Pokemon: A New Path-The Awakening of the God of Creation[581]

A thousand years ago, in Michina Town.

A crimson light swallowed the sky, and a massive meteorite tore through the atmosphere, trailing a fiery blaze behind it as it hurtled toward the earth with destructive force.

Damos stood alone on the barren land, gazing up at the catastrophic scene unfolding above.

The townspeople had already been warned and evacuated. But Damos, born and raised in this land, refused to abandon the home of his ancestors.

The terrifying pressure in the air rolled across the plains, the fierce winds snapping at the edges of his cloak. Yet Damos remained rooted in place, staring intently at the descending meteorite, quietly awaiting the inevitable end.

But just then, a dazzling, divine light flashed across the distant horizon.

Damos turned, shielding his eyes against the brightness, and saw a being he had never witnessed before—a presence that seemed to tear through space itself and rush straight toward the falling meteorite.

Surrounding the figure were dozens of shining stone plates, each glowing with brilliant, radiant energy.

In mere moments, the figure collided with the meteorite.

The sky and earth turned colorless. The world fell silent. A massive shockwave tore across the land, stirring up clouds of dust and debris that swept outward in a violent surge.

Damos shielded himself against the gusts, his heart pounding, and peered up at the sky in shock.

With a deafening explosion, the gigantic meteorite shattered into nothingness!

The sacred figure, however, seemed drained of all strength and began to plummet from the sky.

Brilliant streams of light burst from his body, scattering across the land like shooting stars.

"What... what just happened?" Damos muttered, barely able to comprehend what he was seeing.

Without hesitation, he sprinted toward the spot where the being had fallen.

When Damos arrived, he saw the figure lying motionless on the ground, eyes closed. There was no sign of breath, and even the once-radiant color of its body had dulled.

Damos gazed at the being that had saved Michina. He remembered the brilliant light that had scattered from its body during the collision and thought, Maybe if I return those pieces, it can regain its strength!

Without hesitation, Damos sprang into action.

He searched the surrounding area for the large stone slabs that had fallen and, with great effort, dragged them back to the being's side.

The moment the first slab was placed nearby, a faint glow returned to the being.

Then, as if responding to some invisible force, the remaining slabs flew in from all directions, merging back into the Pokémon's body.

In just a few moments, the being was fully restored, now radiating a sacred, dazzling light.

Floating before Damos was a Pokémon unlike any he had ever seen.

"Human, you have aided me," the being spoke in a calm, divine voice. "In return, I shall grant you one wish."

"A wish?" Damos, overwhelmed by the presence before him, hesitated for only a second before bowing deeply. "If it's possible. I wish for my homeland to flourish."

The Pokémon, Arceus, studied Damos silently for a moment.

Then, five of the shining stone plates separated from its body and merged together, forming a gem brimming with life energy.

The scene shifted.

Michina Town. The day of the solar eclipse.

It was the promised day, the day when Damos was supposed to return the Jewel of Life to Arceus.

Arceus descended from his dimension and entered the human world once more.

Just as before, he arrived at the grand temple built in his honor. Guided by the temple guards, he proceeded through the stone halls toward the inner sanctum, where Damos awaited.

At last, in the vast, open hall, Arceus stood before the human he had once trusted.

"You must return the Jewel of Life to me," Arceus said simply.

But in the next instant, Damos, standing across from him, suddenly raised his hand and shouted:

"Attack!"

Without warning, beams of blinding light shot at Arceus from every direction.

Arceus immediately realized what was happening.

The humans, driven by greed, had betrayed him. They had broken their vow and sought to keep the Jewel of Life for themselves!

A deep, burning fury surged within Arceus. His once-golden eyes blazed crimson with rage.

Ignoring the fact that his body had not yet fully recovered, Arceus summoned the overwhelming power deep within him.

In almost an instant, everything around Arceus turned to ash and vanished, and Damos, too, lost his life.

"Damos. Humans. You must be punished."

...

In a distant dimension, Arceus, disturbed by dreams of betrayal, suddenly opened his eyes.

His voice, sacred and thunderous, echoed across the space.

Fixing his gaze far into the distance, Arceus soared. In the next moment, he soared toward the human world.

...

July 5, 201, Alliance Calendar – Summer.

A sudden mass of dark clouds gathered over the clear skies of Michina.

The thick clouds blanketed the heavens, swallowing even the sun. Within moments, the world was plunged into eerie darkness.

It was like nightfall.

The farmers and Pokémon working in the fields looked up in confusion, shielding their eyes from the gloom.

It was only ten in the morning, but why had the sky turned so dark?

Before they could make sense of it, a shimmering ripple spread across the heavens.

The ripple grew rapidly, forming a massive circular portal high above. Brilliant, chaotic streams of colored light burst from the center.

Then, emerging from the swirling vortex, a figure appeared—a Pokémon with bloodshot eyes and a presence that shook the earth.

"What... what is that?!"

The townspeople on the ground stared up in stunned horror.

Arceus hovered quietly in the air, gazing down at Michina with eyes clouded by fury.

Arceus' body began to glow with a blinding golden light. In front of his forehead, a dense orb of terrifying energy rapidly condensed.

"The time of judgment has come."

Raising his head slightly, Arceus hurled the energy sphere into the sky.

With a deafening explosion, the energy sphere detonated, unleashing a monstrous shockwave across the land.

The darkened skies were instantly illuminated by a blood-red light.

From the explosion, countless beams of light, like falling meteors, rained down upon the earth.

"Boom!"

"Boom!"

"Boom!"

The explosions echoed one after another as the fiery projectiles slammed into the farmland, the town streets, the forests, and the rooftops of houses.

Buildings crumbled.

Fires broke out across the town.

The panicked cries of humans and Pokémon alike were drowned out by the roar of destruction.

Townsfolk, unaware of what was truly happening, rushed out of their collapsing homes with their Pokémon, desperate to flee.

Suddenly, the town's emergency broadcast system crackled to life.

"Dear citizens! Arceus, the God of Creation, has awakened and is punishing humanity! Please evacuate immediately to the emergency shelters located behind the Pokémon Center!"

"Dear citizens..."

"..."

The emergency broadcast repeated three times, urging the townspeople to move quickly. Those who heard it rushed toward the Pokémon Center.

Before long, the underground shelter, freshly built just in time, was filled with people and Pokémon seeking refuge.

Inside the shelter, Officer Jenny and her Growlithe team worked urgently to evacuate and maintain order, while Nurse Joy and Chansey provided first aid and tended to the injured.

Some of the townspeople who were unharmed voiced their gratitude:

"Giratina was right! Arceus really did awaken!"

"Thank goodness we listened to Giratina's warning and built this shelter ahead of time..."

Even so, fear filled their faces.

Without Giratina's early warning, the consequences today would have been unimaginable.

Boom!

Elsewhere in the town, a Garchomp swung its mighty claws, smashing apart a collapsed beam blocking the path.

Behind it stood a young woman in a long black coat, her golden hair flowing in the chaos.

Beneath the fallen debris, a few weak, trapped Pokémon huddled together, surrounded by smoke and flames. As the beam was lifted, light flooded in—and the Pokémon blinked up at their rescuers in awe.

Cynthia frowned slightly as she glanced up at the heavens, where Arceus loomed, wreathed in crimson rage.

Then she knelt and spoke gently to the trapped Pokémon:

"Can you still move? Hurry to the shelter with the others!"

The Pokémon hesitated, stunned for a moment, before Cynthia and Garchomp carefully pulled them free. Checking quickly to see if they could still walk, Cynthia set them down.

The Pokémon gave grateful cries and ran as fast as they could toward the shelter.

Cynthia let out a quiet sigh of relief.

Raising her head, her clear eyes locked onto the figure in the sky.

"So that's the God who created the world..." she murmured softly, a hint of worry in her voice.

...

Meanwhile, on the high branches of a towering tree, a Teddiursa frowned, staring into the distant, chaotic sky.

Beside it, Mew floated silently, a rare look of solemnity crossing its usually playful face.

"Mew!"

The two members of the Great Hero Expedition Team watched with grave expressions as the terrifying Pokémon in the sky unleashed destruction across the land. Even the well-traveled Mew was left stunned by the scale of devastation.

On the ground below, panicked Pokémon fled in every direction.

Teddiursa and Mew immediately rushed to help, guiding frightened Pokémon to safety, while keeping a wary eye on the sky.

Faced with such overwhelming power... could the two of them even hope to stand against that Pokémon?

What should they do?

...

At the same time, back at Naoki's ranch.

Naoki, who had been happily playing with his Pokémon, suddenly received a message from Giratina.

[Giratina: Naoki, Arceus has awakened! We have to move quickly!]

Naoki's expression turned serious.

He jumped to his feet, changed into his gear, pulled on his signature mask, and quickly spoke to his Rotom Phone:

"Rotom, contact Kyogre, Groudon, Mewtwo, Ho-Oh, Rayquaza, and Calyrex. Tell everyone to gather in the Reverse World immediately! We're heading out."