"Since you want it, then I'll give it to you."
Arceus did not hesitate for long. Sacred golden light began to shimmer across its body, and a pure golden sphere of light slowly drifted out from it.
This was its Power of Creation.
Lucas's eyes lit up as he watched the golden sphere sink into his body. In an instant, a warm, holy current spread throughout his entire being, flowing through every limb and every corner of his body.
"The power of Arceus… it really does feel wonderful."
Lucas gently closed his eyes, carefully sensing the new strength within him. Soon after, he opened them again, a satisfied smile forming as he murmured softly.
In this world, nearly all special abilities possessed by humans were auxiliary in nature. Even the Power of Arceus was no exception.
As for engaging Pokémon in close combat with one's bare hands?
Of course, that wasn't impossible. Just look at Bruno, or Chuck from the Cianwood Gym—train every day, push your body to its limits, and maybe one day you could trade blows with a relatively weak Fighting-type Pokémon.
But humans have their limits. No matter how much you train, your genes are fixed. Wanting to fight Pokémon head-on with a human body is nothing more than a dream.
Even so, that did not mean special abilities were weak.
"Telepathy, healing, perception, telekinesis, life…"
Lucas slowly curled his lips into a grin as he activated the Power of Arceus within him. It almost encompassed every special ability he knew of!
Viridian Power, Aura Power, Wave Guidance—how could any of those compare to Arceus's Power of Creation?
Lucas could even vaguely sense that the Power of Arceus he possessed might be even stronger than that of Meraz's and Baraz's grandfather from the movie.
That old man could restrain Hoopa Unbound with sheer telekinesis and even accelerate the growth of seeds and plants with his abilities—practically like using cheats.
And yet, Lucas could clearly feel that he was now capable of doing the same.
This power came directly from Arceus, and Arceus had been exceedingly generous in granting it to him.
"Tsk tsk… if I had more straightforward combat power, I'd practically be a humanoid Pokémon."
Lucas clicked his tongue in amazement. One truly had to admit—the power of Arceus lived up to its reputation.
"It seems you like it very much." Arceus observed Lucas's expression and immediately understood that this human was highly satisfied.
"Of course. Thank you very much for your gift."
Lucas gave Arceus a slight bow and said with a smile.
"That is for the best. I should be leaving now. Please convey my apology to the descendant of Damos for me."
Golden light slowly overflowed from Arceus's body as it rose into the air and spoke to Lucas.
Even though it had restored Michina to its original state, the damage it once caused could not simply be erased. Arceus still felt deep remorse.
After all, it was meant to be the guardian of this world.
"Please rest assured. If you ever have time, you're welcome to walk among the human world again, Lord Arceus. The world today is also very beautiful and harmonious."
Lucas did not try to stop it.
"I will."
Arceus smiled faintly, nodded to Dialga and the other Legendary Pokémon, and then ascended into the air.
The gate to the Hall of Origin opened, and Arceus entered it directly.
Rayquaza and the other Legends all watched silently as the Creator God departed.
"Haaah~"
Seeing Arceus finally return to its own space, Hoopa let out a long breath, finally relaxing.
"Even if you suffered before, there's no need to be this scared, right?"
Lucas looked at Hoopa with amusement. This kid's psychological shadow really did seem quite deep.
"You don't understand! I was sealed for a hundred years! A hundred years!"
Hoopa pouted, its little face scrunching up as it complained pitifully. Its small size only made it look even cuter.
For other Legendary Pokémon, a hundred years might be no more than a nap—like a certain flightless one, a chubby fish, or the stay-at-home ice dragon.
But for Hoopa, who was naturally energetic and restless, it was an utterly terrifying punishment.
Without power, it didn't even have the confidence to pull pranks anymore.
And then there was the incident with Evil Hoopa Unbound trying to "usurp" it—that only made Hoopa even more afraid.
What if Arceus disliked it again and sealed it away once more?
"For a Demon God Pokémon, you're really something."
Lucas rolled his eyes.
Unbound Hoopa was officially classified as a Demon God Pokémon.
(TN: In Chinese it might mean that but in English its Djinni Pokémon.)
So, the title "Demon God" wasn't something fans randomly slapped onto it—it was the official designation.
Yet clearly, this adorable little demon god was… a bit off.
"What's wrong with being a Demon God?! Hoopa is super strong, okay?!"
The little demon god crossed its arms indignantly, puffing out its chest.
Besides, was it really shameful to fear Arceus?
Didn't everyone see what just happened? Among the top-tier Legendaries present, not a single one who dared to clash head-on with that llama escaped getting utterly smashed.
"Alright, alright."
Lucas was truly powerless to argue with this logically cowardly little demon god.
"Is everyone okay?"
He turned around and looked at the Legendaries, scanning them one by one.
Most of them bore some injuries, but since Arceus's Power of Creation had just enveloped all of Michina, their wounds had largely been healed.
"No major problems—just a bit of a shame~"
Black Rayquaza leisurely flicked its tail. It had also taken a couple of heavy hits from Arceus earlier.
But it didn't mind at all. Its physique was outstanding, and getting injured in battle was perfectly normal.
"That's good. I suppose we can say we saved the world together."
Lucas joked lightly. They had stabilized an enraged Arceus—calling that saving the world wasn't really an exaggeration.
"Well~ that might be a bit much."
Black Rayquaza laughed, giving Lucas a look. He really knew how to flatter himself.
"Oh right, human. According to predictions, quite a few meteorites will be heading this way in the near future."
As if remembering something, Black Rayquaza reminded him, then added,
"The scale won't be small."
"Meteorites? Aren't you always guarding outside the planet?"
Lucas was momentarily stunned and pondered before asking.
If he remembered correctly, the division of labor among the three Rayquaza he knew was very clear.
Mega Rayquaza handled matters within the planet, Black Rayquaza guarded outside the planet.
As for Young Rayquaza…
Before following Lucas, it was basically a wandering odd-job worker—essentially a mascot.
After all, it had only just reached adulthood and hadn't even learned Dragon Ascent yet. Mega Rayquaza hadn't even wanted to let it out in the first place.
"Exactly. But isn't this the kind of thing you, as the chosen of a Rayquaza, should deal with?"
Black Rayquaza replied matter-of-factly.
As the recognized chosen of the Rayquaza clan, wasn't handling a so-called meteor crisis his responsibility?
"That's not really a problem."
Lucas's eyelid twitched. Black Rayquaza was really skilled at passing off work.
But as the chosen of the Rayquaza lineage, he did indeed have an obligation to stop the meteor crisis—especially the Hoenn meteor foretold by the Draconid people.
Inside that meteor was a Deoxys.
And according to the anime, that Deoxys could freely change forms.
Although it was almost completely no match for Mega Rayquaza…
After getting crushed with ease, it was promptly subdued.
Still, better than nothing. At the very least, it was a Mythical Pokémon, right?
"Dialga."
Lucas turned his gaze toward Dialga. He had fulfilled his promise—resolving the crisis of Arceus.
And Dialga had promised him a chance to rewind time afterward.
"No problem. When do you want to depart?"
Dialga's calm telepathic voice echoed in Lucas's mind.
With the Father God awakened, Dialga was in an exceptionally good mood. Besides, it had already sent Lucas through time once—doing it again was no issue at all.
"Later. Now isn't the right time."
Lucas thought for a moment before replying.
His plan was to rewind time to the moment when Pryce's two Lapras died.
In the original story, Pryce did succeed. Although Gold shattered the GS Ball in the time tunnel, freeing Celebi, the time travel had already begun.
Pryce ultimately returned to the past, allowing the young Lapras to reunite with its parents—but the result was that Pryce himself became lost in the time rift.
If not for Celebi later foreseeing the crisis at the ruins of the capital —where Archer controlled Arceus to create the Sinnoh trio, whose power was terrifying—it wouldn't have thought of Pryce as a super combatant.
TN: Not sure if it was really Archer.
Otherwise, Pryce might truly have never returned from the time rift…
"No problem."
Dialga agreed without hesitation.
"A Legendary with resurrection abilities…"
Lucas's eyes turned toward the serene, peaceful rainbow-colored stag in the distance.
When resurrection is mentioned, many people's first thought is often the so-called "The Colorful Fearow" Rainbow Ho-Oh.
But Xerneas's boundless life force might also grant it resurrection abilities similar to Ho-Oh's.
Yveltal's Oblivion Wing was the power to seize life—everything swept by it would wither, petrify, and perish.
Yet Xerneas could restore life to those who had been drained of it.
In a sense, that could also be considered resurrection… right?
(End of Chapter)