Chapter 28: The Guardian of Fogbound Lake

Raptor smirked as he faced off against Lucar and Sandra. He would trust the Pikachu leader to the black Pikachu. The brat should be able to take down one Pikachu all on his own. And even if the black Pikachu couldn't, Thrax would just finish the fight. There was no way they could lose!

"Take this, brats! Wing Attack!" Raptor shouted, creating a mini tornado with his wings.

"Shadow Ball!" Sandra cried.

The dark energy sphere crashed into the tornado, destroying it. The Eevee took her chance and charged, hitting the Staraptor with Quick Attack. Raptor swiped at her with a clawed foot, missing by inches. Lucar struck from behind with Force Palm, making him cry out it pain before he smacked the blind Riolu away with his wing.

"Lucar, are you okay?" Sandra asked.

"I'm fine," Lucar replied, getting up. "Hit him as hard as you can, Sandra! We can't lose to these guys!"

"Right!" Sandra nodded.

"You brats are still going to fight? Don't you get that it's useless?!" Raptor barked. "You can't beat us! You're a couple of Level 20s. We're over Level 50! You can't win!"

"With our kind of luck, I bet we can." Lucar said firmly.

"Bring it!" Raptor dared.

"Gladly! Let's get him!" Lucar cried.

Lucar and Sandra both used Quick Attack, only to have Raptor fly into the air to escape. He used Wing Attack, only to growl in frustration when it missed. He suddenly dove toward Sandra, a plan coming to mind. He started attacking her viciously with his wings and talons.

"Close Combat!" he yelled.

"Sandra! Rock Slide!" Lucar cried.

Huge rocks ripped free of the ground and hit Raptor, causing him to leap away. The Staraptor used Close Combat to shatter most of the rocks before sending a Wing Attack at the blind Riolu. Lucar took a direct hit, falling to the ground.

"Lucar!" Sandra wailed.

"Your turn!" Raptor chuckled, striking with Quick Attack. "See? You kids are nothing compared to us!"

On the sidelines, Thrax smirked. This fight's practically in the bag!

Meanwhile, Carlos' fight was going a bit better than Lucar and Sandra's. The black Pikachu kept using a combination of Grass Knot and Dig, making it easy for Carlos to predict his movements. It was painfully obvious that forming new strategies in the middle of a battle wasn't something the black Pikachu did often.

"Thunderbolt!" Carlos cried.

The black Pikachu tunneled underground again, avoiding the attack. Carlos turned flee, only to feel the grass catch his feet. He ripped at the plants with his teeth, getting away just in time to avoid Dig. The black Pikachu sighed before charging directly at him, using Focus Punch. Carlos smirked.

"Take this! Double Team!" the Pikachu cried.

Multiple copies of Carlos formed a ring around the black Pikachu, making him skid to a stop. He eventually lunged toward his right, hitting a clone and dispersing it. Looking around in fear, the black Pikachu tried to figure out where the real Carlos was. The moment he turned his back, Carlos struck with Quick Attack.

"Ow!" the black Pikachu yelped, crashing to the ground.

"You're not really strong, are you?" Carlos asked. "From what Sandra told me, you don't have any Electric-type attacks. Why?"

"Master Thrax has many TMs at his disposal. He doesn't want me to be weak, so he makes me learn strange moves," the black Pikachu said, struggling to his feet. "Please give up, sir. I don't want to fight."

"If you don't want to fight, then you should give up!" Carlos countered. "You guys started it, after all!"

"I can't," the black Pikachu replied. "If I lost or give up, Thrax will only hurt me more. I don't like getting hurt. I must keep winning."

"If you don't like pain, just stop listening to him." Carlos suggested. "Why do you follow him?"

"I don't have a choice," the black Pikachu said. "Do you think I'd listen to him if I actually had a choice? Of course not. But then again, I have no choice. Once he catches you, you never have that luxury of choosing what you want. He decides everything for you."

"Wait! He kidnapped you, too?" Carlos asked.

"Yes," the black Pikachu nodded. "I—"

"What are you doing, brat?! Less talk, more fight!" Thrax shouted.

The black Pikachu shivered in fear and quickly nodded. "Please forgive me, sir!" he cried. "Focus Punch!"

Carlos cried out in pain as the punch connected with his chest, smashing him into the wall behind him. Before he could recover, the black Pikachu dealt a second punch to his stomach. After a few more punches, Carlos collapsed. The black Pikachu backed off, panting in exhaustion.

"Carlos!" Sandra screamed, seeing the injured Pikachu.

"Go, Sandra! I'll deal with this guy!" Lucar barked, dodging another Wing Attack.

"Okay!" The Eevee dashed toward the two Pikachu, a Shadow Ball forming in her mouth. "Get away from him! Shadow Ball!"

The black Pikachu was sent flying, crashing to the ground a few feet away. Sandra nudged the limp Carlos, who looked ready to pass out. Grabbing an Oran Berry, Sandra broke it in half and helped the Pikachu eat it. Reenergized, Carlos jumped to his feet.

"Thanks, Sandra! I can always count on you to help me out!" Carlos said, smiling.

"Y-y-yeah!" Sandra nodded, blushing.

Thrax snorted, stalking toward the nearly-unconscious black Pikachu. "Get up, brat! Your fight isn't done yet!" He kicked the black Pikachu in the side.

"I…c-can't…" the Electric-type whimpered.

"You can and you will!" Thrax grabbed him by the scruff of the neck and hauled him upright.

"Hey, stop it!" Carlos shouted. "You're hurting him!"

"What do I care?" Thrax countered, glaring at Carlos over his shoulder. "He's just a goon. If he dies, I can find another to train. Sure, I might not get them to evolve like this again but whatever."

Carlos growled, sparks flying from his cheeks. "Is that what others are to you? Just tools to make your life easier?! That's cruel! No wonder you're a criminal!"

"Thanks, baby." Thrax chuckled. He tossed the black Pikachu to the ground and faced the two Team Legend members. "Fine, I'll leave him alone…for now. It's like they say. 'If you want a job done right, do it yourself.' I guess I'll have to beat you two into submission."

"Not happening, Thrax! You'll be the one who gets beaten!" Carlos cried.

"Prove it. Bring it on, baby!" Thrax dared.

Just as Carlos was about to strike, the ground started to shake. Raptor yelped, taking to the air to escape. Lucar stumbled awkwardly toward Carlos and Sandra, the trio standing their ground against the massive quakes. Thrax ignored the shaking and took a step forward…only to rear back as a mighty roar ripped through the tunnel.

"GROOOOOOH!!"

"Hey! Isn't that the roar we heard before?!" Sandra yelped.

"It is!" Lucar cried.

"Whatever it is, it's coming this way!" Carlos noted. "Get ready, guys!"

"What about Thrax and his goons?" Sandra asked.

"I don't know! We'll deal with them later!" Carlos cried.

/Luckily for us, we wouldn't have to deal with Thrax and his goons at all. He doesn't show it often but even Thrax has fears. He may have talked big about fighting Uxie but I'm pretty sure we all know what the outcome would be. Thrax would've been pummeled. We wouldn't know it for a long time but Thrax's ultimate fear…was Legendary Pokemon./

Thrax struggled to remain standing as the shaking intensified. Then he saw it. A giant shadow was coming from deeper in the tunnel. The Toxicroak took a step back, feeling a huge sense of danger hitting him. Raptor flapped beside him, refusing to land.

"Boss, what's going on?!" the Staraptor asked. "Is it an earthquake?"

"I don't think so," Thrax growled, stepping back again. "It's something so much bigger."

Back at the Groudon statue…

Corphish sighed in relief upon seeing the Groudon statue. "Hey, hey, hey! We're here!" he cried.

The rest of the Guild, minus Team Legend and Wigglytuff, approached the huge statue. Chatot hopped forward, inspecting it. He noticed the red stone jammed into its chest, the source of the fog's disappearance if what Corphish said was true.

"So, this is the Groudon statue?" Chatot asked. 'But I don't see Team Legend or Wigglytuff here."

"I told Team Legend to go on ahead." Corphish explained. "As for the Guildmaster, he should be here somewhere. He was chasing a Perfect Apple when I was going to get you guys. Maybe he went after Carlos, Lucar, and Sandra."

"Yes, that's quite possible." Chatot muttered.

The next thing the Guild noticed was that the ground began to shake slightly. Diglett looked at his father in confusion. There was another shake, followed by a faint roar that sent Bidoof diving behind Loudred for cover.

"GROOOOOOH!!"

"W-w-what's that, by golly?!" Bidoof whimpered.

"Definitely not an earthquake," Dugtrio said. "Something is causing these tremors. Something…alive?"

"Oh my gosh! What kind of thing could cause tremors?!" Sunflora cried.

"Whatever it is, I bet Team Legend's in on it! Let's hurry and find them!" Corphish insisted.

Chatot led his fellow Guild members away from the statue, unaware that only a few yards away, hidden behind a waterfall…was the battered and bruised Team Skull.

/I told you that Wigglytuff was strong. He shrugged off the noxious gas combo like it was nothing and struck back in seconds. I actually feel sorry for them./

Back at Steam Cave Peak…

"GROOOOOOH!!"

"Carlos, I'm scared!" Sandra cried.

"Don't worry, Sandra! Whatever it is, we'll take it down if it wants to fight!" Carlos promised. "I'll protect you!"

Sandra blushed. Carlos…you're so nice!

Thrax's eyes widened in fear as a giant red figure stomped out of the tunnel, golden eyes scanning each of them in turn before roaring. Raptor yelped, flapping away from the giant Pokemon. Team Legend stared in shock.

"What is that?!" Lucar asked.

"It's…Groudon! Just like the statue!" Carlos cried. "Only…"

"It's real," Sandra finished.

"A real Legendary right in front of us. Incredible," Lucar whispered.

"YOU!" Groudon suddenly roared. "WHAT DO YOU COME HERE FOR?"

"W-we've come to find F-Fogbound Lake!" Carlos declared shakily.

"TURN BACK NOW! FOGBOUND LAKE SHALL NEVER BE DISCOVERED!" Groudon roared.

"What?! No way!" Carlos argued. "We've come this far! Why should we turn back now?!"

"TURN BACK OR FACE MY WRATH!" Groudon threatened.

"B-b-boss! W-what do we d-do?" Raptor stuttered.

"What else? We turn back and let Groudon rip these brats to shreds. One less problem for us," Thrax said. "We'll come back later when it's asleep or something."

"AS GUARDIAN OF FOGBOUND LAKE, I WILL DESTROY ALL OF YOU!" Groudon roared. "SAY GOODBYE, INTRUDERS!"

Turning, the massive Legendary swung his tail…aiming directly for Thrax. Raptor shouted a warning and the Toxicroak turned, staring in fear as the tail hurtled toward him. One thought ran through his head.

I'm going to die, he thought.

"Look out!" a voice cried.

Something crashed into Thrax, throwing the Toxicroak away from the tail's path. It was the black Pikachu! Thrax scrambled to his feet, ready to flee. The last thing he wanted was to be beaten up by the legendary Groudon!

"Get out of there!" Raptor shouted.

The black Pikachu screamed as the tail hit him, making him hit the far wall with a loud crash. As he slumped to the ground, his vision began to turn black...along with his memories. Just before he blacked out, he thought he saw a beautiful Raichu hovering over him.

Mom…my… He closed his red eyes, falling unconscious.

"Boss, what do we do?!" Raptor cried.

"Run, you idiot!" Thrax barked.

"But what abo—" the Staraptor started.

"Who cares?! Run!" Thrax shouted. "He'll be dead soon, anyway!"

Thrax and Raptor fled, leaving the black Pikachu behind. Carlos dashed toward the Electric-type's side, concerned. Lucar and Sandra joined him, keeping their eyes on Groudon.

"He's unconscious," Carlos said.

"Better than being dead," Lucar commented.

"Now what do we do?" Sandra asked. "We can't fight a Legendary! We'll lose!"

"We have to try, Sandra. We came this far. Do you really want to turn around when we're so close to our goal?" Carlos countered.

"N-no," the Eevee muttered.

"Then it's decided?" Lucar asked, looking at Carlos.

"Yeah," Carlos nodded.

"YOU HAVE SEEN MY POWER, INTRUDERS! FLEE NOW OR BE DESTROYED!" Groudon roared.

"How about neither? We'll fight you…and we'll win!" Carlos cried.

"YOU WILL FIGHT? THEN FOREVER HOLD YOUR PEACE, INTRUDERS! THIS IS THE END FOR YOU!" Groudon roared.

/More like it's the beginning of a whole lot of trouble for us. Starting here, our real adventure begins! An adventure involving Time Gears, dimensional portals, frozen futures, and the truth of why Carlos ended up as a Pokemon. We'll meet countless friends and foes along the way, all of which help us in one way or another. From here on, our lives changed…for the better or for the worse, you can decide./

At the entrance of Steam Cave…

"Hey! There's the entrance!" Corphish cried, spotting the hole in the side of the plateau.

"What are we WAITING for? Let's GO!" Loudred yelled.

The Guild members dashed inside of Steam Cave, climbing the floors as fast as they could. Whatever that roaring was, Team Legend and Wigglytuff could be in big trouble. They had to help!

"H-h-hey, Chatot? Can I ask you something?" Corphish asked.

"Yes," Chatot nodded.

"Do you know about a Pokemon called Groudon?" Corphish asked.

"Of course I do! I'm not head of intelligence for nothing!" Chatot barked. "Groudon is a Legendary Pokemon spoken of in myths originating hundreds of years ago. It is said that he raised land from the sea and created the continents."

"Whoa! That's got to be one big Pokemon!" Corphish commented. "What would happen if you battled him?"

"Battled Groudon? Why, you'd lose!" Chatot said. "You'd be throwing your life away. Legendary Pokemon aren't to be messed with. Not even Team Moonlight dared to battle them directly. They're just that strong!"

"Team Moonlight?! The Legendaries respect them, though!" Corphish pointed out.

"Respect isn't earned through just defeating Pokemon. Their reputation as a top-rank Exploration Team is what gained them the respect of the Legendaries." Chatot explained.

Back at Steam Cave Peak…

"GROOOOOOH! PREPARE TO BE DESTROYED, INTRUDERS!" Groudon roared.

"Carlos, are you sure we can do this?" Sandra asked. "We can still back out."

"Then our expedition will have failed," Carlos said. "Chatot said that Wigglytuff's Guild had never failed an expedition before. Why should it fail now?"

"Carlos is right," Lucar muttered. "I'm sure we can beat Groudon if we try hard enough. We just have to try our hardest."

"I'm scared…" Sandra whimpered.

"You're not alone," Carlos reminded. "Lucar and I are here. And even if it doesn't look like it, we're scared too. We just have to be brave."

"Brave," Sandra repeated. "Yeah! I have to be brave!"

"That's it, Sandra! If we're brave, nothing can take us down!" Carlos cried.

"Yeah! Let's be brave and not give up, guys!" Sandra cried. "We can do this! Get ready, Groudon, because we're going to defeat you!"

Lucar smiled. Carlos always knows how to fire her up if she's scared, he thought. Maybe one day, Sandra will be able to fire herself up and drive away her fears. When that day does come, maybe she can find the courage to tell him how she feels.

"GROOOOOOH!!" Groudon roared.

"Let's go, guys!" Carlos cried.

Team Legend charged toward Groudon, who let out a vicious roar as he lumbered forward. This was the beginning of a harsh battle between an Exploration Team and a Legendary, the first of its kind in such a long time. Will Carlos' bravery pull through or will Groudon's wrath crush the three explorers?

Far away in the Northern Desert…

Snowflake the Glaceon panted, the heat getting to her. It had taken a long time for her to sneak into the Northern Desert Kingdom and even longer to break into the castle. She had easily defeated the two guards, a Tyranitar and a Feraligatr, in the battle arena on the top floor. Now she was faced with the current ruler of the kingdom.

"What business do you have with me?" a voice asked.

"I'm just wondering what you did with a certain Quilava princess." Snowflake replied. "My boss, Thrax of the Big Five, has possible business with her."

"Then I'm afraid you're too late, dear. I already handed her over to a pair of thieves who have promised me that they would take her to Labyrinth Cave and dispose of her there," the voice said. "If you wish to get your hands on her, you must go there."

"Fine," Snowflake nodded, hiding the anger in her voice. "Thank you for telling me that…Kadabra."

The figure, Kadabra, simply nodded. With a wave of this hand, he teleported up to his—formerly the king's—chambers. The Tyranitar and Feraligatr resumed their places on the arena, glaring at the Glaceon in hatred.

Snowflake left the castle and began her trek across the hot Northern Desert sand. "Labyrinth Cave, eh? I'll have to remember that," she muttered. "I just hope our little princess doesn't die before then. That would a terrible shame."

She vanished within the blowing winds of a small sandstorm, making her way back to Treasure Town. She had what she wanted. Now she just needed to report back to Thrax and plan for their journey to Labyrinth Cave.

I just hope the boss is having better luck than me, she thought.