The Final Pokémon to Purify
Note: If you haven't played Pokémon Colosseum, this story might not make a lot of sense.
It was the final battle at the colosseum.
I knew I would win; there was just no doubt. I had two Pokémon left on the field, and four more in reserve. My opponent was down to one remaining Pokémon, a fierce Lairon. It pawed the ground, flexing its steel-plated body. Its clear blue eyes glared across the field at my Pokémon.
On my side were two other Steel types. To my left, a Forretress hovered. To my right, a Skarmory snapped her beak menacingly, yellow eyes narrowed. To anyone but my friend, May (yes, I named the girl in Colosseum May), these two Pokémon were perfectly normal. But to her, and myself as I knew, they were surrounded by a dark, purple aura that sparkled with hate and evil. They were Shadow Pokémon, and it was my job to purify them. At this point in time, I had only 3 Pokémon in the game left to purify.
My Forretress was one step away from being purified. Noting this with excitement, I had her repeatedly use Rapid Spin against Lairon. I knew it would do barely a sliver of damage, and that's what I wanted. I wanted Skarmory to use Shadow Rush, the move unique to Shadow Pokémon. By using Shadow Rush, Skarmory would be more likely to enter Hyper Mode, which allows Shadow Rush to be more powerful, but also has negative side effects. Once Skarmory was in Hyper Mode, I could call her out of it, which greatly helped to purify her.
Unfortunately, Skarmory didn't enter Hyper Mode, and instead attacked her enemy. The Lairon was no match for my Pokémon, and it soon crumpled. Its trainer withdrew it, and the crowd cheered wildly.
Leaving the colosseum, I was excited to find that Forretress was ready to be completely healed. My two other Shadow Pokémon, Aipom and Skarmory, still had a little ways to go before this stage, however. I decided to travel to Agate Village anyhow, to purify Forretress.
Upon arriving in Agate Village, I spent about a third of my money on Vivid Scents. These scents, when used to massage your Pokémon, relaxed them and in the case of Shadow Pokémon, helped to heal them. Using two each on Aipom and Skarmory, I dashed down the steep, grass slope and entered the small cavern leading to the Relic Stone.
As I approached the stone, it lit up with a fantastic green light. Excitedly, I selected Forretress to be purified and watched the dancing green lights as all traces of evil were removed from the Pokémon. Naming it Turret, I checked to see how close the others were to being healed.
Closing out of the menu, I ran circles around the Relic Stone, waiting for the walking to help heal my Pokémon. Running several more circles, I sighed in impatience and left the stone.
I dashed all around Agate Village. Climbing various slopes, I took in the beauty of the cascading waterfalls and gentle grass slopes. The massive trees added to the regality of the village. Once I had reached every part of the village, I returned to the Relic Stone. Walking slowly, I approached it, waiting for the green light.
It didn't come. Frustrated, I backed away from the stone and checked on my Pokémon. Each one had only a sliver of the Heart Gauges left, so close to being purified.
Running in the opposite direction as before, I circled the stone three long, slow times. At the end of the third, I approached the stone.
My heart leapt as a green aura poured out of the stone. I wanted Skarmory to be the last to be purified, so I chose Aipom first. The swirling green lights surrounded the short, purple Pokémon, and orbs of dark purple energy escaped, fizzing into nothingness. Finally, Aipom was purified. I chose the name Newleaf for her. Turning back to the Relic Stone, I smiled in excitement.
Skarmory, the last to be purified. Skarmory, the Pokémon that had fought in so many colosseum battles, patiently waiting to be healed. Skarmory, the Pokémon whose pose I admired as she stretched and folded her wings in a staggered motion. Skarmory, the final Pokémon for me to purify.
The blazing green light spiraled around Skarmory. Chimes and bells sounded as the lights healed my Pokémon, and the dark aura slowly jumped off Skarmory, where it was destroyed by the flashes of light. A final wave of purple aura left Skarmory, and the lights faded.
Triumph. Each and every one of the 48 Shadow Pokémon had now been purified. Smiling with victory, I named Skarmory Angelwing. I looked proudly at my newly purified Pokémon, and I opened the Snag List. I flicked through every file, looking at all the Pokémon that I had snagged and then worked so hard to purify. A sense of victory flooded over me. I was a bit dissappointed that nothing plot-related happened just then, but I was still overjoyed to have each of my Pokémon pure.
Options stretched before me. I could clear Mt. Battle and face Ho-oh, or I could battle at the colosseums to improve my Pokémons' skills. I could ship all of the Pokémon to Emerald and start a new Colosseum file. Or I could find my second memory card and start a new Colosseum game regardless. I pondered the options, then did the one that made the most sense to me.
I saved the game, then turned the Gamecube off.
