A hour and a half later, the meeting room of the Hall of Legends was spotless.

Arceus arched an eyebrow as he gazed upon the finished work, inspecting how the golden walls that consisted the conference dormitory shined in the overhead lights as they had done before he and Mew had engorged themselves into a duel involving banana cream pies. The matching floor tiles had been wiped to a squeaky-clean manner as well, allowing the God Pokemon to view his reflection in its mirroring surface, examining the bewildered look that now covered his countenance as recent thoughts circulated throughout his head like planets orbiting his brain.

He was relieved that the meeting room was clean – there was no doubt about that – but the reason why guilt had slowly begun to wash across his conscious like a suddenly-realized sin was because, in the midst of his tidying, listening to the words of the pop music, he had noticed what he had done; how he had acted after Mew had somehow convinced him to let her boom her music across the fragile air. He had acted childish, tolerant, and easy-going; any of the traits that matched the personality of a being who didn't have a care in the world and always stuck important responsibilities at the bottom of their priority lists. He had broken the one main rule associated with theomorphic individuals, which involved elegant postures and stoic behaviors – things that made an arch entity an arch entity; life-builders who wrote Destiny and Fate and configured the universe from when it was still a monad atom waiting to surge its possibilities across the vast, empty, black space that it had been placed in.

But…no…

Instead, his recent acts had disgraced such an occupation, contradicting his earlier statements created back when he was so dedicated to living up to the praises given to him by mortal beings that his life seemed to be based entirely on a book of laws made especially for the Legendaries – like the Gods' remake of the Twelve Tables.

However, as he stared at his reflection, even cocking his head slightly to admire the way his gold eyes looked brighter now, as if having been liberated from something, the God Pokemon's face fell into a contemplating one. He had never felt this way before; he had never once hesitated to scold himself after following through on an immature act such as dancing to music and being a target in a pie fight. For some reason, he found himself incapable to do so – thinking over his recent behavior, muttering lecturing insults to himself, and then reminding his confused head on how it would never happen again, because acts as those just done by his very hooves were oxymoronic to be done by the leader of the Legendary council. His job required him to be serious; there was no room in his schedule for laughter or games – mistakes and regrets; stuff that could drive his consistency of a sovereign aegis to fall back behind track. His stress was only part of it and therefore a simple grain of salt jabbed into the wound of divinity he would have to cope with.

So why was he now having second thoughts? Why, for once, back during his out-of-character dance session with Mew and the childish acts that followed, he did not scold himself for giving into the catlike being's requests? Why wasn't he regretting doing such things? Why did the reminder that he was a god and gods were supposed to be dedicated to work and only work and all the stuff that came with it fail to flash through his mind? Why did he…not care? Why did he…not worry? Why did he…

…feel so free?

Arceus let out a deep sigh through his nostrils, pulling his head back so couldn't look at his eased reflection again. He closed his eyes, his usual frown of annoyance now returning as he cleared his mind, trying to sort out everything piece by piece in an attempt to solve the imaginary jigsaw puzzle that seemed to make up his life. Despite that only a few minutes ago he and Mew had finished cleaning the meeting room from pie matter, still emitting childish giggles as they then danced to the last few seconds of the playing song, the qilinlike being had brought back his tough exterior, realizing what had happened and what he had done. However, as said before, he wasn't as much scolding himself for being involved in such acts as he was wondering why it was having such a positive effect on him.

The God Pokemon let out another breath of air into the placid, cool atmosphere of the meeting room. He was confused, frustrated that he was confused, and then bewildered on why he was frustrated about how he was confused.

Okay, now his head hurt again.

His golden eyes, which had sunken themselves back into a darkened hue of serious pondering, making his gaze look more distant than anything else, closed once again, attempting to help him think. However, when he opened them, he emitted a surprised gasp and stumbled back slightly when he realized that Mew was floating right in front of his face, her moon-sized eyes bright with curiosity as she cocked his head towards his uneventful demeanor. It was silent after that, a big web of tension forming between her and Arceus in the first few seconds he stared at her with slight impatience, and she, oblivious to all of this, only hummed, gazing at him like an amateur scientist did to a lab rat on the first day of the job; studying with inquisitive eyes.

Of course, it was obvious Mew was just wondering what they were going to do next now that the cleaning-the-meeting-room task was over.

Arceus only narrowed his eyes, his thoughts still revolving around his previous contemplations, though he had to grunt at the fact that Mew was unaware of his conflicting emotions. Now, when he thought about it, she had been the one to put him through all of this – her; an entity seen as the ancestor of all Pokemon, having been created for just that: an assistant for when his mind was too busy with other things to consider the mortal beings that resided throughout the universe. Every day she pushed away the tough, intolerant façade everyone expected her to have for maintaining such a role (but yet any sort of staid countenance was immediately ruined by her small, 'cuddly' stature, though she did indeed have her frightening days at times).

So, spending the day with her…was she affecting him? Was her personality somehow influencing his without his awareness of it? Was she the one to make him feel so…free?

The God Pokemon had to shake the thought away from his head, pushing it aside when Mew suddenly spoke in her usual bubbly, yet straightforward tone. "Um…Arceus?" she cooed, reverting her eyes away from his as he brought his gaze to her. He grunted, keeping his brows furrowed and his frown strong as he motioned for the catlike Legendary to continue. And, she did just that, placing a somewhat nervous grin on her face as if attempting to enshroud the burden implied with her next statement: "I'm hungry."

Arceus blinked, and for once since he had dazed off minutes after their cleaning had been done, his voice returned in an edgy manner. "Hungry?" he repeated, now comprehending the word and therefore allowing his annoyed look to continue – because even with frustrating thoughts and humiliating past behaviors his stoic posture was too big of him to neglect. "You just vomited all over my hooves a while ago, Mew."

"Yeah…I know," she replied bashfully, rubbing the back of her head, a light tint of red crossing the skin beneath her pink facial fur. "But…it's just that…" She grinned again. "…all that pie we just cleaned up…it's made me hungry."

Arceus wanted to roll his eyes at how amazingly fast Mew recovered from a stomach upchuck, but held it in as he decided to emit the most obvious conclusion to Mew's predicament: "Then go find something to nourish your hunger with."

Mew placed her paw to her chin, adding a thoughtful look to her eyes, then stating, "That's just it…" She returned her gaze to him, her tone light with curiosity. "I don't know what to eat…"

Arceus arched an eyebrow, though kept an unimpressed look among his gaze as he closed his eyes to let out another deep sigh.

"Can you cook me something?"

His eyes shot open, his tone and expression reflecting confoundedness. "What?"

"Please, Arceus!" Mew pleaded, placing her paws together in a begging manner as she floated closer to his face, kneeling before his widened gaze. She allowed her eyes to grow bigger than they normally were with misfortune, and Arceus had to step back before she started to worship him like a hopeless case turning to religion for a solution. However, even then she continued to stare at him with a puppy-dog look – that look in which he failed horribly when it came to ignoring it. He found his breath getting hitched in his throat as he took another step back, Mew only proceeding to follow and grow closer, and though he wanted to smile at how adorable her countenance appeared right now, the mere horror behind the request she was hoping he, of all beings, would fulfill was overtaking his mind and driving him to gasp out any alternative in existence that would help him evade in contributing to…cooking.

Because he had the cooking skills of a twig.

"Why don't you just look for something in the kitchen?" he forced himself to suggest, keeping his tone strict and straightforward, though the cracked hue of it was evident through his nervous facial expression.

Meanwhile, Mew only continued to proceed towards him and he wouldn't be surprised if his backside was now on the verge of making contact with a wall behind him; he felt like he had trekked the whole meeting room floor in the midst of avoiding Mew's wishes. "I can't cook!" she moaned, her tail and paws drooping downward, as if disheartened. "And everything in the kitchen that had been cooked before – excluding the pies, 'cause we used all those in our brawl – has already been eaten by Rayquaza, that fatty." She crossed her arms and huffed, pouting in the process. "How he keeps his slim figure, I'll never know."

Arceus only blinked.

"Please, Arceus!" Mew suddenly gasped, lunging forward again to beg. "I mean, you're God, right? You can do anything! Please feed me; I'm starvin'!"

The qilinlike being's eyebrow began to twitch in disbelief. Did she honestly even comprehend what she was saying?

Then again, the more he thought about it, the less trouble the idea seemed. She had a point; he was the creator of the universe, and as the creator of the universe it made sense for him to be good in most of its daily functions, such as the production of food to fill its mortal inhabitants and whatever other entities housed stomachs to feed; it wouldn't hurt to try. Besides…as he looked into her eyes again, he found his face flushing and his urge to serve her every desire filling him up from the inside out. He couldn't say no despite how much he wanted to, and yet again his frustrated thoughts from before on how her mere ways had drove him to veer from his pathway of imperturbable holiness returned to haunt his mind like a lingering phantom.

And, therefore, before he realized it, he muttered in a sighlike heave, "Very well, Mew."

Mew grinned in glee, jumping forward to hug his face and make him blush before she pulled away to head towards the kitchen. Meanwhile, Arceus only kept on a face of slight anxiousness, hoping he wouldn't later regret this decision.

Not that he had had a choice, though…

The kitchen of the Hall of Legends was white all over – freakishly white, to say the least – and Arceus suddenly felt as if he was in an insane asylum as he walked onto its tiled flooring, maneuvering around the colorless cabinets and drawers that made up the granite-mounted countertops. The God Pokemon remembered that only Entei tended to reside in the culinary, seeing as how the said fire lion had adopted the art of cooking as a side-hobby for when he was bored out of his skull and the other Legendaries weren't in the mood to gather their own food. Of course, Entei didn't mind cooking for his fellow council members; everyone enjoyed his homemade delicacies, and therefore Arceus wondered if he should message the fire lion to come cook for Mew. He soon pushed the thought away, however, deciding that it would be tedious to do that.

It looks like he was on his own.

Mew giggled as she took a seat on a chair by the table that had been placed in the kitchen for a homey effect, seeing as how the Legendaries never actually used the furniture, and thus it was seen as only a decorative thing. Arceus allowed his eyes to wander over his surroundings, wondering how he was going to do this without making the world explode and killing thousands of puppies in the process. Then again, when he thought about it, maybe he could just fix her a bowl of cereal or something simple that didn't require flammable surfaces to prepare, and in result make this part of his life a whole lot easier-

"I want spaghetti."

Arceus turned his head to Mew, who was now grinning, rocking in her seat as if jumpy and impatient to taste whatever the great ruler of the gods managed to conjure in the form of angel hair noodles, marinara sauce, and large meatballs that rivaled oversized jawbreakers. He couldn't even begin to imagine what horrors lie ahead, but he knew he couldn't say no to her request, and he also knew that there was no getting out of this without pulling through on his word of cooking material nourishment; so he was screwed no matter which pill he swallowed. Of course, just for the sake of it, he asked, "Mew, can't you suggest something that's within my power to conjure?"

"Say what now?"

Arceus growled at her joke, but nonetheless heeded her words and spoke in a more understandable format. "Can't you eat something that's not so…tedious…to make?"

Mew cocked her head at his words. "Why? What's wrong with spaghetti?"

Arceus grunted at her slowness, but learned that there was no way he would be serving Mew cereal to help easer her hunger. Because of this, he took a deep breath and decided not to push his luck, otherwise Mew would probably go into a teasing frenzy about how his godly status didn't fit his lack of problem-solving skills. Besides…he had to follow her command; his insides twisted with guilt every time he pondered on saying no. So, mumbling to himself on how making spaghetti couldn't be that hard, the God Pokemon followed the first order instructed by his common sense – fetch two pots to cook the noodles and meat sauce in.

He looked around, wondering where the kitchenware was located, as each drawer had no note or sign corresponding what lay inside, and therefore Arceus was utterly clueless on which cabinets amongst the dozens that seemed to consist the culinary held the required cooking tools. Trying not to put on face of bewilderment (if Mew saw him confused who knew how many giggles would emit from her mouth and dim his pride with humiliation?), the qilinlike being placed his hooves between the two handles of cabinets that resided below the sink, opening them and immediately being greeted with the tangy scent of window cleaner. He sniffed, his eyes watering at the strong aroma, and he pulled back quickly, gazing at the cleaning utensils that now lay before him – various bacteria-killing liquids that looked more toxic than cleansing.

"Um…"

Arceus took another sniff, shaking his head slightly at how the scents stung his nose, but eventually turned his eyes to Mew, who was now gazing at him with curiosity. "If I remember right," the catlike Legendary wondered out loud, placing her paw to her chin, "then the pots and pans should be in the cupboard by the oven."

The God Pokemon frowned. "Why didn't you tell me that beforehand?"

Silence.

Then:

"I dunno."

Arceus rolled his eyes, but pushed away the topic and closed the doors to the cabinets that housed cleaning utensils and a weird group of greenish muck that clung to the walls in the back by the sink pipe – oh my…was it moving?! – before turning his disgusted expression towards the stove on the other side of the kitchen counter that halved the culinary. He made his way over, not bothering to cast a glance towards Mew since it was obvious she was mentally laughing at him right now, and he had to wonder if she could really do this herself and was just looking for some chuckles and kicks; however, he pushed the thought away and opened up the cupboards, taking out two large pots and placing them on the stove that resided on top of the slumbering oven. He then remained silent as he pondered on what to do next, never having fully watched Entei make an Italian dish, but yet catching glimpses of the process.

With a grunt of approval he grabbed one of the pots, placing it in the sink and filling it with water before carrying it back to the stove using his teeth (his jaw already began to ache; why did he have to have hooves?). He turned the knob, starting the simmering flame beneath the pot, before pulling back to wonder what to do next.

Duh – get the noodles and meat sauce!

He opened up one of the higher cabinet doors, searching the spices inside for a packet of angel hair noodles, humming when he spotted such a thing residing on the very top floor along with the required meat sauce. He frowned as he noticed that it was out of his reach, and as he cast a glance towards Mew, who was watching him with inquisitive eyes, as if studying him like a judge of some sort, the God Pokemon couldn't help but whimper in slight nervousness since he now felt like he was on a bad rendition of Iron Chef. Nonetheless, he took a deep breath and reached forward, standing on the tip of his back hooves as he placed his front ones upward to jab the noodles and meat sauce until they fell his way. He smiled when he did so, the two items falling into his hold, and he retaliated back to place them on the counter, not noticing that, in the process, one of his hooves smacked the floorboard beneath the top one, causing it come down while taking the ones below with it.

Arceus only had a second to squeak in surprise as a sea of ingredients and spices rained down on him, enshrouding him and causing him to flail backward to where he fell over, the cupboard's contents now hiding him away behind a pile of pepper, paprika, garlic powder, and all the other seasonings Entei had somehow crammed into one place. He coughed as he poked his head out of the pile, hacking out a handheld canister of chives that had lodged itself underneath his tongue.

It was silent after that, though Mew's laughter suddenly broke free from her mouth, and therefore Arceus could only glare at the catlike Legendary as she attempted to muffle her cachinnation with her paws.

"Do you need some help?" Mew managed to choke out between her giggles, floating over as she fixed the floors in the cupboard and began to place the spices back in their rightful places. Arceus grunted and then rose, seasonings falling from him like droplets of water as if he had just gotten out of a pool.

"This is why I don't cook," he muttered, his tone somewhat snarlish. "I don't have fingers." He raised his front hooves as if to display them. "I'm minus fingers."

Mew only grinned as she finished repairing the damage he had done, and then floated back to her seat, sitting down with her fleer still present. Arceus only rolled his eyes, ignoring his urge to thank her for helping him out as he walked back over to the pots to at least see if the water was boiling yet. It was, and therefore he reached for the packet of dried noodles, ripping it open with his teeth before pouring its contents into the lagoon of bubbling, hot water that lay thriving on the stove. Then, shooting another glance at Mew, who had gone back to watching him inquisitively, he attended to the meat sauce, pouring it into the other pot.

Minutes later, Arceus watched as the noodles inside one pot began to dampen into a slippery, flexible, and tangled form, while the meat sauce cooked in the other metallic tub. He took the pot of noodles over to the sink, then using the hole-covered banister that already resided within to pour the noodles into, the water that had soaked them escaping through the holes and washing down the drain, leaving glossy, warm angel hair behind in its wake. The God Pokemon sighed in slight relief – the noodle part was over, though that was the easy step of cooking spaghetti, and therefore his eased breath didn't last long.

He turned his attention to the marinara sauce, walking over to examine it preparing itself in the pot, using the flame underneath to send bubbles across its meaty, red surface. He remembered hearing Entei mention countless of times that any source of dinner was always at its best when the right spices were added in. However, as he shot a look towards the seasoning cupboard, he felt his stomach freeze over with nervousness – he was scared to open it due to the risk of getting attacked by the imaginary monster inside that seemed to hate his presence like an angered poltergeist; or, in other words, get trampled again by a sea of spices and other optional ingredients due to unstable floorboards.

Reluctantly, he opened up the cupboard, his eyes immediately snapping shut as he prepared his muscles to face a wall of seasoning terror. However, when nothing happened, he slowly allowed one eye to open, gazing at the innards of the cabinet, which were uneventfully sitting there like inanimate objects tended to do. He breathed a sigh of relief, shooting a look towards Mew when she emitted a giggle from her chair, and, further ignoring her, he scanned his eyes over the spices that were currently available. Lacking idea towards what was usually assigned to be an addition to meat sauce, he tried to follow his common sense and picture whatever depiction lay on the bottles of spices mixed in with the spaghetti. Grunting slightly, he reached upward, knocked down a canister of garlic powder, picked it up with his teeth, and then added a little into the cooking meat sauce. "Garlic could make anything taste great," Entei had told him despite his obvious lack of interest in the culinary arts.

Next he added basil, because it was leafy and green and spaghetti was always associated with stuff that was leafy and green…sort of. He frowned when he wondered what else he could add, gazing at his large variety of seasonings that could either make the spaghetti perfect or downright horrible. He hummed, grabbing the salt, then walking over and tapping some lightly into the sauce.

That is, until the lid to the canister fell off and into the pot.

Oh crap.

Arceus froze as the yellow top to the salt canister popped off and dived into the meat sauce, bringing with it cupfuls of salt due to the fact there was no longer a barricade to hold it all back. The God Pokemon squeaked, snapping his head backward to avoid adding more, but only wound up tripping over his own hooves and falling flat-face onto the tiled flooring.

Meanwhile, Mew broke out into laughter…again.

"In Alpha and Omega's name," the qilinlike being cursed. He raised his face from the ground, slowly returning to his feet, hoping that all of this would be worth it in the end. He glared at Mew, who only continued to laugh, though she soon stopped her cachinnation when she suddenly heard a popping sound, turning her attention to the pot cooking the meat sauce, in which the flame underneath had been turned all the way up by accident for when Arceus had flailed his hooves in the midst of tripping and spilling salt all over the place.

She allowed an expression of anxiousness to show across her face. "Um…Arceus?"

Arceus ignored her, figuring her words to be just another tease thrown his way. Because of this, he neglected her warning tone as he tended to the salt sprawled across the floor.

"Arceus?"

"Not now, Mew," he hissed, eyes narrowed.

"But…Arceus?"

"Not. Now."

"But…but-"

"What?" he snarled, now turning to face her with pure anger burning in his eyes. Mew didn't shudder from such a hateful gaze, but instead only squeaked in fear and shrunk into her seat as a low, grumbling sound began to emit from the pot cooking the meat sauce. Oblivious to this, Arceus only stepped forward towards her like a predator provoking fear to rise within its prey, though he stopped when he was able to meet her widened eyes.

Of course, that was when she suddenly dive-bombed out of her chair to hide behind the table, in the midst of it screaming out one infamous command that drove Arceus' annoyance away and replaced it with plain bewilderment.

"HIT THE DECK!"

And, Arceus, turning around to face the cooking pot since Mew had motioned at it, had no time to dodge himself.

The contents inside exploded, splattering red, gory meat sauce all over the kitchen, and all over Arceus.

"So…erm…red looks good on you?"

Arceus only glared at Mew as she floated before him, eyes examining his meat sauce-covered figure before shifting to examine the crimson room, meat bits sliding down the walls, red splotches of mashed tomatoes dripping from the ceiling. The cooking meat sauce had exploded from the strong amplification of heat, and possibly a chemical reaction caused by Arceus' added spices and a strong amount of salt, which sounded idiotic but strangely made sense to the mind of the alpha Pokemon, because he was God; he could do anything.

The qilinlike being let out a frustrated sigh as he wiped his face clean with a towel, mentally muttering to himself on how it was probably going to take weeks to wash away the faint redness his albino fur now portrayed. When one looked closely, a tint of pink could be seen meshed in with his usual color, and such a thing only made Arceus want to roar, kill, and send an asteroid hurtling towards a city for the sake of the satisfying destruction…

…okay, now he was really starting to lose it.

"Hey, least you got pink fur like me!" Mew laughed in exaggerated joy, moving closer to examine the God Pokemon's pinkish hue. Meanwhile, he only continued to glower at her, not saying a word since he knew that if he opened his mouth a Hyper Beam would come out like some freaky automatic attacking issue. So he kept his jaw shut, instead letting out a sigh to calm himself as he continued to wash stray pieces of meat from his facial fur, his frustrated eyes holding a somewhat saddened hue that even Mew could notice. Due to this, she put on a soft look, aware that he had tried his best to cook her food despite his apparent lack of skills towards doing so, and therefore she was grateful. It was obvious he was disheartened because he had tried to fulfill her wish (but failed horribly) and that alone was enough to make Mew few satisfied.

She put on a warm smile as she floated towards Arceus' depressed face, his eyes only rising to meets hers, and that's when she hugged him gently, snuggling her snout into his. He blushed, showing surprise, but soon smiled, feeling relieved as he closed his eyes in relaxation and returned the loving embrace, glad that he was able to make her happy regardless of the outcome of his attempt to cook spaghetti. "Thank you, Arceus…" she cooed before pulling away, meeting his warm gaze that vanquished any anger that had been haunting his countenance.

Blushing slightly, she reverted her eyes away from his, now transfixing them onto the ground, rubbing the back of her head in a bashful manner. However, her eyebrows soon rose when she examined the meat sauce that covered the floor – as well as everything else – and, blinking a few times before shrugging, she slowly reached her paw forward, scooped up some of the sauce, and licked it.

Her face lit up.

"This is the best meat sauce I've ever tasted!" she squealed, reaching down for more. Arceus' eyes widened in shock at her statements, while she only brought up another pawful of the sauce, smearing some on his lips so he would have to taste it himself. Grunting slightly in disbelief, he did just that, and soon found his own eyebrows rising in realization that she was right.

It was good.

"You're a good cook!" she commented, and Arceus wondered if she was just saying that to cheer him up, despite the fact that it really was good and that her hug had eased him enough already. However, as she engorged herself, he had to admit that if Mew said it was good, then it was good, and therefore there was no bias in her review.

However, even then he couldn't help but frown. "Mew, you do know that we need to clean up this mess, right?"

Mew looked at him with wide eyes and a mouthful of meat sauce, slowly gulping it down as she lowered her eyes to the ground. "Yeah," she then replied, sounding as if she was loathing such an idea, and Arceus only hummed.

And then he smiled.

He reached for the banister in the sink that held the clean and therefore still-edible noodles inside (its sink entrapment had saved it from getting hit with anything), and walked over to grab two plates from the china cabinet across the kitchen, then placing them both on the counter to where Mew could gaze at them with bewilderment, soon smiling herself when his following words came out with a soft laugh:

"Then we can at least do so the right way."

Two hours later, the kitchen was spotless, most of the meat sauce that had covered the walls being used to feed both Arceus and Mew as they combined it with the noodles to make the spaghetti they had been striving to produce. It came out perfect, Mew had commented, rubbing her satisfied stomach and wiping away meat sauce from her facial fur when she was done eating, gazing at Arceus with gratefulness as he finished his own meal in a more civilized manner than she had done. However, he didn't scold her for her eating habits, but instead chuckled at them, like an amused parent or lover, and she broke out into laughter too, such cachinnation even lingering when they cleaned the culinary of any leftover spots of meat sauce that had escaped from being consumed.

Afterwards, Mew and Arceus walked out into the meeting room, stomachs full, smiles large, though the God Pokemon soon allowed his expression to give into curiosity when he eyed the clock hanging above his pedestal, which listed that it was nine at night. Arceus hummed slightly at the thought that the day had been long and full of tedious activities; but now it was nighttime, and around the curfew he set for himself so he could be up high and early tomorrow morning for the meeting at dawn. Looking at Mew, he stated this.

"Really?" Mew commented, stopping in midair to place her paw to her chin in a thoughtful manner, tail swishing with contemplation. "It's that late already?"

Arceus nodded, and, for some reason, felt a pang of sadness touch his heart as he continued. "It's been an interesting day, Mew, but you should probably…be heading back…"

Why was it aching him to say such a thing?

Meanwhile, Mew gazed at him with curiosity, and then, as mental images of her brother and Deoxys' 'it' actions flashed through her mind, she grimaced and shuddered, wrapping her arms around herself to preserve the warmth that had just flooded out of her body. She fixated her eyes on Arceus, who was looking at the clock with what appeared to be a disappointed expression, but she shrugged it off when a sudden thought came to her mind, and she floated forward, countenance slightly nervous. "Um, Arceus?"

The God Pokemon turned to her, his expression emotionless as thoughts brought him to display a distant look. "Yes, Mew?"

"Can I…um…?"

"What?"

"…stay with you for the night?"

Arceus' face fell…again.

"I don't know if Mewtwo and Deoxys are doing do it!" Mew hesitated, bringing her paws to her face to amplify the horror of it all.

Arceus grunted, unsurprised. "Mew, it's been all day. I'm sure that with whatever they were doing they would be done with it by now."

Mew only continued to shake, looking at him with wide, moon-sized eyes, appearing more and more hopeless by the second, which made Arceus swallow his words and hiss a quick scold to himself. Yet again he couldn't say no to that look; to that face; to that Legendary in general. If he shooed her out he'd feel guiltier than anything, and before he knew it his heart had responded for him, overpowering his logic. "Fine, Mew."

The pink Legendary squealed in excitement, rushing forward and hugging his face, bringing him to blush. His heart fluttered around in his chest, any regret from giving into her whim being pushed away by his need to nuzzle deeper into her embrace. Mew sighed in content before pulling away, her own face flushed, and Arceus relaxed himself.

At least bunking with him for the night would guarantee her attendance in tomorrow's meeting…

The qilinlike being nodded before moving ahead, making his way towards the back dormitories where he slept, though he soon stopped when he noticed that a familiar shadow was following right behind him. He turned around to face Mew as she nearly bumped into his backside, his eyebrow arched and frown plastered onto his face, despite that it was obvious he was curious due to the lightened glint radiating from his eyes. "What are you doing?" he asked, tone firm.

Mew shrugged, as if the answer to that was obvious. "I'm going to bed."

His eyebrow remained raised. "Why are you following me?"

"I'm sleeping with you, remember?"

Arceus grimaced, his expression displaying slight confoundedness. She wanted to sleep in the same room as him? If she was hyper the way she was when she was awake, he didn't want to know what her dreams tended to do to her sleeping figure. "Mew, I said you could sleep in the Hall of Legends; not with me exactly."

"But sleeping by myself is boring!" Mew moaned, her disappointed tone lingering, and Arceus shuddered at the sound as if it was his kryptonite. "Please, Arceus!" she then begged, placing her paws together, and the God Pokemon felt his muscles tense up in response as she began her infamous, irresistible puppy-dog plead.

This is crossing the line! his conscious roared into his face. Just. Say. No.

"Pretty please, Arceus!"

It's not a hard word to say; it's only one syllable – so get your tongue moving and say it!

"I'll promise I'll be quiet!"

What is wrong with you? Why can't you say no? What is wrong with your mind that it can't comprehend the glorious wonders that tend to come with the valor to say no?

"Please, Arceus! I don't wanna sleep alone!"

You're disgracing the status of a god. Just say no!

"Arceus…?"

Say it. Say it. Say it. Say it. Say it. Say it. I'm your conscious – the little voice inside your head that tells you when something's not right. You're supposed to listen to me, so listen to me!

"I really don't want to sleep alone…"

Why are you giving into her cuteness? You're stronger than this!

"Please…"

Arceus finally gave in. "Okay. Okay!" he snapped.

…You pansy.

Mew squealed in delight. "Thank you Arceus! You're the coolest Pokemon in the world!"

Arceus only grunted, then turning around to lead the way to the back dormitories, hoping all in the while that Mew would keep her word about not being trouble.

"Tell me a story!"

Arceus looked up from his bed, turning his eyes to Mew as she gazed at him from hers, tail swishing in happiness, the atmosphere of the small, yet homey staying room where Arceus slept maintaining such a façade despite Mew's lingering jumpiness. He looked at her with surprised eyes, as if offended by her request, but said nothing as she floated closer.

"I can't go to sleep without a story," she explained, smile big. "Deoxys always tells me stories about her and her brother before I go to bed. Surely you have epic tales, right?"

Arceus only continued to stare, wondering when the torment was ever going to end. He was on the verge of getting the sleep he had been wanting all day, but yet again it had been postponed because Mew wanted a bedtime story that would circulate through her head and inspire her dreams to soar into worlds of surreal proportions. He turned his eyes downward to help think about the situation. He wasn't one for bedtime tales, but it looked like this was another predicament he wouldn't be able to get out of unless he pulled through on it. Besides…as with the dozens of other previous moments, he couldn't say no to her longing face.

"I…" he breathed, as if debating with himself to just tell her to go to sleep in a calm manner. But…no…he couldn't do that; he wanted her to slumber away with a smile on her face. Because of this, he took a deep breath, then reluctantly muttered, "Very well."

Mew giggled in delight before settling herself in front of him, big eyes awaiting a tale as if she was a child hearing her grandfather reminisce.

Arceus frowned, wondering where to begin, and how he would go on from there. Why couldn't he just say no to her? Why couldn't he listen to his conscious? "Uh…once upon a time…" he began, eyes scanning the room as if to help think of a story plot. "…there was a forest…of Pokemon…"

His catlike observer leaned forward, face full of exaggerated anticipation, and so he continued with a faint gulp.

"This forest was…uh…a happy forest…and the Pokemon who lived in it…were happy too…"

Wow, he sucked at this.

Clearing his throat, as if trying to sound professional, he continued. "This forest was peaceful and a great home for all the Pokemon – not only because of its heavenly habitats and contagious hospitality – but also because it was guarded by a…uh…a caring Pokemon.

"This caring Pokemon was nice, and he always listened to the other Pokemon that resided in the forest, serving as their help for when they were in need or were experiencing a tough time in which only guidance could help them escape." He paused, thinking over recent events, and hummed slightly, as if finally getting the hang of it. "However, despite that he was a great leader, his daily job as such a caring guardian made his life…hectic…and stressful. And though he cared enough for the inhabitants of the forest to deal with such matters, he sometimes wished there was something out there that could make him smile for once."

Mew listened inquisitively, eyes bright with curiosity.

"He honestly thought sometimes that even with being surrounded by happy Pokemon," Arceus continued, not noticing that his eyes had dimmed, his tone soft and slightly saddened as if what he was saying was personal, "he would never be happy; he would never be at ease." The God Pokemon's eyes brightened. "But, that's when she came."

Mew cocked her head. "Who? Who came?"

Arceus smiled. "A young Pokemon," he answered, calescence radiating from his eyes. "She was childish and outgoing, needy for fun and for others to be happy. When she saw the guardian Pokemon saddened with loneliness, she came over and spent time with him.

"After that, they spent more and more days together, playing, having fun, just being best friends, and you know what happened?" He looked down at Mew.

She slowly shook her head.

"He felt happy; he felt at ease; he felt…" Arceus' eyes glistened. "…free."

Mew grinned, happy for the two fictional characters. However, she soon yawned, feeling tired, and as she watched Arceus finish his tale, she smiled softly, coming closer as recent events reran themselves through her head as well.

"And, being allies for the rest of their years, the guardian and happy carefree Pokemon lived happily ever after."

Arceus hummed in approval, warm smile still present. Of course, when he heard a small snore and felt the warmth of another touch his side, he turned his head and looked downward to see Mew curled up beside him, her long tail wrapped around her folded form like felines tended to do when sleeping. Her expression was peaceful, showing satisfaction, and Arceus chuckled slightly in amusement.

Because the tale had been based on their connection – the friendship they had formed over her mere day of staying with him. He was expected to be tough and serious; to live with the stress and work that came with being a powerful entity that watched over a legion of other gods. He had believed this and followed it, not caring about how much pressure was pushed onto him in response. But…now…Mew had taught him something – that even archly beings had the right to be happy, and seriousness didn't have to have consistency. There was room in anyone's schedule for fun; for life; for relaxation, and he was grateful that Mew had managed to show him that through her carefree attitude. He felt like he had been let go from the imaginary shackles that had drove him to maintain a life of imperturbableness, allowing access to the beauteous world he had once thought he would never have time to fully enjoy.

She had freed him.

And if work was like this – watching over beings who cared for you and looked out for you – then he didn't mind work; work was home. Home was anywhere, as long as Mew was beside him.

He smiled as he lowered his head to rest it alongside hers, limbs folded so he could settle himself in. He breathed out a sigh of content, allowing his muscles to relax.

It felt good to feel this way.

And it wasn't long before a soft snoring emitting from him signified that he had fallen asleep.

A few hours into the night, Mew slowly shifted, opening one glowing eye to gaze at Arceus as he slept beside her, his face showing no conflict and instead pure satisfaction. She wanted to smile and hug him; wake him up and thank him for all the things he had done for her – but held it in as she instead rose slowly, making sure not to nudge him awake as she escaped from his affectionate hold and floated quietly towards the shadow-drenched door.

Then, gazing at him lovingly one last time, she put on a determined face, nodded to herself, agreeing with her plan, and headed out the door and away from the Hall of Legends into the sleeping night.