"I'M GOING TO CRUSH YOU TO A BLOODY PULP!"

Groudon charged at Kyle, roaring angrily. Kyle grabbed Calida and jumped out of the way when the enemy got too close. It impacted a wall with enough force to almost collapse it.

"Now this party is getting started," Kyle stated with a grin. "Let's see how crazy we can make this get."

Kyle charged at Groudon and threw a punch to the back of its knee, hoping to trip or slow it down. He immediately withdrew his fist with a hiss of pain. Punching stones is not a good idea... It may have been a good idea to think about what you're punching before you punch it!

"He's a ground type legendary, Kyle!" Calida yelled. "Just simply punching him won't do anything you idiot! Use a move on him!"

Kyle jumped back quickly when Groudon pulled itself out of the wall and tried to kick him. The blow missed him by inches though. Kyle quickly got back by Calida and frowned as she tried to hit it with a Flamethrower, only to watch it deal no damage at all as the flames just slid over the rocky skin like water. Groudon responded with an Ancient Power, dealing heavy damage to Calida and knocking Kyle off his feet. The duo got up and glared at the legendary.

"Got any bright ideas?" Kyle asked as the enemy got closer. Calida shook her head quickly after firing another Flamethrower. Groudon used Ancient Power again, knocking Kyle to the ground and putting Calida close to fainting. "Well think of something damn it!"

"Alright already, let me think!" Calida growled as she thought about what they could do when her eyes widened. She smiled and nodded to herself. "Wait... We have those violent seeds we got from the Kecleon Bros. Use one of them!"

Kyle was about to grab one, when Groudon grabbed both of them with one of its huge hands. It lifted them into the air and started to squeeze them before tossing them into the wall it had impacted earlier. Calida struck first, screaming out in pain when she felt some bones break, while Kyle gave a short yell from the impact. He'd suffered a couple broken ribs and a dislocated shoulder from the impact, making him incapable of intense fighting. Things had just went to Hell in a hand basket in less than a minute.

'Is this how it ends...?' Kyle thought in despair as he watched Groudon get closer to them. He turned to look at Calida and felt some tears leave his eyes at the sight of her beaten form. 'Not you too Calida. Anyone but you...'

"THIS IS THE END FOR YOU, MORTAL!"

"No..." Kyle whispered as he gazed up at Groudon, the legendary pulling back a hand, ready to pummel Kyle into fleshy soup. Something small and tan caught his eye though. Sitting a few inches in front of Kyle was a seed. 'A Violent Seed...' Kyle thought as a grin slowly formed on his face. "No," he started with conviction as he reached for the seed. Kyle picked up the seed and slowly got to his feet, wobbling slightly from the pain, his eyes and teeth clenched tight.

"This isn't the end..." Kyle hissed through his teeth, a large grin forming on his face. He tossed the seed into the air and swallowed it as it fell. "We won't die here, I can promise you that. We will fucking win." Kyle's body began shining with a bright blue aura. He used his good arm to force his dislocate one back into place without so much as flinching. "I promised Calida I wouldn't let go, and I don't plan on going back on that promise."

"JUST STAY DOWN AND ACCEPT DEFEAT MORTAL!"

"Never," Kyle yelled, his aura's power spiking. "I will never back down! I will never run away!" He brought back a paw and charged it with aura, the glowing blue energy licking the air like a flame. "I WILL NEVER STOP FIGHTING!"

- (Line break) -

Wigglytuff had just finished knocking out Team Skull when he felt the spike of energy coming from the top of the tower. The trio were very good at dodging, he'd give them that. The burst of energy drew in his focus though.

"Now what are they doing up there?" Wigglytuff asked in exasperation. "Could it have something to do with all those roars?" He finished as he kicked Skuntank in the head when he tried to get up.

"Aw well, might as well go join them. I hope they left someone actually strong for me to fight. This was very boring."

- (Line break) -

Kyle jumped into the air with aid from Extreme Speed and struck Groudon in the face with a punch, knocking the legendary back and off his feet. Kyle stared in shock at what he'd done and grinned.

"This is getting fun." Kyle said to Groudon as the legendary got up. "Now, let's go!"

A loud boom was heard through the area as Kyle used Extreme Speed again, but at full power, shattering the sound barrier along with the armor on Groudon's left knee. Groudon retaliated with a punch that broke yet another of Kyle's bones and launching him close to the edge.

"Please ignore my earlier statement..." Kyle squeaked out as he tried to get up. He managed to get to his feet and was about to hit Groudon when a large torrent of flame bathed it in a hellish orange glow. Kyle's attention snapped to the source and saw Calida with flames that seemed to drip from her mouth.

"Whew, those things give quite the rush!" Calida yelled to Kyle, her innocent smile still present somehow despite the demonic appearance the flames leaking from her mouth gave her. Kyle laughed and nodded before turning his attention back to Groudon. The large rock type began charging up another Ancient Power. Calida started charging her own attack, and Kyle entered a runner's stance with his right arm prepared to throw a punch. The two sides kept on charging up their attacks until finally they unleashed them, Groudon using Ancient Power, Calida using Flamethrower and Kyle using Extreme Speed.

Kyle's paw, which had been prepared for a punch, became coated in an even brighter aura that took on the shape of a sphere. Then the flames from Calida's Flamethrower fused with the orb, creating a glowing red and orange sphere. Groudon's eyes widened in shock along with Calida's at what they were seeing. It has been proven time and time again that Riolus couldn't use Aura Sphere.

'Amazing,' Calida thought. 'I've never seen a Riolu do this before. And combining the attacks like he is, is just extraordinary.'

"IMPOSSIBLE! A RIOLU CAN'T USE AN AURA SPHERE! THEIR CONNECTION TO THE AURA IS JUST TOO WEAK!"

"Take this Groudon," Kyle yelled as he broke through the Ancient Power and smashed the burning orb into the Legendry's face. "This proves that we mortals are just as strong as any Legendary! Now GO DOWN!" The orb exploded in a torrent of fire and high speed aura energy, a cloud of dust big enough to obscure the two from view spreading from the impact site.

"Kyle," Calida yelled worriedly as she tried to limp over to the dust cloud. She just barely managed to drag her tired body there when the cloud dispersed, showing an unconscious Groudon and a barely conscious Kyle. His wounds had only gotten worse, and he was losing blood at a faster rate than before. Luckily, the blood wasn't coming out as fast as when they fought that high ranking outlaw. Calida immediately began applying bandages to his injured form along with some of her stronger salves. Kyle cracked open an eye and smiled at Calida as he slowly got up, his partner helping push him to his feet.

"We did it... We beat a legendary..." Kyle whispered in shock. "I never thought it would be possible... but we did..."

"Yeah, and now we can explore the rest of this place," Calida said to him. They were about to go through the path Groudon came from, but stopped when they heard an unknown voice echo throughout the clearing.

"It seems you have defeated the guardian, well done."

The duo stopped and glanced around warily, expecting another hard opponent.

"But I'm sorry to say that I can't let you pass, please just leave this place. I do despise having to harm others."

"Wh-who's there," Kyle asked. The light of the area dimmed slightly, allowing the group to see a pair of faintly glowing eyes. The body of the defeated Groudon shimmered and burst into a cloud of yellow sparkles, confusing the two that had just taken him down. Some sparkles coalesced into a smaller form around the glowing eyes. The form had two tails that ended in what looked like some sort of star. The shape's head was in the shape of what looked like a dome or helmet. The shimmering died down as the light returned to normal, allowing the being to be seen in detail.

The Pokémon stood at about the same height as Kyle, though the yellow helmet-like growth made the head look pretty large. The body was a light blue, and in the center of each of the star shapes on the tails was a ruby. The Pokémon that had just formed looked at Kyle and Calida with a calculating stare as it charged up some power.

"I, am Uxie. I watch over Fogbound Lake to ensure that no one with ill intentions may set foot here. Now, I want you to leave this place and never come back. I can see the taint inside of you." Uxie pointed at Kyle. "You will not pass. Should you fail to comply, I will wipe your memories of this place and beat you out of here myself." He said. Kyle sighed in defeat, knowing he wasn't capable of fighting another opponent in his current condition. Calida saw this and looked at Uxie with determination.

"Please listen to what we have to say," Calida begged. "We just came here to see Fogbound Lake, and maybe find a little treasure. But if you don't want us to take anything, we are OK with that. We just want the chance to see this place, and all it has to offer. Just being able to say we saw Fogbound Lake is good enough for us." Uxie tilted his head in thought then nodded.

"Very well," He said. "I will escort you to the lake. Just be sure not to take the treasure there."

The group nodded and they were led through a small winding path until they reached the lake. It was beautiful. The water was crystal clear, a few Illumise and Volbeat were flying around leisurely. In the center of the lake was a bright glow.

"Do you two know what that is?" Uxie asked the two he was escorting. They shook their heads 'no' and He smiled. "That is a Time Gear."

Kyle's eyes widened and Calida gasped in shock. Lying in the middle of the lake, was one of the pieces holding time itself together. Its bright glow holding a much greater meaning than what they thought not five seconds ago. To think, that they got to see a real Time Gear. This was really a worthwhile expedition.

"Hey, there you two are!" The trio turned around to see Wigglytuff at the entrance to the path that they'd taken earlier. "I see you solved the mystery of the lake. Well done you two, but we can't take a Time Gear." Wigglytuff walked over to stand next to Uxie and smiled at the lake. "Its really beautiful here. You're lucky to be able to see this every day friend."

"And who might you be," Uxie asked, a strange look in his eyes.

"This is our guild master Wigglytuff. He suggested we come here in the first place." Kyle said. Uxie nodded at Wigglytuff then turned to focus on Kyle.

"I seem to have forgotten about your injuries. I don't have much in the way of healing items though, I'm sorry." Uxie apologized to the two. They just waved it off, having said that he was just doing his job. Wigglytuff said that when the rest of the guild arrived, they would deal with his injuries.

Half an hour later, the rest of the guild members entered the lake area and immediately noticed the four sitting by the lake. They walked over and greeted their guild master and Team Charlie, congratulating them on solving the mystery of the lake. They got to know Uxie, learning that he was the guardian of the Time Gear which was located in the center of the lake. This drew out some funny reactions as the new arrivals gawked at the object floating in the water.

With Uxie's permission, the group set up camp near the entrance of the lake, allowing them to see the lake some more and converse with some of the locals. Kyle and Calida were treated immediately once the healing supplies were brought out, and were told to stay in bed until nightfall, when they would be able to see the lake at its most beautiful. With nothing to do, the two accepted the chance for rest graciously, stretching their sore limbs that they could move and enjoying nice cool drinks. When Wigglytuff got closer to them, Kyle called for him to come over so they could talk. Once he got close, Kyle pulled him closer so he could whisper into his ear.

"You knew, didn't you?" Kyle asked quietly. Wigglytuff smiled and waved a finger in Kyle's face.

"That would be telling, now wouldn't it?" Was his reply, making Kyle chuckle lightly. He then grew very serious at the next topic.

"And what of Team Skull," Kyle growled. Wigglytuff smiled at the Riolu and giggled like a little boy.

"They were very annoying. They asked stupid questions and then asked if we could play to pass the time." Translation: They make demands for important things and attacked when they couldn't get them. Kyle frowned and nodded at him.

"Well, I guess they got pretty tired out huh? They're still at the statue resting right?" Kyle asked leisurely, a quick and inconspicuous glimpse at the Pokémon around them sent a clear message to Wigglytuff that they needed to watch what they said from here on out. Wigglytuff smiled and nodded.

"Yep, they are. They told me they would look around the rest of the area to try and find some hidden treasures or something. They really were hoping to one up you guys by finding some huge treasure trove. I just left them to it and came to meet up with you guys after having some friends of mine that I met on the way here help them out." Wigglytuff replied happily. Translation: They're down for the count, and some Magnemite deputies are on the way to take them in. Kyle nodded at him and relaxed with a sigh.

"I'm glad to hear that. Those three may be bullies, but they can prove useful to the guild in the long run." Kyle stated. "How did you know to follow us?"

"I felt the insane spike in aura energy from way up here, so I decided something must be wrong and hurried to catch up with you. I guess I was a little late huh?" Wigglytuff asked. Kyle shrugged indifferently and observed the Pokémon milling about. This moment was so peaceful, that Kyle felt like he would sleep life away if he were to close his eyes. Wigglytuff decided to leave them to their little rest and went to talk with Uxie.

"Hey Kyle," Calida asked. Kyle rolled over so they could speak face to face. "I was wondering,\ that maybe when we finish up here, you could train me? I don't mean strength training, but maybe some speed training? That way I could avoid being hit as often, since I can't take nearly as many hits as you."

"Sure Calida, I'll train you." Kyle told her with a grin on his face, "But are you sure you can handle it? I don't want you to accidently chip a claw or something." Calida swatted him in the face lightly, drawing out a few chuckles from her partner.

"I think you'll come to understand that I can be just as persistent as you." Calida replied with 'humph.' Kyle's response was to reach over and tickle her side. She giggled and tossed around lightly. "S-stop it Kyle! T-that tickles!" She yelped slightly when Kyle got her in a particularly ticklish spot. "No fair, you know I can't escape!"

"What are you two love birds doing over here?"

Kyle stopped tickling Calida, though he refused to move his paw from her stomach, and looked over his shoulder at the person speaking to him. The one who had just came over was Chatot. He had a sly grin on his face as he pulled over a small pillow to sit on. Calida blushed and looked away from Kyle, and the RIolu just nodded at Chatot.

"Hello sir, is there something you need?" Kyle asked. Chatot nodded and looked over their injured forms with a critical eye.

"Yes, there is something I need from you. I'm recording details about this expedition for the logs back at the guild, and I was hoping to hear about the fight that gave you two those wounds." Chatot said while gesturing at a particularly nasty wound on Kyle's arm.

"Well, I guess you could say we fought a Groudon clone." Kyle said with a shrug. "We began with a stereotypical "You shall not pass" argument, then we began the fight. I tried to punch him in the knee, but that just hurt my paw..." Kyle mumbled angrily about how he hated tanks and how over powered they were, confusing the other Pokémon in the group. "Then Calida tried a Flamethrower. That didn't work for shit either. We stood back and tried to think about a way to fight it, when Groudon attacked us. He grabbed us and tried to crush just when we figured out a way to win. We were then thrown against a wall, nearly breaking our backs on impact. We thought we were done for when I noticed a seed laying on the ground in front of me. It was a Violent seed, and the same one I was about to use before I was so rudely tossed into a wall. I picked it up, ate it, and then got back to trying to take down Groudon." He looked at Calida smiled gratefully at her. "Even with that boost things were looking grim for me, until she came in and distracted Groudon with a Flamethrower. She had eaten a Violent Seed before attacking, so the flames did some damage at least."

"But how did you take Groudon down," Chatot asked anxiously, wanting to hear about the biggest part of the fight. Kyle glared at him for interrupting before continuing on with the story.

"Groudon began charging up an attack after being distracted by the fire, allowing us to charge up and attack as well. When we unleashed our attacks, Groudon fired and Ancient Power at us, and we countered with a Flamethrower Extreme Speed combo. When I got close to Groudon's attack, the aura that was building up around me coalesced into a dense orb of aura energy in the paw I had ready to punch with. Calida's flames merged with the orb, creating a burning Aura Sphere. I struck Groudon with it, and that ended the fight. The oversized bastard dispersed in a cloud of sparkling energy that took on the form of Uxie, and a few minutes later Wigglytuff appears. You know the rest of what happened." Kyle said, finishing up the summary of their fight. Chatot wrote the rest of it down, and smiled as he read it over.

"Its truly amazing that the newest members would be able to take on something like that." Chatot mumbled to himself. "And to think, I had my doubts about them."

"What was that Chatot?" Calida asked in a sickly sweet voice. Chatot stammered some random excuses and ran away before he could be hit with a Gravel Rock. Kyle laughed and patted Calida lightly on the back. No one else came over to bother the two rookies, so they decided to catch up on some much desired rest.

- (Line break) -

"Hey you two, wake up. The show is about to start."

Kyle lifted his head off his pillow with a soft growl, while Calida sat with a cute little yawn. They shook the sleep out of their eyes and looked up at who was interrupting their rest. Loudred looked down at them with a large shit eating grin on his face.

"You two shouldn't be sleeping on the job you know." He said to the two as he turned to walk back to the lake. Kyle responded with a quiet "shut the fuck up..." and got to his feet slowly, hobbling slightly from the cast on his leg. Calida did the same as they hobbled over to the lake and sat down at the water's edge. It was night time now, and the glowing colors of the lake's surface were contrasting greatly with the solid black of the area around them. Suddenly, a large spout of water shot into the air right where the Time Gear was, making the glow follow the spout of water into the air. The geyser continued to spout as the Volbeat and Illumise danced around in the air close to the water spout.

"It's beautiful..." Calida whispered in awe as she moved closer to Kyle, his shoulder becoming a resting spot for her suddenly heavy head. Kyle smiled down at her and nodded. It was very beautiful, and the peace of the moment was astounding.

Without thinking about what he was doing, Kyle reached his left arm around Calida's waist and pulled her into his lap. She struggled briefly before snuggling deeper into his fur. Kyle moved next to Calida's ear and whispered faintly into her ear.

"Not as beautiful as you."

Twisting Calida around so they were facing each other, Kyle moved in close until their lips were almost touching. Kyle breath lapping at Calida's lips, sending shivers down her spine and forcing an even bigger blush to form on her face.

"Never as beautiful as you."

Kyle closed the distance between them, and kissed her right on the lips.