Ho-Oh's champion traveled through the darkness as fast as the northern winds, never stopping or taking a second to breathe. I remained bound onto the legendry's back as he pulsed through the dark atmosphere, but no matter how far we traveled, all that remained was the color of the abyss. I soon forgot which direction was which and eventually lost count as to how long it was that we ran.

Where exactly are we? I thought. My mind wanted to question the path Suicune had taken, but for some strange reason my instincts told me to be patient. Suddenly, I felt the wait underneath us vanish. My body jerked upright, but a sense of calmness blew past me as the water-type and I soared into the sky.

"Hang on," Suicune called.

Without waiting for a reply, Suicune dashed higher into the air until we evaporated into aqua-blue mist.

An odd sensation passed through my fur as the legendary Pokémon and I passed through all the levels of purgatory. It was hard to explain the emotion I felt; if I were to describe it, I would say that it was a combination of soothing and relaxation. As we soared higher into the air, I could hear the voices of those who came before me. Everywhere I look, I could see spirits that have come before me form together to create an ongoing whirlwind of remorse and regret. Truly, it was like a resonating elegy of hope and redemption.

"What you see before you is known as the gale road," Suicune explained. "It acts as a pathway between the two dimensions. The pathway was constructed out of the souls that are sent here to this world. In hopes of redeeming themselves, these souls must continue to move in this never-ending cycle until their sentences have come to an end."

As if summoned, seven shades escaped from the storm and traveled beside us as he grew closer into entering the holy land.

This is the right path, Aura. I blinked in response. Was I speaking with the past spirits? If so, why did their voices sound so familiar? Could it have been-

"Petalstorm..." I guessed.

Never give up-have faith in yourself! "Fireblaze,"

I'll always be there to back you up.

Me too!

"Sharptooth...Shadowheart..."

Wherever you go, we will be right beside you.

Never forget: we will never depart from one-another.

"Voltclaw and Psychomask?" I questioned myself.

More voices continued to chant my name as Suicune and I traveled upward at full speed. Everyone was cheering me on to make it the other side and enjoy the gift I would receive.

"We are here," Suicune announced.

I looked up and sure enough, we were headed in the direction of the sky.

We stood before a gate that glistened with gold and other fine jewelry, and the inside illuminated with everlasting-light. Standing before us was a large golem with three separate gemstones on each side of its bulky torso; his skin texture was grayish-white, yellow plates hung on its wrists, shoulders, and in the center of the body. Green moss clung to his shoulders and feet, and black patterns moved across his body. As I looked on at the statue in astonishment, Suicune pressed on toward the statue and beckoned me to follow after him. We both were now standing in front of the petrified image and then suddenly the object came to life. Its large body hovered over us and I believed that it would fall on us until it stopped once more. Afterwards, it spoke (telepathically, though).

"Who is it that wishes to pass through here," the golem spoke flatly.

"Regigigas," Suicune greeted with a nod. "It is I, and I bring with you, Riolu Aura. He wishes to speak with our father."

I walked up and nodded before the legendary Pokémon. All was silent as the golem inspected me. When he had finished, he lifted his body up and retreated away from the gate. Instantly, the doors opened up, revealing a heavenly light that blinded my visions. I looked away until I was able to see once more.

"Proceed," Regigigas responded.

"It is time, Riolu Aura," Suicune commanded. "Go through this gate and you will meet our father."

I was finally able to see through the light and instantly, my heart exploded with joy. Beyond the gate-beyond the light-I could make out a kingdom that was without impurity. The sky was gold and the clouds were pale silver. A colony of flowers bloomed over the hills and past the mountains, plants packed with fruits and other eating goods fell to the ground and were replaced with more, and every good Pokémon (old and young) strolled through the fields with no sign of anger, fear, sorrow, or guilt flowing through their eyes. It was the Hall of Origins: Arceus' paradise. I thanked the two legendries and passed through the gate.

After I passed through the doors, I discovered that I was transported to an arena, filled with legendary Pokémon, some I did not know. Standing before me was three more legendary Pokémon: the Four Cardinals.

I humbly bowed before them and greeted them: "Mother Mew. Ho-Oh of the seven rainbows. Rayquaza of the sky. Father Arceus-it is an honor to meet you all."

The first to speak was Arceus. He had a horse-like appearance with an unusual long mane and tail, golden hooves, green and red eyes, and a golden cross-wheel attached to its back and abdomen that would change colors periodically.

"Riolu Aura," he spoke strongly for everyone to hear. "It is good to finally meet you after all these years."

"You have heard my prayer," I questioned, remembering my previous words all those years ago.

"Yes," he answered. He commanded me to rise before him and I did so. "Riolu Arua, I have watched you all these years and I must admit that I never expected you to make it this far. When you were born, I witness how you were forced to live the life as a weapon, all the while, begging me to appear before you. Afterwards, you tried your hardest to atone for your previous misdeeds by working hard and all shadow Pokémon the right path toward happiness. If you felt as though I was never there for you, then I am sorry, but I needed to test your faith and see if you were worthy enough."

"Is that why you sent the nightmares?"

"Correct." he answered once more. "I had to give you a reason to begin this journey, as well as test your spirit and worth. As you already know, you have passed your tests and I am happy to let you know that you are forgiven of your crimes and have a place in this world when your time comes."

An uproar of applause erupted inside the arena as all the legendries' clapped their paws in congratulations and cheering my name in acknowledgement. I felt a mixture of happiness and pride course through my marrows as I stood here, being honored by the creator himself. Still...there were a couple of things I was worried about, and I needed Arceus' guidance to help me solve them.

"Arceus," I asked him. "What of my comrades, and the other shadows? I have to show them that there is a place for them in your kingdom."

Arceus nodded in agreement before talking. "What you say is true, but as you know we, legendries', are forbidden to physically appear before the living unless in times of great crisis. Neither I nor my children can help the shadows." I felt as though a reservoir had broken and a pool of anguish had flooded over me. That was, until, Arceus made a sound that resembled a chuckle.

"However, that is why you are here," I looked up in surprise. "Consider this as a reward for your hard work. Before your arrival, he held a meeting deciding what/how to reward you should you arrive. It was decided that you would be the chosen Pokémon to put an end the segregation between the shadows and the originals."

The entire arena let out a huge gasp as the god Pokémon made his statement. Some were surprised, some were shocked, but I was paralyzed with disbelief.

"How can I accomplish such a task," I questioned the legendary. "I already have difficulties having shadows convert to my form of idealism, and only a select few of originals are willing to follow my belief. How can I possibly stop the hatred from spreading between the two groups?"

"You will do it the same way you arrived here," he responded. "With faith and determination."

It sounded cheesy at first, but it was the way Arceus said it that gave me faith in myself. After traveling through the very pits of hell and soaring into heaven, it made me realize that anything is possible. If it wasn't for my friends and my will, I might not have made it this far. I looked up to Arceus and asked another question: "What can I do?"

"We will give you the ability to touch the souls of all those who is not close to you," he replied. Arceus jerked his head toward the other three Pokémon and all three appeared before me. The first one to approach me was the small pink-colored Pokémon with feline features and a long tail.

"Mother Mew," I whispered. She smiled at my blushing cheeks. The female legendary was the first female Pokémon to ever have been created; legends says that after Arceus was born and remade the galaxy, he grew lonely and created a mate to be his companion and partner. With her, the pair had many children who would grow and populate the world.

"Riolu Aura," she began. "In honor of your hard work, dedication, bravery, and inner-strength, I, South Cardinal Mew, mate of Arceus, mother of the legendries, and grandmother of the future generation, grant you the spirit of temperance."

She placed her small hands on my cheeks and kissed the tip of my nose in a motherly way. When she did so, my body was set ablaze in flames of pink and red. Intense pain coursed through my body as the flames continued to pick at my flesh. Biting down my fangs, I endured the ritual until the flames had subsided. I stood before the cardinal Pokémon, who beheld a sympathetic look on her muzzle as she placed a gentle paw on my face.

"Use this power to control the dark thoughts that exists in your enemies, as well as your own." she said. "With it, you bring many Pokémon together and they will learn to co-exist."

She retreated beside her husband and the next to take her spot was a large, green serpent with yellow-ring markings running across his body, rudder-like wings with red tipping's, two large horns, and golden eyes and black pupils. He stood before me with half of his body raised in the air and looked down at me with pride and confidence.

"Rayquaza of the Sky," I whispered. Being one of the three weather trio Pokémon, he and his brothers were created to give life to the planet and save the Pokémon race. During that time, Kyogre and Groudon fought each other in an attempt to gain their father's notice. Enraged by their actions, Rayquaza stopped the two Pokémon and they were punished for their crimes. Afterwards, Rayquaza was rewarded for his actions and chosen to be one of the four cardinals.

"Riolu Aura," he roared. "In honor of your hard work, dedication, bravery, and inner-strength, I, West Cardinal Rayquaza, descendent of Arceus, sibling to Groudon and Kyogre, give you the spirit of courage."

With an ear-splitting roar, lightning appeared over me and struck me down with all its might. I cringed in pain as the current passed through my bones and muscles, showing no remorse or mercy on my body. I fell to my knees unable to get up and smoke flew off my now-cooked fur and flesh.

"Rise up," he ordered. I did so, but my body still ached. "With courage, you will no longer fear anything-not even the traitor will be able to scare you. Use that power to speak your mind without worry and use it fight for your beliefs, no matter the consequences."

He flew away and returned beside Arceus and Mew. The next to come was a large bird-like Pokémon with red feathers, green tipping's, a white underbelly, and gold-yellow tail feathers. He flew toward me and landed directly in front of me.

"Ho-Oh of the seven rainbows,"

He nodded before me and his eyes glowed red. After the planet was created, Arceus created an egg that would go on to be the "light within the darkness", but instead of one, two creatures were made: Ho-Oh and Lugia. Eventually, Ho-Oh was chosen to be the sun, while his sibling, Lugia, was chosen to be the moon; after he was chosen, he presented the world with a rainbow created of seven different colors. And now, it was I, who stood before the sun.

"Riolu Aura," he repeated. "In honor of your hard work, dedication, bravery, and inner-strength, I, East Cardinal Ho-Oh, descendent of Arceus and sibling to Lugia, give you the spirit of justice. May you use this power to guide others to a brighter path; should you strike down another Pokémon, do it, not out of vengeance or hatred, but for the right reason; and should a Pokémon ask for mercy, grant him that wish unless he betrays you a second time."

Holding out his wings, Ho-Oh let out a screech and a large gale storm surrounded me. His feathers of red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet, entered into the fray and danced with the never-ending whirlwind. I suddenly felt dizzy and collapsed onto the floor, with only my arms and paw supporting me. The storm had subsided; I was left alone, with no one but the legendries' eyeing me from afar. I felt weak and helpless as I forced myself to stand and limp before the final Cardinal. The other three legends moved away as I came and stood before the father and creator of the Pokémon race.

This is it, I thought with anxiety. I slowly got to my knees and bowed before my spiritual father before he rose to his feet and looked down at me. I could feel his red and green eyes staring down on me as the arena became quiet. Arceus lifted his head high into the air and let out a powerful roar that erupted through the entire kingdom. I was expecting him to kill me right then-and-there but his voice sounded warm, kind, and filled with pride.

"Riolu Aura," he bellowed. "You, by far, are one of the most intriguing, loyal, and noblest Pokémon I have ever had the pleasure of meeting in such a long time. Originally, you were a tool of Giratina, who had only one mission to destroy the world of Pokémon, defile my name and destroy the order of the legends. However, your feelings for that wretched syndicate began to deteriorate and you made the right decision to abandon those horrible teachings and liberate the imprisoned Pokémon; you even managed to convince some of your colleagues to help you in the mutiny.

"Afterwards, you sent the majority of your life attempting to correct your wrongs by saving other shadow-type Pokémon and showing them down the path of redemption and forgiveness. During that time, you have come across many Pokémon who have loathed you because of your breed, as well as Pokémon who see you as their own. You had tried you best to set an example for everyone, and for that, we-the legends and I-are entirely grateful for your actions."

A choir of chanting's exploded through the arena as many legendary Pokémon repeat my name: "Aura! Aura!" they shouted.

The voices soon died down as Arceus released another ear-splitting growl of silence. His multi-color eyes returned to me once he began speaking.

"You have finally redeemed yourself, my child," he emphasized. "Once, you were an advocate of distortion and violence, now you are a servant of light peace. Arise, Riolu Aura." At his command, I did so. "Your mission is not done yet, but we will continue to help you later on when you truly need us."

The original one had summoned an orb of light over his head and everyone, including myself, gasped. I stood very still and prepared myself for the final ritual. Arceus flung the star in my direction and I was engulfed in a blinding sphere.

I was expecting unimaginable pain after I was struck by the light, but instead I felt something different. I could hear the singing voice of pure Pokémon, who had found their way to Arceus. Around me an army of souls danced around my god, chanting and cheering his name. What I saw and felt was something I did not wish to depart from; it was so beautiful and loving that I felt a tear go down my face. Arceus appeared before instantly and I could feel a smile coming toward me.

"Riolu Aura," Arceus whispered strongly. "Because of your deeds, service, loyalty, sense of honor, and above all, your strong will, I present you with the spirit of prudence." A sphere of light appeared before me and I gratefully accepted it. My body began to glow until my fur became white as snow and my turned gold-yellow.

"With this power," Arceus explained. "You will be able to distinguish the difference between good and evil; use this ability to show other Pokémon the error of their ways and how they can redeem themselves. Help the shadow Pokémon realize that there is bright side in their life, and show the original Pokémon that there is no need to fear their brethren."

The blazing light began to fade and re-entered into my flesh. I stood before Arceus and allowed a smile to form on my muzzle. I bowed before my savior in thanks, for I owed him my life; not only did I find peace with myself, but I had found a place in Arceus' love.

"Thank you, Father Arceus," I whispered. "I am unworthy to serve by you."

He chuckled sending me back home. "You are welcome," he said. "And we will meet again, son."