Master Craftsman of the Pokémon World

When the Legend Plate appeared, Arceus's light shone down upon the entire Shinto Ruins. A blinding brilliance erupted from the peak of the ancient spirit mountain and soared to the heavens. An unparalleled power spread across the skies of the Shinto continent!

From Shinto, it extended south toward Johto, and north toward Sinnoh. The seas surged into waves, the skies gathered raging winds, thunderclouds, torrential rains, and lightning storms. Nature itself roared with energy as all elemental forces began to stir!

Time, space, and the Distortion World rippled.

Reality and dreams alike surged with turbulence!

"Come forth!"

Arceus's call echoed in the hearts of humans and Pokémon alike. On this sacred battlefield, there stood only four Pokémon before the divine!

In Ruin Town near the Traveler's Workshop, the three Legendary Titans gathered at the plaza. All Pokémon halted their trades and sparring, surrounding the three Titans, curiously peering toward the ancient spirit mountain. Though they couldn't see anything, the overwhelming wave of energy trembled through their spirits and inspired reverence.

The three Titans slightly bowed toward the spirit mountain.

As giants who once walked beside the people of ancient Shinto, they knew what was descending from that direction, for they had witnessed the illusion of the supreme Pokémon with their own eyes.

"Regi——! (Arceus has descended! The village of the past has returned! A new world is about to be born!)"

In the village, farmers sensed the changing weather, and the Pokémon turned dumbfounded eyes to the mountain.

Outside of Shinto, the first to sense the spreading power were the Legendary Pokémon!

The rainbow over the distant sky stood still, deep-sea currents halted their flow.

The three Lake Guardians briefly manifested above their lakes, gazing toward Shinto.

"Nature is trembling. What's happening? Unown, why have you awakened? What do you know?"

Suicune and Entei arrived at the Ruins of Alph. The archaeologists near the ruins were all knocked unconscious by Entei's psychic force.

"Unown, Unown~"

"What do you mean, 'The Creator God is accepting a challenge at the Shinto Ruins'?"

Suicune was utterly baffled. A god that created the world? How could such terminology even exist in the world of Pokémon?

Entei's expression turned grave. "The Shinto Ruins… That's the place Ho-Oh once mentioned."

"If something's happening to those ruins, then as Pokémon who safeguard the world, we must go protect them."

"Unown, Unown..."

Suicune was surprised. "It's not necessary? The challenge is being conducted properly, not forcibly triggered... You say, one of the challengers at the Shinto Ruins is the craftsman who appeared in the green plains?"

"So he really was from the Shinto Ruins after all."

The Ho-Oh Guard had only recently been formed and didn't know the ancient tales of Shinto or the Creator God, but if a single trial could stir such upheaval across Johto's natural environment—this wasn't just a climate shift, it was a worldwide resonance of all elemental forces.

Even they could feel it—their own Water and Fire powers rising as if in joyful celebration!

"Challenging the Creator God... I can't fully grasp the level of this battle, but no wonder he didn't care much about the Rainbow Trial."

"I see. Ho-Oh was interested in this instead! Then he must all the more participate in the Rainbow Trial! And the fact there are three challengers means none of them are exploiting Pokémon. They must be true inheritors of ancient traditions! Such humans are exactly the kind we need!"

At Crystal Cliff, Mewtwo also sensed the tremors shaking Shinto. Unlike the other legends, Mewtwo had been observing events in Shinto all along.

Though he had promised Hikaru not to pry and had no interest in spying on others—and besides, Hikaru's power occasionally nullified his psychic abilities—Mewtwo normally avoided such things.

But this time was different.

When he sensed the store manager's psychic energy surging, and an immense force coming from Shinto's direction, he began to observe.

That massive white Pokémon, radiating brilliant light, stood in a radiant temple. Three Pokémon and three humans stood with it!

Mewtwo remained silent, watching. He listened to Arceus's voice, and the humans' responses, in full.

The histories of humans and Pokémon intertwined, birthing a new legend and new life.

For Mewtwo, who often pondered philosophy and guided others, understanding this was a profound revelation.

"Bonds, sorrow, joy, kindness, strength… The pillar of the heart. I understand now."

"Thank you for your teaching, Arceus."

As an artificially created Pokémon, Mewtwo had no past—so now he longed deeply for the future. With his heart's pillar found, there was only one road left: to give birth to new life through strong emotion!

In the Dream World...

Calyrex was farming, wiping sweat with lettuce leaves, when he suddenly noticed the Dream Workshop's windows glowing!

"Hmmm! What's going on?! The workshop exploded!"

Pokémon living on the Sky Island curiously gathered around the Dream Workshop. Calyrex floated inside and discovered that the long-closed door was now glowing brilliantly. Within that sealed door, which had stored the dream of the Legend Plate and the Unown, a whirlpool had formed—connecting directly to the Shinto Ruins!

"What is that?! Such a radiant Pokémon!"

The Swords of Justice peeked through the window. More Pokémon squeezed into the workshop, chattering noisily at the door. Keldeo, upon seeing Arceus's form, blurted out: "Masters, it looks a lot like us!"

"Huh? Similar? We don't glow. Other than having four legs, I don't see it."

"Hey! Isn't that the human? He's with two others! What's that giant sword?"

"Is that... Doublade? That familiar feeling… It evolved!"

"Challenging that glowing monster? Not bad! That's what it means to be a sacred sword warrior! I wanna challenge it too!"

"Why can we see this from the Dream World? Isn't this a different dimension?"

Walking Wake's giant head pressed against the Swords of Justice. Meanwhile, Volcarona crawled onto Calyrex's forehead. In this dream, it had switched to Drought as its Ability, so it didn't burn Calyrex—but the brilliant light made Calyrex look holy!

"Volcarona's sunlight is blinding the battle! Turn off the high-beam!"

Outside, Volcarona's caretaker also entered the Dream World. Seeing the fun here, they regretted wasting all those lonely years in the ancient city. If they had known, they'd have napped here forever.

Ah... all the Pokémon are gathered outside that house, watching the battle!

No way! My baby Volcarona shouldn't be watching such violent live broadcasts!

But Volcarona was thrilled, flailing its little feelers, spitting spiral fireworks from its mouth!

"That's... Arceus?!"

The Light Stone and Dark Stone, unlike other Pokémon, were fragments of the "Tao Dragons" from beyond the cosmos. They recognized that divine creator at a glance. But to witness Arceus from the Dream World's brilliance?

"Whoa! Challenging a god?! Are humans in this world always this bold?!"

"Only with such strength and spirit can three people become heroes!"

"In Unova, we've sought heroes for thousands of years and still failed, but in other regions, candidates abound!"

Unova, maybe reflect on why you haven't produced a powerhouse in millennia?

In the Distortion World, floating bubbles mirrored scenes from reality. One of the largest bubbles was reflecting a scene captured by Aegislash.

The Applin were chirping excitedly, looking up and discussing why the "Demon King" suddenly ran off to fight. Scizor too was intently focused on the battle shown in the bubble.

In the extra-dimensional spaces of Time and Space, Dialga and Palkia were suddenly jolted awake!

When they sensed Arceus's power manifesting in the real world, both dragons were thrown into panic—especially when they also sensed the presence of Giratina!

What's happening?! Why is Giratina fighting Arceus?! Dialga couldn't understand.

According to its visions of time, the "Sleeper" wasn't supposed to have awakened yet!

Why would that old father figure send an avatar to discipline Giratina?!

[The location is… the Shinto Ruins!]

Palkia, the god of space, was able to pinpoint Arceus's location more precisely. But until they arrived in the real world, they couldn't observe the situation directly. The dimensions of Time and Space didn't align with the Distortion World.

However, the Shinto Ruins were different—there, their crests were engraved as well!

At this moment, Time and Space had not yet converged. Dialga and Palkia had not clashed, nor had they cooperated—the grudge from centuries ago kept them at odds.

[Giratina is challenging Arceus. He has companions. One of them is…]

[Is this a conspiracy? No—it feels more like a radiant challenge.]

Palkia, using its crest, was the first to observe the battlefield. It also noticed Giratina's condition had changed. This wasn't a battle Giratina initiated—rather, it seemed that Arceus did!

Is that old father figure trying to choose a new divine champion?!

At the heart of the Shinto Ruins battlefield!

Giratina roared in defiance!

Rebellion against my glorious father!

"GRAAAHHH—!"

Shatter the laws of the world!

Cynthia commanded four Pokémon at once, launching the first offensive against Arceus!

Volo couldn't contribute much and could only hope Cynthia's strategy was solid. But Hikaru was different—his immense psychic power allowed for silent communication and real-time coordination, his powerful will giving direct boosts to the team.

With his enhancement, Cynthia gained what felt like a new pair of eyes. She explored this "third-person perspective" in battle, perceiving details she couldn't normally detect!

Hikaru: "Pay attention! The Legend Plate is the nineteenth plate, embodying the power of all elements—it contains every single Type!"

"This means Arceus doesn't need to manually switch plates. During any action—whether attacking or defending—it will automatically use the Type combination that counters the opponent's!"

"If no double-weakness exists, it will default to one of the Types that can counter the combination!"

"Watch out for Judgment! All of its moves from now on will target our weaknesses!"

An 18-Type battlefield!

At that, Cynthia clenched her jaw.

Every Type has strengths, resistances, and blind spots. But Arceus can instantly determine and adjust!

Cynthia: "Judgment must already be…"

Hikaru: "Trying to seal its held item is useless against the Creator. If it wills it, such seals are meaningless!"

"Anyway, if you can't think of a perfect strategy, don't overthink—sometimes even raw force can prove our worth to Arceus. It has a physical form—if it has form, it can be struck!"

Even if an illusion, it had substance—thanks to Unown's crafting properties!

"Giratina, Will-O-Wisp!"

Against a godly foe, Cynthia chose to begin with Will-O-Wisp to weaken its attack. With Hikaru's aid, her mind linked with all her Pokémon—they received the command in perfect sync!

"Garchomp, Sand Tomb!"

"Togekiss, Air Slash!"

"Aegislash, Screech!"

Weaken, bind, flinch, lower defense!

No matter what, they had to wear down Arceus's endurance!

The blue ghostly flame struck Giratina, but the Legend Plate radiated power—Will-O-Wisp vanished upon hitting Arceus's form. It now simultaneously possessed Water and Fire Types!

Giratina's Will-O-Wisp, in this case, functioned more like a Fire-type attack cloaked as a status move. Arceus nullified it outright. Then, wave after wave of Air Slash attacks slashed at its form like a bombing run.

Togekiss let out a piercing cry, soaring around Arceus, hurling Air Slashes like a relentless bomber. Aegislash timed its strike perfectly, slamming its ribbon-hand against its shield!

A shrill, jarring sound burst forth, focused entirely on Arceus. The divine body suddenly showed a debuff state—defense reduced!

Then came Garchomp's delayed move—a Sand Tomb transformed into a desert prison that locked Arceus in place!

"This won't do!" Volo warned, recalling his earlier battle with Hikaru. Arceus's eyes glinted with illusionary light!

"Substitute can break Sand Tomb!"

Cynthia's eyes widened—Arceus's real body vanished in the sandstorm. An illusionary clone faded out, and in an instant, the true body reappeared beside the three Pokémon—resplendent and towering!

But Aegislash moved just in time!

King's Shield! Priority +4 defense move!

BOOM! The devastating impact was blocked. Aegislash's massive shield flared with energy, forming a barrier like Wide Guard. Arceus had just launched Giratina's signature move—Shadow Sneak!

But Shadow Sneak ignores Protect!

Aegislash's shield cracked. Even its mighty body was sent flying, though Arceus's attack power fell—King's Shield lowers contact attacker's offense!

Arceus's gaze shifted—Giratina struck!

Shadow Claw!

Black claws slashed across the stars—but Arceus wasn't defeated. The Legend Plate shifted its form to Normal, neutralizing the impact.

Then, a magnificent glow surged from Arceus's forehead. The ring on its body radiated with intense light.

Judgment!

At that moment, the Type of Judgment switched to Ghost!

The radiant blast tore forward—but at the critical instant, the entire Judgment beam veered off course, blasting upward into the sky!

Togekiss sliced through the illusory stars, singing a transcendent song. All light seemed to shine for it—even world-ending power was compelled to look its way.

Follow Me, a move that forces all enemies to target the user!

If those Judgments hit Togekiss, it would be out cold—but—

Aegislash's shield reappeared in front of the Judgment beam!

King's Shield again!

Back-to-back defense? That's normal. Aegislash's size alone said it wouldn't fall easily. More importantly—Garchomp attacked again!

Crunch – Quick Mode!

Less power, faster speed! Before Arceus could react, Garchomp's monstrous jaws bit twice with twin dark fangs—straight at Arceus's neck!

But the pink glow on Arceus told all—

Fairy Type!

[Don't look so disappointed—your move worked. It was just shy of what's needed!]

Arceus's eyes gleamed. A massive Fairy light burst at point-blank range—swallowing Garchomp and Giratina!

Dazzling Gleam! Powerful Fairy move that hits all foes!

Against Dragon-types—super effective!

This move had a full-area effect!

Both Giratina and Garchomp were engulfed in brilliant Fairy light—but at that instant, one of the beams trembled, then rebounded with even greater force!

It became a deafening light cannon—a falling silver comet!

A sudden blast interrupted Arceus's follow-up. Though the Legend Plate switched types instantly and softened the blow, the hit landed on Fairy-form Arceus! Its head dipped low!

A dazzling ray from above!

It was... Aegislash!

Bathed in steel radiance, it raised its shield high—and after using King's Shield, it unleashed its most powerful strike:

Steel Beam! A full-body energy blast of condensed steel!

"Gueeh! Guh—eh! Sword! (I know legends say to save the beam for a clutch moment, but in a tight spot, might as well go first! This could tip the battle!)"

[Why did it move first…?!] Arceus was puzzled—but then realized—

[It was "After You"!]

Flying through the stars beside Aegislash, Togekiss gave the answer.

After You — forces an ally or opponent to act immediately after the user, bypassing speed, priority, lagging items, and other timing effects!

"Now's our chance!"

(End of Chapter)

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