Hello everyone and welcome to the first chapter! This chapter will get the most important characters down and will set up Lucas' initiation for becoming a trainer. Thanks for reading, and please leave honest reviews! Importantly, this story was taken down by someone some time ago for some odd reasons, but I'm positing it again with a fresh coat of paint and some changes! And even more importantly, those of you who don't should know that this story is part of a shared universe with the following stories.

Brendan's Journey (by Jmoul 18-it has 60 chapters and 333 reviews aka it's a popular story)

A Hui Hou Kaku (by BraviaryScout-it's got 50+ chapters and still being written, but it's an awarded FFN story and is arguably the biggest Alola story on this site)

Into the Storm (by Jmoul 18- a story about the Orre region that encapsulates the darker side of Pokemon and is just as great a read as Brendan's Journey-it's a must read)

Chapter 1: Initiation

The muffled sound of blunt force striking leather could be heard rhythmically outside the door. Inside, an 18-year-old boy was striking rapid kicks and punches into a red punching bag in his room, tightening and jabbing each punch as if he wanted to punch through the bag itself. Lucas had always loved the fight, and the fight always loved him. The bag was old, very old. It was tattered and struggling to keep its fibers from fraying and expelling its innards after years of abuse from Lucas in his times of stress. Still, if punching vented his stress, better a bag than a body, though they'd given points and awards for striking the latter in a ring all through high school.

As much as he loved it, as much as it gave him a space to empty his aggression, his passion for boxing was just ultimately just a hobby. He and his best friend Barry were always hesitant to blindly run down the path of becoming an athlete or a Pokemon trainer as some of their friends had done. Many would run out with the promises of returning as Champions and Gym Leaders, ignoring the harsh truth that the vast majority of them would become fodder battlers for stronger trainers. In fact, he knew of some children who remained bug catchers on some remote route for nearly eight years since they began their "careers". Sure, Lucas knew of some good trainers, and he respected their craft, but he knew that any title short of Gym-leader or Champion would not be enough to provide for him or a family, especially when he did well in school to see a reliable enough path before him in the admission letter from Mauville University he placed on his desk.

He wiped the beaded sweat on his forehead, steadied his stance, and began pummeling the bag again. While the bag was taking his wrath, the small CRT TV beside him began to proceed to a new program after the advertisements. New voices narrating the program seized his attention, prompting him to give the poor bag some respite as he intently watched. There was a boy on TV not older than him, wearing what looked like a funny white beanie that made him look like he had white hair, riding a bicycle at pace alongside a Kirlia and a girl his age. The scene then cut to a battle where the girl and boy seemed to have teamed up against the announcers. A Combusken and a Kirlia were tearing away at a Wishmur and Magnemite with unprecedented ease and power. The ever-perceptive Lucas instantly began deconstructing the expressions in the trainer's and Pokemon's eyes, knowing the fire of a capable fighter. The program then cut to an interview with the two trainers. The boy was named Brendan and moved from Goldenrod City to Hoenn and was already an undefeated trainer with a noticeable set of badges. His ace, a Kirlia named Gwen, could use Telepathy and quite a bit of sass to talk to humans. The girl, named May, was actually not a trainer but a coordinator for contests traveling with him. When asked about their aspirations, Brendan said something that struck a chord with Lucas: "Well, I'm a trainer aiming to win the Hoenn League title and eventually become the Champion."

"Well that concludes this week's episode of In Search of Trainers," the announcer said. "Stay tuned! Next week, we travel to the wonderful Sinnoh region!"

"I like him: he's probably the first trainer in years to actually have a chance at getting somewhere," Lucas thought. He could feel his brain heating up as the painful question of careers and the future forced speculative calculations upon his mind. He sat down on his bed and ran his hand through his damp, sweat-heavy hair, feeling doubt and guilt creep up on him. Mauville University had already sent him an acceptance, if he put some more years through school and a year or two after that, he would have what he wanted. Money, a family, success, and dignity: they could all be his if he stayed on this track. But of course, he had to pay for all that. An investment not just of money but of time, neither of which he had much of to give.

For a few years now, he was the man of the house, and what wealth they had was lost with his father, leaving Lucas and his mother with only their house and several thousand Poke-Dollars. To keep themselves alive, Lucas' mother had to toil with multiple shifts that took what youth and vibrance from her she had left; she saw her son for only a few hours in the day once the sun was beginning to set behind the woods of their small house in Twinleaf. With the price for a degree in the hundreds of thousands of PokeDollars, Lucas would be forced to sail a ship made of IOUs and isolation.

Lucas stared up at the bright lights in his celling, lost in thoughts as the rays berated his retinas. He had a choice: he could go to school and risk everything to achieve his dreams, or he could become something else, someone else, and bring in the money his family needed now. The only question was, what would he become if not the man he was in his dreams?

Lucas stood once more and trotted down the stairs into the living room of his little house. It wasn't much, there was only a TV, a couch, and a kitchen on the bottom floor, but it sufficed. He collapsed on the couch, rubbing the bridge of his nose and diving into pensive thought. His mother, Johanna, took notice of her boy slumping into the sofa. She had had Lucas when she was 24, and since James had passed away Lucas was all she had that held her to her sanity. Seeing him like this was crushing her soul. "Lucas?" she called before pausing to wet her strained vocal cords with some water. "Lucas? What's the matter, dear?" She made his way over to him and sat by his side, stroking his hair. "Lucas, I can't help you if you don't talk to me."

"Nothing will change if I do, either."

"We'll see about that. Now, tell me. Something is bothering you."

"Mom, you know what it's about…"

"I know; you were ecstatic when the results came out, jumping up and down the entire house." She giggled a bit, remembering the excited and energetic image of Lucas. "That admissions paper was nearly crumpled in your excited hands."

"We can't pay the fees."

Her expression changed as the gravity of the situation rose beyond her ability to console him. "I know that too," she said hesitantly. "But I'm sure there's a way for us t—"

"There is no way. I'd have to take on debt."

"Well, I'm sure that's no problem. You're a smart kid, and you'll pay it off in no time once you've worked your way through school and found a steady job. It's not like it's an unbelievable task or anything."

"That's not the only problem." Johana's face began to become sullen as he said this. She knew what was coming next.

"We'll have no way to pay for your medical bills. I won't be there to take care of you. You might…" his voice trailed off as he refused to say what his mind knew would happen. years of tiring and unceasing work began to wear down on her bones and flesh, reducing her chances of staying employed; for now, she could take care of herself, though her age and arthritis left a clock ticking on how long that would be a possibility.

There was an uneasy pause that ensued before Johana spoke: "Don't you worry about me, I've got plenty left in me, I promise. Lucas, you've always wanted this, and I don't want to be the one to ever hold you back. If that's the path you want, don't be a fool and stop for me."

"I'm not going to walk away from you on purpose and just… leave you. No matter how much you are ready to give up, I'm not ready to give anyone else up."

Joanna gave a knowing smile. The poor boy was working his brain into a frenzied panic that she simply didn't feel with the wisdom of her years, her experience knowing him and his father. "Lucas Drake, you know, I'm not sure you're really considering all of the possibilities here."

"What am I missing? Boxing? Please don't say boxing, because it's fun and all but we both know I can't make a real living by—"

"Yes, I know that; don't be silly. But I mean… before your father worked for—"

"He was in the Elite 4 for a few months," he quickly spat. "He also left as quickly as he came for a better life. You can't possibly be telling me to become a Pokemon Trainer, right?"

"I'm not telling you to become one, but I am telling you it doesn't hurt to think about it."

"It almost does. If being in the Elite 4 wasn't enticing enough for Dad to stay, why would I think that there is something there for me?"

"He didn't… he didn't want to leave, Lucas. But with the power of an Elite 4 member, in a complicated region like Sinnoh, there were problems that he didn't want to bring with him to his new family… but the love of being a trainer never quite left him. And I don't think it quite left you either."

"What?"

"You love fighting. You love learning about Pokemon and watching tournaments. You've been watching documentaries since you were a child and acing biology and zoology courses in school. You can't put it in words, but even if you don't like what it takes to become a trainer, there is something about it that pulls you… I just know it."

"I have never once in my life said I liked train—" he paused mid-sentence as he recollected his thoughts and processed his mother's words again, her argument resonating a few times in his mind as he formed his next sentence. "Even if I did like it, I'm not wasting my time following a likely dead end. This isn't about having fun; it's about making a living."

"You have time. It's not like you have to give a word on who you will become by tomorrow, and you're not answerable to anyone but yourself: you're an adult now. But… you are the heir to your father's throne, and you can be more than that. Become strong. Become unstoppable. Become Champion. You've been burying your head into the practical nature of your future so much that you don't even know how to dream anymore. Think about it. Dream a little. If it doesn't work out, and you're not as cut out for it as I think you are, you have that admission letter. It's not like you're suddenly stuck on an island of unemployment forever."

"M-mom I need some time to think. This isn't a small ordeal by any measure. I-I don't think it's for me. I never liked trainers. They always think their Pokemon are the best and they rush like retarded bulls into every fight. I'm not like that. But at the same time…" Johana thought Lucas remembered his father and his past, but Lucas was actually thinking of Brendan and May. They weren't the erratic dolts he thought Pokémon trainers to be. There was an air of intent, focus, and determination to become the best that separated those who saw the champion's throne in their dreams and those who earned the right to sit on it. An air that was infectious and beginning to take root in his mind.

"Take your time to think about this Lucas." She coughed a little before she spoke again. "Just know that whatever choice you make, it's right in my eyes."

"Thanks, mom." Lucas got up, his brain still reeling from the sudden revelation. Perhaps some sleep would calm his muscles and mind. He moped upstairs as the weight of his workout pressed his legs to the floor. For a moment, his predicament evaporated as the bed welcomed him to a relaxing rest.

He awoke the next day refreshed. Lucas saw the clock: 7:42 a.m. "I'd better get ready." He dashed in and out of the bathroom, brushing his teeth and taking a quick shower. As he got dressed, he opened the third drawer on his dresser to grab a shirt. Looking down, he saw a flat-top hat. It had a half-Pokeball design on the side and was mostly blue. Brendan had never worn that hat, but his mom would never throw it out. He did something that he would have never done until the events of last night. He looked at the manufacture tag on the hat and saw two things: the name "JAMES" written in permanent marker and a copyright sign next to the number 1996. It was his father's. Lucas held the cap in his hands and stared, his cloudy future gaining more clarity the longer he looked at the cap. He had decided.

Lucas called Barry. If there was anyone who needed to know about this, it was definitely Barry. Lucas prepared himself for the adrenaline about to fill the room.

A minute later, a loud THUD was heard from downstairs. Lucas stopped for a moment as he heard rapidly firing feet fly up the staircase and carve a path toward his room. He smiled, expecting a familiar face to walk in.

Sure enough, a boy with wavy, blond hair, a striped white and orange shirt, beige pants, and a green scarf ran in, panting and grinning before looking at Lucas. "There you are!" he said. "Man, I've always wanted to go on a journey. But you wanted to be a lawyer. But now you don't? It's a dream come true for me! We could be best friends and best rivals; you dig? Anyways, did you just see the TV yesterday? Sure you did. So those two trainers, Brendan and May, they got their Pokémon from a professor. There's a professor not far from here, his name is Rowan and he has lots of Pokémon. We're going there. If we ask him for some, he'll give us Pokémon!" he paused for a fraction of a second before he spotted a blue PC in the corner of Lucas' room. "Oh hey cool! A new PC? That's awesome!" the boy said before he recollected his senses. "Oh, right, right. We're gonna go see Professor Rowan and get some Pokémon! I'll be waiting outside. Last one there's a fairy type!" The boy bolted in a haze right out of the door as the commotion of his feet was carried down the stairs and out of the door.

"Barry lemme put on all of my damn clothes, bro, it's cold as shit out there!" Lucas yelled as the other boy was speeding out of earshot. Lucas put on a white scarf and dark blue jacket over his red shirt underneath. He was about to walk out of the door of his room to follow Barry when he remembered something: the flat-top beret.