Chapter Text
The rising sun looks down on a young man, perhaps in his early twenties, as he tends to a campfire in the woods near Vertress City. He’s left Victory Road in his wake, the Vertress Conference having recently come to a close, and now follows the road towards Opelucid City, and from there, back into the rest of Unova. The man was recently a competitor at the Vertress Conference, a rising star now fallen from the heights of his ambitions, his dreams dashed in the arenas of the League. Flying types are beginning to stir in the forest, birdsong filling the air, greeting the dawn as the young man, and other trainers elsewhere in the forest, stir.
The young man groans as he runs his hands through tousled blond hair, pulling it out of his blue eyes and putting on a headband to keep it from falling forward again. His blue jeans are clearly well worn, the fabric marked by hard traveling and hard training, but holding out against the ravages of the wilds to the best of their ability. The brown leather belt securing those jeans has had two extra holes made in it, the belt fully tightened and showing signs that it might still be somewhat loose, perhaps requiring a further addition soon. His black boots are well-cared for, and rugged enough to survive the rigors of travel through the wilds for long periods of time. It’s obvious that his footwear has been with him for some time from the scuff marks on the boots.
His white button-up shirt is tucked neatly into his jeans, the long black trench coat he normally wears over the shirt currently set aside, the fur around its rim drying out under the morning sunlight after being soaked helping to protect him from rain last night. The lingering remnants of that rain have intermingled with the morning dew, the leaves slowly dripping water onto the forest floor, the dirt partially turned to mud in some places, while other places were sheltered by the trees, keeping them dry…and dusty. The young man’s fingerless brown leather gloves flex, the metal studs on them glinting in the sunlight. A Silph Co. satchel made from brown leather rests alongside his trench coat, though the satchel is fortunately dry, having been protected by the coat until the young man found shelter in a cave near the clearing where he’s currently resting, having emerged from the cave after the rain ceased so he could sleep under the stars.
A loose black scarf resting around his shoulders and a second belt around his waist with mounting points for pokéballs complete the young man’s ensemble, his garb having clearly seen many experiences during his travels, given the dirt and wear that it’s accrued. It’s equally clear, though, that for all the wear and tear it’s seen, his clothing is well-cared for.
Lucien Bradley pokes half-heartedly at the embers of his campfire, stirring it back towards life as he considers what to have for breakfast today. After all of the expert training he paid for in preparation for his most recent League Tournament, he has the lovely options of noodles, noodles, and more noodles…he supposes that he’ll have noodles. As he thinks about the recent tournament, his mood sours a bit. He had spent months preparing for his most recent shot at winning the Vertress Conference. His pokémon had worked hard on learning new moves and integrating them into their combat styles, as well as running themselves into the ground improving their fitness further, until they were in the best shape they’d ever been in.
He had worked hard studying his probable opponents at the Conference. Their pokémon teams, their strategies, their personalities. He had watched hundreds of hours of videos of their battles, until he thought that his brain was going to overload with all the information he was cramming into it. He had bargained with skilled Masters to instruct his pokémon team, not only teaching them new moves but helping them refine their old ones. New training plans were created to help his pokémon build up their endurance along with their strength and speed. They had pushed themselves to the very limits, poured their blood, sweat, and tears into the League. Every single one of them had given one hundred percent getting ready for the ultimate test of their preparations. They had devoted themselves to their task until they dreamed of training.
In order to fuel that training plan, he had purchased the necessary dietary supplements to help his pokémon build their bodies up, focused entirely on claiming victory for the first time, rather than being stopped like he has been in every previous year. In order to test their preparations and gain the money needed for those supplements, he had entered dozens of minor tournaments, across multiple regions. He had claimed victory after victory, leaving him riding high, with full bank accounts. In the last few months before the Conference, though, it turned out that money could vanish just as quickly as it came. The minor tournaments were no longer running, since all of the serious trainers were going into seclusion to train in the wilderness or to seek out Masters and make their final preparations. He’d been left with money flowing out of his bank accounts as easily as water spilling out of a burst dam.
But, no matter what it was doing to his bank accounts, he had to focus. Had to keep on working towards his goal. He consoled himself that the prize for winning the Vertress Conference was so massive that it wouldn’t matter. Even third place offered a big enough prize to easily make up for the money he’d spent, but he wasn’t going to be satisfied with coming in third. He wanted first place. For once, he wanted to be the one on the podium with the Champion, being presented the Conference winner’s trophy. Being told that he’d earned the right to challenge the Elite Four, to seek the Champion’s throne. He’s spent years working hard to grow strong enough to achieve that dream one day. And he’s gotten close before. His best showing was just last year, where he claimed a spot in the top four…though it was fourth place. Twelve years of hard work, and all he has to show for it is yet another loss.
This time, he didn’t even match his previous best. He hit the top sixty-four, where the six-on-six battles begin, and ran into a younger trainer who was in their rookie year. They hadn’t even had a full year as a trainer, and they managed to raise a team that stomped Lucien’s flat. It was barely even a contest. The kid had none of the training plans, none of the experience, none of the tutelage from Masters, but he smashed Lucien’s team until Lucien was left broken in the ashes of his dreams. Then he went on to make it to the top four, claiming third place.
Sure, there’s some relief in not losing to someone weak…but the sheer frustration . Lucien didn’t even make it to a Conference his first six years. He got four badges in his first year, and was considered to be doing fairly well by all considerations. His second year, he got six badges, which was encouraging at the time. It would take him another year to get his seventh badge, and then his eighth badge stopped him cold for the next three years. He’d traveled to other regions during that time, of course, and tested himself against their gyms in the hopes of making further progress, but he kept on hitting a wall that stopped him cold. He didn’t give up on his dreams like most trainers, though. He kept on working, kept on training, and above all, he kept on fighting . His team worked alongside him, and he could never have asked for better partners in his journey to seek the top. Now, though, he feels it all come crumbling down.
He’s emptied bank accounts that took years of painstaking effort and victories to build up to give himself this shot. His pokémon have pushed themselves to their very limits, to a bleeding edge of skill and ability that required incredible dedication to reach and maintain. He has pushed himself to the edge of burnout studying his opponents and preparing for them. All for nothing in the end. He didn’t even get a sponsorship offer that might let him prepare for another bid at the Conference in the coming year. There won’t be any minor tournaments for a month or two while the newest batch of rookies starts to find their feet. Lucien pokes the fire a bit more, tossing a few sticks onto it, and nods gratefully as his Donphan, Tantor, lumbers back into camp, using his trunk to lift a large pot filled with water. Lucien offers the pokémon a smile as Tantor sets the pot in place, setting the water to boil.
“Thanks, buddy,” Lucien strokes the massive elephantine pokémon, who trumpets in appreciation and affection as Lucien scratches at some of the unarmored sections of his tough hide. Tantor was his starter. His companion through every trial. He’d been scared of the harsh workouts they went through as part of the training plan, the massive Tantor still harboring some of the fear of the Phanpy rescued from abusive breeders he’d once been, but he did it. For Lucien. And Lucien repaid his starter, his best friend in the world, with being defeated in the top sixty-four. It’s the worst he’s ever done in the Conference. He’d promised once to make Tantor strong. To take Tantor to the top. He’s not sure why Tantor hasn’t asked to be put out to pasture after all of these years of striving. Lucien would understand.
Tantor has done his best. Worked his hardest. Pushed himself until he dropped, time and again, all at Lucien’s command. Tantor has earned the right to relax. Lucien certainly didn’t expect the cowering Phanpy he got on his first day as a trainer to push this hard, year after year, with a burning determination in his eyes. If Tantor asked, Lucien would let him go to a well-earned retirement. At times, he’s had to leave Tantor at the ranch he contracts with for stable space, and he knows that Tantor enjoys his time at the ranch, looking after younger pokémon and relaxing, more than the hard life on the road. But every time Lucien’s offered to let Tantor retire, his starter has vehemently refused. Not because he doesn’t like the ranch life, but because of his loyalty to Lucien. It’s humbling, to realize that Tantor will work so hard, fight for so long, for Lucien’s sake, and that he’s willing to keep on doing it.
It’s also something that Lucien’s conscience won’t allow him to ignore. Over the last few days, he’s been plagued by thoughts that maybe it’s time to just give up. To find some job for the League or in the private sector and spend his days at a steady job. The League always needs people to work at maintaining the routes, keeping younger trainers safe while they find their footing, and a myriad of other tasks. Ranging from environmental maintenance to catching invasive species of pokémon that got moved from elsewhere to handling groups of wild pokémon that decide to cause trouble. It’s good work. Lucien has plenty of respect for the people who handle it. It’s just that he never saw it as the sort of work that’s meant for him.
His loss so early in his most recent Conference shook his confidence, though. He’d been beaten, casually. It wasn’t even a contest. Years of effort, countless hours of hard work, and he’d struggled to bring down two of his opponent’s pokémon. Tantor, Aggron, Nidoking, Haxorus, Sceptile, and Infernape gave their all to bring down his opponent’s Muk and Abomasnow, with the Abomasnow taking Infernape, Lucien’s last fighter, down with her. His opponent didn’t even have to pull out his third pokémon. Lucien can respect a talented opponent, and his foe was, without question, skilled. His pokémon wouldn’t have listened to him if the rookie didn’t know what he was doing. He can accept the loss…eventually. But for now, that defeat burns in his mind, keeping him up at night, wondering if he could have won if he did things differently. He couldn’t have. He knows that intellectually. His heart though…
Lucien shakes his head firmly, focusing on the boiling water over the campfire. It’s ready. He tosses in a packet of noodles, adding a packet of the nutrient powder that’s recommended for traveling trainers working on a budget. The stuff is reasonably cheap, doesn’t taste too bad, and it provides all the nutrients a person needs. Lucien hates eating it on principle, but right now he’s not in a position to be picky. It’ll keep him going, and he needs to save his money to keep his pokémon well-fed. They come first. Fortunately, the forests he’s been traveling through recently have plenty of forage available, meaning that he can supplement their rations with Berries, fruits, and whatever else they can find in the wilds. It’s not the top-tier nutritional mixes that they’ve been eating for the past several months, but that’s fine. They like the forage they’re getting from living off the land better. And it’s…a bit nostalgic, in ways both good and bad.
Lucien hates the nutrient powder because it reminds him of the orphanage where he was raised until he was old enough to become a trainer. It was a poor place, with too many kids, meaning that nutrient powder and water was the normal meal for the kids. At least, when there was anything to eat at all. Lucien isn’t entirely sure how he hit the height of six foot four with that kind of diet…but he isn’t complaining. His height has helped him stand out in the past, making sponsors take a second look at him. Sure, that doesn’t always pan out, but it has every now and then, getting him some short-term sponsorships which have really come in handy at times. In some cases, it’s been all that let him continue his journey. True, that was in the early years, back before he got good enough to turn minor tournaments into a steady income source, but it’s still something that Lucien remembers well. Standing out in the crowd can be a serious advantage, at least if you leverage it properly. If you don’t…well, it tends to be a problem in that case.
When Lucien hit the road, he had no idea of how to forage properly. What he could eat and what he couldn’t. It wasn’t until Tantor brought him an Oran Berry that the Phanpy kept on pressing on him that Lucien had something other than nutrient powder and its variants. It was the best thing that he’d ever tasted. To this day, anything made using Oran Berries is Lucien’s favorite food, ranging from Oran pies to Berry juice. After that, though, Lucien learned to trust his starter when Tantor went out and foraged. Soon after that, he met Fafnir, the mighty Haxorus still an Axew at the time, still years away from becoming the titan he currently is. Fafnir would take one look at Tantor’s work, scoff, and teach them both how to forage properly .
Tantor had grown up in an illegal breeding operation, after all, and Lucien had never left the city before becoming a trainer. In addition to that, the orphanage didn’t offer much in the way of wilderness survival classes. Lucien is well aware that if he hadn’t found Fafnir that he might very well have been one more kid from the orphanage who vanished in the wilds. For that, he’ll always be grateful to the dragon. It was Fafnir who really inspired Lucien to believe that his dream of shooting for the Championship was possible, and Lucien has strived all these years to justify the faith that the dragon has in him. Only to fail, time and again.
Silently, Lucien looks at the pokéballs at his waist. The companions who fought with him at the League. Ignis, his Infernape. Falco, his Swellow. Kaiju, his Nidoking. Titan, his Aggron. Stag, his Heracross. Kenshi, his Sceptile. Caiman, his Feraligatr. Bog, his Clodsire. Along with Fafnir and Tantor, they make up his current roster. He has a few younger pokémon, but they’re currently enjoying the accommodations at the ranch where Lucien stables his pokémon. The younger ones weren’t quite ready for the Conference, still growing to reach the level of power needed to compete at that level. He’d had a few others…but they had retired from battling due to either advancing years or simple inability to keep up with the regimen that Lucien was putting his team through to prepare them first for the gyms, and later for the League Conferences
Regina, his Vespiquen, released to found her own hive. Asteria, his Miltank, who decided that she preferred the more sedate pace of farm life to rigorous training. Crush, his Drapion, who took severe injuries fighting a rogue Hydreigon, leaving him unable to continue training. Talon, his Braviary, who settled down in the wilds with a mate of his own. Lucien shoves the thought of them, along with the other pokémon that have left his team over the years, aside. Those thoughts won’t be productive right now. He needs to figure out what he’s going to do now, with his dreams of the League crushed and his finances…poor to say the least.
He can forage here in the wilds, but he’s going to need to return to civilization sooner or later if he wants to continue pushing for the Championship. He’ll need to rebuild his finances, find a sponsor who can help him cover costs on food and the like while he trains…sure, Lucien likes foraging, and he’s fine with eating what the wilds provide him with. But during intensive training, it’s simply not practical to forage. It takes hours out of each day to find food and prepare it, and that’s made even harder when he has a full team of hungry pokémon. More than that, his bigger pokémon eat enough that they tend to strip the immediate area of food sooner rather than later, leaving Lucien in the position of needing to range out further and further to find food, until finally he has to move. That disrupts intensive training like very little else, which is why he needs to buy enough food to last them through the entirety of the training period.
If he was just journeying, Lucien could live off the land easily enough. But preparing for a Conference requires intense training to improve skills, hone moves, develop strategies, and otherwise prepare for the battles to come. That needs access to resources that he just doesn’t have available in the wild. Lucien has his stable fees paid up for the next year, so he doesn’t have to worry about that right now, and Fafnir took Tantor and Ignis out to forage earlier, so his pokémon have enough food for today…but for Lucien, it’s back to nutrient powder. Back to being reminded of the orphanage. Of the struggle. When he finally reached the point where he was successful enough to consistently afford decent food, Lucien swore that he wouldn’t go back to nutrient powder if he could help it. Now he’s back to nutrient powder…and noodles, can’t forget the noodles. At least those provide something substantial to his meals.
It’s still frustrating. Still a reminder of worse times. Lucien sighs, and focuses on preparing the food for his pokémon, chopping Berries up and adding them to their poké-mix, the food pellets containing highly concentrated nutrients meant to help keep a pokémon in top condition. He needs to get his pokémon fed and a meal in his own belly before he continues thinking about what he’s going to do now. Some more Berries are added to a bunch of fruits that Lucien’s collected from the trees around here, the work continuing until he has a meal sufficient for his entire team. Just in time, too, as his noodles are definitely ready by the time he’s done.
With a smile on his face, one carefully practiced for when he’s dealing with paparazzi and particularly scummy corporate representatives, Lucien releases his pokémon. Their food is already waiting for them, and he gets appreciative rumbles from Kaiju and Titan as they start eating their meals, while he starts pouring out his noodles from the small cooking pot into the metal soup bowl he carries as part of his kit. A few quick chunks of Oran later, Lucien has his meal, and while it might not be the best food out there, it’ll fill his belly. Then he can start taking stock and thinking of what he wants to do next…and whether or not he’s going to continue aiming for the stars, or just settle down and find something else to do with his life.
What, exactly, could he do, though? The idea lingers in the back of his mind as he eats slowly, observing his pokémon as they tuck into their own meals. Each of them is visibly enjoying their modified diet, the mix of foraged food and his remaining supplies that had been intended to keep them going while they prepared for an Elite Four challenge invigorating them. All of them have been in a holding pattern for the last couple of weeks as he pulled himself out of his slump at losing so early in what was supposed to be their year. The year that they finally made it, after trying so hard for so long. Then they got stomped flat by a kid who barely even noticed the amount of effort going into things. A kid who had the resources and the instruction to get tutelage from day one. Who didn’t have to claw his way up the ranks bit by bit, struggling until he got to the top. That…that kind of infuriates Lucien, in some ways. Sure, the kid had to have talent to get to where he did, and had to have worked hard to realize that talent.
But…but seeing someone just smash their way through the Conference, without the years of hard work that Lucien and so many other trainers have to put in, just because the kid had the connections to get the best start possible. Along with support throughout his journey, giving him the edge he needed to make the Conference as a rookie…it grates. It makes Lucien feel like all of the struggles he went through to reach the Conference have just been trivialized, in some ways. All the blood, sweat, and tears he and his pokémon put into their preparations, all of their years of effort, just…wasted. Laughed at. They put all their hearts into their training, and then they got casually smashed. Not even worth remembering afterwards. Crushed into the dirt by a kid who barely even paid attention during their battle. For the first couple of days after the battle, the mere thought was enough to have Lucien screaming in rage. Then he just started crying from the frustration of having all of that hard work ignored .
If it was just his efforts that were cast aside so readily, Lucien could accept that. He’s long since grown used to not really mattering to the world. He learned that when he was at the orphanage, just one more struggling brat among dozens of them, packed into a city-run facility that was too small for them. A facility that was feeling its age as it got passed over for renovations and expansions year after year, as the city’s budget was redirected towards some project that was deemed more worthwhile. A facility barely kept afloat by donations from the trainers that came from there, sent out into the wilds with a scant education because it was cheaper than continuing to house them. A pokéball and some supplies cost the city less than keeping another orphan around for a few more years. Lucien doesn’t care about whether or not people scorn his efforts. He learned to stop caring after the twelfth time he was passed over for adoption.
But people ignoring the efforts of his pokémon. That burns . That makes Lucien want to rage for all he’s worth. Because his team is his family. They’re the ones who taught Lucien that he matters to someone , at least. They’ve struggled alongside him. They helped him rise to the top, shoot for the stars, and make his own place among the elite. They’ve shared the good times and the bad with him. Lucien doesn’t bother with pride in himself. Pride in his team, though, in all the work they’ve done, that he bothers with. He loves them with all his heart, and he wants the entire world to see and marvel at all that they’ve achieved together. Seeing that ignored by everyone in the stadium, seeing them be dismissed as one more loser compared to the amazing new rookie…that put Lucien into a bad state for a while after the Conference.
Now, though, he’s in a somewhat better head space. They’re back in the wilds, he’s getting back into the rhythm of traveling, and all of those dark thoughts are behind him for now. The only problem that he has is…well, what’s the point in trying for another Conference bid? His resources, built up over years, are depleted. He could start rebuilding them. He knows what to do now, where to go, how to build up a fortune that could support them through the intense training they’ll need for a Conference bid. He knows how to find the sort of teachers who can help him take his team to new heights. Push them past what they think their limits are, until they look back on the levels of power they had at the start of their training and wonder how they were ever that weak. People who can take the newer, younger additions to his team and help them become just as mighty, able to stand alongside the rest of the team in battle.
But what’s the point? He could do all that, sure. But then he’d just get his hopes up to be smashed again. Another rookie would come along out of nowhere who had the talent and the resources to overcome all of his work, and Lucien would be reduced to a stepping stone yet again. He refuses to let his team, his family , be made into nothing more than a rookie’s stepping stone for a second time. He’s not sure he could survive that kind of a blow again.
As those thoughts run through his mind, Lucien feels himself getting nudged by a thick, heavy limb made from pure muscle, Tantor wrapping Lucien in the embrace of his trunk. Lucien relaxes into the hug from the Donphan, letting the offered comfort take the stress from him, his mind settling as Lucien starts regulating his breathing. Finally, he sighs, looking up towards the sky. It’s a cloudless day, the sun rising, the birds singing…it’s a good day for traveling. There shouldn’t be any issue foraging, given how bountiful this forest is, so they’ll eat well tonight, and maybe Lucien won’t even need the nutrient powder to cover for any deficiencies in his meals.
The Conference is over now, and soon, the new League season will be starting. New trainers will be taking to the roads, discovering the wilds, figuring out what it’s like to live on their own and train pokémon for real. Finding out that the wilds can be dangerous. Something Lucien had to learn for himself…that all of the kids from his orphanage had to learn for themselves. Kids get some leniency from the wild pokémon when they stray from the Routes and intrude on the territories of the local groups of pokémon. That’s part of why the age at which people are allowed to become trainers is set at ten. It’s the balance between being old enough to be capable of surviving and being young enough to get leniency from the wild pokémon. It works fine, most of the time. But…not all of the time. And there’s other issues, of course.
Many new trainers have no idea of how to properly forage for food. It’s more complicated than most people expect, after all. They don’t know how to pack their supplies to make the load easier to carry, or how to know when they’re risking straying from the Route. They don’t know how to find their way back to a Route that they’ve left, or how to calculate what supplies they might need in order to successfully get from one place to another. Wilderness survival classes are taught in schools, but how good those classes are varies heavily. The various orphans and lower-class kids who make up the bulk of new trainers, given sponsorship by the League so that they can head out on their journeys, inspired by the League’s PR machine, don’t have access to the really good classes. Sometimes, they manage, as Lucien did.
He made some mistakes early on, but between Tantor and Fafnir, once he caught the Axew, he managed to make it through. Too many people get lost in the wilds and never find their way out of them, or run out of supplies and don’t know how to find food in the wilds to get them through until they can get to civilization, or eat something they shouldn’t…or they really screw up. The League does its best to assist with that, when they can. They task League Rangers with maintaining the Routes through the wilds, those paths that the wild pokémon have agreed to leave alone. Those Rangers are the ones who go into the wilds after those who stray from the Path, who try to teach new trainers a few things about surviving…but all too often, they aren’t listened to. Legends know that Lucien didn’t listen until he’d learned a few lessons the hard way.
Being a Ranger is a good job, Lucien’s aware of that. It’s also a job that’s always looking for fresh recruits. He could go to pretty much any town and sign up. A League salary would be pretty nice, but…it would take him out of the trainer’s life. He’d be assigned to a specific Route, spending all of his time in one place. He’s not ready for that. Sure, he’ll settle down…someday in the future. Maybe quite a while in the future. But he doesn’t want to do that yet . He loves traveling. He loves seeing new places, meeting new pokémon, doing new things, tasting new foods. He wants to see the world. Almost as much as he wants to make his mark on it. The life of a trainer is…it’s freedom . It’s everything Lucien desired when he was a kid crammed into an orphanage with too many people in too little space for them all to live in. If he were to suddenly stop being a trainer, Lucien isn’t sure what he’d be then. He just knows that he’d hate it.
Maybe not immediately. There are things he could like about settling down. But eventually, he would resent being tied down. He’d hate being bound to a single place, never getting to stretch his wings and soar again. He’d hate the job, and he’d hate the people he had to deal with, and that wouldn’t be fair to anyone. Not to him, and not to the people he worked alongside. It would be even less fair to his team. As Lucien settles that in his head, he nods slowly. Whatever he’s going to do now, it will still involve being a trainer. But he’s lost the fire that’s driven him forward for years. The passion that’s pushed him towards reaching the Conference again and again and again , until his most recent bid failed so miserably. He…doesn’t feel the same desire to battle .
So, whatever he does will also probably not involve battling. Lucien starts humming thoughtfully, noting the looks of his pokémon. Fafnir perks up, obviously thinking that Lucien is coming up with a new training plan for the dragon to hurl himself at. Fafnir took their loss hard, and has been eager to resume training. To prepare for the next Conference, and the next challenge. His attitude swiftly infects Falco, Kaiju, and Titan. From there, it more slowly passes to Kenshi and Caiman, the Sceptile and Feraligatr gaining interest in Lucien’s planning. The thought of disappointing them makes Lucien reconsider his thoughts…but he can’t throw himself into battling again. Not this soon. He needs a break at the very least. Some time to just…rest.
Not even the thought of traveling to another region instead can reignite Lucien’s fire. He needs to travel, but he needs to do so without battling. He considers taking up Contests…and discards the thought almost instantly. He’d have to retrain his pokémon, and the amount of work involved in preparing Contest routines, appearances, and everything else…no, Lucien is not going to put himself through the stress that Coordinators undergo. At least not as a new profession. Maybe a casual Contest or two, small-time stuff that isn’t so serious, but he’s not going to transition into being a professional Coordinator. It’s not for him, he knows that much. Besides, his pokémon wouldn’t necessarily take to such a life. He knows that Fafnir and Caiman would hate it. Sure, Caiman likes to show off…but he doesn’t like the sort of primping that serious Contests require.
And, of course, Lucien is too burnt out to devote himself to Contests. If he’s going to do something, he gives it two hundred percent, and he just doesn’t have it in him to give that kind of devotion to something he doesn’t particularly want to do in any event. The other forms of pokémon-based events outside of the League’s Conferences have similar issues. Lucien can’t start trying a new career without being sure that he’s able to commit to that career properly. He won’t do so. It would just burn him out even more, and he’s not going to undergo that. Especially not right now, so fresh from the devastation of his loss in the Conference. It would break him.
He looks out at the forest around him, considers the Route he’s on…and it hits him like a Rhyperior just slammed a Hammer Arm into him. The last time he visited the orphanage where he grew up to leave a donation, he saw some of the kids watching videos from a streamer, some guy who was showing off pokémon grooming techniques. Lucien isn’t much for that kind of stuff, beyond taking care of his team’s health and physical condition, but he knows the wilds like the back of his hand. He knows all the little things that so many trainers don’t learn until it’s too late, and he learned those things the hard way. Access to the internet has become more available since Lucien became a trainer, even in the wilds. Quite a few younger trainers that he’s encountered in the last few years have spent at least some of their time on the internet while camping, browsing the trainer forums or watching videos.
Lucien knows that he’d enjoy passing his knowledge on to new trainers. That he would like sharing his love for nature with them, along with the advice that could make the difference between them continuing their journey…and them being unable to. He could travel the Routes, see the sights, and pass his knowledge on through the videos that he could make during his journeys from place to place. Rangers get ignored because they’re telling the kids what to do and what not to do, and for a kid newly given their freedom, that’s…counter-productive, to say the absolute least. But showing those kids all the cool stuff that the wilds have to offer? That’s different. That will get the attention of quite a few of the younger generation, Lucien thinks.
Sure, it won’t carry a League salary with it, but it’s something that Lucien can enjoy. And right now, that’s more important than money. If he’s spending his time in the wilds, gathering information for his videos, he can also forage for food, stretching his funds further. As a bonus, by foraging for his own food each day, he can show off to the kids what they should be looking for on the Routes. He can show them where humans are allowed to forage by wild pokémon and where they’d be intruding on the food supply of the local pokémon, irritating them unnecessarily. He can teach them how to properly search for pokémon partners that will want to journey with them, and which pokémon are more likely to not be interested. Lucien feels a smile creeping onto his lips at the thought. He gets to travel and he gets to pass his knowledge on to the next generation. It’s a good thought, and he sees his team perking up.
Now there’s just one last hurdle for him to clear. Lucien looks over his team, and he swallows hard as he considers their expectant looks. Waiting for him to pronounce what the new training regimen is going to be. Some of them are more expectant than others. Lucien draws a deep breath, and looks over his pokémon. It’s possible that some of them will want to walk another path, one that has a chance to let them continue their climb to the top. If that’s so, then Lucien will give them what they want as soon as possible. He’ll arrange trades, or something. Equally, some of them might decide that it’s time to retire from battling. He’ll arrange that as well. But he hopes that at least some of them will continue traveling with him. “Alright, guys, I have to talk with you about something,” Lucien begins. “We lost. We lost hard . It’s not the kind of loss I can easily get over,” he starts, and Tantor nods solemnly.
Ignis looks crushed, the Infernape clearly blaming himself for the loss. He’s normally a cheerful, energetic sort, but his flames have been at a low burn ever since he ended up tying with an already tired out Abomasnow. “Infern…infernape,” Ignis murmurs, and Lucien reaches out, offering the simian pokémon his hand in a reassuring gesture.
“I don’t blame you, buddy,” Lucien assures Ignis. “You did all you could. We got unlucky, and that happens sometimes.” He looks over the entire team, getting solemn nods from the rest of them. He knows that none of his pokémon blame Ignis for the loss. It happened, and that’s the end of the matter. All of them have known loss before. It burns, sure, but they’ve always gotten back up and become stronger for it. They’ve learned from their losses. “Anyway, I’m not thinking that we’ll be in the Conference this year.” His words get a grumble from Fafnir, while Tantor perks up, the Donphan suddenly looking relieved for some reason. “Instead, I’m aiming for us to travel the Routes. All of the Routes. Here in Unova and elsewhere. While we’re traveling, we’ll put together a bunch of videos showing new trainers the ropes of actually being a trainer.”
Now Kenshi looks interested, the Sceptile’s tail flicking side to side. He clearly likes the idea, and as the Sceptile rises to his feet, the rest of the group starts to seriously consider the idea, Fafnir gaining a look of reminiscence, clearly remembering when he started teaching those same lessons to Lucien and Tantor. Kaiju and Titan look somewhat reluctant, the two rivals in tune on this matter, and Lucien starts thinking about what he might say to them. Both of them like fighting, like testing themselves against their foes, and they love to grow stronger. If Kaiju agrees, though, Titan will follow. She looks up to Kaiju, since she’s never managed to defeat him yet, despite her many attempts. She’s come close, sure, but she’s never pulled it off, and that’s been a significant part of her motivation over the last year.
“Nido,” Kaiju grunts, wondering where exactly the challenge to make them grow is supposed to be. The Nidoking has followed Lucien for years, but he wants a challenge . He wants fights that can push him to grow stronger, to help him reach the top, just like Lucien promised they would aspire to do. Lucien wavers for a moment, looking at the Nidoking’s dark eyes, his mind whirling as he tries to think of a response. The silence stretches on, and he sees Titan shift uneasily, looking between Kaiju and Lucien. Kaiju looks towards the trees, as if considering the area as a territory, rumbling in consternation. “Nidoking?” Kaiju’s tone is questioning. Almost pleading for a reason to stay. To keep on traveling with Lucien during this journey. For assurance that Lucien isn’t deciding to follow another path than the one that’s brought them together.
“Think of it as a break,” Lucien manages to get out, as he feels the fragile balance within the camp tipping, and Kaiju perks up. “Besides, as we travel the Routes, we’ll need to show new trainers things like how to identify when they’re in the territory of aggressive wild pokémon, how to find their way back to the Routes when they get lost, and so on. In order to do that, we’ll need to leave the Routes and find those places, which means that we’ll need to fight powerful opponents at some point.” Kaiju’s expression brightens significantly, the balance in the air righting itself. “Besides, if we want to make another run at a Conference, we’ll need to gather funds for supplies, training, and the like.” Kaiju slowly nods, the reasoning obviously making sense to the Nidoking. “We can get stronger through battles with wild pokémon, maybe clear out the worst of the aggressive wild pokémon that get too close to the Routes.”
“Agg, aggron,” Titan seems significantly more pleased now, Kaiju settling in, and the temper of the team seems to relax as Lucien starts laying out maps. Tantor’s pleasure at the announcement that they’ll be taking a break is spreading throughout the team now, the air becoming somewhat festive as they start considering the idea of something new. It’ll be a change in their routines, but that change will give them a chance to rest, recuperate from their loss, and get ready to roar back onto the battling scene. Or…or it will quench Lucien’s fire forever. He’ll settle into this new routine, where they leave behind the world of professional battling, cease aspiring towards the Conferences, and become a wanderer. He’d be content with that life, perhaps, but some of his pokémon wouldn’t be. Maybe that will change in the next year or two, one way or another. Either they’ll relax and adapt to this new routine, or he’ll find his fire again and get ready to return to the League. Either way, it doesn’t matter right now.
What matters is the adventure ahead of them. With that in mind, Lucien lays out maps of the routes around Opelucid City. Like most trainers, his maps are hand-drawn. The maps issued by the League rarely cover any territory outside of the Routes, and while that works for a while, eventually trainers have to step off the Routes for a while. To train, to forage, to seek out new challenges and new pokémon. Once they do that, all bets are off. They’re in uncharted territory, living by their own skills. Consequently, most trainers who manage to do that successfully start making maps of their own, with useful knowledge on them. Maps of places where you can find Berries or medicinal herbs. Indicators of the boundaries of the territories claimed by certain groups of wild pokémon. Where you can find shelter that’s probably not claimed by someone else when the weather takes an ill turn or the road is broken ahead of them.
Lucien’s maps are fairly good, considering how often he goes off-Route, and he’s traded knowledge with other veteran trainers for some of their own knowledge, helping him fill his maps with new information. He has maps from Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, Sinnoh, Unova, and Kalos which he filled with personal experience, along with more maps that he got from an Alolan trainer he traveled with for a bit. Outside of the Unovan ones, his maps are probably a bit outdated, but now he’ll have a chance to update all of them as he wanders the Routes. And while updating them, he’ll show new trainers how to craft their own maps. How to find their own way through the wilds, and how to not only survive but thrive as a trainer. How to cook, how to balance the budget for supplies, how to find the best bargains for useful stuff in town, how to take care of your pokémon in the wild until you can get them to help…all kinds of useful things.
Maybe one day they’ll pay the favor back. Or they’ll just give someone else a helping hand. In either case, Lucien will be satisfied. He’s not going to be doing this for the sake of money or favors, the usual currency of trainers. He’s doing it because he wants to see the world, and this way he can help other people while doing so. He starts charting a route, beginning from Opelucid City, which is the next city on their route, heading towards Undella Town. From there, they’ll continue through the Routes, heading for Nimbasa City. After that, he’ll head for Castelia City, for a visit to his home city before continuing his journey. He’s unsure whether he’ll head for another region after Castelia, or if he’ll continue in Unova. For the moment, though, he’s going to start making plans for how to do this right . Which means figuring out what needs to be shared with new trainers and what he can leave out for the moment.
Sure, he wants to teach them everything they need to know, but there’s some things that are more critical than others. After all, being able to find food is a bit more important than being able to find new pokémon to recruit. If you can’t feed yourself, you have no business trying to recruit more pokémon for your team, after all. “Fafnir?” Lucien asks, the dragon stepping forward.
“Haxorus,” Fafnir grunts, poking at one of the maps indicating a group of caves that the dragons around Opelucid City let traveling trainers use. There are Berry trees growing near the caves, old and well established, and there’s usually some firewood kept piled there. Little things gifted to trainers passing through the area by the local dragons, a mark of their pride. They give those things to trainers because they’re so strong that it’s no trouble for them to take the time to maintain the caves. Unlike wild pokémon elsewhere, they have no need to struggle for their food, because their strength ensures that they will have full bellies consistently. Thus, they have the leisure time to be nice to others. Lucien nods in agreement with Fafnir, rubbing the back of his head. “Haxorus, hax, hax haxorus,” Fafnir continues, his tone half-lecturing.
“Food, shelter, and finding the way to them when the trail markers you’re looking for are made by pokémon rather than humans,” Lucien agrees. “Along with how to tell when the markers are made by pokémon that aren’t so friendly.” He’s had an experience or two like that with packs of Weavile and Sneasel in Sinnoh. A pack of Mightyena in Hoenn also pulled a similar trick off, and the Sableye that hang around Dewford made his life interesting the last time he was there. He’s long since learned to check the markers and what local pokémon live in the area, just to see if there’s a chance of something being wrong. He’d like to trust the markers consistently, but doing so is chancy, depending on what type of pokémon you’re dealing with.
A herd of Rhydon, for example, is unlikely to bother leaving false markers. But if you’re dealing with carnivorous pokémon…then they aren’t likely to ask too many questions about the exact source of their food if they’re hungry enough. That can depend to some degree on the season, of course, but their breed is at least a start on determining if the locals will think of you as a potential friend…or if they’ll think of you as food. The latter is especially something to watch out for, and when combined with cunning, as it is in the Weavile line, things can become very, very dangerous very quickly. Lucien found that out firsthand, much to his regret.
“Feral,” Caiman chimes in, pointing out several ponds and streams, Lucien facepalming.
“Water,” Lucien agrees with a rueful smile. “You need to be able to find water that’s drinkable as well,” he clearly needs the refresher course himself. He’s spent so long with these things being simple routine for him that he’s forgotten how they can be difficult at times, especially for those entirely new to finding their own way in the wilds. With that in mind, he reaches into his bag and pulls out a six-sided wooden die, carved by Kenshi back when he was a Grovyle as an exercise in control of his Leaf Blades. “If I’m forgetting stuff like that, I probably shouldn’t be doing this series here in Unova. Things are too familiar to me, and I’m liable to simply fall into well practiced routines. I’ll skip over stuff, and that’s not a good idea. Better to leave the region for a while and travel to a new region where I’m going to have to stay on my toes. My maps of the other regions need updating anyway.” He spreads out the bundles of maps, grouping the maps of each region together as he considers where exactly he should go, the die firmly clenched within his hand, the edges of it pressing into his skin, the wood hard against his flesh.
“If I roll a one, I’ll reroll, because that will be Unova. We started here, after all,” Lucien’s words get an approving trumpet from Tantor, causing him to pat the Donphan affectionately. “Then we’ll go Johto, Hoenn, Sinnoh, Kalos, Kanto, since that’s the order I traveled through those regions,” he pats each bundle of maps in turn. “If I get a one twice, I’m heading to the Orange Islands. I’ll be starting entirely fresh there, after all, and that might be even better in this case. If I have nothing to start from, I’ll have to figure out everything the hard way, just like any new trainer would have to. If I’m trying to spread knowledge among the rookies, maybe I should be acting like a rookie?” He muses, and Kenshi lightly smacks the back of Lucien’s head. “Yeah, probably a bad idea,” Lucien agrees. “Alola would be a bit rich for my blood, or I’d go there, but I suppose in the worst case I’ll keep on rerolling until I get the result I’m looking for.”
“Swell,” Falco nods in approval, the bird pokémon fluffing his feathers as the Swellow imperiously gazes at the bundles of maps. It’s obvious that he’s wondering which skies he’ll be soaring through soon, and Lucien breathes lightly on the die. Then he rolls it, the wooden cube bouncing over the hard-packed dirt, bouncing through the air until it finally comes to rest. Two black dots gaze at Lucien from the white face of the cube, and he nods slowly as he picks up the maps of Johto, the rest of the maps being packed away by Ignis. The Infernape seems excited, while the rest of the team looks interested. Kaiju indicates Mount Silver, and Lucien sighs as he remembers the population of Tyranitar that dwell in the area. No doubt Kajiu wants to test himself against one again, having been soundly defeated by one back when they competed in the Kalos League. He’s stronger now, though. Much stronger.
“Tell you what, once we’ve scouted out the regions where rookies are more likely to wander, we’ll go take a look at Mount Silver,” Lucien compromises, Kaiju seeming significantly happier with the promise. Titan has relaxed, the Aggron clearly happy with the way things have settled down, and she looks excited at the chance to brawl with a Tyranitar as well. Her competition with Kaiju is clearly back on track, and the two behemoths nudge each other meaningfully, Kaiju clearly thinking about having another battle with his rival. Lucien shakes his head though, the two of them settling down. “We need to hit the road fairly soon,” Lucien reminds them. “We’ve been here for a few days, and we don’t want to hit the local food supply too hard.”
“Hax, haxorus,” Fafnir agrees, the dragon’s pride showing itself. Depleting their food supply would be discourteous to the local pokémon, and the idea of seeming ill-mannered clearly offends the proud dragon-type. Lucien pats his old friend’s armored head, and starts helping Ignis as the Infernape continues the work of packing their supplies away. Kaiju grabs his own pack, the Nidoking having long since insisted on helping to carry their supplies, using the additional load to provide himself with at least a bit of a workout. Lucien helps Kaiju get into the carry-harness that they’ve rigged for the Nidoking, and then he moves on, putting a similar harness on Titan, the Aggron insisting on matching the poison type’s chosen exercise.
True, even supplies for the whole team don’t make enough of a load to really test either of the pokémon, but the harnesses themselves are weighted and designed to provide resistance against the movements of the pokémon wearing them. Given how they’re designed, just walking is a full-body workout for Kaiju and Titan, one that they greatly enjoy. Fafnir would normally be wearing a third harness, but right now they’re still in some of the most dangerous wild territories in the entirety of Unova. Fafnir needs to be unhindered so that he can defend the team if it comes down to it. Kenshi takes point, scouting ahead of the team as the Sceptile vanishes into the trees, while Tantor walks by Lucien’s side. Falco takes off, soaring above the trees, the Swellow marking his position with occasional cries as he circles above them, keeping an eye out for Kenshi as well. The Sceptile and the Swellow are used to working together like this, fortunately. Their scouting has pulled the team out of more than one tight spot in the past.
Should they find trouble, Kenshi will report it, Fafnir will handle the fighting, and Tantor will make sure that Lucien’s safe during the battle. If the fight is especially bad, the harnesses on Kaiju and Titan have quick-release mechanisms that the two pokémon can easily trigger, letting them shed their loads and join in. The rest of Lucien’s team are returned to their pokéballs, the balls being clipped to his belt as he gets ready to set out, kicking dirt over the remnants of his fire. It wouldn’t do to leave it smoldering and causing a forest fire, after all. Sure, that’s not necessarily likely, but it could happen. Mentally, Lucien marks down another lesson to include in his videos for new trainers. How to start, contain, and properly put out a fire that you can use for cooking and warmth on cold nights. That will have to include how to start a fire in poor conditions.
Sure, most people think that just having a Fire-type is enough, but Lucien has long since learned that you don’t always have that luxury. Having a few tricks available is always a good idea for a traveling trainer. Especially when it comes to something as vital as a fire. Lack of shelter is one of the most dangerous things possible for a trainer, but lack of a fire can be just as dangerous. When traveling, you need fire for countless things. Boiling water from rivers and streams so that you can drink it. Cooking your food. Providing yourself with light and heat on cold, dark nights. Drying yourself and your clothes off after being caught in the rain. Lucien nods as he enters ‘how to make fire’ into the list of critical lessons alongside how to find food, how to find shelter, and how to recognize when you’re somewhere unfriendly.
A wry smile comes to Lucien’s lips. He has an actual lesson plan, as if he’s a proper teacher or something, with a real curriculum. The thought is amusing, given how his own education was patchy at best, until he got into the school of hard knocks living out in the wild for most of each year, getting by through his own efforts and with the aid of his team. Even now, he’s not exactly what most people would imagine a teacher to be. Thinking of himself as one…Lucien almost starts laughing out loud, but he contains his mirth. His lessons are serious business, and hopefully they’ll help out the people who really need them. The kids who start off like Lucien did, with nothing to their names except for their dreams and a League-issued pokémon. He’s done well for himself. Hopefully they can do the same, given a bit of help. Even if they can’t, at least Lucien will have done what he can to give them the best chance possible to make it in the wilds and make their own names. Perhaps it won’t be much, but it’ll be something. Sometimes, that’s enough to make all the difference.
As he watches the last embers of his fire go out under the dirt that’s smothered it, Lucien thinks a little about other lessons. About the importance of bonding with your pokémon, understanding what they want in a trainer, and how he might go about teaching that to rookies. Because all too often that’s something they don’t understand properly. Not until they need to understand, and by then it’s sometimes too late. Bonding with your pokémon, understanding them and helping them come to understand you, is one of the biggest responsibilities a trainer can have. Lucien learned that the hard way, just like most of the lessons he’s learned in the past twelve years.
With any luck, the kids he’s passing this knowledge on to won’t need to learn the hard lessons that the world has to teach, because they’ll learn in ‘Professor Lucien’s Online Classroom.’ This time, Lucien does throw his head back and laugh at the thought of him ever being called Professor. By anyone. He’s not cut out for that kind of academic life.
As the rays of the morning sun wash over the land, Lucien shoulders his pack and walks into the trees, seeking his destiny, his starter at his side. He has a smile on his face, and his laughter still echoes through the trees. He might return to Vertress one day in the future, but for now his path leads him elsewhere, through the Routes, into the wilds, and to new, unexplored lands, to discover their secrets and pass them on to those who need to learn them. The sunlight already seems a bit brighter, the day a little warmer as his boots kick up the dust of the Route, and he chats merrily with Tantor as the two of them begin their journey, the echo of their beginning so many years ago making Lucien feel like the weight of a mountain has been lifted from his shoulders. As they vanish into the shadows of the forest, the silhouette of a boy and a Phanpy seems to be overlaid over them, a lingering memory of how far they’ve come…and how far they still have to go on their journey, wherever it may lead them in the world of Pokémon.