We find out what the problem is in the future! Enjoy~

-x- Shoto -x-

"Again, it's only you going?" Izuku asked, standing at the treeline while Touya set up camp. "Are you sure you'll be okay?"

"Yeah. I don't really think having your memories erased, losing emotion or losing willpower will be any help. I just hope they don't do that to me," he said, looking alone the crystal clear lake. It looked like the water was sheet of glass. He was glad there was at least a rowboat he could use and didn't need to swim the whole way.

Arceus finally told him more about the lake guardians. It flipped the world on its axis, and it became clear pokemon had lived far, far longer than humans. He didn't tell Izuku or Touya the fact that the pokemon he was about to meet, hopefully meet, had taught humans basic emotions. If they knew, he didn't know how they'd feel. It was big news.

He did keep secrets from them, but they were important ones. Envy climbed into the boat, and he rowed his way across it to the dark pool area. Where the sky didn't reflect. It was dark, empty water. It looked unnatural compared to the rest of the reflecting lake. Envy was nervous. Don't worry. Worst case scenario is that we forget we ever came here.

Envy nodded.

When they reached the dark spot, the boat was yanked into it, jolting both of them and rocking the rowboat. A hole opened up beneath the water, and the boat fell inside. They landed in another pool of water in the dark. It was damp inside, and Shoto was intrigued. He crackled electricity in his hand to give some lighting. He rowed the boat with one arm to the side.

"Hello?" he called, voice echoing obnoxiously. Hello? My name is Shoto. Best to not be too noisy and rude and inconsiderate.

What are you doing here?

Yeah, what, what?

Who are you?

There were three voices, which was what he was betting on. It seemed their living standards had changed, as the book did not say they lived beneath a lake, but beside it. He looked up and saw the water above. It really was like a sheet of glass. The water was a roof above them. No wonder there had been no water pokemon inside the lake.

My name is Todoroki Shoto. I've come to ask for your powers. Arecus sent me.

What!?

And he three fairy legendary pokemon popped up in front of him. They were cute and seemed nonthreatening, but he didn't let that get to his head. Arceus sent me here.

How do you know of him?

Its a long story. I'm like his ward. Something bad is coming, so he gave me the power to communicate with pokemon and receive their powers so I can be prepared for whatever bad will happen. I've already met Celebi and Suicune. It's alright if you don't want to give me your powers, but please don't erase my memories. You are very cool to see.

Aw, you're so sweet. Come with us! And they floated away. Well, it looked more like they were dancing in the air. Uxie, Mesprit, and Azelf. Shoto was sure no human had seen them in a long, long time. When did you learn the truth of the past?

A few days ago. Humans were made by pokemon and you gave us ways to think.

This is quite surprising! Arceus-sama hasn't created any living being in a very long time. He followed them in the cave, darker and deeper until it was suddenly bright. There were lines of light on the walls. As if a pen made of light had been scribbled all over the walls. The kid looked at it all in awe. No other human had ever been here before. It was humbling.

Well, you aren't ready to receive our powers.

When will I be ready?

After you see.

Okay. Show me.

-x- Izuku -x-

"He's been in there four hours…" Touya said in worry. "We've been here too long and it's getting dark. We don't know how to get back to the portal without him."

Izuku was worried, too, but didn't think Shoto would die. He wouldn't be killed. He was positive this was safe for himself. Something had changed, and Izuku didn't know what. He'd acted strange when he told him they would be seeing the lake guardians. Izuku wished he could read his mind. But he couldn't and pressing him wasn't going to do any good. He'd probably just close off.

It was when the sun set that the boat popped up out of nowhere, and he rowed it back. "Shoto!" they called in relief. He seemed fine. When he got out of the boat, he seemed a bit unsteady on his feet. "You okay? What on earth happened in there?"

Shoto gave a bright, uncharacteristic smile. "I learned so much."

"Did you get the powers?" Touya asked, putting things away. Shoto nodded. "What are they?"

"I can manipulate how people think. I didn't expect that one, to be honest. I probably won't ever use that since it just makes people pawns-"

"Wait, WHAT?!" Touya demanded.

"It sounds really OP but it's not." Izuku frowned when Shoto's eyes flashed gold. Something happened down there, but it didn't seem to have harmed him. Envy looked happy, so Shoto hadn't been attacked or anything. But he'd been there for far too long if it was only to get powers. "How long was I in there for you guys?"

"Four hours."

"Oh… wow," he said in surprise.

"How long was it for you?" Izuku asked.

"Two months." Izuku's jaw dropped and Touya dropped what he was holding. "I guess time moved differently in there. It's so hard to explain. Probably from Dialga, he can manipulate time. I didn't get that power, though. I don't want to even touch time travel."

"Okay, okay. Let's just get the fuck outta here and you can explain the two months when we get back." They left, and Shoto lead them to the right area and through the portal. Izuku shared a concerned look with Touya, who pursed his lips and turned forward. They walked along the beach to the car. The portal to the lake of creation was at the beach.

When they got into the car, Shoto sighed and leaned against the seat heavily. "What the fuck happened in there, Shoto?"

"Uh, I was told a lot. Arceus wasn't saying a lot. It wasn't the right time or place." He smiled softly. "It was really fun and interesting."

"What did you learn?" Izuku asked brightly.

"Oh, I can't tell you guys." They were silent.

"What? Why not?"

"I was told not to. If I told you, they'd erase my memories of it all," Shoto stated.

"We're family! You have to tell us!" Touya snapped. Izuku was worried. Shoto looked kind of offended, but droopy. He couldn't tell him, or Izuku. It felt like he was pulled away from them even more. He seemed different, but Izuku couldn't tell how. "C'mon, give us a hint. What's so important that you can't say? Arceus already trusts us enough, why can't those lake fairies do it, too?"

Shoto looked extremely uncomfortable. "Please don't be mad at me. I just want to go home."

"Yeah, it's been fucking two months for you."

"You don't need to come next time if you don't want to," Shoto mumbled, and shut down. He refused to say anything more, and the drive was deeply uncomfortable. Izuku had so many questions, and felt awful that he couldn't be told important things. But if the only thing to come from Shoto telling them was to have his memory wiped, Izuku could not blame him for saying nothing.

And he had a very personal relationship with the pokemon, he was loyal to them. He was loyal to his loved ones, but also the pokemon. When they got back to the house, they entered, and Touya stomped up to his room angrily. Shoto flinched when the door slammed shut. "Whoa, what happened?" Natsuo asked, taking his headphones off at the kitchen table.

"Nothing," Shoto mumbled, and walked up the stairs, Izuku following. He took his book out of his bag and put it back under the mattress. Then he sat in the bean bag chair and looked at the stickers on his ceiling. Izuku waited in silence. "I learned how people and pokemon were made."

"Oh. Then it's not how humans think it is?" Izuku asked, trying to keep his wording vague and non intrusive. He wanted to know, but didn't want to upset Shoto. He shook his head. "How much are you able to tell me? Anything at all?"

"I have an idea of what the problem will be. I'm not sure. I have a feeling, though. It's just a hunch. I can't tell you how the people on the planet were made, what the founders did."

"Founders?"

"Well, the creationists, I guess. Founder is easier to say. Just know that humans would be nothing without pokemon. Humans think we're more advanced, smarter, we are better than pokemon when it couldn't be further from the truth. It was humbling." Izuku let him say what he could, but he was so interested, so intrigued.

"I'm sorry I worried you guys. I'm glad it was only four hours, though. For me, time kind of stopped in there. I didn't really know what was happening until it was over and I could process it all." God, Izuku wanted to know! If he was in Shoto's place, what would he have done? Would he be able to keep his mouth shut?

He asked, "So, what new powers did you get? Besides how to make people think."

"Honestly, they're probably all useless. At least for now. Using psychic powers give me splitting headaches. If I was able to, telekinesis would be easy. I think I'll get told I have to grow further to be able to use all that. I have to talk to Arceus about everything. And say hi to him for the lake guardians. They were really interested to hear I knew of him. I think that's the only reason they welcomed me."

Izuku hummed. "So, what is the problem you think will come? You said you had an idea." Shoto looked unsure of whether to explain.

"Pokemon turning on humans and each other. All of them. Every single one," Shoto said quietly, leaning forward. Izuku gasped. "It happened before."

"What happened? How did it stop?"

"Nothing was left. The creators had to start all over after all the pokemon killed each other and nothing was left." The color drained from Izuku's face. "It's okay. I'm here."

"You - you can't take that whole burden yourself! Even Arceus wouldn't want you to do it all!" Shoto shrugged. He didn't want to do it all himself either. "Aren't you scared?"

"Of course I'm scared," Shoto said. "It's scary. I shouldn't have told you. I'll erase it for you if you want."

"What!? No! Don't do that." Shoto nodded.

"If you tell people I have to anyways. It'll just cause a complete panic. But we're prepared. Not just me, I promise. Arceus can't interfere directly, so it's up to others. I need to find more legendaries or mythicals. But it'll be back to square one with them. Suicune didn't even know who Arceus was. The other legendaries are more… primitive? It sounds really offensive, honestly."

Izuku was swimming in his thoughts. This was insane and he didn't like it. But if Shoto was right, then there wasn't really anything to do. If there was a way to prevent it, then would Arceus have gone through the trouble of creating Shoto's situation if other pokemon could do it all? "Shoto, is it really only you against this scary thing? Do all the pokemon turn on one another?"

"I don't know… I think I'm the trump card if stuff goes really wrong. I have pokemon stuff, but I won't be affected since I'm a human. I don't know everything for sure, I'm sorry for scaring you. Humans can be awful, but we don't deserve to all die. Neither do pokemon."

"I'm sorry you have to do this alone. Its not just me being quirkless and useless for you, now. Nobody is enough," Izuku said sadly. Then he grimaced. "I'm really scared, now. Is it like, the end of the world? Like everyone will die, and it will be painful? I mean, society has grown so much."

Shoto gave him a pained look, and then reached forward and touched his head. "I won't tell you again, I promise."

"Wai-" and he didn't remember what they'd been talking about. It was all a blank. "What happened?"

"Hmm? What do you mean?"

"I just got his wave of dizziness."

"Do you need some water?"

"Sure."

-x- Shoto -x-

He couldn't sleep. He couldn't stop thinking about how scared the truth made Izuku. It was the right thing to take it away. There were still many years, and Shoto shouldn't spout things that weren't facts. It was just a conspiracy theory he was confident in. But it was a mistake to tell him. This was Shoto's burden alone. It was his destiny to save the whole world. He didn't ask for it, it was shoved upon him.

But if it were to happen regardless, it was nicer to be the one to do something than someone else. He'd learned so much in those four hours of normal times. He'd met so many pokemon, important ones. But he needed someone to confide in. He stood up and left his room. Touya was awake in his room, Shoto could see light coming from beneath his door.

He knocked on the door, and was let in. Envy had seen it all as well, but she couldn't tell other humans. Only Shoto would know. "What's up?"

"I can't tell you anything… but can I stay in here tonight?" Shoto asked in a quiet voice, holding his pillow. Touya frowned and nodded. Shoto laid on the carpet on his side, holding his pillow. "I told Izuku something. Too much. Then I took it away, because he was really scared."

He didn't look at Touya's response to it. But he sighed. "I'm sorry, Sho. If you really can't tell me or something will happen, then I'll do my best to respect that. But are you happy with what you learned? Now you have more secrets to keep."

Shoto shrugged. "It was fun to learn, and it will help me in the long run probably… but I don't like having to keep the secrets," he said quietly. "But I will because I saw Izuku's reaction to the truth. I'm just glad I could take it away so he doesn't suffer."

"Well, no matter what shit goes down, I'm here for you. Even if we don't live together anymore by then, I'll always be there for you." Touya would probably be moved out by the time Shoto was fifteen. "Let's talk about something brighter. What's your next plan to do with your powers? You got these new ones, but they cause headaches. You should practice, you got them for a reason."

Shoto looked at the pillow he was hugging to his chest. "Okay. I'll need someone a pokemon to practice on."

"Not people?"

"Well… for what's gonna happen, it would be better to be able to do it on pokemon."

"You shouldn't forget that being a hero like you want, like your aim, you won't exclusively be doing missions that help pokemon. You're a human first and foremost, regardless of how swept up you've become in the nonhuman world." It was a good point. So, Shoto needed people and pokemon to practice with.

It was easy finding a pokemon willing. An alakazam could fix his own mind if Shoto didn't do well. His own psychic power could undo anything done to him. Finding a person would be harder. He already managed to erase the few moments from Izuku's mind with no negative consequences he knew of.

Would he feel guilt the next time he saw him? He had done the right thing for Izuku's mental health, even if it negatively impacted his own.

"You've learned much and are handling it admirably," Arceus said. "I give my condolences over the incident with Midoriya Izuku. Erasing his memory was the kind thing to do." Shoto nodded, knowing that.

"Arceus, is the event going to be shadow pokemon again?"

"I cannot answer that." That meant it was. "I couldn't give you many answers, so the lake guardians did well to explain so much." The god pokemon was in his nonthreatening position. Shoto nodded, and said he'd learned so much. "Is that good or bad?"

"Good. It was all interesting, but it made me think differently about human and pokemon relations. If pokemon created humans, or at least shaped them a lot, why are we in a position of power? And for so long we were trapping them in balls and making them fight."

"Pokemon are inherently peaceful and pacifistic. It just isn't in their nature to fight back. It may be bad, but there isn't anything I or the other legendaries can do to change it."

Shoto hummed. "Is it just a coincidence that I ended up being passive and not wanting to get into drama? Or was that part of the plan."

"Coincidence. A good one, at that. But you must become less passive to be a hero. That does not mean being violent and aggressive. It means standing up for yourself and doing what you see is right whilst doing so. I cannot be a good mentor of human relations when you come of the right age. Which is why you should be taught by hero humans." Shoto nodded.

He asked, "Will you leave, once I do my job?"

"By then, you won't need me anymore. And the pokemon world would hopefully no longer desperately need you. They will still want you, and I will not take your abilities away, but you won't be a necessity for the survival of all."

"Are you sure about that? That there won't be some other big thing that will happen?" He was sad to think Arceus would leave forever, but understood why. Teachers didn't stay in your life forever, they faded away once their job was done. So he couldn't be upset or surprised. It was a sad thought, but he would come to not need him. Hopefully.

Arceus nodded. "Okay," Shoto said. "How much can I share with people?"

"That depends on you. You cannot share the locations of any of the legendaries, or any information that points to how powerful we are in secret. But anything else is up to you to share. It will be an issue of what you want others to think of you. Humans don't like the unknown, and it's likely you will be treated oddly if you start to say information that sounds so unrealistic."

Shoto nodded. It made sense. And what would be the point of sharing when he'd just seem insane, or making up stories? Nobody would believe him. He could keep it all to himself. At least, all to himself from others, and he important bits from his friend and brother.

Some things just shouldn't be said out loud. The things he'd learned would never be shared with the public. He knew humans would react badly if they saw proof that they were lower in power than pokemon had been. That the world and universe were created by a not humanoid god. "Arceus, did you create humans, too? Or was it another god, the one or ones they worship?" he asked curiously.

"Would you like to truly know?" Shoto frowned, but nodded. "I created all. There are issues with that that I cannot share. Do not spread this, humans should be able to worship whatever they see fit." Shoto nodded, shocked but also not. He wondered how Arceus got the design ideas for humans, and how much he influenced their progress over the thousands of years.

He probably wouldn't tell Izuku and Touya about this. It was big news, but also something he wanted to keep to himself. He sure was keeping a lot of secrets by now. Not harmful ones. Not telling them was keeping them unharmed. He was doing what was right, no matter if it left him feeling a little lonely.