"Oh, Lugia, you look absolutely stunning!"

The Legendary guardian of the sea – Lugia – glanced downward, examining how her avian body was covered in an assortment of white and blue flowers, matching ribbons that were tied to their stems dangling down and surrounding her. She turned her eyes to Suicune, a frown covering her beak as she asked, "You don't think it's too much?"

Suicune shook her head, the large grin that was on her snout completely contradicting her usual stoic attitude. "Not at all! You're going to amaze everyone during the Ceremony, I can tell you that!" She winked. "Especially Kyogre."

"Well," Lugia said, "I definitely want to amaze him, not blind him with all of these shiny decorations. You sure he'll like it?"

Suicune raised a paw. "Why wouldn't he? He's probably going to be dressed for the Ceremony, too, so shouldn't it make sense for you to be? Besides, when humans exchange vows to be together forever, they always get dressed up as well."

"Sounds like irrelevant stuff, if you ask me," Lugia replied, rolling her eyes. "We're Legendaries; why would we care about…body decorations?"

Suicune shrugged. "To add to the appeal, I guess. But, hey, you agreed to do all of this when he proposed and you accepted. You have no one to blame but yourself."

Lugia grunted at Suicune's smirk, turning her eyes to the pool of water before her feet that they were using as a mirror of some sort. She cocked her head, examining her attire once more; she had to agree with the water dog beside her – she definitely looked ready for the Ceremony of Partnership that she would soon be performing with Kyogre. "I suppose I can't argue with that," she said, arching a brow, the corners of her mouth turning upward in an amused manner. "As long as I'm not overdressed, that's the important thing."

"Well, why don't we ask Groudon then?" said Suicune.

Lugia met the water dog's eyes, mentally agreeing with her that another female's opinion would help with the situation (not to mention that Groudon was the only other one who had come). She turned her gaze to the said land rex, who was sitting in the corner of the cave, staring at the ceiling with what looked like bored eyes, completely lost in whatever thoughts that were going through her head. Lugia's brows rose with curiosity; Groudon had been quiet ever since she had arrived with Suicune an hour ago, only muttering a simple greeting when she walked through the cavern's threshold. This was strange, as usually Groudon was a talkative Legendary, tending to babble on about her love for musicals and opera music – and all of the mayhem that happened between her and her counterpart, Kyogre. Lately, though, she had dropped such acts, metamorphosing into this silent being that was barely recognizable.

However, Lugia never said anything about it. She didn't want to risk offending Groudon, after all.

"Um…" the sea dragon began, awkwardness filling the air. "Do you think I look too flashy, Groudon?"

Groudon turned her eyes to Lugia, who spread out her wings to give a clearer view of the flowers and ribbons attached to her tail and other appendages. The frown that covered the land rex's face tightened, and the way her gaze turned away from the sea dragon only seconds later easily gave away the semblance that she really hadn't bothered to fully examine her. "You look fine to me," she muttered, leaning against the large rock she'd been sitting beside.

Lugia opened her mouth to say something, but closed it a few seconds afterwards.

"See?" Suicune said, smiling, never having considered Groudon's sudden change in character to be something important; then again, Lugia had noticed that most of the Legendaries weren't considering her change in character to be something out of the ordinary. "Groudon agrees with me, so it's obvious you're worrying over nothing."

Lugia returned her eyes to the pool of water before her, the edge of her mouth pulling upward. "Yeah, yeah, I think I'm convinced now. At the Ceremony tonight…I just hope Kyogre likes it."

"He's an idiot if he doesn't."

At that, Lugia had to laugh, and it wasn't long before Suicune joined in.

Meanwhile, though, Groudon could only duck her head, trying to swallow the stinging lump in her throat.

An agitated groan. "I'm not too overdressed, am I?"

"You are not overdressed, Kyogre."

"You sure?"

"You are about as overdressed as my foot."

"…You don't have a foot, Rayquaza."

The said emerald dragon snorted. "Exactly. So shut up and stop complaining."

Kyogre frowned, but said nothing as he examined himself in the reflective golden walls of the Hall of Legends' meeting room, where the Ceremony of Partnership between him and Lugia would take place later on that night. Of course, Lugia was getting ready for it in her own cave, so Kyogre had taken the opportunity to use the Hall as his own location for preparation, trying on the silver ribbons that were designed to match the feathers of his mate (while she was being dressed up in blue and white decorations to match his own body colors). He cocked his head and raised a flipper, asking, "You sure I'm not overdressed?"

While Rayquaza growled, slapping himself in the forehead, Raikou, who was currently standing on top of a manmade ladder trying to hang up decorations across the ceiling and upper portions of the walls, grinned goofily. "If you're overdressed," he said, "then I'm a retard."

Rayquaza rolled his eyes. "I guess Kyogre must be overdressed then."

"…Shaddup! I wasn't talking to you!"

Kyogre sighed, shaking his head in disappointment.

"I see that you're all nearly prepared for Kyogre and Lugia's Ceremony tonight…" said a deep, elegant voice, and all eyes turned to the doorway leading into the Hall's back rooms where the God Pokemon – Arceus – was emerging from. His gold eyes, hues of emerald swirling around within them, were bright with a sense of thoughtfulness as he made his way over to Raikou, Kyogre, and Rayquaza.

"Yup!" Raikou raised a paw, a silver streamer dangling from between two of his claws. He gestured to the various blue, silver, and white decorations that hung down from the ceiling and walls all around the room, giving the place a sense of festivity. "The decorations are almost finished! Just gotta hang up this last one…"

Rayquaza jabbed a finger towards Kyogre. "Now, if only we could convince Mister Perfectionist over here that he's not overdressed, we might finally get somewhere before the universe dies of old age."

"I just want to look good for Lugia," Kyogre said, scowling at the emerald dragon. "Is that a crime?"

"No, but it's cruel and unusual punishment having to sit here and wait for you." Rayquaza snorted. "You're lucky you're one of the few Legendaries I respect in this crazy organization."

Kyogre had to frown bewilderedly at that. "Uh, thanks…?"

"You know," Raikou said from atop his ladder, "I have a feeling Lugia's going through the exact same thing you are right now anyway." He grinned. "So you shouldn't feel bad."

"Uh…thanks again?"

Meanwhile, Arceus remained silent, lost in the thoughts that had been plaguing him ever since Kyogre and Lugia announced that they wanted to participate in a Ceremony of Partnership – an act established by the Legendaries not too long ago that was inspired by the concept of marriage created by the humans. It was a way for two Legendaries who were mates to one another to exchange vows of eternal togetherness, declaring their status as partners as something that they were willing to hold onto until the end of time. Every time two Legendaries said they wanted to participate in a Ceremony of Partnership, they would be dressed up in decorations that were designed to match the colors of their mate, and the meeting room of the Hall of Legends – where the event would take place – would be decorated as well for when all of the Legendaries gathered to witness the vow exchange. Ceremonies of Partnerships weren't exactly uncommon, as other pairings among the council had already performed the act before Kyogre and Lugia – one example being Giratina and Latios (which was somewhat strange seeing as how Giratina usually frowned upon humanlike traditions).

But that wasn't what Arceus' thoughts were focusing on. When Kyogre and Lugia had agreed to participate in a Ceremony of Partnership, Arceus had noticed a change among the council – or, to be more specific, a change among the council that involved a fellow Legendary. Groudon, he noticed, had become distant, turning into a silent being that left the Hall as soon as the normal morning meeting was over, not staying behind to chat with even her counterpart, Kyogre, as she usually did. Instead, she seemed to want to avoid everyone, contradicting the sociable idiosyncrasies she was known for. Arceus couldn't help but wonder what this was all about - he had first figured her attitude change to be a simple phase, but with the fact that it hadn't depleted by the time the Ceremony between Kyogre and Lugia were only a few hours away, he now knew it was probably something worth confronting her about. He watched over the other Legendaries on the council like a leader, after all; he couldn't ignore the agony that was possibly consuming one of them.

"Continue with what you're doing," the God Pokemon said, breaking whatever conversation that had been transpiring between Kyogre, Rayquaza, and Raikou. "Try your best to finish the decorations before the other Legendaries start arriving for the Ceremony. I'll be back later."

"Yes, sir!" Raikou said, saluting. He suddenly arched a brow. "But, hey, where're you going?"

Not wanting to attract attention to the matter, Arceus simply said, "To make sure all of the Legendaries are prepared for the Ceremony tonight."

And with that, he headed towards the large doorway that led out of the meeting room. He stopped right before it, though, turning his head to eye Kyogre.

"Oh, and Kyogre?" He smiled amusingly. "I assure you – you are not overdressed."

He left.

"Hah!" Rayquaza scoffed. "See? You are not overdressed."

Kyogre scowled. "Shut up, Rayquaza."

"Yeah, shut up, Raikou."

"What?! I didn't even say anything!"

Of course, everyone ignored the poor thunder tiger.

Groudon sighed as she entered her cave, having just got back from her visit with Lugia. She wasn't even entirely sure why she had gone in the first place; she was far from being a good source of advice when it came to fashion, and, because of this, her presence around the said sea dragon while she was getting prepared for her Ceremony of Partnership with Kyogre seemed pointless. Then again, Suicune had insisted that she tag along when she was in the midst of heading to Lugia's cavern to help out, and her reason for doing so was still unknown to the land rex; though she had a feeling that it had something to do with the fact that Kyogre was her counterpart, and thus she would have to know some interesting things about him to talk about to Lugia - the one Legendary that was scheduled to become his official mate later on that night.

Groudon hadn't said anything during her stay, though, so that theory had quickly gone out the window.

Luckily, neither Suicune nor Lugia mentioned anything about her lingering silence, and she was somewhat grateful for this. When Lugia had announced that she was finally satisfied with how she looked, Suicune departed to give her some time alone to sort out her thoughts before the big Ceremony, Groudon following not too far behind. The two Legendaries then took their separate ways, Suicune heading towards the Hall of Legends to undoubtedly help her counterpart, Raikou, hang up decorations - something he was usually assigned to do every time a Ceremony of Partnership was in pending to commence. (Of course, he was probably already done by now, but it was just in case.)

It was evident that every Legendary was excited to attend the Ceremony between Kyogre and Lugia.

Meanwhile, whenever Groudon thought about it, the stinging lump in her throat would expand.

The land rex scowled as she stepped forward, struggling to swallow that very same lump, despising how it kept on coming back to annoy her. Her long claws slightly dragged across the stony floor as she moved, though she didn't acknowledge it. She made her way to the back of the cave where the sun's light that was pouring in from outside couldn't reach, allowing darkness to lightly fill the area, and she placed her claw on the wall in front of her, eyes closing in thought. This was a habit she had grown ever since Lugia and Kyogre started their romantic relationship; it was now what she always did whenever she got back from a morning meeting between the Legendaries at the Hall, her usual sociable ways completely fading away beneath it all.

Thinking. Pondering. Contemplating.

Because, with Kyogre gone, that's all she could ever do.

"Hello?"

Groudon jumped in place, snapping around to face the entrance to her cave where a four-legged being was standing, how he was eclipsing the incoming sunlight giving his body a silhouette appearance. Despite this, it didn't take long for Groudon to recognize him, his gold eyes with hues of emerald as familiar as the very blue sky above them all.

"Damn, Arceus," she said, placing a claw over her heart. She let out a sigh to calm herself. "You scared me there for a sec."

Arceus' forehead slightly creased. "I apologize, Groudon. I didn't mean to-"

"Nah, it's fine. Don't worry about it."

The God Pokemon nodded, stepping forward and entering the warm air of the cavern. He scanned his eyes over the surroundings, suddenly realizing that he hadn't visited Groudon much in the past; this would explain why her cave carried a sense of unknowingness, regardless that it looked like an average cavern.

"What brings you here?" Groudon asked, a light tone of enthusiasm in her voice, which sounded strange to Arceus since it had been lacking such a thing for a while.

"I came to talk to you," Arceus said.

Groudon had to cock her head at that. "Huh? What for?"

"For something I've been noticing lately." The God Pokemon stopped in place only a few feet from which Groudon stood. "Recently, you've seemed…distant. Even I know that you're usually a talkative Legendary, but you seemed to have dropped such a personality. I must admit, I'm a little concerned."

For some reason, Groudon felt the urge to grit her teeth – and out of nervousness. "Oh…I have, have I?"

"Is something bothering you, Groudon?"

Groudon turned her eyes away, focusing them on a rock not far from her foot. "No…"

It was evident as daylight that she was lying.

Arceus furrowed his brows. "Surely something must be bothering you. You've turned into an entirely different person, Groudon. As leader of the council, I can't help but be worried. It seems as if you been in this phase since…" His eyes flashed with realization. "Since Kyogre and Lugia first started their relationship."

Groudon's teeth literally gritted at that. Her claws twitched, and she fought the urge to punch the wall as that familiar stinging lump returned to her throat.

"Groudon?" Arceus said, noticing how she seemed to go rigid.

The land rex rose her head, meeting his eyes. "Coincidence. It's not that at all."

Arceus frowned. "You're lying, Groudon. I can tell."

"So what if I am?" Groudon suddenly hissed, convincing Arceus to take a step back. He had never seen her display such anger; usually she was calm and collected, even when one of her nerves were pinched.

"Is that what's bothering you?" asked Arceus, his eyes showing more concern rather than intimidation. "Kyogre and Lugia's relationship?"

Groudon let out a dry chuckle, turning away. Her voice grew quiet. "What makes you think that?"

Arceus turned his eyes to the floor. Kyogre was Groudon's counterpart; as counterparts, they had been through thick and thin together, spending more time with each other than either of them did with any other Legendary. It really hadn't been long ago when Kyogre had found love in Lugia, starting their relationship and thus starting the phase of depression that seemed to smother Groudon.

Wait…

Arceus' gaze slowly rose, another realization sweeping over him – something he was surprised he hadn't considered before.

"Groudon…" he said, his tone soft, the said land rex only acknowledging his articulation with a flick of her tail. "Kyogre and Lugia's relationship is what's bothering you, isn't it? You're…jealous…aren't you?"

Groudon remained silent.

"You have feelings for Kyogre," Arceus concluded. "You're in love with him."

At that, Groudon growled, her claws slightly flexing, and surely if they weren't so long she would've clenched them until they impaled the scaly flesh of her palms. Surprisingly, though, when she turned around to eye Arceus, there was only dampness around her eyes. "So what if I am…?" she said, the repeated words now coming out with shakiness.

Arceus felt sympathy strike him like a bullet. He turned his gaze away, unable to think of anything to say. Even he had to admit that he had expected Groudon and Kyogre to eventually come together as mates – they had been through so much during their existence. Hatred was something that never lingered between them; sure, they had their quarrels and battles every now and then, but they always worked out their problems in the end, forgiving one another and moving on. But, now, such a possibility wasn't something that could happen; Kyogre was in love with Lugia and they would later be performing the Ceremony of Partnership, leaving Groudon to watch from the sidelines.

"Groudon…I…"

Despite being an entity of wisdom, Arceus lacked any words that could possibly help the land rex.

Because, with Kyogre now out of the question, he couldn't help but wonder who else she had…

"Groudon…"

"Don't bother," Groudon said, turning her eyes to the floor. "What is there to say?"

Arceus' eyes grew soft. "Why didn't you ever tell him?"

"By the time I realized I loved him, he was already with Lugia. He was so happy…I couldn't risk breaking that up. For all of the things he's done for me, the least I can do is let him have what he wants." She let out another dry chuckle. "Damn, I sound like one of those angsty lovesick fools on those dreaded soap opera shows…it's pathetic."

"Falling in love with someone isn't always entirely your fault," said Arceus, his brows coming together.

Groudon looked at him. "Exactly, so I can't be angry with Kyogre, now can I?"

Arceus sighed.

For the next minute, silence lingered between them. While Groudon was trying to avoid Arceus' gaze, the God Pokemon turned his attention to outside, in which the sun was in the midst of sinking below the horizon. He hadn't realized how much time had transpired while he and Groudon had been conversing, and he almost hated the fact that Kyogre and Lugia's Ceremony was only an hour away. If he was to make it in time and perform his role in the event, he would have to leave now.

He turned his eyes to Groudon, feeling more sympathy deluge him. "Groudon…"

"I know, I know," the land rex said. "The Ceremony. You should go; you don't want to be late."

Despite feeling weird to ask, Arceus questioned, "Are you coming?"

Groudon forced a teasing smile. "I have to, don't I? Kyogre and I have been through hell and back together; there's no way I can miss this and not feel guilty. Go on, I'll catch up."

Arceus slowly nodded. "We shall talk later, too. Do not think I'm going to just…drop this."

A look of surprise crossed Groudon's face, stunned by the fact that Arceus was showing such consideration for her feelings as if he was her counterpart. She turned her eyes to the floor. "Thanks, Arceus…"

"Whatever it takes to get you back to your normal self," Arceus said, and he left.

After all, I miss your normal self…

The decorations that hung all across the walls of the Hall of Legends' meeting room added a sense of sparkling beauty to the architecture's gold-colored exterior. Silver, blue, and white streamers dangled from hooks implanted into the ceiling, almost reaching down to touch the floor. Ribbons were part of the scheme as well, groups of two or three tied around latches that Raikou had managed to install into the upper portions of the walls. Needless to say, it was amazing that the goofy thunder tiger had done most of this on his own, and his idea of dimming down the overhead lights so that the decorations' own personal shine stuck out more was nothing short of an idea expected from a professional decorator.

Groudon glanced around as she walked into the meeting room, admiring how everything looked. She noticed that the rest of the Legendaries were already here, sitting on the jury-styled seats that ran alongside a long, red carpet reaching up to Arceus' pedestal in the very front of the room, where Kyogre and Lugia would stand when they exchanged vows and declared eternal togetherness. Somewhat reluctantly, Groudon walked forward and towards her reserved seat among the stands; though having depleted heavily since her earlier talk with Arceus, that stinging lump in her throat was still there.

Arceus…

She couldn't help but wonder where the God Pokemon was. His promise of the continuation of their talk was something she found herself…anticipating…

She was pulled from her thoughts when something blue appeared in the corner of her eye. She turned her head, feeling her heart skip a beat as Kyogre emerged into the room, Lugia right beside him, loving expressions covering their faces. Immediately, the other Legendaries ceased whatever conversations that were transpiring between them, growing silent as Kyogre and Lugia headed down the long, red carpet and towards Arceus' pedestal, where Groudon then noticed Arceus himself was now standing on, ready to articulate the official declarations of the Ceremony of Partnership much like a priest did during marriages between humans. When Kyogre and Lugia reached the pedestal, keeping their places right before it, Arceus began to speak.

Groudon remained silent during the whole exchange of vows – much like everyone else was. Arceus' elegant voice echoed across the meeting room's cathedral-sized space, and though his words were coming out in a firm, professional tone, Groudon noticed a sense of reluctance in his gaze. She thought nothing of it, though, not noticing how the God Pokemon's eyes flickered to her every now and then…

Eventually, the Ceremony was over, Kyogre and Lugia immediately being lost within a crowd of Legendaries as they all surrounded them to share their felicitations. Groudon got up, knowing that she couldn't ignore congratulating her counterpart who had always been there for her, so she made her way through the crowd until she came across the said blue orca, Lugia standing beside him, speaking with Suicune and Cresselia.

Kyogre met Groudon's eyes, a large grin spreading across his face. "Groudon! I was wondering when you were going to appear!"

Groudon forced a small smile. "Hey, I wouldn't miss this for the world, you know that."

"I know," he said, chuckling. "Listen…I just wanted to thank you for supporting me through all of this – and not just recently, I mean – but for all of the years we've been together. Team Magma…Team Aqua…we've fought them and many more obstacles together, and I couldn't've done it without you by my side."

Groudon's smile grew slightly larger.

Kyogre nodded to himself. "Yeah, Lugia and I may be together now, but let me tell you that no matter what, you'll always be that sister-figure to me I never ceased to want."

"Kyogre…" Groudon said, blinking at his kind words.

"And I find this ironic," Kyogre continued, "me with Lugia, I mean. One of these days I'm going to be watching you walk down this aisle with a mate by your side, ready to exchange vows." He grinned. "I can tell you now that I can't wait for that day. The Legendary you're going to be with is going to be one hell of a lucky Legendary."

At that, Groudon's smile flourished into a full-fledged grin. "Thanks, Kyogre. Really."

Kyogre raised a flipper and Groudon placed her claw in it, the two Legendaries then sharing a respectful shake. Afterwards, the blue orca departed into the crowd with his silver-feathered mate.

"He's right, you know."

Groudon turned around, meeting the eyes of Arceus. For a reason that was beyond her, her heart skipped a beat.

"About finding your own mate someday, I mean," Arceus added. He walked forward until he was right beside her, and they both gazed onward and at the other Legendaries as they continued to gather around Kyogre and Lugia. "That's what I wanted to say before we had to leave for the Ceremony."

"Was it?" Groudon asked softly.

Arceus nodded. "Groudon, let me tell you now that Kyogre was right about the other things, too. You are a powerful Legendary; a dedicated one who is willing to sacrifice herself to save those she cares about. Those are honorable traits, and certainly things you should be proud of." He turned his eyes back to the distant figure of Kyogre. "Even if Kyogre saw your relationship as something between a brother and sister, that doesn't restrict you to the sidelines. You'll find someone, I know you will. After all, I have to agree with Kyogre on that final point – the Legendary who gets your heart will be a very lucky Legendary indeed.

"Now…" His eyes grew warm. "Is there any chance we can get the old Groudon back?"

Groudon chuckled lightly. "I suppose..."

"Good," Arceus said, placing a hoof on her shoulder. "Just keep your eyes open…Kyogre may be gone, but those other options are probably much closer than they appear."

Slowly, Groudon reached up and covered his hoof with her claw. "I think I already see one," she murmured, turning her softened eyes to him.

He met her gaze.

And he smiled.