As I crested the stairs I saw what was on the platform and couldn't help but pause in confusion. There on the platform that stood just above the golden clouds and just below the radiant stars was two being rather than one like I was expecting. Both looked to be humans at first glance but there were details that disproved that idea immediately. The first being was a tall older woman with shining white hair that stuck out behind her head and green sclera with golden pupiled eyes wearing a golden robe. The second was hard to make out honestly as it was radiating an intense black light that I could only make out a male form through.-
"You certainly took your sweet time getting up here, you do know that spatial movement isn't restricted right?" the glowing being asked with an amused tone and deep male voice. "Leave the child alone, he's nervous enough as it is." the woman said chidingly before beckoning me to come closer. I didn't dare delay and nervously walked forward. "Speak up kid I don't have forever. Except I do, little joke." the male being said with a laugh.-
"Yes as my more brutish acquaintance said feel free to speak, we won't harm you. We were the ones to extend the invitation after all." the woman said kindly. "I... don't understand why there is two beings up here?" I said hesitantly and very confused. "Ah, well that's actually your fault kinda. See when I plucked your soul out of your original worlds reincarnation cycle and offered you another life with a gift you weren't really willing to part with any memories or agree to any restrictions other than the memory of how you got reborn. Really tied my hands there as I couldn't give you anything good as a gift without finagling the rules a bit."-
"That's how you ended up with the world specific random system. Honestly I have to applaud your luck with the thing as in truth it is more of a burden than an aid since there is now way to accurately predict what it will give you at any time. That said your rebirth in this world was not entirely my doing as this one hijacked the process towards the end to bring you here." the being explained motioning towards the woman.-
My head swam at this revelation at it was hard to grasp even if it made perfect sense. I couldn't be blamed as while I had assumed my rebirth had additional factors behind it I could have never guessed exactly what they were. I looked at the woman hesitantly before asking the question that had been burning at me since I got here "Are you Arceus?". The woman sighed before speaking "I am one version of the being you know by that name but my name is Ar-ceus, it's similar to the normal version but two words instead of one." -
"You must be so confused about all this after hearing what this one said just now so I will explain. To begin with I should say that the multiverse IS real. There are an infinite amount of worlds based off an infinite amount of possible choices and outcomes. With that said in most versions of a world the direction that history flows follows a certain direction based on certain events or people that show up that could be called "fixed points". These people or events are the key driving points to the entire flow of history and if they are missing or changes the flow changes to accommodate."-
"I for example am a fixed point for this multiverse. At the beginning there was naught but chaos and an egg from which the creator was born. An absolute fact of the vast majority of what you might call the pokemon multiverse." the woman explained seriously. The man spoke up at this point however "And engineering artificial fixed points is where I come in. You are one of those, an external factor so great that the flow of history itself has no choice but to change to accommodate you."-
"Normally I do it with no real purpose beyond watching the chaos for entertainment but this old goat intercepted you on your original destination to turn you into her champion, not that I'm complaining as you've been a treat to watch." the being said with a sadistic grin. "A champion?" I muttered confused. "I made a small modification to your system to move you into a certain path. You didn't think it strange how you always seem to get dragging into the chaos of those "teams" because of your system quests? My world was on track to being reset yet again and needed forceful correction, but not by one of the divines."-
"That was when I discovered your soul with that system shooting past my world and took a gamble that you might be exactly what I needed. As you've said so often you weren't a saint, not even close. If anything there was an equally high chance you'd become a criminal worse than those teams ever were with your personality. I am pleased you became a champion of humanity instead of it's destroyer however. Before you get upset thinking you've been controlled this whole time be aware that is not the case, every choice you made was entirely your own."-
"My only interference was presenting the choice to you through your system, you could have rejected them if you wished." she said and I felt horrified at this revelation. Confirmed free will or not the sheer fact my entire path has been more or less paved out for me like so many breadcrumbs to follow was a sickening thing to learn. Sure as she said I could have gone and rejected the path if I wished but the fact that the path itself was someone elses plan felt wrong.-
"Don't beat yourself over it kid. She made it very worth your time by manipulating the rewards you received from the system. Far more abilities, skills and evolution tokens than you would have gotten for a LONG time if you took a different path. You know those achievement rewards that you've only gotten four of total? Those would be your true source of rewards if she hadn't messed with the system by adding that quest function to rig things in her favor. She couldn't make the rewards any less random but she could give you more opportunities for them like this." the other being said with a chuckle.