As the enormous Hurricane engulfed the Ice God, Articuno was swept helplessly into the heart of the storm.
For a moment, the mighty ruler of Ice Island looked almost like a child caught in a raging tornado.
Its body spun wildly through the air.
Round and round.
The storm continued for several more seconds.
Finally—
The Hurricane dissipated.
The exhausted Articuno immediately lost control and began falling from the sky.
Rayquaza seized the opportunity.
With a deafening roar, it surged forward.
Its massive tail glowed with draconic energy.
Dragon Tail!
BOOM!
The attack struck Articuno directly.
The Ice God was launched away at even greater speed.
A moment later—
CRASH!
It slammed into a snowy mountain peak.
Snow exploded everywhere.
The entire mountain shook violently.
Even after enduring four consecutive attacks from Rayquaza, Articuno still had not lost consciousness.
Aiden couldn't help feeling impressed.
As expected of the Ice God.
Yet despite its resilience—
It was clearly at its limit.
Aiden raised his hand.
A specialized Zero Ball appeared.
Without hesitation, he threw it.
The Poké Ball struck Articuno directly.
A flash of red light erupted.
Articuno vanished inside.
Shake.
Shake.
Suddenly—
Click!
The ball burst open.
A burst of icy energy exploded outward.
The heavily injured Articuno escaped.
Although it was clearly exhausted, it still managed to force itself free.
Seeing this, Aiden raised an eyebrow.
This was the first time he had encountered a Pokémon capable of breaking free from one of his specialized Poké Balls.
"Still refusing to surrender?"
Aiden smiled.
"Rayquaza."
"Let's do it one more time."
"Dragon Ascent!"
Rayquaza roared once more.
An even greater amount of Flying-type energy gathered above Ice Island.
The sky itself seemed to tremble.
Gradually—
The energy condensed into the image of an enormous celestial dragon.
The phantom descended from the heavens.
Articuno attempted to evade.
But it was too late.
BOOOOOOM!
The Dragon Ascent struck directly.
The resulting explosion illuminated the entire mountain range.
This time—
Even the mighty Ice God could no longer endure.
Its body crashed into the snow.
Completely unconscious.
Seeing that the battle was finally over, Aiden threw the Zero Ball once more.
Red light flashed.
Articuno was drawn inside.
Shake.
Shake.
Click.
The Poké Ball locked.
A bright white glow appeared.
"Ding!"
"Congratulations!"
"Successfully captured the Ice God Articuno!"
Aiden finally exhaled.
A Level 90 Divine Secondary Legendary truly lived up to its reputation.
Even a Divine Primary Legendary such as Rayquaza had needed considerable effort to achieve victory.
And now—
The Ice God belonged to him.
However, something unexpected happened immediately afterward.
The moment Articuno was captured—
The weather across Ice Island began changing.
Snow started falling heavily.
The snowfall intensified.
Then intensified again.
Soon, a full-scale blizzard swept across the island.
Seeing this, Lorelei frowned.
"The balance has been disrupted."
"The Three Divine Birds maintain the natural order of the Orange Archipelago."
"If you truly intend to take the Ice God away..."
"You'll need to find a successor."
"Otherwise the balance between the three islands will collapse."
Hearing this, Aiden immediately released Articuno again.
The moment the Ice God reappeared—
The blizzard gradually weakened.
Then slowly disappeared.
Seeing the result, Aiden finally understood.
Capturing Articuno was one thing.
Taking away the position of Ice God was another matter entirely.
...
After being released, Articuno quickly realized what had happened.
It had lost.
And now—
It belonged to Aiden.
The proud Ice God felt somewhat helpless.
Originally, it had believed this human was merely another Trainer seeking glory.
Someone who lacked the power necessary to challenge a true god.
But reality had proven otherwise.
Not only did Aiden possess Latios and Latias—
He also possessed Rayquaza.
A true Divine Legendary.
And after entering Aiden's System World briefly during the capture process...
Articuno had sensed something even more shocking.
There wasn't only one Rayquaza-level aura.
There were seven.
Seven.
Not to mention countless other powerful Legendary Pokémon.
Faced with such overwhelming strength, even the proud Ice God had no choice but to lower its head.
"Although I have been captured..."
"And technically become your Pokémon..."
"I am still the Ice God."
"My duty is to maintain balance within the Orange Archipelago."
"If I leave this world entirely and enter your space..."
"The climate here will undergo dramatic changes."
"Before following you, I must first choose a successor."
"An Articuno from my tribe."
"The new Ice God."
Only after hearing Articuno's explanation did Aiden fully understand.
"I see."
"Then take your time."
"We'll remain on Ice Island for a while."
"There are many Ice-type Pokémon here that interest me anyway."
Articuno visibly relaxed.
Thankfully—
This human was willing to wait.
Looking at Aiden, the Ice God couldn't help feeling emotional.
Over the years, countless Champions had attempted to challenge it.
Including the red-haired woman standing beside him.
Even when facing six Pokémon at once, Articuno had always emerged victorious.
Yet this young man possessed multiple Pokémon equal to or even stronger than itself.
Losing no longer felt unreasonable.
In truth—
Articuno had already accepted becoming Aiden's Pokémon.
But before departing, it needed to pass its responsibilities to the most talented member of its tribe.
Only then could it leave with peace of mind.
Which also meant one thing.
If Aiden planned to capture Moltres and Zapdos later—
The same process would be required.
"So collecting the Three Divine Birds is actually much more troublesome than I expected."
Aiden laughed.
Still—
A powerful Level 90 Divine Legendary was more than worth the wait.
Besides—
Team Rocket had already been destroyed.
Hoenn was being managed by Steven and Wallace.
Traveling together with Lorelei wasn't exactly a hardship.
In fact—
It was quite enjoyable.
...
During the waiting period, Aiden began exploring Ice Island.
He released Glaceon from its Poké Ball.
Seeing the elegant Ice-type Pokémon, Lorelei immediately became interested.
"Oh?"
"You actually have a Glaceon?"
"That's a rare little Pokémon."
Aiden smiled.
"One of my earliest Eeveelutions."
"I already have Partner Eevee and all eight evolutions."
"Glaceon was one of the first to evolve."
As he gently stroked Glaceon's head, the Ice-type Pokémon closed its eyes in contentment.
Soon afterward—
Aiden, Lorelei, and Glaceon began exploring Ice Island together.
And surprisingly—
After seeing Aiden's Glaceon, Lorelei suddenly developed the desire to raise one herself.
Even more surprising—
They soon discovered a fully evolved wild Glaceon living on the island.
...
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