Pit's POV

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"Pit! Emergency!"

The call came with Palutena's sudden presence. Pit straightened immediately. "What is it?"

"Grab a weapon and get outside! Now!"

He obeyed, grabbing a Viper Blade and darting out into Skyworld. Palutena's power of flight picked him up immediately. "Pittoo is here," she said. "He's fighting the centurions."

"Pittoo? Why?" asked Pit.

"I don't know, but you need to confront him."

He soon saw him, a dark form being swarmed with golden centurions. As Pit approached, a frustrated voice called, "Tell your precious Palutena to call them off!"

"Pittoo! Why are you attacking us?"

"I'm not attacking!" snarled the dark copy. "The centurions attacked first."

"Lady Palutena, wait," said Pit. Warily, the centurions backed off. "What are you doing here?" He asked, advancing on Pittoo.

"I WAS just passing by," came the snapping response. "I didn't think I'd be attacked."

"Pittoo HAS to be working for someone," said Palutena. "He lost the power of flight."

"I can HEAR you, you know," said Pittoo. "And stop calling me that. It just so happens that I got my wings back. I'm on my own. Matter of fact, that's what I was thinking of telling you."

"What else should we call you?" Pit asked.

"How did you get it back?" asked Palutena curiously. "I thought that was impossible."

"Impossible for you, maybe," muttered Pittoo. "Viridi helped me," he said, more loudly. "She had a little job for me. The reward was my own wings." He showed off the soft grey power surrounding his wings.

"Oh no," said Palutena. "She didn't…"

"The Cloud Dragon will come back," said Dark Pit, shrugging. "What's the big deal?"

"You've upset the balance in favor of the earth!" Palutena exclaimed. "What have you done?"

"What Viridi asked."

"This gives her considerable power," murmured Palutena. "It's not in our favor."

"Relax," said Pittoo. "She just wants to use it for rain and seeds. You know. Ecosystem stuff."

"I hope you're right, Pittoo.

"And stop calling me that," he growled. "My name's Kuro." Pit tilted his head. Kuro folded his arms, a challenge gleaming in his crimson eyes, daring them to question him.

"Not Pit, not Dark Pit, not whatever you call me," he said. "Kuro. I'm nobody's copy."

With that he spiraled away on the downy grey power of flight he'd taken for himself.

"Upset the balance?" Pit asked as they flew back. Palutena was anxious. "Yes, Pit. There are four Sacred Beasts who have existed since the dawn of time. The four elements correspond to different gods. With the opposite Sacred Beast defeated, the god of that element gets the other element's power and becomes more powerful."

"Killing the Phoenix, for example, strengthened Poseidon and his Sacred Beast of Water, the Leviathan. It weakened Hermes, the god of messengers, who controls fire."

"Killing the Cloud Dragon will have strengthened Viridi and her Sacred Beast, the Tortoise, the Sacred Beast of Earth."

"And weakened... us?" asked Pit.

"Yes, Pit. The Cloud Dragon is my Sacred Beast. In addition to the goddess of Light, my element is the heavenly winds." She frowned. "Viridi was never meant to have so much power. She controls both the earth and sky now."

"And that's... bad."

"Yes, Pit. That gives her power over us."

"Oh."

"And Kuro is on his own again, which means we have to look out for him. The Cloud Dragon WOULD be one way to get the power of flight."

"I don't know, Lady Palutena. I think he's okay."

"He seems okay, but we should be ok our guard all the same."

"Okay. ...Say, Lady Palutena, there isn't any way for me to get a power of flight, is there?"

"The only way that I've seen is to defeat or kill an appropriate being. Many of the good ones are important for maintaining the heavenly balance, while you wouldn't want the powers of the evil ones."

"Aww."

"Besides, it's not so bad having me helping you, is it?" Her reassuring smile brightened his spirits.

"Of course, Lady Palutena! I wouldn't trade it for anything."