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Lucario yawned as he woke up, only to be greeted by the most unusual sound of something boiling. It was quickly followed by a sound he recognized all too well - His stomach rumbling. Any normal person would have seen this as a sign of something tasty being cooked, but Lucario knew better. He had thought himself hearing a frying pan earlier, which turned out to be the hissing of a vicious snake Pokﾃｩmon. Surely this was nothing but a putrid purple puddle Pokﾃｩmon, bubbling merely to stir up his impending starvation.

"Sup," someone said, making Lucario jump in surprise. He had not sensed another aura nearby and figured that he was alone. He looked around and almost fell back in surprise when he realized the source of the voice stood directly behind him in a crouched position.

Mixed feelings ran through Lucario as he saw Blue look at him, a thick azure beanie covering most of his head. Body scrawny and face dry, the lack of wrinkles did little to hide the champion's true age. Same could be said for his ultra-modern expensive-looking jacket of snazzy colors with more zippers and pockets than could possibly be necessary, unless one needed to transport the contents of a neatly arranged sowing kit. Lucario had to admit it was impressive for Blue to stay hunched over with no effort, hoping his own knees would be in the same pristine condition whenever he reached the Pokﾃｩmon definition of "old".

Blue flashed a smile as he saw Lucario rub his eyes, obviously wondering if he was dreaming. He turned off the portable stove he had brought and removed the lid from the pot, reaching in with chopsticks to pull out a white rectangle of steaming jelly-like substance.

"Tofu for the road?" Blue asked with an earnest expression, "Classic family recipe. Gramps used to make 'em like this whenever he pulled an all-nighter."

Indeed, Lucario figured nostalgia to be the only plausible explanation for cooking Tofu out of one's own free will. Possibly an ancient tradition, seeing how the grandfather of someone already old enough to be a grandfather himself was most likely around to see the birth of the universe. Certain that chopsticks were out of the question for his freakishly oversized fingers, Lucario grabbed the Tofu with his bare hands and started blowing on it, trying to ignore the burning sensation crawling past his fur. Blue snickered for a moment before pulling a rattling bottle out of his jacket, picking out a few pills of different colors, size and shape.

"Razadyne, Exelon, Namenda..." Blue muttered to himself, throwing them inside his mouth and dry gulping with a strong swallow, "Yep... Definitely a family recipe."

Momentarily curious over what kind of Pokﾃｩmon an Exelon was, Lucario rid himself of any thought pertaining to some old man's dietary habits and unceremoniously stuffed the chunk of Tofu into his mouth.

"Like it?" Blue asked as Lucario chewed, or at least tried to with the funky consistence of the soy milk.

"I mean, it's not exactly bad..." Lucario mumbled before swallowing, "... Just, you know, what the hell am I even tasting?"

"Haha! Yes, it's weird, but at least it's easy to make," Blue laughed while heartily slapping his knee, "More time to train!"

"More like sit back and relax while training others," Lucario muttered, to which he was given a comprehensive nod and shrug, "Wait... You understand me?"

"A little," Blue explained while holding up a finger, "Grew up with Pokﾃｩmon, you know. Used to kick back in gramps' lab all day, not much else to do where I'm from."

"Could you stop saying 'gramps'? It's creepy," Lucario requested and wondered if no one else had told Blue how weird it was for a 70-year old man to talk like a little kid. Blue's smile grew even wider as he shook his head and stood up.

"Come on. You're eager to see the shiny, right?" he said while reaching into one of the many pockets of his jacket, "Today we're riding in style!"

Expecting a huge Pokﾃｩmon with massive wings, Lucario hastily stepped away as Blue pulled out and opened up a Pokﾃｩball. A tiny little red light shot out, forming a creature barely reaching up to Lucario's waist. It was a short and physically inferior humanoid with yellow skin and slanted eyes, and looking at it made Lucario feel uncomfortable for some reason. He instead turned towards Blue, trying to figure out whether he was serious or not.

"Abra, use teleport!" Blue said, and suddenly Lucario witnessed the room around him moving. His body was being spun around by an unseen miscreant, faster and faster until everything looked like a blur. Holding back the nausea building up, he felt himself lifting from the ground for a moment, and when his feet set down again it was not against a rocky floor but a remarkably smooth surface. Everything became much brighter in an instant, and a feeling of disorientation struck him as he felt like gravity had reversed. Trying to turn himself upright, he instead fell flat on his back which to him felt like being pulled sharply to the left against a very large wall. His body stopped spinning, his balance slowly fell into place and Lucario's eyes opened wide as he saw where he was.

The term "teleportation" echoed in his mind and sated his curiosity as to why he was in a completely different place compared to ten seconds earlier. It was a huge well-lit room with walls and floor painted in a relaxing mixture of blue, white and pink. Expecting to see an assortment of lamps above him, there was instead a true monstrosity of a machine with flashing lights, screens with large numbers presented on them and what looked like a sprinkler system thrown in for good measure. It was literally staring down at him - In an attempt to keep in tone with the rest of the calming room, the screens had been placed in a manner which gave the impression of a giant mechanical smiling face.

"E-Excuse me?" a high-pitched metallic voice resounded, making Lucario jump in surprise from the notion that the machine had come to life. However, he realized the voice had come from his left, where he saw a small spherical figure hovering next to him. It had a body made of steel with a large unblinking eyeball staring at him in admiration, magnets and screws sticking out of its sides. Flabbergasted by being confronted by a real life robot, Lucario just barely noticed that the room was filled with all manner of different Pokﾃｩmon and even a few humans, many of them looking directly at him.

"Ar*BZZT* Are you nospike Lucario?" the Magnemite finally asked with a stammer that sounded more like a glitch.

"He means Lonesome Wanderer Lucario!" an older-sounding Pokﾃｩmon suddenly yelled out, Lucario turning his head towards the crowd on unidentifiable shapes and faces. There was an eager bird with two heads, a grumpy-looking frog with the leaf of a water-lily on its head and no less than three little teddy bears guarded by a very tall grizzly he sorely hoped he would not be fighting anytime soon.

"Of course he is!" a smaller version of the Floatzel he had once fought shouted while pointing at his backside, "I see it! I see the grave dirt!"

There was a resounding gasp throughout the room, almost everyone staring at Lucario who was too disoriented to make sense of it all. He made an effort to wipe some of the dirt away from his back, an unavoidable result of sleeping in a filthy cave for several weeks.

"OK, what in the actual-" he said out loud, but was cut short as the aforementioned Buizel suddenly rushed towards him, pressing the flotation device around its neck against his chest.

"Oh man is it true you beat Zoroark and Entei and saved Mew and totally wrecked that place in Saffron and-" the Buizel chatted happily with huge eyes beaming in excitement. Lucario tried to find a moment to interject when he felt a tap on his shoulder, surprisingly relieved to see Blue standing behind him.

"C'mon, she's not here," the champion said while looking a little bothered, "Kept getting pestered by onlookers, being shiny and all. Let's go."

Lucario nodded and turned to shove or tell off the eager Buizel, but to his surprise the water-Pokﾃｩmon had already fallen silent. It was now staring at Blue, its orange face beginning lose color. Blue flashed him a grin in return before heading towards a door further away, prompting Lucario to follow him.

"Oh my god, was that a fucking champ!?" they heard someone shouting behind them as they hastily exited the room.

They entered a corridor, and Lucario figured he was in some kind of hospital. Stretchers of varying sizes were lined up, and no matter where he looked the place seemed to be swarming with round pink egg-carrying Pokﾃｩmon. Most had a smile on their lips and greeted him as they walked past, but some looked stressed out and one was even sleeping on the floor, collapsed from exhaustion.

"So... Where're you from?" Blue asked in a casual manner while strolling down the hallway, throwing glances of minor interest here and there.

"New Bark Town," Lucario answered honestly, thinking about how far away from home he was. There were no hospitals in New Bark Town, so you had to get to Cherrygrove City if anything happened. He had been forced to go there after "accidentally" ingesting a very tasty-looking mushroom as a child, and while this place did look similar, the presence of Pokﾃｩmon in his memory was lacking.

"Bork? New Bork- Oh, New Bark Town?" Blue interpreted his answer with a little difficulty, his eyes lighting up in recognition, "Elm's old place? There were wild Riolu there? I should've gone there more often!"

"What, you've been there?" Lucario asked, fairly certain there was nothing of value to be found in his backwater hometown. That was the reason he had left, after all.

"Elm and Oak were old colleagues, so I kept up the partnership after gramps passed away," Blue explained while thinking to himself and being quiet for a moment, "... Hey, you ever heard of Ethan?"

Lucario hesitated for a second, having completely forgotten whether he was supposed to give away his real identity or not. For some reason, it felt harder to keep track of things without Zerobi or Mew to regularly talk things over with.

"Met him in New Bark Town when he was just a little tyke!" Blue exclaimed before Lucario could answer, "Running around Elm's lab, playing with Pokﾃｩmon... Reminded me of myself when I was his age."

A sudden recognition struck Lucario, feeling something very familiar about the suggested scenario. On the move, he lost focus on where he was going and accidentally bumped into a regular human nurse, snapping him out of his impending flashback. The nurse bowed her head while Lucario whispered an apology, sad to know she wouldn't understand him anyway.

"But hey, if you're from there, maybe I met you as a kid too!" Blue exclaimed with a bright expression before scratching the underside of his chin, "... What are you, a failed science experiment or something? I know Elm was up to some weird stuff, but those scars..."

Blue trailed off and stared at Lucario's back, looking for any signs of what might have happened there. Lucario wished he had an answer, both Zoroark and Blue pointing out that his scars didn't look like they had been inflicted by battle. As for his origins, thanks to Mew's efforts he was more of a successful science experiment, but the surgical operation that gave him life again had not been what left the scars. He made a mental note to ask Rukario about them.

They left the Pokﾃｩcenter, finding themselves in the middle of a town. Apart from the hyper-modern installation behind them, most of the buildings looked rural but sturdy and well-built. He could hardly believe his eyes, but despite the characteristic snow thawing away, the familiar architecture and abundance of trees told him that he was back in Snowpoint City.

Many thoughts ran through his head at once. He was back to the beginning, wondering just how far away he had been teleported by the mysterious Abra. There were no sirens blaring over his presence, so he figured he was safe for now, but running into the Fierce Fighting Force again seemed like it could be a hindrance to his reunion with Rukario. This is where he had first met her, he remembered, curious if maybe this is where she lived. Zerobi's home was nearby for sure, but he was certain it hadn't changed much since they left it behind.

"So, how're Mew and Celebi?" Blue started a new subject, letting his eyes stick with a red penguin-looking Pokﾃｩmon passing by. Lucario snapped out of his reminiscence with a depressing sensation inside. So much had happened - He had met the Legendary Trio and watched them crumble. He had met Mew and watched her die. He shook his head and reinforced his desire to be more careful with those he had left.

"Half dead," Lucario responded, not sure if he should or even wanted to elaborate. Blue probably didn't understand anyway, as he showed no surprise or sadness in response. A sudden gasp could be heard from the Pokﾃｩmon they had just passed by, which Lucario tried to ignore.

"And... The virus?" Blue asked a bit more quietly, also noticing that they weren't exactly in private with people and Pokﾃｩmon walking about.

"Safe," Lucario answered short and concise. This seemed to work better, Blue sighing out audibly. He removed his beanie for a moment and scratched his irritated scalp, a large concern lifting from his conscience.

"Y'know, those two're pretty crafty," Blue said while putting his cap on again, "Held me up and wrote V-I-R-U-S in the snow. Of course, I initially figured they just wanted me to catch some and die, but... Hehe, I guess that wasn't too far from the truth."

"You've got that right," Lucario scoffed, having completely forgotten that they were actually supposed to be fighting Blue by the time they appeared to stop Darkrai. His train of thoughts was interrupted as Blue moved closer, walking next to him awkwardly close.

"Not FORCING them or anything, but, just..." Blue mumbled with an overly amicable tone, "... If they WANT a life of luxury, eternal glory and super stardom, I wouldn't mind taking them in. You know. For a while."

Lucario glanced at him for a moment, Blue nudging his arm as if to further bolster his suggestion.

"On their terms, of course!" he chimed with an expression of excitement mixed with hopefulness, "Nothing big, just a fight or two. I've got this great idea for an unbeatable strategy that'd change the face of competitive battling forever and... You could put in a good word for me? Yeah? Us New Barkers have stick together, huh?"

"You're not from there!" Lucario burst out with feigned indignation, finding it impossible to not be cheered up by Blue's carefree nature.

"Right, right," Blue said quickly while tapping his chest, "Just get me into contact with Celebi. Or Mew. I mean, you can't just decide for them! You don't know, maybe they'll be thrilled!"

Lucario was certain Celebi would be less than thrilled by the suggestion, and any contact established with Mew would have to be through a spirit medium. But as far he could tell, Blue appeared a lot nicer compared to the other trainers he had met until now. A permanent grin stuck on the old champion's face, and Lucario wondered how he could even be the same person who had attacked him for no reason only a year earlier.

"In there," Blue suddenly spoke up, pointing ahead. Lucario saw a house much like any other, differentiating itself only through a few extra windows on the second floor as well as a wooden sign, reading 'Hotel'. The letters on the sign were carved out with amazing precision and filled in with a hardened substance that almost seemed to glow. He doubted it was the work of humans.

Blue stepped ahead of him as they entered the foyer, almost as if trying to hide him away from view. It was nothing of grand display like Silver's mansion, but rather a narrow corridor with nicely woven yet notably dirty carpeting, antique-looking furnishing and an altogether homely atmosphere. There was no time for him to suck it in, for suddenly there was the abrupt sound of someone hastily pushing a chair away.

"PLEASE. STOP. NO MORE!" a desperate voice filled the place. Further ahead there was a man standing behind a desk, someone in his late 40's whose tailsuit seemed out of place in the rural environment.

"Sup! Also, what?" Blue answered cheerfully while raising a hand to say hello. The unremarkable man stared at the renowned trainer, clearly struggling with choosing his words wisely.

"Good sir, my lifelong dream is but a joke!" the man pleaded while putting his hands together in a begging gesture, "Merely three legitimate residents among four Pokﾃｩmon? This can be called a people hotel no longer!"

Lucario peeked out from behind Blue, causing the man to flinch at the sight.

"The carpet is mud, the pantry stuffed with foul-smelling berries and I can hear them at night!" he continued with discomfort in his voice before pointing at Lucario with disdain, "I. Can hear. EVERYTHING. And now... Another long-eared wolf taking up residence...!?"

"Hmm? Oh, no, this Lucario here isn't planning on spending the night," Blue responded with a smile, and then suddenly nudged Lucario's arm again, "I think? Bet you wouldn't mind, eh? Know what I mean?"

"Just... Visiting," Lucario responded in monotone, actually feeling sympathetic towards the hostile owner. The otherwise beautiful flooring did look very filthy, and had he still been human he probably would have settled for a less cheap-looking place. Blue almost looked disappointed for a moment before he trod ahead.

"You heard the gentleman, just visiting!" Blue said as he turned back and leaned up against the desk, pointing to a staircase in the corner of the corridor, "Room 202, upstairs. No need to knock, she can probably already sense you."

"Please! Take the other one with you!" the owner of the hotel pleaded, becoming more infuriated as he was faced with Blue's back, "Store your Pokﾃｩmon in Pokﾃｩcenters like everyone else!"

"That one's a special case. Believe me, this place couldn't hold all of my Pokﾃｩmon," Blue replied cockily while signaling for Lucario to go on ahead. Lucario nodded in gratefulness, feeling a familiar aura directly above him. He looked for a suitable place to wipe the underside of his feet, sighed when he couldn't and went upstairs while Blue and the owner kept jabbering on about soiled family heirlooms and health inspections.