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Warning this contains death and dismemberment and mature content. This is a work in progress that does include Lemons. I do not own Pokémon or associated media. If you do not like the described content do not read. Also if you are under the legal age to read mature content DO NOT READ.

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Champion’s Purgatory

“Damn it, three days of hunting this stupid mountain and still no sign of that trainer,” Arthur spat as he angrily jabbed a stick into the fire. Jack silently paced back and forth on the snow while Aura sat close to the fire worrying the belt she wore. Ace kept still upon his perch as an unnatural calm clung to the summit of the mountain. Aqua shivered against her trainer’s leg nervous from the ominous feeling.

“We are out of time,” Helen reminded as she returned from a brief trip about the summit. “as such I… shall be the vessel for Nicole’s power.”

“I have your ball here for when you get it, hopefully its stasis will keep you safe.”

“Don’t return me right away. I’ll use a portion of the power to create a portal as close to Snowpoint as I can,” the ghost added.

“Sounds like a plan, let’s go,” Arthur sighed.

“I can feel the Red Chain,” the Lucario paled. “It’s coming to the summit.”

“I can feel it too Aura,” the teen grimly nodded.

“The portal has to be opening here soon,” Helen observed. Arthur quickly doused the small campfire and returned the rest of his team save for Aura and Helen. The three quickly ducked behind a fallen pillar just as a man with spiky blue hair stepped up the mountain side. He had a small entourage of team galactic cronies behind him as he made his way to the center of the ruin.

“Now everything is ready for the creation of a new world. Now, all will end,” he monologued as a blue clad Trainer ran to him. This apparent leader continued his speech as he brandished a glittering red chain. The blue haired man paced back and forth ranting like a mad man until he concluded with a shout as he thrusted the Red Chain into the air.

Time and Space seemed to roil in revulsion of the act as portals tore open the very fabric of reality.

“Uh, this looked bad,” Arthur balked. “I don’t care if it’s our business or not…”

The teen trailed off as a gentle hand touched his shoulder.

~ Be still Arthur Kiles, we shall take care of this, ~ the trainer heard within his head.

“Uxie,” he breathed as he watched the yellow and white fairy float past.

~ And hold your temper when you confront Giratina, ~ the Being of Knowledge continued. ~ We will aid you if he should attack you. ~

“I will try to keep it in check, but you know what he did,” Arthur muttered bitterly.

~ I know the events that took place in my cave, but I am unable to divine where the Froslass came from or who commanded her, ~ She relayed before she joined up with two other similar creatures. With the three lake guardians present, the red chain forged from the crystals in their tails shattered in the man’s hand. The damage had been done however as two massive beings began to emerge from the portals. Uxie, Azelf, and Mespirit all gave a cry of strain as they tried to use their psychic power to balance out the power of the two great Pokémon that tried to invade.

“They’re not strong enough to balance both Dialga and Palkia,” Helen observed. Before anyone could act a third portal opened on the broken stone floor of the ruined temple. Large glowing red eyes appeared within the shadowy portal; eyes which slowly emerged as a shadowy apparition of Giratina. Everything around the portal became warped from the massive pressure exerted by the great dragon. Claws formed upon the ghostly wings of the dragon as the red eyes peered down hungrily at the blue haired man.

“I won’t let you interfere!” Cyrus shouted in defiance, but the shadow merely flashed a great glowing smile and snatched the man with its claws and dragged him into the portal. The trainer that had originally confronted the team leader was joined by Sinnoh’s current champion, Cynthia. Arthur could see them saying something but he was too far away to make out what they were saying; they then entered the portal after the shadowy Giratina and Cyrus. Arthur and Aura sat dumbfounded by the awesome display while Helen merely shook her head with contempt.

“The portal’s closing,” she remarked snapping the two out of their stupefied states. The trainer and Lucario leapt from the cover of the fallen pillar. Arthur stopped when he saw a flash of familiar blue fur.

“Arthur!” the Suicune called as she jumped to join the trio.

“Aurora?” he turned. “What are you doing here?”

“I’m basically Ho-oh’s emissary here, but this is serious,” the Legendary panted. “What’s going on?”

“Giratina tried to kill me and hurt Nicole instead, and I have to get her power back,” Arthur quickly explained.

“I am ill equipped to face the Distortion world but I can try and keep the portal open,” the water type offered.

“No I will be able to make a portal, go to Snowpoint and help there,” Helen added. “You have access to healing powers far greater than my own.”

“Helen, give her the fire. If we don’t make it Nicole will still be able to live on,” the teen added solemnly. The Mismagious nodded and gave the vial of sacred fire to the Suicune.

“We’ve wasted enough time,” she finished as they watched the water type speed off towards Snowpoint town.

“Let’s go, this portal won’t stay open forever,” Aura sighed. Arthur was the first to step through the portal with his Lucario close on his heels. Helen fished into a sleeve of her ghostly robe and pulled out a vial identical to the one she gave to Aurora.

“I hope Uxie was right about this,” she paled before she floated through the portal. Arthur fell and felt himself tossed about like a rag doll as he fell through the ever changing gravity. Aura felt the same shifts in gravity as she tried to use her force palm to steer herself toward her trainer.

“Got you!” she shouted when she caught the human mid-fall. The steel type looked about the empty space to see a backwards flowing waterfall. With a quick fire from her force palm Aura managed to direct her and her trainer on a course with the waterfall.

“Hang on!” the fighting type commanded as she twisted herself to take the brunt of the fall to protect Arthur. Water smashed into her back like a truck as it caught them both in its unrelenting current. The waterfall carried them upwards into a lake overhead where they landed with a mighty splash. Moments later a brilliant flash of light shone from the lake’s depths. Helen followed them after the ascension of both trainer and Pokémon to the lake where to her relief Arthur burst from the surface of the lake with his Vaporeon and an unconscious Lucario.

“Arthur, are you alright?” she called as she floated up.

“Yeah, yeah I’m good help me get Aura to shore,” he gasped. “I think she hit her head.”

The Mismagious righted herself to the orientation of the trainer and helped him drag the steel type to shore.

“She’s not breathing!” Arthur realized as he began to pump the Pokémon’s chest in an effort to bring her back. With little hesitation the teen pressed his mouth to the Lucario’s and breathed a lung full of fresh air. Aura’s eyes snapped open as she felt Arthur’s mouth pressed to hers as he gave her mouth to mouth. She shoved the trainer out of the way before she coughed up a lung full of water.

“Don’t… don’t you ever do that again,” the Lucario wheezed.

“I just saved your life Aura,” Arthur remarked dryly. “Now I need you to look here.”

The trainer held up a small pen light and shone it into the fighting type’s eyes. Immediately the Lucario flinched at the light as if it was very painful.

“Yeah, you have a concussion,” he assessed. “Good thing your head was harder than whatever it hit.”

“You’re bleeding by the way,” Aura sighed when she saw her trainer open up his dripping coat.

“Hm, oh shit your right, must have been from your chest spike,” Arthur shrugged as he broke a cold pack over his knee. “You’re lucky you didn’t dent your skull.”

“And you’re lucky that’s just a scratch,” the Lucario coughed when her trainer passed her the cold pack.

“Stay here with Aqua, Helen and I are going up ahead,” the trainer offered.

“Oh no, you brought me here to watch your back, and that is what I’m going to do,” the steel type protested. “This is hardly the first time I’ve had to fight with a concussion.”

“But…”

“You can’t stop me Arthur and you know it,”

“Fine,” he relented. “But you better be careful.”

“Yeah, yeah I’ll be careful,” Aura dismissed as she tossed the cold pack away. “Anyway I think I see someone coming down the waterfall.”

Arthur looked up to see that his Lucario was correct as he watched a trainer gently surfing down the cascading water on a Floatzel.

“What’s going on?” the young trainer asked when he landed at the shore. “I don’t remember seeing you enter into the portal with Cynthia and I.”

“I followed in after you, I need to find something here,” the elder trainer explained.

“Oh, well have you seen the leader of team Galactic, Cyrus?”

“Blue haired guy?” Arthur supplied.

“Yeah that’s him, he’s been hurting a lot of people and taking their Pokémon and I have to stop him from destroying all spirit in the world,” the youth nodded.

“You’re the kid that’s been tangling with team galactic,” the teen recognized. “Do you have a Keystone?”

“No, sorry I put it into the crumbling tower and for some reason I couldn’t take it back.”

“Damn,” Arthur cursed. “Thanks kid, and to answer your original question, no I haven’t seen Cyrus.”

“Alright, well I think I see Cynthia, so… I think I’ll see you later,” the young trainer smiled.

“That kid has potential,” the elder remarked as he watched the kid hop across the floating pathway.

“We should look for Nicole’s power, that should be where Giratina should be,” Helen spoke.

“And if he’s not then we’ll just take it and leave.”

“A wise plan,” the Mismagious nodded.

“Yeah, Aura, are you up to using aura sight?” Arthur asked.

“Yeah,” the Lucario spoke before she sat with her legs crossed. Her trainer repeated the action, placing his back against hers. They both closed their eyes in meditation as they sent forth their aura into the void.

“Yeesh it’s so empty, I don’t even see ghosts here,” Aura shuddered.

“I think I see Nicole’s power below us, seems pretty far,” Arthur spoke evenly when he spied a faint glow of orange. He felt the Lucario tap into his own aura to see where he was looking.

“I see it too,” she observed with her vastly superior sense. “Yes, it belongs to Nicole but I don’t see Giratina’s power near it.”

“If we hurry we might be able to grab it before Giratina catches wind of us here,” Arthur sighed with relief. He stepped to the side of the floating island to see a much larger island below with a massive lake in the center.

“Ace,” he spoke, summoning his mother’s Flygon. “Think you can fly us down there?”

“Flygon,” the dragon nodded.

“Be careful, the gravity of this place does change unpredictably,” Helen warned. “I shall align myself to the gravity if it changes.”

“Yay,” Aura sarcastically cheered as she climbed onto the Flygon’s back.

“You feeling alright?” Arthur worried when he noticed the Lucario’s slight green color.

“I’m well enough to fight… if I have to,” she relayed as she allowed her trainer to climb up behind her. “But I’d rather avoid it right now,”

“Let me know if your head starts to feel worse, okay Aura?”

“I will.”

“Alright, Ace take us down,” The trainer commanded. The Flygon launched from the floating island and followed after the ghost as she guided them down the safest path through the erratic gravity.

“Time doesn’t flow right here either, when I passed through here I wound up an hour into the past,” Aura spoke as they descended.

“Do not worry, I will force this world to conform to the time we entered when I create the portal, or at least get as close to it as possible,” Helen relayed.

“Well hopefully we wind up in the past so Nicole has more time,” Arthur added. “Now, I think I see her power at the bottom of that lake.”

The trainer returned the Flygon as they neared the lake and released his Vaporeon, “Deep breath Aura.”

The Lucario sucked in a lung full of air just before they dived into the murky lake. Both Arthur and Aqua powered through the still water toward what could only be described as a second surface lit with something akin to a sun. A bizarre sense of vertigo coursed through the entire group as they swam for the glowing light high over the second surface of the massive lake. The group surfaced in a large crystalline chamber where a brilliant glowing orb casted it’s golden light against the many fractals of the room.

“Okay, this place has reached a whole new level of weird,” Aura gasped.

“Yeah,” Arthur agreed when he looked at the orb that sat suspended in the air, “the light in this room… my side stopped hurting.”

“Same for my head, it feels clearer and the light doesn’t hurt my eyes anymore,” the Lucario observed.

“It’s Nicole’s power, without a doubt,” the trainer confirmed. “Helen go ahead and do your thing.”

The Mismagious floated up to the orb, but when she was about to touch it’s smooth surface, a barrier formed and repelled her with a sudden jolt of purple energy. Helen dropped like a stone, stunned by the blast of ghost energy which repulsed her. Arthur quickly removed his coat and spread it over his arms to catch the Mismagious with the purified reaper cloth that lined the interior.

“Are you all right Helen?” he worried.

“Yeah,” she grumbled. “I should have known Giratina would place a barrier around it.”

“So how do we get past it?” Arthur asked.

“Brute force,” Aura growled before she launched herself into the air. Her trainer watched as she sent a ripple through the unnatural barrier with a bone shattering punch but it still held. Aura was sent flying back with the same force the used to assault the barrier.

“Aura, return!” Arthur reacted just before the Steel type hit the wall of the antechamber. He released her a second later only to watch her double over clutching her paw.

“Let me take a look Aura,” he cooed as he knelt before the Lucario. Arthur carefully pulled the injured paw away from the fighting type’s chest. Aura yipped when her trainer brushed over her wrist spike where dark blood oozed from around it.

“That’s a nasty break,” the teen observed as he carefully gripped the paw. “I need to set it.”

He looked to the pained expression of the Lucario with apprehension. Memories of previous breaks and attempts to set them that were usually met with sudden and painful outbursts from the steel type played across his mind.

“Uh, Helen could you hold Aura while I set her paw?” the teen gulped. Arthur waited until a purple aura gripped his starter. Aura yipped as her trainer jerked her paw and spike back into proper position. She struggled against the powerful psychic force until the pain in her paw proved too much for her.

“Whoa, whoa let her go,” Arthur instructed as he gently pulled the fainted Lucario’s head to his chest.

“Despite this room’s healing properties she is still in a dangerous condition with her concussion,” Helen warned.

“I know, just let me get her paw doctored,” the trainer sighed as he fished into his coat for the supplies to splint the broken limb. He worked quickly but gently before rousing the unconscious Pokémon with a revive.

“Ow,” Aura groaned. “Felt like I traded blows with a Machamp.”

“It looked like you traded blows with a Machamp,” Arthur chimed. “Anyway it seems like punching an omnipotent barrier doesn’t work, anyone else got any bright ideas?”

“You could ask for it,” boomed a voice overhead.

“Giratina,” The teen growled as he looked up to see a massive black and gold serpent wrapped about glowing orb.

“Arthur Kiles,” the snake sneered.

“You gave your word that Nicole wouldn’t come to harm!” Arthur yelled. “And yet you sent a Froslass to steal Ho-oh’s power and to kill me just to have some sort of leverage against her!”

“I do not expect a mortal to understand the machinations of gods,” Giratina growled.

“So enlighten me oh great and mighty wyrm,” the champion spat. The Dragon snarled at the insult but held his temper.

“You have the gall to invade my realm and attempt to steal…”

“That which never belonged to you Giratina!” Arthur interrupted.

“Take care Arthur, my patience can only be stretched so thin.”

“Arthur! You scold me for rash actions,” Aura whispered.

“Yeah,” the trainer answered quietly before turning back to the dragon, “Why did you try to kill me Giratina?”

The guardian of the distortion world took a deep breath as if he were to give a long monologue but something within Arthur told him to act.

“Aura, pro…” he started but his Lucario already guessed his thought as she threw up a pink shield in time to block the Dragon pulse that erupted from Giratina’s mouth. The hardened champion instinctively pressed the button on his belt and released the rest of his team just as the dragon gave a feral roar. That one cry from the legendary Pokémon seemed to call forth a hoard of ghost type Pokémon and at that point Arthur knew he was right where Giratina wanted him.

“Form up,” the trainer commanded. “Aqua, Helen, work on the barrier! Jack, try to whip up a hail storm and keep the bulk of the hoard away with blizzard! Ace, keep the stragglers away from me and Aura! And Aura, you and I are going to take down Giratina.”

“You will die this day Arthur,” the dragon growled.

“I don’t think so! Aura Dragon pulse!” the champion shouted. He clapped his hand onto the Lucario’s shoulder and lent her a part of his own aura to compensate her injured arm. Chaos erupted with in the antechamber as snow and ice bellowed from the Glaceon knocking out many of the lesser ghosts while the Flygon cleaned up the stronger combatants. Aqua focused her attacks at the barrier that protected Nicole’s power while Helen observed the changes it exhibited. Despite Jack and Ace’s best efforts several of the ghosts managed to make to the pair that assaulted their lord.

“Aura, foresight! Pass it to me!” Arthur commanded. Aura’s sensory organs lit with a purple light for a moment before she passed the power to her trainer. The trainer lit his own hands with aura ready to defend the Lucario. Empowered with the foresight the teen managed to keep the ghosts at bay long enough for his starter to fire of another dragon pulse at Giratina.

“There’s too many of them!” he heard Aura shout. Arthur knew she was right as he tried to fight off more and more ghosts with his failing aura. A sudden force gripped the teen and knocked him away from his Lucario, leaving him stranded in the middle of a sea of ghosts.

“Stand down Arthur!” Giratina commanded. “I will claim your life, or I will claim the lives of your team.”

The champion was about to reply when the hoard parted to reveal his team held captive by a pair of Dusknoir.

“And don’t you even think about reaching for that masterball in your pocket,” the dragon growled when the trainer started to reach for it.

“Don’t do it,” Aura pleaded.

“Promise me that you will return Nicole’s power,” Arthur sighed. His words seemed to strike a chord within the hoard of ghosts as they began to turn to their lord.

“You said we were going to defend the Victini’s power from thieves, but…” A Gengar started before a Yamask interrupted him.

“Yamask!” it cried with recognition as he flew to greet the trainer.

“Yoshi?” the teen remarked surprised to see his home’s guardian in the thrall of ghosts, “What are you doing here?”

Before the Yamask could answer, a huge wave of unrest passed through the mass of spiritual Pokémon. At that point Arthur understood that they all had been deceived and decided to press his advantage.

“I am Arthur Kiles, and I am the mate to the Victini whose power hangs trapped in that orb. I came here not to steal but to retrieve, for she was harmed by Giratina who swore that she would be protected!” the champion called forth. Fights started to break out with in the unruly mass of Pokémon while Giratina seethed with rage. Bolstered by the chaos he sowed within the dragon’s own ranks Arthur stood defiant against him.

“Arthur move!” Aura cried as she watched the legendary Pokémon suddenly fire a beam of intense energy right at the teen.

“Yamask!” Yoshi cried as he placed himself between blast and trainer. Everything seemed to just stop when the blast struck the tiny ghost, but when the smoke cleared a small yellow fairy protected both trainer and Yamask.

“Uxie?” Giratina gasped, “You have no further business here.”

“No but I am here protecting my charge,” the fairy explained.

“I’m your ward?” Arthur asked, thoroughly puzzled.

“I protect knowledge, and your mind is filled with valuable knowledge,” Uxie added.

“It is?”

“Arthur, just shut up and let me do the talking,” the fairy huffed.

“Yes ma’am,” the teen gulped.

“Now, Giratina you hold a Legendry’s power hostage and I suggest you return it to her guardian,” Uxie advised.

“Very well Lake Guardian,” the dragon grumbled.

“What about my friends?” Arthur whispered.

“Oh and Giratina, could you also release the trainer’s friends,” the being of knowledge added. “Please.”

“Release them,” he ordered. The thrall of ghosts quickly complied and parted. Arthur’s team looked battered but still they moved with dignity as they joined the teen. Giratina sighed as he undid the barrier that protected the Victini’s power. A torrent of emotions washed over the great dragon as he carefully pulled the brilliant glowing orb from its prison. He wanted to welcome Helen back to his side as he most trusted Acolyte, but to do so would rob the respect he commanded of his other followers. His end game required the death of Nicole’s guardian but he knew Arthur was innocent and he loathed needless killing.

“I have been slighted as well Lake Guardian,” Giratina enlightened as he held the power. “Given the fact that Zygarde stirs, I find myself lacking a champion for the Trial of Legendaries.”

“You can’t be serious!” Uxie suddenly snapped. “Arthur will never be strong enough to face Zygarde!”

“Who’s Zygarde?” the teen asked.

“The god of Balance,” the being of knowledge explained. “If all goes well you won’t have to face him. That task is supposed to fall to Celebi’s champion.”

“He isn’t supposed to know future events!” the dragon roared.

“He is the guardian of a legendary, it can be permitted,” she coolly replied.

“You are playing a dangerous game Uxie.”

“And you are not?”

“Perhaps I still am,” Giratina glared. “You say he is the Victini’s guardian and yet I see him deferring to a former Acolyte of mine to carry the power.”

“You know that power could kill him,” the fairy countered.

“A test then, if he fails and dies, I gain a champion. If not, I will abandon my plan to rouse Zygarde early to stop the trial,” the protector of the distortion world offered.

“So that’s your plan then, to usher me into your service,” Arthur observed.

“No, I will carry the power if I have to,” Uxie frowned. “I must still protect him after all.”

“I think not,” Giratina growled. Before the Lake Guardian could react the dragon blasted a wave of ghostly wind from his tattered wings. The party was sent crashing through a newly formed portal onto a cold snow covered mountain. Arthur quickly regained his footing just as a shadowed claw pierced his chest. Searing pain burned within his chest as the claw retreated back through the portal. The snow around him visibly melted as Aura and the others’ looked on with abstract horror.

“Oh thank Ho-oh you’ve finally…” a Suicune greeted before she saw the smoldering and writhing mass that struggled to stand. “He has Nicole’s power doesn’t he?”

“Nicole, I-I have to get to Nicole,” Arthur gasped as he tried to contain the immeasurable power that burned within him.

“Focus, don’t let it grow,” Uxie advised. “The portal is still open, I can close it but Arthur won’t last long with that kind of power burning in him.”

“I can take him, a Victini’s power seems to be close to Ho-oh’s power so I think I can protect myself from it,” Aurora added.

“Aurora…” Jack breathed.

“We’ll talk after I get Arthur to Snowpoint,” the Suicune sighed. “Arthur I need you to climb onto my back and grab hold of my mane.”

The second the teen staggered onto her she almost screamed in agony from the searing heat that poured from the teen, but she held it in and helped the struggling trainer onto her back.

“Wish, wish me luck,” Aurora forced.

“Good luck,” the tri-pod Glacion gulped, and with that the Suicune sped off down the mountain with his friend.
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Okay that took a bit too long to write, partly because I had to keep changing the scene with Giratina. Anyway stay tuned for the conclusion to this part with the next chapter.

Your ever crazy Kolofox