Michina.
The swirl of time slowly unraveled, and under the delighted gazes of the others, Dylan and Arceus appeared once more.
"Dylan!"
"Brother!"
The three girls—Lillie, Peppa, and Leaf—rushed over immediately, their eyes scanning Dylan up and down to make sure he was unharmed.
"Relax, it's all fine now. Everything's been perfectly resolved."
Dylan smiled as he reassured them.
The three let out a collective sigh of relief, and only then did they notice Arceus.
Their eyes widened slightly in awe, because the aura Arceus carried now was entirely different.
Gentle, serene, suffused with a sacred radiance that words could hardly capture.
Sheena and Kevin approached carefully as well. Arceus' warm emerald gaze lingered on Sheena for a moment—there was a faint trace of Damos in her that didn't go unnoticed.
Arceus sighed quietly, then turned to the cliff's edge, overlooking the land of Michina below.
Once lush and green, the region was now scarred and ravaged from the recent battle.
A hint of guilt glimmered in Arceus' eyes—it was, after all, the result of its own actions.
"How pitiful…"
The golden tips of Arceus' hooves touched the ground lightly. A radiant golden wave rippled outward, spreading from Arceus in all directions.
It spread swiftly, and wherever the light passed, grass and flowers bloomed, broken trees stood tall once more, life bursting forth anew.
In less than ten seconds, the entirety of Michina had been restored to its vibrant, fertile glory.
The sight left everyone completely dumbfounded.
"This is… this is a miracle!"
Leaf gasped in disbelief—this was beyond anything she could imagine!
The ruins, the shattered landscape—all of it was reborn in an instant. Not just the plants and forests.
Even the temples and homes destroyed by the battle's aftermath were restored as the light passed over them.
And the mountains—the ones that had been shattered—had reappeared, whole once more.
If this wasn't a divine miracle, what was?
"Well, it is a god we're talking about. Let's thank the divine one for the blessing," Dylan said teasingly.
He wasn't particularly surprised—this level of restoration was nothing to Arceus. After all, Arceus was the Pokémon of creation itself. Even though concepts like "time" were given to Dialga, Arceus still naturally wielded part of the power of space-time.
"Don't tease me, Dylan."
That gentle, ancient voice echoed softly as Arceus turned around, a faintly exasperated expression in its tone.
"This calamity began because of me. It's only right that I should mend it."
As it spoke, Arceus turned its gaze toward Dialga, Palkia, and Giratina hovering nearby, nodding at them with warmth.
"No matter what, today's outcome is thanks to you, Dylan. My promise still stands—if you have any request, speak it."
Arceus' tone was solemn but sincere.
"Well, I already have pretty much everything I want… but if I had to say…"
Dylan shrugged, pretending to ponder deeply, though his eyes never once left Arceus.
"If you're going to say you want to catch me, you can stop right there."
Arceus' voice grew helpless—it already knew exactly what Dylan was thinking. If it had hands, it would've facepalmed.
It wasn't stupid. Dylan's gaze was practically glowing with desire, and this wasn't the first time he'd said it outright.
Yes—back in ancient Michina, he'd been that straightforward too, though Arceus had, of course, turned him down with mixed amusement and exasperation.
After all, it was the world's guardian and creator—how could it possibly become a human's Pokémon?
When they heard that, the girls' eyes all went wide.
Sheena and Kevin looked utterly stunned—seriously, Dylan wanted to catch Arceus?
"You see, you're the one who said I could ask for anything. I said I wanted you, and now you're backing out." Dylan rolled his eyes.
Arceus: "…"
Dialga: (—)
Palkia: (.)
Giratina: (⊙.⊙)
The Sinnoh trio floating in the sky subtly perked up their ears.
"It's not that I'm breaking my promise… how about this? If you ever need my help, you can summon me at any time. Would that suffice?"
After a moment of thought, Arceus lifted a strange-looking flute, wrapping it in golden light that floated gently toward Dylan.
Becoming Dylan's Pokémon was obviously impossible—it was Arceus, after all, even if not the true prime self.
But lending help as a friend? That was another story.
"The Azure Flute," Dylan murmured as he caught it, examining the craftsmanship.
He recognized it immediately—it was the same item from the games, the flute that could open the Hall of Origin atop Mt. Coronet.
But, as every player knew, the Azure Flute couldn't be obtained through normal gameplay—except in the remakes of Diamond and Pearl, and only with save data from Legends: Arceus.
"Alright then. Come visit sometime. The human world's actually a lot of fun these days."
Dylan pocketed the flute and waved casually with a grin.
Arceus' eyes glimmered with amusement as its body shimmered with golden light. With a graceful turn, it flew upward and disappeared through the portal to the Hall of Origin.
Seeing their father-god depart, Dialga and Palkia both nodded politely at Dylan and returned to their own dimensions.
Giratina glanced at Dylan once, then twisted its serpentine body and slipped into a black vortex.
In moments, all four divine beings were gone.
"Well, that's that. Honestly, Dylan, if it's you, I feel like there's nothing you can't do."
Leaf let out a long breath, her bright smile radiant as she spoke.
"That was the Creator God, Arceus!"
"Yeah! Brother, you're amazing!"
Lillie's eyes sparkled like stars—her brother was simply too incredible!
And now that he seemed to have a good relationship with Arceus, that meant if trouble ever came, they could even ask for divine help!
Not that she thought there was any problem Dylan couldn't solve himself.
"Low-key, low-key. I'm a very humble man," Dylan said, waving his hand modestly.
"Well then, Miss Sheena, everything's been settled. You don't need to worry anymore," he added with a smile.
"Thank you—thank you so much, Dylan."
Sheena bit her lip, tears welling up in her eyes. The pain and fear she'd carried for so long were finally gone. The Arceus crisis was truly over.
She bowed deeply, overwhelmed with gratitude.
"No need to thank me. Honestly, this was a fun little adventure. Also…"
Dylan turned his gaze to her again.
"Please don't feel ashamed of your ancestor Damos anymore. He never once disgraced humanity."
"…Yes. I understand."
Sheena's voice trembled with remorse. Before today, she'd always carried shame for being descended from Damos.
But that wasn't her fault—the story had been twisted by history.
The truth had died with those in the temple… and with Arceus as the supposed 'enemy,' how could the truth ever have survived?
With that chapter finally closed, Dylan stretched and looked up at the sky.
"Thanks for the assist, by the way."
He smiled as he addressed the black and green Rayquaza circling above.
"No need to mention it. Getting to battle the Creator? That's something I never thought I'd experience," said the black Rayquaza lazily, its tail swishing contentedly.
It had been badly injured before, but thanks to their plump 'nurse'—a rather round Xerneas—it had recovered nicely.
Even after living hundreds of millions of years, today's events still felt surreal.
"Indeed, it was fascinating. And my little one… it seems you've taken good care of it."
The emerald Rayquaza's voice held rare warmth.
It knew its child well—after thousands of years, the whelp still hadn't even mastered its basic aura control.
When Dylan first took an interest in its offspring back in Hoenn, it had been baffled.
But now, it seemed its instincts had been right—its child had really lucked out.
"Greeny's been working hard," Dylan said diplomatically.
"I know my kid better than anyone. You must've had to put up with a lot to get it this far," said the elder Rayquaza, its tone half-exasperated.
Dylan chuckled awkwardly. Truth be told, he hadn't really done that much—most of Greeny's training came from sparring with Kyurem and the others. He'd just set the direction.
"By the way, Dylan, bring Greeny out. I have something to discuss with it," said the elder Rayquaza gently.
"Sure thing." Dylan smiled, happy to oblige. It had been ages since that family had spent time together, after all.
He pressed the button on the luxury ball—but nothing happened.
He blinked. "Huh? Did the Poké Ball just… break?"
He pressed it again—still nothing.
Hmm…
Dylan glanced up at the two dragons in the sky. Suddenly, he had a feeling he knew exactly what was going on.
The two Rayquaza exchanged glances, their eyes narrowing slightly.
"Greeny," said the elder Rayquaza slowly, its voice calm but cutting, "has it really been that long since you've seen your father?"
The black Rayquaza added, "Gotten bold, have we? Do we need to fetch you ourselves?"
Dylan watched in silence as the luxury ball finally popped open, a flash of light revealing a small red Rayquaza floating awkwardly before them.
"Uh… Father, Mother, I was just… resting," Greeny stammered.
"Come with me."
The elder Rayquaza gave it a single look—stern, commanding, not at all the gentle tone it used with Dylan.
Greeny shrank back, casting a pleading look at the black Rayquaza, who only returned an unsympathetic smirk and flicked its tail idly.
With no choice, the little red dragon followed its father away from the temple.
"…It's not gonna get beaten to death, is it?" Leaf whispered with a laugh, covering her mouth.
"Serves it right for acting so flashy. Even dyed itself red," she snickered.
"Who knows," Dylan said with a shrug.
Meanwhile—
"Father…" Greeny swallowed hard as the emerald giant stopped midair.
Last time, the black Rayquaza had scolded it thoroughly for its "fashion choices." Was this going to be round two? Its scales prickled with anxiety.
The elder Rayquaza circled it several times, eyes glinting as it inspected the coloration closely.
"Tell me, son… are you dissatisfied with the color of our scales?"
"Uh, Father, I was just—"
"Ha! Just as I thought—like father, like son!"
"…Huh?"
Greeny froze.
"This red of yours, though—ugh, such terrible taste. Your mother's black looks far better," the elder Rayquaza said bluntly.
"Anyway, tell Dylan I want a color change too—something bold, imposing, majestic."
It said this with the same grave, dignified tone it used when discussing cosmic balance.
"Uh… you could just tell him yourself, Father. He'd definitely agree," Greeny mumbled.
"No."
"…Why not?"
"I'm Rayquaza. I have my pride."
The elder's answer came without hesitation.
Greeny's eyes went dull. You have pride? What about my pride?!
"Red's yours, black's your mother's… hmm, how about gold for me?" The elder Rayquaza's voice grew thoughtful. "That golden light-dragon earlier looked incredible. Wonder how I'd look in that shade…"