"Um, Champion Alder, I actually have some matters to attend to, so I'll be taking my leave first."
"Elite Four Feng Che, I had absolutely no part in what is happening here," Grimsley clarified in a hurry.
"Very well. Safe travels, Elite Four Grimsley," Feng Che replied with a beaming smile as he waved goodbye.
Yet, the warm gesture did little to mask the bone-chilling coldness emanating from his eyes, causing Grimsley to shudder.
"Oh my goodness... I felt like I was going to be flash-frozen to death by Feng Che's icy glare," Grimsley muttered, clutching his chest in lingering terror after making his swift retreat.
"Elite Four Feng Che, do you truly intend to make an enemy out of me?" Alder growled, his face darkening as the suffocating pressure of a Champion-rank Trainer erupted from his frame.
Strangely, Feng Che could distinctly sense a peculiar, pitch-black miasma swirling across Alder's body—a corrupt energy identical to the dark aura of the Sky Fiend.
"He has officially sacrificed his soul to that dark entity in exchange for a massive injection of forbidden power," Mewtwo observed, clicking its tongue in disapproval. "He likely despaired over his inability to restore his primary partners back to the Champion rank on his own. Driven to a corner, he chose a treacherous shortcut."
"What's the matter? Are you seriously planning to launch an assault against a sitting Elite Four member of the League?" Feng Che threatened smoothly, a mocking smile playing on his lips. "I suggest you think very carefully about the consequences. I am an official appointee of the Global Pokémon League headquarters. If the slightest mishap befalls me here, you will all be hunted down by League investigators and thrown straight into a maximum-security prison."
"Ah... this..."
The surrounding League investigators exchanged uneasy glances, completely at a loss for how to proceed.
"Tell you what, Feng Che. Let us settle this through a formal six-on-six full battle," Alder proposed, his voice rich with confidence. "If I emerge victorious, you will permanently withdraw your hands from the Dragon Clan's administration. If you win, the Unova League forces will immediately evacuate the sector. Do you have the courage to take this wager?"
He was no longer the broken man he once was. Having obtained the vast parameters of the mysterious fiend, the Pokémon in his possession had all forcefully broken back into the Champion rank.
"No problem. Bring everything you've got," Feng Che agreed easily, harboring absolute faith in his partners. "However, you'll have to give me a brief moment. I need to make a quick trip back to the Dragon Clan's ancestral grounds first."
Feng Che gestured for the enclosing League investigators to clear the way.
"Stand down and let him pass. I shall grant Elite Four Feng Che a full day to prepare," Alder sneered sinisterly. "If the Elite Four proves to be a coward and flees from the duel, I will personally order the League forces to level the Dragon Clan to the ground."
"Fine. Understood," Feng Che nodded coolly.
"Let him through!"
Alder waved his hand, and the heavy blockade of League personnel parted to form a clear path.
"Drayden, let's go." Feng Che patted Drayden's shoulder, and the veteran Gym Leader smoothly guided their flight back toward the heart of the Dragon Clan's territory.
Inside the Dragon God Shrine.
The high-ranking elders of the Dragon Clan were gathered in tight clusters, their faces clouded with heavy anxiety. Several conservative elders paced back and forth across the stone floor, their hands pinned nervously behind their backs.
Suddenly, a massive shadow cleaved the sky, accompanied by a violent, rushing gale.
"Clan Leader Feng Che and Elder Drayden have returned!"
A wave of intense relief swept through the crowd. The anchor capable of steering the destiny of the Dragon Clan was finally back.
"Clan Leader Feng Che, a massive joint League task force has completely surrounded the borders of Opelucid City. Their objective is to forcefully annex our territory and reduce the Dragon Clan to a mere administrative vassal of the League!" one elder reported frantically.
"Disregard them for now. I have already agreed to a decisive duel against Alder. Everyone, clear the sanctuary. I need to offer my prayers within the Dragon God Shrine alone to adjust my condition for the impending battle," Feng Che commanded, waving his hand to dismiss the assembly.
The moment the grand chamber fell entirely silent, Feng Che deployed his Master Ball, releasing Black Kyurem.
Upon materializing, the merged entity smoothly dissolved, splitting back into the distinct forms of Zekrom and Kyurem. A single set of DNA Splicers drifted lazily through the air, falling firmly into Feng Che's hand.
By this point, Kyurem had fully regained its cognitive functions. It was entirely aware that Feng Che had forcefully stepped in to suppress its catastrophic rampage when its mind had fractured.
[Kyurem: Human... You have my deepest gratitude for quelling the madness that consumed my vessel. My mind has completely cleared.][Kyurem: As a token of my appreciation, I shall bestow an exceptionally rare legacy upon your partner.]
Kyurem unhinged its jaws, expelling a pristine, shimmering crystal of solid permafrost.
Just as Feng Che reached out his hand to retrieve the floating ice crystal, Kyurem's deep voice echoed directly beside his ear. "Do not touch it with your bare skin. This is the core of my dragon legacy, housing an intensely volatile, absolute-zero frost. A Pokémon's physical vessel can endure the thermal strain, but a human body will be instantly ruined."
"Furthermore, Feng Che, I regret to inform you that both Zekrom and I sustained catastrophic structural damage during the recent unsealing," Kyurem added gravely. "The two of us must remain within the Dragon God Shrine for an extended period to mend our vessels."
"There is another reality you must understand. Although we have accepted the authority of your Poké Balls, we cannot accompany you beyond the borders of Unova. Zekrom, Reshiram, and I stand as the foundational Tao Trio of this land."
"We are bound by ancient law to anchor the natural order of Unova. The exact millisecond we clear the regional boundaries, our raw parameters will suffer a catastrophic degradation," Kyurem warned in an earnest register. "However, should you ever encounter a crisis beyond your capacity to resolve, you can always return to Unova to claim our absolute protection."
"I understand," Feng Che replied, his fingers tightening around the relic until his knuckles turned white. Capturing a Legendary Pokémon only to be barred from deploying it outside the region left him thoroughly displeased.
"Then why are Shadow Lugia and Primal Dialga capable of accompanying me past regional boundaries inside my Garden of Life?" Feng Che asked, deeply perplexed.
"Because those two are absolute anomalies within the cosmic order," Kyurem explained, its voice shifting into an extraordinarily gentle register. "By standard design, they should not exist in the mortal realm, nor can they remain anchored to it for long. Stumbling into a Trainer like you was their ultimate stroke of fortune; otherwise, the natural consciousness of the world would have obliterated their vessels while they were still trapped inside their eggs."
"Zekrom and I must enter our deep slumber now. If an emergency arises, return to the altar to call upon us."
As its final words fell, an immense layer of solid permafrost rapidly encased Kyurem's form. Beside it, Zekrom was completely swallowed by a vortex of crackling electricity, a low, beast-like roar echoing from within the blinding currents.
Feng Che produced Deino from its Poké Ball. The adorable Irate Pokémon sniffed the air, before scrambling excitedly toward the spot where Kyurem's legacy crystal rested.
With a sharp snap of its jaws, Deino swallowed the permafrost crystal whole. Instantly, a brilliant white light of evolution erupted, enveloping its entire body.
The evolutionary transmutation endured throughout the entire night.
Deino systematically funneled the residual Bolt Strike electricity of Zekrom and the Blue Flare thermal energy of Reshiram deep into its bone marrow, aggressively reinforcing its physical parameters to an unbelievable degree.
By the time the white light shifted, allowing it to evolve into Zweilous, the Pokémon absorbed the absolute-zero frost of Kyurem's legacy, successfully integrating the unified inheritance of the entire Tao Trio.
When the final light broke, revealing the majestic form of Hydreigon, Feng Che could feel that this particular Brutal Pokémon completely transcended standard species parameters.
Thick, unyielding dragon scales armored every inch of its frame. Unlike standard specimens, each of Hydreigon's three heads had grown to an identical, commanding size. Furthermore, it had manifested a pair of powerful, fully developed forelimbs and clawed feet that standard Hydreigon entirely lacked.
A brilliant lightning rune gleamed vividly across its left head, a sharp frost crest adorned its central head, and a burning flame symbol radiated from its right head.