The quiet atmosphere of the forest was broken by aggressive rustling as something charged through the undergrowth. Bird Pokémon let out alarm calls as they took to the skies, feeling their nests shake vigorously as whatever crashed through the foliage below bumped into the trees. A pale blue shape darted through the forest as quickly as it could, squeezing in between the tiniest gaps.
The Pokémon know as Riolu panted heavily as he sprinted through the forest. Behind him he could hear the snarls and growls coming from his pursuers—a pack of wild Houndoom. He didn't dare look back, knowing that even a slight hesitation could cost him his life. He continued to dash ahead, the undergrowth around him no more than a blur of colors. He felt branches whack at his face as he pushed blindly through them, hearing grunts of frustration behind him to indicate that the pack was also having trouble with the thickening foliage, especially since they were bigger than he was.
Riolu managed to squeeze his way through the low-lying branches, finding a wall of brambles ahead of him. Panic started to rise inside his chest as he whipped his head back and forth to try and find a way around them. A tiny gap amongst the thorns caught his attention. He doubted that he could properly fit through there, but if he could barely fit, that meant the Houndoom wouldn't be able to fit at all.
Riolu rushed towards the hole in the brambles, shoving himself in and ignoring the pain that pricked at his paws from touching their sharp points. Just as he managed to get his whole body through, he heard howls of fury behind him coming from what he guessed was the pack's leader. He began to push his way through more forcefully, ignoring the increasing pain in his body as thorns snagged in his fur.
Riolu let out a wail of pain as he suddenly felt scorching heat against his left arm, instinctively pressing to the right to get away from it. As he sat buried in the brambles, he hesitantly looked back in confusion. His eyes widened upon seeing the largest Houndoom of the pack using a Flamethrower attack on the forest around them. The flames burned away any obstacles in their path, including most of the bramble wall. As Riolu looked to his other side, he saw only an empty spot where the brambles once sat gnarled together. The ground was covered in ash and scattered bits of the tendrils that still remained. He glanced at the stinging feeling in his arm and realized the fire must have grazed him. There was no time to lick the wound, however, now that he was exposed again. He swiftly rolled out of the remains of the bramble wall and dashed across the open space, hearing the pounding of pawsteps behind him as the pack spotted him and continued their chase.
Riolu continued to run ahead of them, clutching his wound with his opposite paw. He was lucky that there weren't too many more obstacles in his path as his vision started to blur with exhaustion. He flinched as he began to feel the hot breath of a Houndoom behind him, picking up the pace as he burst into a clearing. He didn't know how much longer he could keep this up; eventually they would catch him and…Riolu let out a yelp as his foot snagged against a moss covered rock, causing him to trip and land flat on his face. He shakily attempted to push himself up again, glancing over his shoulder to see where the pack had gone. His eyes widened to see them prowling towards him slowly, dragging their tongues over their drooling jaws and hunger gleaming in their eyes. He shut his eyes, knowing there was no way he could escape in this state. He braced himself for his skin to be met with sharp fangs until he heard a shrill voice out of nowhere.
"Come on Quagsire, help out with Hydro Pump!" the peppy voice said. Riolu watched as the pack's attention was averted to somewhere behind him, their eyes gleaming with a mixture of confusion and frustration. Not a moment later they were filled with alarm as Riolu watched a massive stream of water hit their bodies, knocking them to the ground. The super-effective move didn't end there, continuing to spray them with powerful gushes of water. They yelped and wailed as they took damage from the attack, soon fleeing from the scene back from there they came.
Riolu panted quietly, nearly shocked by how quickly that turn of events had occurred. His vision was completely blurred now, and he felt dizzy, but he still managed to hear light footsteps approaching him. He wondered if he should try to get away from whatever had attacked the Houndoom pack in case it was going to hurt him as well, but he couldn't find the energy to move a muscle. As he lay in the grass, his consciousness slipping, he heard a soothing voice echo through his ears.
"Don't worry, you're going to be okay…"
Riolu blinked his eyes open slowly, his vision blurred. As he lifted his head up, his vision started to clear, revealing him to be in a quiet clearing. He felt the texture of a nest underneath him, and he glanced down at his pelt to see not a single thorn entangled in his fur. In the process, he also noticed that his burn was wrapped in some kind of white material. Though it still stung, it didn't hurt nearly as much as before. He returned his gaze back to his surroundings, spotting a ball of soaked moss and a few Oran berries next to his nest. Around him, the clearing was rather small and secluded, sunlight streaming through the branches above. A cool breeze ruffled the tops of the trees, sending yellow-green leaves fluttering to the ground—the first signs of autumn. The emanation Pokémon squinted as he spotted a flash of color against the brown trunks of the trees, realizing that there was a berry store inside the hollow. It is getting colder, so some of the wild Pokémon must be stocking away food for the cold season, he thought.
Riolu suddenly realized something. His last memory was someone saving him from the Houndoom pack. As he gazed around at the clearing, he noticed it was different from the one he had been cornered in. Someone must've brought me here and took care of me…I wonder how long I've been out. He gazed around, wondering if that creature would come back soon.
As if summoned, Riolu's ears twitched as he heard a rustling in the forest around him. His eyes focused on a shaking shrub, watching with interest as a strangely colored Vulpix strode into the clearing. However, he soon became confused as some other creature followed after it. It didn't have the scent of a Pokémon, but walked on two legs like he did. He thought back to the memories of him just hatching from his egg, nuzzling next to his mother. She would tell him stories of all the Pokémon he would encounter in his lifetime, and she had mentioned another creature to him. Is that a "human?" he pondered, tilting his head in slight curiosity and the two approached.
"Oh, he's awake!" the human piped up in awe. Judging by the voice, Riolu noticed it was female.
"How are you feeling?" the uncanny-colored Vulpix barked, sitting down next to his nest.
Riolu blinked. "I'm okay…Who are you guys?" he asked, his gaze flickering between the two.
"I'm Vulpix. I don't know if you've ever encountered a shiny Pokémon before, but that's why I might look a little different from any other Vulpix you've seen," the fox Pokémon explained.
Riolu nodded slowly, glancing at the human girl as he waited for her to introduce herself as well. However, Vulpix seemed to notice this and quickly put in, "She can't understand Pokémon speech."
Riolu's eyes widened in disbelief. "Then how could I understand her?"
Vulpix shrugged. "Dunno. All I know is that unless we learn their speech, they only hear noises when we talk to each other. They can sometimes figure out what we mean by gestures and such, but for them it's like trying to communicate with someone that can't speak. It's not all that frustrating once you get used to it though," he mumbled, glanced at the human girl.
Riolu sniffed, not really liking the idea of not being able to properly communicate with humans. I suppose it makes things easier if I can at least understand what they say to me.
Meanwhile, the girl was staring at Riolu, her unique violet eyes gleaming with interest. As soon as she saw his attention on her, she began to speak. "Hi there. He might've already told you, but my name's Kiara and that's Vulpix. We could hear all that ruckus you and the pack of Houndoom were making. Heck, I think the whole forest must've heard! Anyways, I saw that you were in trouble and got some of my wild Quagsire friends to help. Then we brought you here and took care of you. You've been out for a day or so," Kiara explained to him.
Riolu nodded, figuring that the story made sense. "Thank you," he told her gratefully, realizing too late that she wouldn't understand him.
However, Kiara merely tilted her head at him with a smile. "You're welcome, Riolu. We'll help you out as long as you need us. Then you can go back to the wild if you want. Make sure you eat those berries. They'll help bring up your strength while giving you something to eat as well. We'll come back to check on your soon, giving you more berries and water if you need it," she murmured gently, beginning to turn away.
"See you later Riolu. Oh, and don't worry about any hostile Pokémon coming here. This place is sheltered from practically anything. It's why we made it our camp," he told the emanation Pokémon. With that, the fox Pokémon trotted after Kiara and left the clearing.
Riolu watched them go until the shrub where they had vanished stopped quivering. He gazed around the clearing, noticing how sheltered it really was. Grabbing an Oran berry to munch on, he examined the huge leaves that seemed to act like a barrier. From the outside he guessed the border of the clearing looked like an impassible wall. Swallowing the last bit of the fruit, he curled up in his nest of leaves and feathers. He didn't know how much he could trust these strangers, but if they saved him, they couldn't be that bad.
***
"There, all better. It'll take another few weeks for all your fur to grow back, but the burn itself should be all healed," Kiara told Riolu, discarding the gauze that had covered his wound.
It had taken a week for Riolu's burn to heal, though the Rawst berries Kiara had given him had certainly helped the process along. It had been slightly frustrating to just lie in his nest all day, with the exception of wandering around the clearing now and then. The others always seemed to be out, only returning around noon and in the evening. However, they still managed to bring him food and water and check on him when they were in the camp, so he didn't have much to complain about.
In those seven days, Riolu had met a human boy named Wolf, who Vulpix had called his best friend and partner. He was an interesting character. He seemed rather reserved and serious, always trying to focus on some type of task. Compared to Kiara, it was almost like he was her exact opposite. The girl was always bubbly and cheerful, a lot more playful and carefree than he was. If Riolu had to choose, he figured that he would probably like Kiara more. Besides, for some reason, she seemed to be taking an extra interest to him.
Kiara was now rising to her feet, gathering anything that they didn't need. "Well Riolu, this means you're all better now. If you have a home to go back to, we won't keep you here," she told him softly.
Riolu glanced at the ground awkwardly. He actually didn't have a place to call home—not anymore. He was too young to take care of himself, not to mention the Houndoom pack was probably still out in the forest somewhere. His gaze wandered around the clearing. Would this group let him stay, at least until he was strong enough to take care of himself? He looked at Kiara, unsure about how to tell her what he wanted to.
Kiara tilted her head slightly before nodding in understanding. "You can stay here if you like. I mean, it's just the three of us, so there's plenty of room. The others will welcome you, I'm sure. Even Wolf won't mind, even if he does seem unwelcoming on the outside. Sure, he's a little on the serious, stern side, but he means well. He just wants to make sure we survive and thinks that playing games wastes time," she offered, sighing at the end as she described her human friend.
Riolu nodded slowly, knowing that Vulpix wouldn't mind since he was friendly enough, and this new information reassured him that Wolf didn't secretly hate them all. "Thanks," he said, his tone full of gratitude. He figured since she had understood him every other time when he said that, she would this time too.
"It's completely fine," Kiara smiled at him in response, beginning to turn away. "Well, I need to get back out there again and make sure to take out this trash. We're going to be home a lot later than normal tonight, just so you know," she told him, beginning to head towards the clearing's edge.
Riolu blinked in surprise, rising from his nest and trotting after her. "Wait, I'm coming with you!" he called. He had been stuck in the camp for a whole week, and he would like to see the forest again. He had gotten restless, and he certainly wasn't going to wait until tomorrow to go out when there was still a bit of daylight left.
Kiara gazed back at him in confusion. "Well, I suppose you can come with if you'd like," she mumbled somewhat uncertainly. "Just to be safe though, stay with me okay?"
Riolu nodded, not that he was planning to go off on his own anyways. Waiting for Kiara to push her way through the broad leaves, he followed after her into the forest ahead.
The forest was just as Riolu had always remembered it. The trees swayed in the breeze, covering the ground with their changing leaves. There was less birdsong than during the pinnacle of summer, but Riolu knew it was because the bird Pokémon were beginning to migrate before winter arrived. The sun was hidden behind the trees as evening approached, changing the blue sky into the warmer colors of red, orange, and yellow. Even though this was his second time seeing fall, the sight still made him stare in awe at its beauty.
Riolu continued to follow Kiara through the quiet forest, blinking in surprise as he found that it suddenly ended as they reached the edge. He halted just outside, watching as the girl headed towards a cube shaped structure. She walked over to a small bin and disposed of the items they didn't need inside. As Riolu took a whiff, he could smell human garbage inside. While Kiara was making her way back to him, he looked around at the forest-less area, where more of these structures sat. The scent of humans was strong in this area, overpowering that of the Pokémon there as well. He thought back to the stories his mother had told him and wondered if these were the human settlements called "cities" and "towns."
Kiara sighed as she sat down at the edge of the forest with Riolu, just outside enough to see the settlement but still sheltered in case anyone looked their way. "I don't know if you've ever heard of it, but this is Columius Town. That over there," she pointed to a structure that was slightly larger than the others. "Is Professor Palm's Lab. She's a person that studies Pokémon. When a kid turns ten, they can get their first Pokémon from her and begin their journey."
Riolu tilted his head slightly in confusion. What did she mean by "get their first Pokémon?" He somewhat recalled his mother telling him about humans who capture Pokémon in small capsules, but it had sounded so absurd that he hadn't really believed it.
"There's a catch to this, however," Kiara continued. "You need an adult confirmation. For normal families, it could be someone's mom and dad. For people in the orphanage, it's the head people that work there," she mumbled.
Riolu gazed at her in bewilderment upon hearing the word "orphanage."
Kiara noticed this and blinked apologetically. "An orphanage, in case you're wondering, is a building where they keep and take care of orphaned children; you know, people without parents who are too young to take care of themselves. Wolf and I used to live there a couple of years ago, but we ran away because we didn't feel like it would lead us anywhere in our futures. Of course then, we were much younger and more naïve, and got attacked by a Zangoose pack. They nearly got us, until a wild Kangaskhan saved us. She was really nice, and could talk like us. She pretty much became out mother figure as we decided to live with her over the years. In a way, Kangaskhan had her own little orphanage because she took care of baby Pokémon that had lost their parents one way or another. Everything was fine until a couple months back, bad people took her away…All the baby Pokémon ran off to find new homes, and Wolf, Vulpix, and I were the only ones left…We're on our own now, but we're doing our best," she sighed, trailing off sorrowfully.
Riolu couldn't help but gaze at her sympathetically. He wondered what would've happened if Kangaskhan were still around. Would she have saved him from the pack like she did with the two children? He probably would've ended up living there too, since his parents weren't around anymore either. Hesitantly, he reached out and placed a paw on Kiara's hand, knowing all too well what it was like to lose someone you relied on and cared about so much.
Kiara looked up at him, smiling slightly. "Sorry. I didn't mean to go off on a tangent there. The point of the matter is, even though Wolf is of age to get a starter Pokémon and I'm nearly there as well, we can't get one because we don't have a family and aren't affiliated with the orphanage anymore. So these past few days we've been planning on sneaking into the lab and taking it ourselves! Plus, there's bound to be more supplies we can use. What do you think Riolu? Would you like to help us out here?" Kiara asked hopefully.
Riolu blinked at her, unsure of how to handle this new information. Wouldn't they get in trouble if this Professor found out her Pokémon and supplies were stolen? He didn't respond at first, gazing down at the ground in thought.
"What's he doing here Kiara?" Wolf growled, startling Riolu out of his thoughts. The boy was standing not far from them, deeper in the forest than they were with Vulpix sitting at his feet.
"He's decided he's going to stay with us, and he wanted to come with me here, so I didn't stop him," Kiara sniffed simply.
Wolf's eyes narrowed. "Well if he wants to stay, then he has no choice but to help us," he snorted.
"That's not fair! He just decided today, and you're already trying to order him around?" Kiara snarled back furiously.
"Kiara, this is our life now. This won't be the only time we steal. It's the only way we're going to be able to survive. If he wants to stay, he has to be okay with the life we're going to lead," Wolf explained more calmly.
Kiara's rage had settled down as she realized he was probably right. Her gaze turned back to the emanation Pokémon. "Well Riolu, the choice is yours I guess. What are you going to do?" she asked quietly.
Riolu's eyes flickered between the two humans. To be honest, he didn't really understand the concept of stealing other than if you stole another Pokémon's prey, you'd be lucky to keep all your limbs afterwards. So far, humans didn't seem all that threatening. Plus, his mother had told him that humans didn't have powers or types or anything of the sort like Pokémon. It couldn't be that bad to steal from humans then, right? Returning to the present, he looked at the two who were staring at him expectantly. After a moment, he nodded to them. "I'll help you."