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With the DNA Splicers forced out, the unnatural fusion could no longer hold.
In a blinding flash of light, Black Kyurem split apart.
When the light faded, Zekrom and Kyurem were lying unconscious in the deep pit.
They were no longer a threat.
Seeing this, Sam let out a long breath. He directed Rayquaza to lower him back to the ground, where the others were waiting.
"Sam!!"
As soon as his boots touched the earth, Cynthia broke away from the group and sprinted toward him.
She threw her arms open and crashed into him, embracing him with desperate strength.
She buried her face into his chest, rubbing her cheek against him and inhaling his scent as if to prove to herself that he was really there, alive and warm.
Seeing him frozen in that 100-meter block of ice had terrified her to her core.
"Sam, you scared me to death!" Cynthia sobbed, her usual Champion's composure completely shattered.
"I thought... I thought I was going to lose you!"
She held him so tightly it almost hurt, refusing to let go.
"Shh, I'm here," Sam whispered, wrapping his arms around her and resting his chin on her head.
"With Rayquaza's protection, I'll always be fine."
He gently stroked Cynthia's smooth blonde hair, comforting the terrified girl in his arms.
"You can't ever scare me like this again!" Cynthia demanded, pulling back just enough to look up at him.
Her beautiful grey eyes were wide and filled with unshed tears.
Sam wiped a tear from her cheek with his thumb.
"Don't worry. There won't be a next time. I promise."
"Hmm!" Cynthia buried her head back into his chest, clutching his shirt as if afraid he might slip away into the wind.
A few steps away, Diantha watched them with a soft, relieved smile.
As a good friend, she was simply grateful that Sam was alive and that Cynthia's heart hadn't been broken.
She stood quietly, happy to let the couple have their moment.
Unlike the tactful Diantha, Sabrina was much more direct.
She had always been a maverick, never caring about social norms or others' glares.
She stepped forward, her cold eyes fixed on Sam.
She saw Cynthia completely dominating Sam's space, leaving no room for anyone else.
Sabrina frowned slightly, suppressing the urge to reach out. Instead, she looked up at Sam and spoke straightforwardly.
"Sam. I was prepared to fight that monster for you."
Sabrina's sudden, intense declaration stunned Sam for a moment.
He subconsciously tightened his arm around Cynthia, expecting an explosion.
Cynthia's reaction was immediate.
She didn't let go of Sam. Instead, she turned her head, her eyes narrowing into a dangerous, icy glare directed straight at Sabrina.
Pulling him into a deep kiss.
Her grip around Sam tightened, a clear, unspoken message:
'He is mine. Back off.'
"My fiancé doesn't need you to fight for him, Sabrina," Cynthia said, her voice dropping to a dangerously low, possessive register.
"But since you bring it up... Diantha and I were already stepping up to tear that beast apart."
Cynthia looked over at the Kalos Champion.
"Isn't that right, Diantha?"
Suddenly being pulled into the crossfire by Cynthia, Diantha blinked in surprise.
But seeing the warning in her best friend's eyes, Diantha nodded firmly, stepping up as a loyal ally.
"Yes," Diantha agreed, keeping her tone strictly professional and supportive.
"We were ready to risk everything to save our friend. We wouldn't just stand by."
Sam looked around. He noticed that Alakazam, Gardevoir, and Garchomp had all entered their Mega Evolved forms.
Just as Cynthia said, they had been ready to launch a suicidal charge against a Level 99 legendary to save him.
Cynthia, desperately fighting for him, was a given; she loved him deeply, and he loved her.
Diantha stepping up as a loyal friend made sense. Even Sabrina, in her own twisted, rivalrous way, had been willing to throw her life away to prove her worth to him.
Sam felt a wave of profound gratitude for the people standing by his side.
Nearby, the Unova Elite Four watched the scene unfold.
Marshal and Grimsley looked at Sam with absolute awe.
To command such fierce, unhesitating loyalty from three of the most powerful women in the world, it was a testament to the sheer gravity of Sam's presence.
He was truly the pinnacle of what a Trainer could be.
Shauntal and Caitlin looked at Sam as if he were a descending savior, their eyes shining with pure admiration.
Alder, who had been around the block a few times, rubbed his chin and chuckled softly.
Watching Cynthia fiercely guard her territory against the new Unova Champion, he muttered to himself, "Ah, youth. Professor Sam, your battles off the field are just as intense as the ones on it."
Just as Sam was comforting Cynthia, a shadow fell over them.
"ROOOAAAR!!!"
Rayquaza, hovering high in the sky, let out a sharp, commanding dragon chant, calling for Sam's attention.
Hearing the call, Sam turned his head.
Down in the deep crater, Kyurem was struggling to climb out.
Its originally asymmetrical wings had been severely shattered by Rayquaza's Mega Dragon Ascent.
It dragged its massive body over the rubble, unable to generate enough power to fly.
Seeing the monster crawl out of the pit, the Unova Alliance members immediately tensed up.
The Elite Four raised their Poké Balls. Cynthia, Diantha, and Sabrina shifted their focus, their Mega-Evolved partners taking defensive stances.
Even though Kyurem had been beaten terribly, it still stood over 50 meters tall.
In Unova mythology, Kyurem was synonymous with brutality, bloodlust, and endless winter. Its mere presence was terrifying.
But Sam wasn't worried at all.
Kyurem had been beaten to a pulp by Rayquaza.
On top of that, it had burned a massive amount of its own life force during its berserk state.
It was extremely weak right now. It was no exaggeration to say Sam's Lucario could probably bully it at this point.
Furthermore, Mega Rayquaza was hovering right above it, and Reshiram was standing guard nearby.
There would be no surprises.
"ROOOAAAR."
Rayquaza let out another, lower grumble.
Because of their deep spiritual connection, Sam instantly understood what the Sky High Pokémon meant.
Sam looked at the battered Ice Dragon, then up at Rayquaza.
"You want me to tame it?" Sam asked.
"Graaah."
Rayquaza, hovering regally in the sky, nodded its massive head.
'It is strong.'
'But it lacks a true master. Claim it.'