It started with a simple question.
"So," Lance said during a video call, "now that your Legendaries have officially bonded with you, are you planning to challenge the Elite Four again?"
Marcus blinked. "I already beat the Johto League. Zippy, Fluffy, and Leo speedran it."
"That was THEM. Not YOU with YOUR full team." Lance's expression was complicated—somewhere between fear and genuine curiosity. "The League has never seen a trainer use Legendary Pokemon in an official challenge. It's technically legal. Just... unprecedented."
"You WANT me to challenge you with forty-three Legendaries?"
"I want to SEE it. Just once. For history."
Marcus looked at his assembled team.
Forty-three Legendary Pokemon stared back, clearly VERY interested.
"WE WOULD ENJOY THIS," Dialga said.
"IT WOULD BE FUN," Palkia agreed.
"I could emerge from the shadows DRAMATICALLY," Giratina added.
Kenneth vibrated.
"What did Kenneth say?"
Leo translated: "Kenneth says 'finally, a worthy stage for my talents.'"
"Kenneth, you're a Shuckle."
Kenneth vibrated more intensely.
"Kenneth says 'exactly.'"
ONE HOUR LATER - POKEMON LEAGUE ANNOUNCEMENT
SPECIAL EXHIBITION MATCH
CHAMPION MARCUS CHEN VS THE JOHTO ELITE FOUR AND CHAMPION LANCE
FORMAT: FULL LEGENDARY SHOWCASE
WARNING: REALITY MAY BECOME UNSTABLE. VIEWERS ADVISED.
The announcement broke the internet.
Every news network scrambled to cover it.
Every trainer in the world tuned in.
And somewhere, Giovanni looked at the broadcast schedule and poured himself a very large drink.
"He's actually doing it," he muttered. "He's actually going to use ALL of them."
INDIGO PLATEAU - ELITE FOUR CHAMBER
The Elite Four had assembled.
Will. Koga. Bruno. Karen.
All four of them, standing together, full teams ready.
They had been given one instruction: "Try your best."
They knew it wouldn't matter.
But they would try anyway.
"This is going to hurt," Bruno observed.
"Probably," Koga agreed.
"At least it'll be quick," Karen offered.
"I've seen things," Will whispered, having used his psychic powers to preview the battle. "I've seen THINGS."
"What things?"
"I don't want to talk about it."
The doors opened.
Marcus walked in.
Behind him came the procession.
First, his core team: Zippy, Fluffy, Leo, Steve, Sunny.
Then Kenneth, carried on a small pillow held by Mew.
Then the Legendaries.
ALL of them.
The Creation Trio entered, causing time and space to briefly hiccup.
The Weather Trio followed, somehow not destroying the climate.
The Tao Trio walked in formation, no longer fighting.
The Lake Guardians orbited overhead.
The Legendary Beasts prowled alongside.
The Bird Trio created a dramatic entrance of ice, lightning, and fire.
The Swords of Justice marched with military precision.
Giratina emerged from the floor itself.
Xerneas brought life wherever it stepped.
Yveltal brought significantly less life but tried to look friendly.
The Ultra Beasts entered through wormholes.
And finally, the Arceus collective descended from above, all twelve of them, wheel-like appendages spinning in perfect synchronization.
The Elite Four stared.
"We're going to die," Karen said flatly.
"That seems likely," Will agreed.
THE RULES
Lance descended from his Champion platform to explain the format.
"This is an exhibition match. Each Elite Four member will battle Marcus using their full team. Marcus may use... any of his Pokemon."
He gestured at the forty-three Legendaries.
"Any of them."
"That seems unfair," Bruno pointed out.
"It's EXTREMELY unfair. That's the point. We're testing the upper limits of trainer power."
"There ARE no upper limits," Koga observed. "He has TWELVE ARCEUS."
"Then we're confirming that. BEGIN!"
ELITE FOUR MEMBER ONE: WILL (PSYCHIC-TYPE)
Will stepped forward, trembling slightly.
"I am Will, master of Psychic-types. I—"
"Mew, you're up."
Mew floated forward, looking adorable and deadly.
"Mew mew!" Finally! My time to shine!
Will released his Xatu.
Mew transformed into a bigger Xatu.
"That's cheating!"
"Mew!" That's STRATEGY!
The battle lasted approximately forty-five seconds.
Mew defeated Will's entire team by transforming into each of his Pokemon, but BETTER.
It was humiliating.
It was EFFICIENT.
"That's one," Marcus said.
"MEW MEW!" Mew celebrated, doing a victory lap around the unconscious Xatu.
ELITE FOUR MEMBER TWO: KOGA (POISON-TYPE)
Koga was a ninja master.
Koga believed in subtlety, deception, and precise strikes.
Koga was facing Giratina.
"EMERGE FROM THE SHADOWS DRAMATICALLY," Marcus commanded.
Giratina did.
The ENTIRE CHAMBER became the Distortion World for approximately three seconds.
When reality reasserted itself, all of Koga's Pokemon were unconscious.
"What happened?!" Koga demanded.
"DISTORTION OCCURRED," Giratina said simply.
"That's not an ATTACK!"
"IT IS NOW."
ELITE FOUR MEMBER THREE: BRUNO (FIGHTING-TYPE)
Bruno cracked his knuckles.
"Finally, a physical challenge! I don't care how powerful—"
"Groudon. Precipice Blades."
Groudon raised one massive foot.
Stomped.
The entire chamber restructured itself according to Groudon's will.
Bruno's Pokemon found themselves standing on newly-formed mountain peaks, completely disoriented.
"WHAT?!"
"NOW EARTHQUAKE."
The mountains collapsed.
With Bruno's Pokemon on them.
Battle over.
"That's geographical warfare!" Bruno protested.
"IT IS EFFICIENT," Groudon rumbled.
ELITE FOUR MEMBER FOUR: KAREN (DARK-TYPE)
Karen knew she was doomed.
But she had STYLE.
"Truly skilled trainers should try to win with their favorites," she declared.
"Okay. Kenneth, you're up."
Kenneth was placed on the battlefield.
Karen stared.
"The... the SHUCKLE?"
"Kenneth is my favorite."
"A Shuckle. Against my Dark-types."
"Kenneth is VERY skilled."
Kenneth vibrated.
"Kenneth says 'prepare to witness greatness.'"
What followed was the most absurd Elite Four battle in history.
Kenneth used Power Trick.
Kenneth's Attack became 230.
Kenneth used Gyro Ball.
Karen's Umbreon was launched into the stands.
"WHAT?!"
Kenneth used Toxic.
Karen's Murkrow was poisoned.
Kenneth used Protect.
Karen's Gengar's attack was blocked.
Kenneth used Infestation.
Karen's Houndoom was trapped.
And then Kenneth just... waited.
For SIX MINUTES.
While Karen's Pokemon slowly succumbed to passive damage.
"This is the most boring and terrifying battle I've ever experienced," Karen said.
"KENNETH SPECIALIZES IN EXISTENTIAL DREAD," Giratina observed approvingly.
When Karen's last Pokemon fell, Kenneth made a small noise of satisfaction.
"Kenneth says 'calculated,'" Leo translated.
CHAMPION BATTLE: LANCE
Lance stood alone on his platform.
He had watched his Elite Four fall in approximately ten minutes.
One to Mew.
One to Giratina.
One to Groudon.
One to a SHUCKLE.
"So," he said. "My turn."
"Your turn," Marcus confirmed.
"You're going to use all of them, aren't you?"
"I'm going to use ONE."
Lance blinked. "One?"
"One Legendary per Elite Four member. One for you. That's five total. The rest are just... watching."
The thirty-eight unused Legendaries made disappointed sounds.
"WE WANTED TO BATTLE," Rayquaza complained.
"You'll get your turn eventually. This is Lance's moment."
"FINE. BUT WE ARE JUDGING."
THE FINAL BATTLE
"For you," Marcus said, "I'm using someone special."
"Who?"
"Arceus."
Silence.
"Which... which one?"
"All of them."
The twelve Arceus floated forward.
"Wait, that's TWELVE Pokemon! That's against the rules!"
"WE ARE ONE BEING," Original Arceus declared. "SPLIT ACROSS MULTIPLE FORMS. TECHNICALLY, USING ALL OF US IS USING ONE POKEMON."
"That's not how MATH works!"
"WE TRANSCEND MATH."
Lance released his first Pokemon: Gyarados.
Twelve Arceus looked at it.
"JUDGMENT."
Twelve simultaneous Judgment attacks—one from each Arceus—converged on the Gyarados.
The resulting explosion was visible from space.
When the light faded, the Gyarados was unconscious.
And so was Lance's Aerodactyl.
And his Charizard.
And all three of his Dragonites.
"Wait, I only had ONE out!" Lance screamed.
"JUDGMENT AFFECTS ALL WHO DESERVE JUDGMENT," the Arceus collective explained. "YOUR ENTIRE TEAM DESERVED JUDGMENT."
"FOR WHAT?!"
"FOR FACING US."
THE AFTERMATH
Lance stood in the center of his ruined Champion chamber, staring at his six unconscious Pokemon.
"That... that was ONE attack."
"Twelve attacks from one being," Marcus corrected. "Technically."
"My entire TEAM. In ONE attack."
"The Arceus collective is very efficient."
"EFFICIENT?! They JUDGED my Pokemon into UNCONSCIOUSNESS from inside their POKEBALLS!"
"Legendary Pokemon are like that sometimes."
Lance sat down heavily.
"You know what? I'm not even mad. That was... that was BEAUTIFUL in a terrifying way."
"Thanks?"
"Twelve gods, acting in perfect unity, delivering divine punishment to my innocent Dragonites." Lance started laughing. "It's almost POETIC."
THE SPEEDRUN STATISTICS
MARCUS CHEN - JOHTO LEAGUE LEGENDARY SPEEDRUN
Elite Four Will: Defeated by Mew (45 seconds)
Elite Four Koga: Defeated by Giratina (12 seconds)
Elite Four Bruno: Defeated by Groudon (23 seconds)
Elite Four Karen: Defeated by Kenneth (6 minutes 47 seconds)
Champion Lance: Defeated by Arceus Collective (1 attack, 3 seconds)
TOTAL TIME: 8 minutes 10 seconds
POKEMON USED: 5 (Mew, Giratina, Groudon, Kenneth, Arceus x12)
LEGENDARY POKEMON UNUSED: 38 (disappointed)
PROPERTY DAMAGE: Extensive
REALITY STABILITY: Questionable
THE WORLD'S REACTION
The livestream had reached 500 million viewers.
The comments were... something.
@PokemonFanatic2000: HE USED A SHUCKLE AGAINST DARK-TYPES AND WON. THE SHUCKLE SAT THERE FOR SIX MINUTES. SIX. MINUTES.
@DragonMaster99: The Arceus collective just JUDGED an entire team through their Pokeballs. That's not a battle. That's DIVINE INTERVENTION.
@GymLeaderBrock_Official: Kenneth's six-minute stall was the most intense thing I've ever watched. I couldn't look away. I couldn't breathe.
@ChampionCynthia: I need to fight him. I NEED to fight him. This is the greatest display of power I've ever witnessed.
@NewsAnchor_Janet: We just watched a ten-year-old defeat the Pokemon League in eight minutes using five Pokemon. One of which was a Shuckle. I'm going to need therapy.
@KennethFanClub: KENNETH CARRIED. SIX MINUTES OF PSYCHOLOGICAL WARFARE. THE KING HAS SPOKEN.
LANCE'S POST-BATTLE INTERVIEW
"Champion Lance, what are your thoughts?"
Lance stared into the camera.
"I have been the Champion of two regions. I have defeated countless challengers. I have faced Legendary Pokemon before."
He paused.
"Nothing prepared me for watching Kenneth the Shuckle defeat an Elite Four member through PATIENCE. Nothing prepared me for twelve Arceus passing JUDGMENT on my team. Nothing prepared me for ANY of this."
"Do you have any advice for future challengers?"
"Yes. Don't challenge Marcus Chen. Just... don't. Accept that there is a tier of power we cannot reach and move on with your lives."
"That's surprisingly defeatist."
"It's surprisingly REALISTIC."
THE LEGENDARY REVIEW SESSION
After the battle, the Legendaries gathered to discuss their performances.
"I feel UNDERUTILIZED," Rayquaza complained.
"Same," Kyogre agreed. "I didn't even get to FLOOD anything."
"I emerged from the shadows DRAMATICALLY," Giratina said smugly. "My role was perfect."
"JUDGMENT was satisfying," the Arceus collective agreed. "Very cathartic."
"I still can't believe Kenneth got one of the battles," Zekrom muttered. "HE'S A SHUCKLE."
"KENNETH IS ESSENTIAL," Mew countered. "KENNETH PROVIDES VIBES."
Kenneth vibrated.
"Kenneth says 'the vibes were immaculate,'" Leo translated.
"THE VIBES WERE IMMACULATE," the Legendaries agreed.
MARCUS'S REFLECTION
Later that night, Marcus sat with his core team, reviewing the day.
"So... that happened."
"Pika pika." That was the fastest League run in history.
"Vee vee." And the most watched.
"The Arceus collective's Judgment was impressive," Leo admitted. "Though perhaps excessive."
"I thought it was appropriately dramatic," Steve offered. "For once, I have no complaints."
Kenneth vibrated.
"What did Kenneth say?"
"Kenneth says he's proud of his performance. And that he would like a medal."
"We don't have medals."
Kenneth vibrated sadly.
"...I'll get Kenneth a medal."
Kenneth vibrated happily.
HALL OF ORIGIN - ARCEUS COLLECTIVE DEBRIEF
The twelve Arceus had gathered to discuss their performance.
"JUDGMENT WORKED WELL," Original Arceus noted.
"Very satisfying," Event Arceus #3 agreed. "We should do that more often."
"The Dragonites seemed... surprised."
"They were JUDGED. Surprise is natural."
"Do you think we overdid it?" Shiny Arceus asked.
Silence.
"OVERDID what?"
"Defeating an ENTIRE TEAM with one attack. Through their POKEBALLS."
"That was EFFICIENCY."
"It was showing off."
"...It was efficient showing off."
The collective considered this.
"ACCEPTABLE."
NEW RECORDS ESTABLISHED
JOHTO LEAGUE SPEEDRUN RECORDS:
Marcus Chen (Legendary Run) - 8 minutes 10 secondsFluffy (Partner Eevee Solo) - 12 minutes 37 secondsZippy (Partner Pikachu Solo) - 6 minutes 43 seconds (Elite Four only)Leo (Champion Solo) - 5 minutes 22 seconds (Champion only)
NOTES:
Kenneth's 6-minute stall is the longest individual battle in speedrun historyArceus Collective's Judgment is the most Pokemon defeated in one attack (6)Giratina's 12-second victory is the fastest Elite Four defeat everTotal property damage estimate: "Yes"
THE AFTERMATH
The League battle had changed things.
Trainers everywhere now understood that there was a level of power beyond anything they could achieve.
And surprisingly, this was INSPIRING.
Not discouraging—INSPIRING.
"If a ten-year-old can befriend forty-three Legendaries," trainers said, "then maybe I can befriend ONE."
Pokemon-human relations improved dramatically.
Trainers started asking their Pokemon what they wanted.
Trainers started treating them as partners, not tools.
All because one kid showed the world what true bonding looked like.
THAT NIGHT - MARCUS'S CAMP
Marcus lay on Groudon's back, staring at the stars.
His Legendaries surrounded him—some sleeping, some watching, some simply BEING.
"You know," he said quietly, "when Arceus sent me here, I thought it was a punishment."
"IT WAS INTENDED AS SUCH," Original Arceus admitted, floating nearby.
"But it's not. It's the best thing that ever happened to me."
Silence.
"Forty-three Legendaries. And they all CHOSE me. And today, we showed the world what that means."
"WHAT DOES IT MEAN?" Dialga asked.
Marcus smiled.
"It means that even gods want to be loved. That even ancient beings want friendship. That power isn't everything—CONNECTION is."
The Legendaries made soft sounds of agreement.
"I love you all," Marcus said. "Every single one of you."
"WE LOVE YOU TOO," the Legendaries replied.
Even Giratina.
Even the Ultra Beasts.
Even the Arceus collective.
And Kenneth vibrated.
Which was basically the same thing.
CURRENT STATUS:
Johto League: Speedrun complete
Time: 8 minutes 10 seconds
Legendaries Used: 5
Legendaries Disappointed About Not Being Used: 38
Kenneth's Medal: Pending
World Inspiration Level: Maximum
NEXT DESTINATION: Unknown
But probably more chaos: Definitely
[A/N: THE LEGENDARY SPEEDRUN IS COMPLETE! Kenneth got a battle! Arceus passed JUDGMENT! Next chapter: Marcus receives invitations from EVERY REGION simultaneously, and the world's Champions all want to challenge him! Also, the Legendaries start planning Marcus's birthday party, and their ideas involve REWRITING REALITY! Leave a comment about your favorite moment from the speedrun!]