#plot: second checkpoint

Heidi, Hera, and Arceus were still sitting in the kitchen as they continued to talk. Heidi shared some of her feelings and concerns of the upcoming battle. Hera talked about the Celesteela that she, Zinnia, and Rayquaza encountered and are taking care of. Arceus spoke more about some of the people that she's encountered in Heidi's and Hera's world through her checkpoint system. They were each having a good time in each other's company while they passed the time. 

Eventually, however, there was still one last thing that they wanted to focus on.

Heidi took out Meredith's Soul Dew and looked for a moment. She watched as the energy within it swirled and flowed, like a chaotic river revolving around it. To think that there was a way to bring her mother back in some form was a lot for her, but she still had the faith that Leah's final lesson would be a good one. After all, Leah trusted her so much that she, Rachel, and all of Rachel's children except Jeanne returned home without witnessing the fruits of her labor. 

"I believe in your fortitude, Heidi," Leah reassured her. "You've progressed much faster than even Izanami had anticipated. You'll be a fine woman and an even finer Arceus. So, as a reward, consider this last lesson as a little bit of… extra credit~"

"...Mama…." In the present, Heidi's face turned soft as she continued to look at it.

Then, there was a hand that was placed on her shoulder. "It's fine, Heidi." It was Hera's. "I trust in you that you'll get this done."

"Thanks, Hera."

Arceus smiled. "Remember, Heidi… focus on the orb… close your eyes and imagine it… imagine your mother… channel your energy into the orb and use it as a vessel to recreate her as you remember her… think of every detail about her from head to toe, and from snout to tail…."

Heidi let out a deep breath. She then closed her eyes. 

"I'm here if you need help. This first time is hard to do, after all."

"Thanks…"

Heidi focused on the orb as her eyes were closed. She thought of Meredith's features…. She remembered her mother's shorter but elegant stature…. She imagined Meredith's human form's fair skin and coarse, crimson hair. She remembered the ceremonial beige and white gown that she wore in times of peace… She recalled her hands and arms… her chest and abdomen… her legs and feet…. She imagined all parts of her human form constructed out from the vessel that was her Soul Dew. She then remembered her Latias form… her thin features of white and red… her soft snout and fluffy exterior… her small arms and sharp yet gentle claws…. That, too, was constructed within her body in her mind…

Heidi channeled her energy within the orb, but it seemed to be a little difficult to do so. This wasn't some contraption or tool that she was making. It was a complex organism, with more features and abilities than she's ever known. She kept trying at it, but ensuring not to try too hard… yet progress was slow and felt difficult to do while focusing for so long. Could she really do this…?

Then, a hand was placed on her shoulder again. It was Hera cheering her on. She knew that Heidi was struggling and wanted to provide support. Heidi stopped tensing up and started to relax a little more.

Then, Arceus spoke up. "If you and Lacey are aligned, it's okay to go into High Power form for this, Heidi."

Heidi nodded and, while maintaining focus on the Dew, she called out to me.

Lacey…

Yes. For Meredith Okaa-sama. Let's do this for her.

Heidi and I were aligned and combined, powering her up to her High Powered Form. She had even more focus than before. She continued imagining Meredith, adding additional details of her figure. Then, when it was time to channel her energy into her, Infinity Energy rapidly yet orderly flowed from her, though the Soul Dew, and into the figure… like a speed boat flowing through a fast canal. Bit by bit, the energy flowed from the Soul Dew and onto the figure, filling it with as much energy as necessary. 

Then, several moments later, she heard the result of her labor, and proceeded to stop the active flow.

"H--huh?" Meredith looked around and started to check her hands. She then looked at Heidi. "H--Heidi?"

"H--huh!?"

Heidi and Hera were baffled as they rapidly blinked in Arceus's direction. What did she mean that she was that creature's lover!? Not only that, but she said that she was responsible for its banishment!? Just how strong and strange is she?

Arceus chuckled nervously. "H--hey, guys. Don't look at me like that! I know that it sounds a bit crazy, but it's true!"

Hera shook her head. "Well, it's not necessarily that. It's just…"

"...you suddenly gave us more questions than answers, Lacey." Heidi scratched her head. "Also, I have to take some time to think about… well… the fact that there's a version of me out there that dated a version of Melony--"

Hera continued shaking her head. "Yeah, no. Hel and I are sisters, but I really don't see her in that way--"

Arceus looked between the two of them blankly. Then, realizing their confused faces, she laughed. "Aww. Don't think about it like that. Though, I guess in retrospect, my connection to her is probably why your fates with Hel and Melony are tied the way they are. Sorry about that."

The three girls laughed together. Heidi then decided to reassure Arceus. "It's fine. Not your fault. I'm sure we'll be able to get over it."

Hera joined in the reassurance. "Yeah. Though, I'm sure that Hel and Melony will feel awkward, too. Anyway, can you talk more about your relationship with… Helony I guess?"

Arceus nodded. "Well, we met because she tried to entrap me to my desires while I locked away my powers and memories to live a human life in a world for a while--"

"You can do that?"

Arceus nodded. "Yeah. Brings out the maximum enjoyment whenever I want to relax in a world for a while, and it was always just enough to where it would kick in before I could be killed. Anyway, she found me like that once. For a while, it worked while my abilities were locked. She fed on my desires as a human, but doing so eventually unlocked my powers, causing me to awaken and no longer be affected. She thought it was a trick and the two of us left the planet and fought each other. I beat her, but I didn't want to really harm her. She wasn't directly causing the doom of the world, after all. So, I spared her on the condition that she journeys with me for a little while. She decided to do so, and we became friends -- and eventually started dating."

"And how long did that last?"

"Oh, a really long time. Eons, even. There were even times where I would start a checkpoint with a version of myself and she would serve as a guide for them. Eventually, though, when she started gaining a peak amount of strength, Helony started to… change…."

"In what way?"

"Well, ever since we started dating, she always wanted to make a world for herself. Strange and powerful as she may be, she still was no Arceus. She wished to settle down in a world that she created and watch over it with me by her side…. Unfortunately, that desire started to consume her, too, as even she was being affected by her own abilities." Arceus shook her head. "Then, she discovered that the way that she had the chance to do so was to defeat another Arceus and take their power for herself. I tried to talk her out of it, as the other Arceus that we encountered were nice, wished us well, and were innocent from her situation, but, eventually, she lost control and attempted to murder another Arceus. I stood in the way and defeated her… but I couldn't get myself to kill her." She sighed. 

"So, you banished her?"

"Yeah… warped reality around her and banished her to goodness knows where. She's been trapped there ever since…." She sighed again. "So, you can probably guess my surprise when it turned out that Melony and Hel were a part of her all along--"

"Oh… I see." Heidi felt a little guilty. How sad of a story -- two lovers that ended their love due to another falling from grace. She's heard of many stories just like it, but never expected to hear about it first-hand. "Have you… tried looking for her before this?"

Arceus nodded. "To a limited extent, yeah. For the most part, without settling down in a world, I can only exist independently by latching myself to another version of us, so it's been really difficult to break from that to look for her. I even had no idea that she would be tied to Giratina in the first place, too." She shifted a little. "I've… felt guilty about my actions and have wanted to ask for her forgiveness for banishing her… see if she's changed, too. Maybe we can even find a way to work out a way to turn her into an Arceus, too."

"Mmm." Heidi nodded. She could feel the pain and guilt from Arceus. Suddenly, it made so much sense why she wanted to speak about it with them. She wondered what Arceus would do, now that she knew where her lover was.

Arceus looked back at the two of them and returned to her smiling self. "Either way, thank you… both of you… you've already done so much more for me these short weeks than I've done for you. How about this: when you're done against Friede, Heidi, maybe the three of us can go visit her together… with Hel and Melony with us, too, of course. I'll make sure to protect you from her true form, but I think it'd be nice if we all went to check in on her. That'll be our next checkpoint, too~."

Hera nodded. "Sounds like a good idea." 

Heidi nodded as well. "Just… give me some time after the battle before that."

"You're... still alive...."

The hardest part about no longer feeling the boundaries of time that one has no idea how long it's been since particular events, as she can only know from being told.

How long has it been since she banished her dear dragon love? How long has it been since she made that choice to show her mercy? It could have been decades... millennia... even the age of a universe several times over.

No matter how long it's been, it still feels like just yesterday to her.

Arceus remembered the dragon -- a beast of pure desire.... The dragon travelled from world to world to grant its victims the power to perform their desires. She would feed into their desires more and more as they grew reliant on her... before eventually departing when she had her fill -- leaving the victim to fall into despair and experiencing the consequences of their actions.

She remembered the day they met--

--

"H--hello?" Arceus was in a world with her powers and memories sealed. She was known as Hannah at this point -- a trainer and adventurer who obtained badges from several regions. Hannah had lived for far more years than she was expecting, even gaining the respect of the Lugia of this world. So, when she noticed that she gained the attention of another creature, she wasn't all too shocked--

--or, at least would have, were it not for the strange aura.

"Wh--who's there?" Hannah prepared her Master Ball. "I don't take kindly to sneaks, I'll have you know!"

When the beast spoke to her, it was beyond explanation. It was silent yet booming at the same time... reassuring yet stern....

"...Huuuuman.... I heard that you are searching for the truth of yourself, is that correct?"

"Y--yes." She... could feel herself lowering her guard. "I've... been roaming this world for the better part of 100 years, and yet I've not seemed to age." Hannah shook her head. "Who--who are you?"

"Hm? Me? I am a friend, of course... and someone that is willing to assist you."

"Friend my ass." She wrestled control of herself. Why is she fighting for control of herself here? "I've roamed through 7 regions, unearthed the deep lore of many places, and I've yet to hear of anything like you."

"Well, that is because I am not from this world... nor are you, my dear~"

"Huh?" It caught Hannah off-guard enough to cause her to put her Pokéball away.

"Yes.... I can tell from your energy that you are not from this world. In fact, you are far greater than you know~. While I do not know the full truth of your identity, I believe that, together, we could help you figure out the truth~"

"The truth..." Hannah turned to the deep shadow in front of her. She didn't know when it got there, but there was something that was so enticing about the dragon's proposal. Finally, after all of these years, she gets to learn who she was. "You... you can help me and Lugia find the truth about me?"

The shadow laughed.

"I speak no lies, Hannah~. I have no reason to make empty promises. Allow us to work together and I shall help you open the path to the truth... all you need to do is to accept my request."

"I..." Her mind was full of warnings, but her body seemed to have a mind of her own. Hannah... felt as if she could trust the dragon... as if their desires were one and the same.

What came next left Hannah's lips before she could realize.

"I... would like to work with you.... For the truth is what I desire."

---

Arceus remembered the pull that the dragon had on her... the control she had over her as she remained Hannah... and the surprise to everyone when they helped her regain her powers and memories. The two had been friends -- and eventually lovers -- ever since.

Arceus let out a sigh.

The trio finished their tea and food and decided to focus on the next important subject: the original questions in regard to Melony and Hel. Ever since the two Giratina returned from successfully fighting each other in the Distortion World and subsequently shared their experience to their respective sister, Heidi and Hera ultimately had the same question about them…

"Melony and Hel's True Form… if they're two parts of the same whole, then who -- or what -- exactly is this real form of theirs, and how does it relate to our sisters?"

Arceus closed her eyes and let out a sigh. When she received Heidi's and Hera's memories about the real form of Hel and Melony -- when she recognized the energy of the creature -- the Creator knew that this was going to be far more complicated than talking about Dinah and Yukin… and far more personal, too.

Heidi crossed her arms and continued to look. "I can tell that, whatever it is, it has some personal connection to you. Is that right?"

Arceus chuckled a little. "Straight like an arrow. I guess I need to be a bit more careful about my feelings around two Latias, huh?"

Hera and Heidi nodded.

"Alright. I'll tell you." Arceus sighed again. She knows that she only has herself to blame for putting herself in this situation, but a piece of her heart wished that she could walk away from this situation….

"The creature that you sensed from Melony and Hel's thoughts… she's an otherworldly entity -- one made of pure desire. Just like me, though, she doesn't have a set name in place. So, let's… call her Helony for now."

The three of them paused and chuckled at the reference, but they didn't mind the reference.

"Anyway, Helony is a dragon that lurks in the shadows. She goes from world to world and feeds on the deepest desires of people, assisting those with conviction to their goals, no matter the consequence to you or to your environment." Arceus held out her hand. There was a tiny Butterfree that flapped in her hand. "She would nurture you while sinking you deeper and deeper into your desires, allowing you to become more reliant on her… and, as you grew stronger in pursuit of your desires, she would grow stronger in turn. Eventually though, one of two fates will await you: either you would die pursuing your ideals, or, once she had her fill, she would abandon you, leading you to sink deep into despair… with the stronger your desire and reliance on her, the deeper you would sink while dealing with the consequences of your actions." She let the Butterfree go, causing it to fly for a few moments before quickly falling on the table and disappearing.

Heidi and Hera looked at each other. To think that something so powerful and possibly evil could be the origin of their sisters--

"At the same time, she would never show her face or give her true voice. You see, she is a dragon, but she… has looks beyond any description. Mortals, Legendary Pokémon, and even some weaker Arceus become broken and lose their mind upon looking at her true figure. There were rare occasions where she would use that to her advantage to guarantee for someone to be guided by pure desire, but she doesn't typically need to do that." Arceus looked at both of them. "That's why Melony and Hel have been defensive against anyone meeting their True Form. They worry that doing so would break your minds, causing them to lose their respective sister in the process."

Heidi and Hera nodded as they thought about the implications of all of this. A creature whose figure alone has the chance to break their minds and is beyond description… a creature that feeds on the desires of others…. This was already so much more than they could think of… and yet--

"If the creature is really that powerful, Lacey… why is it trapped in its Distortion World? How is it able to create multiple Giratina as facets of itself… and why do you know all of this?"

Arceus took a long time to consider how to answer those questions, but there was no backing out now. This was the part that she was dreading, but the part that they both were waiting for. There was no use to hiding it now. Only stopping at this point only risked trouble.

Arceus looked between her two visages. They both looked wide-eyed at the creator, curious at what she was going to say. It reminded her of the curiosity that she would receive on a second checkpoint from her previous First Contacts. 

"So, let's start with my motives." She smiled at both of them, but then looked directly at Hera. "I know that we consider ourselves as sisters, but, despite that, as your sister, I've already been openly hiding some things from you. I know that it's especially left you not trusting me, Hera, considering how similar I am to others that you don't align with."

Hera nodded. "You may be similar to them, but, at the end of the day, you're still an Arceus. So, it's only right to hear you out a little more. Still, it'd be best to be more transparent with us."

Arceus nodded. "I understand."

Heidi took a sip of her tea. "So, what's your deal, then? Why are you so interested in us all of a sudden? What's your end goal, Lacey, and what do our worlds have to do with it?"

Arceus looked between the two of them and took a sip. "My end goal? Well, it's actually you two directly! I want you both to be my sisters."

Heidi and Hera looked at each other and blinked. Heidi interjected. "Uh… what do you mean? We already said that we considered each other to be sisters. You're telling me that's… all you wanted?"

Arceus shook her head. "Well, that's the first step to what I mean, Heidi. It's not the full thing."

Hera raised a brow. "Well, whatever it is, I hope it doesn't require us to leave our worlds and lives behind."

Arceus shook her head again. "No, not quite like that either. Let me explain." Arceus finished her tea and leaned back somewhat.

Heidi, Hera, and their Arceus equal all sat together at the table. They had been catching up for some time, talking about the differences between Heidi's and Hera's world, while also learning a little more about their Arceus equivalent.

"You know," Hera chuckled. "Doesn't surprise me that Rayquaza still loved Zygarde to some extent. He's always been a bit of a flirt, especially before we were married."

"Yeah." Heidi nodded. "I'm happy for them, and for the relationship that they have going on with Rachel." She smiled. "Even if I was worried for Rachel's part when she was leaving."

"I'm happy for them, too," The Arceus agreed, "but I'm also happy for you and Nergal, Heidi."

"Huh? What do you mean by that, Lacey?"

"Well…" Arceus got up and grabbed a bagel from the bagel container. "I know that you've been struggling with dealing with the divorce and Izanami's passing, but you've learned to move on in a healthy way, and with someone that you really seem to like. The relationship's kinda cute, too~"

Hera rolled her eyes. "...Despite the fact that she's kind of a jerk."

Heidi leaned back. "She's an asshole, but she's my asshole~"

"...."

"...."

Heidi glared. "...not like that, you heathens. Get your minds out of the damn gutter!" She rolled her eyes. "I know that everyone's worried about me considering that she's so egotistical, but Nergal genuinely cares about me and I care about her. Beneath that power trip of hers, Nergal is a great woman and an even better mother. Watch, when everything with Friede is behind us and when Nergal decides that she wants to settle down, everyone's going to be shocked when she turns out to be an amazing wife and coruler here."

Hera and Arceus looked at each other, looked past Heidi, and then looked at Heidi. They didn't know what to say.

"....I spoke too confidently about her, didn't I?"

They nodded.

"...And she's right behind me, isn't she?"

The duo nodded again.

Nergal giggled and leaned down. She kissed her girlfriend on the cheek before walking over to grab a bagel of her own. "Thinking about marriage already, hm? How flattering~"

Heidi rolled her eyes. "Even if we were married, I'd still kick your ass if you tried me, Nergal."

"I wouldn't expect any less from you~" Nergal walked back over to Heidi and whispered in her ear. "...But let's wait until after you defeat Friede to discuss that, hm?"

Heidi turned to Nergal and gave her a small kiss on the lips. "Whatever."

Nergal left.

Hera looked at Heidi. "Some keeper."

Heidi laughed. "I'll say."

Arceus smiled at both of them. "Anyway, the reason why I wanted to visit you both in-person today is because I wanted to give you both a checkpoint at the same time."

Heidi tilted her head. "Wait. Didn't you say that you were waiting until after we settle things with Friede for the next checkpoint?"

"I did… but something came up, and I feel like it's better for the three of us to talk together in-person about this," Arceus shrugged. "So, I guess I get to do everything earlier than I expected. Heidi seems to be producing a habit of that."

Hera chuckled and looked at Heidi. "Guess Izanami rubbed off on you."

Heidi snickered. "If only accidentally, I guess."

Arceus looked between the other two versions of herself. "Anyway--" She snapped her fingers, refilling each of their teacups instantly and serving some Poké Puffs. "I hope you don't mind if I don't do anything fancy today. I promised you both that I would tell you all the real reason for my appearance to the two of you the next time I gave you a checkpoint. Not only that, but Hera, since you said that Yukin was off the table for you, you wanted me to be the one to answer about Hel and Melony's true form. As for you, Heidi, you… wanted me to help you with Leah's final lesson that she gave to you about Resurrection via Reconstruction for your mom. Did I get all of that right?"

Hera nodded. "Yeah. You're the only one of your uh… caliber… that any of us back home trusts, so it would be nice to get some answers."

Heidi nodded. "And… it would be nice to see mama have a chance to see the world a bit more… even to interact with more of the family."