Black Kyurem showed no fear against Eternatus Dragon Tail. It raised its massive draconic arms and met the strike head-on.
Dragon Claw!
The attack Dragon Tail and the attack Dragon Claw collided head-on, the clash erupting into a fierce shockwave that rippled out violently in every direction.
But in the very next instant, Black Kyurem extended its other massive claw and directly seized Eternatus's tail in its grip.
The pitch-black dragon revealed a terrifying, sinister grin as an overwhelming chill surged out from its body, spreading outward in every direction. The part of Eternatus's tail that was caught immediately began to gather frost, a visible layer of ice rapidly creeping across its scales.
"Cross Poison!"
Lucas furrowed his brows slightly. Without even a moment of hesitation, he shouted the command to Eternatus deep within his heart.
"Techno Blast!"
At the same time, Colress had also noticed that the situation was not right.
Eternatus crossed its massive claws, bringing them down in a violent slash. A colossal Cross Poison was released, slicing toward Black Kyurem with destructive force.
Meanwhile, the Shiny Genesect darted like lightning into position behind Eternatus, its back-mounted cannon beginning to charge with crackling purple energy.
"ROOAARRR!"
Black Kyurem let out a thunderous roar, its freezing breath condensing into a glowing ring that spread outward in every direction.
Glaciate!
The icy aura of Glaciate expanded at terrifying speed. Starting from the portion of Eternatus's tail that had been caught, thick layers of solid ice began forming rapidly.
But at that very moment, both Eternatus's Cross Poison and the Shiny Genesect's Techno Blast landed simultaneously.
The double impact, one striking from the front and one from behind, forced Black Kyurem to let out a painful bellow and release Eternatus's tail from its grasp.
Seizing the opportunity, both Eternatus and the Shiny Genesect quickly lowered their massive bodies, dropping downward at great speed to avoid the brunt of the freezing shockwave from Glaciate.
"Dragon Tail!"
Lucas wasted no time. He refused to give Black Kyurem any chance to recover and instantly ordered Eternatus to press the attack.
Eternatus swung its elongated tail, the tip still coated in a layer of frozen ice, now glowing with a sharp azure light. With a mighty force, it slammed the heavy tail directly against Black Kyurem's body.
The strike landed cleanly. Black Kyurem's massive body reeled under the force of the blow and was sent crashing downward toward the snowy ground.
But even as it fell, unwilling to go down so easily, Black Kyurem counterattacked. A ray of draconic energy shot forth from its maw straight toward Eternatus.
Dragon Pulse!
The pulse exploded on impact with Eternatus, a burst of power erupting in midair.
However, for Eternatus, whose strength and endurance were on an entirely different level, such an attack was barely enough to scratch the surface.
"Tch. This one really doesn't let itself take even the slightest loss."
Lucas arched a brow. He could tell that Kyurem's temperament was indeed as troublesome as it was fierce.
With a resounding crash, Black Kyurem's massive body slammed into the snowy field below, kicking up an enormous cloud of snow and shards of ice into the air.
"Even if you truly are the strongest of dragons, trying to take on several enemies at once is simply arrogance bordering on recklessness."
Lucas let out a quiet laugh. There was no denying that a dragon like Kyurem—capable of freely shifting its form—was a fearsome force, indeed one of the strongest of all legendary Pokémon.
Eternatus had not yet reached its full power. It could not Gigantamax here, which meant that a one-on-one clash against Kyurem would naturally put it at a disadvantage. That was normal.
Yet the gap was not as overwhelming as one might imagine. And this was not some fair, tournament-style one-on-one battle. With the assistance of other legendary Pokémon, Eternatus absolutely had the means to fight against Kyurem head-on.
If Kyurem had not been so determined to prevent their escape this time, if it had not been so obsessed with not letting them go as it had at the Glacial Valley, Lucas would not have chosen to prolong the fight at all. There was no true necessity to do so.
Still, caution was required. Kyurem's sudden outbursts were dangerous. At the end of the day, the advantage they currently held was a small one, and it could easily turn.
BOOM!
At that very moment, three beams of energy—each of a different color—blasted down violently at the spot where Black Kyurem had crashed.
A deafening explosion rang out, shaking the entire snowfield.
It was a coordinated strike from three Genesect, their Techno Blasts converging on one point.
"That damned Ghetsis…"
Lucas turned his head slightly. Of course—this had been Ghetsis's command.
But wait. Why were there only three beams?
Sweeping his gaze over the snowy battlefield, Lucas quickly noticed a single Genesect standing alone, looking almost… dazed?
Indeed, the insect was staring blankly around its surroundings, its posture carrying far more humanity and even a hint of clumsy cuteness than the cold, mechanical obedience it had shown before.
"It should be that the controlling device I made was destroyed by Kyurem's earlier strike, so this one has broken free of command."
Colress adjusted his glasses and explained calmly to Lucas.
All four Genesect had been under his machines' control, which was why they had been obeying Ghetsis's orders. But earlier, this one had been smashed brutally into the ground by Black Kyurem's claw. Upon digging itself out, its controlling device had apparently broken, leaving it confused and uncertain.
"My Shiny Genesect is the leader of this squad. Let it bring this one back, and that should be enough."
Colress had his Shiny Genesect fly over. The freed Genesect, now lacking any orders, followed the Shiny Genesect without resistance and obediently returned to them.
"How interesting."
Lucas studied the newly-freed Genesect with keen curiosity. The way it hid behind the Shiny Genesect… could it be shy?
"Leaving these Pokémon in Ghetsis's hands is nothing but a waste. If we manage to recover them all, I would be more than willing to entrust them to you, Mr. Lucas."
Colress smiled faintly. For the moment, he seemed unbothered by the crisis of the raging Ice Dragon.
After all, with Eternatus here, their safety was still well protected.
"In that case, I won't refuse. I'll admit, I find Genesect rather fascinating myself."
Lucas arched a brow. Though not a Dragon-type, their battle potential was undeniably impressive.
While Lucas and Colress calmly discussed the ownership of Genesect, N was in a state of panic.
He had sent out his Pokémon, desperately trying to use Fire-type moves to thaw Zekrom from the ice.
But the Glaciate of Kyurem was no ordinary ice. It would not be undone so easily. The more he tried, the more helpless and anxious he felt.
And as for Ghetsis…
"Damn you, Colress! You bastard!"
Watching as one of his Genesect had been lured away by the Shiny Genesect, Ghetsis's expression twisted into raw fury, his eyes nearly bloodshot.
He felt as though he might break apart from rage.
This operation had not only failed completely, but had cost him dearly. Most of the Plasma Team's elites had been frozen solid by Kyurem. Even N's Zekrom was encased in ice.
And now he had even lost one of his Genesect!
Unforgivable!
"That useless brat is no longer reliable. But… it doesn't matter. If I can capture Kyurem, then everything will have been worth it!"
Casting a disdainful glance at N, still fumbling in vain to thaw Zekrom, Ghetsis spat curses under his breath.
Couldn't even melt a block of ice—what use was he?
Turning his gaze back to the snowfield, he fixed his eyes on the storm of icy dust where Kyurem had fallen. He couldn't see through the blizzard, but he knew one thing: Kyurem had been injured.
And he had noticed something else during the battle—the supposed "White Dragon Hero" seemed to have the upper hand.
Originally, Ghetsis had planned to retreat toward N's side with the Genesect. Though it pained him to abandon his frozen elites, Kyurem's arrival had shaken his confidence.
But after watching closely, he realized the tide was different from what he thought. Especially when he saw Kyurem struck down—he abandoned the idea of retreat entirely.
Instead, he commanded his three remaining Genesect to launch a coordinated attack!
If… if he could seize this chance to capture Kyurem, then none of the losses would matter!
"Techno Blast!"
Of course, he wasn't foolish enough to think his Genesect alone could bring Kyurem down. But weren't there temporary "allies" here? That skeletal monstrosity of a dragon, and that Shiny Genesect?
They could all strike together, and then he would deliver the finishing blow to capture Kyurem!
He had already imagined the process in his head.
The three Genesect obeyed his order, flying into the swirling storm of ice. Their cannons glowed, building up immense energy.
"ROOOAAARR!"
But then it happened. With a roar that shook the heavens, a massive form erupted from the icy cloud.
Black Kyurem burst forth, wings beating with hurricane force, blowing the three Genesect back like leaves in a gale.
The oppressive aura of a dragon—fierce, suffocating, terrifying—rolled over the battlefield.
From its glacial eyes, Black Kyurem glared down mercilessly at the three Genesect below.
There was no mistaking it now. Kyurem was furious. Truly, completely enraged.
"This is bad. But still, if…"
Ghetsis's brow furrowed deeply. Kyurem focusing its wrath on his three Genesect was not good news at all.
But perhaps it wasn't hopeless. That skeletal dragon and the Shiny Genesect could take this chance to attack.
Yet when he turned to look, his expression froze. Then his face twisted with fury.
Because the skeletal dragon and the Shiny Genesect hadn't moved closer at all. In fact, they had retreated further away, clearly unwilling to be caught in the blast radius.
Those two bastards were selling him out!
"Fool. Did you really think we would conveniently join in and help?"
Noticing Ghetsis's gaze, Lucas curled his lips into a cold smile.
"The enemy of my enemy is my friend"—such words can hold true in almost any world. And for Lucas, who valued benefit above all else, it was especially true.
As long as his taboos were not touched, he would put aside grudges in an instant if it meant profit. Even if he had been battling someone to the death a moment before, he would ally with them the next if it suited him.
But circumstances mattered. Did those three Genesect give Ghetsis the qualification to ally with him?
Absolutely not.
"Damn it! Damn you!!!"
Seeing that Lucas and Colress truly stood back, offering no help at all, Ghetsis nearly collapsed from rage.
Especially with Kyurem's wrath rolling over the battlefield like a tidal wave of ice, everyone could feel the immensity of the strongest dragon's anger.
"ROOOOOARRR!"
Black Kyurem raised its head and bellowed. Violent arcs of electricity surged around the turbines on its back.
Fusion Bolt!
The lightning spread across its body, wrapping it in a barrier of crackling energy. In the very next instant, the colossal dragon lunged forward in a devastating charge aimed directly at the three Genesect.
"Dodge it!"
Ghetsis's pupils shrank. If they were struck by this, with their fragile bodies, the Genesect would be destroyed instantly.
The three Genesect scattered in panic. Compared to Kyurem's enormous bulk, their small size made them more agile.
They managed to avoid the charge. But then, from Kyurem's body, another chilling aura erupted suddenly.
A ring of freezing blue light expanded outward in all directions.
Glaciate!
The icy shockwave spread faster than they could flee. Within moments, each of the three Genesect were overtaken. Their bodies were instantly coated in ice, locked in thick, crystalline frost.
Frozen solid!
The Fusion Bolt had only been a feint. The real attack had always been Glaciate!
"Damn you, Kyurem!"
Watching his last three Genesect frozen stiff in the blink of an eye, Ghetsis's vision turned red with fury.
Those had been his final trump cards! With the Genesect immobilized, he had nothing left!
(End of Chapter)