Author's Note: Some more Big Stuff in this chapter... We've got more references to Gates's main story (the beginning being right after the protagonists leave, and the ending being right after the boss fight with Golurk), Kyurem's proper introduction, and, of course, a Big Dramatic Moment. Good times.

Chapter Ten: The Search

The palace at the Great Glacier. The palace at the Great Glacier.

Heath was still bruised and out of breath from the fight. He could barely move, but he had to get back to Post Town as soon as possible. Maybe someone there could help. Someone had to be able to do something, right?

He repeated the name of the place to himself as he ran. The Great Glacier. That was what Munna had said, right? Heath had heard of the area; few Pokémon hadn't. It got whispered about quite frequently by traveling sales-mon and explorers. The place was a near-legend, supposedly full of all sorts of incredible things.

It was also nearly impossible to get to, from what Heath had heard. Still, he had to try. They had Mia and Hannah there, after all. Even if they'd (sort of) lied to him, he'd gotten used to having them around… Were they friends now? Besides, they were just as injured as Heath was, and who knew what'd happen to them next? He should go after them—he was the only one who knew where they were.

Heath stumbled, wheezing as he fell to the ground. He probably wouldn't get much further tonight—it was already so late, and he'd pushed himself too far. Weakly, he crawled off the path and curled up behind a bush nearby. Soon…he'd find them soon…

"The Great Glacier?" Kecleon repeated. "What do you want to go there for?"

Heath finally made it back to Post Town the next day. It was too late in the morning for his liking by now; most of the usual traveling explorers had already left. He'd figured his best bet was to start with the shopkeepers, and maybe ask Swanna afterwards if he couldn't get anything useful out of them.

"Well, you know, it's just—"

"You do know it's nearly impossible to get there, right?" Kecleon continued, tilting his head to the side absently as he mulled it over. "Oh! That reminds me; you just missed it! Those kids over at Paradise went there this morning."

"Paradise?" Heath repeated, blinking.

"Yes, yes, Paradise! It's in that old stretch of land to the east of town. Used to be completely barren, but they've put a team together and are working on all sorts of neat things."

If they had gone, then—

Heath's breath sped up. Someone nearby had managed to reach the Great Glacier. Maybe he had a chance of going there after all, then. If they had any friends who'd stayed behind, then he could ask them how to go, and they could take him, and…

"Oh…" Kecleon frowned. "On second thought…I hear they needed these things called…'Entercards' to make the trip? I'm not sure what that means, but…hm. Well, I suppose it couldn't hurt to ask."

"Okay, sure—thanks, Kecleon—to the east, right?"

"Yes, just past the crossroads!"

Heath was already off, halfway down the path by the time Kecleon replied. This was his best chance, and he had to take it.

Hannah stirred, awoken by how cold she suddenly was. Shivering, she sat up and looked around. She was currently in an almost empty room that seemed to be made entirely out of snow and ice. Well, Hannah supposed that made sense for a palace situated on a place called the "Great Glacier." It was a pretty accurate name for the place.

Still…it somehow seemed even colder than it should've been. Hannah already disliked the cold before, but being here almost hurt. Maybe it was because she was a Pansage now—she wasn't sure. Hadn't one of her friends mentioned once that Grass was weak to Ice…?

Well, the reason didn't matter too much. The room being entirely empty indicated that Mia must've been taken somewhere else. Well, she had to be somewhere in the Palace; Mia just wasn't here with her. And, of course, Heath wasn't, either…

Hannah frowned, curling up into as tight a ball as she could in an attempt to keep warm. Would Heath try to help them? She hoped he would, but…how would he get there? Hannah wasn't even sure where this "Great Glacier" place was; would Heath be able to figure it out? And, of course, she couldn't be sure where, exactly, she was within the Palace…

Well, maybe she could at least find Mia. Hannah reluctantly stood up, the coldness spreading through her body again. She wandered around the room, eventually noticing a door on the far side. Ah, there was a handle… Hannah twisted it as she leaned against the door. After a few seconds of trying, nothing seemed to happen.

Hannah sighed; of course it wouldn't be that easy. Of course the door wouldn't open from this side. Maybe there was a window? A few more seconds of searching indicated that wasn't the case, either.

She sat back down and sighed again. There wasn't much she could do for now, but…hopefully she'd get some answers soon.

Mia paced around her room—or, cell, more likely. She'd tried to figure out how to escape, but she hadn't had much luck. She wasn't sure how long she'd even been there, either. Still, she'd have to get some answers sooner or later, right?

Suddenly the door creaked, and Mia eagerly looked towards it. Hannah was there, too, right? Maybe she'd figured out where they were and how to escape.

Mia deflated once the door fully opened; it was just that Toxicroak from earlier. Of course it wouldn't be either of the two Pokémon she really wanted to see right now.

"Lord Kyurem wants to see you now," he said smugly. "So hurry it up, croak-ka!"

Mia remained silent as he ushered her out of the room. Maybe he just wanted to get some kind of reaction out of her… Well, if that was the case, she wouldn't let him have it.

Still…this 'Lord Kyurem' Pokémon…he was probably their boss. Mia doubted he'd give up too much information, but maybe she could at least find out why she was there. That would be something, right?

Eventually, Toxicroak shoved her into a large chamber, smirking before turning around and darting off. Mia nervously headed to the middle of the room. There was a large dragon-like Pokémon in its center, and everything about him just seemed…wrong.

His body was long and gangly, while his legs and especially his arms were far too short in relation. His wings were uneven, with one hanging off to the side slightly, and they looked like they were made of ice. As she approached him, he peered down at her—his eyes were a solid, sickly yellow, standing out against the dull grays and whites of his body.

"So…you are one of the humans he summoned here," he growled.

"What…what are you talking about?" Mia demanded shakily.

"That foolish Voice of Life trying to interfere with the future, of course," Kyurem snarled. "He cannot interfere—he should know that what is fated will not be unwritten!"

"Voice of Life? Fate? What does that have to do with—"

"Humans," Kyurem spat, "are the only ones who can stand against the Bittercold. And if it is destroyed, it will only come back again! I have seen the course the Bittercold has cut out for us, and it will not be stopped."

Bittercold? The future? Mia's head was still swimming. Parts of what he was saying made sense, but there were others that were far beyond her reach. She supposed his fears of changing the future made sense to some degree, but how could he be sure of that? And what even was the Bittercold?

"But I don't know what the Bittercold is!" Mia protested. "How can I destroy it if I don't even know how?"

"That does not matter to me. All that matters is that you are one of the select few who can, and I will not take that risk. My apologies, human."

"What—"

Mia instinctively threw her arms in front of her face as Kyurem fired off an Ice Beam. She was cold—so, so cold—and then, suddenly, everything shattered.

There was a dull scraping sound in the distance; those were Golurk's footsteps. The guardian must've encountered some…trouble. Still, Kyurem ignored it for the moment. Instead, he waited for the last traces of golden light to disappear from the room.

The lingering glow faded from the ice shards, and then an orb of light formed in the air. Slowly, ever so slowly, it started to rise out of the room. Once it was far enough up in the air, Kyurem nodded in satisfaction. That was good enough; the human-turned-Gothorita was gone, and that was all that mattered.

He could get the Pansage later, once he was free from interruptions. For now, Kyurem had to deal with his company.