Hall of Origins

When Ash stepped out of the portal, he found himself on top of a white pedestal inside of an ivory hall that was practically glowing. It reminded him of the area he met Aura in. The first thing he noticed was that nearly every living Legend was there as well. Most of them were chatting with one another, but stopped upon noticing Ash's presence. Ash smiled at them and waved. Hearing the Legends speak wasn't quite as jarring as hearing Lucario to him, but he had to wonder why most never spoke to him before.

"Now then," Spoke Arceus, making Ash jump. Somehow, he hadn't noticed that he was seated directly next to the Pokemon God. Mew was on another pedestal on the opposite side of Arceus to him, he also noticed. She smiled at him brightly and waved. "Now that Ash is here," Arceus continued, "We should be able to commence the meeting." He glanced over to Mewtwo's empty pedestal. "Erm...Lugia, where is Mewtwo?"

"He decided to skip out on this one," Replied Lugia. "Not that I blame him, what with how these always end up."

Arceus huffed in annoyance, then turned down to Ash with a kind smile. "That won't happen this time. It's Ash's first meeting, after all."

Ash gave a nervous smile back up to him and the others, chuckling. "Well," He said. "I just hope I don't intrude, since I don't really know what this whole thing entails."

"Don't worry about it, my boy." Arceus told him reassuringly. "Today's meeting should be relatively quick and easy since it's merely a status report of sorts." He then turned toward Lugia and asked, "How goes the search effort?"

Lugia scowled, shaking his head. "We've found a few bases and some stragglers running about, but they're a crafty bunch. We've only engaged in battles far from cities to try and prevent other humans from getting the wrong idea, but at least one has always escaped in some way or another. I fear we're only adding fuel to the fire."

This caught Ash's attention. "Are you talking about Team Rocket?"

"Team Rocket?" Asked Lugia. He paused, as if in deep thought, then said, "Come to think of it, I recall many of them sporting a large red 'R' on their clothing."

Ash nodded. "That's them, alright. They've been causing trouble for you guys too?"

Lugia's snout curled down in anger. "I would describe what they've been doing as more than just trouble."

Before Ash could ask what he meant, Arceus took it upon himself to speak on Lugia's behalf. "Lugia," He said, "Was attacked by these people before Necrozma. They were prepared with technology never before seen, injuring the Elemental Birds."

Ash's eyes went wide. "They were able to injure those three?! What kind of Pokemon did they have?!"

A dry chuckle was heard from Lugia. "None. Those freaks fought on their own."

Ash was utterly dumbstruck. "On their own…?" If these people had technology that allowed them to fight Legends without the aid of Pokemon, then what chance did he and his friends have? Even with his Aura, he wasn't sure he could fight them. "Do all of them have this?"

"The ones that attacked the islands did," Answered Lugia. "But we haven't come across any like them since."

Sighing in relief, Ash said, "That's good. If I had to fight them, I'm not sure if I'd win."

The eyes of the Legends collectively snapped upon Ash with heated interest. "Fight them?" Asked Lugia, voicing the thoughts of everyone. "Were you planning on fighting them as well?"

Ash nodded. "More or less. A few friends and I are being sent on missions to do just that actually."

"'Sent' implies that someone is ordering you to do this," Giratina pointed out. He leaned in with an intense look in his eyes. "Who is this person, and why are you of all people taking orders from them?"

Quick to dispel the Legends' malevolent thought process that Ash sensed, he quickly said, "It's nothing like that! He's a friend, and has been nothing but nice to my friends and I."

Arceus nodded. "I see. That is a relief. I would hate to hear of you being used for your powers." The old god couldn't help but take interest in Ash's story and failed to hide it. "Say...who is this person?"

Quickly deciding that the Legends were trustworthy with the information, Ash replied, "His name is Mr. Star. He's been an enormous help with the recovery effort and is the guy who rebuilt Goldenrod City."

At the old man's name, Xerneas's head perked up. She said, "Ah, so it's him. He and I have been working together in restoring the areas that were destroyed in the battle against Necrozma. Victini and I met him during the human funeral."

Arceus smiled brightly at that. He knew many of the old human's exploits, but never personally had the chance to meet him. "I like this man already! If Ash and Xerneas claim he is trustworthy, then he has my trust as well." Clearing his throat, the father of all Pokemon raised his head and addressed Lugia once more. "Back to you, Lugia. Have there been any notable developments in your efforts?"

With a scowl, Lugia begrudgingly shook his head. "...No," He answered. "We've ridden the world of plenty of their bases, but no major ones. I can't help but feel as if they're intentionally making them for the sole purpose of gathering incriminating footage." He turned to Ash and asked, "Speaking of which, have you seen anything regarding Pokemon attacks on human settlements? Because I assure you, they are false. Nothing more than their pathetic attempts to cause chaos."

Ash shook his head. "Mr. Star told me they were doing stuff like that, but I haven't seen anything like it in the news."

"How odd," Arceus remarked. His brow creased as he attempted to figure out their intentions. "One would think that they would be releasing those videos one after another to constantly have the masses riled. What could they be saving it for?"

"You should consider it a blessing," Giratina pointed out. "If they're not going to release the footage, then you have more time to hunt them down."

Lugia's gaze turned on him. "Speaking of which, Giratina…" Giratina nodded at him silently, urging him to continue. With a nod, Lugia did just that. "Would you join in the search effort as well? I've been meaning to ask, but you've been missing for quite a while."

Ash sensed a rise in aggression from the former master of the Distortion World, but it ceased just as fast as it had come. Giratina appeared to mull over Lugia's offer for a moment, then smiled upon the Beast of the Seas and replied, "...It would be my honor. I'll not let the world Palkia and the others died for be ruined."

He next turned to Dialga and asked, "Wouldn't you agree, brother?" His tone was sly and conniving, something that Arceus and the aforementioned Dialga picked up on. Ash sensed that he wasn't so much as trying to get him to join him as he was trying to get some kind of information out of him, but couldn't discern what exactly it was that he wanted.

"I'm afraid that isn't possible," Replied Dialga, looking down at his cracked gem. "My powers are but a mere fraction of what they were. I have to use every ounce of my energy just to keep the normal flow of time in check." He bowed to Giratina and added, "I apologize, brother, but I cannot." Ash sensed small sprinkles of lies in his speech, but chose not to comment on it. He must have had his reasons for declining.

Giratina sneered at him, but ultimately decided not to spend the effort in pursuing the subject. "That is a shame, but very well." He turned and nodded to Lugia, silently urging him to continue.

Returning the nod, Lugia said, "That man, Christopher Lee. Is there any method we can use to dull the effects of his 'evidence,' should he use it?" Ash perked up at the familiar name, which Lugia noticed. "Does that name mean something to you?"

A deep-seated frown planted upon his face, Ash nodded. "I've been hearing his name too much if you ask me. After the Orange Islands were destroyed…" He quickly glanced to Lugia. "Which I know wasn't your fault, I saw him blaming you on the news. I wouldn't have thought, then, that he'd end up being working alongside the leader of Team Rocket." Ash glanced over to Arceus and asked, "Do you know how we could stop him or dull him like Lugia asked?"

"Actually," Started Arceus, "This is an idea that I hadn't had the opportunity to bring up yet, but it's simple enough. Should we continue to publicly aid the humans, it's entirely possible that they may dismiss their incrimination entirely."

Giratina scowled. "So we're supposed to live in harmony now?" Ash could sense an intense anger from within him. He also sensed that it stemmed from a betrayal of some kind, which he theorized was the scene of the Renegade Pokemon being cast into the Distortion World that Aura showed him.

"Giratina…"

Either not hearing or ignoring Ash, Giratina hissed, "Were we not meant to do that from the beginning?! If not for you, we would have-"

"Believe me," Arceus interrupted, though his voice was soft. "I know. But, please…" He glanced to Ash. "Not now. Not with him here."

"I already know."

Those words collectively made the eyes of the Legends go wide. "Wh-what did you say?" Arceus asked.

Giratina was equally dumbstruck. No human should have retained that knowledge. It's been tens of thousands of years since his banishment. Not even most Pokemon knew, let alone a human. "How...how do you?!"

To answer the unending questions plaguing the minds of the Legends, Ash reached his arm out and summoned his Aura around himself in a flickering ivory show of light, though it was difficult to see due to the Hall's color. "Aura," He said. He tried to picture the entity itself in the form he knew it as, though the effort was straining. "Aura told me everything. How we came to be, this world's history. Everything."

Though Mew tilted her head toward Ash with curious interest, Arceus appeared visibly shaken by the news. "D-did he now?"

Arceus's reaction to this was something that Ash picked up on. He recalled Aura telling him that Arceus held many secrets, but also that he supposedly told the other Legends this already. The fear he sensed from Arceus stemmed from the surrounding Legends. 'Did he not tell them everything? Well, it's probably not my place to do it if he hasn't.'

"Yeah," Replied Ash, "But I shouldn't take away from what Lugia was saying."

The Beast of the Seas shook his head. "No, do go on, Ash. I think we're all interested in that being."

"Indeed," Added Giratina with a nod. "That being called itself Aura. Would that not mean that it is life itself? It may know things that even Arceus does not, which could aid us in stopping those humans." His head perked up as an idea struck him. "Actually, could you summon it here?" Arceus's eyes went wide with terror. Ash even sensed fear from Mew, though she didn't overtly show it. "His power," Continued Giratina, "Could potentially end this fiasco in an instant."

To the displeasure of the Legends and relief of Arceus and Mew, Ash shook his head. "My Aura may look like his, but its power is nothing like theirs. I don't even know where Aura is, let alone how I could summon them."

"That is unfortunate," Said Giratina with narrowed eyes. "There is much that being could have helped us with."

"But there lies the chance that Aura could become a threat," Countered Ash. Many of the Legends, including Giratina, were shocked by this. Some others even shuddered as they recalled the tremendous power they felt from Aura's presence alone. "That's what Aura itself believed would happen if it stayed around anyways."

Lugia did not understand. "Then why would it save us? If it believed that it would one day destroy us, why save us at all?"

Ash looked down at the white stream of life coursing all across his body, then to Mew as he recalled the way his power allowed him to dispatch of Regice. It cost him nearly all of his energy to perform that feat, but the danger of what such a feat proposed was unmistakable. "I didn't understand at first either," He replied, looking at Arceus. His knowing glance and the way he saw through Arceus, enshrouded by white, appeared to unnerve the old god. "...But I saw the power Aura held firsthand. Anyone that could defeat Necrozma would naturally be afraid of their own power."

"Then perhaps we were lucky that Aura left when it did," Said Arceus, gathering the Hall's attention back upon himself. "But this is not what we came here to discuss today."

Nodding, Ash added, "He's right. We need to focus on what we can currently do for ourselves. Team Rocket isn't even close to a threat of Necrozma's level, so we should be able to handle it just fine."

Ash heard some low grumbling among the Legends, though they did not protest. He managed, scarcely, to withhold a chuckle. They couldn't argue for the sake of their own pride, for if they did, they would be admitting that they were too weak to combat Team Rocket. He sensed silent praise from Arceus for his ingenuity.

"Well," Said Lugia, managing to simmer himself down, "At least we have you." For the first time in months, which felt like years to Arceus, a genuine smile appeared on the Beast of the Seas' face. Ash returned the gesture with a smile of his own. Though much had happened since they last were able to speak face to face, the kinship they felt through their prophetic bond yet lived. "It would be an honor to fight at your side once more should the opportunity arise."

"Same here," Replied Ash with a nod. "It's been way too long in my opinion."

Arceus nodded at the two approvingly. "Excellent! That adds two more to the search team." He turned his head up, scanning the Legends that yet remained in the Hall. "Now that I think of it, this is the perfect opportunity to formally ask if there would be any others that would be willing to join Lugia?"

When no one volunteered, Lugia turned toward the Lake Duo and asked, "Your visionary prowess would be a tremendous help." He looked to Azelf and said, "You could drain their will to fight or run. And you," He said to Uxie, "Could erase their memories and any footage they acquire."

Before they could respond, Ash spoke. "Actually, that may not be a good idea."

Lugia gave him an odd look. "Why is that?"

"Mr. Star believes that one of Team Rocket's targets could be the Lakes," Answered Ash to the horror of the two. "So it's for the best if you stay put and stay vigilant. A few of my friends, actually, are going to head up to Sinnoh and fight those guys off if they show their faces."

"What if they strike again?" Asked Lugia.

Ash replied, "Mr. Star says he'll send a few of his own guys to defend the Lakes in case they do."

Giratina scowled at the idea. "I can't say in good faith that I like the idea of humans, regardless of their affiliations, being near the Lakes for an extended period of time."

Looking at him with a knowing pity that made Giratina unendingly uncomfortable, Ash said, "I know, but these people have the power to fight Legendary Pokemon. Do you think that injured ones would stand a chance?"

Begrudgingly, Giratina answered, "No."

Lugia frowned, looking about the room at the few Legends that remained. "Then who else is left? Most others are too weak or declined!"

Arceus looked over at Rayquaza, but when Lugia noticed this, he stopped him before he could even say anything. "Absolutely not! I will not have that fool fail us again!" Rayquaza did not reply to that, merely turning his gaze away from the Beast of the Seas.

Ash looked at Lugia with worry. Aura never showed him anything that would indicate a strained relationship between Lugia and Rayquaza, so he had no idea why the Sea Guardian was acting like this. "Lugia?" He asked, snapping his attention to himself. "What did Rayquaza do? It seems like he would be perfect given his power and speed, so what happened?"

Lugia glared at Rayquaza once more. "That fool," He spat, "Is responsible for the destruction of the Orange Islands! If he had alerted Arceus sooner, most of the messes we're currently in would never have happened!"

"...I'm not so sure about that," Ash replied.

"What?!"

Hastily, Ash explained, "There was little even Aura itself could do against Necrozma." He glanced at the serpentine Legend and said, "No offence to Rayquaza, but I don't think that anyone but it could have stopped him."

Arceus nodded in agreement. "Now that I think about it, even if the entire Hall was there to meet Necrozma when he first arrived, we likely wouldn't be able to stop him if...my uselessness in the war is indicative of anything."

A seething Lugia growled in frustration. "I don't care! I don't want him anywhere near this operation!" Before Ash or Arceus were given the chance to protest, Lugia snapped back around and cried, "Who else will join me?! The world's peace is at stake! It doesn't matter who so long as it isn't him!"

"Well, I could help!"

Lugia's bloodshot eyes snapped wide open upon hearing that voice. Giratina acted similarly, glaring at its source with a fiery venom. Everyone else was beyond shocked. They would have never expected her to offer anything, let alone assistance. The one who had left them to die at Necrozma's hands. The one who had decided that defending a tree was worth more than all of their lives, and the lives of billions of others. Mew.

"...What did you just say?" Demanded Lugia.

Ash winced as he felt a sudden surge of animosity from Giratina and Lugia. Fear soon came from the others. Even Arceus. Especially Arceus. Mew, meanwhile, faced this with apparent apathy, merely rolling back in her bubble chair. "Yeah," She replied. "I was starting to get bored anyways. Hunting down bad guys could be fun, y'know?"

This only furthered their rage. "What, are you going to patrol for Team Rocket in your damned tree?!" Demanded Lugia. "Anyone with a brain wouldn't attack it."

Mew sat back up, grinning at him brightly in spite of his anger. To him, it was a slap in the face. "Of course not, silly!" She chirped without a care in the world. "Obviously, no one would be dumb enough to go and do something like that, so I'm going to go out and help!"

"To alleviate your boredom," Hissed Giratina.

The Mother of all Pokemon looked at him oddly. "Yes? So long as I'm helping, it doesn't matter, right? Sheesh."

Giratina glared at her, his eyes practically burning with red. "It doesn't matter?! Tell me, were you bored when we were dying at Necrozma's hand?!"

Arceus looked on at the impending argument in horror, realizing where these always led to. "That is enough!" He shouted, attempting to quell the oncoming fire. "These arguments lead to nothing! The last thing we need after the war is to be at each other's throats! Besides, Ash is here and-"

"He already knows everything!" Giratina shot back. "He said it himself! You can't keep any secrets from him like you did with us!" Arceus visibly recoiled. "Besides, as an 'honorary Legend', don't you think he has the right to see this?! He's our savior, so don't treat him of all people as a child too soft to stand a simple argument!" He sent a sideways glance at the boy, making him tremble. "Ash has lost much during the war as well, so he has every right to speak to the one nearly as responsible for it as Necrozma himself!"

Mew's jaw dropped at the accusation. "Excuse me?!" She shrieked. "I am offering to help you, and you respond by comparing me to that monster?!"

Giratina rolled his eyes with such force that his head followed their movement. "Oh, don't you dare try to pretend you're the victim! If you had simply joined the fight, then…" He trailed off, turning toward Ash. "None of us would have died. Nor any of Ash's loved ones, or all the others who fell by Necrozma's hand!"

Mew looked like she wanted to retort, but stopped herself when she looked at Ash. She turned away from him suddenly, growling under her breath. "Fine," She said. "If you don't want my help, I won't help you. But I won't sit here and take this from someone who couldn't so much as lift a finger to stop Necrozma!"

Lugia scowled under his breath and said, "Though he, or any of us, could have hoped to impede Necrozma, at least he tried."

"What?!" She hissed, glaring at him.

To her surprise, Lugia managed to meet her glare with one of his own without faltering. "You heard me. At least he did something! We fought tooth and nail for our lives and the lives of everything on this world while you sat back and watched! You offer to help, but knowing you, you would probably just play with the enemy or let them escape!"

"No I woul-"

"You can't be trusted with a thing!" Roared Giratina, making her flinch. "How are we supposed to trust you?! Zapdos, Groudon, Palkia- they're all dead because you chose to defend a tree he never even attacked!"

Mew was given further shock when Keldeo decided to jump in. "Kyurem too!" There were tears dotting the young Legend's eyes. He bared his teeth, seething as he used the utmost of his strength preventing their fall. "If you had been there...if you had just done what Kyurem said, then he would still be here! Everyone would!"

One by one, the others joined the frey. They hurled insults, accusations and more at Mew, all the while she was at a loss for words. But as the constant verbal assault continued on, rage boiled up within the Pokemon Goddess. She suddenly bore her teeth, breathing heavily as she attempted, and failed, to withhold that rage. Sparks of pink lightning raced all across her body, and many of the wiser Legends stopped as they realized they had gone too far.

Giratina, however, did not back down. He grinned at her and briefly flitted his eyes toward Ash as if daring her to attack him in front of the boy. Mew's glare only intensified, but before she could strike, Ash intervened. "Stop this!" He called out, gathering the Legends' attention back upon himself. Their looks were equally expectant of him yet in a rainbow of different ways. But he wasn't about to back down now.

"It doesn't matter what she did or didn't do," He told them. He sensed an immediate rage from a few of them and disappointment in others. Were they hoping that he would join them? 'What in the world is wrong with them?!' Continuing, he said, "What matters is that we stop Team Rocket! If you guys actually wanted peace, you wouldn't let your grudges get in the way of it!"

"What," Asked Giratina, apparent shock on his face, though Ash sensed that there was more disappointment than actual surprise, "Are you talking about?! It is because of her inaction that your friends, our brothers and sisters, and so many others have died! Are you not furious?!"

Ash shook his head, "Not in the slightest. It's Necrozma's fault that they're gone, not hers, and he already paid for that." He looked up at Mew, smiling kindly. The act caused her to look at him in surprise, her hostility disappearing for the moment. "Plus," He said, "There was a time where she risked her own life to save the lives of my friends and I."

Mew blinked, her eyes going wide as she remembered the incident. "Th-that's right! Hah! At least someone around here appreciates me!"

"Frankly," Started Lugia with an obvious ire in his voice at Ash's decision to defend Mew, "I find it hard to believe that she is capable of acting remotely selfless, let alone risk her own life."

Giratina nodded in agreement. "Let's say that I believe that. What exactly, Ash, happened? Just so we know the full story."

Ash noted that Giratina emphasized his name so that Mew wouldn't be given a chance to speak. Again, all eyes were on him. When he came here, he expected to barely get a word in and just watch as the Legends spoke about current events, but now he felt like he was a defendant in court. "Well, my friends and I were in the tree. Those cell things got to us, but Mew stopped them, causing the tree to freak out and nearly die."

"How long ago was this?" Asked Giratina.

"A few years back, why?"

"When I first met you, Ash, you displayed nothing regarding Aura." His gaze snapped back upon Mew. "In other words, Ash was in the tree before he was able to use Aura. Why, then, did you allow him in?"

Ash chuckled, rubbing the back of his head. "Well, she didn't exactly allow us in. It was more like we barged our way in, which is why the cell things attacked us."

"And yet Mew saved you," Countered Giratina. "She was willing to risk the tree's life for you, but not us."

"I didn't know that the tree would die!" Mew cried in an attempt to save her argument. Yet, this only added fuel to Giratina's fire.

"So," He said, "If you did know, you would have left him to die like us?"

"That's-!" Mew growled in frustration, unable to come up with a response.

Giratina turned to Ash and asked, "Say, why did you go to the tree in the first place?"

"Well," Said Ash, "I heard that my partner Pikachu was there, and…" He trailed off as he realized the implications of what he said, but it was too late.

The Renegade turned a fiery glare upon Mew and jeered, "I knew it! You didn't act selflessly! You merely solved a problem you created!"

Arceus stomped his foot onto his pedestal, sending a loud noise across the hall. "I said that is enough! What happened in the past should stay in the past! What matters now is the future!"

Giratina threw his head back and cackled. "How ironic! I'm sure you would just love to bury your past, wouldn't you?!" Once again, Arceus was unable to meet his son's eyes and backed down, but Giratina wasn't finished. "Unfortunately, your past is intertwined with all of ours. The same goes for you, Mew. What you've done can never be buried or undone, no matter how much you wish it could!"

"That's it!" Hissed Mew. "I'm not taking this anymore! I won't suffer any more backtalk from my own children!" Swirls of fiery pink energy encased the Pokemon Goddess. Her Psychic powers shook the hall, nearly sweeping Ash off of his feet. "I created every last one of you! I made the very ground you walk on and the air you breathe! Children like you should just obey their mother, but if you don't want my help…"

Chuckling in the face of Mew's power, Giratina replied, "Isn't that ironic? You're the one who spends every waking hour playing with toys instead of actually ruling! You have no right to call us children. Even Ash has displayed more maturity in this single meeting than you have in your entire life! The only child here is you, Mew!"

Mew attempted to sputter out a hasty retort, but Giratina beat her to the punch. "But I know why you keep trying to lord over us, pretending you're still our mother. It's because you're insecure. You know that the days of protecting us from Arceus when we were children are long since over." He pointed one of his tendrils at Mew accusingly. "You don't matter anymore and you know it, but refuse to accept it or bother to change yourself. You want to know why we won't accept your help? Why don't you sit in a corner like the child you are and try to figure it out?"

Over the course of everything Giratina had just said to Mew, her rage only grew until it was blinding. Her fur spiked on end and the sheer intensity of her Psychic power gave the impression of it reddening. The eyes of the Legends, including Giratina, went wide when a ball of concentrated flame appeared over her head. Yet, Giratina's eyes were not wide with fear. They were wide with excitement. In striking him down, Giratina would reveal exactly what he meant to everyone present.

"Watch, Ash," Spoke Giratina. "Watch as Mew proves my poi-"

Ash's Aura flared out suddenly, encasing the room in its ivory grace. As it touched them, the Legends felt their fear and anger suddenly melt away. It was like a cool mist on their skin in a scorching summer sun's glare. "That's eno-" Ash attempted to shout, but doing so caused him to lose focus and drop his Aura, falling onto his backside. The Legends were left stunned for a moment when the Aura disappeared, but its effects had already taken their toll. Ash, heaving for air, managed to sit up and speak between breaths.

"That's...enough." He turned his head up to Giratina and the others. "I know you all are angry with Mew. I saw everything she did too, but how can you expect her to change when none of you will even give her a chance?! The fact of the matter is that she offered to help!"

Mew stared at the boy for a moment before letting out a long-withheld breath. "...Thank you, Ash." Without a further word, she turned away and flew through her portal.

"Tch," Sneered Giratina as he watched her leave. "Good riddance." As he turned to look at Ash, he did so with pity. "You're too good to let scum like her and Arceus manipulate you. Don't let them."

Ash shook his head. "They're not. They're trying hard to improve themselves. Why can't you see it?"

Giratina laughed. "Mew hasn't changed a bit outside of revealing her true colors and the only change Arceus went through is the removal of his backbone!"

"Honestly," Started Arceus, shaking his head. "Why must you insist on starting needless conflict and insurrection with every Hall meeting? All this was supposed to be was a status check and look what you've turned it into."

"All I'm doing is-"

"Exposing us? For what? You already know everything!" Giratina watched with interest as he saw a flicker of flame within his father's cooled eyes. "I have given you your freedom, so what more could you possibly want?!"

Giratina glared into Arceus's eyes. The hate-fuelled fires within his own far outweighed anything that his father could muster. Without a hint of care, tact or remorse for what he was about to say, Giratina hissed, "A better ruler."

Arceus shouted, "And what, is that supposed to be you?!"

The Renegade chuckled at his father and grinned, attempting to anger him into action. Daring him to repeat the instance that doomed the world to everlasting conflict. "And what if it is?"

Ash and the other Legends visibly winced at that, knowing how the last time Giratina said that ended up for him. Father and son glared into one another's eye, neither side backing down in the slightest. Arceus was the first to break the deafening silence. "...You have your freedom," He said. "If you want to be a ruler, you have my blessing and more to create your own world. But the way I treated you does not give you the right to take control of mine."

A wry grin crept up Giratina's face. He blinked and chuckled, breaking away from his father's gaze. His laughter sounded...warped and unsettling, though it was quiet. "I would never dream of attacking you, father. I'm not so much of an idiot that I would repeat history. That would make me no better than you. All I wanted, today, was to let everyone express their opinions. My own fit into that category too, don't they?"

Not buying his son's sudden nonaggression for a second, Arceus stayed silent. Giratina chuckled once more, backing away until he was back on his pedestal. "Well," He said, "I suppose I'd better get back to it. Besides, I'm sure you and the brat have a lot of thinking to do." With that, he sent one last disgusting smirk his father's way, then disappeared through his portal.

"...The rest of you are dismissed," Said Arceus to the relief of many. "Except for Ash and Dialga. You will be relieved as I am to know that I won't be calling another meeting any time soon." The Legends silently, and hastily, nodded and returned through their portals. Before Latias returned through hers, she looked at Ash expectantly. Ash managed a shaky smile to her and nodded, earning one from her before she followed the others' example.

It was only when Ash, Dialga and Arceus were alone together did Ash notice Arceus's wobbling legs. The old god doubled over, letting out a series of guttural coughs. "Father!" Cried Dialga, rushing to his side. "Are you alright?!"

Ash leapt onto Arceus's pillar and attempted to use his Aura to soothe him, but Arceus shifted his leg out to stop him and shook his head. "...I'm fine," He said. Given that he did so just after taking in a series of labored breaths, it wasn't very convincing. "Giratina was right in the regard that my nerve wasn't what it used to be. That's all."

Arceus took in a few more labored breaths, eventually managing to slow himself down and let out a long-winded sigh. A concerned Ash asked, "Does this sort of thing usually happen? The meetings, I mean."

"...Lately, yes," Answered Arceus. "But thanks to you, I think we managed to dull the impact of this one, so to speak."

Ash was left utterly speechless. 'That one was dulled?' He shook his head and said, "I know you and Giratina have a bad history, but…"

Arceus managed to stand back up on his trembling legs and looked down at Ash. "To say that this is Giratina's fault would be a blatant lie on my end." He glanced over to Giratina's pedestal, narrowing his eyes. "Still, I'm not going to just sit by and let him start chaos. He berates Mew and I for letting the Legends die, and while I can't deny it...why does he seek to destroy the peace he and the others fought for?!"

"You needn't put up with Giratina's insurrection, father," Dialga told him reassuringly. "I will fight alongside you should he make any moves."

The old god shook his head. "I hope it won't come to that. In my state, I doubt that I would be able to beat him. ...And he's right about me not wanting to repeat that age old history." He glanced down at Ash and chuckled. "But enough about that. I asked you two to stay behind for a reason."

Dialga's eyes widened upon realizing what Arceus meant. "You can't mean…! But father, you haven't even shown Lady Mew!"

"If I showed Mew, she would try to take him," Countered Arceus.

Ash looked at the exchange quizzically. 'Him?'

Turning back down to Ash, Arceus said, "After so many Legends were lost, the world would have naturally been thrust into disarray due to their importance in the keeping of balance."

The boy's eyes went wide upon realizing what Arceus was getting at. "Are you saying you revived them somehow?! Not even Aura had the power to do that!"

Arceus, intrigued, raised a brow. "Is that so? Well, that would explain much. But no, though I wish with all my heart that I could say I did, I did not revive the Legends. I did, however, use most of my remaining power to create two new ones." Turning around to the wall that marked the Hall's end, Arceus created another portal and stepped back. "The new Groudon is currently in the care of Rayquaza and Kyogre, but in the meantime, it would be my honor for you to meet the new Palkia."

He and Dialga stepped away from the portal, so Ash did the same. A wide-eyed Ash swore he was dreaming when he witnessed a smaller Palkia, only three feet taller than himself, step out from the portal. "Hello, papa!" He said, smiling brightly up at Arceus. Ash couldn't help but smile at him. This one was a far cry from the old one, though...he couldn't really say he knew him.

When the young Palkia noticed Ash, he immediately ducked behind Arceus's legs, earning a chuckle from the old god. "There's no need to be afraid, little one. This is Ash. He is a very trusted friend of mine."

Hesitantly, Palkia looked out at Ash from behind Arceus's legs. Ash smiled at him and waved. "Hey there," He said in a soft voice. "It's nice to meet you." Believing that his Aura could help soothe the young Palkia's fear, he summoned it around himself. The act had the opposite effect. Palkia flinched, ducking back behind the safety of his father's body. Ash hastily cut it off upon realizing the mistake, but Arceus merely laughed at the exchange.

They suddenly heard the sound of one of the portals activating. "Hey," Said Mew, their blood ran cold, "I just wanted to say thanks for having my back and…" She trailed off upon seeing the young Palkia, narrowing her reddening eyes with rage. "...Stabbing it too, apparently. You made another one?! WITHOUT TELLING ME?!"

She shook the Hall with her power, making the young Palkia scream out in terror. "P-please calm yourself, Mew!" Pleaded Arceus. "You're frightening him!"

Ash grit his teeth and flooded the Hall with his Aura once more in an attempt to put a stop to Mew's rage once again. Palkia's eyes sparkled over with wonderment as he watched the glittering sparks of Aura race about the room. Like magic, his fear had melted away. It did not have the same effect on Mew this time around. She summoned a barrier around herself before the Aura could touch her, and stopped it by taking Ash in a Psychic hold.

"You stay out of this!" She hissed. Ash was lifted into the air and tossed back onto his own pillar. When he got back up and tried to leap back, he bounced off of a barrier and fell right back down.

"Hey!" Protested Ash as he slammed his fists on the shield to no avail. "Let me out of here!"

Mew replied, "Go back through your portal! This doesn't concern you!"

As Ash's Aura dispersed, Palkia was snapped back into reality. He dissolved right back into terror upon seeing Mew again. "Oh, you don't have to be afraid of me," She said sweetly, though unconvincingly. Her tone become much darker, almost murderous, when Mew turned to address Arceus and Dialga. "As for you…"

"This was to keep balance!" Cried Arceus desperately. His age-old heart was racing a million miles an hour and he didn't know how much longer his nerve could keep up. If Mew decided to do something reckless, there was nothing that he and Dialga could do to stop her. "If I didn't, then space would-"

Mew stopped him. "I know why you made a new one! What I want to know is why you never told me! We made a promise back then, before we created the world, to never keep secrets from each other!" Without waiting for a response, she glanced past Arceus to Palkia, an idea striking her. "But I forgive you. I'm nice like that." She made a face at Palkia and talked to him in an exaggerated baby voice. "Now come on, young one. I'll take you somewhere big bad Arceus can't-"

Palkia cried out in fear, running behind Arceus. "P-papa!" He hugged his father's leg tightly, clutching it for dear life.

Arceus looked up to Mew sterly, who appeared to be utterly baffled. "It's clear that he has made his choice. This one is my charge, Mew. It's high time I started to right my own wrongs."

"Right your wrongs?" Repeated Mew with an incredulous laugh. "What, by raising a kid? Please. You're terrible at it, or do I have to remind you how all the others were back in the day? How they cried, "Mommy Mew! Don't let Arceus take us!" and hid behind me?"

"It does seem familiar," Said Arceus as he looked down to Palkia, cowering behind him. "Doesn't it?"

At that, Mew flew into a rage. "Why you…!"

Seeing the impending danger, Dialga bravely stepped in front of Arceus. "Be careful fath-AUUR!" Mew snatched Dialga up in her Psychic grip and hurled him away back through his portal, then placed a barrier around it to prevent him from entering again.

"What do you think you're going to do?!" Demanded Arceus. "Take him by force?! I won't allow that!" He looked back to his youngest son and shoved him with his leg back through his portal. Before Mew could fly after him, Arceus destroyed the portal with his hoof. He suddenly found himself bound in Mew's grip and hoisted into the air. Ash, in utter disbelief at what he was witnessing, began pounding into the barrier with everything he had in an attempt to save him.

Mew's reddened eyes blazed with madness. She was completely unrecognizable from her usual self. "You…!" She seethed. "How dare you…?!"

Arceus feebly attempted to mimic her, but in his fatigue, merely looked at her with a pitiful glower. "How dare I?! Look at yourself! You're acting exactly the way Giratina describes you as!"

"This is coming from the one that went behind their partner's back?" Countered Mew. "If you weren't going to uphold our promise, why should I listen to a thing you say?! Palkia shouldn't be raised by a filthy, backstabbing liar!"

"It is exactly because I knew you would act like this that I decided not to tell you."

Mew bared her fangs, growling angrily. Arceus was flung into the wall, where he sank and collapsed onto his broken throne. Without another word, Mew flew back through her own portal and shut it off behind her. The moment she left, Ash stumbled forward and nearly fell off his platform. Dialga came rushing through his portal. He'd been ramming his body into the barrier repeatedly in an attempt to break through.

"Arceus!"

The two raced to his side, with Ash running his Aura-infused hands over Arceus's body to soothe his wounds. "Are you alright?!" Cried Dialga, looking over his father's body. "What did she do to you?!"

"It's nothing," He lied with a cough. "Thank you both. But Ash?"

"Yeah?"

Arceus looked down at Ash's hands. "I don't suppose you could concentrate some of that instead of healing little old me? I'm sure Palkia was really shaken up about this whole thing, and your Aura seemed to soothe his fear."

Tentatively, Ash removed his hands from Arceus's body and looked down at them. "I don't have much more...but if it helps, I'll give you everything."

Shaking his head, Arceus said, "It needn't be that much. Just something that'll calm the boy down."

Ash took a moment, but eventually nodded. He cupped his hands together, concentrating his Aura into a single glittering white flame. Upon offering it to Arceus, the old god's eyes glowed, taking the Auric flame and holding it out in front of his face.

"This will do," Said Arceus with an approving nod. "Thank you, Ash. For that, and all you've done to help me." Ash nodded, but the thought-ridden expression of his was not lost on the old god. "All of this must have been confusing...and frankly, I don't understand much of it myself. But this is my issue, not yours. You just focus on doing those missions from Mr. Star and saving the world like always." He smiled down at the boy. "Got it, chosen one?"

Chuckling, Ash replied, "Got it."

Author's Note

Creator: Told you it wouldn't be long. This will be the last Hall meeting for a long time, if ever again.

Fun fact: if Mew took part in the battle against Necrozma, she would have been able to solo Necrozma until Arceus arrived by steadily increasing her power and using a variety of different strategies since she can use every move including Transform.

That means that the Legends could have helped the humans and killed Guzzlord before it could use the nuke attack...meaning that if she actually had helped, like Giratina said, there wouldn't have been a single Earthly casualty. Let that sink in. Giratina is a twisted 'mon, but rarely a liar.

Mew's motherly instincts are also nuts. You ever see nature documentaries where animals that lose their young try to steal from others? That's...sort of what Mew's like when she's pissed. Ordinarily, she wouldn't be driven to that.

Hydra: Well that was quick lol I told ya you wouldn't be waiting long for a new chapter. But dang man this chapter was nuts Mew literally tried to kidnap young Palkia, I think it really shows just how desperate she is to be important again. Let's just hope that someone doesn't fall into her clutches because that would really SUCK.

Creator: And into the reviews, we have…

Amourshipper35: "Wow Tobias came to help. Didn't see that coming and I wonder what Arceus wants to tell Ash."

Creator: As a kid, Rise of Darkrai was my first Pokemon movie and my favorite to this day. So when I saw Tobias wielding not only Darkrai, but also Latios, I instantly thought this dude was a badass. It was a real shame they just canned the character instead of fleshing him out, so I thought this was the perfect opportunity.

Hydra: Well now you know that it was just a check up, unfortunately things got heated due to Garatina and Lugia provoking fights.

British-Vulture: "I'm gonna be honest, I didn't expect Tobias to show up. I thought it may have been someone from Aether or even Macros Cosmos (Rose's group). A surprise to be sure, but a welcome one. Also, Tobias being as broken as he is is something that is about as believable as us existing. I.E. Very believable, and I honsestly struggled to think of a way for it to be different.

And, don't think I didn't notice that little 'heh heh' after Flying Fortress in the review reply. Don't do this to me, for the love of fuck, DON'T. FUCKING. DO. THIS. TO ME. Don't you dare make Christopher walk all over it with his dirty boots! Over the crisp white sheets of the peace the heroes had just made! With the same boots as he stood at a urinal!

Sorry, Captain Matias Torres episode over (yes, Torres says that at some point in Ace Combat 7 SP Missions, minus the urinal bit and obvious changes, and he's still scary as fuck in the game he's in). I wonder what Arceus needs from Ash. I have a hunch it may be something that goes against Ash's mission.

Anyway, brilliant chapter, as always. Keep up the good work."

Creator: No Aether or Macro Cosmos here, unfortunately. Maybe a mention or two later on, since they are relatively powerful organizations, but since this story takes place directly after Lysander's death, the events of Sun and Moon in the anime will happen without Ash. (But I really want that new series dub, come ON, GameFreak or Nintendo or whatever. That little short with Rose and the kid was nice tho.) As for good old Christopher, he's gonna have right fun pissing on the graves of billions if it means furthering his goals. Whatever those may be outside of causing rifts between man and Pokemon. The world will be horrified by the number of lives he will take.

Hydra: For the most part this was just supposed to be a check up with Ash and the legends to see how they've all been in the past 5 months. But as most of the recent meetings have been going it turned into Arceus and Mew getting constantly roasted to the point it's blinding. I think we really got to see how dark Mew can really be this chapter.

DarkPugLord23: "Oh man, I love the utter nonchalance about the fact that Arceus just summoned him."

Creator: I hope you loved the utter nonchalance about the way we made Mew and Giratina act too.

Hydra: hehe that feeling when you realize your best friend just got summoned by god and you don't get to go along.

Creator: That's all for now. Can't say the next chapter will have this short of a wait, I'm afraid. What I CAN promise is that It'll be REALLY FUCKIN BADASS!

Hydra: Well that does it for this one. I told you guys you wouldn't have to wait long, I mean dang it hasn't even been two days yet lol. But anyways I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, Mew is certainly starting to lose it now that she realizes that she is no longer relevant in the legends eyes. Let's just hope that this doesn't have any negative consequences for them or anyone else later. As always have a nice day and we'll see you on the next one!