The Wild Kratts were visiting Ares' temple, guided by Hermia.

"We're getting close to the training room of Ares' apprentices," she announced.

"Can someone remind why we're here?" Jimmy whispered to Koki, a little scared by all the weapons and knight armours that were lined up against the walls.

"Aw come on, sugarcube. We're here to see Ares, and see if we can find the Nature Guardians' last weapon," Koki said. "Martin, Chris, you and me have them in our medallions, but Aviva is the only one that doesn't."

"But isn't Ares' place the most obvious place to look for such a weapon? And also, why does his place have to be so creepy?"

"He's the God of War, Jimmy," Chris explained. "So it's natural that he'd have so many weapons."

"And if anyone has a weapon meant for a Nature Guardian, it's the God of War himself," Martin added.

"And I heard from Luna that he's asking for girl weapons for his new apprentices," Aviva said. "Hephaestus's working like crazy in his factory."

"By the time he's done, I get the feeling that he's going to take a long vacation," the blue Kratt joked.

"We are here, Guardians," Hermia informed them. They stood before a huge wooden door locked with iron. With one push, the door opened.

People from all ages were dueling against rock warriors. One knocked out his oponent easily and was applauded.

Jimmy hid behind Koki and gulped in fear. "This is what they do in here?" he asked.

"Of course, Jimmy," the Earth Guardian replied. "What did you expect from apprentices of Ares?"

"Wow! Check out that sword!" Martin pointed to one of the apprentices' weapon. "It looks just like my Guardian Sword." He held his medallion, activating his sword.

Upon hearing the summoning, one apprentice glanced over his shoulder. At seeing Hermia and the Nature Guardians, he fully turned around. "Lady Hermia and the Guardians have come!" the apprentice announced. The golems disappeared as every soldier looked towards the door. They all turned to them and got on one knee to bow in respect.

"Geez… uh, hi." Chris waved, not knowing what to do.

Aviva saw an arrow coming on her direction and ducked.

"Oh, my. I'm really sorry. My bow has something wrong," she heard a male Latin voice.

When she looked up, her body shot straight up. Standing before her was the most charming man she ever laid eyes on. His skin was perfectly tanned and he was fairly muscular. He wore brick red armor on his well toned chest and his arms with a white toga and Roman sandals. He had shoulder length hair that was dark like hers and even the same eye color.

"Um... no, no, it's okay." Aviva cleared her throat, then giggled a little.

"Hm… you have the most beautiful voice I ever heard." He looked at her.

"Gracias. I'm Aviva." She extended her hand to compliment him.

"Ryan, but mi amigos call me Cyrano," he said.

The apprentice got on one knee as he accepted her hand and lightly kissed it. The whole crew's eyes went wide and Aviva just stood there blushing. Chris then began glaring at Cyrano, balling his hands into tight fists and his teeth clenching together. "It is an honor meeting you, Air Guardian Aviva. And your name describes you perfectly. As beautiful as the days of Spring." No one noticed Chris exiting the room so he can growl in anger in the hall, eyes clenched closed.

'If I ever get my hands on that guy, I'm gonna strangle him with my vines!' he shouted in his mind. For a while, he had sort of a crush on Aviva, but he never showed it since he wanted to see if she felt the same way. Just to be on the safe side before he asks her out.

"M-muchas gracias."

"So, Aviva, I leave my training in an hour. Wanna hang out?"

"SI! I mean, yes, sure," she answered. Chris buried his face in his green shirt, then growled in more frustration. Martin just observed. He sure knew what was going on. The elder brother knew about Chris's secret and could tell that the green Kratt was overly jealous. Chris took a few deep breaths and came back into the room.

"Um, aren't we forgetting what we came here for?" he purposely interrupted them, getting between them. Aviva narrowed her eyes at him.

"Can't it wait, Chris?" she asked him, obviously a little annoyed with his action.

"No," the brunette deadpanned. "We came to ask Ares about your Guardian Weapon, not so a mere apprentice you just met can ask you out."

"Speaking of Master Ares, he should be here in a bit," one apprentice said. As if on cue, a man as tall as Martin entered. He was more muscular than any of his apprentices and had on a Roman war helmet. All he wore was a white toga, thick gauntlets and Roman sandals.

"Welcome, Guardians, to my temple," Ares greeted. "Follow me to the weapons room."

They all followed him, even Chris, who was looking straight at Mr. Goody-Two-Shoes with Aviva.

"Something tells me things are not gonna end well..." Koki whispered to Jimmy. Both had noticed their younger leader's behaviour when Cyrano started talking to Aviva and immediately got the hint.

Back on the Tortuga, Mina and Bite-Size greeted them all.

"Welcome home, bros," Mina said, hugging Martin and Chris. "Where are you going, Aviva?" She saw her big sister enter her room.

"I'll tell ya in a moment," she answered.

"Oh… um, okay..." Mina didn't know what to do. She then saw the glare on Chris's face when he looked at the guest.

"Leave him to me, Mina," Martin whispered. Aviva came out of her room. Cyrano had gotten dressed in casual, modern clothes.

"Well, Ares may haven't found the right weapon for me, but still something good happened to day, little sister… I met Cyrano. And we're going for a walk around town," she told Mina. "So you guys don't wait for me for dinner. Adios!" She said, as she and Cyrano walked to the city.

Mina noticed Chris glaring daggers at Ares' apprentice as he and his now-not-so secret crush left.

"Uh Chris, are you okay?" she asked her brother.

"I'll be right back," was his response before leaving too, but instead heading to a couple of boulders nearby. Activating his medallion, he angrily made vines grow and squeeze the giant rocks until they completely crumbled. Chris took in some deep breaths, obviously still pretty furious about the day's events.

Martin patted gently his little brother's shoulder, calming him down.

"Shh, that's right... let it go, bro... let it go," he said.

Chris heavily sighed.

Koki approached them, seeing that Chris was already calm. "You know… usually Aviva don't get that crazy about boys or dates," she admitted. "I know her since we were roommates… and I think she only fell for him because he looks like her. Something like a... "Narcissus complex or somethin' like this"."

"Oh, we'll see who's the better man tomorrow," the Earth Guardian said before returning to the Tortuga, his brother and Koki following behind.

Jimmy didn't get it. "Uh… who's Narcissus?"

"Oh, it was great! He took me first to the theater, then we went for dinner, and then we spent the rest of the night admiring the ducks and commentings about their abilities," Aviva told excitedly about her first date… for the tenth time.

Martin and Koki were as annoyed as Chris, but not exactly jealous. "Geez, won't she ever shut up about it?" Koki complained.

Speaking of Chris, he was trying to read a journal written by an old explorer from back then. However, he only crumpled the pages in his clenching hands whenever Aviva talked about her date. A knock came on the Tortuga door. Aviva shot out of her seat in joy and Chris narrowed his hazel eyes before standing up.

"I'll get it," he said, not wanting his crush anywhere near that so-called apprentice.

"Hola, Vivita!" It was Cyrano again. "I just came to say our date yesterday..."

"WAS WAY BEYOND AMAZING! WE KNOW!" Martin and Koki shouted, covering their ears and leaving their room.

"What's with them?" Cyrano asked.

"Possibly just jealous of me!" Aviva said it out-loud. Chris grunted, and Mina gasped. Something changed in her big sister.

"That rotten Mr. Goody-Two-Shoes," Chris growled as he paced outside the Tortuga. "What's so great about him that I don't have?"

"Bro, calm down," Martin tried to assure him. "Pacing and saying things under your breath isn't going to help."

"But Aviva is turnin into a pain in the patootie," Koki commented.

"I say, there IS something weird about that guy," Bite-Size said. "I just feel it."

"Me too," Mina admitted. "There's something... dark under that face. And I think it's influencing Aviva's behavior. We need to look in on him."

"That's what we got to do!" Chris proclaimed, stopping his pacing and punching a fist into his hand. "Expose that so-called apprentice of his true intentions to Aviva so that she sees that he's possibly using her to get whatever he wants!"

"Take it easy Chris. It's not going to be that simple."

"Yes, I know. We'll have to spy on him."

"I guess we need a "special agent" for this case..." the brown bat concluded.

"And then we used the Octopod to dive into the ocean and find the Creature Power Suits. And Chris seemed too obsessed in finding new species of creatures..." Aviva told Cyrano, while they walked.

"That's pretty selfish of him," he commented. In a nearby bush, the mom raccoon from the Masked Bandits adventure was listening in on them. An earpiece was attached to her ear.

"ME?! Selfish?! Who does he think he is?!" Chris was heard shouting on the other end.

"Chris, you're yelling into the mic," Jimmy informed him.

"Oh. Sorry."

"Okay, Momma Raccoon," Bite-Size said. "Just stay on their tail and make sure to get in on anything Cyrano says."

"Roger that, Bite-Size," Momma Raccoon responded.

*BG music: Hall and Oates - Private Eyes*

Momma Raccoon kept following the two during all night, hearing every single thing Cyrano said. Aviva just kept sighing by his side, which was enough for Chris to growl and break some more rocks around him with his vines.

"It has been fun, Aviva," Cyrano said. "I gotta say I never met someone like you."

"And I never met anyone like you, mi amor," she commented back before stepping in to the Tortuga. "Will I see you again tomorrow?" Cyrano took her hand and got on one knee.

"I look forward to it, my springflower." With that, he kissed her hand, making her giggle. Spying from the front deck, Chris was glaring at Cyrano again before his medallion involuntarily activated. Instantly, the apprentice found himself constricted in green vines.

"What in Zeus's name?!" he shouted. Aviva stood shocked, but then gave an angry look, knowing who was responsible for this. Chris only stood there, stunned at what he unconsciously did.

"CHRISTOPHER!" the inventor screeched. The whole crew had covered their ears. Cyrano would've too if his hands weren't wrapped in vines.

"What in the name of Hermia are you guys doing?" Aviva scolded them.

"Trying to prove you're wrong, Aviva! That what you're feeling isn't true love!" Koki said. "We all agree that the only reason you like him is because he looks like you!"

"And what do you know about love? What any of you know about this? I'm a genius! I know everything! If you were my friends, you would support me!" Aviva shouted angrily.

"If you haven't noticed, Jimmy and I are a couple now!" her best friend snapped. "Our feelings for each other are real!"

"And you're not a god, Aviva!" Chris added. "Only they know everything! And we also know more than you think! We're trying to help you!"

"By what, Christopher?!" Aviva yelled at him. "Strangling Cyrano with your magic?!" Growing impatient with her, the green Kratt grabbed her wrist.

"Hey, that was actually unintentional!"

"Let go of me, you Wild Rat!" With that, she slapped him with the back of her free hand, freeing her and sending him into the table in the center. The entire crew gasped at her rash action and rushed over to Chris. Aviva stood there, taking in what she just did and now looked guilty. She just slapped her close friend and even called him "Wild Rat", like Zach does. And the moment her hand hit his face, she could've sworn she heard something break upon impact.

Chris looked up at her. Aviva didn't know why, but the expression on his face made something break in her. His usually spiky hair had flattened and his bright eyes only showed hurt... and maybe even heartbreak. "Ch-... Chris, I-" she started, but didn't finish before he got up and ran out of the room. Something wet splashed onto her face and when she felt it, it was warm. A tear. From Chris.

Bite-Size and Mina stared, disappointed and worried for Aviva. The adults had hateful glares on her. "Nice work, Corcovado," Jimmy said sarcastically. Everyone then went off doing separate things, Jimmy heading to his station to polish his controller, Koki going to her monitors with Bite-Size following and the two present Kratts left to calm down their upset sibling. Aviva just stood in place, thinking over her behavior since she met Cyrano. She realized that she had really changed since then and the crew didn't like it. And Chris... his reaction there... Could he possibly...?

Suddenly, Martin and Mina came sprinting into the control room, bringing everyone's focus on them. The siblings seemed panicked as they breathed in deep. "What happened?" Koki asked.

"It's... it's Chris..." Mina breathed.

"He's gone!" Martin finished for her.

Chris sobbed silently, sitting close to the park's lake. Some tears fell in the water, calling the frogs' attention.

One certain bull frog stood out from the others. It was bigger than the others. Chris tried giving the frog a small smile as he picked it up with one hand.

"Hey Tuba," he said to the frog. "How's it going?" The younger brother activated his medallion.

"Forget about me," the amphibian said, his voice naturally deep like any bull frog's would. "What's the matter?" The frown some seconds ago returned as more tears fell to the water's surface.

"I lost my chance with someone. She met this guy she instantly liked for no real reason. When we tried telling her that that's not what love is, she..." Chris brought his free hand to his still sore cheek.

"I see. The man was changing her. Turning her into something she's not. Am I right?"

"Exactly. But she wouldn't listen to any of us." Unknowing to either them or the others, Chris was unconsciously creating more vines, but these weren't the luscious green vines with little leaves. They were more like dark brown branches with thorns, representing his sorrow. "I no longer know what to do." Suddenly, the dark silhouette of a cloud hid the moon above. It was fairly big, hiding the entire lake under a shadow. But when both man and frogs looked up, it was no ordinary cloud. It was completely black... and moving!

"What kind of cloud is that?!" Tuba asked, a mix of shock and anger in his tone.

"It's no cloud you ever want to see!" Chris told him, his tears now stopping. "Quick! Every frog to the water!" All the frogs, including Tuba, hurried hopped back into the lake. The green Kratt got ready for a sudden attack. But then, someone ambushed him behind, locking his arms off. "Hey! Let me go!"

"I'll let you go, Earth Guardian," his attacker said. His voice was easily recognizable. "Once you become one of us!" The collection of dark magic then came diving down. Cyrano gave out an evil laugh, which echoed throughout the park.

"What do you mean 'He's gone'?!" Jimmy asked.

"The window in our bedroom was open," Martin told him. "I think he ran off!"

"This is all my fault!" Aviva admitted, putting a hand to her face to hide her tear welling eyes. She didn't understand why she was feeling this way. It wasn't like friend guilt, it was something else. "I should've never called him a Wild Rat or slapped him!" Suddenly, Mina screamed in pain, gripping the sides of her head.

"Mina, what's wrong?"

"Chris... he's in trouble," the nymph said with some effort. "Darkness... his weakened heart can't fight it... taking... over..."

"WHAT?!" Martin gasped. "Let's go after him. NOW!" With that, the remaining members of the crew left to find him. When they reached the lake, there was nothing abnormal about it.

"What's going on?" someone asked. Aviva looked and saw Cyrano running up to them.

"Chris ran away! We need to find him!" Aviva explained.

"I'm not going to rescue someone who nearly suffocated me."

"Cyrano, please! You gotta help us!" Aviva begged.

"So he can continue to bother us with his dumb antics?" Cyrano told Aviva.

"Listen, I know I said terrible things about them all, but it doesn't mean it's true," Aviva told him. "I don't believe in any of those things. I simply said it because I was upset, and we all say dumb things when we are upset."

"And calling me 'Wild Rat' and a slap in the face was an act of 'being upset'?" a dark, distorted voice echoed. It was barely recognizable. Chris then jumped down from a nearby tree. But when he hit the ground, thorny briers started growing around the park, barricading everyone in. The team gasped at their younger leader, whose sclera had turned black and his pupils white. Also, his medallion was no longer green, but black.

"Chris?!" they all said in unison. Cyrano smirked at this and joined the corrupted brother's side.

"But... I thought Guardians couldn't be corrupted!" Koki said.

"Anyone can be corrupted by darkness...if their hope is small," Mina said.

"Cyrano… why?"

"You're so silly, Aviva. Only focusing on looks, not caring about finding out the truth..." Cyrano stared at her. "In a short time, my master's cloud will absorb all his power, and he'll be nothing but a weakling again." Aviva glared at him, which surprised her on the inside. She thought she would've been heartbroken, but instead she was mad. Not for betraying her, but mainly for what he said about Chris.

"Chris was never a weakling! And he never will!" Cyrano only laughed at this.

"Says the one that broke his heart! It was all part of the plan! Hang out with you long enough for you to be blinded by a false love in order for a possible lover that was a Guardian to finally break! I thank you for that, Air Guardian."

Aviva was shocked by this. Chris loved her? Guess that would explain why he was so against the apprentice. Now that she thought about it, Chris had been more protective of her lately. And she thought about her own interactions with him, even if she hadn't realized them at first. She had been getting closer to him whenever both were in the Tortuga and once even had the strange urge to hold his hand. The Air Guardian finally realized her true feelings. She wasn't in love with Cyrano and never was. It was really Chris.

Then, she thought about what she did. After all of her attitudes… probably Chris would take a long time to forgive her. And not only him, but the whole team as well.

"You were right all along. I was blinded by my stupid vanity, and I'm really sorry," Aviva lamented, approaching Chris. "I did awful things, but it's just how I am. I know you won't love me as much as you used to again, but… can you ever forgive me? Can any of you ever forgive me for my stupid actions?" She looked at the team. Surprisingly, they all smiled to her.

"Our Aviva's back," Koki said.

Aviva smiled and turned back to the one she really liked. However, she only found an arrow aimed at her throat by Cyrano. Before the team could move, he shouted, "Not another step, or one of your Nature Guardians will get it in the neck!" They all froze, but glared at him. Then to everyone's surprise, a brown vine with a few thorns grabbed the arrow and snapped it in half. "WHAT?!" Another vine, only thicker and with a green tint, grabbed the traitor and threw him into the lake. Everyone saw Chris, even though he was still corrupted, stand in front of Aviva protectively.

"Don't... you... hurt her..." he growled at him. Mina could tell that his heart was strengthening thanks to Aviva's apology, giving him more control. Cyrano emerged from the pond with a frog on his head.

"That's impossible!" he exclaimed. "The cloud should be in complete control of him! What with his darkened heart!" The frog then hopped off.

"The only one with a dark heart tonight is you, Cyrano!" Aviva yelled, activating her medallion. With all her might, she conjured up a twister that picked him up and took him away, him screaming as he was blown away.

Chris looked at Aviva, his medallion faintly glowing green and tears threatening to fall from his darkened eyes. "I'm... I'm sorry," he said softly to her.

"It's me who needs to be sorry," she told him. "I was the foolish one. Not seeing my true feelings before it was almost too late." She pulled him into an embrace, surprising him even in his current state. A few tears finally slid down his cheeks as he lightly smiled, taking her into his arms.

With his heart mended, the darkness lifted from Chris. As it disappeared, so did the briers and Chris's medallion went back to its green glow.

It was almost morning when Aviva woke up earlier than everybody, and saw Chris sitting on the Tortuga's shell.

"Hey," Aviva said softly.

"Hey," Chris said.

"Listen, I've been thinking about what happened yesterday," she started. "I guess that was a signal... that I'm not ready for love yet."

Chris looked at her, with an understanding look.

"I mean, I only based myself on the looks, and didn't cared a bit about knowing him better. I… guess I don't understand love as much as I thought."

"I hear ya, Viva," Chris said. "I also thought things were going to be easy... I mean, we have a lot in common, like interest in creatures and tecnology, but… I guess that's not what defines love at all. Maybe… I'm also not ready."

Both looked at each other. Even though they were not ready to love YET, they still liked each other as friends.

"So… we're okay as "just friends"?" Aviva asked.

"Sure," Chris guaranteed. "And you know what I think? Any guy that ends up with you is pretty lucky."

"And I'm also sure you'll find your match as well, amigo." Aviva kissed his cheek.

"You've failed me!" The statue hollered at Cyrano, who was kneeling with his head low. "I gave you control over my magic and this is how you repay me!" He looked up at her in fear.

"His power would've been yours if she hadn't interfered!" he cried. "I almost had him!"

"Almost! Not 'definitely'! Even if the leaders are taken out, the other members still pose as a threat!"

"Please! Just give me another chance!"

"The deal is off!" A cloud of darkness came down on Cyrano.

"NOOOO!" he screamed. When the darkness dispersed, only his armor was left.

"Just wait, Guardians. Your days of peace are running few." The statue's eyes flashed.