"Ray? Ray, wake up!"
Rayquaza groaned. He settled himself deeper into the grass and relished in the darkness that engulfed him. He snored loudly, and the voice from before huffed.
"Ray!" it said. "Wake up!"
He gritted his teeth. I'm trying to sleep, here!
"Ray!"
The voice wouldn't leave him alone! He made a shooing gesture with his claw toward the voice and went back to sleep.
Silence.
Rayquaza smirked. Finally-
His eyelids shot open as a force pounced on his head. He jolted forward and into a float, his sight blocked by the feathery barricade that clung to his snout. He growled and inverted his eyes, where he met a familiar honey gaze.
"Latias," he said, "get off my face."
Latias grinned sheepishly and released. "Sorry, Ray! I was just trying to wake you up!"
Rayquaza sailed his eyes over the Secret Garden, and then over the area between the two trees where they had slept. "How long have you been up?" he asked.
"About an hour," said Latias. "Latios and I used to always get up extra early to ensure that Alto Mare was nice and safe in the morning. I guess it's a habit that stuck with me even after…well…you know."
Rayquaza grunted, drowsy.
"Besides," she added, "we have the morning meetings, remember?"
Rayquaza widened his eyes. "The meeting! Crap! What time is it?"
"Um, nine. Why?"
"We're late for the meeting!" He glared at her. "Why didn't you wake me earlier?"
"You looked kinda exhausted last night," Latias said, her eyes bright. "Yesterday was pretty hectic so I thought I would let you sleep in…"
"Weren't you aware that there was a meeting today – like there is everyday?"
Latias put her claws to her hips and scowled. "Well, excuse me, princess! But you needed your rest! Studies show that an individual must get at least eight hours of sleep each night in order to maintain a healthy lifestyle."
"Studies?" Rayquaza growled. "What studies?"
"Studies done by human scientists. It's all in those science magazines. Bianca gives them to me when she's done reading them."
Rayquaza ran a claw down his face. "Don't you know that stuff is just a bunch of tauros crap?"
"That's what you say." Latias crossed her arms. "I was simply caring for your health – because that's what counterparts do for each other."
At that, Rayquaza's eyes flickered toward the grassy ground as he thought over her words. Things counterparts did for each other. He shook his head and looked at Latias. "Well…what about the meeting?" he asked, his voice calm. "Don't you think that's important enough to wake me despite your…health theories?"
Latias let out a squeal. "Aw, Ray! Of course you're more important! We can't attend meetings if you're too tired to go in the first place! I mean, I'm sure Arceus will understand if we're late."
"And how so?"
"He saw us working hard to paint the meeting room yesterday. I think it was obvious how tired we were after it..."
A sigh escaped Rayquaza. That logic seemed logical. "Fine. But just to be safe I rather we leave now before we miss the whole meeting. I don't think Arceus will be so understanding if we're absent altogether."
Latias blinked, as her counterpart began to make his way toward the door. "But don't you want to have breakfast first?"
"We don't have time, Latias."
"But studies show-"
"No more studies, Latias."
Latias huffed and stuck her nose into the air. She floated forward and past her counterpart, who stopped in place with a frown.
"Hey…wait…"
She snorted and looked at Rayquaza.
He sighed through his nostrils. "Listen." He reverted his eyes away from hers. "…Thanks."
Latias' gaze brightened.
"For trying to look out for me with the whole health thing, I mean. I…really appreciate it, anyway."
She grinned, her tone soft: "Sure thing, Ray. Like I said, that's what counterparts do for each other."
Rayquaza swallowed hard and met her eyes.
"Um," she said, the silence awkward. "I…I think we should head out towards the Hall. You know, in case I'm wrong about Arceus I don't want him to have our heads." She turned toward the door. "Come on, Ray."
He frowned, trying to stop his fluttering heart. "Yeah..."
The Hall of Legends stuck out from the cloudy background like a beacon over a golden sea. The sky darkened as it opened up into space, stars bright despite the presence of the morning sun. Mountains rose from the ground, their tips visible, like giant colossi that served as the guardians of the temple.
Rayquaza kept a smug expression as he and Latias flew into the Hall. As they approached the door into the meeting room, his counterpart came forward.
"You ready?" she asked.
Rayquaza rolled his eyes. "As ready as I can be."
The two dragons slid their claws down the golden doors, which slowly swayed ajar and revealed the legendaries as they moved within the meeting room. Arceus, who stood on top of his pedestal, turned his eyes to Rayquaza and Latias as they entered. Rayquaza grunted when the legendaries looked at him, while Latias gulped and twiddled her claws.
"I see you two have finally decided to join us," Arceus said, his brow arched.
Latias floated forward and firmed herself. "Sorry that we're late, Arceus. We just worked so hard to paint the meeting room and then clean it all up yesterday that we overslept." She faltered. "I mean, well, I…I got up early. I let Rayquaza sleep in since he seemed exhausted. But we're here now, so the meeting can continue."
Arceus' brow didn't move. "You two just missed it."
Her face fell.
"La-ti-as!" Rayquaza growled from behind.
"It's no problem, however."
Rayquaza blinked and looked at Arceus, who let out a chuckle. Latias only stared; she didn't know if she should frown or smile.
"You two did indeed work very hard yesterday," Arceus said, "so with the fact that you didn't appear when the meeting started, I figured you were both going to be lagging behind. It's alright, as I was expecting this. Consider yourselves dismissed from today's meeting. You needed the extra sleep, anyway, for the task I have for you two today."
Latias turned her head to her counterpart and smiled. "Hah! See? What'd I tell ya? Of course Arceus would be understanding!"
Rayquaza snorted. He still felt tired and was in no mood to go on a mission. Just another day on the job, he thought. He looked at Arceus and asked, "What do you need?"
Arceus raised his head, as if to direct his words to all of the legendaries: "I'll tell you all your assigned missions for the day in a little bit. Until then, why don't you all take some time to converse with each other? I'm sure you have topics to talk about."
The legendaries spread out across the room to join others and form conversations. Their words meshed together and filled the air, a mixture of stories and jokes that grew louder with each second.
Rayquaza looked at Latias, who sailed her eyes over the crowd. She met his gaze and paused. He rolled his eyes and waved his claw. He wondered why she thought she needed his permission to go, but she grinned nonetheless and flew off toward a group that included Suicune and Cresselia.
"Hey, Rayquaza."
He blinked and turned toward the telepathic voice. He met the teal-colored gaze of Deoxys as she approached from the back. He fought a smile. Deoxys was one of the few legendaries he tolerated.
"Deoxys," he said with a bow of his head. He crossed his arms over his chest, his brow raised. "What's up?"
She shrugged. "Just thought I'd talk. We haven't talked in a while."
"Well, I haven't seen you that much, recently."
"Busy," Deoxys said, "and with this whole counterpart thing you made with Latias, I thought I'd stay out of your way. Now that you two are apart, though…" She paused. "If you really must know why I came to you, it's because I'm curious."
Rayquaza frowned. "Curious about what?"
"About the counterpart thing. I think it's obvious that all of us, including Arceus, find it weird that you would volunteer for it. I mean, I know you better than most pokemon, Rayquaza, and something like this seems…I don't know. Out of your league?"
"I have my reasons."
Deoxys tapped her chin with her humanlike fingers. "And I have my reasons for being concerned. I'll respect your privacy, but, I gotta admit, I'm surprised this counterpart bond has even survived a day."
"Why? You don't think I'm up for such a thing?"
"To tell you the truth...no. Like I said, I know you, Rayquaza. When we do chat, you reveal some of your inner thoughts really easily. I know you like living on your own and only caring for yourself, and the counterpart connection you have with Groudon and Kyogre is basically...well, not there. What does that say about this one? Face it, Rayquaza, you built yourself to be a loner. Do you really think this will work?"
Rayquaza snorted. "The main reason why I made this deal with Latias is because I want her to move on from Latios. She's an important member to the council and her sadness over her brother's death is only going to make her dead weight."
Deoxys met his eyes. "Are you sure that's the only reason?"
"I didn't say that was the only reason. I said it was the main reason."
"Whatever," Deoxys said. "That still doesn't make it any less conspicuous. Latias spent most of her life with her brother. He was everything to her, and I'm sure you're aware of that. But you don't know what it feels like to have a counterpart or to lose a being so close, so I can't help but be concerned towards how the next few days are going to go. You're not used to caring about someone else, Rayquaza. You only know how to take care of yourself. You've always been like that."
Rayquaza turned his eyes away. He respected Deoxys for being truthful, but he had become so used to such comments that they didn't affect him anymore.
Her eyes darkened. "After our battle over La'Rousse City a few years back and my brother left to voyage into outer space, I knew I would miss him since I had decided to stay here and join the legendary council. I have a clue on what Latias must be going through with Latios gone. Right now, she needs someone more than ever. So, I'm also glad you're doing this."
Rayquaza blinked and looked at her.
"I can't remember the last time I saw Latias smile," Deoxys said. "This whole thing may be weird, but you must be doing something right. Maybe after this week is over Latias will really go back to enjoying the thrills of life and won't think so much about Latios. If you can really pull this off without making it all worse, then every member on the council will probably be impressed. I mean, everybody wants to see Latias happy again, so this temporary counterpart thing might be good for her." Her tone lowered. "As well as for you."
Rayquaza growled. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"Nothing," Deoxys said. If she had a mouth, a smirk would cross it. "Anyway, just take care of Latias for the week, Rayquaza. As Arceus said, treat her like a counterpart and all that jazz. Push aside your usual ways for just this once."
"Haven't I already?"
Deoxys shook her head. "How long you can hold it is what I'm worried about."
"Rayquaza? Latias?"
Rayquaza perked up his head. He watched Arceus walk up and stand on top of his pedestal. He figured that it was time for him and Latias to receive their mission. As he spotted Latias emerge from the crowd and float toward Arceus, he looked at Deoxys.
"Good luck," she said, while Rayquaza only grunted as he turned. "Hopefully this mission will be more easier than…" She snickered. "Painting."
Rayquaza stopped and glared at Deoxys. Blood rushed to his face as she laughed. "Shaddup!"
"As you all know," Arceus said to Rayquaza and Latias as they floated before him, the other legendaries silent, "tribes of pokemon exist throughout the forests and other areas of the mortal world. Some consist only of a certain type, while others may have a variety. Recently, I have been listening to the prayers from members of a tribe who reside in the forest around eastern Hoenn. Apparently, a few of their flying type members were exploring a new cave, when it collapsed on them and closed off the exit. They're trapped inside with little food and water and have no means of getting out, because the walls are too thick and the ground is too hard to dig through."
"Can't they just break through the rocks using their attacks?" Rayquaza asked.
"Not without the risk of causing a bigger collapse."
"Well, what about the pokemon that are outside? Can't they break through the rocks?"
"Rayquaza," Arceus said, "this tribe is young and consists of members whose attacks couldn't possibly do enough damage to break through the thick rocks. Besides, the rocks are enclosed in all around the trapped pokemon. Any attacks that can get through might cause collapse or harm them in the process."
Rayquaza growled. "Then how the hell are we supposed to help?"
"They've been praying for help for a while now. As protectors of mortals, we must help. Half of our power comes from the mortals who believe in us. What will they think if none of us appear? I also think this is a nice task for you two to try together. Those pokemon need our help, and you two are perfect for the job. Improvise to come up with a solution. I'm sure your minds can figure something when put together."
Rayquaza sighed, unconvinced.
Latias floated up to his face. "Come on, Ray! Those pokemon need our help!"
"Fine," he muttered.
"Good," Arceus said. "Now go. The faster you get those pokemon out, the better."
Latias saluted. She turned and flew for the door.
Rayquaza ran a claw down his face.
You're not used to caring about someone else, Rayquaza. You only know how to take care of yourself. You've always been like that.
Deoxys' words coursed through his head. He paused, but then he pushed them away and followed after his counterpart.
"The coast is clear, brother," Khan said. He gazed through his binoculars and at the docks that traced the southern edge of Alto Mare.
"Are you sure?" Genghis asked as he emerged from the back room of their boat. He pushed an ice pack against the nasty burn on his arm.
"Genghis, it's been a day. I really think the houndoom are gone now."
"Yeah. Yeah. They probably are. But it's just to be safe. I mean, I don't want them to jump out of nowhere and eat you if we go on shore again…"
Khan rolled his eyes. "You sure you're not just scared?"
"I am not scared!"
Khan looked at his brother. It was rare when he saw him in such a vulnerable state. His lips twitched upward when an idea came to mind – an idea too good to pass up.
"Oh my Arceus!" he yelled, pointing his finger ahead. "Houndoom!"
Genghis squeaked and ducked behind the nearby desk. He shook and whimpered to himself.
Khan broke out into laughter. "Dude, you are totally scared!"
"I am not scared!"
"Whatever you say, brother."
Genghis got up and snarled. He raised his fist, slammed it against Khan's head, and pulled back to retrieve his ice pack as Khan keeled over. "You're lucky I was generous enough to take that ember attack for you. Now I regret it, though. A burnt rattata on a stick would be more useful than you!"
Khan glared at his brother, but then cowered beneath his demonic stare. "W-well, what do we do now?"
"You saw Rayquaza and Latias leave Alto Mare this morning, right?"
"Yeah." Khan frowned and added darkly: "When I wasn't forced to keep houndoom watch for ten hours straight…"
"What did you say?"
He jumped. "N-nothing!"
Genghis snorted and looked back at Alto Mare. "Since our sneaking tactics failed, we're going to have to find this place straight on."
"Which means?"
"We're going to head in there undercover and get the answer from the townspeople themselves!"
Khan froze. "But isn't that risky?"
"Risky?" Genghis smirked and ran a hand through his chartreuse hair. "'Risky' is my middle name!"
"What? No it isn't-"
"Shut up, Khan!"
Khan gulped. His brother swept past him to take the wheel of the boat and steer them toward the town.
"Get our disguises, Khan," he said. "We have a Soul Dew to find! And, this time, we're finding it!"
Khan sighed. He heeded his brother's command and climbed down the ladder behind him into the lower rooms of the boat.
"I've got a bad feeling about this..."
