After seeing off his partner he pulled out his phone and called Galena. He still sat patiently in one of the benches waiting for her to pick up. Eventually he heard a tired voice say, "Galena Whitney's phone."

Lu smiled and silently sighed in relief and said, "Galena, it's Lucius."

"Oh! Hey, Lu!" her voice lost the groggy texture and replaced it with a chipper happier tone. "Sorry if I sound tired I fell asleep while watching TV."

"Oh, We can cancel if you need to rest," He offered.

"Cancel?" Galena was silent for two second, "Oh, heavens no! My nap was all I needed, I'm fine. Um, where are you, I can pick you up."

"Hearthome City's Sinnoh Ambulance District." He replied.

"Okay, give me a second to get ready. I might take a while though. Do you need to get dropped off to your pace to get ready too?"

"I'll walk. I don't have a car, so I'll just go home and one back."

"Oh, um, if your sure. Just dress casually we aren't going anywhere five star or anything. But do dress little formal, 'kay?"

"Sure thing. Is that all?"

"Oh I don't know, if you feel like bringing something extra, that's fine. But for the most part just worry about what you wear."

"Okay then, I'll see you in a little bit." He stood up and started walking home

"Well, a medium bit, actually, but yeah. I'll see you then. Bye."

"Bye." Lu closed his phone and continued home. It wasn't very far, fortunately, but the traffic made it seem that way. When he got home, which was a medium sized apartment, he dug through his closet to get an outfit picked out. There wasn't much he could do to look casual-formal. Most of it was still in a laundry pile that he needed to get done. "Well here's a first. I actually need to buy clothes."

Despite the fact he was a Pokémon, clothes were specially tailored for species like him. It was a little thing that pro-talking Pokémon communities came up with so they could feel more a part of civilization than they were. Pokémon wandering the streets without a trainer was still an oddity, but some people had gotten used to it. However, the wandering Pokémon had to be capable of speech and carry an ID like everyone else. For Lu, his certification ID did just fine.

"There, this should do it." At least, he thought so. Then again, black cargoes, a black belt, and a white button-up shirt was not much different then his uniform. "I need help." The best he could do was change the cargos from black to khaki. He looked at the time he had and decided that this was his outfit. He left his apartment and returned to the Ambulance district. Minutes later, Galena had arrived.

"Hey there, you look nice." Her compliment was encouraging but he still felt a bit bad for not looking any better.

He returned a compliment hoping to get accustomed to the idea of entering a car with someone he was about to… form a more close relationship with. "Thanks, but you look way better than I do. Light blue suites you."

"You think?" She asked her aura glowing a little brighter. "I could never see myself in light blue but I guess it does."Galena was wearing a white blouse with a light blue contagion and a long, brown skirt. It was simple, and definitely casual, but in some small way it was formal, like she said. Of course, since she was a doctor, she was bound to get more money to spend that he would.

Lu buckled himself into his seat and closed the door. The car smelled nice. It was extremely clean as well. No stains spotted the leather seats or any of the cloth ceiling or seats. There was no clutter or left over trash from fast food meals. It looked completely brand new.

"I see you take care of your car, unlike my friend," Lu stated. He felt awkward just sitting there, so he used anything he could to keep conversations going.

"But of course. I really love this car. It took me forever to pay off everything but I finally got it. Now all have to do if pay of the mortgage to my house and i'm debt free. Well, mostly. I'm sure I'll get a thing or two telling me that I have a bill to pay somewhere. Then there's taxes. But I'm feeling pretty steady financially. What about you, why don't you have a car?"

"I prefer walking," Lu chuckled. "I've seen one too many idiots on the street to feel comfortable behind a wheel. I just don't get what it is about people that they have to go ninety over the speed limit. Are they in so much of a hurry to get to point B from point A that they have to get themselves killed over it? What makes speed so worth killing a…" Lu stopped himself realizing he was ranting and took a deep breath. "Sorry, I didn't mean be like that. I tend to have a soap box for this kind of thing."

"No, I understand. Most of my patients tend to be motor accidents and I ask the same thing." Her smile acted as a calming therapy for him. "Ignore safety and safety ignores you. I've seen the results in just about every form. We are only so lucky if that person survives. They don't realize how effective their life is to people and Pokémon alike. Even the ones they don't know." Galena gasped realizing she was crying and tied to wipe them away. "Uh, could you get the tissues from the glove compartment?" He did as she asked and gave her one. She tidied her face, carful not to mess up her make up and apologized, "Sorry, I guess the job has effected us both, huh? But someone has to do it."

"Yeah, it really helps to know that someone gets it. Although, I wish I had your reaction instead of mine. I don't mean to be passionate but… I just wish cars weren't this bad of an issue. I mean twenty-five percent if my calls are car accident. Another being college intoxication, the rest is just random crap that happens. Look, I apologize I don't mean to talk about the job…"

"Oh my goodness!" Galena slammed her breaks and leaned back as a car rushed in front of her from the right side of the two way stop. There was laughing coming from the car and a taunt followed. Galena sighed and looked at Lu who was already restraining himself.

"That is what I'm talking about! Idiots! One day I hope I get their call and give them a piece of my mind."

Galena took a deep breath and continued to drive past the two way and to the restaurant. "I know you may want to teach those kids a lesson, Lu, but you have to learn to see them for what they are: human. Humans tend to be passionate about their wants and hates and most like to be right. Above all they just love things that give them a thrill. One of these things just happen to cars. It's a sense of power to be behind the wheel. It make them think they have complete control of their lives. That's all they want."

Lu took another deep breath and exhaled, "You're right; You're right. I guess… I guess I'm just tired… you know? I'm… tired of all these calls, these deaths. I don't know why I've been in the service for this long. It was a terrible idea. But…I have nowhere else to go. This is the only job I can do and stay steady financially."

Galena smiled softly and put a hand his paw resting on the shoulder rest. "I'm glad you stayed. I don't think i would have met you if you didn't."

Lu and Galena both turned a slight shade of red. Lu's paw wrapped around the hand and lightly squeezed. She turned her attention back to the road and turned into her choice of diner.

"Here we are, I hope you like Izakaya because this is probably the best place in town. A glimpse of my favorite place in the world."

"Never tried it but I have a feeling I will like it." Lu stepped out of the car and followed her in the small restaurant. It wasn't very packed but the smell was amazing. She sat at the bar where the whole kitchen was in display ad pat a stool beside her. He took the stool and looked around examining the Japanese fishermen themed decorations. Fishnets hung from the ceiling to increase the effect. Surprisingly it wasn't very kiddish, but it gave the feeling of being near the docks and waiting to order from the fresh catches of the day. Of course, from what the menu looked like, fish wasn't the only thing here. They're were steaks, sushi, rice bowls, soups, and so much more. It already looked good to him.

"Now, i know the menu looks overwhelming but just order the sukiyaki and you'll be fine. It won't fill you off the bat so don't be afraid to order more. I am their best customer so they tend to get a little relaxed on the prices with me."

"Alright," Lu shrugged, "I'm game for that."

Galena nodded then leaned forward. "Good. Hey Hotori, sukiyaki for him and…mmm, Katsu curry for me."

Hotori wrote the orders down and smiled, "Absolutely, miss Whitney. It is always a great honor to serve you." Hotori turned around and said a thing or two in a foreign language giving the order to a chef who happily took it, smiled at her, and bowed a few times before leaving. Hotori turned back around with a toothy grin. "It will be here shortly. Tell me, who is your friend?"

Galena shifted in her seat and lifted a hand to present him. "This is Lu, he's…"

"Your boyfriend?" Hotori guessed.

Galena blushed. "W-well um…"

"Yes," Lu answered. He knew she wanted to say it, but he also knew she wouldn't have. After what she said and how close they were already becoming, it might as well be official.

"Oh wonderful!" Hotori calmly applauded, "I am pleased to see you are starting to enjoy the pleasures of life."

Galena's smile became brighter and she had to hide her face. "Well… dome pleasures are just too hard to find. But, fortunately, they're not impossible." Her shy eyes turned towards Lu who shared the smile.

The chef came back and called Hotori over. When Hotori left the two alone there was a moment of silence between them. It got uncomfortable for Lu so he spoke first. "Sorry if that was… too straight forward or something." A paw reached back to his head to scratch it.

"Oh no," Galena shook her hands, "I… actually was thinking about saying we were but… I didn't want to speak for you."

Lu chuckled. "So, I guess we're a thing then?"

Galena brushed her right hand across her hair and replied, "Yeah, I'd… love to be."

There food arrived giving the two something to celebrate their new relationship. Hotori bowed and said, "Please enjoy," then left the two alone again.

"Thank you," Galena said taking a pair of chopsticks. "You know how to use these right?"

Lu scratched his head again and chuckled nervously. "Nnnot really."

Galena picked up another pair and smiled, "Don't worry you'll learn. Just take the first one…" She divided the pair apart but frowned at the uneven break. "Oh darn it, bad luck. A-anyway. Divide the pair and take the first one here and set it in your hand like this. A pencil, see?"

"But… I have paws not hands," Laughed Lu.

Galena took the second pair and shoved it into his paws, "It'll still work, you have a thumb. Come on, try." Lu shrugged and broke the shop sticks evenly. Galena pipped up and pointed, "Oh, you got an even break, that's good luck! See, you're doing fine already."

Lu shrugged again and laughed with her. He set the first chopstick on his paw and thumb and held it in place like a pencil as she instructed.

"There you go. Okay, then the next goes on top like this, the thumb covering both like this and dividing your fingers equally. Like this." Galena showed him her palm view with her thumb up keeping the two chopsticks in place with her fingers.

"Uh…" Lu tried to mimic her but the hold felt awkward. "Am. Doing this right?"

"No, your not," She laughed, "Like this, I mean… there."

"This isn't fare! You have hands I've got big fat paws!" Lu laughed still trying to get ahold of the chopstick formation.

"They're not fat, their strong. It's muscle. Okay, now adjust your paw a bit forward… up a bit. More… more…There! That's right!"

"This is cramping my paw." Lu glared at her, but he was still smiling.

"It starts that way but you get stronger and then it feels better. Get a bite let's see how you do." She got a lump of rice from her curry bowl and took her first bite. The rush of flavor made her throw her head back slowly and take a deep breath. "Mm, that's really good."

Lu watched her for a moment and tried to grab his food with the pieces of bamboo. Instead his food flipped in a circle and landed back on his plate, running his grip and getting him nowhere near fed. "Welp, that didn't work."

"You'll get it, keep tying," She encouraged.

Lu tried several times without success. Galena laughed about ever second of the day. He took a deep breath and dropped the chopsticks. "This isn't working. I'm going to need more practice. I have to practice just to eat my food. Am I uncultured or what? And now I have to fix my grip."

Galena watched him fondly as. He tried to fix the grip of his chopsticks again. Giving into her pity she grabbed a piece and held it in front of him, "Ah."

"What?" Lu chuckled.

"Open up," She explained. She waited for him to awkwardly open his mouth nod put the piece in his mouth. "There, now how is it?"

Lu chewed the food getting the full flavor and savor the taste. "That's pretty good. I mean, really good. It's amazing."

She took a bite of her own food and gave him the told-you-so look. "See? Best place in town. Try again, your food's getting cold."

"Can't I have a fork?" Lu asked.

"No, i swore to myself that if I got a boyfriend he was going to know how to use chopsticks. This is your 'Being My Boyfriend 101' lesson."

"What? Oh, I get it," Lu laughed pretending to be offended, "Dating a Lucario, a canine might I add, requires I be trained in a aspects of our taste of dating. Is that it?"

Galena laughed and hugged him, "No, of course not, I wouldn't treat you like a Herdier. My poor widdle lillipup, do you like it behind the ear?"

Lu frowned dramatically and whined, "Galeeenaaa. You're making fun of meeee."

"No, no, I would never make fun of you," Galena giggled scratching at his head behind the ear like a dog lover."

Lu struggled weakly to get out but stopped noticing how good the scratching actually felt. "Ooh, that actually feels pretty good."

"Oh, so you do like it behind the ear," She teased. She squeezed his head up against her chest and started scratching more. It wasn't long until the two realized what they were doing and stopped. The laughs turned to nervous chuckles and both cleared their throats. "S-sorry, I guess I got carried away. I'll get you that fork."

"No, it's okay…I'll learn. I'm sure it's only difficult because I'm making it. After all if I can't pass this first lesson I won't pass the others. Then I won't be up to standard, will I?"

Galena smiled softly at him as he tried again. "Well, okay. But let me know when you need one, you don't learn this over an hour."

Lu's attempt ended with a straining paw lifting carefully a slice of meat to his maw and finishing it off with a chew and swallow. "Hey, I got that one!"

"Well, you're a fast learner," Galena complimented. As soon as her food was finished she resorted to helping him with his since he struggled with finishing. If they let him finish on his own they would have been there forever. She paid for the food but before they could go Hotori stopped them.

"Here, for you. Compliments from all of us and congratulations for getting a date," Hotori said with a bright grin.

"Oh, thank you!" Galena took the take out box and looked inside. "Oh…my…goodness. What is it, it looks amazing!"

"It's called honey bread. One of my own favorites that we have just started serving a few days ago. It's not on the menu just yet. The company we order from is taking a long time to get the new menus sent to us."

"Well, thank you Hotori. You guys are the best." Galena bowed.

"Thank you, Doctor. Have a nice night." He returned a bow and the coupe left the restaurant.

"I can't wait to try this; it looks delicious." Galena said examining the bag with the takeout box.

"Well enjoy. If you liked everything else here that shouldn't be any different. Especially since its a dessert. Haven't seen a living being who hated sugar."

"I'll eat it when I get home. For now, I think we need to finish our date." She unlocked her car and gave him a large grin.

Lu opened his door and stepped into the car."I thought it was just dinner and done."

Galena shrugged and waved her hand, "Minor technicality. After a good meal a walk at night is relaxing. Don't you ever go for walks?"

"I walk all the time." Said Lu.

"Right, you said that. You don't own a car. But you have a license, right? Couldn't be a paramedic without one."

"That's correct," He nodded, "But i don't own a car. Can't afford one right now."

"Is the rent high?"

"No, it's living. I have to pay taxes, the rent, and send some of what I got to my…" Lu stopped himself and continued, "Well, all that and groceries. A car is just not on my mind right now."

Galena stared at Lu curiously. She noticed his stop and gave thought to pressing the matter. Of course they not knew each other for a day, so now was probably not the time. As such, she let it go. "Well paramedic isn't the most paying. That's why I'm so surprised you have stayed in the job this long. Something has to be driving you to go this long. You've got to tell me."

Lu exhaled but said nothing. She watched him for a while, but eventually he shook his head and said, "I've said it before: I have nowhere else to go. This is the only job I'm able to do. The others don't pay any better and I don't have the money to pay for any schooling to be like you."

"Well, in all fairness, my family comes from a line of doctors. I haven't heard of Whitney that has done any other job than in the hospital. My grandfather actually owns one in the Unova 's called Whitney Unova Regional Hospital. The first Pokémon owned hospital in history."

"Really? Heh, lucky you. Sorry, are you going to drive or…"

"Oh, right. I know just the place." Galena started the car and pulled out of the driveway. "A walk in the park I think sounds good."

Lu shrugged. "I'm not against it."

Galena smiled and continued the drive to her choice of a park. Hearthome only had a few parks in its limits. One was a trainer only park while the others, which numbered to only three other, were universal. One of them happened to be Galena's favorite for it's relatively remote atmosphere and quietness. It was only a few blocks away from the Izakaya restaurant. The walk was brief and it consisted of mostly background and family history. After that, she gave him a ride home.

"Tonight was great, I think. I really liked it. I admit I wasn't sure about you at first but… your a really nice guy."

Lu scoffed and smiled at her, "Thanks. I was actually not so sure about you either. I suppose that's how a lot of relationships like this form."

Galena shrugged and looked down at her lap. "I guess. I've always heard that Emergency Medical Pokémon wouldn't make good couples since they would never see each other but… I think… I think we can do it. Listen, tomorrow I don't have to work, how about you?"

"I'm scheduled for the tournament's medical team. Sorry."

"Any longer than that?" She asked.

Lu shook his head, "No, After that, I'm clear. Just the tournament."

"Great, I'm going to watch the tournament with some friends. I'd love to introduce you." Galena said with hope in her eyes.

Lu thought about it for two seconds then nodded, "Yeah, I suppose. I don't think it would hurt."

Galena laughed hysterically, "You'll probably change your mind once you meet them. They're great Pokémon, but they can be a handful. Even for me. I'll try to stay as close as I can to you."

"Why do you need to…"

"You don't want to know, just keep as close as you can to me and don't make eye contact unless you're talking with them. For some odd reason, they have a thing for you Ambulance…"

"Don't say ambulance drivers," Lu shook his head.

"They have a thing for theee…"

"Don't say it."

"Ambulance drivers?"

"Oh, for the love a… I had good thoughts about you. You were perfect!" Lu monologues with exaggerated motion. "You payed for the food, took me to park, drove me home, but now your calling me an ambulance driver!"

Galena laughed and put her hands up defensively, "Everyone says it. Besides, a peed isn't going to look at you and say, 'Look, mom, its a paramedic!' They're going to call you an ambulance driver."

"But…but you don't have to call me one.I learned how to use chopsticks for you. Well, I'm working on it. But still."

"Okay okay, I'm sorry. Do you fo'give me?" She gave him googley eyes and a cute begging face to match.

"And now you're treating me like a lillipup again. Lovely. I'm going to go before my pride dies in your merciless hands. I'll see you tomorrow. Good night!"

Glena shifted the brake on her car. "Sorry, didn't mean to hurt your feelings!"

"Oh they aren't hurt they're dead! Dead feelings! I don't feel anything anymore. You made this." Lu laughed.

"Okay, well I'll suffer it tomorrow. I have to go home now. See you, I hope you can resuscitate your feelings on your own."

"Well I hope you sleep at night knowing you are guilty o negligence!" Lu waved as she drove away.

"I'll sleep like a baby!"

The car raced away before he could make a comeback so he left it at that and returned to his apartment for tomorrow's event.