Hoopa should have known that Rope would set his sights on Arceus.
They had heard from Al that Arceus was his alter ego, or rather, his conceptual form in this world.
In other words, in a sense, if Rope were to capture Arceus, it would be a way of getting back at Al, even if Al might not really care about such things. Still, Rope felt it would make him feel better.
Rope looked at the flute in his hand and silently put it away.
"Come on, Hoopa, let's find a more spacious place. The battle might get pretty intense."
Rope wore a smile, as if he were looking forward to the upcoming battle.
But Hoopa didn't feel the same way. After all, these gods who didn't do any real work all had a basic fear of the Creator God.
Others felt reverence, but they felt more fear. Because Arceus would really beat them up. Just like how Hoopa was directly sealed by Arceus's subordinates.
They didn't know how strong Arceus really was.
Hoopa only felt fear toward Arceus.
So when he heard that Rope was planning to take action against Arceus, he shuddered instinctively.
Rope noticed Hoopa's reaction and sighed, saying, "Hoopa, can't you be a little more courageous? It's just Arceus! You've even seen his true form; why are you afraid of this conceptual avatar?"
"You... you don't understand! Do you know how tragic it is to have your power sealed by someone else's subordinate?"
Hoopa was genuinely afraid of Arceus. After all, before meeting Him, Hoopa was a Demon God, but after meeting him, he was just a little creature.
As for the other deities, there was no need to mention them. Even the Sinnoh Three Dragons, who were on the same level as them, had to obediently address Arceus as "Lord" when they saw Him.
After all, while Arceus' creation of the world may not have been entirely righteous, the fact remained that He had created the three of them.
After all, the Sinnoh Three Dragons aren't weak among all the gods. In fact, they're quite strong. After all, the powers they wield are already quite extraordinary.
Time, space, and antimatter.
Speaking of which, the Spirit World doesn't have a ruler yet. While the Ghost King Dragon, Giratina, seems like the pinnacle of the Ghost type, the Spirit World, the main base of Ghost-type Pokémon, isn't under his control either.
The authority of the others is more or less the same, so there's really no comparison to Arceus.
Rope was also helpless.
He had come to realize that when facing Arceus, the gods' performance might actually be worse than that of the Pokémon they had bred themselves.
The power of the Creator God is one thing. His authority is simply too overwhelming. No one dares to act against him.
Rope shook his head and said, "Then just open the door for me, and I'll handle him myself."
"It's not like we're enemies; I just want to capture him."
Hoopa's lips twitched slightly, thinking to himself, "That kind of attitude is already a major act of disrespect."
But to be honest, such thoughts are harmless. The truly alarming part is that this individual actually intends to carry out this plan.
And it seems he has the ability to do so.
That is truly terrifying.
It's not the crazy plans that are frightening, but the fact that a madman might actually put them into action—and even succeed.
However, Hoopa still felt a slight sense of excitement.
It was like when that teacher or boss who used to give you a hard time was finally reprimanded by your superior—there was still a sense of anticipation.
So Hoopa eventually opened a door for Rope and followed in his footsteps.
Rope walked through the portal and found himself on a grassland.
There were many Pokémon around the grassland, and after he appeared, these Pokémon showed varying degrees of hostility. This situation basically indicated that this place was far from human settlements.
"There are so many Pokémon here, this won't work..."
Rope didn't think he could fight Arceus here without affecting the Pokémon around him. After all, the last time he fought Eternatus, he made sure there were no other creatures nearby, including Pokémon and humans.
When Mewtwo and Eternatus fought, Leon had also evacuated everyone in the surrounding area.
It's best to avoid collateral damage as much as possible. Everyone is innocent; no one owes anyone else anything. There's no need for them to die for no reason because of you.
Hoopa nodded and said, "You prepare first. I'll go get these Pokémon to disperse."
Saying that, Hoopa transformed into his Liberated Hoopa state and fully released his aura.
The Pokémon at the edge instantly became filled with fear and vigilance.
However, when Hoopa told them to leave, they all departed without any resistance.
After all, they knew that if they insisted on staying, they might not only gain nothing in the end but also be severely punished.
So they left willingly.
Watching the spectacle and seizing opportunities also required timing. When the gods were about to fight, getting involved was clearly not a wise choice.
"It's mostly cleared up. You can start now."
Hoopa returned shortly and said to Rope. There was a tremor in his voice, though it was unclear whether it was from fear, excitement, or both.
Rope sighed and glanced at the helpless creature. Then he pulled out the Azure Flute from his waist.
He tested two notes gently, then began to play confidently.
He was playing a piece he was very familiar with.
"The Original Landscape of My Hometown"
He couldn't say he had loved it back then. But when it came to flute music, this was indeed the first piece that came to mind.
The melodious flute music echoed in his ears, and Hoopa was also somewhat intoxicated.
He had never known that Rope had this ability.
As the flute music played, an unknown power began to emerge from the flute, and no one knew where this power was being transmitted to.
In the interstice of time and space, within a peculiar temple, a sleeping Pokémon resembling a llama also heard the melodious flute music.
Thus, the Pokémon, which had been in slumber for an unknown duration, finally opened its eyes.
Today, it had finally returned to this world once more.