The Elite Four champions in the League were all in a fix, and the legendary Pokémon were even more so.
"Hey, everyone! Say something! Whether we decide to help or not, if we do help, who should we help?"
Groudon, known for his hot temper, spoke in a helpless tone at this moment.
All the deities around him remained silent, as if they had all gone mute.
"How could we possibly make such a choice..."
Ho-Oh spoke in a tone that was almost despairing.
They all knew that Arceus had awakened and was already fighting with Rope.
But they couldn't figure out why Arceus, who had been asleep for who knows how many years, had suddenly awakened and was even fighting with Rope.
They also didn't know what method Rope had used.
Mew was completely focused, eyes on his nose, nose on his heart.
Among all the legendary Pokémon here, aside from Mewtwo, his was the most crooked.
In theory, every Pokémon here should be Arceus's loyal followers. But from what they could see now, none of them seemed to fully acknowledge Arceus's authority.
"Dialga, what do you think?"
Zacian turned to the God of Time and asked suddenly.
Dialga, who was called upon, seemed startled and shivered involuntarily.
Then he shook his head vigorously.
Joking aside, the three dragons of Sinnoh were created by Arceus himself. Now, helping others fight Arceus is a ridiculous idea. If the person they were supporting couldn't win, that would be one thing. But Rope actually had a chance.
Which meant they might have to watch Arceus get beaten up.
If you said you didn't want to watch, that would be a lie. They were dying to see Arceus get beaten up. He was actually quite satisfied with the current situation.
It wasn't just him; in fact, all the Pokémon present were only pretending to be reluctant.
From their collective silence and refusal to go to the scene, it's clear they're more than happy to watch Rope and Arceus tear each other apart.
"To be honest, I'd actually like Rope to win."
Just as everyone fell silent, Groudon, the clueless one, suddenly spoke up again.
Everyone turned to look at him.
Groudon surveyed all the legendary Pokémon around him and gave a sinister smile.
"You guys are really good at pretending. We all know that our current strength is largely due to Arceus' relaxation of control over the world. Otherwise, it would be quite difficult for us to deal with the top trainers among humans."
This wasn't just idle talk. Legendary trainers like Red and Blue had a good chance of defeating a Legendary Pokémon. After all, Mewtwo, who hadn't fully developed his potential back then, suffered a major defeat at the hands of Red when he first debuted.
Though trainers like Red are an absolute minority among humans, perhaps even just a handful, the situation isn't that simple.
Their very existence proves that it's absolutely possible for mortals to rival the gods.
The upper limit that human trainers can reach is the same as that of deities, and in some cases even surpasses it.
Even now, Red wouldn't dare claim that he could take on a Level 1 deity with just one Pokémon.
There is still a slight gap in raw power.
And all of this is a benefit of Arceus relinquishing its authority.
"Though we don't know what happened back then that left Arceus so weakened that it had to sleep among the originals, heh, it's more like half-dead than sleeping. After all, there's no news at all."
"But if Arceus hadn't slept, we wouldn't just have to work hard to maintain the world according to our authority. We also wouldn't have the power we have now."
"What Rope is doing now is what you all want, isn't it? Why keep pretending?"
Groudon looked at them, grinning sarcastically. "You're just afraid Rope will lose. If he does, as long as we didn't intervene, Arceus will forgive us…"
"But have you considered? By not helping Arceus now, we've already committed the greatest sin. Do you really think you can get away with it?"
Groudon's words were blunt but made sense.
Whether Arceus chooses to punish them or not, the extra power they've gained will vanish into thin air.
But if they help Rope, their power will be preserved, and they might even gain more. After all, compared to Arceus, Rope is truly a kind and merciful superior.
More importantly...
"Rope is weaker than Arceus; everyone can feel that. After all, Arceus isn't even in his complete form yet. If we turn against Rope, we still have a chance to suppress him. But if we turn against Arceus, with Plate immunity, we'll be powerless."
At this point, Groudon fell silent, simply gazing at everyone before him.
But everyone understood what he hadn't finished saying.
Whether it's about benefits or the difficulty of turning against them, Rope is a better partner and a better opponent.
Helping Rope is more advantageous than harmful. Helping Arceus is the opposite.
Everyone understands the logic, but how should they choose?
"Rope doesn't need your help."
Just as everyone began to waver, and even Mew was about to stand up, Mewtwo's voice suddenly rang out from a distance.
Mewtwo glanced at Groudon, who in turn shot Mewtwo an impatient look.
Mewtwo continued, "Rope had already instructed me that he didn't want you to get involved in this battle, as it wouldn't benefit you in any way. So it's best if you stay out of it."
"Does Rope have confidence in winning?"
Yveltal asked coldly.
Mewtwo looked at the great bird symbolizing death and said, "I don't know if Rope is confident. I'm just here to convey Rope's thoughts."
"I won't be participating in this battle either. That's also Rope's request. As for you, I can't control you. I'll go back and draft the 8th version of the alliance treaty. Once I'm done, I'll hand it over to you all for review."
After speaking, Mewtwo's form trembled, and he vanished.
Groudon snorted coldly, then walked directly to the other side of the island. As if he wanted to be left alone.
The remaining deities present exchanged glances, their eyes filled with a hint of resignation.
"That Groudon... He must have been taught those words by Mewtwo."
"As expected, Groudon is the most stubborn one."
Everyone wasn't stupid. They all knew what kind of fool Groudon usually was.
But today, Groudon suddenly stopped saying, "I'm the same," and instead gave a rational analysis that was well-reasoned and convincing. That was the most unbelievable part, wasn't it?