Chapter Text
Colress looked at the Cerebral Sensation Interpolator with quiet disdain. The addition of a two-stroke generator had marred its sleek yet boxy design, spewing out toxic fumes that stuck to his clothing. Tight chains ran over and around it, securing it to the floor and leaving metallic scratches on the chassis. He sighed as he brought a hand to his head, controlling his errant cowlick as it fluttered in the wind. Science may not care if the instruments men use to conduct it are unsightly, but Colress had gotten attached to the thing - he made it, after all, with the help of his colleague.
It was frustrating to see the CSI desecrated with on-the-fly modifications…but it was for the experiment of a lifetime, so Colress dared not voice his complaints. To his right, Dr. Namba did not seem distressed at all about his creation's new ugliness, indifferent to the poisonous vapors he was inhaling. 'Orreans,' Colress thought with a roll of his eyes. 'Of course, he's fine with breathing in smog. His home region's chief export is pollution.'
Dr. Namba noticed his colleague's head turned his way and began speaking, but Colress couldn't hear him. The bespectacled scientist tapped the side of his headphones, pressing the button that activated the radio. "I can't hear you over the wind. Use your headset." The mustachioed scientist blinked a few times before finally obeying Colress' instructions, embarrassed for the slip-up.
"How much longer until-?" Dr. Namba was cut off by a sudden sharp gust, flapping his impressive mustache into his eyes. Colress did his best not to let it show he was amused by the uncooperative nature of his colleague's facial hair. Finally, he negotiated his mustache's compliance with one hand and pressed a finger to his headphones with the other. "How much longer until we intercept the Dragon?"
Colress reached into his coat to pull out his Xtransceiver, decorated with a blue 'P' to denote his allegiance, and flipped it open very close to his face with both hands. He feared it would fall from his grip and tumble out of the helicopter. The Xtransceiver was built primarily for communication, but it had many ancillary functions, such as a GPS - the blinking blue cursor on the device's map made it look like they were on the ground and not 6,500 ft in the air. Colress careened up as much as he could with the seat belt strapping him to his seat so he could look past the noisy generator. There was no barrier between the co*ckpit and the cabin, so Colress had a perfect view of what they were flying toward.
It was an anvil cloud reaching several miles into the air, flattened at the top like it was scraping the sky's roof. Somewhere within that thunderstorm was Zekrom. "Traveling at 120 mph, with heavy wind resistance…" Colress muttered to himself as he ran the calculations in his head, comparing their location with how far away the cloud was. "About ten more minutes." He spoke into the headset to announce his conclusion.
Dr. Namba bared his teeth a little with a nod, an act that Colress concluded what was a grunt of acknowledgment that he couldn't hear. "Finally, we've been in the air for an hour now. I don't know how you can look so relaxed - I'm bored to tears over here!" The mustachioed scientist whined, earning a pointed look from Colress as he tucked his Xtransceiver back into his coat. The life of a scientist was filled with setbacks and delays, old established theories being ground up and spat out by discoveries that turn fields on their head. It astonished Colress how such an intelligent man could be so impatient - how could he have made so many inventions in his life if it took something as trivial as an hour-long wait to complain? "This Zekrom…how much do you know about it?"
"As of right now, I only know what everyone else knows about it. Grade schoolers get the region's myths drilled into their heads here." Colress shrugged his shoulders. "The legend goes that it's just a fragment of what it used to be, half of the Original Dragon that helped the Kingdom of the Vale conquer Unova a thousand years ago. During the supposed civil war, the Dragon was split by the disparate wants of its people and was torn in two - one half went off to become Reshiram, the other half became Zekrom, and the original body was left to decay somewhere 'as cold as the space between stars,' whatever that means."
"Wait, the Kingdom of the Vale is still kicking around, though - as a microstate, but still." Dr. Namba seemed confused. "If it's a real place, then why is their history considered a myth?"
"You misunderstand - there is significant evidence that backs up the claim that the Vale ruled Unova before it was colonized, but there is no evidence of the legendary Pokemon helping them along." Colress elaborated. "The war that collapsed the kingdom caused a dark age, and the scattered population resorted to oral tradition to keep the Vale's history alive - the Dragons were probably just put in there to spice up the story. It's always easier to blame things on legendary Pokemon capable of terrifying power. It helps us pretend we humans can't be as destructive."
"Hmmm…" Dr. Namba, finger still on his headphones, hummed as he stroked his mustache in thought. "Regardless of whether or not the story is true, this Zekrom is a celebrity, then? Imagine the influence we could wield over the masses with it under our control! This makes me rather nostalgic - another shot at subduing a legendary Pokemon!" Dr. Namba's face turned into a wicked grin, though it soon became more muted when he remembered exactly how bad things ended for him in the Whirl Islands.
"Fame would be nice, but I'm much more excited about all we can learn about the beast. Haven't you ever wondered about what makes a legendary tick?" A particularly evil glint could be seen in the eyes underneath Colress' spectacles. "Historically, humans have squandered the rare times they earn a legendary Pokemon's favor, focusing on some ineffable affinity rather than questioning how they can live so long, where their power comes from, and how that power can be fostered in other Pokemon. The universe's secrets might be revealed to us, unlocked by a scalpel and a will to cut deep enough."
"Didn't your mother tell you not to play so rough with your toys, or you'll break 'em?" Dr. Namba scoffed, though Colress could tell by his tone that some curiosity had been stirred within him. "As tantalizing as those prospects are, we shouldn't put the cart in front of the Rapidash - before a Pokemon can help us unlock 'the mysteries of the universe,' we should focus on unlocking its full potential first."
"There's no harm in thinking long-term about things, right?" Colress cracked a slight grin - it was hard not to think about what he would do with a legendary Pokemon; he had been nursing those thoughts ever since Project 'Coronation Day' went up in smoke. To unlock the true potential of Pokemon was his dream, and Reshiram, the Dragon of Truth, promised to be a fascinating partnership - with it by Team Plasma's side, humanity could bring about the truth of where Unova's Pokemon draw their power. But last week, on the Prince's 21st birthday, it all fell apart - Castle Gropius was set on fire, and the 'freak,' as Ghetsis had put it, was gone, along with the Dragon. Memories of N seeped their way to the forefront of Colress' mind…
Still, before those memories could sully the scientist's mood, he was distracted by one of the pilots frantically waving a hand above the CSI and its generator. The bespectacled man changed frequencies in his headset. "Yes, what is it?"
"Dr. Eigengrau! Dr. Drama! Wait, no, that's not your name, uh…!" The pilot sounded anxious, which was not encouraging for the experiment's future. The other pilot had yet to say anything while the Plasma grunt asking for the scientists’ attention snapped his fingers, trying to remember Dr. Namba's name. "... I'm sorry, sir, may I ask your name, please?!"
The crotchety Orrean began screaming a slew of profanities at some length, though no one could hear what he was saying because he had forgotten to turn on his headset again. Once he finished his vulgar speech, he slumped against his seat belt, panting from his effort. As he rubbed the side of his head, he felt the headphones, realized he had forgotten to press the radio's button, and shut his eyes tight in pain. "NAM. BA." The mustachioed scientist enunciated as loudly as he could.
"Right, er. Dr. Namba! Sirs, we have a problem!" The pilot announced in an exigent tone. "Zekrom has exited the cloud!"
"Excuse me?" Colress shook his head in disbelief. He undid his seat belt and leaned over the CSI, covering his mouth as he breathed in diesel exhaust. He shuffled around the machine, extremely carefully avoiding the open door that promised a long fall to the Earth below. "How can you tell?"
"Because a couple of minutes ago, the thunderstorm changed directions - it is no longer going south, but west." The other pilot finally raised her voice to the conversation. "A black dot that is getting bigger came out of it 20 seconds ago. We believe it is rapidly approaching us."
With the context of the pilots' worry explained, Dr. Namba got out of his seat, ducking under the antenna as he rounded the CSI. Once he was side to side with Colress, it was easy to confirm the claims of the Plasma grunts flying them - outside the co*ckpit window was the thunderstorm, as big as a mountain, and between the cloud and the helicopter was a dark shape, vaguely anthropomorphic, undoubtedly ominous. "Well, what are you waiting for?" Dr. Namba made sure to speak into the headset this time. "Turn the helicopter so that the CSI is facing it!"
"I…sir!" The male pilot hesitatingly obeyed while his seemingly more composed colleague returned to being mute. The helicopter stopped moving forward, slowing to a halt in the air before turning to the left. Colress opened the CSI's service hatch and interfaced with the interior control console. "Sirs, when will you call out your Pokemon?!" The anxious grunt called out through the headset.
"Pokémon? I didn't bring any of my Pokemon." Colress answered while adjusting the frequency modulator. "I left them back at the lab; they weren't necessary for this experiment."
"What?!" The male pilot all but screamed. "We're about to go up against one of the most powerful Pokemon in Unova! Where's the defense, our protection?!"
"Hey, you're the muscle here, jarhead. We're just the brains." Dr. Namba scolded as he got the antenna in the correct position. He looked out the open door of the helicopter - the dark shape was now very obviously a Pokémon's silhouette. The storm behind it followed like a child struggling to keep up with its parent. "If you're so unconfident in our experiment's success, why don't you call out your Pokemon?"
"All I have is a Sandile and a Maractus! She only has a Boufallant!" The male pilot wildly gestured to his stoic flying companion in the co*ckpit. "What do you expect them to do?! Tackle Zekrom two miles up in the air?!"
"Stop panicking." The female grunt spoke out into the pilots' private frequency. “If something goes wrong, we'll be fine. They haven't noticed that the only two parachutes are with us." She looked conspiratorially to the co*ckpit's ceiling, where the parachutes were strapped. The male grunt opened his mouth to protest but soon shut it, deciding he didn't care much for the safety of his two obnoxious passengers.
"All systems ready, Dr. Namba," Colress announced with his head still in the machine's interior. He swiped at his cowlick before it could get caught up in the teeth of one of the cogs. "Tell me when, and I'll activate the CSI's enervating channel."
"Hold." Dr. Namba looked at the sky before him, dominated by rolling gray clouds. The legendary Pokémon was now close enough for him to notice that its eyes were red. "Not in range."
Zekrom let loose a mighty roar that thundered through the air, strong enough to cause minor turbulence for the helicopter. The anvil cloud behind it began sending out broad arcs of bruise-blue lightning. The bolts extended from the cumulonimbus so far—the generator's exhaust did its best to push out the scent of ionized ozone with its toxic odor. "Now?!" the male pilot begged.
"Still not in range." Dr. Namba was unmoved. Maybe he was in awe and astonishment at Lugia, but after the Whirl Islands, he couldn't be bothered to fear a legendary Pokémon's wrath. Sure, his base was destroyed in the temper tantrum, and he was not ashamed to say some unmanly tears were shed as he floated on the debris, but he lived through what many humans don't live to tell the tale of. He wasn't scared of a bit of lightning.
The female pilot careened around her seat to look at what Dr. Namba was seeing and did not like what she saw. Zekrom was giving the helicopter and all the souls aboard it a look - a nasty and hate-filled look. "…now?" She asked - if it was close enough that she could discern facial expressions, that should be enough for the eggheads' device.
"Not. In. Range." Dr. Namba grunted out. A lightning bolt shot out from the anvil cloud, stabbing the air a few feet above the helicopter's blades. Zekrom let out another roar, and the flying vehicle jostled while the humans' bones quivered. "Keep it steady!" The mustachioed scientist barked.
"Now, Dr. Namba?" Coltess palmed the back of his head, having just hit the service hatch exactly like Ghetsis had done earlier.
“Closer…closer…” The Cerebral Sensation Interpolator was not designed to fire at long-distance targets. Dr. Namba and Colress made it with the assumption that Pokémon would be strapped into a chair and placed directly in front of the antenna to be hypnotized. This meant that the range that the legendary Pokémon had to be in was 'way too close' territory. A crack in Dr. Namba's demeanor came about as Zekrom entered the 50ft range, and the scent of burning ozone now crowded out the generator's exhaust. "NOW! F-F-FIRE!"
Colress flicked a switch, and just as Zekrom was getting ready to launch a point-blank electrical attack that would reduce the helicopter to charred metal, the CSI's antenna let out the enervating channel. A pale blue light buzzed out, landing on Zekrom's forehead half a second from activation.
Ten Minutes Earlier
What does it mean to be a hero?
That question does not have a single answer that satisfies everyone. Everyone loves a hero, but no one can agree on the heroic ideal to strive for, and rarely do the people who call themselves such live up to those ideals. Heroism is subjective and can never be qualified; only after a person fulfills the ineffable criteria in the eye of the beholder can they be considered a hero. Zekrom had stringent requirements for what constituted a hero and was even more rigid on who could be a 'Hero of Ideals' - that is to say, its Hero. To be a hero meant having a genuine desire to do the right thing, no matter how difficult the path ahead, no matter how bad doing the right thing might make one feel. It meant having a firm grasp on what is good and evil. It meant prioritizing others' needs over individual wants. It meant having a strong enough conviction to delve into the most dangerous places, not out of fearlessness, but out of needing to act despite the fear.
Such staunch bravery and eagerness to fix what was right in the world was rare. That was not to say that there had been no heroes since Zekrom had come into existence, but…it only had one Hero of Ideals. It had roamed Unova for a thousand years, and no human had ever approached the level of ambition and vision like its prince - until today. Zekrom and its 'sister' Reshiram acted like draconic tuning forks, constantly bombarded by the tiny, invisible beliefs of all the humans and Pokemon living in Unova. Reshiram was attuned to (in Zekrom's humble opinion) overthinkers and brainiacs obsessed with discovering the truth about things. Zekrom was attuned to those who felt like they had a strong purpose in life they had to fulfill, a sort of nameless zeal for the whole world.
Zekrom felt these ideals in its heart, endlessly receiving the various wants and wishes of the land below. They often ring off quietly like windchimes; sometimes, they resonate like distant church bells, but its prince from long ago had stirred its heart as loud as fireworks. So when the Deep Black Pokemon felt that familiar, near-forgotten sensation once more, it was understandably rapt.
After all these years of waiting, it had found its Hero of Ideals, zeal from the south clamoring off its soul as it abandoned its patrol over the space of ocean above the Abyssal Ruins and flew down the Eastern Coast. Finally, after so long, the conclusion to the war that had started so long ago was in sight.
"Traveler, you are mine!" Zekrom roared to itself from within the cloud it made to hide its movements, arcs of electricity shooting out all around it in brilliant forking paths. The rows of pointed teeth were revealed for only the thunder to witness. It couldn't see where it was going within the middle of the anvil cloud, but it could feel where the approaching Hero was coming from. So above its horned snout, it set its eyes, cast in apple-red sclera, toward Nuvema Town. It was tempting for Zekrom to fly straight over to the Decolore Islands…but the last time the Dragon of Ideals got a close look at an airplane in flight, it started falling out of the sky, which was unideal. "Prepare yourself, for we shall emancipate all who toil under the tragic truth's tyranny!" It clenched its three-clawed hands in zeal as it flapped its webbed, baseball-mitt 'wings' that splayed from its elbows.
Soon, however, something happened that gave Zekrom pause. It halted in the air, legs angling into a ready-combat pose while it beat its arm-wings to remain steady. Something was interfering with its flight path, distorting the pangs of zeal emanating out so far from its Hero of Ideals… Zekrom's heart felt cold as it received dark, twisted wants from the west, belonging to people who seemed to be moving toward the storm it hid in. "Interlopers," Zekrom hissed - wrath coursed through the Deep Black Pokemon's body, from it's spiked-heels to its thunderbolt-shaped crest. "You have made a gross mistake in making yourselves known to me." Not every ideal was something to strive for - some mortals had ambitions that only ever extended to fame, material gain, and a sickening desire to preserve the truth of the world rather than change it to one that could be better. Zekrom had no scruples about removing mortals with such 'unideal ideals' from Unova - two of such mortals seemed to be coming toward it, on its same altitude in the sky, no less, and distracting it from meeting its Hero.
The Deep Black Pokemon snarled as it zipped out of its storm - as it did, its conical tail began to glow as it drew in vast amounts of ionized air from the cumulonimbus cloud. Iridescent, cyan arcs of conducted plasma thrummed through its being as it broke through into the open sky outside of the storm. The anti-gravity field had been activated by its tails' stirring to action. It did not need the luxury to fly, but in battles, the convenience of not flapping its arms to stay aloft was appreciated. The Deep Black Pokemon glared daggers at the flying contraption as it kept building voltage in its tail. Its prince called it a 'God of War' on one occasion, with its armor-like paddings and tough-as-iron scales - regardless of Zekrom's opinions on the moniker, it guiltily indulged in the thought that those in the funny-looking vehicle cowered as it came closer into view.
"Those who have no honor in their hearts will have no place in my Hero's Unova!" Zekrom bellowed. The storm behind it mirrored its master's cry, with a hundred lightning bolts suddenly surging. "Your erasure from existence is IDEAL!"
Instead of trying to flee, however, the flying machine seemed to turn halfway. There was not even any Pokemon aboard that Zekrom could sense - well, that suited the Dragon of Ideals fine. Maybe they had at least enough decency to perish with their dignity intact, but if Zekrom was moved by their bravery, it was not enough to reconsider what it was about to do. Its body was soon enveloped in a hazy shimmer of pale blue light that expanded into a sphere of electricity - its tail had stored the maximum amount of electricity, yet still, it drew in more. When Zekrom could see the whites in the mustachioed human's eyes, it brought its arms to either side of its body and let the power it had been storing loose. "BOLT STR-!"
‘Rock of Ages, cleft for me’
Zekrom never finished uttering the name of its attack. The words died in its throat. The massive amounts of electricity it had been charging for an attack began slowly dissipating into the surrounding air. It questioned why it felt so cold all of a sudden. Why did it decide not to attack its masters? Wait, masters? No, that was-
“Let me hide myself in Thee’
- correct. The people on that flying contraption were its masters, and that was the truth. It was their servant, ready to obey their- NO! Zekrom was the Dragon of Ideals! It only had one master on this planet, and that was its Hero! It needed to get to its Hero!
‘Let the water & the blood’
Why? Why has Zekrom waited for so long for its Hero to arrive? It…could not remember. It tried calling on the endless wells of conviction it held in its soul but came up short. It felt nothing…was that bad? It seemed to be a struggle to care that it had no ideals.
‘From Thy riven side which flowed’
No…no, this was wrong. Zekrom couldn't think straight - it was charging for an attack; who was it supposed to be attacking? It needed orders; it needed…that infernal music to stop. Where was it coming from? It felt like it had a headache, but it couldn't care about its pain. What was it doing again?
‘Be of sin the double cure’
It was…Zekrom was…taking shelter from the storm? Yes…that sounded right. It was safe with its masters, who DESERVED TO BE WIPED OFF THE FACE OF THE PLANET. No, wait, that was the wrong line of thinking. It obeyed its masters…right? THEY ARE SCUM WHO WANT TO HURT IT. It's so hard to think. It's so hard to feel. There was a void in its heart filled with gelid nothing. The last time it felt this cold was when…was when…was…
‘Save from wrath and make me pure’
“S-ss-someone… he-help meee…” Zekrom gasped weekly. Those were the only words it could get out before the vortex in its head became so powerful that even the act of speech was too much of a burden on its brain. Have faith in the masters. Hate the masters. Obey the masters. Kill the masters.
“...a hymn, Colress?” Dr. Namba stroked his mustache in thought as he stared at the twitching form of Zekrom hovering some tens of feet away from the helicopter. The enervating channel was still connected to its head, weekly whining in something like pain. "That's certainly an odd choice. Of all the sample sound patterns we could have broadcasted, I assumed you would pick something…different." It was rather hard for him to have heard the song being played since the generator, winds, and motor blades clamored in his ears when he momentarily took off his headset - but he recognized that tune anywhere.
"Don't take it as an expression of my personal beliefs, Dr. Namba. I chose it for poetry's sake." Colress smirked as he leaned against the side of the CSI while the two pilots freely gawked along with the scientists at the tamed, legendary Pokemon within their grasp. The smell of ozone faded, and the generator's fumes again filled the air. "It's an old Galarian song written by a deacon finding refuge from a storm in a gorge. What better protection could we ask for when taming Zekrom?"
A dark, wry smirk came across Dr. Namba's face as he turned away from the Deep Black Pokemon, bound by the CSI's enervating channel. "How very ironic. I suppose it's not too bold to say we're Zekrom's shelter from itself - Gods, if you like." Dr. Namba knew that song - lousy childhood memories of Sunday service at Pyrite Town's Chapel to the Architect fluttered their way back to the forefront of his mind. He had not heard that hymn since the police arrested the priest mid-sermon for using the place as a smugglers' market at midnight mass. The 'rock' was supposed to be a metaphor or something for the unproven hypothesis regarding the Creator of All Things, something invisible he was screamed at to love and fear. "If anything else, it seems our new pet enjoys your taste in music." The Orrean chuckled as the Deep Black Pokemon groaned behind him.
Unfortunately for Dr. Namba, Colress, and Team Plasma's ambitions, the helicopter had not been outfitted with a full complement of diesel fuel. Just as the mustachioed scientist felt comfortable enough to rest on his laurels and prepare himself for a maniacal laugh, it dawned on him that he could no longer smell the generator's exhaust. No sooner than his nose picked up on this lack of scent, he saw the enervating channel diminish to a pallid string of light before going out altogether. Colress also noticed this and re-opened the service hatch - the CSI's insides had stalled. "…out of gas." The male Team Plasma pilot unhelpfully clarified, nervously chattering into the ears of the slowly panicking scientists. 'Er, it looks like…Zekrom hasn't noticed yet, at least…"
Dr. Namba turned back around as another low whine came from the maw of the legendary Pokemon - its eyes were open and were now entirely red without a hint of any irises or pupils. "The sound sample wasn't finished playing - the enervating channel was incomplete." Colress did not sound calm - he wasn't screaming, and nothing in his tone suggested fear, but it was evident how tense he had just become. "Normally, I would be ecstatic about the data we gathered alone as we have proven the CSI works, but I'm now reminded of why I abhor fieldwork so much." The bespectacled man gulped a wad of saliva building in his mouth and was about to step backward, only to realize he was about to walk off the helicopter's other open door. Certain death behind him, possible death in front of him - how very unideal.
"Zekrom, hear me when I'm talking to you!" Dr. Namba suddenly shouted to the Dragon of Ideals - the Deep Black Pokemon nodded its neck down to gaze at the Orrean scientist. "Tell me - who owns you!? Who are your masters, and will you follow their orders?!" Interviewing test subjects was never Dr. Namba's forte, but it seemed to him there were no other options left. Zekrom's left eye twitched, and Dr. Namba felt his headphones crackle.
“Mas…ter…” A masculine-esque voice came through the fog of the headset's radio. Dr. Namba blinked - he was not expecting to get a verbal response to his questions. "Master wants hurt me kill master is Hero must destroy want be free someone help LET ME HIDE MYSELF IN THEE!" Dr. Namba quickly took off the headset with trembling fingers, but it was no use - the voice wasn't just coming over the radio at this point. Zekrom screamed, both with its throat and its mind. He turned around, and the pained looks on everyone else's faces confirmed that he was not alone in hearing the legendary's pained cries. It lasted ten seconds before the Deep Black Pokemon's tail lit up again with electricity, and the dreaded smell of ozone once more saturated the air. Before Dr. Namba could send a half-remembered prayer to RKS, Zekrom darted off to the south, leaving the helicopter to bob in the wake of its turbulence.
"The winds are becoming too strong!" The female pilot tugged hard on the cyclic that controlled the helicopter's blades. The storm was again following after Zekrom, and they were being pulled into its airflow. "Get back into your seats! We're about to ascend out of the- !" The helicopter's flight console erupted in a hundred sparks, cutting off the female Team Plasma grunt as one of the many lightning bolts from the cloud finally hit their target. Instead of ascending, the aircraft began to descend at an agonizingly slow rate as the blades started losing speed. Needles wildly jostled in their gauges, dipping back and forth. The pilots looked up from the spinning needles at the anvil cloud they were approaching. Then they looked at each other and wordlessly grabbed the parachutes from the co*ckpit's ceiling.
"Wouldn't want to be you two," was the last thing the male pilot said before he threw off his headset and jumped out of the helicopter. Colress watched in morbid curiosity as he leaned out of the open door, seeing the two pilots wait until they had dropped a mile before finally deploying their parachutes.
"Dr. Namba?" Colress stiffened his back and turned around to face his colleague. "Where did you put our parachutes? I don't seem to see them."
"I thought you said you were going to handle the supplies - you're the one who went on and on about knowing where everything was back in the lab." Dr. Namba offered, sounding uncharacteristically muted. He looked over at the co*ckpit's console, still sending out sparks. "...do you know how to fly this thing?"
Another lightning bolt hit the helicopter, rendering whatever response Colress had for Dr. Namba moot. The needles finally stopped spinning wildly and rested firmly in their 'off' positions. As the slow descent became a rapid descent, the two scientists could only hold onto their precious machine and scream. They could barely hear themselves as the storm wall swallowed the falling helicopter.
Some Hours Later
Arceus' luncheon excursion in the forested land near Nuvema offered slim pickings. Berries were scant because most of the trees in the area only bore them in summer, which was still some months away. The nuts were plentiful but unripe, and the local Patrat population had already picked the forest clean of edible roots under the soil. This left the Alpha Pokemon with only one consumable to sate its appetite - grass. It wasn't that Arceus detested eating sod - if it was the suitable species of grass grown at the right time of year, those little green blades were quite the treat!
But the problem was that Arceus could eat a lot, and grass was not filling—since it was only eating grass, it had to limit itself, or else it would accidentally transform a verdant meadow into a barren dirt patch. That would make the lush landscape look ugly - as well, it was pretty rude to the native Pokemon, who needed the grass more than the Alpha Pokemon did. So, for the last couple of hours, that is how it went, with Arceus gamboling from one clearing in the woodlands to another, trying to gauge how much it could eat before other Pokemon would find it a nuisance. At this point, however, Arceus munched on the forest's lawn with a dour look in his eyes - it had been trying so hard not to be a bother to the Unovan wildlife, yet it was all for naught, it seemed. Unlike when it first arrived in Kanto seven days ago, it had not made its aura so intense and oppressive that all the native Pokemon fled before it arrived.
Arceus had been trying to follow Ash's suggestion of opening up to the world to engage and interact with those who lived in its creation. The results were different from what Arceus had hoped for. Even without manipulating its aura, the Pokemon around Nuvema were instinctively skittish. They reacted to the arrival of Arceus like they would with an invading predator - by running away. Even in the rare times that Arceus managed to convince the fleeing Pokemon that it meant no harm, conversations were awkward and short. Unlike Ash and his human companions and Pokemon friends, no real connection was being made with the native wildlife.
That was…fair. Arceus did not have to like it, but the lack of a warm welcome to Unova was to be expected. If Ash had been a normal child, he would have reacted just like these Unovan Pokemon when he found it by that pond a week ago. Not everyone could just roll with the impossible event of God arriving in your neighborhood like he had. The thought certainly made the Original One appreciate how lucky it was to have been discovered by its hero that day…but with Ash currently not around, the Architect of All Creation felt lonely.
How embarrassing that a being who had survived eons in solitude now found itself saddened by the mere hours-long absence of a single person. Of course, this was also the first real friend it had made, so it was at least a little reasonable to be morose. Arceus had hoped that it would be able to forge new connections without Ash guiding it along. Still, wild Pokemon seemed to be much less receptive to Arceus than those that inhabited Oak Corral - no one around wanted to talk to it, so Arceus just ate, passing the time, teeth becoming stained with green juice. ”At least I can take some token comfort in that no one has been overtly hostile with me.” The Alpha Pokemon telepathically spoke out loud to itself while it continued to mash down on some field’s grass. “But I wonder…what is it that I lack? Why is it so difficult for me to make acquaintances? Is there some aspect of my hero that I should be emulating?”
However, as Arceus pondered and chewed the sod, its sensitive ears picked up the sounds of rustling leaves and creaking tree branches. The noises were too irregular to be coming from any flying type Pokemon, so Arceus initially assumed it was some bug-type shooting strings of webbing to swing from tree branch to tree branch. But when Arceus craned its head to where the noises came from, it saw the faint silhouette of a human's aura. The Alpha Pokemon blinked, swallowed the rest of its mouthful of grass, and turned around properly to face what it saw - there were two aural flames lit, one teal, a Pokemon's, but the other being neon blue with an alabaster white flame, a little marred by scorch marks.
Two people were making their way to where Arceus was. Last week in Kanto, the Alpha Pokemon was close to running away when a human aura approached it by the pond. The only reason it did not was its familiarity with the person attached to that aura. Back then, Arceus wanted to be left alone…now, Arceus was trying to branch out and forge new bonds, so, on a whim, it decided things would be different this time. The Alpha Pokemon began walking out of the field and toward the trees, intending to meet the approaching human halfway. "Er…salutations, human and Pokemon!” Arceus called out, trying to mimic Ash's usual enthusiasm in its psychic tone. "I entreat you to make yourselves known if it is not so much a bother - I wish to be familiarized with the people who live in this region!"
That was not the most natural greeting Arceus could have given a stranger, but it was a statement of truth on the Architect's part. As it continued to trod its gold-tipped hooves between the trees, someone suddenly descended from the trees. From the dense canopies above, a girl with poofy purple hair swung down from a vine, yelling "WHOOOO!" at the top of her lungs. After the vine inevitably snapped from supporting her weight, the girl landed on a shrub in the undergrowth. After waiting for her to emerge from the bush's insides, Arceus took a few tentative steps over to check and see if she was hurt. "You're the Pokemon I saw earlier!"
The flustered Alpha Pokemon jerked its head as the purple-haired girl suddenly popped out from the shrub akin to a Buizel-In-A-Box toy. She greeted Arceus with a broad smile and an excited sparkle in her brown eyes. "I…am?" The Original One tilted its head to one side in confusion. "My apologies, but I believe we have never met before." A look of befuddlement briefly crossed the young girl's face, lasting only a second before her usual cheer came rushing back to her features, accompanied by a loud gasp of shock.
"And you can talk! I thought I heard some random voice in my head earlier, saying 'salvations' or 'saturations,’ but it was you, wasn't it?! You're talking to me, wow!" The purple-haired girl seemed giddy as she finally chose to step out from the shrub that cushioned her fall - as she did so, a grayish-green dragon-type Pokemon emerged from one of her thick ponyta-tails tied by her yellow bangles. It seemed just as chipper as the human whose hair it was riding in until it made eye contact with Arceus, to which its eyes widened before quickly ducking back into the purple, frizzy mass. "Axew! Don't be rude - this is the dragon-type Pokemon we saw in the sky earlier, remember? With the huge sonic boom and everything?" The girl softly chided her companion, reaching into her hair to delicately tug the Tusk Pokemon out. She was a dusky-skinned lass with a buttermilk beige, pink collared blouse, from which she scratched off some errant leaves and twigs that got stuck to it from the bush with her other hand. She had the ambiance of someone who belonged more out in nature than in society, totally at odds with her bow-adorned miniskirt, white leggings, and pink shoes - she dressed like a princess or at least someone trying hard to seem like one on a budget.
"B-but Iris, it's…really scary. It feels like it's… above me." The large-tusked Pokemon shivered slightly in his trainer's grasp. Arceus frowned through the grooves in its muzzle and stepped back a little from the two, trying to come across as less intimidating. This was hard because everything about the Alpha Pokemon's body oozed authority and power - the higher one is on the ladder of things, the further away one is from the ground where everyone else seems to be. "I don't even think it's a dragon type…"
"You wish for me to be a dragon-type Pokemon?" Arceus fluttered its red and green eyes a little, trying very much to ensure its telepathic tone wasn't defensive. It switched over to its Draco Plate, and the dark gray metal that made up its muzzle and chest rusted over, first to verdigris, then to the solid yellowish green of seawater. Its wheel changed from gold to a vivid purple, gleaming like amethyst in the dappled sunlight filtering through the canopies above. "Than so it shall be - is that…appreciated?" Arceus had no confidence in its tone - it was almighty, capable of erasing the human and Pokemon from existence in a second with its power. However, it did not want to do that; it wanted to take the initiative and make new acquaintances. But that required a grasp of social nuances and charisma, two things Arceus was for sure it did not have.
The girl, whom the Original One now knew was named Iris, widened her eyes after Arceus had swapped colors. The Axew in her hands seemed to relax by degrees, perhaps now mollified by the draconic aspect of Arceus' aura coming to the forefront. "Oh my gosh, you're amazing! I've never seen a Pokemon like you before - heck, I don't even think the village Elder knows about you, and she's supposed to know about all the different dragon Pokemon in the world!" Her smile intensified, "Okay, okay, calm down, take it easy….aaaagh! I have so many questions! I can't believe I'm with a real talking Pokemon! Uh, y-you're okay with questions, right?" The girl jumped from temperament to temperament, trying to be calm at first, then reverted to infectious enthusiasm before settling into a muted awkwardness as if realizing how she was coming across to the mysterious Pokemon she had just met.
Arceus didn't mind the girl's energy - this 'Iris' reminded it of Ash. Before it could consent to the Unovan human's probing, its stomach, filled with digesting grass chime, let out a muted growl. An idea popped into the Original One's mind - a slightly devious, if ultimately harmless, idea. "I see no harm in being interrogated as long as it is advantageous to my being." The lower groove on its muzzle parted enough for Arceus to reveal its maw - not all of its teeth were on display, just enough to let them know it possessed a mouth. "If you provided me with your kind's victuals, I could answer your queries."
"My kind's…victuals…oh! You mean food for humans!" Iris' face, initially blank after having to process Arceus' choice in wording, lit up as she reached into her puffy miniskirt's pockets. Three chocolate bars emerged as she pulled her hand out, one of which she unwrapped. "Sorry, I was going to go into town to restock on things, but then I saw you in the sky earlier, and I kind of took a long detour - this is all I have left…no one in the village ever said you aren't supposed to feed chocolate to dragons, so this should be alright!" She beamed, and, to her surprise, the partially unwrapped candy bar levitated away from her grip, enveloped in a slight, aureate glow as it floated up to Arceus' mouth.
Arceus took a bite of the cocoa-based confectionery, paused, then took a bigger bite, shoving the whole bar into its maw, wrapping and all. "…woah, I didn't know you could eat the plastic. I'm gonna try that later!" Axew looked on with a small amount of wonder in his eyes while Iris' smile turned awkward.
"You have earned one question so far," Arceus explained telepathically while it noiselessly sucked down the chocolate bar's remains. It seemed like Iris' first question would be, 'Are you going to be okay? You just ate wrapping plastic,' but then she shook her head and decided on something else.
“Al-alright, uhm, er…oh, duh!” Iris slapped the side of her head. “Who are you?”
Arceus let its tongue slip out to lap at some of the residual chocolate that had stained its metallic flesh. “I am Arceus, the Alpha Pokemon. I am the Architect responsible for all you walk on and breathe in this universe. I am the first Pokemon and the God of Pokemon…er, but you need not refer to me with those titles if you desire brevity." The Original One paused, waiting to get a reaction from Iris. It remembered when it dumped the information regarding who exactly it was on the Cerulean gym leader at Ash's party - she had gotten quite rattled. Iris, meanwhile, stared at Arceus with a confused tilt of her head, a motion that her Axew mimicked. "...I also am the creator of all Pokemon types, including the Dragon type."
"Really? I never heard anyone back home talk about you, though. They talk about Zekrom, Reshiram, and Kyurem, but I don't think they know about anyone called Ar-key-us." Iris confessed, prompting the Alpha's Pokemon's posture to slouch - yet another reminder of how much influence it had lost in the past thousands of years it had slept. "But it's nice to meet you anyway!" She gave the white-furred equine a bright smile. Well, it supposed this was how it would regain the old notability it once had - talking to the next generation of mortals, renewing its presence in the memory of the youth.
"I must say, you're one the few humans I have met that has taken such news this well. Most mortals react to first meeting me with reverence and shock, but your attitude is refreshing…" Arceus raised its neck and met the bright smile Iris was giving it with one of its own - or at least the best smile it could provide through its near-featureless muzzle. However, despite how hard it was to see, the dusky-skinned girl saw how the 'smile' melted as the grooves tugged down while its red and green eyes lidded. "Oh…you do not believe me when I say I am God, correct?"
"Nope!" Iris smirked, earning a scoff from Arceus and a concerned whine from Axew, who felt differently from his trainer. "But I figured you have a good reason for wanting to hide who you are, so I won't pry! No offense, but when I think of 'Gods,' I think…eh, I dunno; I guess I just think more. More size, more gravitas, more everything! But you're still really cool, don't get me wrong! You're just not… Zekrom cool, you know?" She giggled, ignoring the glare she was getting from the Original One. Arceus kept the piercing gaze up for some time before letting it fade with a sigh - it had no business being offended; she didin't mean any insult, and it certainly was not jealous that some other Pokemon was cooler than it in the eyes of this human girl. Nope - totally not jealous. Not a jot of envy in its body.
"Lady Iris, who are these Pokemon you speak of? Zekrom, Reshiram, and Kyurem?" Arceus brushed off its nonexistent thoughts of resentment and pivoted its focus to the names of three Pokemon it had never heard of before. The last one, Kyurem, sounded vaguely familiar, but it did not remember ever creating a Pokemon with that name.
"You don't know about them? Wow, you must be new to Unova or something - even little kids know about those guys around here! You can't have created the dragon-type if you don't know about Unova's dragons!" Iris teased. However, her bubbly smile diminished somewhat as she replayed the words of what Arceus just said in her mind. "...wait, uhm…sorry, but how do you know my name? I don't think I told you it…"
"Now, now, that sounds like a question - you are well aware of the cost of an answer to such a thing as that." Now it was Arceus' turn to tease, opening its mouth expectantly - this time, Iris and her Axew could get an appreciation for how many teeth were in there, how sharp they were, and how close they were to them. Iris blinked and began unwrapping a second chocolate bar for the white-furred equine, resisting the psychic hold Arceus put on it as it tried to pull it from her grasp. She only let the Alpha Pokemon have it when it was thoroughly unwrapped so it would eat it without the plastic this time. Arceus' eyes flashed red with joy as it munched through the candy bar, reduced to a brown slurry in its throat too soon for its liking. "How curious - it tastes even better without the ductile coating. Thank you for having removed it. Now, as for your question…I learned your name from your Axew, who spoke of it just now."
That response got a reaction out of Iris. She looked down at the greenish-gray Pokemon in her hands, staring up at Arceus with a slightly less shocked look until it noticed his trainer staring at him. "Oh, uh, yeah…I guess I said your name earlier when I said how scary…Arceus is." The Tusk Pokemon nodded, and a manic grin soon was adorned on Iris' face as she brought Axew in for a sudden hug, catching it by surprise. "H-hey, what's going on!? I'm not complaining about getting hugged, but why am I getting hugged?"
"I didn't think about how knowing a talking Pokemon meant I could understand what other Pokemon say through you!" Iris squeed, hugging her Axew tight against her chest. "You're SO cool!"
Arceus let out a bassy neigh of laughter, a little bemused how it impressed this human child so much by just saying her name. "I will accept the compliment, but you should be aware Pokemon are not incapable of speech. Rather, you humans have much worse ears for hearing what they say." Which was by Arceus' design - the first batch of humans it made so many eons ago could understand Pokemon fine, back before they had invented languages of their own and only communicated in grunts and cries like Iris' Axew was doing. Things did not work out well for that first batch, but there was no need to dwell on that, especially since this girl wouldn't believe the story. "May I ask why you went out of your way to meet with me? I am pleased to have company before departing, but you described your search for me as a long detour. What exactly are you questing toward?"
Iris' delighted demeanor froze at the white-furred equine's question. She skittered her eyes back and forth across the trees around them, and Arceus soon realized that it had asked something far too intimate. But she broke out into a soft smile that, while not reaching her eyes, put Arceus at ease. "Well, uhm…I guess it's okay to tell you. You see, I'm on a Pokemon journey - but it's kind of different from how most trainers would do it. I need to become a…I gotta make the Village of Dragons proud by becoming a Dragon Master."
"Do you mean to say you wish to become an expert in handling dragon-type Pokemon specifically?" Arceus further enquired, getting a shaky nod from the usually exuberant girl. "Ah, I see - dragon-types are inherently dangerous, and most humans I have found seem frightened by them the most compared to all the other types, even the ghost-types and dark types. I am glad that instead of fear, you admire them. How does your journey fare so far?" Iris' smile wavered and then melted off her face entirely.
“Uh…kinda terrible, honestly…” Iris' tone was chipper, but her words were anything but, earning a concerned look from Axew as she set him down on the ground. "I…already have seen half the region, but I still only have the one dragon-type the Elder gave me. And I l-love Axew, I do, but…After walking from Opelucid to Nuvema, I thought I would have caught at least one other Pokemon. But I keep getting distracted…like how I got distracted with you. I've been traveling Eastern Unova for months, but all I have to show for it is Axew and Exca…" She shook her head sadly, unable to finish saying that one word.
"I-Iris, don't talk like that! You're a great trainer! S-so you're a little, uh, impulsive - we've been having lots of fun, remember?" Axew tried to soothe his trainer, but none of his cries could make it through the language barrier. She sulked, not meeting either Axew or Arceus in the eye while she bobbed one of her feet, making the Tusk Pokemon grimace before turning around to look up at the Original One. "She's not bad, I swear! She…forgets things sometimes. She says we're gonna train or that we're going to find a new Pokemon to fight, but then we end up playing by the beach or checking out some waterfall off the beaten path. She's great, she just…forgets…”
Arceus considered Axew's words. "It comes across to me that you need someone who can provide some structure," Arceus offered, jolting Iris out of her brooding reverie. "Independence is a powerful thing…as how dragon-types are powerful. The only oversight to be had regarding your goals and their completion comes from you when alone, but not everyone has the self-discipline to hold themselves accountable for mistakes."
"Hey! I'm… I'm accountable, whatever that means!" Iris pouted, folding her arms over her chest. "You sound like such a dad all of a sudden."
"That is because I have children," Arceus confessed, prompting Iris to flutter her eyes in shock - was it that hard to believe? That it was a parent? "I often find that they flourish when I am present to assist them in controlling the time spent on certain actions, understanding what needs to be done, and determining their strengths." Arceus elected not to talk about how Dialga, Palkia, and Girtaina loathed it when the Architect of All Creation micromanaged their behavior like that, as it was often done in the aftermath of some crisis it had to intervene in. It was not meant as a punishment…but perhaps Arceus sometimes was annoyed that its children required so much guidance when it created them to perform their tasks perfectly.
Iris skirted her eyes again, thinking as she bit her lower lip. "You..sound like you know a lot about st-stuff…" She scratched the side of her neck, still not making eye contact, before fiddling with the plastic wrapping on her last chocolate bar. "So, um, uh…I guess I have one more question for you, then." The movement of her fingers effortlessly morphed from just twiddling the edges of the plastic to tearing it open. She couldn't keep the bar in her hands this time when the Alpha Pokemon levitated it away. The white-furred equine finished what she had started, unwrapping the remaining plastic cover before tossing the sugary goodness into its maw with a pleased hum.
Iris looked baffled when it tossed the wrapper into its mouth immediately afterward. She opened her mouth to say something, closed it, and shook her head. "What was your last question, Lady Iris?" Arceus enquired telepathically, still chewing on the plastic. Iris hoped the Alpha Pokemon's stomach could handle digesting trash.
"Right, uhm…can I battle to catch you as my Pokemon?" The purple-haired girl posed her question quickly, not fast enough to be considered babbling, but she was rushing herself. Axew looked up at Iris with a confused co*ck of his head while Arceus fluttered its eyes before swallowing the inedible (to most people) slurry of polymer. Iris stared into the white-furred equine's red and green eyes, trying to get a sense of its emotions…then Arceus broke out in reverberating peels of laughter that came out as howling croaks. "Do-don't laugh at me! It's a serious question!" Iris pouted as she reached up to keep her hair in place - the Alpha Pokemon's chocolate-scented breath was coming out so fast it was creating a wind.
"You may try, though I must warn you, your chances of success in such an endeavor are non-existent." Nothing in Arceus' tone indicated that it said those words with any pride, smugness, or confidence - it was a statement of fact. Iris scrunched her face up in response, nevertheless. "Many humans have tried to make me their own, and none, save one, have succeeded. Why do you think you can prevail over me in combat when so many of your kind before have failed?"
"They say that the Pokemon around this region are supposed to be really easy to catch - that's why I came down here, to catch a Pokemon finally! Uh…you don't seem like you're from around here, though…or even Unova, so I guess you won't be the easy catch I was hoping for." Iris confessed with a sheepish blush, but she soon regained a modicum of confidence. "But you're a talking Pokemon and a dragon-type, too! I'd be a moron to pass you up! Plus, not that I'm not accountable or anything, but… it'd be nice to hang around a friend who could help my journey be less terrible." She folded her arms and stared at her feet. Arceus interpreted what she said as the closest thing she would get to acknowledging that she could help manage her life. And she thought Arceus was the coach she wanted? The thought flattered the Original One.
"A…friend? Why do you presume you must catch a Pokemon to become their friend?" Arceus considered how much the world had changed since it had slept. From its time at Oak Corral, it got the impression, corroborated by Ash and his human companions, that, for the most part, humans and Pokemon have entered a golden age of harmony. There were still outliers who only saw Pokemon as beasts of burden to be exploited, but human civilization seems to have integrated Pokemon into every aspect of their society. The world now had planet-spanning organizations dedicated to the sport of competitive battles, a Ranger Union that seeks to preserve the ecology Pokemon live in, and doctors specifying in Pokemon health, like Brock Slate was aspiring to become. "Catching a fellow human from your village would not automatically create bonds of amity between you and them, correct? So why do you wish to become friends with me in such a different manner?" But what Iris just said was another hint that this 'utopia' compared to the past was not all that it was purported as - the humans' old way of thinking, of 'mastery' over the wilderness, still lived on.
"Huh?" Iris was genuinely flummoxed; she made a face like Arceus was a teacher who had just called on her to answer a math question she should know how to solve. Suddenly, she snapped her fingers with a smile. "I r-remember! The village Elder says that for Pokemon to respect humans, we need to show them that we're good enough trainers! If a trainer is good enough at commanding a Pokemon to defeat a wild one, then that means the wild Pokemon will trust its trainer when it's caught. Pokemon love to fight, so if I prove I can help them become even better fighters…uh…we become best buddies?" Iris showed her palms while raising her shoulders, the confidence in her explanation wavering to the end.
Arceus looked down at Axew. "Is what Lady Iris had said why you remain by her side?" The tiny Pokemon could not help but quiver as it stared at the imposing Alpha Pokemon. He was fine when he talked to it before, but now it was talking to him, and its words seemed to settle down heavily on his psyche. "Are you friends with this human because she is an effective trainer?"
"Um…I guess you could say that." Axew scuffed one of its paws on the dirt. "...Iris makes everything an adventure, you know? We have fun together all the time. I like how random Iris is, how she bobs around from place to place looking for the next best thing, and wherever she goes, it feels like the right place to be…being Iris' Pokemon means living in the here and now, day by day, and I can tell that she cares about me. I… don't know if I'm g-gonna be able to beat you, but if you end up being her friend, I can promise you she'll do her best to make sure you have fun, too."
Arceus didn't say anything for a while after Axew was finished speaking. It raised its head and kept a steady gaze into Iris' soul - the dusky-skinned girl seemed to pale in complexion the longer the silence went on. She was not privy to what Axew had said, and Arceus assumed that she questioned whether or not her Pokemon's answer was good. Truthfully, Arceus still wasn't convinced by the claim that Pokemon were humans' friends because they were good at commanding them in battle - Axew's reasoning seemed to draw from his experience with Iris outside of fighting, just enjoying life together. Nevertheless, Arceus began to back away from the human with a challenging glint in its eyes. "Very well, human. You may fight to have me." The Alpha Pokemon splayed its head to the right to whip its mane into the breeze, creating enough distance between it and Iris for a decent-sized battlefield. "Go."
Iris did not immediately start the battle, needing a few seconds for her mind to register that a battle was happening. However, once enough time had passed, her brain finally processed Arceus' telepathic command, and she looked down at Axew. "You ready for a battle, Axew?" She gave the Tusk Pokemon an encouraging smile, and the greenish-gray dragon-type hopped a little in the air with a happy cry. Regardless of his lack of confidence in defeating Arceus, he wanted to make Iris proud. "Alright, then! Come on, let's start things off with Scratch!" She pointed determinedly at the white-furred equine, and Axew turned on the heels of its paws, mirroring the same look of resolve his trainer had.
"You got it, Iris!" The Tusk Pokemon nodded before breaking off into a run. Arceus lidded its eyes and let out a yawn - it was not tired in the slightest, but the theatrics had the intended effect of making Axew a little peeved. "Don't underestimate me! Take this - Scratch!" Axew's claws flashed white as he raised them into the air, but the Alpha Pokemon gamboled before he could land the hit onto Arceus' chest. Axew stared at the Original One as it pranced high above his head, and trails of white energy cut through nothing but air instead of the attack's intended target.
Now, it was Arceus' turn to attack. "Roar." The Alpha Pokemon had yet to touch the ground, but before Iris could give Axew her next command, its eyes flashed red, and its mouth parted to let out the most alien scream she had ever heard. The purple-haired girl found herself collapsing to the ground with her hands firmly over her ears, and the ground beneath her seemed to undulate like a heart for the briefest of moments. She looked over to Axew, who appeared to be doing much worse than her, wholly frozen and jaw-unhinged - was he paralyzed? What kind of move was that?! "Will you surrender?"
Iris looked at Arceus. She got the impression that it was smirking at her through the way its facial grooves were curled and its eyes were half-closed. It was waiting patiently for her to continue the battle. "No way! We got this, don't we, Axew?!" Iris gritted her teeth and pulled herself off the ground, trying to project her voice loud enough so her Pokemon could hear her through whatever Arceus just made it go through with that Roar attack. The Tusk Pokemon blinked and slowly began moving again, testing out the movement of his limbs as it had just hatched. He eventually gave Iris a shaky nod, indicating it was ready again. "Good - now, let's use Dragon Rage!"
"Okay!" Axew nodded before taking in a deep breath of air. Arceus observed the Tusk Pokemon's stomach inflate outward somewhat while he flailed his arms in little circles. The Alpha Pokemon rolled its eyes before an aureate shine enveloped its body in preparation for its next attack. Axew held its breath until his face started to turn blue from a lack of oxygen - but when he opened his mouth, instead of an exhale, a black and blue beam of energy erupted from his maw. "Dragon Rage!" The energy blast morphed into a vague shape of a dragon halfway between Arceus and Axew…however, instead of hitting Arceus, the draconic energy exploded prematurely. Ephemeral shrapnel went flying everywhere, scoring moderately deep cuts into the surrounding trees, cutting trenches into the dirt, and narrowly setting Iris' hair on fire if she hadn't ducked down in time.
"Was that a sternutation?" Arceus teased. If either Iris or Axew knew what 'sternutation' meant, they would be annoyed, but since they did not, they were just left a little confused and mostly embarrassed. The golden glow surrounding Arceus' body reached a blinding intensity, followed by it breaking into a gallop that closed the distance between Axew and it within two seconds. "Facade—you're it!"
"Dodge it, Axew!" Iris ordered, but that was easier said than done. The Tusk Pokemon's eyes widened to saucer plates before trying to strafe to the left, but the Alpha Pokemon was too fast. Iris gasped as she saw one of Arceus' forelegs strike the back of her Pokemon's skull, resulting in him being punted across the impromptu battlefield. He was kicked so hard that he managed to rebound off one of the trenches that the aborted Dragon Rage had carved into the ground, spinning rapidly in the air with specks of dirt flying from his body. Eventually, Axew fell a few feet from where Iris stood, covered in mud and now sporting a nasty bruise on the back of its head as it lay limp. "Axew, no!"
Iris walked briskly over to her injured Pokemon and dropped down to a crouch so she could check how bad his injuries were. Beyond the blotchy patch of bruised skin on his head, his scales were scuffed from plowing through the dirt as if someone had wrapped sandpaper on his hide. “That…th-that hurts…” The Tusk Pokemon whined with a sniffle, water pooling at the sides of his eyes. The tears first came out as a trickle, then a stream, then a deluge as Axew bawled. "It hurts! Iris, Iris, it hurts! M-make it stop, make the pain go awa-ha-haaaay!" It was not as loud as Arceus' earlier Roar attack, but it hurt to hear. Iris did not need to understand Pokemon-speak to know what her Pokemon was saying, and she quickly fished around in her skirt pockets for a potion.
But there was no potion - they needed to stop in Nuvema to pick up supplies, but Iris got distracted and went out into the woods east of town. She forgot about being down to only three chocolate bars in terms of food and the lack of medicine, only to remember now, at the worst possible time. "Oh, dang it…DANG IT! U-uh, Axew, don't worry! Everything's gonna be okay, I promise!" Iris grimaced as she tried to scoop the injured Pokemon into her hands, but he was flailing so much that she couldn't get a good grip. Iris let out a weary sigh and fished her hand back into her skirt, looking for Axew's Pokeball, when she noticed Arceus walking over toward them. "H-hey, wait! Time out, Axew obviously can't fight anymore, so-!"
"Recover." Arceus calmly interrupted Iris, a golden glow enveloping its body like when it used Facade. It dropped a hoof down to rest on Axew's head as he continued to cry on the ground, and the shimmer extended to encompass him as well. Iris' heart jumped up into her throat, thinking it was another attack, but then Axew's cries started to diminish in intensity. Iris saw the scratches on his scales fade away, and the purple bruise on his head shrank. "There - that should be enough." The Alpha Pokemon lifted its hoof off Axew's skull, and he sat up hesitantly, feeling over the places on his body that used to hurt and marveling at his newfound health.
"I, you, that was, bwah?" Iris articulated, alternating her incredulous gaze between Axew and Arceus. "Sorry, I mean…thank you! Axew seems much better now, but that wasn't Recover, right? That move only works on the Pokemon that's using it. It doesn't heal others… not that I'm complaining, but…" She was interrupted by Axew hopping into her chest, and she instinctively wrapped her arms around her precious Pokemon, who now seemed to be just as chipper as earlier.
Arceus let out an amused chuckle at Iris' confusion. "You are correct when you say Recover only heals the damages its user took. However, when the battle no longer seemed enjoyable for your Pokemon, I assumed that meant the fight had concluded, and thus, I permitted myself to cheat the rules." Arceus explained, earning a confused look from Axew as he craned his head back to look at the Alpha Pokemon. "I manipulated my aura into perceiving that your Axew was another part of my body, and thus, when Healing Wish came into effect, it restored his health."
"You…tricked your aura…into healing me…?" Axew narrowed his eyes and dropped his jaw slightly as he registered what Arceus was saying. That…was not how Pokemon moves worked! It might not have been an experienced battler, but there were rules to how things operated - even he knew that, if only in an ineffable way. "Who ARE you?"
"I have already answered that question," Arceus informed with a hint of cheekiness in its telepathic tone, only to stumble its hind legs a tad when trying to move back. Iris instinctively shuffled to its side to see if it needed help, but Areus quickly righted itself. "Aural manipulation in moves comes at a cost, however. Such instances significantly drain my stamina - it will take an hour at the least to regain my vitality."
"Oh… I'm s-sorry…this was a stupid idea in the first place…" Iris pouted and hugged Axew closer to her chest. She started a battle without any potions on her, using Axew, an inexperienced Pokemon who only knew Scratch and Dragon Rage, against a strange opponent she knew nothing about - she was such a kid. "This all seemed to go a lot better in my head…I j-just wanted to catch you and help you become more powerful. And for you to…help me become a Dragon Master."
"While I appreciate your offer, I must correct your misconception. I am not in a position where I need my potential nurtured, for my powers are already at their zenith. They are diminished in this less substantial form you find me in, but even still, it was enough to win the battle against your Axew in one move." Arceus informed, trying not to let its pride show. The thought of a mortal teaching Arceus new battle strategy and fighting techniques was laughable…but it had enough tact to recognize now was not the time for laughter. Iris' offer was genuine, if impossible to fulfill for many reasons - there was no need to hurt her feelings. "I am not certain I would greatly assist your goal of becoming a so-called Dragon Master - I am not strictly a Dragon-type Pokemon."
"...well, huh! I didn't want to say it, but you didn't make any dragon-type moves earlier. You smell like a dragon, but you don't fight like one. That's weird." Axew commented, thinking back on the battle. "Roar and Facade didn't feel like anything, which means…those were normal-type moves. And that thing you did to heal me made my brain feel weird, so…that was a psychic move? Why didn't you say you were a normal-psychic type?"
"Your Axew believes I do not have any dragon-type moves." Arceus narrowed its eyes at the greenish-gray Pokemon with a soft huff escaping from its muzzle. The Alpha Pokemon lifted the same hoof tip that it used to heal Axew into the air. It flashed a deeper, more eerie shade of purple before it was suddenly dropped into the ground with all the force of a meteor. Iris gasped and lost her balance as the ground underneath her shook like jelly while Arceus remained calm and unmoved. " That wasDragon Claw - are you now satisfied that I am capable of the same moves as you are?" Axew nodded rapidly, more than a little intimidated.
"Woooah…just think, Axew; one day, you'll be able to do Dragon Claw, too!" Iris was less intimidated and more astonished; she gazed up at the majestic figure Arceus was cutting above her, mane blowing in the breeze and standing regal. It looked just like the image of Reshiram in the village meeting hall's tapestry. Just then, her attention was directed elsewhere - a thundercrash. "Huh? Did you hear that? I think there might be a storm coming." She looked over to her right and tried to see into the sky past the many branches and boughs that made up the overhead forest canopy, to little effect. Arceus tilted its head over to where Iris was looking…and its blood ran cold with fright.
"Sounds like thunder to me…hey, where are you going?" Axew called out to Arceus as it suddenly began trotting away from them, staggering a little in its gait from the earlier use of Healing Wish. With Axew in her arms, Iris got up, avoided the small impact crater from Arceus' Dragon Claw, and ran after the white-furred equine. She initially assumed that the thing might have been spooked by thunder, but that didn't make sense, as Arceus was running toward where the thunder was coming from, not away. She stopped where Arceus stopped, in the field where it was eating grass earlier, with no trees to get in the way of her and Axew seeing quite possibly the most intense-looking storms in their lives. "W-wow! That's not just thunder! That's lightning and winds and rain and…and it's so big!"
Iris, Axew, and Arceus looked up at a cumulonimbus cloud the size of a mountain rushing around the forest. Grand battleship-sized formations in the cloud wall went to war with each other, mashing up against themselves before dissolving into rumbling whirls of vapor from which long bolts of electricity shot out. It was an ominous sight…but Arceus was looking at something much more concerning. The Alpha Pokemon could see the culprit behind the storm, propelling it forward from within - it had the aura of a legendary Pokemon, but not one that Arceus recognized, which was odd because every legendary and mythical Pokemon was either created or had their creation supervised by Areeus. It cast a vast, very dark blue silhouette that could be seen for miles and, paradoxically, was as cold as the vacuum of space.
"Lady Iris, may I ask what time it is?" Arceus knew she had followed it but did not turn around to face her, instead focusing all its attention on the unsteady, tepid flame at the heart of the legendary Pokemon's aura. A lack of warmth meant a lack of emotion, which was not necessarily a problem - many legendary Pokemon can be accused of dispassion, but that did not interfere with their duties. No, it was how the aural flame didn't stay lit - indicative of a loss of self. In humans, the uncoupling of their id, ego, and superego only resulted in not knowing who they were exactly and what to do with their lives - in Pokemon, it meant acting on just their base instincts. Arceus had no idea what this Pokemon's base instincts might be since it had never seen it before in its long life.
"Oh, uhm…" Iris fished around her skirt for her Pokedex while Axew hopped back into his trainer's hair so she could use both hands. She eventually got it out and flipped it open, only to check the built-in clock function. "...1:20 PM. Is that important?"
The storm was moving fast enough that Arceus could see where it was headed, even from the ground. A legendary Pokemon was barreling straight toward Nuvema Town within ten minutes of Ash arriving in the Unova region. "...there is hearing about the number of impossible scenarios that child stumbles into, and there is seeing that scenario play out before he even arrives." Arceus shook its head - Ash Ketchum was a magnet for these situations, wasn't he? Angry, emotionally unstable Pokemon capable of great havoc choosing to do something that had to be reversed by a human child. Well, not this time. This time, Arceus was here and ready to perform its duties as caretaker of the world it made. "Human, I thank you for your company, but I am afraid this is where we part ways. I must reconnoiter the skies and see what this storm has in mind for my hero."
Immediately after Iris processed Arceus' words, she had to shield her eyes as Axew burrowed himself deeper into her hair, both blinded by the sudden light that the Alpha Pokemon was casting. When the pale, flaxen shimmer faded away, she opened her eyes, finding her face just a few inches from the hind leg, more than double her height. "Gyaa!" She screamed in surprise, backing away from the suddenly massive white-furred equine. "B-b-but how did you…you were small, and then…are you flying?!" The aspiring Dragon Master dropped her jaw at the sight of the Alpha Pokemon lifting itself off the grass into the air. It turned its head to give Iris and Axew one last nod before trotting off toward the storm.
"You know, Iris…" Axew mumbled as it watched Arceus vanish beyond the horizon of the forest canopy. "...I think we just met God."
Six Days Ago, At Oak Corral
After everything that had happened, Ash was wiped out. He was doing better than before…but learning about his dad's fate was not something he could just move on from. The birthday boy was still in a mood to party, but Ash had lost much of the verve he had expressed before in the day. He had rode on Pidgeot's back in contemplative silence, only speaking up when the avian Pokemon settled down on the grass of Oak Corral. "Th-thanks for the ride, Pidgeot…" The birthday boy scratched the base of the Bird Pokemon's flowing crest as he slid off his old friend. "You're we-welcome to stick around if you want…I know you're busy, but it would be great if you…could stay."
Pidgeot cooed softly at the human's touch and glanced at his face now that he was back on the ground - the skin around his eyes was puffy, and though he was smiling, it was small and fragile, like he was just a provoking away to breaking down once again. "I… can't stay for long, but my flock doesn't need to be babied by me 24/7 - they can handle a little independence while I catch up with my human." The Bird Pokemon nodded and draped a wing around Ash's back - by degrees, his smile regained some strength. "This is supposed to be a party, right? Come on, let's have some fun on your special day."
A shadow passed over the field that Pidgeot had settled down in, and when Ash looked up to see what was casting it, he saw Arceus trotting in the air. The Alpha Pokemon was not in its diminutive form - it had reverted to its usual size, the same version of Arceus that Ash saw back in Michina and yesterday when he saw it by the pond. The two of them made eye contact - Ash sent Arceus a friendly wave while Arceus acknowledged it with a nod. "Thanks for-!" Ash tried to call out to the Alpha Pokemon, but his larynx, sore from all the crying he had been doing earlier, protested the act. He waited for Arceus to settle on the grass with him and Pidgeot, the ground quaking underneath as its heavy weight slammed down. "Thanks for carrying everyone else, Arceus."
"You are most welcome…my friend." Arceus switched over to its Mind Plate and, to the general shock of those on its back, telekinetically lifted off Sceptile, Bayleef, Pikachu, Professor Oak, and Delia to the ground safely. Noctowl and Staraptor emerged from atop the treeline, having kept a respectable (to them) amount of distance between themselves and…what was supposed to be the newest addition to Ash's Pokemon team. "…are you certain you wish to rejoin the festivities? I do not believe anyone would begrudge you for wanting some time to yourself." The Alpha Pokémon was enveloped in a bright shimmer that briefly blinded everyone as it shrank to its more size-manageable form. Ash was slowly getting used to it - though the gleaming, gilt light the Original One gave off when it shifted sizes never stopped being cool to look at; the more he saw of it, the less he had to squint to see it. As he saw Pikachu quickly dashing toward him, his smile brightened, and he squatted down to better receive the hug that was coming, much to the ire of his cracked kneecap.
"I've spent enough time alone already," Ash answered, bringing his arms around Pikachu, who had jumped into the air to embrace his trainer. "Right now, I just want to be with the people I care about." The hug did not last very long, as Pikachu soon scampered onto one of Ash's arms to recline himself on his shoulder, but that didn't matter - Pikachu was with Ash, which made the birthday boy happy. Pidgeot, hovering nearby, smiled through its beak at the sight, though it became a little muted when Ash let out an audible grunt of pain as he got up from his crouch.
"M-maybe you could at least be with the people you care about sitting down, young man!" Delia suggested pleadingly. She usually would have put some more firmness in such a statement, as the sight of Ash putting himself in pain broke her heart. But after what happened in the forest…she knew she had the feeling she was on thin ice with him. He was mad at her then, and most likely still is, for the lies she told about his father…she would have to work to rebuild that trust. "Getting you a chair would be no trouble for me!"
"It's okay, mom." Ash waved off his mother's worries, leaning against Pidgeot's side with one hand so that the pressure on his injured knee wasn't so bad. "I was thinking, since Pidgoet's gonna be sticking around, I could add him to my team for the birthday tournament. I want to get some practice in with an old-"
"Twerp." Jessie curtly interrupted, hands over her chest and eyes narrowed. "Listen to your mom." The magenta-haired woman's harsh tone did not offer room for discussion. Ash struggled to keep up his good cheer after that, only for him to palm his face- when the hand slid off, his smile was gone, and his eyes communicated how tired he truly was.
"...I guess I can find something else to do with everyone." He nodded begrudgingly, wincing in pain as he tried to test how much he could walk with his hurt knee - not very much. "Something that doesn't involve a lot of standing up." He still attempted to keep walking; however, once it became evident that he was hurting himself for no good reason, Bayleef and Sceptile intervened. The birthday boy found his waist wrapped in the Johtonian grass-starter's vines, which hoisted him off the grass and onto the Hoennese grass-starter's back. He chuckled, grabbing Sceptile's torso while Pikachu playfully scampered onto the Forest Pokemon's head. The two grass-types marched off toward the rest of the party, leaving just in time as Noctowl and Staraptor arrived.
"...thank you for that, Jessie." Delia turned to acknowledge the woman who had stalked her son for years with a polite smile on her face. "And I never thanked you for telling me about what happened with Ash earlier, so thank you for that as well. If it weren't for you, I would still have been playing judge between Pikachu and your Wobbuffet while my Ash was hurting."
"Don't mention it - I was just trying to find someone who had experience in calming the kid down. I only know how to rile him up." Jessie offered a thin smile of her own in return. "...which I still did, but I suppose it worked out in the end. It says something that I managed to get him to the angriest I've ever seen, and I wasn't even trying to catch his Pokemon this time. I'm not sure what that something is…but it's definitely been said."
"You certainly are quite the character, Jessie." Professor Oak let out a short chuckle. "Now…can we discuss what you said earlier on the ride over here? About you no longer pursuing Ash? I'm very grateful for your help in getting the person this party is celebrating back to said party, but I hope you don't hold it against me when I say I don't believe you." Jessie sharply turned over to the older man, and a weird mixture of emotions was expressed on her face. Indignation, guilt, shame, and frustration. Professor Oak didn't budge at the sight of it, only raising his eyebrow while he coolly stared her down before she sighed through her nose.
"Think whatever you want, you old geezer. Actions speak louder than words, and since my word is apparently not worth the metaphorical paper it's printed on, you'll just have to wait until the twer…until Ash updates you on the lack of stylish criminals following him around. I almost feel bad for him, doomed to go on a boring journey without an entourage like Team Rocket to spice things up." Jessie rolled a hand around her wrist dramatically to emphasize her point, forcing a smile to her face that did not reach her eyes. "And you'll never have to deal with us crashing at your crummy corral; lucky you. Honestly, running after that kid is getting seriously boring at this point."
"You said earlier that you were abandoning the pursuit of Ash's Pikachu due to my wanting to accompany him in Unova." Arceus unceremoniously popped Jessie's bubble of delusion, making the magenta-haired Team Rocket member physically sag. "I explicitly remember you saying you were not reckless enough to consider trying to purloin the Mouse Pokemon under my watch. Is my memory failing me? Or do you just not want to admit you are saddened by no longer being in his life?"
"First of all, put a sock in it. Second, how dare you make such a baseless accusation?!" Jessie rounded on the Alpha Pokemon, a mischievous glint in its red and green eyes as it considered the irate, blushing woman. "I'll let you know I don't feel any attachment to that boy whatsoever! So I wanted to help him get out of his funk - big deal! It's not like I'm sentimental about four years' worth of memories ending abruptly! They were all painful memories of us getting our butts kicked. What, are you saying that we don't have a purpose in life outside of chasing after some Pikachu? Is that what you're saying?! I can't believe you just said that!"
"...your right eye is twitching," Arceus remarked.
"What?! Now you're saying I don't lead a rich and fulfilling inner life! The hogwash you're spilling is enough to fill a Lechonk's washtub!" Jessie carried on with the one-way conversation she was having in her head between Arceus and herself, to the amusem*nt and concern of everyone else present. "Team Rocket has oodles of opportunities ahead of us now that we're not focusing all our talents on one twerp's Pikachu. I can use my stylish good looks to infiltrate the world of high-end fashion modeling, captivating millions as I parade out the latest glad rags! James will use his superb leadership skills to organize fan clubs dedicated to my countenance, secretly recruiting them into our own personal branch of Team Rocket! And who will design my modish attire? Meowth, of course! Who do you think got us all those costumes, huh?!"
"Do you require what Sir Ash calls a 'hug'?" Arceus enquired with a subtle inclination of its head.
"Maybe," Jessie replied meekly, contrasting hard with her earlier outrage. "Not from you, though."
"I was not offering to perform such an act; I was merely asking if you required one. I suggest calling out your Wobbuffet from that…' Pokeball' in your possession. The Patient Pokemon seems receptive to physical contact." With that, Arceus nodded at the purposeless, directionless woman before walking off toward where Ash had gone off, carried by Sceptile. "... and though I do not know how well you will receive it, have my thanks, as well. You shook me from my stupor and prompted me to find my friend. I will remember the words 'no one likes a hypocrite' for a long time."
As Arceus trotted away from the humans, it reflected the subtle change it saw in Jessie's aura. It was still unsteady, sputtering out at inconstant intervals…but it burned a little brighter now. Something about what happened today had changed her - Jessie found a line that she could not cross, and having discovered a limitation, she turned back instead of remaining at the level of vileness she was at. It was not any major progress, just one small act of kindness toward a boy she had considered her enemy, but she showed the world that she was capable of decency if only she would let out the good person she would be from within. Celebi would be proud, it was sure.
"Hey." Arceus heard someone speak to it from the right. It turned its head and saw Staraptor flying as she kept pace with the Alpha Pokemon's gait. "We need to talk." Arceus also heard wings flapping to its left, and turning in that way revealed Noctowl to be their source. The two avian Pokemon were flanking the Original One as it trod across the grass.
"What matter do you wish to discuss, Predator and Owl Pokemon?" Arceus spoke in its best neutral tone, hiding the slight irritation it felt by the prodding glares it was receiving from the two birds. "Evidently, I have done something to earn your ire. Please elucidate what I have done, and I will endeavor to correct it."
Noctowl scoffed and flew a little ahead of the Alpha Pokemon, turning its head 180 degrees on its neck to deliver what it had to say, facing Arceus' muzzle. "What exactly does it mean for you, the God of Pokemon, to travel around with our trainer? The implications of Ash having the creator of the universe in his backpack to fight in Pokemon battles is as disturbing as it is absurd." Noctowl narrowed its eyes. "What exactly do you have to gain by becoming Ash's Pokemon?"
"Excuse me," Arceus recoiled its head back, confused and slightly miffed. "But I do not recall ever expressing a desire to be owned byAsh Ketchum."
"That's not what I remember." Arceus felt a weight settle on its back. The Alpha Pokemon craned its neck to see Pidgeot cooly gazing back, talons sinking into its soft, white fur. "You said that your birthday gift to Ash was yourself. I'll admit, it was more than a little touching, but while I don't know Staraptor and Noctowl, I will assume we all share the opinion…that you're not like any Pokemon Ash has ever had."
"...you think I am a danger to Ash." Arceus read between the lines of Pidgoet's words.
"Aren't you?" Staraptor chimed in with venom at the tip of her voice. "Everything that had just happened earlier was your fault. You just had to know what was in that stupid box, right? And that wasn't a mistake anyone could have made—we wanted to know what was inside, too, but only you were daring enough to ignore all the clues the humans were giving."
"Even your everyday simpleton could comprehend the gift from Ash's dad was not going to be pleasant. Ash, of course, is a simpleton, but we love him despite that. Granted, I could not have predicted just how…direful the contents of that box were, but you showed a chilling lack of self-control when it comes to interfering with our trainer's life." Noctowl hooted, earning a glare from the Alpha Pokemon for its claims. "You apologized, and Ash forgave because that's who he is, but what you did will never be forgotten. And that was just you indulging your curiosity. What if you lost your temper with him and used your mythical powers to do something you can't fix?"
"Enough of this!" Arceus halted its gait and manipulated its aura - Pidgeot, Noctowl, and Staraptor suddenly felt the oppressive weight of the atmosphere as unbearable tension thickened in the air. This was the same technique Arceus used yesterday when it first came to the pond - it wanted to be alone now. Pidgeot was thrown into the air as Arceus jerked its back to one side. The God of Pokemon backed up so all three birds were in its vision at once so it could angrily stare them down. "I am not some disaster waiting to occur - I am the Original One, Architect of the world you inhabit, and I will not be shunted around by-!" But it stopped itself short when it saw the growing looks of mortal fear on the avian trio's faces. A sound escaped its throat - a snarl.
Arceus fluttered its eyes and slowly concealed the sharp teeth it had involuntarily revealed, drawing back its mouth to a mere groove on its muzzle. It had gotten angry - the kind of anger that reminded it of what happened back in Michina Town when it was ready to purge humanity and punish its children for interfering with its plans. The aural manipulation wore off once Arceus realized it had just validated the concerns Ash's avian Pokemon expressed. "... I am sorry. Your f-fears about my power are…reasonable ones to have. I am temperamental and capable of great destruction, but I…am trying…to c-change." Arceus dipped its head down apologetically. "I am more than the danger I might pose to Sir Ash. I am coming with that child to respond to the crisis he frequently encounters along his journey. I am just as concerned for his well-being as you are…and I d-d-do not know how to persuade you of that…" The telepathic words came out labored - it was still tough for Arceus to vocally acknowledge its shortcomings. It did not have the 'gift of gab,' and it was internally scared that Ash's Pokemon friends would always see it as a threat no matter what it says or does otherwise.
"...but why ?" Pidgeot shook its head, no longer looking as scared as before but still hesitant to trust the Alpha Pokemon's word. "Why do you want to be Ash's Pokemon? I heard some of the context back in the forest, the part about how he…died for you. I want to talk about that some more, but not now. He saved you, but you can't join him just because you feel bad. Why are you, apparently our God, coming down to Earth to be with a human trainer?"
"…b-…because…because he is Ash Ketchum ." Arceus frowned through its facial grooves. "I apologize…I do not think I can give you a more concrete answer than that. This child…when I am with him, I feel… 'not broken.' Complete. Content. He has this enthusiasm about him that he shares with me by being in his presence, and… ah, I sound like I am talking nonsense." The Alpha Pokemon sighed with a weary shake of its head.
"No, that sounds pretty much like what it feels to be with Ash. He's unique, that's for sure." Staraptor surprised the Original One by completely accepting its vague answer at face value. "The bonds between humans and Pokemon are different than regular friendships. I… I know the feeling you're talking about. I get it when I'm in the heat of battle, and Ash is looking out for me, or when we're training together and he tries to motivate me to fly faster by running ahead of me on the ground. He doesn't have to do that, but he does, and…it feels nice, is all I can say." Her voice became wistful as she recalled her time spent in Sinnoh. Her eyes still looked at Arceus skeptically, but she seemed a little more relaxed around the Alpha Pokemon.
"But…I still have reservations." Noctowl was not so easy to please. "The idea of you being in a Pokeball like the rest of us just…feels wrong."
Arceus felt frustration rise in its system but, this time, had the foresight to smother it in its inception before it could bubble out. "Let me elaborate," Arceus started. "My gift to Ash is myself…but by that, I mean my company, not by body. I am on a journey of my own to see the world I have neglected for so long, and it just so happens that I have found the perfect companion to share that journey with. I will protect him from danger, but other than encouragement, I will not aid him in his ambitions of challenging…gymnasiums? Is that what they're called? Regardless, I doubt Ash needs the powers of a mythical Pokemon to achieve his goals - he already has you all. I don't think I would be here if Ash didn't have you by his side when he traveled to Michina's past." Staraptor widened her eyes at that before sharing glances with Noctowl and Pidgeot.
"I wasn't really there for much of what happened back there, but…thanks." Staraptor gave a tight smile through her beak. She dropped down to the grass next to Noctowl and Pidgeot, the last of the avians to stop flying after Arceus stopped walking. She rested her wings and turned her head over behind her back. Ash was in the distance, having been intercepted by Misty, who was leading him (plus Sceptile and Pikachu, the former carrying both human and mouse) toward some shaded grove out of sight. "Yeah…now that I know you're just gonna be a travel buddy, I feel better. I guess I was partly jealous that you get to go to Unova while I don't." The Predator Pokemon's tepid smile did not need much incentive to leave her face, and the melancholy of being stuck at Oak Corral was plenty of incentive.
"...Professor Oak imparted on me Ash's decision to begin his trek in Unova without any of his Sinnohese comrades. If it would please you…I can translate anything you want to tell him about that arrangement." Arceus offered with an awkward shuffle of its hind legs. It did not understand everything Ash did, which it chalked up to being out of touch with mortals. Still, Ash's plans to start Unova 'fresh' seemed illogical, which…made sense since he was still a child prone to acting with his heart instead of his head. "Or, if that is an uncomfortable prospect, I can relay your opinions to him myself."
Staraptor jerked her head back, a thoughtful look in her eyes. She thought about the idea before eventually shaking her head in the negative. "No, I was just being bitter like Infernape. I don't need to go on another adventure. I'll have fun here; I already like Noctowl and found Pidgeot, who I will fly out to bug occasionally." She warmly regarded the Owl and Bird Pokemon, to which Noctowl gave a respectful nod while Pidgeot chuckled. However, her gaze became slightly cooler when she pivoted back to Arceus. "So… you plan to just romp around Unova bumming with our trainer, being a regular old Pokemon instead of…a God for a change?"
"I'm not a normal Pokemon yet," Arceus confessed. 'Normal,' it assessed, could mean many different things to many people, but to Arceus, it meant not feeling like it was an utter failure when it came to… everything . Its family hated it; it nearly sent its hero down a horrible path; it was laughably disconnected from the world it was supposed to be the caretaker of… "But with Ash's help, I will learn."
"If you're counting on Ash to be a teacher, you're doomed. That poor boy is as dumb as a pile of rocks." Noctowl commented, but it was said with fondness. "We'll be seeing more of you, then. Remember what we said…exercise an abundance of caution around him. Do that, and we'll get along fine." Having said its piece, the Owl Pokemon decided it was time to join the rest of the party. It took off into the air toward where most of Ash's Johtonian Pokemon were congregating by the lake, where Totodile was hosting (and winning) a lakeside dance competition.
"I'll…see you around, normal-Pokemon-in-training." Pidgeot lightly teased before following Noctowl. Staraptor gave Arceus one last look and a brief smile before flying away as well. The Alpha Pokemon was left alone, and once it the avian Pokemon were a suitable distance away, it let out a sigh that it did not know it was holding. It felt…jittery, moving from one anxiety-causing scenario to the next, but at least they were being resolved. It contemplated if this was what it was like to be a mortal, constantly having to maneuver around miniature fiascos. Perhaps 'fiasco' was too strong of a word, but being interrogated by Ash's Pokemon certainly felt like one.
It was about to start walking again when it heard Professor Oak clear his throat behind it. "I'm sorry to interrupt, Arceus - I didn't want to get in the middle of what you were discussing with Pidgeot, Noctowl, and Staraptor." Arceus didn't mind, however - it would take the polite, kind Professor over the avian airing of grievances it had to endure. Arceus greeted the older human with a nod as he approached his field of vision. "Me and Delia…and Jessie have decided it might be a good idea for Ash to get the rest of his presents. That might be a good way to get some zest back into his system. Do you know where he is?"
"Indeed - I witnessed Lady Misty instruct him toward a nearby copse you have on this land. I will retrieve him for you." Arceus gestured to the area in question with a flick of its head toward a thicket in the distance. Professor Oak started walking toward it, but Arceus approached him and stopped the man in his tracks. "Please, Sir Oak, you have done more than your fair share of caring for Ash…it is my duty, now." Samuel looked as if he was going to protest, but he only managed to articulate one syllable before he registered the look he was getting from the Alpha. It was not precisely a pleading look, but it was probably adjacent to something like pleading. So, instead, he smiled and walked away, which Arceus was grateful for - Ash was its responsibility now, as his companion and friend, and it would rise to the duties it gave itself.
As the Alpha Pokemon approached the little grove, it became apparent that it was walking into yet another miniature fiasco. "Infernape, wh-whAT ?!" Ash's cracking voice made Arceus pause. It couldn't see Ash's body, but it could see his aura in the copse, as well as Lady Misty's, Celebi's, Sceptile's, Bayleef's, and three other Pokemon that it had not been familiar enough with to recognize instantly. Remembering Noctowl's suggestion to move with 'an abundance of caution,' Arceus skulked around the fringe of the thicket, keeping out of sight to assess what was going on before jumping in. "Infernape…no, no! I'm not leaving you behind, I swear! This is my home, and you're my friend - you know I'll always come back…"
“...but Ash…just because…you come…back, that…dosen’t mean…a couple times…a year is enough!” Arceus could hear a thick, dysphonic voice ooze out into the air in monosyllables of 'muk,' 'muuuuk,' and the occasional 'muh' and 'mkph.' "You're a…good trainer! And I'm…a good Pokemon…so why…don’t I ever…get to…travel, too?”
"Muk, sweetie, I know you have a lot to say, but I'm only translating for Infernape right now, okay?" Celebi's telepathic voice, high-pitched and squeaky, couldn't be a further contrast from the one Arceus heard come before it. "We discussed this earlier - in an intervention, everyone has something important their loved one needs to hear, but it has to be done one at a time." The Alpha Pokemon furtively stuck behind the tree trunks as it peered into the middle of the thicket, where Celebi could be seen fluttering above the purple blob of sludge that was Muk, who was nodding its 'head' up and down at the Voice of the Forest. Sceptile could be seen sitting on a tree branch, anxiously chewing a twig as it affected diffidence, yet stole glances at the scene below. The Hoennese grass starter let out a startled cry as the tree suddenly shook from side to side. Snorlax below shifted his bulk around to get into a more comfortable position reclined against its trunk - the wood groaned ominously.
"An…intervention? I don't get it." Ash seemed baffled and scared when sitting on the ground with Pikachu on his lap and Bayleef at his side. The birthday boy was opposite Infernape, standing at a slouch without making eye contact with his trainer. Ash shook his head at the fiery primate's frowning mug and looked at Misty beseechingly. "Did you know about this?"
"Uhm…k-kinda?" Misty shrugged her shoulders with a harassed expression. "Celebi's been zipping around trying to get as many of your Pokemon as possible for this, and then we couldn't find you, and then Tracey went off with James and Meowth, and that's a whole other thing, and…I didn't think Celebi would go through with it, honestly."
"Why wouldn't I?" The Voice of the Forest turned away from Muk and pouted at the redhead. "This is important."
"Yeah, but it's his birthday! Couldn't you have waited until tomorrow or something for this? Parties are supposed to be fun, not guilt trips." Misty shook her head and considered Ash's face. The frown she was already sporting lengthened. "It doesn't look like you've been having much fun, though…where were you earlier? And where did you get that hat?"
Ash grimaced as he raised a hand to the bill of his blue cap, tugging it down to obscure his eyes partially. "I don't want to… I'll…t-tell you later, Misty. It's a long story." He spoke in an uncharacteristically solemn tone that shut down any further promptings from the Cerulean gym leader. She walked a few steps toward him, but the wary glare she was getting from Pikachu and Bayleef prevented her from getting closer. They weren't angry but wanted Ash to have his space. "...Infernape…how long have you been feeling like this?"
Infernape stayed quiet, coiling his tail and unflexing it repeatedly. When he eventually spoke, the words came out so quietly that Arceus could barely hear them. Celebi was closer to the mumbling primate, however, and thus had no difficulty translating. "Ever since the day you brought me to Oak Corral. I thought I was returning to my Pokeball after being introduced to everyone else, but you said…you would miss me when you went to Unova. It felt like the ground caved in under my feet when you said that…" The Voice of the Forest interpreted, much louder and faster than the very reluctant-sounding Flame Pokemon. However, the longer Infernape kept talking, the less halting his speech became. "...Ash, I love you."
"I l-love you, too, Infernape…!" Ash avered, rubbing the corners of his left eye with a hand. Arceus doubted whether he was close to crying, not because of a lack of emotions on Ash's part but rather because he just had no more tears in his body to shed. However, his statement earned a half-sympathetic, half-annoyed 'biiii' from Celebi. "Wha…what did I do?"
"Let your Pokemon get off everything they have on their chests before you speak, Ash." Celebi patiently explained, ignoring how the idiom didn't work for Muk since it didn't have a chest. "You can talk after, okay? Infernape, you can keep going, buddy."
The Flame Pokemon turned his head away from Ash, clenching his fists and baring his teeth. The fire spitting out from the back of his skull burned brighter and hotter, and when Infernape finally opened his eyes again, the gaze locked his trainer to the spot. "I don't care that you'll come back! I don't care that I'm surrounded by friends here in Oak Corral! And I don't care that we're friends! Because…because I'm greedy, okay?! I'm just a stupid, selfish Pokemon too wrapped up in his past to care about my best friend's future! I've told myself…I keep telling myself this isn't the same as when Paul told me to g-g-get lost…but it feels like it. No matter how hard I try to think logically, I just…I don't want to say goodbye!" Infernape progressively raised his voice, having evolved from softly mumbling his words to something just below a screaming pitch. Ash's face paled as Celebi translated his cries into human language, eyes darting between the mythical Pokemon in the air and the Sinnohese Pokemon on the ground. "I know y-you want to do your journey your way, a fresh start and everything, and I didn't want to stress you out with how I was feeling…but can I just stick around for a l-little longer… please?" The primate startled to sniffle, eyes glazing over with water as he took in big, labored breaths of air that made his white-furred chest heave out.
"...In…Infer…” Ash gaped at the near-to-tears monkey, either bursting with words but couldn't get them out because of Celebi's rules or had no idea what to say - it was hard to tell.
“You have a…really good Pokemon, Ash…” Misty stiffly murmured. The redhead looked uncomfortable…and Arceus could share in that discomfort. The Alpha Pokemon felt like it might have been intruding on something deeply intimate and personal to Ash and his Infernape, and it made a fair guess Lady Misty felt similarly, especially if she was just as lost for context as Arceus. The Flame Pokemon had a previous trainer before Ash, a human named Paul, who told him to 'get lost.' It was enough to extrapolate he had abandonment issues. Still, there was so much left unsaid - who is this Paul, when did this happen, and why did Infernape sound particularly vicious when he brought his former trainer up? "I can…leave if you think that's for the best." Misty fiddled with her fingers a little bit as she shuffled her feet.
"If this is too much, I get it, but…you said you went through something similar with your Pokemon, right? I thought you might be able to lend a…human perspective." Celebi clasped its hands together. "Infernape? Is that all you wanted to say?" The Voice of the Forest gazed down at the Flame Pokemon, who slowly nodded up and down to indicate he was done. Bayleef was as rigid as a stone beside her trainer, looking everywhere except where Infernape was.
"Can I…talk now?" Muk drawled out. The Voice of the Forest nodded, and the Sludge Pokemon then began to speak in its slow, heavy way at length, like the words themselves were sludge. "I know that… I'm not…a very strong…Pokemon, Ash…but I want…to be…for you. After you…caught me, I…was upset…you took…me away from…my pack…but I met…the Professor and couldn't…stay upset. Being around…him made me…less angry…he talked…about you a lot…and still does. He's proud of you…I wondered if…you would live…up to my expectations…when you…used me to battle."
It took a while for Celebi to translate because Muk was speaking at a much slower rate. The few times it tried to get its words out faster, its eyes widened, and a wet popping noise bubbled out from its throat. The amorphous blob's pseudo-larynx could only take so much air passing through it before it started to strain, but thankfully, because everything on Muk's insides was semi-solid, it could quickly fix itself. "But, if anything, the Professor set the bar too low - being around you feels like being around…me. Back in Gringy City, I thought almost everyone was an enemy, but I was wrong - this is gonna sound stupid, but you have the heart of a Muk. Or maybe just the heart of a Pokemon." The mythical Pokemon telepathically spoke. "So why don't I get to join you on your travels? You have so much love to give people, even me! You and Professor Oak are some of the only humans I met who see me for more than just…gunk. It makes me so happy…but you've only used me a few times. You get to go out and make new friends, but I want to, too. So…can I go to Unova with you?" From a distance, Arceus marveled at how much the living amalgamation of toxic sludge could communicate bashfulness - in contrast with Infernape, the longer Muk spoke, the more timid it became, and the more it lost rigidity in its ooze. It looked ready to melt into a puddle by the time it was finished.
"Celebi, I know you mean well, but you need to stop this now ." Pikachu suddenly jumped in, earning everyone else's surprise. "Ash's Pokemon training style isn't some addiction he needs to get a hold of; it's just how he operates. It's nice that you're giving Infernape and Muk a chance to express themselves, but all you're doing is emotionally manipulating him. This is the worst possible time you could have chosen to do this." The electric mouse Pokemon's cheek sacks sparked out some arcs of electricity as he scowled angrily at the mythical Pokemon.
"...easy for you to say…" Bayleef mumbled quietly.
"Huh, Bayleef?" Pikachu pivoted his attention to the Johtonian Pokemon. She was staring at the grass with bared teeth and a furrowed brow as tense as a spring. "What was that?" Pikachu's tone indicated naivete about why she might be upset. Bayleef was happy to explain.
"I said that's easy for you to say!" The Leaf Pokemon sharply turned her head over to Pikachu with a nasty glare, making him recoil in Ash's lap, who seemed to be at a loss for what was happening before his eyes. "You get to go with Ash EVERYWHERE, so of course you think it's bad for the rest of us to tell him how we feel! How would you like it if you were stuck here while Ash left to go alone, huh?!"
From the look on Pikachu's face, the thought terrified him, but he quickly shook it off and returned the hostile gaze Bayleef gave him tenfold. "You should know better than I do that Ash is not in the mood for this. You got to him long before Pidgeot, and I found him in the forest - you saw what he was going through. Did you think he's just automatically okay after one big cry?!" The yellow rat spat. "So, what? Are you going to join in on Celebi's 'intervention'? Beg Ash to take you to Unova instead of me when he's vulnerable?" At this, Bayleef stepped back and widened her eyes.
"I wasn't… I'm not gonna…I didn't say anything about replacing you!" Bayleef shook her head. "And I know what A-Ash just went through, and I f-feel awful about his dad, but-"
"Dad?" Snorlax interjected, raising to alertness as he sat up against the tree Sceptile was resting in. "What about Ash's dad? What's going on?"
"It's nothing!" Sceptile was quick to try and shut down that round of questions from the obese ursine, though that only drew more concerned glances from the other Pokemon who weren't a part of the search party for Ash. "Uhm…well, it was something, but you don't need to know about it right now, okay? Bayleef is just being Bayleef. Ignore her."
"Sceptile! What the heck!?" Bayleef barked out at the Forest Pokemon in the tree branch. "I'm just being jealous - is that what you think?! Bitter? Too clingy? Who had to help you get out of your funk when Ash was leaving for Sinnoh without you? Who confided in you about how she went through the same feelings you were going through, the same that Infernape's going through now? Was it me? Was it no one?!"
Sceptile snarled and jumped off the branch to land on Snorlax's stomach. The pliant mound of furred flesh was bouncy enough to send Sceptile into the air - when it reached the ground, it was in a combat position. "Not. Another. Word." The Hoennese lizard raised its claws on either side of its torso as its yellow, red-rimmed eyes communicated pure anger. "I was left behind, I was upset, I got over it, end of story. It's already bad enough that Celebi's dragging these three out to vent at him; he doesn't need you and me whining, too." Sceptile's eerily calm tone was out of sync with the body language it was giving off.
"...whining?" Infernape echoed, whipping the grass with his tail hard enough to mow it. "Is that what I did? Whine?"
"Guys, sto-...aggghhh!" Ash tried to get up from his seated position on the ground; however, due to the injury in his knee, he ended up planting his face into the grass. His cry of pain worked better at getting Sceptile and Bayleef to stop staring each other down than any plea he could have vocalized. Pikachu wiggled out from underneath Ash's stomach and began tugging the side of his jacket, hoping he could bring his trainer to stop breathing in the dirt. Where the electric mouse failed, Misty rushed over to do what he couldn't, turning Ash over - the birthday boy's vision was soon crowded with a plethora of worried faces. "Stop…fighting, please."
"Ash…why were you being carried by Sceptile earlier?" Misty narrowed her eyes on her former traveling companion. Before Ash could come up with a response, she already connected the dots in her head. "You can't walk. I thought you two were playing piggyback or something. Come on, let's go." Shoving out the surrounding, crouched heads of Pokemon, the redhead grabbed both of Ash's hands and started pulling him off the grass. He fluttered his eyes as he found himself leaning on his good leg against the Cerulean gym leader, not grasping her intentions.
"Wait, WAIT!" Celebi zipped over in front of Ash and Misty before the latter could lead the former toward a place to rest. "This wasn't how it was supposed to happen! Snorlax and I still need to talk to Ash! I don't want to sound rude, but…I w-waited a long time to be Ash's Pokemon, and I just learned that he's not going to take me with him for the next leg of his journey, s-so… can't he wait just a few more minu-?!"
"GRAVITY." Arceus decided that it had thoroughly complied with Noctowl's suggestion to act with an abundance of caution and, having achieved that, intervened in the off-the-rails intervention. It stomped a hoof down into the ground, from which a dark purple wave rippled across the thicket. The ground's gravitational pull in the grove suddenly multiplied, and all of Ash's Pokemon were soon tugged downward. Pikachu, Infernape, Sceptile, and Bayleef found themselves hugging the ground. Muk went flat like a pancake, and the snapping of wood fibers could be heard as the Snorlax's weight artificially became too much for the tree he was resting against to bear. Due to the golden shimmer enveloping their forms, Arceus wasn't affected by the move, nor were Celebi and the two humans affected, protecting them from Gravity's effects. "Now then, can someone please tell me what is transpiring?" The Alpha Pokemon stepped out of the shadows and into the grove where everyone else was, with only Celebi, Ash, and Misty being able to turn their heads to look at it.
Beads of nervous sweat quickly appeared on the sides of Celebi's onion-bulb-shaped head. "Hi t-th-there, Grandpa Arc-c-ceus…uh, wh-wat are you doing here?" The Voice of the Forest shivered as Arceus considered one of the many offspring of Dialga. "I was just - we were just trying to talk to Ash. Um, you see… Sammy's corral is nice, but…when I found out that Ash restarts his Pokemon team every time he goes to a new region, I was afraid he would do the same with me because I'm Ash's Pokemon, now, and DON'T HURT ME!" Celebi telepathically screamed as Arceus took a step forward - the Alpha Pokemon looked like it had been punched.
“...Celebi…you are not in trouble…” Arceus informed. Celebi did not look convinced. The Alpha Pokemon hated seeing its 'grandchild' so viscerally afraid of it. "You have Ash's attention…I recommend taking advantage of it so you can speak with him." The Alpha Pokemon directed Celebi's attention toward Ash and Misty, confusion frank on their faces.
"How do you feel, Ash?" Celebi's psychic voice mumbledin Ash's head. "Is it okay…if you can stay a little longer? It sounds like you went through some pretty heavy stuff earlier."
“Yeah…yeah I did…” A shadow crossed over Ash's face. He closed his eyes and inhaled deeply through his nose before talking again. "But it sounds like… I've been putting you through some heavy stuff, too. Do you still have the GS Ball?" Ash softly winced as he tried shuffling his feet so he would not lean so much on Misty. Even the slightest pressure was enough for his kneecap to help him reconsider that prospect.
"It should be back in the shed… what's left of it, anyway." Celebi flicked its eyes back over at Arceus for less than a second before turning back to Ash. "And I want you to use it, Ash. We can talk about the logistics of it later since I have things to do back at the Lake of Life, but… I want to be your Pokemon. I'm…not the best at fighting in battles. You remember how I was when we met, right? But I've wanted to pay you back…ever since you saved me."
"Celebi… I'm flattered, but I think you're exaggerating a little." Ash let out a short chuckle that contained at least a little warmth. "I'm not sure how much I could have done if…Professor Oak wasn't there to help me. I'm pretty sure it was him, not me, who finally managed to break you out of the Marauder's hypnosis. And…I c-coulden't save you. I wasn't a good enough trainer to stop the Marauder from capturing you, and… you died. All the other Celebi's brought you back, not me. Plus, there was Misty and Brock, who-"
"Ash." Misty shook her head. "We didn't do anything back at Arborville."
"Th-that's not true!" Ash protested, but his face contorted as he struggled to remember the minutiae of the events two and a half years ago. "...oh yeah! Brock, he and his Onix managed to stop that rampaging Tyranitar! And you…uh…”
"I sprained my ankle. That was my 'contribution' toward saving Celebi - we would have gotten to the Lake of Life sooner to heal it if we didn't have to stop for my sake." The redhead let out a thin smile. "As much as I appreciate you trying to make me feel included, I'm not the one who had a mythical Pokemon put itself in the GS Ball for me."
Ash shivered a little in place, not even trying to reciprocate the smile he was getting from Misty. "...things could have gone a lot better, though…I don't feel like I deserve to have a mythical Pokemon wait four decades in a ball for me. One I didn't even get to open." Ash's eyes turned to the ground - only to suddenly look back up as he felt Celebi punch his cheek. It didn't hurt because Celebi was so little, but it got his attention.
"Yeah, Ash, things could have gone better - that's why I entered the GS Ball in the first place. To change what happened at the Lake of Life. But that didn't pan out, and I still want to be with you. Both because things could have been worse if you weren't there to help, but…because you're fun to be around." The Voice of the Forest sighed with a 'bi' and put its hands on its hips. "Maybe you'd thought, with how old I am, I must have seen hundreds of kids like you - I haven't. On average, about 70% of the humans I've met as the Voice of the Forest of the Lake of Life wanted to use me. 29.9% have been people like Sammy, Team Rocket, Brock, and Misty…and then there's you."
“Me?” Ash echoed, tilting his head. “What’s so special about me?”
A silence descended on the grove that lasted five seconds. "Are you serious? " The silence was broken by one human, two mythical Pokemon, and six non-mythical Pokemon uttering the same question simultaneously. An embarrassed blush rose to Ash’s otherwise blanched visage.
"Ash, you're like a living contradiction. You're a hasty, devil-may-care kid with a one-track mind. You put yourself in situations no other sane person would dare do. I thought you were crazy when I met you years ago, but then I heard your Pokemon tell some stories of their own about you; now I'm convinced that not only are you dumb, but also lacking a self-preservation instinct." Misty snorted as her lips involuntarily tugged upward to a smile at Ash's expense. She could confirm everything Celebi was saying about Ash was true. "And yet, against my will, I'm forced to be in awe. You're still here despite everything that's happened on your journey. You're stubborn about things that are the right thing to do. You put yourself in harm to help others. You do the impossible, making the world a better place, because it makes you happy…Ash, you're not just rare; you're unique. There will probably never be another human like you. So I want to be a part of your life while you're still around."
The birthday boy considered Celebi's words, his face caught between expressions - he felt flattered, insulted, surrounded by friends, surrounded by people he had been pushing away. He tensed his fingers like he was about to make a fist but couldn't follow through with the act. Slowly, he turned away from Celebi, with Misty helping him turn around so he could face everyone else. "...Bayleef…Sceptile? Do you guys…feel like how Infernape and Muk feel?"
The two grass types tensed up at the question…but it was hard for them to respond, what with Arceus' Gravity still in effect. Realizing they wouldn't answer Ash until they could move, the Alpha Pokemon stomped its hoof down again, and the gravity returned to normal. "I will not hesitate to use Gravity again if I believe you will come to blows." The white-furred equine warned as Bayleef and Sceptile got up. The Johtonian was frowning, and the Hoennese was scowling, but after exchanging glances, they turned back to their trainer with a nod in the affirmative.
Ash gasped and palmed the side of his face as he scanned the grove, looking up at all the Pokemon he had caught over the years, getting up from the ground and staring back at him. "I…I didn't know… I'm sorry, I'm so sorry! You guys mean everything to me. W-why didn't you say something if you felt like this? I know I can't understand everything you're saying sometimes, but -"
"Ash, I think you might be forgetting someone." Misty pointed over to Snorlax. It waved lazily at her, happy to be acknowledged.
"Wait, Snorlax, seriously?" Ash turned his attention over to the blubbery behemoth of a Pokemon. "You want to travel with me again? But…why? Aren't you happy here?" Ash could understand Infernape and Muk. but…Snorlax? Ash loved the big guy, but he wasn't easy to travel with - his main joys in life were eating and sleeping, and staying at Oak Corral meant a steady diet in Professor Oak's special Pokeblocks that kept his insane appetite in check. If Snorlax were to rejoin the traveling party, that would mean training, hard work, and less food…to the birthday boy, it didn't make any sense. The soft frown Ash was getting from the obese ursine, however, indicated that it made a lot of sense to at least Snorlax.
He rumbled out his reasoning in low-pitched utterances of 'snor' and 'lax,' so like usual, Celebi had to translate. "Ash…when you caught me back in the islands…I mostly saw you as a walking, talking meal ticket. I wasn't interested in helping you with the…Grapefruit League, or whatever it was called. I just ate and slept like I always had before I met you." The Voice of the Forest translated. "But you didn't care - even though all I did was take up space whenever you guys would stop to camp, you went out of your way to make me feel included. You tried to get me to train, to make…uh, friends with your other Pokemon. I didn't see why I should, but when I did…I… had fun. I liked traveling from island to island with you, Tracey, and Misty. When I found out you were going to Johto, I was excited. Not too excited, but…" Snorlax shook his head and sighed.
"But…what?" Ash felt his eyes glaze over - it seemed there were still some tears to shed. "Why didn't you tell me you wanted to come? If I had known what I was putting you through, I would have…I would have done something about it! I wasn't trying to be mean; I just wanted…I…wanted to be fair."
"...huh?" Misty blinked her eyes rapidly as she processed what Ash just said. "What do you mean, Ash? How is this fair for your Pokemon?"
"I didn't…mean my Pokemon." Ash grimaced. "I meant…for other trainers. Remember when we first met Casey back in Johto? The baseball-obsessed trainer just starting out?"
Yeah, but what does that have to do with-...oh. Oh no, Ash…" The redhead shook her head.
"Um…context, please?" Celebi awkwardly butted in, not aware of the silent exchange of realizations going on between Ash and Misty.
"Oh, yeah, I remember this." Pikachu's ears drooped as he waved Celebi down from the air to get on his level. The Voice the Forest fluttered to the electric mouse's side, ready to listen. "When Ash was just starting in Johto, we met this kid who tried to challenge Ash to a Pokemon battle after he insulted her baseball team, the Electabuzz."
"Oh, I know those guys!" Celebi nodded with a smile. "They suck."
"Correct. Casey was deeply offended by Ash's deeply true statement about how bad they were, so she called him out to a Pokemon battle. She used a Rattata, a Pidgey, and a Chikorita. Ash only used Charizard. You can imagine how well that went for her." Pikachu chuckled, though his smile quickly melted as he continued the story. "So, after she ran off crying, Misty and Brock gave Ash a hard time, saying it wasn't fair for him to have used such a powerful Pokemon on a trainer just starting…"
"This is the first time I've heard about this…!" Bayleef marveled. She looked at Muk and Snorlax, who wore similar expressions of shock on their fluid (Muk's) and cherubic (Snorlax's) faces. "This must have been way before I met Ash…so he just restarts whenever he goes to a new region to give everyone else a fair shake?"
"I did not know you had a Charizard, Ash," Arceus commented. "I have seen that you have many Pokemon under your command, but no Charizards attend this celebration. Do they not want to be a part of the festivities?"
"...U-uhm…" Ash was having a hard time maintaining eye contact with the Alpha Pokemon. "Charizard's…training in Johto, in the Charicific Valley. He's happy there; I know he is…he even has a female Charizard I'm pretty sure he's sweet on. Liza's a much better Charizard trainer than I ever will be, and he wanted to be as strong as all the others there, so… that's his home now."
"You got rid of him because you thought you needed to be fair to everyone else." Celebi countered. Ash opened his mouth to protest that claim, but the mythical Pokemon slapped him before any words could be made. This time, it hurt, "Idiots. Both of you." The Voice of the Forest glared at both of the humans.
"...yeah, I guess I deserve that." Misty glumly acknowledged, "Ash…I want to say sorry for the grief I put you through. I still think you could have used any other Pokemon besides Charizard with Casey…but you worked hard to train him, and just like I'm sure you worked hard with Infernape and Sceptile and all the other Pokemon you have. Overconfident rookies constantly challenge the Cerulean gym, and it doesn't bother me when I wipe the floor with them. You should be proud of the training you did for your Pokemon; I'm sorry if I put the idea in your head that you had to pull your punches at the start of each new region."
“This is all…so much to think about…” Ash made a pained face. "I don't…I still think I should give myself a little bit of a challenge. I can't just breeze past the competition with you guys. If I took Celebi, Muk, Snorlax, Sceptile, Bayleef, and Infernape, then…Pikachu would…" A tremor rocked the birthday boy's body. The idea of going anywhere without Pikachu made him feel sick.
"Hold on, Ash; I'm not coming with you right away - I have duties as a mythical Pokemon, remember?" Celebi held out its hands in a placating motion. "And Bayleef and Sceptile…do you two have anything you'd like to say to Ash?"
Sceptile looked at Celebi, surprised to hear what it just said, and then it looked at Ash. Despite how exhausted Sceptile knew the Pokemon trainer must have been, he still gave it all his attention, ready to hear what it had to say despite the language barrier. The Hoennese grass-type pursed its lips and put a claw to its chin, trying to think of the right words. "...Ash…I know you care about me. It shouldn't feel like you 'left me behind' because you didn't - I'm a valued team member, and I'm sure of that. But, yeah, getting back to traveling would be nice." The Forest Pokemon confessed, with Celebi translating. "But I don't want you to take me out of pity. I won't waste my talents beating up rookies; I'm better than that. It makes sense for you to take Muk and Snorlax because you haven't trained them that much, but…if y-you feel like it, maybe I could come along when you're further along in Unova?" The normally proud, suave Pokemon wrung its claws together over its abdomen. It was a loner that prided itself on its self-sufficiency…but no one was an island.
"...what Sceptile said." Bayleef nodded her head solemnly as she spoke next. "It's been hard only seeing you a couple of times a year, Ash…but if anyone should go with you, it should be Infernape. I only want you, but…that guy needs you. I can wait a little longer…and if they have any Ground or Rock gyms in Unova, maybe me and Sceptile can help."
Once Celebi was finished translating, Ash dipped his head down, his dad's hat obscuring his face. His throat choked out noise, and everyone feared the worst, but when he raised his noggin again, not only was his eyes dry, but his face was split in a broad smile. "That.. that'd be great, Bayleef. That…ahaha…Bahaha! You guys…sound like I got a better idea of what I should be doing than I do! I do-hohon't…know up with mehehehaha!" Ash laughed.
"What's so funny, Ash?" Misty looked at the birthday boy with concern and amusem*nt on her half-smiling face.
"Me!" Ash replied. "I'm a joke of a trainer! My Pokemon have been waiting for me to get it through my thick skull that I have to be with them to train them! It's... bwahaha! It's hilarious!" He closed his eyes and brought a hand to the side of his head, shaking it in disbelief of his behavior.
"Wait…does that mean that you're taking us?" Celebi hovered in front of Ash with a hopeful expression. Ash couldn't say anything more through his laughing fit, but he nodded with a beaming grin. The Voice of the Forest's eyes widened and felt itself tearing up as a smile soon formed. "...happy to be a member of your- woAH!" The mythical Pokemon was interrupted by Infernape bounding over to his trainer on all fours before ejump[ing up to wrap the birthday boy in a tight hug…with Celebi and Misty caught in the middle.
"In…fernape…!" Misty wheezed as the powerful Flame Pokemon squeezed her, pressing the side that wasn't trapped by its strong arm into Ash's. " Let…go… can't…breathe!"
"Thank you." Infernape ignored Misty's plea and Celebi's high-pitched squeaking as it flailed between his and Ash's chests. The bipedal primate rested his muzzle in the crook of his trainer's neck and shoulder and smiled a wide, monkey's smile. "I promise you won't regret this. You've made me the happiest Pokemon in the world. Thank you so, so, so much, Ash." The birthday boy returned the ug as best he could, placing an arm across the primate's furred back. The flames on the back of Infernape's head were right in the side of his face, but not only did they not burn, the fire didn't even feel warm. Ash only felt his Pokemon's simian ears tickle his jaw.
"Group…hug!" Muk announced with a broad smile and outstretched arms as it advanced toward Ash in Infernape's embrace like a slow-moving tidal wave. Misty would have screamed at the sight of the week-old garbage-smelling blob coming at her if her lungs had any air left.
"...Forest Pokemon? When Ash is done with…whatever it is he is doing, may you please bring Ash toward Sir Oak? It is time for him to receive the rest of his gifts." Arceus turned away from the sight of Muk affectionately smothering Ash and Misty from behind and remembered why it had come over to find Ash in the first place. Sceptile nodded, chuckling at the sight of Ash starting to go blue in the face. Snorlax tried to rise off the ground but got tired and gave up. He wasn't against getting a good hug in, but Ash would have to come to him, not the other way around. "I know that we have only just met…but I wish to express my pleasure at having familiar faces with me in the Unova region."
"...oh yeah, I almost forgot about that." Sceptile was caught between a grimace and a smile. "Yeah, sure, I'll…see you in Unova. Still plan on kicking your butt at some point, mind you."
"Sceptile, why do you open your mouth sometimes?" Pikachu muttered and shook his head. He gazed up at what little could be seen of Ash as he got hugged by Muk and Infernape, jealous of not joining in and thankful he could still breathe, unlike Ash, Misty, and Celebi. He looked over to Arceus and narrowed his gaze. "...thanks. For stepping in earlier. But I could have handled things myself." The electric mouse weakly offered his gratitude.
"You are welcome, Mouse Pokemon. I apologize for intruding on a situation you were clearly in control of." Arceus' eyes flashed red while its muzzle grooves tugged down. It turned on its hooves and promptly exited the middle of the thicket before Pikachu could reply to Arceus' sarcastic apology. It did not get too far, as Bayleef soon was at his side. When Arceus noticed her presence, it sighed and stopped. "Yes, Leaf Pokemon?" It tried not to sound irritated.
Bayleef skirted her eyes to the ground before mustering a modicum of confidence. "Pikachu might not mean it…but I do. Thank you for helping us." The Johtonian grass type grinned gratefully. "I let my emotions get the better of me…thanks for putting me in a 'Gravity time-out.' It helped me calm down." The Alpha Pokemon was surprised by how much those simple words affected it. With the white-furred equine's mood repaired to some extent, it wagged its tail lazily in contentment.
"I was merely performing my duty as Ash's protector…but…I am pleased to know I performed it well." Arceus dipped its head to acknowledge the gratitude, "Is there anything else you wish to discuss with me?"
Bayleef awkwardly scuffed a foreleg against the ground. "I hate to see you leave on such a sour note…and we're going to see a lot of each other soon, so…maybe we can play a game? To get a feel for each other?" Bayleef suggested. Her eyes slit up as an idea entered her mind. "I know! Let's play Tag!"
Bayleef would later regret teaching Arceus Tag.
Present Time, Nuvema Harbor & Seaplane Base
Flight 151 from Kanto's Old Shore Wharf (outfitted recently to accommodate the burgeoning seaplane craze) had finished its final approach. The gray Goliath gracefully dropped from the puffy white clouds in the Unovan sky, cleared for landing, and met the ocean below, sending saltwater to spray on the windows, to the passengers' novel delight. The plane/boat hybrid 'sailed' between the two jetties where passengers were to disembark, with a modest crowd of spectators further ahead at the connected esplanade, either waiting for someone they know on board to reunite with or just enjoying watching a giant metal thing drop out of the sky and miraculously not sink.
None of the passengers disembarking from Flight 151 were more excited than Ash Ketchum, who was so eager to get off the seaplane that he jumped onto the jetty. With a satisfied grunt, the 14-year-old pumped his fists into the air with a broad grin. "We're here, Pikac-chu-hu-hoo my knee." The Pokemon trainer faltered as his nearly recovered leg savagely punished him for his reckless behavior. He was still smiling…it just now looked very strained. Pikachu, to his left, giggled, mirroring Ash's raised fists as best he could with his stubby arms - his paws only came up to his cheek sacks. Delia and Professor Oak, to his right, were less amused.
"Ash, I know you're excited to be in Unova…" Delia put her hand gently on her son's shoulder. "…but if you break your knee again before the day is out, I swear I will put you back in that plane and fly you home." She ever-so-slightly tightened her grip, and Aah felt those fingertips dig into his flesh like steel. He acknowledged his mom's warning with an open-mouthed nod and a vague 'uh-huh!' noise that was good enough for the Ketchum matriarch.
Professor Oak brought out his Pokégear from his labcoat and checked the clock feature on its home screen - getting off the plane consumed more time than he had hoped. He deposited the Kantonian device back in his coat pockets and clasped his hands together. "Let's not dilly-dally, now! Sorry to rush, but the symposium starts in just an hour, and I want to make sure I acquaint you all with my good colleague, Professor Juniper!" Samuel beckoned the mother/son duo to follow him as he walked with a spring to the promenade. The Ketchums followed after the professor, with Pikachu following after his trainer on all fours for a little while... before he suddenly stopped. "She's a Pokémon ætiologist - that means she studies the origins of how Pokemon came about. It's a delightfully fascinating field, including evolutionary biology, cosmogony…" The older man's voice faded from Pikachu's ears as walks further away - the electric mouse jerked its head around to look back at the ocean, confused as to why the air felt so…charged.
Ash kept following behind Professor Oak and his mom before he eventually noticed the absence of his constant companion by his side. Delia and Samuel went on ahead, not knowing that Ash had stopped, and turned around to see his best buddy Pikachu staring at space. "Hey, Pikachu! What's up, buddy?" Pikachu did not respond - instead, the electric mouse abruptly sprinted toward the jetty's end. "Pikachu! Hey, is something wrong?" Ash jogged over to keep pace with the scampering mouse. The Pokemon did not stop until he ran out of ground to walk on, standing at the edge of the structure as he scanned the surrounding harbor nervously.
The hills that made up the valley in which Nuvema Town was situated did not slope down to meet the coast - they jutted out toward the water without bothering to lower their elevation. As such, the rocky cliffs that protruded into the ocean made for a shallow, natural harbor, and on either side of Pikachu, he saw human structures squished on the limited land to be built in those cliffs' shadows. Cargo cranes, warehouses, and hangers crowded the space where the hills met the water…but nothing looked out of the ordinary. "Where…is it? I can feel something coming…" Pikachu's cheek sacks sparked a few thin bolts as the tension gradually increased within him. A muted boom coursed through the air, prompting Pikachu to look up into the sky. "... that's not a normal storm."
Past the cliffs to the east, a cumulonimbus cloud could be seen - it was pretty far away, but Pikachu could feel the electricity it held, which was abnormal. The electric mouse might have been able to sense a storm's energy when it was directly above him, but very rarely were storms so powerful that he could feel them from that far away. And it seemed so out of place with the rest of the sky, a dark gray blemish on what was otherwise a sky dominated by bright white clouds against calm shades of blue. "Pikachu… huff , what's going on? You're acting all weird…" Ash finally caught up with the yellow rat, panting somewhat. He considered Pikachu's shocked, open-mouthed face as he stared into the east. Before the 14-year-old could look in the direction Pikachu was staring, his attention was distracted by an Alomomola skipping out of the water. "Woah, I've never seen a Pokemon like that before!"
This would be the first native Pokemon Ash Ketchum would see in the Unova region - a bright pink fish Pokemon shaped like a heart…not to be confused with a Luvdisc. It splashed in and out of the water just in front of Ash and Pikachu at the end of the jetty, catching their focus as sparkling seawater beaded off its membrane-coated scales. "Did you see that thing's fins - they looked…Pikachu, they kind of looked like hands. Human hands!" Ash got down on his good knee and peered over the edge, trying to make out the mysterious Pokemon's silhouette in the briny depths. "That was so cool…I wonder if they're more…" Pikachu did not share in his trainer's awed enthusiasm, pivoting his attention back to the sky - he squeaked out a shocked 'kachu!' that pulled Ash away from the water. "Pikachu, wh-...where did that come from?" Ash fluttered his eyes at the sight of the anvil-top cloud barrelling over cliffs.
The storm had gotten far closer in too short a time from when Pikachu last looked at it - the cloud seemed to be propelled by a gale force wind. Bruise-blue lightning forked out from its bottom, and the electric mouse's tail shot straight up, alarmed. "I didn't see anything like that back when we were in the air…" Ash commented as he witnessed a section of the dark gray cloud light up in a thunder crash. "Did you, Pikachu?"
"No," Pikachu replied with a curt shake of his head - the energy in the air was so intense that he felt smothered by it. "Ash…I think we should get out of -"
"Prepare for trouble as we interrupt your view!" A familiar voice rang out as orchestral music suddenly started up out of nowhere.
"And make it double for our Unovan debut!" Ash felt something hit the side of his face before falling to the ground. It was a rose. The kid only knew of one man who always had a full complement of cut flowers on his person to throw at people. With a sigh, he and Pikachu wearily turned to face - who else - Jessie, James, and Meowth.
"If it isn't Team Retired," Ash quipped with a smirk. The smug, confident expressions on Jessie and James' faces slipped off into expressions of pained surprise. "What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be with Professor Oak right now?"
Jessie scowled at the 14-year-old. "As a matter of fact, yes, we should. But we're trying to be good samaritans for a change, remember?" Jessie shook her head and brought a hand to her head - these actions inadvertently caused enough disturbance in her hair buns to undo themselves. The former Team Rocket agent's iconic magenta comet of hair returned to the world with an audible 'boing' - Jessie slapped her face with her other hand as she heard it. "Meowth, cut the music; the moment's ruined. I need to redo my disguise…" The 29-year-old woman muttered as she began twisting her stylish yet ultimately suspicious good looks into buns.
"Oy vey…an' we worked so hard on makin' a new motto and everyt'in'..." The Scratch Cat set down the boombox he held and stopped the tune just before it reached its climax. "We say youse an' Pikachu's craniums over da water, so we t'ough youse guys were heavin' out your inflight meals." Meowth flicked a claw up to James, who was jiggling a bright orange canister of motion sickness pills.
"...oh…um, thanks, but…I don't get airsick…" Ash scratched the back of his neck awkwardly. After that, he stared at the former Team Rocket members for a little longer in silence, searching for something in their eyes. When Ash didn't find it, he sighed and shook his head as he got up. "Sorry, guys. I'm just not used to you three actually being nice. The only times you give me free stuff is when you're trying to con me out of Pikachu."
James seemed to take a small amount of resentment at Ash's very true statement, breaking out into a pout. "The nerve! Sure, it's a fairly accurate statement, but still - the nerve ! We're practically dizzy from how fast we turned over a new leaf! These pills are perfectly safe for consumption - observe!" The flamboyant, blue-haired man twisted off the canister's cap and fished out a pellet to drop into his mouth. After swallowing it, he gazed at Ash with an 'I told you so' smile, demonstrating that the offer to help was genuine. James' grin slowly faded, however, as he felt the pill go into effect prematurely - in his throat. "...Jessie? Do you mind telling me how my air sickness pills got mixed up with our old smoke bombs?" He deadpanned over to Jessie, white wisps of smoke puffing out of his mouth.
The sight of James' smoke-spewing mouth was so funny to his partner that she lost all the progress she had made with redoing her hair as she fought to keep her snigg*ring to a minimum. " Snrk …listen, I don't know why you thought I should be the one to hold the first aid bag. When I found out that the security at the airport was going to search through our bags, I panicked!" Jessie defended herself. "I switched out some of the boring stuff with some valuable tricks of the trade that I'm sure will come in handy later. None of us get airsick, so I thought…" She trailed off as James broke into a dry coughing fit that blew smoke her way. He looked supremely unamused by Jessie's decision-making capabilities.
"Dis ain't paintin' us in a good light, is it?" Meowth forlornly slumped. Ash wryly chuckled with a shake of his head and arms crossed over his chest. Pikachu, for his part, did not seem interested in the situation at all, content to stare up into the sky. "Eh? Wat's wit'...youse?" Meowth was about to protest the lack of attention being paid by his former quarry, only for the irritation to die in his throat as he followed the yellow rat's gaze up.
"…wat happened to da' sky?" Meowth questioned no one in particular. The storm that the former members of Team Rocket had overlooked until now was directly overhead the harbor. It seemed the storm was directly centered above the jetty they all were on. The Scratch Cat's comment prompted Ash, James, and Jessie to look up just in time to see a cyan lightning bolt shoot out. It was aimed at the most electrically charged thing below - Pikachu. "...! GET OUT OF-!" Meowth screamed at the yellow rat, but he was too late.
The storm's lightning bolt connected with Pikachu, creating an electrical shockwave strong enough to push back everyone else around him. Ash was sent falling into the water while Team 'Retired' was knocked back across the jetty. Pikachu's anguished screams could barely be heard over the lightning's discharge. "Too…much…it hurts…get OFF ME!" The yellow rat snapped in a voice bigger than his tiny body should have been capable of making, angrily fighting through the pain to send his own brand of electricity back at the storm. Cyan and chiffon-cake-yellow arcs of electricity splayed out through the air, the brightest thing to be seen in Nuvema Harbor.
"Thunder!"Someone else entered the fray before the impromptu light show could go on for too long. A vivid yellow beam of electricity hit sideways where Pikachu's and the storm's two lightning bolts converged, canceling out both as a thundering electromagnetic pulse took out the power in the surrounding harbor's buildings. Ash broke through the water's surface with a big gasp of air, clambering onto the jetty with haste as he checked up on Pikachu - he was panting, covered in electrical burns…but still standing. "I apologize for being so tardy with my arrival, Ash." Ash and his best buddy looked up into the sky, where Arceus, equipped with its Zap Plate, had materialized. However, the Alpha Pokemon wasn't looking at Ash - it was staring at the cumulonimbus cloud.
"I do not know who you are…" Arceus narrowed its eyes at the churning mass of water vapor above. With its aural sight, it could see the legendary Pokemon within starting to descend from its hiding spot. "...but as long as I am present, you will NOT harm my hero!"
