As the first few notes of Ghetsis's melody whistled from the flute, a tense stillness filled the chasm. Rosa felt her muscles tighten as she braced herself for... what, she didn't know. The haunting melody hung in the air like a dark cloud, heavy and foreboding. Across the room, she saw Hugh squeeze his eyes shut, his face contorted with an emotion she did not recognize, while Christoph stood so still he almost resembled a statue. Even the Plasma members seemed to hold their breath, their eyes wide with anticipation.

A blinding flash of light, so bright and intense that Rosa was momentarily blinded, flooded the chasm. She instinctively fought against her restraints to shield her eyes. Beneath her feet, the earth began to rumble violently, causing Zinzolin to topple to his knees behind her. In that chaos, she grasped the collar around her neck, straining to tear it away from his grasp. If she was free from him, perhaps she could fight.

Amidst the commotion, she heard the grunts of the men around her—somewhere in the chaos, they were being struck, their surprise palpable. Zinzolin's grunt of pain near her ear was especially jarring, and she startled until suddenly she felt gentle hands on her shoulders, fingers swiftly working at the metal binding her.

It was Christoph. Even in the blinding light, she recognized his touch. He grunted in frustration, tugging at the collar's mechanism.

"Forget that," she urged, desperation lacing her voice. "Just free my team!"

Immediately, he loosened the belt holding her team, but before he could do more, an ear-shattering roar reverberated through the chasm. Rosa winced, slamming her hands over her ears, trying to block out the overwhelming shriek that felt like it was echoing from the very depths of the earth.

The flash of light disappeared as quickly as it came, and standing in the center of the chasm was a Pokemon twice her stature. Its body was as white as the light that had appeared around it, and around its stomach was a golden X shape adorned with green gemstones. Below its head was a metal collar, the twin to the one she wore. For a brief moment, she wondered how they had managed to force it around the great god's neck.

Arceus shrieked again, a sound so primal and raw that it reverberated through the chasm, causing everyone except Ghetsis to drop to their knees, hands clutching their heads. Its piercing green eyes scanned the room with an unsettling mix of intelligence and fury, and when those eyes locked onto Rosa's, a jolt of recognition shot through her.

Suddenly, Ghetsis slammed his cane against the ground, and the Shadow Triad members who had been restraining Christoph sprang into action, stepping in front of her. In a flash, they seized her arms and legs in an iron grip, dragging her toward the looming figure of Arceus. She thrashed against them, kicking and screaming in desperation, her heart racing as she fought for freedom.

She turned her head, searching for Christoph, but he was locked in a struggle with Zinzolin, unable to reach her.

With the DNA splicers clutched tightly in his hand, Ghetsis flicked open a cap on the top of his cane, revealing a small glowing button. He pressed it, and the metal collar around her neck and Arceus's glowed ominously, activating with a loud buzz that made the caverns sound like it was full of bees.

Rosa felt an electric pulse surge from the collar into her body, a jolt of pain that made her grit her teeth. In that moment, she realized their fates were intertwined; as she cried out, Arceus shrieked in response, a sound that echoed with shared anguish. The god shook his head violently, stomping his massive hooves, causing the ground beneath them to rumble. Dust and small stones rained down from the cavern ceiling, and for a heartbeat, it felt as though the very earth was protesting against the dark ritual unfolding before them. Rosa's heart raced as she fought against the grips of her captors, desperate to escape the nightmare.

Ghetsis raised the DNA Splicers high above his head, and they began to emit a dark, miasma-like energy that twisted and coiled in the air. The black smoke swirled through the chasm, crackling with sparks of red electricity. Rosa's heart raced as she kicked and fought against the brothers with renewed desperation, screaming for Christoph, for Hugh—anyone who could save her from the encroaching darkness spilling from the splicers.

With a twisted grin, Ghetsis injected the splicers into Arceus's massive hoof like a cruel vaccine. Rosa cried out as a shockwave of pain shot through her foot, their connection igniting within her something that felt both foreign and terrifying. It was as if a great force began to pull her—no, drag her—toward Arceus. Panic surged as she felt her body contorting, disintegrating, as if her very essence was being flushed into another realm.

The Shadow Triad tossed her in front of Arceus. As she collapsed onto the cold ground, the world around her spun and fragmented, her mind feeling like it was being ripped away, leaving behind only a blinding void.

And then there was nothing but darkness. She could no longer feel her hands, or her feet, or her body at all. Her consciousness lingered, suspended in a vast, empty void, a strange disconnection enveloping her. Yet, it wasn't entirely foreign; the essence she now inhabited had once been a part of her, a lingering fragment of her identity woven into the very fabric of her being.

But then her eyes opened. Everything was much sharper than it had been before. Every detail was highlighted—the fine grains of dust floating in the air, each crystal of ice suspended like a delicate gem, the breath of the Plasma members crystallizing in the cold. She tried to blink, to understand why everything was so vivid, but found she could not.

"Rosa!" Christoph shrieked as he collapsed to his knees in front of Zinzolin. He was panting, his expression filled with despair, and she felt an overwhelming urge to reach out, to comfort him. But there were no fingers. There were no feet. She could see him, so clearly, so painfully close, yet she could not move. And then it struck her with an icy clarity.

Arceus?

She tried to speak, but her voice echoed through the void, met by another voice that reverberated back.

Bone of my bone. These creations betray us.

She was Arceus, and Arceus was her. Yet, it was not she who was in control. It was Arceus that shook its great head, unleashing a resonant roar that sent tremors rippling through the cavern, rattling the very stones around them. Rosa searched desperately around the darkness of Arceus's mind, searching for a way out of the prison cell she found herself locked away in, but could find no door.

In that suffocating darkness, a flicker of another consciousness brushed against hers—a presence that felt familiar. It was a whisper of connection, a thread woven into the fabric of her being. Who are you? she thought, trying to reach out, to understand this new entity that floated beside her.

"What did you do?!" Christoph snarled at Ghetsis. He moved like lightning, appearing before the leader of Team Plasma to land a blow against his temple, but Ghetsis sidestepped and slapped Christoph aside with his cane.

"Foolish boy! Stand aside while I create my perfect world!" Ghetsis slammed his cane into the icy ground again, and through Arceus's eyes, Rosa saw the cane emit a pulsing signal that flickered like a malevolent heartbeat. The collar around their neck buzzed, and an agonizing wave rushed through her, as if the signal was shredding her mind.

Arceus let out a piercing scream, tossing their massive head in a desperate attempt to dislodge the collar's grip. Ghetsis's smile slipped a little, and he banged the cane again, doubling the frequency of the signal.

The resulting shockwave was unbearable. Pain reverberated through every fiber of her being, clawing at her consciousness and shredding her thoughts in two. Ghetsis was stripping away her will, stealing her humanity, and with each pulse of energy, she felt her essence unraveling. Numbness crept through her limbs, and she felt herself slipping, slipping.

Blood of my blood. They again try to bend us to their will.

Cosmic power gathered around them, pulsing in and out like a heartbeat. Mystic energy surged through the great golden X that marked Arceus's form, gleaming brilliantly in the embedded gems. It enveloped them in a radiant glow, a divine shield that fortified both Arceus and Rosa.

"They can be separated," a voice urged, echoing through the tumult of Rosa's mind. It felt familiar, though the name eluded her grasp. "Weakening Arceus can allow Rosa's consciousness to regain control!"

Ghetsis pounded his cane into the ground, fury twisting his features as he struck harder and harder against the icy earth. "Do as I say!" he bellowed, his voice laced with desperation. "I am in control; you belong to me! Take their minds, Arceus! Strip them of the will you gave them and turn it over to me!"

Soul of my soul. We will bring them ruin.

Then there was nothing.

Nothing but rage.

The shield of mystic energy shattered around them, unleashing a torrent of light that surged through the chasm. The humans scattered like startled crabs, their screams echoing off the rock walls as they narrowly dodged Judgment.

Arceus charged through the cavern toward the one wielding the cane, jaws opened wide as raw power gathered in their maw. Ghetsis cowered and clutched his cane to his chest, his eyes widening as they unleashed a Hyper Beam.

Two figures with white hair blurred in front of their target, knocking him aside. The Azure Flute went flying from his coat pocket, snapping in half upon impact.

"We have to get out of here! This chasm is coming down!" they shouted, urgently tugging at Ghetsis's sleeves. Flying-type Pokémon erupted from their Poké Balls, and the humans swiftly mounted their backs, soaring toward the ceiling and out of the chasm.

A figure with blonde hair hoisted another, encumbered by chains, onto a Swanna. With a surge of power, Arceus prepared to swat them from the sky, but the use of Hyper Beam left them momentarily weak. All they could do was watch, catching their breath as the humans escaped into the blue sky.

"I've got Rosa's Pokémon," Christoph called as they ascended. "Don't let go of me, Hugh!"

Swanna curved over the opening and vanished from sight, igniting a surge of rage within them. Psychic energy gathered around Arceus' form, and they rose on its power, pursuing the humans into the open forest air.

The humans fled for their lives, but their efforts would be in vain. Arceus descended the mountainside in a blur, chasing the flock of Pokémon with their enemies astride them. At their command, rocks tore free from the earth, swirled ominously overhead, and with a mighty thrust, flung like slingshots toward the fleeing figures. Each boulder shattered against the mountainside, blasting debris that rained into the trees and sent branches falling to the forest floor.

The Swanna rolled to dodge, and the man guiding the bird clutched his companion tightly around the waist, desperately trying to keep him from tumbling off into the abyss below. The forest whirled around them, branches and leaves a blur in Arceus' pursuit.

"We can't fight like this," the spiky-haired, seemingly weak human shouted, panic lacing his voice. "We need to find a place where we can battle."

"Excuse me for not preparing a proper arena," Christoph retorted, urging his Swanna to fly faster, "I've never fought my girlfriend as a god before!"

The Swanna soared above the fleeing flock of trainers and their Pokémon, gaining altitude and momentum. Growling fiercely, Arceus ripped more rocks from the earth and hurled them into the center of the group. One struck a Fearow and knocked its trainer into the trees.

At that moment, Arceus realized the flock was heading toward a massive metal ship anchored nearby, a glimmering behemoth that stood out starkly against the natural landscape. Their perfect vision revealed more humans - many clad in black uniforms resembling the one worn by the man who'd chained them - and the flames of their anger grew hotter.

The flock of Pokémon dove simultaneously, aiming for the unnaturally shaped ship. Arceus was hot on their heels, another Hyper Beam gathering in their jaws as their psychic energy propelled them through the forest.

His cape billowing wildly, Ghetsis screamed something into a device on his wrist. The trainers touched down and dozens of humans poured from the ship, their movements chaotic as they trampled down the gangway. Light bathed the icy landscape as countless Poké Balls opened at once, filling the area around the Plasma frigate with a small army of Pokémon.

"Plasma," Ghetsis commanded, his voice slicing through the chaos, "weaken Arceus. We must regain control!"

"For your trainer!" Christoph shouted, determination blazing in his eyes as he released four Pokémon from the belt clutched tightly in his hand. N and Ella rallied behind him as they broke free from the frigate's confusion, their expressions fierce as their teams burst from their Poké Balls. "For the freedom of our world, and the one who has always defended it! Stop Arceus's rampage!"