At 6 PM, as dusk settled over Lacunosa Village, every villager hurried home, shutting their doors and windows tightly. Night was approaching, and with it, danger.
Lucien stayed in the old village chief's house as usual. The elderly couple had kindly prepared a room for him.
He lay on the wooden bed, with the three Swords of Justice resting on the floor beside him like silent guardians.
Kyurem and Dragonite remained in their Poké Balls, recovering.
But… speaking of Kyurem, Lucien's mind stirred.
A familiar wave of system information surfaced.
Kyurem
Type: Dragon / Ice
Gender: Genderless
Ability: Pressure
Moves:
Dragon Rage, Icy Wind, Ancient Power, Shadow Claw, Dragon Claw, Dragon Tail, Ice Beam, Dragon Breath, Slash, Dragon Pulse, Blizzard, Hyper Voice, Icy Wind, Stone Edge, Hail, Rest, Snowscape, Avalanche, Imprison, Outrage, Freeze-Dry, Absolute Zero, Glaciate
Friendship: 50 / 100 (can exceed 100 under special conditions)
Kyurem – Biography:
Year 0 — An unknown era: The Dragon of the Path (Way) is born in the universe.
Kingdom Calendar Year 106: The Dragon of the Path descends onto this world.
Kingdom Calendar Year 107: The dragon splits into three; its empty shell becomes Kyurem, entering slumber deep within the Giant's Chasm.
Kingdom Calendar Year 149: Kyurem acknowledges a human named Lucien, entrusting its power to him.
"The Dragon of the Path…"
Lucien stared blankly at the biography.
As a transmigrator, he knew well the legend of Unova's Original Dragon, the strongest dragon, the ancestor of Reshiram, Zekrom, and Kyurem.
The legend said the Original Dragon split due to some great calamity:
Its truth became Reshiram, Its ideals became Zekrom, And its empty body became Kyurem.
A thought sparked in Lucien's mind.
If he found both Reshiram and Zekrom, could Kyurem fuse with both again to return to its original form?
Logically… yes.
But in the games and anime, the full Original Dragon had never been depicted.
Still curious, Lucien whispered:
"Kyurem."
Inside its Poké Ball, Kyurem's eyes snapped open.
"Hmm?"
"If I can find Reshiram and Zekrom… can you fuse with them? The three becoming one again?"
At this, Kyurem fell into a deep silence.
A long moment passed before its ancient voice finally answered:
"My power alone is insufficient. Reshiram and Zekrom have been awakened by the will of humanity. They now possess their own souls and consciousness."
"Unless a human exists who carries both Reshiram's truth and Zekrom's ideals within their heart, and gains the approval of both dragons, and mine, as their empty shell..."
"Only then will the three parts willingly merge, to restore the Original Dragon."
"That path… has unimaginable difficulty."
Kyurem didn't voice the final part, but Lucien understood.
Even if he found Reshiram and Zekrom…
Even if he convinced them to stand with him…
They would almost certainly refuse to fuse together. Each had become a complete dragon of its own will.
Lucien exhaled softly, a faint sadness rising in his chest.
So the strongest dragon of legend, the true Original Dragon, was something he would likely never see.
A pity.
Lucien couldn't help feeling a deep sense of regret.
Just then, a sharp, clear knocking echoed through the quiet night.
The three Swords of Justice immediately tensed, their instincts on high alert.
Lacunosa Village was utterly silent after dark.
Not a single voice. Not a single footstep.
Because of that silence, the knocking sounded unnaturally loud, wrong.
Ominous.
A single thought flashed through Lucien's mind:
The man-eating monster has come again.
He jumped to his feet, moved quietly to the door, and peeked through a thin crack.
Snow was falling outside.
Soft flakes drifting down through a fierce, icy wind.
Snow, in June.
Impossible for natural weather. Unless something had brought the cold with it…
"The monster is here again?" Terrakion murmured.
"Most likely," Lucien replied, expression dark. Based on the creature's pattern, it was due to appear again within the next few days.
Before leaving this region, he had to resolve this threat to protect the villagers, to clear Kyurem's name, and to secure Lacunosa Village, a future training ground for Ice-type Pokémon and a resource hub for his people.
Ice-types could preserve food in a world without refrigerators.
They were invaluable.
Thinking this, Lucien pushed the wooden door open.
"Whooosh!"
A blast of cold air rushed past, and the knocking throughout the village fell silent instantly.
Through the swirling snow, Lucien's eyes sharpened.
There, in front of a nearby house, floated a kimono-clad figure, drifting weightlessly like a spirit.
Froslass.
It had been knocking for a long time, but no one inside had dared to answer.
Hearing another door open behind it, the creature turned.
Its eyes fixed immediately on Lucien. In that instant, Froslass's gaze brightened.
Such a beautiful prey.
A perfect decoration for its icy lair. Someone it could freeze… and cherish forever.
"Frooo…lass~"
Its soft, ghostly cry drifted through the frost.
It began gliding toward Lucien, its movements graceful and seductive, as if beckoning him closer.
But just before it reached freezing distance, three shadows leaped out behind Lucien.
Virizion. Cobalion. Terrakion.
Their expressions were complicated, pity, anger, and solemn understanding.
Froslass froze mid-air, startled.
"Fro—?!
"Stop, Froslass," Lucien said calmly as he stepped forward.
"Don't harm the villagers anymore."
But the Ice/Ghost-type instantly sensed Lucien's strength and panicked.
It spun around, turning to flee into the blizzard.
Lucien reacted immediately.
He snatched Dragonite's Poké Ball from his belt, released it, and jumped onto the dragon's back in one fluid motion.
"Dragonite, after it!"
He didn't intend to capture Froslass. What he needed was to follow it, to track it to its lair, and find the villagers it had abducted.
"Wooooh!"
Dragonite let out a ringing cry, then shot into the sky, wings beating against the storm.
The three Swords of Justice followed close behind, racing across the snow-covered ground.