Time passed quickly—before anyone realized it, a whole month had gone by.
And in this month, the World Cup Tournament was still ablaze with excitement, and the most critical development was this:
The Masters Eight had finally begun to see rank challenges.
No.6 Leon challenged No.4 Alain, and in the end emerged victorious, claiming Alain's spot for his own.
And it hadn't even been a close fight—Leon defeated Alain without too much difficulty.
Without question, this battle reminded everyone once more of Leon's terrifying strength.
The second was Johto's current Champion, Lance.
Ranked No.8, Lance challenged Alain—who had dropped down to No.5 after losing to Leon.
And once again, the result was the same. Lance defeated Alain with relative ease, proving why he had once borne the title "the invincible Dragon Master."
To lose to Leon, then immediately to Lance… even Alain himself was starting to break. Out of all the people who could have targeted him, why did it have to be those two monsters?
Meanwhile, Blue challenged Hoenn's former Champion Wallace, and Red took on Kalos's former Champion Diantha.
Both matches ended in clean victories. That left just one more member of Kanto's Elite Four.
Countless fans had been eagerly waiting for a dazzling battle from Viridian's Giovanni. But…
Nothing. Not a word.
Still, everyone knew this much: the storm of the World Cup Tournament had only just begun. The strong would rise, and the weak would fall—that was the cruel reality of the ranking system.
No matter who you were, if you weren't strong enough, sooner or later, you would be knocked down. It was inevitable.
And Dylan? At this moment, he had arrived in the Sinnoh region.
"The scenery here really is gorgeous."
Lillie gazed at the rivers not far away, their beauty both grand and serene.
"Indeed. Michina truly is a beautiful place."
Dylan nodded in agreement. The Pokémon world preserved its environments very well, but even so, places as breathtaking as Michina were rare.
"So, big brother—Michina has a story too, doesn't it?"
Lillie adjusted the white princess hat on her head and blinked up at him curiously.
She had traveled with Dylan long enough to know: he never came to a place without a reason.
And Michina in Sinnoh was not exactly famous. Searching online only turned up scraps of information about it being an ancient ruin.
"Ah~ That's right." Dylan chuckled.
"A thousand years ago, Michina was still a desolate land. One day, a meteor threatened to destroy it. Then, a single Pokémon appeared and shattered the massive meteor."
He walked forward slowly, his gaze drifting to the ancient temple on the hill ahead—Michina's temple.
Leaf, Ilene, and Lillie walked at his side, listening as he recounted history long hidden in the shadows of time.
"Was it Rayquaza?" Leaf asked immediately.
After all, wasn't the prophecy of the Draconids that only Rayquaza could stop a falling meteor?
"No. It wasn't Rayquaza. It was Arceus."
Dylan shook his head.
"Arceus?"
Leaf's brows arched in surprise at the name. Neither she, Ilene, nor Lillie had ever heard of such a Pokémon.
"Curious? Then ask Rotom." Dylan chuckled lightly.
"Rotom, could you please pull up information on Arceus?" Leaf asked quickly.
"Of course, Rotom~" The Rotom Pokédex answered cheerfully. Dylan had long ago filled its database with every Pokémon he knew of.
Soon, the entry was read aloud:
Beep—Arceus. Type: Normal. The Creator Pokémon.
Ability: Multitype.
Moves: Judgment, Perish Song, Hyper Beam, Recover, Future Sight…
Description: Said to have shone its own light upon the Hisui lands, guiding and protecting both people and Pokémon. In Hisuian myth, it is revered as the Creator of all things. Described as the first Pokémon to exist, even before the universe itself came to be.
Hiss—!!!
The three girls' eyes widened as they drew sharp breaths.
What?!
"Revered as the Creator of all things?"
"Born before the universe itself?"
Good heavens!
Leaf was stunned. A Pokémon like that actually existed? Wasn't the Pokédex exaggerating?
After all, Pokédex entries weren't always completely accurate—they were often filled in by researchers, sometimes with a fair bit of exaggeration.
But since Dylan himself had supplied this data, was it really exaggeration?
And hadn't Dylan once said that "Hisui" was the ancient name for Sinnoh?
"Dylan, is this really true?" Ilene asked hesitantly.
"It is. Arceus is the God of Creation, the one who brought forth Dialga, Palkia, and Giratina."
Dylan nodded, answering without hesitation.
There was no need to hide it. Arceus bore countless titles: God of Creation, the Great One of Sinnoh, the Primeval Deity… Even as an avatar, its power bordered on infinite.
"That's insane~!" Lillie gasped adorably.
"Go on, Dylan!" Leaf urged excitedly.
Because the story of Michina was directly tied to Arceus. How could she not be thrilled?
"When it shattered the meteor, the immense shock knocked eighteen 'sources of life' from Arceus's body. Without them, it grew weak."
Dylan's voice faltered slightly here. Strictly speaking, the details didn't quite add up.
In the movie, Arceus's "sources of life" were actually its Plates—at once its power and its very life force.
Without them, it fell into weakness.
So the meteor itself hadn't truly harmed Arceus—the real damage was that the impact had shaken its Plates free.
But this was where things got tricky. In Legends: Arceus, the game's Arceus deliberately scattered its Plates across Hisui to test humanity and Pokémon. And even then, it was just fine.
The difference likely came from different aspects of Arceus—different avatars, different interpretations.
"Sources of life…" The three girls fell silent but listened on.
"Then came a man named Damos. He found the weakened Arceus and returned to it a single source of life. With it, Arceus recovered—and summoned back the rest of its Plates."
Dylan explained. Just one Plate was enough to restore Arceus's immense strength.
"Arceus was deeply grateful. Damos wished for desolate Michina to become fertile, so Arceus forged five of its sources—Ground, Water, Grass, Electric, and Dragon—into the Jewel of Life, and entrusted it to him."
Arceus's kindness was plain to see.
"What a gentle god…" Lillie murmured, moved.
Those Plates were tied to Arceus's very existence, yet it had willingly parted with five of them to help a man's dream for his people.
"That's right. But the ending… was far from happy."
A soft, melancholy female voice suddenly floated from nearby.
"Huh?"
They turned to see a slender girl with a bun hairstyle walking slowly toward them, her expression tinged with sorrow.
"Damos used the Jewel of Life to bless Michina with prosperity. But in the end, he betrayed Arceus. On the night he was meant to return the Jewel, he laid a trap instead—trying to kill Arceus."
Her clear face was shadowed with grief, her voice faint, almost ethereal.
"No way…"
Lillie was shocked. Damos… had done that? How could he dare?
Dylan only smiled faintly, intrigued by the girl herself.
"History is always filled with tragedy. Damos committed a sin that could never be forgiven." The girl bit her lip, sorrow flashing in her eyes.
Then she steadied herself, offered them a graceful bow, and introduced herself.
"Welcome, travelers, to Michina. I am Sheena, guardian of the Michina ruins."
Her tone was polite, but her gaze stayed firmly on Dylan.
"Hello. We're from Kanto. My name is Dylan."
He returned her courtesy with a warm smile.
Sheena was indeed Damos's descendant, inheritor of the power of Aura—a gift that allowed its user to sense and commune with Pokémon's very souls.
Leaf, Ilene, and Lillie introduced themselves as well.
Sheena's smile never wavered, though she felt a strange familiarity—especially with Dylan's name. She knew she had heard it before, yet couldn't recall where.
As the guardian of Michina, burdened with her ancestors' sins, she lived an isolated life. It was no wonder she hadn't kept up with the outside world.
"Mr. Dylan, forgive me, but… how do you know these things?" Sheena asked curiously as she led them toward the ruins.
The tale of Damos was a thousand years old. Only Michina's guardians should have known it.
"I enjoy studying ancient history across the regions. I happened upon this story while researching." Dylan replied with a chuckle.
"And what brings you to Michina?" Sheena pressed.
"Oh, nothing much. I want the Jewel of Life."
"??!"
Sheena froze, her face instantly changing.
He came for the Jewel of Life?
"Mr. Dylan, that's not a funny joke." Her voice grew tight.
The Jewel of Life was the only hope of soothing Arceus's wrath. Without it, if Arceus awoke in anger, the world itself might fall.
"No, no. I'm not joking at all, Miss Sheena." Dylan smiled calmly.
Sheena drew in a sharp breath and subtly stepped back. Aura welled up inside her, ready to flare at any moment.
If Dylan truly intended to seize the Jewel of Life—
Then she would call on Dialga and Palkia through the power of Aura, and destroy this greedy man.
The Jewel of Life was Arceus's treasure. No human had the right to claim it.
And certainly not the last hope of preventing its fury.
(End of Chapter)