It's a sleepy Saturday afternoon, and I have presented you with another chapter. Thank you to everyone who has read and reviewed this story so far, because it really means a lot to me.

This is where the plot is going to thicken. I can't wait to see what you guys think of it.

Current music: Road Less Traveled by Lauren Alaina


It was turning into a very hot day on Route 212. So hot, in fact, that it was quite appropriate to say it was boiling, which was rather clever given that 212 is the temperature at which water boils.

As he made his way along the route, a white-furred Lucario was sweating a great deal. Not only was he hot and tired, he was also very frustrated.

In his backpack, he had six Pokeballs, the standard amount that a trainer should carry around with them at all times. However, he had no Pokemon to put in them; he'd thus far been unsuccessful in his efforts to catch them.

Well, he thought, it's not as though I've had that many chances. They don't turn up here all the time.

Indeed, most of the Pokemon he'd be going after would probably be in the woods on a day like today. It was fairly unlikely that they'd want anything to do with the increasingly warm day.

Lucas didn't know exactly why he wanted to have a team, but he thought that part of it might have been because he wanted a sense of satisfaction. He wanted to experience the process of growing a team of Pokemon and being able to bring his dreams to fruition.

He also desired some form of protection. It wasn't news to Lucas that he had a target on his back. He always had, and he always would, thanks to the color of his fur, which really stuck out like a sore thumb. If he'd had a team of Pokemon to fight with, that would have been great.

But no, he thought. I'm completely exposed here.

His mouth felt increasingly dry with every mile, and he knew that he would need to stop eventually. The question was, when would there be a good place to stop, preferably that was indoors?

Soon enough, Lucas had his answer. A brick building was now visible roughly half a mile ahead, and the Lucario thought that he recognized the sign on top of it.

It's a Staryubucks, he realized. What I wouldn't give for a nice, cold cup of soymilk...well, now I'll get it!

He didn't drink coffee, but he still very much liked coffee shops for their pastries and cold drinks. If he could get something that was a reprieve from the hot sun, beating down like nobody's business, that would be great.

Lucas entered the coffee shop and found that very few others were there. Nobody looked that suspicious, but then, that didn't mean anything.

He had to be careful. They, poachers, often passed themselves off as ordinary people, just hanging out at the beach or playing a round of miniature golf...or here, enjoying a nice drink or pastry.

Really, it didn't take much to impersonate someone who wasn't a Team Rocket grunt. All you really needed to do was hide the tattoo of the letter R, as well as not wear the black shirt with a red R. It was that easy.

There were only two other patrons. One was a young man, probably in his twenties or so, looking at his laptop, perhaps doing some sort of project on it. He didn't look up at the sight of a six-foot-two, white-furred Lucario.

The other person was more of a cause for worry. She was a woman who looked to be in her fifties, with short hair and glasses. Most Team Rocket grunts were much younger than fifty, but some remained in good enough shape to do that. And then there were some who were double agents at that age, which this woman would have been if she was a member of Team Rocket.

So, why was Lucas worried about this woman in particular?

Well, she kept glancing over at him as though she were amazed at the sight of him. Which would have been understandable (after all, you don't see a white-furred Lucario every day), except that her gaze looked almost malicious. Both ominous signs, but Lucas didn't want to attract more attention to himself. He wasn't going to leave this coffee shop without getting something to eat and drink, and, besides, he needed a break from the heat.

There was no line at the counter, so he simply walked up to the barista and said, "I'd like some soy milk and an old-fashioned glazed donut".

"That'll be $7.52, sir" replied the barista.

After Lucas paid for both of his items, he went to sit in an armchair next to the window. Really, if you could get around the fact that one of the people looked almost like a Team Rocket member, it wasn't a bad place to be.

The Staryubucks was right next to a bridge over a highway. From this perspective, Lucas could just barely see cars going by below, reminding him that time was still passing.

Another thing keeping him aware of the passage of time was the music that was playing in the coffee shop. It was set to the song, "Ghost Ship of Cannibal Rattatas" by Billy Talonflame. The beats, in a way, helped Lucas stay awake.

Unnnngggghhh...this feels nice, Lucas thought. He was very glad to be indoors, in a nice air-conditioned coffee shop. He'd been sweating like crazy when he'd been outside, and now, at least, he could cool down.

It wasn't just his thick coat of white fur that made Lucas so susceptible to the excess heat. He was also a Steel type, and that made days like today hell for him. Of course, now that he was on the run, an adventure of its own in a manner of speaking, he was going to have to deal with the heat.

Man, I hate having white fur, he thought.

Supposedly, at least according to his parents, he'd had some mystery illness when he was really little, and that's why his fur had changed color. He had no memory of this; from his perspective, it hadn't even happened, so there was no way to tell if it was true of not, other than looking at his medical records.

To get to my medical records, I'd have to go through my parents, and going through my parents would put them in danger.

They will stop at nothing to go after me. I have to be ready for that.


Serena found it very exciting to be on an adventure like she was right now.

Ever since she was much younger, she'd always had this ambition, to be out and about. Arceus knew that she was more than a little restless at home, but now the tables had turned. Now, she was really glad that she was out with Ash.

There were the minor things that she didn't quite like about the boy she was traveling with, though. For instance, when he'd mentioned that Kalokalo would need to get used to the heat, that had really hit home for her.

Because she knew. She'd heard plenty of stories of abusive trainers, those who made their Pokemon work in the heat for long hours, or even beat them, sometimes even to death when the masters got carried away.

She didn't think that Ash would be capable of such cruelty. They'd known each other since the beginning of elementary school, and Serena had always seen him as a pretty nice guy. Certainly not somebody who would abuse his Pokemon in any way, shape, or form.

Ash had apologized, and she'd forgiven him. Still, with everything she'd heard, and all of the beaten Pokemon her father, a doctor, had taken care of, it was hard not to get more than a little salty. It wasn't something she'd forget anytime soon.

Serena had allowed her new Ivysaur to walk on the path with the rest of them, once she was sure that he was loyal to her.

She'd named him Galang, which, in another language she'd heard once before, meant "respect". Serena did not quite know if this was revenge on Ash for his gaffe or just because she wanted to respect Galang back, but, in a way, it seemed almost poetic.

"We're going to have an army by the time we're done, at this rate" Serena told Ash eventually.

Her sudden words seemed to take Ash by surprise. After all, for the last mile or two, neither of them had spoken; it had taken all of their energy just to keep moving in the increasingly brutal heat.

"Yeah, you bet" he replied, chuckling slightly.

It wasn't much longer before they saw a brick building just a quarter of a mile away. It was located next to a bridge that ran over a highway, so, from here, they could hear the cars going by.

"Maybe this place isn't so peaceful after all" Ash quipped.

Serena couldn't help but laugh just a little at that. During their whole walk along Route 212, at least for today, they hadn't seen anybody else. No other trainers, no Team Rocket members, nobody simply taking a dog for a walk.

She knew that, once they reached a city, they would obviously see a lot more people out and about. However, Route 212 was a lot of distance to cover, so it made sense that nobody else would be there that she could see.

"You want to stop for some coffee or something?" Serena asked Ash once they reached the door.

"Yeah" the boy replied, checking his watch. "It's about lunchtime" he said. "Maybe that's not such a bad idea after all".

Serena and Ash entered the coffee shop, which was nearly deserted. Most of the people who would frequent it would probably have come earlier in the morning, since that's typically the time most people drink coffee.

There were only three beings in sight besides the two of them and their Pokemon, and two of them were the workers, young men wearing their Staryubucks smocks. The other wasn't a person, but rather a Lucario, sipping a large cup of some white liquid through a straw.

This wasn't any ordinary Lucario, however. He (Serena had a pretty good sense that it was a he) had white fur, and was wearing a yellow scarf around his neck. You didn't see that every day.

She looked over at Ash. His eyes were wide open, the size of golf balls. He was clearly seeing something he hadn't expected to see, something he saw as major.

He moved to sit over next to the Lucario, who looked up from his drink only to see that Ash was taking out his laptop and typing something in, then went back to drinking the milk (or whatever it was).

"I think I know you from some place" Ash told the Lucario.

Now it was the Lucario's turn to look shocked. Lucario had both of his paws planted very firmly on the floor, as though he were ready to spring up at any moment and run far, far away. Serena had to wonder why this Lucario seemed so scared of Ash.

Serena could tell that it was taking a lot of effort for the Lucario to not panic. As it was, she could see sweat running down his face, although that might have been because the Lucario was out in the heat as well that day.

"Where is that?" Lucario asked him.

"I had a dream about you" Ash said nonchalantly, as though he was simply saying something like, I like apples.

"Everyone has dreams" the Lucario replied gruffly. "Doesn't mean that they're true".

"I never said that. It's just that I dreamed that someone was out looking for you. I saw the sketch of you".

Lucario was now clearly panicking silently. He said, "I really should get out of here, you know…". It was clearly against his own better judgment to say that, but it was plain to see that he could no longer resist his own impulses.

"No, please stay" Ash replied. "I promise you that I'm not a member of Team Rocket".

"That's what they all say, I'm sure. But how do you know that Team Rocket was looking for me? What's my name?"

Serena was very shocked. She was sure that Ash wouldn't be able to guess it correctly. After all, there were so many names that the Lucario could have, and she wasn't one to believe in the prophetic power of dreams. It all seemed like a bunch of silliness to her.

"Lucas Whitefur" Ash replied forcefully. "I had a dream about someone named Lucas Whitefur, and he looked exactly like you. He even had the same yellow scarf as the one you are wearing".

"This one?" the Lucario asked, taking it off. It now appeared slick with sweat, but, in Serena's opinion, it was still beautiful.

"Yeah, that one" Ash said.

"Well, I will not deny that I am Lucas Whitefur. I suppose that if you are some Team Rocket grunt, I have no opportunity to escape now, so what do I have to lose from telling you so?"

"I knew it" Ash replied. "I knew that you were Lucas Whitefur. Lucas is a fitting name for a Lucario".

"Yeah" Serena said. She hadn't spoken in a while, not since they'd entered the coffee shop, but she felt compelled to do so now. "It really is a beautiful name, and I see why your parents named you that".

"In any case…" Lucas began, but then trailed off. He clearly didn't know what to talk about. "I see that you have some Pokemon with you. Care to show me?"

It was now Serena's turn to be suspicious of Lucas. There was a slight feeling that Lucas couldn't mean anything good by asking to see their Pokemon. It seemed like an odd request, one that was probably motivated more by greed than anything else.

"Sure" Ash replied, before Serena could veto that idea. They'd put all four of their Pokemon in Pokeballs prior to entering the coffee shop, since they couldn't be 100% sure that they wouldn't run around and possibly mess the whole place up. Now, however, Ash seemed completely fine with it, and she wondered what would make him acquiesce so quickly to the demands of someone he'd only just met.

He took out one of his Pokeballs and pressed the button. Coyopa was released from the Pokeball.

"Remember, Coyopa, we're in a public place now, so please be on your best behavior" Ash told his Pikachu.

"Does he get rowdy sometimes?" Lucas asked Ash.

"Oh, like you wouldn't believe" Ash replied, chuckling. "Trust me that you should give him plenty of exercise, because, if he doesn't get it, he's just going to run all over the place".

"I won't do that" Coyopa promised.

"Nice" Lucas replied. "And I see that you've named your Pikachu Coyopa. That's a nice name; does it mean anything?"

Ash nodded. "It's the name of a God of thunder from some ancient culture. I figured that, since Pikachu's an electric Pokemon, it made sense".

"I suppose it does, if you put it that way" the Lucario told him. "He is pretty cute".

Serena noticed that Ash smiled at that. Then, Ash pressed the button on his other Pokeball, and Levu appeared in a flash of cyan light.

Levu looked back at Ash, regarding him with what seemed to be a suspicious expression. Serena had no idea why this was, but the Leafeon didn't seem to trust his trainer very much. There might have been a story behind that, but she was afraid to ask, for Levu probably found it pretty personal.

"Yes" said Lucas. "He's cute as well".

At that, Levu visibly flinched, as though he thought that Lucas was some kind of Pokemon hunter who was going to aim and fire.

Perhaps he really does think that, Serena thought. Maybe there's something Levu isn't telling us.

She wasn't going to pry into Levu's past, though. Right now, they were both focusing on this white-furred Lucario, who seemed very apologetic after noticing Levu's behavior.

"What's wrong, Leafeon? I won't bite".

"His name is Levu" Ash said, evidently realizing that he hadn't told Lucas that.

"Okay, then" Lucas replied. "Sorry that I seem to have scared him".

"He's a bit jumpy, you know? You just have to be careful what you say around him, but if you are, you shouldn't run into any major issues".

Well, that's a relief, Serena thought.

She had been reluctant to show Lucas her team of Pokemon. But Ash had done it, so Serena decided that it would be fitting for her to do so as well.

Serena took out one of her Pokeballs and released an Ivysaur. This was, of course, the same Ivysaur that she had caught earlier.

"Hi" said the Ivysaur to the Lucario. "I'm Galang".

"Did you name Galang?" Lucas asked Serena.

"Yeah, I did" Serena replied without hesitation. "It's a word that means respect in another language".

"That's a sweet name" Lucas replied. "Any particular reason you chose it?"

"Not really. And then there's the one I've had since I was ten. I don't know if you knew this, but new trainers always get their Pokemon on their tenth birthday. It's a tradition, a rite of passage of sorts".

"I'm aware of this rite of passage" the Lucario said. "I never took part in it myself...after all, I am a Pokemon already, so…".

"I get it" Ash replied.

Lucas looked crossly at Ash. "In any case, what were your names again?"

"Ash Ketchum" Ash said.

"Serena Courtland" Serena said.

"Nice names" Lucas replied. "Like I told you, I'm Lucas Whitefur. Please do not call me Luke, I do not appreciate nicknames".

"Sure" Serena replied.

"In any case", Lucas continued, this time addressing Ash, "which of your Pokemon did you get on your tenth birthday?"

"I got Coyopa on my tenth birthday" Ash replied. "He's been my best friend ever since".

Serena remembered the day that Ash had gotten his first Pokemon, six years before. As soon as he'd gotten home from the Pokemon Lab in downtown Gardenia, he'd called her up on the phone and told her all about Coyopa, his new Pikachu. He'd sounded so excited that he probably couldn't see straight.

"That's nice" Lucas replied, looking slightly wistful. "I wish I could have had my own Pokemon".

"Well, we're on a journey" Serena said. She didn't know why she was doing so at first, but then she realized something.

Part of the reason for this was because she wanted Lucas to have the chance to join them.

"Oh, nice" the Lucario said. "I was never a trainer myself, but can I see your other Pokemon, Serena?"

"Yeah" the girl replied. She got out her other Pokeball and released Kalokalo the Piplup.

"Oh, he's so cute" Lucas said in an awed expression. "What's his name?"

"Kalokalo" replied Serena. "Don't ask me how I got that name, it just sounded really cool".

"Hello, Kalokalo. I'm Lucas Whitefur".

Kalokalo smiled and looked over at Lucas. "Can you pet me?" asked the Piplup.

"I don't see why not" replied Lucas, reaching out a paw and gently stroking the Piplup's back.

The three of them sat there for a couple of minutes as Lucas continued to pet Kalokalo. Eventually, the Lucario started appearing uncomfortable.

"What's wrong, Lucas?" Serena asked him, perhaps against her own better judgment. "You look...on edge about something".

"Well, I really should be leaving soon. It's not good for me to stay in one place for too long. I'm not...safe here, you see".

"Why not?" Ash asked him.

"There are people out there who really want to hurt me. They want me captured, they want me dead. I don't know how much longer I can be on Route 212 before I have to head into the woods, to be honest with you".

"Hmmm" Serena said. Her mind was working a mile a minute, trying to think of what to say.

"Are you a criminal?" Ash asked.

Lucas's eyes grew wide again. "WHAT? No. I've never stolen anything from anybody. Well, unless food counts, but that was only because I was desperate!".

"So why are you on the run?" That was Ash speaking.

"I already told you why. There is a certain evil organization that has put a target on my back. And, like I said, they want me dead".

"Ouch" Serena replied.

"Why don't you join us?" Ash asked.

"I won't" Lucas replied. "I don't want to put you in further danger. Team Rocket is very dangerous as it is".

"Well", Ash replied, "that's one way of looking at it. You could also look at it another way".

"And what way is that?"

"If you join us, you'll have a team of Pokemon backing you up. We are going to have revenge on anyone who tries to hurt you".

Lucas smiled. "That does sound really sweet, actually".

Serena was excited at the prospect of someone new joining them. "Well…" she replied. "Do you want to join us or not?"

"I will".

And so that is how two became three, how Ash Ketchum and Serena Courtland were joined by Lucas Whitefur.


It might be just me, but if a white-furred Lucario and two trainers were in my local small-town Starbucks, I'd be pretty amazed, and wonder what they were planning. It might be something illicit, so I'd certainly be suspicious were I a barista there. Or is it baristo, since I'm a guy? I don't know.

Whatever. In any case, thank you for reading up to this point. I hope you continue to enjoy my content.