The cool Sinnoh air brushed up against the many trees surrounding Eterna City. The rattling of the leaves creating a soothing sound made the feeling of relief all the more prevalent in the town. Team Galactic was no more and it left the residents of Eterna feeling more delighted than ever to resume their at one point peaceful lives. This however would not apply to everyone that was present in the city.

At the pokemon center of Eterna City was a boy that was disheartened by his recent revelations. He had lost not only his confidence, but his will to do much of anything anymore.

Lucas was sitting on his hospital bed with a broken look of defeat on his face. In his hand was the singular gym badge that he had previously won in Oreburgh City. The sight of it only made him even more upset. He was humiliated and was shown up by somebody that he looked down on. Someone that he saw as a bumbling child. Something that he considered himself naturally higher. It turned out tathat he couldn't be further from the truth.

Lucas had been beaten senseless and his team in comparison wasn't nearly as strong as it should have been. He was at a loss. He had hit a roadblock in his early journey as he felt true fear. He was afraid of the real world now. Afraid of the possibility of death. He could have been killed twice now by a single person. It hit him hard and now, he was just wishing that he could go back to the old days. Even with his seemingly careless father he would've still been better off than he is now.

Scattered around was the team that he not only cared about but came to see as his family. He felt as though he had failed them. He let them all down. He didn't save the day and he wasn't there for them. He was too busy being knocked out. He hated himself for being so weak even with these powers that he never asked for. He just wanted to give them all back and never see them ever again.

"..." The room was dead silent. Sparks holding in his hidden fury, Buizel feeling a sense of worthlessness and Turtwig wallowing in his own self pity. He was dissatisfied with himself. Seeing the evolved fire type swoop in and show off his blatant strength crushed his usually high spirits. Even more so than the Windworks incident. He, much like his trainer was broken.

The door to the hospital room opened and in came Gardenia. She stood before him with a saddened yet firm look on her face.

"I just walked your buddy outside of the center. He told me to tell you that he's heading off to Hearthome City. He also wanted me to tell you that you should be more careful. I'm gonna be brutally honest here kid. Your friend has a point."

Her words made everyone in the room turn to her. "...What do you mean?" Lucas asked with little emotion.

"The world is a big place. People like Team Galactic are everywhere. There's always the hint of a threat lurking. In short, what I'm tryna say is that you aren't ready to go on a journey yet. Not on your own."

Her words hit Lucas like a hot slap to the face. It only furthered the rate of which his pride was dissolving.

Sparks didn't like her not one bit. He stood up from the foot of the bed and growled. "She doesn't even know what she's talking about! I think you can do it Lucas!"

Lucas scratched the top of the electric type's head. "...No Sparks...She's right. I'm not ready. I'm a bad fighter and a pitiful trainer. Maybe I should just go back home…"

"Don't talk like that! What about Luther?! What would he say?"

"He would tell me that he made a mistake and that I should've never went on this stupid journey in the first place! Face it Sparks...I'm better off being a lab rat for my scumbag dad."

The gym leader sighed. "Why don't you just head on home and think about what you really wanna do. You don't have to be a trainer you know."

"I know that all too well…" He muttered with tears falling down his face. He had never felt so discouraged in his life. It hurt but it was the truth in his eyes.

"You can't just give up yet! You gotta get stronger along with us! Please Lucas! I'm begging you!"

The boy stepped off of the medical bed and grabbed his things. His well wrapped arm making it slightly difficult.

"I wish you good luck kid. Take it easy, okay…"

"That'd be nice if that were the case but knowing my dad I really don't see that happening." Lucas huffed as he desperately tried to dry his eyes. He walked out of the room with his "team" following slowly behind him.

He walked around Eterna City aimlessly trying to cope with his constant struggles. Wracking his brain for any sort of hope that he had in himself. All of it was no use. He just couldn't do it. He was so lost within his doubt that he didn't see any alternatives. He lost faith in his own grandfather's words. This adventure didn't help him not one bit.

He looked at the many different pokemon that the kids of the city were playing with. Their carefree spirits and cheerful attitudes made him feel even more sorrowful.

He stopped somewhere in the middle of the town and stared at an ancient statue of an odd looking pokemon. For some odd reason, it felt as though it had called him there. He looked into the eyes of the magnificent beast with wonder. His eyes then drifted to the eligible writing that was engraved in the large statue. He placed his hand on it only to feel a light shock. He yanked his hand away and glared and the now glowing eyes that the statue possessed. As quickly as they appeared, they vanished.

"...What the heck is this thing?"

"LUCAS!"

He stopped his meddling with the statue and turn towards the voice of Dawn. She ran over to him with a bright smile on her face.

"Hey Dawn…" He muttered before looking away.

"It's good to see you! I can't say I expected you to still be here though." Dawn paused and looked his injuries. "Wait, what happened to you?! Your arm and all of those bandages…"

"I know. I've been through a lot these past couple of days. Please, don't worry about me. I'll only slow you down."

This caught her by surprise. "What do you mean? What's been happening to you since we split up?!"

"I was...Nothing…It won't matter now because I'm going home anyway."

"Why would you wanna do that? You're on a journey! You should be having fun!"

He shook his head. "Well I'm not! I'm a lousy trainer, a terrible fighter and I just cause more trouble. I can't do this anymore! The skill gap between Barry and I grows more and more everyday! He's on his way to beating his third badge while I don't even have two. I always down played him but it turns out, he's a way better trainer than I am. He even saved my life! I can't catch up to him no matter how hard I try! Im pathetic Dawn!"

Dawn couldn't believe what he was saying. She always felt like they were both equals. She admired them both for years. That incincluded Lucas even after he stopped hanging out with them. "Before you go...I really think you should read this letter first." She said with a hopeful smile.

"What is it?" He saw that the address was from his own home. He opened it and started to read through it.

Dear Lucas,

I got your letter and I'm just so glad to hear from you. It wasn't easy for me write this but Professor Rowan was kind enough to help me out with it.

I hope you're doing well for yourself. I don't really know what a journey entails but I hope that you're at least enjoying your time out there. I hope I can meet your team someday. Maybe after you become the champion of Sinnoh or something, I dunno. Either way, I bet they're real tough just like you are.

I know I sound all mushy and junk but that's just because deep down, I really miss you. I'd never say it to your face or anything but I honestly do want the best for my big brother. You've had it so hard and all I could do was sit and watch you change into this cold and depressing person. That's not you Lucas. You have a heart. It's just buried underneath all of that grief. Our dad doesn't make it any easier on you either. I'm really sorry that you're so sad all the time but I know that this journey will change you into the happy guy that grandpa wanted you to be.

I saw the news with dad I'm just so glad that you found Sparks again. Tell him I said "HI" by the way!

All things aside. Please just be careful out there big brother. Things are pretty quiet and boring down here without you. I did make some new friends at school though so I'm not a total loner. I hope you meet new people too and keep me posted! If you forget about me, I'll drown you by the beach! Take care!

Liz

The note trembled in his hands. He dropped down to his knees and broke down in front of a confused Dawn.

"What's wrong? Did something bad happen?!" She asked as she kneeld down and patted his back.

"Y...Yeah...I just realized that I'm a complete idiot!" He stood up and put the letter in his bag.

"So is everything alright?"

He hugged her tightly and laughed. "You bet! Figures that my little sister would have to talk sense into me." He let the flustered girl go and turned to his team. "Guys! It's time to kick things into high gear!"

"What do you mean?" Buizel asked.

"It's time for some training!"

"...You really mean it?" Turtwig grumbled with uncertainty.

This made Lucas frown. "Look guys. I know that I failed as a trainer. I'm weak and until I'm all healed up, I won't be able to really push myself, but you all still can! We're going to grow as a team from now on. No favoritism, no special treatment and no easy way outs. Just hard work!"

Buizel groaned. "But that sounds like a lot of work!"

Turtwig's mood rose tremendously. "That's what I've been waiting to here!"

"I can agree! Next time we see Galactic, I'll wipe them all out with a single blow!" Sparks smirked.

Lucas grinned at them. This was HIS team. This was HIS family. They were stuck together and they would have to embrace that no matter what.

"We are gonna work at our own pace from now on. I don't care how long it takes! We will get stronger!"

"What about catching up to Barry? Aren't you afraid that he's gonna get to far ahead?" Turtwig asked.

"No. I couldn't care less about how many badges he has or how far he travels. I'm done trying to chase him! We don't need to try to catch up to him anymore! If we wanna do better then we have to do things our own way!"

This got the trio to all smile and in turn, tackle their trainer to the ground with all of them laughing together.

Dawn stood there watching them with a sense of admiration for the group. Lucas himself was a so intriguing to her. One minute he's hit rock bottom and the next, he's happier and more determined than she's ever seen him. She couldn't help but smile at the sight of his three pokemon wrestling with him. Seeing him acting like a kid again made her happy.

"Lucas…" She muttered.

He picked himself up straightened his red hat. "Let's make some moves!" He was about to run off then realized that Dawn was still standing there. "Oh, I almost forgot you were still here."

"Yeah...So what are you gonna do now?" She asked.

"Well first things first. I'm gonna go back into Eterna forest and train up my team. Then, I'm gonna go show that gym leader that we mean business!"

She nodded. "Right...Makes sense…"

"Uh...Well, you know you can tag along if you want to right?" He said nervously.

"I don't wanna get in the way. Especially if you're trying to get stronger."

"Nonsense! Now c'mon! We might as well catch up anyways." He grinned and started running off towards the forest with Dawn and his team right behind him.

It wouldn't be long before the group got right down to it. Lucas' orders were clear. Spread out and take down as many opponents as you can within ten minutes then meet back at the campsite were him and Dawn would be waiting. Whoever got the most KO's or in Sparks' case, fatalities, they'd earn themselves a quick snack.

Buizel was the first to take off running with Sparks and Turtwig lagging behind.

"I'm gonna win that snack! I WILL!!!" Buizel shouted into the evening sky as he hit speeds faster than even Sparks.

Sparks and Turtwig took the opposite direction, arguing as they ran forward.

"Can you even keep up first form?" Sparks taunted.

"Talk all you want now! You won't be saying much when I cream you in this competition and evolve right in front of your face!"

"Whatever Lil' Green!" Sparks snickered before turning off the pathway and attacking a swarm of Beedrill.

Turtwig hissed to himself. 2

Back at the makeshift camp, Lucas was focusing one a set of one armed push ups while Dawn was feeding her Piplup.

"...666...667...668…" He counted off as he pushed back up.

"Are you sure they'll be okay in there? It'll be dark out soon and they might get lost or hurt."

"...672...They'll be fine. I trust them. They got this...673...674…"

"If you say so."

After the brief ten minutes, the trio had in fact made it back. Sparks had an odd amount of green liquid staining the fur around his mouth and claws.

"Easy prey…" He muttered.

"As if! I hadn't even broke a sweat!" Turtwig boasted.

Buizel gave a blank stare. "Snack. Now! Give it to me!"

"Alright who got what? No lying either! I can tell…"

"An easy thirty seven kills...I mean KO's! Yeah...KO's…" Sparks said suspiciously.

"DARN!" Turtwig yelled.

"What'd you get Turtwig?"

He sighed. "Thirty six…"

"YES! VICTORY IS MINE!!!" Buizel shouted with glee.

"Uh, okay...How many did you-"

"Eight…"

"...Um, Buizel eight isn't bigger than either of-"

"Hundred…" He finished.

"Eight hundred?!?!"

"HE LIES! HE LIES!!!" Turtwig shouted with disbelief.

"Go and check the bodies then…" Buizel said as he folded his arms.

"N...No I think I'm good. Well, I guess Buizel wins the snack." Lucas tossed him something that Dawn had made herself. It was an odd treat call a poffin. Apparently they were pretty good because Buizel devoured it in less than a second.

"Guess you're at the bottom of the ladder grass type."

"Shut up you half baked, discount generator!"

"They really don't like each other." Dawn said.

"Yep…"

"Why don't they battle each other? You know, get the aggression out of their system."

"Trust me they'll still hate each other's guts but that isn't too bad of an idea for a good workout. Nice thinking Dawn!"

"It's nothing! Don't mention it!" She dismissed.

"Hey! Easy you guys. Why don't you have a little practice battle?" Lucas suggested.

"A chance to shut this fleabag up?! Don't mind if I do!"

"You're too much of a weakling to do something like that! Let alone to me!"

"Whatever! I'm not afraid of you Sparks!" Turtwig glared.

"Hey, you live and you learn...Or you die! Simple as that Little Green!" Sparks glared back.

"Hey! Not here! You're both too close to the camp. You guys wanna fight? Go out a little bit."

"FINE!" They both shouted.

They ran off with the enthusiasm for battle that had built up since the day they met.

Lucas sat on the log with Dawn a lit up the pile of sticks with fire from his fingertip. He looked at the girl next to him and grinned.

"So you ever figure out what you wanted to do? Like really wanted to do."

She put a finger to her chin and thought for a moment. "I'm really not sure yet. I talked to my mom and she kind of talked to me about how she got into contests. It was so inspiring how she got into it. She used to be so timid but then one day she just broke out of her shell and went for it."

"So is that what you're leaning more towards?"

"Well...Yes and no…"

"Care to explain?" Lucas asked.

"Everyone sees my mom and talks about how great she was. One of the best at what she did. She's also invited to talk show and interviews. They even ask her to judge at the Grand Festival. She's so popular around the world."

"Is there something wrong with that?"

Dawn shrugged her shoulders. She clenched the red scarf around her neck and let out a breath. "Any time people see me, I'm only known as Johanna's daughter or the next top coordinator. While it does seem nice to follow in mom's footsteps I just can't help but feel like I could do more, you know?"

"More than you think. It's like every time I even think about using my powers I'm always either supposed to be this brave strong hero or I'm just this little weird freak...or at least that's what I tell myself…"

"It's like maybe if I tried, I could be more than just Johanna's prodigy." Dawn tightened her grip.

"You already are. You're Dawn. You'll always be Dawn. I honestly don't know anything about your mom so whenever you say you're Johanna's daughter, I honestly don't know what the heck that even means."

She couldn't help but feel elated by with meaning of his words. She felt moved by them and was somewhat appreciative by how easily he said them.

"Thank you Lucas."

He raised a brow at her. "For what?"

"..." She hid the lower half of her face with the scarf and shook her head.

"...Okay…"

Lucas looked at Buizel who had fallen asleep right next to him. He rubbed his back softly and looked back in the direction of Sparks and Turtwig. A loud and thunderous boom could be heard from the distance.

"They're really doing this."

Lucas sighed. "This is the way they deal with there problems I guess. By beating the crap out of each other."

Over in the denser areas of the forest, Sparks and Turtwig were both going to town on one another. Both showing signs of the ruthless battle being waged between them.

"THAT ALL YOU GOT FURBALL?!"

"I'll rip you in half!"

Sparks lunged forward and attempted to give Turtwig a good bite. Turtwig ducked underneath the attack and bashed him into a tree.

Sparks let out a loud roar that scared any bug types still somehow in the area. Electrical currents surged throughout his dark fur.

"Go ahead! Shoot that dumb electricity at me! I can take it!"

"I'LL KILL YOU!!!" Sparks shot a fully charged Thundershock at Turtwig. The blast pushed him back but he ultimately held his ground.

"I'm not afraid of you Sparks!" A small glowing green orb formed from his mouth.

"NO YOU DON'T!!!" Surrounded with even more electricity, Sparks dashed forward with the intent to kill.

"I won't ever be afraid!" The orb grew to about half of Turtwig's sized. "NOT ANYMORE!!!"

"TURTWIG!!!"

"If I don't evolve than so be it! I'll be strong without it! I don't need a new form to be the best! YOU HEAR ME SPARKS?!?" Turtwig didn't know what his new attack was but he didn't care. He fired it off directly at Sparks who was at point blank range.

The explosion from both attacks shook the entire forest. Smoke had surrounded the entire area. A few trees had been turned into burnt splinters. Rocks were reduced to scorched pebbles. In the center of it all was a crater and when the smoke cleared, it was Sparks who stood with a clawed paw holding Turtwig's head into the dirt below.

"You lose! Thanks for playing!" Sparks panted heavily.

"Y...you better watch out...house cat...I almost had you…"

"Don't even flatter yourself like that! It makes you look weaker than you already are!"

"Whether...you wanna...admit it or not...I'm catching up to you…"

"Arrogant grass type. Don't ever put yourself on my level." Sparks growled as he lifted Turtwig up onto his back.

"I...I'll make you...see for yourself...once I perfect...my new...technique…" Turtwig ended up passing out on Sparks' back, causing his to groan.

"Tch...Yeah...You were…Close...For now at least..."

When Sparks got back to the camp, Lucas quickly ran over to him and the fainted Turtwig.

"WHAT HAPPENED?!"

"Exactly what it looks like. I won." Sparks said plainly.

"...And I forgot to stock up on items. Geez guys come on! I said a practice battle. Not a freaking deathmatch!"

Lucas put Turtwig in his ball and looked at Sparks who narrowed his eyes back at his trainer.

"No! I'll be fine."

"You're injured! Now get in the ball Sparks!"

Sparks got into an aggressive stance and snarled. "No!"

"Don't get all animalistic on me! Get. In. The. Ball!"

"Fine!" Sparks tapped his nose against the button and was warped inside.

Lucas sat back down next to Dawn. "They drive me crazy but I still love these guys."

"I can tell. You care alot about them."

"I do. I just wish they didn't have to see me getting hurt all the time." He said underneath his breath.

"Are you ever gonna tell me how that happened?"

"How what happened?"

She folded her arms and scowled at him. "How you managed to get hurt so badly!"

He looked at his many bandages and sighed. "Team Galactic…"

"What?! They did that to you?!"

"Yeah...Heh, I got my butt handed to me twice by their commanders. They were right about one thing though. I really don't know how to fight."

"Aren't you like, super strong and stuff?"

"Tch...Powers or not, I'm still not a match for someone with more skill than me. That's just one of the mane truths that I have to face. I need someone to teach me."

"Hmm...Well I think there's someone that can help you." Dawn said, slightly unsure.

"REALLY?! Why didn't you say so earlier?! Who is it? Where can I meet them?"

"Calm down Lucas. I'm not one hundred percent sure about it yet but if you really wanna learn than your best bet might be in Veilstone City."

Lucas winced. "Veilstone?! Isn't that the most dangerous city in Sinnoh? Why would I want to learn from one of the dirtbags that live in that dump?"

"The gym leader there isn't just a fighting type user. She actually trains for combat. She's really tough! You could really get good with her as your mentor."

"I dunno...Seems pretty sketchy to learn how to fight in a city of criminals. Then again, I'll need all the help I can get if I wanna give Galactic a nice beatdown!"

Dawn's eyes widened. "You're actually going after them?! Are you nuts? You can't fight them all alone!"

"...Maybe not...Why don't you give me a hand then?"

"Y...You want ME to help you fight? I'm no fighter Lucas. I couldn't…" She muttered.

"Well apparently neither am I. Why don't we just learn together? It'd be way more fun that way!"

"You really think that I could fight?" She asked.

"If those Galactic goons can do it then so can we!"

Dawn thought for a moment about what he had said before looking up and smiling. "Okay! If you think I can then I'll give it a try!"

"So it's settled. Our main goal is getting to Veilstone City!" He shouted.

"Quit yelling dude! Tryna sleep…" Buizel grumbled as he tossed and turned on the grassy floor below.

The two chuckled at the grouchy water type. Before laying down on the soft grass. Lucas thought back to his sister's letter and smiled up at the bright moon.

-In Sandgem Town-

The small girl stood on the beach looking right up at the moon. She spent most of her nights on the grainy sand just listening to the crashing tides. She couldn't help but think of her older brother. While she did miss him, she understood full well why he had to leave. He was suffering more than a kid should. He needed space from the lab. Space from their dad. Space from Sandgem. She always prayed for his safety and happiness. Even if she still wasn't entirely sure what she was praying to yet. That didn't matter though. Not now at least.

A/N: Next chapter will probably be the end of Eterna City. Hopefully can get it out by next week.Hope you guys enjoyed and I'll see you in the next chapter!