Long ago, magnificent creatures we call Pokemon came to this world. Generation after generation have shared the legends and adventures we humans share with our Pokemon companions, and to this day, trainers befriend and collect Pokemon to become masters of their field.

Some Pokemon, meanwhile, have carried out their own lives far from the reaches of our civilizations, training in the depths of the deepest seas to the highest of mountain peaks in order to hone their skills undisturbed. Others may gain prestige as explorers in famed Guilds.

In this world, we live in peace and harmony with Pokemon.

However, our story begins far into the past, in the darker days when trust amongst people and Pokemon was rare to say best. An understanding between our two fates had not yet occurred, and we were left to see each other as nothing more than monsters.

But what becomes of someone who is actually a monster within…

Once upon a time, in a faraway land, the wind moaned and lightening streaked the air. Thunder roared with a power to make armies quake. Alone in its majesty, a shining, stone castle sat high upon the mountain tops, deep within the forbidden forest, where no human or Pokemon dared roam, for the spirits of the dead were told to roam about there. The castle had been a well fought for prize, struggled free from human hands and sparing the land of their tyranny.

But the victor of this prize, a mighty Lucario who had defeated the humans' forces with his own, had grown cold and arrogant in his power, proclaiming himself the ruler of the palace, its boundaries, and all who lived within. All were afraid of the Lucario, known throughout the regions for his skill in battle and undeniable strength. He had never once been bested in a fight.

On that night, a poor, scarred Starly with a broken wing came to the palace, seeking shelter from the raging storm, and in return offered a single rose. Repulsed by her haggard appearance and weakness, the Lucario sneered at the gift and turned the flying-type away. But she warned him not to be deceived by appearances, for true beauty is found within.

And when he refused her again, the Starly's ragged form melted away to reveal a lovely, legendary Mew.

The Lucario tried to apologize, but it was too late, for she had seen that there was no love in his heart. As punishment, she called upon Arceus and used his powers to transform the aura user into a hideous beast.

The Lucario became something half-formed and far worse, known not to any creature on this world. For the most part, his form seemed human, but even those creatures would not dare look into his face. He towered over them and most Pokemon. Two rows of glittering fangs lined his pale mouth. A pair of crimson eyes- the only thing left from his old self- glared fiercely with hate and rage. His fingers were elongated with sharp claws that could tear through flesh in an instant. And his skin was sickly pale, as if he were nothing more than a walking corpse.

The Mew then placed a powerful spell upon the castle and all who lived there, stripping Pokemon of their abilities and turning them as well into the beings they feared most.

Ashamed of his monstrous form, the beast concealed himself inside his castle, with a magical Luminous Orb as his only window to the outside world. The rose she had offered was truly an enchanted rose, which would bloom for many years. If he could learn to love another and earn their love in return by the time the last petal fell, then the spell would be broken. If not, he would be doomed to remain a beast for all time.

As the years passed, he fell into despair and lost all hope, for who could ever learn to love a beast…

…

"Wow, Lira! It's so pretty!" exclaimed little Azurill, watching the female Lucario launch an Aura Sphere up in the air to then jump in the air and strike it hard enough to explode in a glimmering burst like fireworks.

"Yeah," cheered on his older brother, Marill, "I wish I could use aura too."

"Me too!"

Lira chuckled and kneeled down to eye level with the pair, "Thanks, guys, but I've still got a long way to go before I can join a Guild. You know they'll only want the best." It had always been a dream of hers to get away from her home in Treasure Town and explore the vastness of the world. Her plan was to train until she was able to become a member of the famed Wigglytuff's Guild and explore on her own. She had no delusions of trying to form a team; most other Pokemon wouldn't even consider allowing a female to join them, user of aura or no. She was determined to prove her worth.

"Marill! Azurill! Time for lunch!" shouted their mother across the wide field, "Lira, would you like to join us?"

"No thank you ma'am," she hollered back, before looking to the two children, "You kids go on ahead. I still have my meditations to complete for the day." As they departed, she began to head across town to the beach.

"Hey, Lira!" greeted a particularly bubbly Roselia as she and her friends passed the Lucario, "Wanna come with? We're going over to Spinda's Café to get some smoothies and chill."

The Glamoew and Mismagius she was with nodded in agreement, flashing obviously fake smiles, "Yeah! It'll be great!" Then they say in a sing-song voice, "We know a certain someone who's had his eye on you!"

"No thanks girls," she shook her head, resisting the effort to roll her eyes, "I'm busy. Maybe another time?"

"'K!" Once they thought she was out of earshot, they began to talk to each other in louder than should be whispers, "What were you thinking? Asking her along?"

"She's so weird!"

"What a freak!"

"I don't even understand why he likes her! I mean, she's just a tomboy with her head in the clouds!"

Lira clenched and unclenched his fists, growling quietly to herself. Those little preps! I'll show them all one day. I'll show everyone is this town what I can be! Seeing her in her irritable mood, other began to steer clear out of her path. Even though she would never do anything to hurt them, an angry Lucario was something to avoid. Can I help being different?

Meanwhile, hidden behind a group of shrubs, three figures spied on the beautiful female. They followed her along her way and watched for the first twenty minutes as she sat by the shore in meditation, just in front of the lapping waves that flowed calmly in front of her.

"Boss… we've been here a while now. Aren't you going to talk to her?" whispered one voice.

"Yeah, I'm starting to cramp here," complained another.

"Well your foot's in my face!"

"You mean, your face is in my foot!"

"Shut up, you idiots!" commanded their leader, "… I'm just choosing the prime moment is all."

"Yeah, right-!" the second voice's sarcastic comment was cut off by the first chomping down on his foot in order to get him to keep quiet. The last thing the pair wanted was to infuriate their leader.

"I can sense you three, you know," called out Lira, keeping her voice level and not moving a muscle, "And even if I couldn't I'd recognize your foul stench anywhere, Skuntank."

Skuntank frown and stepped out of the bushes, followed by his lackeys, Koffing and Zubat. The three made up an exploration team at Wigglytuff's Guild, and were famed in Treasure Town for their exploits. However, they were horrible and had crude methods of getting their tasks done. Not only that, but they were rumored to have gone up in ranks by simply downgrading the other guild members. Yet this didn't stop the fanfare they received.

Had this meeting been many years ago, he and Lira would've gone into a fight to near death upon the moment they laid eyes on each other. She was such a pest back then, as a Riolu, he thought, remembering back to their days in childhood. Now the circumstance had changed. Lira had evolved, maturing in the loveliest of ways, and he found himself quite attracted to her as well as a number of other Pokemon. Skuntank had- literally- stomped the competition to leave Lira with no other suitors to court her besides himself.

However, she had plans of her own.

"I find it flattering that you know I'm near that easily," he replied, ignoring her insult.

"Leave me alone you three," she didn't look at them when she spoke, "I'm busy."

"You're just sitting there…" Koffing stated.

"I'm training; meditating."

"Training? Chaw-haw-haw!" barked Skuntank in laughter, "You're still clinging on to that pointless dream of becoming an explorer? Lira, wake up and smell the poffins. It's not right for a woman like you to fight. Think of how easily you could get hurt! A beautiful woman like you should be thinking of more important things."

"Like what?" she asked, annoyed.

"Like settling down, getting married, raising a family," he placed a hand on her shoulder, forcing her to glance his way, "me."

When Lira frowned at him, her eyes glowing with blue light, Skuntank turned pale. The smoke of the blast of the Aura Sphere she shot in his face could be seen all the way across the other side of town. With a swift turn, her hair billowing behind her in the wind, she left Koffing and Zubat to pick up their boss.

"Since I've obviously got no chance of concentrating here I'm heading home," she told them, "Ba-bye boys. Try not to get yourselves killed or lost the next time you enter a mystery dungeon."

"Ask your old man, Grovyle, if he's seen any Time Gears," sneered Zubat, before barely dodging the next Aura Sphere, which was launched his way.

Grovyle wasn't actually Lira's father, but he was all she had. He was the one who found her as an egg, abandoned, raised her, and believed in her. Long ago, when he was still a young Treecko, he had been an explorer. And as he grew older he became fascinated by these mythical objects called Time Gears, researching all he could about them. No one else believed they existed. He had even been kicked out of the Guild because of his set mind to discover them. But Lira had faith in him.

They had each other, and that was all they needed.

"Grovyle! I'm home!" she cried out as she stepped into their cottage.

"Lira," he addressed, poking his head out from behind a large stack of books and maps, "how was training today?"

"Not very productive," she admitted as she took an apple from a wooden bowl and bit into it, "I ran into Skuntank and his goons and had to quit early."

"To enjoy his company?" he teased.

"Hmm, let me think about tha- no!" she nibbled some more on the fruit, leaning against the wall, "I'd sooner jump off Sharpedo Bluff then waste even an hour of my life with him!"

"Don't be so harsh on him. He may seem like a buffoon, but most boys are at your age," he smirked, "Even I was. If you took the time to get to know him, I'm sure you could work things out. After all, you have such similar interests, and I'm sure he wouldn't mind helping you get into the Guild."

She had nearly forgotten again how out of the loop he was about the people in town. Did Grovyle even have a clue about what they said not just about her, but him as well? "He's rude, annoying, full of himself, cocky…" she sighed, "I can't even begin to tell you how much I hate him."

Finishing her snack, she stared down sadly at the core, "Grovyle… do you think I'm odd?"

He looked up from his studies at her, his eyes searching through to her soul, "What would make you say that?"

Lira simply shrugged, not wanting to tell him everything, "I just get the feeling I don't fit in around here…"

He stood and cupped one of her cheeks in his hands, smiling warmly at her, "Lira, listen to me; you are absolutely perfect just the way you are, and don't let anyone tell you otherwise or try to change that. Am I understood?"

"Yes, Grovyle… thank you."

"Good… Now come over here and look at this. I feel as if I've almost figured it out, but I can't get the coordinates right on the map." The Tree Gecko had been trying for almost a year now to find the exact location of one of the Time Gears, scrounging through every ancient text and updated map he could find. "It's just that, well, this doesn't add up. By the way it looks, it appears that the Time Gear is located at a volcano, but everything I've read suggests that it's in a forested area."

Lira took one, long look at the map and raised a brow, tilting her head to one side, "Umm… Grovyle?"

"Yes?"

"You've got the map upside down."

He stared down at it, turned red, then flipped the map other. With some adjustments, he managed to relocate the path he had written down before. This time, it led to Treeshroud Forest. He grinned, his eyes twinkling, "Lira, you're a genius!"

"So, are you heading off then?" she said, smirking as she placed one hand on her hip, watching as he began stuffing books into a satchel.

"Yes. I'll head out tomorrow morning. I trust that you'll keep things running until I get back; just remember, no-"

"Boys; I know. Don't worry about a thing. You just be safe out there, alright?"

"I'll be back home before you know it, only this time with prove."