In myths, it's described as the earliest Pokémon, born from an egg in the void before the cosmos even existed.
In Hisui's mythology, it's said to have shone its own light from the heavens down upon the Hisui lands, guiding and protecting Pokémon with that radiance. In those myths, it's revered as the creator of all things.
Almighty Sinnoh. Creator. God of Creation.
These are all titles humans and Pokémon use to address Arceus.
Holy shit.
Damian stares in shock at this Arceus.
He'd thought before about what his first meeting with Arceus might be like.
Since he's already made that agreement with Giratina, obviously he figured they'd do plenty of prep and then head to the Hall of Origin to challenge Arceus.
He really never expected that "encounters" could come this sudden.
Bathed in a soft, gentle glow, It just stands there quietly on the ground.
He has no idea when It even appeared.
Its whole body is white; its overall shape is like a mix of horse, qilin, and centaur. Its torso, mane, tail, and face are all outlined in gray striping, its hooves are golden, and around its waist is a cross‑shaped golden wheel, known as the Thousand‑Arm Universe‑Brace.
Its eyes are green, pupils red, and right now they're watching Damian with a faint smile.
Its body isn't particularly huge—by eye it's just over three meters tall at most—but its presence is unbelievably ethereal, carrying a flavor he can't quite put into words.
Caitlin and Cynthia both turn to look at the Pokémon that appeared out of nowhere, racking their memories.
But no matter how they search, they've never seen this Pokémon before.
"Almighty Sinnoh!"
The three Lake Guardians drop into an instant "kneel," lowering their heads to Arceus and greeting It with deep respect.
Almighty Sinnoh??
Cynthia and Caitlin both get it at once.
So this white Pokémon in front of them is the Arceus of legend.
Almighty Sinnoh!!!
Cynthia's heart heaves like a stormy sea as she stares at this Pokémon whose aura feels both warm and gentle.
She's really heard Its name too many times lately.
Creator. Almighty Sinnoh. The creator of Dialga and the others.
"Long time no see~"
Arceus nods slightly to the three Lake Guardians; a mild Telepathy ripples out.
Its Telepathy is special—like a kindly old elder who's seen the ages come and go.
Yeah, maybe It just likes that tone.
Strictly speaking, Arceus's lifespan should be infinite; It shouldn't be "old" in any real sense.
Looks like this Arceus's temper is pretty good, huh.
Damian notices that immediately.
And it matches what he knows; whether from legends or his own knowledge of Arceus's deeds, Arceus is actually extremely gentle.
As for the movie…
That was because Arceus thought It'd been betrayed by humans. A thousand years of grudge turned It into a "demon."
But the moment the misunderstanding cleared, Arceus was still a very kind, benevolent being.
In the movie, Arceus is even willing to lend Its own source‑of‑life Plates to Damos.
That says plenty.
For that Arceus, the Plates literally are Its life. Once It loses all Its Plates, It'll die soon after.
That alone shows how far It went.
"Respected Arceus, I'm Damian. It's an honor to meet You."
Damian's thoughts are racing, but on the surface he immediately shows Arceus respect.
Whatever else, Arceus is this world's god of creation; paying respect is basic.
"You're very good, Damian."
Arceus's gaze rests on Damian, and It speaks with a gentle smile.
It has seen much, and watched for a long time.
"I thought You were still in slumber. Everyone in Michina Town has been waiting for Your return, so they can give Your Plates back to You."
Damian keeps a calm, steady tone as he answers.
"Michina Town, huh~"
Arceus sounds quietly nostalgic.
It recalls Michina Town from back then; thinking on it, It really hasn't gone back in far too long.
In the blink of an eye, a thousand years have passed. Damos is probably nothing but a cup of yellow earth by now.
That's humans for you.
"From a thousand years ago, I fell into slumber. I've only just woken up recently."
Arceus explains.
And It hadn't expected that the moment It woke, It'd see so many things.
Recently?
So It didn't just wake up "right now" either.
Which means everything that just happened at Spear Pillar…
A bad feeling pricks at the back of Damian's mind.
"Don't worry. I'll be waiting for your challenge in the Hall of Origin."
Hearing that, Damian lifts his head and meets Arceus's smiling eyes.
"The hymn of humans is the hymn of courage. The greatness of humans is the greatness of courage."
Arceus lifts Its head, gazing into the distance; Its mild Telepathy carries a faintly ethereal tone.
Worth noting: Kyogre is terrified its silhouette might block Arceus's view and immediately drops down to the ground to lie flat, very obedient.
Yeah, please don't look at me, Lord Arceus.
"This is…"
Hearing that line, something stirs in Damian's chest.
That sounds… awfully familiar.
"Once, long ago, a human came before Me to prove human resilience and challenged Me."
"At that time, he came as the representative of all humankind."
"I acknowledged that humanity's future could move forward on its own. I returned to My own alternate dimension, but I've often pondered just what gave him such unshakable conviction."
Arceus's Telepathy flows on.
"But later, I understood. Under My protection, while humans indeed could live in stability, they also lacked the courage to open up their own future."
"And reality has proven that true."
Arceus's gaze returns to Damian; Its eyes glimmer with a faint light.
"Giratina has always held resentment in its heart toward Me. I've always known that. But I don't want it to do anything irrational because of that grudge."
"Now that you're here, Damian, I feel much more at ease."
At that, Damian nods.
That much is obvious.
Giratina's temper is rough; for the sake of challenging Arceus, it's very likely to pull a lot of extreme stunts—like driving Dialga and Palkia berserk.
But with himself in the mix, Damian absolutely won't let Giratina run wild.
"Just as you said—I really do anticipation that moment. I want to see your limits."
Light flares in front of Arceus; out of nowhere, a deep‑purple flute appears.
Azure Flute.
Damian recognizes this abstract‑looking flute instantly.
It's the Azure Flute that opens the path to the "beginning between."
"You won't find the Azure Flute out there in the world."
Arceus's warm voice continues.
"I already recalled it and put it to slumber a thousand years ago."
Damian clicks his tongue.
Good thing Arceus came out today. Otherwise he'd have been wasting his time forever.
Makes sense, though.
In the games, Azure Flute was never obtainable to begin with.
Only in Pokémon Legends—and even then, it's Arceus who gives it.
"Take it."
"Thank You."
Damian doesn't refuse; he carefully accepts the Azure Flute.
This is a god personally handing it over.
"Time… isn't that plentiful."
"?"
Damian frowns.
What does It mean, "time isn't that plentiful"?
"An evil force is currently wandering between parallel worlds. Damian, you need to be ready."
Arceus doesn't play the enigmatic "riddle" game; It goes straight to the point and warns Damian.
An evil force?
Wandering between parallel worlds?
Damian raises a brow.
Team Rainbow Rocket?
In the original, only Team Rainbow Rocket fits that description.
"Can't You just wipe them all out Yourself?"
Damian asks Arceus.
Team Rainbow Rocket is an evil organization led by Rainbow Giovanni, an all‑but‑invincible org formed by crossing multiple parallel worlds.
Worth noting: Every Admin in Team Rainbow Rocket is the boss of some evil organization.
And each one is a boss who actually succeeded in their own world.
On top of that, they all wield Legendary Pokémon.
Archie with Kyogre. Cyrus with Palkia. Ghetsis with Zekrom. And so on.
Rainbow Giovanni himself holds a Mewtwo that can Mega Evolve.
Without question, Team Rainbow Rocket is terrifyingly strong.
And Rainbow Giovanni gathered all these bosses from different worlds precisely because he's not content just ruling his own world.
He's set his sights on all kinds of parallel worlds.
Then this monstrously powerful organization invades Alola and—
In the game's plot, gets solo'd by Selene.
What a joke.
Just a Team Rainbow Rocket, daring to invade the Alola Region where Lady Selene lives?
They really didn't know their place.
Of course, in this world, Selene hasn't grown up yet.
But that's okay.
They still have Arceus.
"Damian, after that incident back then, I made My choice: I will no longer interfere in the internal conflicts of humans."
Arceus shakes Its head.
Damian: "…"
"Arceus, is there any chance You could classify this as an alien invasion? That shouldn't count as an internal conflict, right?"
Damian picks his words carefully and speaks to Arceus.
Internal human conflicts ought to at least be within this world.
These guys are coming in from parallel worlds.
How's that "internal"?
Arceus only smiles, silent, Its gaze fixed steadily on Damian.
"All right, all right, I get it. Please just leave this to me."
Damian sobers instantly, thumping his chest with full confidence.
"As expected of the one Giratina chose. Damian, I wasn't wrong about you."
A pleased smile lights Arceus's eyes; Its Telepathy is full of praise.
Damian's eyelid twitches.
He suddenly feels like Arceus might be a bit black‑bellied.
Even so, Team Rainbow Rocket has always been one of his targets anyway.
If Team Rainbow Rocket dares come, he'll never let them walk away.
"Once you've driven those intruders out, I'll grant you a reward befitting your efforts."
Arceus will still reward him; It's never been one to make people work for free.
"What kind of reward?"
Damian's already looking forward to it.
"What do you want?"
Arceus sounds quite interested.
"I want a body that can handle a thousand hammer blows and fires—a body that's the single most outstanding among all humans in the world."
"?"
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