I opened my eyes only to rub them as I couldn't see anything. No, that's not right as I saw my hands, blinking my eyes rapidly. I could see my body, it's just everything else was black. I was lying on a hard, smooth surface and everything was dark. Then it hit me, I don't feel any pain, any emotions! Even trying to get worked up, I felt nothing. I sat up and looked around, 'What is this place? What is going on?' I thought to myself.

*Welcome to my domain young Giovanni*, a warm voice spoke directly behind me.

I slowly turned around and saw… an old man? Who looked suspiciously like Christopher Lee of all people, in white robes… and yet, I still felt calm, centered. 'Are you suppressing my emotions?' I thought at the Saruman look-a-like, testing if this is what I thought it was, my mind absolutely racing with theories building up.

*Yes*, the old man grinned at me, then spoke aloud, "You truly are something special Giovanni, you are correct in your thoughts. Not many would logically put the pieces together as well as you have."

"Interesting… so you're Arceus, and I've been reborn into the Pokémon universe… may I ask, why?" I spoke softly to this being, there's no way I wouldn't treat them without respect. I always knew there were beings far greater in power and intelligence than humans. I didn't believe in Gods the same way religions would have us believe in them. It just always made sense to me, even in a finite universe, there should be beings greater than others. Though I suppose this confirms the infinite multiverse theory that scientists were trying to prove and had made some headway on before my death.

"Such respectful thoughts, without the zeal false belief brings!" Arceus smiled kindly at me, "to answer your question, this is what awaits everyone when they die. All beings' souls return to the universe and are continuously reformed again and again until they ascend to a higher state of being. The Pokémon universe, as glimpsed through media in your previous life, is one of an infinite number of those higher states."

I nodded and thanked him for the explanation, then a new question popped in my head, "May I ask, is it normal for beings to remember their past lives? I can remember everything from my past life, except my name."

He nodded jovially at me, then looked around and clapped his hands - a staff that suspiciously looked like Saruman's appeared in his hands and he waved it across the black void. Awed, I watched as the pitch black around us dissolved leaving us in a beautiful landscape of giant trees, a wide gently moving stream, with purple mountains in the distance. Looking up, I realized this was definitely not earth. Several planets, three stars and more were visible above us! All of them tracing some unknowable pattern through the sky and appeared to be moving impossibly fast.

Once more he smiled at me and offered a hand to assist me to my feet. I took his hand, my own small hand was disappointedly tiny in his. "Come, let us walk and enjoy the scenery while we talk further. There's much to discuss", he said and beckoned me along.

We started walking, fortunately at a pace I could keep up with my tiny legs. Walking in silence for a few minutes, just enjoying the scenery was nice and helped me think through everything. "You, Giovanni, are an anomaly. You cannot remember the name you held in your past life, because it is simply no longer your name. Names, souls, and states of being are intrinsically tied together, in this eternal life-cycle through the universe you will have all the memories of your past life with none of the emotions and trauma associated with it. You are expected to do whatever you want to do, as this is the meaning of life: freedom of choice, to experience life, to grow."

This made sense to me and confirmed several theories I had about the nature of life. Then a thought occurred to me, "But why take the time to visit me in my dreams like this? What, beyond being an anomaly, makes me so special to deserve this?" I asked hesitantly.

"All beings dream, and I visit all my creations in their dreams at one time or another. Most, just don't remember. So really, this is rather ordinary." We continued walking, coming to a crystal clear lake that reflected the wonders in the alien sky. "Sometimes I suppress the memory, especially within those who would use the knowledge gained from this to cause harm. But, most of the time it is written off as a fantastical dream and the mind forgets." We stopped at the shore of the lake, taking in the scenery.

Arceus turned towards me, and smiled gently at me with a silvery glow becoming brighter around him, "Now it is time for you to awaken, be calm when you awaken, young one. You are safe, but unfortunately will still be in a lot of pain from your ordeal."

The glow grew brighter as he transformed into the Pokémon version of Arceus. I instinctively bowed my head and he pressed his head against my own, a warmth and love I had never felt before enveloped me and I woke up.