Arceus stood in the Dining Hall, staring out the window.

The moon was bright, illuminating the dark room; the sky was lit up with stars, each glowing at a different intensity.

"...It's full."

The voice came from behind him; however, instead of being startled, he remained calm, turning to her.

"Yes, it is. As I prefer it."

Red eyes stared at him from the darkness; the figure slowly emerged, lighting up her form with her candle.

"...You used to say," She thought back. "That the moon was one of her eyes, watching us and making sure we got enough sleep."

"...And that the sun was her other eye, watching what she created." He nodded. "I almost forgot..."

"Ironic, considering you've been thinking about her so much recently."

He let out a hollow chuckle.

"I've told you to stop reading my mind."

"A bit hard to do, when you're feeling so many emotions that I get kept up at night."

"...I...do apologize, but there's a lot going on right now."

"And you're worried."

"Stop that."

"You stop."

"No, you--"

The god llama sucked in a breath.

"Ugh..."

"Take it easy." She walked over. "Get some of that tea you love so much."

Another hollow chuckle. "I ran out."

"...You're hopeless. It's a good thing I came prepared."

She set a bag on the table, pulling out a teaset and tea bags.

"Unless you've run out of hot water."

Arceus rolled his eyes and summoned his fire and water plates; he filled the cups manually.

"Ah, you're smart enough to carry those with you now. I thought you would have lent them to some idiot human again--"

"IT WAS ONE TIME!!" He slammed a hoof on the table. "ONE!! TIME!!"

"And it was one of your biggest mistakes ever." She rolled her eyes. "Just under the invention of the goth phase--"

"Marshadow, did you just come here to heckle me, or do you have a reason?" He groaned.

"You already know I do." She sighed. "I'm trying to relax you so we can both sleep tonight."

"Don't count on it." He sighed. "I have to watch the mortals. I'm trying to--"

"Predict the most likely outcome of the impending disasters so that you can determine what to do moving forward." She steepled her stubs and leaned forward. "As you always do when something is coming."

"...There's so many variables." He sighed.

"There's always so many variables."

"But this time is different!" He slammed his hooves into the floor, making the room rattle. "This time is--is--"

"Something is going to break." Marshadow's voice was solemn. "Beyond repair."

"...Yes. And...the unpredictability of the outcome is stronger than I've ever seen."

Llama god looked back out the window.

"...I fear for them."

"...The kids."

"All of them. The mortals, and the kids. " He chuckled again. "Granted, they're all my children, but..."

"It's different. You know it is."

"Obviously."

She reached over and patted his arm.

"Parenting is hard. You're doing your best."


"Why is this so hard?" Ho-Oh sighed leaning her head on Lugia's chest.

"I don't know, dear." He gently rubbed her back with his wing.

"Did I do something wrong? We've had fights before, but they're being so distant right now, and I don't remember doing anything--!"

"...It's not you, dear." He sighed. "It's...me."

"...What?"

"...My children and I have a...strained relationship." The water bird looked into the sky, overlooking the cliff they were on. "They...helped us be happy together, but...well, I don't know."

He closed his eyes with another sigh.

"The fact that they're going out of their way to spend time with your boys is a surprise on it's own. After all, they can hardly stand each other..."

"Are you sure about that?"

He opened his eyes and looked down at her.

"...What do you mean?"

"I mean...they're spending lots of time with each other." She pulled away and settled into a roosting position next to him. "It's odd, you're right, but...it's progress."

"...Yes. They have been, haven't they...?" He too settled down, looking up at the stars once more.

"...Aren't you glad?" She tilted her head in confusion.

"Of course I am. I was always worried something dreadful might happen between them--even worse than before, I mean. It's just...so odd..."

He looked into the water.

"...Do you have any idea what may have caused it?"

"...Perhaps." He couldn't help a small smile.

"...And it was...?"

"Psychics don't tell their secrets, dear."

"Oh, you--!" She smacked him with a wing, making him laugh.

"But, as I was saying, the boys are caught up with my kids, so they're probably being indirectly encouraged to be a bit distant...but, perhaps it's for the best. We can all bond in our own way."

Ho-Oh pouted.

"But I love my boys."

"I know, dear. I love my kids too."

She raised a brow.

"We just don't show it in the same way!"

"Mhm~"

He rolled his eyes, looking away and shaking his head.

"All I know," Lugia turned to her with a warm, loving smile. "Is that whatever happens, we can face it together."

"A power couple, like the kids say." Ho-Oh smiled back.

"Exactly."

They leaned in, kissing sweetly.

The sound of a plane overhead made them look up; it was headed for Kanto, from the looks of it.

A can came flying out the window, hitting Lugia in the head, bouncing off and landing on the ground.

The two stared at it, then each other.

"We're going to need all the power we can get--"

"Come on! If we hurry, we can beat the plane there and welcome them home!" Ho-Oh jumped up and pulled him along.

"Ah--I'm coming, dearest--!"


"I am," Arceus sighed. "Truly, I am."

"Free will is hard to deal with." Marshadow shook her head. "You gave it to them, and now you have to watch their actions because of it."

"It's hard." He laid his head on the large crystalline table. "Watching them suffer."

"Of course it is."

They were silent for a moment.

"...Your guilt is insurmountable."

" Thank you for such enlightenment, sister dearest." Arceus rolled his eyes. " I would have never noticed otherwise. "

Marshadow rolled her own eyes.

"It's not my fault you don't know how to face the consequences of your actions."

" I've dealt with consequences for millennia!" He snapped up and slammed his hoof on the table again. " I am consequences! "

"You assign consequences. So you struggle handling the ones handed to you."

"... Because…they're not directly mine…"

"Now you're getting it."


"Giratina?"

"Hm?"

"Are you...alright?"

Giratina blinked, them looked down at Cyrus.

"Ah, I'm fine...why do you ask?"

"You've been staring at the moon for an awfully long time." Cyrus' tails flicked. "Is something on your mind?"

"...Mm…" The dragon looked back up. "...Maybe."

The two were in a secluded area of Mt. Coronet; Giratina had expressed a desire for fresh air, and insisted on not leaving Cyrus alone.

*He seems to be keeping quite an eye on me lately...I wonder if I betrayed his trust somehow.* Cyrus mused. *Surely not. It's not like he found my journal or anything.*

The Ninetails shook his head.

*...I do want to know what's going on in that brain of his, though. But how to ask without sounding suspicious in any sort of way…*

An idea struck him.

*Perhaps some casual conversation may help ease him a bit.*

"...I always did enjoy astronomy and astrology." Cyrus spoke up. "It's part of the basis for what inspired my vision for Team Galactic, really. The stars, and planets...it's like a whole other world in and of itself."

"Hmm…" Giratina let out a small chuckle. "I suppose you're right."

"...Do you know when your birthday is, Giratina? Perhaps we can figure out your star sign."

Another chuckle.

"I doubt it. I was born before calendars, anyway, so no, I don't know an exact day. My brothers and I give our "birthday" presents on other holidays, like Christmas. Palkia's idea."

"Ah...I see."

Another small silence before Giratina spoke up again.

"...Did you ever stargaze with someone else, Cyrus?"

"...Pardon?"

"You know. Spending time with someone else, under the stars...it's a wonderful time to get close to someone."

"Ah."

Cyrus remained quiet for a moment.

"...My grandfather. He...was the main reasons I began studying the universe in the first place. Before he passed, he and I would stargaze and read about the universe together."

He sighed.

"...You miss him?"

"...I try not to."

Giratina looked down at him.

"...Did he do something?"

The Ninetails shook his head.

"No. Both of my Grandparents were good people. They just…" He sighed, being the one to look up this time. "...Emotions are a pain, that's all."

"...I understand."

The dragon looked back up as well.

"...I have someone I really miss, too."

*...What's this?*

"Oh?"

A nod.

"A good friend of mine...no, friend isn't the right word. He was...he was far more precious to me than just a friend."

He shook his large head.

"...But because of my actions, I never even got the chance to say goodbye."

"...May I ask who it was?"

A small, sad chuckle.

"Everyone's met him, in some way or another...he lives on, in two pieces, but not as himself…and it kills me."

*Two pieces…?*

"They broke him. The humans." Giratina sighed and shook his head. "He cared so much that he broke himself...physically. He was already breaking mentally, and I think…"

A shaky sigh.

"I think I inadvertently helped finish him off."

The devil flapped his wings.

"I always knew he cared about me. The same way I cared for him. And so...when he couldn't help me...he threw himself away, trying to help someone else."

He closed his eyes.

"Of all the people I hurt…he's one of the few I can truly, personally regret."

"...And the other few?"

Another one of those chuckles.

"Who else? My brothers, my father…"

He brought a wing around and rubbed his face.

"Man, I screwed up so bad. I basically destroyed Palkia's mind and Dialga's body…"

"...What?"

"...I'm the reason Dialga can't speak, and moves slower. And...well, let's just say Palkia...reverted back mentally quite a few years."

Giratina sighed.

"I don't deserve forgiveness. Hell, I barely even wanted it. But…"

His gaze on the moon intensified.

"...I guess that's what family does. They know what you need…"

He shook his head.

"And that's why I have to take care of them now. I'll atone for my sins one way or another."

"Didn't you...already face punishment? Another millenia or so locked away in torment?"

The chuckle that followed was strangely hollow.

"That would never be enough, Cyrus…"

Another head shake.

"Never enough…but we all have to face the consequences of our actions, don't we?"

He directed a tired smile to the dog.

Cyrus looked down at his paws.

"...Yes...I suppose we do, don't we…"

The two looked at each other, then back at the moon, returning to a thoughtful silence.


Arceus let out a heavy sigh.

" I absolutely cannot stand this."

"I can tell."

" Yes, but you cannot tell when to not be sarcastic, can you?"

"I suppose not. But you love it."

" Do I, now?"

"I can feel your ease at my presence."

" ...I suppose it's just a sibling thing."

"In some cases. Some are not so fortunate."

" Of course...but I'm certainly lucky I am. Even if I wish you'd be quiet at points."

"And I wish your emotions would shut off. But...I know there would be dire consequences if that happened."

Arceus chuckled and shook his head.

" Indeed...indeed."


Mesprit hummed, setting some candles up in her cave; Uxie had given them to her and Azelf as thank you presents for helping her get with Heatran officially.

However, the pink blob paused at the sound of someone entering; she smirked, not even needing to turn around.

"Weren't you on vacation, dear? Don't tell me you interrupted that just to visit little old me~"

A sigh; Mesprit could hear her shake her head.

"I'm not even going to bother asking how you know that." Footsteps approaching. "We just got home yesterday."

"I'm honored you came to visit me then, dear! It's been quite a while~"

"...Did you really miss me?" She could hear the head tilt.

"Of course, dear. We have our special connection, don't we?"

Mesprit finally turned around, smirk turning to a smile.

"I almost feel lost without you, sometimes--oh, don't look at me like that! I'm quite interested in someone else, don't worry. But I do get a bit lonely on my own."

Meloetta shook her head.

"That...makes two of us."

"Hehe...aren't you in that club? Everyone-Dies-Alone-And-Is-Well-Aware-Of-That-Fact?"

"We're-All-Gonna-Die-Alone-And-We-Know-It." Meloetta rolled her eyes. "Get the title right or don't say it at all."

"Alright, alright~"

Mesprit turned to her candles again.

"Here, help me light these. Uxie said they would be quite relaxing~"

"...Alright."

Meloetta remained quiet for a bit while Mesprit hummed; eventually, though, she joined in, and they created a harmony together.

"What's this, hm?"

The small Pokémon scrambled back, eyes wide at the sight of creature before her; the pink blob giggled at that.

"Oh, you poor dear...don't worry. I'll make this quick...ah, no hard feelings. Or any at all, really. It's not personal...but when God sends you a blessing right out of the sky, you can't just ignore it, can you?"

She approached even quicker.

"It won't hurt. You're young, you probably won't even remember what emotions feel like...it's alright. It's going...it's going to be alright. ...I'm sorry, little one. I'm so sorry. But it...I can't take it. Not feeling anything. You'll understand, won't you? I'm sorry. Perhaps one day, you'll forgive me…if you remember how…"

A tentacle wrapped around her.

...Nothing happened.

Nothing but immense confusion, of course.

Meloetta snapped out of it first; she then began her grand--yet messy--escape attempt, which then snapped the creature out of her own trance, attempting to hold her back.

"Wait--WAIT!! THIS ISN'T RIGHT!! PLEASE!! PLEASE!! IT HURTS!! LET ME HAVE SOMETHING!! PLEASE!!"

For some reason, that Meloetta still can't quite put her finger on, she began to sing--a frantic, panicked song.

The blob froze, staring at her.

Pulsing, burning, striking emotion pulsed through her veins; and the Pokémon before her sent it all, pouring out with her voice.

Mesprit's breath caught in her throat as she slowly released her, eyes wide.

When the small thing looked up at her, about to run, but still frozen she let out a nervous, confused laugh.

"Child...I do not know how you fell from Heaven, but...perhaps you came to me for a reason."

She shook her head.

"I'm sorry about all that...are you hungry, by any chance? I have some extra berries…"

Chasing down the small thing that would definitely get herself hurt was quite a hassle--marking the start of a long, tiresome road to trust...and mystery.

"...Mesprit?"

"Hm?"

"...I love you."

"...I love you too, dear."

And she could say it with confidence, because she could feel it in her veins.


" Emotions truly are a tricky thing."

"Truly, they are."

The two fell silent for a while.

" ...I wish you'd visit more often, honestly." Arceus sighed. " Every 30th Christmas isn't really... ideal. "

"It is for me."

" Don't you ever get tired of it? Being alone?"

"I'm not alone. I have...Zeraora." Marshadow stared aimlessly into her tea.

" ...You've never sounded so unsure when speaking of her."

"...She...found someone, recently."

"... You're upset about it."

"No. I'm not."

"..."

"...Shut up…"

Arceus sighed.

" Marshadow...I warned you to be careful…"

"I was. And it didn't work, and that's why I had to let her go."

The Shadow looked out the window, away from her elder brother's eyes.

"It's strange...sometimes I regret ever getting close to her all, and sometimes I'm glad I eventually gave in to letting her tag along with me."

"... You wish you didn't care for her as much as you do, because you'll have to leave her eventually."

Marshadow sighed and shrugged.

"We're completely different entities. You're even doing a better job of isolation than me, and the mortals and immortals bother you all the time."

" Perhaps you shouldn't have been making such a painful effort."

"Be quiet, you old horse…"


"...Victini...dude...we need to talk."

Victini remained silent, heart pounding.

Keldeo had traded his usually goofy and aloof demeanor for a more serious and concerned one as he looked at his friend, hoof on the chest he'd found under Victini's bed.

"...This isn't healthy, man."

No reply.

"...Look...memories are a good thing, yeah? But...holding onto them too long or hard isn't very...it's not healthy. At all."

He sighed.

"Tini, come on man...it's been a couple hundred years now. Mew's moved on. You should, too."

Victini clenched his fists.

"...When'd you get all wise, huh?"

"...Huh?"

"When'd you decide to be smart?" Victini hissed. "What's got your tail in a twist? This doesn't concern you!"

Keldeo took a step back.

"Dude...it kinda does...I mean--"

"JUST SHUT UP ALREADY!"

The horse's mouth sealed shut as the fire type stamped the ground.

"YOU AREN'T ME!! YOU DON'T GET IT!! YOU DON'T GET IT, OKAY?! THIS IS FOR ME!! THIS IS WHAT I NEED FOR MYSELF! I'M PERFECTLY FINE THE WAY THINGS ARE!!"

The red-in-the-face Pokémon took several deep breaths; Keldeo frowned.

"...You sure about that?"

Victini stared, then let out a loud scream, storming out of their base.

A good distance away, the little demon let out another scream--followed by several erratic fire attacks, mostly sailing into the sky.

... Mostly…

Staring at the burning trees before him, Victini took several deep breaths before rubbing his face.

"Ugh... ugh! What's he know, huh?! Who's he think he is?! UGH!!"

He clamped his eyes shut with a growl.

He saw a pretty pink face, laughing, glowing...before it became covered in glass cracks.

His eyes snapped open as he hissed.

"Stop...stop it...ugh...uuuuugh!"

He hiccuped.

"Ugh…"

He scratched at his face--very confused at the scorching wetness on it.

"...Oh come on…"

Footsteps approached; Victini felt himself being nudged.

He hesitated before looking up; Keldeo held out a handkerchief, offering a small smile.

Victini stared before slowly taking it.

Keldeo sat next to him as he began wiping his face and snotting the handkerchief.

"...Sorry, man. If I came on too strong. I just wanna help."

He gave Victini a pat on the back.

"...We can slow...if you wanna."

He looked up at the moon.

"...stupid pony." Victini sniffled.

"Love you too, man."

"...Can we just sit here for a while…? Without talking…"

Keldeo nodded with a smile.

Several minutes passed by.

"...Say...Tini...how about we go get some Torkal Bell after this? Whenever you feel like it."

Victini stared at him for a moment before hugging his leg.

"Love you too, you moron…"


Marshadow sighed and shook her head.

"It's pointless."

"... Is it, now?"

"Mhm."

Another glance out at the moon.

" ...Are you sure about that?"

"...What are you getting at now?"

" Memories...make up who we are." Arceus stared down into his half-empty tea glass, which had gone cold. " And it keeps experiences--and people--alive in our hearts. Good and bad. But...if your friend dies, does that mean it's pointless to have been their friend at all?"

"..." Marshadow looked down into her own glass.

"...It shouldn't be. But…"

" It feels that way."

"...ugh, putting it like that might just make me start to feel bad." She rubbed her face.

" How tragic." Llama God chuckled.


Mew hummed, half-asleep in her position on the hillside.

"...Hey, Mew."

Another hum as the cat-like creature looked up; Celebi took a seat next to her.

"...Hey, Celebi." She yawned. "Wassup?"

"...Nothin', really." The Onion Fairy shrugged. Just got lonely, I guess."

"...Shaymin wasn't interested, huh…?"

"I got 'im a couple times, but in the end it jus' didn' work." She flopped back. "Oh well, I tried."

"At least you did that much…" Mew's eyes slipped shut again.

"Hehe, true."

They fell into a comfortable silence for a while, before another Pokémon quietly joined them.

Mew didn't even need to open her eyes.

"Hey, MissingNo."

"H-Hello…"

There was shuffling as she managed to get comfortable on the grass.

Mew hummed again; she cracked her eyes open to look up at the stars.

A blue streak sailed across the sky; that made her blink and open her eyes fully.

"Huh…?"

Another one passed by.

"...Am I seeing things…?"

"N-N0, I s-see i-it t-t00," MissingNo spoke up, floating up a little.

Celebi flapped her wings and joined her in the air; the three stared as several more began streaking across the open sky.

"...Wait...hey, it'sa meteor shower!! I ain't see that on the forecast!" Celebi laughed.

"W-W0ah, I-I've n-never s-seen 0-0ne...s-s0 c-cl0se…" MissingNo morphed into a glitchy copy of Celebi, gaping, eyes wide and sparkling.

Mew stared from her position on the ground.

"Wooooooaaaaaaaaah!! Blinky, look!! Look!! LOOOOOOOOOOOOK!!"

"WHAT, BERRY?!"

The blue Mew grinned sheepishly, pointing out the window.

"Look!! There's a bunch of shiny things falling from the sky!!"

"...Whut--" The pink Mew looked out as well.

"...Those are meteors, you idiot--"

"Come oooooooon!! Let's go look at them!!" He grabbed her by the tail and dragged her outside.

"Ow! Berry, lemme go!!"

"But--but SHINY!! Like me!!"

"Can you go one day without pointing it out?!"

"Bliiiiiiiiinkyyyyyyyy, please?? Pleeeeeaaaaase??"

"Please what?!"

"Come watch the shiny things fall with me??"

"The meteor shower--"

" PLEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAASE??"

"UGH--okay, okay! Fine!! Just stop making that face, geez!!"

He beamed.

"Woohoo!! Let's go!!"

"Yeah yeah, I'm coming…"

*...And then we started watching them together every time…* Mew frowned at the memory of her brother, feeling a heaviness in her chest.

However, she was snapped out of her thoughts by Celebi tugging on her paw.

"C'mon, Mewsie!!"

"Huh--?"

"Didja not hear me? Missin'No an' I wanna get closer!!"

"Closer--?! Waah--!!"

The Onion Fairy dragged her into the air, soaring up into the sky; MissingNo followed suit, giggling all the while.

"We can't go to space, we could d--!!"

"Nah, not all the way t' space, Mewsie!! But high 'nough we can have some fun!!"

Mew was then dragged even higher, eventually within range of the meteors.

"C'mon y'all!!" Celebi laughed, diving between a couple of the burning rocks.

"W0ah!!" MissingNo tried it; she too released a laugh, deigning to add spins to her maneuvers.

"Mewsie!! Ya tired or somethin'?! Let's have some fun!!"

Mew stared before dodging a meteor headed straight for her; she the found herself doing so again and again, eventually laughing herself.

The three spent some time doing so before descending again, sweaty; as they slowly floated down, chattering and giggling, Mew eyed her two friends, and the meteors.

*...I may not be able to watch this stuff with you anymore, but…*

She glanced at her joyful friends again, smiling a little.

*...I think I've got the next best thing.*


"At least you're both on good terms, though." Arceus examined his tea.

"Very true, very true…" Marshadow sighed. "Reconciliation is much, much harder."

"You can say that again." The male shook his head. "I admire those who can do it quickly."

"You mean swallow their pride quickly."

"... perhaps…"

Marshadow chuckled.

"Sometimes it takes an outside force, doesn't it? Like how Giratina's dog tried to kill everyone and ultimately broke him out of limbo."

" Tch…I'd rather not discuss that." Arceus shook his head.

"Such a good father."

" I don't see you raising any kids!!"

"I helped you with the others--"

" Before you skipped regions on me!!"

A snort.

"Hey, at least I tried."

" And then you gave up to go be a Wannabe Monk!!"

"Now now Arceus, that was hurtful. I think you need to swallow your pride and reconcile with me."

Arceus' eye twitched.

" Have you ever considered a career in politics?"

Marshadow laughed very, very loudly.


Mewtwo blinked awake with a a grunt, shifting as he felt something smack against his face.

Looking down, he found Zapdos--who had been sprawled out across his lap for the past few hours--twitching a bit; he patted at Mewtwo's disguised face again before dragging his palm across it and allowing his arm to drop.

*What on earth…?*

Articuno, Zapdos, Moltrés, Mewtwo, Suicune, Raikou, and Entei were all on the plane back home to Kanto; they were still in their human forms, but had all fallen asleep over the course of the trip.

Glancing around, he found all of his comrades in the last positions he'd seen them in earlier: Zapdos, as mentioned, was on his lap; Articuno was on his side, leaning on him and head on his shoulder; Moltrés was in a sitting position on the floor, head in her sister's lap; Raikou was facedown on the floor,covered in chip crumbs and soda cans; Suicune was stretched out on the other side of the rows, feet on Entei, who was halfway on the floor.

Mewtwo let out a light chuckle, glancing out the window.

The sky was as peaceful as ever; luckily, no storms had interrupted the trip.

He felt shifting next to himself; he glanced down at Articuno, who yawned and rubbed her eyes.

She glanced around.

"...Ew, I'm still with you guys."

"Good morning to you, too." Mewtwo rolled his eyes with a smirk.

"Holy--geez man, don't scare me like that, gave me a heart attack. I thought you were still asleep…"

"I just woke up myself." He punctuated his sentence with a yawn. "Hopefully not for long…"

"Where we at, anyways?"

Mewtwo glanced out the window again, examining the region they were passing over.

"...Looks like...Johto, if I'm correct."

"Oh, great, almost there. Few more hours…" She yawned, allowing her eyes to slip shut.

Mewtwo was about to do the same when Zapdos began moving around again; this time, he proceeded to grab Mewtwo's disguised hand and press it against his face before letting out a loud snore.

*...The vibrations--*

"...Hey, Mewtwo?"

"Yes, Articuno?" He looked away from his snoring friend and at his freezing one instead.

"...Thanks."

"...Er...You're welcome…?"

A moment of silence before Articuno snorted.

"...Pfffft, you don't even know what I mean, do you?"

A confused shake of his head.

"Mmm…" Despite keeping her eyes closed, she smiled. "Y'know, I just don't think we'd be the same without you."

"...Pardon?"

"Y'know...ever since you started hanging around Zapdos, things just kinda...I dunno. Snapped into place. We still...like...fight and stuff, like sibling do, but…"

She cracked her eyes open and glanced around.

"...Level with me, Mewtwo. When you first met us, do you really think we'd all be on a vacation together? Without, like, actually plotting each other's murders?"

"...Heh...I can't say that I van picture that, no."

"Exactly. You just...I dunno, man, you're like glue. You...fixed my broken family vase. And then you helped us stick some really weird looking flowers in it, and then you got some Combees to piss on it and make it better."

"...Oh, you're talking about your families merging, aren't you?"

"Mhm. You're also the Combee that pisses on everything."

"I'm...glad to help the environment, then."

"Pfffft...Arceus, I'm so tired. I can't think. Sorry."

"It's alright. Just...I hope you realize that's not actually how pollination works."

"Tamata Potata." She yawned. "Who cares, I'm going back to sleep."

"Alright. Goodnight."

"...Seriously, though, Mewtwo...thanks. For...helping us fix our broken family vase."

She nuzzled into his neck.

"I couldn't think of a better Combee to piss on everything. And...I know the others agree, too."

Mewtwo's face turned a little red at the gesture, but as he looked around again, he was distracted at the warm feeling swelling inside of himself.

"...Thank you all...for accepting me."

Articuno let out a hum, and then she was off to dreamland once more.

Mewtwo glanced out the window; he managed to get a good look downwards, just so happening to spot two birds on a cliffside.

Glancing at Raikou, he quickly teleported a can outside, watching it drop down below.

He chuckled and let his eyes slip shut, gently giving Zapdos' hand a ssqueeze.

*A family...I suppose could get used to this.*

He chuckled.

*...Now, all we need to do is make sure weird cousin Latios didn't die of boredom.*

He soon drifted back off to sleep, surrounded by a much more acknowledged warmth from the disguised birds around him.


Arceus sighed as he walked to the window again, staring out.

" ...Life truly is beautiful, isn't it?"

"...I guess."

He chuckled.

" Even when it doesn't go the way we expect...we still keep moving forward. The world keeps moving forward. Things change. We change. But in the end, there's still an us to find, isn't there? "

"...Yeah...I guess so."

She walked over and put a hand on his leg; he looked down at her.

"Whatever happens," She looked at him intently. "I'll be here, Arceus. No matter how far away I go, I will be here if you need me."

Despite his lack of a mouth, he managed something along the lines of a smile.


Latios sighed, rolling onto his back.

He, Rayquaza, and Bianca had thrown another party out of boredom; it certainly didn't fill the void in his soul, but he didn't feel so lonely.

He glanced at the other two; Rayquaza, tangled in all sorts of streamers and curled up in the pond, and Bianca, passed out on the picnic table and covered in glitter and crumbs.

Latios released a sigh and looked up at the stars.

Distant memories of his youth assaulted him; his parents and sister dragging him outside, his mother teaching him constellations and his father's particularly lame scary stories, his sister extreme enthusiasm somehow leading to her eating a moon rock... on multiple occasions…

He began aggressively rubbing his eyes.

"why…"

His breath hitched.

"...why…"

He let out a growl.

"...why can't i just be happy…?"

Growling turned to whimpering.

*...it hurts…*

He felt his face dampen.

Oh no.

*...i want to feel okay again. i want...to be okay…*

He remembered the day he told his father about his inner emptiness.

The way the older Latios had embraced him, hugging him tight, and telling him everything would be fine.

How everyone had truly done their best to care for him.

And how cruelly, in the blink of an eye, those people had been ripped away from him.

And how alone he felt, when it got this bad.

He'd hide it from Latias, as best he could--but days he couldn't muster up the strength to move were just painfully obvious.

But he wanted Latias to live her life--and she was doing so, and he was so proud of her.

But some nights, he so selfishly wished he wasn't alone.

"...Latios…?"

Bianca's warm hand landed on his claw;he flinched, so lost in his own head he hadn't even heard her approach.

"Latios...sit up...come on, what's wrong…? You never cry…"

She helped the dragon up, pulling out a handkerchief and wiping his eyes.

He kept his orbitals trained to the ground, annoyed at his own hiccups.

"Hm…" She turned her head, having a drastic change in tone. "EYO, RAYQUAZA!! WAKE UP, YA FREELOADER!!"

She chucked her party hat at the green snake; he jolted up with a loud burp.

"What?? Another party??"

At the sight before him, he quickly snapped to attention, attempting to scramble out of the pond.

"Oh--not that kind of party, I see--"

Latios released an annoyed huff; unfortunately for him, he and Bianca were scooped up into the wet creature's arms and s q u e e z e d.

"What's wrong?" He asked with concern in his eyes. "Did you hurt yourself?"

"...N-No. I'm...fine."

"...You were crying, Latios. That's not fine."

He sighed.

"...I don't...want to…"

*Be alone...*

"...talk about it…"

His gaze traveled upwards.

"Hmm…" Rayquaza followed with his own eyes.

Bianca, trembling, did the same.

"...Hey, Latios, your parents liked stars, yeah?" She spoke up.

Latios remained quiet for a while before slowly grunting in agreement.

*...Ah...hm. Perhaps that's why?* Rayquaza wondered. *Or something relating to it…*

"Hehe...it was a starry night, like this, when your family moved in with me." Bianca sighed happily. "It was so nice…I wasn't lonely anymore, haha…"

Latios turned his head to her.

"...Really…?"

Upon remembering she couldn't understand him, he grunted instead.

"Heh, yeah...man, a Legendary Family, how about that? Wild world we live in…"

She shot a wry look at Rayquaza.

"And now I have two dragons and a deadbeat living here!"

"I'm not a deadbeat!" Rayquaza hissed, not caring if she understood or not.

*...four to two…*

Latios sighed.

*...how numbers dwindle…*

Rayquaza took notice and frowned.

"...Latios...it's alright. We're here for you."

*Er, what else could I say? Is that enough?*

"And we...aren't the only ones! You've made more friends, right? Like…" He shuddered. "Zapdos and Mewtwo! As abnormal as they are…"

"They are fine." Latios rolled his eyes. "At least they don't need therapy to start finally getting over my sister."

"At least I'm working on my flaws!"

"Good for you. Go get a medal."

"Heh...there's our Latios." Rayquaza smiled.

Latios shook his head and looked up.

It didn't dull the pain completely, but…

Well, he wasn't alone, and perhaps that was a big step in the right direction.


" ...Thank you, Marshadow…"

He leaned down, lifting her up onto his head.

" ...I'm glad I still have you by my side."

"You mean on your head--"

"You used to love this!"

"We were children--"

"And I'm still much, much bigger than you."

"Just because your shadow condensed."

He chuckled.

" Shall I knock you off, then?"

"...No...I'm alright for now, I suppose."

" Hehe...alright then."

They both continued to watch the moon and stars for a long time.

Arceus stared down at the being before hik in confusion.

The Creature scurried back with a whimper; it dived behind a rock, sticking out of the mountain Arceus had deigned to spend the night on.

The child blinked, still confounded by the shadow thing.

"...Hello…?"

It peeked out at him, squeaked, and disappeared again.

"...There's no need to be afraid," He slowly walked over and peeked around. "I won't--huh?"

It had dissapeared.

"What in the name of--ah!"

He whipped around at the feeling of something poling his butt.

The Thing disappeared again--into the shadows.

"Hey! Come back!! What are you?! Who are you?!"

It was the oddest thing; the moonlight had been reflecting on him, and as he thought so hard on his mother, longing for her embrace, his soul aching...he'd begun to glow, and then that thing had appeared!

"Ugh...can't I just miss her in peace…?" He whined, flopping onto his hindquarters.

The little creature popped out again.

"Her…? Her…?" It squeaked in a little feminine voice.

Arceus stared.

"...Mother, yes…"

The creature's eyes widened, then it--she?--began to wail.

"Mama!! Mamaaaaaa!!"

"Ah--what?! Mama?! Who's your mama, then--?"

And then a strange memory hit him.

His mother, having been nurturing something for a few millenia; it was close, but not quite at, the time of her death.

Arceus hadn't been allowed to see it--"not yet," she'd kept saying.

"She'll be ready when you need her most." She'd assured him lovingly, even going so far as to plant a kiss on his head. "But until then, you must be patient."

Business continued as usual until one day, she'd called for him--and deigned to seal something into his body.

"When you need her the most," She assured with a smile. "You two will be united.

And that night, he'd particularly needed someone--to the point of his own shadow breaking away from his body, to form one for someone else.

That was the night he pulled Marshadow into a hug, comforted her, and tied their fates as sibling gods together forever.

A night he wouldn't have traded for the world.

"...Our tea is probably ice by now." Marshadow chuckled.

" Oh, no." He rolled his eyes. " Us, two gods with fire abilities. Whatever shall we do?"

"Nothing particularly stupid, I do hope."

" But of course not! We wish to make Mother proud, after all."

"But of course...but of course."

They watched the moon for a while longer.

"... I love you, Marshadow."

"...I love you too, Arceus."

The stars around the moon almost seemed to form half of a smile.


Shaymin yawned, curling up against Latias' side.

"Nice job today, Lats...getting Zyra to stop stalking Squishy like a psychopath. I think they're both gonna do better mentally…"

"I sure hope so." The pink dragon yawned as well. "Heh, this Matchmaking stuff sure is helping people...I'm glad."

She smiled down at her comrade.

"...Hey, Shaymin?"

"Yeah?"

"...Thanks for...doing all of this with me. I...really, really am glad you're my partner."

He looked up at her and smiled.

"Heh...Y'know, I had my doubts about this, but...I'm glad too, Latias. Thanks for teaching me your ways, oh wise sage of love and shipping."

"Thanks for all your patience, young padawan!"

They shared a laugh, then stared into each other's eyes for a long moment.

Latias smiled, eyes drifting shut…

Only for Shaymin's head to snap to the side as his eyes widened.

"Wait--why is the Hall of Origin on fire?!"


Arceus floated high above the earth, in the abyss of space; Marshadow clung to his head with a whimper.

"Hey, hey, it's alright! Don't worry. Big brother's got you!"

He looked around at the beautiful wonders his mother had left behind; then down at the earth and what she'd helped him create.

Longing, yet...excitement flowed through his veins.

Everything was so new. So incredible. So curious.

So beautiful.

He looked upon creation...and he saw that it was good.

And...that's all, folks.

...Wow...it's...this is really it. Wow.

Man, over three years and we bring Council of the Annoyed to a close! What started as a "Haha Pokéémons Funni" passion project turned into one of my most popular and well-loved stories! Ngl, looking back on some of the earlier chapters is a bit... hard…*Shudders in dated 2019 meme references* but honestly? I think we all grew a little as time went on.

I know not everyone expected the end kind of abruptly--i really did try to make more chapters for this, maybe tie up some loose plot threads, but...honestly, I feel its time this book closed its second cover. We had a long, fun, beautiful run, but all good thing man come to an end on this earth.

Heh...man...I started this at the end of middle school, and I go into my last year of high-school this fall. How...how time flies.

I cannot thank all of you enough for reading CotA. Truly, I couldn't have kept it going for so long without everyone's support. Through my own struggles, to weird commenter dramas, to my devolving update schedule--truly, with all of my soul, thank you. Thank you so much.

If any plot threads you wanted to see tackled didn't get tied up here, I'm sorry, but I did my best. I'm sure not everybody expected such an emotional end to my comical fic, but this...it just felt right. Maybe, since I've always written fanfiction for myself, really, I just continued with that trend. I needed some catharsis--and I hope it helps all of you, too.

And I hope my last few lore sprinkles for you fic are satisfactory. I'm not entirely sure of what's coming next for this universe, and if it'll even be on FF--but I guess we'll all find out together, huh?

(Some bad news...I think I'm just gonna cancel Disaster Vacation. I'm very sorry, but I was struggling to even begin that fic, and eventually just forgot about it. The most important thing is to Articuno becomes weed buddies with the bull totem dude and Mewtwo gets a Mega Stone stolen.)

Weird Pokémon Fact of the Day: Back in the days of Red and Blue, you actually had to save your game between switching PC boxes. Can you imagine that nightmare? How time consuming! Hehe…

Thanks for enjoying--and even providing!--weird facts. I'll miss this...heh, but that's okay.

How about this? Comment your favorite moment in the entire fic, if you want to/have one! Be it a joke, an arc, whatever--let's all enjoy some reminiscing too.

Well...that's all, folks! See ya around!!

Thanks for Reading!