Obligatory Disclaimer: This is a non-profit fan work set in the Pokemon Universe. Pokemon is owned by Nintendo, Gamefreak, and HAL Laboratories. With the exception of Alex, his family, and upcoming original characters, I own none of the characters or settings used in this story.

Chapter 1: Chance Encounter

What was a trah-guh-dee? The little six year old boy, eavesdropping from behind the kitchen door despite being told to stay in his room, never heard that word before. Not too long ago, a policeman knocked on the door looking for his parents. He went and brought his dad, and then the policeman whispered something that made him turn pale. He told Alex to go to his room and wait, that mom and dad needed to talk to the policeman for a while and they'd come get him soon. At first he was content to play with his toys, but he was bored now and wanted to know what was going on.

Alex felt something soft nuzzle the back of his head. He looked behind him and saw his father's Ampharos, Amy. The golden sheep-like pokemon baa'd at him worriedly, and Alex patted her head. "Shhh! I want to hear what they're saying!" he whispered. Amy gave him a stern look and baa'd at him again, pointing to the stairs behind her. "Please, just a few more minutes!" the boy pleaded. "They've been down here forever and I wanna' know why."

"IS THAT'S ALL YOU HAVE TO SAY!?" That was his dad, Alex realized. He'd never heard him that angry before, and the loudness of it made both him and Amy jump. "How the hell did this happen!? You're the police, you're supposed to protect her damn it!"

"Sir, please calm down." That was the policeman that time, voice soft but firm. "We've launched a full-scale investigation. I promise you, we're doing everything we can to catch the ones responsible for this."

The little boy took a gamble and cracked the door open. Bright cyan eyes saw his parents sitting at the table, opposite of the policeman. Dad's face was red and his eyes were bloodshot. Mom sat beside him whimpering as tears fell down her face. Why was she crying, and why was dad so angry?

Then dad calmed down, and little Alex saw him crying too. "That won't bring her back though…" He tried his hardest not to sob. "My little Astra…I told her she was too young to start her journey! This is all my fault…"

"Don't you dare…! Don't you fucking dare Alistair Andrite!" his mom roared. "This isn't your fault and you know it! Those…those monsters are the ones who did this to our baby girl. Don't you dare put this on yourself!"

"Elanor…" his dad said, but mom was already standing up. She ran to the door sobbing and opened it, but froze when she saw Alex and Amy sitting there. Alistair paled and the policeman looked uncomfortable.

"Mom, dad, what's going on?" Alex asked. "Why are you crying? Why is the policeman here? Did I do something wrong…?"

Mom scrunched up her face and dad left his seat. He bent down and scooped his son into his arms and hugged him, stroking his wispy blonde hair. "No Alex, you did nothing wrong," his dad said with a trembling voice. "This is about your sister Astra."

Alex nodded. He'd been told about his older sister. She left when he was three years old to become a pokemon trainer and travel Unova with other pokemon like Amy. His parents often showed him pictures she sent and he'd talked to her a few times over the phone, but otherwise he didn't know much about her. "Did she do something bad?" he finally asked.

His dad responded with something that sounded like a sob mixed with a chuckle. "No…no she didn't do anything wrong, Alex."

The boy didn't understand. "Then what's wrong?" he asked. His dad released him from the hug and put a hand to his shoulder. Eyes red, tears falling down his face, his father Alistair uttered the sentence that would change his life forever.

"…your sister Astra is dead."

~Ten years later~

"Alex, get up! Breakfast is almost ready!" A boy with wispy blonde hair slowly opened his eyes. He tried to fall back asleep, twisting and turning in his bed, but found the sunlight peeking into his room made that impossible. Grumbling, he threw off his blankets and got up to begin the day. He bathed, brushed, and put on clothes; he decided to wear a blue shirt with tan pants and a black vest over the top. He looked himself over in the mirror with cyan eyes, making sure nothing was out of place, and went downstairs to greet his parents.

One of the few perks of being unemployed was supposed to be sleeping in, but he should have known better than to think his parents would allow that. At sixteen years old, Alex had managed to go through ten jobs in the sleepy hollow of Flocessy Town in the past year. Ten of them, in a dirt bowl barely big enough to call a town, all lost because he either spoke his mind or got into some sort of accident. It wasn't his fault working in Floccesy was about as interesting as watching Oddish grow! His clumsiness, though, was admittedly his own fault. It was one of a long list of things he didn't like about himself.

Alex entered the kitchen to the smell of bacon and eggs. His mother was running to-and-fro, finishing the last of her breakfast preparations, while his father sat at the table engrossed in a newspaper. His mother was a petite woman with dark hair and green eyes. He was short like her, but for the most part Alex took after his father. When he looked at him, it felt like looking into one of those circus mirrors that distorted your reflection and made you look bigger.

"Morning mom, breakfast smells great!" Alex chirped as he gave his mother a small hug. He thought about doing the same with his father, but decided against it. He wasn't happy that Alex lost another job last Friday. Instead, he settled on, "Hey dad," before going to the fridge to pour a glass of milk.

"Good morning Alexander," Alistair greeted evenly. Alex winced; his father only called him that when he was exceptionally mad at him. Oh, today was going to be a fun day… The older man continued, "I've been looking at the job listings this morning. I've get a list of places for you to visit when you're finished eating."

Before Alex could respond, Elanor quickly intervened, "Alistair, he's only been unemployed for a weekend. Give him a break, he's still just a boy and—"

"Except he's not Elanor," Alistair interrupted. "He's almost an adult and needs to act like it. Part of that means finding a job and developing a career, preferably one that keeps him in town. It's for his own good."

Alex frowned, but wisely kept his mouth shut. He accepted the sheet of paper offered to him and gave it a look-over. Most of them were part-time jobs, all of them openings for unskilled laborers. Without a word, he sat down with his family and ate his breakfast.

Alex knew what he wanted to do with his life; he wanted to become a pokemon trainer and travel Unova. However, he didn't feel like having that argument again, the one where he would beg them to sign off on his trainer's license and Alistair would point to his track record for making mistakes and getting into trouble as reason not to. Inevitably, his sister would get dragged into the discussion as an example of why it was too dangerous for him, and Alex would be forced to surrender lest he really push his parents. Astra…he had mixed feelings about her death. Apparently, she was murdered in Castelia City by some bandits, who took her money and pokemon and ran. The police never found the killers, and the tragedy haunted his parents to this day. Since then, Alistair strictly forbade Alex from becoming a trainer; despite the fact his father was a trainer himself long ago.

Part of him was mad at her, but deep down he knew it wasn't her fault and tried to keep those thoughts in check. It frustrated him to no end though; what few friends he made left years ago to begin their journeys. Most of the people he knew in town at least had a pokemon as a partner or pet. Not Alex. Amy was good company, but it wasn't the same. Ultimately, she was Alistair's pokemon, not his, and until he had a pokemon of his own that void would remain unfilled.

As if on cue, Amy lumbered in and baa'd a greeting to the family. She wandered over to Alistair first, who sat aside his paper and scratched her head while she nuzzled him. Then she likewise greeted Elanor before allowing Alex his own turn to scratch her. She then went to the plate of pokemon food sat aside for her and joined everyone else in their silent breakfast.

Alex was the first to finish. "Thanks mom, that was really good." He got up with a stretch and put his dirty dishes in the sink, grabbed his backpack and the list, and made for the door. "Well, I guess I better get to job hunting then. I'll be back later this evening."

"Good luck honey," Elanor said. "Remember, dinner's at six, so please try to be home before then." Alex nodded, promised he would remember, and left.

Floccesy Town was a small hamlet in the south-western corner of Unova that sat between two routes connecting the more populous cities of Aspertia and Virbank. Dirt roads, small homes, and modest stores provided a meager infrastructure for its citizens. Most who lived in Floccesy would admit there wasn't much to do and that life was simple, but peaceful. Many peopole left when they became of age, but most looked back on the town with a quirky sense of nostalgia.

Of course, Alex would not be one of those people. He also had no intention of job hunting that day, and once he was comfortably out of sight he reached into his backpack and pulled out a single red-and-white pokeball. There were nine more where that came from, which meant he had a total of ten chances to catch his own pokemon. It had cost him the last of his savings, but Alex knew it would be worth it. His father was afraid he couldn't handle being a trainer; well, a freshly caught pokemon would surely change his mind. It wasn't the first time he'd tried this. Starting a few months ago, Alex began to sneak away in the evening with a handful of pokeballs to try his luck. He didn't succeed, obviously, but this time he felt he would finally catch something. At the very least he hoped so; autumn was fast approaching, and after that winter, which meant wild pokemon would become increasingly scarce. Plan in mind and Pokeball in hand, the blonde-haired teenager set off east towards Route 20—towards his destiny, he thought dramatically.

Route 20 served as the connection between Floccesy Town and Vibrank City. It was a relatively short route with lots of slopes, as well as a steep drop-off mid-way. A river cut through the forest, prompting the construction of a few bridges where the winding river impeded progress. A cool breeze blew across the path and prompted Alex to stop for a moment and just take it all in. He desperately wanted to travel, if for nothing else than to see more places like this. He resumed his journey with a broad smile and determination to spare.

Alex crossed the river and headed into the grassy forest. People occasionally came here to train, but by now most of them knew Alex wasn't a trainer and let him be. They also knew his father, which is why none of them offered to loan him a pokemon to help him capture his own. Alex didn't mind; the point of him capturing the pokemon anyway was to show his dad he could handle being a trainer.

Before long, Alex managed to stumble upon a small Patrat. The chipmunk-like pokemon sat under a tree silently nibbling at an acorn, completely unaware of the human watching him twenty feet away. Alex grabbed the first of his pokeballs with a trembling hand, waited a moment longer to make sure Patrat wouldn't flee, and finally threw the ball. The Scout pokemon looked up just in time to see the ball make contact and suck him inside in a flash of white light.

Alex held his breath. The ball shook once…twice…three times…

The Patrat emerged in another flash of light, barked something angrily, and ran. Alex groaned and opened his backpack to stare at the remaining nine Pokeballs. Nine more chances…he knew he could still do this! The blonde-haired teenager shook away his disappointment and continued deeper into the forest.

Unfortunately, the rest of his attempts yielded similar results. Either the pokemon would escape the ball at the last moment, or dodge the throw entirely and let the ball smash against something. The first few hours passed quickly, but as his enthusiasm waned time seemed to slow to a crawl. It was well past noon when Alex was down to his last pokeball. He did his best to control it, but an anxious panic was creeping into his thoughts. No, no! He knew he could do it! If this was his last pokeball, well…then he'd just make it count!

Alex came to the edge of a clearing in the forest and stopped. A small Purrloin sat under a tree grooming its purple fur, ignorant of his presence. This was it, he thought. His last chance today to catch a pokemon and prove to his father that he could handle being a pokemon trainer! Alex held his breath and dared to creep closer to the small cat…and promptly stepped on a twig and broke it with a large crack.

The Purrloin shot up and looked him dead in the eyes. Alex panicked and chucked the Pokeball as fast and hard as he could. The purple cat easily dodged the contraption and it shattered on the tree behind it. With an angry glare at its would-be trainer, the Purrloin vanished deeper into the forest.

Alex stood staring at the broken Pokeball for what felt like forever. Then, frustration overwhelmed him. He walked over, picked up the shattered ball, screamed and flung it as hard as he could. Then he started punching the tree, shouting angry nothings in-between each blow. Alex eventually let up, panting and rubbing his bleeding knuckles as anger shifted into somber reflection. Resigned that he had failed, the teenager turned away and started back towards the main route.

He stopped when he saw something watching him from the bushes.

It was humanoid in shape, with blue fur, black paws, a small tail bent at the end, and a cream-colored torso. A jackal-like head with four black appendages dangling from the back stared at him with fierce red eyes. A pointed spike protruded from each wrist, with a third stuck out of his chest.

Alex couldn't believe it. It was a Lucario! They were rare even in their home country of Sinnoh, and despite the horde of Riolu that passed through Floccesy years ago he'd never actually seen either member of the evolutionary family. But here was one now, and it was standing ten feet away from him!

Was standing ten feet away. Now it was fleeing.

"Hey, wait, please!" Alex had no idea why he bothered. He was out of pokeballs. He wasn't a great trainer. The Aura pokemon had no reason to listen to him. But he had a feeling… Lucario hadn't just randomly passed by. He'd stopped to watch him. Maybe that meant something! Maybe…just maybe—

The thought was interrupted by Alex's foot snagging a tree root. He promptly tripped and tumbled down the side of a small hill and into a patch of dark green grass. "Ow…" he moaned as the pain set in. Then something began squirming underneath him. Alex slowly pushed himself up, and found he had landed on top of a small Venipede. The green-and-magenta colored bug crawled away in a fearful chatter, bruised but otherwise unharmed. The same wasn't true of Alex. He was pretty sure his ankle was sprained, and a quick inspection confirmed it.

Alex groaned. "Great…just, just great," he said to himself. No pokemon, no pokeballs, no Lucario, and now a sprained ankle…in the middle of the forest...oh, and it was past noon and he was hungry again. He was going to limp home, his father was going find out everything, and the proverbial shit was going to hit the fan. His thoughts became bitter. Things couldn't get much worse.

A monstrous howl promptly proved him wrong. From behind the bushes emerged the Venipede Alex accidentally squashed before…and behind it stood an enraged Scolipede. The black-and-magenta centipede towered over the young man and glared with furious yellow eyes. Venom dripped from its forelegs, and it slowly staggered towards him with its antenna-like horns lowered. Alex quickly realized the Scolipede was a mother, and the Venipede was her child. The small human had hurt her baby; she intended to make him regret it.

Fear and panic seized Alex. He got up to run, but only made it a few steps on his bad leg before falling again. He tried to yell for help, but all he could manage was a terrified scream. The Scolipede's antenna glowed and she charged at her child's aggressor with a Megahorn attack.

A blue blur whooshed in front of Alex. Lucario took the full brunt of the attack before grabbing the bug's glowing horns and throwing her to the side. Scolipede caught her footing and roared at the interloper, who responded with a loud bark and a low growl. When she refused to back down, Lucario rushed her, palms glowing in wispy blue aura.

Scolipede responded by spitting a glob of toxic slime, but Lucario's steel typing negated the effect. Fists glowing, Lucario hammered the Megapede Pokemon with a series of powerful blows, ending his assault with a bullet-like punch as hard as steel. Scolipede staggered backwards, recovered, and charged with glowing horns. Lucario nimbly jumped over the attack and landed behind her. Before she could turn around, Lucario rushed up to her, placed glowing blue palms against her side, and launched her across the field with a powerful Force Palm.

Scolipede slowly recovered from the attack. She looked at the Aura Pokemon—crouched into a fighting stance, red eyes blazing with fierce determination—and decided to cut her losses. Scolipede roared one final time, and retreated with its child into the forest.

Alex slowly lifted himself up, careful not to put too much weight on his ankle. "Wow, Lucario…you saved me. I don't know what to…what I mean is…"

Lucario suddenly seized up and fell. Alex quickly limped to him and knelt beside the injured Pokemon. Lucario's breathing was labored, and when Alex placed a hand on the Pokemon's head he found it was burning hot.

"You're sick…" Alex muttered in realization. The Lucario gave him a look and tried to stand up again, but found his battle depleted the last of his strength. Alex considered the situation carefully. He was alone and in poor health. Despite being only four feet tall, Lucario weighed around 120 pounds, and it would be hell for Alex to carry him on a sprained ankle. Yet, the Lucario had saved him, even though he was sick, and after Alex chased him through the forest. The decision was obvious.

"C'mon buddy, I'm not leaving you out here alone." With a strained grunt, the blonde teenager lifted the pokemon over his shoulder, careful not to let the chest-spike stick into his shoulder. Lucario started to struggle, but quickly realized he didn't have much choice. Alex began to limp through the forest with his unusual passenger towards the nearest road that would take him back to Floccesy Town. It was going to be a long hike…

"Hello, and welcome to the Pokemon Center! We restore your tired pokemon to…full…health…" The Pokemon Center nurse stopped mid-way through her greeting. A young man, covered in dirt and limping on one leg, was carrying what appeared to be an injured Lucario. The teenager was panting and covered in sweat. He winced as he staggered towards the desk.

"Oh…oh my! Young man, what happened to you?" the nurse asked as she hurried around her desk to help them.

"I was…route 20…wild pokemon and…this Lucario…" Alex collapsed to his knees, somehow managing not to drop his passenger. The nurse called for assistance, and soon a group of doctors and nurses whisked them into the back room. After the two were settled in, Alex explained what happened. Thankfully, Alex's injury wasn't severe, but he would have to wear an ankle brace for a couple of months. That didn't matter to him so much as how the Lucario was doing.

The Aura pokemon was in a bed on the other side of the room. Three blankets covered him, and a wet towel was laid across his head. Alex slowly limped over and sat on a chair beside him, watching as he stirred in his sleep.

For a while, he silently watched Lucario's breathing. "He's going to be okay, right?" he asked.

"Well, we've treated his battle injuries," the Nurse began, "so there shouldn't be complications there. There are no signs of infection, so he likely just caught some form of the flu. He'll be fine after a few days' rest."

Alex let out a sigh of relief. "I'm really glad to hear it. I was worried for a little bit." The blond reached out a hand and experimentally scratched the Lucario behind the ear. It didn't fully wake him, but he was conscious long enough to lean into the scratch before falling back asleep. Alex smiled, patted Lucario on the head one last time, and withdrew his hand.

The nurse smiled. "It's nice to that you two are so close. More trainers could learn to care for their pokemon as much as you do."

Alex blinked. "Oh, you thought—no, that's not my Lucario. I don't even have a trainer's license, or a starter of any kind. My father kind of won't help me get one…"

The nurse seemed surprised, but quickly shook it off. "Ok, yeah, now that I think about it that makes sense. I was wondering why you carried him on your shoulder instead of in his Pokeball."

"Yeah…" Alex admitted meekly. "I'm pretty sure he's wild. I noticed him watching me trying to catch a pokemon. It was right after I ran out of pokeballs and—"

"So that's what you were doing all day?" Alex's blood ran cold. Slowly and with great trepidation, he turned towards the door and saw his father staring at him with an icy glare.

Panic stole his voice, but luckily the nurse spoke first, "I take it you must be his father? Your son carried a sick Lucario all the way from Route 20 on a sprained ankle. You've raised a kind-hearted young man, sir."

"Yes, I heard," Alistair growled, first looking to his son, then the unconscious pokemon on the bed. "Too bad his kind heart doesn't make him any less foolish." Alex winced, and the nurse gave the elder man a strange look. "Thank you for calling me, miss. Alexander, we'll talk about this later. We're going home.Now."

"Wait, but…" Alex hesitated, but figured he couldn't really get into any more trouble than he already was in. "Dad, that Lucario saved my life! I just want to—."

"He's in a Pokemon Center. He'll be fine," Alistair replied curtly. "Besides, he's not your pokemon."

Alex was about to meekly object, when the nurse placed a hand on his shoulder. "We'll take good care of him. You can come visit every day until he gets well. I think you need to go home to your family now; they were very worried when I talked to them earlier."

Alex gave in. "Ok, I guess. Thank you for fixing my ankle, and for looking after Lucario." With that, he slowly got up and left with his father. The nurse watched them leave, her thin smile vanishing once they were gone. The nurse checked on the Lucario one last time, and went back to her spot at the counter. She really hoped that boy's father wouldn't get too mad at him. She could understand not allowing a child to become a trainer—the world was filled with super-powered monsters that could spit fire and shoot lightning—but the way he seemed to just dominate his son kind of…unnerved her.

She brushed the thoughts aside as a tall man dressed in white came in. She had a job to do after all, and she welcomed him and proceeded to tend to his pokemon's wounds.

The conversation Alex had with his family was not pleasant. His father tore him a new one, admonishing him for both his stupidity in the forest and for lying to him. Amy was inside her pokeball. His mother, who was normally supportive of Alex in these arguments, remained silent. When the nurse told her what happened she'd almost had a panic attack. It made Alex feel worse—now neither of his parents thought he could handle being a pokemon trainer. He was alone and outnumbered.

Then his father tried to forbid him from visiting Lucario. That prompted Alex, who until this point had taken his verbal-lashing with meek silence, to explode.

"Why!? Why can't I go visit Lucario!?" Alex roared.

Alistair was momentarily caught off guard, but his son's indignation actually seemed to make him even angrier. "Why can't you? Why can't you? Because I fucking said so, that's why!" Alistair was practically foaming as he spoke, and Alex was slightly intimidated by his father's anger. "You not only lied to me, but went into the deepest part of the forest without any pokemon to protect you and almost got killed! This is why I don't let you become a pokemon trainer Alex—you don't think about things and you're completely oblivious!"

"You keep saying I can't do this and I can't do that, but you won't even give me a chance!" Alex responded indignantly. "Like just now—'don't go into the forest without a pokemon.' Well how can I when you won't let me get one? You won't even let me borrow Amy to go catch my own!" His legs were trembling, but his face remained in a steady, determined glare.

"But you would go into the forest if I gave you one," Allistair pointed out. "You'd go out there and train it and decide to leave, thinking your fucking Patrat or whatever the hell you catch can take on the world. Well, it can't Alex! I traveled Unova with Amy, I even won a few gym badges! And it was dangerous."

"Well, then what should I do, dad?" Alex asked. "Just stay in Floccesy my whole life? Never get to do anything except a bunch of odd jobs just to scrape by? You always talk about how you're doing what's best for me and how you're always thinking about me. Well, then why don't I get a say in how to live my life!?"

"I AM NOT LETTING YOU DIE LIKE ASTRA!" The room grew silent. Alistair hadn't meant to say that, it just…came out. Elanor gasped, but Alex was surprisingly calm.

"It's always about her," Alex began. This was normally the point where he would give up and accept his fate. Not this time. "Every time we have this fight, you always bring her up. You just can't…" He struggled to find the words. Even after all these years, his parents kept using his sister's death against him, that sister he couldn't even remember and didn't really feel anything for. After a moment, Alex found his words again. "I'm not afraid like you are, dad." Alistair's face softened, but Alex continued, "I'm not scared of the world! I want to travel…and meet new friends…and find lots of pokemon. I can do it dad, I know I can! Why…why won't you let me…?"

Alex choked on his last sentence; his emotions were getting to him. It was torment holding back the tears, but damned if he was going to let them see him cry right now! To his surprise, his father's face softened and he embraced his son in a tight hug. For a moment, Alex forgot his anger and allowed himself to be comforted by the embrace.

"Oh, son…" Alistair began, softly, gently stroking his child's head. Then he continued, "You think you're ready, but the truth is you're just not. You're not even responsible enough to hold a job, and you want me to let you travel the world?" Alistair paused, holding back his own tears, and continued, "I don't enjoy this, I really don't. But I can't lie to you, not when I know you'll get hurt. Please understand; I love you and I can't lose you like I did your sister. I want you to live your life the way you want to, but I also want you to be safe. Being a pokemon trainer…you just can't do it."

Alex's heart sank. This was what happened the few times he didn't stop when Astra was mentioned. Alex would get overwhelmed emotionally and his father would capitalize on it. Alistair would hold him close, apologize for reminding him of his shortcomings, and use them as the reason he had to be protected, why he had to do as his father said. Alex was smart, and he knew exactly what his father was doing. Yet every time, he'd accept his reasoning, even agree with it…

…but not this time.

Alex quietly pushed himself out of his father's embrace. With only a cold, tearful glare, the young man stormed out of the house and slammed the door behind him.

This had never happened before. Elanor started to follow him, but Alistair stopped her. "He'll be back," he assured her. "He just doesn't understand. Give him a few hours to vent, and he'll come back home."

"…I hate it when you do this to him." Elanor's words were low and hesitant, but grew louder as she found the strength to speak up. "It's not his fault what happened to Astra. It's not her fault either. And most importantly, it's not your fault."

"Elanor…" Alistair started, but surprisingly she held up a hand to silence him.

"Your son's right; you are scared," she said with a stern glare. "So am I, honestly. And you're right too; he isn't ready for the world...but only because we've failed as parents to make him ready."

Before Alistair could respond, Elanor stormed up the stairs and into their bedroom. A slam of the door, and he was left alone in the living room, a prisoner to his thoughts.

A cold breezed nicked Alex's bare skin and his ankle hurt like hell, but he was too caught up in his thoughts to pay attention to the outside world right now. He wasn't sure which emotion was dominant; he was angry at his father, he was hurt his mother wouldn't stick up for him, and he was upset with his sister. Astra…he couldn't even remember what she looked like. She was practically a stranger. Yet, her passing had affected so much. He wondered, if she was still alive, if maybe his parents wouldn't judge him so harshly. Maybe her guidance would have kept him from making mistakes. Maybe he could have become a trainer and traveled with her…

Alex suddenly realized he was standing at the door to the Pokemon Center. Alex had a passing thought to visit Lucario; evidently, his subconscious acted on it. However, a new fear began to claw at Alex. The Lucario did save him, but at the same time he'd run away from him too. What if the Pokemon didn't like him? What if…

No! Enough with the pity-party-bullshit! Alex shook the thoughts from his head and resolved to enter the Pokemon Center. He would befriend this Lucario, damn it, and show his parents he could be a pokemon trainer!

"Hello, and welcome to the Pokemon Center! We restore your tired pokemon to—" the nurse from earlier stopped mid-sentence as she recognized the young boy in the black vest and blue shirt. "Oh, you're back."

"Yeah, um…hi," Alex said as he waved meekly and was suddenly self-aware of how disheveled he looked. He ignored this realization and continued. "Anyway, I wanted to check up on that Lucario I brought in earlier. You know…just to make sure he's ok."

The nurse noticed just how red his normally bright cyan eyes were, and withheld the urge to ask what happened. "The Lucario…oh yes, he was doing much better actually."

Alex brightened up. "I'm glad to hear it. Is it possible I could see him?"

"Um…" the nurse's hesitation suddenly made Alex nervous. "Well, I would, except he's not…here anymore."

Alex became panicked. "What…? What do you mean he's not here? What happened to him?"

"Well, the thing is he just got up and left," the nurse explained. "I went to check on him, saw he was recovering, and as soon as I turned around he was gone."

"When did he leave? How long ago did this happen?"

"About ten minutes ago," the nurse answered. "I caught a glimpse of him through the window. It seemed like he was heading towards Route 19 and—"

Alex didn't hear the end of her sentence. As soon as she said "ten minutes ago" and "Route 19", he was out the door and sprinting, lame ankle be damned! With a speed he didn't even know he had, Alex ran across the dark roads of Floccesy Town, ignoring the startled cries of random passerby out for a late-night stroll. Soon the outskirts came into view and with them the opening to Route 19.

There was no sign of Lucario. The young man slowly came to a stop and took a huge gasp of air. Free of the adrenaline rush which allowed it to be ignored, his ankle made it known just how displeased it was with all the running it just did.

Alex huffed as he caught his breath. Then, as loud as he could muster, Alex called out to the Aura pokemon. He shouted his name until his voice was raw, and when nothing answered he finally stopped and sank to his knees. Now he truly felt defeated. He never even got to thank Lucario for saving him…

Jeez, you're loud! Alex blinked. The words…they weren't spoken and seemed to come from his mind…but it definitely wasn't his voice that said them. Alex looked behind him and saw a humanoid canine with blue fur and red eyes…

"Lucario…?" Alex's asked wide-eyed. "You're still here? I thought you'd…wait, was that you talking just then, in my head I mean?"

The small pokemon sauntered to the kneeling human. Well, I don't see anybody else here, do you? Lucario "said" with a shrug. My species can use Aura to read emotions and project our thoughts. We aren't called the 'Aura' Pokemon for nothing… Lucario frowned. Speaking of which…what happened to you? Your emotions are an even bigger wreck than they were this afternoon.

"Um, yeah, it's a long story…and kind of personal," Alex answered sheepishly. "Sorry, this is kind of a first for me; talking to a Pokemon that is."

Glad to have given you a unique life experience, Lucario replied dryly. If you'll excuse me though, I need to get going.

Lucario made to leave, but Alex quickly got up and stood in front of him. "Wait a minute!" he began as the pokemon eyed him warily. "Weren't you sick earlier today? Shouldn't you still be resting at the Pokemon Center?"

I appreciate your concern, but I'm fine now, Lucario answered shortly. Don't ask me why, but that just…happens sometimes. I'm normally fine after a day's rest or so. Nothing to do with you chasing me by the way. Alex blinked, and Lucario pre-emptively answered, I could feel the guilt when you carried me earlier. The Lucario then looked abashed, and added, I…really appreciate you doing that by the way. It probably wasn't necessary, but the concern is touching.

"Well…you saved me," Alex said, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "From the Scolipede, I mean. What kind of person would I be if I just left you there?"

The Lucario stared at him thoughtfully. After a moment of awkward silence, the pokemon started to pass Alex. Well, it was nice to meet you, and I appreciate the help…even if you did chase me half-way through the forest. But I really need to be going now.

Alex started walking with the Lucario. "Do you really have to go so soon?" he asked. "I mean, where are you headed anyway? And what do you mean 'that just happens sometimes?' That's really not normal! Couldn't you—?"

Lucario stopped walking and turned to face the human. With an audible sigh, he projected, Look, you're nice and all, but I'm not letting you catch me. Sorry, but I have things to do in the next town over. I can tell you are genuinely concerned, but I know why you chased me in the forest. Alex winced at this, but Lucario continued, My stopping in the forest to watch you meant nothing. I just felt your emotion and stopped because I was curious, nothing more.

Alex watched somberly as the Aura pokemon walked away. His thoughts turned towards everything that had happened that day: his father's cold greeting at breakfast…his attempts to catch a pokemon…meeting Lucario…the Scolipede and the trip to the Pokemon Center…and finally the fight with his parents.

Being a pokemon trainer…you just can't do it.

The words still stung, but it gave Alex a form of strength he'd never felt before. Nobody believed in him. Not his mother, not his father, not even the Lucario that had saved him. Well, enough was enough. If they wouldn't give him a chance to prove himself, then he was just going to make his own!

"Hey, Lucario!" The Aura pokemon stopped, slightly exasperated, but patiently waiting. Alex ran to catch up with him again and continued, "Listen, earlier when you asked what happened to me…well, I got into a fight with my parents. It was…kind of a fight we've had before. I want to become a pokemon trainer and travel Unova, but my father won't let me because my sister died during her journey."

Lucario's face softened. I'm sorry to hear that, he projected. Still though, I'm not sure what that has to do with me.

"Well, you're traveling to the next town over, right?" Alex asked. "I was thinking that maybe I could come with you. I don't have a Pokemon yet and you could watch my back until I get one. In exchange, I could keep you company, and other trainers wouldn't think you're wild and try to catch you. What do you say?"

Red eyes stared at Alex with an uncomfortable intensity. Finally, after a long silence, the Aura pokemon's expression softened. Alright then, you can come with me, the Lucario projected. We'll travel a few miles into the route and then find somewhere to sleep for the night. We'll resume in the morning and hike straight to Aspertia City. Think you can handle it?

A broad smile stretched across the blonde-haired teenager's face. "Definitely!" he answered. "Thank you Lucario, I promise not to slow you down."

Don't kid yourself, Lucario replied with a smirk, pointing to Alex's ankle brace. I appreciate the enthusiasm, but let's be practical here. Luckily for you, I'm in no great hurry. By the way…I don't think I ever got your name?

The blond grinned. "Alexander Andrite, but just call me Alex. It's nice to meet you."

Alex held out his hand, and Lucario shook it. Well then Alex, if you're ready, we'll be going. With the terms of their mutual pact established, human and pokemon set off into the night. Alex smiled. Technically he wasn't a trainer and this wasn't his pokemon, but his journey had started nonetheless. For once in his life, he looked forward to what was to come.

Author's Note: Oh dear, just what have I started…?

Just to clarify a few things, this is predominantly set in the videogame world, but may take small cues from the anime or manga where I feel appropriate. The setting is set two years after the end of Black2/White2, and assumes that Black/White's and Black2/White2's stories took a year each to conclude.

Please let me know what you think. I'd especially like to know what you thought of the pacing and the characters, because I had a hell of a time trying to make sure everyone's motives were believable. The premise of this story isn't too original (boy gets pokemanz and goes on journey—wat a tweest!), but I aim to balance that with good characters and some subtle changes to the formula (the fact Alex's "starter" technically doesn't belong to him, for example). I'd like to know how well I'm accomplishing those goals.

Other than that, I hope you enjoy the story. Until next time!

EDIT (6/27/15): Minor corrections to the chapter, some changes in syntax to make it read a little better, and some changes in the author's note. Also, obligatory disclaimer is obligatory. Still working on the second chapter.

EDIT (7/01/2015): Ok, more minor edits and grammar corrections. I don't like the beginning paragraphs very much and keep trying to figure out ways to change them. Bah, I've never been good at openings. Oh, and more tweaks to the chapter because why not?

EDIT (7/09/2015): I couldn't help it. The opening half of this story was really bugging me, so I rewrote it into something I felt was more interesting. The overall content is the same, just worded differently…well, aside from the extra scene where the Andrites get the bad news about Astra. This is the last time I will edit this chapter (for a while at least). Damn do I hate writing openings…