"Boom boom boom!"
Arceus, seething with divine rage, lowered his head and used the power of creation itself to hold back the combined onslaught from Calyrex and the assembled Legendary Pokémon.
Golden hooves slammed into empty air, as if defying gravity. Against the torrent of radiant, multicolored energy, Arceus took a step forward.
The clash of Arceus' creation energy and Calyrex's faith-infused Z-Move sent wave after wave of force rippling outward. From above, it looked as though the entire world was pulsing, like the planet itself was holding its breath.
Despite pouring in their full strength, the Legendary Pokémon could do little more than halt Arceus' advance. They couldn't drive Him back.
The standoff reached a standstill.
'Is it still not enough?'
Naoki's expression turned grim.
Calamitous power surged from Terastallized Calyrex, enhanced by Z-Energy and the aid of Mewtwo, Dialga, Palkia, and Primal Kyogre, yet they could only barely restrain Arceus.
Just how powerful is the true Creator?
Around the world, viewers gripped their Rotom Phones tighter as they watched the impossible unfold.
The battle unfolding now was no longer something humans could interfere in.
"Don't lose!" someone in the live chat typed with trembling hands.
[Come on, Calyrex!]
[Hang in there, Cyclizar Mask!]
[You've got this, Calyrex—don't give up!]
Barrage after barrage of cheering messages scrolled across the screen.
And high above Michina, Calyrex suddenly sensed something different. From every corner of the planet, a new wave of hope and belief gathered, flowing into him like sunlight into leaves.
This… was the will of the people.
People were cheering for them. They believed.
"If this still isn't enough… then Urshifu, it's your turn!"
Naoki pulled a Poké Ball from his belt and released it.
A white light flashed—Urshifu appeared beside him, towering and calm. His focused eyes locked onto the divine being before them, and energy surged through his Water-style stance.
"Urshifu—Surging Strikes!"
With a subtle nod, Urshifu leapt skyward. He twisted through the air, soaring over the flower-like energy beam fired by Calyrex.
Then he struck.
Streams of spiraling water curled up his arms like twin sea serpents, converging into his clenched fists. With the momentum of a crashing wave, Urshifu drove his strike into Arceus' forehead.
The blow staggered Arceus slightly, and his piercing gaze shifted toward this new challenger.
Good, Calyrex thought.
Now.
Harnessing the surge of newfound faith, Calyrex channeled the energy into the radiant bloom around him. Light flared wildly from his antlers.
Urshifu, his mission complete, flipped mid-air and landed gracefully.
With a hum, Calyrex's beam intensified. It swelled, growing several times thicker, brighter, stronger, and slammed into Arceus with unstoppable force.
"BOOM!"
A titanic explosion tore through the sky. Light erupted in every direction like a blooming star. The aftershock echoed with a high-pitched ringing, reverberating across land, sea, and sky.
And then…
Silence.
All noise vanished, leaving only the hum of residual energy trembling in the air.
The violent energy surging through the air disrupted the signal from the Rotom Phone that had been recording the battle. Overwhelmed by the shock, the Rotom short-circuited and fainted on the spot.
The livestream instantly cut to black.
"What just happened?!"
"No way, who won?!"
The world held its breath. No one had the answer.
Michina, at an unknown mountain peak.
Arceus let out a pained roar, his golden hooves trembling as he staggered.
The Origin Plates that had been rotating around his body suddenly shattered with a thunderous crack, scattering like glowing meteors across the sky and falling to the ground like dying stars.
His divine glow faded.
Drifting like a broken kite, Arceus plummeted into the ruins of the very temple once built in his honor.
The skies calmed. The winds fell silent.
The god who created the world now lay still in the wreckage, faint light pulsing weakly from his form.
Naoki hovered in the air, surrounded by a circle of solemn Legendary Pokémon. No one spoke.
Dialga and Palkia floated forward with anxious cries. Neither could sense Arceus' aura.
Could he... truly be gone?
The very thought unsettled them. They were born of Arceus' power. And now, they feared they had just witnessed the death of their Creator.
Giratina slowly descended.
His expression was unreadable.
Unlike Dialga and Palkia, Giratina had been cast away to the Reverse World from the beginning, alone, isolated.
He should have felt rage, even satisfaction. Yet, strangely, his heart was calm.
Over time, he had come to understand something he hadn't before: that the Reverse World had always been necessary to maintain balance. Maybe Arceus sent him there not out of punishment, but responsibility.
Perhaps, long ago, Giratina misunderstood.
Naoki stepped down from Giratina's back.
With the eyes of all the Legendary Pokémon on him, he approached Arceus.
He knelt quietly beside the fallen god and placed his palm gently against Arceus' forehead.
The power of Viridian stirred.
In a flash, Naoki felt the full weight of Arceus' pain, his fury at betrayal, the deep wounds dealt by human deceit.
"I'm sorry, Arceus," Naoki whispered through the flow of Viridian's energy. "Damos didn't mean to harm you. He was being controlled by others… selfish people who only wanted to steal your power. They're the ones who deserve punishment. The rest of us, everyone else, should be grateful to you. I believe that."
As the healing energy flowed, Arceus stirred slightly. For the first time in what felt like an eternity, the anger within him began to settle.
Naoki paused.
There was another method he could use. A power he'd gained long ago through a special recipe. A power that could soothe a Pokémon's heart by touching their forehead and reciting a line.
But… that felt way too embarrassing to say out loud.
No. Not doing that.
Instead, Naoki stood up straight, watching as Arceus slowly opened his eyes.
The red glow had faded.
The divine light had returned to normal.
A calmness spread over the god's face.
Naoki blinked.
That means Ash and the others must've succeeded.
Arceus was awake again, his rage gone.
It was finally over.
Naoki and Arceus locked eyes. Then, Naoki said gently, "I'll retrieve your plates now. Just wait here a little while."
He turned and looked toward Mewtwo. "Can you lend me a hand?"
Mewtwo gave a silent nod.
Soon after, with the combined power of Mewtwo's telekinesis and Naoki's guidance, the scattered plates from across the mountains were gathered and returned to Arceus.
Arceus watched the two silently.
Something in the sight stirred an ancient memory, a moment lost in time.
"Damos…" Arceus murmured, his voice low and nostalgic. "Naoki…"
As each plate returned to its rightful place, a divine glow radiated once again from Arceus' body.
The Origin Plates slowly resumed their orbit around his golden frame.
Arceus gave a slight nod to Naoki, a rare expression of acknowledgment.
Just then, from the far side of the temple, a ray of light shimmered, revealing the figures of Ash, Cynthia, and their companions, returning from the past.
Arceus turned his gaze toward them, then gently floated upward.
And in that moment, something miraculous began to unfold.
The ruined temple began restoring itself. Stone by stone, the broken structures reassembled. The fires that had raged in town vanished without a trace. Collapsed buildings stood tall again, and shattered bridges reformed, spanning rivers once more.
Mew and Teddiursa, who had been helping Pokémon evacuate in the fields, stood in stunned silence, watching the scene unfold in awe.
It was as if time itself was rewriting history, correcting what once went wrong.
By the lake below the temple, Team Rocket's trio stared in disbelief as the water level rose before them.
Then, in Meowth's paws, the green Life Jewel that James had been holding suddenly vanished in a flash of light, disappearing without a trace, as if it had never existed.
Golden sunlight pierced through the clouds, bathing Arceus in light.
Five new Origin Plates materialized and joined the ones orbiting around him.
The past had changed. And with it, the future had shifted too.
Naoki watched the scene unfold with thoughtful eyes.
Because Ash and the others had returned the Life Jewel to Arceus in the past… did that mean Arceus in this timeline gained five additional plates?
He recalled that in the original timeline, the Rocket trio had picked up the gem in the future. So now, had history erased that version of the gem completely?
As he reflected on this shift in fate—
"Hey! Mr. Cyclizar Mask!"
A familiar voice called out, breaking the moment.