Author's Note:

… I've nothing to say here this time, really, besides this:

Thank you for your patience. I know that these chapters are somewhat short, and slow on updates for such small word counts, but I am but a lazy teenager. For that, I ask that you forgive me.

Secondly, on a less serious note: Shout-outs to Something dictionary related and mikeyb93 for the Follows, especially to the latter for the Favorite! Your mere attention humbles me!

Disclaimer:

Pokémon and any other referential materials found in this story do not belong to me. They belong to their respective owners and subsidiaries, and I claim no ownership of them.


Of Children, Men, and Monsters

Chapter Five: Word of God


Cue music – Xenoblade Chronicles soundtrack – The Spiritual World

"Hello, child."

Marza's eyes slowly cracked opened, revealing to her the multi-colored swirls of energy and the many stars in the distance.

'Wait a second… stars!?'

She instinctually took in a gasp of air, and was pleasantly surprised to find that she was still very much capable of breathing. Breathing a sigh of relief, she spoke to herself, "So, this isn't space… Probably a dream, then."

"ErmChild? Hello?"

"What questions that does not answer, however, is why I would dream something like this up, as well as what that odd voice in the back of my head is supposed to be. Hello, odd voice in the back of my head!"

"… Hello?"

"Are you my wake-self? You sound really strange to be myself when I'm awake, though..."

The voice, in turn, sighed.

"Child, just turn around…"

She did so with nary a hint of hesitation. She was flummoxed with the sight that she was met with; an immense, quadrupedal being with a primarily gray-on-white color scheme was staring down upon her. Red irises in combination with green scleras made its gaze rather intensive, regardless of the being's true intents. A strange ring with large protrusions made of what appeared to be gold was wrapped firmly around its… waist? Barrel?

'I'll go with barrel for now,' she decided silently. The way its limbs were shaped reminded Marza distinctly of some sort of horse, especially with the gilded coverings in the tips. 'Kind of like horseshoes for equine royalty,' she thought humorously. 'That thing looks the part, at least…'

"I don't take kindly to being called a "thing", you know."

"Aaand you can read minds. Fantastic. Guess this proves that you're not some dream apparition, then. Want to tell me why you're here?"

The entity, for its part, was rather miffed by her rudeness.

"It is not exactly that difficult for one such as myself to read minds, especially when I am already in one. Also, has there been any reason on your part to be so rude to a stranger?" Its eyes imperceptibly widened. "You do realize that you are making quite the terrible first impression, correct?"

Marza glared at the massive entity momentarily before backing off with her aggression. "Sorry, it's just… my autism makes me untoward to new people."

"A mental disorder?" the being pieced together. "That would explain why your dreamscape in particular is so different from most of the other humans' minds that I have the opportunity to investigate…"

It shook its head, remembering why it was here.

"But, alas, I have not come here to intrude upon your most sacred of places. I am here to give you information that will likely answer much of the questions you doubtlessly have, but before that, I feel that some introductions are in order.

"I am Arceus, the Alpha Pokémon. What might your name be, child?"

The girl took in a deep breath before responding, "Marza Guardia."

The now-identified Arceus let out an appraising hum. It somehow sounded like the wind blowing through several flutes, making an inexplicably beautiful sound.

"Well, Marza, to answer the first question that you are brewing up, I am a Pokémon, as I have already stated. Pokémon come in hundreds of shapes, forms, and species, and inhabit a world not of your own. As you may have already guessed at with this new knowledge, the egg that has come to you is one of a Pokémon. Tell me, Marza; has it hatched?"

"… Yes, it has," she said after thinking over this new material. "It hatched into a Larvitar, a female one. I named her Oscura, because it'd get confusing if I end up meeting any other Larvitar." A moment of silence. "There are other Larvitar in your world, right?" Arceus couldn't help but laugh internally.

"But of course. I trust that you are taking good care of her?"

"Yeah. She's taken a liking to me, I think, and I definitely reciprocate those feelings, even if we've only known each other for a few days. She's actually kind of a refreshment from my normal, everyday life – which, let me tell you, is very, very stale."

"That is good to hear."

A comfortable silence went on between the two for a few seconds before Marza asked of the godly Pokémon: "So, are you the one who gave Oscura to me?"

"Indeed. Do you wish to know why?"

Marza immediately responded in the affirmative. "It must've been really important, if you had to send her to another dimension entirely." The Alpha Pokémon nodded its head.

"The reason is both simple and complex, as you shall come to know. A few days ago, one of my first children, Dialga, had received a vision from the future. It depicted a rather grizzly scene; entire cities lied in ruins, with many lives being lost. A mere two beings were evidently responsible for these atrocities; a man in dressed entirely in black, with the exception of a bright red "R" on his suit, commanded a large, pale green Pokémon. I believe that that Pokémon… was Oscura."

Marza couldn't help but gasp in shock. "No way! Oscura's too sweet for that!"

"But this man in particular was not. I would imagine that he likely mistreated her to the point of abuse, forcing her to grow stronger and stronger until he became ready to subjugate the world, using Oscura as his means of doing so. I decided that I could not afford to risk keeping her in this world, leaving me with little other option but to send her to a separate reality. Another child of mine, Palkia, came up with the idea that idea, and with his aid, we sent the egg to this realm, and, subsequently, into your hands."

"Okay… So you sent her here instead of, let's say, keeping her yourself? You look capable of defending yourself and playing baby sitter, so I don't so why you couldn't have just done that." Arceus let out a whistly sigh.

"You would bring up a good point were it not for the fact that my home realm isnot exactly inhabitable for mortals. No food, no water, no truly real things aside from me. It looks quite a bit like this dream, if you want to imagine it that way. My children are not exactly the most amiable when it comes to children, either, especially my third one…"

Marza wasn't entirely certain about who it was referring to in that last part, but she could definitely acknowledge the small string of resentment in its voice. Brushing that thought aside for the moment, she next said, "All right, but that doesn't really answer why Oscura ended up in my room instead of… oh, I don't know, my neighbor's house?" Arceus laughed softly.

"Ah, but that is the work of one of the most powerful forces of any universe: coincidence. It was really by complete and utter chance that the Larvitar ended up in your hands rather than someone else's."

It looked ready to continue, but was rudely interrupted by a sudden quake. Marza was about to question how something like an earthquake could happen in a dream such as this before Arceus answered the unspoken question for her:

"It would seem as if you are waking up. I've one last thing to say, Marza…"

Its eyes lit up fiercely as it reared up dramatically and intimidatingly, made all the more so by the constant quaking and random spots of space completely disappearing.

"If you do not continue to take care of that Pokémon properly, then I shall show you no mercy in my penance…!"

And then the dream dissolved into a black nothing.