An Old Friend

"Ark, did you wake up on the wrong side of bed? What is with all of this intimidation?"

Ark (Alpha Zoroark) was very annoyed, even Qiqi could recognize his annoyance despite his fox like appearance.

"You are right, bastard. I was living peacefully when Frost suddenly appeared and gave me a wake up call." Ark roared.

How low can someone fall? A long time ago, Ark was one of the most diligent leader ever but everything changed throughout the course of that war.

The most significant change happened to his tribe. Once a Dark-type Pokemon, Zorua had became a Ghost-type Pokemon due to the influence of a single individual. But after the war ended, the influence disappeared and his tribe slowly but surely returned to their original Dark-type.

Even before Paradis was formed 400 years ago, all of the newly born Zorua were now Dark-Type. There would rarely be a few reappearance and a Ghost-type child is born but it was extremely rare. The last time this happened was over a hundred years ago.

Ark and his fellow generation were deeply affected by this change. They had to watch their descendants die due to old age while their own end was nowhere near.

His companions left one by one to explore the outside world because they could not get used to the peaceful life in this island. Many went into a deep slumber and has not woke up for several centuries. Some even sought their own end and left this world.

Ark had also thought of leaving everything behind and going on an adventure as well, but the loyalty to his tribe stopped him. But this loyalty couldn't change the fact that he was tired. He began to indulge in movies, anime, mangas and novels at some point but he quickly lost interest.

The once diligent Alpha of the Zoroark tribe had now became a sloth. He retired from his duties and lived a peaceful life, interacting with his grandchildren and greatgrandchildren to pass the time.

It was one such evening when Frost suddenly approached him and only left a few words before leaving. "Please become the Overseer of these Mountains."

To be honest, Ark was annoyed at Loki because he was never invited to come to this new world, even though he would definitely refuse. Then there was also the fact that Loki pushed exhausting duties onto him without even meeting with him directly.

That was the cruix of the problem.

"Yikes." Loki exclaimed. "Looks like you are really pissed."

As Ark scowled even more at his dismissive words, Loki shook his head in amusement. He gently carried Qiqi in his arms and spoke.

"I was just trying to show my child to an old friend but guess I am not welcome here."

This finally seemed to get a different reaction as Ark made a blank expression for a brief moment.

"Alright. You win. We will leave."

As Loki turned around to leave, Ark obviously knew this was just a blatant act to get his attention. But it succeeded as he hurriedly spoke.

"Wait."

Loki stopped and turned back with a wide smile of victory. Ark was not annoyed and instead had a glimmer of hope in his eyes as he began to walk forward. He stopped before Loki and looked at the little girl in his arms.

Loki was somewhat confused at the sudden change of attitude but he didn't ponder on it much.

"So you picked up another kid?" Ark spoke.

He still remembered the moment Loki declared Mimi as his daughter a few decades ago. Everyone was really shocked at that time but they slowly understood why he did so. Ark sympathized with Loki.

"You must have been really bored."

Ark added with a melancholic smile and Loki laughed lightly as he nodded his head.

"I guess you are right."

Just like Ark said, a part of the reason Loki adopted two children was boredom.

Some might pursue immortality and long life but it was not really a blessing. Just like Ark, Loki was also becoming tired of life itself. He indulged in gaming, watching anime and reading manga but he gradually got tired of these things as well.

Loki wished for a fresh change.

That's why he adopted Mimi 60 years ago. He wanted to experience the role of a father. He spoiled his first daughter for several years before she eventually grew up and became independent. In the end, he fell to the same repititive routine once again.

That's why he was really excited when his boss told him to explore a new world a month ago. He wanted to experience a fresh adventure in a brand new world. That was also why he adopted Qiqi.

Of course, he would not adopt a child without genuinely loving them. He was not that swallow of a person. But ultimately, it all came down to one thing. Boredom.

This feeling was not limited to him and Ark. Most of the ghost pokemon in the Studio faced the same dillema. They immediately agreed to come to Tevyat with him because they too wanted a change in their dull life. Even the hardworking Frost was the same.

Words were not exchanged but Loki and Ark shared a moment of mutual understanding and the tense atmosphere lessened considerably.

"Her name is Qiqi."

Loki finally spoke and his daughter waved her hands at the big fox. Ark lightly nodded his head in greeting.

"And she is Yaoyao, her friend."

As Ark looked at Yaoyao, the little girl hurriedly stepped forward and gave a slight bow.

"Nice to meet you. My name is Yaoyao."

She still seemed a little wary of him. Ark noticed this as he gave a slight nod in greeting before looking at Loki.

"Do you have any plans to stay?" He asked.

"Hmm?" Loki hummed in curiosity.

"There is something I want to discuss with you."

Ark spoke with a solemn voice. Loki also became serious as he nodded his head. Ark then waved his hands and the surrounding Zoroark quickly dispersed into the forest. The red light blanketing the forest disappeared soon after.

"Come with me."

He then turned around and led the small group into the settlement of his tribe.

_____

The settlement of Zoroark Tribe had around 200 houses. It was created along the slope of mountain, with a serene balance between nature and technology.

The houses were of various designs. Some were made from cement, some were made from wood, while some were made on the trunks of trees, or borrowed into the ground. Each houses were designed to match their owners.

Zorua and Zoroark, were the main residents. But there were some other pokemon as well, like Sneasel, Weavile, Snover, and a few others natives to this cold region.

Yaoyao kept on looking around curiously. Seeing her amazement, Ark felt proud because this settlement was the home he created with his descendants. He began to share the details of this settlement.

"Paradis is not just a simple island. It is technologically advanced and civilized, you can even call it a small nation of pokemon. And this settlement is undoubtedly the most developed in this entire nation."

To summarize all of the details he shared, Zoroark were very intelligent and powerful. Some could even take on the appearance of a human. Due to this, they were able to sneak into human civilizations and easily learn their skills and knowledge. They then used those skills and knowledge to develop their own settlement and create a thriving pokemon society.

There were a few other settlement like this in Paradis, belonging to other intelligent pokemon species like Gardevoir, Hatterene and Alakazam.

"But they are nothing compared to us." Ark had claimed their superiority with confidence but who knows what the real situation was.

As the history lesson came to an end, all of them arrived before a particular building in the middle of a large clearing.

"This building is a school. Pokemon are fundamentally different from humans so this school teaches subjects like habitats, climates, plants, and battles. These knowledge help them understand the world and live a more civilized life."

'If someone wanted to learn more complex subjects, it was best to go to the settlement of the Psychic-type pokemon.'

Loki mused in his mind. Ark had left this part unsaid and he didn't expose it. After all, it was a matter of pride.

The two girls looked around the school playground. Some young pokemon was chasing each other in a game of tag. Some were battling under the supervision of a senior. While some were just sleeping under the sun. It was a harmonius scene.

Yaoyao was the most excited and seemed ready to go and play alongside the young pokemon. Qiqi was relatively aloof but she also seemed a bit curious.

Ark glanced at Loki, who understood his intention and addressed the two girls.

"Qiqi, Yaoyao. Go and play. Ark and I have something we need to discuss."

Yaoyao immediately nodded her head and took Qiqi to play around. Shaymin followed behind them, partly to protect them, partly to play alongside them. Two Dreepy also followed them while their mother laid on the ground and closed her eyes for a nap.

As the five children played around with the young pokemon, Ark led Loki into the school. There were only a handful of classes and none of them were currently occupied.

Loki came to an abrupt stop at the door to one classroom. He was immediatelty filled with melancholy as he looked at the small forlorn pokemon staring out the window.

"Did you want to talk about her?" He asked in a soft voice.

"Yes." Ark agreed solemnly.

"She is the only Ghost-type child born in the last century. As if that was not enough to be excluded, she is also a Shiny. Despite all of my efforts, I was not able to change the perception towards her."

Even without Ark explaining in detail, Loki already understood everything. After all, the child sitting by the window was a Shiny Hisuian Zorua, a one of her kind in the entire world.