According to Sinnoh's myth, The Beginning Story:
In the beginning, there was only chaos, waves of disorder where everything was mixed together. At the center, an egg appeared.
From this egg, the Origin emerged.
The Origin created two beings—time began to flow, space began to expand—and then from its own body, it birthed three more lives.
Through the prayers of the two, "matter" came into being. Through the prayers of the three, "spirit" was born. After creating the world, the Origin fell into slumber.
This story describes none other than Arceus, the Original One, and its time-space trio: Dialga (Time), Palkia (Space), and Giratina (Antimatter), along with the three lake guardians.
But in truth, the story is incomplete, for Arceus had one final "aspect."
After obtaining the Plates of Arceus, each bears an inscription about its nature.
Thunder Plate: The raging aspect that brings forth storms of fury.
Spooky Plate: The frenzied aspect that was granted the world's reverse.
The Sinnoh trio each embody time, space, and antimatter: Dialga, Palkia, and Giratina—creators of the material world. The lake trio connects time and space to forge the mind.
These are the six Pokémon Arceus first created. Yes, even the weaklings known as the "mushroom trio" (lake guardians) have surprisingly high divine rank.
As legend goes, Giratina was banished to the Distortion World for its violent nature, a place with no sky or earth—only a mirror of the real world.
Officially, Giratina is the Renegade Pokémon. Who was it rebelling against? The answer is obvious.
No wonder it's so hostile toward Dialga and Palkia, always looking for a chance to beat them down. It's probably compensation for being exiled while its "siblings" remained in glory.
Can't fight the Creator? Bully your brothers instead. And to be fair, those two were pretty terrible in the movies, so it's not unjustified revenge.
Dylan wasn't dwelling on all that now though—inside the Growth Simulation, he had already caught all three of the Sinnoh legends. Once he finishes Johto, he can bring one back to reality!
So this time, he's pushing through Johto as fast as possible—no leisurely training arcs.
He figured he'd be in the Hall of Fame within a little over a month. Perfect.
He just wondered… once Arceus wakes up in the Hall of Origin and finds out it suddenly has a "son," will it come take a look?
Ehhh… it'll probably be fine?
"I wonder if this world's llama is still intact…"
In the simulation, Dylan casually used Meowha to crush a Youngster Joey clone, all while pondering the real-world Arceus.
Under normal circumstances, Arceus shouldn't be damaged. But in the movie timeline, things are different.
That Arceus felt betrayed by a human it trusted. Its heart filled with hatred—it ceased to be a god and became a demon.
Once it healed its wounds, it returned to the world for revenge. That would be a problem.
"…Even if it is that Arceus, as long as it hasn't lost the Jewel of Life, we might still have a chance… right?"
Dylan wasn't certain. Arceus's portrayal is just that terrifying. Even without all of its Plates, it could still mop the floor with the Creation Trio.
A few hits, and Dialga was crawling on the ground, nearly dead. And that was with missing Plates.
In the Pokémon universe, Arceus is in a league of its own. While a handful of legendaries may be able to create or destroy worlds, Arceus goes cosmic—possibly multiversal.
It single-handedly drags the Pokémon power scale to that level. No one else even comes close.
Still, if it's just the movie-version weakened Arceus clone, maybe it's not totally hopeless… though this was just Dylan speculating.
He'd have to visit Sinnoh in person to check. All he'd need is to confirm the historical records in Michina.
The next day—
Unova Region, Opelucid City.
Home to the Unova League's headquarters.
Inside the conference room, Unova's officials wore long faces.
"What now?" one councilman asked hesitantly.
"What else can we do? Send Alder to drive Lance out?" another rolled his eyes.
"…Alder?" League President Francis looked toward the man in question, who had just returned to the city.
Alder: "..."
"Look, everyone, the way Lance came storming in like that… if I tried to stop him, I think I'd get flattened," Alder shrugged, scratching his head.
Yes, Kanto's Champion Lance had suddenly arrived in Unova.
Normally, champions from other regions have to formally apply before visiting—at least make a show of protocol.
Lance did not.
He just charged in, full force, clearly looking for something.
The room fell silent again. They all knew that Alder wasn't in top shape anymore. Asking him to remove Lance was hopeless. Better to hope the Kanto League calls him back.
"Kanto has gone too far! Do they think Unova has no backbone?" another councilman snapped, indignant.
"Their gym leader already took our Dragon God, and now Lance is running wild like it's his backyard?!"
He was practically in tears. Unova had its own regional legacy, and now that sacred dragon of legend was taken away by an outsider. And they were still getting bullied?
So what if they're the "strongest region"? That's no excuse!
Francis rubbed his temples. The truth was, Unova did lack strength right now. Alder just wasn't what he used to be.
"I already contacted Chairman Damalanthi. He assured me Lance won't cross the line."
Francis sighed. He didn't know what Damalanthi was thinking, but he trusted the man had his reasons.
"What about next year's World Championships?" another councilman asked carefully.
Right now, Unova had no top-tier candidates. Even if they forced Alder into the initial Masters Eight, he'd just get knocked out immediately.
It'd be humiliating.
"The Championship is a global initiative—we can't opt out. Every other region agreed," Francis sighed again.
"Galar must be desperate for clout. Sure, Leon is strong, but how's he supposed to beat Dylan?" a middle-aged councilman scoffed.
After all, the whole tournament was Galar's chairman Rose's idea.
"I'll resume intense training and step down by year's end," Alder said, taking a deep breath. "Iris from Opelucid has already grown strong—stronger than me now."
They needed someone in the Masters Eight.
"And I've got my eyes on two girls with great potential. They'll shine next year."
"Also… I'm thinking of recruiting N."
Alder hesitated, then added.
N and Ghetsis had already been rescued by the Black Dragon.
But during N's imprisonment, Alder had spoken with him often—and realized N wasn't evil. Just… idealistic to a fault.
And from what Dylan said, N had been kept away from Ghetsis, who had started blaming him for everything.
"If you think there's a chance, give it a shot. We trust you," Francis smiled.
Alder had always been loyal to Unova. If anything, his recent decline was because of past sacrifices for the region.
"If N becomes our new Champion, Unova will rise again," another councilman added.
Chosen by the Dragon of Ideals, N's strength was unquestionable.
"…If only we could recruit Dylan too," Alder muttered. He wondered how Caitlin's trip to Kanto was going.
If she could rope Dylan into Unova?
That would be checkmate.
Back in Rota, Kanto.
"Huh? Lance went to Unova?" Dylan blinked after receiving a call from Damalanthi.
"Yeah. He's after Zekrom," the chairman sighed, rubbing his forehead.
"Must've been the Goldenrod City incident that shook him. But Zekrom already belongs to N…"
Dylan mulled it over. If Zekrom were still dormant in its stone form, Lance—with his qualifications—might've awakened it easily.
This was Special Manga Lance with in-game qualities. His ideals were powerful, if extreme, but that's exactly what Zekrom cares about.
So yeah, it would've worked.
But now? Zekrom already chose N.
Would it abandon him to follow Lance?
Dylan wasn't sure… but he doubted it. Dragons like that don't switch partners on a whim.
In Black & White, even after Hilbert beat N and shattered his worldview, Zekrom didn't leave him.
"Exactly. And Lance didn't even file an application—that's against League protocol, Dylan. You get what I mean?"
"President Francis from Unova already reached out to me. Even Kanto council members are starting to criticize Lance now. Sigh…"
Damalanthi was beyond stressed. The Goldenrod City mess had just ended yesterday, and now this?
He could feel more hair falling out already.
"I tried calling Lance myself. He's not answering. Dylan, could you give it a shot?"
He had no idea what Lance was thinking. Did he really think he could take Zekrom from N?
"I'll try, but Lance is… stubborn. Odds aren't great," Dylan replied.
"Thanks. Just see what you can do."
Damalanthi had a bad feeling about all of this. It seemed Lance really had been deeply affected.
"Got it."
Dylan hung up and dialed Lance.
As expected—no answer.
At this rate, a falling out between Lance and the Kanto League wasn't far off.
Unova, Champion's Path.
A red-haired youth stepped onto the sacred trail.