DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN POKEMON! ELSE WE'D HAVE SEEN AT LEAST ONE DROP OF BLOOD IN THE ANIME BY NOW!
Castrum De Glacies.
"I Win."
"Scarlet!" White cried, ignoring the agonising pain searing through her. Laughing, Ghetsis pulled the blade out and watched the lustrous blood seep into his Soul Flayer and turn the icy-steel brilliant red.
Bastard! Teddy and Jolteon cried in unison, leaping towards him.
"Hmph," was all the tyrant replied and from above, two massive pincers slammed them back to the ground. Before the other pokemon could even react, the very floor below them reared up and encased their legs in black ice, a material now difficult to break no matter what attack they used. Drapion snickered cruelly before raising Teddy and Jolteon high and flinging them hard against the wall where the ice caught them and held them in place.
"You fools, did you actually think your anti-Kyurem power could really destroy me?" Ghetsis sneered, grabbing Scarlet by the hair and throwing him off the table, down the stairs and unto the hard floor below.
The injured redhead gasped as his wound bore the brunt of the fall before struggling to get himself up. "Ghet...sis!"
Gloves blazing, his Reshiram Boost reactivated and he tore towards the man only for Drapion's heavy tail to slam into his chest and send him far back. Hitting the wall, he collapsed against the floor and Ghetsis leapt off the podium before gracefully landing before the teen.
"I'm sure you're wondering how I survived," he jeered and grabbed Scarlet's left arm before smiling crookedly. "Those Dragon Knight fodder were very useful in my experiments. It's thanks to them that I have this ultimate body. And do you know what makes this body so ultimate?"
"Let him go!" White yelled, drawing out Reshiram's pokeball. Why Ghetsis had left it with her, she didn't know but she knew she had to stop the man before-
"You're seriously gonna attack me with your brother's pokemon? Isn't that against your principles?" Ghetsis called without even facing her, making her throwing arm pause mid-way. "Oh I forgot. That killed Skyla, didn't it?"
"Y-you...You..." she growled before spurting blood from her mouth. Her bleeding intensified and Ghetsis laughed as she wobbled dizzily.
"Looks like you're not used to such injuries, are you, White," he scoffed before pulling Scarlet up by the arm. "Ah yes, this body is ultimate because its merely a small part of me."
"The...hell are you on about, bastard," Scarlet stuttered between pants.
"I am the original Dragon Knight, Scarlet. In a sense, I am Kyurem and Kyurem is me. I have full control over his ice. You can say I am his ice in a sense. And what is this castle made of?"
Scarlet froze and his green eyes widened. "N-no way...then that means-"
"I am this castle!" Ghetsis boomed and sank his knee into Scarlet's chest before tightening his hold on his arm. "You can destroy this body as much as you like but so long as this castle stands, I'll simply come back again and again and again!"
"You...monster..." White hissed, struggling to get on her feet.
"Indeed I am a monster. But Scarlet's a monster too in a sense since Kyurem had lived within him too. Ah, speaking of which."
An ominous crack made Scarlet's eyes go even wider. Pain like no other went through his left arm and he could only watch as Ghetsis gave a hard squeeze and shattered his arm completely.
"And now without further ado," Ghetsis proclaimed and smashed Scarlet against the wall where the ice tied him down. "Let the soul gathering commence!"
Raising his arms, the green-haired tyrant gave an insane laugh as the floor turned bright red and spewed light.
"What the-" Cynthia exclaimed as the floor beneath her feet went red and let loose icy arms that grabbed her and pulled her in completely, separating her from her team.
"Huh?!" Cheren cried as the same colour stained the floor beneath him. "Hippie what's going on?!"
"That damned bastard. He's controlling the castle?!" N hissed, struggling with the icy arms wrapping around his legs and pulling him into the floor. The same went for Cheren and he grit his teeth before letting out an angry yell as he too disappeared below the floor.
"What the fuck!" LP yelled, already neck-deep in the floor.
"Looks like Ghetsis planned way ahead," Rain murmured and smiled in spite of his and Latios's position. "We must've walked right into his trap."
And you find that amusing?! Latios yelled before getting pulled in. Rain followed seconds later and LP let out a string of colourful curses which merely trailed off into gurgles as the water-like surface absorbed him completely.
Lightning! We have to get out of here! Mienshao cried as the floor went ruby-red. Said boy didn't even stir as the arms coiled around him. Expression hooded, he hugged Alphinia's body tightly and his pokemon frantically reached for him as he was pulled into the floor.
"Natsuki-sama! The aura-coefficient in the atmosphere has spiked!"
"What?!" Natsuki barked, pushing the medic off and tossing her jacket over her completely-bandaged torso. Rushing to the screen, she cursed upon seeing the clouds spiral above the glowing castle.
"Does this mean..." a man stuttered.
"They failed?" Will completed, biting a nail in annoyance.
Natsuki stared angrily at the screen before turning and heading for the airship's exit.
"Where do you thing you're going?" Will more stated than asked, blocking her path.
"To stop Ghetsis from awakening Kyurem and bop that idiot nephew on the head for losing," she spat, green eyes narrowing dangerously. "Move."
"In your state, I doubt you can even face a human, much less Ghetsis Harmonia! Titan and Gargantos are tired out too and what good would it do if you succumbed to your injuries and died now?" he rationalised firmly.
"What good would it do to stand here and watch him bring back a monster?!" she barked and was about going around him when an eerie, high-pitched tone rang in not just her ears but everyone else's.
"Uh...ma'am. I think we might be too late," an operative blurted as even the castle grounds went red. Tendrils of light spread across the roads and streets before encasing not just Castrum De Glacies but the entire town of Lacunosa in red light.
As one, the screams of people and pokemon rang through the air as the town's population had their souls drained from with them and channelled back to the castle where they all convoluted as spirals of energy around Ghetsis's Soul Flayer.
Cynthia and the rest popped out on the top floor and were slammed against the floor around Ghetsis in a circle-like formation along with White, Scarlet and their pokemon.
"Darn it! We're too late?!" N barked as the large pattern similar to White's glowing scar and drawn with Camille's blood lit up across the floor.
"Isn't that obvious?" Ghetsis scoffed, all ready before him. Crouching, he took Zekrom's ball from N's belt and smirked evilly before adding, "Too bad it came to this, son. Oh well, I'll be sure to apologise to you and your sisters' corpses once this is over."
"Bastard!" N and Cheren barked, the latter hacking up blood immediately after from his injuries.
"Ah, you guys must also be wondering where the 1000 souls can be gathered, no?" Ghetsis asked and twirled his blade before turning to the wall which crumbled instantly to show the host town ahead aglow with the same deadly-red light. "Here's a little fun fact. Kyurem chose Lacunosa especially because Vermiculo came from here. And guess how many lives reside in this hick of a town?"
Cynthia's eyes grew wide as screams where heard in the distance. "No...Ghetsis, you can't just massacre over 900 people and pokemon!"
"And what exactly did I do in Opelucid?" he deadpanned before sighing as the castle rumbled again. "Oh well. Time for Kyurem to wake up." His smile twisted into a manic grin as he turned to Scarlet. "And it's all thanks to you, Scarly. Thanks for bringing these wings of yours right to my doorstep. Makes it far easier for me to rip 'em all off. And thanks for coming back from the dead. Kyurem would value that kind of soul far more than some guilty little wretch."
Despite the foot Ghetsis slammed heavily on his head, Scarlet stiffly raised his head with his fangs barred. "You're making...the biggest mistake...of your life-"
BAM!
"Right, right, I hear you, nephew," the greenette cackled, repeatedly stomping Scarlet's head into the ground till he was sure Scarlet had passed out.
"Kid!" LP cried, seeing the near-dead redhead lie motionless beside him. "Ghetsis, you fucked-up, tyrannical asshole-GAAAAAHHHH!"
The rest (save for the still-silent Lightning) also screamed as reddish lightning enveloped them, literally sucking their aura away from them and into Ghetsis's sword.
"SCREAM, SACRIFICES!" he laughed madly. "LET YOUR AGONISED CRIES BECOME THE TRUMPETS TO HERALD THE BEAST'S AWAKENING!"
Coupled with the agonised cries of his own grunts, pokemon and just about every living thing in Lacunosa, it was apparent that the end was near. The clouds above spiralled wildly now and Ghetsis's sword glowed so brightly that the room was engulfed in a miserably-harsh light.
And just like that, the screams stopped.
Trees withered, vegetation died and just about everything else, human and pokemon, slumped and froze over, seemingly lifeless. Everything except the cackling Ghetsis Harmonia and his key to humanity's- no, the world's- destruction.
"This is it," he gasped in between laughs and cast his mad red gaze on the gigantic ice crystal that projected from the floor and reached the high and vast ceiling where a specific portion had been removed to let the blood-red light bathe the crystal, Kyurem's prison, in scarlet. Ghetsis was just about heading over to the crystal to seal the world's fate when his ears caught an ear-splitting crack.
Arching a brow, he turned to see the ice around Lightning crack further before blowing open.
"Oh my," he remarked as a gleaming green eye glared at him through the blue smoke.
"Ghetsis Harmonia," the boy growled deeply and his skin began to go greyish. "GHETSIS HARMONIA!"
In a flash, Lightning's form was already before the man with a golden fist winding up to bust a hole right through him. Ghetsis was forced to jump back a good distance to avoid the deadly blow. Eyes narrowing, he cast the boy a look before feeling a cruel sense of irony spring up from within him as Lightning rose again in a wobbly manner, expression still hooded and black aura gathering around him.
"I see,. So you touched Draco and got his G-factor, didn't you?" he speculated and stifled a chuckle as the boy's fist tightened. "No wonder you're still standing after having your own aura drained. But something must've happened to bring out such a negative power. Guilt? Anger?"
Slowly, Lightning raised his head and Ghetsis's mad smile grew into a chuckle.
"Grief! That's the word I was looking for!" he remarked before ducking again as the boy zoomed up to him and sent fist after fist at him.
"It's your fault!" Lightning barked, attacking him furiously. "It's your fault she died!"
"Indeed it is!" Ghetsis replied before blocking Lightning's fist with a hand. "Who were we talking about again?"
"Alphinia, bastard!" the boy roared, grabbing Ghetsis by the hair and smashing his knee against his face. Without giving him time to recover, the blonde slammed his boot hard against Ghetsis's groin before crashing both fists into the man's chest, sending him flying as far away from the crystal as possible. "If you hadn't started all this mess, she would've lived!"
Ghetsis had to jam his feet against the ground and skid to a halt before quickly side-stepping past a shadowy tentacle from Lightning's back. He dodged the other five before leaping into the air and landing on one of the hanging balconies. "I knew you loved her. I do admit she had a nice personality and I even enjoyed her company when she was here. Beautiful girl, she was. Too bad she died like a dog at her own brother's hands, no less. Or should I say, at her own brother's tentacles."
"I'll kill you!" Lightning screeched, forming a big, black Shadow Ball before hurling it Ghetsis. The greenette merely sliced it in half, creating another explosion. Just as fast, Lightning shot forth and grabbed the man by the throat before smashing his head against the wall. Screaming, he repeated the act several times, dying his hands and the wall with Ghetsis's vile blood. Not stopping there, he threw the man against the floor and began punching his face in with all his might, determined to make him suffer the exact equivalent of what his own heart was going through. In the state he was in, you could almost say he was teetering over that fine line between hero and villain and it wasn't at all surprising when Ghetsis chuckled through bloody and split lips when Lightning had stopped to catch his breath.
"You look just like me," he commented on the absolute fury, loss and grief scarring Lightning's face. "I lost my right eye, my wife and my sanity on this exact same day-"
"Shut the hell up." Lightning placed a palm on his face before squeezing. And squeezing. And squeezing.
"If you killed me now, it won't bring Alphinia back," Ghetsis continued, ignoring the blood being squeezed out of his cracking face.
"I don't care. You have to pay," Lightning growled, squeezing harder and ignoring the blood seeping out from the cracks in his grip. "I have to end you. That way, Alphy and the others...their souls can rest in peace!"
"Even if it costs you your moral standing on the good-bad scale?" Lightning froze and Ghetsis smirked. "You're welcome to smash me up if you want. However, know that if I do die by your hands in the state you're in, you'll merely become a new me. A Ghetsis-Harmonia waiting to happen. That crazy smile on your face is proof of that."
Lightning stared at him. Then he squeezed so hard that Ghetsis's head burst beneath his fingers. Only then did the smile finally fall from his face. Only then did that cold emptiness hit his heart.
"Chigau..." he murmured, looking from his trembling fingers to Ghetsis's still body. "I...killed...him...I stopped this crisis...I won...right?"
"...Wrong."
SHLUCK!
Lightning's wide eye fell on the icicle in his chest. Ghetsis's dead body was still under him. But Ghetsis was also behind him, grinning sadistically.
"Like I said, so long as this castle still stands, I'll just keep on popping up again and again and again in a new body. Looks like our little play is over, cowboy."
The blonde's eye finally dulled and he fell on his side, unmoving before getting encased in the same black ice.
Bursting into laughter at the turn of events, Ghetsis plucked the dropped pokeball containing Reshiram before placing it, Zekrom's pokeball and Camille's DNA Wedge on the Soul Flayer. The items were all absorbed and Ghetsis flourished the rapidly vibrating sword before skipping over to Kyurem's ice crystal, flashing back on all the events that had led up till this moment.
"This is what I've lived for. All my careful plans are finally bearing fruit, drawing all the stage lights to this very moment," he muttered before raising the sword that would herald the mythical dragon's entrance. "AWAKEN, KYUREM!"
A bone-rattling chink rang through the castle as the sword struck home and sank into the crystal.
Ghetsis stepped back as a violent tremor rocked the castle grounds. "Yes."
The smaller ice crystals went violently purple and shattered grandly. "Yes!"
The bigger ice crystals vibrated before blowing off completely, leaving the largest ice crystal which developed a BIG, ear-splitting crack. "YES!"
"Come Kyurem! Awaken from your slumber and see just how ready your chosen knight is to end humanity!"
The chandeliers and windows burst completely and the castle itself threatened to fall from the massive energy explosion accompanied by a harsh light and strong winds from the shattering crystal. By now, the greenette's heart was hammering with excitement and he laughed like a true maniac at the sight of all his false truths, evil ideals and fierce power taking shape.
BOOOOOOOOOOMMM!
Shards flew everywhere, stabbing the walls, ceiling and floors. One even sank into the grinning Ghetsis's eye but he was too ecstatic at the developments to care about the otherworldly pain inflicted on him or the fact that that eye wouldn't grow back anymore since Kyurem's originality overshadowed and nullified his own powers completely.
Yellow.
That was the colour Ghetsis first registered upon getting to his feet again (the blast had swept him off his feet) and staring at the haze.
A true smile of triumph stretched across Ghetsis Harmonia's face.
"I win."
And the world's strongest dragon, Kyurem, threw his mighty head to the sky before breaking open his muzzled-shut jaws and letting loose a demonic howl that shook Unova and the rest of the world to the very core.
"The situation has taken a rather interesting turn of events, hasn't it?"
Jerome nodded and Boss swallowed another spoonful of cake while staring at the sight below from his point on a balcony.
"Shall we end him?" Luca asked and the man-child shook his head thoughtfully.
"Not just yet. I wanna see Kyurem's might in full." He shovelled another spoonful down his throat. "Plus, I wish to at least get a chance to talk to Ghetsis."
"I can hear you, just so you know!"
The three looked down to see Ghetsis staring up at them with the silent Kyurem.
"And it puzzles me as to how you're still alive too."
"I'm not exactly tied to this world, am I?" Boss laughed. "And my subordinates avoided that massacre of yours by simply shielding themselves with their Psychic-pokemon. A relatively simple trick to avoid having your aura drained. More importantly, what's gonna happen now?"
"I destroy humanity, duh!" Ghetsis scoffed and turned to Kyurem. "With this guy by my side, I cannot lose!"
"Oh? It's been well-over five minutes since Kyurem woke up and he hasn't exactly moved a muscle. Think he's forgotten how to use his legs since he was trapped in ice for so damn long!"
"Nonsense," Ghetsis replied and patted the large dragon's head. "He's simply waiting for me to give the order. Kyurem's quite mindless actually. He's merely an empty shell, born from the original beast that split into Reshiram and Zekrom. Now that I've merged them back together, he's very complete. Filling him with my hatred and desires should be just enough to get him going. But enough talk! The world shall see a new dawn and you must be the first to fall under my power!"
Boss stuck his spoon into the cake slice again, watching Ghetsis laugh his bad-guy laugh to accentuate his last sentence.
The man-child grinned ominously.
"So...how exactly do you plan to fill Kyurem with your hatred?"
Ghetsis's laugh was cut-short abruptly and he opened his mouth to answer...but found nothing logical to say.
"Brain-washing, perhaps? Or will you simply talk it over with the dragon?"
"Well I-"
"Bearing in mind that Kyurem's a complete being now that he's absorbed Reshiram and Zekrom, I don't think he's a mindless empty shell anymore. Rather, I'd say he's quite the devious demon, making you dance to his tune all these years."
Ghetsis looked from the unmoving Kyurem to Boss in annoyance. "What are you talking about? How is Kyurem manipulating me?"
"Kyurem lives for himself," Luca informed and pushed up her glasses. "He's not a beast you can simply negotiate with and control. He's more of a sentient mass of pure yet corrupted power. More so that he has taken a liking to your idea on destroying humanity."
"You're not making any sense!" Ghetsis barked and drew his Soul Flayer. "Kyurem and I have an agreement. He helps me destroy humanity in exchange for me awakening him! He is bound by that contract!"
Boss's grin widened as Kyurem finally displayed a movement...by opening his massive jaws wide behind the unsuspecting Ghetsis.
"Indeed he is. But he hasn't collected all the souls needed to fuel his passion for humanity's destruction. There's only one logical way of filling him with your hatred."
Ghetsis finally felt an icy chill on his spine and he turned to see rows and rows of serrated teeth jammed jaggedly into the dark red flesh that was Kyurem's throat.
"...Kyurem...?"
With a heavy snap like an axe, Kyurem took Ghetsis's torso clean off and left his legs still rooted to the spot. Chewing and crunching savagely, he drank in all of the stunned greenette's blood, guts and flesh before swallowing and finishing off the legs in one bite. Belching, the dragon's eyes widened as a blackish aura enveloped him and he threw his head up before roaring again. The beastly roar slowly got more and more human and by the time he was done, his deep, guttural tone was clearly evident.
"AHHHH! FINALLY...KYUREM HAS AWOKEN AT LAST..." Kyurem slurred and Boss had to whip out some earmuffs to keep his head from metaphorically exploding due to the Boundary Pokemon's sheer volume. Cracking his stiff neck, Kyurem turned to Boss and tilted his head. "...INSECTS...YUMMY. COME CLOSER, LITTLE INSECTS."
"For a being composed solely of madness and ice, your movements are pretty dull," Jerome remarked as Kyurem trained his half-lidded eyes on them.
"DULL? DULL...I SUPPOSE." He yawned. "TIRED...HUNGRY...MUST EAT EVERYTHING...EVERYTHING..."
"Hey Kyu-kyu!" Boss called, catching his waning attention. "Now that you're awake, I can get the chance to ask you a question. What will you do once you've eaten everything?"
"OH...EVERYTHING..." Kyurem's eyes finally gave a devilish glint. "KYUREM WILL MOVE...FIND MORE WORLDS...EAT MORE..."
"Makes sense since you are extra-terrestrial," Luca murmured.
Kyurem sniffed a bit before looking up. "GIANT INSECT...COMING THIS WAY...?"
Slowly, the shape he detected in the sky grew larger as it came closer until Colossus's Ventus Forme was clearly visible with a Hammer Arm ready.
"KISAMA!" Natsuki roared and Colossus burst through the ceiling before crashing its heavy fist into Kyurem's head, making him eat floor and thus cratering the ground. Roaring, she boxed the dragon left and right, sending blood and shards everywhere with each hit before grabbing his long neck and muscling him into the walls. "Stay down, monster! I'll deal with you soon enough!"
With that, Colossus raised its fist again and punched Kyurem so hard, the wall behind him shattered. With a heave, she pushed him off the 2,772 ft tall castle and sent a Hyper Beam his way, lighting up the castle grounds in a series of explosions. Turning, Colossus crouched before her frozen allies and Natsuki's eyes darted to and fro, in search of her nephew.
"Scarlet! Wake up so I can punch you, dammit!" she barked, jumping out of Colossus's core as soon as she spotted the boy lying motionless on the ground. Running up to him, she crouched and lifted his head, biting back a curse at the red gash across his chest and stomach. "Come on, Scarlet. You can't just die now! What happened to all that big talk about protecting us? Besides, I promised your stupid mother I'd protect you! At least let me do something for her! So open your eyes, dammit!"
Scarlet didn't steer and she bit her bottom lip as she felt her eyes sting harshly.
"Dammit!" she spat, mad at herself for being too late. "I'm not failing Rei...not again."
"...REI...?"
Natsuki froze and her green eyes widened as she turned to see Kyurem...or a Reshiram-like version of the beast, floating behind Colossus.
"Shit!" she hissed and Colossus grabbed her before rolling away as the dragon unhinged his jaws and let loose a stream of white-hot flames. By the time Colossus had gotten to its feet, Natsuki was safe inside its core and she glared angrily at him. "Should've known a single Hyper Beam couldn't knock you out. And now you've absorbed Reshiram and Zekrom too."
"HUNGRY..." Kyurem remarked and licked his lips. "LET KYUREM...DEVOUR YOU..."
"Fat chance!" she barked and Colossus bounded towards him. "I'm destroying you here, monster!"
The titan drew back a fist and swung it at Kyurem who dodged casually and waited for Natsuki to attack again.
"Damn you...DON'T UNDERESTIMATE ME!" she screamed, turning and trying another Hammer Arm. Again Kyurem dodged and the action repeated, growing faster and faster with each swing. For all his unnerving docility, Kyurem was stupendously nimble and he avoided every single hit she thrust his way.
"HUMAN...FRUSTRATED?" he asked once she jumped back and panted.
"Screw you!" she barked and summoned a Focus Blast. "Looking down on me is bad for your health, you oversized fridge!"
Kyurem tilted his head again and watched the attack burst a hole clean through his chest.
"It connected," she remarked but stopped short as the hole covered up again.
"BORED..." he dragged and finally crouched, ready to attack. "KYUREM WILL ATTACK...NOW!"
With a boom, he tore through the air and straight into Colossus's chest with ungodly speed and an even more brutal ferocity, pushing them through the wall in a single hit.
"Ventus!" she barked as they popped out in mid-air and Colossus's wings grew again in time to dodge a Fire Blast from Kyurem. Without missing a beat, he rocketed towards them again and slammed his tail into Colossus's side with bone-crushing force and Natsuki's expression contorted as she felt a rib snap. Hissing, she grabbed Kyurem's head and flung him down against the ground before following up with a Heavy Slam, sending Colossus's foot into his chest. Unfortunately, Kyurem grabbed the leg and pushed them far off before launching off and appearing behind her.
SNAP!
Blood sprayed from her shoulder as Colossus suffered a Crunch to its own shoulder. To make matters worse, Kyurem executed a Fire Fang and the redhead screamed as she felt her own blood virtually bubble. Wickedly, Kyurem wrenched his head to the side, tearing a good chunk of Colossus and rendering Natsuki's right arm temporarily useless from the pain.
Yelling, she grabbed him by the jaws and executed a Crush Grip, destroying his muzzle completely before slamming both he and Colossus into the earth below. Lifting her right arm, she began to rain punches on his head, crushing and cracking with all of Colossus's might and making Lacunosa shake with each blow. Despite her efforts though, Kyurem's head wouldn't split and she was just about contemplating ripping his head off when he grabbed Colossus's arms and opened wide, engulfing the pokemon in a Fusion Flare, Reshiram's most powerful attack. The resulting explosion blew a good portion of the earth around them away and Kyurem flipped the burned Colossus over himself, letting it slam against the wall of the deep crater they had formed.
"Too strong..." she muttered and Colossus sprang to its feet before somersaulting away as another Fusion Flare lit the battlefield up in explosive flames.
Landing some distance away, Colossus straightened up and cast Kyurem a wary glare.
"I guess he isn't some dangerous monster in name only," she remarked and Colossus's damaged helmet began to crack. "Looks like I'll have to pull out all the stops. If this guy can't be stopped conventionally, I guess I'll just have to call out the true legendary beast in you guys."
From the crashed airship some distance away, the intercom beeped and Will came to, rising hazily. Noticing Natsuki's absence, he quickly rushed over to the beeping device and picked up the transceiver.
"Where are you?" he asked as Gardevoir and Hypno dropped the force field over the airship.
"Castrum De Glacies. Kyurem's awake and he's far too strong to handle with the heavy restraints we placed on Colossus. Will, I think I'll need to ditch my humanity for a few minutes."
"Are you insane?!" he barked. "Stay right where you are, Natsuki-senpai! We're coming to help!"
"And you think I'll actually listen? Kyurem needs to be stopped, Will, and in whatever way possible. Your coming here will only burden me more and you know it. Look, I'll need to use Colossus's other forms and as such I want you guys to clear out now in case things get out of hand."
Will huffed contemptibly before glancing at his mostly unconscious crew. "Honestly, you're the most stubborn person I've ever worked under. You really need to give your body some consideration."
"There'll be plenty of time for that AFTER this problem," she replied. "For now, just make sure everyone's safe and get as far away from here as possible."
"Understood," he stated and his expression softened a bit. "Just so we're clear, you're not going to blow yourself up, are you?"
"Huh? Why the hell would I do that, baka! Just because I said everyone should clear doesn't mean I'll just end it all and blow half of Unova sky-high!"
"I see. Wouldn't want Minami orphaned."
"Of course! Now go!"
Will cut the connection and turned to the psychic-types before pulling out some pokeballs. "You heard her. Let's get this ship back in the air." With that, his Metagross, Slowking and Xatu were called out and they joined their colleagues in enshrouding the airship in psychic energy. Eyes glowing brightly, they lifted the ship via telekinesis and Will turned back to glance at the two giants in the distance.
"Shinu koto wanai," he bade in their native language.
From the corner of her eye, Natsuki saw the ship floating off and she nodded to herself before cracking her knuckles.
"Alright boys. We're going to push our resonance to the limit. We'll fight this guy beast-to-beast." Grabbing her control crystal, she gave a sharp tug and tore it out, severing the chain keeping her from losing her strained humanity and veering off into the deep end. Colossus jolted sharply and grabbed its head before screaming wildly as steam billowed from the holes in its helmet. The yellow bands around its shoulders blew off completely and the greenish fur around its neck grew shaggier with each increasing roar. With a crack, its back reshaped and the titan's build grew far more sinewy as it slammed to all fours and gathered aura around itself from its dimming wings. Natsuki closed her eyes and took in a deep breath before spreading her arms out and giving into her primal urges, letting the greenish liquid in Colossus's core cloud her form completely and go bright red.
Colossus roared deeply and its helmet broke off at the base and left half, revealing a startlingly-humanoid face with rows and rows of teeth in its open jaws and a green eye flashing menacingly from the exposed part of its face.
Kyurem's dull expression morphed into that of amusement as Colossus snarled and dragged a hand across the ground like a Tauros. "INTERESTING...THE BUG TURNED INTO A BEAST...WELL THEN...KYUREM MUST GET SERIOUS..."
A blue coat of aura surrounded him and dissipated, revealing Black Kyurem, Kyurem's Zekrom-based form.
Colossus snarled again before rocketing off, hand-springing into the air and coming down hard on Kyurem who had to raise a heavy-set arm to block its foot. Roaring wildly, Colossus raised a charged fist and slammed Kyurem on the head with enough force to send him face first into ground. The beastly titan leapt off and jammed all four limbs into the ground before opening its mouth unnaturally wide and gathering all the aura around it into a big ball of red light. Kyurem sharply got up and slammed his hands into the ground, summoning five study walls of ice just as Colossus fired the devastating Aura Sphere with the recoil blowing it a good distance back. A brilliant light lit up the dark red atmosphere as the move smashed through each wall like glass and hit Kyurem squarely on the chest. The Boundary Pokemon grit his fangs and flexed his pectoral muscles, taking the attack in stride and deflecting it upwards where it blew the red clouds apart and sent winds whipping across the landscape.
"STRONG!" Kyurem laughed as his badly-burned chest healed up. "KYUREM WILL ENJOY DESTROYING YOU!"
With that, he coated himself in lightning and zoomed towards the Regigigas, tearing the landscape with each meter he crossed. Defiantly, Colossus weaved the aura around itself into a Giga Impact and bounded for Kyurem with a savage battle-cry. Both raised their fists and collided forcefully, blowing trees and hills away and threatening to blow Castrum De Glacies and Lacunosa Town along with the environment.
Skidding back, Colossus turned just in time to dodge a swing of Kyurem's arm before giving him a Sky Uppercut and grabbing his tail. The berserk pokemon spun him around before throwing him into a hill nearby and leaping into the air again. Before its Heavy Slam could connect, Kyurem created a floating panel of ice that let forth a barrage of electrically-icicles that tore across Colossus's sides, neck and legs. Stubbornly, it still continued on its path to Kyurem and smashed the panel with its foot before sinking the same limb into Kyurem's gut, crushing the hill as well.
"HAHA! KYUREM IS ENJOYING THIS!" Kyurem screeched in excitement as he grabbed Colossus and flung it off himself. Rolling to his sturdy feet, he jammed both hands into the ground and his tail glowed an electric blue as his turbine spun wildly. The earth lit up as a powerful surge of electricity (which should clearly have been earthed) coursed through it and hit Colossus like a bulldozer, making its muscles convulse and seize up from the unjustly-high voltage.
Gritting its fangs, the titan jumped off and landed on Kyurem's back before punching his head repeatedly. Grabbing his crest, Colossus twisted his head back and opened its jaws over his face, forming another Aura Sphere.
BOOM!
A close-range attack like that would've surely blown Kyurem's head off yet the smoke cleared and Colossus was stunned to see Kyurem still standing, unscathed.
"THAT WAS A REFRESHING BATTLE!" the dragon boomed, laughing madly. "KYUREM'S MUSCLES HAVE NEVER FELT SO LOOSE IN SOME TIME AND KYUREM IS GRATEFUL TO YOU FOR GIVING ME QUITE THE EXERCISE!"
"GRAAAAAAGH!" Colossus roared, tearing towards him again.
Kyurem stopped his laughter and stopped both of Colossus's punches with his palms. The two grappled with each other and the dragon smirked upon seeing the wounds on his opponent bleed profusely.
"YOU CANNOT DEFEAT KYUREM AT THE RATE AT WHICH YOU ARE GOING," he scoffed and was met with a Headbutt to the nose that broke his concentration. Colossus heaved quickly and executed a Circle Throw, flinging Kyurem over itself and into the ground ahead. Raising its fists, the Regigigas clenched and prepared for a Double Gigatonne Punch, aiming to end the dragon once and for all.
From his position on the floor, Kyurem looked up to see Colossus standing over him with both fists raised high.
BAM!
His head was crushed in one blow yet Colossus continued beating every part of the dragon into pulp. Finally, it raised its head to the sky and formed an Aura Sphere at its jaws, two Focus Blasts in its palms and one Hyper Beam in its glowing core. The pokemon jumped into the air and fired all at once, obliterating Kyurem and everything else within a 50 meter radius completely.
Boss watched the entire battle from atop his Arcanine and Luca handed him another plate of cake.
"It seems like the winner has already been decided," she remarked as Colossus reared up on its legs and roared to the sky in triumph. Below it, Kyurem's charred remains were spread out for the world to see. "I suppose even the world's strongest dragon pokemon can't endure all those super-effective moves."
"True," Jerome chipped in and crossed his arms. "But something tells me this fight isn't exactly over. And with the injuries that giant has suffered, I'm very sure the woman inside must be either dead or severely incapacitated."
Boss waved the spoon at them. "Tsk. Tsk. Remember that Kyurem is the monster who gave birth to all those Joids, Dragon Knights and Chaos. All of which were capable of regeneration on a startling scale."
"But can they regenerate if they're blown to bite-sized pieces?" Jerome asked sceptically.
"Nope. But Kyurem himself is capable of regenerating even if he's reduced to molecules," Boss replied as Colossus fell on one knee to rest.
"But how is that possible?" Luca asked, eyeing the badly injured, red-haired woman taking shape within the core again and hacking up streams of blood.
Natsuki wiped her chin and turned to the charred bits that was Kyurem. "Good job, boys. But we can't relax just yet. Maybe we should deep freeze the pieces before he can regenerate."
"That won't work," Boss murmured quietly as they saw Colossus charging an Ice Punch. "Ah yes, Kyurem is capable of regenerating because of one specific factor. Just like how the Regi Trio take up elements to repair themselves, Kyurem can do the same thing. In a sense, he's quite similar to Regice. But the factor that sets him apart is far scarier because its everywhere."
Natsuki paused as a blue spark jumped from the charred remains. Suddenly, there was a blinding flash of light and before her and Colossus stood a bigger, more muscular and far more menacing Kyurem.
"That's right, guys. So long as there's some humidity in the air, which I'm heard to be quite abundant in Unova at this time of the year, Kyurem cannot die. He'll merely convert all that water to ice and rebuild himself in a flash.
"KYUREM IS ALL POWERFUL!" the dragon boomed in tune to Boss's comments. "ONLY THE SACRED SPEAR OF VERMICULO CAN PIERCE KYUREM'S HEART AND SEND KYUREM BACK INTO SLUMBER!"
"No way," she murmured and ground her teeth. "Dammit, I am not losing to you!"
Colossus roared and began punching Kyurem's abs again and again and again. Unlike before though, its attacks didn't even get through and Kyurem cocked a brow.
"YOU HAVE REACHED YOUR LIMIT," he commented and took Colossus's hands in his own massive ones before locking eyes with the struggling titan. "KYUREM CAN SEE YOUR FEAR."
Natsuki's fingers shook as she stared into his beastly yellow eyes. She could feel his madness coursing through her like knives in her blood, far stronger than Chaos's or Ghetsis Harmonia's. She could hear his thoughts, scattered and mismatched and threatening to blow her head apart. She could even glimpse into his memories and see the havoc he wrought across the earth centuries ago.
"YOU PUT UP A GOOD FIGHT," he sneered and tightened his grip. "KYUREM WILL MAKE SURE YOU DIE A VERY PAINFUL DEATH INDEED. LIKE A HERO."
With that, he crushed Colossus's arms and his wings grew tendrils that plugged into his tail and made the marks on his black skin go blue with energy.
"Minami," Natsuki whispered.
And Colossus was the first to taste Kyurem's undoubtedly lethal Freeze Shock that split the heavens apart and rocked Unova to the core.
"So as it stands, Kyurem is unstoppable?" Jerome asked as the beast dropped his opponent and roared into the sky.
"As it stands, I believe so," Luca replied and pushed up her glasses. "Sir, shall we deal with the problem?"
Boss stared intently at Kyurem before closing his eyes and leaning back into Arcanine's fur. "No. Let the people of this timeline deal with their own problem."
"How can they?" Luca asked. "The only person capable of destroying Kyurem is most likely dead and his body's trapped in Kyurem's ice. His arm got busted too and his allies are in the same condition. Whether we like it or not, Ghetsis wins. Humanity will still be destroyed at Kyurem's hands. The only difference is that pokemon will follow as well, given Kyurem's wide preferences."
The man-child sighed. "Honestly, trust in these humans a lot more, will ya? They're a lot stronger than you think. Besides," His grin grew wide. "Scarlet and Co aren't down just yet."
"Ghetsis got you guys good back there, didn't he?"
Scarlet's finger twitched and his half-lidded eyes could make out someone's shoes right ahead. He recognised those crazy logos anywhere.
"Yo," Black grinned, crouching to face him. "Don't worry, you're not dead just yet. But you will be soon enough if you can actually see me."
"...I failed..."
Black paused and tilted his head as Scarlet's fist clenched.
"I couldn't protect White or any of my friends in the end. I even busted the arm you guys gave me without a single piece of work to show for it."
"Yeah, you really screwed up, eh?" Black remarked offhandedly and laughed. "Doesn't matter though! Dwelling on our mistakes gets us nowhere. Besides, it's not like you knew this would happen."
"But-"
"Scarlet."
The redhead stiffened and he looked up to see Black's expression soften.
"So long as you've got that breath of life in you and that kick-ass determination to protect everyone, there's no way in hell you'll lose. You made a promise. And you're not breaking it on my watch."
"But how can I fight? I don't have Vermiculo's spear and I can barely move as it is!"
Black's expression hooded as if lost in thought and Scarlet was just about speaking up again when the ghost raised a fist and boxed the top of his head hard.
"OW! Bastard, what the hell was that for?!" he barked angrily.
"You need to stop making pointless excuses for your weakness!" Black barked back and slammed their foreheads together, locking eyes with the stunned redhead. "Right now, Cynthia and the rest have put in their all to clearing the path to victory for you! You can't just let their efforts go straight to waste! As we speak, Kyurem is outside, probably off to massacre everyone you hold precious to you and your friends! I know what its like to be in this state, Scarlet and I can just as well tell you this! We are all weak! Every single one of us! But that's why we band together, to combine our individual strengths! You could say its that weakness that makes you strong! Busted Vermiculo's Spear? Don't give me that! Your spear is right here!"
Black bumped a fist against Scarlet's chest.
"And whoever said you're the only one who's got it? As long as that will to protect burns bright within us, Vermiculo's Spear cannot be broken! So man up and stand up, Scarlet!"
Scarlet stared into his yellow eyes before furrowing his brows as that fiery redhead temper came back.
"Like you're one to give me orders!" he barked and punched Black in the nose, sending the boy spiralling anime-style into the sky. "Where the hell d'you come up with all that stuff, you cheesy loon!"
A pillar of light enveloped Scarlet's body and his hands clenched into tight fists. Raising himself stiffly, Scarlet got to his feet and ground his teeth before coating his hands in Reshiram's flames.
"I'm not down just yet!" he barked and slammed both hands against his bleeding chest, cauterizing the wound with a scream. "Get the heck up, guys! The real battle's just beginning!"
The warmth of his fierce flames heated the hall considerably and the ice trapping his friends shattered under its intensity. Hissing from the burnt area of his chest, Scarlet staggered a bit and fell on one knee before drawing several deep breaths.
"I'm sure you guys must've seen them too," he panted, looking to his fallen allies. "Even ghosts are helping us in our cause! Are we just gonna lie here and get nothing done?!"
"What're you doing on the floor, man!" KP yelled, afro bobbing as he nudged LP awake. "You're the best teacher in the world, remember? I am not seeing Cool LP go down like some wuss so get the fuck up!"
"You're not letting that young man's efforts go to waste, are you?" Drayden remarked and Cheren's hand moved. "No time for resting, young man. You've got work to do."
"Natural," Felicia called, crouching down before N who was slowly but surely rising to his feet. "Do your best and know that I'm proud of you."
"Save the world, sis," Aqua's voice called out to Cynthia, whose grey eyes flew open.
"We're going to let some ex-criminal wake us?" Latios asked, rising as well.
"No way in hell," Rain replied flatly as he sharply sat up like a zombie.
"Lightning! Is this the characteristic of a hero?" Samurott barked and Lightning twitched before gritting his teeth and getting to his hands and knees despite the blood pouring from his gaping wound. "Heroes stand tall no matter what! Therefore, stand! Show me the trainer I was always proud of!"
Rei stared at her younger sister with that small, motherly smile that used to comfort and infuriate Natsuki back when they were younger.
"You don't have to bear all the burden, baby sis," she whispered and gently stroked Natsuki's face. "You never failed anyone. In fact, I get quite big-headed whenever I look back on all your achievements."
Natsuki peeled open an eye and smirked. "Heh...acting all cool and motherly like that...You piss me off, ya know?"
Rei grinned. "That's what big sisters are for, my temperamental little Natsu-chi."
"Your boyfriend's really fired up, eh?" Skyla remarked and White's yellow eyes opened before widening as she stared at the late gym leader. "Surprised? We just couldn't sit back and watch Kyurem have his way so Black and I came down here to cheer you on. White, you're plenty strong and I know you can show that dragon who's boss with your team! I hope you didn't get rusty!"
White wiped her tears and shook her head with a look of fierce determination. "I'll do you guys proud."
"We're counting on you and Scarly," Black chipped in, grabbing his sister's shoulders from behind and helping her to her feet. "I don't really know what to say at this point. For now, I'll just say you're the best sister a guy like me could've ever had. Seeing you grow up with that baldie and your pokemon made me proud to be your clownish big brother."
Grinning, White hugged him and returned the embrace, smiling softly.
"Do us proud," Black bade and faded off with Skyla.
As one, people and pokemon arose and LP stretched stiffly.
"I had the weirdest dream," he remarked to his fellow allies. "Like, I was dead or something and then I saw some ghosts."
"Yeah, that was real," Rain deadpanned.
"Woah," N whistled, looking out the window. "Kyurem's awake, guys."
I can't sense Ghetsis's presence anymore, Latios commented and Cynthia turned to the doorway as her worried pokemon rushed in.
"Perhaps Kyurem ate him?" she offered.
"We'll find out soon enough," Cheren stated, loosening his tie. "For now, we've got a job at hand."
Lightning felt for the hole in his chest as his pokemon also rushed in. "I'm alive...I guess Samurott must've healed me up or something. Yosh! Let's stop Kyurem, guys!"
Scarlet felt someone tap his bowed head and he looked up to see his friends and allies standing before him, all equally determined to carry out his purpose. Jolteon nudged his leg again and White stepped forward with a hand outstretched.
"Let's go save the world, Scarly!" she declared and his signature smirk graced his face.
"You said it, ditz," he replied, grabbing the hand and letting her pull him to his feet.
"Count us in!" a gruff voice called and they turned to see Clay, Burgh and Elesa coming through the doorway. "If y'all think yer can take all the credit for savin' this darn shithole then yer got another thing coming', partner!"
"Our pure hearts cry out for justice! Venipede and I shall mete out Kyurem's well-deserved punishment for all the trouble he has caused us!" Burgh proclaimed and his Venipede squeaked in unison.
"I can't let my two best models go off and kill themselves, can I?" Elesa called with a smirk and her Emolga and Eelektross let out a few sparks, showing how fired up they were.
"OI!"
Scarlet ran to the window and looked down to see the ORPH members getting to their feet and brandishing their weapons and pokeballs.
"We ain't down for the count either, baldie!"
"Rangers and pokemon for justice, stand!" the head commander for the rangers cried and his operatives and their pokemon stood tall in perfect unison.
White gawked at the army Scarlet had rounded. "You gathered all these guys?"
"Believe it or not, he did!"
BAM!
Colossus landed behind them and extended a hand where Natsuki stood.
"So this is your little girlfriend," she remarked. "Hmph! Kawaii. For an idiot, you sure know how to pick 'em. But that's nether here nor there in this matter. Kyurem must be stopped!"
Scarlet clenched and unclenched his new left arm and turned to his allies.
"You heard her!" he yelled and raised his gloved hand. "Let's do this!"
"YEAH!" people and pokemon roared, their battle-cries shaking the ground completely and catching Kyurem's attention in the distance.
So, does the great planner have something up his sleeve? Latios asked as Scarlet and Lightning tightened their gloves.
"Fire," Scarlet replied and turned to White with his left glove held out. "I'll need lots and lots of fire to be sent into the sky."
"On it!" the trainers with Fire-types stated.
"Elesa! Take all the electric-type pokemon and stand at the highest point on this castle. Have the pokemon begin a Charge."
"You got it," she replied and began calling together every trainer with electric-types.
"What's with the fire and electricity?" Cheren asked and Scarlet pulled out the hair clip holding his ponytail up and thus letting his long hair fall over his shoulders.
"What does it look like? I'm building a rain cloud," he replied and whistled Jolteon over before letting him climb aboard his shoulder. White slipped on the glove and took the white Reshiram feather Jolteon held out to her.
"So how about the rest of us?" Lightning asked, tapping Haxorus and gaining the dragon's power.
"You're gonna buy us time. And whittle Kyurem's strength down a considerable bit," Scarlet replied, pulling out a Zekrom scale.
"Us?"
"White, Jolteon and I," the redhead replied and raised his left hand which glowed and let out a wave of energy that manifested into a looooooong sword similar to Ghetsis's Soul Flayer. "I'm going to use Vermiculo's Spear and I'll need to build some battling momentum before I can use it on Kyurem."
"Do you think this will work?" Rain asked.
"You'll need some BIG firepower to outmuscle Kyurem," Lightning replied.
"True that," LP stated and as one, everyone turned to the monster in Lacunosa Town.
"And how about Reshiram and Zekrom?" N piped up. "How're we going to separate them from Kyurem?"
"Leave that to me!"
"Camille?!" Scarlet and White gawked as the girl leaned on the doorframe behind them and tore off the bandage on her head.
"I made the device that's holding 'em together. I can just as well take it apart too," she offered, twiddling her screwdriver. "And there'll be plenty of time to explain why I'm here. For now, let's just kill that fucker!"
"Well, shall we, leader?" Cynthia asked and Scarlet and White activated the boosts, both cloaked in Zekrom's and Reshiram's powers respectively.
This is it, guys, Jolteon remarked from Scarlet's shoulder.
White gave the redhead's hand a squeeze and looked into his red eyes with her blazing blue ones.
"Dragon Slaying 101," she stated with a smirk.
"Yeah. Dragon Slaying 101," Scarlet echoed.
Monster Slayer version! Jolteon barked and shot a paw out to Kyurem. Alright, maggots! Move out!
And as one, the humans and pokemon began their final stand against the mighty Kyurem.
Author's Corner.
Slybill: Phew! Done with this chapter at last! THE KYUREM IS IN THE HOUSE! Personally, Kyurem is my favourite pokemon among all the other Unovan pokemon out there. Anywho! Whaddya think of the turn of events? The big bad certainly deserves some level of badass to himself so I devoted most of this chapter to curb-stomping our heroes with his power! On a less related note, a song came to mind when I was writing up Kyurem's and Colossus's battle. 'twould probably double as a main theme for Kyurem and it's quite cool too. It's called the "Symphonic Poem GeHeNa Second Movement A-maimon" by Hiroyuki Sawano (a really great BGM artist!). Check it out on YouTube and enjoy the chapter!
Preview:
The venue: Lacunosa Town.
The goal: Kyurem's destruction.
Humans and Pokemon shall make their stand against the Beast who threatens the world's existence.
And on that day of the Red Moon, a sacred story shall be relived out in full.
NEXT TIME: FOR OUR FUTURE!