A New Dimension, A New Threat

by ZeroChill

Purgatorium

Mono stood by the bedside of a white-coated pegasus stallion with a mint-green mane and tail. A cast gripped around his hind right leg and front left leg. Mono placed his upper paws on the stallion’s casts and flashed an assuring smile.

“Everything is going to be fine, sir. Do you trust me?” He asked.

The stallion flashed a weak nod. The eyes underneath Mono’s ears flashed with a white light and his paws became cloaked with his Psycho Heal. The stallion winced, feeling a sharp shard forming within the fractures and binding the bones together. He let out a relieved sigh and touched his casts, feeling no stings from the pain.

“Thank you so much. I need my legs to bring food onto my family’s table.”

“It’s not a problem at all. I would say that you were very lucky that you suffered this injury on the day my sister and I decided to volunteer at the hospital.” Mono stated. “But, you really should rest those legs of yours. They still are weary and prone to fracture without giving it a day of rest. For today, you should just spend time with your family.”

The stallion sat up from the bed and slumped forwards. He turned his front left leg around and grinned.

“You said you have a sister? Shouldn’t she be in the dayroom?”

“She’s in the Intensive Care Unit. She’s not really someone who would prefer doing things the slow and steady way.”

---

A blaring flat line hit Lith’s ears. A pink-coated earth pony mare with a purple mane and tail lied motionless on a bed before her tied to IVs, oxygen tubes and suction sensors. Lith gritted her teeth and rubbed her front paws together with a quick friction. The eyes underneath her ears lit up. Electricity sparked out of her paws.

“I won’t let you die.” She said, placing her paws on the mare’s chest.

Voltage from the Charge Beams poured into the mare, causing her to jump and radiate a thunderous noise throughout the area. Lith looked towards the monitor and still saw the heart rate at a flat line. She growled.

“Live!” She shouted, shocking the chest of the mare once more with her Charge Beam.

The monitor spiked with life and the mare’s chest rose on its own. Lith smiled. A trio of ponies garbed in blue scrubs ran into the room. The mare in the middle, who had a gray coat and an indigo mane and tail, stared daggers at Lith.

“You were not supposed to tend to the critical patients of the ponies in this ward, Lith. You could have killed this poor mare!” She scolded.

“Where were you when this mare entered Cardiac Arrest? She was in horrible shape and needed someone with expertise in CPR and Shock Therapy to revive her. I happened to be the only one around the immediate vicinity with experience in that. Had I not done anything, she would have died on the spot!” Lith argued.

The mare looked towards the patient, whose breathing is stable and the monitor showed a consistent level of spiking. A low growl emanated from her tone.

“So you did save her life… I’ll leave you off with a warning. But, you are forbidden from entering this area again.”

Lith walked out of the room with a silent stride to her step.

---

Mono and Lith sat on adjacent seats within the lobby. Mono glanced towards Lith, who pouted and had her upper paws crossed.

“So I’m guessing you didn’t have much of a good day today, didn’t you?” Mono asked.

“I did. I saved lives and stuff, but I was told off by Indigo Cross to stop.” Lith responded with a bitter tone. “Let’s see who would come to her when she is in critical condition.”

A white-coated earth pony mare with a pink mane tied into a bun and tail walked towards the two siblings. A white cap with a red cross sat on her head, and the same cross is pictured on her flank. A smile is seen on her face.

“Thank you two very much for volunteering today. I really appreciate the assistance since we were heavily understaffed for the day.” She said.

“It was not a problem, Nurse Redheart. We were happy to help.” Mono answered.

“And Lith, please do not think badly of Indigo Cross. She’s really good at what she does, but she’s been under a lot of pressure and frustration as of late due to the understaffing our hospital is suffering from.” Nurse Redheart stated.

“I understand. But, just how much understaffing does this hospital even have that puts a mare like her underneath that pressure?” Lith asked.

Nurse Redheart looked upwards and stuttered with a hesitant expression.

“Umm… there was a huge influx of patient entries as of late. We know that it would be hard to take care of all those patients at once, but we had no idea how difficult it would have been. We have had more patient fatalities than outgoing patients in this hospital lately and it really dropped the morale of our staff.” She explained.

“What could be causing this? Do you have any idea?” Mono asked.

“All we could find out from our patients’ wounds was that they were heavily battered and bludgeoned. We could have a serial aggravator in our midst.” Nurse Redheart rationalized. “But regardless, thank you two for all of your help. I greatly appreciate it, even if some of our staff did not.”

“Your words mean a lot to me, Nurse Redheart. We promise that sooner or later, we will be able to find out who was attacking these poor citizens.” Lith proclaimed.

---

Mono and Lith travelled down a street that had a foreboding emptiness to it. Mono glanced at Lith with an uncertain expression in his eyes.

“Lith. There’s something I was meaning to tell you since this morning.” He said. “I had a dream similar to that last dream on the day when I performed. Except now, the voice told me to go after something known as a God Stone and use that as a catalyst to enter into a gap between dimensions. For some reason, you were in it as well.”

“I remember. Wait, could it be possible that we had a shared dream?” Lith questioned.

“We’re Pokémon that exist in an alien world full of colorful creatures and diverse landscapes that have to fight a race of genocidal aliens to survive. I’m willing to believe anything at this point.” Mono responded.

“Is that so?” A peppy voice perked up from beyond a nearby alleyway.

Mono and Lith turned their attention towards the right and extended their respective left and right paws out. A low growl emanated from Mono.

“Show yourself!” He threatened.

From the hidden shadows of the alleyway, a brown and bipedal beast approached the duo. He had a mane that was whiter than snow that covered his entire face. He had pointed ears and a nose that extended far past the mane. Attached to his arms are three-pointed leaves colored in dark evergreen. With his stilted feet and yellow eyes, he brought an air of intimidation to the twins.

“It’s a Shiftry!” Mono shouted. “Were you the one who attacked all of the innocent civilians within the city?”

The Shiftry cocked his head in confusion. He grinned and closed his eyes.

“Attacked them? I just got here a couple of days ago. I’m just ecstatic to see other Pokémon beside me in this world. Do you not know who I am, Mono and Lith?”

“Wait… how do you know that we are them?” Lith asked in a tone wavering in doubt.

“Maybe this would come as a refresher to your minds. Tesla!”

A large Magnezone levitated down from the rooftop onto the duo. It emitted a pulse of static electricity from its magnets.

“…Professor Gentian? Is that you?” Mono asked.

“The one and only.” Professor Gentian replied.

“Where were you all this time?! How did you find your way into the city?!” Lith asked with a shocked tone.

“It’s a long story. But, to make a long story short, I was stuck within a jungle ever since I came here. During one of my wanderings, I came upon a pegasus and some other creatures around it. They were tending to a pegasus, a Chatot and a deer. Before they left, Tesla and I snuck onboard.”

“That’s… kind of sneaky.” Mono noted. “And speaking of which, why are you sneaking around? It will make you look very suspicious, especially since there was a wave of attacks recently. I don’t want the Equusians to think that you are attacking innocent civilians.”

Professor Gentian brought one of his leaves towards his lower lip and hummed. Tesla remained silent.

“You have my word that neither Tesla nor I would perform such heinous acts. Unfortunately, I have no idea who would have done such a thing.”

“iF I cOuLd, I cAn AnAlYzE tHe ReCoRdS oF tHe SuRvEiLlAnCe SyStEmS aRoUnD hErE.” Tesla stated with an erratic tone in its electronic voice. “BuT I dO nOt HaVe ClEaReAnCe To Do So.”

“We can help you with your current dilemma, however. You need a God Stone to breach beyond this realm, no? I heard that Rundas and friends found a trio of nifty gems that can grant a noble-blooded organism a degree of omnipotence. The gems are at what you call H.O.R.S.E. headquarters.”

“I do not really need to add any more black marks on my list, Professor. I will wait it out.” Mono stated with a tone that dipped into a batter of nervousness.

“Relax, Mono. I can just take the gems without anyone letting up a peep about it.” Professor Gentian assured.

“Aha! Gotcha!”

Keldeo leaped down from the nearby roof and stared at Professor Gentian straight between the eyes.

“Do my eyes deceive me? Is this the legendary fourth Sword of Justice Keldeo?” Professor Gentian questioned with a starstruck tone.

“Not again…” Keldeo groaned out. He shook his head and redoubled the efforts into his stare. “I am placing you under arrest for a planned grand theft larceny!”

“Keldeo! What are you doing here?” Mono asked with his voice robbed of will.

“Commander Spitfire sent me to investigate the causes of the brutal assaults that have happened as of late. Looking around, I stumbled onto this; a conspiracy for snagging the discovered God Stones.” Keldeo explained.

“There seems to be a big understanding. While I merely suggested what I could do, I never had the intent on doing so without the proper specifications and clearances. I’m not sure how it is possible you are here, but I could tell that you and my colleague’s junior scientists are very good friends.” Professor Gentian told.

“Wait… you know Mono, Lith and Professor Pasque?”

“And Rondo and Stereo and Jasmine and Einstein. Do I need to continue with the names?”

“No. You’ve proven your point. But, why did you even talk about the God Stones in the first place? That information is very sensitive outside of H.O.R.S.E. and the council. We really do not need any leaks at this point.” Keldeo questioned.

“It’s not a problem. My partner and I will go away quietly as long as we are able to translate with the natives of this planet.”

---

Professor Gentian and Tesla stood under a beam of light, where Spitfire’s eyes gazed at the duo with persecutory fires glimmering in her eyes. Wrapped around the stem of Gentian’s leaf and the nub connecting Tesla’s magnet to its body are translation bracelets. She slammed her hoof on her desk.

“I have a lot of evidence linked to you with these crimes as of late, criminal scum.” She spat out.

“What evidence are you talking about? I am genuinely confused.” Professor Gentian asked.

“I am talking about the attacks on civilians as of late. Some masked thug appeared out of nowhere and began attacking ponies on the streets. We traced tufts of white hair at the scene of each crime and witnesses have reported feeling blows of wind for when they found the victims brutally assaulted.” Spitfire explained.

“Professor Gentian is not your culprit, madam.” Tesla stated. “I assure you that these are all merely coincidences, and the real perpetrator is out there.”

“I’m lenient and believe in due process. I’ll show you these recordings taken from the scenes of the crimes and then I’ll let you explain yourself.”

Saying these words, Spitfire pressed a red button on her table. A hologram depicting films of a shadowy figure assaulting Equusians on the street flashed before Professor Gentian and Tesla’s eyes. The figure disappeared into the darkness with a blowing wind, leaving a tuft of white hair on the ground.

“Hold on, when were these footages taken?” Professor Gentian asked.

“They were taken on the same night. Why do you ask?” Spitfire questioned.

“Look at the timestamps. All of these assaults were committed within seconds of each other. In order for me to be responsible for all of these attacks, I need to be able to be at more than one place at a time.”

“How do I know that you don’t have a move that could do that? Mono knows how to use Double Team and perfected it to the point where he can attack with solid clones.”

“If I may add another tidbit of information, I would be around Professor Gentian when these attacks would occur. Therefore, wouldn’t my presence alone be able to interfere with the electrical transitions if he did commit all those attacks?” Tesla asked. “I am a giant talking magnet after all.”

“You have a point. Anyone with even a degree of intelligence would know to not perform these attacks on camera, or find a way to warp them to the point where the cameras would be rendered useless.” Spitfire admitted. “I can assume that Gentian is at least intelligent and if he were behind the attacks, he would have used you to delete any sort of evidence. But, if it is not him, then who is?”

“If I may add a point; wouldn’t something that would attack multiple victims at the same time also be able to exist within another dimension? That creature looked very ethereal to me.” Professor Gentian suggested.

“What do you suggest we do to investigate?”

“If you did not know, I specialize in Time-Space-related science. All we need to do is track down the dimensional disturbance where it occurred from and we can use a God Stone to enter and track it down.”

“Use a God Stone? Are you insane?!” Spitfire shouted in disbelief.

“Think about it; God Stones grant omnipotence to a degree to those of noble blood. In order to open gaps to other dimensions and universes, wouldn’t it make sense that omnipotent power would be needed to do so?” Professor Gentian rationalized. “Besides, you are in possession of three blank stones. If one is used exclusively for interdimensional purposes, then you would be able to explore beyond the borders and see more of the truth.”

Spitfire rested her jaw over her arched hooves and closed her eyes. A light hum reverberated from her throat.

“It’s not going to be easy, but I’m going to see what I can do to get access to one stone. If this wrongdoer is truly from a different dimension or universe, then I guess I have to use Code Magenta reasoning to appeal to the council.”

“Code Magenta?” Tesla asked with a tone steeped with curiosity.

“That’s a very serious code. No one messes with Code Magenta.”

---

Mono, Lith, Keldeo and Fei sat around a table within the cafeteria at H.O.R.S.E. Lith smirked and bumped her elbow into Keldeo’s shoulder. On her face is a smug grin.

“Look who decided to take charge of the situation! You definitely aren’t like the colt you were when I first saw you.” Lith teased.

“K-knock it off, Lith!” Keldeo shouted with a luminescent blush of red on his face. “I have to learn how to take the helm more often now that Rarity and I are… officially dating.”

“You don’t see Fei trying to act all macho after it was revealed that we are dating, right?” Lith asked.

“She’s right you know. I don’t try to act tough. I like to keep my cool.” Fei commented with a sly smile on his face.

“Well, looks like I’m the only one at the table who isn’t in a relationship then.” Mono proclaimed with a prideful tone.

“Don’t be too sure about that, Mono. Sooner or later, you and Sophia will be dating. I can guarantee you that.” Lith noted. “I hear you in your sleep sometimes, and you keep on saying her name. It also doesn’t help that those dreams sounded erotic in nature as well.”

Mono’s midnight green fur turned a deep shade of red. His head shrunk underneath his neck and he craned it to the left.

“Did you really have to reveal that? That’s… private information.” He squeaked out.

A ring of laughter brought itself around the table. Lith refocused her gaze onto Keldeo and brought her chin onto her paw.

“So tell me; did you two kiss yet?” She questioned with an excited tone.

“W-why would I tell you that?!” Keldeo stammered out. “That’s not on a need-to-know basis for you.”

“Fine, I won’t push it any further. Fei-Fei and I have some plans tonight anyways, so I don’t need to be thinking about whether you kissed Rarity or not.”

Mono and Fei smacked their faces with their right upper limb.

“Couldn’t you have at least picked a better pet nickname for me?” Fei grunted out.

“That’s seriously one of the cheesiest nicknames you have ever given to someone.” Mono said in accordance with Fei.

“It’s a good nickname. Besides, I always call Rarity my Sparkling Princess.” Keldeo noted with a lovestruck tone. “And she likes calls me her Mystic Swordsman.”

Mono and Fei pulled back their seats and stood up with their faces grimaced in disgust.

“Too much cheesiness for me for one day.” Fei said.

“Normally, I wouldn’t be so staunch with my will to leave, but dear Arceus! I’ve heard too much for one day.” Mono stated with a dramatic tone.

Spitfire, Professor Gentian and Tesla entered the cafeteria and approached the table. She cleared her throat and garnered the stares of the group towards her.

“Commander! What was the status of our suspect?” Keldeo asked.

“He’s innocent of all charges. He’s not behind any of the attacks whatsoever and we may know who the culprit is.” Spitfire answered.

“Do you? I am interested in hearing who may have been behind these heinous assaults.” Fei commented.

“From what I have seen in the recording, the culprit is an otherworldy being that just happens to look a lot like me. In order to track him down, I have designed the schematics for a device that opens a portal that leads towards the original points of spacial-temporal distortion within the area.” Professor Gentian explained. “But for that, we need to use a God Stone.”

“I knew it!” Keldeo shouted. “You are after the God Stone!”

Professor Gentian scowled and stared down Keldeo. He walked up towards him with a frightening series of steps.

“Listen, kid; using an accusatory tone like will only lead to a circle of blame. A circle of blame means that we will never get anything done right. If I hear you pointing fingers again, I’ll Seed Bomb you so hard that not even Mono’s Psycho Heal will be able help you up. Do I make myself clear?”

“C-c-c-clear, sir.” Keldeo stuttered out with pressurized fear breaking out of his voice.

Professor Gentian smiled and patted Keldeo on his shoulder with his right leaf fan.

“Good of you to understand.”

“I like this guy already. He knows how to keep our operatives in check.” Spitfire complimented.

“How did he know that I could do that?” Mono asked.

“We tend to spy on you all.” Tesla responded.

“Yeah… totally not creepy at all.” With a shiver down her spine, Lith noted.

---

Mono and Lith sprinted towards a lone streetlight in the middle of an empty street. Spitfire, Fei, Keldeo, Professor Gentian and Tesla followed close by the duo. Within Mono’s grip is a black rectangular device with a screen on it. A white stone shined within the base of the handle.

“I’m impressed by how quickly you built this, Professor.” Mono said.

“I based its design off of the Dimensional Generator with some minor tweaks here and there. I’m even more impressed with the technology available that allowed me to build it.” Professor Gentian noted.

The device made a pinging noise, and the waves on the screen flashed with an erratic pattern.

“It looks like we found the source of the dimensional disturbance!” Lith stated. “So how do we even enter beyond this gate?”

“Simply tap the stone.” Professor Gentian instructed.

Mono and Lith tapped the stone. The area crackled with an arena of lightning. Space and time tore open around the street light with the tenacity of a sharp knife’s slice. A blue wormhole with the screeching of a thousand souls permeated through the area.

“Ummm… are you sure that it is safe to go into that?” Keldeo asked. “I’m pretty sure I heard of myths and tales about demons lurking beyond this realm.”

“I’m with Keldeo on this one; hearing those screams is a one-way trip to pure nope for me.” Mono stated.

“Like it or not, we are still going in there. Do I make myself clear?” Spitfire commanded.

“Y-yes Commander.” Keldeo and Mono answered with a hesitant stutter.

“Just to be sure that you two will actually go on your word…” Spitfire said, dragging Keldeo to the gap by his mane and approaching Mono.

“Go on your word… what?” Mono asked.

Spitfire chucked Keldeo into the gap and bucked Mono inside afterwards. Both Pokémon shouted to the top of their lungs. She glanced towards the other operatives around her, grinning with a smug disposition.

“Anyone else wish to take the hard way in, or will you wise up and go on your own accord?”

---

Mono and Keldeo looked around them with their eyes widened and teeth gritted in primordial fear. The two embraced each other, seeing wispy spiritual skulls pass through their line of sight and scream with a soul-chilling noise. A vermillion light appeared at the bottom of the endless abyss.

Falling through it, the duo landed onto a cragged platform of a red color. They got up and looked around them. With the scope of what their eyes can see, the realm shined with a vermillion light. Gates made from primordial rocks that levitated above the air. Below them laid a red landscape orange glows cracking through it.

“What the heck is this place? I’ve never seen anything like it before!” Keldeo questioned.

“This place looks very familiar for some reason. I can’t seem to put my finger on it though.” Mono answered.

The rest of the group fell from the portal above and landed on their legs or levitated to safety.

“Let’s… never speak about what happened there again.” Fei said.

“Not many things legitimately scare me, but what the hell was that?! It literally looked like I was passing through hell itself!” Spitfire commented.

Mono gazed towards Lith, whose fur stood on its ends and her stance paralyzed in fear.

“And I thought we had it bad.” Keldeo commented.

“Meh, what else is new?” Professor Gentian said with a bored expression. “Seems like a Tuesday for me. What is interesting is this place we landed in.”

He took steps forward towards the edge. Hovering his foot over the open air by the platform, fragments of stone rushed from below and formed a path.

“Okay, that’s pretty cool.” Regaining her composure, Lith stated.

The group of operatives walked down towards the path, looking at the rays of brilliant light that made up the sky. Looking up into the sky, Mono’s eyes detected a golden bird flying through the sky. He smiled, pointing towards it.

“Is that what I think it is?!” He shouted with a burst of excitement.

Ho-Oh looked down upon the travelling party and smiled. He turned his direction of flight around and descended upon the path of the group. His glow disappeared.

“Did I not say we would meet again?” He asked.

“It is you… the legendary Ho-Oh!” Lith said with the breath of her voice robbed by wonder.

“Lord Ho-Oh! It is an honor to meet you once more.” Fei said, kneeling down on his right knee and bowing his head.

“Please do not bow for me, young Fei. It seems I get to see more variety of the Equusians than last time, including more Pokémon.” Ho-Oh stated.

“Wait a second! You’re the mystical bird that comes to the Rainbow Plateau once every ten years! What are you doing here?” Spitfire asked.

“Quick to the point, are you not? Perhaps I should explain this area and maybe you will all be able to make sense of things.” Ho-Oh responded. “What you see around you is a gap between dimensions that connects the universes together. It is a realm where the deceased are brought and the gods themselves access. This place has many names, but one name fits the description best; Purgatorium.”

“Purgatorium…? Now I know that I heard that name before.” Mono noted. “Fei told me how you visited different worlds and universes so that you can grant courage. Is your journey through this area the reason why you are here now?”

“Yes. Though, I am curious as to why another group of mortals are walking through the platforms of this most dreadful location.”

“We are looking for a criminal who happens to be staging his attacks from this dimension. Any information you have would be most helpful for us.” Spitfire explained.

Ho-Oh hummed underneath his tone and slanted his eyes. His beak opened wide with an epiphany and curved into a frown.

“I know who you speak of. He is a survivor of the fallout of my universe. But… his mind was ravaged merely upon witnessing it. He is a Shiftry just like this one here.”

“So where is this Shiftry now?” Spitfire asked.

“He should be back in his home universe. But beware; that universe is rendered hazardous after its destruction by the hands of a being the survivors call the Demiurge. Take caution as you explore it, lest you also succumb to mental corruption.” Ho-Oh answered.

“Lord Ho-Oh… I’m very terrified about what I will witness. If what you say is true, then this was also my home universe. Will I turn into a horrible creature upon seeing its destruction?” Keldeo asked with an uneasy and concerned voice.

“Do not worry, young Keldeo. The only fear you should have is the fear of the unknown. One day, you will have to see your homeland so that you can truly understand your destiny.”

“So how do we even access this destroyed Pokémon universe anyways? It looks like these gates can lead to anywhere!” Lith asked.

“These gates exceed infinity, no doubt about that. But, your heart will lead you to the gate you seek. That is my advice to you.”

Saying these words, Ho-Oh flew into the air and escaped into the horizon. Spitfire glanced towards all of her companions, seeing their faces shuddering with anxiety.

“Even if you have heard all of that, would you all still be willing to track down this criminal?” She asked with a warm voice. “I can understand if you do not want to go there, and you can go back if you want.”

Mono closed his eyes and sighed.

“My dreams have been urging me to come to this place for a long time now. If looking for this criminal will help get me answers, then I will venture forwards. I don’t care about what I see, because I know that the truth is more important than the fear from the truth.”

“I’m with Mono on this one. We are already too far into this chase, and we really can’t go back without punishing that criminal. I mean, we went through a lot of trouble just to get here.” Lith said in accordance.

“If it will help me regain my memories, then I will continue forwards.” Keldeo stated.

“I can’t let another Shiftry give Pokémon like myself a bad name. I will personally punish this Pokémon with my blazing flames of justice.” Professor Gentian said with a heated tone.

“If my partner is going, then I am coming as well.” Tesla mused.

Spitfire turned her direction towards Fei, who looked onto the ground with anxiety shaking his fingers. She placed her right front hoof on his right shoulder.

“Fei, you don’t have to come along with us if you don’t want to.”

“Spitfire, I am afraid. I am afraid of everything I saw going here. I am afraid of seeing destruction that will probably corrupt me. Mortals such as myself should never witness some of the atrocities that we will soon see. Even then, I will still go to the ends of space and time with you all.” Fei proclaimed.

“You’re much more brave than I have given you credit for, Fei.” With a warm smile on her face, Spitfire complimented. “Glad to have the squad come together in this most critical time.”

“So now that we have that out of the way, which gate leads to where?” Mono asked.

A red gate descended upon the group to the right and opened, revealing a red portal behind its doors. The group stared into the oblivion that stared back into their souls. With a wavering step, Spitfire approached the gate. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She made her first step through the red haze and disappeared.

Author's Note:

Stepping through the gates of infinity, our group will finally get to witness the Alternate Pokemon Universe. Will you also be ready for what lies beyond?

Also, a new Pokemon introduced after a long amount of time. Hooray for that.