Synopsis: The chase is now on as the only human god is hunted down by numerous Poké Goddesses all at once. Luckily for him, not everyone is willing to do this for Arceus and plots are being built around the renewed search for Asura.

Characters:
- Female Anthro Arceus;
- Asura (Human OC);
- Lots of Pokégods (mostly female ones);

Commission for: OcuKola

Chapters:
Chapter 1
Chapter 2 - Current

----

A Most Possessive Divine GF Pt. 2

The shocking attack in the Capital had gotten a bigger reaction than anyone could have expected.

Many Legendaries were stirred ‘awake’ as important details came up as the news shifted from the attack to the ‘finding’ of Asura among the citizens by Captain Arc. The attack had surprisingly ‘coerced’ him out of his disguise and had caused a major uproar of the two major cults.

Those fanatics from the Cult of Arceus decried the ‘passive nature’ of the governments in tackling the capture of the ‘Beloved One’, while a strong majority of moderates within them and those affiliated to the Cult of Asura were more keen to respect the status quo.

To the eyes of mortals, this was the prelude for a new war if not treated accordingly and some were worried about what Arceus may be planning to do with this new development. To the minds of the Gods, this was but just the beginning of more tribulations.

The invitation Giratina received was ‘limited’ just as she had predicted when Arceus called upon all deities to speak on what was to be done. She could hear and speak but she was restrained from doing further more.

Hence why the Renegade Goddess decided against taking part in any of that. As far as she was concerned, her goals no longer aligned with her sister in regard to Asura as time and loneliness had given her a true reason to no longer lust after him the way she used to.

Gone were the days of rebellious anger as only bitterness and clarity persisted within the Goddess of the Reverse Side. Thus, as the summit was happening, she was busy reading some newspapers and drinking some bitter coffee from her favorite cup.

Smiling fondly at the ‘#1 Dark Goddess Cutie’ white imprint on the side of the black mug, her chill mood was soon ruined when she perceived someone entering her realm of existence.

“Mother.”

The greeting was not as solemn, but rather a bored one as a certain pink-furred feline lady descended into the throne room and happily stood before her. Blue bright eyes shone a sense of familiarity as Giratina felt her unease mellow before her only parent.

Tiny as she was, Mew could appear as a young woman with a height issue. For the rest, her face, albeit youthful, had some ‘tiny and almost impossible to see wrinkles’, while her shortstacky frame tended to surprise many that didn’t know she birthed many Legendary Pokemon centuries ago.

“Giratina, I am glad to hear you didn’t go.”

“Hmph, and why should I even have considered that?” The Dark Goddess argued. “So my sister can have someone else join her echo chamber and let them hear the pretty voice she got?”

“That’s one point, but I am wondering if it has to do with the topic,” Mew nodded in agreement, but was also perplexed by her daughter’s limited actions. “Are you planning to do anything with Asura’s resurface?”

“Obviously. Just not in the extent or manner you expect me to. I had… time to consider many things.”

“Hm?”

“Do you remember our last conversation?” Giratina inquired, interested if her mother could remember that long ago.

“Ah… That’s been a while. Well, what was it about? You were definitely talking about killing your sister.”

“And why?”

“...Well, she got close to find Asura?”

She snorted. “Mother-”

“You know better than me that I don’t know.”

“And I don’t need you ‘knowing’,” Giratina argued with a hint of anger dripping from her tongue. “Was I right? She wanted him all for herself?”

“...”

Mew was quiet at this question, the playful glint that had been in her gaze vanished as she turned to the side and glanced at the throne room itself. Some of the colored windows had been gifts from Asura.

The pink-furred deity remembered the many times she stumbled on Asura actually working on those and struggling to do a good work. It would be him and a few workers, but none of the gods was given a chance to put their hands to assist him.

Especially Arceus.

Once, she remembered asking him the purpose of such hard work.

Son, why do you struggle for someone that doesn’t deserve happiness?

She could have worded this better, but Arceus had grown quite unstable at this point and appeasement had come out naturally for Mew. Yet, the answer that her ‘son’ granted her was by far what broke her out of the ‘spell’ that told her she could have ‘fixed’ her daughter in a long enough effort by keeping her happy.

Because Giratina is not bad. She is just unaware of what mistake she made.

And the gifts keep on being sent. For a time, Mew was not sure what those could amount to, but now she had a clear glimpse of what this led to.

It would be wrong to say that Giratina was currently out of the haze of love she felt for Asura, but her intense feelings have clearly mellowed. It was more stable, more controlled. And yet… there was something else lingering within Giratina that made Mew somewhat concerned.

“Do you really want to know even now?”

This time it was Giratina’s turn to be quiet. She tensed up, surprised by the counter-question, but her silence wasn’t as long as her mother’s. There were many thoughts crossing her mind, but her resolve persisted through it all.

“Yes.”

Mew closed her eyes, knowing that this was long overdue.

“The answer to that question is… you were right. Arceus was indeed isolating Asura around the time you ‘threw’ your rebellion.”

She expected some childish answers like ‘Ahah, I knew it!’ but Giratina merely stared away and frowned. Was she expecting something out of this? Mew was not sure, not with the contrite look of perplexity suddenly appearing on her face.

But as she questioned if peace would last longer in this interaction, she was brought back to reality as her daughter spoke once more.

“You didn’t go to Arceus’ summit. Why?” The Renegade Goddess asked as she realized her mother should have been there at this point. “Were you exiled too?”

“Oh? No no, that would put Arceus in a bad spot,” Mew assured. “And to be honest, I hadn’t been checking those formal meetings in a while. I don’t see a point to stop this now.”

Giratina leaned back as she appeared surprised by this. Sure, it was known that Mew had long disavowed any form of interest towards the handling of the higher divine council, but for her to actually be unwilling to pursue any form of interaction with Arceus was far from what she had long presumed.

“Surprised?”

“Yes,” She admitted, and Mew smiled at the answer.

“Well, my daughter. I am not exactly a puppet to Arceus, no matter how hard she tried to make it seem so,” The Primal Deity pointed out. “Alas, I can’t fault you. I had been far too lenient towards her for so long and I have refrained from being more understanding of circumstances up until a century or so ago.”

“Why?”

This time, it was Mew’s moment to appear surprised. “Hm?”

“Why did you change? What made you change?”

The elaborations helped clear the confusion, but it left behind a sense of shame that Giratina could perceive dawning over her mother’s face.

“I had a conversation. And from there, I tried to prove it wrong.”

“...You failed.”

She huffed. “More like I realized how much of a liar your sister has gotten. And here I thought I was close to getting through her obsession. But no, I have failed… you and Asura.”

There was a lengthy pause about it, and Mew conjured a cup of sweet tea as the two digested what was said in the last few minutes. It was indeed a rather difficult topic to entertain without further perplexity being manifested by Mew’s own decisions and her current plans.

In fact, Giratina was outright unsure of what her mother was up to. It was clear she supported her plans in not ‘stealing or containing Asura’, but there was more to it. It didn’t feel much like a proper ‘support’ from an ally, but the tender touch of a pragmatic opportunist. One with a different plan in mind.

“What’s your end goal, mother?” She ultimately asked, pushing aside other questions for the time being.

“I am afraid I can’t tell you the full extent of it. But I will just tell you this… At the beginning, there were two.”

This meant a lot. To many zealots of any cult, this meant an ‘union’, but Giratina was quick to hurl that theory away as she knew Mew was not planning that. No, it was something simpler and yet more ‘difficult’ to achieve.

“You want Asura to be the one to oppose Arceus,” She guessed, yet frowned as she knew how foolish that would be. “He lacks the power to beat her.”

“You are partly correct in both suppositions. However, I never mentioned what manner of combat would be entertained.”

She did not, but Giratina had no clue on what she was truly fixing her odds at. What weapon? What tool? A team? Allies and… friends?

No. After all, the sentence she used earlier was clear- it would be just Arceus and Asura. And they were going to clash somehow. She couldn’t comprehend how that would go- the way it would start and the midpoint. But in Mew’s mind that was going to end in Asura’s victory.

How?

But as Giratina wanted to press her on that, she could tell her mother was not planning to give her much to chew on this bone.

It was really frustrating, but she could see that familiar smug smile that left her mildly upset over what kind of dangerous plot the older deity had in mind for her ‘adopted son’. So, the Renegade Goddess shifted the focus for now. She had to find a way to unbalance the cunning parent of hers, and she had a way to accomplish so.

“What about the others? If you know the truth, then why not bring others to the table? Deities that could accept your word on it.”

Rolling her eyes, Mew appeared now annoyed. “Oh, I wish that was an option. But let me ask you this: is it a mother’s chore or duty to make her children fight with one another? Or should it be about finding a peaceful resolution to this?”

“What?”

“A civil war is unneeded nowadays,” Mew explained with a tired glance. “Mortals found peace recently, there have been two full generations of proper peace and I am not willing to let this peace die this way. Not when I know Asura would react drastically to this.”

Giratina had been moments away from pushing for war, but the mention of Asura’s own perspective had stopped her. She knew that the only human would have been quite horrified to learn that she had a hand into triggering a war. Same for Mew and other deities that had been staunch friends of his.

After being beaten by Arceus, the pride of being ‘above opinions’ for her supposed mate had taken a massive bruising and left her humble in regard to this matter. Despite the prerogative Asura had in leaving her to rot in her prison, Asura had never stopped believing that she could be better. Thus she became better by her own self-contemplation.

In the past, war would have been an ‘easy’ solution. But the past was not the same as now. She knew through her ‘Avatar’ in that silly hero group that the mortals were no longer as warmongering as they used to be.

The wars and rebellions took a toll on everyone, erasing primitive cultures and creating a fragmented society that existed on promises meant to be broken at the first religious push.

The situation was far from ideal. It meant playing ‘around’ Arceus’ current goals and, hopefully, snatching victory in a risky gamble. It meant playing a game which odds were against her from the very beginning.

Or maybe not.

“What if… instead of an alliance, it’s about a conspiracy?”

Mew raised a perplexed brow. “Whatever you mean?”

“We can’t go to war directly. But nothing stops us from actually tackling the matter with a group of people to raise our chances,” Giratina explained with a confident tone. “We would just need to remove the ‘hotheads’ from the group, keep those that are willing to be conscious of what is really going on and-”

“And they may not be pleased to work with you.”

Giratina paused at that interjection. It was the harsh but honest truth. And while she wanted to push back at it, she closed the eyes, sighed and… provided a solution to that trouble.

“Then keep me out of its planning and being mentioned as a founder of this group.”

“The point of what you are asking is to assist you,” Mew argued, confused by her daughter’s response. “What would it produce as a solution if you are not involved?”

“A lot if you are keen to ‘blabber’ the plan and for me to adapt around it. I wouldn’t be involved, but I would be aware of it.”

“It’s extremely dangerous,” Mew remarked, sounding stern for a moment but then mellowing at the intense look of hope Giratina was giving her. “But it is worth a shot.”

“Thanks mother.”

The old goddess offered a stressed smile at the delighted voice that reminded her that Giratina was still her child, while also knowing that it wasn’t going to be easy to recruit the right deities for this troublesome assignment.

At least she could start fixing her family now.

----

Multiple boat rides were never a fun way to enjoy peace. Not when Asura could barely stop to rest as he knew he was being pursued somehow.

The sea was Kyogre’s domain, and while the human doubted that the marine deity would pursue him suddenly without ‘feeling’ his body in the water, he knew she was going to be on the lookout.

So, he couldn’t exactly go through boat rides for long and that’s why he had a specific destination where to shelve the boat and continue through something else. He managed to get there in less than eight hours, and he was quite tired due to how tedious the stress could get at his age.

He was definitely ‘forever young’, but his mind was so full of information that it tended to worry about numerous terrifying things about his potential chasers. And now, as he entered the private roofed dockyard on the side of Plank Spot, he proceeded to anchor his boat and get his supplies out of it.

While he was busy with such a chore, Asura was surprised by an alarmed voice.

“H-Hey, this is private property!”

A bit too young to be the proper owner as Asura knew he was still alive, but… he was surprised to find a little Mudkip trying to threaten him with what looked to be a fishing rod. The kid was clearly a boy by voice and clothes alone as he wore a dark-blue half-sleeved shirt and short pants.

“I am a friend of your grandfather.”

“T-That’s- How do I know you are not lying, heh? What if ya are a-a thief!?”

Asura heard footsteps and the disguised human noticed a burly shadow approaching the boy from behind.

“Because, boyo, that ain’t a thug like ya think he is,” A grumpy old Swampert groaned, a can of beer on the side as he patted the child’s head and caused the kid to jump in surprise. “And definitely he ain’t a liar.”

The elder had a belly he proudly showed off with his open Tropical Shirt and baggy gray pants. Once a proud muscular fisherman, it was clear that retirement and general laziness had ‘mellowed’ his muscles as he had once predicted about his future. Eating a lot and drinking booze so frequently didn’t help avoiding that.

“G-Gramps?” The child asked, appearing shocked at this development.

Cracking a smile, Asura looked up at the ‘big jovial blue guy’. “Reggie.”

Reginald was an old friend. ‘Very old’ friend at that since Asura had befriended the man back when he was a lil’ Mudkip through the connections he had with his parents and grandparents.

Last time Asura remembered checking on him was when he gave the news he was to be a father, and he had taken part in the ceremony thrown at his baby daughter’s first year in this world.

A lovely memory for sure, but one that Asura couldn’t exactly lose himself for long. Not when the chase was still on and he needed to retrieve his next vehicle for the run.

“I heard the news. Quite the silly luck that got you stuck in that tight spot, Azzie.”

The lil’ Mudkip frowned at the exchange, but seemed to realize something as he held tightly the rod and heard his grandfather call the disguised human as ‘Azzie’.

“Ya’re Asura the Human, Mister?”

“That’s my name.”

“Really!? I thought gramps was always telling stinkin’ lies about knowing ya.”

The soft pat became a modest slap.

“Whaddya means that, lil’ Remy? Callin’ me a liar after callin’ our guest one? You better be done homeworking or I will see that you’re punished a’right.”

Gulping nervously, Remy bolted away, dropping the fishing rod and… giving Asura and Reggie a chance to speak in private.

“I will not stay for long,” The human confirmed, and the old man shrugged.

“Fine by me. The air is tense, so I will not push it, but do remember to visit soon because I wanna brag to the kiddo about the tales I told him.”

Asura offered a small smile. “I will. I promise you that much.”

“Good, good. Then, the thingy you are looking for is currently in the garage behind the house. I’ll take you there.”

The tour was not that grand, but Asura instantly picked up that things had changed considerably. The wallpaint had faded a bit, the planks were old and groaning, and… there was a distinct lack of ‘motherly noises’ coming from where the kitchen was.

“Been a while.”

“Quite a lot,” Reggie confirmed, not straying from his chore as he replied. “‘Pida would have loved to see you one last time before passing to Heavens.”

Limpida had been Reggie’s wife. A loving lady that was both soft and kind, but also quite vicious when her husband strayed. Time once again reminded him that people he met and cared for were bound to die in due time. Unlike those he cared about in the higher realm of existence.

But with how long he spent on the run, meeting mortals and seeing them go from youthful to buried, Asura was actually glad he could help them to see a natural death rather than one he would feel responsible for like it had been back in those wars.

“Also, I have some snacks and beer. I think you’ll need those when you see her.”

The comment was missed as the human finally arrived to find back his old ‘tool of adventure’ with the bag that Reggie gave him. The old bike was in surprisingly good shape, but it needed a quick maintenance check.

I could see why Reggie gave me a bag of snacks and the booze. I kept the snacks, pushing aside the alcohol as I got to work on the old gal to get it in shape. The job of fixing on my own was complex, but I had done this enough times to know what the old gal needed to be back to business.

Two hours later, I had everything patched up and ready to go out. Before doing so, I checked on Reggie, the chubby Swampert was back to his couch and snorting at the umpteenth ‘breaking news’ about potential leads over where I was. Little Remy was sitting on the carpet, listening to the reporters with quick nods.

“I’ll be going.”

Asura’s words took their attention away from the TV and onto him.

“Good to hear-”

“Can’t you stay?” Remy asked, whining and begging like many other children had in the past.

It didn’t stop Asura from having to hold back a flinch at this. “I can’t. But I will be back to visit.”

Remy looked ready to press on it, but his grandfather knew that it wasn’t an easy chore. Not when he too had been in a similar spot as Remy and now could remember how his parents had reacted to this.

“Boyo, Azzie will be back soon. He promised and you should not bother him like that.”

“But-”

“I am sorry,” The human muttered, managing to draw a quiet whine from the little Mudkip before he took off to get the bike and get moving.

Leaving the private property, Asura was soon biking with the bag of his things on his back, the disguise preserved despite the windy day while he shifted fast through Plank Spot and out of it.

Large screens in some shops showed that the ‘manhunt’ had resumed, with many ‘experts’ clashing loudly and, at times, viciously about the legitimacy of such an event. Some wanted to capture him because ‘it was meant to be’, but most of the old faith had long been gutted by the atrocities committed during the wars.

It was Arceus’ own single-mindedness that had pretty much set her up for failure up to that point, but while the human was sure that she could easily fall into that habitual weakness, he had a feeling this wasn’t going to be like the previous attempts.

This Arceus was much wiser and had more agents than before. And without a war to keep track of me, he was bound to be facing more methodical focus from his pursuer. The news that the Legendary League had already been dispatched to ‘end this needless chase’ didn’t leave Asura in a pleased mood, which is why he was already planning to go to one of the most secure properties he owned.

A small hut deep in Eververd’s Verdant Forest.

The rural settlement there was still quite antiquated and lacking much technology. Thus, the human doubted they would be able to track him down or, even if they did, plan out a way to capture him without him knowing beforehand.

The bad news in that ideal solution was that the place was quite distant due to the kind of route he was taking, and he expected to, at least once, be confronted by the Legendary League.

He had tools to handle them, but the most important detail for those to work was to play his card right. Asura could still remember how many mistakes he made through the centuries, but he was confident this time around that he could properly estimate his foes.

Leaving Plank Spot was just the beginning however. The place was quite ‘middle-urban’ in terms of size, but it was also the first ‘checkpoint’ to worry about. All exits had police blocks, so Asura was forced to take some unused tracks to get out of sight and not be noticed as he evaded the first of many hurdles in his path.

He was back on the main road after that detour, but he couldn’t help but feel he was being… chased. Asura was never the one that ignored that sort of gut feeling as it had saved him numerous times already in the last few centuries, and he was tempted to just stop and see who was actually tracking him down before taking any chances.

If he had been indeed spotted by those he was trying to avoid, then he would have to use one of the items at his disposal to ‘repel’ the Pokémon following him and get out of sight and reach for whatever ability they were using to keep a lead on him.

He was ready to employ his arsenal if it was needed, but it would be one less useful item for future confrontations. And, to make things worse, Asura spotted a police car passing from the opposite direction and suddenly slowed down to check on him. He didn’t need any further reason to be worried about them suspecting that he was the one they were looking for but-

Before he could have committed to dodge that interaction and prompted a more direct pursuit, he was surprised when the wind adopted a strange smell he recognized on the spot- it was a ‘hallucinogen gas’. The kind of which only unique Grass-Types could rely upon and, to this extent and range, it was clear a deity was behind this.

While Asura panicked as he activated his gas mask within the disguise, he saw that the target of the pinkish cloud that manifested from the gas was not him. It was a police car. The tense agents seemed to calm down and look elsewhere, picking up the pace and seemingly ignoring him.

The human was surprised by this turn of event, realizing that the move meant more than a few words. After all, he knew a deity or something close to that was aware of his presence, but as he struggled to pinpoint the one that had pulled that move, a single thought persisted within his mind.

Whoever was chasing after him wasn’t trying to capture him. They were actually helping him.

----

Shaymin Kid was the youngest member of the Legendary League, but also the one that was really involved in helping others.

Having been educated by her mama to be a proper heroine rather than one that fully abided by the will of her ‘goddess’, she was always regarded as the ‘most immature member’ by so many unpleasant reporters.

Truth be told, she knew that Lady Shaymin was always forgiving of her attitude as… she was chosen for it! That was the point of why she became Shaymin Kid- to help and assist those that were in need of help.

For two years now she had been the ‘heart’ of the group, dissuading the more active members of the fanbase to ‘recognize her as the main leader’ rather than Captain Arc. She didn’t have anything against her but… Shaymin Kid hated the way some people tried to describe her as the ‘silly irresponsible child’. And for a while she didn’t know why that was the case.

It only became apparent as she spoke with her mama about it, and the Zoroark was actually quick to explain the situation to her in a way that reminded her of her faith.

“It all started back when our ancestors were enslaved by those that still worship Arceus as the only higher being,” The woman explained kindly and lengthily. “When Asura broke his chains, he showed us that the slavery was wrong and that it wasn’t by divine decree. War occurred many times, but we all succeeded in beating back those monsters and acquiring freedom. Even as females, we should be glad that we are equal to males. It’s only through equality between us that we can achieve happiness and prosperity.”

The preaching of the Cult of Asura was more humble compared to those of Arceus. Doubt was cast not upon Asura as he was not a ‘flawless’ deity like Arceus. In fact, it was his flawed existence as an anomaly that drove many to understand that it’s fine to be different from one another but be able to understand each other through the meaning of kinship.

The many times Shaymin Kid felt upset of some of her classmates whining about her having male friends as a child and not ‘sticking to her kind’ as some females would whine about was just ridiculous. Then the Cult of Arceus shifted more into ‘forgetting the past, but affirming the old rule that Asura was meant to be the mate of their deity’.

If before Shaymin Kid would have been outraged by this decision, now that she represented a Goddess meant to protect the boundless freedom of will truly had her stacked against that concept.

So, when the attack on the Foundation Day happened and Asura was spotted, Shaymin Kid found herself shaken by how many in the League were actually willing to abide by the need to chase after the only human.

It was so shocking that she found herself quickly searching for advice. And she was able to get in contact with Lady Shaymin to fully express her many worried and questions.

“I-It’s so wrong! I thought we were no longer bound to just follow Arceus’ will for this kind of things- to help people and- and-”

“Do you think it’s wrong, my child?” Shaymin had interrupted, the ethereal ‘floff’ as she defined herself inquired with a curious tone. “You are the embodiment of mine, so you are free to speak your mind.”

“It is. No one should be forced to be anything if they don’t want to be that. Especially as mates.”

Shaymin smiled widely.

“I knew you were my best candidate, and now you exceed my expectations once more. Follow your ideals and heart, my child, and do what you need to do.”

Calling her mother to ask more answers further confirmed her feelings- this was wrong and she shouldn’t take part in this. Thus, Shaymin Kid was off to do her own thing.

The communicator was no longer with her, and the tiny tracker collar she was meant to keep for her wellbeing was also left behind as she took off on her Flight mode and decided to do something rather active on this concern: she would find the human and work to help him evade detection.

It was a risky job and one that could brand her as a criminal in Arceus’ eyes, but Shaymin Kid knew that nothing will ever get done if she paused and worried over her own reputation.

If it means saving more people, then I will do my best to protect those.

And thus, she was off to find Asura and provide him with assistance however she could. The plan was easier said than done considering she could only rely on a single ability to track down her ‘target’: her smell capacity mixed with her perception of scent through the wind.

Snatching one of the pieces of cloth retrieved by the hut presumed to have been owned by the human, the young heroine tried to get to work in finding where he could be but… for three hours, she got nothing on him.

As far as she knew, he was either in a place where his smell wasn’t being carried by the wind, or he was in a place dense enough with people to get mixed up with others.

It was indeed stressful, but the girl knew that she couldn’t call quits so early on. Three more hours passed, and after looking everywhere through this entire effort, she finally got a lead around Plank Spot. It was the first ‘clear trail’, so Shaymin Kid wasn’t completely invested in this being the right path but-

I-IT’S ACTUALLY HIM!

She couldn’t believe that she got him so quickly, baffled by how his scent would actually give him away like this but… then there was also the fact that she got him right as he was venturing through a small forest section to go around a police checkpoint.

The use of a bike was for reliability in irregular terrain but also due to how flexible the vehicle was for this sort of unexpected detours. It was also quite weird to imagine someone as ‘impressive’ as the human to rely on something as simple as a mere bike.

Clever, but not entirely successful as she spotted a patrol car coming right towards him. Panicking a little on what was to be done, Shaymin Kid decided to rely on the least harmful move she could use on the spot- Sweet Perfume was an unique ability she had tested out to relax and manipulate aggressive threats that were not to be harmed.

Thus, it was effective in reaching the cops and having them ‘forget’ the suspicious bike owner. But it didn’t seem to work in trying to corner the human as he had something in his disguise to outlast the sweet perfume.

Instead Shaymin Kid was forced to trail along and follow the bike through a few more miles. A boring chore to fly after him for that long, but one that led her to find out where he was trying to relocate.

The place reminded her of home due to how distant from major urban centers it was, but the man had taken it an extra notch by actually taking in the most distant house he could find within the area while also being within reach for the local market.

As the ride was over, the human got off the bike and-

“I know you are here, somewhere. Come out and talk, Legendary Child, or I will deem you an enemy of mine.”

The warning stunned Shaymin Kid for a moment. Was he aware of her presence? Sure, he definitely saw her trick the cops, but for him to know he had been tracked down to this spot was actually surprising.

Still, despite some unease, Shaymin Kid dropped out of her limited invisibility and landed a few feet away from the human.

“I am not here to harm you.”

Her warning didn’t change the guarded stance of the disguised human. “How did you track me down?”

“Y-your scent- I can spot it in the wind and-”

Before letting her finish, the human retrieved a can and sprayed the contents over his body. A quick sniff had her face churning a disgusted frown as the smell was quite pungent and unpleasant.

“Continue. Why are you here?”

“To help.”

“Why? Why would I trust someone like you?” He pushed some more, and out of instinct, the girl dropped out of her transformation.

Her height was the same, yet her fur switched from pristine white to dark black with hints of red here and there. Still, the main detail was that she was now a young powerless Zorua girl in front of a potential ‘deity with no powers’.

“If you think that’s enough to convince me, child, you better come up with a better idea or-”

“I really want to help! I mean… I don’t like what Arceus is trying to do and- and I want to help you, Mr. Asura!”

He looked surprised, and the now de-powered Shaymin Kid was also stunned by her own exclamation. Was she so upset about the topic that she hated Arceus? Maybe, possibly. But she doubted she would have the courage to say so in front of Arceus herself.

It was already heretic she delivered this so easily, but even more as it proved to be the one detail that sold her pitch. Or rather, one of two details.

“What’s your name, child?”

Gulping nervously, the Zorua mustered her guts once more to appear strong as usual. “R-Rica.”

The human nodded, moving to open the door and then turned to her.

“Get inside.”

Rica smiled, but she could tell that this was just going to be the beginning of many headaches in the near future once the others found out what she is doing now.

----

This was where he had been staying for long?

Arceus was not that surprised by what she was looking for as she finally was freed from the chore of alerting the rest of the pantheon and getting the support of the others to resume a ‘more subtle’ search for her silly mate.

The place was not magnificent, not for a deity, but Asura was never the kind of vane male that sought greatness in his humble abodes. He pursued comfort, he pursued solace- and yet decided her care was too suffocating.

Calm and yet annoyed, the high deity stepped around the hut as it had been stripped of most things. She could smell him here and there, some of his clothes were there to confirm this. Disguises too, remarking how clever he got through his efforts to hide himself within the rest of the flock.

The guards around the perimeter would give her the means to fully study and investigate the place herself, but also contemplate how things had gone in the last few hours.

The summit had been a mixed bag of feelings. She was able to retain control over the search and to have the legendaries pledge their support into this but… not all those worthy of note were there.

Giratina was exiled as she should be, Mew had refused to speak to her and has done so for three centuries now, but then there were peculiar cases such as Kyurem as she had decided to accept being a hermit together with Darkrai, Lugia and even Ho-oh.

It was a mild success and a mild disaster due to those notable absences and Arceus had thought the topic would have yanked all those deities that could really help to actually be available.

It was frustrating how that proved to not be the case. Especially when Shaymin just came to deliver a statement of ‘disinterest’ and that she would withdraw her champion from the Legendary League due to ‘their interests diverging from Arceus and her plans’.

The proclamation created a schism, a bigger one than the one she had been expecting and one that further coerced her to be more pragmatic with her steps. Despite her power, she knew that she couldn’t enforce an aggressive effort to root out her elusive mate, not like it used to be before the wars.

The world had changed, and while it felt deeply amusing she was expected to be the one to ‘follow its changes’, Arceus couldn’t do much about it. Not when other divine beings, even those staunchly loyal to her, would oppose her.

The fact that Shaymin of all potential deities would ‘pull out’ from this endeavor was indeed a worrisome pattern as she expected others to do the same. Then there was also the fact she doubted the Legendary League was utterly loyal as they tried to appear.

The Giratina Avatar was worrisome due to her mistress’ goals, but it was the strangely ‘giddy’ mood mentioned by her champion in regard to the Rayquaza and the Reshiram’s avatars that truly unnerved her.

Both deities had been rather opposed to her radical steps in finding her mate, showing some skepticism and outright rebellious attitudes during the Third War. Hence why this sudden interest could be a ploy to exploit her renewed search, which meant that her need to be paranoid was warranted once again.

As she sat down in that hut, a deep sigh erupted from her lips as she looked around and studied the world that he had built in his self-imposed exile.

“It could have been ours,” She muttered to no one in particular, but a vision of what could have been. “The house, the world, the people- but you had to be so stubborn about being my equal. About wanting to have a choice.”

It was a painful thought to even consider Asura her lesser. He helped her- she didn’t deny this. But it was more than just a matter of logical understanding. It was pragmatic radicalism against her beloved to protect him as he claimed her.

Not just for herself, but for their future.

How many times they tried to be more, but their duties kept them from having a small free time opportunity to be together? How many times has this sabotaged their chance to have a marriage set up or even have children? The many kisses, the many hugs, the cuddles, the loving whispers, the affectionate promises- did those mean anything to others at all?!

To Arceus, who loves her mate as much as she loves the world he helped her build, it was a painful realization that she was a goddes and yet not. She had so many wonderful powers but so many ridiculous chores that kept her from being happy. Personally happy.

She missed so many joyous moments in life, even more when the wars happened. When he refused to see her point and also denounced her like this. It hurt her, it made her jealous as she thought he was cheating on her or trying to refuse her for other foolish reasons.

But he stuck to his decision and his reasons. It made her foolish, but also worried as he kept on straying from her. To refuse her love as if it was the worst thing possible- so shamelessly so!

Arceus was snapped out of her irritated thoughts when she noticed cracks had manifested within the hut. Her wrath had successfully manifested through pressure, weakening the building’s structure and… making her once again a fool.

Maybe that’s why?

That horrendous thought kept on appearing from time to time. To shame her, to ridicule her, to make her think she was going too far with this but… she loved him too much.

She couldn’t lose him, she refused to let him get away with her heart. And while she would never hurt him, she knew she would have to be horrible to him to keep him from leaving her ever again.

Arceus hated that it was the only way she could ever hope to be happy with him, to have a proper family through him but… it was the only way. And as much as she loved to be a good god, she was also a woman. And she couldn’t live long without her mate to do his job like she would do hers once she was ready to be a mother.

Regardless of him keeping his free will, or becoming her submissive consort for the good sake of their love.