Lucien stepped into the icy cavern once more.
Staring into the darkness wrapped in freezing mist, he called out, "Kyurem, we're back! Come out and face us!"
Silence answered for a moment.
Then, from the depths, heavy footsteps echoed and grew louder. Soon, Kyurem's frigid silhouette emerged from the shadows. Frosty mist expanded outward, and a numbing cold swept across the entire cavern.
The once-still water froze in an instant. Ice walls rose, and within a heartbeat, the frozen battlefield reconstructed itself before Lucien's eyes.
"Hmph…" Kyurem's gaze locked onto him. "You are no match for me. Even now, you refuse to give up?"
"I can't give up," Lucien answered firmly. "I'm not fighting for myself alone. Kyurem, let's battle!"
"Hmph. Very well." The Boundary Pokémon snorted. "Enter the gate once more."
Lucien stepped through the shimmering doorway again.
A bitter chill surged over him, the kind that could freeze the world itself. But his training during the recent icefall trials left him almost unfazed.
Dragonair and the others handled it just as well.
Ignoring the cold, Lucien drew Serperior's Poké Ball.
Serperior vs. Kyurem.
The battle began.
Kyurem eyed Serperior coldly and, just like before, lunged forward with Shadow Claw.
"The same opening move?" Lucien murmured. He nodded toward Serperior, they had prepared for this.
Perfectly synchronized with its Trainer, Serperior remained motionless.
The Ice Arena was wide, and Kyurem still had distance to close. For Shadow Claw to connect, it had to charge.
Kyurem immediately sensed something was off.
But before it could react, something tugged sharply at its foot.
Its massive body crashed forward from its own momentum.
A Grass Knot!
"Serperior, Leaf Storm!" Lucien called. His plan had worked, time to press the advantage.
Green energy surged from Serperior, exploding into a violent storm of grass-type power that howled toward Kyurem.
But Kyurem merely stood up as if nothing had happened. With a roar, it unleashed a burst of pressure that blew the storm apart. It glanced at Lucien with icy disdain.
"Improvement… but nowhere near enough."
Lucien's heart tightened. Kyurem was still overwhelmingly strong.
Kyurem roared. A freezing beam erupted toward Serperior.
"Serperior, dodge!" Lucien commanded.
The beam tore across the field. Serperior darted aside as the attack slammed into the ground.
"Rumble!"
A shockwave of cold raged outward, freezing the very air. Tower-sized ice pillars erupted across the battlefield.
Serperior weaved between them, using speed and terrain to evade the deadly beam.
"No…" Lucien grit his teeth. "Serperior's Grass typing puts it at a huge disadvantage. Even its strongest Leaf Storm barely scratches Kyurem!"
Serperior didn't have many non-Grass moves available.
What could he do?
His eyes drifted to the newly formed ice pillars.
The terrain…
"Serperior!" Lucien shouted. "Use Vine Whip! Take advantage of the terrain!"
Terrain? Serperior glanced around, massive pillars of ice surrounded them.
It instantly understood.
While evading Kyurem's attacks, it maneuvered intentionally, luring Kyurem beneath the towering ice structures.
"All you do is run?" Kyurem growled, smashing apart the ice pillars with its claws.
At that moment, two slender vines shot out from Serperior's body.
Like serpents, they coiled around the weakened pillars above, and tightened with all their strength.
Crack!
A sharp crack echoed from inside the weakened pillar. With a thunderous crash, the massive block of ice collapsed and slammed down onto Kyurem. The legendary dragon staggered under the impact.
Lucien didn't hesitate. "Now! Leaf Storm!"
Every point of damage mattered.
A violent green tempest roared forth again, surging straight toward Kyurem.
Kyurem roared in return, and this time, its voice manifested as a physical blast. The entire cavern shook violently as a powerful shockwave tore outward. Nearly every remaining ice pillar shattered in an instant, and Serperior was blown backward by the force.
That attack, Hyper Voice!
Lucien's eyes widened. "Serperior! Dodge!"
But Kyurem was already on the move.
The massive dragon lunged forward, its claws glowing with ghostly energy. Shadow Claw struck like a guillotine, sending the already-struggling Serperior skidding violently across the ice once more.
After the strike, Kyurem paused. Its colossal frame stood unmoving, a mountain of ancient, chilling power. Its voice rumbled coldly:
"Is this the extent of your strength?"
Lucien clenched his teeth. In that moment, the same emotion burned in both his heart and Serperior's.
Refusal.
Unwillingness.
No… Serperior could not fall, not while Lucien still believed in it.
Though severely injured, Serperior's fighting spirit ignited once more. With determination burning in its emerald eyes, it forced itself upright again.
A flicker of approval appeared in Kyurem's icy gaze.
"Good. Very good," the Boundary Pokémon growled. "Again!"
Lucien blinked, Kyurem's tone, the restraint behind its blows… he finally understood.
As he suspected, Kyurem wasn't using its full power.
If it had been serious from the start, Serperior wouldn't have survived even a single direct hit.
And now, after two Leaf Storms, Serperior's Contrary ability had nearly maxed out its Special Attack.
This chance couldn't be wasted.
"Serperior, Leaf Storm!"
A third emerald cyclone erupted.
This time, Kyurem countered with Dragon Pulse.
A surge of draconic energy burst from its mouth, forming a spiraling wave of violet force. The attack tore across the icy arena and collided head-on with Serperior's massively boosted Leaf Storm.
The moment they struck, the two powers exploded violently, locked in a dead-even struggle of Grass-type fury vs. Dragon-type might.
Lucien narrowed his eyes.
"So it really is holding back."
His thoughts gradually steadied.
Encounters with legendary Pokémon were rare. Just witnessing their attacks, their aura, their presence, it was all priceless training.
If Kyurem intended to restrain itself and act as a sparring partner…
Then Lucien would make full use of this opportunity.
He would treat Kyurem as the perfect, once-in-a-lifetime legendary training opponent.
...
Read chapters ahead @keepsmiling 818 p@reon