*Riku's POV*

Chapter 5: Giratina, Friend or Foe? (Riku)

"Just keep running! There is no time for rest!" Blade shouted, when he saw my legs begin to falter.

"I... I can't go on like this much longer! Besides, there isn't even a breeze for me to catch and fly with..." I could only manage short sentences, as I was completely out of stamina, trying to keep pace with the others. After a few more minutes, I had finally reached my limit- after tripping over a rock and falling into the dirt, I did not have the energy to get up again.

"Just... Go on without me! I'll only slow you down in your escape..." My eyes closed, and I passed out. Seeing this, Risk's eyes filled with tears of both anger and desperation,

"I'm not letting you go! You saved both me, and Blade! I absolutely refuse to let you die now!" He wrapped his arms around my unconscious form and, struggling for a bit, finally managed to hold onto me, but, after a while, his strength began to fail,

"You two go on ahead and find a place where can take shelter; I am going to wait until he wakes up- I can't carry him any farther..." he told his comrades. Blade seemed to be skeptical at first, expressing his concern quite frankly,

"You're sure? Well, I'll trust you on this one, so- good luck, Risk! This may be goodbye for a while, so, take care and be safe..." Paul decided to chime in as well,

"Stay safe, Risk! I'm sure that we will meet again eventually." The Zangoose smiled, and with a final goodbye, followed Blade deeper into the foggy forest.

*Risk's POV*

Setting Riku down, I steeled my nerves and intently watched the inanimate Shaymin,

And now we wait... I thought, looking for any sign of him stirring. I continued to watch and wait until my eyelids felt heavy, and the moon began to set high in the sky. Soon, Riku's fur changed color, signifying the night's beginning, but, when he still did not wake up, I became worried, shifting my gaze from Riku just long enough to notice a large shadow appear behind us. Knowing instantly what cast that ominous gloom but refusing to let my fear show, I said coldly, without turning around,

"You can't have him. You won't have him... Giratina!" My eyes flashed in anger, and I readied myself for battle. The beast, in response, finally stepped out of the darkness, attempting to calm me,

"Relax, Risk- I'm not here to kill you. If that was my purpose, you would have been dead before you even left the Guild. I came here to warn you..."

"How can I trust you?! How can I be sure that this isn't just a façade sent directly from Gengar to lower my defenses?!"

"Perhaps this will help you trust me..." As Giratina said this, it shifted an enormous wing to reveal Blade and Paul behind him, slightly bruised, but still alive. My gaze lowered, and my suspicious were instantly aroused,

"Did you cause this?!" I half-shouted, half-inquired. Giratina seemed to be hurt by my intense lack of trust, but defended itself nonetheless,

"That was not the case. You see, when these two left you, they ran straight into the patrolling Weavile Watch, completely unprepared for battle. I was making my rounds of the World Abyss when I felt the growing hatred the two groups possessed for each other stirring in the air. Using the Distortion World to quickly find its epicenter, I stumbled upon your friends fighting with Gengar's henchmen, on the verge of being overwhelmed. I couldn't just watch them be slaughtered, so I swooped in, grabbed both of them, and flew off to find you. Now, I return the rest of your group to you, but, be careful- Gengar's forces are on high alert, as they know that you are here somewhere." Giratina lowered its head, and Blade and Paul slid down its neck to the ground.

I was still not completely trusting of the Renegade Pokemon, but the two quickly convinced me that it was now on our side.

"In that case, thank you, Giratina- you may have saved the team from some very bloody losses..." The Pokemon seemed to smile slightly, although its "grin" was inundated with pain and understanding,

"At least you four are fine and back together again. Now, I need to get back to the World Abyss before Gengar finds out that I helped you and sends a few surprises my way... Farewell, Team Crusaders!" Giratina said, before disappearing into the shadows once again.

"That was..." Blade started, but he couldn't finish his thought- he was still trembling slightly from being so close to Giratina again.

"That was... interesting... Why did Giratina help us- I can't figure that out."

"I think I know the answer." I said, interrupting his thought.

"It happened during my encounter with Giratina..." I started to explain my entire "meeting" with the beast, finishing with,

"... Finally, the Pokemon gazed into my eyes and found what it deemed to be a 'noble heart,' which I believe is a part of all of us. That small moment must have rekindled Giratina's empathy towards rescue teams. I believe that our close partnership and purity of purpose is what saved the team..." Paul sat there, mulling over my explanation, but Blade already had formed a plan of action.

"If the forest is crawling with Gengar's goons, then we have no choice but to..." He stopped mid-sentence, when an icicle whizzed past his head.

"I found you!!!" A voice hissed from behind a small clump of bushes, as another icicle narrowly missed the Absol. The entire team turned around to see the dastardly Weavile Watch advancing on us. Instinctively, I ran towards Riku, who was just waking up, when an icicle intercepted me and stuck me to a tree by my arm. While I lay there, trying to remain calm, three of the Weavile started approaching me, while the rest of the dark assassins began brandishing their claws towards Riku. Seeing this, Paul became enraged, and, with real fury in his eyes, singlehandedly beat back the Weavile focused on Riku before menacingly staring down the other three. However, instead of fleeing, the three looked at each other with glee,

"Three on one... I like those odds!" one said, as they simultaneously attacked Paul, knocking him down and slashing him a few times. The Zangoose let out a roar, his fists flying in every direction. Blade soon joined him, his horn quickly stained with Weavile blood.

After a few excruciating minutes of watching my comrades struggle, I could feel my bones chilling, and my adrenaline gave way to the numbing pain.

I can't move my arm! And the cold is spreading... I need to remove it, but... I just can't! Finally, the only one not engaged in battle, Riku, fully stood up and ran to the tree I was barbed to,

"That icicle... I know what to do... This will hurt for now, but it will be better than the alternative." The Shaymin closed his eyes for a few seconds, and, opening them with a bright blue tint enveloping them, focused intently on the icicle. I could feel his Psychic powers worming their way through the icicle and my arm, and I couldn't help but crying out.

He wasn't kidding... It feels like my arm is burning! Urgh... Then, the Shaymin moved his head slightly, and the icicle was wrenched out of my arm, yielding with a horrible scraping sound. I fell to the ground, completely drained- my last sight before passing out being Riku standing beside me, deflecting any stray projectiles with his Psychic.

...

...

"Risk? Risk!? RISK!!!" I awoke with a start, the entire team standing over me, waiting for me to stir.

"Oh, thank goodness you're alive! We're 'safe' for now, but I do not know for how long we can endure battling against Gengar's forces..." I got up, and, surveying the forest around me, realized that we had won the battle, the defeated Weavile corpses strewn all over the place. I glanced at Paul and Blade, who, other than a few minor cuts, were perfectly fine. Then, I tried moving my arm, which, surprisingly, worked as if nothing had happened.

Thanks, Riku! That healing touch of yours is really something else!

"Well," Blade started talking,

"Now that we have some time, we should continue venturing east through this forest- I know an old friend that lives in the far eastern regions of the world who can help us. Hurry, there is no time to lose!"

Standing up, I followed the rest of the team into the forest...