Pokemon: A New Path

The temperature dropped steadily with every step. Soon, he and his companions were enveloped in a heavy, icy atmosphere.

Above, clusters of Cryogonal floated silently, their crystalline bodies glimmering in the dim light. These Pokémon only appeared in extreme cold, drawn here by the presence of Kyurem itself.

Naoki scanned the chamber but didn't see Kyurem right away.

Koraidon and Mewtwo, however, both turned toward the same direction, eyes narrowing.

Following their gaze, Naoki saw a deep tunnel carved into the stone at the far end of the cavern.

"Gaaah…" Koraidon growled quietly.

Mewtwo's eyes sharpened.

From the shadows, a sharp snort echoed, and then the sound of massive, dragging footsteps.

Thud. Thud. Thud.

The ground trembled as a towering figure emerged from the blackness.

It was a massive, bipedal Pokémon, cloaked in grey-blue scales. Jagged ice protruded from its back, and its face featured a sharp icicle-like snout. Ominous yellow light shone from deep within its eye sockets, and a crown of icy horns framed its head. Wide, jagged wings of frost stretched out behind it.

There could be no mistake.

Kyurem.

It stepped forward slowly, each footfall shaking the cavern. The air turned brittle and frigid, and even the Cryogonal drifted aside to give it space.

Kyurem's glowing eyes locked directly onto Naoki.

Twin jets of white vapor hissed from its nostrils.

Its voice was cold and thunderous.

"What is your purpose here?"

Naoki took a steady breath and stepped forward. "Kyurem. We've come to challenge you."

Kyurem's pupils shrank. "Challenge me?"

There was no warmth in its tone, just the cutting edge of suspicion.

"We mean no harm," Naoki said quickly, hands open to show peace. He leapt gently from the upper ledge and landed on the icy stone floor, walking out to face Kyurem directly.

Standing firm, he met the legendary Pokémon's gaze.

"I came to ask you a favor," he said.

"I have a Pokémon. Once, it was small and weak. But one day, it heard a legend about a hero who overcame all odds. From that day on, it vowed to become that hero."

Naoki smiled faintly.

"It trained every day, tirelessly. And now, it's ready. So I brought it here to request a battle with you. Not for conquest. Not for capture. But as a trial. If you are willing, I've brought gifts as thanks."

Kyurem didn't respond immediately.

Instead, it stood in heavy silence.

In its mind's eye, another memory flickered. A small Pokémon... bold, determined. The one named Keldeo.

So, another had come to follow that same path?

Kyurem eyed the human before it, and its breath briefly caught.

There was something familiar in Naoki's aura.

A lingering dragon presence. One it hadn't sensed in years.

Kyurem narrowed its glowing yellow eyes. That aura, it resembled those two.

An intrigued glint flickered in its expression.

Naoki, on the other hand, braced himself, half-expecting Kyurem to decline the request. But then, unexpectedly, the cold, weighty voice rang out again.

"Very well. Then prove it to me."

Naoki blinked. Kyurem... agreed?

Before he could respond, a tremendous surge of icy energy erupted from Kyurem's body.

In an instant, the entire floor beneath its feet froze into a mirror-like sheet of ice. The frost spread rapidly, encasing the walls, climbing up the pillars, and sealing the entire cavern in glacial crystal.

A path of ice extended out in front of Naoki, coalescing into a jagged archway—an ice gate.

The signal was clear. Crossing that threshold meant accepting the challenge.

Seeing the battlefield prepared, Naoki wasted no time.

He reached for a Poké Ball at his waist. "Go, Sylveon!"

A beam of white light burst out, and Sylveon appeared right in front of the gate.

The sudden change in scenery made her blink in confusion, but the glimmering ice, the biting chill, and Kyurem's overwhelming presence made everything crystal clear.

"Buee!" Sylveon's ribbons twitched with excitement as she stepped forward, eyes brimming with determination.

Kyurem studied the small Pokémon before it. Then, in its usual cold monotone, it spoke again.

"If you seek to battle me, then step through that gate."

Sylveon turned to glance at Naoki.

Naoki smiled and gave her a confident nod.

With a gleam in her eye, Sylveon leapt through the ice gate and landed gracefully on the battlefield, ready to face the legendary dragon.

But Kyurem didn't attack right away.

Instead, it looked down at the Fairy-type standing opposite it and asked in a low, rumbling voice:

"Tell me. Why do you wish to become a hero?"

Sylveon tilted her head, taken aback.

She hadn't expected this blizzard dragon to ask such a thing.

Still, she raised her ribbons proudly and declared, "Buee!" (Two reasons!)

Kyurem's frosty expression twitched with curiosity.

Sylveon straightened her posture, radiating heroic flair.

Watching from the sideline, Naoki suddenly felt a chill that had nothing to do with the temperature.

Wait—oh no.

He forgot to explain something to Sylveon.

He forgot to tell her that Kyurem isn't an evil dragon.

But it was already too late.

A flashback raced through Sylveon's memory, something Ho-Oh had solemnly said to her and Jirachi.

"A terrible dragon dwells deep in the mountains. It rides with the blizzards and steals children from sleeping towns. It turns anyone who approaches into frozen statues. Even the bravest Pokémon fear to tread near its lair…"

Sylveon stared up at Kyurem, eyes slowly widening.

That cold aura. The glowing eyes. The creeping frost…

It matched the legend perfectly.

Her expression turned fierce.

This was it. This was the child-eating blizzard dragon from the stories!

And she had come to stop it!

Lifting her head high, Sylveon shouted her second reason:

"Buyi!"

("To defeat you, the dragon that eats children, and save the townspeople!")

Kyurem froze.

Literally and figuratively.

Its glowing eyes widened in disbelief.

"…?"

Its deep voice trembled with a cocktail of shock, offense, confusion, and a faint twinge of rage.

"Eat children?" Kyurem repeated slowly, like trying to process a foreign language. "When have I ever—?"

The great dragon's icy wings twitched.

It wasn't just insulted. It was accused of eating kids!

And by a Fairy-type with ribbons and sparkles!

Its booming voice echoed off the icy walls:

"Who told you that?!"

"Buee…?"

Sylveon blinked in confusion, sensing something off in Kyurem's reaction.

Could it be… that the story wasn't true?

Kyurem's body began radiating an even deeper chill as it stepped forward, cold eyes locked on Sylveon.

"I have never harmed a human," the dragon said in a low, firm voice. "I've never even entered that town. Who told you otherwise?"

Seeing the atmosphere turning tense, Naoki quickly stepped up to respond.

"They're just legends… stories that circulate among humans. You've never heard of them?"

"Legends?" Kyurem paused for a moment.

Naoki nodded. "Yeah. Things passed around in the human world that may not be based on facts. Just rumors. I think... there's been a misunderstanding."

Kyurem fell silent.

"Buee…" Sylveon lowered her ears, realizing she might have made a mistake. She looked up cautiously, uncertain. "Is it… true?"

Kyurem glanced at her awkwardly, then let out a heavy breath.

"Of course not. I've never eaten children. Or humans. I feed on natural energy, pure energy drawn from the world itself. I have no need for anything else."

"So... it really was just a misunderstanding?" Naoki asked.

"Absolutely," Kyurem said firmly.

Not wanting to dwell further on the subject, Kyurem turned its gaze back toward Sylveon.

"I'm not a dragon, you know. So... do you still wish to challenge me?"

"Buee…" Sylveon hesitated.

The story she'd believed said only by defeating a dragon could she become a hero. If Kyurem wasn't that dragon… did this battle still count?

Kyurem saw the doubt in her eyes.

With a sigh, it turned its massive body around, walking back toward the darkness from where it had come.

"If that's how you feel, then you may leave."

Sylveon stood still, uncertain.

Naoki stepped forward and spoke gently. "You don't need to defeat a dragon to be a hero. What really matters is your heart, your determination to protect others, and to never give up."

"Buee?" Sylveon's eyes widened slightly.

"You've trained so hard for this day," Naoki said with a smile. "Why not spar with Kyurem? Think of it as a way to honor all the effort you've put in over the past year. You've earned this."

Sylveon blinked, then clenched her ribbons with resolve. She turned toward Kyurem's retreating figure and shouted:

"Buee!"

(Mr. Dragon, please battle with me!)

Kyurem froze mid-step. Slowly, it turned around, yellow eyes narrowing.

Sylveon suddenly realized her mistake. "Bu-yi!"

(Wait—not Mr. Dragon, I meant Mr. Kyurem!)

Kyurem didn't seem to care about the name.

Instead, it asked, "If you battle me, you must see it through to the end. Should you try to flee, I will pursue you no matter where you run. Even if the battle terrifies you… do you still wish to continue?"

Naoki stood in silence, lips twitching slightly.

Did Kyurem think he, Mewtwo, and Koraidon weren't present?

But this was Sylveon's challenge. He let her answer.

Sylveon took a deep breath, then gave a serious nod. "Bu-yi!"

Kyurem let out a cold snort. "Then prove your courage."

In an instant, the floating Cryogonal overhead began to spiral through the air, surrounding the entire battlefield in a glowing ring of refracted snowflakes.

Kyurem released an overwhelming burst of ice energy, howling like a blizzard roaring down a frozen canyon.

The battle had begun.

Kyurem's opening move was a Ice Beam. Condensing icy breath into a sharp, glowing blast of frigid energy, it fired the beam from its mouth, aimed straight at Sylveon.

But Sylveon didn't flinch.

Her eyes locked onto the freezing beam with unshakable confidence.

She had seen this move countless times.

Articuno had used it again and again in their training.

Now was her chance to respond.