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The air shifted.
A sudden chill swept across the canyon, slicing through the arid dryness.
Snowflakes began to appear out of nowhere, delicate and crystalline, drifting lazily downward like fragments of a dream.
Even Zeraora's overwhelming magnetic field, which had blanketed the battlefield, began to falter pulled inward as if smothered by some unseen power.
High above, a radiant figure spread its wings.
Its feathers shimmered with sapphire and white brilliance, gleaming like sculpted ice beneath the sun.
Translucent wings, glittering like crystal, refracted light into dazzling colors. Its plumage was immaculate, its deep azure crest of three diamond-shaped feathers forming a crown fit for royalty.
From its long silken tail, icy motes scattered in the air, each spark of frost carrying a biting chill. Its steely beak glinted faintly, cold and unforgiving.
Articuno had descended.
On the ground, Louis stood frozen, staring up in shock. His lips trembled, but his eyes shone with awe.
This… this was the trump card he had carried from the Organization. The legendary Pokémon entrusted to him as part of Dark Star's great operation.
He had never released it until this moment.
Articuno, the embodiment of ice and grace. The secret weapon that gave Dark Star the confidence to stake everything on conquering the Clara Mountains.
"Skreee!"
The majestic cry echoed through the canyon, ancient and commanding.
Zeraora's sharp eyes narrowed, arcs of silver lightning crackling more intensely along its body. Unlike the trash it had swatted aside moments earlier, this opponent carried weight.
This one was dangerous.
Above, Articuno wheeled effortlessly, exhilarated to feel the endless sky again. Though the space within its Poké Ball had been vast, it was nothing compared to this boundless freedom.
Then its mood shifted.
It felt it. A surge of hostile energy is gathering from below.
Its crown-like crest tilted high, wings folding slightly inward, and the air itself froze in response.
Articuno's gaze locked onto Zeraora, a simmering displeasure glowing within those storm-gray eyes.
How dare this creature glare at me, a divine being, with hostility?
Frost condensed between its wings, a ball of radiant blue energy forming in an instant.
Crack!
"Blizzard Beam!"
The sphere burst, firing a twisting stream of blue-white light toward Zeraora. The frigid ray froze every droplet of moisture in its path, mist blooming like pale breath.
But Zeraora was no ordinary Pokémon. Born of lightning, its body was a masterpiece of speed and reflex.
Its muscles tensed, white sparks exploding beneath its feet. With a violent leap, it dashed aside, silver arcs trailing in its wake.
Zzzrtt!
The ice beam smashed into the canyon floor, freezing it solid in an instant. Crystalline frost spread outward, covering the earth in a shining sheet of ice.
Even Louis's squad, standing far away, shivered as the cold washed over them.
Zeraora's expression hardened. That blast…
Even with its endurance, two or three direct hits would be fatal.
Articuno's wings gleamed once more.
Another Ice Beam tore through the sky.
Then another.
And another.
Zeraora darted back and forth in blinding zigzags, its body little more than a blur of electricity as it evaded.
Each strike from above carved deeper scars into the canyon, leaving jagged sheets of frozen earth behind.
From the sky, Articuno's patience did not waver. Its proud, regal eyes held calm assurance.
It had lived for centuries. It had seen countless speedy challengers before.
And it knew the truth.
Speed alone was fleeting. Muscles tire. Lungs burn. Reflexes dull.
Sooner or later, they slip.
All it needed was one mistake. One touch.
Because a single graze from its ice beam was enough to lock the battlefield in frozen chains.
Its storm-gray eyes flickered with faint amusement as it continued its relentless bombardment, utterly unconcerned about its energy reserves.
A Legendary like itself did not run out.
On the ground, Zeraora's paws skidded across the growing frost, its mind racing.
This won't work. I can't just keep dodging.
Articuno had the advantage of altitude, and while Zeraora could levitate briefly with electromagnetic force, its aerial agility was pitiful compared to the master of the skies.
A frontal chase would be suicide.
Then—its eyes lit up.
Got it.
The predator within sharpened.
It only needed one opening.
Articuno lost another barrage, freezing swathes of earth below.
Then it saw....
Zeraora slipped.
Its claws scraped across the glassy ice, balance faltering for the first time.
The opportunity it had been waiting for.
"Skreee!"
Articuno's eyes flashed cold triumph.
Wings spread wide, it poured even greater power into its assault.
Beams rained down like spears of divine judgment, engulfing the canyon in blue-white fury.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Explosions of frost and mist churned the battlefield, the air thick with shards of ice.
Articuno's eyes glimmered.
It's over.
And yet deep within its chest, unease coiled.
Something was wrong.
It had struck. It should have struck.
So why did it feel… uneasy?
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~Support with 200 PowerStones = 1 Bonus Chapter
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