Deep within the Giant Chasm, in front of the lake formed by the crater.
Draconis stepped into this place once again.
He looked into the darkness shrouded by icy mist and shouted toward it, "Kyurem, we are back! Please come out and battle us!"
Silence fell upon the darkness for a moment.
A sound of heavy footsteps echoed from the depths. The sound moved from far to near, and soon, Kyurem's icy silhouette emerged from the darkness.
The icy mist spread, and a chill immediately swept through the entire cavern.
The previously calm lake surface instantly froze, ice walls surged up, and in the blink of an eye, the ice arena was constructed once again, appearing before Draconis.
"Hmph—" Kyurem stared at Draconis opposite him. "You are not my opponent. Even so, do you still refuse to give up?"
"I cannot give up, because it's not just me standing behind me." Draconis's gaze was firm. "Kyurem, let's battle!"
"Hmph, very well." Kyurem snorted coldly and said, "Step through that door!"
Draconis stepped through the door once more.
A wave of cold air, seemingly capable of freezing everything, swept toward him.
The special training he had undergone at the ice waterfall during this period meant he was almost no longer affected by cold environments.
Not just him, but his Dragonair and the others were the same.
Draconis ignored the cold air and took out Serperior's Poké Ball.
Serperior vs. Kyurem!
The battle officially began.
Kyurem stared indifferently at the Serperior opposite it, starting with Shadow Claw, just as it had last time.
"Still the same move?" Draconis nodded slightly to Serperior. Before coming here, he had already devised a counter-strategy.
Serperior and Draconis had perfect synergy; it stood still in place.
The ice arena was vast. At this moment, Kyurem was still some distance from Serperior, and for Shadow Claw to hit, it had to run over.
Seeing Serperior's reaction, Kyurem immediately sensed something was wrong.
But before it could investigate further, it suddenly felt something trip it up.
Its massive body crashed heavily to the ground due to inertia.
That was—Grass Knot!
"Serperior, Leaf Storm!" Seeing the strategy succeed, Draconis immediately launched a follow-up attack while Kyurem was still struggling to get up.
Energy surged around Serperior. The pure Grass-type energy transformed into a swirling, emerald-green storm that swept toward Kyurem.
However, despite the seemingly powerful Leaf Storm, Kyurem stood up completely unscathed, enduring the storm.
It let out a roar, releasing waves of pressure around its body that dispersed the storm, then looked at Draconis and snorted coldly.
"There is improvement—but it is still not enough to defeat me!"
Draconis's heart sank. Sure enough, Kyurem was still too powerful!
"Roar!"
Accompanied by a roar, an Ice Beam swept out.
"Serperior, dodge!" Draconis quickly commanded.
The Ice Beam swept across, and Serperior darted rapidly, evading it.
"Rumble!"
Terrifying cold air raged, instantly freezing the air in its path, transforming it into massive ice pillars scattered across the ice arena.
Serperior continuously weaved between the ice pillars, using its speed and the terrain to constantly evade Kyurem's Ice Beam.
"No, this won't work! Serperior's Grass typing has a natural and huge disadvantage against Kyurem. Its proudest move, Leaf Storm, is like a tickle in the rain before Kyurem!"
Draconis's mind raced, his attention focused on the two figures in the arena.
But Serperior currently hasn't mastered many moves of other types—
Is there any way?
Draconis's gaze shifted, then settled on the massive ice pillars that had appeared in the arena.
The terrain!
"Serperior, Vine Whip—!" Draconis immediately called out. "Use the advantage of the terrain!"
The terrain? Serperior instantly noticed the ice pillars around them.
It immediately understood Draconis's intention.
While dodging Kyurem's attacks, it lured Kyurem beneath an ice pillar.
"Do you only know how to run?" Seeing Serperior's actions, Kyurem's tone was icy as it swung its Dragon Claw, shattering the ice pillar.
Just then, two slender Vine Whips extended from Serperior's body.
The Vine Whips coiled around the ice pillar above like small snakes, and under Serperior's control, they suddenly pulled with force.
"Crack!"
The sound of cracking ice came from the pillar, and accompanied by a loud crash, the massive ice pillar plummeted, striking Kyurem.
Kyurem staggered.
Draconis seized the opportunity: "Now! Leaf Storm!"
Any damage is better than none!
A green storm once again swept toward Kyurem.
A roar of anger erupted from Kyurem's mouth. The invisible sound waves materialized, and instantly, the entire cavern seemed to shake violently.
The ice pillars in the arena shattered almost instantly, and Serperior's body was blasted away by the sound wave.
That move was—Hyper Voice!
This is bad! Draconis quickly realized Kyurem's intent: "Serperior, dodge!"
But it was too late.
Kyurem's massive body was already closing in. Shadow Claw swung out, and Serperior's heavily wounded body was sent flying backward again.
After the strike, Kyurem's offense slowed slightly. Its massive body stood rooted to the spot like a mountain, exuding an ancient and mighty aura. Its voice was cold as it said, "Is this all the strength you possess?"
Draconis gritted his teeth. At this moment, the same emotion welled up in both him and Serperior.
—Unwillingness!
No—for Draconis, it couldn't fall yet!
Serperior, which had been heavily injured, suddenly burst forth with renewed fighting spirit, and surprisingly, stood up again!
Watching this scene, a hint of admiration appeared in Kyurem's icy Dragon eyes.
It Snarled: "Good, very good! Again!"
Hearing this, Draconis paused slightly, and a realization dawned on him.
Indeed! Just as he had suspected, Kyurem was not using its full strength!
Otherwise, with Serperior's current strength, it likely wouldn't survive even a single attack!
Two Leaf Storms—the Contrary Ability had boosted Serperior's Special Attack capabilities to the maximum.
He couldn't waste this!
"Serperior, Leaf Storm!" Draconis commanded.
The third Leaf Storm swept out once more.
This time, Kyurem chose to counter with Dragon Pulse.
Dragon breath surged from its mouth, transforming into a purple energy shockwave that erupted, meeting Serperior's Leaf Storm, which had been boosted twice by Contrary.
The two drastically different powers collided violently in mid-air. Neither gave way, resulting in an extremely fierce explosion!
"——It really is holding back." Draconis's mind gradually cleared.
Opportunities to battle Legendary Pokémon are rare. Sometimes, just witnessing them use their moves and feeling their aura is enough to greatly benefit ordinary Pokémon.
Since that was the case, he had to make good use of this opportunity and treat Kyurem as a Legendary-level sparring partner!
....
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