Deep inside his abode that he has carved out for himself in "heaven", the godly being raises its elegant head as it watches the thoughts of the legendary Pokemon of dreams. He does not intervene- "it is not time yet", he thinks.

With that, he steals a final but unnecessary glance at the creature before abruptly halting the flow of thoughts that he had been hearing in his mind.

•

I could only look on— my entire body was paralysed with fleeting pain. I closed her eyes, feeling the last reserves of my energy pulse through me in rhythmic, refreshing beats.

Take me to Arceus' residence, I thought, vision now completely dark.

A spark of pale magenta made a tiny slash in the world of unconsciousness that had trapped me, enlarging to a large rip that caused the inky darkness to melt and crumble to pieces around me, disappearing beneath my wings and body, and opened up to become a realm of pink, purple and occasionally yellow.

And then, the vivid colours that flashed before my eyes fused together into a pure, blinding white, and I felt my head spin and throb, as the light spilled over my shivering form, coursing through each vein like renewed, heavenly energy. My wings found the strength to quiver and move, and a lightheaded, airy feeling engulfed me as I saw a blur of sky-blue and green swiftly pass by.

Grunting, I turned towards the sudden flare of colour, folding my wings and aiming at the center of the small opening. I had to time it just right— any faster and I would risk serious injury; any slower and I might be trapped here forever.

Luckily, I had teleported multiple times before— this was nothing.

The white swirled around me a final time, the brilliant colour finally fading to nothingness around me as I inspected the dense forest that hung around me, streaks of vivid dark green contrasting against the pale canvas of the sky.

It looked like a regular forest, but each tree was positioned too perfectly, its branches and trunk way too upright, and the flowers were all in full bloom despite being rare, seasonal ones. No, this was simply what Arceus' mind had created— the perfect vision of a forest. It might be a forest today, but it all depended on Arceus' mood whether to change Heaven or not the next day.

I hadn't visited Heaven many times—only when it was absolutely necessary. Otherwise, I preferred to keep to my duties quietly. Still, I had came often enough for me to navigate this otherworldly forest and reach Arceus' lair.

I easily wound her way through the network of trees, and sure enough, a large, well-hidden structure loomed above me. Dappled sunlight cast patterned shadows on the building's walls, as the entire castle seemed to shimmer and change form with every moment. The doors seemingly recognised my presence; slowly sliding open for me to enter.

Golden ridges elaborately spiralled outwards of the smooth white fur that lined his body, and if one looked closer, they could see the fragments of the eighteen different plates that lay underneath the hard, spiny extensions on his back, glittering subtly in a myriad of bright colours under the gentle sunlight. His emerald eyes were cold, but they were bright with wisdom and knowledge.

Cresselia. I knew you were headed for Heaven, he stated simply, his voice impossibly neutral. Yet, no matter how monotone he was, a sense of warmth flowed through me as he acknowledged my presence. You do not come here often. What is it that you want?

Lord Arceus. I bowed her head as a sign of respect, not wanting to anger the Creator. I come here today with a question— one that has been troubling my mind for quite a few months.

Arceus nodded, and even though I was sure that he knew what I had come here for, he asked the obvious. What is this pressing problem? I will try my best to answer, although it will not be easy for me.

I took a deep breath, trying to phrase the question as politely as possible. My eyes were filled with a gentle look, yet the thirsty, hidden curiosity for answers behind them was easily noticeable.

A pale pink aura unknowingly curled up around my form in anticipation as my eyes lit up. It would have intimidated even the bravest of Pokemon, but Arceus was no ordinary Pokemon. He was a god, a creature just like the rest of us, but on a whole different level from the rest.

I would like to inquire about my past. Do I even have one?

There was a pause, but Arceus' smooth voice soon broke the silence. It's because you do not have a past. I created you as an immortal being, which would mean that your life—if it can be called one— stretches from the beginning of the time to the end of this universe.

I know that, I replied, impatience creeping into my tone. You've explained that to me before, and I understood. Each day is just a copied repeat of what's going to happen in my life, just with different Pokemon involved.

Arceus nodded, pleased at her deeply-ingrained understanding of the rules of this world. Then... what is it that you aren't clear about?

I want to be like a regular Pokemon or a human. I'd like to have a past, and I want to know the moments that make up my very life, I said, her aura blazing around her in an even brighter fashion. Is that too much to ask?

I... Yes. It is, Cresselia. The Creator's voice held a forced amount of formality and estranged iciness. You have to remember your sole purpose. You aren't allowed to do anything else. You act both as a fellow Pokemon and a concept to others. You... can't do anything about it.

But that slight waver of uncertainty that he had failed to mask was more than enough for me to voice my firm opinion.

But anything's possible, isn't it? I asked, my voice increasing in pitch. You created Legendaries with their very own hearts and souls to emphasise with Pokemon and understand them. We're Pokemon like them too. I think that we... we deserve this. To have a proper life, past and future. You can grant it with your power.

I think that it's best if you give up that idea. Arceus' voice was unusually tight. His emerald eyes glinted like two hard, cold stones.

I had now driven him into a corner— a usually impossible feat for any Pokemon. All I had to do was keep on advancing my opinion on him. You can foresee what happens in the future. You know what's going to happen, right? What I'm going to do? Tell me—

Cresselia. The large Pokemon's tone darkened, and I stepped back, slightly fearful. My heart thumped quickly against my chest, and I started to wonder why exactly I had been so bold as to confront the Creator head-on.

Yes, I can see everything. I know exactly what you're about to do. His voice was calm, but I knew from his previous slip-up that he was especially on edge.

And now, in that split-second, I saw images flicker and reflect in his eyes. I could, very literally, see the entire world's fate in hues and streaks of crystal-clear images. And that frightening show had only been a mere fraction of his limitless power.

As quickly as those images had ran through his eyes, they quickly faded. Arceus stared at me, and his voice was quiet but firm. I will not stop you now, Cresselia. Fate has not permitted me to do so yet.

But I will have to intervene sooner or later.

༺ ༻

Teal, azure and white melted into a single, dizzying shade of blue around me, and a cold, nasty gale bit and stung at my wings as I flew. I had no idea of where I would go— it wasn't night yet, and I had already completed all my duties for the day.

I didn't know how far or how long I flew. The sky stretched on endlessly, and I soon lost track of time— my mind was focused on that meeting I had with Arceus, that tight, restrained way he had spoken to me. He couldn't conceal it, no matter how hard he tried to. The Creator was definitely hiding something from me- but, as he said, he wasn't permitted to intervene.

I guess I would find out in due course, but it wasn't something good— that was all I knew. Arceus had seemed so tensewhen he spoke, instead of his usual smooth, emotionless voice.

Eventually, a dull ache spasmed through my crescent-shaped wings— a sign that I had been going on for far too long. I winced at the prickling, cramping feeling that shot through my veins, and forced myself to slow down. The sky separated into its individual hues, and a fresh burst of wind whistled past my body as I lowered myself to the ground.

Blinking away the blurs in my vision that exhaustion had caused, I took a look at my surroundings.

Rugged, cracked mountains extended vertically upwards, a warm, greeting shade of earthy brown, forest-green flourishing and standing out in varying shades of emerald and lime that blended into a watercoloured tone that pleasantly eased my searing eyes.

Where am I...? That had been the first, obvious question that had sprang into my mind. Hastily, I glanced around, looking for some hopeful indicator of my predicament.

Soon enough, my mind had caught up with the situation and I took a slow, deep breath to calm myself, controlling the overwhelming torrent of sensory information that threatened to gush into me at a speed too fast for me to handle. I concentrated on the first of two major facts that I had gathered about this area.

One, the Pokemon living here. They weren't native to Sinnoh, so I had definitely crossed at least one region. Flygon gazed at me hostilely with from under their red-hued visors, straying far away from me, their large wings raised and stiff. A small herd of Absol glanced at me, keeping a flaming, intense gaze on me, but keeping their distance at the same time, their snowy pelts dappled in the afternoon light. The Linoone were perhaps the boldest of them all, venturing a few feet before me and sniffing the air.

These Pokemon looked like they were from Hoenn, but I couldn't be sure because of that. Some regions like Unova and Kalos now were getting a much wider diversity of Pokemon, and because of that, I couldn't confirm where exactly I was.

The second point, however, was just the touch I needed.

The entire mountainous, forested area was charged with a swirling field of raw, pure energy. An aura that couldn't be mistaken for anything else...

Than a Legendary.

Just then, a glimpse silken, glossy golden caught my eye, cascading down in two pale, satiny streamers. Twinkling, dusky aqua stared back at me, and a gentle smile hung upon the creature's face. A sweet, musical hum of a voice escaped its lips.

"Welcome to Forina, Cresselia."

༺ ༻

I had to say, Jirachi's home wasn't what I expected.

It wasn't an ethereal, otherworldly galaxy that most of us Legendaries had chosen to reside in, or even a large island that she kept for herself, claiming the constantly fluctuating energy supply for her own. No, the Guardian of Wishes instead lived peacefully among her fellow Pokemon.

Usually, Jirachi would have been asleep— asleep for a million years, but Arceus had decided to lift that hefty burden from the Legendary, deciding that it had done nothing but hinder the world's running.

I ducked my head at the blunt rocks that dipped downwards, decorating the entrance of a large cave hidden away in one of the mountains. Being such a small creature, Jirachi had not expected a larger guest like me to come. Still, I was able to enter without that much difficulty, the cave large enough for me to move around in, but it was a little cramped.

The refined entity bowed her head in apology. Sorry for the rather lacklustre accommodation, she stated ruefully. I will take note of this for future events. Still, Cresselia, this was rather unexpected. Her dark eyes glittered in curiosity. Why did you come here today?

I bit the corner of my lip unconsciously. It's... hard to explain, I mumbled. I had a meeting with Arceus this morning, and I think that something is going to happen. Something bad.

Oh? Jirachi's voice seemed impartial, but it hid a deeper underlying tone, as if imploring me to elaborate further.

Hesitating, the events and instances that had all piled up over the past hours spilled out, one after another. I struggled to phrase my sentences smoothly, and despite knowing that what I was saying was nothing but incoherent jargon, something in my mind prevented me from stopping even once. Darkrai's appearance. Our brief— but fervid—battle, the questions that built in my mind, my unexpected meeting with the Creator himself, the way I saw the entire world in his eyes— everything. I left no detail out; no minuscule sentence untouched.

I just want to know... I lifted my gaze to meet Jirachi's. I'm a legendary. I have no other purpose other than to protect the dreams of Pokemon. I have no past, present or future. Does that mean that I'm not like one of them? I shifted my eyes to two young Zigzagoon that frolicked a short distance outside. A Pokemon?

That's what Arceus said, anyway. I just wanted to know what you think. I was now embarrassed. No Legendary would abandon their home region just to go visit another, just to ask such a simple question? Maybe I was losing my mind. Like what Arceus said, it would be best if I just stopped thinking about it, wouldn't it?

—you're wrong. Jirachi's rich voice snapped me out of my trancelike state, and she looked up at me with a firm expression. As if knowing that I didn't listen, she repeated her statement once again. I said, I think you're wrong.

What? My voice was low, but didn't convey any threat.

So what if you don't have a past? So what if Arceus says that you're not a true Pokemon? Jirachi's wish tags sparkled in a nebula of blue and indigo, a complicated network of stars and constellations seeming to map out on those small, slim pieces of thin material. That doesn't mean you're not alive. You have a heart and soul, just like us.

I stared at her. Those large eyes held so much wisdom despite their seemingly childish wisdom. The eloquent manner in which the dainty Pokemon spoke made me want to believe her, badly, but at the same time, I still couldn't accept her words.

I know what we learnt, trust me, Jirachi sighed. But not everything's cast in stone, Cresselia. I mean... She waved a short arm at me. Look at yourself. Beings like yourself at me.

I unconsciously felt a pulse of loose psychic energy shoot against the wall of my gem, causing a zip of pain to rush through my head.

Can you say with certainty that this is all fake just because we're immortal?

Suddenly, an urge to rebel; to say anything to contradict that statement sparked inside me, and I snapped back a sudden, hostile reply.

Look. I understand what you think, I retaliated. But we do the same thing every day. The same things, at the same times, in the same way. Only the location and the Pokemon and humans we protect are different. How is that being "alive"? Do you think that this endless, heinous cycle is destined to be Legendaries' lives? Because if that's what you think, then...

I'd much rather be dead.

My outburst had caused Jirachi to move back slowly, and I sucked in a fresh, deep breath of cold air, calming myself down. I huffed, both in a final act of indignation and in apology. I'm sorry.

It's fine, Jirachi soothed, her voice lulling me to a placid tranquilness. I get what you mean. All I do is grant the wishes of others— well, when I'm allowed to do so, that is. I've never really felt a difference, no matter what Pokemon or human I'm granting it for.

I felt myself nodding along unconsciously, but at the same time, I tried to pay attention to what my companion wanted to say. But what I'm trying to tell you is that we aren't any less of Pokemon. We live in this world as Pokemon. We were created to be Pokemon.

No, we weren't. We were created to be chess pieces and tools in this world.

I abruptly changed the topic, not wanting to linger on this bitter subject any longer. I felt a small bolt of magenta light burst forward, and Jirachi instantly negated that attack with her own, tensing up and inching backwards. Say. How powerful do you think wishes are?

Jirachi looked at me, her gaze steady. Yet, her answer was ambiguous.

I don't know, she stated with a hint of embarrassment. Wishes were made to fulfil the impossible, so there rightly should be no limit to their energy, but I doubt even Arceus could do that.

Then... my voice shook as I spoke. The onyx eyes of a young Zigzagoon stared at me in curiosity, another backing away in fear until I had realised a shimmering orb of my power had appeared in the air against my will. Quickly crushing it, I continued. As a friend, I'm asking you to help me with this favour, Jirachi.

Grant me a wish that will give me— me and my brother—a past.