At this moment, Aiden and Lorelei rode upon Latios and Latias as they arrived at Ice Island—the highest island within the Orange Archipelago.
At the summit stood an ancient structure resembling a sacred altar.
At the center of the altar was a throne-like platform.
Above it floated a crystal-clear blue orb.
The Ice Orb.
In the events of The Power of One, the three Legendary Birds had once plunged the world into chaos.
In the end, Ash had used the three sacred orbs—the treasures of the legendary islands—to restore balance and prevent the destruction of the world.
Now, standing atop Ice Island's highest peak, Aiden finally came face-to-face with the ruler of this frozen land.
The Ice God.
Articuno.
The moment Articuno noticed Aiden and Lorelei's arrival, its sharp gaze swept across them.
However, when it noticed Latios and Latias beside them, a trace of surprise appeared in its eyes.
Then it spread its magnificent icy-blue wings.
With a powerful flap, it ascended into the sky.
Hovering above the summit, it looked down upon Aiden from on high.
Soon afterward—
A piercing cry echoed across the heavens.
"SKREEEEEEE!"
As the cry rang out, countless snowflakes began drifting down from the sky.
A single call was enough to influence the weather of the entire island.
That alone demonstrated how terrifying the Ice God's power truly was.
Taking advantage of the moment, Aiden immediately examined its status panel.
"Ding!"
"Current Status: Ice God Articuno."
Pokémon: Articuno
Divine Authority: Ice God
Level: 90
Ability: Pressure
Type: Ice / Flying
Potential: Red
Bond Evolution: Not Unlocked
Mega Evolution: Not Unlocked
Skills: Ice Beam, Blizzard, Water Pulse, Ancient Power, Freeze-Dry, Snowscape, Sheer Cold, Hurricane...
Affinity: 0
Description: The strongest Articuno in existence. Supreme ruler of the Articuno race. Possesses the authority of ice and the power to devastate heaven and earth. Known as the Ice God. Once fought alongside the God of Fire and God of Lightning and even defeated Lugia. Extremely powerful and exceptionally proud.
Likes: Battling the God of Fire and God of Lightning.
After reading the information, even Aiden felt a surge of surprise.
This was the highest-level secondary Legendary he had ever encountered.
Level 90.
Even among Divine Legendaries, that was astonishing.
But after thinking about it, the result seemed perfectly reasonable.
After all—
This was the Ice God.
A being that had once participated in the battle that nearly destroyed the world.
A being that had defeated Lugia alongside the other two divine birds.
Its strength was naturally extraordinary.
And that battle had proven something important:
A secondary Legendary wasn't necessarily incapable of defeating a primary Legendary.
As long as it possessed enough power.
"You're impressive."
Aiden looked up toward the sky.
"I came here for one reason."
"To capture you."
"Articuno, do you dare battle me?"
The moment those words left his mouth—
Articuno became furious.
As the supreme ruler of the Articuno race, its pride far exceeded that of ordinary secondary Legendaries.
Submit to a human?
Impossible.
Without hesitation, Articuno launched an attack.
Ice Shard.
Countless razor-sharp chunks of ice shot through the air.
Seeing this, Aiden immediately urged Latios to evade.
Fortunately, Latios possessed the speed of a jet aircraft.
It narrowly dodged the attack.
The icy projectiles exploded behind them.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
After avoiding the strike, Aiden finally took out a Master Ball.
"If my opponent is the Ice God..."
"Then I'll leave this to you."
"Come out—Rayquaza!"
A brilliant white light erupted.
The next second—
A colossal green dragon appeared in the sky.
Its enormous body stretched for tens of thousands of meters.
For a brief moment, it seemed as though the entire Ice Island had fallen beneath its shadow.
"ROOOOOAR!"
Rayquaza's roar shook the heavens.
Visible sound waves exploded outward.
Across Ice Island, countless Pokémon trembled in fear and immediately burrowed into the snow.
Even Articuno's expression changed.
It hadn't expected this human to summon such a terrifying Legendary.
A top-tier Divine Beast.
Rayquaza.
Yet despite the pressure, Articuno showed no intention of retreating.
It was the Ice God.
It had once defeated Lugia.
It would not surrender simply because Rayquaza appeared.
The next moment—
Articuno spread its icy-blue wings.
An overwhelming amount of ice energy gathered around it.
Blizzard!
A massive snowstorm formed instantly.
Avalanches of ice and snow descended from the sky toward Rayquaza.
Seeing the attack, Rayquaza opened its mouth.
Dragon Pulse!
A brilliant blue beam shot forward.
The two attacks collided.
BOOOOM!
The resulting explosion shook the entire mountain range.
Both attacks struck their targets.
Articuno was an Ice-type Pokémon.
Its resistance against Dragon-type attacks was significant.
Even though Rayquaza's power was overwhelming, Articuno still managed to endure the hit.
A few wounds appeared upon its crystal-like feathers.
Meanwhile, Rayquaza was equally surprised.
Although it had resisted most of the Blizzard's power, traces of frost still formed along parts of its body.
Noticing this, Aiden couldn't help clicking his tongue.
A secondary Legendary capable of reaching such a level truly deserved the title of Ice God.
"Rayquaza."
"Hyper Beam!"
Since Dragon-type attacks were less effective—
There was no reason to continue using them.
Rayquaza roared.
A terrifying beam of orange energy erupted from its mouth.
Hyper Beam.
The devastating attack shot directly toward Articuno.
Sensing danger, Articuno immediately climbed higher into the sky.
It narrowly avoided the blast.
However—
Aiden smiled.
"Track it upward."
Instantly, Rayquaza adjusted its aim.
The Hyper Beam changed direction and continued its pursuit.
The beam struck Articuno directly.
BOOOOM!
The Ice God let out a cry of pain.
Its body plummeted downward.
At the last moment, it desperately flapped its wings to stabilize itself.
"Use Hurricane!"
Rayquaza answered with another roar.
As the ruler of the skies, no Flying-type Pokémon could surpass it in mastery over aerial power.
Violent wind energy gathered around its body.
A gigantic storm appeared.
The Hurricane engulfed Articuno completely.
Within moments, the Ice God was trapped inside a raging tempest—
Enduring the full wrath of the Sky Dragon King.
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