As long as Carl focused on his meditation, his energy could continuously replenish. The battle gradually turned into a war of attrition, with Blaziken eventually succumbing, collapsing onto the ground.
Watching his Blaziken being overpowered, Carl felt uneasy. Serena was pushing her limits, injuring herself just to teach him a lesson. The thought made him despise that guy named Ian even more.
Darn it! Carl jolted awake from his beach chair, drenched in cold sweat. Last night's events were still fresh in his mind, haunting even his dreams. He resolved, "I need to find a way to gain recovery abilities, whether by awakening some latent power or receiving Cynthia's blessing. Otherwise, I won't stand a chance against Serena, let alone Cynthia or Lusamine. I can't go on like this; I need to change!"
Carl knew he couldn't continue in this manner. He wanted to seize control of the situation instead of being swayed by external factors. As he glanced at the girls playing volleyball on the beach, their graceful figures caught his eye, but he deliberately looked away.
It wasn't a complete failure, after all. He caught sight of Serena sitting in the referee's chair, feeling slightly more balanced. Her inability to participate due to limited mobility at least proved that he wasn't lacking in skill.
Time to focus on meditation, he decided. This meditation technique not only restored energy but, with perseverance, could enhance physical strength over time, though the effects required patience to manifest. Still, some recovery was better than none.
Meanwhile, near Snowpoint City in the region's northwest, a strange phenomenon appeared at the edge of a perpetually snow-covered forest. A lake, shrouded in cold mist, never froze over, and suddenly a glowing white bridge materialized, connecting the forest to an unknown area.
A sleek, dark green hound leaped gracefully onto the bridge. This was Zygarde in its 10% form, a rare entity whose numbers had increased slightly since the world's fusion, along with enhanced mobility.
Crossing the mysterious bridge, Zygarde arrived at a tower emanating an ancient aura. Known as the Dragonspiral Tower, this structure's origins were long forgotten, yet its legends persisted in the region. Once dilapidated, the tower now gleamed anew, with black and white energies swirling within, exuding a mysterious vibe.
As the supposed birthplace and resting place of the legendary dragon of the region, the tower was witnessing an unusual meeting. Zygarde nimbly reached the top, where two massive statues stood.
The statue on the left resembled a fusion of a white bird and a western dragon, with sleek forelimbs ending in sharp silver claws and a tail encircled by a metallic ring, its design both elegant and fierce. The right statue appeared more like a mix of a dinosaur and a western dragon, with stout armored limbs, wings spread like a fan, and a tail shaped like a spire, covered in circular patterns.
As Zygarde stepped onto the platform, the statues seemed infused with life, their eyes glowing gold and blue. "What brings you here?" they asked in unison.
Zygarde paused and looked up, saying, "I've made progress on the task you entrusted me with."
No sooner had it finished speaking than the statues began to change subtly. "Have you found a way for us to rid ourselves of Kyurem's shadow?" they queried.
In this region, the legendary dragons Reshiram and Zekrom symbolized truth and ideals, respectively. Unlike other mythical creatures often depicted in conflict, these dragons had a more pronounced dichotomy, closely tied to their unique origins.
Zygarde gazed intently at Reshiram and Zekrom, a hint of deeper understanding in its eyes.
These two creatures were originally one, known as the Original Dragon. Together with a pair of twins, they founded this region. However, during their rule, the brothers developed a severe disagreement.
The elder pursued truth, while the younger sought ideals, leading to a devastating war between them.
The ensuing conflict divided the nation, and the Original Dragon split into two, each following one brother. Yet, with their equal strength, neither Reshiram nor Zekrom could defeat the other, rendering the war futile. Luckily, the twin heroes eventually saw reason and ended the hostilities.
But peace was short-lived; their descendants reignited the flames of war. Angered, Reshiram and Zekrom unleashed their flames and thunder, destroying the region anew. History repeated itself, with unseen eyes always watching.
However, the legend holds a lesser-known detail: why are they called the Tao Trio if there are only two dragons? Zygarde, as the keeper of balance, knew the secret.
When the Original Dragon split, truth and ideals became Reshiram and Zekrom, while their former body was left behind, awaiting a victor's return. Yet the two dragons never returned, and over the centuries, the body developed its own consciousness, eventually awakening as Kyurem.
Unlike Reshiram and Zekrom's revered status, Kyurem was misunderstood as a monstrous beast. Legends claimed it attacked towns in the night, abducting humans and creatures as food, prompting towns to erect high walls and enforce curfews. Such misconceptions surely fueled Kyurem's resentment.
What a poignant history, Zygarde mused silently.
Before the Original Dragon split into the Tao Trio, the region was off-limits to other legendary creatures. The sky ruler Rayquaza avoided its airspace, the gods of ocean and earth dared not approach, and even the gods of dreams detoured around it. The guardian of life and death cycles chose to stay away as well. As a preserver of order, Zygarde also kept its distance.
The reason was simple: this dragon possessed both dragon and ice attributes, could effortlessly shift between electric or fire forms, and commanded three exclusive abilities. Its power was simply overwhelming!
Perhaps it was this excessive strength that led to the ancient catastrophe and ultimately the dragon's division into three?
This division was entirely different from Zygarde's core mechanism. Though Zygarde dispersed its power, it maintained a unified will, spreading out merely to expand its perception. Even after the world's fusion increased its cores, it could recombine them at will. If not for maintaining self-awareness, it could have split into even more cores.
Arceus creating the gods of time and space was also different. Though Palkia and Dialga gained independent consciousness, their existence depended entirely on Arceus's will. Without the creator's permission, they would forever remain tools to manipulate time and space.