A/N
I know there's debate about whether Akari comes from the 'real world' we live in or if she's actually Dawn from Sinnoh. I like both interpretations, but for this story, Akari is Dawn.
The next day, after calming all the kings, the crack had somehow grown larger, and the sky was stained a foreboding red. Kamado, the leader of the Galaxy Expedition Team, had ruthlessly expelled Akari from the village. She was also rejected by the Pearl Clan, who were anxious and unwilling to accept her. The Diamond Clan, not wanting to cause unnecessary trouble with the Galaxy Expedition Team, refused her as well. Akari resigned herself to her fate and turned away. As Lian had said, Hisui was vast, but the problem was that there was no place to rest within that vast land. Akari wandered aimlessly, unsure of where to go.
She walked through the Obsidian Fieldlands, and when she suddenly felt water dampening her feet, she looked up for the first time. The landscape was familiar, but it was a riverside she didn't know the name of. There weren't many dangerous Pokémon around, so she felt a slight relief and quietly gazed at the river. The water was as red as blood, reflecting the red sky above. Despite the eerie color, the river flowed calmly. Wouldn't I feel more at ease if I became one with this river, regardless of the color of the sky? This thought suddenly crossed her mind. It was impulsive. Anger, sadness, injustice, and longing—emotions that had built up inside her—moved Akari's feet.
She was about to step forward with her right foot when she heard a faint sound of footsteps behind her. It was so soft that she might have missed it if the surroundings had been a bit noisier. Instinctively, Akari turned around. It was a small Shinx, possibly the smallest she had ever seen. Typically, Shinx were hostile toward humans, but this one seemed non-threatening, simply standing there with curious eyes fixed on her. Akari unconsciously smiled slightly. Only the Shinx knew that this smile, mixed with her current emotions, had become a somewhat bittersweet expression.
As she sat on the riverbank, petting the Shinx that had quickly become friendly, she heard the distant, threatening cries of two Luxio. Startled, the Shinx ran toward the Luxio, who seemed to be its parents. Akari lowered her head and waved goodbye to the Shinx. Even wild Pokémon have a place to return to. Akari missed her mother in Sinnoh. When she managed to enjoy herself in Hisui, she could momentarily forget about her family and friends. But as she became a complete outsider again, her longing grew more intense. Why was I sent here? Why me? She turned on her Arc Phone to check for new notifications, but the resentful device offered no help in moments like these.
"Interesting things only seem to happen around you."
Akari jumped up. The voice belonged to Volo—the first opponent she had faced in a Pokémon battle upon arriving in Hisui. He was a ruins enthusiast who resembled Cynthia, the Sinnoh Champion, both in appearance and interests. Despite being a bit eccentric, he was often helpful and kind, giving useful items or advice without any apparent reason.
"Volo, why are you here...?"
"I've already heard about what happened. Are you feeling wronged? Is the world making you resentful?"
"...If that's all you're going to say, you can leave."
"Don't worry. I'm not here just to tease you. Where should we start? Do you know the origin of this universe?"
What Volo said seemed more than just light teasing—it was an odd topic. Curious about what he meant, Akari responded based on what she knew. "From what I understood before coming here and what I've learned from the Plates, I have a rough idea. Arceus existed alone before the universe was created. It created the universe by giving rise to Dialga, the god of time; Palkia, the god of space; Giratina, who rules the Distortion World; and the three lake Pokémon that created the mind. Where I lived, these Pokémon were quite involved with me."
Volo appeared momentarily surprised by Akari's extensive knowledge. "In that case, Akari, if Arceus's power exists, wouldn't it be possible to create a better world? If we remade the world, wouldn't this cruel Hisui, the village that expelled you, and the Galaxy Expedition Team all cease to exist? What do you think? Aren't you interested? If you feel wronged or angry, then join me and restore this world to its original state!"
As Volo spoke, Akari felt her emotions blur her vision with a sense of injustice and anger. Despite her feelings, she found it hard to resist. Perhaps because of this, she didn't notice the madness in Volo's eyes at that moment. Although Volo was using the same logic as Cyrus, who had tried to achieve the same goal for entirely different reasons, she didn't see the contradiction. Yes, it doesn't matter if this world is restarted. The heart of a child thrown into the world unprepared was fragile, and the 'good person' before her had keenly exploited that fragility. The two set off on a journey to find the remaining Plates.
As the flute played, a staircase of light appeared. The two ascended the stairs in silence. At the highest point, Arceus, whom they had long wished to meet, looked down upon them.
[You arrived.]
Despite the unexpected presence of the two individuals, Arceus conveyed its thoughts calmly, without a flicker of emotion.
"Now that we've come this far, tell me—why did you summon me to Hisui?" Akari couldn't hold back and shouted angrily at Arceus.
[Since the situation has turned out to be the opposite of the original intention, there's no need to answer.]
"What?" Akari shouted in fury.
"Akari, there's no need to be so angry now. Haven't we completed all the preparations? I will call Giratina," Volo whispered from beside her.
"Ah, right. Then I..."
[My children...] Arceus sighed sadly, but his three children had already charged at their creator.
Dialga and Palkia, having lost their reason in their rampage, and Giratina, acting in accordance with Volo's prior agreement, were now attacking Arceus. Ordinary Pokémon or humans would have had no chance, but the three avatars of the Creator Deity possessed immense power. The four deities fought fiercely, causing the Hall of Origin to tremble (though it didn't actually explode). Objectively, Arceus was far stronger than the other three combined. However, at the last moment, for some unknown reason, he hesitated and was struck by Giratina's final, heartfelt attack. Arceus declared his defeat and flew far away. How could mortals understand the thoughts of a god? It was the two humans who were stunned by Arceus's sudden declaration of defeat.
[Very well. Since I have lost in your way of combat, I will grant your wish. However]
"However?"
[Regret will be yours to bear.]
The Hall of Origin and the staircase of light began to fade. No, it might be more accurate to say that everything was fading away. Akari squeezed her eyes shut. Although she had braced herself for this when she took Volo's hand, facing it now, she was overwhelmed with fear. Was the world truly disappearing? Really? Hisui, and even Sinnoh in the future?
In contrast, Volo kept his eyes wide open, absorbing every detail of the collapsing world. Ah, how beautiful a crumbling world is. How magnificent it will be when it's recreated! It must be several times more sublime.
The two, each with their own thoughts, took their final breaths in the 'original world.'
At some point, the two humans and seven Pokémon found themselves in a new world. It was completely engulfed in deep darkness, and it was freezing cold, as if their entire bodies were turning to ice. The two humans looked around in the darkness and soon realized something—they couldn't breathe.
"!"
"!"
[They're feeling flustered.] Mesprit sensed the humans' distress and conveyed it.
[They want to breathe.] Azelf understood their need and expressed it directly.
[Of course. There are only hydrogen and helium as gases right now.] Uxie displayed knowledge as if it were trivial.
Since this trio communicated through thoughts, even though there were no physical sounds, everyone could understand them.
"Ugh! Ugh ugh!"
"Help..."
While the deities of the mind had their calm discussion, the humans lost consciousness.
When the two humans regained consciousness, they were relieved to find that they could see in front of them. However, it was now extremely hot. Breathing was still somewhat difficult, but not as impossible as before. Akari and Volo found themselves on Dialga's back. As if the recent rampage had never occurred, Dialga merely gazed at them with indifferent eyes.
[I had to speed up time a bit to ensure there was solid ground. You'll have to manage from here.] Without giving them a chance to respond, the deity of time left.
The two stood there in a daze for a while. The abrupt shift in events, without any opportunity to plan or design the world, was overwhelming. The surroundings were entirely covered by the sea. The ground beneath them was barren, dotted only with spore plants. They had no idea what might be lurking in the water. Facing this situation, Akari's fear surged once more. Despite her preparations, she found them ineffective. The experience of falling into an unfamiliar land never seemed to become familiar. Even Volo, who had led this endeavor, was trembling with fear.
"At least it would have been nice if we had been asked what kind of world we wanted to create. Haha... By the way, isn't it surprising that the moment the world was created was shrouded in darkness? I had thought the world was illuminated by brilliant light from the very beginning. What could be different in this second creation? Well, the deities of time, space, and the mind weren't erased with the previous world nor recreated. Did they just conserve their power, or was there some other reason?" Volo muttered to himself, though his trembling voice was unmistakable.
Akari, barely listening to his words, approached the edge of the water and dipped her hand into it. The lukewarm water wet her skin. At least the water is the same, she thought. Is Hisui and Sinnoh really gone now? For a brief moment, she felt a slight relief, thinking that those who had hated, and expelled her were all gone. But soon, a deep wave of sadness overwhelmed her. What about my family? My friends? The other members of the Galaxy Expedition Team who believed in me and cared about me? Akari stared endlessly at the sea. She had thought she had come so far, but in the end, she was back where she started—alone, gazing at the water. She couldn't stay like this.
"Volo."
"Yes?"
"Since things have come to this, let's make this world—a world with no one in it—a truly good place."
Volo's trembling began to subside. A new goal. A direction to move forward. An unknown world. An object of curiosity. As these thoughts took shape, his fear vanished as if by magic. This little one, he thought. I don't fully understand yet, but maybe... maybe this is why she was chosen. Volo nodded. Leaving the world that had passed behind, the two humans set out on a journey to create a new world in the truest sense.
Although they hadn't counted the days, it felt like several decades had passed since the sun rose and set. The two began to sense something strange. There was no change in their appearance at all, which they believed was the price for defying the will of the gods.
Having been hurt by humans, they were convinced that more humans would only harm the world and thus kept their distance from each other. Instead, they focused on creating a place where other forms of life could thrive. While there weren't many types of Pokémon living in this new world, the water was teeming with life. Akari referred to a particular creature dominating the sea as 'Anorith.'
"In the place where I lived, there was technology to restore fossils into living Pokémon. Even though it's similar, it looks a bit different from the restored appearance. Perhaps it's the limitations of technology?"
Is this a somewhat happy ending for those who defied the will of the gods?
Hundreds of years passed.
The changes in the ecosystem were extremely slow, and new developments were almost nonexistent. They eventually realized that since the flow of time for their bodies had stopped, there was no way to increase the number of humans. The two humans who had defied the will of the gods were living without aging or dying. This is not a literary embellishment—they truly could not die. They had misunderstood their situation. This was not merely a price to pay; it was a divine punishment. For daring to disrupt the world, they were condemned to live forever in their own world as punishment. They could no longer even tell if this world was real. Perhaps Arceus had trapped them in an endlessly recurring dream? Were they still in a coma from the moment they couldn't breathe? They considered this possibility as well.
"I don't think it's a dream. If it were, there should be some contradiction or unrealistic element somewhere... It's too perfect."
One day, Giratina appeared. As it was the first entity they had seen other than the 'primordial life forms' in hundreds of years, the two humans greeted Giratina with great enthusiasm.
[This can't go on. I'm approaching the limit of what I can maintain.]
"What do you mean by that?" Akari asked with a trembling voice, sensing that something worse might be coming.
[What do you mean, what? Didn't you know? A true recreation of the world cannot be achieved. As long as the Distortion World exists, the two opposing worlds cannot deviate from each other beyond a certain level. That damned... no, 'esteemed creator' must not have wanted to erase me after all.]
"So what happens if we exceed the limit?" With the emergence of such an intriguing topic after hundreds of years, Volo eagerly asked.
[You're still as curious as ever. There are two possibilities. Either the two worlds completely diverge and annihilate each other, or the Distortion World gets dragged here and I am erased. In the former case, you would also disappear, and in the latter case... I'd rather not think about it. Fortunately, there is a method, if you want to hear it? No, why am I even asking? You have no choice. Do as I say.] Giratina's explanation went on for a while. To summarize: the Distortion World retains information about the world before the 'recreation,' so use that to restore the world. You might also need the powers of Dialga and Palkia, and possibly the lake deities. They are quite angry, so you should apologize sincerely. Once the world is restored, go back to Arceus and beg earnestly. Well, I can't guarantee the results.
Volo and Akari decided to accept it, not knowing what hardships might await them.
"Are you sure this is the last piece?"
[It is certain.]
"Well, this is quite interesting. I never would have guessed that such a minor change could cause a regional catastrophe. Akari referred to this as some Effect," Volo said with interest.
"It's the Butterfree Effect," Akari replied, recalling a piece of knowledge she had learned back in her Dawn days.
"Yes, that's it. It seems I didn't quite grasp it since it was a Pokémon that didn't exist in Hisui, and I only heard about it a long time ago. Anyway... I'm glad it ended well."
[Ugh... I hope I never have to collaborate with someone like you again. After experiencing such hardship, it seems I prefer a peaceful world.] With those words, Giratina sank back into the shadows, indicating that it no longer wished to be involved in troublesome matters.
Left alone, Volo and Akari couldn't help but laugh. It had been difficult, and they had come to deeply appreciate the value of the world they had restored. While Volo still seemed somewhat immature, well, that was just his nature.
"Now... only the hardest part remains," Akari said, pulling out the Azure Flute. Somehow, it had found its way back into her bag during the world restoration process.
"Yes... I have no idea what to say to be forgiven," Volo admitted, sounding uncertain.
"Still, since we've worked so hard, it should work out somehow, right?" Akari remained optimistic despite everything they had been through.
"Don't you remember the price you paid for helping the Galaxy Expedition Team?" Volo teased.
"Ugh, stop being so negative! Be quiet and don't jinx it!"
The two humans, who had defied the will of the gods, bickered as they made their way to the Temple of Sinnoh.