In which Arceus realizes that it has no idea what it's doing.

Arc I, The Plate of Space

Chapter Three

As Illusions Resemble Reality

"So I heard you, erm, lost something," said Latios to me on the morning of my departure.

I stared at him. Hard. "You better not dare to say anything to your sister," I told him.

"Oh, I wouldn't," he said. He produced the illusion of humanity, instantaneously morphing into a young man with sweeping blue hair. "Not a word."

Latios and his sister, Latias, were one of the few legendaries that I had created to have gender. They could also disguise themselves in human form, although the experience wasn't quite like my Alterstone. The stone changed my physical appearance, and the twins could only produce a temporary guise that protected them from detection. Because of this power, they were incredibly knowledgeable on human interaction, and honestly I was quite miffed at myself from not having included them in my party of know-goers in the first place.

But then I remembered exactly why I hadn't.

"Well, I wouldn't say anything to my sister," he added, sidling up to me as I made minor alterations to my appearance, "but who knows if my tongue will slip the next time that I see Mewtwo or Deoxys?"

"Oh, not those two, I beg you," I groaned. I turned and glared at him. Only a Pokémon as cheeky as Latios would ever say something like that to me. He had been a thorn in my side from the start. "If you tell them of anything they will not only chastise me for a hundred years on my carelessness, but also try to monitor my every move on the earth."

Latios grinned. "And so what? They're not your boss. You're their boss."

"Thanks for the reminder," I grumbled.

He snickered under his breath. "So it is true, then," he said, still smiling. When he leaned into my vision, I had to let my eyes adjust for a moment. He truly was indistinguishable from a human. "You've gone and lost your Plates, and now you have to get them back."

"I didn't lose them, Latios. I left them in hiding spots on purpose."

"Not very good hiding spots, then," he said.

I sighed, already exasperated with the conversation. "They are not all found," I said. "In fact, none of them have been found at all. But there are humans growing close. Millennia ago, they would have not had the technology to dig so deep into my mountain. And yet, the times are changing. They are seeking truth and knowledge about things forgotten long ago. So they will soon stumble upon my secrets. I have to prevent that before it ever happens."

"Hmm." Latios leaned against a pillar with his arms crossed. "That could be bad."

"It could be bad," I agreed.

"So when do you leave?"

I inspected myself one last time. I had altered absolutely nothing about my appearance or my attire, and still I had felt the desire to. Latios, next to his sister, remained the most insightful and well-informed on human presentation and culture, but he had not remarked on my choices. That gave me a deep sense of security.

"Right now." I stared at him again. "Remember. Not a word."

"Please," he said. "Humans never keep secrets."

As I made to leave the room, I hesitated with my hand on the wall. The murals painted there were not real, as much as I wanted to convince myself that they were. They never had been. This entire palace had never had any true physical form. The walls with sun-stained paint, the pillars which cracked along the bases, the stone floors, the gardens beyond the halls, and even my throne were visual substitutes for the real objects, nothing but beautiful illusions that I had designed to protect the façade that was my alternate dimension. Gods had no need for physical objects...but I had wanted to play pretend.

I stuck my thumb into the paint, chipping off a flake with my nail. It certainly felt real.

"I am leaving to visit the land of no deceptions," I said quietly.

"Trust me, Original One," said Latios, his eyes shockingly hard, "when I say that humans are also the masters of deception. And that no matter where you go or to whom you speak, you will be faced by a veil of lies." He smirked. "And trust me when I say that I will be keeping a close eye on you, even when you think you are surrounded by a sea of mortals."

When I had created the legendaries, I had also made a portal through which they could slip between the two dimensions: my own and everywhere else. Originally, I had chosen to sleep within my own personal space, but then the legendaries grew painfully aware of a higher power and started nagging me. Thinking about it, I should have never installed a front door into my personal living space, but then again I could not have had the foresight it took to understand exactly how deviant and whiny they were.

I had never travelled through the portal before, except for those brief moments I would peer out into the mortal realm. Even that was overwhelming, so then I had created the pool in my throne room to experience the mortal realm as realistically as possible without ever needing to leave the palace. The longer I thought about it, the more pathetic the whole situation sounded.

The portal was located at the base of my palace, and was no more spectacular than a swirling magenta void. I was hoping to slip out at the moment there were no legendaries sitting around, but I should have also had the foresight to recognize that if there's work to be done, it won't be done. My imaginary kingdom was much more theatrical than the average earth civilization, so naturally the legendaries preferred to conduct their daily living here, like my alter-dimensional space was some kind of "lounge," or whatever the humans called it.

"A-Arceus!" exclaimed Entei as I approached. "You...when…" Then it looked befuddled. "I have never seen you leave the palace before."

I gazed into the sky. I could see blue galaxies and stars all around, their colors brushing in watercolor patterns with the moons and suns. "Well," I began, "there is always opportunity for change."

As a Pokémon, the palace seemed much less intimidating. As a human, the spiraling towers seemed colossal. I had to crane my head all the way back to see the intricate figures carved into the stone above the main gates. Having not seen the outside of the palace for thousands of years, it was a fresh sight; yet, the closer and closer I stepped towards the mortal realm, the more absurd it seemed. If this castle had been constructed over there, there would be obvious signs of decay. But the stones were still unchipped and the flowers in the garden were eternally tame. This left an unsettling feeling in my chest.

I observed the castle grounds. There were a few legendaries, including Entei, Raikou, Azelf, and what looked to be the muddled shapes of Articuno and Registeel in the distance. They were all facing my direction, expressions concerned. And of course, Latios was spread out on the grass, his arms behind his head, one eye open and fixed on me. He gave me a thumbs-up.

I cleared my throat. "I only wanted a stroll," I said hastily.

The legendaries in the courtyard went their separate ways, sharing confused glances with each other as they pretended to mind their business.

"My thanks," I muttered to nobody.

Was it truly a dreadful idea to tell them about the Plates? They would eventually notice my absence anyways, surely after a few hours or a day if I was fortunate. Four of them already knew, and there would certainly be at least one legendary that noticed me slip into the portal unannounced. With my luck, it would be the most loudmouthed of all.

But what did it matter? They were going to see. They were going to know. And, after time, they were definitely going to find out. As long as Celebi, Cresselia, Shaymin, and Latios (whoever had told him!) maintained secrecy, surely mass panic would not spread, right?

Digging my fingernails into my palm, I walked towards the portal without looking back.

The legends told of my one thousand arms, that I had created the universe and the worlds inside, all in a moment of a moment.

First, there was chaos. Then everything began to spin and spin. There was sea foam and white mountains, shuddering volcanoes and quiet forests. I gave this place time and space, and something else forgotten. Someone remembers, but not me.

Then I left the beautiful place called Earth alone...

...yielding to sleep.

Or so the legends had told.

End of Chapter Three