"...And then he just left!" Keldeo finished his rant to the others back in Paradise, pacing and everything. The humans looked among each other in equal expressions of concern and confusion.
"Twice now Kyurem has failed to put up a fight." The Voice of Life added "This is a concerning precedent, and it further proves that he may very well be changing his plans around you humans."
Cody and the others looked amongst each other, it was one thing to face Kyurem and his soldiers when they were transformed into the swordsmen, but if Kyurem suddenly decided he was more interested in their human forms, and to an unknown end, that was more concerning.
"But…what does it really matter?" Terry finally asked "Let's say he does possess one of us. You or Keldeo could flatten us in seconds. We don't make the best fighters without our medallions."
"They could flatten us in seconds Terry…maybe even kill us by accident." Vera muttered, enough of a statement for Terry to bite his lip and lean back.
"So what are you two thinking then?" Cody looked at Keldeo and Hydreigon. His heart sank as he saw the uneasy look on Keldeo and the dragon's face "...Keldeo?"
"We…I think that it'd be best if I send you guys back home." Keldeo flinched to the protest from the four of them combined "It's gonna be safer than risking having him possess one of you!"
"And facing him alone is safer!?" Cody stood up "You saw what happened in the wormhole, he kicked your ass, he broke your horn. You almost died!" Cody said in a crescendo, causing the room to go deathly silent as he screamed the last part. Cody never screamed like that, especially at Keldeo, who stepped back from the outburst. His breathing finally settled and he looked away from Keldeo "...Sorry…sorry."
Quinn stood up "What Cody is trying to say is, sending us back will only delay him from coming to our world." he shrugged "All of us staying here and working together is our best bet for beating him." all of them trying their best not to state the obvious other half of that statement; the risk of being possessed and forced to fight their friends, the risk of being hurt by their friends, the risk of dying by their friends.
Keldeo looked at them, his friends. Grateful at their determination to still help him see this through, but then he couldn't help but wonder, if Kyurem did try to possess one of them, who would he go for? Terry? Vera? Quinn defeated him when he possessed that human scientist, but Cody, he's been in a negative head space since they got here, even before that.
"If you guys want to stay and fight, then I won't stop you." Keldeo nodded, earning nods of agreement from the others "But before that…Cody?" Keldeo turned to face him "Ever since we came here, I've noticed that something is wrong. I don't know what exactly, but I just know it." Cody managed a weak chuckle, not denying what he said, Keldeo stepped forward continuing "Please, I don't want Kyurem taking advantage of you when we're going to fight?"
"So you think he'd go for Cody then?" Vera asked, the silence, coupled with the lack of denial from the others confirmed what Keldeo was thinking. Quinn was right, the others really were clued in to what Cody was feeling, they just didn't want to say anything. But that didn't change what Keldeo felt, whatever Cody was feeling, Kyurem could take advantage of it.
"What's really been going on, Cody?" Keldeo stepped forward. Cody stood there, once again looking like he was begging to let it out.
"I'm just…scared…about what's going to happen when this is all over." Cody said, whispering awkwardly. It took a moment for the other to realize just what he meant. If and when Kyurem was defeated, and everything was back to normal. The barriers between the worlds would thicken again, it would mean that being able to go back to the pokemon world would be impossible.
It would mean saying goodbye.
But before they could speak, the wind whipped wildly, cold air blasted through the house. They knew what it meant, Kyurem was ready to strike now. Terry and Vera transformed, already heading towards the door, ready and waiting for Keldeo and Cody.
"I'll make sure the citizens of Paradise are safe…I wish you all the best of luck." Hydreigon flew out the side door, closer to Paradise and away from the presence of Kyurem.
Keldeo and Cody stood there, staring at each other, the cold biting blasting between them.
"We're not done talking about this, okay?" Keldeo managed a weak smile, enough for Cody to nod, even if he couldn't look Keldeo in the eye. He transformed and ran over to Terry and Vera. Keldeo watched the three of them, shaken by everything that they discussed, but still determined to see it through. He was happy to know them, and happy to have them here for the end of it after all. He charged forward and outside into the blizzard alongside his friends, ready to face Kyurem.
What awaited the four swordsmen outside was worse than just a blizzard. It was easy to see bolts of lightning and gouts of fire swirling within. Cody, Vera and Terry recognized the lightning from Zekrom, Quinn and Genesect recognized the fire from Reshiram. The blizzard was obviously from Kyurem, but how he had managed to have all three active at once.
And there it was, the silhouette of Kyurem breaching the storm, an aura of shadow and ice radiating from his form as he faced them "And here we are again, with the help of these humans, you will defeat me and save the world from my tyranny" a dark chuckle rumbled that sounded like cracking ice "At least…that's what supposed to happen."
"Would it be too much to ask you to just shut up!?" Terry snapped, already starting by lobbing a boulder at Kyurem, which was destroyed by a blast of lightning. Another laugh.
"You are not the only one entering this fight with the help of humans…" Keldeo could see there was something in Kyurem's paw, technology, as far as he could tell, something he would've never had access to here "That human scientist with the army of Genesect was more than helpful, and because I have him. I was able to do something far worse to Reshiram and Zekrom." The swordsmen watched the tech disappear into his body, and shortly after, an orb of ice and electricity consumed him. Shortly after, he reappeared, a horrible amalgamation of Kyurem and Zekrom.
"Oh my god…" Vera muttered, taking a step back, along with Cody and Terry.
Keldeo shook his head "I know what you're trying Kyurem, and it's not going to work!" Keldeo summoned his sword "You're not going to shake us with that. It's just another reason to stop you, once and for all!" Keldeo was relieved to see it was rousing enough for the others to step forward and face Kyurem in his new form.
"Then face me, swordsmen!" Kyurem's voice grew dark and shallow as electrified shards of ice were launched at them, causing the swordsmen to scatter to avoid getting hit.
Keldeo watched his friends waste no time pulling out all the stops, Terry summoned and threw jagged stones at Kyurem, complimented with a dazzling array of rainbow leaves from Vera. Finishing off that first strike was Cody charging forward and striking Kyurem in the back, causing him to fall forward into the other attacks. Keldeo was relieved in a sense that Cody's feelings weren't getting in the way of him stopping Kyurem. He shuddered to imagine what could have happened if Kyurem had gotten a hold of him.
He shook those thoughts out of his head, summoning his sword and charging forward at Kyurem dodging lightning bolts that rained down upon him and the others. Kyurem was too distracted by the other attacks, he didn't even see Keldeo coming!
But that didn't stop him from swiping Keldeo away with his tail. Keldeo had to parry with his sword, but it still sent him skidding backwards. In a flash the traces of Zekrom were gone from Kyurem, being replaced with traces of Reshiram. The other swordsmen brandished their swords , noticing the fireballs that Kyurem conjured around himself.
"Techno Blast!" Quinn called out, each one destroying a fireball they grew too big to be used against the others. The others tried to go in with their swords, but a cloak of fire weather Kyurem, Cody and Vera physically recoiled to the fire, while Terry was still able to get most of his attack through, sending Kyurem skidding back slightly. Keldeo formed up with Terry.
"What's up with the others?" Terry asked.
"Steel and grass are weak to fire." Keldeo managed quickly.
"Fair." Terry nodded, summoning a slab of earth to block them from a torrent of flame coming their way "Now what?"
"Gotta make him change back, then you'll all have a chance against him." Quinn offered an affirming beep from Genesect.
"But…" Vera managed, recalling what happened with Thundurus. Cody's grim expression meant he knew the risk, Keldeo did too, but he didn't care. He enveloped himself in water, charging through the flamethrower and managing to hit Kyurem square in the chest, followed up with a slash from his Secret Sword that sent Kyurem roaring backwards.
Kyurem summoned a ball of blue fire and lobbed it square at the stone slab Terry had created, causing it to break and making the swordsmen scatter. Quinn grabbed onto Genesect as it turned into hover mode, allowing Quinn to keep up with the others.
"Don't think I can't see through your plan, swordsmen." Kyurem snarled, launching another ball of blue fire at Keldeo. Keldeo didn't think much of it when it went wide, until he looked back and realized it wasn't aiming for him. Quinn and Genesect were behind him. Noone was near enough to even think about stopping the blow, not even taking the hit for Quinn, so instead Genesect turned his body so that the brunt of it would hit himself instead of Quinn. The ball of fire still exploded, causing the two of them to fall to the ground, Genesect's eyes grew dark as Quinn rolled on the ground a few feet away, not moving.
"Poor Quinn, he's all out of usable pokemon, he blacked out." Keldeo snapped back to Kyurem furiously, releasing a beam of ice that caught Kyurem off guard, trying to get a flamethrower up to stop the attack before it sent him tumbling backwards "Touched a nerve…" Kyurem flew up into the sky, aiming right for Quinn and Genesect.
Keldeo froze, his mind turning back to the vision of his other friends falling to Kyurem before. He tried to conjure another ice beam, a hydro pump, something, anything to stop Kyurem. But thankfully, a barrage of stones sent Kyurem flying upwards and missing Quinn. Vera managed to grab Quinn and Genesect and get them on her back, dashing away back to the house to hide them while Kyurem was disoriented.
"Keldeo!" he finally snapped back with Cody looking into his eyes, a familiar intense gaze bringing him back to reality. He shook his head.
"I'm sorry. I…-" Keldeo began, a quick nuzzle from Cody was enough to realize he knew what he was going to say; not to mention this was not the time or place for this. Not helped by the fact that a swift dragon claw from Kyurem sent Terry flying, skidding to a halt were it not for Vera coming to stop him. Cody and Keldeo ran to join up with Terry and Vera. Kyurem lumbered back towards the group, changing back into plain Kyurem.
"He's gonna start singling us out, picking us off one at a time. With Reshiram in him he'll probably aggro Vera and I." Cody groaned, summoning his sword. Keldeo watched the others summon their swords, so ready to throw themselves at Kyurem, all to protect him.
"No." Keldeo said, making the other look at him in shock "I'm doing this alone."
"You are not sending us back to…-!" Vera blurted
"I'm not doing that!" Keldeo screamed back "You guys have all done so much for me…too much for me. He wants me alone to break me. So we're cutting out the middleman." Keldeo exhaled, stepping forward "Wait at the house with Quinn, or go make sure Paradise is safe. I don't care. Just leave Kyurem to me." Keldeo dared to look back at them "Do you trust me?"
"With my life." Cody answered with a nod, withdrawing his sword, Terry and Vera reluctantly followed suit. "Do you have a plan?" he asked.
"Think so. Gonna pull a 'you' move." Keldeo smiled, enough so to make the others smile back, albeit shakily.
"Then…give 'em hell, dude." Terry nodded, running towards Paradise, Vera short behind. Cody slowly made his way towards the house, to make sure nothing was going to happen to Quinn or Genesect.
"I was being very polite letting you have that conversation, Keldeo. I want you to know that." Kyurem hissed as he stepped forward, the swirling blizzard around them growing stronger "Did me hurting your human friends shake you enough you decided to send them away? That's fine, it will make what comes next easier."
"No, it won't." Keldeo said calmly, brandishing his sword and aiming it at Kyurem "Because I'm not giving you the chance to do it." Keldeo steadied his breath, thinking back about all of the times someone else had to step in and help him, save him from Kyurem, or even himself.
Now it was Keldeo's turn to fight for them, to protect them, to save them.
The whipping sound of the wind was all Keldeo could hear. The intense glare of Kyurem was all he could see. And the biting cold was all he could feel, but he didn't let it distract him from what he needed to do. He circled Kyurem, watching and waiting for any indication he was about to strike.
Then Kyurem lunged at Keldeo, shifting his form to be the amalgamation of Zekrom and himself, blue energy enveloping his claws as he attempted to strike Keldeo. He deflected the energy with his sword, the clashing of energy made the two skid back a few feet. Kyurem lunged again, and Keldeo kept having to back up, parrying the attacks as they came at him, but making him grow closer to the edge of the blizzard. It was when he was at the edge that the swordsmen let loose a beam of ice aimed at Kyurem's head. It struck him, and gave enough of a distraction for Keldeo to use aqua jet and move behind him. Striking at him with his Secret Sword in the back. Kyurem roared and attempted to swipe Keldeo with his tail, which he jumped over easily.
Keldeo attempted to go in for another hit, but when he felt lightning beginning to come, making his mane stand on end, he backed up, narrowly dodging a bolt of lightning. Then dashing to dodge more. He barely made out the blue ball of fire that Kyurem launched at him while he was distracted dodging lightning, apparently he had swapped to the Kyurem and Reshiram amalgamation when he was running. He swiped it away with his sword, and then skid to a halt, launching a beam of ice that stopped the next fiery projectile.
"Very good Keldeo, you use the gifts I gave you well." Kyurem shifted back to normal, standing to face Keldeo.
"Ah, I'm so glad you brought that up, Kyurem…or whoever you are." Keldeo sighed, sheathing his sword.
Kyurem looked offended, scoffing as he leaned back in "Excuse you?"
"You're not Kyurem. Not the one I knew anyways." Keldeo nodded "You're just some…thing that latched on to him and fed off his worst fears. Quinn and Cody have been calling you The Anomaly, I think I even heard someone call you Ed once..." Keldeo sliced a chunk of ice as it came barreling at him with a angry roar "...but Kyurem has just been easier for me personally. But now it's important I make that distinction."
Kyurem snarled, ice forming around his body as he stepped forward, another chunk of ice formed and ready to be launched "And just why is that, swordsmen?"
Keldeo stepped forward too, seemingly unafraid "Because I'm not talking to you anymore. I'm talking to Kyurem." Keldeo sighed "You've been helping me all this time, haven't you?" Kyurem scoffed at the swordsmen, but Keldeo continued "Giving me access to my Resolute Form, making me learn ice beam to at least have a chance against the dragons you were going to absorb."
"Idiot, I gave you those to make you remember that I am always here." Kyurem laughed.
"Sure…but who gave you the idea?" Keldeo asked calmly, hiding his smile as he saw Kyurem open and close his jaw, trying to say something, and then his eyes grew wide "Kyurem's always been there, helping me in his own way, trusting I'd find a way to free him from you. I didn't give him enough credit."
"What are you getting at?" the thing possessing Kyurem spoke then, Keldeo could hear it, there wasn't a trace of Kyurem's voice anymore, that disturbing undertone he heard sometimes when Kyurem spoke, this was it right here. Keldeo shook it off, he wasn't here for The Anomoly.
"I forgive you, Kyurem." Keldeo sighed, stepping forward again, even with the threat of ice ready to be launched at him "Everything you did, everything that happened, it wasn't you, it was this…thing just taking advantage of you. Granted me and the others in Paradise didn't give you a chance." Keldeo nodded "But you deserve that chance, at real friends, would you let me?"
Keldeo could see it, the spikes of ice Kyurem had intended to launch were trembling, even the blizzard grew to a standstill for a moment. The intense gaze of Kyurem remained, unsure how much sway the anomaly still had over the dragon.
"You think…that's all it takes? Just some kind words and an empty promise?" the anomaly snarled.
"It's not empty, I'll vouch for you, like my friends did before." Keldeo said, recalling how Cobalion, Virizion, and Terrakion were so patient with Kyurem, willing to give him a chance after the Bittercold. Keldeo noticed the blizzard was starting to visibly grow weaker.
"Do you…mean that?" it was Kyurem's voice, pleading. Keldeo nodded, summoning his sword.
"Like I will give you the chance!" the anomaly roared, it was then Keldeo noticed that the dark aura surrounding Kyurem began to grow, the silhouette of…something forming around him. It looked like it was attempting to control Kyurem again, yet Kyurem refused to move, the blizzard growing weaker, the ice projectiles shattering around him "What!?"
"I…don't know if you're telling the truth, Keldeo. And now I don't care. I'm so tired of feeling this way…" Kyurem pleaded, struggling against the anomaly to not fight back, ideally giving Keldeo an easy time finishing the fight.
Keldeo nodded, jumping up sword drawn and aiming square at just above Kyurem, where the anomaly was and gave a powerful slash. Kyurem roared as the anomaly screeched, Keldeo could see the clear divide between the two now. The dark aura that had permeated Kyurem began to fade as he collapsed to the ground. The blizzard surrounding them finally disappeared. Keldeo shuddered, finally clued in to how cold it was, and thankful that it was finally warming up.
Kyurem shuddered, suddenly vomiting up a strange black substance that made Keldeo back up, stabbing it with his sword for good measure as it continued to evaporate. Keldeo exhaled finally, looking back at Kyurem, eyes fluttering as he looked ahead at the swordsmen.
"Keldeo…I'm sorry." Kyurem managed, before his eyes closed, passing out from exertion. Keldeo nodded, sheathing his sword as the light of the sun warmed over the both of them, after so many cold and bone-chilling battles, it was refreshing.
"Keldeo?" he whipped around to the sight of Cody peeking his head out of Pikachu's house, back in his human form. On the other side, Terry, Vera, and the other denizens of Paradise all finally came out to see the end of the battle. He couldn't help but smile as he heard the denizens cheer at the defeat of Kyurem. Cody, Terry, Vera, The Voice of Life, and Pikachu all approached him, most of them cautiously eyeing Kyurem in case he decided to get back up.
"So is he…-?" Pikachu apprehensively asked. Keldeo shook his head.
"You all need to know what happened to him." Keldeo said, telling everyone everything. That he wasn't in control of himself when he did all of those things. It wasn't like the Bittercold, where he was convinced, this was something far worse. Keldeo was sure to mention that even in his possessed state, he was helping him in his own way.
He knew it wasn't going to be enough to immediately wipe away everything Kyurem did, but he knew it was a good start, a chance at a real life here in Paradise with the others "Get him somewhere safe so he can recover.", there was a hesitation, before finally some residents of Paradise were able to drag Kyurem somewhere safe. Pikachu and Hydreigon gave their thanks before leaving the four of them alone, joining the residents to make sure that Kyurem was tended to.
And then there was four, Keldeo looked between all of them, Terry and Vera changing back into humans as the realization of what happened finally settled on them, they all felt the morning sun high in the sky, warming them up after the intensely cold battle. No one said anything for a long time, what could be said that wasn't already felt. Kyurem was defeated, the storm was gone, and now this world and theirs, were safe.
There was a long silence before Terry hollered, Vera joining shortly behind as the two changed back into humans and hugged Keldeo, even Cody managed a weak smile before he knelt down and joined the group hug. QUinn had even managed to wake up in the mean and hobble over to the group and join in, even with the occassional grunt of discomfort. Keldeo laughed back, hugging back as best as he could.
"But...the anomaly-?" Keldeo began, he knew for sure he purged it from Kyurem, but he had no idea if that meant that the anomaly was gone for good as well.
"We can stick around for a bit, make sure that its really gone, but for now...let's just rest...I know Genesect and I still need it...ow..." Quinn stood, wobbling for a moment before having to lean on Terry and Vera.
"Sticking around sounds good." Cody smiled weakly "Then you give us that proper Paradise welcome." Cody leaned into Keldeo, who leaned back, mostly in fatigue.
"I'd like that." Keldeo's eyes fluttered, resting in Cody's lap, feeling Cody stroke his mane.
He did it, he avenged his old friends, he saved his new ones, and saved the other worlds in the process.
...
...
...
...
...Defeated again...
...
...
...
...Full legendary...still too much...
...
...
...No matter...it only confirms...what I thought...
...
...Humans...and that power...
...I'll see you soon...Cody...