Summary: While wandering the streets of Castelia City in human form, Arceus runs into the god he thought he banished for good. A prequel to The Once-In-A-Century God Meeting. Author's notes at the bottom.


Arceus had to admit that humanity had come quite a long ways. In a million years, they had turned from cave-dwelling creatures, a race ravaged by the vast destruction of Giratina's rebellion, to living in cities and keeping Pokémon as companions. Unova's Castelia City stood as a testament to mankind's advancement, its sprawling streets and massive buildings a monument to engineering and wealth.

That was why Arceus had elected the city for his routine visit to the mortal realm. As the creator of the universe, he found it sensible to walk among his creation routinely, taking the shape of a human or average Pokémon to fit in. The exercise had overall proven interesting, to say the least. (On one notable occasion, he had held a lengthy conversation with a retired Johto champion. The aging woman had guessed his identity halfway through the conversation and called him out on it, making for the most unique conversation he had taken part in for centuries.)

After shapeshifting into his preferred human form—a pale-haired boy aging somewhere around eighteen—Arceus teleported himself into an alleyway in the city. As his eyes adjusted to the dim lighting, he took a few tentative steps. Wearing a human body always required some getting used to.

A few minutes later, Arceus stepped out into one of the bustling streets. He suddenly felt very small. His current form was not exactly tall, and the immense buildings towered over him. He abruptly felt thankful that he was not a human living in such a large, frightening world.

He wondered how they ever managed to feel significant. After their inevitable deaths, nearly all humans faded out of memory without leaving a sign that they ever existed. Only a small handful would do something influential enough to be remembered by future generations.

"Impressive, isn't it?" someone suddenly said. Arceus turned to look, and saw another young man with short, dark hair and red eyes.

Even after so long, he definitely recognized that voice. "Giratina?" the god said, surprised. "What are you doing here?"

"Don't worry, if you think I'm going to destroy the city or anything. I just wanted to see you again."

"But—why are you here? I banished you."

Giratina laughed bitterly. "I've figured out a few things. For one, you happened to overlook the fact that the Distortion World falls under my powers. Creating portals to this dimension is easy for me at this point. I just happened to be wandering around here, and so I saw you. Honestly, Arceus, I would've thought you'd be less sloppy."

The other god turned away. "I knew that. I just didn't think you would want to see me."

"Why wouldn't I? Oh right, you banished me for all eternity to a lifeless wasteland. What a forgiving god you are."

Arceus sighed. "If you're just here to complain, then I'm leaving."

"Wait—no, don't go! Please, I want to talk to you." The Renegade grabbed Arceus's arm desperately, causing him to turn.

"Let go of my arm, Giratina," he commanded, voice rising slightly. Giratina quickly released the appendage.

"Arceus, please. I haven't spoken to anyone worthwhile for centuries."

"And you're saying that I'm worthwhile?"

"Yes. You're the creator of the universe, I'm sure you have something to say."

Despite his misgivings, Arceus soon found himself sitting on the edge of a dock holding a cone of Castelia's world-famous ice cream with Giratina under a foot away. The creation god licked his ice cream thoughtfully, savoring the foreign taste.

"So," Arceus said, breaking the silence. "How has the Distortion World been treating you?"

"It's plain boring, but other than that, it's fine. How's the Hall of Creation been?"

"Fine. Mesprit and Azelf are their usual mischievous selves, but other than that, not much occurs."

There was another long silence.

"…Can I ever come back?" Giratina said abruptly.

"To the Hall of Origin? No."

"Why not? I'm no longer a danger to the universe, as you can see."

"I exiled you forever. I can't just go back on my word like that."

"Why can't you? With some explaining, everyone will know why. And you're god. Nobody questions your word."

"But if I take you back, then I'll be admitting that I was wrong. That gives everyone a reason to doubt me."

"Who would ever doubt you?" The way he said it was strangely innocent.

"You did. You doubted me enough to go directly against my word and try to destroy the universe. Who's to say that no one else will?"

"I don't know. But I won't let them."

Arceus stared. "Why?"

"It's my job to question you. I claimed it that the moment the void spit me out to cling to the edges of your reality."

"But… Giratina, even you can't stamp out a full-blown rebellion."

"Rebellion? Who said anything about that? If you did anything to warrant a rebellion, I would probably be the leader."

Arceus just laughed.

"Huh? What's funny?" Giratina said, bewildered. "I don't get it."

"And that, dear Giratina, was a prime example of what not to say when you're trying to get me to take you back."

More silence. The sun was beginning to set, causing the sky to be stained red and orange. A flock of Swablu, migrating to spend the winter in the warmth of Unova, flew overhead, their cloudy wings reflecting the light of the sun.

"Besides, I don't think they're ready," Arceus said suddenly. "To take you back, I mean. Everyone still thinks that… that you're some monster who will destroy the universe on a whim."

"But I'm not."

"I know that. And I think Dialga and Palkia know that, too. But everyone else, especially the younger ones, don't."

"We can convince them. I can… I don't know. Rescue a human child who fell down a well or something. We'll figure something out."

Arceus smiled sadly. "Things aren't that simple, you know. You can't just jump into a world that's seen you as a menace for thousands of years and expect to be welcomed."

"Then let's make a plan. Bring me up the next time you see everyone else, tell Dialga and Palkia beforehand to get them accustomed to the idea. Have one of them bring it up if you're so afraid of going directly against your word."

"Why do I feel like you've thought about this a lot?"

"Because I have."

Arceus sighed. "I'll think about it."

The Renegade smiled brightly. "I missed you, you know. In an odd way. Logically, I didn't want anything to do with you for the longest time, but something felt… missing, I guess. Like I wasn't completely whole, almost. And now, I don't feel much like that, really. Guess it might have something to do with all that counterpart silliness you were always talking about. Or just the fact that I've known you longer and better than I've known anyone else."

The god smiled, but didn't say anything.

Maybe he did miss Giratina.

He just wasn't sure if he was ready to say that aloud yet.

And… maybe having him back would be good for everyone. After all, Giratina had popped into existence for a reason, and that reason wasn't to rot in the Distortion World for all eternity.

Yes. It would be for the best.

(And then maybe the pit of guilt and regret in his heart would finally seal.)


Author's Note: This was mostly written way before TOIACGM, with a few minor edits after that was written. If it wasn't obvious, Arceus, Palkia, Dialga, and Giratina were all acting for most of TOIACGM, and Palkia's assistance of Giratina there was a lie. More may or may not be addd to this story, depending on a few factors. If I can find the time and motivation, I hope to explore some of the other legendaries a bit more, but the main plot will be centered mostly around Giratina and his reintroduction to the Hall of Origin. Also, please point out any inconsistencies or errors in either of the chapters I have up; I do most of my writing at night when I am very tired, making for some oversights.