Lucas had always enjoyed quiet mornings growing up in Twinleaf Town, and from his time working in Sandgem Town. In those towns, he could take a quick walk to the beachfront or the lakefront to guarantee a pleasant morning in a beautiful natural setting with the sounds of water and Pokémon as the accompaniment.

As he had grown older, though, Lucas started to crave more excitement in his life. The first time he set foot in Jubilife City, it was like being a kid in a candy shop. Everywhere he turned it felt like there was something incredible to see. He got the same feeling the time they had spent in Floaroma Town leading up the the contests, where he was encountering Pokémon he had never seen before every single day.

Eterna, despite being a larger city, was more like the small towns that he had lived most of his life in. It was a quiet settlement; the only difference was that there he had to walk quite a bit to relax at a waterfront. The closest thing was the small pond in the front yard, that essentially served no purpose other than a place for his host's Vaporeon to lounge in. Still, it was better than nothing, and Lucas decided to start his day there.

Someone else seemed to have the same idea. Lucas had seen four of Miss Sera's Pokémon already, but he had not seen this fifth one, a majestic stag with flowers growing from its horns. Luna's mother seemed busy, removing flowers and buds from her Pokémon's antlers, though she looked up from her work and gave him a greeting.

"Morning, Lucas."

"Good morning," he replied. "Where's Luna?"

"You just missed her, she went out fishing. Your other friend I haven't seen yet." That didn't surprise Lucas much. Ursula did like to take her sweet time in the mornings.

He was in the process of pulling out his Pokédex when she spoke out again. "I'm not too busy to answer any questions, and I know you have some. You've been curious about all my other Unovan Pokémon as well. Oh, and you can come around, Sawsbuck is very friendly."

The now-named Pokémon regarded him calmly. It appeared he had a taste for spicy berries, as there were several assorted ones on a stool next to Lucas. He picked up a couple and offered them to Sawsbuck, who quickly gobbled them up. "What are you doing right now?"

Miss Sera pulled off one more flower, then answered. "Right now Sawsbuck has too many flowers. They take energy away from him to maintain, so it's not ideal in this form or the next. Especially because Sawsbuck is my…" She considered for a moment. "Most reliable battler."

Serperior definitely struck Lucas as a Pokémon that was too proud to battle unless it was for an important reason against a worthy opponent. Sawsbuck appeared to have no such ego. The different forms she mentioned were also interesting, because this Pokémon seemed like it was already fully-evolved. "Does Sawsbuck have different forms when it evolves?"

"You would be interested in that, wouldn't you?" she laughed. "Unfortunately, no. Sawsbuck changes appearance based on the seasons, but there really are no other differences in its four forms. During the summer, all these branches will be covered in leaves. I need to make sure his neck won't strain from the added weight when they do eventually come in."

"Now, if you don't mind me asking you a question, do you have a particular kind of evolution you're most interested in, or are you doing general research on them all?"

It was funny, because her daughter asked a very similar question on the day that they had met, in Professor Rowan's lab. He didn't have an answer that day, but now…

Every time Lucas mentioned it to someone, it felt more achievable. It also put more pressure on him to make it a reality, but that was a good thing, right? "I do. Before this region became organized into Sinnoh, it was called something else. There were Pokémon unique to that era that have since been lost to time. My goal is to find the evolution method to bring those back. Which is why I inquire about every interesting Pokémon evolution I come across. Besides my natural curiosity, of course."

Miss Sera looked highly impressed. "Finding and evolving a Hisuian Pokémon? You certainly set your bar high, Lucas."

"Oh, you know about them already?"

She quirked her lips. "Secondhand. Gardenia sings the praises of every Grass-type Polemon she meets, but she was especially over the moon about a Rowlet she caught on a trip a couple of weeks after Luna left. She can't stop battling with that Rowlet, because she's convinced he'll evolve into a Hisuian-Decidueye, which is a Fighting-Type rather than a Ghost-type."

Maybe he could pass some information along to Luna? "Any plans to use Rowlet for her upcoming match?"

A sly smile was his only response. "Perhaps." Eh, he tried.

In any case, Lucas was pleasantly surprised that she had so much knowledge. "All that was right. There have been sightings, and trainers have captured Hisuian Pokémon before, but the general consensus is that it happens by pure accident. Some of these have never even been rediscovered. Pokémon don't evolve randomly, and I want to reveal a consistent evolution method for one of these Pokémon."

"And you've decided to enlist my daughter's help for this project."

"Well, I'm doing most of the work still, so she won't be overworked or anything." Lucas said hurriedly. "Luna should still have plenty of time to prepare for her Eterna Gym challenge."

"No, I'm not worried about that." Finished, the gym trainer ran her hand down the length of Sawsbuck's coat a few times before reaching over and giving him another berry treat. Her Pokémon trotted off to a sunny patch of the yard, folded his legs and laid down with his eyes closed. "I'm more interested in why you followed her in the first place, and what about her makes you think she can help with a project as difficult as this one."

Lucas tried to think of every pitfall that this line of questioning could potentially lead to before he answered, deciding to opt for a safe compliment. "Your daughter is very intelligent." Most of the time, at least. Sometimes Lucas found her doing nonsensical stuff like trying to substitute vending machine lemonade for potions. Or there was that time where he had to drag her away from an old lady peddling some incense that was supposed to charm trainers into giving you extra prize money.

But she was also somewhat of a Pokémon expert, which boggled Lucas's mind.

Her mother fixed him with a knowing look, as if reading his mind. "Ah so, you've noticed too. That she's different."

The lab assistant really did not want to comment on that statement, so he didn't. Thankfully, Miss Sera started down a tangent. "What did Luna give you as the reason for why she started her journey so late?"

Lucas racked his brain for a couple of seconds. "She said that in Unova, trainers need to be sixteen before they start their journey."

"A half-truth then," her mother said. "Luna's always been a smart and mature girl for her age. At first it wasn't a problem. What parent wouldn't want an easy child to raise? I only realized that she was holding herself back when she turned ten."

"Ten's the earliest age you can become a trainer here in Sinnoh, though most people wait until they're twelve," Lucas thought aloud. "Are you saying sixteen is more of an accepted age than an actual requirement, then?"

"Sixteen is the official age, but Alder, the champion of Unova, is famously lax with the rules. You might get a slap on the wrist, and a lecture about the realities of being a trainer, but you won't get in any trouble for starting your journey at ten. Luna, being aware of all the dangers, was probably the most qualified ten-year old ever to start her journey. But she waited. Eventually, I decided I needed to take some action."

Lucas had an idea of what that was. "So you got her a Pokémon."

"I got her a Pokémon," Miss Sera agreed. "She'd always been a fan of Eevee, Vaporeon agreed to it…I thought having a Pokémon would be enough to spur her on the journey that she wanted to take. Still, Luna dawdled at home. I got this job in Sinnoh, where the supposed age limit is lower, Eevee evolved into Glaceon on the way here, and this is a brand new region! My daughter should have been out of the door the minute she got here."

Luna's mother sighed heavily. "I didn't want to outright kick her out, so I decided to be as unhelpful and distant as possible, so Luna would eventually come to the realization that nothing was being gained by staying home, and that she needed to leave. Thankfully, Professor Rowan responded to her letter, and the rest is history."

He could finish the story from there. Luna had arrived at the lab and met him, he'd been surprised and impressed by her Pokémon knowledge, and he gambled on following her in hopes of coming across something brilliant that he could use. Which was seemingly starting to pay off. Still…"Wasn't it risky, alienating your daughter like that?"

"It was painful," Miss Sera admitted. "Not as much as seeing her waste all of her potential at home, however."

"How far do you think she can make it then?"

Luna's mom tilted her head and considered. "I'm not exactly unbiased… realistically, I think she can make it to the full battle stage, top sixteen in Sinnoh at least. Whether she progresses further will depend on if Luna finally stops with her weird obsession to make every battle fair somehow."

Lucas groaned at a memory. "Tell me about it. Would you believe that she used Charmander against a couple of thugs that were harassing my boss one time instead of sending out Glaceon and beating them without issue?"

That story got a peal of laughter. "I believe it alright. She used to not do anything other than light training because she didn't want Glaceon to become too powerful too early on, whatever that means."

"Secondly, she'd also need to dodge some of these extremely strong trainers that are competing this year. We had a guy a few weeks back who had a Haxorus, a fully-evolved Dragon-type native to Unova, which crushed Gardenia's Cherrim and then defeated her Abomasnow as well. Torterra finally managed to take it down, but then he sent out a Dragonite, and it was curtains after that."

Two fully-evolved dragons? Whoever this challenger was, he sounded exceptionally formidable. "Glaceon matches up great versus dragons, and tough battles always seem to bring out the best in Luna. You never know what could happen."

His words got a wide smile in response. "You're an excellent friend, Lucas. Consider what I'm about to give you a thank you, as well as something that you might find useful on your own personal journey."

Sawsbuck raised his head sleepily as his trainer passed, but returned to his slumber quickly. Lucas could not imagine what he was about to receive. Money was always useful, but it wasn't exactly personal.

Miss Sera returned with something wrapped in red and white cloth. She handed it to him expectantly. Whatever it was, it was warm, hard as a rock, and shaped like a star. He opened it and stared at the item in shock before trying to return it to no avail.

"I can't take this," he said, holding the Sun Stone in the palm of your hand. "Luna has an Oddish! This should be given to her when Oddish evolves into Gloom."

"That's going to be any day now," Miss Sera muttered before raising her voice. "No, Lucas. I've been holding onto that Sun Stone for a long time, and I want to give it to you. Gardenia told me that Petilil in this region might evolve into a different, Hisuian version of Lilligant. Even though I bought two Sun Stones while I was on my journey, I never was able to track down a Petilil. Hopefully, you'll have some better luck than me."

The Twinleaf native turned over the stone in his hand, feeling the constant warmth before he answered. "That's not the only reason, is it? You don't want to give it to Luna to influence her one way or another when Oddish could also end up a Vileplume." A thought struck him. "The Eterna Gym wouldn't happen to have a spare Leaf Stone and Sun Stone lying around, would it?"

She clapped him on the shoulder. "The more I talk to you, the more I think you're going to pull this Hisuian thing off. See you later, yeah?"

He watched her go inside, thinking about what just happened. This was the most fortuitous start to a day he'd had in a long time. He already needed to head to the Pokémon center. Maybe Porygon would be ready to pick up this time.

----------------------------------------

Lucas didn't have any brothers, but Monferno at this point was one, in all but blood. When Lucas was feeling down, Monferno tried to make him laugh. If he was stuck on a problem, his starter was there to bounce ideas off of. And when Lucas was excited, Monferno was even more so. The Fire-type was just more exuberant about how he displayed it.

When there was enough space, that was. Lucas watched his starter do two cartwheels and then jump into the air for a quadruple spinning somersault, finishing with a twist to face Lucas, sticking the landing to boot.

"Seven point three," he tried to say with a straight face. He ended up bursting with laughter at Monferno's betrayed expression.

"I can't give this one a ten even if I wanted to! You always come back with something better!" Monferno tried to keep up his affronted expression, but he ended up laughing with his trainer, and started running to the Pokémon Center on his hands while Lucas did his best to keep up.

After they entered and waited for two trainers in front of them, the Nurse Joy on duty gave Pokémon and trainer a familiar smile, though Lucas couldn't tell which of the Nurse Joys that had been keeping him updated over the past several days this was.

"Porygon is ready for you to take, Lucas," she greeted. "The gentleman over there is the one responsible for helping Porygon, so that's who you need to be speaking to." Said man was a nondescript fellow other than his large beard, drinking coffee while working on his laptop at one of the booths in the lobby. Lucas slid into the seat opposite of him, where the man took a long swig of his drink before addressing him.

"Lucas, right? Can I see your trainer card just to make sure?" He passed it over, and after a couple minutes, Lucas's trainer card was returned, along with the Ultra Ball that housed Porygon. "Here you go! You two enjoy yourselves!"

Monferno was itching to properly greet his first teammate, but Lucas had way too many questions. For starters…"Can you tell me why we needed to come here for Porygon's treatment? And what should I be doing to take proper care of it?"

The bearded man seemed amused. "I get the feeling you think I'm a nurse! All I am is a software repairman. Because that's the fixing your Porygon needed. Someone went in there and screwed up its code, and I had to go set everything straight again."

He knew that Porygon was a digital, man made Pokémon, but was that all it really took? "Are you saying you just fixed its programming? That's all Porygon needed?"

"Exactly," the computer specialist said, while taking out the flashdrive Luna had found and placing it on the table next to his computer. "It sure helped that you kids gave me this thing for reference. Still took me forever, though." The man considered before giving his explanation on what exactly he had performed.

"Think of it this way. Porygon is the base model, yeah? Porygon-2, or P2 as we programmers like to call it, is an upgraded version, with more features. It has better artificial intelligence, can act more independently, and can learn a wide array of gestures and emotions that a regular Porygon can't. Then we have PZ, Porygon-Z. That thing was developed a few years back by some brainiac who works at Galactic Energy, and is supposed to be able to operate in outer space and even in different dimensions. Tt was touted as the architect of the new world." The man put air quotes around the phrase Porygon-Z had been given.

The man seemed reluctant to disclose more about Porygon-Z. "You said it was supposed to," Lucas prompted him.

"I've never had an issue while working with a PZ, but between you and me, Lucas, that thing creeps me out. The way it moves and operates gives me the shivers. People in my field joke that whoever wrote the code must have been a dubious and shady fellow. That being said, battling-wise, it's an absolute beast of a Pokémon. A huge black market for Porygon started in Kanto after PZ came out. You wouldn't believe the amount of money trainers looking to make a serious run in the Pokémon League were willing to shell out for a powerhouse so easy to train and take care of. Which brings me to this thing."

The man tapped the flashdrive before continuing. "This person was trying to create the next Porygon. This drive has data for P2 and PZ on it. My guess is that they were trying to combine both of their aspects to finally make the perfect Porygon, though it didn't have the intended results. This code probably is why it gave your friend so much trouble, switching typings mid-battle based on the moves the opponent uses. That's a prime feature of P2. The raw power is obviously a feature of PZ. Anyways, I've removed all that, so now you've got a regular Porygon again. Don't worry about upkeep. It's the easiest Pokémon in the world to take care of. Super obedient, and it doesn't need to eat or drink. You don't even need to put in time building an emotional connection with it. If you ever want an upgrade, send it over, and we'll send you back a P2." The programmer looked up and winced. "Oh, I think Nurse Joy wanted to tell you all that. I'll let her finish this off. Enjoy your Porygon!"

All that information had Lucas's brain hurting. It seemed fanciful that Porygon didn't require any effort on his part to raise, but if it was just in fact a computer code come to life, then he supposed it was possible. Monferno was eagerly awaiting the moment when he could properly introduce himself to his newest teammate, so Lucas summoned Porygon from its Ultra Ball as he slipped out of the booth to talk further with Nurse Joy, leaving Monferno and Porygon to get to know each other.

"He already told you everything, didn't he," Nurse Joy said with a pout. "Well, I shouldn't be too upset. Porygon is the only Pokémon that he knows more about than I do. Is it the first Pokémon you've captured?" she asked, looking past him to something occurring behind him.

"Not for lack of trying," Lucas muttered, turning around himself to see what Nurse Joy was watching, which was Monferno and Porygon interacting. Lucas and the nurse observed for a few minutes as Monferno seemed to get more and more confused by the digital Pokémon's responses to his introduction. In particular, Monferno didn't seem to understand why he was saying so much and Porygon would only give a very abrupt answer, and why it would not continue the conversation on its own.

"As I understand, the original Porygon's design was focused on maximizing efficiency. The Porygon2 upgrade allows it to have greater understanding and therefore function better in a team setting. Not to mention that Porygon doesn't really share a similar background with any other Pokémon species."

Monferno turned to him with a shrug, as if not knowing what to do next. Lucas turned back to Nurse Joy. "What's your recommendation, then? I don't plan to release Porygon, but I know Monferno has been really eager to finally have teammates…"

"This has an easy solution!" Nurse Joy told him brightly. "You just need to capture another Pokémon!"

"I guess I can do that," Lucas said slowly. He knew his streak of not catching anything had finally been broken, but the nervousness of somehow messing up had not left him.

This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

Apparently, Nurse Joy interpreted that as him needing ideas on what Pokémon to catch and where to find it. She immediately started to stack his arms with binders she pulled from under the counter, speaking rapidly about each one. "Eterna Forest, despite what you may have heard recently, is a great place to catch Bug and Grass-type Pokémon. Gardenia goes there every week! On the other side of town, there are some great hiking spots at the base of Mt. Coronet, where you can find a variety of Pokémon that favor the harsh terrain. In between Eterna Forest and our city, there are some great fishing spots, and if you're really willing to make a detour, you can go to the area under Cycling Road, which is undeveloped and therefore full of rare Pokémon."

His arms were really starting to strain from all these heavy binders. Lucas tried his best to turn his grimace into a smile, while he debated how to tell her that he was trying to obtain a specific kind of Pokémon. Though he supposed if it was necessary for Monferno, he would go out and get one, regardless of whether it furthered his research or not. "Thanks for all the info, Nurse Joy. I have a meeting with Professor Rowan soon, but I'll definitely look through these after I'm done."

"You should take them with you until you've made your choice," she insisted, pointing him in the direction of the computer lab. "Don't come back until you've made up your mind!"

Thankfully, Monferno came to relieve him, taking half of the binders as they made the short walk into the computer lab. Lucas found an unoccupied stall, set everything down in an empty chair next to him, and pulled out his headphones.

He was just about to start up the computer when Porygon took the initiative, freaking Monferno out when it dissolved into a floating array of green numbers that disappeared. The device started to power-up as Lucas tried to calm down his starter. "Don't worry, Monferno. There are all sorts of different Pokémon, remember? Porygon is different because it was made by humans, to help them with machines like this. You'll get used to having him around, I promise."

His starter didn't look totally convinced, but a text box popped up on the now running computer. Lucas realized that this must be Porygon trying to communicate with him.

[Greetings, Master. What can I help you with today?]

"Uh, you can call me Lucas. I had a meeting with Professor Rowan today, and I was planning on contacting him via video call."

He didn't have to do anything, because Porygon was in total control of the machine. It pulled up a window demonstrating the agreed upon time for the call. [Your call with Professor Rowan is at eleven. You are three minutes, twenty-five seconds early. Would you like me to go ahead and initiate a video call?]

"Yeah, go ahead and call him." A notification indicated that the call was being initiated, and within a minute Professor Rowan's familiar and mustachioed face was on the screen.

"Good to see you, Lucas. I trust that you are well?"

"I'm great, Professor Rowan. How are you?

"Splendid, my boy. Absolutely splendid. I knew you were ambitious when you decided to apply for a position as my assistant at such a young age, but even I, in my wildest dreams, would have thought you would try and rediscover the secrets behind Hisuian Pokémon."

"Do you think it's too difficult of a goal to achieve?" Lucas asked his mentor worriedly.

"On the contrary, I think it will be made all the more satisfying when you do finally breakthrough because it is such a difficult endeavor. One that you have my full support in. Starting with this." Both Rowan and Lucas turned as the machine to their right, the one that served as a copier, fax, and printer all rolled into one started to beep. It eventually produced a paper with a list of Pokémon names that Lucas held reverently in his hand.

"These are…"

"The Pokémon of Hisui, yes," the professor finished for him. "Sparse though it may be, I and the rest of the team compiled this information at your request. I have also taken the liberty to organize this list by the level of information there is."

The professor cleared his throat and continued. "The first grouping is of Pokémon that once were abundant in this land, though their populations have slowly dwindled. Legacy pockets of these exist, though they are rare. These are the most likely for you to encounter, and some notable trainers have them already."

"The second grouping are Pokémon that I personally believe evolve with a stimulus, such as an evolutionary stone." Lucas noticed that Petilil had been placed in this category, while Rowlet had been grouped in the first. "The Kleavor you encountered likely evolved this way, on a chance reaction with an item. For some of them, we know how their modern forms evolve, but we have no reference on what caused Scyther to evolve into Kleavor, for example."

"And finally, we have the Pokémon that have never been sighted in modern times. Whatever method was used to evolve these Pokémon, it has been lost in the annals of history, to the point where ninety-nine percent of people don't even know that these Pokémon once had evolved forms. I have a feeling that this last group is the one that draws your attention," Rowan finished knowingly.

Lucas gave him a sheepish smile. "Guilty as charged, Professor. How would I start investigating this last group?"

"You're on the right path, Lucas," his mentor assured him. "No doubt that these Pokémon evolved in rare and unique ways. Therefore, you should continue your research on these types of evolutions, to find the key to unlock these Hisuian forms. Although, I will suggest that it might be wise to do some research into fossil Pokémon. You are diving very far into the past, after all, and fossil Pokémon have much to teach us about history."

If he moved to the window, Lucas was sure he would be able to see the large mural of the mythical Diancie that had captivated him when he had first arrived in Eterna City. "I'll call you back, professor. I think I know a guy who can help me with that."

----------------------------------------

"Mr. G? Mr. G, are you in here? I'm here to ask you about fossil Pokémon!"

"Course I am. Not like I can go anywhere," came a gruff voice. A door slid open, and Mr. G hobbled out, preceded by a small, four-legged Pokémon that Lucas hadn't seen before.

"Oy, Rockruff! Quit chewing on everything! Tarnation, where are my Pokéballs?"

Rockruff didn't listen to him at all, finding a polished wooden shelf and immediately starting to gnaw on a wooden leg. Mr. G was searching his desk for his Pokéball, so Lucas decided to step in before all the merchandise came crashing down. He had recalled Porygon to make his starter feel more at ease, but his first Pokémon should be up to this task. "Monferno, can you…?"

Lucas gestured vaguely at Rockruff and his starter literally leapt into action. The Fire-type quickly pulled Rockruff off its chewing post, which meant the ire of what Lucas realized was a very young and untrained Pokémon was turned on Monferno. Still, his starter was an acrobat, and despite Rockruff's relentless assault, Monferno was easily able to keep his tail and limbs out of the way of Rockruff's snapping jaws, pushing its head down. The younger Pokémon didn't seem to mind, treating the whole thing like a game. Rockruff actually looked to be enjoying it, if its rapidly wagging tail was any indication.

Monferno's trainer took the opportunity while Rockruff was temporarily under control and calmed down to scan it with his Pokédex. "Rockruff. The Puppy Pokémon. This Pokémon is considered to be good for beginning trainers. It has a friendly disposition and bonds strongly with its master, though it does have a habit of biting on things." Well, Lucas was witnessing that firsthand, though Mr. G scoffed when the Pokédex finished speaking.

"Who makes that thing, anyways? Whoever it is, they sure are dumb, because they didn't even get half of that statement right."

"The Pokédex was developed based on hundreds of years of research into Pokémon by trainers and researchers," Lucas retorted, offended. "It might not be perfect, but it's one of the best tools out there for a trainer today."

"Well, the trainer that researched Rockruff was a total moron. They were probably taken in by her cute face and big eyes," Mr. G insisted, gesturing at his own. "Trust me. Rockruff have a wildness and a viciousness inside of them. They aren't easily tamed, and raising them is a challenge."

Lucas made a mental note to tell Professor Rowan, so that the Pokédex could be updated, but Mr. G's statement caused another question to spring up in Lucas's head. "If that's the case, why do you have one?"

"I've raised one to evolve before," Mr. G replied dismissively. "I can do it again. 'Sides, she's special. Rockruff evolves into three different forms, and this one can evolve into the super-rare Dusk Form."

Interesting as that was, Lucas still had issues with what Mr. G was trying to do. "That must have been a long time ago, though. Before you suffered your injury."

Mr. G pointed an accusatory finger at Lucas. "Boy, I'll have you know that I'm just as capable now of raising a Rockruff as I was back then. Why, I was an accomplished and acclaimed spelunker and explorer before your parents even met! Look around! The proof's right there!"

The old explorer wasn't lying. He had filled every inch of his walls with newspaper clippings, ribbons and medals, and other evidence of his exploits. None of it impressed Lucas. To him, it screamed of a man desperately clinging on to his glory days, who had not accepted that he was not the same individual that had accomplished so much. Getting a Rockruff was another symptom of that mentality.

That's not to say Mr. G was totally over the hill. Maybe his prime days of exploration were behind him, but the man clearly had a plethora of knowledge to offer, that only a fool would pass up. Unfortunately, he was too stubborn to change, or even get treatment for his own injury, and all that knowledge and experience was going down the drain.

It was one of the saddest things he'd ever seen.

That being said, he didn't think demonstrating sympathy, and not rocking the boat, which seemed to be Luna's preferred method for dealing with the man, was going to be very effective. Mr. G needed a harsh dose of reality, and someone to confront him with the facts.

"I'm sorry to tell you like this, Mr. G, but you're not the same as when you accomplished all these feats. You're a different man now, and if you aren't going to get treatment for your leg injury, I have a hard time believing that you will be adequately able to raise Rockruff," Lucas said as firmly as he could without sounding too harsh. "Do you have a backup plan in case she becomes too hard to handle?"

"My kids and their spouses run a jewelry store in Veilstone City, so they definitely couldn't handle her," Mr. G grumbled. "Ain't no way I'd trust a brat like you, either. You wouldn't be able to unlock her full potential."

"I'm plenty qualified to raise Rockruff," Lucas fired back. "I work under Professor Rowan, and the focus of my research is Pokémon that evolve in rare and unique ways. In fact, I hope that research leads me to rediscover a Hisuian Pokémon. If you tell me how Rockruff evolves, I'll make sure it happens."

Mr. G did not look impressed that he dropped the name of one of, if not the most respected Pokémon authorities in Sinnoh. "You're a dreamer and a bookworm. I've got a better chance of seeing a Snorlax fly than you managing to get a Hisiuan Pokémon. You don't have enough grit. Why don't you take one of these Sail Fossils I have and go down to Oreburgh to revive it. Amaura is a gentle herbivore; even you wouldn't have an issue raising it."

Lucas did not appreciate being belittled. Especially because he had beaten out so many older and more qualified people to be Professor Rowan's assistant, through his determination and work ethic. Monferno didn't appreciate his partner being talked down to either. It seemed that there was only one way to get this stubborn old coot to respect him. "Or, I'll prove to you the caliber of trainer I am by beating you in a Pokémon battle."

"Don't make me laugh. I've smoked trainers way more accomplished than you'll ever be!"

"Back in the day, " Lucas guessed. Correctly, by the expression on Mr. G's face. "You haven't had a proper Pokémon battle in a long time, have you?"

"That won't change after this one," Mr. G grumbled, searching his desk once again. After finally finding his Pokéballs, he hobbled over to the back door and shoved it open with a grunt. Lucas followed him, and it was quickly revealed that Mr. G had a trail that led to the Pokémon Center from his backyard. Specifically, the back, where all the training fields were. Lucas and Monferno took their places at the far side while Mr. G took the nearest one, appearing frustrated that he was already out of breath from that short walk. Rockruff, who had followed them, seemingly understood that something important was going to happen, and the young Rock-type sat at the corner of the battlefield, observing with great interest.

"How many Pokémon do you have, boy?"

"Two," Lucas called back.

"I'd say a double battle is the best way to battle, if you only have two Pokémon. What say you?"

Lucas agreed, though he'd never participated in a true double battle, with two of his own Pokémon, considering he had only Monferno for the longest time. He hadn't had any time to work with Porygon either. Hopefully, what that computer guy said about how Porygon so easily listened and obeyed commands was correct.

"Ready, Monferno?" he asked, bringing out his Ultra Ball. His starter did a somersault in response, even the prospect of having to partner with the strange creature that was Porygon not bringing his mood down. Monferno jumped into the battlefield as Lucas sent out Porygon, who hovered above the ground slightly, not giving away anything with its expressionless face.

Mr. G threw his two weathered Pokéballs into the air at the same time. "Go, Gurdurr! Go, Piloswine!"

The first Pokémon was obviously a Fighting-type. Gurdurr, though it had a bit of a clownish face with its round nose and curly haired head, was ripped beyond belief. Its entire body looked like a human bodybuilder, with enormous bulging muscles covered in purple veins. It was no wonder that it hefted a large steel beam over one shoulder with incredible ease. Piloswine on the other hand, did not look like much. Everything other than its snout and small tusks was covered in long and shaggy brown fur, to the point that Lucas couldn't even see its eyes. But he knew to be wary. Underneath all that fur and blubber that protected it from the cold climates Piloswine normally lived in was a powerful Pokémon.

They both looked slow. He didn't think Trick Room was going to help here, considering Monferno's high speed was normally an asset. Discharge would also be counterproductive, seeing as Piloswine would be unaffected.

This was going to be difficult. Not that Lucas planned to back down now.

Mr. G decided to take the first move. "Gurdurr, Brutal Swing!"

The muscled Pokémon gripped its weaponized beam in two hands and leapt into the middle of the field. Gurdurr lashed out by swinging the beam in a wide circle, the circumference of the attack easily encompassing both of his Pokémon.

Lucas noticed the beam glowing with a dark aura. "Monferno, block it! Porygon, turn Fairy-type!" Monferno put both his arms up in an X-shape, and though he was knocked back a foot, he didn't look to have felt the attack much. As the computer repairman had said, Porygon seemed to obey his orders without a second thought. A pink energy flowed over its body, and Brutal Swing did not harm Porygon much either. Gurdurr didn't seem to be able to stop its own momentum, with the beam now headed for Piloswine. Their other opponent calmly put up a green bubble barrier, negating the attack completely.

Lucas's suspicion that the old man was secretly well-versed in double battles was quickly confirmed by his next move. "Piloswine, Icy Wind!" The Ice-type sent a very familiar gust of polar wind towards both of his Pokémon.

It didn't look nearly as strong as what Glaceon could put out, however. "Fire Spin! Porygon, use Psybeam on Gurdurr!"

Fire Spin easily stopped the icy attack in its tracks, and Porygon fired off a super-effective rainbow beam against Gurdurr. Not that Mr. G was going to allow it to connect. "Gurdurr, defend with Heavy Slam!"

Heavy Slam was normally an attacking move, but instead of bringing it down onto one of Lucas's Pokémon, Gurdurr slammed its steel beam vertically into the ground and used it as a shield to easily deflect the power of Psybeam.

"Monferno, use Taunt on Piloswine." He didn't like how Protect limited his options so much. Taking away that move should open up Piloswine to super-effective attacks from his starter.

But no matter how infuriating Monferno made himself look, even on one hand, while the other was pulling his eyelid down, tongue sticking out, Piloswine didn't fly into a rage. In fact, it didn't even seem to have noticed, even though Monferno was right in its line of sight. Assuming it could even see behind all that fur.

The true answer was quickly revealed. "That won't work on us," Mr. G said with a smirk. "Piloswine's special ability is Oblivious, which means that moves like Taunt and Attract won't have any effect."

How incredibly annoying. There was some silver lining though; Piloswine having Oblivious meant it didn't have a resistance to fire thanks to the Thick Fat ability that some of its species possessed.

All he needed was an opportunity to exploit that weakness. The issue was, Mr. G was looking to do the same to Lucas and his team.

"Gurdurr, prepare yourself! Piloswine, use Bulldoze!"

The Fighting-type hunkered down in a grounded stance, appearing like it was bulking up, by the way its muscles bulged even further, in preparation for taking an attack. Piloswine tensed before it leapt into the air.

"Monferno, get on top of Porygon! Porygon, turn Flying-type and go up!"

His starter looked a bit uncomfortable with the command, but both his Pokémon obeyed. A pale-blue energy cascaded over Porygon and the digital Pokémon lifted off right as Piloswine landed heavily, causing a shockwave to be sent underground.

Whatever reluctance Monferno had about working with such a strange teammate was washed away as soon the two of them were in the air, where Monferno seemed nearly as comfortable as he was on the ground. Lucas's two Pokémon soared above their opponents, out of range of their attacks for the moment.

"Porygon, go for Tri Attack!"

"Gurdurr, get behind Piloswine! Use Protect!"

Now was his chance. "Mach Punch!" Monferno launched from Porygon's shoulders like a missile from a plane. His glowing fist impacted uselessly against Piloswine's green barrier, but Monferno smirked and started backflipping away. A few seconds later, Piloswine roared in pain as a powerful tricolored beam struck it.

That got a scowl out of Mr. G. "Shake it off Piloswine! Gurdurr, use Hammer Arm on Monferno!"

The Fighting-type ran out from behind its partner with its beam held in two hands over its head. Gurdurr raised its weapon and swung the end of it overhead like a club at Monferno.

The force of the impact left a hole in the ground, but Monferno was too quick to get caught by such an attack. "Go for Flame Wheel now!" Lucas called, seeing Gurdurr trying to retrieve its beam, which seemed to be stuck.

Monferno surprised everyone by somersaulting on top of the beam. He covered himself in fire and used it as a ramp to get straight to Gurdurr, knocking his opponent back before it could retrieve its tool.

"Leave it," Mr. G said. "It's not doing us much good, anyways." The man looked alive in a way Lucas hadn't seen before."It's time to fight hand to hand!" Gurdurr pounded one a fist into an open palm, while Piloswine lowered its head and pawed at the ground, in agreement with their trainer's command. "Gurdurr, Thunder Punch on Porygon! Piloswine, use Take Down on Monferno!"

Piloswine charged immediately, while Gurdurr electrified its fists and followed suit.

"Porygon, switch to Ground-type!" Lucas ordered, not worried about his starter. He knew Monferno was in his element against such a straightforward attack. The Fire-type twirled out of the way of the first charge with inches to spare, and then when Piloswine skidded to a halt and rumbled forwards again, Monferno did a ludicrous twisting backflip right over the enemy Pokémon. He then vaulted forward at blinding speed to smash a glowing fist into Piloswine's face.

On the other side of the battlefield, Gurdurr was having similar problems. The Fighting-types cocky expression as he unleashed a thunderous one-two combo on Porygon turned to confusion as his attack was rendered useless. The follow up order for Psybeam sent Gurdurr stumbling back until it was next to Piloswine.

Despite the battle turning against him, Mr. G had a wide grin on his face. For the first time, Lucas saw the man that had accomplished so much in his career, not the stubborn, grumpy husk that he had become. "You haven't seen the best of us yet!" the former explorer roared, sounding like he didn't want the battle to end. "Let's see how you handle this attack! Something similar almost cost me my life once! Double Rock Slide, go!"

Large rocks started to hover around the opponents, held up by a strange white energy. Both Gurdurr and Piloswine pounded the ground, and an avalanche of stone was launched at Lucas's Pokémon.

"Porygon, use Recover so you can endure it! Monferno, do your best to dodge! Smash anything that you can't!" Porygon glowed yellow for several seconds, and because it was currently a Ground-type, it resisted the barrage of rocks thrown its way. Monferno did not have that luxury, being part-fire, though Lucas's concern was for naught. His starter didn't even need to resort to Mach Punch. He was instead leaping from boulder to boulder with ease. Even as more rocks were cast his way, Monferno deftly evaded them all, positively glowing with light blue energy as he climbed higher, using each boulder as a stepping-stone.

Lucas knew from observing Porygon that Monferno was using a Flying-type move, but what? His starter didn't have wings, and he certainly couldn't fly. Sure, his Pokémon was a gymnast and an acrobat-

He smiled internally when he realized what the move was. "Monferno, finish Gurdurr with Acrobatics!"

"Show 'em what you're made of, Gurdurr! Use Dynamic Punch!" Mr. G roared right back. Monferno launched itself at Gurdurr with all the momentum he had built, while the other Fighting-type leapt to meet him with a glowing orange fist backed with all of Gurdurr's massive muscles and strength. Monferno and Gurdurr met midair with explosive force, and both Pokémon were sent flying back to the ground. The more muscular Fighting-type was left unmoving, and while Monferno slowly got to his feet, he stumbled more than once trying to get his balance, and tottered woozily when he finally was upright.

Mr. G immediately noticed Monferno struggling. "Now's our chance, Piloswine! Take out Monferno with your Headlong Rush!"

Headlong Rush? Lucas had never heard of such an attack, but while Piloswine was charging at Monferno again with reckless abandon, this time it was putting out so much energy that it looked like a flaming meteor about to collide with an unlucky planet. Monferno was in no shape to dodge, so that only left one option. "Porygon, get in the way and use Tri Attack!"

His digital Pokémon put itself in the fire line while charging up three different colored orbs in a triangular pattern. Piloswine didn't seem interested in defending itself from the incoming Tri Attack. If anything, Piloswine committed even harder to connecting with its Headlong Rush, regardless of the fact that it was open to a retaliatory strike.

Porygon blasted Piloswine with Tri Attack, but Piloswine struck back seconds later. Headlong Rush had such power behind it that it sent Porygon flying backwards to crash right into Monferno, where both Pokémon tumbled to the ground in a heap. Despite delivering the more powerful attack, it was Piloswine who looked worse for wear. The acrid smell of burnt fur quickly told Lucas why. A red scorch mark on Piloswine's right foreleg, surrounded by a ragged circle of blackened fur meant that the Ice-type was struggling to walk normally.

On his side, Monferno, snapped out of his confusion by the impact, was thanking Porygon for saving him. It did Lucas's heart good to see his first two Pokémon finally bonding, though it was somewhat interrupted when Mr. G finally recalled his fainted Gurdurr and limping Piloswine.

"Thank you, my old friends," the old explorer whispered, pressing both Pokéballs to his forehead. He was still smiling, despite the defeat. He straightened and looked across the battlefield, quietly contemplating.

Lucas broke the silence with a question. "What was that last attack?"

"Pokémon aren't the only things that have been lost to time," Mr. G eventually answered. "We've forgotten so much more regarding that era, including how to use certain moves. I've always believed that relearning those techniques would lead to finding a Hisuian Pokémon."

Lucas seared those words into his brain as Mr. G continued. "Ya know, I was wrong about you, Lucas. You've got that spark in you."

"A spark?" Lucas said, as it registered that Mr. G had actually called him by his name.

"You're willing to throw your whole being into the unknown, and you've got the determination to turn what you believe into reality, no matter how hard it may be. That mentality is the second thing you need to have in order to raise a difficult Pokémon like Rockruff." They both watched the young Rock-type, who was excited by the battle, trying to fight with Monferno and Porygon. Even wounded, the two of them understood how to indulge Rockruff without hurting her.

"The first is having a powerful Fighting-type, which you obviously have." Mr. G turned his gaze on Porygon. "Two, when you want it."

Lucas managed to contain himself through all the compliments to still show the older man his respect. "I'm not the only one who has that mindset. There are people who still do what you used to, mapping and exploring and searching for rare treasures and relics of the past. They'd all love to learn from you. I guarantee it."

"I guess teaching is a fine way to spend my time while I rehab from a hip replacement," Mr. G muttered to himself. "I'll tell you everything I know about Rockruff to get started."

Mr. G started towards the Pokémon Center, though he quickly turned around, a question on his face. "Can you do me one favor, though? What time's Luna battling Gardenia? I want to catch her battle on TV right as it's happening."

"Saturday at three," Lucas told him. "But forget about watching it on TV. I don't care if I have to wheel you down there myself, because you and I are going to see it live."