Chapter 32: The birth of a God

As Quinton kept walking in the same forest he had left his daughter behind, he silently thought to himself.

The three men that walked behind him held extraordinary power. Zennon, the wielder of invoker armor that had Kyogre's primal power. Aiden, the wielder of Groudon's primal energies that resided inside his invoker. And Aldrich, the man who had fused his very body with Dialga- granting him power over time itself.

And that power would soon be his.

All Quinton had to do now was accept the power of Dialga, and then use Roar of time to end all of this.

Roar of time… Quinton knew this move well.

How it worked was simple: All he had to do was say the words, 'Roar of time,' and anyone who heard him became frozen in time. There were two major weaknesses with this attack, however. One: He had to completely say the words, 'Roar of time' for it to work. If he was interrupted before fully calling out the move's name- time does not stop. Not only that- but time also stops only for those who hear him. If he were to use roar of time, an outsider from far, far away never heard him, that person would see nothing but a blue shockwave in the place where time was stopped.

It was now or never- but there was one thing that was stopping him.

It was fear. The fear that once he gains Dialga's power, he'd go back to his old, power-hungry self. He knew this was a real possibility and took it into account in his plans to eliminate the Crimson Foundation with his own hands... but...

He never expected the fear to be this immense. This...unbearable. He may not be able to come back.

Quinton stopped walking- and the footsteps behind him stopped as well. He took in a long breath before sighing heavily.

It was time. He needed to do this. The more he stalled- the more unbearable it would become. It had to be like removing a Band-Aid. He spun around.

"I'm ready to accept Dialga's power." Quinton said quickly.

Aldrich grinned widely as he stepped forward. "Good, good." He said. "Perfect. Extracting Dialga's power from myself will be easy." As the old man reached for his own chest-

"Wait." Zennon suddenly said. Both Aldrich and Quinton turn to the young turquoise-haired man.

"What is it?" Aldrich asked.

"I want to make sure the Quinton we're talking to is authentic. Remember what I said before? Quinton's been in jail for years. There's a chance he's mellowed out. In fact, he could be plotting against us right now."

Quinton nearly widened his eyes in shock. He tightened his lips to hide his frustration- all he needed to do was stay quiet. He didn't need to say a word to contest against this Zennon person. Because...

"How dare you!?" Aldrich said. He turned and approached Zennon with intense fury. Quinton nearly smiled at this. "How dare you interrupt this!? This is what we've been working towards! He is our goal! He is-"

"Going to ruin all of our plans." Zennon said, walking past the old man. He approached Quinton with an intense glare, then turned to face Aldrich once again. He extended his arm and pointed at Quinton behind him.

"He's old now, Aldrich. He's old and has a kid. Think. Why is it that we found him with his child? Why would the Quinton we know have bonds with others when they're beneath him?"

Aldrich's eyes widened.

This wasn't good. For this situation to tip in his favor, Aldrich had to believe that Quinton was still his old self. The fact that Aldrich was listening to what his underling had to say wasn't a good sign, but he had to remain calm. Quinton knew that if he spoke up now, he'd look more suspicious. The former champion's eyes swung to Aldrich, who was clenching his fists. "No!" The old man cried. He pointed vehemently at Zennon. "No! Our god, Quinton must have a reason. He hasn't grown soft…!"

"Are you really going to just deny what I say?" Zennon asked. "You know that I'm right- there's a chance that Quinton has changed."

"Yes- There is a chance." Aldrich said. "But I believe in him- I know that within him lives a beast that knows that losers are forgotten, and winners are remembered forever!"

Quinton fought back the urge to sigh.

"...Fine." Zennon said. "But first- , give me your hand." The glasses-wearing man extended his arm toward Quinton. Quinton sighed and reached for him- and the moment he did, Zennon grabbed his hand and slapped a bracelet onto his wrist. The former champion's eyes widened in shock.

"What are you doing!?" Aldrich roared.

"This is for assurance," Zennon said. "It's an artificial invoker bracelet. Unlike others, it doesn't turn into a suit of armor when you press the button on it." Zennon pulled into his pocket and pulled out a device. It was a remote control that had a single, giant red button on it. "This device is an anti-invoker device. I'll explain what it does."

Quinton glared at Zennon.

"You know how when in a traditional invoker battle, when the Pokémon faints, the weight of the armor of the invoker user is wearing triples- heck, quadruples- so the trainer goes down as well. This remote in my hand," Zennon shook his other hand that held his remote. "It sends a signal any invoker I point at and activates its weight functions- regardless of if your armor is on or not."

Quinton's eyes widened.

"What?" He said.

"Yeah, that's right. Doesn't matter if your invoker comes in the form of a bracelet, a necklace... if you have one on your body, you're kissing the floor. "

A bit of sweat began falling down Quinton's forehead.

"The way you said that sounds like a threat," Quinton said.

"Because it is."

Quinton wanted to shout at this man but fought back the urge to do it. This man… Zennon…had completely seen through his plan.

"Why would you do something like this to the king!?" Aldrich roared.

"It's a precaution." Zennon said. He let go of his hand. "Besides, as long as he doesn't betray us, nothing will happen."

Drat.

Drat.

DRAT!

Quinton remained silent, but he roared thunderously in his mind. It wouldn't matter now if he gets the power of Dialga anymore! He wouldn't be able to stop time without something happening! If Quinton so much as muttered the words, 'Roar of time', Zennon could interrupt him before he could finish speaking. That would blow his cover completely!

This was bad. This was really, really bad. At this rate, he would have to accept the power of Arceus… having that much power… Quinton knew that deep within his heart, that even he wouldn't be able to resist the urge to rule the entire world with that much power.

It would be like giving alcohol to an ex-alcoholic.

If he didn't want to lose himself… then he needed to avoid gaining Arceus's power at all costs.

Quinton drew in a sharp breath and sighed.

"You're very sharp," Quinton said with a straight, dead-pan tone of voice. He shrugged as he turned away from the three men. "Extremely sharp."

Quinton was speaking to make more time to think. "If I were thinking of taking you guys down, then this would be checkmate for me,"

It was checkmate.

The moment that thought showed up in his mind he wanted to take it and throw it as far as he possibly could.

Him? Losing? No. He hadn't lost. He couldn't lose. There's no possible way he could just lose. He had to find a way to win.

His eyes scanned over the three men who stood before him.

Zennon, the mastermind.

Aldrich, the one who worshiped him…

And Aiden.

The one who hasn't even said a single word. This Aiden person hasn't said a word, so he isn't an immediate threat. But Zennon…

He needed to get rid of him. But how?

Zennon knew so much about him… but Quinton knew nothing of him. All he needed was for that man to drop the remote for a second. A split second is all he needed. And then after shouting, 'Roar of time', he could take as long as he wanted to free Arceus from his prison.

"Now, if you will, Lord Quinton…" Aldrich said. The old man reached for his own chest and pulled out a sphere that resembled a Pokéball from his body. The moment he did, the man's metallic blue hair returned to a normal white.

"In this Pokéball is the same technology that woman named Samantha created. All you have to do is take this Pokéball that contains Dialga and crush it. The moment you do, Dialga's power will be yours."

Quinton stared at the Pokéball with a straight face, but he couldn't help but gulp. He fought to control his hand from trembling as he reached to grab the Pokéball. The former champion drew in a deep breath, then crushed the ball.

In an instant, a blue pillar of light rose from below Quinton's feet. An intense wind blew against him which raised his long red hair and striped jacket on his shoulders high into the air. His hair turned into a metallic blue before the pillar of light slowly faded, and his hair fell back down to its rightful place. Quinton stared at his hands and opened and closed them. He could feel Dialga's power…radiating within him.

The power of time was his once again. He could feel a grin come to his lips. Another thought reared its hideous head in his mind.

What if he could just… take back his loss from several years ago? The one Against Rebecca and Lucian? Quinton was grinning ear to ear, now. He could gain more power, now that Arceus was on the table.

"Yes…" Aldrich said. "Do you see it? Do you see that grin? That's a grin of a god, who realizes his true purpose!"

That was right… Quinton finally remembered what it was like… to be a god.

"Allow me to pull out the Pokéball that contains Arceus!" Aldrich quickly reached into his suit's pocket and pulled out a Pokéball that had a near-blinding white aura around it.

'Yes..' Quinton thought. His eyes widened. "This is all mine..." Quinton said. "Now, no one will be able to stand in my way...!"

"And you thought this guy was a family man, huh, Zennon?" Aiden, the silent one finally said.

Quinton's eyes widened upon hearing the word, 'family.'

Beatrice…. Samantha…

Quinton groaned as he put his hand on his face.

"What's wrong, my lord?!" Aldrich cried.

Quinton almost lost himself. He almost easily gave into his old ways. He almost forgot what he was planning to do.

He had to reject this power. He had to part with it forever, and finally move on with his life. The one deserving of all the power in the world… was his daughter, Beatrice. By her own achievements with her own Pokémon, not with some machine that transfers a Pokémon's entire being into their own... Quinton couldn't help but close his eyes and laugh to himself out loud. He could afford to do it without blowing this point, the three men thought he went insane.

What made things funnier was that he almost really did go insane. Quinton slowly took in a breath and opened his eyes with newfound resolve and stared straight at his primary threat: Zennon.

Although... the fact that Zennon had almost beaten him made him angry. How could some lowly grunt be this smart? This grunt. This lowly, lowly grunt nearly humiliated him. He knew exactly what Quinton planned to do and countered him. The reason why he couldn't rid himself of this power, and the reason why he nearly lost himself… Was because of him.

He was going to pay for his transgressions.

Quinton took in a sudden sharp breath of air through his nose to temporarily quell his rage. He needed to sound calm to win.

"I compliment you. Aldrich, Zennon… and.." Quinton's eyes fell upon Aiden. He knew his name already but decided to play dumb. "And…What was your name?" He asked Aiden. The raven-haired man who had hair long enough to touch his shoulders huffed.

"My name is Aiden," he grunted, looking annoyed that Quinton forgot his name.

"Hm," Quinton said this and nothing more. Aiden's eyes flickered in anger.

"Are you not going to apologize?" He asked. "I demand an apology!"

"Why should I apologize?" Quinton asked. This Aiden person had a temper. Good. If he lost his temper and directed that anger toward Zennon..Then he could distract him long enough for Quinton to freeze time.

All he needed was a split second. Then he could show the difference between himself and this grunt. That's all he needed to win. The red-haired man couldn't help but smile deviously at the thought of victory.

"I don't apologize to trash," Quinton said to Aiden.

"I am NOT trash!" Aiden roared.

"I deem you as trash, so therefore, you are trash."

"Stop this!" Aldrich cried. "You will remain quiet as I-"

"Let him talk," Quinton said.

Aldrich's body twitched in fear. "Y-Yes my lord!"

"Why are you calling him 'lord!' I've always hated that about you!" Aiden cried. "God, this, Quinton that, whatever! He's nothing but a fraud!"

"Fraud!?" Aldrich cried. "You will not speak to your god Quinton with this-"

"Do NOT speak, Aldrich!" Quinton cried with intense fury loud enough for Aldrich to tremble in fear. The old, wrinkly man clasped his hands together as though in prayer. "Please forgive me, Lord Quinton!"

"You say that I'm a fraud…" Quinton said to Aiden, "And yet, I am the one who holds the power here. I will take the power of Arceus and there will be nothing you can do about it. Be ready to kneel before me."

"You don't know that..!" Aiden spun around to Zennon. "Zennon, I command you to press the button! Pin Quinton to the ground this instant!"

Zennon spun around to Aiden. "Wha-!?"

"I DEMAND IT! WHO IS YOUR KING!?" Aiden roared.

Zennon's eyes widened. His entire body just froze still as the brainwashing took effect even more than before. Then, he slowly reached into his pocket and pulled the anti-invoker device and moved it toward Aiden.

"You…are…" Zennon spoke as though he were lifeless.

"NO!" Aldrich, still holding Arceus's Pokéball, rushed over to Zennon and tackled him to the ground.

Everything moved in slow motion as the Anti-invoker device flew from Zennon's hand and toward the ground, it bounced before finally landing flat on its back.

Quinton grinned.

"What are you doing!?" Aldrich cried, wrestling Zennon.

Quinton's grin grew wider.

"GET OFF OF HIM, YOU OLD FART!" Aiden rushed to Aldrich. He raised his fist, and it blazed with Groudon's primal energy.

Quinton's grin grew as wide as it possibly could 'd won. Quinton drew in a sharp breath as his eyes widened with insanity.

"ROAR OF TIME!"

An ultra-violet explosion blasted from Quinton's body and onto the three men who were fighting. The entirety of the forest became monochrome- completely devoid of color as the sound of a clock ticking and slowly coming to a halt echoed.

The three Crimson foundation members were frozen in time. Quinton laughed like an absolute maniac. His body shook as his loud chuckling grew louder and louder- soon he was laughing at the top of his lungs. Then, all at once, he gasped loudly to stop his laughter.

"I WIN!" Quinton cried. "DO YOU SEE THAT, ZENNON!? I WIN!" Quinton cackled even louder than before. But eventually, his laughter died down. Once his chortling died down to giggles, he composed himself.

"I thought I'd have to use Lucian to prove that I was still as power hungry as I used to be…" Quinton couldn't help himself, he had to speak- even though none of them could hear him. "But that Aldrich just had complete and utter faith in me! It's just all TOO EASY!" Quinton giggled again, then sighed.

"Now, it's time to free Arceus and end your plans… once and for-"

"Why..? Lord... Quinton..?"

Quinton's eyes widened in absolute and sudden shock. The old man, Aldrich, spoke despite being completely frozen in time. That should be impossible. The only way Aldrich would be immune to Quinton's Roar of Time was if...!

"NO!" Quinton roared. Arceus's halo- the yellow halo that the Godly Pokémon wore around its stomach, appeared above Aldrich's back. The old man had crushed the ball as Quinton roared the three words.

Slowly, as though he were a puppet being pulled by strings from above, Aldrich rose to the sky, back-first. His arms and legs hung low.

Quinton felt an intense chill run down his spine. Aldrich slowly adjusted himself mid-air- and he soon looked like he was just standing in the air. Aldrich wordlessly raised his head to the sky… and the yellow halo behind him shone with intense white light.

That's when Aldrich screamed at the top of his lungs. Rays of light poured out from the old man's eyes and mouth- and then the light covered his entire body.

Quinton shielded his face with his arms as an incredible wind blew against him. He could do nothing but watch the birth of a God.