"Ray, I'm going to go out and take a fly around town!"
"Alright."
Latias smiled and floated over to Rayquaza, who curled up beneath the shade of one of the Secret Garden's larger trees. "Do you want anything while I'm out?"
"No."
"Okay!" Latias headed toward the Garden's exit. "I'll be back before sunset!"
When she left, Rayquaza shifted in place. It wasn't out of relief for her departure, but he still felt glad that he had the Garden to himself. He looked at the trees, at how the afternoon sun bled in through the leaves and branches. The earlier nap hadn't lasted long, and by the time Rayquaza had woken up, Latias had been conversing with the pokemon of the Garden, the air warm and the sky bright. It took Rayquaza a while to remember what had happened before – the conversation he had had with Deoxys at the Hall of Legends that morning, who had shared her own definition of the sensations he felt toward Latias:
"But do you care about her? Beyond the bond all counterparts share?"
"What?" He snorted again. "As in 'like' her?"
"Love her."
His breath caught in his throat.
Rayquaza shook his head and uncurled himself. I don't know, he wanted to say. I don't know what I feel. For once since the creation of this blasted planet, I don't know what I feel! He wanted to say it out loud, he wanted to scream it from the rooftops, he wanted to know how all those years of solitude and pride had lost their value during the few days he'd spent with Latias. Those philosophies felt like a ball and chain now, dragging him down to the ground, where he could do nothing but stare up at the sky and wonder what really got him there in the first place. He wanted to look Arceus in the eyes and ask him how a pokemon revered by some mortals as gods couldn't even figure out his own emotions.
With a sigh, he looked up at the sky, that ball and chain as heavy as ever.
Who does a god turn to when he needs prayer?
Mortals carved his shape into stone and considered him legendary. But, what most rarely knew was that, in the end, a legendary was still a pokemon, and a pokemon was still a living, breathing creature that occasionally didn't know what to do. He was the king of the skies in some cultures and a challenge to be conquered in others, yet here he was, feeling as lost as the rest of them. Confused. Insecure.
Lonely.
He floated over to the fountain that encased the Soul Dew. It glowed beneath the water, as bright as the stars. Latios had sacrificed himself to save Alto Mare and Latias, and he became the new Soul Dew that powered Alto Mare and provided that sense of home for all of the town's inhabitants. In the last seconds of life, Latios hadn't stepped back from the choice he'd made. He went through with it, knowing that the town needed him – that Latias needed him – and that he needed to be the counterpart he was. But, even if he hadn't been Latias' counterpart, he still would've sacrificed himself to save her, to save everyone, because a legendary was still a pokemon, and a pokemon protected the ones he loved.
Rayquaza looked back at the sky. If something threatened Latias' life, what would I do? If I needed to sacrifice myself to save her, to save anyone, would I do it?
Latias followed the idea that all legendaries were still pokemon. She appreciated him for being who he was, not what he was, and maybe all those mortals that prayed to him and asked for his help didn't do so because they couldn't take care of themselves or they needed a god to do their work. Maybe they just needed their own counterpart, their own someone they could trust, someone they could believe in, because all pokemon and humans needed a hero – a reason to believe.
And maybe, just maybe, he had always needed a reason to believe, too.
Rayquaza reached for the rose by the fountain.
And Latias...
"Never thought I'd see the great Rayquaza."
Rayquaza blinked and turned around.
A sableye stared back at him, sitting against a tree's trunk. His gemstone eyes glistened with the jewels on his thin torso, never blinking, and he held a brown, gnarled staff, short enough to suit his small stature. Despite that his purple-colored skin seemed naturally smooth and healthy, his heavy voice sounded aged.
"Who are you?" Rayquaza asked, narrowing his eyes. "I don't remember ever seeing you here."
"I am a simple traveler," the sableye said. "In all of my current years, I've seen much of the world, and I've heard many things. While most of my siblings preferred to stay in the comfort of their dark caves, I wanted to see what lay outside. I haven't stopped walking ever since." He looked around. "I have passed through Alto Mare before, but it's only now have I seen the Secret Garden. To my luck, the pokemon of the streets showed me the way, and here I am. A fascinating place. I wish I'd known about it sooner." He grinned, showing his pointed teeth. "You may call me Shaman, by the way."
Rayquaza snorted. "My pleasure."
Shaman chuckled. "While I've never actually seen you in flesh and blood, I have heard stories about you from the groups of pokemon I've encountered on my travels. The mighty legendary of the skies, Rayquaza, in the Secret Garden of Alto Mare, a sanctum that usually houses the legendary Latias and had once housed the late Latios?"
"Latias is out and about."
"I see. Well, then I may ask what you are doing here, Rayquaza? You usually reside in Hoenn, yes?"
"I'm here on special business."
"Ah," Shaman said. "This old 'mon can sense when he's crossing into the deep end of the lake. Pardon my rudeness in probing, Rayquaza. I meant you no ill will."
Rayquaza grunted. "Don't worry about it." I've already told more pokemon than I'd like, after all. "I appreciate the courtesy, too," he added, "but, you know, I put my pants on one leg at a time, too...if I had legs."
Shaman chuckled again. "Always enjoy a nice sense of humor!" He stood up, using his staff to balance himself. "May I see it? The Soul Dew?"
"I guess." Rayquaza floated aside. As Shaman grinned again and headed toward the fountain, Rayquaza kept a close eye on him. The Soul Dew was important, and while the pokemon that resided in the Garden could be trusted, a simple traveler could be as scheming as an obvious scoundrel.
Shaman gazed at the Soul Dew, as it glowed with life beneath the fountain's water. "The story of Latios' sacrifice for the town of Alto Mare is a tale of heroism that's spread across the world. It's an honor to stand right by his legacy. There have been many heroes for pokemon kind since the world began, and, without these heroes, who knew what would've happened? I've found myself pondering that a lot recently, what's the difference between the villagers and the heroes who save them?"
"Heroes are the ones you can trust," Rayquaza said, his eyes dark. "They're the reason to believe."
Shaman eyed him. "My, my, Rayquaza. I have heard tales about your high stature, but I've never heard that you were quite the philosopher."
Rayquaza scolded himself and looked away. "It's just something I've been hearing for a long time now."
"But, it is true," Shaman said. "Humans and pokemon grow up dreaming about bright futures and long lives. Yet, in this world we live in, terror is around every corner. Even a simple traveler like myself has had to run from the clutches of poachers, predatory pokemon, and evil humans hungry for the money I could bring them with my powers." He looked back at Rayquaza. "Nowadays, we all need a reason to believe, because as beautiful as this world is, it harnesses much anger, much greed and envy, much corrupt intentions, much arrogance..."
With the help of his staff, Shaman walked back down toward the trees. He stopped and looked back at Rayquaza. "Within every darkness, there's a light. Within every villager, there's a hero waiting to emerge, even if you can't see it yet. Within every storm, there's a reason to believe, to trust, to know what needs to be done when the chances are slim and the horizon is red." He smiled softly. "Besides, if there are thorns, then there must be roses, too."
Rayquaza looked at the rose by the fountain. Undoubtedly, Shaman had seen it while gazing at the Soul Dew. He floated over to it and picked it up, making sure to avoid the thorns that protruded from its stem. It reminded him of his thoughts, of Shaman's words, of how Latias had been during their times together, of the week they'd both agreed to share – and the very reason they had decided to do so in the first place. He'd done it to see what being a counterpart felt like, a role he originally didn't want. At the moment...
Am I a hero or a villager?
He still didn't know. He still didn't know if this is what he wanted. There was a hero in every villager, but not every hero could go back to being a villager, go back to the life they lived – a life that, sometimes, they preferred over the pressuring role of being someone who had to live up to everyone's trust. A role they wouldn't have to worry about, if they were alone.
Would I sacrifice myself to save Latias? To save anyone?
He didn't see himself to be a villager.
Yet, he didn't feel like much of a hero, either.
His jaw firmed, and he turned around to face Shaman. "But what if I don't want this-"
Shaman was gone.
Rayquaza blinked and looked around. Apart from the trees and the snoozing pokemon that lay in them, Rayquaza was alone. It was as if Shaman had disappeared into thin air. With a sigh, Rayquaza placed the rose back by the fountain, a frown on his face.
"Great, now I'm talking to myself..."
"So, you want to see the Soul Dew?"
Khan swallowed and looked away from Bianca. He couldn't lie straight to her face. He did want to see the Soul Dew, but not as a tourist curious about the town's monuments. No, he wanted to take it for Team Rocket's gain. The more he thought about his true intentions, the heavier his heart felt. He focused his eyes on the shrubbery that grew on the platform beside the bench where they sat.
They'd explored more of Alto Mare, with Bianca having explained to him the history behind the Soul Dew after he'd asked if she'd heard of it. It was quite obvious that she had beforehand, but he knew that blatantly asking where it was would raise a red flag in a heart beat. Besides, the history did fascinate him a bit – including the legendary Latias and Latios, with Latios having sacrificed himself to save the town during Annie and Oakley's attempt at stealing the Soul Drew a while back.
He sensed Genghis' eyes watching him, even though he couldn't see his brother anywhere amongst the dark alleys around them.
Khan shifted in place, and he forced himself to look at Bianca. "I would, but...I know that since the incident with Latios, everyone's hesitant to let any outsiders see the Soul Dew. So, I understand if you don't want me to..."
If she says yes, we get the Soul Dew. If she says no, we'll get the Soul Dew anyway – and I don't want to think how Genghis will do so if she says no.
"You're right," Bianca said. "Security has been a little tight about it. At least on Latias' end."
"I understand-"
"But," Bianca added, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder, "I'll talk to her about it. If she agrees to let you see it, then you can see it."
Khan didn't know whether to grin or cry.
"I..." He swallowed again. "Thank you."
"It's the least I can do." Bianca smiled. "I mean, you've been one of the more interesting tourists that's passed through here recently."
He returned the smile. "Is that a compliment?"
"Maybe."
He chuckled, which helped the ache in his chest a bit. "Well," he said, shuffling his feet awkwardly, "you're one of the more interesting people I've seen."
"Recently?"
"Ever."
Bianca blushed. "Thank you. I don't think I've ever heard anyone say that." She cleared her throat and stood up. "It's getting a bit late. You want to head back to my grandpa's shop for lunch?"
"Sure."
Khan stood and walked with her. A minute later, he lagged behind slightly, watching the alleyways they passed, waiting for that flash of chartreuse or the annoyed calling of his name. When nothing appeared, he tried his best to keep up with Bianca, so it wouldn't attract her attention, but every now and then he found himself watching the alleyways again.
He sighed.
I really wish I was just a tourist...