"…you want to do…what?"
Latias gulped and glanced toward Rayquaza, who floated beside her. His serious gaze bore into the bewildered one of Arceus, as the godlike pokemon stood on top of his pedestal in the Hall of Legends' meeting room. He had just been informed of the temporary counterpartlike bond the two dragons had established an hour ago.
The other legendaries around the room quirked their brows. Some saw it as a joke due to Rayquaza's renowned selfishness, while others blinked at the sole fact that such a thing was even possible.
Arceus' gold eyes remained widened, a look uncommonly seen on the Original One's face. Latias and Rayquaza serving as temporary counterparts to one another? He had indeed noticed Latias' depression - a veil of tribulations that, since Latios' death, had followed her like a phantom with separation anxiety. But had Rayquaza really decided to serve as her counterpart to help ease her anguish? The god pokemon was simply amazed by the fact that Rayquaza had been the one to volunteer. Sure enough, he originally meant for Rayquaza to become a trio with Kyogre and Groudon, but the emerald snake had never bonded with his two supposed partners.
Rayquaza threw a quick frown toward the other legendaries. He could hear their scoffs at his need to help Latias. He also hoped it would help rebuild his exterior; the generous act he would assist in wasn't healthy for his loner reputation.
Latias, on the other hand, didn't think anything of the opinions on the plan. Instead, she hoped Arceus wouldn't find a reason to refuse their experiment.
"Well…" Arceus said. "…I suppose it wouldn't hurt to pull through on your little plan for the next week. I mean, I don't see what harm could from it. If you're positive, Latias, that it will help you deal better with Latios' unfortunate passing, then I'm all for it."
Latias grinned. Rayquaza rolled his eyes as he had done before, but he was relieved that Arceus had accepted their plan. The legendaries behind them smiled at the sight of Latias' happiness.
Arceus hummed in approval before he brought his gaze to Rayquaza. He knew that Rayquaza was short-tempered and used to being alone; teamwork of any sort, even on grouped occasions, was awkward for him to follow. With the case that he now had to care for someone other than himself, disaster could easily happen.
"Now, Rayquaza," Arceus said, those thoughts still in his head, "being a counterpart to another requires major responsibility and manners. You can no longer go off on your own - Latias is now your partner. Treat her like a loved sibling, care for her as she does to you, and when she is in danger, you must be willing to put your life on the line to save her. Wherever you go, she goes, and vice versa."
Rayquaza tightened his frown, but said nothing. Latias floated over and turned her almond-shaped eyes to Arceus, who nodded as he met her gaze.
"As counterparts you both need to remain in contact," he said, "or at least be in the same proximity where communication is enabled. Seeing as how Rayquaza's cave is in Hoenn and Alto Mare resides in Johto, you both will need to either choose a place that would bring you to be close to one another, or debate on whether location – your cave, Rayquaza, or Alto Mare – would be more appealing if you wish to stay at one of those locations. I will leave it up to you to decide, but I must tell you that, despite that this is only temporary, for the entire next week you both will be seen and treated like counterparts. You will perform requests as a team, thus working together, and" – Arceus let out a coarse sigh; worry for the possible future had suddenly formed in his mind – "for the love of Alpha and Omega, please – I repeat – please do not give me a reason to regret allowing this."
Rayquaza blinked, as did Latias. They both exchanged looks, where they realized that the legendaries behind them shifted to avoid their gazes. Questions and bets on how long the partnership would last rose up in whispers. With Rayquaza's known lonerlike self and Latias' need to make everything shine, they both seemed like direct opposites – atoms ready to clash together and imitate the destructive force of an atomic bomb.
Nonetheless, with everything explained and sorted out, Arceus turned his head up to the legendaries that stood in the back. "With that said," he called out, "court is adjourned. You may return to your posts on the planet!"
He shot a look toward Rayquaza and Latias as the other legendaries began to disperse toward the room's exit; a clear reminder that, if they did mess up on something big, then the idea of a partnership between them would be over, justified by a lecture from him and a ban on trying something similar for the remainder of the period.
But, Arceus also felt relieved.
Latias was most likely the best chance the council had of bringing out any good that resided in Rayquaza's buried heart.
"So…where do you want to stay?"
Rayquaza turned his eyes toward his new counterpart. He hadn't paid much attention to her since Arceus had told them what it took to be a good partner to one another, his mind filled with the hassles involved in the experiment. He wasn't blind; he, too, knew that his contribution in aiding Latias was abnormally nice for his case. He just wished the other legendaries' didn't have to see it.
They both floated down the empty corridors. Rayquaza thought over Latias' question and arched a brow. He didn't feel like searching for a new place where they could stay. With how manmade towns and other structures expanded over the land, it would be hard to find a simple ditch that wasn't in the proximity of a filled forest or isolated farm. If he stayed with Latias and an argument occured, they would attract attention from miles away. He wanted somewhere where at least one of them knew the boundaries well.
He was capable of spending years hovering in the planet's ozone layer, something...Latias couldn't do. There was a cave he used when he touched ground, a nice, secretive location in the top corner of Hoenn where he hadn't seen a single human during his entire stay. It was large and damp inside, somewhat humid, but yet a good choice for hot and dry days. It was within a large forest, hidden beneath a blanket of tall trees, in which any being without a map would get lost in a matter of minutes. He liked secluded places, so his cave was the best option in his mind.
However, Latias mentally thought of her own suggestion, Alto Mare. The native pokemon there were friendly, as were the townspeople, and her requirement to protect the Soul Dew still existed. She turned to Rayquaza and opened her mouth.
"Alto Mare?" he echoed a second later. He glared. A cramped place like Alto Mare was not something he liked. In fact, he was certain that, if he were to go there, apocalyptic mayhem would spread throughout the town's streets - either from his sudden appearance, or how he would claw his eyes out at the lack of privacy.
Latias ignored his tone and simply said, "Yeah! The people there are so friendly. You'll fit in in no time!"
Rayquaza snorted through his nostrils before he crossed his arms again. He failed to see how he would possibly fit in, with him as an oversized, loner dragon in a location built from kindness and generosity, stuff irrelevant to his daily ways. "How do you expect me to live there?" he asked, eyes still narrowed.
Latias placed her claw to her chin. "Well, the people accept me. Why can't they accept you? Definitely since we're now counterparts? Besides," she added as she floated forward and stopped right in front of him, "I need to protect the Soul Dew. It's my duty."
Rayquaza rolled his eyes. "Why can't you simply get the pokemon there to watch it for one week? Sure enough, if you're such a 'renowned' friend, they'll do it for you."
Latias shook her head. "I promised on my brother's spirit that I would watch it with my life. Even with this thingy we're doing I can't break that promise."
"You're thinking of Latios again," Rayquaza muttered. "The whole point of this is to help get your mind off of your brother, and you're not-"
He was cut off when Latias sighed. Her eyes became glossy, and Rayquaza regretted his words and had an urge to smack himself across the forehead. He knew that protecting the Soul Dew was Latias' mission. Even if it was only one week he couldn't allow her to neglect her duties. When he thought about it, doing such a thing broke the whole rule of remembering responsibilities that he had configured earlier.
"Please, Ray!" Latias crossed her claws, her eyes deep.
Rayquaza blinked. He turned his head away and tried to avoid how close Latias floated toward his face. It wasn't long before he couldn't avoid looking into her eyes without having to move backward.
"Alright! Alright!" he said. "We'll stay in Alto Mare! Just get that look off your face! You're embarrassing yourself!"
Latias only smiled.
She turned around and moved toward the exit at the end of the hall. Rayquaza lingered behind to roll his eyes for the hundreth time that day.
Damn that look of hers...