Ember didn't need any further encouragement. The moment the Zoroark had issued his challenge and assumed a mockery of the Charmander's battle stance, she darted towards him with unexpected agility, bringing her left paw up to strike at his shoulder.

Kuro pivoted his body and slapped her arm aside, her claws narrowly grazing his shoulder. He then swept his leg behind hers, kicking her feet out from under her and sending her crashing to the ground in an undignified heap.

"Whoa, be careful, girl!" Adrian shouted, his alarm clearly represented in his voice, although Ember didn't bother to acknowledge the shout. Kuro had taken a step backwards from her and calmly waited for her to rise to her feet, his eerie blue eyes watching her with idle fascination.

As soon as Ember was upright again, Kuro closed the gap between them and swiped towards her chest. Ember jerked her arm up, knocking the Zoroark's paw aside similarly to how he had deflected her earlier blow, but followed up by pitching her head forward into his chest, connecting with a satisfying thumping sound.

Kuro staggered backwards, visibly surprised by her reflexes and tactics. This wasn't an unusual reaction. To many Pokemon, Ember's battle style was considered unorthodox by the opponents who expected her specialize in the typical fire-spitting strategies that many fire-types were known for. Even those that knew she specialized in claw combat were caught off-guard by how damn fast she was, especially when she was full of energy or aggressiveness.

And right now, she was brimming with both. Adrian didn't even seem surprised that a fight had broken out between her and a random Pokemon, and he wasn't fool enough to try to break it up. As far as he knew, the Zoroark was hostile or otherwise dangerous, and it would be unwise to lower their guard by calling her off. The only way to really end the battle without fighting was to withdraw her into her ball, and if he did, he knew she'd be beyond pissed the next time he let her out.

No one ever interrupted her fights. Not with impunity, and not when she was feeling scrappy. Adrian had neglected to give her an outlet for her pent up energy today, and so she was more than willing to use Kuro as a release.

From the corner of her eye, Ember noticed that Kaito and Iris had wisely chosen to back away from the center of the room. Much like Aureia, they were giving her and Kuro the maximum amount of space, but yet remaining close enough that they could theoretically step in if things escalated too far.

Kaito had recognized the Zoroark, but Ember had not. Being addressed by name by a complete stranger, especially one as obnoxiously dramatic as this one, was something Ember didn't care for. Having her personal space invaded and showered with flattery and compliments was even worse. She was not in the mood to deal with such situations tactfully.

Yes, even Adrian was sure to have picked up on the context that justified her aggression towards the Zoroark. He was not attempting to call her off, but he was definitely monitoring the situation. Despite his laidback nature when it came to training, Adrian was not neglectful or reckless. He knew how to handle his Pokemon and their temperaments, even in situations like this.

Kuro had recovered his footing by now, and his eerie blue eyes glinted as he watched her, a slow smirk making its journey across his muzzle.

"I see I've chosen a most talented co-star for this dance," he stated, clapping his paws together softly. Ember growled and stepped forward with every intention of ripping the smirk from his face, but she paused when he raised one of his paws over his head, her eyes watching his paw warily. She was aggressive, but she wasn't stupid.

The Zoroark snapped his claws loudly, and the entire chamber began to shimmer. The dark stone floor disappeared, and instead bright yellow sand appeared beneath their feet. The walls of the chamber brightened in color until the previously blank stone was now yellow in color, almost perfectly matching the color of the sand, decorative runes and markings carving themselves into the curved architecture. A silver guardrail-like fence popped into existence, separating the two combatants from the onlookers.

The Charmander looked around in bewilderment at the alterations to the chamber. She then stared in bafflement at the sand underfoot and lightly prodded the ground with the toe of one of her feet. The sand felt completely real, and even adapted to the Charmander's touch the same way that sand on a beach would, forming an indentation in its grainy, yet smooth-looking texture. She could even feel the particles of sand sticking to the spaces between her feet.

"The hell?" she managed finally, returning her gaze to Kuro, whose smirk had widened into a proud grin, delighting in her reaction. "How did you...but this feels real!" she protested, bending down and seizing a pawful of the sand, and then opening her paw, the grains sifting through her grasp. If there was any difference between illusionary sand and real sand in appearance or behavior, she certainly couldn't spot it.

"Our rehearsal has ended, and I've set the stage for our true performance!" Kuro announced, gesturing to the makeshift arena with wide, grandiose movements. "In this colosseum, we will enthrall the audience with our dance, exchanging blows and passionate words until only one remains standing. To the victor will go the spoils of our venture, and as you made this discovery possible, it is you that I deem worthy of facing me in this battle."

Ember glanced around, scowling slightly. As stupid as she found the Zoroark's constant analogies associated with performances or acts, or whatever the hell his potentially deranged mind was pulling the words from, she had to admit that he didn't settle simply for passing marks when he made illusions. The arena was pretty impressive and detailed, and the sand was a very nice touch. Certainly more interesting than stone floors, at least.

"Focus, Ember!" Adrian warned, snapping Ember from her appreciation of the Zoroark's craft. "Don't get sidetracked, it leaves you open. Hit hard and fast and don't give it an opening!"

Ember turned her head and fixed Adrian with a silent glare. Her trainer winced, faltering slightly under the intensity of her stare.

"Heh..." he said, scratching the back of his neck sheepishly. "Or whatever strategy you think is best..."

"Thank you," Ember muttered, turning back to Kuro, who seemed mildly confused by the interaction between her and Adrian. She wasn't going to admit it aloud, but Adrian actually had a fair point. She needed to keep her wits about her, and she could definitely agree that while Kuro lacked the finesse of a competent claw combatant, he was extremely fast. The ability to create illusions, even if used for the sake of setting, was something to be mindful of.

"Shall we dance, deary?" Kuro asked, extending a paw towards her invitingly. Ember snorted, exhaling a small plume of smoke from her nostrils.

"When I dance, I do it alone," she retorted. As she spoke, she swayed her body slightly from side to side, the movements very subtle, but clearly well practiced. Kuro observed her with a mixture of amusement and confusion, doing nothing to interfere with the movements. This was exactly what Ember had been counting on, and as energy began to course through her body, a grin flashed across her muzzle.

"I'm not familiar with those steps," Kuro remarked. "It is oddly alluring, yet I..." the Zoroark broke off abruptly, realizing that Ember's eyes had taken on a feral edge, her pupils widening noticeably and her movements became faster. Furthermore, her tail flame had shifted from being a mixture of orange and yellow to a mixture of pale blue and white. A faint fiery aura surrounded the Charmander's body before fading, filling her with a surge of energy.

Ember's grin widened at the Zoroark's speechlessness. "You wanted to dance?" she asked, flexing her claws. Blue flames erupted from the claws, surrounding them in an alluring aura. She glanced at her left paw, and purple flames rose from them, and she assumed her battle stance once more.

"You certainly have a taste for spectacle," Kuro conceded, imitating her battle stance and then extending his paw towards her. After a pause, he flexed his claws into his paw, gesturing for her to make her move.

He would regret that motion. Ember rushed him, her movements fluid and nimble, much faster than she had been mere minutes before. Kuro pivoted hastily, bringing his claws up to guard against the Charmander's attack, but found that her claws cleaved through his defense effortlessly. She struck down his arm with one paw, then drove the other one home without hesitation. A deep gash formed across his chest, yet the flames surrounding her claws cauterized the wound before any blood could be lost, yet this seemed to only intensify the agonizing pain he experienced.

The Zoroark clutched at his chest, staggering backwards, his blue eyes widening in disbelief. Yet Ember didn't hesitate to press her attack, and again she slashed at him, alternating her paws with equal finesse and force, and Kuro was forced to constantly backpedal if only to avoid the blue and purple strikes that seemed to dance before his vision. He raised his arms and claws in an impotent attempt at defense, yet Ember's speed and power were overwhelming and battered down the feeble obstacles as quickly as he could bring them up.

As well they should be, Ember mused to herself. Aureia and Avis had not been exaggerating when they reassured Iris that her battle style granted her unquestionable victory against an opponent unsuited to her combat tactics. Kuro was not a claw battler, and by facing her using an insulting imitation of claw combat, he found her impossible to overcome.

Kuro lashed his foot out in desperation, sand flying up and scattering over Ember's scales and although she flinched upon contact, she realized that the sand had no effect on her eyes. They didn't burn or become irritated as they usually did when struck by sand or wind, but the fact Kuro had aimed to blind her with sand fueled her aggression further. She closed her left paw into a fist and slammed it into the dark fox's nose, sending him tumbling backwards into the sand. He scurried backwards desperately, but she refused to let him get more than her arm's length away.

"Yield! I yield!" the Zoroark shouted, waving a paw in front of himself desperately.

Ember halted her assault, breathing harder, but savoring the waves of satisfaction and pleasure that radiated within her body. Her tail flame still burned with the beautiful blue-white flames, and energy still coursed through her body.

Kuro's delighted and playful expression had long since twisted into a look of frustration, his blue eyes glaring into Ember's own. He snapped his claws resentfully, and the sand arena faded away, returning to the plain stone-floored chamber it had been before, potholes and all.

"Must you bring down the curtain so swiftly, my dear?" Kuro murmured, his expression relaxing as he climbed to his feet, and he gazed at Ember with wary admiration. "A beautiful performance. So brief, so fleeting...but very precious all the same. Like the blooming of a rose before a sudden frost, you-"

"My Dragon Dance hasn't worn off yet, want to shut up now?" Ember growled, flexing her claws. Kuro blinked, but then smiled. He seemed about to say something, but his blue eyes flicked towards Ember's claws before reconsidering. There was a tense pause, then Ember turned and walked back towards Adrian.

"Feeling okay, girl?" the human asked with a gentle smile. The Charmander's tail flame had simmered down again, returning to its original color, and her body was relaxing, the tension and hostility disappearing gradually. Ember gave a slight nod, her eyelids drooping a little. It was the expected downside of using her Dragon Dance technique. While it offered considerable boosts to her agility and power, it used up her energy reserve at an alarming rate, making it perfect for battles that she needed to vent a lot of aggression for, with the obvious downside of making her ludicrously dangerous in that timeframe, and very docile afterwards.

Aureia stepped over to Ember and sat down beside her, allowing the Charmander to lean against her body for support. Ember flashed the Vaporeon a tiny smile, then relaxed, all but cuddling into the Vaporeon's shoulder.

"That's adorable," Adrian chuckled. Aureia shot her trainer a pointed look and he held up his hands as if attempting to show that he was unarmed and compliant. "Hey, hey...sometimes it just needs to be said."

"No, it doesn't," Aureia muttered. Adrian couldn't understand her, but he smiled, undoubtedly getting the gist.

"Okay, a promise is a promise," he conceded, looking around the chamber curiously. The only remotely interesting sight was the Zoroark, which was now trading words with Kaito. Seeing as the Togetic and Kirlia were not among his own Pokemon, the human shrugged. "Avis, time to go!" he called to the Snivy.

"Finally!" Aureia grumbled, slapping her fin tail against the ground impatiently. Ember flinched at the sound and opened one eye to give the Vaporeon an annoyed look. "Sorry," Aureia said, her tone carrying absolutely no sincerity, but the word itself seemed enough to placate the Charmander, because she yawned and closed her eyes again.

Adrian hesitated, noting just how close Ember was to dozing off. "Do you think she'll prefer to nap in her ball, or should we stay here for another twenty- Ack! I was joking!" he said, hastily ducking when Aureia fired a jet of water at his head.

The Vaporeon just stared at him with narrowed eyes until he took out Ember's Pokeball and recalled the Charmander. He looked at the other Pokemon again briefly, and then led the way back into the passageway leading back to the rest of the Ruins.

"It seems that we'll be taking our leave now, but I do hope we can meet again," Avis stated formally, delivering a polite bow to the other Pokemon. Iris smiled and waved, whereas Kaito pretended not to hear. Kuro grinned.

"Be sure to come to my next performance, it'll be spectacular! I'll throw in some more tricks, maybe even bring my firespitter along so there can be a double act."

"I'll look forward to it," Avis giggled and followed after Adrian, leaving Aureia to take the rear of the group. The Vaporeon rolled her eyes, and made to follow without a word.

"A charming group," Kuro chuckled, his blue eyes glittering. Kaito scowled and crossed his arms.

"They're gone now. What did you find here?"

"What did you find in the bowels of Mt. Coronet?" Kuro retorted, mimicking Kaito's posture and crossing his own arms. Kaito blinked, and Kuro smirked. "You did find it, didn't you?"

"I'm really confused here," Iris said awkwardly, and the two males turned their eyes on her in surprise. "How do you know each other? How do you know all these Pokemon?!"

"Ah, it's always a pleasure to meet a new fan, my dear," Kuro murmured, gripping Iris' paw and placing a chaste kiss upon it. The Kirlia flinched and pulled her arm back, her cheeks reddening. "My name is Kuro, an illusionist, stage performer, and star entertainer."

"Um...that didn't answer my question," the Kirlia noted.

"We're old friends," Kuro said, grinning. "Alas, my life is rife with tragedy and melodrama. The loss of my family, but my adoption by the Unown. A friendship that turned sour. Unrequited love..."

"And you're diagnosed with something terminal, no doubt," Kaito deadpanned.

"Not yet, but that would be a suitably dramatic method to close my story with, wouldn't it?" Kuro murmured, tapping his chin. He chuckled after a short pause. "Ah well...time to get my show back on the road!"

"Wait, we're not done here!" Kaito argued. Kuro's eyes glinted.

"Then you'll just have to wait for my next performance, won't you?" he said, a trace of a sneer passing over his face. He snapped his claws and glowing Unown sigils materialized in the room around him. "Sinjoh, if you will," the Zoroark said, addressing the Unown.

"What?" Kaito gasped. "You're not seriously...?"

"To hold the greatest performance on the vastest stage requires dedication, study, and devotion...our dreams are very different, Kaito, and they have been for quite some time," Kuro said coldly, and Iris shivered. "Our efforts will change this dark world...but which of our efforts will pay off the most? Stay tuned for my next act! I'm looking forward to it..."

The Zoroark chuckled, the sound gradually filling the chamber as the Unown around him glowed more intensely, and then they all disappeared. Iris looked around in bewilderment, pausing only when she noticed Kaito's solemn facial expression.

"Kuro..." the Togetic murmured, then he shook his head, avoiding Iris' eyes. "Let's go, Iris...we're done here."