FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Relishing in the nostalgic sensation the flashback had brought, Ethan once more found himself staring into a shapeless void, the Arceus visible in the corner of his eyes. There was a strange familiarity to it all, as if he had been touched by ancient being many lifetimes ago. Before long he came back to his senses, testing out his memory while looking up at the old legendary.

"I..." Ethan whispered, the mental image of Chica still burning in his mind, "... Still remember..."

"The seed is planted. When you next sleep, it will sprout and the memories that haunt you will be gone," Arceus responded, now covered in sickly purple flesh that gave off an odor of rotting corpses. Before Ethan had time to complain, the star turned once more as Arceus floated back, its body cold and brittle like an icicle.

"You may leave now," it continued, Ethan having trouble telling if the unusual voice sounded pleading or demanding.

"Wait! Since I'm here..." Ethan exclaimed while holding up a hand, deciding to push his luck a little further, "Would you indulge me with the secrets of the universe... Perhaps what the meaning of life is?"

"That is not for me to say," Arceus replied immediately, "I am not your god."

"So you keep saying..." Ethan mumbled, his head hurting a little but his curiosity far from sated, "If you don't mind, then... What are you, Arceus?"

This time, Arceus' expression seemed to change a bit. Its eyes narrowed slightly as it moved its head closer towards Ethan, as if inspecting him.

"I won't remember what you said, if that's what you're worried about," Ethan hastily added. He wondered what the problem was, thinking it was a reasonable question that would help give him closure to his long journey as a Pokémon master.

"Truth..." Arceus said in a lower tone than before while staring at Ethan, "Knowing it changes nothing... Pursuing it causes misery... Yet everyone always demands it..."

A twinge of worry struck Ethan as he wondered why Arceus did not wish to reveal something of that nature. Maybe he was being tricked? Maybe he would not lose his memories after all? The legendary moved its head back, staring down at him as its eyes returned to their original shape.

"My kind is not of this world," Arceus began to explain, "In our world there were no animals or humans, only Pokémon. We Arceus were a species that evolved beyond the rest. Constantly growing stronger with each generation, we were even able to achieve immortality."

A shadow fell over the ancient being's face, and Ethan thought it had switched types once more. However, the star remained still.

"Having conquered death, we became so numerous and powerful that our planet's resources were simply not enough to support us all," Arceus continued as its eyes drifted beyond Ethan towards a far-off distance, "We did not realize this until our world was but a dead husk, and the other Pokémon we had grown alongside were doomed."

"So... What?" Ethan asked while scratching his head, the insides of which suddenly started to itch very badly, "You came here from space? Man, how many years did that take?"

Arceus continued staring into the distance.

"Too many," Arceus answered bluntly, "After destroying our home, we scattered throughout the universe in pairs, searching for new planets to occupy. Thinking we were alone in the universe, we had hoped to find a budding world... One we could use our powers to make sustainable... But when we at long last found Earth, it was already habituated."

After what seemed like an eternity, Arceus' gaze turned back towards Ethan, less inquisitive than before.

"Not by Pokémon. I am referring to your ancestors, human," Arceus continued, "In the oceans they crawled and floated, completely unaware of their tiny insignificance in the world. Seeking only survival, they selfishly preyed upon each other for food, facing strangers and brethren alike with fear and wrath."

Ethan suddenly felt guilty, like he was on trial and answering for the actions of a few trilobites and dinosaurs billions of years ago. He wondered if Arceus really saw no difference between him and them, fairly certain that had he been an ichthyostega he would have stuck around to listen to Arceus' tale. To his relief, the pain and itching in his head began to subside.

"We decided to change things," Arceus said, "We infused our powers into a chosen species of plants, letting them suck up enough nutrition from the sun and soil to be able to sustain the ecosystem... An alternative to devouring each other. They are what you now refer to as berries."

"Hate those things," Ethan blurted out, refraining from sticking out his tongue in fear of divine retribution.

"As expected. My kind lost our need for food many eons ago, and with it our sense of taste," Arceus replied and moved its head to the side, "Unsurprisingly, our gift was mostly ignored in favor of the endless genocide your kind raged. We gave up on this primitive and brutal world, secluding ourselves."

"And... I assume..." Ethan whispered as everything he had always wondered about was finally beginning to make sense, "... Made more Pokémon?"

"No," Arceus answered immediately, swiftly crushing Ethan's expectations, "The introduction of Pokémon into this world came from the berries. The creatures that evolved a taste for berries and regularly ate them received a sliver of our power. This power built up after countless generations and they began to liken us more and more, until their biological structure completely resembled that of Pokémon."

"So that's why they look like animals..." Ethan muttered while scratching his head again, "I always thought it was due to how good they were at adapting, survival of the fittest and all that..."

"Such was true for your ancestors... Those that loathed berries..." Arceus said, and without missing a beat lifted its head higher, "Now, you know everything. Are you prepared to return?"

"W-Wait!" Ethan stammered in shock, still trying to work out everything he had just been told, "But... You came in pairs? Where's your partner now?"

Lowering its head again, Arceus fell quiet. Like before, it seemed to be contemplating whether it should be revealing such information.

"I told you of how my kind was good at evolving..." Arceus said, its peculiar voice somewhat meeker than before, "... She has transcended into a being beyond even my comprehension. Among you humans, those who find residue of her existence refer to her as Missingno."

Ethan had never heard the name before, wondering how it might have eluded his vast knowledge. For a moment he felt rather peeved that he was leaving the world of Pokémon behind, seeing how such a valuable creature still existed. He could have captured her somehow and brought her to Arceus, who now seemed less omnipotent and more tragic than before.

"So you're stuck here, all alone...?" Ethan whispered with a shrug, "... You know, despite your insistence, we really do think of you as a god. If you were to show yourself, we'd be flocking to praise you, and do pretty much anything you want."

"Forgive me, but there is nothing your kind can offer me," Arceus responded with a slightly more amused tone to its voice. Ethan suddenly realized that after talking to the ancient Pokémon for so long, he was finally beginning to be able to pick out emotions and various nuances in the way it spoke. Whether it was him simply getting accustomed to Arceus or his experience at handling Pokémon proving itself to be useful, he was not sure.

"Surely there must be something worth seeing?" Ethan pressed on, eager to see if he could get another response to try out his newfound skill, "There are new generations of Pokémon popping up all the time. I mean, do you even know what a Chespin is?"

"This world must not know of my existence," Arceus said sternly, Ethan finding both seriousness and a hint of annoyance in its voice, "If you were to comprehend my power and wisdom, you will end up becoming like my race... And this planet will end up as mine did. Only by considering omnipotence an impossibility do you have a chance of surviving."

"Happiness in ignorance, eh...?" Ethan muttered, suddenly thinking of his own quest to forget all about Pokémon. Giving off a small grunt, he realized he was still stuck in the same endless vortex, trying to decipher Arceus' sayings. He had already reached the end of his journey. There was nothing more for him to be found. He knew he had to let go.

"Arceus... I'm ready to go back now," Ethan said, ignoring his own curiosity and will to continue talking. Before losing his nerve and getting struck by regret, he had to return to the real world where he was but a naptime away from fulfillment. He would be able to prepare a note explaining what happened, and wake up to a fresh new start of life in a warm sleeping bag.

The ancient being did not speak a single word of confirmation as it closed its eyes, the hazy world around them beginning to move. The incomprehensible void bent into itself and imploded, creating a darkness Ethan had thought impossible until now.

"Ethan of man... Should Missingno in all her unpredictability appear before you..." Arceus said calmly while looking at him with surprisingly gentle eyes, "... Do tell her that I long for the time when we shall meet again."

"Right," Ethan nodded with a smile, "I'll tell her that you can't wait to meet me again."

The two of them stared at each other for a moment. Arceus's eyes narrowed, nervousness coursing through Ethan as the darkness grew more intense.

"N-Not too old for a joke, are you...?" he stuttered carefully, holding his hands in front of him. Arceus continued staring as Ethan's bravery ran low. Before he could apologize or say anything else, the darkness had completely engulfed him, and the old god knew that the human would very soon be finding himself on the surface of the world he had left behind so very long ago.

Looking at the spot where the human had been, Arceus made sure every last molecule of him was gone. It would never have imagined a creature as frail as a human could have made it there, through the center of the earth and past the unforgiving trials. It worried Arceus, who wondered if maybe it had been too negligent as to allow humanity continued progress.

"The Human Species..." Arceus spoke quietly, "A peculiar breed. As remorselessly harsh as they are happily naive... Thinking so highly of their own lives while dismissing that of others... Focusing upon their carnal needs instead of what is truly important... Should they not be able to rise above it through self-awareness and will? Are they able, but choose not to? Already they are a threat to the world, and the end of their evolutionary line has yet to arrive. How many centuries until the Earth is not enough to fulfill their growing needs? They remind me so much of us... Would you not agree, my dear?"

Casting a glance to its side, Arceus remembered where its partner had stood for so many billions of years. Now, the spot was empty, and Arceus was once more reminded of its lot in life. The face of the one it loved as clear as ever, Arceus laid down and finally went back to sleep.