Feeling frustrated was not an uncommon occurrence for Ember. That's just how she always was. Even as a young Charmander, she was prone to fits of temper, at times bordering on tantrums, over seemingly trivial matters. Sorin had done his best to curb this behavior, but he ultimately passed it off as a normal phase of development for a young Pokemon. It was only when her outbursts were particularly intense that he adopted a much sterner approach to discipline, but in hindsight, the tactic was not very effective.

In a way, it was natural to expect Sorin would have had a difficult time raising her on his own. They were completely different species, with contrary temperaments. The Altaria was passive and relatively laid-back, whereas Ember was energetic, impulsive, and scrappy. Any experience or memory Sorin might have had regarding his own upbringing would have been all but useless in raising his Charmander daughter, least of all without the support of the mother.

That was a subject that had often bothered Ember when she was growing up. Sorin had done his best, but he simply lacked a point of reference for some subjects, particularly matters pertaining to Charmander biology. There were instances where Sorin vocally lamented his inability to fully satisfy her curiosity. He simply wasn't equipped to give her the necessary guidance when it came to understanding aspects of her species biology or gender. Inferna's absence may very well have partially stunted the Charmander's early development, if not specifically because of the lack of a female role model, then because Sorin might have interpreted 'normal' Charmander behavior as acting out, or actual misbehavior as something normal.

Ember couldn't blame Sorin for his parental shortcomings. She didn't even know for sure whether she had developed improperly or not, or whether the encounter with Inferna two years earlier had just taken a heavy toll on her emotional and mental development.

Adrian had done a lot to ease the past wounds, but as the most recent run-in with her mother showed, there was still so much more road to travel. It pissed Ember off to no end to realize just how little she had actually grown in two years, and how needy and dependent she still was on Sorin or her human caretaker.

As for Kaito...that was a whole other kettle of fish. Ember had met the Togetic a few times in her early developmental years, as Sorin was friends with the fairy, and Kaito seemed to take a bit of a liking to her. He had given her a little bit of guidance in how to use her energy in battle, as Sorin lacked the proper limbs and elemental affinity to help her with much apart from the high-risk Dragon Dance technique, and it was through Kaito's help that Ember managed to master Shadow Claw, and from that jumping-off point, Sorin helped her get the hang of Dragon Claw.

However, soon after her initial progress, Ember had come across Inferna's territory, and that incident had drastically changed everything. She was placed under Adrian's care soon afterwards, being looked after by an unfamiliar person, in an unfamiliar environment, where nothing was anything like what she had gotten comfortable growing up with. Rage had been the only way to express her feelings of betrayal, fear, confusion, and so many other emotions that tore through her chest like a raging tempest.

Sorin had eventually caught up to her, and learned what had transpired between her and Inferna, but the damage had already been done. Ember had been so disillusioned with the image of her mother that had been built up in her head that the reality left her bitter and broken. For the longest time, Sorin only visited seldomly, to give her time to process what had happened, and in the hopes that Adrian could calm the emotional storm inside her.

Ember was sick and tired of harboring hopes and expectations only to have them pulled out from under her and thrown back in her face. Kaito had once seen untapped potential within her, but ever since the Inferna incident, the few interactions he had with her always seemed clipped, impatient, and dismissive. When she first had gotten to know him, she had thought he was going to be a major asset for developing her battle skills, either through personal guidance, or by arranging a more suitable mentor. That was one of the reasons Sorin had introduced them in the first place.

The reality was that Kaito had no use for her. It was not as severe a betrayal as when Inferna revealed her true character for the first time, but it was a bitter pill for Ember to swallow. Kaito still worked with and kept in contact with Sorin, and his Zoroark rival had associated with Inferna, but Ember was just someone for Kuro to use and manipulate. Kaito didn't even have the decency to WARN her of this danger, and instead Cecilia had tipped her off. It was utter Tauros shit. If Kaito gave even the slightest damn, like the Quilava claimed, then he would have been more forthcoming on the subject.

Whatever. She was done putting up with this crap. If Kaito had no use for her, then she wasn't going to beg. Storming off like a child in the midst of a tantrum might not have been the most mature departure, but it felt incredibly liberating, as if a weight had been lifted from her shoulders. For just a few moments, she had felt strong and independent, no longer willing to be pushed or kicked around by someone unwilling to appreciate her.

Shadow had walked alongside her in silence, giving her the time and space she needed to simmer down on her own, but whenever she cast him a sidelong glance, she found that he wasn't watching her with a wary or otherwise anxious look, as most other Pokemon were wont to do when she was aggravated. He seemed to be lost in his own thoughts, but he wasn't hanging behind her, either. It was difficult to precisely put a finger on what made this behavior stand out from the norm, but she eventually settled on the notion that he wasn't afraid of her. Whereas most other Pokemon would be keeping their distance or frantically trying not to draw attention to themselves, Shadow was silently matching her pace, and appeared overall at ease.

She liked that, but had no idea why. The same way he had earlier soothed her impending outburst with a light touch and a stern look, he was not behaving like a scared, submissive kitten now, and that did wonders for calming her.

They had just emerged at the top of the winding staircase, placing them in the large room where her group had started acting strangely. Ember sniffed the air cautiously, half-expecting to be bombarded with a sweet aroma, but all she picked up was a dry mustiness that tickled her nostrils, and she sneezed, causing the Espeon to jump back in alarm.

"Sorry," she mumbled sheepishly. "Was just trying to see if it still smelled weird in here. This is where almost everyone else in my group noticed the scent."

Shadow nodded slowly, and his nose twitched. After a moment, he shook his head. "I only smell you."

Ember blinked, unsure how she was supposed to interpret that statement. "Wait, do I actually smell weird?" she wondered, looking herself over carefully. Her sense of smell wasn't particularly impressive, since her brain tended to filter out the hint of smoke and flame that constantly hung around her. She also hadn't battled recently, so she probably hadn't used or been affected by any battle techniques that left an odor, notably poison-based techniques or dragon fire.

"You reek of adrenaline," Shadow deadpanned.

Ember snorted. Of course, that made perfect sense in the context of her being pissed off. "Your sense of smell is impressive," she noted dryly, briefly recalling that Raze had mentioned how both Astrid and Shadow had picked up Circe's pheromone perfume much earlier than anyone else had.

"And yet, I barely use it compared to my other ones," Shadow murmured, his forked tail twitching. "Useful for tracking, but probably the least useful for battle."

Ember shrugged, peering around the room as they cautiously crossed the room. The Unown sigils seemed to almost be watching them, and she didn't particularly like the sight of bone fragments littering the floor alongside pebble-sized debris from the sections of floor that had been blasted apart. It unnerved her and made her feel like there was a threat lurking nearby, even if it wasn't in the room with them.

"Wait a second," she said, stopping abruptly at the center of the room, her eyes surveying the chamber. Shadow looked confused, but he complied. Ember scowled slightly and purple flames ignited from the claws of her left paw. She swiftly swiped her claws through the air to her left, only to yelp as her wrist connected with something solid, sending a painful spasm through her arm.

The air shimmered slightly, and a figure seemed to materialize before them. It was a bipedal Pokemon covered in black scales, clutching a long bone club in its paws. It stood roughly a foot taller than Ember did, and its face was covered by a sturdy skull mask with a distinct, flame-shaped black marking at its forehead. It had an oddly thin frame, but in spite of that, it did not appear malnourished.

Ember growled and narrowed her eyes at the opposing Pokemon. It was surprisingly difficult to get any sort of read on the bone wielder's intentions, largely due to the bone mask concealing the majority of its facial features, although Ember quickly noticed that its jaw was also covered in bone and had an independent hinge, so the skull helmet was probably not a mask, but an actual part of the Marowak's body.

Pale gray eyes returned her gaze from behind the skull mask, and the corners of the Marowak's mouth twitched into a wry smirk.

"Alola, daughter of Inferna," the bone Pokemon stated, its voice snide, yet feminine. Ember's response was a simple, nonverbal gesture with her uninjured paw that clearly expressed her opinion of being greeted in this manner. The Marowak tittered in amusement, and she lazily twirled her bone club in a figure-eight pattern.

"Seriously, you again?" Shadow growled, his fur bristling at the sight of the black Marowak. "How many times do we have to kick your stupid tail?"

"The strong, silent types are much more attractive when the emphasis is on 'silent'," the bone Pokemon retorted waspishly, sparing Shadow only the briefest of glances before refocusing on Ember. "I am Seraphina," she informed the Charmander, halting the spin of her bone baton in order to dramatically gesture to herself with it. "If you struggle to say my full name, then 'Sera' is also acceptable."

"What do you want?" Ember demanded with a growl, flexing her claws restlessly. She wasn't in the mood to deal with some random Pokemon acting cryptic or otherwise posing a needless obstacle to her. She just wanted to get the hell out of these Ruins, and then find somewhere to calm down and maybe even take a nap. With any luck, the storm outside might have subsided by now, and even if it hadn't, she had no intention of lingering longer than she absolutely had to.

"Involving you? Just one thing," Sera replied, and her gray eyes narrowed seriously. "I want you to kick Inferna's tail."

"What." Ember just stared at the black Marowak, too stunned to form a more articulate response. Of all the things she had expected Sera to say, that answer hadn't been anywhere close to the top of the list.

"I despise her," Sera continued bluntly, rapping her bone club against the forehead of her mask with enough force to produce tiny green sparks with each impact. "I would greatly enjoy seeing her knocked down a peg or two...if not outright stomped into the dust."

"Why don't you just do it yourself, then?" Ember asked, her tone more hostile than she intended, but that was probably just a side effect of coming off from the haze of stunned disbelief a moment earlier.

Sera did not immediately answer, and merely held eye contact with the Charmander. There was almost nothing for Ember to interpret from Sera's face. The skull mask concealed any trace of a tell, and the pale gray eyes were unreadable. The defiant silence was the only clue, but it was enough for Ember to put two and two together.

"Oh, you tried and she beat you?" Ember asked, folding her arms across her chest for a moment, but then just as quickly undoing the motion. She needed to keep her arms at the ready in case the Marowak had hostile intentions, and her clarifying question could easily be interpreted as provocation.

"No duh," Sera retorted spitefully. The Marowak struck the bone against her mask one more time, and an eerie green flame erupted from the end, just like if she was striking a match. Ember and Shadow tensed simultaneously, but Sera merely held the ignited club out in front of her, gazing into the dancing flame as if mesmerized by it. "And I'm well aware that you don't hold a candle to her, either."

"Then why bring it up?" Ember growled, narrowing her eyes suspiciously. Sera snickered, and Shadow bristled, but Ember impatiently waved her paw in his direction, trying to indicate that she presently had things under control. The Espeon scowled, but refused to relax his stance, his silver eyes glaring at Sera, who pointedly ignored him.

"Because as a subject of mutual interest, it would behoove me to offer my assistance to you," Sera stated, still smirking. Apparently, it had never occurred to the Marowak that if she was trying to sell an idea or proposal to a hostile audience, it was better not to look, or sound, like a condescending bitch.

"I don't think I'd be able to stand being around you long enough for any training to benefit me," Ember deadpanned.

"I'm not offering you training, imbecile," Sera scoffed. Ember fixed the Marowak with a deadpan look, more incredulous at Sera's nerve than angry over the blatant insult.

"Then what the hell are you offering?" Ember asked, crossing her arms again.

"Information and advice," Sera replied, idly spinning the ignited bone club in her paw, and scattering a number of tiny green embers around her, each fizzling out after a few moments. "For a price."

"Like what?" Ember pressed, a growl escaping her throat. "Give me an example."

"For starters, you could try evolving," Sera suggested snidely. Ember chose not to immediately reply, in favor of repeating the crude gesture she had used earlier. Sera seemed just as amused during the encore as she had been during the initial showing. "No refunds," the Marowak reminded her.

"I didn't pay anything!" Ember growled.

"And you wonder why the advice sucks," Sera replied, sounding way too pleased with herself.

"Oh, piss off already," Shadow snarled, and before either of the females could respond, the Espeon produced a crude sphere of condensed energy and launched it towards the Marowak, striking her in the chest with enough force to hurl her backwards. Sera tucked her body mid-flight, and impressively managed to almost stick the landing, her momentum causing her feet to skid several inches along the stone floor.

Sera was breathing harder once she came to a complete stop, and she propped herself up with her bone club as an ominous purple aura engulfed her body. Even her gray eyes seemed tinted with a purple glow.

"Irritating nuisance," the ghostly Marowak hissed, glaring at Shadow. "You're just dying to be a knight in shining armor for the cute Fire-type maidens, huh? First your precious 'Cece', then Circe put you under her spell to protect her, and now Ember? Are you a sibling of Kuro or something?"

"Who?" Shadow blurted blankly, and Ember clenched her fist at the mention of the Zoroark's name. Being at these Ruins was reminding her of the unpleasant experience within the Johto Ruins of Alph, and it was particularly telling that if Sera had mentioned both Kuro AND Inferna's names within the span of this conversation, then she was likely associated with them, even if she harbored contempt for one of them.

"Never mind," Sera retorted waspishly, tapping her baton against the cheek of her mask distractedly, the purple aura gradually fading from around her body, although she maintained an aggressive stance. "Seriously, though...Eevee lineage, black fur, name meaning 'black', and weird gravitation towards Fire-types of the opposite gender...maybe Pearl wasn't pulling my tail. I should look into that..."

"What are you going on about now?" Ember asked, bewildered by the situation's abrupt shift in tone. "How do you know Kuro and Inferna, anyway? Or Pearl, for that matter?" she demanded, expelling a wisp of smoke from the corner of her mouth.

Sera snickered. "If I were to respond to that in your style, it might look something like this..." The Marowak paused, and then widened her eyes in exaggerated surprise, and adopted a mocking imitation of the Charmander's tone. "Pearl? You know Pearl? How the heck do you know someone that I also know?! This is totally a revolutionary concept!"

"Feel free to throw her against the wall," Ember told Shadow dryly. The Espeon's mouth twitched, and he narrowed his eyes in focus, only for Sera to swiftly direct her bone club towards him, like a magician waving its wand. Eerie blue energy surrounded the feline's body, and Shadow inhaled sharply, his breathing becoming slightly labored. Whatever it was the Marowak had done, it seemed to have partially sapped Shadow's energy, because he was visibly struggling to produce another psychic attack.

"Oh, you don't actually have Magic Bounce?" the ghostly Marowak wondered, sounding genuinely delighted. "Fantastic."

"You're trying my patience, 'Fina'," Ember growled, purple flames rising from her right paw. Judging by the subtle twitch of annoyance that ran through Sera's body, Ember had been correct in thinking the bone wielder would not appreciate an alternative shorthand of her name. "If you're not going to answer me when I ask you something, then you're no better than Kaito. I'm not going to crawl to you for information or advice, just to be treated like dirt."

"Be that as it may," Sera drawled, unfazed by the Charmander's aggressive stance. "You'll never beat Inferna until you can face her as an equal. Her emotions are stable, and her confidence unbreakable. You accept my insults and abrasive tone, but claim you won't let me walk all over you."

"What. Is. Your. Point?" Ember snarled, spitting each word as though it were its own sentence.

"You're far too passive to be taken seriously," Sera said bluntly. "I'm not intimidated by you at all, and despite your 'scary' expressions, you're just too cute-looking."

Ember's patience broke, and she lunged at the Marowak, bringing her blazing paw up to strike at Sera's chest. Sera pivoted and swiftly batted the Charmander's arm aside with her bone club, her mouth curling into a enthusiastic grin. Unwilling to be outdone, Ember channeled energy into her left paw and jabbed her claws into her opponent's gut, blue flames erupting from the claws at the last second.

Sera hissed in pain and pulled back, but Ember pressed her attack, viciously swiping her blazing claws at the Marowak's chest, stomach, and shoulders, her target selected based on how Sera pivoted or moved from the previous strike. The advantage of this tactic was that it left the bone wielder precious little time to wind up and strike with her bone weapon, forcing Sera to settle for less powerful blows.

Sera snickered quietly, and crouched down abruptly. There was a solid 'thunk' sound as Ember's claws bounced harmlessly off of the Marowak's bone mask, and Sera jabbed her bone club into Ember's undefended stomach. The Charmander recoiled, instinctively clutching the area that had been struck. Sera spun her bone baton triumphantly, and then hurled it towards Ember's head. The Charmander froze for a split second before desperately ducking down, and she let out her breath as the projectile whooshed over head.

The Marowak lowered her head and charged towards Ember, the skull helmet practically glowing right before Sera plowed into her. Acting purely on instinct, Ember seized Sera's head with both paws, her claws desperately searching for a groove or notch in which to secure a solid handhold. She was partially successful, but the effort was doomed from the start. Even with the Alolan Marowak's slimmer frame, Sera was larger and outweighed Ember several times over. Despite the Charmander's best efforts, she was still struck with the force of a small truck, and was hurled backwards across the chamber. She cried out upon impact with the floor, and tumbled the rest of the way to the wall.

Tears of pain streaked down Ember's face, but the fire inside her burned with greater intensity. She wasn't going to just roll over and give up, like she had against Inferna. Even if she was going to lose, she was going to lose with dignity, rising again and again until the last embers of her strength were snuffed out. Her scales were covered in dust and dirt as she propped herself up against the wall, silently noting that had she been standing a few inches more to the left, she might have been thrown down the spiral staircase.

Ember stumbled slightly, but her legs still seemed to be working properly, and she refocused upon the black-scaled Marowak. Her stomach hurt, but blows to her torso were common injuries for the Charmander, so she knew the pain would pass in time. Her tail flame blazed stronger, and she launched a fireball from her mouth towards the Marowak.

Sera had somehow retrieved her bone club since throwing it, and nonchalantly swatted the burning projectile aside, and it fizzled against one of the walls. The purple aura had returned to her body, and she was smirking with unrestrained enthusiasm.

"That's good, Ember...keep the fire burning," she sneered, but Ember ignored the taunt. "Now show me your primal strength," Sera urged, spinning her bone in a figure-eight pattern. "Use your trump card...the technique you hold that Inferna lacks - Dragon Dance."

Ember growled, and her tail flame shifted from its usual mixture of orange and yellow to a pale blue-white color. Her eyes took on a feral edge, the pupils lengthening into vertical slits, but then she cringed and clutched at her forehead with one paw. She slowly swayed her body from side to side, and as she did, the pain in her head and body seemed to fade away. The fatigue and soreness vanished, and energy began to course through her body.

Sera continued to spin her bone, and purple fire spilled out from within her body, encompassing the bone club in her paw. "Flames burning with vengeance, claws of noble dragon..." she murmured.

Ember froze, as a cold sensation seeped into her body. Several of the runes decorating the room had lit up, and she felt, more than ever, like something was watching them. Her eyes darted towards the glowing sigils, and shivered as the eyes seemed to stare back at her. Anger rose up in her chest, and she launched a fireball towards one of the runes, feeling an odd sense of catharsis when the fireball struck, even though it left no visible mark upon the wall, nor affected the glowing symbol.

"Dance before the Unown, and unlock the gate to evolution," Sera continued, spinning in place dramatically, and lifting her bone club into the air. One by one, the remaining runes began to glow, until they were all lit. And then the room was silent.

"What the hell-?" Ember managed to blurt, only to stumble as the floor rumbled slightly beneath her feet. In the very center of the room, a portion of the floor rose up, as if lifted by an invisible rope, exposing a hollow pedestal of stone. Contained within the base of the pedestal was a vibrant blue stone, a few sizes smaller than that of an enlarged Pokeball. It was mostly transparent, with some sort of design barely visible in the stone's core. Although wary, Ember immediately felt a peculiar sense of avarice towards the glittering stone. She wanted it, even if it was useless, if only so she could hoard it and possess it.

"Ahh...so it really was hidden here, after all," Sera murmured, striding over to the unveiled pedestal, and delicately removing the stone from its place. She examined it with interest, and then nodded in satisfaction. "Your soul may now rest at ease, Sigilyph guardian," she continued, addressing her bone club, as opposed to anyone standing within the same room. As if one cue, the purple aura faded from the Marowak's body, and the violet flames burning from her weapon were extinguished.

"Give it to me," Ember growled, and Sera blinked at her, before smirking wryly.

"You have no idea what this is, do you?" she asked snidely.

"Don't care," Ember retorted, expelling a wisp of flame from her mouth. "I want it..."

"Tsk, tsk...seems like I still have everything of value," Sera jeered. "You want my advice, my information, and now the fruits of my efforts? I need you to exchange something of equal value."

"You needed my Dragon Dance, so I have a claim on that," Ember insisted, stalking forward aggressively.

"Hmm...that's true," Sera murmured, and held out the paw that clutched the glittering stone. As Ember approached to claim it, the Marowak delivered a fierce, backhanded blow to the Charmander's face with her bone club, knocking Ember to the ground. "And now that claim has been terminated," Sera said snidely.

Ember lashed out with her foot, kicking Sera's leg out from under her, and the Marowak toppled over. Ember rolled over and dove for the glittering stone. Realizing what the Charmander's intention was, Sera tossed her bone club aside so that she could use both paws to secure her trophy. Ember snarled, latching her claws around the Marowak's paws, vainly attempting to pry open her opponent's grasp. They wrestled in this manner for several seconds, until Ember tucked her legs closer to her body, and then launched both of her feet into Sera's stomach.

Sera wheezed, and Ember seized this opportunity to knock the stone free. It bounced across the stone floor, each impact with the floor producing a light clicking sound. Ember disentangled herself from Sera and crawled towards the relinquished stone, clasping her paws triumphantly around her new trophy. The lightest touch with the stone sent incredible warmth racing through her body, and her tail flame blazed more intensely than before.

"You little-" Sera hissed, turning to retrieve her bone club, but in the time it took for her to turn back around, Shadow had darted over to where the Charmander lay. He touched his forked tail to the fire lizard's side, and his gemstone glowed vibrantly, a moment before a piercing flash of light filled the room, forcing Sera to shield her eyes.

When the light faded, Sera found herself in an otherwise empty room. She looked around in bewilderment, but saw no sign of either of her opponents. They had vanished. Dawning realization hit, and the Alolan Marowak scowled, her shoulders slumping in resignation.

"Oh, son of a bitch..."