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Chapter 58

The Hidden Village

Zekra always loved the silence of the night.

Save for the occasional cries of the Hoothoot or the distant growls of other predators roaming about for prey, the night was a time for quiet. It was meant to fill the world with its wordless presence as everyone else slept. And it was during this time that Zekra loved to be able to sit in the darkness and cherish the quiet it brought, if her schedule allowed for her to stay up into the late hours of the night.

And though at the moment she had to sneak through a jungle, keeping up an illusion so she wouldn't spotted by potential Greninja, that wonderful feeling was not broken. If anything, it made the mission more exciting than it was already. While she did enjoy sneaking into Dusk Mines with Zeverous for the most part, it wasn't quite as exhilarating as her current mission. Something about prowling through the darkness on a "hunt" brought out a happiness she hadn't felt in a while. She imagined that was the primal instincts of all predators she felt now, deeply satisfied to have her answering its yearnings.

Zekra and Zeverous continued wandering through the jungle, neither of them saying anything. Zekra would look around occasionally, trying to find any sort of hint that the village was close by, but she found nothing. Everything around her seemed the same, nothing particularly different catching her eye. There was nothing but flora everywhere she looked.

How does Zev know where that Greninja place is? Zekra asked herself. Everything looks the same. I mean, I knew where Dusk Mines was even though I was only there once, but it's pretty hard to miss that place…

She was about to ponder in the thought more, or perhaps even speak up and ask Zeverous the question, but that was when she heard something scurrying nearby. She twisted her head to her side to find the hazy outline of some creature disappear behind a large tree ensnared by strangler figs. Zekra considered the thought of chasing after it, lest it be an enemy that was waiting for the perfect opportunity to ambush her and her brother.

But in the end, she abandoned the thought. If it really were an enemy, it would have attacked by now. There was no reason for it to keep waiting. She realized that it was probably a stray Treecko that feared it would become their next meal, should they have spotted it.

It was at that moment that Zekra realized that she hadn't eaten in a while. She frowned as she felt the sudden gnawing pain in her stomach, having never realized it was there until just now. Her mind had been so preoccupied that she had completely forgotten she needed to eat.

"Hey Zev, do you think I could get some food?" she asked, keeping her voice low.

"Sure. What do you want?" Zeverous asked in return. "I've got some berries, some dried meat, some-"

"I mean, can I go hunt something?" Zekra quickly corrected.

"Oh. Yeah, go ahead," Zeverous shrugged indifferently. "Just don't talk or anything. If a Greninja sees you and you can convince them that you're a wild Pokémon, they won't kick you out of here. Want me to come with you?"

"Yeah! Don't see why not. It could be a lot of fun killing stuff with you."

Zeverous laughed at her morbid remark as he changed into a Mightyena, his smirk almost evil when using that form. However, Zekra knew there was no point for alarm and also changed into a Mightyena, knowing that if they were to masquerade as wild Pokémon, they'd need to be the same species. She hadn't exactly used a Mightyena form before, she didn't think it would be much different from her regular form, except being bigger and having sharper teeth.

Zeverous cast Zekra a glance, and then took off running. Zekra quickly chased after him, following him into the hidden parts of the jungle where the moonlight could no longer reach them. It admittedly became difficult to see, even for her with her night vision, but she was able to keep him within her sights after a brief moment of confusion. She stayed close behind him as he slowed himself down, carefully weaving his way through the entanglement of trees without making a single sound. Zekra copied his every step.

As they silently made their way through the jungle, Zekra kept her eyes peeled for any sort of prey. She wasn't sure exactly what kind of Pokémon lived in the vicinity other than certain grass-types that seemed to be in just any place that had trees, but she imagined that she'd be able to spot them. Or at the very least, she'd be able to hear them. Most of the prey she knew weren't exactly stealthy when they were trying to hide themselves from the dark.

After several minutes of wordless prowling, Zekra finally heard saw a blur of movement in the corner of her eye. She turned her head, and after peering into the darkness for a few seconds, saw what had made the noise. It was a lone Tropius, trying to remain hidden within some foliage. Zekra imagined that it was resting after a long flight and was doing its best not to be spotted while it regained its energy so it could carry on to wherever it was going in the late of that night.

It was a shame that it would never be able to finish its journey.

Zekra released a low growling sound, alerting Zeverous attention. He stopped and trotted back over to her, where she silently gestured over to the Tropius that was still unaware of their presence. Zeverous stared at it for a moment, and then nodded before crouching low to the ground. Zekra grinned eagerly as she did the same. It was a large Pokémon, larger than any Pokémon she had tried to hunt before, but she had confidence in herself. Plus, she had her brother. Anything was possible if her brother was around.

With her heart beating wildly, and with adrenaline pumping through her veins, she sprang forward and charged at the Tropius. She closed the distance between it and her, and then pushed off the ground with all of might. Then, before it even noticed her, she sank her fangs deep into its slender neck. The Tropius let out a blood-curdling scream as it violently thrashed about, trying to pry itself loose from Zekra's jaws, but she wouldn't relent. She only sank her fangs deeper into its neck. But just as she was to drag it to the ground for an easier kill, a barrage of leaves shot out of its body and cut into Zekra's fur. She whined as she released her hold on the Tropius, thudding to the ground as a Zorua. Her blood leaked onto the ground, staining the blades of grass a deep crimson as she shot the Tropius a hateful glare.

But before she could change into a more formidable Pokémon, the Tropius rapidly beat its wings together, stirring up a powerful gale. Zekra was instantly picked up off the ground by the wind, and hurled far into the jungle. She eventually crashed into a canopy before gravity took its course once more, scrapping her against the thorny branches and leaves before she plummeted back onto the ground. Zekra groaned irritably as she got back to her feet, ignoring the stinging of her injuries as she hastily glanced around her.

Great, where am I? she wondered. Where did that stupid Tropius send me?

Realizing that standing still and asking questions was pointless, Zekra became a Scyther and zipped toward the direction she felt she had come from. She knew that she should have stayed in her Mightyena form so that her brother would recognize her when they crossed paths again, but that form wasn't fast enough for her. She didn't want Zeverous to kill the Tropius for her. She had been the one to find it, so she had some right to be the one to provide the lethal strike. Then not only that, but she liked the Scyther form better. It was easier to slaughter when she had blades for arms and ninja-like speed.

With a malicious glimmer in her eyes, Zekra sped through the jungle's maze of trees, keeping an eye out for a Mightyena and Tropius. It didn't take long, for she soon heard the loud cry of a pained, dying Pokémon in the distance. Zekra swiftly sank one of her scythes into the bark of a nearby tree, and then used it to help her change course by forcing her to make a half-circle around the tree. Her blade dug deep into the tree as she rounded the plant, nearly severing it in half as she twisted her blade around its surface. When she was facing her desired direction, she withdrew her blade and took off once more.

A short time later, Zekra finally came across the ones she sought. Zeverous was still attacking the Tropius, but this time, he was Toxicroak. He agilely leapt out of the way as the Tropius flung another set of leaves at him before launching himself toward it. His poisonous fingers became coated in a deep poison, and with a swift swipe, he slashed at the wild Pokémon's side. The Tropius flinched as it began to falter, its breath becoming raspy as the poison went into its bloodstream, slowly sapping away its life.

Seeing her opportunity, Zekra flung herself into the brawl, a scythe posed to strike. There was no time to react as her blade cut cleanly through the Tropius's neck, loping off its head in an instant.

Zekra silently descended onto the grass as her prey's body slumped to the ground behind her. She changed back into a Zorua as she released a relieved sigh, exhausted from the endeavor.

"Thanks for not killing it before I got here," Zekra said as she turned to face her brother.

"No problem," Zeverous replied. "You okay, though? You've got cuts everywhere."

"Yeah, I'm fine. This is nothing."

Zekra turned away from Zeverous and faced the bloody corpse behind her. She walked over to it and dipped one of her paws into the puddle of blood that was forming beneath the poor headless creature.

"Is it still safe to eat this thing?" she asked nonchalantly. "I mean, I saw you poison that thing."

"But there isn't poison anymore," Zeverous corrected as he returned to his true form and joined Zekra's side. "That Tropius only thought it was getting poisoned, and because it believed that, it became poison for it. But now that the illusion's gone, there's no more poison. So it's safe to eat."

"So there really was poison for a little while. Just like how I really did have blades for a little while when I was being a Scyther."

Zekra paused.

"As long as someone thinks everything we're doing is real, it becomes real," she then said. "We create the reality of everybody around us by how talented we are at lying to everyone. But then again, maybe everybody does that too in their own ways. Like how the Fellowship is able to tell everybody that there's no such thing as Plagued Ones and create a peaceful reality for them when actual reality is a whole lot worse. Or when you're in pain and you lie to your friends, telling them that you're okay. You change their reality so that they don't see the real reality. You give them a happier reality than what's really there. So in a way, everybody is an illusionist. Everybody is always creating fake realities for everyone else and nobody knows they're in those fake realities."

"Wow, since when did you become so philosophical?" Zeverous teased. "Don't think I've ever heard you talk like this before."

"Hey, I can have deep conversations you know!" Zekra shot back. "Killing stuff isn't the only thing on my mind! I'm not as shallow-minded as you think."

"Alright, well how do you get out of the fake realities then?" Zeverous then asked, still wearing his bemused grin. "If you're saying everybody's in a fake reality, how do you ever see the real reality?"

"I don't think anybody can see all of actual reality. You can only get pieces of it, and that's only if you try really hard. But to at least get out of some of the fake realities others might put you in… I think the only way is to have someone tell you it's not real. You need somebody to show you a different perspective on things. Like, have them share the reality they see with you so you can see how different the two realities are from each other. I think that's how you can get out of your fake reality. I don't really know if anything I just said made any sense to you, but that's what I think."

"Well I get what you're saying, but I think it might be hard to follow if you tell this to someone who's not a Zoroark or anything like that," Zeverous admitted. "It's probably better if you just stick to simpler things again like you did before. You might make everybody's brains melt if you bring up weird topics like this around anybody. Or you'll just scare them off."

"Not my fault nobody knows how to be open-minded," Zekra spat bitterly. "Everybody's such a wimp."

"Whatever you say," Zeverous snickered. "But come on, let's eat. Don't want this food to go to waste."

Zekra still frowned distastefully at her brother, but listened to what he said and began devouring the carcass with her fangs with Zeverous soon joining her. Though the meat was a bit too dry and bitter for her tastes, it still satisfied her hunger and left her feeling quite full minutes later. She wiped the blood off her muzzle with a paw as she backed away from the empty husk of a Pokémon and became a Greninja.

"Alright, we can keep going now if you're ready," she said.

Zeverous nodded silently as he also morphed into a Greninja and led Zekra through the dense jungle once again.

It was maybe an hour later when Zeverous finally came to a stop. Zekra nearly bumped into him from having followed him so closely, but was able to stop herself just in time. She looked at him to find that he was gazing off to the side, his eyes squinted carefully.

"Did you find it?" she asked.

Zeverous nodded silently, and then crept toward the sight. Zekra was soon to tail him with an eager grin. Very soon, she'd be able to see the village that Zeverous had stayed at for a time. She didn't know exactly what she was expecting, as she hadn't seen any hidden villages before, but she imagined it would be magnificent. Maybe everything would be built within the trees, like the Aurora Fellowship was, except in more mystic manner and adapted for the sole use of Greninja. It certainly would have made sense, given that they were in a jungle of sorts. It would have been the best way to remain hidden. Or, perhaps it was like palace of sorts, where everything was adorned with precious jewels.

That sounds more like a Sableye village. I really don't think that Greninja care about shiny rocks.

Zekra ignored her plagued self's snide comment and continued walking. She watched as Zeverous went up to one of the trees in the vicinity and started circling it, prodding it with his webbed hands carefully. He eyed the trunk of the seemingly ordinary tree as he continued doing this for what Zekra felt was a full minute. And yet, nothing occurred.

"What are you-"

Before she could finish, Zeverous suddenly stopped as some of the dirt beneath the tree caved in, revealing a hole that seemed to lead deep underground where the tree's roots dwelled. With a grin, he squeezed himself into the hole, somehow able to fit despite how small the tunnel appeared.

"Come on, Zekra," he called quietly.

Though still puzzled as to what was occurring, Zekra made her way over and forced herself into the hole. It was cramped like she had anticipated, the walls scraping against her sides and dirt falling onto her face the further she crawled, but she continued on nonetheless.

For a while, Zekra didn't think they were going anywhere. The tunnel seemed to stretch on forever, and there wasn't any bit of moonlight pouring in from the other side. The only thing to accompany the two siblings were the tiny roots of the plants from above, but they didn't do anything more than brush up against their bodies occasionally, tickling them. They didn't provide any sort of indication that they were close to the end of wherever the tunnel led.

And yet, Zekra knew better than to complain and kept her mouth shut. Zeverous knew what he was doing. He wouldn't lead her down this seemingly purposeless hole if he didn't think it'd take them to their destination.

Sure enough, sometime later, the tunnel did end and lead up to the surface. Zekra crawled out of the hole just after her brother did, panting as she shook the dirt that clung to her fake skin and spat out any that got in her mouth. It felt so good to be back in the open again. Breathing had been rather difficult underground, not to mention that the air had tasted rather stale.

"Here we are," Zeverous suddenly announced. "Welcome to the Greninja village, seen by so few in this world."

Zekra shook the last remains of dirt off of her, and then beheld the world before her. What she saw nearly blew her away.

She was still in the jungle, the flora growing all around her as wildly as it had before, but now there were little huts standing upon the cool ground in a seemingly unorganized manner. They all appeared to be made out of the very wood that were the trees surrounding them, well-taken care of so that not a single one seemed to be falling into decay. There were also much larger structures more far back into the distance, which Zekra assumed were the schools that the Greninja gathered in to be taught their new abilities. There were also a few ponds about the area, each one filled with Magikarp and other similar water-types that swam idly within the clear water.

But it was not these things that drew Zekra's attention. No, what caught her eye the most were what seemed to be just about everywhere she looked.

There were hundreds, if not thousands of lights illuminating from the leaves and branches of every plant in sight. They were tiny orbs of brilliant radiance, each one of a different color, ranging from a deep crimson to an electrifying blue. They shined bright throughout the village like giant stars, but never enough to hurt Zekra's gaze from each of them. She stared at each and every one of them in wonder as they swung lightly in the gentle breeze. If she hadn't of known better, she would have thought that each of these lights were from Xerneas's great horns, somehow harnessed by nature so they too could have a piece of his majestic and divine wonder.

"It's pretty amazing, isn't it?" Zeverous asked with a snicker.

"Yeah, it's beautiful," Zekra said, still in awe at the sight. "But, why did we have to go underground to get here?"

"Because that's the only way you can get here without having to sneak past some Greninja to get in. I don't really think we should be talking to any Greninja just yet… especially not at this hour. But anyway, this is a tunnel I made when I escaped from this place years ago, and I marked it just in case I wanted to come back for whatever reason."

"And how'd you even know that was the right tree? Looked just like every other tree here."

Zeverous smiled as he went back over to the tunnel that he and Zekra just came out of. Just like before, this entrance was beneath the tree, though still visible due to them having just exited from it. Zeverous pointed a finger at the trunk.

"You know, because it's got this."

Zekra squinted her eyes. Though it took a moment, she was able to see that Zeverous was pointing to a carving of what appeared to be an eye. It wasn't very big, being only about the size of Zekra's actual eye, and was fading away so that it was nothing more than a pale scar. It was incredibly easy to miss, and Zekra was surprised that Zeverous had been able to spot it at all when there were an endless amount of trees that looked just like the one they wanted in the jungle.

"You must have really good eye-sight or something," Zekra remarked.

"Heh, I've just had lots of practice doing this," Zeverous corrected. "You can get good at anything with enough practice. But anyway, let's not stall anything anymore. We've gotta tear this place apart before any of the Greninja wake up. Even though we're pretending to be one of them, I still don't like doing this kind of job when there's others around. Especially since these guys are Greninja."

"There aren't any awake already?"

"There's the guards outside of the place, but nobody inside of the village. Well actually, scratch that. There's some Greninja that are still awake inside of the village, but they're not where we are. They're farther inside doing some special training that's for a beginner's class. I think that's where they start teaching everybody about the dark-types since when Frogadier become Greninja, they suddenly become water-types and dark-types, so they have to have somebody teach them about what to expect and how to live with that new element inside of them. But don't worry; I don't think we're going to run into them."

"If you say so. So where do you want to look first?"

Zeverous pondered for a moment, staring off into the village.

"I think we should investigate the shrine they have around here," he stated. "Maybe those Greninja can feel this power coming from those dragon stones, so they put it on their shrine as a display to make the place feel more spiritual or something. Don't really know if they'd actually do that, but hey, it's worth a shot. We'll try somewhere else if we don't find it."

The older sibling put on a stoic mask as he strode forward, presumably heading for the shrine he spoke of. Zekra took in a deep breath, and then went after him, forcing herself to wear the same composed expression as he was. They wandered through the village in silence, keeping a close eye out for any Greninja that might have been coming their way. But as Zeverous had said, no one seemed to be awake. It was only the two of them in that village, the only thing to provide them company being the mysterious, ethereal lights.

After a few minutes, the two arrived at the shrine located at the far end of the town, far secluded from the rest of the town so that it stood in complete isolation. It was a relatively peaceful place with a few stones placed in a circle around a stone statue of a Greninja, sitting in what appeared to be deep meditation. In both of its hands was a glass orb of sorts, glowing softly with a dim light that originated from within. However, beyond the odd spheres, there was nothing particularly special about the shrine. All that could be noted was that it was quiet.

Zekra felt it was more eerily quiet than soothing, as if some malevolent force was watching her and just waiting for the perfect to strike.

As she looked around her, trying to see if there was anything else to the shrine other than a single statue in a giant glade of nothingness, Zeverous went up to the statue and circled around it.

"Who is that statue supposed to be anyway?" Zekra asked curiously.

"This was the original founder of the village," Zeverous said, now leaving the statue and now inspecting the stones surrounding it. "His name was Genryu, and basically he was the first Greninja to come up with the idea that they should train new Greninja on how to master their powers. He was apparently from a family that was generations full of Greninja, so they all knew some of the best skills there were. But instead of only teaching it to his kin like he was supposed to, he decided he wanted to spread his knowledge to everyone else. Because before, there wasn't any real training. You learned everything you could from your parents and whatever they knew. And if your parents weren't Greninja and you ended up becoming one… well, tough luck. You'd basically have to learn everything on your own, and you'd never be as talented as the other Greninja who actually had parents who could teach them. You'd never be like them. But on that fateful day, this guy decided that every Greninja should have a chance to have the best training and reach the full potential of a Greninja. So he went to go find the best Greninja he knew, and then he made this village so that all who would want to choose the path of a Greninja could and be successful."

"Was his family mad at him for doing that?" Zekra wondered.

"I imagine they would have been," Zeverous shrugged. "From what I've heard, families like that didn't like to share their secret arts with anyone else that wasn't a part of their bloodline. You know, because it makes them better than everyone else and they get bragging rights and all. If I really had to guess, I'd even say that the founder got exiled from his family because they were so upset with what he did."

"Wow, that's pretty harsh," Zekra cringed. "Was it really that big of a deal, though? Were having all of those powers that no one else had so great?"

"You talk like you haven't actually seen a Greninja use its abilities before," Zeverous chuckled darkly. "But yeah, it kind of was back then. If you had all of those powers back then and nobody else did, that meant that you could do more. And from how I've seen it, Greninja are typically known to be assassins or mercenaries. Their skills are perfect for those kinds of jobs. I mean, they're fast, they can kill you pretty quickly with just about any of their powers, and they can disappear in an instance if they get caught. Having more of those powers than everyone else meant a better life in a way. Plus, it was just some sort of honor they had. I really can't explain it since I'm not actually a Greninja and I never did get to talk to them about all this, but that's what I think it was."

Zekra nodded considerably at her brother's words. However, despite everything he had told her, she found her fascination with these Greninja had not been quenched. If anything, she had only gained more questions. She knew that there was only one real way to satisfy herself.

"Hey, do you want to split up and search the rest of the place on our own?" Zekra asked. "We can meet again somewhere in like three hours or something."

"I don't know," Zeverous said, a hint of unease in his voice. "It's not that I don't think you can take care of yourself, but if those Greninja find you and figure out you're not really who they think you are… they're going to kill you. I'm not exaggerating; they really will since you'll know how to get here and they want to keep this place top-secret. And trust me when I say that they're very careful about making sure outsiders don't get into this village. It was kind of a miracle we got in without a problem."

"I'll be fine," Zekra assured. "I mean, everything went so well the last time we snuck into some place, right?"

"Zekra, that ended with Shade figuring out who we were and nearly getting us killed. We only got out because that Mismagius and Chandelure saved us in the end."

"I'll be fine! I mean, I'm stronger now anyway. I took down a Darkrai, remember?"

"You took her down with four other Pokémon helping you, and you still got knocked out before it was all over."

"Ugh, just let me go, Zev! I can take care of myself. Besides, it would make this whole thing go by a lot faster."

Zeverous let out a defeated sigh as he shook his head.

"Alright, fine," he grumbled. "Meet me back here in two hours. Try to avoid everybody and if you do have to talk to somebody, make it fast and then get away from them. But not too quickly. Don't want them to get suspicious. I really don't want you getting caught by them…"

"Yeah, I get what you mean," Zekra laughed. "Don't worry, nothing's going to happen."

"That's what everybody says before something does end up happening."

Zekra rolled her eyes at the comment, but said nothing more as she let her brother be to continue investigating the shrine area. She left him behind as she went back to the main part of the village. Once there, she looked around and tried to think of the next place to go. It didn't take long for her to come to a decision. With a deep breath, she went into the main part of the village where the homes became more numerous. In the nearby distance, she could hear very faint voices. Voices that she presumed belonged to other Greninja.

She smiled as she went into the shadows and sped up her pace, sneaking through the dark of the trees as she made her way to the voices.

You know Zev told you to stay away from the other Greninja.

I'm not going to let them see me. Besides, maybe if I eavesdrop on them, I can figure out if they've got a dragon stone or something.

You can keep making all of the excuses you want, but I know you're really just doing this because you want to know more about those Greninja. They're fascinating to you. Really, you can't hide anything from me. I can hear every single one of your thoughts.

Though Zekra knew she should have been fearful at that remark, she instead felt irritated, as if the plague within her was more a pest than some kind of horrific abomination that had the power to make her life a nightmare if it ever felt the desire to.

Whatever. I'll be fine.

Zekra leapt onto a nearby building and scaled her way to the roof. Then, as silently as she could, she crawled to the very top and looked down upon the village, crouching behind the tip of the roof to remain hidden from any onlookers. She found herself staring down at two Greninja, older ones as far as she could tell, probably about as old as her parents before they died. She watched as they talked amongst each other, both of them attempting to keep their voices low, but still loud enough for Zekra to understand their conversation.

"I don't know why this is happening," one of the Greninja stated, an air of anxiety about him. "I don't know why there's so many of them…"

"And how many of Pokémon did you say you saw again while you were keeping look-out?" the other Greninja asked, this one seemingly the older of the two, if only by a small amount.

"There were ten of them. Four were fire-types, three flying-types, one a fairy-type, and then another was an electric-type. They were all in a group."

"And you were able to get rid of them, right?"

"Yes, they're very far away as of now. They shouldn't be gaining consciousness until dawn the next morning."

"So then why are you worried? You got rid of them, and this sort of thing happens quite a bit of the time. Maybe not in a big of a group as that sometimes, but it still happens nonetheless. They didn't see the village, did they?"

"No, they didn't," the younger Greninja assured, shaking his head. "It's only that after I got rid of those Pokémon did yet another group come in. They were different Pokémon, but all of them still worked alongside each other and were prowling the jungle just as intently as the other group was. And then right behind that group, yet another. Then another. This continued on for quite a time until there were eight groups in the jungle and all of them had this strange look in their eyes. They seemed to be hunting for something. I don't know exactly what they had their sights set on, but they were determined to find it. It's the same gaze I see on a Sharpedo when it is hunting down a Goldeen in the ocean; it's relentless and merciless. It's unmistakable. There is no other gaze like it."

"So you think they are trying to find our village."

"Yes. I do not know what else those Pokémon could be doing here with their eyes so set on whatever it is they're trying to find."

"Are these other groups still in the jungle?"

"Yes. I knew I could not knock out so many Pokémon on my own. And I felt that the other guards couldn't help me; there were far too many Pokémon for us to dispatch."

The older Greninja nodded thoughtfully and hummed to himself.

"I'll tell the elders about this," the older one announced after a while. "While I'm unsure that these Pokémon are looking for our village, what you are saying is concerning. We don't normally have this many Pokémon at a time going through the jungle, especially not at this hour. As I do that, keep an eye on those groups. Tell the other guards to do the same."

Without another word, both Greninja coiled away from the sight, disappearing in a flash. Zekra remained hidden upon the roof, at a loss of what she had she just overheard.

There's Pokémon here in the jungle? Is that why Zev and I were able to sneak in here so easily?

She hopped off the building and silently descended upon the ground, making sure that no one spotted her before diving back into the darkness of the trees.

Well, it's not my problem. If anything, it makes this whole infiltration thing a whole lot easier. I've got a stone to find anyway. And maybe some more Greninja to spy on if they're doing anything interesting.

Zekra crept around the light of the glowing orbs, making sure that they never once cast her into view as she made her way further into the village. She didn't know where she was going, but she figured that if she kept moving forward, she'd eventually find something noteworthy. Or at the very least, she'd hear more voices and could eavesdrop on more conversations to see if they knew anything about any dragon stones.

It wasn't long before Zekra came across a massive, rectangular building with several wind chimes hanging from the sides of the building. It stood before her in silence, this prestigious aura about it with the way it stood so mightily over everything else and seemed better kept than all of the structures around it. There wasn't a single side of it that held chipped paint, nor were there any cobwebs clinging to it in sight. It only remained there, its doors and windows closed to the outside world.

Zekra couldn't help but marvel at it from the shadows.

I wonder what's in there. I wonder if they've got anything cool…

The fake Greninja carefully withdrew herself from the cover of darkness and went up to the nearest wall to her. Then, after glancing both ways to make sure no one was in sight, turned into a Duskull and stuck her head into the wall.

She was quick to find that the building was a training center. The entire inside was one large room that held dark wooden flooring covered in dark blue mats. There was no furniture in sight, allowing the room to be spacious for plenty of maneuvering room. But to make up for this, the walls were filled to the brim with a variety of adornments. Scrolls hung on the walls, each one depicting a Greninja using one of their abilities in a series of carefully detailed steps. Zekra recognized many of the arts, such as how to use the water stars and Double Team, but then there were some she couldn't help but be puzzled over, such as one that seemed to show a Greninja vanishing from sight, only to be replaced by a tree stump.

Alongside these scrolls were also a number of strange weapons. Zekra had seen weapons before, as there always were steel thorns and similar things at the market, not to mention Terron had crafted a large arsenal of bone weapons for himself, but some of the ones before her were surreal. There were the ones she was familiar with, such as what appeared to be the Greninja's water stars only made out of metal, but there were also strange objects such as a long, sturdy stick attached to an even thicker piece of wood and what appeared to be a thin line of metal coiled like a snake, sharp blades sticking out of it.

And I thought Tear had some pretty weird weapons. Zekra remarked to herself. Wonder if he'd know what any of these things even are.

Zekra instantly regretted thinking about her friend, for the moment she did, her heart stung. She cringed as she forced the rest of herself into the dojo before turning back into a Greninja. Once inside, she began her careful search.

Maybe they've got it hidden behind those scrolls or something. Or somewhere in the ceiling. Or-

Her thoughts instantly went back to Terron, cutting off her focus. She could see him so clearly in her mind, shooting her that sad, yearning look he had given her the last time they spoke. Zekra closed her eyes and vigorously shook her head.

I had to leave him. If I didn't leave him, then I would have eventually caved and told him everything. I did it for his own good.

But even as she told herself these things, the heartache remained persistent, tormenting her further. Zekra growled quietly under her breath. She snapped her eyes open and began her inspection of everything in sight, trying to ignore the pain. But with each step she took, it only seemed to grow worse, which prompted her to shut it out even more. And thus, an endless cycle went on.

Zekra had barely finished investigating one side of the building when her heart seemed ready to tear itself apart. It actually felt as though something were reaching inside of her and trying to slaughter her. Like there was some sort of sadist monster that reveled in watching her struggle futilely.

Unable to take it any longer, Zekra rammed her head into a nearby wall, shaking her cranium. Unfortunately, it didn't undo the pain welling up in her chest.

It hasn't even been a day yet and I'm already going insane. Ugh, why did I have to be so desperate to know what was going on with Yimtri? Why couldn't I have just listened to him and left him alone?

Because you clearly cared about him and wanted to help him. Or you just wanted to figure out how to stop the Plagued Ones. Or maybe both.

Zekra squeezed her eyes shut as she pressed her head harder against the wall.

It was a stupid reason to keep bothering him. Should have just left him alone. We'd all be so much happier that way.

You don't know that.

I'm pretty sure that anything is better than the situation I'm currently in. I can't think of anything worse than having to get away from my best friend so he doesn't know the horrible things I know about him. Can't think of anything worse than having to keep this awful secret from him for the rest of his life.

So you're just going to whine about it? That's all you're going to do? Just whine like some spoiled brat?

Zekra scowled hard at the remark, her pain temporarily fading away as a wrath sparked within her.

Why don't you break your best friend's heart to save them and see how you react?

I don't have to; I'm already doing it.

Quit saying you're me! Just because you're stuck to my soul doesn't mean that you're me!

I'm pretty sure it does. You just don't want to admit it because you don't like to think that the personality I have are parts of you that you despise. So yeah, I'm still you. I've got all of your memories, I can feel all of your emotions, and I can pretty much hear every single one of your thoughts. What more proof do you need?

That's being a parasite, not being me! You're not me! I'm not a monster like you!

I swear, say that I'm a monster one more time and I'll show you what a REAL monster is like. But, enough about that. We're getting off topic here. You want to know why you shouldn't be whining? Because you could have it a whole lot worse.

How?

Zev could be dead.

Zekra grimaced as a ghastly image of Zeverous's bloody corpse resting at her feet manifested itself in her thoughts. His soulless eyes stared up at her, boring deep into her mind. She shuddered at the sight.

You've still got him. Even after everything you've been through and are going through right now, he's still here. Sure, you might be going through a bad time right now, but you still have your brother. You've still got the one Pokémon you care about so much by your side, always wanting to help you out.

So quit moaning about what's wrong with your life and focus on what you still have and be thankful for it. It'll make the pain go away.

Zekra sighed as the image of dead Zeverous disappeared. She slowly opened her eyes, feeling the ache in her heart dull into oblivion.

You're right. I should remember what I still have. I shouldn't focus on the negative, or else I'm going to lose my way and go crazy.

Yeah. Don't make me hunt you back down so I can get you back on track.

I won't. But… thanks. Thanks for helping me.

For a while, there wasn't a response from Zekra's plagued self. It only remained silent, and Zekra couldn't see what it was doing within her mind. She could only presume that it was sitting somewhere within her, deeply unsure of what to think of Zekra's sudden gratitude. Zekra couldn't blame it for that response; even she was surprised that she had said that to it. But, she found she couldn't help it. It had helped her after all, albeit in its forceful ways. Nonetheless, she still felt that was enough to warrant a show of thanks out of her.

But after a moment of awkward silence, her plagued self did speak.

You're welcome.

And with that, it fell into silence once again. Zekra breathed out a relieved sigh as she finished searching through the dojo, being careful to look through everything she came across. But alas, despite her best efforts, there was nothing to be found. Then not only that, but her time had run out. It had been two hours, and she needed to meet up with Zeverous once again.

Not wasting any more time, Zekra disappeared out of the building and headed back to the shrine. She was quick to find Zeverous sitting before the shrine's great statue, just as he had promised he would.

As soon as Zekra saw her brother, a sudden feeling of appreciation washed over her. It came over her so quickly and powerfully, that Zekra found herself rooted in place. In that moment, she realized that she really was thankful to have her brother with her. While she had primarily gone with Zeverous on the trip to get away from Terron, she had never been lying when she had said she wanted to spend time with her brother. She really did want to spend quality time with the one she had thought she lost so long ago.

But, it was only in that moment did she realize how glad she was to have him. Perhaps it was because of that horrifying image her mind had conjured up during her talk with her plagued self, but Zekra felt very happy to see her brother, alive and well. Granted, he didn't look like her brother at the moment, but it was all the same.

Zekra couldn't help but smile as she drew closer to him until she was right by his side.

"Welcome back," Zeverous greeted. "How'd everything go?"

"Oh, it went alright," Zekra replied. "But I didn't find anything. I just saw their training place or whatever it was."

"You went in there huh? Heh, kind of figured you would. But yeah, that's where they train alright. There's some things they don't learn in there, like how to use the water stars or how to be more acrobatic, but pretty much everything else they learn is in there."

"What was with all of those weird weapons they have in there, though? They don't actually use them, do they?"

"Oh, those things," Zeverous chuckled. "Nah, they don't use them. They're there as models since apparently, Greninja can make any kind of weapon they want out of water. Those throwing stars you saw me use a lot were just one of the things they can make. So they just have all of those weapons on display so everybody knows what their water weapons are supposed to look like."

"Ohhhh, so that's what it was! Was going to say, I was wondering why they'd have weapons. They don't look like the kind of Pokémon who would. But yeah, that was it really. How did everything go for you?"

"Same really. Didn't find anything. But, I kind of figured that since I didn't get to search a whole lot. Too much to look at, and it's getting late anyway."

Zekra nodded as Zeverous got up.

"Let's get out of here," Zeverous announced. "We need some rest. We'll come back tomorrow night. But next time we're going as ghosts or something. I really don't like being around here as a Greninja. I don't feel safe."

"Awww," Zekra whined.

"Yeah, and we're sticking together too. Was really worried about you while you were by yourself and well, I don't want anything happening to you. So sorry if I'm acting clingy to you or something, but I just really don't want you to get hurt. I know I keep telling you this place is dangerous even though nothing ends up happening, but I'm telling the truth."

"No, it's alright," Zekra assured. "I understand. Don't worry about it."

"Thanks."

Zeverous finally walked away from Zekra, presumably heading back to the tree that would lead them out of the village. Zekra stayed where she was, pondering as she watched her brother leave.

He's really worried about me, which I guess I can understand. We're only okay right now because those Greninja are kind of busy with whatever's going on outside anyway. I shouldn't let my curiosity get the better of me. Even though those Greninja are cool and I wanna know more about them, it's not going to help me if I'm caught by them. Besides, I really should hang out with Zev more. It's nice to be around him.

Satisfied with these thoughts, Zekra followed after her brother and together, they went back to the tree that held the secret exit out of the village.

But just as Zeverous was to crawl back into the hole, he suddenly froze in place. A dim light rippled through his form, and he was suddenly Blight.

"Hide," he uttered, his voice a low growl.

"Wait what?" Zekra asked, alarmed by his sudden command.

"Hide. Now," he hissed at her, almost in a threatening manner.

Zekra didn't waste another moment. She instantly became a Sableye as she dove into the ground, withdrawing herself from the outside world. She looked up from within the darknessto find Zeverous was no longer alone as he had been seconds ago. Now there was another Greninja with him, standing amongst the branches of a nearby tree, staring down at him from a distance with a dark glimmer in its eyes.

"Well, if it isn't Blight," the real Greninja said. "Been a while since I've seen you, hasn't it?"

"Yes, it has been a while," Zeverous answered back, keeping himself composed. "Surprised you didn't forget about me, Vera."

"Oh don't worry, I can't forget about you," Vera assured in a joking manner that didn't match her almost malicious glare. "So you've come back, huh?"

"Yes, I thought I'd come visit the village I learned so much from. I wanted to see if anything has changed."

"You picked a pretty peculiar time to come back and say hello to everybody."

Zeverous narrowed her eyes at her as he crossed his arms over his chest before letting out a snort.

"I never did say that I was going to visit everyone at this hour," he stated tersely. "I only happened to arrive at this time. I wasn't going to remain in the jungle until morning when I could easily come inside the village. I have no intentions of remaining out there where wild Pokémon have every intention of killing me."

Vera didn't say anything, only keeping her glare fixed on him.

"Are you on night watcher duty as of late?" Zeverous then asked, presumably to get her off topic. "You were never awake this late before when we were training together."

"Yeah, I am," she replied. "Been one since last month. It's a lot more boring than I thought it was going to be. Well, until tonight anyway."

"What do you mean by that?" Zeverous asked.

Vera averted her gaze from him as she looked out toward the edge of the village.

"There's been word that a good number of outsiders are inside of the jungle," she explained, lowering her voice. "No one knows why, but there's a few dozen Pokémon walking around, trying to find something. Some of the others think they're trying to sneak into the village."

"And so you think me being here while that is happening is too much of a coincidence," Zeverous then said, able to deduce her attitude toward him.

Vera remained silent. Zeverous laughed to himself as he uncrossed his arms and faced her directly.

"You think I'm an imposter," he then said. "One of those outsiders' spies. Maybe a Ditto pretending to be Blight so I can let them into this village. Or some Frogadier that just evolved that works for them."

Vera continued to say nothing.

"You want me to prove that I'm Blight," Zeverous went on. "Fine, I can do that. But, I'm not going to insist that I really am Blight with memories of what I did here in the past or what I know about you, because I know that wouldn't work on you. The not only that, but what kind of Greninja would I be if I bothered with that idea? There's only one real way for you to know for sure that I'm Blight."

A water star manifested into one of his webbed hands. He clutched it tight as he lowered his stance, ready to pounce at any moment.

"You have to see me fight just as Blight did before he left so long ago," Zeverous spoke powerfully. "Because though someone can copy someone else's appearance, their voice, and maybe even recite their past experiences, they cannot copy their fighting spirit. Battle brings out the true nature of a Pokémon, as the elders always used to say to us."

Vera continued to stare at Zeverous for a moment, doing nothing as she remained at her high position. But then, in a blink of an eye, she was suddenly gone.

Zeverous abruptly leapt to the side as a watery blade struck down on the spot where he once stood. Clutching onto the handle of the weapon was Vera, shooting him a wicked grin.

"Or how about we just forget all of that and I just slice you open and see if you're still a Greninja in the end?"