Author's Note: I was inspired by the Pokemon movie, Zoroark: Master of Illusions, and I got this idea: What if Kirby faced against the Master of Illusions in the universe of Dream Land? And that's how this story came to be. :3

Full Story Summary: The Star Warrior, Kirby, is enjoying his time of peace and quiet in Dreamland. However, he, Tiff, and Tuff soon come across a band of strange creatures called Pokemon, who were taken from their universe by Nightmare. Soon afterwards, a Pokemon named Zoroark is unleashing her fury upon Dreamland under the guises of Kirby's previous enemies. Can Kirby stop Zoroark's rampage? What dark purpose does Nightmare want with the Pokemon, and their world?

Disclaimer: Kirby and Pokemon belongs to Nintendo.

Kirby and the Master of Illusions

Prologue

"Our planet, Popstar, is part of a universe that contains many other planets, stars, and galaxies. This universe holds everything that exists, from the smallest of particles to the biggest of planets. It is said that a long time ago, a powerful explosion called the Bada Boom, set the universe into formation. Once the explosion had cooled down, the universe expanded, which is still growing to this very day. No one knows how big our universe is nor how large it is now than it was made.

It is hinted that there are parallel dimensions, or alternative universes, beyond our galaxy. A possible discovery has been issued that other universes exist outside beyond our galaxy, but we are unable to connect with one another unless through improbable means. It is currently unknown what kind of other universes there are. They could take place as an opposite of our own, or an exact replica. Or possibly contain different inhabitants in marvelous exotic worlds..."

In the meadows of Dream Land, Tiff was reading a book entitled 'Galaxies and Universes' while sitting against a tree on a hill that overlooked Castle Dedede and Cappytown.

She continues to read the page she was on, "Our universe holds many mysteries that have yet to be uncovered. As of now, no one knows if there are actually other parallel universes nor how massive our universe currently is." Once she reads the final chapter of the book, she lifts her head from the book and glances her eyes up in thought, "Other universes? I wonder what they're like..." Tiff then looks up at the sky above, staring at the distant space and stars hovering miles above Popstar...

00000

In another universe...

A large, lushful planet hovered quietly in the emptiness of space, bearing a striking resemblance to another that was set in another galaxy. This world is populated by humans, and creatures known as Pokemon, coexisting with each other. One of the five regions in this world called Unova, houses a strange and confusing woodland that rested near a city called Nimbasa. Lostlorn Forest was known by the locals for its strange ability to confuse intruders and get them lost within its depths despite its simple, beautiful landscape. This trait proves useful to the two species of creatures living there, who use the art of illusions to protect their home.

On the edge of Lostlorn Forest lies a cave, and sleeping at the mouth of the cavern, was one of the forest's main residents: Zoroark. She was a bipedal, black and red fox-like creature with red claws on her paws and feet, and a large and ponytail-like, red mane grew from her forehead and rested against her back. She was known as the Master of Illusions, a title earned by those who knew about her species and their mastery over mirages.

As the rays of the sun beamed down on Zoroark's face, the Illusion Fox stirred into consciousness and opened her eyes slowly, partly blinded by the bright sun hovering in the sky. She groaned softly, lifting herself up to survey her territory quietly. Sighing softly, Zoroark reached back into her red mane that rested against her back to feel around for her son to wake him up. She scowled slightly when she didn't feel any form of him inside her mane, and the Illusion Fox pulled her paw back out before looking ahead at the forest before her.

"Where did Zorua run off to now...?" She wondered, feeling a bit agitated that her son had snuck out without her knowing...

In a small clearing in the forest, a small, black and red, fox-like creature darted around the field from bush to bush while carrying a large leaf full of berries. Zorua was busy gathering berries, stacking his and Zoroark's favorite kind of berries on the large leaf he is using to transport the food around. Whenever he plucks the right amount of berries from one bush and stashed them in his berry pile, the little Tricky Fox would grab the leaf's stem with his mouth and drag it to other berry bushes to repeat the berry gathering process. Once enough food was gathered on the leaf, Zorua looked at the berry mount with satisfaction.

"Meema's gonna love this!" Zorua exclaimed, snickering happily at the thought of bringing him and Zoroark food for both of them to enjoy together. He then lowered his head and grabbed the leaf's stem with his mouth, proceeding to drag it and the mount of berries across the clearing on his way back to the cave.

A cold chill crept up on Zorua's spine, causing him to drop dead in his tracks and look up to the sky above. Hovering above the forest was a swirling, black cloud that had seemingly appeared out of nowhere. It slowly loomed overhead, blocking out the sun and allowing a cold shadow to shroud the forest in darkness with the wind picking up.

Zorua began to back away, a bit startled by the sudden change in atmosphere. "A storm...?" He muttered, stepping back slightly when the winds blew around him, causing the Tricky Fox to turn his head away from the gust of wind and close his eyes. Zorua now thought of returning back home for shelter from this storm, turning to the patch of berries he gathered and began dragging the berry-filled leaf as quick as he can without spilling its contents.

Suddenly, Zorua stopped in place, his ears flicking up when he sensed something. He stared back up into the strange storm clouds above, his eyes slowly widened upon close inspection of what was in its depths. Before he can react, a large shadow shot down from the center of the swirling cloud and aimed straight for Zorua. A pair of glowing, white eyes opened on the shadow's head, and below them, was a wide toothy grin..

A piercing wail of distress broke through the roaring, gusty winds that filled the air of the omnimus storm. Despite the gale blowing loudly, the cry was loud enough to reach the sensitive ears of Zoroark...

Zoroark sharply turned to the direction of the cry, her eyes widened with shock and dread when she sensed that Zorua was in danger. "Zorua!" She called, and without a second thought, Zoroark dashed off into the direction where she heard Zorua's scream originate from. She wasted no time veering and leaping around the trees and foliage that laid in her path, as the only thing in her mind was that she hoped she will arrive in time to save Zorua.

When she finally reached the clearing Zorua was in, Zoroark stopped dead in her tracks and gasped when she sighted a strange monster holding Zorua roughly by the collar of his neck. The berries that Zorua had carried were spilled across the ground.

The Demon Beast caught sight of Zoroark, its cold, menacing eyes leering over to her. It had dark red wings with three claws on each top of them; flashing, multicolored scales grew from the wing's membranes. The pompoms on its jester-like hat were large and spiky, and his mouth contained teeth that were jagged and unevenly spaced apart. A long, blue tongue slips in and out of its mouth as if in anticipation, and a tarnished, gold necklace was around the beast's neck.

Zorua squirmed and struggled frantically in the grip of the Demon Beast. He opened his eyes and saw Zoroark on the other side of the clearing, crying out to her, "Meema!"

"Zorua!" Zoroark called, her eyes narrowed even further, glaring venomously at the monster who had her son captive.

The Demon Beast cackled as he sneered over to Zoroark, still holding Zorua by the neck, "The Master of Illusions, I presume?"

Zoroark's eyes flashed a blazing green, a ferocious snarl escaped her closed sharp teeth; her fur bristling wildly as her anger grew at the sight of the monster harming Zorua. With a bellow, the Illusion Fox charged at the Demon Beast as fast as she could to rescue Zorua and attack the demon beast harming him. Before she could reach them, Zoroark found herself ensnared inside a black net, limiting her movements and trapping her. The Illusion Fox roared furiously as she jerked, bit, and clawed madly at the ropes of the net restricting her, but she couldn't rip them apart no matter how hard she tried.

The Demon Beast cackled, bearing a toothy wicked grin, "If you want to see your precious little baby again, you will cooperate with us!" His grin stretched wider, "If you don't, there will be consequences..." To prove his point, he tightened his grip on Zorua's body, painfully squeezing the little Tricky Fox with his claws and causing Zorua to squeal loudly in pain.

"You coward!" Zoroark hissed deeply, staring in disbelief and growing anger at the monster's cruel treatment to her son; her claws tightening around on the ropes that held her within. She wanted to rip this monster apart with her own bare claws, but she didn't want to see Zorua in anymore harm, even though it was sickening to see the little Tricky Fox in such pain right now. The Illusion Fox's growls gradually softened; she had no choice but to obey.

The Demon Beast sneered evilly, and he pumped his wings, flying up into the air while still holding the struggling Zorua by the neck. A strange force then levitated Zoroark up into the air, following after the demon beast, and the Illusion Fox noticed that she was being pulled towards the dark storm clouds that suddenly formed out of nowhere. She growled softly, and as soon as the demon beast, Zoroark, and Zorua entered the center of the clouds, the swirling black mist quickly dissipated into thin air. Sun rays began leaking their way through the disappearing dark clouds until the sun shone down on the forest once again, returning the atmosphere to normal.

Without Zoroark or Zorua present to support the illusions in Lostlorn Forest that were created to protect their home, the majority of the woods began to melt away as if sensing that their users were gone, revealing a wider portion of the forest that was hidden by the mirage...