After resolving Karen's "new employment" matter, Lucas once again returned to Blackthorn City to recuperate and take it easy.
From time to time, he would go to the Alola region to have in-depth discussions with Lusamine. The malevolent aura of Shadow Lugia had already been completely purified, but because it had been influenced for far too long, Shadow Lugia's consciousness was still in a semi-comatose state for the time being.
However, those leisurely days did not last very long.
Half a month later, he finally received that call.
Sinnoh—Michina.
As always, the mountains and rivers were lush and beautiful, the scenery like a painting. Clad in a white robe, Lucas once again set foot upon this land.
"This really brings back memories~ Even the beautiful companion by my side seems to be the same as before."
With a faint smile on his lips, Lucas glanced into the distance.
That place had originally been a magnificent mountain peak, but due to the battle between Eternatus and Dialga back then, it had been reduced to ruins.
"Mr. Lucas really is in the mood for nostalgia."
Cynthia, dressed in a black dress, smiled faintly in response. Yet anyone could see the trace of worry lingering on her face.
Beside Cynthia, Caitlin—her long golden hair reaching her calves—held Cynthia's hand, silently comforting her close friend.
She had originally returned to her hometown because the year's end was approaching, but she never expected to run into such a situation.
Even though she knew she might not be able to help much, Caitlin still accompanied Cynthia here.
"No matter what kind of crisis it is, merely sighing in despair would be far too powerless, Miss Cynthia."
Lucas understood what Cynthia was worried about and spoke with a light chuckle.
"Mr. Lucas, not everyone can be like you, you know. What you just said was actually quite impolite."
Caitlin shot Lucas a sideways glance and replied with an amused smile.
Cynthia was the Champion of Sinnoh—she had her responsibilities and her stance. Knowing that danger was about to descend upon her region while being unable to do anything about it, that sense of powerlessness was the most tormenting of all.
"That's precisely why you must adjust your mindset. Sometimes, you also have to learn to place your hopes in others—companions, friends, the strong. When one feels powerless, that's something worth trying."
Lucas spoke slowly with a gentle smile.
"So, Mr. Lucas, are you going to become our pillar of support?"
Caitlin blinked her clear, captivating eyes, tilting her head slightly as she stared at Lucas for a long moment before suddenly speaking.
"That wouldn't be a problem at all. Don't worry—there won't be any danger. I never do anything without being confident."
"Life is long, and I'm still far from having enjoyed it enough."
Lucas glanced at the elegant young lady and teased lightly with a faint smile.
Behind him, Green rolled her eyes—this guy was flirting again.
Something that could have been summarized with a simple sentence like, 'I'm confident I can handle this,' yet he insisted on beating around the bush and showing off this much.
"Then thank you very much, Mr. Lucas."
Cynthia finally showed a smile and expressed her gratitude to Lucas.
Right… with Lucas around, there shouldn't be any problems… probably.
"Mr. Lucas really is as charming as ever."
Caitlin pressed her lips together, the corners curling upward as a shallow smile bloomed—radiating astonishing allure.
As expected, this man was truly special.
Her beautiful eyes flickered slightly—he really was different from everyone else.
"Miss Caitlin is the same. Let's go—I believe Miss Sheena has already been waiting for us for quite some time."
The Temple of the Michina Ruins.
After climbing the mountain, Lucas and the others saw Sheena and Kevin waiting in front of the temple.
At this moment, anxiety was plainly visible on Sheena's face.
"Mr. Lucas, you've finally arrived."
Seeing Lucas and the others, Sheena hurried over in relief.
"Ah~ Don't panic. How's the situation?"
Lucas soothed her gently and asked.
That's right—Arceus was about to awaken.
Or rather, approximately so. As for the exact timing, even Sheena hadn't told him.
"Let's talk inside the temple."
Sheena invited everyone into the ruins.
"Yesterday afternoon, Palkia contacted me. The fluctuations coming from the Hall of Origin have become extremely intense—Arceus's injuries are nearly fully healed."
"According to Palkia, Arceus will likely descend into the present world within these next two days."
Sheena said worriedly. She couldn't help but worry—that was Arceus, the Creator God!
And clearly, Arceus was coming with the fury of betrayal!
This was a sin inherited from their ancestors. Even though Sheena felt completely innocent, Arceus would not care about such things.
That was why Sheena had immediately contacted Lucas.
"Within the next two days, huh?"
Hearing this, Lucas pondered briefly.
"I've already dispatched people to evacuate the residents of Michina. The surrounding area is now secured."
Cynthia spoke up. Sheena had also contacted her, hoping to use her authority as the Sinnoh Champion to evacuate the people living in Michina.
After all…
If Arceus were to truly erupt in rage, it would be impossible for Michina not to be affected.
"The only option is to try returning the Jewel of Life to Arceus, in hopes of dispelling its anger. Mr. Lucas, what do you think?"
Sheena looked toward Lucas. She had no other ideas left and could only seek his help.
"That method won't work. I said it long ago—anger accumulated over a thousand years can't be resolved simply by returning the original item."
"Besides, if we return the Jewel of Life to Arceus and it still chooses to vent its rage, then there will truly be no solution left."
Lucas rejected the idea without hesitation. Sheena might be naive, but he certainly wasn't.
Right now, Arceus was missing its Plates—at least there was still a chance to defeat it. But if the Jewel of Life were returned to Arceus now…
Then how would they fight Arceus?
With their heads?
With all attributes rendered ineffective, a fully equipped Arceus might as well have the word invincible written directly on its body.
That was true invincibility.
The Plates absolutely had to be returned to Arceus—but only after confirming that Arceus no longer posed any threat.
Sheena fell silent. She understood this logic perfectly well—but was there any other way?
"Once Arceus descends, we'll adapt to the situation."
After thinking it over, Lucas said so.
No matter how much they discussed now, it would be useless. Everything depended on Arceus's attitude when the time came.
"Mr. Lucas, there's something I'm rather curious about."
"Please go ahead, Miss Caitlin."
Lucas turned his gaze toward Caitlin.
"Why are you willing to take such a risk, Mr. Lucas? That is the legendary Creator God, after all."
Caitlin looked at Lucas with curiosity. No matter how confident one was, the opponent was still the god of creation.
What gave Lucas the courage to rush to Michina at the first moment?
At her words, Cynthia and the others also turned their eyes toward Lucas.
"If I have to say it, there are probably two reasons."
Lucas raised an eyebrow, then smiled and spoke frankly.
"Would it be convenient to explain?"
"There's nothing inconvenient about it. Back then, I made a deal with Dialga. If I help them stop the enraged Arceus, Dialga would help me do one thing."
Yes—so long as Lucas helped Dialga resolve the crisis of Arceus, Dialga agreed to grant him a single instance of time reversal.
It was a transaction.
"Dialga's condition, huh? Then what about the second reason?"
Cynthia and the others were momentarily stunned, then grew even more curious about Lucas's other reason.
"As for the second reason… you could say it's my own selfish desire."
Lucas's eyes flickered slightly, blazing with fervent brilliance.
"When a person possesses power, they always want to—"
At that moment, an incomparably vast and oppressive pressure suddenly descended!
Heavy. Suffocating.
"It's here!"
Lucas's words cut off abruptly as his gaze snapped toward the outside of the ruins.
The others exchanged looks and hurried toward the entrance.
"The Hall of Origin!"
Stepping outside the ruins and seeing a sacred white gate suspended in midair, Sheena cried out in shock.
The Hall of Origin—the place where all things began!
It was also the dwelling space of the Creator God Arceus, containing no other life besides Arceus itself.
"How could it be so fast?"
Sheena exclaimed in disbelief. The appearance of the Hall of Origin's gate made its meaning self-evident.
Lucas remained silent, his eyes fixed tightly on the Gate of Origin.
Creak—
Under everyone's gaze, the Gate of Origin slowly opened, and a sacred being stepped forth.
The deep, overwhelming pressure became so intense that even breathing grew difficult. It felt as though a hand was gripping their hearts tightly, forcing their heartbeat to slow uncontrollably.
"So that's Arceus?"
Green stared in amazement at the platinum-white being—it was vastly different from what she had imagined a Creator God to look like.
Its body wasn't large, standing just over three meters tall. Its primary color was white, its form resembling a kirin or a centaur. The tips of its four hooves were golden, and at the center of its body was a cross-like golden adornment known as the "Thousand Arms."
Its originally green eyes were now filled with terrifying crimson light born of rage.
Arceus had descended!
"Damos…"
Arceus hovered silently in midair, gazing down upon the beautiful land below. The red light in its eyes flickered incessantly as it murmured that unforgettable name in its heart.
The name of the one who betrayed it.
It had lent the Plates governing life, forming the Jewel of Life, to him—so that he could restore vitality to this ravaged land.
And yet… he had betrayed it!
As the thought arose, fury surged uncontrollably. The red glow in Arceus's eyes deepened, as though soaked in blood.
Damos!!!
Destruction!
Arceus lifted its head high as dense, radiant light gathered above it.
Judgment!
A blazing red sphere shot upward at high speed—Fire-type Judgment!
"Arceus! Please, don't!"
Sheena's face turned deathly pale as she shouted toward Arceus.
She never imagined that the moment Arceus appeared, it would launch an attack outright.
But it was already too late.
BOOM!
Judgment detonated violently in the sky. Countless points of light scattered, raining down upon the land of Michina.
The beautiful red lights were like a meteor shower, trailing small flames as they fell—but this was calamity!
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Explosions rang out endlessly. Michina, once as beautiful as a paradise, was instantly engulfed in smoke and fire.
"What terrifying destructive power."
Lucas's eyes swept across the devastation. As Arceus's signature move, the might of Judgment was beyond doubt.
Although its attack pattern resembled Draco Meteor, the two were worlds apart.
Most importantly, Judgment's attribute could change!
The attribute of Judgment was determined by Arceus—whichever Plate it used, Judgment's type would change accordingly. In other words, although Arceus had only one signature move, it effectively possessed eighteen… each with full same-type bonus power!
Judgment continued to rain down, but whether intentionally or unintentionally, none of it struck the ruins temple.
Because of that, Lucas and the others didn't even need to dodge.
The Judgment finally ended, leaving the ground in utter devastation. Arceus lowered its gaze, its form slowly approaching the ruins temple.
"Where is Damos?"
Arceus's indifferent, merciless crimson eyes swept over Lucas and the others, pausing briefly on Lucas before a vast, ancient telepathic voice echoed in their minds.
"Damos was my ancestor. He passed away long ago."
Pressing her lips together, Sheena gathered her courage and stepped forward to speak to Arceus.
As Damos's descendant, it was her duty to face Arceus directly.
"A descendant of Damos?"
Arceus's red eyes flickered. Fragile humans could only ever meet such an end.
"My Plates are on you."
After staring at Sheena for a moment, Arceus turned its terrifying crimson gaze toward Lucas. Coldness seeped into its ancient telepathy.
This descent into the present world had only two purposes.
First—to make foolish humanity pay the price.
And second—naturally, to reclaim its Plates!
The Plates were the source of its life. It would never allow them to remain outside.
And it could sense them clearly—its Plates were on this young human!
(End of Chapter)