Marcus woke up to a notification from Pokemon Paradise.
Then another.
Then FIFTY MORE.
"What's happening?" he mumbled, reaching for his Pokedex.
ALERT: LEGENDARY MIGRATION IN PROGRESS
ALERT: MULTIPLE LEGENDARY POKEMON HAVE LEFT PARADISE
ALERT: THEY ARE ALL HEADING TOWARD JOHTO
ALERT: THIS IS NOT A DRILL
ALERT: ARCEUS HELP US ALL
Marcus sat up very quickly.
"Oh no."
POKEMON PARADISE - ALAKAZAM CONTROL CENTER
The five Alakazams were in crisis mode.
"Dialga has left," Alakazam Prime reported. "All three of them."
"Palkia has followed," Alakazam Two confirmed. "Also all three."
"The Lake Guardians are gone. Giratina emerged from the Distortion World specifically to leave. The Swords of Justice departed at dawn."
"Reshiram and Zekrom stopped fighting each other long enough to agree on one thing: they miss Marcus."
"EVERY Legendary is migrating toward Johto."
The Alakazams exchanged glances.
"How do we stop forty-plus Legendary Pokemon who have collectively decided to find their trainer?"
Silence.
"We don't. We just warn him."
JOHTO AIRSPACE - 8:00 AM
Marcus stood outside his campsite, staring at the sky.
The sky was FULL.
Rayquaza, already present, had been joined by its counterparts—every Rayquaza from every game Marcus had played.
All four of them.
Flying in formation.
"That's a lot of sky serpents," Fluffy observed.
"Vee vee." This is getting out of hand.
Behind the Rayquazas came Dialga and Palkia—six of them total, three pairs, somehow not causing reality to collapse because they were all too focused on reaching Marcus.
Behind THEM came Giratina, emerging from a shadow portal with the energy of a rebellious teenager who had decided to join the family trip after all.
Behind GIRATINA came the Bird Trio—Articuno, Zapdos, and Moltres. Multiple copies of each.
Behind THEM came Lugia and Ho-Oh, flying in majestic tandem.
Behind THEM came—
"Is that Mewtwo?" Marcus squinted.
"That is not ME," Steve said quickly. "That is the OTHER Mewtwo."
"I have TWO Mewtwos?!"
"You have me, the one you caught in your original game. And THAT one, from a different save file."
The second Mewtwo—not Steve—descended with considerably less grace and considerably more enthusiasm.
"TRAINER!" it telepathed loudly. "I HAVE FOUND YOU!"
"You can just call me Marcus—"
"MARCUS-TRAINER! I HAVE MISSED YOU! STEVE WOULD NOT SHARE!"
"I do NOT share," Steve confirmed coldly.
"YOU ARE SELFISH!"
"I am EFFICIENT."
The two Mewtwos began glaring at each other.
Marcus didn't have time to mediate because MORE Legendaries were arriving.
8:15 AM - THE ARRIVALS CONTINUE
The Legendary Beasts—Raikou, Entei, and Suicune—arrived from Johto itself, apparently deciding that if EVERYONE was gathering, they should join too.
Suicune had been watching Marcus anyway. Now it simply... stayed.
The Swords of Justice—Cobalion, Terrakion, Virizion, and Keldeo—arrived in perfect formation, looking stoic and noble.
Keldeo immediately broke formation and galloped up to Marcus for pets.
"HELLO TRAINER! I WANTED TO COME BUT COBALION SAID WE SHOULD STAY BUT I SAID NO AND THEN THEY ALL AGREED!"
"That's... great, Keldeo."
"I MISSED YOU!"
"I missed you too, buddy."
Cobalion watched this with an expression that somehow conveyed both disapproval and reluctant affection.
Reshiram and Zekrom arrived STILL ARGUING.
"I represent TRUTH!" Reshiram roared.
"I represent IDEALS!" Zekrom countered.
"WE BOTH represent MARCUS now stop FIGHTING!" Kyurem—arriving behind them—shouted in its strange dual voice.
The three dragons looked at each other.
Then at Marcus.
Then they all tried to nuzzle him simultaneously, nearly crushing him.
"ACK—personal space! PERSONAL SPACE!"
8:30 AM - THE FLOOD
Xerneas arrived, bringing life and flowers wherever it stepped.
Yveltal arrived, bringing... significantly less flowers but trying its best to look friendly.
Zygarde—complete form—literally constructed itself from cells on the spot because it couldn't be left out.
Solgaleo and Lunala descended together, representing the sun and moon in perfect harmony.
Necrozma, normally an interdimensional threat, arrived looking sheepish and asking for "light hugs."
The Ultra Beasts—Nihilego, Buzzwole, Pheromosa, Xurkitree, Celesteela, Kartana, and Guzzlord—emerged from Ultra Wormholes.
Guzzlord immediately ate a nearby tree.
"GUZZLORD, NO!"
Guzzlord looked guilty and slowly put the tree back. It didn't work, but the effort was noted.
The Tapus—Koko, Lele, Bulu, and Fini—arrived from Alola, bringing island blessings and demanding attention.
Eternatus, the LITERAL EMBODIMENT of a Dynamax catastrophe, arrived looking like it wanted to be small and cute.
It could not be small and cute.
It tried anyway.
"You're doing great, Eternatus," Marcus assured it.
Eternatus made a sound like the fabric of space appreciating a compliment.
9:00 AM - THE FINAL WAVE
And then came the Arceus collective.
All twelve of them.
Descending from the Hall of Origin like disappointed parents arriving at a chaotic birthday party.
"We attempted to stop them," Original Arceus announced. "We failed."
"ALL OF THEM?" Marcus gestured at the literal ARMY of Legendaries now surrounding him.
"All of them. Every Legendary you have ever caught, from every game you have ever played, has decided that they cannot bear to be separated from you any longer."
"But... but Pokemon Paradise was supposed to be perfect! They had everything they needed!"
"They had everything except YOU." Original Arceus's voice was surprisingly gentle. "Marcus, you spent years catching these Pokemon. Training them. Caring for them. You may have thought of it as a game, but to THEM, you are their trainer. Their partner. Their family."
Marcus looked around at the assembled Legendaries.
Dialga, the god of time, was trying to position itself closer to him than Palkia.
Giratina was sulking in a shadow because it couldn't get close enough.
Mew was sitting on his head, having appeared at some point without anyone noticing.
Celebi was flying circles around him, giggling.
Jirachi was asleep on Groudon's head, having already secured its "close to Marcus" position.
The Lake Guardians—Uxie, Mesprit, and Azelf—were orbiting him like tiny satellites.
And so many more. So, SO many more.
"I don't..." Marcus felt tears forming. "I don't deserve this."
"You gave them NAMES," Arceus said. "You visited them in the PC boxes. You brought them out for battles even when it wasn't optimal. You cared about them as INDIVIDUALS, not just collection pieces."
"That's just... that's just what you're supposed to do!"
"Most trainers don't. Most trainers catch and forget. You REMEMBERED." Arceus's wheel spun slowly. "That is why they love you. That is why they followed you across regions. That is why they are willing to tear reality apart just to be near you."
Marcus looked at his army of gods.
His family of Legendaries.
"Okay," he said quietly. "Okay. We'll figure this out."
THE LOGISTICS NIGHTMARE
"We have a problem," Steve observed.
"Just ONE problem?"
"Several. But the primary one is that this many Legendary Pokemon in one location is causing spacetime to become... unstable."
Indeed, the area around Marcus was experiencing some unusual phenomena.
Time was flowing at different rates in different spots—a Pidgey flew through one area and emerged three hours older.
Space was folding in on itself—you could take two steps forward and end up behind where you started.
Gravity was becoming a suggestion rather than a law—a Magikarp was floating upward, looking confused.
"The Dialgas and Palkias are conflicting," Leo observed. "Multiple Time and Space gods in proximity creates paradoxes."
"Giratina, can you stabilize things?"
Giratina emerged from its shadow, looking put-upon.
"I SUPPOSE. But I want extra attention later."
"Deal."
Giratina began exerting its influence, creating a bubble of stable reality around the gathering.
The paradoxes stopped.
The floating Magikarp fell back down.
Time resumed flowing normally.
"Thank you, Giratina."
"Hmph." But the Renegade Pokemon looked pleased.
THE SOLUTION
Marcus gathered his team for an emergency meeting.
His team now included approximately forty Legendary Pokemon who refused to leave his immediate vicinity.
"We can't all travel together," he explained. "You'll destroy the region just by EXISTING."
The Legendaries made unhappy sounds.
"BUT—" Marcus held up a hand, "—we can create a rotation system. A small group stays with me at all times, and the rest stay at a nearby location where they can visit."
"Define 'small group,'" Zippy demanded.
"No more than ten at a time?"
The Legendaries began arguing amongst themselves about who would be in the first rotation.
"STOP!" Marcus shouted. "I'll decide! And we'll rotate DAILY so everyone gets a turn!"
This seemed acceptable.
"Okay, first rotation: Rayquaza stays because it stabilizes weather. Giratina stays because it stabilizes REALITY. Mew can stay because it's small and cute—"
"Mew!" Mew celebrated.
"—and... Suicune, because you've been watching me since I arrived and you deserve proper inclusion."
Suicune's eyes widened. It hadn't expected to be CHOSEN.
"Cune..." it said softly, approaching with graceful steps.
Marcus reached out and petted its mane.
Suicune made a sound of pure bliss.
"The rest of you—set up a temporary base nearby. Somewhere with space for everyone. Groudon, Kyogre, you can help build it."
The Legendaries dispersed, grumbling but accepting.
Dialga lingered.
"You'll get your turn tomorrow," Marcus promised.
Dialga made a temporal noise that somehow conveyed "I'll be counting every SECOND until then."
THE TEMPORARY LEGENDARY CAMP
Within an hour, the Legendaries had created something remarkable.
Groudon had formed a massive island in a nearby lake.
Kyogre had filled the lake with perfect temperature water.
Zekrom and Reshiram had created a fusion-powered heating system.
The Tapus had blessed the land.
Xerneas had made it bloom with flowers.
And the Dialgas had... somehow created a lounge area that existed slightly outside normal time so it was always "relaxation hour."
"They built a RESORT," Marcus observed, watching from a distance.
"Vee vee." Legendary Pokemon don't do anything halfway.
"Pika pika." We've been replaced.
"You haven't been replaced! You're still my core team!"
"Pika." But can we create RESORTS out of nothing?
"You can solo entire Leagues! That's way more impressive!"
Zippy seemed slightly mollified.
THAT EVENING - LEGENDARY BONDING TIME
Marcus spent the evening with his first rotation.
Rayquaza curled around the campsite, protective as always.
Giratina lurked in shadows, stabilizing reality and occasionally making sarcastic comments through Kenneth (who had become the official Legendary Translator).
Mew played with the Partner Pokemon, who were desperately trying not to be charmed by its cuteness and failing miserably.
And Suicune...
Suicune sat beside Marcus, enjoying the simple pleasure of being NEAR its trainer.
"You've been watching me since I arrived in Johto," Marcus said softly. "Why?"
Kenneth vibrated, translating:
"Suicune says: 'You carry power that could threaten this land. I watched to ensure you would not abuse it.'"
"And now?"
"Suicune says: 'Now I watch because I CHOOSE to. Because you pet Groudon. Because you gave Kyogre belly rubs. Because you treat gods like friends.'"
Suicune lowered its head into Marcus's lap.
"Suicune says: 'I have roamed this land for centuries, observed by all, touched by none. You are the first to offer kindness without expecting worship.'"
Marcus gently stroked Suicune's crystal mane.
"You're a good Legendary Beast," he said.
Suicune made a sound like a mountain spring bubbling with joy.
HALL OF ORIGIN - OBSERVER'S CORNER
The Arceus collective watched the scene through their viewing portal.
"He's domesticated the WEATHER TRIO," Event Arceus #3 observed. "And now SUICUNE."
"The North Wind is getting BELLY RUBS," Shiny Arceus added.
"I've seen enough." Original Arceus turned away. "Every time I think I've witnessed peak absurdity, he finds new heights."
"What do we do?"
"NOTHING. We let this play out." Original Arceus's voice was resigned. "He's doing what we never could—making Legendaries HAPPY. Making them feel valued. Making them feel like more than symbols and forces."
"That's... surprisingly positive of you."
"I've had time to reflect. Three months of watching him care for thousands of Pokemon will do that."
Original Arceus looked back at the portal one last time.
Marcus was now surrounded by Mew, Celebi, and Jirachi—all three having snuck into the rotation because they were small enough to hide.
He was telling them a bedtime story.
About THEIR adventures in his games.
They were listening with rapture.
"He tells them their own stories," Arceus whispered. "As if they're heroes. As if they MATTER."
"They do matter."
"I know that. But does anyone else ever TELL them that?"
Silence.
"No. Just him. Just Marcus Chen. The boy who caught them all and loved them all."
CURRENT STATUS:
Legendary Camp: Established (it's a resort now)
Rotation System: In effect
Day One Team: Rayquaza, Giratina, Mew, Suicune (plus stowaways)
Suicune Status: Receiving unprecedented affection
Reality Status: Stabilized (barely)
Total Legendaries Present: 40+
Total Legendaries Demanding Pets: 40+
Marcus's Available Hands: 2
Mathematical Problem: Obvious
Arceus's Emotional State: Reluctantly touched
[A/N: ALL THE LEGENDARIES JUST WANT LOVE AND I'M EMOTIONAL! Next chapter: The rotation system begins, and we see how different Legendaries handle their "Marcus Time"! Also, Johto's government has some QUESTIONS about the Legendary Resort that just appeared! Leave a comment about which Legendary's bonding moment you want to see!]