm engulfed the skies. The entire plain vanished beneath a veil of snow and ice!
"Heat Wave!" Lucas immediately shouted.
Reshiram flew overhead and beat its wings powerfully, blasting a wave of searing heat to counter the approaching blizzard.
"Run!" Green's eyes widened. Seeing the indiscriminate nature of Kyurem's attack, she spun and shouted to Marnie.
But—
She turned and found… Marnie was already gone.
"…Seriously?! Wait up, Marnie!"
Green stared dumbfounded at Marnie's disappearing figure.
That girl had run even faster than she had!
Finally snapping back to her senses, Green took off after her. There was no way she was sticking around.
Let the gods fight it out—she was getting out of here!
The ice storm raged, blanketing the plains in snow. In the blink of an eye, green fields turned into a frozen wasteland.
Petals of ice floated down from above.
The world turned to ice in seconds.
"Damn it!"
Thanks to Genesect's protection, Ghetsis wasn't harmed.
But—
Looking around, Ghetsis's face twisted.
Many Team Plasma members hadn't escaped in time—and were now frozen solid, turned into ice sculptures.
Those were his elites, dammit!
-------------------------------
"Still as violently domineering as ever."
Sheltered beneath Reshiram's wings, Lucas remained unharmed.
He gazed out over the transformed landscape and let out a low whistle.
A few days gone, and Kyurem's temper hadn't mellowed a bit.
No reasoning, no restraint—pure brute force.
…And Lucas liked that.
"Fusion Bolt!"
A voice rang out, barely containing fury.
It was N!
Lucas turned to see the Team Plasma king standing tall, his once serene eyes now burning with anger.
Was it because of the frozen Team Plasma members and Pokémon?
Lucas glanced at the frozen figures in the distance.
N was just the symbolic leader of Team Plasma, but he was truly beloved by most of its members.
Ghetsis had used N's ability to communicate with Pokémon—and his status as the Hero of Ideals—to win hearts.
"To harm so many innocent people and Pokémon… you are not worthy of being called the strongest dragon!"
N glared furiously at Kyurem.
He rarely got angry. He was logical, composed—Lucas had even taunted him repeatedly during their battle, and N had remained calm.
But this time… he was furious.
Kyurem's attack had completely disregarded collateral damage.
Sensing N's resolve, Zekrom roared and soared skyward, its turbine tail glowing with brilliant lightning.
Electricity crackled and surged.
Thunder rumbled across the dark sky. Lightning arced in greater frequency.
And then—rain began to fall, heavy and fast.
A thunderstorm had arrived.
Zekrom surged forward, golden lightning dancing across its body.
It charged straight at White Kyurem.
Fusion Bolt!
Now that's courage.
Lucas gave the Black Dragon a thumbs-up.
Even facing White Kyurem directly, Zekrom didn't hesitate.
"Black Dragon!"
White Kyurem's eyes narrowed, face contorted in a twisted grin.
Electricity raced across its body—
And in an instant, it transformed.
Black Kyurem now hovered in its place, turbine blazing with sparks.
A surge of electrical energy formed a barrier as Black Kyurem met Zekrom head-on.
Fusion Bolt
Two dragons clashed under the storming heavens.
(End of Chapter)