"Quick, while Dialga is still here – turn on the machine!"

Dialga glared at the members of Team Galactic before him. He didn't bother to wonder what they had meant by 'machine' – though when a large device was rolled in from the side, appearing as if something out of a science-fiction novel, the dragon's jaw slightly dropped in concern.

The day had been silent when Dialga had first woken up, but before he could leave Spear Pillar to help his counterpart, Palkia, with the assignments Arceus had assigned them to do that day, the entire organization known as Team Galactic had attacked. He figured that they must've been spying on Spear Pillar for the past few weeks, watching his every move whenever he revealed himself - unaware of the power-lusting eyes that were glued to him. They noticed that Palkia seemed to leave Spear Pillar every day, not returning until dusk. Dialga would eventually join her, but he wouldn't leave until a little later.

And they had decided that the perfect time to attack was when Dialga was alone.

The commander of Team Galactic, Saturn, was someone Dialga knew all too well. He had replaced the previous leader of Team Galactic, Cyrus, who had tried taking over both him and Palkia before, determined to create a new world using their powers. However, with the help of other humans, his attempt to do so had failed, and Team Galactic had become inactive while Cyrus disappeared, never to be seen for the next few years. Now, they were back, and they seemed much more coordinated than they did the last time.

A loud whirring sound filled the air, the lights on Team Galactic's new machine turning on, glowing a bright blue. Whatever this machine did, Dialga didn't want to find out. If Team Galactic was aware of why they had failed the last time, then certainly they had made sure that they wouldn't fail again. Dialga dashed forward, the ground shaking beneath his feet, raising his claw when he came close to the machine to smash it before it could do anything.

However, right before he could do so, he stopped in place.

It was as if cement had been poured on top him. He couldn't move; he had stopped exactly where he was, his claw hanging in the air awkwardly. He could only move his eyes, and he spotted Saturn, who had a look of superiority crossing his face. Dialga growled from behind his sealed lips and he tightened his muscles, trying his best to move. No matter what he did, though, the effects of the machine were preventing him from doing so. This machine, Dialga could tell, held more power than he had suspected; Team Galactic had evidently spent large amounts of time constructing it, most likely using the information of him they gained from spying to help configure and build its blueprints and abilities.

Damn it, Dialga thought. They definitely came more prepared this time.

Team Galactic called forth their army of Pokemon – Pokemon whose attacks were far less powerful than Dialga's. But with the fact that Dialga was in no position to fight back and Team Galactic's Pokemon now had the ability to gain up on him simultaneously, he knew this wouldn't be an easy battle.

"Attack!" Saturn ordered, and the Pokemon did just that.

Attacks were launched – Flamethrowers, Hydro Pumps, and other special abilities that Dialga would usually be able to dodge. He couldn't evade them, now, though, and they struck him, their joined power causing pain to surge throughout his body. He was pushed back, breathing hard, but it was then when he noticed that he could move again. He threw his head back, charging up a Flash Cannon, its energy forming right in front of his lips, and he sent it forward at the opposing Pokemon, most of them being thrown back from the powerful hit that practically ate away at the ground in its wake.

Saturn growled, gesturing at the machine again.

Team Galactic Grunts quickly pushed multiple buttons on the machine's surface, in which it lit up again, that familiar whirring noise reappearing.

Dialga felt another wave of its effects reach him, and he nearly tumbled over since he had been frozen in mid-step. He mentally hissed a curse.

Saturn pointed at him. "Attack again!"

The opposing Pokemon who had survived Dialga's Flash Cannon returned to their feet, launching more attacks at Dialga, causing him to whimper in pain. He tumbled over as the machine restarted itself to charge back up, but he couldn't get up to use that time to destroy it. When he did return to his feet, Grunts were already mashing buttons on it, causing him to freeze in place where the attacks of the opposing Pokemon struck him and sent him to the ground again.

This pattern went on for a while. Dialga tried his best to inch closer to the machine whenever he could, figuring that throwing attacks at it would be worthless; the machine usually froze him before he could charge one up and opposing Pokemon would get in the way of any attacks he did manage to perform.

And as he grew weaker and weaker from the battle, he eventually fell.

Landing on his side, he groaned.

This couldn't be it!

He couldn't just get captured by Team Galactic!

He couldn't!

But, in his position, he couldn't protest against their victory. His vision grew blurry as his weakness began to dominate him, the figures of Team Galactic beginning to approach him with objects in their hands that were most likely involved in keeping him captive.

They couldn't've won!

…but they did.

Suddenly, a long beam of fire shot down from above, pushing away Saturn and the rest of Team Galactic. Dialga couldn't move his head to find out who was doing such a thing; but whoever it was, their large, colorful figure dropped down onto the ground, quickly destroying the machine that had made Dialga unable to fight in the first place, pushing it off of Spear Pillar with their wing and sending it tumbling down Mt. Coronet. Then, the figure directed their attention to Team Galactic, who were backing away.

"Retreat!" Dialga heard Saturn yell - and Team Galactic did just that, escaping the area and disappearing from sight before the figure could push them off of the mountain as well.

The air grew quiet; Team Galactic's visit was now only a memory to be remembered.

Dialga's savior turned to him, slowly coming towards him. Dialga wanted to thank them, but he was too weak to do so. In fact, he began to feel his body give into its fatigue.

And as he felt a pair of wings wrap around him, his vision faded to black.

Dialga awoke with a jolt, realizing that he was laying on his side on what felt like cold stone. He raised a claw, using it to hoist the upper half of his body up, scanning his eyes over his surroundings. He was in a cavern of some sort, sunlight pouring in from the opening not too far off, which revealed a vast view of trees that reached to the mountains towards the horizon. It was early in the morning – Dialga could tell that – but he couldn't tell where he was.

"Where am I?" he asked subconsciously, half expecting an answer from whoever was there (if anyone), half not.

"Johto," said a voice – a female voice that carried a hue of amusement.

Dialga turned his head, noticing a large, colorful bird emerge from a tunnel that ran deeper into the cave. Her scarlet-colored eyes flashed with a semblance of arrogance, somewhat glowing in the darkness surrounding her that the daylight couldn't reach, and Dialga's brows immediately furrowed.

"Ho-Oh," he muttered.

Ho-Oh let out a short chuckle. "I'm glad you remember who I am, Dialga."

Dialga rolled his eyes. Ho-Oh, one of the most arrogant beings on the Legendary council, was someone he also remembered well. Arceus had teamed them up a few times during assignments in the past, and Dialga had to wonder why he did such a thing when it was evident that her haughtiness was something he didn't particularly like. She boasted too much for her own good, he thought, and he wasn't the only one who was annoyed by such idiosyncrasies. Even her counterpart, Lugia, grew aggravated with her at times, and he was seen as the typical ladies-man.

He didn't despise her, but he didn't much care for her either.

"Why am I here?" Dialga asked, eyes still narrowed.

"Oh, Team Galactic was in the process of capturing you. I was making my way towards Arceus to report in and I saw this transpiring, so I made my way down and saved you." Ho-Oh arched a brow. "Don't you remember?"

Dialga turned his eyes away. He did remember, but he really couldn't believe that Ho-Oh, of all organisms on the planet, had been the one to save him. Then again, he couldn't tell if she had done it out of the kindness of her heart, or just to show off more.

"I brought you here to my cave when it looked like you weren't going to wake up anytime soon," Ho-Oh continued. "I figured that leaving you there beaten and bruised wouldn't be good in case Team Galactic came back."

"How thoughtful of you," Dialga said, his tone somewhat sarcastic. He couldn't help but be grateful towards her, though, so he added, "Thanks."

Ho-Oh waved a wing. "Don't worry about it. It's the least I can do for a fellow Legendary, eh?"

Dialga hummed. He then attempted to stand up – only to tumble over again when his legs gave out. "Agh."

Ho-Oh came over to him, rolling her eyes. "Idiot. Don't you see you're still weak from the battle?"

"How long have I been out?" was all Dialga asked.

"About a day."

Dialga grunted. "Then shouldn't I return to Spear Pillar? Team Galactic will probably be gone for a while, and I need to make sure Palkia knows I'm okay."

"Palkia already knows," Ho-Oh said. "I told her everything. Right now she's at Spear Pillar to ensure that those Galactic goons don't return."

"I should still go back to Spear Pillar."

With that, Dialga tried to get up again, but Ho-Oh pushed him back down with her wing.

"Hell no," she said, brows furrowing. "You're hurt, and it's going to take a while before you're healed up. You're not leaving this cave until you're better – I'm making sure of that."

Dialga eyed her. "Did Arceus command you to do that?"

Ho-Oh pulled back. For a split second, sadness seemed to cross her eyes, and Dialga somewhat regretted what he had said. Ho-Oh quickly dropped the look, though, and stuck her beak in the air, crossing her wings over her feathered chest. "What? You don't think I can do this stuff out of my own hospitality?"

Dialga wanted to say 'no', but for some reason he said nothing. He only lowered his head to the ground, resting it.

"I thought so," Ho-Oh said, smirking at him with superiority.

"Shut up," Dialga replied.

Ho-Oh chuckled at that. "I would be nicer to me, Dialga, if I were you. I just saved your ass from the fire, after all, and have agreed to watch over you until you heal."

"That doesn't mean you have to talk the entire time."

"What? You don't like hearing my beautiful voice?"

Dialga snorted. "Not when I have a headache."

"Well," Ho-Oh said, "I would learn to get used to it. You're staying here until you're better, after all."

Dialga sighed. "You saved me from being imprisoned," he muttered, "only to throw me into a different prison. Who's going to rescue me this time?"

"Hey!" Ho-Oh huffed. "I heard that!"

Dialga only humphed.

Ho-Oh dropped the matter and made her way towards the entrance into the cave, her feathers shining in the sunlight. She turned her head to Dialga. "You hungry? You haven't eaten in an entire day."

At that, Dialga identified the origin of the pain that was erupting in his stomach. He cringed at it. "Yeah…" was all he said.

"I'll be right back then."

Ho-Oh spread her wings, taking off into the air and headings towards the forests below. A few minutes later, she flew back into the cave, carrying bushes of berries in her talons. She dropped them right in front of Dialga, sitting herself down not far from him.

Dialga switched his eyes between her and the berry bushes, pinching his brows.

"Eat," Ho-Oh said, shaking her head as if it had been obvious that he was supposed to do that. Then again, it sort of was.

Dialga frowned, but nonetheless followed her command, craning his neck to pick a berry off the bush with his mouth. He chewed slowly, every muscle in his body sore, including the ones in his jaw.

When he was done, he eyed Ho-Oh, who had also just picked a berry off one of the bushes. "So, why are you doing this?" he asked, his tone nonchalant.

"By whatever do you mean, Dialga?"

"I mean, why are you taking care of me?"

Ho-Oh paused, frowning. "Didn't you already theorize that Arceus was responsible?"

"Yes, but then you said it was out of your own hospitality, and now I'm confused."

Ho-Oh turned her eyes away, which grew dark. "Why does it matter?"

"Because," Dialga said, "you're an arrogant Legendary who frankly doesn't take care of anyone but herself."

Being called 'arrogant' was something Ho-Oh was used to, and Dialga was aware of that since most of the Legendaries on the council had pointed out her personality and ways in the past. However, whatever Dialga had thought about Ho-Oh, he had never done such a thing as admitting it out loud, and seeing him state it so plainly as if he was expecting her to not be fazed by it was what affected her the most.

She pulled back, her jaw slightly hanging. She wanted to retort, make one of the snappy comebacks she was known for, but as Dialga stared at her, eventually arching his brow as she remained silent, she found herself at a loss for words. She turned her gaze to the ground, letting out a sigh.

"I had to," she said, her tone low, "I saved you, and now I'm watching you until you heal. Didn't I already explain that to you?"

Dialga's face fell. Not at her words, but at the fact that her answer had seemed forced – as if it wasn't the truth. "Well, Palkia could've just taken care of me, couldn't she?"

"Well, yeah-"

"Then why didn't you just let her take care of me? Why would you want to do it?"

"Because I just wanted to, okay?" Ho-Oh snapped.

Dialga's eyes widened at that. He stared at Ho-Oh, who was breathing hard with infuriation.

A minute later, Ho-Oh turned her head away, calming down, though her eyes were still narrowed. She then began to make her way towards the entrance into the cave, spreading out her wings.

"Wha-what are you doing?" Dialga asked.

"Going for a fly," Ho-Oh replied smugly. She eyed him. "You wanna know why I'm doing that, too?"

Dialga didn't answer, only watching her take off and disappear into the sky.

It was nighttime when Ho-Oh returned, the sound of her talons scraping the stone floor of her cave as she landed waking Dialga from his sleep. He raised his head, eyeing her.

"Your back," he said simply. For once, he wasn't eyeing her with evident annoyance. "You were gone for a long time."

"Well," Ho-Oh said, brushing off her wings, "I had a lot of thinking to do." She smirked. "Why? Did you miss me?"

Dialga frowned, but he didn't respond to that. Instead, he got up, slowly making his way to her (he couldn't walk fast since he was still sore all over, but he was better than he was that morning). "Look," he said, turning his eyes to the ground, "I just wanted to say I'm sorry for what I said earlier – about you being arrogant and all that – and for offending you before you left."

He didn't know why he was apologizing. Surely Ho-Oh was used to being called arrogant, as well as receiving comments that would offend her. Though he didn't particularly know what he had said that had offended her and caused her to fly off, he thought that it would be appropriate to say sorry anyway – definitely with how she was taking care of him, and with her own reasons that consisted of mostly everything but Arceus.

Ho-Oh's brows rose, as if she was also surprised by his apology. She sighed, eyes falling to the floor like his did. "It's no big deal…" she muttered. "Don't worry about it. Besides…you're right."

Dialga looked up at her. "What?"

"You're right," Ho-Oh repeated, turning around to walk towards the entrance. She stopped, facing the outside world, resting a wing on the wall. "I am arrogant," she continued. "I try not to be, but it's just who I am. It's like a force of habit, like how Arceus is always ordering people around or Mew is always looking at the bright side of life."

Dialga remained silent, but he eventually walked up to her side, turning his head to eye her. The moonlight pouring into the cave was reflecting off her feathers, giving them a silvery hue that he couldn't help but admire. "We are who we are," he said to her, because he didn't know what else to say. When he saw her shake her head disapprovingly, he added, "Well, you do have a nice side, too, you know. You showed that today, by offering to take care of me out of 'your own hospitality'."

Ho-Oh met his eyes, frowning nonchalantly. "You actually believe that now?"

"It's the truth, isn't it?" Dialga said. He then changed the subject. "If I were to ask you a question, would you answer it?"

"Isn't that a question?"

"Shut up. I'm being serious."

Ho-Oh let out a small laugh. "Okay, okay. Shoot."

Dialga turned his eyes to the moon. "What made you want to take care of me? 'Your own hospitality' isn't really a detailed answer…"

"What?" Ho-Oh said, rolling her eyes. "You want a five-page essay or something?"

"Just answer the question."

Ho-Oh frowned. "Well, I told you, I just wanted to."

"And?"

"And what?"

"There's more to it than that, Ho-Oh, I know it."

Ho-Oh groaned. "Fine! Look, I wanted to take care of you because I thought I owed you for all of the times I've been arrogant to you. I respect all of my fellow Legendaries, but you were one of the ones I always respected the most. Because no matter how many times I make fun of you and say you couldn't save your own life to save your life, you're still a pretty damn good Legendary."

Dialga stared at Ho-Oh, shocked by her words, yet flattered. "Thanks…Ho-Oh..." He met her eyes, adding, "For everything, I mean."

"Don't worry about it," Ho-Oh said, waving a wing.

Dialga smirked. "So, I suppose I owe you now?"

Ho-Oh looked at him, arching a brow. "Eh? I owed you for being arrogant, and I'm paying you back by taking care of you. What do you owe?"

"Well, I think saving me from being captured by Team Galactic is a bonus that makes your end a much bigger deal."

Ho-Oh eyed him, though she eventually turned her head away, snorting. "I'll let you deal with that."

Dialga smiled.

He would. Eventually.

A loud explosion woke Dialga, and he immediately scolded the fact that he kept on being awaken from foreign noises. He looked around, trying to pinpoint the origin of the explosion, only to realize that it was coming from outside.

And Ho-Oh was not in the cave.

Dialga got to his feet, making his way over to the entrance of the cave. He squinted as the sunlight of early morning glared back at him, digging deep into his darkness-accustomed gaze, but his eyes widened when he saw Ho-Oh flying fast across the sky a few miles away, at least a dozen helicopters with large red 'R's painted on their sides chasing her. She was inching towards the ground, balls of some kind of energy shooting from guns connected to the bottom of the opposing helicopters, hitting her for the purpose of weakening her. It didn't take long for Dialga to identify the culprits of all of this.

Team Rocket.

Another organization that was more native to the regions of Kanto and Johto, and obsessed with capturing powerful Pokemon to use for their own desires. Ho-Oh was one of these Pokemon, as all Legendaries were.

"Ho-Oh!" Dialga screamed, though she was either too far or too hurt to hear him. He quickly took off, heading down onto the grassy ground and maneuvering around hordes of trees until he reached a clearing that Ho-Oh was hovering above. When one final ball of energy hit her, she was sent diving towards the ground, too weak to continue flying.

Dialga stepped back, then running forward, making a huge leap, and catching Ho-Oh on his back before she could crash into the ground. He landed on his feet, gently sliding Ho-Oh off of his back, making sure that she was resting her head against a tree trunk.

She looked at him, her eyelids drooping. She was breathing hard. "I…I was going for a morning flight…when Team Rocket attacked me. I wasn't expecting it…they ganged up on me…I couldn't fight back…" She hissed as Dialga examined one of her sore wings. "Damn…it…"

Dialga eyed her with concern. He then heard the beating sound of helicopter blades as Team Rocket approached from above, obviously searching for Ho-Oh. Undoubtedly they had seen where she had landed, and therefore they were heading towards their very position. It wasn't long before the helicopters came into view, Dialga glaring straight at the visible pilots, who widened their eyes at the sight of him.

Dialga immediately opened his mouth, charging up a Flash Cannon and firing it at one of the helicopters. The helicopter moved to the side, barely dodging.

"You're not getting your hands on Ho-Oh!" Dialga hissed. "Not if I have anything to say about it!"

He stepped forward, throwing his head back and charging up his most powerful move – Roar of Time. He then shot the beam of black energy at the multiple helicopters that now faced him, causing them to move back to avoid getting hit. Needless to say, it wasn't long after that before Team Rocket retreated, disappearing into the sky, having only come prepared to handle Ho-Oh.

Once the air grew silent and the helicopters were completely gone from sight, Dialga turned to Ho-Oh, concern replacing the hatred in his gaze. She was still breathing hard, though she was eyeing him with what looked like gratefulness. He made his way over to her, hoisting her onto his back and then taking her back to her cave, where he laid her down on the cool ground to rest.

"Thanks…" she said. Despite her condition, she let out an amused chuckle. "You saved my life after I had saved yours. How ironic."

Dialga nodded. "That's life for you."

Ho-Oh arched a brow. "But I see that you're all better now. Don't you want to return to Spear Pillar?"

"Nope." Dialga shook his head. "I haven't paid you back yet."

"But…you saved my life after I saved yours-"

"You saved my life and took care of me until I was better." Dialga smirked. "So, basically, I'm staying here until you heal, and you're not leaving this cave until you do so."

Ho-Oh's jaw slightly dropped as she was reminded why she respected Dialga so much. She eventually simpered herself, remembering his earlier words. "What? You want to be stuck in this 'prison' for a little longer?"

Dialga smiled softly, walking over by her side, laying down, and resting his head by hers.

"I wouldn't want to be anywhere else."