I uploaded the prologue and the first chapter simultaneously to give readers a better idea of how the story will flow.

Arc I, The Plate of Space

Chapter One

Who to Become on the Mortal Plane

The legendary Pokémon are like my children. When I found out how they were capable, I granted them special abilities. Revered as gods and goddesses, they wield immense power and strength. They also bicker more than the humans do, which can be frustrating, certainly moreso when they gather and conduct their "special meetings."

I don't know what these meetings accomplish. I haven't even endorsed them.

"It would be simpler to maintain a healthy forest if Entei would keep his grimy paws away from the borders," Suicune was explaining. It regarded the other legendary dog with suspicious eyes. "I can hardly go about my business when my trees are set upon by fire."

"We are free to roam as we please," said Entei, seeming smug.

The legendaries had thrown a uproar when I had refused to show up to the meetings in a physical form, let alone attend them at all. They had also thrown an uproar when I failed to give my executive opinion on matters. Another uproar occurred when I suggested that the earthly governing be left to them, and that I should return to the "unyielding sleep" that the legends spoke of. Legends and all.

"What are your thoughts on the matter, Arceus?" asked the dogs simultaneously.

"Do as you please," I said.

That was all I ever needed to say to quiet things down. Truthfully, the legendaries had most of their internal issues figured out already, but for some reason they needed my approval before doing anything themselves.

"And what concerning Jirachi?" piped up another voice.

Jirachi had been asleep for a good nine hundred and ninety-nine years, and everyone was having a fit trying to figure out how they would introduce it to the world after being asleep for a millenia. The legendaries always threw a makeshift welcome party that they had had one thousand years to plan yet somehow always waited until the last minute to organize.

I said, "Banners-"

"Yes, banners!"

"Banners on the walls, then!"

"Quite clever, Arceus!"

"Why did we not think of that last century?"

I wilted in my seat.

"I would like to file a formal complaint against my twin," said Palkia. I looked over and noticed Dialga had the most satisfied and shit-eating expression I had ever seen. "I maintain the fabric of space in our universe. I take my duties seriously. However, it is growing more and more difficult with each passing day, as my twin finds it amusing to enter my domain and rewind or fast forward a few hundred years!"

"Do you even know which era it is?" called a legendary from the crowd.

"I've seemed to have lost track," grunted Palkia.

"Dialga," I said, squinting.

The entire room exploded into noise. Some legendaries were calling Palkia out for its incapability to handle jokes. A few others were laughing so hard that they had to leave the throne room. At one point, Palkia and Dialga had erupted into a full-out body slamming war, with the more aggressive legendaries on each side chanting their names and stomping on the ground. Amongst the loudness, I felt Celebi quietly approach. It hovered behind me, avoiding attention.

"What about the humans, Arceus?" it asked, like a flutter of wings. "They're chiseling at the entrance right now-"

Great apprehension rose in me.

"Another time, Celebi," I said.

"But-"

"Another. Time."

Celebi's face remained behind me, unseen, but I could feel its eyes boring into the back of my head. It sighed and floated away, joining the commotion before me. My heart became rigid with regret, and still I didn't call Celebi back, because perhaps I was frightened and feared to admit it. Frightened because the humans were chiseling away at the catacombs I had left behind on earth five hundred years ago, and afraid to admit so because it meant something beyond my control was happening.

The catacombs could not be broken into. The humans could not find what I had left inside.

I sat alone in the throne room, contemplating in the silence.

The Alterstone shined my front leg, glimmering as I looked at it from different angles. When I flipped the jewel over in its golden band, I sat as a human on my throne, rubbing the stone's smooth edges with my fingers. I changed back and forth a couple of times, from Pokémon to human, and then back again. I settled on the Alterstone's blue side for humanity, staring at my eyes in its reflection.

"I am the Original One," I muttered to myself. Then I looked away from the jewel. I couldn't stand to see it anymore.

Humans wore clothes, because they couldn't bear to walk around in their skins. And I did the same, adorning myself with layers upon layers of robes, gleaming fabrics, patterned and textured pieces, sheer scarves like lilac, belts and emeralds, hair pieces that fell into my eyes, rings which glowed silver, bearing heavy gold plates on my shoulders, and yet barefoot still. This is what rulers would wear, no?

When I changed shapes, my body never felt lighter, having ridden of the clothes. The weight was in my heart.

"Of all your powers," came Celebi's voice from behind me, "I believe this one is the greatest."

I turned my head slightly, folding my hands in front of me. I would never get used to the sensation of my fingers interweaving with each other. "It is also the most useless," I said. "It accomplishes nothing."

"It makes you…relatable." Celebi floated to my side.

I chuckled. Then we fell into a painful silence. 'Another time' had come, only hours later. Celebi was right: I could not avoid the issue any longer.

"I hold the most fearsome power in all the universe," I said. Waving my hand, I dragged my finger down like a knife cutting through air. Where my line had traced, there was a sliver of light, opening a portal into a glowing purple galaxy. Celebi tensed, holding its breath. "Someone could use this power to ravage entire continents. If they learned to use it correctly, they could extend beyond the earth and into the cosmos. Inside, there sleep weapons of incredible destruction...and the humans are close to discovering one of them."

Celebi also laughed, but it sounded troubled. "It is your own fault for leaving one lying around."

"To make it worse," I said miserably, "it is one of the unspoken ones...one that was never mentioned in neither legend nor tale. The Plate of Space."

"Next to the other unspoken ones," said Celebi, "the Plate of Space and the Plate of Cosmos...anyone who held them would rival your own power. No...if anything, they would own your power. You draw upon the Plates and they upon you, consistently recycling energy in an infinite circle. To have a Plate removed from that trinity...it would be disastrous. And imagine if someone had all three!"

"Which is why I need to retrieve them," I said, pursing my lips. "I have ignored the issue for far too long. I can feel the humans' presence growing closer. They are about to dig into my catacombs and find the first Plate, which I so ignorantly left behind with my mortal presence on the earth. How foolish of me!"

Celebi smiled. "Gods are not perfect," it offered. "Or else the humans would not have legends to tell."

Throughout the millennia, these gods — the legendaries — left behind stories telling of their conflicts, their romances, and their achievements. These legends floated from tribe to tribe, through word of mouth, vaguely changing each time until they were finally etched into stone, and since then the stories have remained the same. So what would it be like to visit the mortal realm of my creations, to finally see what they have been whispering all these years? Surely they have felt my presence, even though I have done nothing but sleep and ponder upon my meaningless throne. I felt anxiety creep into me.

I clenched my fists. When I glanced down, I saw the side of the Alterstone, luna-blue bright.

"I cannot show the humans or Pokémon my true form," I said quietly.

I caressed the gold band which clutched my wrist, having thought billions of years ago that I would never have to lower myself to mortal experiences. I had wanted to stay as abstract as possible to my creations. But this was a problem into which I could not send my legendaries. This was something that I would have to correct alone.

"So who will you be, Arceus?"

Startled from my contemplation, I looked into Celebi's large, curious eyes.

"For the time being," I said, holding myself steady, "all things mortal, and no longer whom I have convinced myself to be."

End of Chapter One

One thing I'm trying to do is condense my stories into more manageable chapters. I'm great at writing 10k word chapters WHERE ALL THE THINGS HAPPEN. But it's a little intimidating even for me nowadays to open up a story and see such a long block of text. Some will definitely be longer than others, but for the most part I hope this is easier to read.

I do accept and actually adore constructive criticism. Please feel free to review or PM me if you notice anything that bothers you.