Urgh, I was dumb and tried to include too many characters, so I didn't get to spend much meaningful time on any of them.

Polaris-Ponyta, Mia-Alolan Marowak, Marin-Primarina, Lunick-Midnight Lycanroc, Twine-Fomantis, Zetty-Rotom Dex

Strike Team: Shira-Reshiram, Phantom-Darkrai, Link-Raichu, Eon-Espeon, Uber-Umbreon

Kuro-Zekrom

Chapter 12: Blackout

I woke up in the Pokémon Center to find that Eon had returned and was curled up next to me. It was evening in Unova. I sat up and glanced out the window, only to find that the view was mostly covered by something big and white. It was Shira, taking a nap outside. Eon stretched, chirring sleepily. I stood and got dressed, then noticed something else outside the window. Zekrom was curled up next to Shira. Surprised, I scooped Eon up in my arms and headed outside to see them. The two dragons lifted their heads and watched my approach.

"Hi! How did the rescue operations go?"

"We got everyone," Shira assured me.

"And we found where Ghetsis went," Zekrom said.

"That's great! Your name is Kuro, right?" Zekrom nodded. I stood for a minute, hugging Eon and watching Shira and Kuro curled up next to each other. The only time they had encountered each other in recent history was when N and I had fought two years ago. But now they looked so peaceful, like they belonged together. That made sense. Reshiram and Zekrom had originally been one. I hesitated, then reached out to touch Kuro's forehead.

"You're a strange one," Kuro said. "You fought against N's ideals. But then you encouraged him to fight for those ideals."

"Well, not exactly. I just wanted him to find his own ideals, not the ones Ghetsis had fed him."

"And even a year later, you helped give him ideas on how to continue fighting."

"Well, I guess. But he inspired me about it in the first place. I don't want humans and Pokémon to be separated. But I do agree that humans need to respect Pokémon. When I fought N, I ended up on TV. Because of that, people recognized me and were actually interested to come to my talks. N's trying to do his own lectures now, right?"

"Well, it was a slow start," Zekrom admitted. "After all, he was responsible for a lot of the trouble at the Unova League. He's had to build his name back up. But many of the old Team Plasma people remain loyal to him. They've been helping. Come."

He rose up, towering above me as a black shadow against the sky. Shira stood too, and I couldn't take my eyes off of the two of them side by side. I grinned. "You guys look so good together."

They exchanged surprised glances. Then Shira gave a playful nip at her brother's crest. He dodged, looking bewildered, and Shira walked away. Kuro and I followed.

N had spread out a map and was examining it with Roxie, Shauntal, Drayden, and the old Team Plasma members. Eon jumped onto the table to take a closer look.

"Sorry I'm late," I murmured, sheepish.

"That's no problem," Shauntal assured me. "We're glad you could come at all."

"We'd rather have you awake when we go fight," Roxie agreed.

N patted Eon, then pointed to a spot on the map. "Ghetsis and his followers have landed in the Giant Chasm. If we can disable their ship, they won't be able to escape. Then we can fight Ghetsis and rescue Kyurem."

Drayden gestured to me and N. "Since you have Reshiram and Zekrom you'll go after Ghetsis. The rest of us will make sure he can't use the ship to escape. And we'll keep any other trainers from getting in your way."

"Giant Chasm," I murmured. "Why would he corner himself in there?"

"He probably didn't realize we'd find him so fast," Roxie said.

"But he knows that N can talk to Pokémon."

"I wasn't here during the attack though," N said. "He may not know I'm here already."

I nodded. "Okay. Are we about ready to leave?"

"I think so," N said. "As for Opelucid, I think the best way to get rid of the ice is to defeat Kyurem. The city hasn't melted yet, so it probably won't on its own. And if Shira melts all of it, she may be too tired to fight Kyurem."

Shira tilted her head, thinking. "If we can't make Kyurem thaw the city, I can always work on it later. All of the people are free though. They can always just decide to live in the ice."

Drayden raised an eyebrow, but decided to ignore that last comment. "I have cars ready. Grimsley and Benga will be meeting us in Lacunosa Town."

It was good to know that we had some Gym Leaders and Elite Four helping us. They knew how much trouble Ghetsis had caused, and they weren't going to take him lightly. If Ghetsis had control over Kyurem, that was even more unsettling. But something kept nagging at me. Why had Ghetsis made such an extreme move – freezing an entire city just to steal one item? Was this supposed to announce that he had returned? Maybe he was just that confident now that he had Kyurem. But surely he knew N would come for him. Then again, Ghetsis didn't think much of N. He probably wouldn't imagine that N had rallied such an impressive force to fight him.

These volleying thoughts raced back and forth until we all started piling into the cars. I saw the two ex-Plasma members trying to sit with N. It was amazing how much they looked up to him, even two years after he'd stopped being their "king." He must have been a good leader. But N gently turned them down, saying he needed to ride with me and the gym leaders. We had to go over the rest of the plan. Roxie, Shauntal, and Drayden joined us. Dyarden drove as we all discussed the plan. N gave us advice how Ghetsis might react. Shauntal had her laptop running, where she had a video call with Grimsley and Benga. That way they would know the plan when we all met up, so we wouldn't waste any more time than necessary.

Our vehicles stopped between Lacunosa Town and Giant Chasm. We didn't want any scouts to spot us. Grimsley and Benga were waiting. I wished I had more time to catch up with my old friends, but this was hardly the time for pleasantries. So after a quick greeting, we started to walk toward the chasm. The ex-Plasma members had wanted to find their old uniforms and infiltrate, but N didn't think that would work. Ghetsis would have new protocols for who was allowed into his base. Especially since part of the old Team Plasma had been loyal to N, not to Ghetsis.

As we approached the edge of the Giant Chasm, we stopped. N let a Zoroark out of a Pokéball. Zoroark's illusions would let us slip in unnoticed. But before Zoroark had a chance to create the vision, something cracked in the forest. All of us wheeled to face the sound, reaching for Pokéballs. Then a familiar shape stepped into view, followed by three more.

I gasped. So did N. It was Virizion, Cobalion, Terrakion, and Keldeo. N and I had met them during my Unova league challenge. "How did you find us?" I exclaimed. The others watched open-mouthed as N and I greeted the quartet of legendary Pokémon.

"We didn't intend to originally," Cobalion said. "But we knew something was happening to Kyurem, so we came."

"Then we smelled you," Keldeo added. "And we thought you must be here for the same reason!"

"And it would be better to team up than to go it alone," Virizion agreed.

"We can't let humans use Kyurem's power to cause destruction," Terrakion finished.

"Yes," N said, smiling. "Thank you for coming. Zoroark is about to cast an illusion. Come join us."

The four legendary Pokémon nodded and fell into line with us. N and I greeted each one in turn. The others gathered around, fascinated and curious. Then Zoroark's illusion slipped into place. Since we were inside the illusion, we didn't get the full impact of it. But I could definitely tell the difference. Everyone else looked transparent and blurry. It was disorienting. As we walked, I placed my hand on Virizion's shoulder to keep my balance. They were made of stronger stuff than humans, and weren't as disturbed by the illusion's effects. We slipped through the passage into the Giant Chasm, but we didn't see any patrols.

"Tell us if you smell or hear anything," N said to the Swords of Justice. "The Shadow Triad may be about. We wouldn't see them if they are." But they shook their heads. They didn't sense anyone. "Maybe they're still on the ship," N suggested.

The valley opened up in front of us, and we all came to a halt. Everything was coated in ice. It was like a meteor had struck, but instead of burning a crater, it had frozen one. Right in the middle of the ice field was a ship. I hadn't expected it to actually look like a ship that sailed on the sea, but it did. Except this ship sailed in the skies, wielding Kyurem as a cannon.

The ice made progress difficult. We may be hidden, but if we all went slipping and sliding in all directions, Zoroark might lose his grip on the mirage. As we crept toward the ship, I noticed something. The ice trailed away, deeper into the chasm. Spires of ice struck out from the entrance of a distant cave. I tapped N's arm and pointed. He nodded and called for everyone to stop.

I gestured to the cave. "I think Ghetsis took Kyurem in there. The rest of you, disable the frigate. N and I will go to the cave with the four Swords."

"Kyurem is in there," Cobalion said. "We can sense him."

Grimsely folded his arms, frowning. "Why would he go in there?"

"That's what we need to find out," N said. "We'll drop you off at the ship. Once you're safely on board, Zoroark will stop your illusion so the rest of us can continue to the cave."

We walked on until we were all huddled in the ship's shadow. "Good luck, guys," I whispered. "I think you won't have much trouble taking the ship, but call me if there's an emergency."

"Good luck to you too," Shauntal said back. Roxie gave us the thumbs up, and Grimsley, Drayden and Benga shook my hand. The ex-Plasma members wished N good luck. They all climbed up a rope ladder, disappearing one by one onto the deck. N and I waited a few minutes so they could get under cover. Then Zoroark dropped their illusion. We headed on, accompanied by the Swords of Justice. When we neared the entrance to the cave, we stopped once more.

I turned to the Swords of Justice. "Can you wait out here? Keep an eye on the ship, but also listen to what's happening in the cave. If they need your help on the ship, send someone. Otherwise you can come storming in as a surprise attack once we know the layout of the cave. N, can you have your Zoroark wait out here to hide them?"

Zoroark fidgeted, wanting to stay with N, but he agreed to wait behind. N and I walked into the frigid cave. Our breath gathered in misty wreaths around us. We shivered, neither of us having properly prepared for the cold. I'd just come from Alola, after all. The walls glistened with ice, making everything reflect and scatter ominously. The passage opened up into a great cavern. Ghetsis was sitting on a stone, reading some papers. I stopped, baffled. No one would come into a frozen cave just to do some reading.

Ghetsis looked up and saw us. He smiled and rose to his feet, tucking the papers away under his cloak. "Ah, I wondered when you would arrive. You certainly kept me waiting. I was about to head back to the ship for a cup of tea."

N and I stood rigid. We'd stepped into something nastier than we expected.

"Welcome to the Giant Chasm. This is the place where Kyurem's power is at its peak. I actually only expected one of you. I knew N would come if I froze Opelucid City. The two of you fought so intensely at the Unova League that I didn't expect you to team up. The meddling trainer from Kanto, and the freak without the human heart."

N bristled. "At least I have a heart."

Ghetsis laughed. "Selfish boy. I took you in after I found you living alone in the woods, and look how you repaid me."

N straightened up, gathering his courage. Ghetsis's words still tore at him, but he wasn't going to take it anymore. I smiled, silently cheering him on. "I wasn't alone. I had Pokémon as my family. A good family. And despite your 'upbringing' and your ugly formulas, Unova taught me that other humans can also live in peace with Pokémon."

"How moving. Let me show you how you've touched me." He slammed his staff onto the cave floor. A grating bellow resonated from deeper in the cave. A shiver ran down my spine and I reached for Shira's Pokéball. N did the same with Zekrom's Pokéball. A thundering footfall made the cave shudder. Then another. Kyurem loomed from the inky darkness. His claws shattered the ice under his feet, and the cold from his body froze it over again.

N stepped in front of me. Last time, I had fought to protect him from Ghetsis. This time he wanted to fight for himself. But I would be here if he needed me. N released Kuro from his Pokéball, and the two dragons faced each other. They gave low, threatening growls.

Ghetsis laughed. "I suppose I can forgive you now though. After all, you've brought Zekrom."

"N," I hissed, grabbing his sleeve.

"I don't suppose you know what the DNA splicers do?" Ghetsis asked. He pulled a strange spike from under his cloak and tossed it to Kyurem. Kuro snapped at it, but missed. Kyurem caught it, and reared up, bellowing. Kuro backed away, uneasy at the strange energy that was sparking out of the DNA splicers. Kyurem aimed his strange wing spikes at Kuro, who launched into the air and circled around the cavern. Kyurem fired in a fuchsia burst. Kuro swerved, avoiding the attack. But then the strange missiles curved, tracking Kuro. He hissed in alarm, twisting in the air. But he couldn't shake Kyurem's attack. Kyurem fired again, and again, until a fleet of missiles were shooting after Zekrom. Kuro swerved to avoid one, and nearly slammed into the cavern wall. He snapped his wings open to prevent a collision, and the missiles struck. They engulfed Kuro, coiling around him and constricting. Kuro seemed to be diminishing under them. Shrinking? Yes! N and I watched in horror as Zekrom shrank and faded. Within seconds, the dragon had gone and only his core, the Dark Stone, was left.

"Kuro!" N shouted.

Ghetsis laughed, a wild triumph in his eyes. "Kyurem! Use Absofusion!"

N lunged forward, trying to grab the Dark Stone. But Kyurem was faster. He aimed his wings once more and shot the stone. Crackling light burst from Kyurem's body and N was blasted back. The shock wave hit me too, but I was farther away. I managed to grab N's arm to slow his progress as the two of us skidded across the ice. When we regained our balance, we stared open-mouthed. Kyurem was gone. So was Zekrom. What stood before us was some strange fusion of the two. Similar to Kyurem, but with a wing and arm from Zekrom, and a tail that sparked like a generator.

"Two Pokémon… fused?" N whispered.

"If I can't use you to rule the people," Ghetsis said, "then I'll simply rule by force. Too bad for you. You won't care much for the world I choose to create. Go, Kyurem!"

Kyurem bellowed and took aim at us. The air condensed and began to freeze as Kyurem's attack charged. I'd been holding Shira's Pokéball this whole time, gripping it until my fingers ached. I threw it, and Shira appeared in a blaze of flames. Her heat dissipated the icy blast as Kyurem shot it.

"So," Ghetsis said. "I wondered if you had Reshiram with you. Not that it worries me. But if anything can melt Kyurem's ice, it's Reshiram. That's why I can't let you escape."