"That's where you're wrong, Kyurem. Let me explain this properly."
Grey stepped forward and raised a hand in front of Kyurem.
That simple motion only made Kyurem stare at him in suspicion.
"Human, what is it you want to tell me? If you don't give me a reasonable explanation, I'll show you exactly what it feels like to become an ice sculpture."
Kyurem took a heavy step forward. Frost spread across the ground with every footfall.
Cold air spilled in all directions, so sharp that even Victini, a Fire-type Pokémon, felt it cutting into its skin.
"Kyurem, let me ask you something first. The energy that froze that city, did it come from you?"
Grey pointed at the surrounding ground. Ancient ice that had not melted for ages was piled all around them, and it was clearly the same kind of power that had frozen Opelucid City before.
"That's right. The energy that froze that city came from me. But I'm not the one who ordered them to do it. So if you humans want to pick a fight over this, shouldn't you be going after that person? Why come looking for me instead?"
That was the part Kyurem could not understand.
It had been sleeping peacefully, doing absolutely nothing, and then a bunch of humans stole its energy and ran off to cause trouble with it.
No matter how you looked at it, it was the victim here.
"But from the victims' point of view, they were hurt because of your power, and now the culprit is heading straight for Giant Chasm, where you live. If someone records that and spreads it online, people are going to assume the two of you are connected."
"Kyurem, there's something else I should tell you. Your reputation in human society... isn't exactly great."
Grey thought of the old stories from Lacunosa Town, the ones that said children who went outside at night would be snatched away by Kyurem.
Those legends had painted Kyurem as the kind of monster that did every wicked thing imaginable.
"I've heard a little about that. But if that man is coming here, do you actually have a way to improve my reputation?"
Kyurem was not stupid. The moment Grey brought that up, it could hear the implication underneath.
Reputation. Public image.
No matter how he dressed it up, Grey clearly wanted to change people's bad impression of Kyurem in the human world.
Kyurem did not really care.
Still, if its reputation kept getting worse, then sooner or later there would be humans trying to play hero and slay the "evil dragon" every other day.
That part, Kyurem did care about.
So it was willing to give Grey, a human acknowledged by so many legendary Pokémon, one chance to explain what kind of plan he had in mind.
"It's simple. I'll start a livestream in a bit. When Ghetsis gets here, the two of us will work together and take him down. Of course, I won't show myself right away. We wait until he exposes what he really wants, then we arrest him."
White mist left Grey's mouth as he spoke. His eyes swept across the area, looking for a good place to hide a phone camera.
There were plenty of ice formations here, and plenty of places to conceal themselves.
But there did not seem to be many spots that could hold a phone securely while still letting it stream.
"Human, what are you looking for?"
Kyurem had watched Grey's gaze flick across the cavern long enough. Now it was curious too.
"Nothing much. I'm just looking for a place where I can prop up my phone and secretly livestream."
Grey thought for a moment, then looked back at Kyurem.
"Kyurem, is there any chance you could just make a spot like that for me right now?"
Kyurem: ?
"Human, what exactly are you trying to do?"
"Like this, and then like that."
Grey explained his plan in full.
Kyurem sucked in a cold breath.
"I have to admit, when it comes to being devious, humans really are the best."
This was the first time Kyurem had ever praised Grey from the bottom of its heart.
Grey fell silent.
"Has it ever occurred to you that this is called intelligence, not deviousness?"
He scratched his head. Being described that way by a Pokémon felt strangely off.
Still, this was a first.
He had never been called crafty by a Pokémon before.
"Mew~"
(It's fine. This is the first time Kyurem's ever complimented anybody. Don't get hung up on the details.)
Mew transformed into a Vanilluxe, circled around Grey a few times, then floated toward the entrance.
This time it was acting like a sentry, just waiting for Ghetsis to arrive.
"All right, let's get ready for the next part. Ghetsis is carrying the DNA Splicers, so he'll probably be here soon. Kyurem, he can't control you, can he?"
That was the one thing Grey was worried about. If Ghetsis had some way to control Kyurem, then Grey would have no good answer for him in the short term.
"I... probably don't think so."
Kyurem did not actually understand the mechanics of it either, so it could not give a definite answer.
"All right then. We'll deal with it as it comes. Now we wait for Ghetsis."
After saying that, Grey had Kyurem make a suitable hiding spot.
Then they settled in and waited.
Outside Giant Chasm, Team Plasma's airship descended from the sky.
"Lord Ghetsis, this is Giant Chasm, where Kyurem resides. This is where Lord Colress extracted the energy before. According to the information he provided, Kyurem is asleep inside."
A Team Plasma member dressed as one of the Seven Sages stood beside Ghetsis and reported what he had gathered.
"Good. Excellent. With the DNA Splicers in my hands, I am invincible! Hahahahaha!"
Ghetsis threw his head back and laughed as he strode toward Giant Chasm.
But after a few steps, he turned back and looked at the sage beside him.
"Giallo, where's Colress? Wasn't he just on the airship? Why is he suddenly gone?"
Ghetsis distinctly remembered seeing Colress just moments ago.
"Reporting to Lord Ghetsis, Lord Colress said the experiment at Victory Road has reached a critical stage. If he doesn't go now, all his efforts may come to nothing."
The sage, Giallo, relayed what had just happened.
"Hm..."
Ghetsis fell into brief thought.
But soon enough, he stepped into Giant Chasm anyway.
He was just a scientist, after all.
Nothing important.
The instant Ghetsis entered Giant Chasm, his expression flickered.
The cavern's interior was a bizarre landscape of absolute cold.
Countless natural ice crystals hung from the ceiling. Thick frost coated the walls, and even the air itself seemed frozen into a faint blue haze.
The place was terrifyingly quiet.
There was no howling blizzard, but the cold still slipped through the seams of his clothes and sank straight into his bones.
Ghetsis shivered, pulled his coat tighter around himself, and continued deeper in.
"Vanilluxe, Cryogonal. Heh. Just local strays."
His eyes swept over the surroundings. Aside from a few native Pokémon, there was nothing else to be seen.
Nothing but local wildlife.
"The Unova League will learn this soon enough. Team Plasma is the true ruler of Unova."
"I, Ghetsis, will be king over everything!"
The farther he walked into Giant Chasm, the clearer he could picture the future.
He would control Kyurem and freeze all resistance. He would become the king of Unova.
The members of Team Plasma would all stand beneath him and above everyone else.
Below them would come the ordinary citizens of Unova.
And after that, every trainer from every other region would be Team Plasma's slaves.
"Hahahahaha!"
At the thought of that, Ghetsis laughed wildly.
He was the true king of Unova.
Everyone would kneel at his feet.
Still laughing, Ghetsis walked deeper into Giant Chasm.
Before long, he reached his destination.
What he did not know was that a Vanilluxe was quietly following behind him.
Step by step, without making a sound.
Ghetsis noticed nothing. He still believed his plan was flawless.
"Grey, Grey, Ghetsis is here! Get the stream ready!"
Mew's voice echoed inside Grey's head.
Hidden inside a block of ice, Grey gave a small nod. His fingers moved quickly as he opened the livestream.
Title: [Is Kyurem good or evil? Also, if you stream from inside a cave, does that count as indoors or outdoors?]
Tags: [Legendary Pokémon] [top-tier Legendary] [legendary Pokémon of the Unova region]
The chat exploded immediately.
"Oh my god, where the hell did the streamer take me? Is this really something I'm allowed to watch?"
"The streamer's insane. He actually made it to Giant Chasm! What kind of spot is this? You can literally see Kyurem!"
"Is Grey trying to clear Kyurem's name? Or is he about to expose Kyurem's crimes?"
"I remember the old stories from Lacunosa Town saying Kyurem was a bad dragon. The kind that came out at night to snatch away disobedient children."
"I'm dying. That's obviously just a story adults use to scare kids. Have you seen how wild little brats are these days? Without stories like that, they'd be running all over town every night."
The chat quickly turned into a huge debate about Kyurem.
For many of the viewers, this was the first time they had ever seen a living Kyurem. Before this, they had only seen it in murals and old illustrations.
Now it looked so vivid, so overwhelmingly real, as if it were standing right in front of them, ruling over everything.
To be fair, it was not hard to see why Kyurem ended up cast as the villain in old stories.
It really did look like a villain.
Like it had been born to fill that role.
Deep within Giant Chasm, Kyurem pretended to sleep.
"Zzz..."
Kyurem's breathing rumbled softly.
Each breath it exhaled thickened the ice beneath it even further.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
Heavy footsteps struck the frozen ground.
At last, Ghetsis had reached the deepest part of the cavern and finally laid eyes on Kyurem.
"Answer me, Kyurem! Join forces with me, and Unova will kneel at our feet!"
"..."
Kyurem kept sleeping.
Seeing no response, Ghetsis raised his voice.
"Kyurem, I am one of Team Plasma's sages! Descendant of the ancient Unovan royal line, the only true ruler of Unova. Other than me, no one is worthy of you!"
"..."
Kyurem still did not give him so much as a glance.
If anything, it was putting more effort into pretending to sleep.
The chat instantly lost its mind.
"Damn it, it's this bastard! He's the one who froze Opelucid City! Grey, can't you just jump out and punch him already? We'll all send gifts!"
"Yeah! Grey, beat the hell out of him and I swear every one of us will buy captain memberships!"
A huge number of people from Unova were watching the stream, and all of them knew what had happened in Opelucid City. They also knew the man responsible was Ghetsis.
When enemies met, hatred burned bright.
If they could, the viewers would have climbed straight through the screen and appeared beside Grey just to slam Ghetsis into the ground with their own hands.
By now, Ghetsis was already on Unova's wanted list, and the bounty on his head was still rising.
If Grey captured him, the reward would belong to Grey alone.
Of course, Grey himself did not know that yet.
He remained hidden in the ice, waiting for Ghetsis to reveal his true nature.
Then again...
He already had.
Grey had assumed Ghetsis would put on a righteous act first, say something high-minded about maintaining peace and rebuilding the world, and then ask Kyurem to join him.
Instead, the man did not even bother pretending.
From the very start, he was openly asking Kyurem to help him seize Unova.
At the end of the day, Ghetsis had simply gotten too full of himself.
"Wake up, Kyurem! If you won't answer me, then I'll have to use force."
Seeing that Kyurem still had not opened its eyes, Ghetsis's breathing grew noticeably harsher with anger.
Kyurem...
You really do know how to test a man's patience.
As he spoke, Ghetsis slammed his cane hard against the ice.
The yellow pointed tip at the end of the cane emerged, and that alone made Kyurem open its eyes.
For the first time, it looked genuinely wary.
Something about the cane in Ghetsis's hand set off alarm bells in its mind.
The human himself was weak, so weak that one breath from Kyurem could freeze him into a statue.
And yet the strange feeling Ghetsis gave off made Kyurem want to get away from him on the spot.
Very few Pokémon had ever made it feel that way.
Not even Rayquaza, Ho-Oh, Palkia, Dialga, or Giratina had ever given it this kind of sensation.
"Kyurem, look at this! This is the DNA Splicers! With it, I can restore your full power!"
Ghetsis pointed the tip of the cane at Kyurem.
Kyurem showed no expression.
Or rather, it could not allow itself to show any.
It merely kept the same cold, merciless face, silent and unmoving, staring down at Ghetsis from above.
"Yes! That look, that scorn for everything, that's exactly it! Kyurem, you and I truly are a perfect match! Well? What do you say, shall we join hands and conquer Unova together?"
"With the two of us united, not even the Champions of other regions or those so-called battle legends would be able to stop us!"
Ghetsis took a few more steps forward.
Then he suddenly discovered that his body had started freezing over.
"Human, I don't like your tone."
Kyurem exhaled slowly, its golden eyes reflecting Ghetsis's crazed expression.
"Yes, exactly like that! Conquering a Pokémon like you is what makes this worth it!"
The moment the words left his mouth, the cane in Ghetsis's hand burst with a sharp cold light.
Crack-crack-crack!
Web-like fractures spread across the ice with the tip of the cane at their center.
The deep ice Kyurem had carefully condensed shattered like brittle glass.
Countless frozen fragments rose into the air, reflecting a dizzying, icy glow.
Freed from the frost, Ghetsis lifted his arm, only to sense danger closing in at once.
"Anni!"
(The kind of person I hate most is trash like you! Eat this!)
Annihilape burst out from the side, its black fist blazing with ghostly light as a phantom barrage roared forward.
BOOM!!!
Just before the blow could land, a Poké Ball shot open at Ghetsis's waist.
Hydreigon appeared and smashed the incoming Rage Fist apart on the spot.
Pokémon: Hydreigon
Type: Dark / Dragon
Level: 72
Ability: Levitate
Moves: omitted
A Hydreigon with Champion-level strength.
Grey raised an eyebrow, then relaxed again.
After all, for Zweilous to evolve into Hydreigon at all, its strength already had to be at least at the Elite Four level.
Once it reached Hydreigon, having Champion-level power was not hard to accept.
"Anni!"
(A Dark-type like you thinks it can block my path?)
A vicious grin spread across Annihilape's face. It crossed both arms and brought them down in a savage slash.
Hydreigon aimed with all three heads and both arm-like heads at Annihilape as pinkish-purple energy rapidly condensed.
Then it fired.
Dragon Pulse, Dragon-type!
Annihilape did not dodge. It chopped down at the Dragon Pulse with both hands and barely managed to break it apart.
But that also dispersed the force it had gathered for its own strike.
Still moving forward, it raised one blackened arm high, and brown light flared once more.
Brick Break, Fighting-type!
Cross Chop was mostly a move for show.
Most of the time, it did not hit anything anyway.
Over time, it had turned into a move Annihilape mainly used to cancel out attacks.
What it really excelled at were Brick Break and Rage Fist.
Those were practically its signature moves.
"F**k, why is this Annihilape such a pain? Did that guy Grey actually come here?"
Clutching his chest, Ghetsis cursed inwardly. He had been seconds away from success, and now an Annihilape had barged in out of nowhere.
Still, it was not hopeless.
Hydreigon was keeping the monkey occupied for the moment.
As long as he could point the DNA Splicers at Kyurem, he would be able to control it.
And once that happened, he was going to freeze that damned monkey into an ice statue.
"Mew~"
(Hehe, this thing's pretty nice. I'll be taking it~)
A Pokémon with two ice-cream-shaped heads suddenly flew out in front of everyone and used Psychic to snatch the DNA Splicers straight out of Ghetsis's hand.
Ghetsis: ???
What had he just seen?
A Vanilluxe had stolen his cane?
With Psychic?
What the hell?
What was wrong with this world?
Had he still not woken up?
For a moment, Ghetsis felt like his entire understanding of reality was collapsing.
"Anni!"
(A Dark-type like you should stay out of my way.)
Annihilape roared and slammed a palm into Hydreigon's shoulder, knocking it back toward Ghetsis.
At this point, the situation was clear.
There was no need to think about it.
The battle was becoming completely one-sided.
//Check out my P@tre0n for 30 extra chapters on all my fanfics //[email protected]/Razeil0810