Pokemon: Arceus' Champion

*CRASH!*

Lucario closed his eyes to avoid the shards of ice as he broke more of the giant block encasing the fire type pokemon, alongside all of the other fighting type pokemon that they could gather.

"Mein.....FOO!"

"RI!"

"Lucar!"

Working beside Lucario was Korinna's Meinfoo, Ash's Riolu, and Cynthia's Lucario, even as they trainers watched the skies carefully.

"I hope Aniki is ok..." Ash muttered worriedly.

"Ace will be fine." Professor Oak reassured the young man, though Lucario knew through the man's aura that he too was extremely worried.

"!!!"

Lucario looked up suddenly as he sensed a shift in his partner, unimaginable rage and grief.

"Something happened!" Lucario declared, alerting them to what was going on.

"Is Ace ok?!" May immediately asked as she and the other girls approached them.

"He isn't injured. But something did happen." Lucario told them, as all he could feel was his partner's erratic emotions.

"They're coming back!" Lady Ilene suddenly warned them, putting everyone on alert as the temperature began to drop once again.

Soon enough they could all see the Legendary blue bird once again, and no Ace.

"ACE KETCHUM, IS DEAD!" Archer declared as he approached them, immediately spreading panic to those who hadn't heard Lucario before.

"Ace is dead?!"

"What are we going to do?!"

"WE'RE GOING TO DIE!"

While most of those around them began to panic, Lucario stepped forward so that he was standing directly before Archer.

"Either you're lying, or you just REALLY suck at your job." Lucario declared, projecting his 'voice' loud enough that everyone could hear him.

"Oh? And what makes you say that, pokemon?" Archer sneered down at Lucario with contempt, while those who had been panicking started settling as they listened in.

"Because I can still sense him. If my partner had died, then I would already be aware of it." Lucario explained, once again making sure everyone could hear him to further reduce the panic.

"So you can see right through me... No matter." Archer said while shrugging, as if it couldn't be helped. "Either way, Ace Ketchum will NOT be rejoining the battle! Now I can deal with you all at my leisure!"

As Archer declared such, Articuno once more buffeted them with freezing cold wind.

"Just because Ace isn't here, doesn't mean that we're helpless!" Dawn declared as she stepped forward.

"Go Empoleon!"

"Let's join in, Raichu!" May cried as she sent out her electric mouse, since Blaziken was still frozen along with the rest of the fire types.

"Us too! Go Starmie!" Misty declared as she too appeared.

"We'll join in too!" Declared Hilda, who also stepped forward with Rosa, Nate and Hilbert.

Also stepping forward was Ash, Ethan, Lyra, Brendan, Lucas, Barry, Serena, Calem, Selene, Elios, Gloria, Victor and Gary.

"Go Pikachu!"

"Tyrantrum!"

"Skarmory!"

"Aggron!"

"Bastiodon!"

"Luxray!"

"Boldore!"

"Crustle!"

"Zebstrika!"

"Golurk!"

"Lycanroc!"

"Raichu!"

"Barbaracle!"

"Aurorus!"

"Inteleon!"

"Corviknight!"

Numerous pokemon appeared on the deck between the crowds and Articuno, showing they fully intended to battle against Archer and the Legendary, with or without Ace.

""Raichu, use Thunderbolt!"" Both May and Selene cried out at the same time.

"Pikachu, use Thunder!"

""Rock Throw!""

""Stone Edge!""

"Flash Cannon!"

Attacks of electric, rock and steel type all bombarded Articuno as each of them desperately fought back against them.

"Inteleon, use Snipe Shot!" Gloria commanded her starter, having it take aim directly at Archer.

"Humph." Archer sneered down at them, even as attacks approached them from all sides.

"Sheer Cold."

"""!!!"""

Before any of the attacks could even hit Articuno or Archer, a wave of pure cold at absolute-zero spread out from them that froze every single attack in its place, and coated every part of the ship nearest to them in a layer of white ice.

"SHIT!" Lucario swore as he used Extreme Speed to appear in front of everyone, and then Protect to cover them all in a protective layer from the attack.

"Protect!"

"Protect!"

"Protect!"

Not only Lucario, but every available pokemon that knew Protect jumped in front of their trainers and the other humans to protect them from the rapidly expanding wave of absolute-zero spreading out.

"Go ahead. It matters not." Archer smirked victoriously. They could only maintain Protect for so long, and when they failed he would freeze every single living being on the SS. Anne. It would make collecting the pokemon so much easier, while all he would need to do was shatter the human ice sculptures.

"What do we do?!" May exclaimed as she and the others tried to figure a way out of this.

"Nothing." Lucario said, and he looked out past Articuno and Archer.

*Rumble...*

"Huh?"

The others all looked up as they noticed a flash of light in the sky, followed by another low rumble.

"What is that?" Lyra asked worriedly.

"My partner." Lucario answered.

*KER-KRACK!*

Suddenly the lit up as night turned to day from lightning that rained down around them, disrupting Archer and Articuno as they turned to see what the disturbance was.

"ARCHEEEEEEEEEER!"

A voice of rage sounded with the thunder as the newcomers appeared, a large yellow bird with a long pointed beak, wreathed in lightning as radiating power that rivaled that of Articuno's.

"By the gods..." Ilene uttered as she gazed up at the newcomer, who everyone recognized as yet ANOTHER Legendary pokemon.

"Zapdos..." Lance uttered in disbelief.

"SCREEEEEEYAAAAAAAAAA!"

"This is IMPOSSIBLE!" Archer cried out as the second Legendary pokemon swooped down at them, a certain figure riding on it's back.

"ARCHER!" Ace roared out, also wreathed in lightning while his eyes glowed with yellow light, like two miniatures suns that lacked irises or pupils.

"ACE?!"

Ace Ketchum had the appearance of a god as he and Zapdos descended upon Archer, making him feel fear for the first time as he directed Articuno to escape.

*CRASH!*

Ace and Zapdos landed upon the bow of the SS. Anne with their momentum carried them past Articuno's previous position, caving the front in as they did so before they turned their attention to all of the still-frozen pokemon.

*KRACK!*

A 'small' blast of lightning from them, and the ice shattered to free almost all of the frozen pokemon all at once.

"Nurses, MOVE!" Yelled out the Nurse Joy in charge of all the others, as she led them out to treat all of the previously frozen pokemon.

Among them was Joy herself, flanked by two Chansey as they hurried to Ace's Charizard, Ditto, Houndoom and Chimchar.

"Its going to be alright!" Joy told them as she entered her Nurse mode, hurriedly pulling things out of her own bag to help her treat the freezing pokemon. At the same time, she also noticed something that hit the deck beside her, right as Ace and Zapdos flew off to do battle against Archer and Articuno.

"Huh?" Joy uttered as she picked it up, only to see it was a Heal Ball.

"!?!"

Upon activating it, Joy was shocked to find none other than Pidgeot laying on the deck before her, bleeding profusely with numerous jagged icicle shards sticking out from him.

"I NEED HELP OVER HERE!" Joy shouted out to the other Nurses, drawing attention to herself as several hurried to her side to help with Pidgeot, one of which being the Viridian city Nurse Joy.

"Prep him for immediate surgery!" The head Joy declared, and all of the others that were helping rushed to comply as their Chansey's picked Pidgeot as gently as possible, and moved him to the Pokemon Center.

Joy only paused aiding him long enough to glance back up at the sky worriedly as Ace and Zapdos chased Archer, only for a pillar of fire to light up the sky as well.

"MOOOOOOOOOOOOL!"

***

Power flowed through my body via my connection with Zapdos, the power to vaporize even entire mountains if I so decided. But neither Zapdos or I had any interest in mountains at the moment.

"Archer!" I snarled as we gave chase, my words tasting of ozone as I spoke them.

I rasied a hand up and channeled energy from Zapdos through my body, before conjuring a Thunderbolt in it that I hurled at Articuno.

*KRACK!*

I watched as the Thunderbolt impacted and shattered one of the bladed attachments on Articuno's talons, causing them to fall to the frozen ocean below

"STOP THAT!" Archer roared at us, even as he continued to attempt to flee.

*WHOOSH!*

This time a pillar of fire obscured Articuno's path, forcing her and Archer to evade it as another figure flew down from above.

"MOOOOOOOOOL!" The newcomer, Moltres, cried out as it swooped at Articuno. And with a single flap of it's wings, it summoned a firestorm unlike anything I had ever seen before. Even eclipsing what we had tried to use to ward of Articuno earlier.

"This cannot be happening!" Archer cried out, even as I channeled more power into my hand.

This time I controlled the lightning and condensed it into my hand, but not to throw. Instead, I swung my hand around with the lightning acting like a whip, which came around and struck the second set of blades from Articuno's talons.

"NOOOOOOO!"

Archer screamed with fury as Articuno tried to blast us with another of her overpowered Ice Beams at us, only for Zapdos to respond in kind as he fired off a godly Thunder.

*KER-KRACKLE!*

The Thunder and Ice Beam connected in midair, exploding outwards to create numerous bolts of frozen lightning.

At the same time...

*WHOOSH!*

A wave of fire lit up the world around us before it swirled and condensed into the most powerful Fire Spin I had ever seen, forming a vortex around Articuno and Archer to trap them inside.

Despite the type advantage though, I felt Articuno surge upwards to the top of the vortex before dispelling it with another blast of Sheer Cold.

"Tch."

I clicked my tongue in irritation before Zapdos and I swerved to avoid another Ice Beam, before we channeled energy while he flapped his wings at Articuno to create a gust of wind so powerful that not even Pidgeot's strongest Hurricane could compete.

Unfortunately not even that was enough to displace Archer from his saddle on her, so an idea began to form in my head that might be crazy enough to work.

"Get me close!" I shouted to Zapdos, and channeled to Moltres.

"SCREYAAAA!"

"MOOOOOL!"

Both Legendary birds screeched as they moved in for the attack, Moltres covered in flames while Zapdos and I both crackled with lightning.

First was Moltres, attacking Articuno from the front with it's talons to lock them with her own, now that they were freed from the bladed attachments.

"Damn you! What are you doing now?!" Archer roared as Moltres held the two of them in place.

This allowed Zapdos to fly up behind Articuno with his own talons extended, and latch onto her wings from behind.

"!!!"

I flung myself from Zapdos' back at Archer while using the electromagnetic current in our bodies to propel myself at him, moving far faster and with more accuracy than I had any right to.

Time seemed to slow as I moved through the air at Archer, his eyes widening incredulously even as he hurriedly pulled something from his jacket.

*...*

*...*

*...*

I barely heard the gunshots, or felt the impacts of the bullets at I reached Archer, only registering that something had hit me three times before I FINALLY got my hands on him.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOO-!"

Archer screamed as I tore him from his saddle with one hand, and ripped off the circlet controlling Articuno with the other before we both began to freefall.

"SCREYA!" Zapdos cried, but was unable to help due to him and Moltres needing to hold the now limp Articuno up in the air.

"HOW DARE-!"

"SHUT UP!"

I roared at Archer before burying one of my fists into his face as hard as I could, and then the other. And then again. And again. And again.

*THUD!*

*THUD!*

*THUD!*

Archer's eyes, nose, ears and mouth all began to bleed profusely as I pummeled him with my fists, his facial features distorting by my machinations before I changed tactics to hit him in the stomach and chest just so I didn't kill him too quickly.

I felt his ribs and sternum crack and shatter from my hits, shredding the organs in his body with them on top of the damage I was doing just from hitting him. By the time he was on death's door, I changed tactics yet again.

"This is for Pidgeot!" I snarled while closing my hands around his throat, before squeezing as hard as I could.

Whatever remained of Archer's eyes bugged out as I deprived him of oxygen, and a faint gurgling sound could be heard from him as he struggled to breathe despite all of the damage I had done to him. It was only at what I felt was the last possible second, right when he was truly going to die, that I jerked my hands.

*CRACK!*

A sickening crack filled the air, and Archer's eyes emptied of all signs of life, along with his aura.

"Haaa..."

I breathed out while releasing the tension fom my body, letting go of Archer's corpse as we both continued to plummet towards the rapidly approaching frozen ocean.

It was only now that I actually felt the pain in my shoulder, chest and stomach, while a metallic taste filled my mouth that I recognized as blood, and my vision began to blur.

"I hope everyone is alright..." I muttered to myself, thinking of the girls, Charizard, Houndoom, Ditto, Chimchar, Lucario, and most of all, Pidgeot.

I could feel the cold creeping in to my arms and legs as I closed my eyes, feeling so tired after draining all of my aura earlier with Beedrill, and then just now through synchronizing my aura with Zapdos.

"Draaaaaaaaaaaaaaaag!"

I heard something that sounded far away, before something rough grabbed out me of the air and held me up.

"Good job Dragonite! Hang in there Ace!" I heard professor Oak's voice, who must've been riding Dragonite.

"P-professor?"

"Stay with me Ace!" The professor urged me, with genuine fear in his voice.

"P-profes...."

Everything went black.

***

*Meanwhile...*

"So if I understand this correctly, something called Eternatus was responsible for the Darkest Day here in Galar..."

"Char?"

"No, I don't know what it looks like. Hell, I could have even gotten the name wrong. But its something."

"Char."

"Yeah, it can wait until tomorrow. Let's get back to camp for dinner, and hopefully we haven't missed the finals!"

Saying such, the man led the way out of the cave by the light of his Charizard's flame, and back to their basecamp.

Currently they were camping outside of one of the MANY historical sights that could be found all over the Galar region, and because of that they were having a hard time keeping track of the time difference between Galar and Kanto.

The duo hurried out of the cave to a tent that was set up nearby, where a Venusaur was napping while also keeping guard.

"Anything interesting happen, Venusaur?" The man asked his pokemon, even as it dozed lazily in the sun.

"Saur..."

"That's good. Maybe we can catch a part of the tournament finals!" The man declared, hurrying into the tent to find a small cot, a foldable table, a portable wood stove, and a small tv inside. And on the table was a collection of journals like the one he had in his hands, each one containing all of the notes and research he had been keeping for the last seventeen years.

Sitting beside his journals was something that made the man pause, two framed photographs.

The first one was aged from how old it was, taken just before he started his journey seventeen years ago. In it was himself, his wife, and their newborn twin sons. The other was significantly newer, having only reached him a few weeks back after his wife sent it to him. In it was her, their two sons, now fully grown, and even a Riolu.

A surge of longing to return home filled the man, but he quickly squashed it down while also remembering the reason he left to begin with.

For the last seventeen years, ever since his sons were born, the man had felt a profound sense of foreboding in his gut. A sense of foreboding that had only gotten stronger as the years progressed.

He knew 'something' was going to happen, possibly something on a global level that could endanger them all. But he didn't know what.

So the man left his wife and sons behind, intending to figure out what it was he was feeling, and end it before it could threaten his family. Even if it meant he could never watch his boys grow up, or so much as see them again.

Despite how much he desired to return home, the situation was well enough with his wife occasionally sending him mail about how they were doing. Until recently that was.

Just the previous day the man received one of his 'premonitions', a sense of urgency in his gut regarding his sons. He had made a call in order to try and circumvent it, but he had still been feeling anxious all day because of it.

"Let's see how he's doing~!" The man said as he turned on his portable tv, right as it happened.

"!!!"

"GAAAAAAAAAH!"

His voice cried out as severe pain assaulted him, in his shoulder, chest, and stomach, making him drop to his knees and alarming his pokemon right as he heard the voice over the tv.

"All we can do is wait as the three Legendary birds battle above us, Articuno who is under the control of Team Rocket, and Zapdos along with Moltres, who are both fighting alongside none other than Ace ketchum."

"!!!"

The man looked up in alarm at the tv just in time to see something approaching the ship the cameraman and the woman reporting the incident were on, a Dragonite that was carrying a rider while holding something in it's arms. No. SomeONE.

Someone who was limp, blood running from their body in the exact places where he was feeling the pain now, while their face appeared to be deathly pale and their eyes closed. But the man recognized him.

He barely registered anything else going on through the tv, the shrill scream from a Nurse Joy, the urgently running people as they tried to get him help, or even the old man and his Dragonite.

Instead, his attention was solely on the seemingly dead figure that Dragonite had been carrying, and that people were now desperately trying to treat.

"ACE!"