In commemoration of Nintendo’s 135ᵗʰ anniversary, September 20 to 30 is NIWA Cross-Wiki Week. Click here for event details and the possibility to win a $20/€20 Nintendo eShop gift card. Please remember to follow the manual of style and code of conduct at all times. Check the Bulbagarden home page for up-to-date Pokémon news and discuss it on the forums or in the Bulbagarden Discord server.
His English name is derived from "lux-lucis", the Latin root word for light, while his Japanese name is a reference to the Japanese word for "brightness" (光輝 kōki), much like Hikari means light (光). It is also similar to 金剛石 kongōseki, a Japanese word for diamond.
Lucas lives in Twinleaf Town with his mother and dreams big, so he and his best friend (and soon-to-be rival) have high hopes of catching the legendary Pokémon of their nearby Lake. After meeting Professor Rowan and his assistant Dawn, they are attacked by wild Pokémon and, as a last resort, use the Pokémon in the briefcase the Professor has forgotten. After bringing the Pokémon back Lucas receives the Pokémon he used as well as a Pokédex and goes on to gather the eight badges of Sinnoh, defeat Team Galactic and conquer the Pokémon League all before taking on the Battle Frontier.
If the player chooses Dawn, he will become Rowan's assistant for the game. Lucas lives in Sandgem Town with his little sister, grandfather, and father—who works as an assistant of Professor Rowan. He is already the Professor's assistant at the beginning of the game. He also demonstrates to the player how to capture Pokémon by capturing a wild Bidoof.
In the events of Platinum, Lucas and Barry instead go to visit Professor Rowan at his lab rather than go to the lake in search of a Pokémon of the same rarity as a red Gyarados. They receive their Pokémon on Route 201 when Professor Rowan realizes that they are so dedicated to Pokémon as to attempt to travel from Twinleaf Town to Sandgem Town through the tall grass without any Pokémon of their own.
In the events of Platinum, Team Galactic attempts to use both Dialga and Palkia, but they are stopped by Giratina. Finally, Lucas has to go to the Distortion World and face Giratina, in order to stop both worlds from destroying each other.
He will again be Rowan's assistant if the player chooses Dawn.
Years later, his exploits are referenced by Cynthia, who remembers a young Trainer who defeated her.
"Hi! I've been waiting for you! Please, come with me. The prof's waiting to see you. See? This is our Pokémon Research Lab. We'll just go ahead and..."
"What was that?! Your friend always seems to be in such a rush. Anyway... Let's go in."
"Boy, am I glad you're kind toward Pokémon. If you weren't, well... I don't even want to think about it."
"The professor asked me to help, so I'm filling the Pokédex pages, too. That makes us comrades working toward the same goal. I'll teach you stuff later, OK?"
"Well, I'll be… The professor had TMs...? Next thing, he'll tell me he battled when he was young. Hey, <player>! I want to show you a few things. So, follow me! This building with the red roof is the Pokémon Center. You can get your Pokémon healed if it's been hurt in battle. You'll find a Pokémon Center in most towns. Over here, the building with the blue roof is the Poké Mart. It's a shop where you can buy and sell all sorts of items. <player>, since you're a rookie Trainer, you won't be able to buy very much stuff. Don't worry about it, OK? Oh, yeah, right! <player>... You should let your family know you're helping Prof. Rowan put together his Pokédex. Sometimes, you have to go far away, so you should let someone know. Oh, but first, go heal up your Pokémon at the Pokémon Center. You'll be safe then. OK, be seeing you!"
"<player>, do you know how to catch a Pokémon? I'll demonstrate how to catch one, so just watch, OK?"
"And that's how it's done. Actually, I should have lowered the target's HP some more. Yup, the important thing is to lower the Pokémon's HP as much as possible. See, a healthy Pokémon isn't easy to catch. Oh, yeah. They also get easier to catch if you make one of your Pokémon put them to sleep or such. Here, <player>, I'll give you five Poké Balls to get you started. If you have lots of Pokémon with you, you'll be able to travel farther. That way, you'll have a better shot at meeting more Pokémon. See you around!"
"Hey, <player>! How many Pokémon have you caught? Huh? I think you should catch some more. It might be more of a challenge raising a lot of Pokémon... But it's worth it. The more Pokémon you have, the happier you'll be. Hey, that's right! Don't you think it's better to know more about Pokémon? Sure it is! There's this great place for that. Come on! It's all right. Follow me. That guy... What's he doing? Uh, excuse..."
"Huh? What? Are you kidding? I was just making small talk..."
"...Working for the International Police sounds hard. <Player>, here we are. This is the Trainers' School. The name says it all! Your pal <rival> went in earlier. He might still be studying in there. OK, see you around!"
2nd visit
"<Player>! Join me and battle these guys!"
"<Player>, did you know about this? The professor studies the evolution of Pokémon, too. According to his research, 90% of all Pokémon are somehow tied to evolution! Maybe that's the reason those goons tried to take the professor's research data. They're not allowed to do that!"
"Hey, <player>! How's your Pokédex coming along? Me? I'm always doing great! ...I wish... But that's not important. Lately, I've been experimenting with a couple of neat tools. <player>, I'll share with you. Choose a hand! (If right is selected) Oh yeah. You want the Vs. Seeker. Yup, <player>, you know what's important. Using that Vs. Seeker, you can find Trainers who want to battle with you again. <player>, what about a Pokétch? Do you have one? Yup, you do. You can have this too, then. You deserve it for all of your effort, <player>. The Dowsing Machine is... Just try touching it. It'll alert you if there is an unseeable item on the ground. Try it out now. I think there's something here. OK, keep working on your Pokédex. Professor Rowan is counting on us!"