The next day began with a peaceful sunrise, though only Zekrom was awake to enjoy it. The Legendary Dragon type barely slept as he had taken it upon himself to watch out for any unwelcome visitors as well as making sure to monitor Luke's condition.

As Zekrom looked between the sleeping forms of Luke and his teammates, the Dragon of Ideals thought about the task Team Fireheart faced and wondered about how that task would turn out.

Please let their mission be a successful one, he thought. Reshiram's likely got the same wish as me.

Zekrom laughed to himself as he wondered what his sister would say if she were present. Meanwhile, the sun rose, turning night into day. With the sun shining brightly, the members of Team Fireheart woke up, with Luke naturally waking up last.

"Good morning, guys," Zekrom said happily.

"Good morning to you, too," Blaze replied.

"What happened?" Luke asked, still weary from his battle with Regirock.

After your fight with Regirock, you passed out, Kinesis explained. Your father and I made sure you were alright, Regirock had a few things to say to us, then we came back out here.

"That's right," Blaze added. "Since you defeated Regirock, he gave us a key that we'll need in order to get to Regigigas. It was already nightfall when we got out of there, so we just camped out here for the night. I took a moment to get you fixed up before we all fell asleep."

"They filled me in on how your battle went," Zekrom cut in. "I'm truly amazed at how strong you are."

"Thanks, but it was really my determination that kept me going," Luke admitted. "I had absolutely no energy left at the end. That's why I just collapsed after it was all over."

"I should tell you that I took it upon myself to keep watch over you guys—especially you, Luke," Zekrom said.

"I appreciate that," Luke replied.

"I'd say we all do," Blaze added. "But before we get too far…" The veteran retrieved the Rock Peak Key from Luke's backpack. "…since you managed to defeat Regirock, he entrusted you with this key—the Rock Peak Key—and this, along with the keys we'll get from Regice and Registeel, are what we'll need in order to find Regigigas."

"Then we should get going," Luke said as he stood up.

"What are you doing?" Blaze asked. "Do you have any idea how much damage you took in that fight?"

"It doesn't matter how much damage I sustained, Dad," Luke replied. "We have no choice but to keep moving."

You're braver than me, Kinesis quipped, though a bit crazier, too.

"Thanks, Kinesis," Luke shot back, feeling both honored and insulted at the Alakazam's odd compliment.

All joking aside, forcing yourself onward in your current condition is dangerous, Kinesis warned.

"I'm well aware of that," Luke admitted. "We can always stop and rest if we need to, but at the very least, let's get back to the Village of Ideals; if anything, we can rest there."

"Very well, then," Zekrom said, smiling. "Let's get going."

After gathering their belongings the group of travelers made their way toward their destination. Though they took a slightly slower pace than usual, they still made it back to the village by the end of the day.

"I'll see you guys in the morning," Zekrom said as he headed back toward his shrine.

After returning their friend's farewell, Luke and his teammates were alerted by another voice.

"So you have returned… I'm very curious to hear about how things went for you."

"Sure thing, Raylen," Luke replied.

With that, Team Fireheart followed the village elder back to his home. There, over a pleasant dinner, Luke, Kinesis, and Blaze took turns describing the journey toward Regirock and the encounter with the legendary Rock-type.

"That is quite an experience," Raylen sighed. "You are no doubt exhausted after such a difficult journey; I invite you to stay here however long you need to prepare for the next part of your journey."

"That's incredibly generous of you," Luke noted. "Are you sure about us sticking around here?"

"I'm quite sure," the elder replied with a warm smile.

"Then we'd be fools to decline," Blaze happily replied.

Looks like it's unanimous, then, Kinesis declared. We'll stay here for a bit while we figure out where we need to go next.

"We already know where we need to go!" Luke exclaimed. "We have to go after Regice and Registeel; preferably, we should start with whichever of the two is closer to us."

"At least our business here is done," Blaze noted. "I, for one, am grateful for that."

"No argument, there," Luke admitted.

With the conference concluded, Luke and his companions took advantage of the elder's hospitality the best they could. Unfortunately, Luke found sleep unattainable, his mind racing with thoughts about Registeel and Regice.

We already know where the two of them are, he thought.

With a sigh, Luke retrieved the map from his backpack and studied the areas his father had marked prior to their departure.

Based off of this, it's safe to say that Regice is in the arctic and Registeel's likely in a cave somewhere within his domain. Hopefully, it doesn't take us too long to find them, because we've got Regigigas to thing about afterward.

Upon thinking about the search for the remaining "pillars of the land," the match against Regirock played through Luke's mind.

I said it was my determination that kept me going, but in reality, I won by sheer dumb luck. Paralyzing Regirock is what allowed me to get the winning move; if I hadn't made so many rookie mistakes, the battle wouldn't have taken so freaking long.

Luke sat the map aside and closed his eyes in meditation.

If Regirock was that difficult of an opponent…how much of a chance do I stand against Registeel and Regice? Then there's the matter of Regigigas once I get to him…

Luke shook his head vigorously in an attempt to reinvigorate himself.

I can't be so hard on myself; even though I'd like for whatever trials the other two have for me to go better, I'm better off just waiting until I actually meet them to worry about what to do. Once those two are dealt with, then I can worry about Regigigas. Still… He sighed. I've made a tremendous amount of progress even though I only have one key out of the three that I need.

With that last observation made, Luke suddenly felt a combined sense of accomplishment and relief, and quickly afterward, the young adventurer felt tired. After taking a moment to put the map away, Luke got back in bed, made himself comfortable, and fell into a well-deserved sleep.