If you could make a wish to Arceus, what would you ask for?
A baby Arceus?
That's not impossible, but you'd only get that from Arceus's true body.
This Arceus in front of them is just an avatar; how could It possibly hand over a baby Arceus?
So then, rare and precious Pokémon?
Honestly, Damian doesn't lack those.
At most, Arceus could whip up another Sinnoh Creation Trio on the spot.
But this world already has Dialga, Palkia, and Giratina.
Making another set of the Pokémon of Myth would be pointless, maybe even cause trouble.
Especially when Damian's already caught Giratina; there's really no need.
Aside from rare Pokémon, is there anything else Damian actually lacks?
Not really.
Money?
He's loaded.
Women?
Damian's never been short on beautiful ones around him.
So what's left to ask for?
Immortality?
Eternal youth?
Damian did hesitate over that.
The desire to live forever is wired into everyone.
When you strip it down, no matter how glorious a person's life is, a hundred years later they're just a handful of dirt.
Like what Reshiram told Damian before: when Damian dies, it wants to turn into a Light Stone and be buried with him.
It sounds weird, but to Reshiram, that's a very heartfelt idea.
From its perspective, humans don't live past a hundred; Damian will die of old age sooner or later.
But after thinking it through, Damian realizes immortality isn't impossible by normal means anyway.
Because there's a way to become immortal in the Kalos region.
The Ultimate Weapon.
Ultimate Weapon is a divine device created by AZ; it can grant someone immortality.
Roughly three thousand years ago, war broke out in Kalos.
The king back then, AZ, lost his Pokémon friend Floette in that war.
Crushed by grief, AZ poured everything into creating the Ultimate Weapon.
Bathed in its light, Floette came back from the dead and became immortal, mutating into the Eternal Flower Floette.
At the same time, because AZ himself was exposed to the Ultimate Weapon's light, he also became immortal.
But Eternal Flower Floette learned that the Ultimate Weapon had sacrificed a massive number of Pokémon lives to bring it back; disappointed, it left AZ.
Immortal and unable to die, AZ has wandered for three thousand years up to the present day; even now, somewhere in Kalos, AZ is still walking the land.
AZ's little brother even called the Ultimate Weapon "a device of the gods."
Without question, the Ultimate Weapon is basically a miracle of invention.
Its principle is simple: sacrifice the life force of other Pokémon and grant that life to someone else.
But this "gift from the gods" can also become absolute destruction.
After reviving Floette, AZ was still consumed by rage, so he altered the Ultimate Weapon into a true weapon.
In the end, he used it to annihilate both sides of the war and ended it.
Aside from burning the life force of countless Pokémon to power it, there's another option—use the vast life energy of Xerneas or the destructive energy of Yveltal to fuel it.
If you want immortality, all you need to do is catch Xerneas and fire up the Ultimate Weapon with its power.
So rather than immortality, Damian wants a healthy, powerful, perfect body.
He's already received the Lake Guardians' blessing; his mind is basically unbreakable.
But his body isn't.
Right now, Damian's still young; even going all‑night with Elesa and the others doesn't leave him worried about running himself into the ground.
But at this rate, someday, he will.
Might as well ask Arceus for an upgrade.
With a body tempered like steel, everything he wants to do becomes a lot easier.
"You only want a stronger body?"
Arceus tilts Its head, clearly puzzled.
It doesn't really get it.
From what It can see, Damian's body is already in very good shape; there doesn't seem to be any need for more buffs.
"Yeah, Lord Arceus. You don't get it. I want to keep getting stronger—best if I can take ten guys at once."
Damian shows a polite, reserved smile and leans in a bit as he says it to Arceus.
Obviously, though, this kind of "subtle" wording goes right past our noble Arceus.
For once, Arceus's eyes go a little blank.
One man taking on ten?
Is this still the Pokémon world?
No, hang on.
With Damian's Pokémon strength, never mind ten; a hundred wouldn't be a problem.
"I roughly understand. Since you want a powerful body, I can grant you one."
It still doesn't fully get it, but if this is Damian's wish, Arceus doesn't really mind.
A soft holy gold light blooms from Arceus's body.
The light slowly pours down over Damian.
"Arceus, You're just giving it to me like this?"
Damian's a bit surprised.
"This small request isn't difficult. When those evil forces arrive, simply do your best to drive them out."
Arceus's voice is gentle and kind, like some loving elder.
"Rest assured! I will never let any evil forces run wild in this world!"
Bathed in golden light, Damian speaks righteously.
God, this feels good.
Arceus's power keeps reshaping and upgrading Damian's body.
That deep, bone‑deep comfort makes Damian almost want to moan out loud.
Damian~!
Caitlin's refined face can't hide her smile; pride and worship shine in her eyes as she looks at Damian.
This is the man she's chosen to entrust her life to.
Even the God of Creation, Arceus, values Damian this much.
Damian's just incredible.
Cynthia's gaze is much more complicated.
She, too, glances sideways at Caitlin.
Seeing nothing but Damian in Caitlin's eyes, Cynthia's thoughts churn; who knows what's going through her head.
Before long, the golden light slowly fades.
Damian squeezes his fists and immediately feels a solid, tangible strength.
A faint gold glow lingers around his palm too.
He can tell there's a new energy in his body, one that's completely different from the power of Viridian.
This is power Arceus gave him.
"You really went all out, huh."
Damian's honestly stunned as he looks up at Arceus.
That's generous.
Arceus's eyes curve into a smile.
To It, this was just a casual favor.
"Then I'll be on My way. Damian, I'll be waiting for your good news in the Hall of Origin."
"Yes, You can count on it."
Once Arceus hears Damian's confident answer, Its figure slowly floats upward.
A golden door opens in the sky; Arceus passes through, and Its form vanishes.
"Arceus~"
Watching that last wisp of golden light fade, Damian can't help a heartfelt sigh.
So that's Arceus.
If only he could catch one.
What a shame.
Damian shakes his head.
In the Pokémon World, if you asked who people most want to catch, who wouldn't say Arceus?
But that's practically impossible.
Unless you're like Akari—handpicked by Arceus's true body and gifted an avatar.
Otherwise, catching Arceus is almost out of the question.
Still, this isn't bad either.
He and Arceus are on pretty good terms now.
"Damian~ You're amazing. You even got Arceus to like you this much."
Once she's sure Arceus has gone, Mesprit lets out an awed little sigh.
Even though Arceus has always cared about humans, this is the first time Mesprit's ever seen Arceus treat a human this specially.
"As expected of the human I picked~"
Mesprit's big eyes crinkle as it grins wide.
Then it floats over, plops down on Damian's shoulder, and its twin tails wag so fast they're about to hit the stratosphere.
Uxie and Azelf both roll their eyes in perfect sync at that.
"It's mostly that Arceus just has a gentle temperament."
Damian smiles.
That's one of the main reasons he likes the Pokémon World.
Sure, this world has darkness too.
But for the vast majority of people, it really is a kind of utopia.
Even if the Pokémon League has its worms, people like Goodshow, the overall chairman, and the Champions of every region are all fighting for a better future for humans and Pokémon.
And this world's Origin Forme Arceus also holds deep goodwill toward humanity.
Those terrifying Pokémon from myths and legends with godlike power don't just slaughter humans on a whim either.
Most of them are asleep.
Things like Yveltal—truly chaotic‑evil legends—are rare exceptions.
"You're selling yourself short, Damian. Arceus may love humans, but It doesn't treat just anyone this well."
Uxie says calmly, its cool voice very matter‑of‑fact.
"Now that you've gotten Azure Flute, when do you plan on challenging Arceus?"
"No rush. With my current strength, challenging Arceus would be way too hard."
Damian shakes his head.
"A sensible decision. And what about that evil force Arceus mentioned from the parallel worlds?"
Uxie approves.
It doesn't believe Damian can actually beat Arceus.
But Uxie likes Damian, and it genuinely hopes his challenge at least puts on a good show.
Then there's what Arceus said about that evil force.
"I've got a decent guess. But don't worry. When the time comes, I'll make sure they understand who the real deal is."
Damian's lips curl into a smirk.
Team Rainbow Rocket?
The Team Rocket I, Damian, lead—now that's the real Team Rainbow Rocket.
~~
Get early access to 160+ advanced chapters on Patreon!
patreon.com/PokemonStoryWeaver
~~~
Every 100 Power Stones = 2 extra chapter