September 28
Sandgem Town

"You mean he's... No, he can't-" Lucas froze as he felt something rub his cheek. With wide eyes, he slowly turned his head, finding his father standing there. "Wh-what? How are you-"

He started awake as something rammed into his chest. Hard.

He was gasping for breath and his hands were trembling. He quickly tried to calm down, only to panic as a small green creature jumped up into his lap and peered at him with large black eyes.

"Gah!" Without thinking the teen threw the creature off and hurried out of his bed. He got no more than two steps before he tripped on something and crashed to the ground. "Oww..." He gripped his ankle and looked back, finding a small green turtle peering at him from on top of his bed. The contents of his backpack were scattered all over the ground; it had been the object he had tripped on earlier.

"Turt?" The turtle questioned, looking at him. It ran to the edge of the bed and glanced down, as if wary about leaping down onto the ground. It blinked again at him, frowning. "Turtwig!"

Lucas could only stare at the creature. When did it even get inside his room? The door was locked, so there was no way it could've come in through there...

A red-and-white object caught his eye. A Poké Ball, opened and facing the bed. Slowly Lucas reached for it and faced the turtle. "You're... Turtwig, right? One of the Starter Pokémon?"

"Wig! Turtwig!" Turtwig stepped back and smiled, leaping into the air happily.

"Alright, alright, calm down." Lucas stood up. "So I suppose you're also the Pokémon that was in the Poké Ball I received yesterday." He picked Turtwig up and looked at it. "You don't seem that strong..."

"Turt!" The turtle frowned and wiggled, trying to free itself from Lucas's hands.

"Quit moving!" Lucas sighed and set it back down onto his bed. "You woke me up. Why? And how'd you even get out of your Poké Ball?"

Turtwig opened its mouth to reply in its own language, but someone knocked on the door before it could.

"Lucas?" It was Professor Rowan. "What are you doing in there?"

Lucas froze, before hurrying to put everything into his bag. "Nothing, Professor! I'll be out in a second!" He sighed and turned to his Turtwig. "And you..." He held up the Poké Ball, ready to recall the Pokémon.

"Tur-!" The tiny turtle was gone in a flash of light seconds later.

Lucas grabbed his beret and opened the door, finding Professor Rowan standing just outside.

"What was going on?" The man asked, his arms crossed. He looked almost as intimidating as he did yesterday with Lucas and Barry.

"Nothing!" Lucas replied quickly. I can't tell him that I was talking to a Turtwig... He'll think I'm crazy! He slid past the Professor and hurried down the staircase, only to pause. "Hey, where's Barry?"

A man turned around from a table he was eating at and looked at Lucas. "He ran out earlier, said that he couldn't wait to explore Sinnoh." He sighed. "He left before we could even give him his Pokédex..."

"Oh." That sounds just like him.... Lucas nodded slowly and began to turn around, when the man spoke up again.

"Oh, and today is your birthday, correct?"

Lucas flinched. "Yes... what of it?"

"Nothing. My daughter is over at our home, and has a present to give you." He took another bite of his breakfast.

Ever so slowly, the teen turned around, seeing now that this man was actually Dawn's father. He had seen him last night, but now that he was closer, he mentally kicked himself for not noticing earlier. The man had brown hair, combed to the side, and glasses covering darker brown eyes. He had on a simple lab coat and black pants.

Lucas quickly looked away before Dawn's father could think anything about him. "Um, thank you... I guess I'll go see her then..." He spun on his heel and began to walk out of the building, only to jump as a firm hand was placed on his shoulder.

"Aren't you forgetting something?" Professor Rowan's gruff voice entered Lucas's ears. Before the boy could reply, Rowan held out a red device in front of him. "Your Pokédex," he said. "Don't forget it like your friend did."

"R-Right." He took the device and placed it into his jacket pocket. "Thanks."

The Professor nodded. "Good luck on your journey. I doubt this will be the last time we see one another, but don't forget to come by every so often."

The teen nodded again. "Got it. Bye!" He ran out the front door before anyone else could stop him. Now to see Dawn and figure out what she wants to give me...

There was a thin layer of snow on the ground from the day and night before. Various Pachirisu played in it, their fur making them near invisible. Up ahead was a little girl, rolling the snow into large balls and stacking them on one another. As Lucas got closer, he recognized her as Dawn's sister, Kate.

Kate's eyes widened as she saw him. "Hi Luka!" She waved to him eagerly, before running to him and grabbing his hand when he was walking too slow. "Look at my snowman!" She exclaimed as she brought him to her masterpiece.

"It looks very... nice," Lucas told her, looking at the pile of snow. If he was being honest, he wouldn't have guessed what it was supposed to be, had she not told him herself.

"Thank you!" Kate jumped up and down. "Oh! Dawn is waiting for you! Come on!!" Without warning she grabbed his hand again and opened the front door.

"I- I can get there myself!" Lucas tried saying, but the girl didn't seem to hear him.

She led him up a flight of stairs and to a room, only to fling the door open. "I found Luke!"

"It's... Lucas," the teen muttered, sighing.

"Oh, Lucas! Hi!" Lucas looked up, seeing Dawn climb down from a ladder of a bunk bed. "Happy birthday."

Lucas looked around quickly, finding that Kate had disappeared in the time that he had looked away. He bit his lip. "Yeah, thanks..." Slowly, he let his gaze travel around the room. The walls were painted a pale pink, and had a few posters of Pokémon and Champions from other regions. There was a bookcase lined with books at the far corner, and beside it was a dresser. At the other corner was a bunk bed, the bottom bed covered in Pokémon Dolls such as Klefki and Glameow.

"You alright..?" Dawn's voice brought his attention back to her.

"Yeah, sorry..." He trailed off as he saw a white and gray creature resting on her shoulder. "What's that..?"

"Hm?" Dawn turned her head and smiled. "Oh, this is my sister's Minccino, Menchie. Here." She picked up the chinchilla and held her out to Lucas.

He took her and slowly ran his fingers through her pelt. "Woah, she's soft..."

Dawn nodded. "Mhm! She was a gift from Mom to Kate several years ago..." She paused for a second. "Anyway, this is for you." She extended her hands, a poorly wrapped gift in them. It was ring-shaped, though seemed large enough to fit around someone's wrist. Even though the wrapping wasn't the best, it was still impossible to tell what exactly it could be.

Lucas took a step back, shaking his head. Menchie squeaked and ran to lay down on his head. "I... I can't take it, sorry."

Dawn's excited expression melted into a frown. "Why not? It's your birthday, isn't it?" Her arm lowered slightly. "Come on, please?"

Lucas couldn't handle her saddened face; besides, it wasn't her fault he didn't want the gift. He sighed. "Fine..."

Dawn grinned. "Great!" she exclaimed as she gave him his present. "I went with the Professor last night to pick it out, so I hope you'll like it."

The older teen nodded and gently peeled the wrapping paper off the gift, revealing a watch-like object. It had a blue and black leather strap, with a blue case holding a digital screen. On the right side were two buttons, pointing up and down.

"It's a Pokétch," Dawn said after a few moments. "I know I really only just met you yesterday, but I wanted to give you something nice like this. These things are flying off the shelves these days." She laughed softly for a second wrote looking at him, her eyes bright. "Hey, give me your hand."

"Huh?" The sudden command caught him off guard.

"So that I can..." Dawn began, only to freeze and cover her cheeks with her hands. "Ohmygosh I am so sorry! I worded that wrong and..." She groaned and turned away from Lucas. "I meant hold out your arm so I can help with putting on the Pokétch... if you want my help, that is. I don't really mind either way..."

Lucas tilted his head in confusion, causing Menchie to nearly fall onto his shoulder. "It's fine. There's no need to be so embarrassed."

Slowly, she turned back around, relieved. "Phew... Sorry again, it's just that I've never really been the best with wording things, mostly since I've never really had a whole lot of people to talk to."

"Like I said, don't worry about it." Lucas held out his hand, letting her take the Pokétch. "I mean, you can't be that bad, since Barry trusts you, right?" He tried to joke as Dawn took the watch and began strapping it around his wrist.

The girl smiled. "Barry trusts anyone though, doesn't he?"

"Oh, yeah. He does." Lucas watched as she finally finished putting the Pokétch onto his wrist. "Dawn?"

"Yeah?" She looked up at him.

"I..." Lucas turned his head away from her. "Thank you."

The girl smiled. "No need to thank me. It is your birthday, after all. Now come on." She lifted Mechie from Lucas's head and set her down on Kate's bed. "We should get to Jubilife before dark."

We? Lucas thought, but didn't say anything. He followed as she grabbed her scarf and walked outside.

"Hey, Kate," Dawn said to her sister as the two exited the house. The little girl looked up at the blunette in curiosity. "Lucas and I are going to head over to Jubilife City, alright? Do you think you can be good until Dad gets back home?"

Kate simply frowned, looking between the two teens. "Where's Menchie?"

Dawn sighed. "She's on your bed. You know she doesn't like the cold."

"Alright! Bye!" Without another word, Kate abandoned her disaster of a snowman and ran inside the house.

"She seems lively," Lucas muttered to himself, not intending for Dawn to hear.

"Right?" She laughed. "You should see her in summertime; she gets even more energetic."

"Is that even possible?" Lucas replied as they began walking through Sandgem and towards Route 202.

Dawn shrugged. "I doubt it, but she somehow makes it possible."

The two reached Route 201 in silence and started walking through the grass. Luckily the snow had sent all of the Trainers and Pokémon that would normally be there back to their homes, enabling a mostly peaceful walk.

"So, Dawn?" Lucas began after several moments of silence.

"Hm?" Came her faint reply.

"Why are we going to Jubilife City? And why are you coming with me?"

She was quiet for a few seconds, thinking of her answer. "Well, Jubilife is the capital of Sinnoh, so there's a lot to do there. And besides, the way to get to the first Gym is through it. Also, I think Barry went there earlier today... And as for why I'm coming with you," She closed her eyes and smiled. "I always love going to Jubilife. It's so energetic there compared to a tiny town like Sandgem." She quickly snapped back to reality and glanced around. "Oh yeah, and also I wanted to make sure you'd get there safely, since you're new to Pokémon battles and all..."

"Thanks..." Lucas muttered. Do I really look that pathetic that I need a bodyguard to protect me from some Pokémon?

Dawn gasped. "Speaking of Pokémon, why don't you catch one of those!" She pointed to a group of Starlies ahead of them. The birds were flying around a bush, plucking the few berries that were still on it.

Lucas hesitated before bringing out Turtwig's Poké Ball and throwing it. The green turtle opened its large eyes, admiring the beauty of the snow around it.

"Woah, so you got Turtwig?" Dawn asked from behind him, though he didn't reply.

"Turtwig, use..." His Pokédex beeped, and he hurried to open it. "Use Tackle!" He read from the 'Dex's screen.

Turtwig charged toward the bush, leaping up and ramming its head into one of the Starlies. The rest scattered immediately in fright, while the one Turtwig hit crashed to the ground.

"Lee!" The Starly chirped angrily, recovering from its fall and rising to its feet. "Star!" It flew into the air and rushed to Turtwig, its wings glowing.

"Quick! Tell Turtwig to dodge!" Dawn warned Lucas, noticing the Super-Effective Wing Attack.

Lucas didn't even get a chance to say a command before Starly swooped down and landed the Wing Attack. Turtwig cried as it fell, fainted immediately.

"Prince, let's do this!" The blue-haired Trainer threw her Poké Ball gracefully, letting out a Piplup. "Use Bubblebeam!" Without warning, a stream of water-filled bubbles shot across the air and towards Starly. They hit the avian and sent it falling back to the earth. "Now throw a Poké Ball!" Dawn shouted urgently to Lucas; it was only a matter of time before Starly recovered and ran away for good.

The boy smiled nervously. "Well, you see..." He trailed off, biting his lip and looking away from her once again.

"You don't have any, do you?" Dawn guessed, realizing the predicament they were in. She sighed and threw her own Poké Ball, hitting the Starly and encasing it inside. She walked over and picked it up, then turned back to Lucas. "This is why I wanted to come with you." She handed him a yellow diamond-like object, as well as Starly's Poké Ball.

Lucas nodded, too embarrassed and nervous to say anything to her. "You didn't have to help me, you know..."

"I know, but I wanted to." She lifted her Piplup and smirked at Lucas. "Besides, it was embarrassing enough watching you fail to defeat and catch a Starly. I would feel even worse if it started to attack you."

Lucas closed his eyes. "Please don't rub it in..."

"Alright, Luke."

"It's Luc— Hey! You're copying Kate!" His eyes narrowed, trying to hide the embarrassment he had for reacting so childishly.

"Mayyybe..." She stuck her tongue out playfully at him and started running off in the direction of Jubilife without another word.

"Hey! Dawn!" He stuffed his things into his backpack and took off chasing her. This reminds me of having to chase Barry all the time... he groaned.

The two slowed down as they neared Jubilife City. It was late afternoon, and the lights from the city were already shining brightly.

"You get worked up so easily," Dawn said to Lucas as he caught up to her.

He said nothing, not wanting to admit to her truth or start another debate. "So you nicknamed your Piplup?" He changed topics after a few seconds.

Dawn nodded, glancing at her Piplup still in her arms. "I named him Prince, because of his proud nature." Upon hearing this, Prince puffed his cheeks and crossed his flippers, annoyed.

"Lup!" He cried indignantly.

The tiniest hint of a smile came across Lucas's face as he watched the two's interactions.

"Well it looks like we're here now," Dawn spoke suddenly, causing Lucas to quickly take his gaze off her. "Here's Jubilife City."

A massive street spread out before them, with huge buildings on either side of it. Towers stretched into the sky, red lights blinking at the tops of them. Street lamps led the way through the many roads connected to the main street, providing light on the path.

"So, what do you think?"

"Woah..."  Came Lucas's only reply as he gazed at the city in awe. It was his first time being in Jubilife, and it certainly did not disappoint his expectations.

The younger Trainer laughed and nudged him. "You should get some food and go to the Pokémon Center here for the night. I'm going to go look around." She gave him a smile before pointing to the north. "Just keep heading that way, and you'll eventually find the Center. You can't miss it— it's red and is one of the only short buildings in this city."

"Thank... you..." Lucas nodded slowly.

"Anytime!" She started to walk away, but then turned back. "See you later, Lucas!" She turned onto one of the side streets and was out of sight a few seconds later.

"Yeah, see you..." He lowered his hand and started going in the direction Dawn had told him. I don't get her at all... Why is she so confusing to understand?

He sighed and ran his hands through his hair, trying to figure it all out. At least she was nice, that much he knew for sure..

He eventually found the Pokémon Center and gave Nurse Joy Turtwig and Starly's Poké Balls to be healed, then went back out for something to eat.

He returned to the Pokémon Center after a cheap ramen meal, and rented a room for the night.

As he lied in his bed he looked out the window at the busy city. Even in nighttime there were still people hurrying through the streets. He let his gaze drift up to the sky, which was mostly hidden by light pollution. "I don't think that any of that was true," he breathed to someone of the past. "Please, just... I wish things weren't this way..."

——————
Lucas-
• Jubilife City
• Badges: N/A
• Pokémon:
1. Turtwig- "—" Lv. 5
          - Tackle
          - Withdraw
   2. Starly- "—" Lv. 7  OT: Dawn
          - Wing Attack
          - Tackle
          - Growl
          - Quick Attack

Heya.
I am really sorry about the long wait, and short update. With school going on, it's a lot harder to find time to work on with of my two fics.
I wanted to get this done by today, though, since it is still September 28th (at least for me). I wanted to get this out by this morning, but I wasn't even close to having it done by then.
I apologize again for everything, and I hope that this chapter was at least decent...

Also I wanted to mention that today is not only Lucas's birthday, it's also the 14th anniversary of DP in Japan... yay!