Arms of Arceus

The Thors were busy. As their god fought tooth and nail against Charles, they were holding off the Forces of Destruction. Joan watched as the twelve Kyurem shades that made up the Avatar’s elite guard fought an equal number of Thors. The humans were stronger than Joan could have expected, but the Kyurem were unbeatable. Even when a Thor landed a killing blow, the shade would turn to ash and reform an instant later. Killing blows weren’t easy to land, however, and the Thors were quickly growing tired. A powerful Glaciate hit an injured Thor in the chest. His movements slowed, he couldn’t avoid the Dragon Pulse that followed. He fell from the sky to be immediately replaced by another Thor from another part of the battle.

Joan watched as Korish danced in between thousands of Thors, picking off the weak ones and removing their souls from their bodies. There was a strange look on her face, as if her actions were forced. She would glance nervously at her master from time to time, as if seeking his approval. Other times she would look at him with a strange sort of sympathy, and her lips would move as if talking to herself. Charles paid her no mind, however. He seemed to be enjoying himself as his battle with God Doom raged above the kingdom. He had grown used to the powers of Dark Arceus, and that worried Joan greatly.

“How do you propose we deal with Charles?” Princess Celestia asked as she turned to face her friend.

“I-I’m not sure, majesty,” Joan said. “The future is uncertain…”

“The future is not uncertain, sister,” Gallah said, confidently. “It is you who are uncertain. Calm down and focus your mind. I know you can see our path forward.”

Joan did as her brother advised and closed her eyes. Her terrified thoughts were hard to control, but eventually she mastered them. Her consciousness expanded. She saw herself and Charles, standing before Arceus. The light grew brighter until it filled her sight, and suddenly she was jarred back to reality.

“Well?” Princess Celestia asked. “How do we get him in there?”

“I’m afraid I don’t know,” Joan said as she rubbed her temples. “I saw only myself and Charles in the Hall of Origin. No one else.”

“Then perhaps that means our work is outside of the Hall,” Discord said as he stroked his goatee in thought. “I suppose someone has to keep that Doom fellow busy. We’ll just have to improvise when it comes to young Charles.”

“It won’t be easy,” Celestia said as she followed Discord’s gaze. Then she formed a smile, and spread her wings. “At least our final challenge is worthy, don’t you agree Lord Gallah?”

“I do, indeed,” Gallah said with a rash grin.

“Give the call, boy,” Master Ryu said through the psychic link. “We’ll make the first strike.”

“Warriors of Harmony!” Gallah roared, his voice psychically enhanced to carry to friend and foe alike. “Today, we will give everything for our cause! And together, we will see Dark Arceus fall! To battle!”

The Thors looked around mid-fight, confusion running through their ranks like ripples in a pond. Just as the ones closest to Gallah were the first to look for the source of his voice, so too were they the first to turn and face him. They were also the first to suffer the assault of Master Ryu’s ninjas. One thousand Greninja and Frogadier had been waiting in the shadows of the battle, their targets already chosen. One thousand Thors fell unconscious, knocked out by pinpoint nerve attacks launched by one thousand poisoned water katanas. The forces of Doom were too slow to react. Some were overwhelmed by shades. Some were overwhelmed by their exhaustion. Master Shen’s water canons made holes in the enemy ranks that were quickly filled by ponies and Pokémon. The forces of God’s Breath and Equestria replaced the fallen Thors as the sky above them grew dark.

“What is this?” Doom said as Princess Celestia rammed into Charles, her body burning as brightly as her spirit.

“We’re here to help you, old chap,” Discord said as he floated casually behind Celestia. “Don’t worry, she only sets herself on fire when she’s mad.”

“Die!” Doom yelled as he waved a hand at Discord. The Draconequus disappeared without a trace, the shock and confusion on his face was all that Celestia saw of him before he vanished from existence. She paused in her assault, an eyebrow raised in question as she looked for Discord.

“Now, it’s your turn,” the dictator said as he waved his hand once more. Celestia felt her armor’s shield shake, but it held fast.

“I’m immune to your reality warping magic,” Celestia said. In her mind she was praising herself for mastering that spell. It had protected the Elements of Harmony from Discord when she had tasked Fluttershy with his reformation, and had proven itself invaluable once more.

“If I can’t erase you, then I’ll beat you to death!”

“No need for that,” Charles said as he appeared above Doom and fired a massive Aura Sphere. “Simple education will suffice. Though at this point, I doubt she’ll listen without a fight.”

Doom teleported out of the path of the Avatar’s attack and reappeared above Celestia. An enormous sword materialized next to the god and he swung his hand downward. The attack crashed into the princess, pinning her beneath its weight. Celestia wasn’t slow, however. She had expected her armor to be strained in the final battles, and so, during her short time in her castle she had practiced the speed of her shield conjuring with her soldiers. Her first shield shattered along with the sword blade. The broken sword fell into the water as the dictator teleported again. Doom’s fist came from her right, aimed directly at her head. Before the blow could land, Celestia teleported behind the tyrant and blasted him into the sea.

Not missing a beat, she appeared underneath Charles and sent him flying through the sky with powerful beam of magic. Flapping her wings furiously, launching herself at Charles at speeds she hadn’t reached since she was younger, she fired a second blast and sent him flying closer to the peak of the Spear Pillar. She heard Doom scream behind her as she launched another blast at Charles. This time, he stopped in the air just above the pillar. He held out a hand toward Celestia and the princess froze. Even through her shield Celestia could feel his anger, but there was no hatred in him. At least, there was no hatred aimed at her. He only held her and stared. As he opened his mouth to speak, a final beam of energy hit him square in the chest. Joan’s Fairy Tempest caught Charles off guard and sent him flying through the doors of the Hall of Origin. With a brief nod of thanks, Joan flew after him with Korish close behind.

Celestia turned back toward the battlefield. The coastal cliff that ringed Doomstadt was a ruin. Joan’s fairy-types, Gallah’s fighting-types, and Celestia’s Canterlot Guards were engaging Orks and Tyranids as they descended on God Doom’s stronghold. Their goal was to buy time, survive, and protect the innocent people of Doomstadt to the best of their abilities. The princess had hoped that Doom would see that they meant to help, but that had been too optimistic.

“You dare threaten my empire?” the god roared as he charged the princess. “I’ll see your head planted at the foot of the World Tree, so all who come before my throne may know the cost of disrupting my work!”
“And what would that work be, exactly?” Celestia said as she dodged Doom’s armored fist. A kick caught her in the stomach and she was sent flying backward.

“I rule this world!” Doom yelled as he closed in on the princess. Celestia regained her balance and began frantically dodging attacks. “I rule what is left of an endless multiverse! I am a god, self made and self perpetuated. It is my power, and my will, that keeps my people safe!”

“I don’t see any safety here, Victor,” Celestia said, choosing to use the man’s name as a defiance of his godhood. She blasted him backward, his armor burning at the fury of her magic. “All I see is control, sterilization, and abuse! All I see is an emotionally stunted human who can only deal with what he can squash under his foot!”

“You know nothing of me! You are an interloper! A being from outside the structure of what once existed, and what now is. You have no right to judge me!”

“I am a ruler, just like you,” Celestia said as she dispelled the aura of fire that had engulfed her. She closed her eyes and focused on her duty. She was Princess of the Day, and though fire was a powerful force, there was a greater power within her.

Celestia began to shine with golden light as she drew upon the power of harmony that had granted her wisdom over the many years of her life. When she opened her eyes, Doom hovered inches before her, his fist raised to strike her down. The light of her magic struck him in the face and the dictator yelled in pain. Blinded but still capable, Doom sent a furious kick at Celestia’s head as the princess flew backward to escape him. She blocked it with a shield and teleported away from Doom before the shield could shatter. Doom’s eyes were full of anger, pain, and hatred as he regained his sight.

She knew then that the metal he wore over his face was only physical. His true mask was the face he hid, even from his family. That had broken now, and in his eyes Celestia saw his true self. She saw the fear of loss in them; loss of the respect he believed was his birthright; loss of those he had gathered around him as family; loss of the world and people he believed he owned.

He was selfish, and hateful and too far-gone for Celestia to reach him. She knew that she couldn’t beat him, but she had to hold him off long enough for Joan to complete her mission. As she traded blows with the brutal dictator, she hoped that her friend was safe.

Discord had been erased from existence, discarded like garbage by a human with a high opinion of himself. This was the last thing that passed through his mind as he faded into what he assumed was Unreality.

There were many strange and interesting things in the realm of non-existence, greatest of which was a collection of space ships held in stasis by a powerful gem. The aliens on board the ships watched him in confusion as he drifted past their viewports. Discord waved as he kicked out at the nothingness and propelled himself forward. That’s when it donned on him that this realm wasn’t Unreality, but the forgotten mish-mash of past realities that had been destroyed. The landscape was harsh, static, and boring. Broken buildings, shattered continents, and large chunks of sundered planets littered the nothingness for as far as the eye could see. Countless civilizations had died before the creation of Battleworld, and this was their graveyard.

I suppose this is what passes for non-existence for a universe created by an armored loon, Discord thought as he sighed in disappointment. Note to self: create own realm of non-existence and throw Doom into it to show him how it’s done.
Simple desire shifted Discord back into the reality known as Battleworld. Below him he saw Celestia fighting God Emperor Doom. Their battle was fierce, but he could see Celestia slowing. Discord considered going to help her, but something else caught his eye before he could make up his mind.

In the clouds just above his head, he could hear the clicking and shifting of massive gears. A ship descended through the sky. It was covered in millions upon millions of gears that constantly changed position, shape, and size. Two large, powerful humans fought atop an outside viewing deck as the ship itself burned. He recognized the one-eyed human as the Daemon Prince that had almost corrupted him. The human in blue-grey armor roared and snarled as he swung at his opponent. The cyclops’ face changed and distorted into many different shapes and appearances, but all of them possessed the same abject hatred.

I really shouldn’t engage Chaos without somepony there to keep me on the right path, Discord thought as he watched the humans fight. Still, it can’t hurt to get a better look, can it?

As the rays of the sun caught the angled plates of the ship, they changed colors, reaching hues that would have driven lesser beings insane. Even the fire changed shape and color in ways that defied logic. Intrigued, Discord flew toward the spacecraft.

Gallah had stayed behind to help Master Ryu and Master Shen command the troops. Princess Celestia was far too busy with God Doom to strategize, so battle conditions were managed without her. Joan was just glad that Charles was easily distracted. Korish zoomed to Joan’s side, nervous and out of breath. They had received word of Lady Feefee’s revelations to Princess Luna and the Elder Council moments before their departure from Equestria. Joan smiled down at the tiny, blue Gourgeist. Korish returned her smile, still nervous and clearly embarrassed. She had broken a line of Thors that had flown to attack Joan, giving the Mega Gardevoir the chance to knock Charles into the Hall of Origin. Korish had clearly planned to rebel once they arrived, and her actions had been perfectly timed.

“It’s alright,” Joan said as she took one of Korish’s hands. “There will be time for explanations and penance later. Here and now, I declare you a friend.”

“There will be time for explanations now,” said a calm, cool voice from the depths of the Hall. Joan and Korish looked to see a beautiful golden light fill the room as Arceus walked forward. Its brilliance was astounding, so much so that Joan barely saw the corner of the room where the golden light would not reach.

“You abandoned us,” Charles said from that dark corner. There was anger and hurt in his voice. “You left us to be imprisoned for ages, and now you dare stand before us!”

“I know that my armaments are not in control of your speech if you do not wish it, child. Nor do they control your mind. I could seal you, and my evil away once more. Instead, I desire answers. You will appease me if you do not wish to find yourself in a new prison.”

“What do you mean, answers?” Joan asked. “What answers can we possibly give you?”

“Arceus wishes to know if it made the right choice in shaping and creating the life within its multiverse,” Charles said as he moved to stand beside Joan. “It is unsure, and thus, it seeks answers.”

“But life is beautiful! Why would that be in question?”

“Because of humanity.”

“Is that truly you speaking, Charles? Or are the Dark Armaments of Arceus speaking for you?”

“Just because we share the same view doesn’t mean my words aren’t my own,” Charles said coldly. To Joan, his gaze felt like razors being dragged across her heart, but there was a gleam there that she knew all too well. It spoke of the deep emotional pain that haunted her friend. Joan had always hated to see it, for she knew of no way to alleviate it.

“Tell me then, young ones. Was I right? Are humans worthy of living alongside Pokémon? Did I do the right thing?”

The room filled with shadowy silhouettes as Arceus spoke. They were numbered beyond counting, and each one was in the shape of a Mew.

“Yes, you did,” Joan said, quickly. She wanted her argument given first, hoping to head off and dispel all counterarguments that Charles might offer. “I honestly don’t know why this is even a question. I have seen the world outside of God’s Breath many times, Great Arceus. The wonders there are beyond count! The humans have created leagues and contests of all shapes and sizes. Their goal is always the same; to grow and experience new things alongside their Pokémon partners. Both Pokémon and humans desire bonds of friendship and comradery. Trainers are the key to this. Many wonderful relationships have been built between Pokémon and humans…”

“And what of the Pokémon hunters?” Charles interrupted. Joan wanted to speak over him, but she bit back her words to keep from foolishly lashing out. “Pokémon are far stronger than humans individually. This is a fact known by both species. Introductory battle is what we use to determine if a human is worthy of our attention or not. It is also common courtesy. Yet greedy people will gladly pay for Pokémon to be taken from their natural environment by underhanded means. There is no introductory battle with a prospective young trainer; no chance for the captured to gauge their potential partner.”

“But there are Pokémon rangers who work to stop such crooked people.”

“There aren’t enough of them. Not by far. And the more advanced human society becomes, the more selfish humans become. The more selfish humans become, the less they think about the consequences of their actions. Within the highest levels of their society, the politicians and their wealthy contributors live free from want. Yet they still experience it as their greed convinces them that they deserve things they have not earned and have no right to. Money, power and pleasure are all they care about. They will go to any length to defend it. One such man commissioned my own birth so that I might defend his treasures for him. He thought he had a right to my existence. He was wrong.”

“You speak of the human race as if they all share this greed!” Joan scolded. “You should know better than to generalize, Charles. Greed, wealth and power go hand in hand. Yet, there are humans who aren’t cruel or greedy, even among the wealthy and powerful! Just because some humans live in comfort and extravagance doesn’t mean they all do. Nor does it mean they all share the same selfish desires.”

“And? How long before the human’s natural desire for convenience raises their lower classes to a point where they can easily take their lives, and the lives of others, for granted? How long before reason and emotion no longer work hand in hand, and one trumps the other? When reason outweighs emotion too greatly, humans make terrible excuses for war based on false logic. Kanto knows this. One of their gym leaders suffers from the scars of war to this day, despite the brave face he puts on for his challengers.”

“And he was saved by a Pokémon! He has devoted his entire life to returning the kindness shown to him.”

“And what of his superiors?” Charles said as he put one arm behind his back. Joan could see that he had no hatred for her. Instead she felt that he truly wanted to convince her of his side. As he continued, she couldn’t shake the feeling that she was arguing with a friend instead of a rival.

“Lt. Surge is a valiant human, as are all gym leaders. Yet, they do not control the governments of their land. They do not have an important say in powerful corporations such as Devon. A certain Champion does, but he turns a blind eye to the crimes his family has committed. As the convenience of human civilization rises, the humans will fall away from their natural environment. They will seek pleasure in the virtual. Feeling will be how they judge their experiences and emotion will trump reason. Some will argue against the excesses of their society, but the majority will be deaf to it. What then, Joan?”

He paused and waited for her response. Joan didn’t like that. Charles had never been so articulate with his thoughts. His mind was focused now, his rage controlled. Had merging with Dark Arceus truly changed him so greatly? she thought.

“It has changed me,” Charles said, wonder and curiosity in his voice as he predicted Joan’s thoughts. “I have spoken for days with one whose hatred runs even deeper than mine. It has forced me to become more moderate, I suppose. More reasonable. Yet, you haven’t answered my question, Joan.”

Joan couldn’t help but smile as she saw a glimmer of hope for her friend. If he was willing to admit to the boundaries of his own hatred, perhaps there was a chance for her to make him see the truth in friendship and love. That didn’t help her now, however. Charles and Arceus looked at her expectantly, and her smile faded as she realized that she must answer.

All psychic-types could see the future to one degree or another. The fact that great events were never set in stone was why the Slowking College debated it constantly. There was still uncertainty, and that made it fascinating. Joan had attended the lectures on future events. She had seen the visions described by the professors. She gulped as she admitted the painful truth.

“When humans become too comfortable in the virtual, they will ignore the real. This is human nature, regardless of what universe you go to. Pokémon will become tools of convenience for humans, rather than friends and family.”

“But are we not already tools of convenience?” Charles said, his voice confident and direct as he hit his point home. “Of course we are. You and I went to the surface together, Joan. We saw many wonderful, and terrible things. I was changed forever by what I saw. Do you know what it was?”

“Charles, I…”

“Korish understands. And while she has been unfaithful to Dark Arceus for a very long time, her stance on humanity has never changed. Her heart simply longed for the family she had left in God’s Breath.”

Charles turned to stare at the Gourgeist, his hand outstretched and inviting. The Mouthpiece of Dark Arceus floated before her master, hesitation and sorrow etched on her face.

“You were once a different Pokémon, weren’t you? You were once alive.”

Korish shut her eyes tightly and nodded. Tears streamed down her face.

“How did you die, my dear?” Charles said, softly. Kindly.

“AZ made a weapon that sucked the life energy from millions of Pokémon…”
Korish stopped, the words caught in her throat. Charles laid a hand on her cheek and she leaned into it like a child seeking comfort. She wrapped her hands around the avatar’s arm and sobbed.

“Infinite energy,” Charles said with a tone of finality. “AZ created it. A man in Hoenn rediscovered it. It is the life force of Pokémon, and the humans still use it to power their civilization. Did you ever wonder where the Forces of Destruction come from, Joan? How they fill their ranks? Why their numbers are unending? Did King Siebold ever deign to tell you? He told me. I had to argue with him for days, but he told me.”

A silhouette moved on Joan’s right. She was already searching the room for some sort of help when she saw it. Even though the shadowy Mew had no visible eyes, she had the feeling that the one that had moved was looking directly at her and crying. Then, without warning, it vanished.

“The Forces of Destruction are comprised of those poor souls who have perished over the centuries since Infinite Energy’s creation. There are many universes. AZ has succeeded in the creation of his murder machine in many different timelines, and all the victims of those timelines have come to serve Dark Arceus. And let us not forget the Devon Cooperation, whose experiments I saw first hand. In the name of human progress, they’ve slaughtered more Pokémon than AZ could ever dream of. Look at God’s Breath and any one of the hidden towns and kingdoms founded by Pokémon for Pokémon! Why do you think they are hidden? Pokémon should be treated as equals to humans, and we once were. Yet, as time marches on, the humans treat us less as equals and more as if we are cattle to herd!”

“Charles, not all humans condone…”

“For the sake of convenience they do! ‘There’s a world ending disaster? Let’s slaughter some Pokémon to power our rocket! I need to transfer Pokémon from my team? Let’s power that teleporter with the lifeblood of Pokémon who were never given the chance to befriend a human! I need a funny decoration for my secret base? Let’s kill some Pokémon for that!’ The machines used by Pokémon Centers to heal us in our Pokéballs? The creation of Porygon? My own creation? Infinite Energy has made it all possible, and the list goes on.

How many wild Pokémon do you think actually know that the humans do this? Even those who have had visions of it refuse to believe it is real. All they see is the Rangers coming to help them preserve their homes. They’d rather pass off those visions as bad nightmares than see the truth.

I wanted to combat this horror with the power of God’s Breath, but Siebold would not allow it. He was too in love with the concept of the Shaymin’s promise, desperately hoping that the humans would one day see their error and be truly grateful for Pokémon once more. I was forced to become one with Dark Arceus to gain the strength to achieve my goals, though that doesn’t seem to have been enough. The dark one’s megalomania and love of carnage has caused quite a few problems for it over the years. The current state of Battleworld is a testament to that.”

“Then, Charles, do you think I did the right thing in creating humans?” Arceus asked.

“No.”

“And what of you, Joan?”

Joan looked from her friend, to the god that stood before her. Her mind was racing, and her thoughts were confused. She opened her mouth to speak, but she didn’t know what to say. The Unown on Charles’ body looked at her accusingly, as if she were the evil one.

"At least the ponies are nice,” was all she could manage.

“I agree,” Charles said. “It was the dark god’s nihilist attitude that led it to wage war on Equestria. This is also why it has waged war against God’s Breath for so long. Siebold and the Mew may have been wrong about humans, but they were not wrong to fight Dark Arceus. It would truly have wiped out all of existence if they had not. We have talked about this while fighting Doom, and we have come to an agreement. It is the humans that we truly hate, not the Pokémon or those from Equestria.”

“What of Lady Feefee’s song?” Joan said, desperately. “We’ve met with Lady Feefee and know that her song drove Dark Arceus mad! And you, Charles, wanted her quieted!”

“Her song is beautiful, but it was made with the help of a human, and with humans in mind. If the song is sung to Pokémon by Pokémon then I have no problem with it. Add the increasingly arrogant humans to the mix, and it suddenly becomes distasteful. As for my… near breakdown and past actions. I was created with a vicious nature which you and Gallah helped me to control, for a time. When we parted ways after our trip to the human world, I felt that I had no choice but to embrace my nature to combat the injustices I had seen. That, and merging with Dark Arceus was a difficult task mentally more so than physically.”

“But…” Joan said, still trying to hang onto her argument. “Lady Feefee told Princess Luna nothing of Korish’s past. Did she know that Korish was killed by AZ?”

“I never told her anything,” Korish said, simply. “I was enthralled by Dark Arceus to such a degree that my personality diminished. It was a pact I made willingly, and I take responsibility for it. But when Feefee and I spoke of our pasts, I never mentioned AZ. Some things are… too painful to speak of, even with such a good friend. I blocked it from my memory and told myself that I served to see the humans suffer, and for no other reason. Though, Dark Arceus knew better.”

“I still don’t want to declare war on the humans,” Joan said as she rubbed her temples. “Nor do I wish for them to be wiped out. But for now, will you call off your shades, Charles?”

“I will. They have no grudge against the ponies, nor do they have a grudge against God’s Breath, despite the long war. Even so, their hatred is not so easily quelled. Each and every one of them has suffered a senseless and painful death. They desire revenge against humanity.”

“But are the humans truly hopeless?” Arceus said as it turned to face Joan. “What do you think, young one?”

For the second time during their meeting, Joan was at a loss for words.