White Kyurem slowly rose into the air, its overpowering dragon aura releasing unchecked as its draconic gaze locked intensely onto Reshiram.
"Whoa whoa whoa… this isn't a joke, Lucas! Aren't we going to leave?!"
Watching the two dragons face off, Green's complexion turned a bit pale. The oppressive pressure in the Glacier Canyon was simply unbearable. It felt like her heart was being clenched, making it hard to breathe.
She really wanted to run right now. No kidding—this Ice Dragon clearly had every intention of going after them!
Just from the size and aura alone, Reshiram didn't seem to be in the same league as Kyurem. Was it about to get completely wrecked?
"Don't panic. Let's just back up a bit," Lucas said calmly, eyes glued to White Kyurem as he quietly instructed the two girls.
He wanted to observe Kyurem's true strength—and more importantly, this was an opportunity to show White Kyurem what Reshiram could do.
No matter what, he didn't want to give up on the Ice Dragon so easily. It suited his tastes far too well!
But backing up by a quite a distance was necessary. After all, a battle between two Legendaries could easily result in collateral damage.
The three of them quickly retreated. At the same time, Lucas threw out Gardevoir's Poké Ball to create a protective barrier for their safety.
Even though they had backed off, large-scale attacks might still reach them.
"We don't want to fight you, Kyurem. Calm down," Reshiram said, its dragon eyes filled with caution as a telepathic voice echoed ethereally in the canyon.
It had anticipated this—given how much Kyurem resented both it and Zekrom, things were bound to escalate.
"How ridiculous. Are you trying to tell me that your 'hero' wants to capture me? Don't be arrogant, White Dragon," Kyurem growled, its voice hoarse and menacing, its expression twisted with disdain.
It never once believed any human was worthy of being its partner.
And even if one did exist, it certainly wouldn't be that so-called 'Hero of Truth' chosen by Reshiram!
Kyurem had always looked down on both the White and Black Dragons. Possessing the greatest power, it saw no need to ever find a partner.
Truth? Ideals?
What a joke.
"Power isn't everything, Kyurem. After all these years, you still haven't understood that," Reshiram's tone darkened. Though Kyurem mocked its belief in truth and ideals, Reshiram likewise looked down on Kyurem, who had nothing beyond brute strength.
If a living being never finds purpose or meaning in life, then merely existing becomes a tragedy.
"You're just spouting nonsense. Then take your so-called truth and become stone with it!"
Kyurem's dragon eyes flashed with a chilling glint, and its aura grew even more violent.
"ROOAARRR!"
Its fierce roar shook the entire canyon, and in the next moment, Kyurem opened its mouth and gathered a dense beam of draconic energy before firing it at Reshiram.
Dragon Pulse!
"Evade and use Fusion Flare!" Lucas commanded telepathically, without hesitation.
Kyurem's base typing was Dragon and Ice, and regardless of its Black or White form, it retained those types.
Dragon-type resists Fire-type moves, but Ice-type is weak to Fire, so Fire attacks deal neutral damage to White Kyurem.
However, this form of Kyurem—enhanced by Reshiram's essence—was specialized in special attacks. In fact, its Special Attack stat in the games reaches an insane base of 170!
A head-on clash wouldn't work.
Reshiram flapped its wings to swiftly evade the incoming attack. As it climbed higher, the turbine on its back began glowing red.
Overdrive Mode Activated.
Scorching flames rapidly condensed, forming a massive fireball in front of Reshiram. Two fiery serpents circled the sphere, weaving around it.
This was one of Reshiram's signature moves—Fusion Flare.
Of course, White Kyurem could also use this move in its current form.
The blazing fireball launched at high speed toward Kyurem.
"The result probably won't be great," Lucas muttered, narrowing his eyes. He didn't immediately order Eternatus to intervene.
He knew Reshiram couldn't beat Kyurem, but at the very least, he wanted to gauge Kyurem's current strength… probably…?
Screeech—!
Faced with the incoming Fusion Flare, Kyurem didn't even flinch. It opened its jaws wide, and a torrent of frigid air erupted out.
The temperature across the Glacier Canyon dropped sharply.
A moment later—
A violent blizzard cloaked the entire sky. Snowflakes filled the air as a whiteout storm surged toward Reshiram.
The Fusion Flare collided head-on with the blizzard—
And was instantly swallowed by it.
The remaining snowstorm still surged forward, crashing toward Reshiram.
"This range is insane…"
Green and Marnie stared in shock at the scale of the storm—almost the entire sky had been engulfed in snow and wind.
Everywhere the eye could see, there was only a raging blizzard.
It was absurdly massive.
"Heat Wave!"
Lucas frowned. Even though Fire beats Ice, the Fusion Flare had been completely overwhelmed.
It was clear now: the power gap between Reshiram and Kyurem had grown quite substantial.
Reshiram flapped its wings forcefully, sending out waves of scorching heat to counter the oncoming blizzard—
BOOM!
Heat Wave and the blizzard collided violently, exploding on contact. Shockwaves rippled through the canyon.
Thick clouds of smoke and steam spread through the air.
"Lucas, I'm not Kyurem's match," Reshiram said telepathically, as it was knocked back by the impact.
The unspoken message: If you don't send Eternatus in now, I'm about to be frozen solid!
Upon closer inspection, you could already see frost forming on Reshiram's white feathers.
Even though it had blocked the blizzard, some of the icy wind still got through—and in Kyurem's home turf, the Glacier Canyon, the environment gave Kyurem a huge advantage.
Being an Ice Dragon, Kyurem thrived in the cold.
"I understand. Be careful," Lucas nodded. While he'd expected Reshiram to be outmatched, the battle had barely lasted two moves…
Well, fair enough. The difference in strength really was quite large.
If they continued like this, it would only end in Reshiram getting thoroughly beaten.
And then, Lucas's eyes narrowed.
From within the smoke, a black silhouette was rapidly approaching Reshiram.
"Dragon Pulse!"
Reshiram sensed the incoming threat and quickly fired a beam of draconic energy forward.
But White Kyurem had already closed the distance. Its claws were now glowing with a fierce, greenish-blue light.
It didn't care about the incoming Dragon Pulse—instead, it swung its claws fiercely.
Dragon Claw!
The Dragon Pulse was ripped apart on contact, and the claw strike slammed directly into Reshiram's body.
BOOM!
Reshiram was launched like a cannonball, crashing into a glacier-covered mountainside.
It didn't just hit the wall—it embedded into it!
Lucas: "…"
Marnie: "…"
Green: "…"
They knew Reshiram probably wasn't a match, but… that crash was way too quick and brutal!
"Foolish. You dare lose focus while fighting me? Ice Burn!"
White Kyurem grinned, its terrifying face twisted with aggression. Its telepathic voice was brimming with murderous intent.
At the same time, Kyurem raised its head slightly as the turbines behind its tail flared with heat.
A dreamlike, red-and-blue energy sphere began to gather in front of its mouth.
This was Kyurem's signature move—
(End of Chapter)