A small, little beach side town was what Sandgem was. It wasn't particularly the most known place but it was where people went in order to see Professor Rowan, best known for his study on evolution.

Walking from near a small school yard was a small boy and his father. The father seemed to be dragging the boy along a dirt path, towards a building in the distance. The boy looked back at the multiple kids, happily playing amongst themselves and with the local pokemon.

"Dad...Why can't I play with the other kids?"

"You know that you're not allowed! You're not like them. You need to stay with me and the professor at the lab. No more running off! You hear me?! You shouldn't waste your time on lesser beings such as those children."

"But...I really wanna go on the playground…" The boy hung his head low.

"No Lucas! Please don't make me tell you again." The man said, growing annoyed.

"O...Ok…"

When the two of them arrived at the building, the man quickly grabbed his lab coat from a coat rack and walked his son over to a smaller room with a bed, a bookshelf, a desk and a singular lamp.

"Go to the back room and ready yourself for test 32."

"Yes, sir…" The small boy muttered before taking his bag off and placing it on a chair.

He went to his room and changed his clothes. A black tank top and a pair of red shorts. The boy wrapped his hands and white bandages.

After a few minutes, an older man stepped inside and kneeled down in front of the boy. "Are you ready Lucas?"

"Yes Professor…" Lucas sighed.

"I know you may not like this, but in order to understand your true capabilities, we need to perform the tests." The man said.

"I know. It's just, I wish I could could do...I dunno, normal kid stuff!" Lucas grumpled.

"Hmm...I'll tell you what. Finish up today's test and I'll get your dad to let you go outside for a little bit. It's about time you made some friends." Rowan spoke.

"Really?! Dad never lets me do anything!"

The old man chuckled and nodded. "Yes. Now come. Today won't be easy for you."

"Why is that?"

"Well, as you know you're not very skilled with most of the typings. Based off of your previous test scores, we've come to the conclusion that your use of normal, fire and rock types are like second nature to you. However, you lack an understanding of other typings. Because of this, we're going to try and expand upon that." The professor explained.

The old man walked the small boy to the basement level of the lab. The boy's father stood idly by and watched the two walk towards large a chamber. Lucas stepped inside and braced himself for what was to come.

The first series of tests were to push Lucas to his limits in terms of his physical strength. They made him do around sixty pushups in two minutes, one hundred crunches and run on a treadmill for an hour.

After all this. They moved into his use of skills. He would fire off small attacks at multiple targets. With his low level rock type moves.

Once he completed that, he moved on to his resistance test which was by far his most difficult.

"Alright, phase one." A dark brown haired woman with red glasses spoke as she pulled a lever down.

The vents within the chamber began to let off a gust of chilling air. Frost covered the glass of the chamber, symbolizing the sheer cold from inside.

"Ok Lucas, you're at twenty degrees below zero." Rowan said.

Lucas shivered furiously as he tried desperately to resist the cold. His father noticed this and narrowed his eyes.

"Lucas! Use your fire!"

Lucas's eyes widened and he surrounded himself with fire. Steam filled the chamber as the frost melted.

"The temperature will now drop to below forty degrees!" Rowan yelled.

Lucas increased the amount of fire that he gave off in order to combat the freezing temperature. It was slowly becoming an extremely difficult tasked for the child.

"We are now lowering the temperature to seventy degrees below zero." The woman said.

Lucas dropped to his knees and wrapped his arms around himself. "I...It's t...too cold...I can't do it!"

"Professor, should we shut down the chamber?" The woman asked.

"I suppose-"

"NO! He needs to improve! He gave up after below seventy last time! He will endure the cold if he hopes of mastering these powers." The boy's father said, cutting off the professor. He dropped the temperature to below ninety.

"N...no! It's too...c...cold! Stop it! TURN IT OFF!!!" Lucas screamed. He dropped to the floor as his flames diminished.

"Use your fire if you want to survive!"

Rowan glared and moved the father away from the machine. "That's enough Gregory!" Rowan pushed the lever back up in order to stop the test. Lucas huffed as he tried to catch his breath. Rowan scooped the boy up and glared.

"But what about the other tests? We can't just stop after one!"

"This is becoming unethical. I want to understand the boy's power as well, but not like this. He's been committed to these life restricting experiments since he was able to walk! He needs to be given a proper childhood! He's only eight years old Gregory. He rarely ever leaves this lab and spends most of his time dreaming about what it means to be a real kid." Rowan scolded.

"With all due respect, I don't need a lecture on how to raise my son!" Gregory hissed.

"Then prove it to me! Stop treating him like lab rat and let him enjoy his life. The boy should be at school interacting with others. Not spending his life in a laboratory chamber! He'll become emotionally disconnected. He may grow to be unstable."

"Fine! If that's what you think is best...We're leaving!" The man grabbed his son and left the lab. He walked him down the path that led towards their home.

"..." Lucas felt tension and it was giving him anxiety. His father was upset and he could tell.

"Listen to me Lucas…" The man growled.

"Yes dad?" Lucas winced.

"You're special. One of a kind! I know what you can and can't do, so please...Don't make me regret everything I've done to make you better." The man said as he lowered the boy to the ground. "Go inside the house boy."

"Yes sir…" The boy stepped inside and was greeted by a small brown haired little girl as she hugged his waist.

"LUCAS!" She yelled happily.

"Hey Liz." The boy smiled down at his younger sister and patted her head. No matter what he went through, his three year old sister also warmed his heart. She was the only person that he could always count on to brighten up his day in the darkest of times.

"I gotta show you something Lucas!" Liz said as she tugged her older brother towards the living room. She pointed to the screen and showed Lucas a guy a few years older than himself with a red cap on, ordering a large, orange pokemon to attack and a bulky blue one.

"Whoa?! Is that really Red? He's at the pokemon league in Kanto!" Lucas said.

"Look at him go!" Liz shouted.

"Red is so cool! Look at Charizard kicking butt out there!" Lucas grinned at the screen.

"We gotta tell grandpa!"

"Where is he?" Lucas asked.

"He's in the back with Sparks."

"Alright. I'll be back." Lucas said to her.

"Hurry back or you'll miss the ending!"

Lucas nodded and walked to the back yard. He saw his grandfather tearing off a strip of meat and feeding a piece to a Shinx. The little boy walked next to the old man with the red beret on top of his grey hair.

"Hey grandpa." Lucas said to the old man as he walk over to him.

"Ah, Lucas my boy! How are you?" The old man said as he ruffled the boy's messy black hair.

"I'm fine. What about you?" Lucas asked.

"Oh you know, just saying hello to our reoccurring friend."

Lucas bent down and scratched behind the Shinx's ears. It purred and nudged Lucas's hand with affection. Lucas smiled widely. "It's nice to see you again too Sparks."

Lucas's grandfather grinned at the interaction. He stood up straight and let out a content sigh. "Hey Lucas, why don't I take you and your sister with me to Lake Verity tomorrow morning. We can go see if the mysterious pokemon of emotion is there.

"Really?! Yeah! Let's go!" Lucas said happily.

"Great! Don't worry, I'll let your father know beforehand."

"Thanks grandpa!" The boy said with a wide smile on his face. "Oh and grandpa, Red did it! He really made it to the pokemon league! Come on! We gotta go watch him!" Lucas said as he pulled his grandfather back towards the house.

"Alright! Alright! Calm down Lucas! I'm coming." The old man said with a hefty chuckle before coughing uncontrollably.

Lucas looked back at his grandfather with a worried face. "Are you okay grandpa?!"

"Yeah, don't worry about me kiddo. It's just a little cough."

"If you say so…"

-Later that Night-

Lucas and and his younger sister were put to sleep after they ate dinner made by their grandfather. Their father was sitting out back, lighting a cigarette in his hands. Next to him was the grandfather who had a stern look on his face.

"I talked to Rowan…"

"Save it father. I already got told off by him." Gregory sighed.

"He's just a boy! You can't keep pushing him like he's a machine! You'll work him to death!"

"That 'boy' is able to use the moves of a pokemon! He may be just a boy, but he's by no means a normal human being!"

"He's your son Gregory!" The grandfather yelled back.

"No...He's not my son. He's much too different. Me and Irene wouldn't have been able to create a being like Lucas. He was found by her and we adopted him. We could've never know that he'd be such a rare creature! A human blessed with the ability to wield the moves of a pokemon? It's preposterous and yet, there he is! Such talents should be explored in great detail!" Gregory said.

"You can't keep doing this to him!" The older man clutched his chest and began to cough violently.

"Father please. You need to calm yourself down. You know that you're sick."

"I'm fine! Don't worry about me! This is about Lucas."

Gregory sighes and takes a deep inhale of his cigarette. "Honestly father…"

"After a brief discussion with Rowan, we came to the conclusion that if Lucas wants to, he'll become a pokemon trainer and explore the region on the day of his 12th birthday."

"WHAT?!" Gregory dropped his cigarette and glared at his own father. "That's ridiculous! What would he even need a pokemon for? He can protect himself!"

"It's not about whether or not he'll be able to keep himself safe. It's about the excitement of the journey and the thrill of meeting new people. He'll get to experience what many other kids get to. He'll be able to have fun."

"So it's already been decided then?" The old man nodded to his son. "...Well then...If that's the case then I suppose that I'll just have to trust in his ability to grow on his own when that time comes…"

"Now, I'm going to be taking the kids down by Lake Verity first thing in the morning. Don't you worry about us. We'll be back later in the afternoon."

"Right…" Gregory muttered.

"...You know, this shouldn't bother you so much. Your mother and I supported your decision to go out and become a trainer. Why can't you be the same way with your own son? Because he's different?!"

"It's not like that…"

"You need to lighten up Gregory. He's getting older. He's YOUR son. I can only tell you so much. It's up to you to put him on the path that will give him the most success." The grandfather let out another fit of coughs. He wiped the small drip of blood from his lips and sighed. "Let's face it Gregory, I'm not gonna be around much longer. You need to start making the right decisions."

"Father...Don't talk like that…"

"No, boy! You need to understand my words...and except them…"

-The Next Morning-

"Come on grandpa!" Liz yelled as she ran around happily.

"My, you're a fast little one! Slow down Lizzie! I'm just an old man!"

"Lucas!" Gregory called out to his son.

The boy looked back with a raised brow. "Yes dad?"

"I want to you to...have fun with your grandfather. Make sure you watch out for any wild pokemon and keep everyone safe."

"Oh...uh ok! I will!" Lucas said with a small grin.

Gregory lit a cigarette and nodded. He patted the boy's head. "I know I'm hard on you, but I want you to know that I do it because I know you're an extraordinary kid."

"Right. Thanks dad." Lucas said as he put his backpack on and walked out the front door with his sister and grandfather.

The three of them walked down route one taking in the scenery. Liz was astonished by the sight of all the different pokemon roaming around. Lucas couldn't believe his eyes. He had spent so much time in the lab that he never got a chance to notice how beautiful nature was. The multiple pokemon that caught his eye left him in awe. He had only been used to seeing Sparks and occasionally the others that would go to the playground in Sandgem. It was incredible to him.

"Alright kids! We're coming up on Twinleaf Town. That means that we're getting real close to good old Lake Verity!"

"Wow! Can we see Twinleaf grandpa?" Liz asked.

"Hmm...I don't see why not. C'mon kids!" The old man said cheerfully as he walked forward with Liz. Lucas felt apprehensive. He noticed that his grandfather was clutching his chest and was sweating more than he should've been.

The boy snapped himself out of his own thoughts and ran forward to catch up with his family. "Hey! Wait for me!"

"Come on Lucas! You're moving too slow!" Liz yelled playfully.

The three of them walked into Twinleaf and admired the place for what it was. While it was a bit smaller than Sandgem, it was also very peaceful and quiet. Lucas smiled at the sight of a few Starly flying around. He wished he could fly up with them.

"Hey mister, you know by any chance where my son could be?" Asked a woman dressed in red with chocolate brown hair.

Their grandfather scratched his beard in thought. "What does the young man look like?"

"He's a little eight year old with blonde hair. He wears a green scarf and is VERY hyperactive." She said.

"Hmm...I'm afraid I haven't, ma'am. Is he somewhere in town?"

"No! I've looked all over Twinleaf for him." She said with panic.

"Well me and my grandkids were going down by the lake. We can check there if you'd like." The old man suggested.

"Oh yes! Thank you!" The woman said quickly. "His name is Barry."

"Barry, huh? Should be easy to remember."

A thought then came to the woman's head. "Oh and if you see him with a little girl, tell her that her mother is looking for her. The little girl's name is Dawn."

"Right. No problem. Let's go you two."

"Aw, but we just got here grandpa." Liz pouted.

"It's ok. We'll stop by again later."

The trio lead by the old man walked off towards the large body of water that was home to one of the mythical lake pokemon. Lucas new all about the legendary pokemon Mesprit due to his grandfather's many tales about visiting the lake. It was where he met his wife.

Once they got to the lake, Liz and Lucas wasted no time running around with happy smiles and carefree attitudes. They played with various Bidoof that resided there.

"Look Lucas!" Liz pointed to the many water type pokemon swimming around in the water.

"I see a few Magikarp, some Goldeen and...some Poliwags!" Lucas deducted with a smile as he continued scanning the water. The boy had and extensive amount of knowledge on many types of pokemon due to his time in the lab with Professor Rowan.

Liz wasn't paying attention to her older brother's words. She was too busy giggling at her reflection in the water.

The grandfather watched on with a sad smile. He knew that his time in this world was limited and just being able to see his two grandchildren together having a good time filled him with a sense of peace and acceptance. While Liz was usually happy and spent a lot of time with the sixty nine year old man, it was his grandson that he was worried about. Lucas rarely smiled. He was isolated and never hung around kids his age. He was sheltered inside of a lab most of his life and didn't have any real friends. That realization hurt the old man deeply. This is what lead to his decision to make Lucas a trainer when the time comes. He only wished he would be around to see that day. He clutched his aching chest and started to feel dizzy. He shook his head when he heard a noise coming from a patch of tall grass.

"Who are they?!" Asked a small boy as he peeked out of the grass.

"I dunno. I've never seen them around here before." Muttered a girl next to him.

"Hm? Hey, who are you two little young ones?" The old man asked. The two kids quickly hid themselves back in the grass. "Hey! It's okay. I'm a kind old man!"

The two kids looked at each other for a moment. The little boy stepped up and looked at the old man with a cautious glare.

"Who are you?!" He asked.

"The name is Luther. What about you two?"

"Hmm...You're not a creep, are you?" The boy asked.

"Ohohohoho! No, no, no! I'm no creep."

"...Then why are you here?" The boy pressed.

"I'm here with my grandkids." The old man responded. "Hey Lucas, Lizzie! Come here for a second." The two children quit what they were doing and walked over towards their grandfather.

"What is it grandpa?" Lucas asked.

"I found two kids that look your age, Lucas." The small boy looked at the two kids in the grass and started to feel uneasy. He quickly hid behind his grandfather's leg. "Aw, come on Lucas. You gotta introduce yourself."

"N...no!"

"Oh well. Maybe next time." Luther looked back at the other two kids. "So, what are your names?"

"I'm Barry!" The blonde boy shouted proudly.

"My name is Dawn…" The little girl muttered.

"Ah, I see. You know, you kids should really head home. Your parents are pretty worried about you."

"Oh man! Mom is gonna be so made!" The blonde kid groaned before sprinting off.

The little girl seemed flustered. "B...Barry?! Wait up!" The girl ran after her friend. She tripped and fell to the grass. Feeling embarrassed, she quickly forced herself up and continued running.

Lucas stared at her, and then to the red scarf that she dropped. He looked at it with mixed emotions before walking up to it and picking it up.

"She dropped it, grandpa." Lucas muttered.

"Yes she did. Would you like to go and return it?" Their grandfather asked.

"...Yeah. That's the good thing to do, right?" The small boy asked.

Their grandfather father smiled. "It sure is kiddo."

After a short walk back to Twinleaf, The three looked around for any signs of the young girl. They began knocking on every house door until they finally found the right one.

The old man knocked on it and stood back when the door flung open. "Hello. Who might you be?" A woman with navy blue hair asked.

"Go on Lucas."

"I...I found this scarf that D...Dawn dropped at the lake…" He said nervously as he held out the red silken scarf.

"Well, will you look at that." The lady smiled brightly. She turned around and called out for her daughter. "Dawn!"

"Yes mom?"

"You've got a visitor. Say hello to Lucas." The woman said.

Dawn stared at the three with a look of confusion. "What are you guys doing here?"

"I found...uh...your scarf…" The boy was feeling anxious. Dawn's face lit up at the sight of her favorite piece of clothing. She took it from Lucas and hugged it tightly.

"Thank you."

"Yeah, your welcome." Lucas nodded.

"Well with that out of the way, I suppose we should make our way back home." The old man said.

"Thank you again. Please, don't hesitate to stop by again." The woman bowed politely.

The old man and his two grandchildren made their way back down route 201 and back to Sandgem Town. It was early in the afternoon and everyone grew hungry for lunch.

When they all made it back home, Gregory greeted them all with nods before he ended up stepping out of the house and towards the lab.

Lucas and his younger sister were inside of the house relaxing as their grandfather made them something to eat. Watching a news report on something about the team rocket leader going missing and the Viridian City gym being closed down. Red was playing his role as champion and completely decimating anyone who dared to challenge him for his title. All while he smiled at them. This made Lucas happy and excited to become his own trainer.

-A Few Weeks Later-

As days went on, Lucas would eventually start going to the Lake in hopes of seeing Mesprit with his grandfather while his father started to educate Lizzie at home.

It was times like this where Lucas could really bond with his grandfather. He learned of the many events that occurred during his grandfather's time as a trainer. He was an expert battler in his younger days and was even a researcher on mythologies with his wife when he got older. He loved to find out about other worldly forces and uncover mysteries about legends.

While spending much time at the lake, Lucas had met up with Barry and Dawn a few times. Barry was able to exhaust the boy with his hyperactive antics and constant movement. He rarely ever slowed down. Dawn on the other hand was like his polar opposite. She was more quiet and relaxed. She was a bit shy but Lucas wasn't really one to judge on timidity. Regardless of their personalities Lucas still valued them as the closest thing he had to friends. This change in life was more enjoyable for the boy. He did still go to the lab and carry out certain tests, but it was far less than when he first started.

Eventually, something would happen that would that would shift Lucas's happiness. His grandfather ended up hospitalized and could no longer walk the boy down to the lake. This left Lucas feeling hurt on the inside. He hated the feeling of knowing that something was wrong and he couldn't control it. He was sad and couldn't shake it away.

While in the local hospital of Sandgem, Lucas, Liz and Gregory sat by the bedridden old man. The children were on the verge of tears and their father was doing his best to control himself.

"C'mon, why the long faces? I'm just a little sick is all! I'll be fine in a couple of days." He lied. To the kids, it was a sign of hope. To Gregory, it was a sign of submission. He knew that his father was slowly dying and was just trying to keep the kids happy. It was hard to watch.

"Grandpa, I don't want you to go away…" Liz sobbed as she hugged the old man.

"Don't worry Lizzie. Grandpa is always here. Don't cry anymore. You gotta be strong for your dad and your big brother."

"O...ok." She said.

"I need to talk to Lucas for a little bit. Go with your dad for a moment." He said.

"Yes grandpa." She sniffled.

"Good girl." He watched as Gregory carried his daughter out of the room. The old man looked at his crying grandson and smiled. "Lucas...Why ya cryin?"

"I...it's because...I'll n...never get to...see you again…"

"But you're so strong! You don't need me around anymore. I've seen with my own two eyes what you can do. I've ran out of stuff to teach you and all I can do now is sit by and watch you get better each and every day. You're a great kid and I have nothing but faith in you. Don't ya still wanna be a trainer like Red?"

"I...can't...I don't want to if you're...dead." The boy said sadly.

"It's fine. I'm not gonna leave you Lucas. Even if I'm not physically here, I'll still be with you, Liz and your dad." The old man sat up and grabbed the red beret from the bedside table. "Here, kid. Take this with you. If you keep it then I'm never really gone."

"Why are you giving me this?! Isn't this your favorite hat?"

"Make it your favorite hat. I wore that hat the day that I started my journey. Now, you can too. Make memories with that thing, you hear! It's real special." The old man smiled as Lucas put the slightly big hat on. "Look at you. I bet all the ladies are gonna chase you now!" He chuckled.

"...I'm gonna miss you." The boy muttered.

"I'm gonna miss you too. Make me proud. I'll be watching so stay outta trouble."

"...I will!" Lucas hugged his grandfather one last time.

"I'll tell grandma that you said hi, alright?" The old man said.

"Okay…"

"Now get outta here. And make sure you take good care of Sparks. He's gonna need you now."

"Yes sir..." Lucas stepped back and started for the door. He took one last good look at his waving grandfather. He turned back and closed the door, leaving the old man to die in peace.