Keldeo knew the risk of using an aqua jet constantly in the frozen storm as he ran towards the Wolrdcore, but he couldn't afford to slow down, not when Kyurem had his eyes set on Quinn for whatever reason. Thankfully he knew the way to the Worldcore, but between talking with Pikachu, and the battle between Zekrom and the others, would he be able to make it in time?
There. If he jumped up the sides of this mountain carefully he could skip the main path leading up to the entrance to the Worldcore. He shook off the increasing cold as he jumped higher and higher. But he finally made it, the entrance to the Worldcore, he could faintly make out the entrance to the cave in the blizzard. The Voice of Life and Quinn had to be inside already. He was about to use an aqua jet again to rush inside, until he heard the sound of voices behind him.
"Blue identified!" he whipped around, that was Genesect's voice. He saw the familiar red Genesect touch down not too far away "Greetings, Blue."
"Genesect? Why are you here? Where's the Voice of Life and Quinn?" he asked. Only for the silhouette of a Hydreigon to appear in the storm. Hydreigon however, blew right past Keldeo and Genesect, crashing down into the cave ahead of them. As he flew by, Keldeo could see a barely conscious Quinn on his back, barely hanging on as The Voice of Life crash landed into the mouth of the cave. Genesect and Keldeo rushed beside them "What happened!?"
"The blizzard proved too strong for Quinn and Hydreigon. Dragons are susceptible to ice, and so flying in the blizzard has damaged both him and Quinn."
Quinn managed to roll off of The Voice of Life, his teeth audibly chattering "Shame on me for not bothering to bring my coat before I flew headlong into a blizzard…hah…" he shuddered, reaching into his satchel for the drive discs for Genesect, grabbing the red one "Burn Drive, just keep a constant heat going for us please…" he managed to shove it in, Genesect backed away and concentrated, his body gaining a red glow to it, but all of them could feel the sudden head that permeated the mouth of the cave now. Keldeo didn't even realize he had been shivering this whole time until Genesect turned up the heat.
The Voice of Life managed to crawl his way over to Genesect, shuddering and sighing contently "Ah…forgive me. The blizzard grew too strong for me. I was unable to locate the Worldcore in the storm."
"I'm just glad Genesect was able to get a map going. Otherwise we probably would have frozen to death…" Quinn scooted close to Genesect, sighing happily as the strong heat broke the chill in the air. Keldeo shook off that morbid thought as he joined the two around the heat "But…why are you here? What about Paradise?"
"It's safe for now. Me and the others stopped Zekrom, but we think you're his next target, Quinn." Keldeo said.
Quinn looked at Keldeo incredulously "Me? He can't be too upset that I beat him, can he?"
"I wish I knew. But before he vanished, he seemed really interested in humans." Keldeo's eyes turned to the mouth of the cave, and it looked like Kyurem still wasn't here yet.
"That could just as easily be someone like Cody or the others though?" Quinn frowned. That was a good point, but if he vanished into the storm, it was easier to assume he was gunning for Quinn before aiming for Cody, Terry or Vera.
"Then we must act with haste then." The Voice of Life spoke up, finally up and flying again "We will travel deeper into the Worldcore, get what we need and return to Paradise, and regroup."
"They better get comfortable around humans real quick then…"Quinn sighed, nodding to Genesect to turn down the heat. The four of them travel deeper inside the cave to reach the Worldcore. Keldeo trailed behind, giving one last long look towards the mouth of the cave, the storm was indeed growing stronger, but with no sign of Kyurem appearing still, he could only dread that he would see him somewhere in the cave.
Keldeo knew the others were happy to be deeper inside, the streams of lava around them providing the needed warmth to keep them nice and comfortable when compared to outside. It brought a small amount of pleasure as he heard Keldeo and Genesect talking, Genesect identifying pokemon Quinn had never seen before, asking more questions as they traveled deeper. Even the Voice of Life chimed in with fun facts about Pokemon, each one making Quinn smile more and more, despite the circumstances.
And yet Keldeo's thoughts kept turning back to Cody, and how there was something that he wasn't saying. He tried to make excuses, believing everything was okay. But after what happened with Zekrom's defeat, it had to be deeper than Keldeo realized, and it frustrated him that he couldn't figure it out.
"Blue?" Quinn's voice brought him back to "You alright?"
Keldeo opened and closed his mouth. Cody may have been keeping secrets, but he didn't have to "I'm worried about Cody, ever since we came here something's wrong with him and he won't tell me what it is."
Quinn nodded, his eyes still darting around as he looked at other pokemon still moving around them "Cody's the kind of person to be…really apparent that something is wrong, but still won't tell you. It's a pain, heheh." Quinn chuckled, "He'll change the subject or make you focus on something else so you forget all about him."
Keldeo looked at Quinn curiously "How could you say that about Cody, isn't he your friend?"
Quinn laughed "Of course he is. I'd argue he's my closest friend since we started all this. But friendships aren't perfect. There's bound to be something that a friend does that doesn't sit well with you, something you don't like. Maybe something you can't even stand. That all comes with the package." he nodded. He looked at Keldeo "Point is. This is the thing you don't like that Cody does, and that's fine. Maybe you'll try and pry and get the answer, maybe you'll leave him be and let him tell you when he's ready. It's up to you two."
Keldeo stopped, letting the others walk ahead for a moment. Quinn was right afterall, that was exactly what Cody was doing, and it upset him that he did that, and that no one else called him out for it, or is that why Terry and Vera didn't say anything either, they knew Cody was like that, and knew better than to pry? But shouldn't they try and resolve whatever was going on? He wanted to run back to Cody and get him to tell him everything he was thinking, but no, he still had to save the world.
"We are here. The Hill of Universal Order." As if on cue, The Voice of Life chimed in, enough for Keldeo to pick up the pace and join up with the others. It was a stark contrast, going from the cave with streams of lava to a hill in the middle of space. He could hear Quinn gasping, taking in the surreal sight of the expanse that spread out across them. Keldeo squinted and was surprised to see images in the stars above. One of humans walking in a town that looked like where Cody and the others came from. And a world of pokemon and humans, like where Quinn's friend Colress was from.
"This is where the barrier between the worlds is weakest." The Voice of life explained, as Keldeo stared at the other worlds, he could see those same images appear more clearly for a moment before fading away. The Voice of Life was right, the barrier between the worlds was weak, and growing weaker due to Kyurem.
"So what's even here that we needed to get anyways?" Quinn chimed in, the distinct sound of clicking sounding from Genesect, sounds like he was taking pictures.
"Another human. The original savior of our world many times over."
Quinn's brow furrowed "I was under the impression you pulled multiple different humans for that?"
The Voice of Life flew forward with a smile, shaking his main head "An easily understandable misconception. But no, the one who stopped the meteor, the one who saved Temporal Tower, the Bittercold, Dark Matter. It was all one human." The Voice of Life closed his eyes and concentrated. Keldeo and Quinn could see a portal forming not too far away from him, the silhouette of a human coming into view.
"Pokemon identified: Charmander…Totodile…Axew…Charmander…-?" Genesect tried to speak as he saw the human. Quinn had to stop him, lest he short circuit him.
"Howdy there. Been a while since I heard from you. But I take it you're not here for a pleasure call right?" The voice laughed. Keldeo and Quinn looked at each other for a moment, just letting the Voice of Life talk.
"Indeed, my friend. I hope all has been well in the human world for you, but I am afraid we need your help again. Kyurem is threatening to freeze not just this world, but the other worlds as well."
"Bittercold again?" the human asked.
"That was my suspicion as well. And yet it is not, we do not have any idea what could have inspired him to turn as he did." The Voice of Life sighed, looking at the silhouette "I…-"
"I'm afraid I'm gonna have to stop you right there, man." the human sounded sad "I told you the last time, that business with Dark Matter was the last time I could do this. I have too much going…too much of my life here to go back. I have a family now, did I tell you that?"
"Yes…yes you did." The Voice of Life nodded solemnly with a smile "I am aware of what you said. And yet this no longer threatens our world. Kyurem has breached your world now."
There was a long pause before the human spoke again "The blizzards in Massachusetts…was that…-?"
"It was! I'm one of the ones that got caught up in it." Quinn spoke up now, stepping forward "Me and my friends have been fighting this thing since the beginning of the summer, and pretty soon this thing is going to break the barrier between the worlds. None of us are gonna be safe."
There was a long pause before eventually the human started laughing "I mean, are you sure you need my help? Sounds like you got some good help with you already! You're from Mass, right? You and your friends?"
Quinn nodded "Erm…yeah! I've caught a pokemon and my friends can transform into pokemon too." he was surprised to hear the human laugh.
"Then my point stands. I think you got more than enough firepower to handle whatever Kyurem can throw your way. Honest." the human chuckled "Let the next generation handle this, and that old saying."
Keldeo could see Hydreigon open and close his mouth, clearly wanting to protest the subject more, but one look back at him and Quinn was enough to silence him with a smile and nod "Yes, I do suppose you are right. I should trust in destiny, that they were all chosen for a reason."
"See that's the spirit. And hey, tell my partner I say 'Hi'. I do miss him." the image of the human began to vanish slowly "I know you got this." and with that, the visage of the human vanished completely. Leaving them all alone.
"Not the answer I was hoping for. But he did bring up a good point." Hydreigon turned to Quinn "You and the others, as well as Keldeo, will be the ones to stop Kyurem and make this right."
Keldeo's thoughts lingered on his friends, they had done well so far to get here, and they were almost done. All that remained was stopping Kyurem, and they almost succeeded in the wormhole. Keldeo knew they'd be able to do it this time, a warm wave of relief washed over him.
"Ugh…did it get hotter here?" Quinn asked, Keldeo realizing that warm feeling wasn't a good thing. He could feel the heat rising against his back. He spun around, sword summoned as he used it to deflect the red and blue fireball that was being launched at them from the bottom of the hill. The other two spun around, watching the shadow of a pokemon fly above them.
"Pokemon identified: Reshiram." Genesect sounded off, and Keldeo groaned, correct about his assumption of what happened to both Zekrom and Reshiram. The white dragon flew above them, staring them down, its tail red hot and helping it stay aloft.
"Here I am swordsmen. I cannot help but wonder how you'll defeat me this time." Kyurem's voice sounded through Reshiram. Keldeo stood there, faintly aware of Genesect and Quinn loading another drive while Hydreigon prepared to fight.
This attitude Kyurem took, it wasn't the same as when they fought as Zekrom, it was different, less angry and manipulative, more…curious?
This wasn't a fight to Kyurem, this was an experiment.
Keldeo was quick to summon his sword and lunge at Reshiram, he didn't want to sit around and wait for whatever he had intended to do, but Reshiram's body was much faster than Zekroms, and it was an expert dodge, followed up with blue flaming claws that threatened to rake at Keldeo. With a quick turn of his sword, the attack was deflected, but not before sending Keldeo skidding back down to the ground beside Quinn and Hydreigon, who followed up with their own attacks: a techno blaster equipped with ice and a tri attack. Reshiram summoned a blazing blue ball of fire that swallowed the attacks entirely.
"He's playing defensively…he wants us to attack." Quinn muttered to the others.
"What are you thinking then?" Hydreigon asked. Keldeo kept his eyes locked on Reshiram, ready to defend them from whatever attack he planned to use, and yet he flew above them watching them intently, not even a twitch. The white dragon's eyes remained trained on Quinn, could he hear them from up there?
"We flank him then." Quinn said "Keldeo, can you help?"
Keldeo looked back at Quinn, he didn't like the idea of running headlong into something when Reshiram had something planned, but there was no telling what that 'something' was unless they just let it happen and plan around it. He gave a quick nod and summoned his sword. Watching Genesect launch off a barrage of techno blasts that peppered Reshiram, enough so that it recoiled from the attack. Hydreigon was already flying behind the white dragon as Keldeo leapt again, sword drawn. Once again, Keldeo was swatted away, this time by Reshiram's tail, but not before landing a solid cut to it, enough of a distraction for Hydreigon to attack from behind with a tri-attack, the combination attack made Reshiram lose altitude.
"Interesting, human. You have a knack for welding and harnessing the power of pokemon. Just like you did that day."
Quinn audibly gulped "Okay…maybe he is upset that I beat him." he shook the anxiety of that thought away.
"See what I mean?" Keldeo looked at Quinn "I don't know what he is planning, but he's suddenly interested in humans."
"Yes Keldeo. For the longest time I had assumed the power of legendary pokemon would be the key, and yet this is the second time humans have stood against me and almost won." Reshiram said "Even now, what was your purpose in coming here? To summon another human, correct?" The white dragon glared at Hydreigon, earning a growl from all three mouths.
"Second?" Quinn had to ask, but the roar of Reshiram, followed by another ball of blue fire stopped that line of questioning. Keldeo leapt and slashed it into pieces, exploding around him in a wave of warmth.
"I have come to believe that humans are more powerful in pokemon in some regards…" Reshiram said aloud to no one in particular touching down in front of Quinn "True, in raw power, humans would be destroyed by a pokemon, but there is an element to humans that I had never considered…"A swift dragon claw to Hydreigons gut made him go flying, he moved closer to Quinn "Their ability to rally humans and pokemon alike under their banner, their ability to pull others from the brink…" Keldeo was sent skidding backwards from another blue fire attack, he moved even closer to the human "What would you call that?" Genesect imposed himself in front of Quinn, who couldn't answer, clearly flustered.
"That's enough!" Keldeo landed a solid hit to Reshiram's muzzle, causing him to roar and recoil as Keldeo stood in front of Quinn.
"That power that humans have, I believe that is what I need in order to achieve my goals."
"I don't care what you think!" Keldeo roared back, his sword pointed at Reshiram "I won't let you live long enough to do this crazy experiment you're on about. You're not going to hurt anyone else: humans and pokemon alike!"
"Spoken like a true hero, Keldeo. Tell me, was it your old swordmen friends or your new human friends that helped you come to that conclusion?" Reshiram asked, the question punctuated by a dark chuckle. Keldeo snapped, lunging at Reshiram, to his dismay, Reshiram made no effort to stop the attack, letting it connect and sending himself flying backwards, seemingly defeated.
The Voice of Life regained consciousness, looking at the downed form of Reshiram "It isn't possible that it took that much damage to defeat it already?"
"He wasn't even trying…" was all Quinn managed. Keldeo had to agree with them. This was even easier than Zekrom, and with everything Kyurem said about humans, it just made the confusion even more frustrating.
"I have heard enough. I hope you are ready for what comes next." And as quickly as Reshiram arrived, he was beginning to vanish again "I will be returning to Paradise now. I'll be waiting." and he was gone, leaving the four of them in a stunned, scared silence.
"Keldeo...now what?" Quinn had to ask to break the silence, stepping forward, even Genesect and Hydreigon looked on in concern. Keldeo knew enough, get back to Paradise and tell the others what happened here, but after that...?
"...I don't know."