Fusion Bolt vs. Boltstrike!
Crackling bursts of electricity echoed across the sky, each snap and pop reverberating through the storm clouds. But very quickly, Zekrom found itself being violently suppressed under the overwhelming might of Black Kyurem.
"Roarrr!"
With a brutal and vicious roar that shook the heavens, Zekrom was blasted backward, its massive frame slammed away by Black Kyurem's merciless assault.
From Black Kyurem's body, a suffocating cold radiated outward in every direction. The chill was so intense that even the rain falling around it froze solid in midair, transforming into shards of ice before hitting the ground.
"Zekrom, pull back, quickly!"
N's expression shifted sharply. He hurriedly shouted out in his heart toward Zekrom, his tone urgent and anxious.
Because it was obvious—something was terribly wrong. Black Kyurem wasn't just attacking normally; it was preparing to unleash a finishing move.
"ROAARRR!"
But it was already too late. Black Kyurem's thunderous roar exploded once again, echoing like the cracking of glaciers.
An icy-blue ring of light suddenly expanded outward from Black Kyurem's body. It spread in a perfect circle, cutting through the storm at terrifying speed.
Glaciate!
This was Kyurem's signature move. In the games, after transforming its form, Glaciate would transform further into either Freeze Shock or Ice Burn.
But in this real world, even after fusing into Black Kyurem, it was clear that Kyurem could still wield the original Glaciate!
The freezing breath of Glaciate swept across the skies, racing outward faster than the eye could follow. The falling rain became the perfect medium for the freeze; in the blink of an eye, the storm-darkened heavens, which had moments before poured with torrential rain, froze solid.
The sky itself turned into a dome of pale blue, sealed beneath a thick curtain of ice!
Even the very heavens had been frozen!
And directly before Black Kyurem, swept by the icy breath of Glaciate—under N's disbelieving gaze—Zekrom's dragon body was frozen solid into a block of ice and plummeted helplessly downward like a falling statue.
"What the—?!"
At a safer distance, Green and Marnie stared up at the newly-frozen heavens. Green's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets in sheer disbelief.
"This can't be real… This really can't be real!"
"The black dragon… it's frozen…"
Even Marnie, who almost always wore a calm, indifferent expression, now showed raw shock on her small face. She gazed at the far-off Zekrom, now encased entirely in ice, and at the frozen canopy of the sky.
The sheer visual impact of the scene was utterly overwhelming—staggering, explosive, incomparable.
The shock it delivered to the heart was no less than what Eternatus had once unleashed with its devastating Eternabeam.
"…That's awfully brave, I'll give him that."
Lucas shook his head, watching as the black dragon Zekrom had charged forward, been beaten back, and then sealed away in ice. Did it really not know its own limits? Kyurem was in its prime, its aura surging, and yet Zekrom had gone charging in headfirst to throw itself away.
"Lucas, what do we do now?"
Reshiram glanced at its frozen counterpart, and for the first time genuine panic stirred within its chest. It turned to Lucas, its voice quivering.
Because it understood perfectly well: if Zekrom had been given away so easily, then the next one on the chopping block would undoubtedly be itself.
This dragon, for one, did not want to become a giant ice sculpture!
"Don't panic. Someone will step in."
Lucas cast a sidelong glance at Reshiram. Unlike its reckless black counterpart, this one was far more timid—cowardly, even.
"Hmph… And next—"
Black Kyurem's dragon eyes glinted coldly as it swept its gaze across the frozen black dragon. Then slowly, menacingly, it shifted its sight toward the white dragon.
Two siblings. Not one could be left behind, right?
Its murderous eyes lit with a savage gleam, and Black Kyurem braced to charge at Reshiram. But at that moment—several glowing blasts came flying in, shooting straight toward it.
It was none other than Genesect's Techno Blast!
"Damn bugs!"
Black Kyurem twisted its massive frame, narrowly avoiding the glowing cannons. Its draconic gaze turned upon Genesect, its eyes blazing with pure savagery.
It remembered these insects!
The last time, it had nearly frozen Zekrom completely. But it was precisely because of these meddling bugs that the black dragon had escaped at the final moment.
And now they dared to appear before it again?
"If you're so eager to die, then I'll kill you first!"
Snarling, Black Kyurem twisted its body and lunged toward Genesect.
Domineering and vengeful, it never forgot a grudge. Genesect was already written down on the little "kill list" in its heart, and today it meant to settle the score.
Watching Black Kyurem hurtle toward Genesect, Ghetsis's face turned pale green.
"Useless! Utterly useless!"
He cursed N a hundred times over in his mind. If that idiot hadn't sent Zekrom charging in to throw itself away, would he really have needed to use Genesect in a desperate sneak attack against Black Kyurem?
N was a monster in his own right, yes, but N and Zekrom together were still vital pieces of his grand plan.
Now there was no choice but to grit his teeth and hold out. Once N managed to thaw Zekrom, they would have to retreat immediately.
"Tsk, actions have consequences, Ghetsis."
Lucas couldn't help but chuckle at the sight of Genesect scrambling about awkwardly under Black Kyurem's furious assault, its only advantage being its speed. Team Plasma truly lived up to its reputation for reckless bravery.
"Kyurem's power really is terrifying, Mr. Lucas… Aren't we going to retreat?"
The voice came from behind him—Colress had arrived without anyone noticing, stepping up to Lucas's side.
"Right now, Black Kyurem's focus is all on Ghetsis. If we retreat quietly, it should be safe. Besides, the commotion it's making is so huge, the League must already have noticed."
Colress offered the suggestion calmly, though even he was rattled. He had always known in theory that Kyurem's power eclipsed both the black and white dragons.
But seeing it firsthand was another matter entirely. This wasn't just "stronger." This was utter domination.
Zekrom had barely lasted a few exchanges before being frozen solid—that was horrifying.
And the scale of Kyurem's chaos was immense. The sky itself frozen over, turned into a vast icy dome—such a phenomenon could never remain hidden.
People in Castelia City were bound to see it. The Pokémon League would definitely dispatch investigators very soon.
"It's not that easy. Kyurem isn't stupid. It's been keeping its eye on Reshiram this whole time."
Lucas shook his head. If he could retreat, of course he would want to—he had no interest in fighting Kyurem to the death.
A battle ending in mutual destruction benefited him not at all.
But Kyurem had clearly learned from its last encounter. Though it was clashing with Genesect now, the insects could not pose real pressure to it. Lucas could feel it: the corner of Kyurem's gaze never once left Reshiram.
If Reshiram tried to flee, Kyurem would abandon Genesect instantly and give chase.
"…That's troublesome," Colress muttered, brows furrowing. "Then how exactly do we retreat?"
"There's no way around it today. Colress—shall we fight side by side?"
Lucas's eyes gleamed faintly as he produced a heavy ball, spinning it lightly between his fingers, before smiling at Colress.
Since Kyurem refused to let them go, then a battle was unavoidable.
"…I get the feeling my life isn't going to be peaceful from now on, Mr. Lucas."
Colress froze for a moment at the invitation, then pushed up his glasses with a weary smile. He suddenly felt as if he had boarded a pirate ship—joining Lucas's experiments might only have been the beginning.
"Life always needs a bit of surprise, Doctor Colress. Staying cooped up in the lab forever is hardly healthy."
Lucas grinned broadly and with a flick of his arm tossed the heavy ball high into the air.
"Prepare yourself for battle—Eternatus!"
"RooaaAARRR!"
A low, resonant dragon's cry thundered across the sky. The colossal skeletal dragon unfurled its body, its eerie crimson light staining the heavens blood-red.
A crushing divine aura spilled across the battlefield, pressing down like a mountain, suffocating all within its reach.
Eternatus!
"Ohhh… Mr. Lucas, I truly hadn't expected you had such a card up your sleeve."
Colress's eyes shone with excitement as he gazed at the immense, terrifying skeletal dragon above them. The overwhelming pressure left no doubt—this was an immensely powerful legendary.
With such a presence, there was indeed no longer any need to cower before Kyurem.
But just as Eternatus unleashed its oppressive aura without restraint—
"…Hm?"
Far away, within the Giant Chasm at the Glacial Valley, Zacian suddenly lifted its head. Its gaze was sharp as a blade, piercing straight through the air.
It had sensed it—that familiar aura!
"…Hm?"
As it pressed Genesect down, Black Kyurem suddenly snapped its head around—its eyes fell upon Eternatus.
"Rooaaarrr!"
With a savage dragon's bellow, Black Kyurem swung a claw, smashing one unlucky Genesect that failed to dodge, swatting it into the ground like an insect and leaving it embedded in the earth.
Its turbine tail flared, discharging a surge of electricity that formed a crackling barrier around it in an instant.
Then Black Kyurem hurled itself straight toward Eternatus.
Fusion Bolt!
Though Black Kyurem itself was not Electric-type, this fused form carried Zekrom's power within it. In fact, when Black Kyurem used Fusion Bolt, its power was even greater than Zekrom's!
Of course, most of that difference came from Black Kyurem's raw strength—its superiority over Zekrom was simply too vast.
"…Still holding a grudge, huh? Coming at us so hot-blooded."
Lucas raised a brow. Clearly, Black Kyurem hadn't forgotten the last battle at the Glacial Valley, when Eternatus had taken the chance to press it down at the end.
Now, the moment it saw Eternatus again, it immediately tossed aside the Genesects and came barreling in.
"Dynamax Cannon!"
Eternatus's deep, ominous cry echoed, and the crimson light within its chest and belly blazed to life. In the next instant, a colossal scarlet beam fired straight toward Black Kyurem.
The massive beam and the charging dragon collided head-on with an earth-shaking crash.
BOOOOM!
The violent wave of energy spread outward in a storm of force. The shockwave was so intense that Lucas and Colress both had to shield their faces with their arms.
After a long stalemate, the Dynamax Cannon detonated in a thunderous explosion, and Black Kyurem was blasted back by the energy.
"Techno Blast!"
Seeing the opportunity, Colress immediately issued the command to his shiny Genesect.
The mutant bug launched into the sky, the cannon on its back glowing with concentrated energy. A great purple beam lanced out and struck Black Kyurem squarely.
Black Kyurem let out a pained roar, its dragon eyes burning with bloodthirst. It turned upon the shiny Genesect with killing intent, bellowing furiously.
Colress fell silent, dumbfounded.
That had been Techno Blast from a shiny Genesect—yet Black Kyurem had only howled once in pain and showed little else?
Was it toying with them?
"Eternatus, Dragon Tail."
Lucas, on the other hand, wasn't surprised. Black Kyurem's defensive stamina was outrageous—high HP, immense defenses, incredible attack. This was the basic template of top-tier legendaries.
Shiny Genesect was indeed stronger than the standard variant, but its greatest advantage lay in speed and agility. It could harass and distract Black Kyurem well enough—that was all that mattered.
The real main force was still Eternatus.
The dragon's dotted eyes flared with shifting lights, and its long tail shimmered with a green glow. It lashed it downward with full force toward Black Kyurem.
Dragon Tail!
(End of Chapter)