...good luck.

Lucas groaned and forced himself to open his eyes. He rolled to the side and looked at the clock on the nightstand. It was an ungodly hour to wake up for most people, but he was used to it. He willed himself to an upright position, and threw his blankets off.

It had been awhile since the last time he was woken up by the psychic. Usually it would contact him at random times in the day, and would only speak for a moment before leaving his mind. He can't remember the first time he had heard it's telepathic voice in his head, only that it had been speaking to him for some time now.

It didn't really help that he had no idea what it was. He assumed it was a psychic Pokemon of some sort, that had decided to take an interest in him. The few times that the voice had spoken for more than a second, he would try to talk to it. The response he would usually get was a high pitched giggling, high enough that he couldn't determine the gender of the telepath.

It never annoyed him too much though. He always got the feeling that the Pokemon was just checking on him. It was obviously following him in some way, considering that he'd been spoken to at various places in the region. It's never shown any hostility towards him, and the words 'good luck' were definitely words of support.

But now that he thought about it, the voice was definitely different from his usual visitor. Which probably meant that he had two voices in his head that he would now have to deal with on occasion.

Great.

He hopped out of his bed and looked around. His room was very tidy, which didn't surprise him as he hadn't been in it for a long time. Only the bags from his late arrival last night stood out of place in his clean room. His old Wii was in its stand, next to his big boxy TV that was against the back wall.

In his absence, it seemed his mother had turned his room into a guest room. The room seems to have been cleaned a while ago, and hasn't been touched since. The closet was empty, and everything on the desk was neatly stacked in a corner, save for the old desktop computer.

Speaking of computers, he wanted to check his before he began his day. He shuffled over to his gear, and took out his laptop. Opening it, he found a message with no label or sender. After getting his spyware to check the message and getting the all clear, he opened it. All it contained were the words 'good luck' and an attachment. This promptly requested use of the built in item receiver, which he granted. Out tumbled five Pokeballs, which fell to the floor with various thuds.

….So his psychic friend was sending him supplies now. He added it to the list of weird stuff in his life and packed up his laptop after making sure that no more surprise messages were still there. After repacking the computer, he got ready for the morning. He stepped into the bathroom, washed up, took a once-over in the mirror and quietly went downstairs.

His mother obviously wasn't awake at this hour. Going into the kitchen, he rummaged around for breakfast, which ended up being a granola bar. He slung his bag over his back and walked out of the house.

It was chilly out this Autumn morning, and Lucas was very happy that his heavy jacket was protecting him from the cold. He had a bit of time to get to the lab, but he knew for today that being early was key. He started heading towards Sandgem Town.

It seems though that he wouldn't be making the trip alone. It didn't surprise him that his old friend Barry was also wide awake. He was always overly energetic, and considering what was going on today, he would absolutely bet that Barry didn't even sleep. He watched out of the corner of his eye as the blonde haired boy walked up to greet him.

"HeyLucashowareyouhaventseenyouinawhile!"

"Hey Barry," He chuckled. "You know you're supposed to pause between each word you say, right? Take it down a notch dude."

"You're right, you're right," Barry said, slightly exasperated. "I'm just a bit excited about getting a partner. Aren't you?"

Lucas nodded in agreement. "Of course I am. I guess you already know which starter you want, right?"

"Oh yeah I do! Hey, follow me, we still have some time before the lab opens, so let's go to the lake and see if we can spot the legendary."

All the residents of Twinleaf Town knew the myths about Lake Verity. Supposedly, a legendary Pokemon resided in the cave that sat in the center of the lake. Many people, present company included, have ventured into the cave and all were met with the same empty room inside. While studies did suggest that there was indeed something powerful residing within the open cavern, none could ever figure out what Pokemon it was, or where it could possibly be hiding. It was as if the supposed Pokemon was invisible.

The two walked through a shortcut they made years ago. It cut through the forest and took the duo to the water's edge. Lucas leaned forwards, seeing his own reflection in the lake. Here, the wind was at peace and the waters calm.

"See the Legendary anywhere?" Barry said, his voice alone making the tranquil feeling of the lake dissipate.

He stifled a laugh. "Screw off Barry, we both know it's probably just a myth."

"Not with that attitude, youu-hey who's that?"

He pointed off towards a different side of the lake, not too far from where they were. There was a figure standing idly at the water's edge, hands in his pockets.

"Wanna go see what's up with him?"

"Not really. We don't have much time before the lab opens."

"Then we better move quicker."

"What?"

Of course, Barry started running, forcing Lucas to catch up with him. He wasn't exactly thrilled to see what a stranger was doing at a lake this early in the morning, but he had a bad feeling about what would happen if he didn't follow Barry. He had a gut feeling that something was very wrong with that man.

He had learned at a young age to trust his gut, when he had to stare down a wild Staravia. He remembered the event vividly; the Staravia had approached him in a way that he knew screamed 'attack', and on instinct, he raised his hands up towards the large bird of prey in hopes of shielding himself from the impact. He had been standing still, bracing for the hit but after a moment he opened his eyes and spotted the bird in the air, flying away. To this day he couldn't work out what could've made the flying type turn away, but he'd trusted his instincts since.

So he followed Barry. Eventually, he caught up with his friend, who had already reached the stranger. Lucas could hear the man muttering to himself at the water's edge. He heard him say under his breath, "...one day. Cyrus is my name. Remember it. Until then, sleep while you can, legendary Pokemon of the lake bed."

He was dressed in an odd set of grey and black clothes, and his hair was dyed a deep blue. His skin was pale, unnaturally so, and he gave off a vibe that just made his skin crawl. Lucas didn't want to be anywhere near him.

"Are you here to see the legendary Pokemon too?" Barry broke this 'Cyrus' out of his musings.

Note to self, Barry is still, after all these years, a terrible judge of character.

The man did not respond to the question. He looked through Barry with a cold, practically emotionless stare.

"I am reviewing this place before I begin." His voice was monotonous, like a robot, and it only served to unnerve Lucas even more.

Lucas did not like this conversation already, but he wasn't about to back down. Putting on a confident facade, he took a step forwards and pulled Barry back by his shoulder. He didn't know what this freak was beginning, but he was perfectly content with not finding out.

Cyrus then turned his glare towards him, and their eyes were locked together. His gut was in knots and he had to fight the urge to shudder while staring at the man. He kept his focus on the man like his life depended on it, his blue eyes studying the man's dull grey ones. Barry had finally gotten the hint that something was wrong and stood close to Lucas, ready to intervene if something happened.

Several long seconds had passed before Cyrus finally gave up on trying to bore a hole in Lucas's head and instead quickly examined the rest of his body.

"What is your name?" He inquired.

"Lucas." He responded, doing well in keeping the tremble out of his voice.

Cyrus stared at him for another second, before turning away from him. He looked at Barry.

"Step aside."

Not waiting for a reaction, he promptly started walking towards Barry, who frantically jumped out of the man's way. Cyrus kept walking down the main path until the two couldn't make out his silhouette anymore. Barry turned towards Lucas.

"That guy was weird." He stated calmly, which was rare for him.

Lucas huffed angrily at him. "No shit, Barry. Why'd you think approaching the weirdo that was standing at the edge of the lake that early would be a good idea? We're lucky he wasn't a serial killer or something. Now c'mon, let's get to the lab."

Barry agreed, and they both backtracked through the shortcut. They started running faster, hoping that they wouldn't run into the man again. At this point, the sun had been raised slightly higher in the sky, and the chirps of Starly were becoming more audible throughout the forest. Sandgem was still a few miles away, and they both picked up the pace.

"Race you there, Lucas!" Barry jeered, and took off before Lucas could retort. He grunted and started sprinting after passed through Twinleaf Town without taking a rest, kicking up dirt on their path towards the lab. Some more people were up and about at this point, and they had to slow down, lest they trample them in their pilgrimage. They reach the town's border, pausing for a moment to catch their breath, before continuing towards Sandgem.

About halfway between the two towns, Barry caught his foot on a root and tripped. He flew forwards collapsed into the dirt with a hard thud. Lucas slowed down and went to help him op.

"You good?" He asked, grabbing his hand and pulling him up.

A nod. "Yeah, I'm good. We're almost there."

"HOLD IT!"

A new voice entered the conversation. They both looked back to see an old man and a young girl walking their way. On closer inspection, Lucas realized the man was the very Professor they were in a rush to meet.

"What is the meaning of this? You two were running faster than I thought possible for kids your age."

Barry recovered from the shock first. "We were on our way to meet you, Professor. We didn't want to be late for the starter giveaway." The Professor opened his mouth for a moment before sighing. At seeing this, the girl broke into a fit of giggles. Lucas looked at Barry, who seemed just as lost as he was.

The girl took a moment to stop laughing, and faced Rowan. "I told you people go nuts over this stuff Professor. Everyone wants the rare starters."

"Yes, yes Dawn, I get it. I should've known that some teens would be trampling each other over me." He said deadpan, before turning towards the boys. "Now seeing as you two were going to beat me to my own house, how about I save you the trip. What are your names?"

"I'm Lucas, and this is Barry."

"A pleasure to meet you both. As you likely already know, I am Professor Rowan. I am one of the head regional professors in Sinnoh, and I specialize in Pokemon evolution."

There was a pause before he continued. "And of course, I give away starter Pokemon to new trainers."

He swung his briefcase forward, placing it on the ground. It was Dawn's turn to gasp in shock at the professor's sudden actions. Inside the case were many different journals, photos, and documents likely full of research notes.

And three plain Pokeballs.

"Professor, are you sure about this?"

"I am completely sure about this Dawn. It will be nice to give a set of starters away when I'm not surrounded by a crowd." He turned to face the duo again. "Now then, who will pick first?"

"Lucas, you go first. I already know which one I want to pick."

He nodded, and stepped towards the briefcase. He already knew the rare options offered in Sinnoh, and he wasn't going to be a dick and take Barry's choice. As he pondered between his two choices, he realized he couldn't really decide which one he wanted.

But he couldn't just stand there forever and ponder his choices. The Professor was taking time from his busiest day of the year to help the two of them, he had to be in a rush. In the end he just closed his eyes and shoved his hand forward. Once he felt the cold metal of a Pokeball, he took hold of it and opened his eyes.

"LucaspleasehurryupIcantwaitanylonger!"

He forgot about Barry, who was about to explode due to his inability to stay still for more than two seconds.

Eyes still on his Pokeball, he let Barry take his pick. He released his new partner, and watched as the Turtwig materialized. He bent down and looked it in the eyes.

It was a girl, and he could tell by the size of the little twig on its head that it was young. He gently picked her up and gave her a hug. He looked over and saw Barry was also admiring his Chimchar

"Well I can see you've both made excellent choices. I would stay longer, but I can't be late today. Please feel free to stop by the lab later, I would be glad to have a more proper conversation with the both of you."

Rowan and Dawn continued their stroll towards Sandgem town, leaving the new trainers to their own devices. He looked at Barry, and saw that familiar glint in his eyes. He knew what was coming.

"Lucas, you know what comes next. I challenge you to a battle!" He paused for a rare moment, before jumping up. "Arceus, I've always wanted to shout that!"

Of course, there was only one way he could respond.

"Barry, I accept your challenge!"

Putting the Turtwig back on the ground he watched as the Chimchar turned towards them. He didn't really mind the type advantage Barry possesed, because they both knew they would have different counters for future team members.

Both Pokemon were ready for battle, and they eyed each other carefully. There obviously wasn't a referee nearby, so they agreed to not go too crazy for the first fight. A few moments passed before both trainers nodded, and the battle began.

"Use Tackle!" They shouted simultaneously.

Turtwig dashed forward, ready to knock the Fire-type down. When she got close she jumped towards the Chimchar at full force. The Pokemon in question was doing the same.

They crashed into each other loudly, and both flew off in different directions. Chimchar recovered first, having more maneuverability. He shook it off, and charged once again.

"Turtwig, dodge for now!"

Turtwig got up and immediately had to jump out of the way so she wasn't trampled. The Chimchar turned around and got ready to try again. She looked back at her trainer, who seemed to be focused on something else.

Chimchar attacked again, hitting the Turtwig head on. She was thrown for a loop, before getting back up again. Dodging the next tackle, she turned and jumped onto the Fire-type's back.

"Shake her off Chimchar!"

Turtwig suddenly found herself hanging on for dear life as her opponent started shaking very fast in an attempt to fling her. She didn't have an effective way to hold on for long, and she was thrown off the chimp.

Chimchar was dizzy from spinning around, which gave Turtwig a perfect target. She charged in and knocked the simian to the ground.. The Chimchar fell over, making Turtwig the victor.

Then she fell over too.

Both trainers shook hands and gathered their partners before heading home. Lucas stepped into the house and saw his mom on the couch, watching a contest performance.

"Hey mom."

"Hi! How was the Professor?"

He shrugged, "We met him on the way to the lab and got rare starters. Do we have any revives anywhere?"

"There should be some in the pantry."

"Kay."

Sure enough, there were still some on the top shelf. He grabbed one, along with a potion he saw, and went upstairs.

He laid his unconscious partner on the bed and got to work. First he broke off a piece of the revive, and waved it above her nose. After a moment, she woke up and started speaking again. He handed her the revive, and she started eating it. To a Pokemon, it was basically a big cookie. It tasted good and it usually gave them a burst of energy, so they could last until proper care could be given.

He then sprayed down any scratches she had with the potion. The Turtwig winced through most of it, as it stung the wounds on her body. Potions encourage rapid cell regeneration in Pokemon and normally could fix any minor injuries a smaller Pokemon would get.

Turtwig was now in much better shape. She sat up and beamed at her trainer, clearly happy about the earlier victory. Lucas smiled back at her.

"Good job out there. Ready to win some more battles?" She nodded enthusiastically. "Great. Let me get my gear and we can start our journey."

He had already packed the night before, so he knew that his stuff was ready to go. He took the bag from earlier and put it in his bigger bag, where most of his gear currently was. After a quick check to confirm everything was still there, he hoisted his bag up and put it on, motioning for the Grass-type to follow.

He went back downstairs to see his mom talking to Barry's mom. They were in the kitchen talking about something, and as he hit the bottom step they turned to face him.

Barry's mother spoke first. "Lucas, Barry already ran off on his adventure. He forgot his map, could you get it to him before he gets too far?"

"Sure, no problem." He grabbed the map off the table, and turned towards his mother, who had stood up and was handing him something.

"Lucas, I got this for you. I want you to write in it every day, so when you come back I can see what adventures you've gotten into, okay?" His mother handed him a journal and he took it from her, looking through it quickly before putting it in his bag. He nodded. "I'll try to. No promises."

"Just do your best, sweetie." She smiled.

His mom pulled him into a hug which he reciprocated. Breaking away, he waved goodbye and turned towards the door. Stepping outside, he released Turtwig, and the two began their journey.

~0~

Mars looked up from her musings, as something blinked in her peripheral vision. Looking over at her desk, she spotted a flashing red light on the far end of the panel. That meant Cyrus was back from his tour. She stood up and walked towards the teleportation pad in the corner of her room.

She waited for the teleporter to power up, and after a moment, her surroundings morphed into a different, but entirely still familiar place. Cyrus sat at his desk, focused entirely on her. Not waiting for orders, Mars strided forwards and stood opposite to him.

"You called, sir?"

A moment passed where he didn't react, before Cyrus nodded at her. "Yes, I did. I have two things to go over. First, thank you for the loan." His hand slid towards her, holding a Pokeball, and Mars nodded, clipping it back with the rest of her team. His hand returned back to its resting position, and he spoke again.

"Next, I have a new assignment for you." He slid her a folder and Mars opened it, interested. Skimming through the reports, she got the gist of the assignment fairly quickly. Infiltration was her strong suit after all.

"Just recon, sir?"

"For now. You will be updated as the night progresses, but as with events like this, there will be many high-profile trainers attending. Prepare as you see fit."

"Secondary and tertiary escape routes?" she questioned.

He waved his hand. "Covered in the file."

"Understood."

With nothing left to say, she turned on her heels and stepped into the teleporter again. Once again entering her own office, she dropped the file onto her desk and sat down to take a closer look at it. The new Gym Leader was being inaugurated in Oreburgh tonight, and she was to infiltrate the ceremony and subsequent festivities afterwards.

Looking closer, she saw her list of targets and smiled internally.

This would be so much fun!