Doduo and Arceus

It was a stifling hot day. Most every Pokemon in the prairie was keeping in the shade or near a watering hole. While some just tried to keep cool, others slept to wait for the afternoon heat to pass. He was doing both. His round head stayed above the tall grasses, watching for danger. While kneeling down under the shade of an oak tree, his other head was curled up with his long beak under his brown wing. Even with this heat, the Doduo knew that some predators would still be hunting.

The two heads always took turns with this duty. They thought exactly alike, so they were more a single Pokemon instead of a two heads on one body. In a short while, he would take a nap as his other head kept watch. Thus far, it was a boring day.

It wouldn't be boring for long.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a movement of white. He turned around to check and there was a Pokemon he had never seen before. It had four legs, a short head, and a long neck. Although it had thick white scruffy fur, it didn't seem bothered by the heat. Strangest of all, it had branched growths around its waist in an odd pattern. It radiated a strong sense of power.

Okay. An unknown Pokemon had snuck up on him. It was extremely strong and he had no clue what its intentions were. How should he react? Easy. Jerk his body up and run away through the tall grass.

As his other mind came awake at the sudden jostling, Doduo lowered his alert head, so he didn't stick out too much. Although he had wings, he could more easily outpace any Pokemon of this prairie by running. His more alert head stayed focused ahead, on another oak tree that offered shade. The other head eventually looked back to check on the strange Pokemon.

It was galloping through the grass after him. And it was keeping up easily, even though its waist growths should have caught on the grass and slowed it down. When Doduo got close to the tree, it abruptly rushed ahead and got to the shade before him. "Pardon me, but don't be afraid," it said in a feminine voice.

Doduo stumbled to a stop. "What? What do you want with me?"

"I want to talk with you," she said. "I'm not going to eat you."

"Is that it?" He clawed at the ground, still nervous. "Then why'd you sneak up on me? And chase me?"

"Did I sneak up on you? I didn't realize that. Sorry. So can we talk?"

He went into the shade and knelt down there. "I guess. What about?"

"What about?" She paused for a long while. "I don't know. Something."

One of his beaks gawked for a moment. "You chased me down and you don't know what to talk about?"

"That's right. I don't talk to others much. But I just felt like it and you seemed interesting, Doduo."

"Okay…" she was strange. "Well who or what are you first? I've never seen you or any Pokemon like you before."

She nodded. "That is a good question. I am Arceus."

His other beak gawked. "What? You're Arceus? The Pokemon who created everything?"

"Mmmm…" she closed her eyes briefly. "That's what they say about me."

Giving a quick ruffle of his feathers, he said, "Well then what are you doing here, just talking with me? You're the goddess of creation, and I'm just a Doduo, running around this prairie."

"That's right. I got bored."

"Bored?"

She nodded. "I do have the power of creation. But, everything's been created. It's in the hands of others to maintain it. So," she stretched, folded her waist growths back, then lay down in the oak's shade, "I don't have much to do these days."

"I guess not."

"If I talk with anybody, it's usually the other gods or really brave and curious humans. Those kinds of things are always the same conversations. It gets old after a few eons. So, I decided to just talk with somebody else. You seemed interesting."

His second head came up to his other. "Really? How so?"

After another long pause, she replied, "You just seem that way."

So it was more or less at random that she had chosen him? That was disappointing. Then again, he was talking to the goddess of creation. Nobody else in the prairie could claim that kind of memory. "Um, all right. So what kind of food do you like? I like the little black flies and thistle seeds myself."

"I like all foods," she said. "Mostly berries."

"What kind of berries? There's hundreds of them!"

"Tens of thousands of kinds, I know, in a whole spectrum of flavors. I like berries."

"I see. Berries are nice. I like the Leppas the most."

"Yes, the most apple-y of all berries, from its mimicking blossoms to its multicolored skins. Did you know that there are differences between the Red, Green, Yellow, Racb, Tiny, Giant, Striped, and Mottled Leppas? I made sure of that."

He tilted one head. "Really, is that so? There's only Yellow Leppas around here. Although, I guess there are some bushes of Racb Leppas over near the forest."

"Bug Pokemon don't like Racb Leppa Berries," Arceus said. "But that's okay. They like plenty of other berries. I really like berries, so I spent a lot of time making them. I'm glad others like them too."

At that point, one of Doduo's heads came up with a thought. Why was he talking about food? He was here talking to the goddess of creation and they were just talking about berries! Then his other head thought, well food is good and that's one subject he knew would interest even a goddess among Pokemon.

"Are you close to evolving?" she asked out of the blue.

"I think I might be," he replied. "I'm getting enough conflicting thoughts that I might be. But no third party thoughts, so not quite."

"Does it bother you?" She appeared interested to know his thoughts.

"Not really. I mean, it's confusing sometimes, but it's normal. I don't meet any Dodrios that complain about having three different minds. At least, not seriously complain. Many of them will joke about it."

"Hmm… so long as everyone is happy."

"I don't like predators," he tried.

"Happy within reason, considering the natural way of things," she corrected.

"Ah." He chuckled at himself. "It was worth a try."

"Yes, that is so."

Then, he came up with something. "Actually, there is something that only you would be able to answer that I've thought of."

"Go on."

"I heard about you from my mother and other older Pokemon. The story says that an egg appeared and you were hatched from that egg. Then you created everything in the world. But then, who created your egg?"

"I did," she replied, this time without hesitation.

"You did? But you weren't even hatched."

"Right, I hatched from that egg."

"Which you created too."

"Right."

He shook his heads. "But that doesn't make sense. How can you create your own egg when you haven't even hatched?"

"I managed."

"But how?"

Then she shook her head. "Sorry, I can't tell you certain things. I doubt that you'd use that knowledge against me. But there are others who would. That kind of knowledge is dangerous in the wrong head. Thus, there are some things that are so dangerous that I simply keep them to myself. I know that I'm not going to abuse those ideas and cause ruin to that which I have created. That would be counterproductive."

"Oh. Well, I guess that could be true."

"Would you mind telling me more about yourself?"

"How can that be interesting to someone like you?"

"I am interesting to you because I live a life unlike yours," Arceus pointed out. "And the same, you are interesting to me because you live a life unlike mine. So would you, please?"

"I guess it'd be all right," Doduo said. And they ended up talking well into the night.

...

Doduo Emerald entry: Even while eating or sleeping, one of the heads remains always vigilant for any sign of danger. When threatened, it flees at over 60 miles per hour.

HG/SS Arceus entry: According to the legends of Sinnoh, this Pokemon emerged from an egg and shaped all there is in this world.

So if a god came down to you and asked to talk because s/he was bored… what would you do? You could ask a bunch of the 'big' philosophical questions, but probably wouldn't get a straight answer. Food, though, that might get a good conversation.