This is the longest chapter yet, but that's not saying much. It's a little more than four thousand words. Powered on way too many sugar cookies, I was able to bring this to you.
In other news, I just hit 15 favorites and 15 follows. Those are numbers I like to see, especially since I'm almost at 1,000 views now. Once I post this chapter, it'll be about 11:50 AM.
Enjoy!
Current Music: Runnin' Across the Tracks - Billy Talent
Ash couldn't believe how good Serena was at persuasion. She'd really made it sound appealing for Lucas to join them, so much so that Lucas actually did join them.
He didn't know how he felt about that, if he was being honest with himself. On one hand, it would cost more to be with three people than with two people from the standpoint of what they'd need to buy from shops. It would also be more complicated to coordinate the wishes of three as opposed to two.
On the other hand, it really was nice to have another companion. Ash hadn't exactly been lonely when he was just with Serena, but it would be great for there to be someone else to travel with.
Eventually, the barista came over to the armchairs the three of them were sitting at and said that, if they didn't order something soon, they were going to be asked to leave. As a result, they did order sandwiches, including Lucas, who had already had a donut.
Of course, Lucario really have fast metabolisms, Ash thought. Of course he'd still be hungry.
They even ordered some food for their Pokemon, and the group of seven was able to make small talk with each other as they ate. It was really quite pleasant, hanging out here with each other and getting to know Lucas better.
"What's your favorite color, Lucas?" Serena asked at one point.
"Why are you asking me that?" the Lucario replied, sounding slightly confused. "I didn't know that that was too important for you".
"Well", Serena replied, "it would just be nice to know, so I could get to know you better".
Lucas took his scarf off, and it was clear to see that there was a great deal of sweat on it. He'd evidently been walking outside for quite a while, wearing it at the same time.
"It's yellow" the Lucario replied. "Same color as this scarf; that's why I bought it back when I was sixteen".
"I'm sixteen" said Ash. "Serena's fifteen. How old are you, Lucas?"
"I just turned eighteen; in fact, my birthday was the day before yesterday. I got this scarf for my 16th birthday, and I really love it. I've always loved the ocean, and it seemed like a nice nautical theme for it, you know?"
Ash looked more closely at the scarf, and he was able to see that it was indeed the same one that he'd witnessed in his dream. This was incredible, quite literally a dream come true.
Except maybe it's more of a nightmare made real, a small voice inside his head told him. After all, Team Rocket is after Lucas. By traveling with him, you're only putting your own life in danger.
Shut up, Ash replied silently.
Oh yeah, you're also putting Serena's life in danger. You're in love with her, and you just won't admit it.
Ash didn't even want to address the voice this time. He decided to focus more on the scarf.
The olive-colored rope pattern was present, as was the overall golden yellow coloration. The white lines rounded everything out quite nicely, and they looked like ocean waves, reminding Ash of excursions he'd made to the seaside with his mother.
"I really like your scarf" said Serena. "Like you said, it's a pretty color".
"I've got other scarves like this one" Lucas replied. "I guess I'll show you once we're at a Pokemon center or something; I'd really rather not hold us up. Where are you guys going, by the way?"
Ash didn't know if he should be saying that out loud in a coffee shop. If there was some Team Rocket grunt in there (admittedly unlikely), and they were overheard, then congratulations, they'd have managed to pick up a stalker. That wasn't something they needed.
"I understand if you don't want to say it right here" the Lucario continued, noticing that Ash wasn't responding, and neither was Serena. "I think it's a good idea to leave now. Are you guys done eating?"
Both of them were, but Kalokalo, a slow eater, wasn't quite finished with his food yet. Once he was done, they threw out the trash and then left the coffee shop.
Back on the road again, it was a good five minutes before Lucas broached the subject once more of where they were going.
"Well", said Serena, "we were going to head to Hearthome City first, take on the gym leader there. It's probably a few days of walking to get there on foot, but isn't that the best way to travel?"
"I agree" Lucas replied. "It's a nice way to see everything".
"Yeah" Ash said. He'd kept both of his Pokemon out of their Pokeballs when they'd gone outside, because he figured that they could use some more exercise. He was glad that he'd done so.
The sun continued to beat down. Indeed, it was now around the time of the day when temperatures are usually the highest, and the three trainers didn't encounter anyone else on the trail.
Route 212 was usually fairly crowded by the standards of routes; it obviously still wasn't by any objective standard, just because it was so long. However, today, it seemed as though many trainers were remaining indoors in the air conditioning. Not a lot of people would want to be walking many miles a day in such hot weather.
Ash thought of what he'd said earlier about Kalokalo needing to get used to the heat, and he was starting to feel a little guilty about that. Serena had had a point; it had been a very insensitive thing to say, and Ash hadn't thought before he'd said it.
On the other hand, however, there was truth to what Ash had said. At a certain point, the Piplup would have to get used to the heat if he didn't want to stay in his Pokeball all the time.
To be fair, it's supposed to be pretty nice inside of one of them, though, so maybe it is fine for Kalokalo to stay in there the whole time. Still, he'll miss out on the best part of the journey if that does happen.
They walked for several more hours, and occasionally Lucas would take off his yellow scarf and use it to fan his face. If Ash himself was sweating like a beast and getting really tired, he could only imagine that Lucas, as a Steel type, was suffering in the heat.
There was hope in sight, however. The air did eventually start to cool down slightly. The sun wasn't sinking yet, but the shadows cast by the shrubbery on the edges of Route 212 were getting longer.
Eventually, Serena took a look at her watch. "It's almost six" she said. "Do you guys want to stop at the next Pokemon center?"
Pokemon centers were strategically placed every five miles along each route, and they served three different purposes. One was as a sort of hospital for Pokemon, who could be put into healing machines if their problems were not too severe, or else put in regular hospital beds if they needed a little more help to get back on their feet.
Trainers could also spend the night there for free. Pokemon centers operated off of the peoples' tax money, which was allowed due to the fact that they were nonprofits. They weren't trying to make money, they just wanted to serve trainers. Each Pokemon center also had a restaurant inside of it, so there was that.
Finally, every Pokemon center in Sinnoh, and in the other regions as well, had a library from which trainers could read. The books weren't permitted to be taken out of the Pokemon centers, though.
"I'm fine with that" Lucas replied. "We've been going nonstop for well over four hours. I could certainly use a break".
Ash wasn't tempted to veto that idea. As little as he wanted to admit it, he was about ready to call it a day. He was definitely glad that they'd made it as far as they had, but he'd had about enough walking for one day.
"Yeah" Ash said.
"It's settled, then" Serena replied. "Next Pokemon center we come across, we're going to stay the night at. And in the morning, we'll leave and continue down Route 212".
Within ten minutes of her saying that, the next Pokemon center came into view. It was a long, low building that only had one floor, and the cafeteria had floor-to-ceiling windows. You could see trainers dining and socializing with one another through the window.
Some trainers were eating together because they were actually traveling in a group, while others simply speed-friended each other, knowing that they might never see each other again after their meal. To Ash, it was a beautiful scene.
The trio entered the Pokemon center and booked two rooms. In one room, Ash and Lucas would sleep; Serena would take the other room, because otherwise things would have been more than a little awkward.
It had been Ash's idea for her to sleep in a different room from the boys. He was just glad that he'd been able to voice it without sounding like he possibly had a crush on Serena, because subtlety was very important in situations like this.
Once they were settled in, the three of them ate together in the cafeteria. Most trainers and their Pokemon ate dinner later than they were, so the cafeteria wasn't that crowded.
"So", said Lucas, in between bites of pasta, "what's the deal with the Leafeon? Why is he always so skittish around you?"
Ash wished that he had a good answer to that question, but he didn't. It was rather an awkward one, because he didn't know if Levu's skittishness was his fault or not.
"I really do not know" Ash replied. He sure as hell hoped that that counted as an answer, because otherwise he would have been completely stuck, waiting for someone else to say something and rescue him from that predicament.
"I see" the Lucario said, scratching his chin slightly. "Well, then...I guess that there's just no reason for it".
"I mean", Serena pointed out, "I think everything happens for a reason. That's really what I think the evidence points towards. But I don't think Ash did anything wrong to cause that".
Ash glanced at Serena with a look that said, Thank you very much.
Serena looked back at Ash with an expression that, You are welcome.
Ash didn't know why his Leafeon was always on edge around him, but he really hoped that Serena was right, that it wasn't his fault.
But maybe, just maybe, it is, he thought. And if that's the case…
Ash had always wanted to believe that he was a good person...but good people still made mistakes, didn't they?
He decided that he'd just focus on his food for the rest of the meal and try not to worry about what Levu thought about him. Now that he was officially Levu's trainer, the Leafeon was going to obey him.
But a deeper question still lingered in Ash's mind: Is that right?
Wendell and Tendai had been walking all day, and had still not gotten anywhere near a city. At least, not near enough that they could see the lights in the distance.
"I'm getting pretty hungry" Tendai said eventually, as the two of them sat down on the edge of a clearing in the forest.
"I'm sure there's some fruit somewhere" Wendell replied. "But you're right; this lifestyle, being out in the woods like this without any food, isn't sustainable. I mean, it might be environmentally sustainable, sure, but…".
"I get the point" Tendai replied curtly. He was staring off into the distance, where the sun was beginning to set, signalling the end of their first day on the road. The first day of their mission to catch Lucas Whitefur.
At this point, the sky was orange from the sunset, and the air was getting much cooler. This was a major relief for the wolf brothers, who had only packed dry food with them, and had had only a small amount of water to drink.
After about ten more minutes of walking, they came across a small pond. It was only about 25 yards wide, and almost a perfect circle in shape.
If it's an average of three feet deep, and the radius is 12.5 yards, then that means the area is…
Tendai, ever the math nerd, had been trying to calculate the volume of the pond in his head, but Wendell's next words brought him back to Earth.
"This is probably a good place to stop" Wendell said. "A nice water source, so we can refill our water bottles. I'd say we should drink as much as we can here, because who knows when we'll get another chance".
"Thanks a lot, Mr. Survival" Tendai said in a teasing tone.
"Be more grateful, Tendai. After all, I'm the one keeping us alive".
Between the two of them, it was obvious who was more of the outdoorsy type. While virtually all Team Rocket members were in at least reasonably good physical shape, Wendell was definitely in better shape than Tendai. Wendell could run for ten kilometers, while Tendai could only do five.
"Whatever" the younger brother replied, sounding bored. He sat down and leaned against a rock.
"We can't go to sleep yet, brother" Wendell replied. "We have to fill up our water bottles first. And add the iodine".
Tendai, who had had no intention of going to sleep, stood back up. "Yeah. What is it, again? Three drops?"
"Five drops per quart when the water is clear, and ten when it's cloudy" Wendell replied matter-of-factly, as though he had swallowed a Pokepedia article. "Then shake it up, and it'll be ready to drink in an hour".
"Can't wait" Tendai said.
Not only was it important to keep up their strength so that they could continue on the trail of Lucas Whitefur, but they also had to be very attentive in order to find him. If they were in a crowded place, for instance, they'd be likely to miss him if they weren't careful.
Of course, Tendai thought, he probably will be in a crowded place, unless he's an idiot.
That would present a great deal of headache for them. It would be very difficult to snatch a Lucario in front of multiple witnesses without getting caught. And it was of the utmost importance that they didn't get caught, because the letter R tattooed onto both of their arms really said it all.
"Are you sure that we should be stopping now?" Tendai asked his brother. He was doing so against his own better judgment; after all, he was physically weaker than Wendell, so it would have made more since for his brother to ask that question.
"Yes, Tendai, I am" Wendell replied, sounding rather strict. "We can't keep going forever without resting, and you know that".
Before Tendai could object, the older brother continued with, "You know that he'll be stopping, too. We might not be able to go on forever, but neither can Whitefur. Now give me your water bottle".
Tendai handed over his canteen, and Wendell went to fill both of their water bottles with the pond's water. Their bottles were a liter each, so they had to add just slightly more than the recommended amount per quart. It was very difficult to get the exact amount of iodine into the water bottles.
On the plus side, the water did look clear, so they wouldn't have to use too much iodine here. They could save more of it for when the water was cloudy, and then they would need more of it.
There were still the questions of what they were going to do once they found Lucas Whitefur, mainly how they'd keep him in one place once they had apprehended him. However, that was a question for another time; both wolves, tired from the long day, were starting to feel fairly sleepy.
Finally, the water was ready to drink, and it felt like heaven on Tendai's mouth. It had felt like he'd been in the middle of the desert for weeks, thanks to all of that walking in the summer sun.
"Tonight, we rest" Wendell said, sounding like a wannabe adventurer. "Tomorrow, we continue the hunt".
Lucas hadn't expected to sleep well ever again. Granted, it wasn't easy to do so when you were constantly being hunted by Team Rocket.
However, now that he was with Ash and Serena, two people who seemed pretty nice to him, he found that he could relax a lot more easily. Almost immediately after settling into bed, he looked over at Ash, who had begun to snore. It wasn't long afterwards that Lucas fell asleep himself.
He didn't have any dreams; at least, not any that his mind decided were worth remembering. When he woke up, he felt very rested indeed, which stood in stark contrast to how he usually felt after sleeping fitfully, which was the norm for him on many nights.
Lucas was an "early to bed, early to rise" Lucario. Serena had told the boys that they should go to bed early, since they'd been on the road most of the day and needed their rest. Both of them, as much as they didn't like taking orders from someone younger than them (even if, in Ash's case, he was only a few months older than Serena), had acquiesced to her demands. They knew it was in their best interests to do so.
When he did wake up, it was roughly half past five in the morning, and Ash was still sleeping. Lucas knew that it would be good manners to wait until he was up in order to go grab breakfast with him.
Fuck that, he thought. I'm hungry now, I want to eat.
Oh well. He was sure that Ash was going to forgive him once he learned about that; indeed, he didn't think that the human boy was going to be very angry with him at all, ever.
As he sat alone in the cafeteria, eating his pancakes without any company, Lucas watched the sun rise. It really was quite a beautiful sight, one he hadn't really gotten to appreciate ever since he'd been on the run. But now that he had some sense of security, some sense that he was safer than he'd ever been since leaving home, everything seemed more magical somehow.
After he ate, he went back to the room with Ash and waited for the human boy to wake up, which he soon did. The two of them then went back to the cafeteria together; this time, Serena was already there.
"You looking forward to getting to Hearthome City?" she asked Ash. Judging by the fact that her hair looked darker than usual, Lucas guessed that she'd just taken a shower before going to breakfast.
"Yeah. It'll be really nice there" Ash replied.
Lucas had only seen the outskirts of Hearthome City; he'd never actually been inside the city limits. From what he'd seen, it certainly looked as though it was a fairly pleasant place to live, and he was jealous of those people who had more time to explore it than he had.
Well, now I'm going to get to, he thought.
They left the Pokemon center around 8:00. The sun was now high in the sky, and it was already clear that today was going to be just as hot, if not hotter, than yesterday.
Lucas sighed. He was getting tired of all this heat. Even a nice, cool breeze that was barely five degrees colder than the air would have felt wonderful on his white fur that was damp with sweat.
But no. Clearly, Arceus didn't think that our three heroes deserved anything other than a 90-degree, dry, windless day.
That raises the question of...but no, we're not going to think about that today.
Eventually, Lucas saw a shape in the distance. By now they'd been walking for nearly an hour into this new day, and he was starting to wonder if he was hallucinating.
"I probably need to drink more water" he said, reaching into his bag and taking a swig from his canteen.
"Yeah, maybe you do. It's really hot here, isn't it?"
However, as it turned out, Lucas was not hallucinating. The shape was still very much visible. It looked dark, somehow, and the Lucario realized that it was a Zorua.
"Catch it!" Ash hissed at him.
Hidden among the tall grass on the side of the route, it wasn't an easy thing to do. The Zorua moved like the wind would have moved, had there been any.
Lucas dug into his backpack. It might have been just because his hands were shaking with excitement, but he found it difficult to get his hands on one of his Pokeballs. And it really shouldn't have been that way, since his backpack wasn't that big, but it was a struggle just to find it.
Finally, he did reach one of his Pokeballs, and he tossed it at the Zorua. For whatever reason, it didn't resist.
"Nice catch, Lucas!" Ash exclaimed. "You can keep him".
"Really?" asked the Lucario. For whatever reason, it was his impulse to immediately ask if he could have the Zorua. He wasn't sure why that was, but he knew that it was important to be assertive.
"Yeah" replied the human boy. "After all, you caught him, and each of us have two. What are you going to name him?"
"Well, we don't know its gender yet", Serena replied, shrugging. "Do you want to release it and ask?"
"Sure" Lucas replied, holding out the Pokeball that had absorbed the Zorua and pressing the button. In the flash of cyan light, the Zorua appeared right before him.
"Man, it is really hot out here" Zorua said, panting.
"Yeah, it is" Lucas replied. "I'm a Lucario, so I feel it a lot thanks to being a Steel type".
"Yes" Zorua replied. "And I'm male, just so you know".
That was what Lucas had suspected. After all, 87.5%, or seven in eight, Zoruas were male, so it would be reasonable to assume of any particular Zorua that it was male. Besides, he'd just appeared male to him.
"I'll call you Jabeni" replied Lucas. "Does that sound like a good name to you?"
Lucas took out the PokeDex that he'd taken with him while he was on the run. Almost immediately, a holographic image of basic information about this particular Zorua appeared.
JABENI - MALE ZORUA
OWNER - LUCAS WHITEFUR
LEVEL - 19 (SCRATCH, LEER, PURSUIT, FAKE TEARS, FURY SWIPES, FEINT ATTACK).
"It already recognizes the name you gave it" Ash said. "That's pretty cool, isn't it?"
"Yeah" the Lucario replied absentmindedly. He was still thinking about just how amazing it was that he'd caught his own Pokemon. Now, he felt like he had an even greater degree of protection.
But he wasn't naive. He knew that the powerful forces going after him would go to the ends of the earth in order to hunt him down. And he would make sure they regretted having ever messed with Lucas Whitefur.
I don't remember who requested this, but I'm going to oblige by listing, at the end of this and every chapter after it, I will put a list of all the Pokemon thus far.
Ash: Coyopa (male Pikachu), Levu (male Leafeon)
Serena: Kalokalo (male Piplup), Galang (male Ivysaur)
Lucas: Jabeni (male Zorua)
