Pokemon: Spiritual Master-Chapter 519: Kyurem’s “Gift”

The Genesect had fled.

Johan and Gengar, now reverted from Mega Evolution, practically collapsed to the ground at the same time.

With them were Ninetales, who had maintained snowfall and ice walls for so long; Urshifu and Ceruledge, who had each held their own against a Genesect; and Dragonite and Tinkaton, panting heavily after ending Outrage Mode and delivering heavy blows.

The five Genesect had taken down Kyurem.

And they—had taken down the Genesect!

Sure, the Genesect were weakened and injured—but that didn't matter.

This time, Johan didn't rely on Darkrai, didn't call on Marshadow, didn't invoke any other external Pokémon.

He did it with his own team.

Yes, the conditions were special. But without a doubt, it was a real test—and proof—of his strength.

Crack, crack...

The ice walls receded, snow stopped falling. Johan and his partners regrouped, meeting each other's gazes with tired smiles.

They had gotten stronger. Again.

"Yoji!!"

Only now did Larvitar dare to speak. Earlier, it had stayed silent for fear of distracting the team during the battle.

Now it clenched its tiny fists, eyes sparkling with excitement.

It had really wanted to fight too.

But it knew—it wasn't strong enough yet. If it charged in, it'd just become a burden. Like the frozen Swords of Justice—something others had to protect.

"Yoji! Yoji!"

I've got to get stronger—fast!

Larvitar fiercely pulled out a chunk of ore and bit into it, chewing like it was devouring Genesect themselves.

Johan's eye twitched.

Larvitar, can you tone it down?

You binge whether you win or lose... My wallet's crying here.

"Thank you."

Keldeo staggered to its feet, eyes burning with resolve as it looked at Johan and the others.

With their help, it had finally understood "the weight of a sword, and why one draws it."

Before, even without drawing its blade, it still insisted on calling itself a Sword of Justice.

Now, it had drawn its sword—but realized it wasn't yet worthy of the title.

Still, it felt it had finally taken the right path.

"Ka-kaah!"

Gengar gave it a big thumbs-up.

Told ya you could do it.

Keldeo was moved.

When it had faced Genesect's Techno Blast, it hadn't known whether it could withstand it.

It just knew—it had to.

But Johan and Gengar didn't hesitate. They trusted it completely and acted without doubt.

That trust—was what it had always longed for.

If Gengar hadn't pushed Genesect into a corner and forced them to fire wildly, the battle might not have ended so quickly.

Johan felt he didn't need to say anything.

His team had helped Keldeo grow, without even realizing it.

And that made Johan proud.

"They really are learning from each other," he thought.

After a short rest, Johan handed out energy cubes to everyone for recovery.

"You hurt?"

While everyone recovered, Johan treated their wounds.

Gengar had taken a heavy hit earlier.

Urshifu, Dragonite, Tinkaton, and Ceruledge were all injured to varying degrees.

Ninetales was only drained, but otherwise fine.

"Ka-kaah!"

Gengar grinned and played up the pain, but Johan didn't tease this time. He gently massaged it with Aura energy.

The moment he did, Gengar stopped pretending and happily licked his face.

"Eugh... Massage is fine, but what's with the tongue... chomp—" Johan shoved a Sitrus Berry into its mouth.

"Ka-kaah-kaah-kaah~!"

Gengar laughed gleefully, hands on its hips.

The others chuckled knowingly.

Sometimes, teasing each other wasn't about annoyance—it was just how they bonded.

Keldeo watched them with admiration.

After recovering, Johan, Keldeo, and the team stood before the ice statues of the Swords of Justice.

Freeing them was now the priority.

Smashing the ice was out of the question—it could harm them, and the ice itself wasn't easy to break.

"Goka?"

Let me try?

Ceruledge stepped forward.

Johan thought for a moment, then nodded. "Go ahead."

Keldeo hesitated.

Was Ceruledge going to slash the statues?

Fire-types were ideal for melting ice, but...

Then Keldeo's jaw dropped.

Ceruledge twisted a protrusion on its chest armor halfway.

Clack clack clack...

The friction of armor parts, a shift in stance—its glowing blue blade transformed into a golden cannon.

What?!

Keldeo rubbed its eyes.

Was this really... a swordsman?

Johan chuckled, noticing Keldeo's stunned expression.

"That's not a sword," he said with a grin. "That's truth."

Truth.

Up close? Use the sword.

From a distance? Use the cannon.

That's the truth.

"Goka."

Ceruledge narrowed its eyes, a swirling blaze gathering in the barrel of its transformed arm. Heat waves rolled outward.

Keldeo's eyes lit up.

Maybe... maybe this flame could really—

"Oowoo?"

Ninetales, standing at Johan's side, suddenly tilted its head with a thoughtful expression as it stared at the ice.

Just as Ceruledge's flame was about to be unleashed, Ninetales called out, "Oowoo!"

Wait!

"What's wrong, Ninetales?" Johan asked, confused. Ceruledge paused.

"Oowoo~"

Ninetales gently swayed its tails, releasing a gentle wave of cold mist. The fog rolled over the frozen statues—not from Kyurem this time, but from Ninetales itself.

Ssshhh...

The once rock-solid ice began to dissolve slowly, like shaved ice melting under the sun.

Huh?

Johan and Keldeo both looked at Ninetales in surprise.

Was it absorbing Kyurem's ice-type energy?

Keldeo blinked.

Actually, now that it thought about it... none of Johan's Pokémon were... "normal."

That Gengar, capable of Mega Evolution and launching Shadow Balls the size of a boulder...

That Ninetales, which could manipulate ice-type energy to rival even Kyurem...

Dragonite, who could activate Outrage without losing control...

Ceruledge, with its blade-and-cannon switching... ability...

And then there were Urshifu and Tinkaton, who hadn't even shown their full strength yet.

Yeah. These Pokémon were insane.

But even Johan hadn't expected Ninetales to be able to absorb Kyurem's ice power like that.

When the ice completely melted, the Swords of Justice—Cobalion, Terrakion, and Virizion—were finally free.

"Thank you," Cobalion said solemnly.

Though they'd been frozen, they hadn't lost awareness. They'd sensed it all.

They bowed respectfully to Johan and his team—and then turned with pride toward Keldeo.

Their pupil... had grown.

And for them, that made the hardship worthwhile.

"Cobalion! Terrakion! Virizion!" Keldeo cried, galloping to them in joy.

Johan smiled and led his team a few steps away, giving them room.

The trio was still weak and needed time to recover.

"Oowoo~~"

Once they were alone, Ninetales explained what had just happened.

When Ceruledge had readied its fire, Ninetales had sensed something unusual. The ice felt almost like Never-Melt Ice.

But not quite.

More absorbable.

Johan's eyes narrowed.

"Never-Melt Ice, huh...?"

He looked toward the heart of the Giant Chasm, once Kyurem's lair.

Kyurem was gone, yet the cold remained—and not just remained, it was spreading.

That's what had led him to believe Kyurem was still there.

But now, maybe...

Maybe Kyurem had left something behind.

Ice imbued with its power, building its den. And now, without Kyurem's control, that power was spilling out.

"A gift from Kyurem..."

"Oowoo~~"

Ninetales exhaled softly, a small frost mist forming into a solid, crystalline chunk of ice—about the size of a fist.

Johan immediately recognized it.

It was Permanent Ice, the kind taught by Pryce. Ninetales had learned to form it.

"You're saying..." Johan said slowly, realization dawning, "your Permanent Ice is similar to Kyurem's?"

"Oowoo~" Ninetales nodded.

That was why it could absorb it so easily.

And Johan knew how powerful Pryce's ice really was. In the Pokémon Adventures manga, it could seal legendary Pokémon, form sentient ice constructs, even serve as a disguise.

Of course, this wasn't the manga, and things weren't that exaggerated—but even here, it was a force to be reckoned with.

Pryce's understanding of Ice-types was at the very top of the world—possibly the best.

"Let's go check it out," Johan said.

There might be something useful ahead.

At the very least, Kyurem's den likely held plenty of crystalline ice still brimming with power.

And for Ninetales, those crystals... would be a treasure trove.

Even if it did make her a little "Kyurem Junior."

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Powerstones?

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