Chapter 0576: The Power of One(Two-in-One)

The restored temple stood grand and solemn, drifting with specks of shimmering light.

"Senior Gold, that was so cool!" Ash's eyes sparkled.

Gold, pool cue slung over his shoulder, wiped his nose smugly. "Well, I’ve always been cool, haha!"

Back during the decisive battle in Ilex Forest, Gold had once fallen into chaotic spacetime before being revived by Celebi.

For Gold, "dying" was just part of the routine!

It was precisely this fearless courage in the face of mortality, and the unbreakable bond between Trainer and Pokémon, that deeply moved the grieving and disillusioned Arceus.

Natsume gave a wry smile.

Reckless? Perhaps. But it was undoubtedly a unique battle style.

In wild battles, even Red might struggle against "Gold the Fifth"!

As for Ash... he was a special case. Being a human revived by Ho-Oh, he was practically immortal...

With the crisis averted,

Both turned to look at Natsume-sensei, who had fought continuously at full strength.

"Why are you staring?"

Natsume said casually, "It was just beating up one Arceus."

Gold and Ash both froze momentarily before breaking into smiles.

That was so typical of Natsume-sensei!

The man who always stepped up when needed, despite his nonchalant demeanor.

It was precisely because of this trust that Gold had passed the baton to Natsume.

"I've got good judgment after all!" Gold thought proudly.

"Gengar~"

Gengar materialized behind Natsume, giving him a big slobbery lick.

The emotions unleashed in desperate moments were the most beautiful things in the Pokémon world.

After this battle, Gengar's power had grown significantly again.

Ignoring his paralyzed condition, Natsume rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

In gaming terms, Mega Gengar had just one-shot Arceus's avatar, gaining massive EXP!

"So I'm a Champion now..."

The realization came belatedly, bringing both exhaustion and surreal feelings.

Beyond strength, what truly defined a Champion were their convictions and mission.

Hoenn Champion Steven (Special Edition: Gem) single-handedly held back Kyogre and Groudon.

Sinnoh Champion Cynthia rides Garchomp in （Pokémon Generations）, charging toward Spear Pillar to confront the Temporal and Spatial Dragons.

Galar Champion Leon stands alone in （Pokémon Sword & Shield）, facing the Dynamaxed form of Eternatus…

Natsume looks down at his palm, then slowly clenches it.

Now… this is my Champion moment.

To be precise—it’s the Champion legacy forged by me and my comrades-in-arms.

Natsume smirks, glancing back at his Pokémon.

Gengar grins wildly: “Gengar~~”

Natsume pats Gengar’s head.

“Gengar~~” Gengar stands on the ground, laughing with its mouth wide open.

Sylveon, eyes flickering silently… Blastoise chewing on a Revival Herb… Arcanine, battered but unbroken…

And Togepi, who miraculously rolled an illegal “Oración” to quell Arceus’ wrath.

Larvitar gnaws on the marble pillars of the Hall of Origin: “Larvitar~ (￣～￣)”

Natsume suspects even Arceus’ Plates wouldn’t survive Larvitar’s digestion.

“Sinful, sinful.”

He lifts his gaze to Sirfetch’d.

The valiant white knight standing at the front—

“Sirfetch’d! (′︿‵)”

Sirfetch’d trembles, pale with post-battle dread.

I just… slashed Arceus!

What if It revives and comes after me?!

So scary~~ Duck!!

Natsume’s eye twitches.

Pretty sure this Sirfetch’d is hacked.

You cut Arceus, and now you wanna slack off?!

“When will Sirfetch’d rise again?!” Natsume’s hands go cold, shaking with frustration.

“Beep… Pokédex registered Arceus’ data, Rotom!”

The Rotom Pokédex levitates, saving a photo of Arceus.

The Pokédex logs their encounter count as ‘1’.

Defeats… boldly displays ‘1’!

Good guy, we’ve got proof of wrecking Arceus now!

Beyond that, it’s a proper finale—completing the entire dungeon chain.

Natsume’s eyes flicker, memories flashing:

Natsume’s eyes flicker, memories flashing:

From Alamos Town’s time and space turbulence, bonding with the Temporal and Spatial Dragons and Darkrai…

To surviving Giratina’s Reverse World disaster, escaping glacial collapse…

Now here, in the Hall of Origin, concluding the battle against Arceus.

Sinnoh’s longest, hardest journey… is finally over. Probably.

Natsume chuckles, patting his own shoulder.

________, Natsume-sensei!

Gold and Ash exchange glances, then nod at Natsume-sensei.

In the next moment, they sprint forward, lunging for a hug!

Gold’s halted by Togebo, who blocks him from nearing “Its sister”: “Togekiss! (〃′皿`)”

But Ash’s charge carries terrifying momentum—worse than facing the llama god!

Natsume pales, yelling: “Stay back!!”

Too much speed. The superhuman can’t brake.

Natsume used “Dodge”!

He sidesteps, and Ash crashes into empty air.

“Huh?” Ash blinks, scratching his head.

Natsume exhales in relief.

Close call. A hit from this idiot would’ve sent me straight to the afterlife!

Wait—can I bill Sinnoh League for medical fees?!

Golden dust drifts through the temple.

The group settles into calm, taking respite.

Gold lies surrounded by Pokémon as Togebo vents on him: “Togekiss! (╬◣д◢)”

(This Togekiss is Attack EV-trained!)

“Help!!” Gold wails.

No one responds.

Ash hoists Pikachu, scanning the temple: “How do we leave?”

Natsume nibbles Old Gateau, Sylveon’s ribbon coiled around his arm: “Dunno. Palkia can probably track us.”

“Can I try some?” Ash eyes the jewel-like treat.

“Stick to Pokéblocks,” Natsume says. “Tastes fine—I eat them often.”

“Natsume-sensei,” Gold shouts mid-scuffle, “Free me from the blacklist when we’re back!”

Natsume pauses, then nods. “Fine… You earned it today.”

“I’ll even toss in a one-day admin pass!”

Gold: !!

The grand oath is fulfilled!

I, Gold, shall wield mod power at last!

“Who to ban first…” Gold mutters, arms crossed. “Miltank… Lt. Surge…”

Natsume’s eyelid jumps.

You’ve got a grudge list too?!

One thing’s certain—Gold’s revival was Arceus’ doing.

Arceus stands above other legendaries, rivaled only by Ultra Space’s Necrozma.

Eternatus’ Dynamax form may rank higher in species strength… yet performs worse than Mewtwo or Deoxys.

Legends about the llama vary, but Natsume leans toward Arceus having projections across timelines.

The Arceus from earlier, influenced by negative emotions, gradually faded after renewing Its trust in humans.

A new avatar will form in this timeline.

Whether it retains memories of Ash and the others... Natsume isn’t sure.

But judging from the later Hoopa Movie... Arceus didn’t "reset Memory" like Ash did.

As he pondered, a golden pillar of light descended upon the highest platform at the end of the staircase.

The phenomenon took Ash by surprise. Gold silently tightened his grip on the pool cue.

Within the light, Arceus’ form materialized, its radiant aura exuding goodwill, Its gaze gentle.

A soft glow enveloped Arceus and Natsume. After signaling to Gold and Ash, Natsume stepped toward the light.

Natsume cautiously asked, "Arceus?"

No reply came. After a pause, Arceus’ voice resonated in his mind.

"We meet again, Natsume."

"You are—"

Natsume met Arceus’ eyes—eerily familiar, as if sorrow had receded, replaced by renewed hope.

"The original one?" Natsume ventured.

Arceus gazed into the golden light, then spoke softly:

"I am Arceus. I come to offer apology and gratitude."

Now restored to reason, Arceus had witnessed Natsume’s efforts to mediate Sinnoh’s time-space turbulence.

It saw the Legendary Pokémon fighting with all their might... and the courage of humans.

Arceus sensed Natsume sought nothing in return.

He saved the collapsing world purely out of duty.

Yet the just Arceus owed him apology and thanks—hence why It revived Gold.

"Your efforts and courage deserve recognition," Arceus declared.

Natsume hesitated.

Every time, I get dragged into these messes.

First Wallace, then Ash and Gold.

If anything motivated him, it was just the stubborn will to survive alongside Pokémon.

But facing Arceus now...

Natsume carried the resolve of Gold, Boss Giovanni, Ash, and the rest.

They trusted him. He couldn’t turn away.

With a resigned sigh, Natsume smiled wryly. "I had no choice."

Running away might be shamefully effective...

But when needed, someone had to take responsibility—even unwillingly.

Arceus’ eyes glimmered with faint amusement. It saw a brave and kind heart.

Even if he mastered hypnosis, poison, Perish Song... even if his Togepi could summon Grass Whistle...

He still qualified as a Messenger—

A mediator of calamity, a savior of worlds.

Arceus prefers this Human's character over the reckless Gold and the immature Ash.

"I trust you won’t refuse this mission," Arceus said, smiling.

Natsume: ?

A spike of alarm shot through him. "Wait, what mission?! Explain first!"

"This is my gratitude—strength from my origin."

Arceus lightly tapped its hoof, and a soft glow rose, floating toward Natsume.

Without thinking, Natsume reached out. The glow, as if alive, slowly merged into his palm.

"The power to mend the order of time and space, to feel the hearts of Pokémon."

Arceus spoke: "You humans call it... The Power of One."

Natsume froze for a moment.

"Then what’s the cost, Arceus?"

"Merely my gratitude to you," Arceus replied with a smile.

"Of course, The Power of One carries the strength to soothe hatred. When disaster comes, you may need to step forward."

"That is... the mission of a Trainer." Arceus blinked almost playfully.

Natsume: "..."

So you’re thanking me... by making me work for free?!

What kind of dangerous Trainer life is this?!

"You’re saying..."

Natsume took a deep breath and gave an example: "If Groudon and Kyogre start fighting, does the Messenger need to step in?"

"No."

Natsume sighed in relief—until Arceus added with a smile:

"But I believe you wouldn’t stand by and do nothing."

Natsume: ?

In the Pokémon world, the deities generally show kindness toward humans.

When legendary Pokémon run rampant, those like aura wielders or Rainbow Heroes must rise to the occasion.

The Power of One is a symbol of Arceus’s own strength.

Natsume’s mood was delicate.

Are we stacking buffs here? One title after another?!

Just then, the System finally chimed in with a notification.

[Ding! Achievement unlocked: Arceus: To a Conquering Spacetime!]

[Special Reward: The Power of One!]

This is just pocketing the bonus for yourself!

You took the reward Arceus gave me and skimmed off the top!

[?]

Arceus gazed deeply at Natsume and spoke slowly:

"The Power of One can transcend the laws of time and space, correcting what humans call paradoxes."

"This strength is yours... and you possess the spirit and character to wield it."

Natsume fell silent for a moment.

Arceus clearly understood something, but neither it nor Natsume pressed further.

What mattered was a Trainer’s conviction and the genuine bond with their Pokémon.

Natsume shook his head and stared at his palm. Unlike the blue ripples of "Aura Transmission,"

The Power of One emitted a white light—like a massive radar, sensing the Specific location of nearby Pokémon.

Is this...

"Mom never has to worry about Sylveon getting lost again"?

For Gym Leaders everywhere, this would be a blessing. Natsume could now easily retrieve challengers who wandered off.

Natsume dismissed the glow and said to Arceus: "I’ll accept it. But I can’t promise anything about being a mediator of calamity."

Arceus’s eyes shimmered with amusement as it replied gently:

"There is one more thing... that requires your strength."

Now Arceus is making demands?!

"In the Kalos Region, a Fairy-type Plate remains unclaimed. With The Power of One, you can sense its location."

"I cannot retrieve it directly... so I need your help."

"In return, I will lend you the Fairy-type Plate for a time."

Arceus smiled. "It will greatly benefit your Sylveon."

Hearing this, Natsume fell into thought.

In the Sinnoh Region, Arceus’s Plates were incomplete...

Mainly because the fourth generation didn’t have the Fairy type yet.

So that Fairy-type Plate must be tied to Kalos’s Diancie—or perhaps Xerneas, the Life Pokémon.

For Sylveon, this was a crucial chance to grow stronger...

Is this the point of no return on the path to a full Champion team?!

Natsume let out a long sigh.

"Let me think about it. For now, just send us back."

Arceus nodded, and the white mist around them faded. "Very well."

"One more thing." Arceus paused, then added in a learned tone, eyes glinting:

"Natsume... we are friends."

Natsume was taken aback but nodded with a warm smile:

"Then can you fix the cracks on my Blastoise’s shell and give it a polish too?"

Arceus slowly produced a question mark: ?