The sky was gray.
That was how Sheena saw it—gray and heavy. She could no longer see anything else, only that figure radiating indescribable hatred and resentment.
Arceus lowered its head. It had noticed the figures gathered before the Michina Temple.
Its body floated down slowly, and the crimson light flickering in its eyes flared and dimmed in turn.
"Damos…"
That majestic, terrifying gaze fell upon Sheena, and she froze in place, trembling uncontrollably.
Arceus could feel Damos's bloodline within her, and for a brief moment, an illusion flickered before its eyes.
But then, Arceus "awoke" from it, and in its vision was not the man it once trusted, but a young woman.
No. Not Damos.
"A descendant of Damos, then?"
The voice echoed directly in their minds, low and ancient.
"Yes… my name is Sheena." Sheena gathered every ounce of courage she had, meeting Arceus's gaze head-on.
"For what my ancestor Damos did to you, I offer my deepest apologies." Her voice trembled with guilt and sincerity.
"Heh…"
Arceus merely let out two cold laughs. The red glow in its eyes surged violently.
It was clear that night—the moonless night—had returned to its memory once again.
But soon, Arceus's emotions settled. Its gaze turned calm, cold, devoid of joy or sorrow, looking down upon Sheena from above.
Did she truly feel remorse? Perhaps a little. But mostly… fear.
That was what Arceus believed.
"Where is my Jewel of Life?"
"…"
Sheena bit her lip tightly, her face growing paler under the crushing weight of Arceus's gaze.
Then, a man stepped forward, placing himself between her and that divine, suffocating pressure.
Instantly, Sheena felt her body lighten as Leaf and Lillie rushed to her sides, supporting her arms. She gave them a grateful glance.
"So that's how it is. Even now, you refuse to return the Jewel of Life?"
Arceus's cold voice carried no emotion as its crimson eyes flickered again.
"Truly… such greedy humans."
Was there still hope? Was there any point in hoping? No. Humanity was beyond saving.
Its gaze darkened, and the entire world seemed to fall into a blood-red haze of death.
"Hey, don't go throwing accusations like that out of nowhere, Arceus."
Dylan licked his dry lips, staring straight up at the god before him.
As expected of the Creator itself—the sheer pressure it exuded was overwhelming.
And yet… that suffocating, heart-pounding tension only made Dylan's blood race faster.
(I'm actually so hyped right now.jpg)
Arceus didn't answer. It merely lowered its unfeeling gaze to rest upon Dylan.
"We'll naturally return the Jewel of Life in due time, Arceus. But doesn't something about all this strike you as strange?"
Of course, Dylan hadn't brought the Jewel with him. He'd left it safely stored at the Rota Gym before coming here—just in case.
"Damos revered you more than anyone. He risked his life to return the Plates to your body—so why would he suddenly change? Why would he try to seize the Jewel of Life and even set a trap to ambush you?"
"You're implying there was… more to it?" Arceus's gaze turned icy.
"Human nature is corrupt. I was foolish to believe that a mortal could ever behold a divine miracle… and still resist the temptation of possessing it."
The Jewel of Life had the power to bring barren lands back to life—just as it once had in ancient Michina.
Arceus had offered it both out of sympathy for the land and friendship for Damos.
But in the end, everything had gone wrong.
"Arceus, your prejudice against humanity runs too deep," Dylan sighed softly.
"Damos never betrayed you. His respect and devotion toward you never changed."
Sheena froze. The red glow in Arceus's eyes wavered sharply.
"Impossible! I saw it with my own eyes!"
Arceus's mental voice thundered through the heavens, filled with raw fury.
It would never forget. That nightmare had haunted it for a thousand years.
Even in its slumber at the dawn of existence, that night still burned within its mind—relentless, unending.
It saw him. It saw Damos!
"Yes, but… have you considered the possibility that something clouded your perception that night? That you didn't notice anything unusual about him?"
Dylan shook his head.
Damos had appeared before Arceus that night—but not face-to-face. Combined with the ambush, Arceus hadn't had the chance to closely observe him.
Given Arceus's power, detecting a trace of hypnosis or manipulation should've been trivial.
But betrayal by someone it trusted… had shattered its reason. By the time it came to its senses, it had already broken free and lashed out in rage—destroying the temple and everything around it.
Damos had died there, leaving no chance for the truth to ever be seen.
"Nonsense!"
The red light in Arceus's eyes flared again. It refused to believe. A thousand years of festering hatred could not be undone by mere words.
It wanted to believe what it had seen, clung to it with stubborn conviction.
In its mind, Dylan's words were nothing but a human's desperate attempt to twist the truth—to evade divine punishment.
"Humans… filthy, greedy creatures."
Arceus's body began to rise, golden light illuminating its form like divine radiance.
And yet, those eyes—those eyes belonged to a demon from the depths of hell, burning with hatred, loathing, disgust…
"Pathetic and laughable. You think I don't know? The Jewel of Life isn't even here."
It hovered high above, looking down coldly.
It had sensed it from the very beginning—the Jewel was elsewhere. The Plates were its own creation; none could hide them from it.
"Once I purify you all, I'll reclaim my Plates myself. As for you…"
The golden light around it intensified. A fiery red energy sphere began to form before its mouth.
"Feel the wrath of God!"
Judgment!
Arceus's signature move. Its power and type shifted with the Plates it carried.
Eighteen Plates, eighteen types—Judgment: Eighteen Styles.
The one forming now blazed crimson—Fire-type Judgment.
The blazing sphere soared upward before bursting apart, raining down like a fiery meteor shower over all of Michina.
It was breathtakingly beautiful—and lethally destructive.
This single move encompassed the entire land.
Arceus, the divine being who had once blessed this soil with life, was now taking it back.
"Watch out!"
Sheena's panicked cry echoed as the fiery meteors fell.
Two deep roars shook the air. Portals of time and space opened above them—Dialga and Palkia emerged, throwing themselves between the flames and the people below.
Even though Fire-type attacks weren't particularly effective, the impact still made them growl in pain—especially Dialga, who took normal damage from fire.
But elsewhere in Michina, the Judgment rained down unchecked.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Explosions shook the land. Flames of destruction devoured what had once been peaceful and serene.
Buildings crumbled and shattered—but thankfully, Sheena had already evacuated the townsfolk, and Dylan had arranged for Cynthia to seal off the surrounding area, preventing travelers from wandering into danger.
"Thank you… Dialga, Palkia." Sheena exhaled in relief, her voice trembling.
They'd arrived just in time.
Of course, it wasn't coincidence. The two had been waiting in their own realms, ready to intervene the moment things went wrong.
Dialga and Palkia slowly ascended again, as Arceus descended lower, its crimson gaze fixed upon its "children."
A vortex of darkness swirled open—the gate to the Reverse World—and from it emerged Giratina in its Origin Forme, hovering above them, glaring down coldly at Arceus.
"This is a masterpiece of history…"
Leaf whispered in awe.
The three gods of Sinnoh, standing against their Creator—what a sight! A once-in-a-millennium scene, a literal world-class painting.
Leaf quickly whipped out her camera and began snapping photos.
The air filled with the deep, resonant roars of the dragons—Dialga and Palkia, pleading for Arceus to stop.
Giratina, however, remained silent. If Arceus destroyed the real world, it would inevitably affect the Reverse World—otherwise, it wouldn't even care.
Still, since it finally had a legitimate chance to "rebel" against its Creator, Giratina wasn't about to pass it up.
"You too… would betray me?"
Arceus's already dark aura turned even colder. The red light in its eyes flared wildly.
"You dare to betray your Creator?!"
It couldn't comprehend it. Its own creations—Dialga, Palkia, Giratina—were standing against it, siding with humans!
Why?!
Dialga and Palkia kept trying to reason with it, but it was no use. The "llama" had lost all reason.
"Fine! If that's how it is, then you can join those filthy humans in death!"
Arceus roared, and crimson energy surged at its mouth before unleashing a massive Hyper Beam straight at the three gods.
The battle of Sinnoh's gods—against their Creator—had begun.
A clash between Father and Children.
Diplomacy had failed. Dialga, Palkia, and Giratina unleashed everything they had.
And then…
Moments later, Dialga crashed into the ground, too battered to move. Palkia lay in a crater, staring up at the sky, questioning its entire existence.
Only Giratina was still barely holding out—more like running for its life, being chased and blasted by Arceus nonstop.
"This… this is ridiculous…"
Leaf and the others were speechless.
That was supposed to be the Three Gods of Sinnoh!
They didn't even last three minutes before getting flattened!
"Looks like it's up to me now."
Dylan loosened his collar and tossed out several crimson Poké Balls one after another.
"Brothers! Time to gang up on the llama!"
(End of Chapter)