Chapter 0: Part 1: "How things came to be".
"Things just get weirder from here".
::::::::::::::::::
Atop a lonesome hill, deep in the wilderness and secluded from the rest of the forest, laid a blue egg with a black patch on its top. An egg, even in a solitary place like this, is endangered to many kinds of Pokémon and other hazards. Thankfully though, this particular hill was never visited by anyone. As time went by, the egg got more and more little cracks in its pristine shell, almost as if the Pokémon inside was trying to break out.
More time passed, and a pair of two little black legs smashes through the bottom of the egg. It ran around frantically, unable to do anything else. Suddenly, it came to a halting stop as the walking egg bumped into a nearby rock wall, shattering the shell and leaving the Pokémon inside fully exposed to the outside world.
It looked around in confusion, expecting someone to be there, celebrating his hatching. But instead, he was met with the cold breeze of wind that blew from afar. Before doing anything else, it decided to first inspect its body to identify itself. Two little blue paws... a short and black tail... and a pair of little black feet, ready to take the world by its horns!
It was obvious- he was a Riolu. For a moment, he was excited that he was finally free from the confinements of his small egg. But then, a realization struck his mind- there was nobody around him, not a single soul in sight. And as soon as he found himself feeling joyous, the emotion soon got overtaken by a new one- fear.
Where is everyone? Where are my parents? Where am I? -questions like that soon enveloped Riolu's mind, as he began overthinking about all the different questions and the endless supply of bad answers.
He looked around once more, hoping to this time see someone who might come up to him and embrace him a long, warm and welcoming hug... but no one like that seemed around. In fact, no one was here anyways. It was just the small, anxious Riolu and the cold and harsh breeze that engulfed the top of the hill.
He tried standing up, supporting himself with the wall he bumped into, but failed and rolled forward, not stopping until he hit another rock which stopped him from falling off the hill he was on. He breathed heavily, as he built up enough courage to try again. Although this time, he succeeded and stood upright.
Next step was to... well... take the next step. And so, the newborn Riolu tried, falling over every time he did. But he didn't give up, determined to take that first step into his what would be a harsh life. And with the resilience of steel, and determination of many brave warriors, he finally took that first step. He started walking. Slowly at first, to get comfortable with it, starting to walk faster, and faster, picking up the pace until eventually, he found himself running all around the place.
And so, he felt the joy returning to him, even if just for a moment it was more than enough to lift up his spirits. With a determined look on his cute baby face, he vowed to never forget the first hour of his existence which he called "The grey hour".
He took one last look at the place in which he was born, before turning to the forest which he will most likely call home for the rest of his life. Or so he thought. So, with a look of awe on his face, he started to take small steps, trying to scale down the high hill.
And just when he was about to start his descend, Riolu heard a flutter of wings right behind him. His ears perked up and his fur stood on end, as he quickly turned his head around to catch a glimpse of the source of this sound. But alas, nothing was there. Only a big, black feather was left, gliding through the air towards the shook Riolu.
After not moving for a solid minute in fear of the same Pokemon returning to him and snatching him away, Riolu bent over to pick up the strange feather that the unseen visitor has left behind. He felt the softness of this feather and cherished it as if it was something he prized the most.
Though he couldn't quite get rid of the constant feeling of being watched... maybe it's just his mind playing tricks on him, but he can swear he feels something strange in the area, like an invisible fluid flowing through the wind wherever it wants. Whatever the case may be, the little emanation Pokemon shrugged it off and put the strange feather behind his ear.
The purpose of doing so, is to identify the silent visitor were he to ever come across some bird whose feathers resembled that of the one he had behind his ear. He wanted to know who was spying on him and was determined to find out who that someone was one day.
Then, with a newly flared hope and determination, as well as the feather, the little Riolu began clumsily scaling down the big hill he hatched on. He slipped many times as he descended the hill, but thankfully there was always a rock or a stray bush to stop himself from tumbling downwards and into his uneventful doom. Just thinking about rolling down the hill with the inability to stop sent shiver down his spine. Now not only was he determined to get down to explore, but he was also determined to not fall over and die.
And after what felt like hours, the small Riolu finally made it down the hill, where he was surprised to see... nothing. Nothing except the multitude of tress, stretching out into what looked oceans of green flora. But that didn't stop him- he needed to find his stalker. Maybe they would know why he was alone? Or rather where his parents were.
One look to the left, and one look to the right affirmed the little explorer's suspicions- he had no clue what to do, where to go and how he was going to survive out here all alone. A quick nod to himself gave him enough courage to take his first steps into the lush, green forest, where he would probably spend the rest of his life, wandering and meeting new Pokemon... or so he thought.
The emanation Pokemon explored the woods with extreme caution and curiosity, which soon took over all his worries and replaced them with joy and the aforementioned curiosity. He seemed eager to explore, to touch and feel as well as hear all the sounds that surrounded him. On his right he could hear a steady stream of water, flowing at a rapid pace. On his left, there were the curious sounds of bugs, never having seen him around.
He walked forward, scared at first but slowly picking up the pace and starting to get faster, and faster, until his slow walk turned into a run. He ran around the forest, touching everything he could and feeling the world around him. The rough bark of the trees scraping against his skin and brushing his fur, the soft touch of many grass blades, like tiny green swords trying their best to scratch him.
The world felt, sounded and looked beautiful for the still young Riolu. And he wished it would never change from how it was now. He ran around happily, slowly disappearing further and further into the deep forest with only his treasure behind his ear, and determination in his eyes, hoping to one day find the mysterious stranger that observed him that day.
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Many months passed since Riolu hatched, and his loneliness never grew smaller. Of course, his curious and eager nature never left him too- he was always ready to help anyone, never accepting anything in return. Almost like a hero of sorts. In fact, he got himself quite the reputation in a very distant part of the forest.
It was yet another day of exploring. Riolu was growing tired of it but knew that without doing so he'll never find the strange stalker that visited him on his day on birth. He was quite independent for his age, being able to climb up trees and harvest berries, as well as make himself shelter with resources he had and thing he saw around himself.
Never the talkative one, Riolu kept quiet to himself, like a shadow that walked through the forest alone, cloaked in darkness and unseen by the untrained eye. He also didn't speak because he simply didn't know how to. Whenever he tried to communicate with others, all that came out were barks. But thankfully, the strange wave never left his side, guiding him through the darkest of nights and around other's feelings.
It was strange to sometimes feel the same pain or the same joy that other Pokemon felt, yet at the same time it felt so real, as if he was in their situation, crying over a lost one or celebrating the return of someone important. And sometimes, if he focused really hard and thought about the Pokemon in front of him, he could tell whether they had good intentions or bad.
He hasn't felt fear for a long time now, it being completely muted by all the other emotions he was feeling. It was a bit overwhelming at times, to have multiple emotions surging through your mind. It was especially when near other Pokemon, when the wave connected Riolu's mind with theirs, merging their emotions.
Until one day, when he was taking his usual stroll through the forest in hopes of finding a place to spend the night in, he heard it. There was a strange sound. One that simply did not fit into the green scenery surrounding him. One that struck fear back into the circulation of emotions that the Riolu was feeling. A sound that made his tail twitch, his ears perk up, his eyes sharpen... the sound of another Pokemon calling for help.
It sounded desperate and distant, almost as if the Pokémon calling out for help was fighting for its life. The courageous Riolu bolted forward, eager to help while also scared of what the Pokémon might be struggling against. Was it another Pokémon? Or maybe some kind of natural disaster such as a tree falling over and catching the Pokémon off guard, effectively trapping it?
That didn't matter now. What mattered is the valiant Riolu saving the Pokémon in distress! Like a true hero! Although, as he ran ahead at full speeds, a stray root growing from a nearby tree served as a tripwire and tripped the emanation Pokemon over. He quickly shook off the pain and continued onward, as the cries for help... suddenly stopped.
There was silence. Other than the breathing of the tired Riolu, there were no other sounds. But he kept running forward, determined to see what happened! And then, he stopped dead in his tracks- another Pokemon was there, standing over a fallen log. They were tall, covered by a plumage of black feathers with white dots on them, running all the way down to its feet and barely scraping the ground. Their head was covered by a turqoise hood of sorts, if you could even call it that.
From beneath its long coat of feathers, were two legs covered by thick white fur and standing on two pairs of four sharp talons- two in the back and two in the front.
Then the Pokemon turned its head around, its bright orange eyes piercing through the Riolu's skull. He could feel the same invisible wave again, crashing against him as if trying to pour some information into the emanation Pokemon. He stood there, unable to move out of fear. But he could feel something else coming from the Pokemon in front of him... confidence. And it felt so real, almost as if he was the one that felt confident.
The appendages growing on the Riolu's head suddenly rose up ever so slightly, and he felt the strange wave connecting the both of them. He felt the Pokemon before him grow slightly uncomfortable as the Riolu seemingly zoned out. Then, he barked at the Pokemon.
It now fully turned around, their head unmoving and staying focused on the Riolu. They had a red X-shape right around their neck, made from what seemed to be dead leaves. Riolu barked at the Pokemon again, in hopes of intimidating them. However, this only made them laugh at his futile attempts.
The laughing quickly stopped though, as they approached and put the tip of their wing on Riolu's head. Then he felt as they pulled the feather that he found so long ago, out from behind his ear.
"Many thanks, my dear friend. It's been so long since I've seen it." Their voice was soft and laced with a feeling of comfort and reassurance. And for the first time since the Riolu hatched, he felt... safe. It was a strange thing, to feel safe around a complete stranger.
And then it hit him- that must be the unseen visitor! The one that left their feather behind! Riolu felt ecstatic to the point of starting to jump up and down from excitement! He wanted to say something, to ask them about his parents, but all that came out were several joyful barks.
"Don't overdo it, little one. You wouldn't want to hurt yourself, would you?" They laughed at the little emanation Pokemon's cheerfulness. "I assume you must be very curious as to who I am. To put it shortly, I'm a Decidueye." He sighed and lifted his wing away from the Riolu's happy head, seeming a bit lost in thought.
"You're... a Riolu. The one I saw months back. I assume you were looking for me all around?" He chuckled and kneeled down in front of the Riolu. "I doubt you'll be able to talk like any other Pokemon would, you're a Riolu after all. I've never actually met one, but from what I read, your species uses telepathy to talk and communicate."
Riolu looked bewildered at the Decidueye's words. It would make sense why I can't talk, but how can I use telepathy?! The little emanation Pokemon thought.
"I don't know how it exactly works, but if I'm correct you should feel strange waves around other living things. That's called aura; something that every living organism has." Said Decidueye, lowering his voice to a whisper and cutting Riolu's thoughts short.
"Focus on it. Harness its power, connect to the flow and think really hard on what you want to say." Explained Decidueye, eager to help him and curious if it'll work. And so, Riolu focused, pouring all his energy to this one task.
Suddenly the world went silent. No gusts of wind blowing into his ears, no trees shaking their leaves, only the small Pokemon's breathing and the faint hum of aura surrounding the both of them. He went numb, not feeling anything apart from the piercing gaze of Decidueye's half-lidded eyes.
Breathe in. … Breathe out. ... Now... speak.
"H... Hello...?" His voice was barely above a whisper, and so quiet that one moment of not being focused would lead Decidueye to missing it- Riolu's first words!
"Yes! That's it, little guy! You got it!" Exclaimed the Decidueye, clearly happy of the small traveller's feat. He was proud of himself, like a father who just taught their child to speak, and Riolu could feel that. He felt everything that Decidueye did, including the pride. He was also happy for himself, simply because he had learnt to speak. It would take quite some time to get the hang of it and become better, but who cares- he can speak!
After a moment of celebration, the laughs ended with Decidueye's sigh. He smiled and tilted his head at the little one, thinking about something. "You don't have anywhere to stay, do you?" He sounded worried for the Riolu considering that he was practically still a newborn. He grumbled to himself and took a deep breath. Riolu could sense that he was a bit puzzled by this situation, deep in contemplation.
"I guess I could... take you in." The Decidueye shrugged, awaiting Riolu's response.
"Yes... please." The little emanation Pokemon's voice was still a bit weak but was certainly louder this time. He himself did not know how any of the words he was saying came into his mind. Maybe he simply memorised them from other Pokemon? He was around so many anyways, it wouldn't be too farfetched of an idea. Nonetheless, he turned to look at Decidueye with pleading eyes, shining in the setting sun.
Decidueye could feel his heart shatter upon seeing Riolu's cute black and blue face. And the latter could feel the same thing, feeling as if he really was the Decidueye. But neither of them paid mind to it, and Decidueye quickly shook the feeling off with a hint of sadness as he let the emotion go. He stared at the small cutie before him and nodded.
"Then call me Decidedeye, because it's decided. You'll stay with me." Announced the owl cloaked in black.
Riolu felt so happy that words could not explain it! All his sadness, fear and other bad emotions- gone! Just like that. He couldn't quite put his little paw on it but was sure that this must have been what real happiness felt like!
Decidueye continued looking at the small blue beam of sunshine at his feet, feeling a lot happier and cheery himself. He then thought of a brilliant idea, and the face he was making gave him away.
"What... idea?" Asked the curious youngling, sensing that the big owl had something on his mind. Then, without hesitation, the latter crouched down and let Riolu get on his back.
"Come on now, climb up. I don't bite." Riolu looked bewildered at Decidueye's words- how could he bite? He had a beak, not a mouth. He didn't even have teeth! Not that the emanation Pokemon has seen them, that is.
Riolu curiously and hastily made his way atop his big friend's back, hanging his legs off his shoulders and dandling them in the air. Then, Decidueye stood up and rose to his full height. Needless to say, Riolu was both fascinated and scared of how high he was- he could see so much more now! But at the same time, he was thinking of what would be if he were to fall down on the ground... He shivered under the thoughts alone. His own mind was scaring him.
And after clearing his mind of bad thoughts, he looked behind himself to where the fallen log was. There was nothing there. No Pokemon, no human, just a fallen log, overgrown by moss. Riolu was beginning to question the things he was hearing...
Maybe whatever was trapped here was rescued by Decidueye? It would make sense, considering that he was here earlier. Or perhaps these shouts and screams were coming from a different place? Or maybe farther away? Or what if-
His overthinking was caught short by Decidueye suddenly shooting up into the air with a powerful jump while pushing himself up towards the sky with his wide, strong wings. Riolu screamed, or rather squeaked in fright as his new friend took flight with him on his shoulders.
As Decidueye stabilised his flight, Riolu barked at him in annoyance and hit him in the back of his head with one of his small fists. It did no harm, and only caused the big owl to laugh.
"I'm sorry, I should've warned you before I took off!" He said, still lightly chuckling. "It was faster this way, and it was getting dark. I wouldn't want to risk either of us getting hurt. Especially not you." A small hint of sorrow creeped into Decidueye's mind. "I'd have to live with the thought that someone was hurt because of my recklessness and negligence."
There was more to that shadow of sadness in his mind, but Riolu didn't bother him about it. He didn't want to seem like a burden or like an overly curious child, even if he was one. Besides, he still had to learn how to 'speak' coherently. But Riolu didn't even think too much about anything else other than hanging on to Decidueye for dear life as he soared through the skies, tearing clouds apart at immaculate speeds.
"I wouldn't look down if I were you! Unless you're not afraid of heights."
Decidueye continued flapping his wings gracefully through the wind, carrying the both of them farther and farther into lands that Riolu could only dream of covering in such short time. And despite the arrow quill Pokemon's warning, Riolu still looked down into the lush green ocean of trees, stretching out to the edge of his vision.
He imagined himself falling off his friend, plummeting down into the forest at high speeds. He thought about all the ways in which he could fall, all of them fatal and leaving him splattered on the ground. He shivered under all these thoughts and under the cold wind, blowing through his fur and past him.
"Don't worry, I won't let you fall." Decidueye reassured him, but then quickly stammered and corrected himself. "T-That is if you're thinking about whether you'd fall or not! Because I'm just saying, I wouldn't let you."
He was repeating himself. Riolu found it funny how he got so nervous about something so insignificant and small, laughing softly at his owl friend. "Don't... worry." He gave Decidueye a small pat on the back of his head and lowered his body onto him to perhaps minimalize the amount of air cooling him.
It was almost completely dark when Decidueye started descending in a spiral, slowly but surely getting closer to the ground. Riolu looked down, curious as to what the owl Pokemon's home would look like. To his surprise, he didn't see anything. There was only a small clearing with one big tree in the middle.
When Decidueye finally landed, his talons sinking into the ground, Riolu eagerly got off him and fell to the ground, happy to finally come back to earth. Upon seeing this, Decidueye only snickered and tapped the baby Pokemon on his back gently.
"Come on, you won't see it if you'll be so down to the ground. Look up for once in a while."
As Riolu slowly lifted his gaze from the ground, he stared at the tree in awe- there was a house in its crown! A little shack, suspended in the air and standing on the thicker branches of the tree while also being supported by beams.
It didn't have a ladder though, nor did it have stairs. How did Decidueye intend for Riolu to get up there? He looked at the big owl and titled his head, as if asking him exactly the same thing. He didn't use any words though, he still felt unsure talking and communicating, even if through 'aura', as Decidueye called it.
"Right, you don't have wings, do you?" Decidueye closed his eyes and thought about all the other ways that Riolu could get up there. Riolu focused and tried seeing what exactly his owl friend was thinking about, or at least tried finding out his emotions, only to be disappointed by him not feeling anything in particular.
"I can lift you up there, but you'd need to stay there for some time. Or at least until I can make a ladder for access." Decidueye snapped his eyes back open and looked at Riolu, awaiting his response.
To his surprise, though hesitant, Riolu agreed with the terms presented and gave a small nod. Decidueye flashed a smile at him and turned his back against him, waiting for him to get on.
Riolu quickly took the hint and jumped up on his patron's shoulders, as he spread his black wings and flew into the house through the circular opening at the front. The emanation Pokemon quickly took a look around and gasped in awe as his view covered the entirety of the small house.
On all three other walls, not counting the one he just flew through, were small and square openings, letting light and fresh air in. On the left of the entrance was a shelf full of books, some with names carved out on their spine and others with pictures on them instead. One in particular caught Riolu's eye, which depicted a round and circular object, split in two with a black line, the two pieces coloured in white and red with another, smaller circle in the middle of the line.
On Riolu's right stood yet another shelf, although this time not filled with books, but instead with many different items. Riolu could only make sense of a few items, like the golden seed situated on a little pedestal made of twigs and leaves, glistening in the sunset's light and reflecting the light on the wall behind it. Everything else on that shelf seemed alien to Riolu, who was thinking hard to remember whether he had seen any of the other items before or not.
And when he stopped thinking about it, he finally looked ahead of himself and straight in front of the entrance: standing right across the entrance were three flat stones laid next to each other with hay covering them, serving as a bed. Behind the bed were three crates, each labelled differently in neatly written runes.
The concept of these strange markings bewildered Riolu, as he tried making sense of them. And though he didn't know what they meant, Decidueye was quite the opposite, knowing perfectly what they meant, because after flying in and setting Riolu on the ground, he waddled over to the middle crate and retrieved a berry from its inside.
"I bet you're hungry, huh little guy?" Decidueye laughed and turned around with the berry in his tip of his wing, handling it with three feathers that acted as three fingers. He made his way back to Riolu before handing him the berry.
"Thank... you." Riolu said, happily biting into the berry he had just received from his patron. He chewed the food with joy, having not eaten for the whole day.
"Right, we have to get you used to talking through aura... That's gonna be a bit of an issue since I can't see it like you do." Decidueye looked down at Riolu who was looking at him, his eyes full of innocence and hope. "That being said, I won't give up right away! I'll make sure to teach you to speak. I promise."
With those words, Decidueye sparked Riolu's determination anew, who was now eager to learn everything that his host would want to teach him.
"But before I teach you anything, I think it would be a good idea to get a good night's rest, don't you think?" Decidueye motioned at the bed, situated at the back of the house.
He was right, it was a long and tiring day for Riolu, and he didn't want to make it longer. Riolu looked at Decidueye, his eyes asking him where he would be sleeping.
"Oh, I'm an owl! We don't sleep on beds. What you're looking at is a guest's bed, in case someone like you needs my help." Decidueye smiled at Riolu who was bewildered at Decidueye's words. He had so many questions, yet not only no time to ask them, but also no ability to do so.
He only tilted his head and stared at the hay bed with Decidueye encouraging him to sleep in it. He was worried as to how Decidueye would sleep but sensed that he was just plain happy that he could help and share with someone in need.
And so, Riolu climbed into the bed. The hay was very soft, softer than he had imagined. He had never slept on anything this comfy before, usually sleeping in the dead husks of trees or up on some branches. It gently brushed against Riolu's fur as he sat on it, enjoying the feeling.
Seeing the emanation Pokemon enjoying the bed, Decidueye smiled softly and stood next to it, pulling on the two blue threads hanging from his hood. In an instant, the hood closed and only his beak was visible.
"Sleep well, little one." The owl mumbled as it slowly drifted to sleep, snoring lightly only a few seconds later.
Wow, he falls asleep rather fast. I wish I was like that... Riolu thought to himself as he laid back on the hay bed, his own mind beginning to fade to black as the tiredness suddenly hit him. And before he knew it, he too was snoring, laying comfortably on the bed his newly found friend lent him.
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
As morning arose and bright beams of sunlight shined into Riolu's eyes, he slowly got up with a groan only to find himself still in the bed. What do you know, maybe this wasn't a dream like he had thought.
He looked to his left and saw Decidueye still sleeping tightly, holding on to the two blue threads as he slept. He snored comfortably and didn't look like he was going to wake up anytime soon. Riolu decided to let him sleep, thinking it must've been a tiring day for him too.
The blue Pokemon got off the hay bed, stretching out his arms and yawning as per usual. He walked up to the three crates behind the bed and opened the middle one, having memorised that this was the one that Decidueye pulled the berry out of yesterday.
He was right and was now staring into a chest filled to the brim with different kinds of berries, all differing in colour, size and shape. He took the first one that caught his eye, that being a funny looking pink berry, shaped like a heart. It was soft to the touch, and even softer when in his mouth. It had a sweet taste, but not as sweet as the other berries he had tasted. Still, it provided good sustenance.
And while Riolu was innocently eating the berry he had picked from the crate, Decidueye suddenly awoke with a loud yawn, scaring the soul out of Riolu and making him flinch in response. The owl Pokemon let go of the two blue threads and the hood he had on suddenly moved back, revealing his whole face. His groggy eyes fixated on the hungry Pokemon.
"I see you are awake. And hungry." Decidueye motioned to the open crate with his wing and chuckled. "Don't worry, make yourself at home. What is mine, is also yours."
Riolu looked at Decidueye, his eyes shining gleefully in appreciation to his patron's kindness. Not one Pokemon that he met along his journeys was willing to share their stuff, let alone food. This for sure was a new experience for the emanation Pokemon.
Decidueye waddled over to the entrance of his home and looked down at the ground, peering through the circular hole. "I guess you still can't fly, can you?" He laughed and turned his head around to look at Riolu, who was surprised that his owl friend could turns his head a full 180 degrees.
"Hmm... There was something I said yesterday, something important. I can't quite remember what it was though..." Decidueye said and scratched his chin, trying to focus on remembering what that something was. Riolu could feel just how embarrassed Decidueye was at the fact that he forgot something so obvious."
"Ladder." The small blue Pokemon reminded him, barely holding back his laughter.
"Oh, right! How could I forget?" Decidueye laughed at his own mistake and ended it with a sigh. "But first, I think it would be a good idea to teach you how to talk properly, don't you think?"
Riolu's crimson eyes blinked twice in response while he tilted his head. Decidueye was right, he did need to finally get around talking. He couldn't just go around and bark at others, hoping that they realise what he means.
"And don't worry, you're more than welcome to stay in here for as long as you like! I am kind of lonely, after all." Decidueye let out a nervous laugh and stared deep into Riolu's eyes, who were now wide with surprise and positiveness- he did not expect that someone could be this kind.
"I'll do my best to teach you. I promise."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::
As time passed, Riolu had made great progress in astoundingly short time. Even Decidueye was impressed at just how many words Riolu knew. Of course, there were still many things for him to learn, but as they both decided, that would have to wait. Getting the grasp of simple talk, even if through telepathy was essential to further development.
Decidueye would often test Riolu with different tasks that he usually made up on the spot. For example, he'd give the small blue Pokemon five different words to memorise before heading off to gather the resources needed to build a ladder. Usually, the task was simple, and the owl would just ask Riolu to repeat the given words. But sometimes, he'd try to make Riolu say these words either backwards or in different order. This proved quite difficult for him but being blessed with a great memory certainly helped.
When Decidueye deduced that Riolu was more than capable of talking, he was eager to try and teach him about other things, such as the strange markings that Riolu was seeing all around, labelling various things. As the emanation Pokemon found out, these were called 'Footprint runes' and they were used to "store information", as Decidueye often said.
But how? They don't open, so how can they store things? Riolu thought to himself every time that Decidueye brought that up. He was never really the one to understand figurative talk, always taking everything literally. Like that one time, when Decidueye was in a hurry and Riolu was taking too long to answer. He told the emanation Pokemon to "stop messing around", even though Riolu wasn't making a mess, and certainly not around himself.
As time passed, Riolu became fonder of these markings and Decidueye even gave him access to the books that were on the shelf. He found that most of these books were written in another language, which was called 'English', as far as Riolu knew, and it was used by some other species called 'humans' to communicate between themselves. Decidueye swore to teach it to Riolu one day, but only after he understands the concept of footprint runes.
There weren't that many books written in these runes, but the ones that were usually depicted ancient stories called 'legends', and their purpose was to give answers to different strange questions, like how the world was created. And apparently, it was the doing of Arceus, some sort of being that is able to create matter from nothing.
Although far-fetched, Riolu found it amusing how many different Pokemon from all across the world can band together and believe in the same story. It was comforting in a way, knowing how things came to be as opposed to living in doubt, constantly thinking of different ways it could've happened.
Riolu took an interest in reading whenever he wasn't exploring. Besides exploring and talking with Decidueye, there was nothing else to do. Until one day, the big owl gifted Riolu something that he found quite interesting.
"It's called a 'pen'. It's used for many different things, writing being one of them!" Decidueye explained happily. "Another thing you can do with them is drawing! Which means to mark paper, if we're talking in literal sense. But drawing is much more than that, it can be used as a form of conveying emotions and showing them!"
Riolu stared at the pen in his little paws. "And you're giving it to me? But why? I haven't given you anything, nor have I done anything to deserve this." The small emanation Pokemon's mouth was slightly open at this seemingly random show of kindness.
"Your company is already more than enough! You don't even know how lonely it can get here..."
Riolu actually knew, due to spending most of his life alone and usually isolating himself from others, but he decided not to say anything. He didn't want to sound pretentious.
At first, it was hard for Riolu to even hold the pen, but that didn't discourage him from trying his hand (or paw) at drawing and even writing. He used to draw only simple shapes, like circles and squares, but as time went on, he started to become better at it and began drawing more complex drawings than he himself had anticipated.
Next on Decidueye's list of things he wanted to teach Riolu, was writing. So, when he got comfortable with drawing using the pen his owl patron encouraged him to start drawing using runes. Of course, Riolu took that literally and soon started to draw pictures using the footprint runes he had learned.
Thankfully, this method also seemed effective at teaching to write, as soon enough Riolu was capable of writing his own, short stories. They usually took inspiration from the legends he had read, putting his own twist on them and making up new ones, such as how he was the child of Arceus, sent down to put peace into everyone and unite the biggest of enemies.
Decidueye took a special liking to that one and actually asked Riolu if he could keep it. Gleefully, the small write obliged and let his big owl friend keep it. He didn't know what made him like it that much but seeing him happy made the emanation Pokemon happy too.
Of course, Riolu couldn't just stand doing nothing in return as Decidueye taught him, so he decided to help around by replenishing the food supply and sometimes cleaning up the house whenever it got too messy. It was also a nice way to pass the time, helping around the house.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Months passed by very quickly with nothing interesting happening in between them, other than Riolu learning more things and practising the ones he already knew, like reading and writing.
Riolu would often go exploring in his past time when he would be done learning and practising for the day, or whenever Decidueye gave him breaks to clear his mind.
And the longer Riolu stayed at the treehouse, the more he grew attached to its owner and his patron- Decidueye. At times, he viewed him as a father figure he never had, who would teach him certain things and take care of him.
"You would make a very good father." Riolu said one particularly gloomy evening, getting ready to go to bed.
"If you think about it, I kind of already am." Decidueye said with a slight chuckle and an aura of happiness and embarrassment around him.
This in turn made Riolu shed a tear, at just how committed Decidueye was at raising him. And so, that night, the little blue emanation Pokemon has decided: he would make sure to make Decidueye proud, and to make him as happy as possible. It finally felt like after a long time, he finally had a goal to pursue, and he would make sure to do his best at completing it.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
AUTHOR'S NOTES
I decided to split the chapter in two as it was getting quite long, longer than I had anticipated. Do keep in mind, this is the first thing I have written seriously and taken a real commitment to. I hope you enjoyed it, and any kind of reviews as to what I can change would be really helpful!
Part two will be written and released soon, don't know when yet, but I'll try to make it as soon as possible! I have many other things to keep track of and do, but I'll make sure to not forget about writing this!