Standing behind Xerneas, Nathan was completely baffled.
What does this have to do with me?
When had he ever touched anything that belonged to Kyurem?
"Hey, hey, hey—sure, we can leave if that's what you want," Nathan said, clearly annoyed. "But at least make it clear—when did I ever take anything from you?"
He really didn't appreciate being falsely accused.
Ever since he arrived in this place, the only thing he had taken was that Wishing Star Fragment.
Other than that, he hadn't touched a single thing.
Could Kyurem be referring to that meteor fragment?
But judging by the way Kyurem looked, he didn't seem like the type who collected Lucky Star Fragments.
He wasn't particularly large either—just under five meters tall, an average size by Legendary standards.
Not at all the kind of Pokémon you'd picture hoarding celestial items.
"That meteor—you took it, didn't you?"
Kyurem growled, his voice full of anger.
In his territory, everything that existed—no matter what it was—was considered his property.
And that included anything that fell from the sky.
The meteor had fallen while Kyurem was asleep.
And this damn human had taken advantage of that moment to steal his meteor!
Hearing this, Nathan immediately felt even more irritated.
Yes, he had taken the Wishing Star Fragment.
But since when did falling objects automatically belong to someone?
By that logic, shouldn't he be accusing Kyurem of breathing his air?
He scoffed, retorting, "Yeah, I took the meteor. But I'm not giving it back. So, anything that falls from the sky is automatically yours, huh? Why don't you say the ice around here is all yours too?"
His tone was firm, almost confrontational.
What a joke—why should he just give something back just because Kyurem demanded it?
What about his pride?
"You're asking for death!"
Kyurem roared with fury.
As he spoke, he charged directly at Nathan.
Seeing this, Nathan instinctively prepared to release one of his own Pokémon.
So what if Kyurem was a Legendary? Did that mean he could act without reason?
Even if it meant his Pokémon would be injured, Nathan wasn't about to let this overbearing Pokémon push him around.
"I'll handle him. You're no match for him—stand back!"
Xerneas, who had chosen to accompany Nathan, didn't remain a passive observer.
Instead, it stepped forward to help him.
After all, Nathan had nearly died trying to bring Xerneas out of that collapsing mystic realm.
Now that Nathan was in danger, how could Xerneas just watch from the sidelines?
Nathan, who had been about to release his Pokémon, paused.
Initially, he hadn't intended to rely on Xerneas in this fight.
But since Xerneas had taken the initiative, he wouldn't refuse the help.
Before Kyurem could reach him, Xerneas charged ahead.
From the tips of its antlers, a multicolored glow emerged.
That radiant light wrapped around the antlers, transforming them into weapons that looked almost enchanted.
"Horn Leech!"
Two Legendary Pokémon clashed violently.
There was a deep, resounding thud as they collided.
Kyurem, who had rushed forward at high speed, was knocked back even faster.
Having been struck so directly, Kyurem's fury only intensified.
"RRROOOAAAARRRR!!!"
Kyurem let out a deafening howl toward the sky.
But this wasn't just a roar—it was an attack: Hyper Voice.
The high-pitched sound reverberated across the icy landscape.
The powerful sound waves were so intense that Nathan instinctively covered his ears in pain.
All around Kyurem, the ice began to crack from the sonic vibrations.
But Xerneas remained completely unaffected.
As one of the most powerful beings among all Legendary Pokémon, such a sound-based attack couldn't possibly harm it.
Moreover, that multicolored light had never left its body—always surrounding it, always protecting it.
Xerneas, noticing how uncomfortable Nathan was from the sonic assault, responded instantly.
"Aurora Beam!"
The ever-present aurora above the extreme northern lands seemed to resonate with Xerneas at that moment.
From the sky, a dazzling beam of aurora light descended, aiming straight for Kyurem.
Nathan, watching from behind, was stunned.
He had seen Aurora Beam before—many Pokémon could use it.
But never had he seen one fall from the sky like this.
And this wasn't some thin streak of light—it was over two meters wide, an enormous pillar of glowing energy.
Kyurem's eyes widened. In haste, he opened his mouth wide and fired back with Ice Beam.
The two Legendary attacks collided midair.
A loud crack echoed through the sky as Aurora Beam and Ice Beam struck each other—and canceled each other out.
"A Legendary Pokémon… and you're willing to serve a human?"
Kyurem growled, glaring at Xerneas, still simmering with rage.
As a fellow Legendary Pokémon, Kyurem looked down on the very idea of being bound to a human.
In his eyes, humans were lowly creatures.
Weak, frail bodies… possessing no real power.
They relied only on their mouths and their minds—scheming, manipulating with their tricks and strategies.
Such beings were not worthy of being a Pokémon's master.
"No," Xerneas responded in its ethereal, gentle voice. "I am not his Pokémon. I am simply helping him."
But those words only made Kyurem angrier.
You're a fellow Legendary Pokémon—and instead of helping me, you're helping a human?
Unforgivable!
"Hmph. Human—do you even dare step out from behind that thing?"
Kyurem turned to Nathan with disdain.
"As expected, all humans are trash."
Xerneas, it seemed, had already made up its mind to help Nathan.
And realizing he could not sway Xerneas, Kyurem shifted targets and began taunting Nathan directly.
Already irritated, Nathan wasn't about to take that insult lying down.
Yes—he was standing behind Xerneas.
But that didn't mean he was weak.
And it definitely didn't mean he was afraid of Kyurem.
Sure, Kyurem was strong—but he wasn't the strongest among Legendaries.
"Oh yeah?" Nathan's eyes narrowed. "If you're so eager to lose, then let me show you what my Pokémon can really do."
As he spoke, he released Volcarona.
Kyurem might be powerful—but Nathan was a Trainer.
And not just any Trainer—he was a genius Trainer.
To face a wild Pokémon, even a Legendary, he didn't need to back down.
"Xerneas, let me handle this."
As Volcarona emerged, Nathan gestured for Xerneas to step back.
Seeing the confidence in his eyes, Xerneas didn't insist.
If Nathan believed he could handle Kyurem, then it was willing to step aside and observe.
It was also curious—how well could Nathan and his Pokémon work together?
"You actually dare to look down on me like that?"
Kyurem laughed coldly.
"You'll regret this, human."
From Kyurem's point of view, Volcarona was just a Champion-level Pokémon.
How could it possibly pose a threat to him?
"Volcarona—let's show him!
Use Heat Wave!"
As the move was activated, the temperature of the area instantly soared.
Snow on the ground melted rapidly into water, and even the thick ice layers began to thaw.
Wherever the Heat Wave passed, snow and ice turned to liquid—steam rose into the air in thick white clouds.
The scorching wind blew past Kyurem, and he immediately felt the unbearable heat all over his body.
Being both Dragon and Ice type, Kyurem was especially sensitive to high temperatures.
Though the attack itself wasn't extremely powerful, the heat alone was miserable to endure.
Unable to withstand the heat any longer, Kyurem unleashed Blizzard—both to cool down and strike back.
A fierce, howling wind arose as snowflakes—like floating goose feathers—fell from the sky.
The blizzard struck Nathan's face like knives, sharp and cold.
The snowflakes that touched Volcarona's body evaporated instantly.
But the sheer cold of the attack was enough to slow it down significantly.
"Volcarona, use Overheat!"
Nathan quickly shouted the command.
Suddenly, a blazing layer of flame erupted from Volcarona's body.
Wrapped in intense fire, Volcarona surged with new power.
After using Overheat, the Blizzard had no further effect on it.
Overheat, after all, was not just a Fire-type attack.
It drastically raised the surrounding temperature, empowered all fire-based moves, and granted partial immunity to ice-type techniques.
Even though they were battling on a glacier, the power of Overheat allowed Volcarona to fight back—turning the frigid battlefield into a stage of flame and ice.
(End of Chapter)