Giant Chasm.
This place lay inside a massive meteorite crater in the far northeastern corner of the Unova region. In theory, someone could even see it from the high platform in Lacunosa Town.
Alder and the others arrived here at this moment.
They followed the tunnel deeper into the cave. However, the farther they went, the more clearly they could feel the temperature dropping.
"The temperature is getting a bit low," Wallace said. He pulled his cloak tighter and observed his surroundings.
There was a large amount of snow and frost on the ground now. The air was extremely cold.
"Yes. Everyone, be careful. We are not far from the destination now," Alder said. He looked at the map. Volcarona floated right beside him as the group continued forward.
When they passed through another cave, a world of pure white appeared before them.
This was a wide glacial canyon. Ice crystals covered the mountain walls on both sides. Snow piled on the ground, and jagged ice-crystal rocks jutted everywhere.
"It's so beautiful..." Wallace said, admiring this striking world of ice and snow.
"This is the place," Alder said. He exhaled, and the cold turned his breath into white mist.
The group kept moving. After walking for a few minutes, they all stopped at the same time.
In the air, many Cryogonal floated and spun. Snowflakes fell constantly. The scene looked almost lovely.
However, when they looked down, the sight was terrifying.
A massive gray-blue Pokémon rested on the ground. Its overall shape resembled a fierce Tyrannosaurus. It had an ice-blue nose lined with spikes. Its face and lower jaw were also ice-blue, like broken icicles.
It had a long gray neck and two arms that were small compared to its body. Two wings made of ice crystals—one long and one short—spread from its back, along with a gray tail.
Its eyes were closed in a deep sleep. Snow stirred up by the Cryogonal drifted down onto its body, as if making its sleep even more comfortable.
"Is this the strongest dragon, Kyurem?" Steven asked. He carefully observed the sleeping ice dragon. It wasn't beautiful at all—it looked wicked and fierce.
"What do we do next? Do we wake it up?" Cynthia asked. She frowned slightly as she looked at Kyurem, sleeping while the Cryogonal served it.
They couldn't just throw a Poké Ball at Kyurem like they did with Groudon. Groudon had been in a very deep sleep at the time, and they had tested it first.
But they didn't know whether Kyurem was a deep sleeper.
Also, they knew Kyurem had a hostile temperament. Back then, they went after Groudon mainly to deal with Kyogre.
It was well known that Groudon and Kyogre didn't get along. When Groudon woke up later, it went looking for Kyogre first.
But Kyurem was different. Kyurem might not get along with Reshiram and Zekrom, but they weren't certain what it would do.
"I think..." Giovanni said. He wanted to say more, but his expression suddenly changed.
A surge of fear made his hair stand on end. It swept through his entire body in an instant, leaving his hands and feet cold.
This was the feeling of being watched by a top predator.
Giovanni's pupils shrank as he looked forward. At that moment, the sleeping ice dragon opened its eyes. Its terrifying golden eyes had no pupils. They stared at these uninvited humans without any emotion.
"Be careful!" Steven said. He immediately gripped the Poké Ball in his hand.
"Roar—!!" Kyurem let out a violent dragon roar. The sound shook the entire glacial canyon and echoed between the walls.
The Cryogonal in the air gave sharp, startled sounds and drifted away unsteadily.
The massive ice dragon slowly stood up. Its cold eyes looked down at Alder and the others.
A group of humans dared to enter its territory and disturb its sleep. Kyurem wondered if they wanted to die.
Kyurem glanced at Giovanni. If it hadn't sensed a strong aura from this person, it would have fired an Ice Beam immediately.
Even so, its mood was terrible.
Thick freezing air poured from Kyurem's body. The temperature dropped even lower, so low that everyone began to shiver.
The gaze of this wild ice dragon was even more terrifying than the cold.
That heavy, icy stare—and the suffocating atmosphere it brought—made their hearts feel like they were about to stop.
The pressure was terrifying. Wallace felt like his breathing was going to give out.
"Kyurem, we did not mean to disturb your sleep," Alder said. He forced himself to ignore the alarms in his head as he spoke to Kyurem in a heavy voice.
"We came specifically to find you this time because we want to ask for a favor. Afterward, no matter what you..."
"Roar!!"
Before Alder could finish, Kyurem roared violently at the group.
The wind from that roar hit like a storm of ice and snow. Alder and the others couldn't open their eyes. The force nearly blew them off their feet.
This was from just one roar!
Volcarona immediately moved in front of Alder and the others and used Protect to form a barrier.
Kyurem's cold gaze didn't change. Those golden eyes were completely emotionless. It looked utterly heartless.
"What should we do? It seems like it doesn't want to talk to us at all," Wallace asked in a low voice.
Kyurem's roar was a warning—and an order to leave. If they stayed, Kyurem might attack them directly.
Kyurem was giving them a chance by warning them first.
But Alder was unwilling to leave. He had finally found Kyurem.
A few more seconds passed. Kyurem's aura grew more violent, and it looked impatient.
Ice-blue freezing air flowed out with every breath.
"Kyurem, this is your treasure, right?" Alder said. He took the DNA Splicers out of his bag.
Kyurem narrowed its dragon eyes and looked at the item in Alder's hand. It was indeed its property.
However, the DNA Splicers had been lost two thousand years ago. Kyurem didn't need them, so it never searched for them.
It didn't expect them to return now.
"Kyurem, I am returning this to you. Please help us once," Alder said in a heavy voice.
Kyurem looked down at the human. The DNA Splicers glowed faintly and floated up. They drifted to Kyurem's back and slid into the spikes on its wings—then vanished.
Alder felt a surge of joy. He thought Kyurem had agreed to help.
But in the next second...
"Get out."
A low, rough telepathic voice rang in their ears, freezing them in place.
This was Kyurem's telepathy. But those words were unexpected.
"Since you brought back the DNA Splicers, leave. I won't kill you," Kyurem's low voice sounded again. It didn't want to waste more words. It only wanted to go back to sleep.
That bossy attitude showed Kyurem's personality clearly.
Wallace stared at Kyurem in shock. He was stunned.
Kyurem took the DNA Splicers and then told them to leave. Wallace thought it was like being robbed. Damian believed in fair trades, but Kyurem was not fair.
Alder fell silent. He hadn't expected this.
He didn't repeat the request. It was clear Kyurem would not help them. He felt extremely unwilling, but there was nothing he could do.
"Kyurem, what will it take for you to help us?" Giovanni said in a deep voice. The green light of the Viridian Power appeared.
Because of the natural breath of the Viridian Power, Kyurem didn't attack them immediately, even though it was impatient.
"I have no interest in participating in the little mess between you humans," Kyurem said, giving Giovanni a dismissive glance.
It had no interest in why the humans were here. It didn't want to make any demands.
Kyurem had lost 'Truth' and 'Ideals' inside its body. It was no longer interested in many things. To Kyurem, these things were meaningless.
In fact, Kyurem looked down on its own relatives. Those two dragons fought every day for 'Truth' and 'Ideals.' Kyurem thought they were stupid.
"Even if it is related to Reshiram and Zekrom?" Giovanni said.
Kyurem's golden eyes showed impatience.
"Do not test my patience, human. Get out."
"Kyurem, you were also a legendary dragon left behind after the Original Dragon split. But the world only knows Reshiram and Zekrom. Your name, however, is unknown."
"Human!!"
Kyurem became furious. Its terrifying golden eyes brightened. It opened its massive mouth and fired an intense beam of ice.
It used the Ice-type move, Ice Beam!
The thick beam pierced through the air, moving exceptionally fast.
"Groudon!" Giovanni said. He immediately pressed the button on his Poké Ball.
In a flash of white light, the ruler of the earth appeared. It raised an arm to block the beam of ice.
Crackle!
Kyurem's Ice Beam had terrifying freezing power.
Ice crystals spread rapidly from Groudon's arm across its entire body. In just two seconds, Groudon was completely frozen, turning into a massive ice statue.
Everyone was shocked, including Giovanni.
This was unbelievable.
"Stupid humans. Since you don't want to leave, then all of you can stay behind as ice sculptures."
Kyurem's telepathic voice was violent, its eyes cold.
It was not joking. It was serious.
Right then, a burning red light shone from the frozen Groudon. The ice crystals melted quickly.
Kyurem turned its gaze back to Groudon.
"Roar!!"
A red 'Ω' symbol flashed. A larger form of Groudon appeared, its body seeming to flow with lava as it roared at Kyurem.
Groudon was enraged that Kyurem had frozen it.
It was Primal Reversion!
As Primal Groudon appeared, intense sunlight poured into the glacial canyon. Under the scorching light, the ice and frost inside the canyon began to melt.
Kyurem observed Primal Groudon. Its eyes grew colder.
Lightning crackled from Kyurem's tail and flashed across its entire body.
"Roar!!"
A loud roar shook the canyon. A massive gray-black dragon Pokémon appeared.
Its body was extremely powerful. The wings on its back and its arms were half-black and half-ice. Its tail was a black turbine.
It was Black Kyurem!
"It changed forms," Steven said with a frown. Kyurem in this form was much stronger than before.
Black Kyurem floated into the air and looked down at Primal Groudon. Heavy dragon pressure spread out.
The two Legendary Pokémon faced each other. The entire canyon was filled with their terrifying pressure.
The Cryogonal hid and trembled. They could feel that Kyurem was truly furious now.
"I wonder if Primal Groudon is a match for Kyurem..." Wallace said. He was worried—the atmosphere was dangerous.
"Speaking of which, why does it feel like all these powerful Legendary Pokémon can 'transform'?"
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