Angel pulls the heavy outdoor jacket's zipper to the top of its rails with a sharp tug and wraps her arms around her body to preserve the heat seeping away from her body. Her breath freezes in the air as she delves deeper into the cavern. She burrows into the folds of her mother's signature black jacket, burdening her mother with her intrusive body but gaining warmth all the same.
The absol tribe surrounds them on all sides. Keeping their group together as they lead the brigade to the dragon's chamber. The alpha of the pack mutters occasionally to Angel, mostly questioning their plan of attack and if they're certain such an aggressive attack is most wise. The prodigy attempts to explain their strategy in further detail, but she wasn't her mother and informing without her mother's sketched out diagrams proved difficult. While the young prodigy did excel in strategy games like the pokemon duel electronic board game and chess, actual battles she found much more difficult. After all, there is a difference between lifeless, plastic figurines and living, breathing pokemon whose voice you can hear in your head.
The absol tribe disperses as they approach the dragon's hibernation cavern, the uncomfortable readings that their horn picked up driving their twitchy bodies away. The ice had thickened severely since the last time Angel had visited. The thin film that had covered the floor in frosted tendrils had thickened significantly, almost an inch or more in height. The group continues on carefully, quietly; as not to disturb the jagged icicles hanging from the ceiling.
Angel restrain her gulps, frightened of making any sound to alert their presence as they cross into the heart of the cave. The vine coverage had been frozen off, the shards dead on the ground. The drip no longer held presence; the temperature far too cold inside to warrant melting.
Pokemon are released all at once in a desperate attempt to keep noise subtle and short, but with the amount of claws clicking against ice and flapping wings defeats the effort. Hooves clop against the floor as the Swords swiften their pace as the pathway broadens. Angel had never been this far into the beast's lair. The sight is terrifyingly beautiful. Reflective, rainbow crystalline ice glows in spirals, bridges, what one could easily mistake as ornamental decorations due to their artistic, abstract shape, yet Angel could clearly hear the fitful sleep of Kyurem as its claws raked against the ice.
A quiet hiss sounds as Giratina is released from her capsule and her large forms hovers silently. Angel boards her mount, hand pressing reassuringly against her neck before gripping the crest of the dragon's frilled neck as it floats forward. A glance into the inner chamber shows the hide of the monster and Angel gulps down her terror. She spares a look over her shoulder where the adults stand on the ledge that opened from the connecting corridor. Cynthia nods her head and the child turns back around. Her violet eyes glow in the reflection of the ice as she watches the dragon shift in its sleep.
It looked so harmless in this state. If anything the constant movements were more reminiscent of a bad dream or the way one squirmed when frightened by the dark. The words of the creation of Kyurem echo in the platinum's head. A sliver of doubt filters into her mind… this didn't look like a monster. In fact it reminded her of Cyrus; a empty shell of something once grand. A creature whose only emotion that didn't cause its heart to tear was anger. Perhaps there was hope in a peaceful end. If she could just get a word in before it jumped to conclusions…
Angel's entire body shakes as her dragon rears it's head back, energy forming at the mouth. A spiraling Aura Sphere rams into the creature's hide before Angel lurches backward as Giratina retreats from the entrance, barely missing an ice beam that just misses the dragon's tendril wings.
Giratina waits as the creature lumbers out, roaring in rage, for a command. A glance at her trainer show the child breathing heavily with saucer eyes. The ghost grumbles in concern before preparing another sphere to launch at the ice type emerging from its chamber.
Kyurem roars in pain as flickering purple flames scorch his body and wisps of the magical fire skitter across its skin painfully. It lurches forward and fires a beam at Giratina who swirls out of the way as carefully as possible with the cargo clinging to her back. The legendary zooms in, claws glowing with purple energy as they rake across the other titan's face viciously and Kyurem responds open mouthed with a powering up ice beam. The jaws snap shut as Angel and it clashes eyes, and the flicker of surprise and concern that presses at the fringes of her mind makes Angel purse her lips as the fliers dart in with attacks. The dragon roars in pain and red welts begin to raise onto its skin.
Teeth gnash against Angel's lip as a flamethrower from her own arcanine broils across Kyurem's chest and when Giratina zooms towards the creature's throat, causing Angel to slide downwards towards its neck she finds herself hesitating slightly.
A hand reaches out on its own accord as Cynthia shouts for Angel to hurry. Small fingers prod at the base of the creature's head and bump against the artificial machinery implanted into the dragon's skin. They clutch the object, only to be shaken free as Kyurem roars and turns, trying to see the intruder on his back.
Don't touch them, the voice hisses angrily. Don't touch them. No! No! Kyurem continues to thrash as Angel grips them again. Please, don't touch them! I need them! I can't be without them. Not after so long...
The fingers unfurl slightly, enough to release the item while remaining curled at the base.
"You're not yourself with these," Angel whispers.
Yes I am. I am more myself than I have been in centuries.
"I… I" The child stutters.
"Angel, do it!" Cynthia shouts frantically; she wanted her daughter off that dragon. She wanted her off that dragon yesterday.
"Come on kid," Skyla agrees in nervous anticipation.
Another command from her mother forces Angel's fingers around the object and she jerks it out. They feel like lead in her hands as she pulls it back and a horrid roar shakes Kyurem's body. Any words string together incomprehensibly and Angel is sent flying as she is dislodged from the dragon's body. Mystic catches her weight with a painful thud and Angel swears something snaps in her torso. Pain flares and she yelps with what little breath is left in her body.
Cynthia gently takes her from the hydreigon who returns to battle, fangs bared. She gently caresses her daughter's face and presses a kiss to her forehead.
"I've got it from here Love," The mother reassures, unlatching the master ball from her necklace. "I've got this. You did great. I'm proud of you."
The words are like a balm to her turbulent mind. Her mother was proud of her accomplishments. Surely that meant something Angel pondered as Cynthia boarded her Togekiss to deliver another Aura Sphere to the creature's face.
Her drooping purple eyes jerk open as she feels the weight of the DNA splicers lift from her loosened grip. N throws them towards his pokemon, the lithe feline cracking the machine with savage teeth. The material cracks and crumbles, plastic parts dropping to the ice with a tink.
All humans instinctively cover their ears as a roar shakes the cave. Icicles fall from the ceiling as the sound shakes their foundations and pokemon and trainers duck under covered ground to protect themselves from the assault of ice shards. the ceiling with a shattering screech, scratching skin and slicing through fur coats in their descent. Angel pries her eyes open in squinted pain, the crazed dragon's gibberish tearing her mind to shreds.
Why?! I was finally complete! The dragon hisses and rakes the area Cynthia was flittering around with sharp claws laced in purple. You humans ruin everything! I was whole!
Angel shifts against the ground in vain hope of encountering the beast face to face as to read its expressions, but pain flares in her ribs causing her to gag suddenly. Specks of crimson fly through the air as she shifts into a sitting position. She ignores N's frantic words over the red dotting her mouth and watches with glossy eyes as Cynthia clutches the master ball in her hand and togekiss flits around trying to find a good angel. They only had one shot after all. The flier zooms around, darting past ice attacks and eventually being ordered to drop her cargo at the titan's feet.
Cynthia steels her nerves and ignores the charging air surrounding the legendary as she enlarges the master ball. The capsule inflates, the m glowing blue as it charges. The champion reels her arm back to pitch the master ball.
Angel feels herself flying, more accurately falling, before it registers in her brain that she is doing so. Her hands reach and grasp the master ball flying towards its victim with frozen fingers as Kyurem releases a Glaciate into the air. Whatever moisture clings to Angel automatically freezes over. Icicles form along her clothing and stiffens her hair. Her blood burns through her frozen skin as her heavy body slumps to the ground.
The sound makes pokemon and people a like to stop their movements to watch as Cynthia hastily runs to catch her plummeting daughter.
"Angel, love?"
The paleing body shudders with cold as cough racks it, more flecking crimson blighting the pink lips. The violet eyes blink open and focus behind the blonde clutching her to the titan staring.
"I'm sorry Kyurem… if they were your only comfort. You were hurting this region, freezing it from this chasm out. You're not empty Kyurem. You have a name, have a body, breathe to live. You are alive, whether you will admit it or not. Your grudge does nothing. I don't force pokemon into balls… You are free from the slicers keeping you tied to the others. Free yourself of this cave," Angel's chest heaves as she breathes laboriously. The air was warming around them, not the Angel could feel anything besides numbness. "You're not a bad pokemon."
Feeling press against Angel's brain. Sorrow is one of them, another fear. A captive given freedom sometimes prefers his cage. Kyurem was safe in the cave. There was a reason to be angry, humanity trapped him there. There was a reason to feel alone, no one dared entered. Everything made sense in a cage. It made no sense out there.
Angel smiles slightly, a upwards rise of the tips of her lips as she clumsily fingers one of her pokeballs. A blue aura surrounds Giratina as the connection to the pokeball snaps, cut cleanly. The dragon roars in confusion and the child twists as much as possible to face the ghost with an answer.
"You both deserve real freedom. I showed you your sunrise, show Kyurem his own."