I know a lot of people didn't like Popplio all that much. I had my opinions, too! However, the little water puppy grew on me and now, it's my favorite Alola starter. However, I wouldn't be surprised if there are people who just want to wipe it from existence. So, based on that logic, I made this.
The picture shown had a popplio cheerfully playing with a primarina in the pool taken from the lobby area. The page was decorated with flowers and pictures of the popplio kissing whoever would be holding it. One of them showed popplio cuddled next to a silvally under the shade of a tree. Another one shows the popplio sticking its tongue on the glass of the pool in the lobby. Some of the photos also showed when she was being treated. Pictures of it filled up the whole page in the scrapbook. She always smiled in all of them, even at her sickest.
Of course, I'll start with my first emergency case. No, Popplio wasn't my very first rescue but she was the first case that I saw that made me cry. She made one of the biggest impacts on me. I remember that Hau and Lillie were just moving in together after their wedding. Damn! This was so long ago! But I remember it clear as day! I was bringing Hau and Lillie some Malasadas to surprise them with when I got the call. It was a beautiful evening, the setting sun shone against the horizon like a gorgeous copper coin. Though it interrupted a friendly meal gathering, I know I'd do it all over again if I had to.
I walked into Iki town, holding the bag of Malasadas to give to my best friends. I remember they had a beautiful wedding. It was held in Iki town, of course! Colorful flowers decorated the area and torches were used for lighting at night and fireworks filled the sky. I was the maid of honor while Gladion was the best man. He was so handsome that night, wearing a black button up shirt with black slacks and a red tie. I thought Hau couldn't look happier than he was but that night, he was absolutely beaming. I think he could have lit up the whole wedding with his smile alone. Lillie was a bit more shy and nervous. She was almost the stereotypical blushing bride but, when she saw Hau, her smile matched his. Nothing could ruin the day for them. I danced with Gladion for most of the night. Of course, Hau had to steal a dance from me and Lillie of course danced with her brother but Gladion and I usually hung back while the newly weds focused on each other. Gladion and I spent more time together that night since we hardly saw each other with our busy jobs. We were talking about our recent endeavors, battles, and the day we'd finally marry someone. I will admit, I always thought Gladion was attractive and I always made sure he knew about it. But that was mostly play to me at the time. I often greeted him with a 'hey, gorgeous', 'hey, beautiful', or 'what's up, pretty boy?' But, I think it was that night when I started to feel something for him. It was something about the way he held me when we danced that ignited something within me.
Okay, enough of that story, but it is relevant but later. Let's get back to the main story here. I arrived at their house and knocked on the door. Hau opened it and smiled at me with his usual cheerful smile.
"Hey, Hau. I figured you guys could use a little something." I greeted.
"Oh! Are they filled with the razz berry filling?" He asked excitedly.
"How could I forget your favorite? There's pinap berry filling for Lillie, too. " I said with a smile.
"Yum! Let's eat!" He said, letting me in.
I set down the bags on the table and Hau went to get Lillie. She came out of one of the back rooms and hugged me.
"Hey, beautiful!" I said, hugging her back.
"Moon! Your visit is long overdue!" She said as she stood back to look at me.
"Sorry! Champion duties and my new job as a rescuer have kept me busy." I said.
"Aren't you still on duty?" Lillie asked as Hau dug into the bags excitedly.
"Yeah but it's been a quiet evening. I helped untangle a pelipper from fishing line at the docks an hour ago. Luckily, it had no serious injuries so I gave it an oran berry and sent it on its way. I haven't had any other calls since so I figured I'd pick up some treats and stop by." I said.
"Okay but don't let us get in the way if another call comes in." Lillie said.
"Of course I won't! I won't let a pokemon suffer if I can help it." I said.
"Okay then. Let's get some food before Hau eats it all." Lillie giggled
"Hey, I saved some for you." He said defensively, his mouth full of his favorite Razz Berry jelly filled malasada.
We sat down and I took a bite of my oran-bluk berry malasada. It was my favorite but you had to be careful when eating it: anything containing and touched by bluk berries will be dyed black.
"So, what was your worst case? Anything horrible yet?" Hau asked.
"Luckily, nothing potentially fatal yet." I said.
"Nothing?! After a week in?" Hau asked surprised.
"Oh those cases will come soon. Think you can handle it?" Lillie asked.
"Of course I can!" I said happily was some of the black filling from my malasada dribbled from my mouth.
"Careful! That filling will leave a bad stain on your clothes." Lillie cautioned, handing me a napkin.
"You're almost as bad as me." Hau said, Razz berry filling dripping from around his mouth like a Pyroar at a kill.
We all laughed, Lillie tossing a hand full of napkins at her husband's face. Suddenly, my pager went off.
"Moon, do you copy?" Someone asked.
I swallowed my food and picked up the pager.
"This is Moon. Go ahead." I said.
"There are reports of a severely injured Popplio at Kala'e Bay. Please investigate." They said.
"Copy that. I'm on my way." I said before putting my pager down.
"Hurry now! I'll put this away and give it back later." Lillie said.
"Nah! Hau can have it! Gotta go!" I said, running out the door.
I heard Hau shout 'Yes!' and Lillie complain about messy stains before I was out of earshot. I released my Braviary and we took off towards Kala'e Bay. He and I patrolled an area when I spotted her. She was right by the cave entrance. I saw spots of red beside her body where she had bled from old wounds that started to scab over by the time we got there. I had my braviary land near it. The closer I got, the more dread filled me. She was severely emaciated and had several wounds all over her body. I thought she was dead for a moment until she opened her eyes and looked at me, a weak raspy cry leaved her mouth somehow. Something like this wouldn't happen in the wild. Someone made her like this. I had to act fast if I wanted to save her. I picked her up, her body so frail, I thought one wrong move would break her. She felt so limp because she had no strength left to even hold herself up. I could even count her ribs and see her hip joints which neither are suppose to be visible, especially on a popplio!
"HQ, this is Moon! This is an emergency! The popplio is in critical condition!" I said, as I got onto my braviary, careful not to disturb the Popplio too much.
"Go, Braviary! We need to get to the shelter, fast!" I said to him urgently.
He took off, flying fast but not too fast to knock me off. I held popplio against me and as I did so, she affectionately licked me weakly, despite what happened to her. Hot tears brimmed my eyes but I held them back, knowing that right now wasn't the time to cry. She had every reason to struggle out of my grip, bite, and claw me to get away but she still loved humans. She clearly was never wild. Braviary landed in the back of the hospital where staff was waiting to take her. Everyone was shocked by her condition. When she was taken out of my arms, she cried for me to follow. So I followed her as she was taken inside for examination and treatment. I held her head in my hands and rubbed her cheeks to distract her while she was examined by a doctor.
"It's a female. Luckily, none of these wounds are nothing a few stitches can't fix. Her weight is our main concern. She hasn't been fed properly for weeks. There's no way she could have gotten like this in the wild, especially where you found her. A trainer had to have done this." The doctor said.
She couldn't even sit up on her own and yet, she still licked my face happily. She was in bad shape and despite everything, remained affectionate and cheerful even though she must have been in so much pain. I giggled at her affection but tears started falling from my eyes. How could someone do this to such a sweet pokemon?! How could she still have an attitude like this despite what had been done to her? How she had gotten this way was beyond anyone's comprehension. She was anesthetized and then her wounds got cleaned and stitched. She was then bathed gently while the anesthesia wore off but it still kept her unconscious enough not to feel her tattered body being shifted as it got bathed. I had to leave for another case, a pokemon was caught in fishing nets but wasn't serious enough to take back. Another case was an abandoned eevee that I took in to get checked. The eevee was given a clean bill of help and put in a cage to let it relax and settle down. It will be put up for adoption next week and eevees find new trainers real quick.
I went back to see popplio and she looked at me happily and tried to lift her head but she could only move it slightly. I put my hand on her cheek and she smiled, leaning her cheek against it. Her cage had a thin layer of water at the bottom of it, not even a quarter of an inch deep. It was put there to help her heal but remain shallow enough not to drown her. Her head rested on top of a wet towel. The water and towel were warm. Then I heard a familiar voice from down the hall, a clacking of familiar claws following him. It was Gladion and his partner, silvally. I knew this sight was going to anger him later. He may no longer be the same guy I knew from when I first met him but he still had a nasty temper. However, he knew better than to get angry here at the shelter where it could upset the pokemon. He walked in and he was shocked. I quickly wiped away whatever tears I had left and sniffed one last time.
"I found her this evening. Awful, isn't it?" I asked.
He nodded wordlessly and offered her a hand to sniff. She sniffed his hand before affectionately licking it. I smiled at the sight with a pained smile.
"She's done nothing but shower everyone with love all evening." I said.
Gladion's other hand tensed, balling into a fist. Yep, this angered him. But he kept calm, forcing him to slacken his hand while keeping a gentle smile as he rubbed the popplio's cheek. She groaned in pleasure as he did so. Silvally looked on curiously at the popplio. He approached the cage and Gladion moved his hand out of the way and backed up to let Silvally see her. Popplio was a little more nervous of another pokemon but she hesitantly sniffed him. Silvally cooed gently, letting her know that he meant no harm. Popplio then relaxed and affectionately licked Silvally's beak. She just loved everyone! Gladion left the room but looked back at me. The flare in his green eyes told me that he was going on a mission of his own. I knew that he was determined to do something about this. A man like him is not going to let something like this go unpunished.
"Keep an eye on Silvally. He can get overbearing sometimes. I'm going to go see if action can be taken to find whoever did this." Gladion said before leaving.
I patted Silvally's shoulder and he glanced at me briefly in acknowledgement before returning his attention back to the popplio. Silvally was good at helping comfort other pokemon. Popplio managed to rest her head against his beak and she fell asleep. This was the first time she managed to sleep without anesthetic. He slowly removed his beak from her side after an hour of cuddling her and nudged the towel where his beak was. She stirred but didn't wake. I closed the cage and covered the front with a blanket to help her sleep. I patted his side before we walked out to the main court yard. Some of the other pokemon there knew him and they came over to play. I sat down on top of a boulder. Silvally then looked back at me expectantly. I chuckled and released my own silvally whom I had nicknamed Lady. She joyfully greeted him, nuzzling his neck affectionately. They were originally meant to be a breeding pair once upon a time but that never happened due to circumstance. However, at the rate these two are going, they probably will become mates if they're not already. I only have yet to see eggs mysteriously appear around the field or any mysterious sightings of baby Silvallys. I allowed the rest of my team out to play, too. Gladion then came back out an hour later, night had fallen and my namesake shone overhead brilliantly. He had something wrapped in a bag in his hand. He handed it to me.
"My sister brought these. She said Hau wasn't allowed to have them and that he already had his." Gladion said.
I unwrapped it to see it was my oran-bluk malasadas with only a bite taken out of one. Honestly, I was hungry and I silently thanked the stars that Lillie was so thoughtful... or maybe she was just being a strict wife but, either way, I was happy she saved them for me. She is in charge of the night shift tonight. She'll likely be keeping an eye on popplio all night. I ate the malasada silently as Gladion sat on the rock next to me. He was wearing his casual clothes of a black zip hoodie accented with red and his black faded jeans. He kept his piercings on his left ear from long ago. Lillie and Wicke always thought it was unprofessional for him to keep them in but he was boss and no one else complained. He still looked like a punk even after all this time. He then reached into his pack and pulled out a bottled water and offered it to me. I took it from him gratefully. He took out his own and we sat there watching our pokemon play. I only ate the one malasada and half of the other. Gladion's silvally and my silvally ran up to us to play with us. They both decided to playfully shower Gladion with affection. He laughed and protested feebly as they both licked him on the face.
"Guys! Not the face! No! Stop!" He laughed.
They both stopped licking him and then nuzzled him. My silvally, Lady, then looked at the half of the malasada I had. I offered it to her.
"I don't want the rest of it. You can have it." I said to her.
She smiled and took it from me. She then offered Gladion's silvally some with a cheerful coo and he bit off half of it. He nuzzled her as a thanks after he ate his half. Both of them had black oran-bluk filling dripping from their beaks. This had to be the cutest thing I had ever seen and rotom took a picture of it at my request.
"You two are just too cute." I gushed.
Lady walked up to me and licked me, her mouth dyed black from the malasada filling. Don't underestimate how strong bluk berries are when it comes to dying things! I had a huge streak of sticky black saliva on my cheek. Rotom thought it would be funny to take a series of pictures of this. The female silvally smiled at me mischieviously and Gladion made the mistake of laughing at me. His silvally then walked up to him and licked his cheek but he made sure to drag his tongue over all of Gladion's cheek. Rotom just had to get that as part of his collection of pictures. I pointed and laughed at Gladion. He tried to scowl but he couldn't stop himself from laughing as well. The pair then nuzzled each other before hopping off of the boulder to snuggle right next to the rock.
"At least it's your color." I joked.
"Yeah, shut up. At least my clothes won't get stained." He said, grinning.
I looked down and sure enough, I had a few dribbles of it on my shirt down my front but I didn't care that much. I wore this on the field so it could get ruined and I wouldn't care. I reached into my bag and grabbed some wet naps and tossed him a handful. I only need to use one but Gladion need to use a lot of them. I caved and helped him out, laughing all the while as I straddled his lap to help out. Pictures of that night filled two pages of another scrap book that mom made for a later gift. I put the used wet naps and other garbage into the used malasada bag to properly dispose of later. I sat next to Gladion and leaned against him. I wouldn't trade his friendship for the world but my feelings for him had started shifting. I could cuddle up with all of my friends happily, even Hau, without anyone think much of it but that night, it felt different. He rested his head against mine, an arm wrapping around me. I felt my chest flutter when he did that. It was then that I realized that I was getting a crush on Gladion. It bothered me for a second but as I shifted against him, I somehow knew that he was never going to leave my side. He never did in the past, after all.
Look at all these pictures. This is of the progress popplio made every week. Even just one week, she looked like a different popplio but even then, she still had a long way to go. It took her about seven weeks to fully heal to be available for adoption and another three to be re-homed. When that day came, I hated to see her go but I was so happy to see her go with who she did go with.
I was watching popplio swim, my legs were in the water. She would occasionally swim right up to my legs and play with them. My own primarina, Saspra, was in the water with her to swim and play with her. She had taken on a motherly role to the pup. Occasionally, Gladion would come over and his silvally would let popplio cuddle up next to him for a nap. Sometimes he'd hop into the pool but though he's better than most land pokemon when it comes to swimming. Still, silvally was slow in comparison to popplio. That wouldn't stop her from getting onto his back. My silvally wasn't big into water but she'd watch with her claws dipped in the water. I noticed today that someone was watching through the glass. It was Lana and she was looking right at popplio curiously. Popplio had been available for adoption for the past three weeks, a paper on the glass showing a brief description of her. Popplio was not the most popular starter so it wasn't any surprise that it may take her a bit longer to be re-homed. That was fine with us though: she was loved by everyone at the shelter and she loved everyone, too.
She swam around the pool, darting around my Primarina quickly and playfully. Saspra caught her and lifted her up and nuzzled her affectionately. Popplio happily nuzzled and licked her back. Popplio suddenly noticed Lana and I stared at the sight. Lana smiled at her and waved. Popplio smiled and went right up to the glass, pressing her muzzle against the glass and sticking out her tongue to try and somehow lick Lana through the glass. Lana laughed and put a hand against the glass. Popplio went right to her hand. Lana then proceeded to play with Popplio through the glass. I watched the sight, smiling. Not many people paid that much attention to popplio unless they were children whom were too young to take pokemon. They played for about an hour. Lillie walked up to them and talked to Lana. She smiled and pointed at the paper up on the glass saying popplio was available for adoption. Lana looked at it while Lillie explained some things to her. Lana looked alarm at some part and looked at popplio sadly. I knew she was likely hearing popplio's story. Lillie then seemed to ask her words I knew she was asking: would you like to adopt her? Lana nodded and Lillie lead Lana into the court yard. I waved at her enthusiastically.
"Hey, Lana!" I shouted.
"Hey, champion! I didn't know you were here." She said, walking up to me.
"I work here and it's my day off but I like to relax with the pokemon in my down time. I saw you playing with popplio. Are you here for her?" I asked.
She smiled and nodded excitedly. Popplio swam right over to us and jumped into my lap, getting me all wet but I didn't mind. I smiled and petted her. Lana offered her hand to popplio to sniff. Popplio sniffed her hand before affectionately licking her hand. Lana rubbed her cheeks and sat down next to me.
"May I put my feet in the water, too?" She asked.
"Go ahead." I said.
She took her sandals off and set them next to herself. Popplio hopped into her lap and nuzzled Lana happily. Lana laughed and held her against herself while Popplio affectionately nuzzled her like an excited lillipup.
"Popplio loves to shower people with affection but this is the first time I've seen her get into a stranger's lap." I said.
Lana giggled and hugged popplio as she showered her potential owner with affection. She then flipped out of Lana's arms and darted into the water. She looked back at Lana, expecting her to follow while calling to her. Lana looked at me hopefully.
"Can I swim with her?" She asked, hoping I'd say yes.
"Of course! I do it all the time." I said.
She got up and took her jacket off, emptied her pockets and set everything down next to her shoes. People are allowed to swim in there but only if it's to get to know one of the pokemon to potentially adopt them. It's not meant to be a public swimming pool.
"Okay! Here I come!" Lana said, diving into the water.
Popplio cried out joyously before diving after Lana. They played with each other all day. I knew then and there that Lana was not leaving without popplio. Lillie left to go let the staff know and get the adoption forms along with popplio's pokeball. By evening, both of them were finally out of the pool and Lana sat next to me to sign the adoption papers. Before popplio left out the door with Lana, however, everyone had to say good bye. Popplio had won a special place in everyone's heart during her stay. Even Gladion flew here to say his farewells along with his Silvally whom was half tempted to fight Lana to keep his foster baby. I nearly cried when it was finally my turn to say good bye. Popplio lingered in my arms longest. I cried in a mix of sadness and happiness because I knew that she was going to a great trainer. I knew she was going to definitely be one of Lana's best pokemon. I handed her back to Lana and she went into Lana's arms with ease. She knew now that she was going home. She and Lana waved goodbye before leaving. Tears and hugs were given all around when they left, everyone was sad to see popplio go but happy that it's to a good home.
But, however, that night was eventful in more ways than one. I was out in the court yard, the staff inside the shelter were having a small celebration that they threw together for popplio before she left with Lana. I was on the boulder where I like to watch the pokemon in the yard from. Gladion then came out and I greeted him with a smile. I had gotten closer to him lately but it was weird when I'd subtly flirt with him the way I do when I take up an interest in a guy. He oddly welcomed it. I started to wonder if he liked me back. I was not stupid. I had relationships before him. I used to tease him whenever he got overprotective and jealous but some part of me is wondering if his feelings for me ran deeper than I thought... and for longer than I knew. He's had his share of girlfriends, too. Arceus! How could he not?! But he rarely seemed all that into them and most of them eventually left or he dumped because they were crazy or just looking for money. There were only about two of them that were serious and I always ended up being the one to comfort him... not that I ever minded. Even before my feelings had developed, I loved to gush about his looks and while it embarrassed him if anyone did it to his face, if I did it while he was sad, it would cheer him up. I'd give him crap about it saying that he just loves the fact that I think he's pretty. When we were teenagers, he'd get adorably flustered and try to defend himself but now, he just says 'damn straight!'
Gladion sat down next to me and I smiled. His silvally already happily ran off to join the other pokemon, my silvally greeting him happily. It was a moonless night and the stars shone above us brilliantly. You could see an arm of the galaxy moving across the sky. I never could get over how beautiful the night sky here gets. Gladion placed an arm around me and I smiled, leaning against him. I settled against him closer than usual. I wanted to test him since I had a hunch that maybe he liked me, too. So I leaned against his chest, listening to his heartbeat. He wrapped both arms around me and then pulled me into his lap, taking me by surprise. We sat like that for awhile. He and I have snuggled in the past but this was closer than usual, I knew that. He ran his hand through my hair as we both stared up at the night sky. I could have stayed like that for all of eternity and I would have been happy. Still, I knew it was only going to be a matter of time before one of us finally addresses this and he decided to be the first to do so.
"Moon?" Gladion asked.
"Hm?" I asked.
"I have to tell you something. Probably something I should have told you a long time ago." He said.
"What? Is something wrong?" I asked, looking up at him.
"No, nothing is wrong." He said.
"Well what is it?" I asked.
"I... well..." He began.
"What? Do you want me to tell you you're pretty?" I joked.
He laughed.
"You do that all the time. No, that's not what I'm about to say." He said.
"Okay, then what?" I asked.
He looked nervous and a little reluctant. I got worried. What exactly is it that has been bothering him for so long? Did I do something wrong?
"It's just that... I need to know first. Could anything ever come between us?" he asked.
"Gladion, you know that's ridiculous. You've always been a good friend and you're one of my most trusted friends. Now what is it you have to tell me that could be so bad that a thing like that could be challenged?" I asked.
He looked away but I made him look at me.
"Gladion, whatever it is, just tell me. You could tell me anything and I won't hate you for it. Especially if it's been bothering you for a long time." I said, fearing the worst.
He let out a breath, closed his eyes, and then finally said it.
"I... I'm in love with you, Moon. I always have been." He said.
I was surprised more about the fact that he was really that afraid to tell me... and the fact that he always have been. That explained a lot actually like why I got away with a hell of a lot more than most would, why he got so jealous every time I had a new crush, why he came to me for comfort before anyone else, all of it. I felt kind of guilty but then, it's his fault for not saying anything. But, then again, at the time when we first met, I know I would have rejected him and I wouldn't have been as comfortable with him as I am now. Still... I mean, all this time, for about ten years, me being 20 and him 22, he finally gets the balls to say something? At least I started to finally get feelings for him two months prior. My first reaction was to laugh.
"What?" He asked, alarmed and a little hurt.
"I'm not laughing to be mean." I said quickly before giggling.
"I got that but what?" He asked.
"So... haha... for ten years, huh?" I asked.
He got flustered just like he used to when we were teenagers. It was super adorable! It made my stomach swoon and I grinned at him.
"So what if I did?" He said defensively.
"You've ran away from home, joined a gang, raised a pokemon that tried to kill you on several occasions, faced your crazy mother when she was under nihilego's influence, and it took you ten years to confess?" I asked.
"Well... could I have told you? Should I even have told you?" He asked seriously.
"Well... no, not at the time. I would have rejected you. I probably wouldn't have been nearly as comfortable around you as I am now." I said.
"Oh..." He said sadly, his arms falling away from me.
"Um... Gladion, key words: would have. Put your arms back around me, I feel cold now." I said, pulling one of them back against me.
He looked at me in surprise.
"So you're saying you...?" He asked, not finishing his sentence but he looked hopeful, as his arm settled around me again.
"Yeah, I love you, too, pretty boy." I said, a slight blush forming on my cheeks.
He hugged me tightly. I laughed and hugged back as best I could from where I was. That night had to have been one of the happiest ones I ever had and I've had a lot of happy experiences. I could have won the grand prize in a lottery or mew could have flown by and I wouldn't have cared. That night, I got the best thing that ever happened to me.
"So, when did you start feeling something for me?" He asked looking down at me.
"Um... sorry, gorgeous but I only just recently started feeling something. I'd guess about two months?" I said, unsure.
Gladion looked annoyed and disappointed while I smiled sheepishly.
"Gee, thanks, sweetheart." He said sarcastically.
I laughed at him and he rolled his eyes. I took him off guard and pecked him on the lips. I giggled at how flustered he looked, that was technically our first kiss. But, of course, that wasn't good enough for him and I probably would have kissed him for real with a little more time. But, he pulled me closer, angled my head up more, and kissed me on the lips tenderly.
"It's about time!" Hau shouted from the doorway.
"Hau!" Lillie shouted sternly, swatting him and he laughed.
We looked back to see basically all the staff watching us. Gladion got flustered and turned away to hide his face and I just laughed. I wouldn't change that night for the world.
That's the story of Popplio and a bit of some character stories, too! Tune in for next chapter!