Pokémon: The Arceus Chronicles

Storyline

The episode begins with a display of the Pokémon world and the numerous Pokémon that inhabit its skies, seas, and lands. Above them all resides Arceus, the Mythical Pokémon that created all there is in this world, now watching over both the Pokémon and humans that inhabit its creation. Ash and Goh have arrived in Canalave City to research Sinnoh's past at the Sinnoh Festival. While walking through a reconstruction of an ancient town street, they're greeted by Dawn, whose presence comes off as a pleasant surprise for Ash and Goh. They notice the clothes Dawn is wearing, and she takes them to rent themselves their own outfits. She leads them to a tent, where they find Cynthia, who is contributing to the Sinnoh Festival a lot with her knowledge of the region's history. Cynthia rents Ash and Goh their own ancient-style outfits and leads them to the museum exhibit. Meanwhile, Team Galactic Commander Saturn and a group of Team Galactic Grunts have cornered a Heatran in a volcanic cave. While Heatran easily defeats the Grunts' Golbat with Stone Edge, Saturn's Toxicroak's Dig deals heavy damage on the Fire/Steel type and defeats it. Saturn takes the opportunity and flings a Dusk Ball at the Legendary Pokémon, catching it. He reports the successful capture mission to the Team Galactic HQ, where Mars and Jupiter are busy observing the Plate they have acquired. Back in Canalave City, Cynthia shows Ash and his friends the museum exhibit about ancient Sinnoh and the Pokémon that inhabited it, such as Basculegion, Wyrdeer, and the regional forms of Growlithe and Braviary. Ash asks how Pokémon were caught back in the day, and Cynthia presents each of them with a wooden Poké Ball, recreated using ancient schematics. She then leads them to the "Pokémon Catching Experience Corner", a dome teeming with Pokémon, not dissimilar to Cerise Park. Cynthia calls three Pokémon in particular, Oshawott, Cyndaquil, and Rowlet, to come before them. Goh is puzzled, since all three are Pokémon from regions outside Sinnoh, but Cynthia explains that historical records show these Pokémon being brought to Sinnoh during ancient times, and she's studying them to see how they could've affected Sinnoh's ecosystem. Cynthia declares a contest: if the group can catch the starter Pokémon within three minutes with the assistance of their own Pokémon, she'll give each of them a prize. The starter Pokémon hide, and the group sets out to find and catch them. Dawn is the first to find one, with Piplup accidentally running into Oshawott while clearing away tall grass with Drill Peck. Oshawott deflects Dawn's initial Poké Ball throw, causing the ball to hit Rowlet and reveal its location to Ash. Goh, meanwhile, manages to locate Cyndaquil, although it ends up tackling him and then using Flamethrower on his face. With some help from their partner Pokémon, Ash and his friends manage to catch the three starters. They're surprised at the ancient Poké Balls letting out a puff of steam when the capture is successful, but celebrate their success regardless before letting the starters back out and thanking them for the experience. Since they succeeded in catching the three Pokémon within three minutes, Cynthia gives each of them a copy of her book about the history of Sinnoh's space-time, although only Goh is truly excited to receive it. Meanwhile, Saturn returns to the Team Galactic HQ with Heatran. Now that Team Galactic has both it and the Arceus-infused Flame Plate in their possession, they're ready to begin their experiment. While the Plate is being hypervibrated, Saturn calls out Heatran and has it use Magma Storm on the artifact, creating massive amounts of energy. As the energy level reaches critical point, an energy pulse is released from the Plate, which is sensed by Pokémon across Sinnoh. In Canalave City, Ash, Dawn, and Goh's partners feel the pulse as well and alert their Trainers that something is wrong in the direction of Mount Coronet, so they decide to investigate. In its own dimension, Arceus is also affected the disturbance, calling forth and dispatching the lake guardians to seek help. With the first phase of their experiment successfully completed, Team Galactic has verified that the energy that was just released affects the fabric of space-time. Now they are ready to use that energy to open a gate that will bring back their leader, Cyrus. Ash and his friends have arrived in Oreburgh City to investigate the strange disturbance that their Pokémon felt. They are struck by a sudden ear-splitting sound, which turns out to be caused by a fight between a group of Chingling and a Bronzong, which are all going crazy. Dawn has Piplup use Whirlpool to douse them, calming them down and stopping the fight. However, as the group approaches the injured Pokémon, they suddenly find themselves in a strange space, where Azelf, Uxie, and Mesprit appear before them, showing the group a vision of a sea of flames. Arceus appears above them as well, but just as suddenly as the strange vision started, it, the lake guardians, and Arceus disappear. Goh is baffled at how Ash and Dawn are so calm after what they just saw, until Ash explains that back when he and Dawn were adventuring through Sinnoh together, they and the lake guardians rescued Dialga and Palkia together. Goh is amazed to learn this, but the group quickly refocuses on getting the injured Chingling to a Pokémon Center. At the Team Galactic HQ, Saturn makes an announcement to all the Team Galactic Grunts. Back when Team Galactic tried to create a new world, their leader, Cyrus, had Dialga and Palkia open a space-time gate. But when his plans were foiled, he had jumped into the vanishing gate and disappeared. Now, thanks to Heatran's power, all preparations are complete, and Team Galactic is ready to open a new space-time gate and bring Cyrus back. Saturn orders the Grunts to prepare for the start of the operation at 6 p.m. At a Pokémon Center, Ash and his friends watch television news regarding the cases of Pokémon acting strangely, all of which seem to have occurred with Pokémon living on Mount Coronet. They're approached by a doctor telling them that the Chingling they brought is getting better, and it turns out to be none other than Brock. Ash and Dawn are excited to see their old friend again, while Goh is thrilled to meet him for the first time, having heard from Ash that he's a former Gym Leader and Pokémon Breeder, who's currently training to become a Doctor. Ash is surprised to see Brock being accompanied by a Blissey, whom Brock confirms to be the evolved form of the Chansey that he raised from a Happiny, as well as his current assistant, along with his Croagunk. Having heard the news, Brock agrees to accompany the group to Mount Coronet, taking them aboard a flying craft that he uses for house calls. Along the way, they tell him about the vision they saw, which Brock realizes could've been a message sent not by the lake guardians, but by Arceus. Realizing that Brock is right, Dawn decides to call Cynthia with her Pokétch so she can come help them. Team Galactic commences their operation, deploying an energy cannon on the rooftop of their headquarters and aiming it at the sky above Mount Coronet. Saturn commands Heatran to use Magma Storm on the Flame Plate, filling it with immense energy that is fed to the energy cannon and fired into the sky, where it begins to open a space-time gate. The beam is noticed by Ash and his friends, who head towards it. The gate gradually expands, but in his enthusiasm of being about to bring back their leader, Saturn has Heatran fill the energy cannon with too much energy, causing the energy flow to turn backwards and strike Heatran. A massive explosion tears a section of the Team Galactic HQ apart and stops the energy beam. Heatran emerges from the rubble, covered in flames and roaring wildly. Saturn attempts to recall Heatran, but the intense flames around it cause him to drop Heatran's Dusk Ball, which melts in the Lava Dome Pokémon's scorching presence. Team Galactic begins an evacuation, during which Heatran walks towards the Flame Plate and swallows it whole, becoming completely engulfed in flames as a result. Saturn figures that Heatran's Flash Fire Ability must've been overloaded by the power of the Plate, causing it to go berserk and assume its current form. Heatran fires a beam of energy at the space-time gate in the sky, before starting to move towards it, setting a forest ablaze as it lumbers through it. The Legendary Pokémon is spotted by Ash and his friends, who realize that the flames they saw in their vision were those of Heatran. The Team Galactic Commanders, pursuing Heatran on a helicopter, theorize it's headed for the Spear Pillar. Saturn is delighted by this, but his attention is focused elsewhere when he spots Ash and his friends approaching Heatran as well. The group also realizes that Heatran's destination could be the Spear Pillar, and given that it was where Team Galactic enacted their big plan, they suspect the villainous team being behind this incident as well. They cut ahead of Heatran and prepare to put out the flames surrounding it with their Water Pokémon, but Brock says the fire is too intense and they have to figure out another plan. Suddenly, the group is attacked by Saturn's Toxicroak, causing Brock's Croagunk to emerge from his Poké Ball at the presence of his rival. Team Galactic's helicopter lands before them and the Commanders hop out of it, confirming the group's suspicions. Brock questions how could they be here, since Team Galactic was dismantled by the Sinnoh Police, but the Commanders refuse to explain that or what they're planning to do with Heatran. Arceus reacts to the Flame Plate inside Heatran, and the lake guardians appear near the group again. The Legendary trio flies over Heatran, trying to calm it down. In response, Heatran roars and sheds its coat of flames, revealing a new form made entirely of molten lava. The lava-covered Heatran continues its ascent along Mount Coronet, observed by Ash, his friends, and Team Galactic as they try to withstand the intense heat it gives off. The lake guardians use their powers to look inside the lava monster, seeing the real Heatran and the Flame Plate trapped inside. Heatran lets out a fierce roar, which causes the space-time gate in the sky to react. While Ash and his friends try to figure out what is going on with it, they are suddenly given a vision by the lake guardians, showing them what they just saw inside Heatran. Seeing this vision, Brock understands that the fiery monster is actually a fiery clump of energy, while the real Heatran is trapped inside it. The Team Galactic Commanders attack the lake guardians to keep them from interfering, although the Legendary Pokémon are able to defend themselves. Goh demands to know what Team Galactic did to Heatran, but Mars says that the Flame Plate is the true cause for its current situation. The Plate is trying to return to the heavens where it came from, and is thus driving Heatran towards the summit, causing the space-time gate to open in the process. This fits Team Galactic's needs, however, as it will allow them to bring back their leader, Cyrus, who had once disappeared into a space-time gate. The Commanders then decide to eliminate the group, while Ash and his friends swear to protect the Pokémon whose homes are being destroyed by Team Galactic's selfish actions. While the Commanders intend to keep the group occupied to secure Heatran's path, after the two sides exchange a few attacks, Brock urges the others to go ahead while he keeps Team Galactic occupied. They agree, and Brock calls out Steelix and Blissey to join Croagunk in battling the Commanders. Ash, Dawn, and Goh decide to use Water attacks to stop Heatran, with Ash also requesting help from the lake guardians' Psychic powers. Ash has his Dracovish use Water Gun, Goh tells Inteleon to use Snipe Shot, and Dawn's Piplup uses Whirlpool. The lake guardians use Psychic to combine the moves into a single giant sphere of water, which makes a direct hit on Heatran. However, the heat it's giving off is so intense that even this combination attack has no effect on it. At the fight against the Commanders, Brock suddenly receives reinforcements in the form of Cynthia and her Garchomp. She tells Brock that Heatran can be stopped by collapsing the ground under it to make it lose its footing and tells him to take her Garchomp to go assist in doing so. Brock's Croagunk and Blissey wish to stay behind, and he respects their wish before having Steelix use Dig to create a tunnel, leaving with Garchomp as Cynthia calls out her Roserade to join Brock's Pokémon. Brock quickly reunites with his friends and relays Cynthia's strategy to them. After the lake guardians stop Heatran with their Psybeams, Steelix and Garchomp begin executing the plan by using Dig to weaken the ground underneath Heatran. Next, Pikachu uses Iron Tail to create cracks on the ground, which Goh's Cinderace strikes with Pyro Ball, breaking them further apart. As a finishing blow, Dawn calls out her Mamoswine and has it use Ancient Power, completely collapsing the ground underneath Heatran and trapping it. Distracted by the sounds above them, the Team Galactic Commanders suddenly find their Pokémon pummeled into submission by Cynthia's Roserade's Petal Blizzard. Just as the situation seems to be getting under control, bolts of energy strike down on Heatran, causing it to erupt with even more fire energy and release a beam that fully opens the space-time gate. Seeing their chance to get Cyrus back, the Commanders retreat with their helicopter, covering their escape with Jupiter's Skuntank's Smokescreen. As Heatran reemerges from the pit it was momentarily trapped in, now even bigger than before, Ash and his friends also decide to retreat, heading for the summit. Goh theorizes that Heatran's growth is probably a cause of it absorbing energy from the space-time gate. Brock agrees, adding that the energy has also amplified the pressure inside Heatran, threatening to cause an explosion that would obliterate not only the entire Mount Coronet, but them and the real Heatran with it. The group reaches the Spear Pillar at the summit ahead of Heatran, but still have no method of stopping the imminent explosion. Suddenly, Arceus appears above the mountain, catching everyone's attention as the Alpha Pokémon unleashes its Judgment. Arceus's Judgment rains down the sides of Mount Coronet, striking Team Galactic's helicopter. While the Commanders and their pilot Grunt jump off with parachutes in time, they and their Pokémon are quickly bound to a rock by Cynthia's Roserade's Power Whip and forced to watch as the space-time gate they worked so hard to open closes, returning the sky to normal. However, the lava monster Heatran is still close to exploding, threatening the entire Sinnoh region. Ash and his friends plead for Arceus to help, and it accepts their pleas. As the lava monster grows more and more unstable, Arceus reveals its Plates and uses one of them to transform into a Water type, before forming an entire ocean in the sky, amazing everyone with its power. Ash warns Arceus that their earlier attempt to use water on Heatran didn't work, but Arceus simply nods to signal that everything is fine. Wanting to do something to rescue the real Heatran as well, Ash figures that they need to use both water and fire. Goh, having gotten used to Ash's improvisational skills, agrees to follow his lead, while Dawn is initially sceptical, but with some motivation from Piplup, agrees to follow him as well. Brock and Cynthia, meanwhile, agree to stay behind to provide backup. Arceus pours down the sea it's created in the sky, forming it into a dome of water around Heatran to contain it. Brock notes that unlike before, the meeting of fire and water isn't causing an explosion, which Cynthia explains as a demonstration of how Arceus's power can even overturn the laws of nature. The lake guardians grab Ash, Dawn, and Goh into a Psychic hold and carry them into the water dome. Once inside the dome, Dawn has Piplup use Whirlpool, which Ash has Pikachu coat with a Thunderbolt before it's released at Heatran, trapping it. Goh then carries on the plan by having Inteleon use Snipe Shot, penetrating into the very core of the lava monster. The group dives through the tunnel, reaching the space where the real Heatran is trapped, right next to the unstable Flame Plate. Pikachu cuts Heatran free with Iron Tail, while Goh has Cinderace use Pyro Ball to coat the Lava Dome Pokémon in flames. Finally, Pikachu finishes the insulation with an Electroweb. With Heatran in Uxie's Psychic tow, the group starts heading out as the Flame Plate causes the lava monster to be driven closer and closer to an explosion. The increasing pressure blasts Ash and his friends into the water dome, where the coating around Heatran falls off, causing it to start sinking. The group quickly flies over to Heatran and starts pulling it. With the lake guardians' help, they soon make it out of the dome and land safely on the Spear Pillar. Moments later, the lava monster finally explodes completely, but Arceus's power keeps the explosion contained. The Flame Plate emerges from the explosion, and Arceus reclaims it as Heatran recovers and stands up. Ash and his friends thank Arceus and the lake guardians for their help. As the four Pokémon begin ascending towards the sky, the Team Galactic Commanders plead Arceus to tell them where Cyrus is, but they're given no response. Watching Arceus disappear into the sky, Cynthia speaks of how Arceus wishes people and Pokémon to overcome adversities together, appearing to provide them a hint if they face a hardship too difficult to surpass so the problem can be solved, as they must overcome their adversities on their own, hence why it had left the actual task of saving Heatran to them. As the Sinnoh Police, led by Officer Jenny, arrives to arrest Team Galactic, Brock tries to ask Cynthia out for a date, only to be brought down by Croagunk's usual Poison Jab, much to Goh's surprise. With a new day dawning over the Sinnoh region, Ash and Goh are happy with how eventful their research trip ended up being, and Ash shares a high five with Dawn. Below them, the frozen remains of the lava monster stand on the mountainside. In the past, Rei runs to his house in Jubilife Village, crafting himself some Poké Balls before setting out to explore the wilderness of ancient Sinnoh with his partners Rowlet, Cyndaquil, and Oshawott. Above him, Arceus gallops across the sky towards the summit of Mount Coronet.