Arc 5 - Clashing Ambitions

April 20th

Sinjoh Ruins - Region Unknown

Sinjoh.

The bane of cartographers and historians alike. A site spoken of in legends, yet no map recorded its whereabouts, and few credible sources remained in the present age that even alluded to its existence.

For the average person, Sinjoh was much like the Hall of Origin or the Flower Paradise - a site spoken of in legends, but inaccessible by mortal means. The more skeptical individuals scoffed at the mere mention of such sites, with some going as far as to mock the notion of Arceus or another greater power being responsible for creating the entire world. Others believed the legends carried some truth, but doubted the feats were literal.

As more time passed, the sites of legend vanished from the public mind, and few even thought of searching for them, nor concerned themselves with whether they were real.

Kuro could not say whether the Hall of Origin was real, but he knew that Sinjoh definitely was. Set somewhere far north of Johto, a crumbling ruin of an ornate temple marked the site. The people who founded Sinjoh never intended the site to grow into a civilization, so no other structures had been founded there. Of greater importance had been to blend Johto and Sinnoh culture and mythology, resulting in the most awe-inspiring and magnificent relic to the past.

The march of time had done little to diminish the sense of wonder emanating from the temple. Although some of the surfaces had crumbled and been worn down with age, they were still rather clean, and splendid to behold, so that even simply standing in the main chamber sent chills down the Zoroark's spine.

Several Unown floated aimlessly around his long, ponytail-styled mane, their sigil-like bodies resembling that of some of the inscriptions carved into the walls and other monuments of the Sinjoh Ruins. They followed as the illusion fox made its way towards the centermost chamber, which was sealed off not only with a stone wall, but also an eerie, impenetrable barrier of some sort.

Kuro smiled to himself as he ascended the stairs leading up to this stretch of wall, and tenderly touched his paw to the cold stone. The barrier repelled his touch after a moment, but it was enough for him. Anticipation filled his heart, flooding through him like an electric shock. Like an actor standing behind the curtain just before opening night, he was both anxious for the show to begin, and terrified, as if no amount of rehearsal could have prepared him for the impending moment. Every second ticking by felt like an eternity, as if time had no meaning out here.

He could feel it, though. The unmistakable aura of power beyond compare. Others might doubt this to be a site where Arceus had once stood, but her signature was almost tangible. Without conscious thought, Kuro stroked the stretch of wall, wishing that, for just a moment, he could come into contact with the same stage the divine Pokemon had once performed upon.

Again, his paw was ultimately repelled, and he smiled despite the rejection. The grandest stage was not fit for those lacking true devotion to their art. He was not yet worthy of that honor.

The Zoroark sat cross-legged on the stone floor, and reached into his red mane, extracting a white, semi-transparent crystal with a distinct, cats-eye sigil contained in the center, and a circlet of black metal. Humming absently, he busied himself affixing the stone into the center of the bracer, using his claws to carve a slot in the metal to hold the stone, and using a burst of flame from his mouth to weld it together. This took several minutes of his time, and he examined the completed piece with a critical eye, snapping his claws to produce an illusionary copy of the object to compare the dimensions.

"Remind me to applaud Circe's metalwork," Kuro said to the hovering sigil Pokemon, who were silently observing his progress, their eyes never blinking. He let the finished product sit for another few minutes before attempting to wrest the stone out of its new position, all but purring when his best efforts failed to dislodge the crystal. "Excellent, now to test it..."

The Zoroark rose to his feet and fastened the bracer to his left wrist, wordlessly marveling at the care his associate had put into the adjustable clasp. She was truly a wonder at transforming simple metals into absurdly high-quality apparel pieces, and that was just the lesser-known of her talents. Kuro's experience with the stage gave him an eye for aesthetics, but that didn't qualify him to actually make such beautiful and practical pieces. He only performed the finishing steps of fitting the gemstones onto the final product, and while he had no doubt Circe could do that herself, he wanted to bring the stones here, to the Sinjoh Ruins.

Gazing up again at the stretch of wall sealing off the center chamber, Kuro held the bracer in front of his chest, his eyes searching for some indication that the barrier or wall would respond to the Mega Stone's presence or energy. Several seconds passed, and the Zoroark finally lowered his arm to his side. He couldn't even feel disappointed over the lack of development; he was not the stone's natural wielder, and this stone in particular already had a user. He was only borrowing it from Circe to finish the repairs requested of her.

"Oh well," Kuro chuckled, unclasping the bracer from his wrist and turning towards the Unown flanking him. "Could you return this to-?"

He didn't manage to complete the sentence before a peculiar tremor ran through his body, jolting his nerves with the intensity of a bolt of lightning. With a sharp gasp, the Zoroark fell to one knee, the bracer falling from his grasp and clattering to the stone floor, the gemstone pulsing with unexpected light. At the same time, the Unown seemed to freeze in place, as if experiencing the same shock to their system.

Kuro was the first to recover, and his ethereal blue eyes glowed as he turned his gaze to sealed chamber. Seeing nothing of consequence, he looked at the pulsing stone instead, aware of the energy emanating from it.

"Wait...this is an Absolite, isn't it?" he said aloud, warily extending his paw and lifting the bracer from the floor. He examined the metal, checking for signs of scratches or other damage, and then furrowed his brow at the glowing stone. He snapped his claws, and his physical features began to change. His black and red fur shifted tone to white fur with dark skin, and a scythe-shaped protrusion emerged from one side of his skull.

Even his eyes changed color from blue to red, and when the illusion was fully cast, there appeared to be a male Absol standing where the Zoroark once was, the black metal bracer attached to one of its forelegs, the stone continuing to glow ominously.

"I see," the illusionary Absol murmured, a smirk forming across its muzzle as it studied the glowing crystal. "My theory is gaining traction. Mega Stones DO adapt to its user over time. Even separated from its owner, this one is attuned to her ability to sense disasters. And such a powerful jolt can only mean..."

The illusion dissipated, exposing the Zoroark as he truly was. He smiled at the Unown accompanying him.

"To Johto, please. I've been waiting for this..."


Ruins of Alph Outskirts - Johto Region

Kuro was surprised to find that evening had already fallen once he had emerged from one of the Ruins of Alph side chambers. It was easy to forget that the sun's position varied a fair amount between the Sinjoh Ruins and the Johto region. This didn't trouble him in the slightest, for his species was better suited to the shadows of the night as opposed to daylight. Many of the scientists studying the ruins had already left the day, so he didn't even need to employ an illusion to avoid unwanted attention.

No sooner had he departed through one of the gateways than a cold chill ran down his spine, alerting him to the presence of a Ghost Pokemon a split second before one materialized behind him, clinging to his back like student's book bag.

"Good evening, Master Kuro," a feminine voice rasped directly into his ear. In spite of the split-second warning, the Zoroark nearly jumped out of his skin, prompting a delighted cackle from his assailant.

"Ah, the mistress of jump scares herself," Kuro replied, clapping his paws together unironically, and he flashed the clinging ghost a grin over his shoulder. "To what do I owe the honor of being tonight's victim, Pearl?"

The ghostly imp released her grip, dropping to the ground, and Kuro turned around to face her. Pearl was a rather short, bipedal Pokemon with a dark purple body. She was grinning wickedly, exposing her incredibly sharp teeth, but even that trait seemed like an afterthought, as her most prominent feature was her pale blue, glittering diamond eyes. A small ruby-like stone adorned the Sableye's chest, and Kuro's gaze instinctively flicked to the small silver bracelet at the ghost's right wrist, where an amber stone with a distinct sigil was set.

"Your mother's calling for you," the Sableye chortled. As if aware of Kuro's gaze, Pearl raised the bracelet to her mouth and licked the center stone. It began as just a single flick of her tongue, but an expression of delight passed over her face, and she stuck almost her entire paw into her mouth, her teeth scraping the metal of the bracelet as she sucked at the gemstone like it was a jawbreaker weaved onto a candy bracelet. Kuro watched the gem-eater's dilemma with unabashed amusement, until it finally registered what she had said.

"She is? Special occasion, or does she simply miss me?" the Zoroark chuckled.

Pearl finally paused her efforts to eat the Sablenite, the majority of the bracelet now glistening with her saliva. Kuro refreshed his private reminder to never touch either object again. Not the least bit embarrassed by her behavior, Pearl grinned, showing off her viciously sharp teeth.

"Not s'pposed to say," she answered, her attention already drifting back to the delectable treat at her wrist. "Do you want an escort?"

"Does my response make any difference?" Kuro asked, well aware of the answer. Pearl merely grinned in reply. "Very well, lead the way, my precious gem-stalker."


The route was so familiar that Kuro could have followed it in his sleep, in spite of the fact they abandoned the dirt path entirely just a few minutes into the journey. He weaved around the various natural obstacles with the finesse of choreographed dance steps, moving deeper into the thicket.

Familiar scents teased his nostrils, and he inhaled deeply. The area felt like 'home', moreso than the various Ruins he had visited and occupied in the past few years. The Unown were a wonderful 'family' to him, but this place was his true home.

At last, he and Pearl emerged into an open area, a massive, sprawling clearing filled with familiar sights and smells. A variety of brightly colored flowers bloomed all around the meadow, saturating the surroundings with their sweet fragrances, and as Kuro stepped further into the clearing, his eyes darted towards the various Pokemon lingering all around the area. A multitude of Eevee, in various states of alertness, and a smaller number of the various evolutionary forms. A few Jolteon, a handful of Flareon, a garden of Leafeon, and a scattering of Umbreon or Espeon. Most of them were settling in for the night, but a fair number of them were still awake, if not assisting the younger ones with their nightly tasks.

Many of the Pokemon present glanced his way as he approached and passed, but none of them seemed alarmed by his presence, nor by Pearl's, although the Sableye was definitely getting some wary looks as she passed them by. It was satisfying to see that, in spite of his species, that his adopted family treated him as one of their own, with no apprehension or scorn whatsoever.

Some of the clan members greeted him by name, with the same enthusiasm reserved for a close friend that dropped in unexpectedly. He responded in turn, knowing their names and faces like the back of his own paw. Even the Eevee who had been born after he had moved out of the clan were known to him. Kuro never understood why some people, even other Pokemon, claimed to have difficulty telling individuals apart in a group of any given species. Maybe it was a bonus of specializing in illusions, but Kuro could see almost every distinct feature of an individual's face, and spot the differences in their body language to recognize any random Eevee from a dozen of its kin. Even twins were not so identical as to trip him up.

"Tsk, did I miss Aqua?" Kuro wondered abruptly, realizing that he should have come across the clan alpha by now. He peered around him, even glancing back at the pond where the Vaporeon sometimes spent her free time.

Pearl snickered, and pointed up ahead, where Kuro could make out the outline of the majestic blue quadruped, facing away from them. As the Zoroark approached, he saw that Aqua was presently engaged in conversation with an unfamiliar Flareon, the realization of which gave him a moment's pause, but he dismissed the thought for now. With a mischievous smirk, Kuro snuck up behind the Vaporeon and tapped her right shoulder, then nimbly shifted around Aqua's left side as she turned to look back. She almost immediately caught on, but the moment's distraction was all he needed.

Ignoring the unknown Flareon's presence, the illusion Pokemon draped his arms around the Vaporeon's neck, capturing her in a close, affectionate embrace. The Water-type tensed in surprise, but soon relaxed, allowing him to cradle her without resistance.

"Don't you dare," Aqua warned abruptly, breaking free of Kuro's grasp and and glaring suspiciously over her shoulder at the Sableye lingering behind her. Pearl widened her eyes innocently, but the wicked grin on her face betrayed her true intentions. It would not have been the first time the prankster ghost had tried to run her icy paws along someone's spine while they were distracted.

Kuro chuckled, gesturing for Pearl to give them space. The Sableye cackled softly, vanishing from their sight. Kuro had little doubt she would reappear later, once they had forgotten about her, but for now, they would be left undisturbed.

"Good to see you again, Mom," Kuro murmured. Aqua smiled, and her mermaid tail flicked. When he was younger, Kuro had always referred to the Vaporeon matriarch as 'Mom', even when she encouraged the casual use of her name. Even now that he was older, she rarely objected to being addressed in this fashion.

"Welcome back, Kuro," Aqua replied, nuzzling the Zoroark's chest fondly, but then stepped back and sat down again, a silent indication that further shows of affection were unwelcome at this time. Kuro always found such an attitude commendable. Aqua was the clan's alpha, and always strived to present herself in a manner befitting of that status. She treated all members of the clan equally, refusing to favor one over another, regardless of their relationship to her. Tellingly, she set clear boundaries to the affection others could show her in public, and those considered 'close' to her were held to even stricter standards of public conduct.

"So," Kuro said, clapping his paws together. "I understand that you wished to see me. What's the occasion? Early birthday party?"

Aqua chuckled, and shook her head. "No, sorry, I think you've gotten a little too old for birthday parties, Kuro."

"I'm only turning five!" Kuro protested dramatically, his grin exposing the jest prematurely. "Come now, why the big secret? Pearl wouldn't tell."

"Well, to be perfectly honest, there was some concern you wouldn't show up if you knew the reason why," Aqua said carefully, watching the illusion fox closely. Kuro's blink was the only indication that he was taken aback by the answer. He was a master of the stage, more than capable of concealing his emotional tells and surprise by something genuinely unexpected. Betraying too many of one's thoughts made it much trickier to improvise convincingly. The emotions he chose to express most of the time were emotions he wanted others to know about. It made things much more interesting and dynamic when the situation called for dramatic emphasis.

"Ah, you know my fickle heart too well, Mother," Kuro professed, as he dramatically touched his paw to his chest. Aqua rolled her eyes, but her tail flicked subtly. From the corner of his eye, Kuro spotted the increasingly exasperated expression worn by the nearby Flareon, and he turned his attention to her. "And who might you be?" he wondered, cocking his head to the side. Even after diverting his attention the past few minutes to let his subconscious mind mull the mystery over, he found her unrecognizable.

"Celes," the Flareon answered curtly. For a moment, they made eye contact, but she almost immediately averted her gaze. The Zoroark cocked his head to the side, regarding her with interest. He had so much experience interacting with members of the Eevee line that there were few secrets one could conceal from his gaze.

"A great pleasure to meet you, my dear," he crooned, stepping forward and extending his paw with the intent of seizing hers, and perhaps even placing a chaste kiss upon it, as he often did. Almost immediately, Aqua darted forward and intercepted his paw, shaking her head firmly.

"She doesn't like to be touched," the Vaporeon explained in an urgent whisper. Kuro bowed apologetically, but then squinted in confusion.

"How long has she been here, if you already know that?" he wondered aloud.

"A few days," Aqua admitted. Celes cast a silent glare in their direction, something that did not escape the alpha's notice. "Excuse me," Aqua told the Flareon, bobbing her head apologetically, and she stepped back, while remaining nearby. Kuro had seen this behavior often enough to recognize its purpose. As the clan alpha, Aqua sometimes acted as a mediator to settle clan disputes and tensions. By stepping away, she was agreeing to oversee their interactions passively, but would intervene in an instant if the situation escalated. That still begged the question as to why she thought this was necessary.

"Am I understand that you're the one who wished to meet with me?" Kuro guessed. Celes gave a curt nod. The Zoroark chuckled and tapped his chin thoughtfully, wracking his brain to try to determine the significance of the meeting. "Hmm...still can't place the name OR the face. I don't normally struggle with that. How do you know of me? A fan of my work, perhaps?"

"No," Celes answered bluntly. Kuro touched his paw to his chest tenderly, as if her clipped response was a physical blow. "I'm looking for my brother."

"Ohoho," Kuro chortled, rubbing his paws together in delight. "Not a fan, but so certain that I know everyone? Or at least that I know tons of Eevee. You came to find me at an Eevee clan, which is remarkably insightful. Not a celebrity stalker, right?"

The last comment was delivered in a teasing tone, but was met by a stony look. Celes was not even remotely amused, but that had never stopped him before. Perhaps it was not 'productive' to act over-dramatic and borderline obnoxious, but the ability to read the audience was essential for judging whether the tone of the act was right. Even something as simple as stony silence supplied a few clues.

"That was a semi-serious question," Kuro informed the Flareon with a chuckle. "Why are you asking me?"

"Noblesse said he told Blaze to meet with you last winter," Celes answered, a growl escaping her throat.

"Ah, Noblesse Oblige," Kuro recited, applying a Kalos accent to the phrasing, which regrettably earned nothing more than a blank stare in response. "Never mind. Your brother's name is Blaze?"

"Yes," Celes answered, impatience evident by her slightly clenched jaw.

"Here's a weird question," Kuro said, speaking far more cautiously than he ordinarily might have. "Any chance he has, I dunno...an absurd amount of pure rage in his heart?"

"What?"

"Yeah, that might have been too weird a question to open with," Kuro admitted, talking more to himself than the Flareon. "Feel free to disregard."

"Hey, word to the wise there, Kuro," a familiar voice stated unexpectedly from behind him. Kuro's head jerked up, but before he could turn, a fluffy cloud draped around his right shoulder, pulling him into a pseudo-embrace. It didn't take long for him to realize the 'cloud' was actually a wing belonging to a familiar blue, bird-like creature that had appeared on his left side. "You might not want to test her patience much longer," Sorin suggested.

"S-sorin," Kuro breathed, his eyes widening in alarm, before remembering that Aqua was still present, and that she would never allow for any sort of violent confrontation to occur right under her nose, nor would the Altaria be so rash as to jeopardize his good standing with the clan by doing so.

"Wow, you really tensed up," Sorin noted airily. "Most people relax when I drape my wings around them. Why so nervous?"

Kuro didn't answer, knowing full well it was a rhetorical question. It was sometimes easy for the average Pokemon to forget that Altaria were Dragon-type Pokemon. Sure, they were relatively calm and soothing creatures, but the amount of power contained within their bodies was still not something one could afford to underestimate, least of all if they could be provoked.

Celes cleared her throat, the sentiment directed more at Sorin than Kuro. "Can I just get an answer, please?" she asked, bristling a little, in spite of her efforts to phrase the request politely.

"You never actually asked me anything," Kuro pointed out with a playful grin. "I tease, lovely. I dare not guess whether 'Blaze' is a common name for a male Eevee, so tell me...is this him?"

The Zoroark snapped his claws, and his image distorted as he veiled his body with an illusion. His black fur became brown, and his red mane became a creamy color, retracting in length until it formed a collar of fur around his neck. His eyes dulled and became a dark brown shade, and a bushy tail appeared behind him. If nothing else, disguising himself as an Eevee reminded Kuro of his time as a Zorua. So many features were similar to his pre-evolved form that it was a familiar guise to assume, like an old costume he hadn't worn in a while.

Sorin retracted his wing, bewildered. Although the Zoroark's body had not physically transformed, the illusion spells he cast were potent enough to deceive even those who saw him do it. His illusionary form had become smaller, and Sorin's brain now struggled to distinguish how much physical space Kuro occupied.

Kuro stepped forward, creating some extra distance between himself and Sorin, so that Celes could have an unobscured view of his illusionary form. She lifted her head up, the rigidness of her stance dissolving like sugar in a rainstorm. Her eyes searched his face, and when they made eye contact, she did not avert her gaze, even as tears filled her eyes and began to run down her face. She definitely knew he wasn't really her brother, but she was unable to keep the emotions from bursting free simply from seeing his image standing before her. Kuro was torn between hastily dissolving the illusion before she started to believe it was reality, and letting it remain a little longer, so that the blow to her emotions would not be so abrupt.

Aqua darted between Celes and Kuro, sparing him the need to make a decision, as her frame obstructed Celes' view long enough to snap her back to reality, while also providing Kuro the opportunity to dispel the illusion and appear as his true self once more. Aqua spoke softly to the Fire-type, too quietly for Kuro to overhear. After a few moments, Aqua cast Sorin and Kuro an apologetic smile, a way of asking them to excuse her sudden departure, and gently led Celes away, continuing to whisper reassuringly as they went.

There was an awkward silence as soon as the female Eeveelutions were out of sight. Kuro couldn't think of anything to say, but he knew that Sorin was watching him.

"So...I take it you have seen her brother?" Sorin asked finally.

"Yes," Kuro admitted, turning to face the cloud dragon, and folding his arms nonchalantly. "But I never met with him personally. I just kept an eye on him, in case I needed a backup option."

"Backup option for what?" Sorin pressed, narrowing his eyes slightly. Kuro smiled enigmatically.

"A better question at this time would be to ask why you're so invested in her situation," Kuro murmured, his eyes glittering. "One would think you'd have better things to occupy your time. Unless of course, your aid to her is not simply out of kindness, but a veiled effort to atone for your past mistakes."

"One of these days, you're going to piss off the wrong person," Sorin said seriously, his feathers bristling.

"What can I say? Kaito paints me as the villain of this tale, and I will gladly play the part," Kuro chuckled, and his eyes glittered. "But do not mistake my role on the stage with my true self. In reality, I am the noble demon to Kaito's knight templar."

"Right," Sorin said skeptically, and he frowned up at the sky before refocusing on the illusion Pokemon. "This conversation isn't finished, but I think we're going to have to put it off until tomorrow morning. No reason to keep half the clan up all night."

"Oh? Aren't you afraid I might sneak off in the middle of the night?" Kuro snickered.

"Not really," Sorin replied, shrugging his wings. "I'm sure you could have slipped away with ease by now if you really wanted to. But just in case, why don't you tell me when and where you last saw Celes' brother? Because I swear to Ho-oh, if you gave Celes hope, but then run off without giving us something concrete...well, even Inferna won't be able to protect you from me."

Kuro opened his mouth to retort, but a single glimpse at Sorin's eyes stopped him before he could even form the words. Even if there were aspects of the statement he could pick apart and taunt, it didn't matter, because it was the sentiment itself that Sorin wanted to communicate. It was a message he would certainly take to heart, even if he dismissed it on the surface.

"There's a clearing north of here, surrounding a lake," Kuro answered with a smirk. "He was staying there for a while. I don't think he even knew the clan was here, come to think of it. I know for certain he was there a little more than two weeks ago, but I haven't paid much attention since."

"Ugh...it's something, I guess," Sorin sighed. Kuro chuckled and gazed around the surrounding area. By now, almost all the clan members had settled in for the night, and the majority of those that remained active were the ones assigned night guard duty. "But fine, I'll let it rest for tonight. There's a couple other things I'm going to want to discuss with you tomorrow, if you're willing to indulge me."

"I shall consider it, but no promises. I am a busy illusionist, you know," Kuro answered with a smirk. "Have a good night, Sorin."