Pokémon Radiant Sun


And once again, you lot astound with me how much you rock. Seriously, thank you so much for the praise and support.

I'll admit, I grinned the entire time I wrote this chapter. I was so hyped I wrote the entire chapter in about 8 hours of nonstop writing on New Years Day. THIS is how I want to feel when writing a story. This is what will keep me writing long after I've joined up in the Air Force. The fact that people care enough to do what you all have done and shown me so far. Good show, everyone.

Shoutout to those who reviewed since the last update, which includes Dunka99, Sneakybutterman, as well as two new reviewers known as Tomoe Mami and Cottonmouth25. Thanks again for the support and the feedback. You all are quite awesome.

Two quick notes before we start.

One, I am really happy people liked how the last chapter ended, because I thought it was freaking hilarious.

Two, I'm aware that Sun's dialogue and thought process is probably not that realistic when compared to what an 11-year old today would have. Shoutout to Dunka99 for mentioning this because it's a really good observation and it's something I was going to address later on.

My defense for that is that a solid chunk of important characters in the show and games are all very young and in positions of power/authority. Hell, two of the Kahunas in this game talk about how young they are in the game. The MC in this game is expected to become Champion at 11, having had the intellect and skill to defeat some very powerful and very intelligent people (trying to avoid spoilers). So...Yeah, maturity and intellect and all that stuff really doesn't quite work in real life how it works in stories, especially ones based on anime and anime-based games.That said, Sun is still a kid. A very mature kid, yes, but he's still only 11. He'll make mistakes, have stupid thoughts, and still be a kid.

Anyway, enough rambling. Onto the chapter!

Enjoy.


Chapter 4: Partners


Sun yelped as the owl Pokémon frantically pecked at him, making this the second time that day that a bird made the young boy bleed. Lillie gasped in horror while Hala and Kukui tried to return/pacify the Pokémon respectively. All attempts to calm the crazed bird failed. After about a minute of freaking out, the bird suddenly flew higher into the air and tackled Sun in the chest, sending him toppling to the ground. Just as Hala pulled out a Pokéball to return the bird, the Rowlet fluttered down to Sun and nestled itself calmly on his chest with a satisfied hoot.

"…Can someone explain why an adorable owl just beat the crap out of me?" Sun asked weakly from the ground. To his horror, the Rowlet's head slowly rotated 180 degrees and it stared at the boy with unblinking eyes before cooing softly. Its head then slowly spun back to its regular place.

"Well...That was horrifying." Sun thought as he remained perfectly still, lest the bird eat him or something.

"Well, I…honestly think it's because he wanted you to pick it, Sun." Kukui said with a thoughtful frown. "It saw you were going for Popplio. Maybe it wanted to show you that it was the proper choice for you. You know, show you its strength. That it was worth of being your Pokémon by demonstrating that it was strong."

"Well…Considering he just pummeled me into the dirt, I can absolutely agree with that last bit," Sun muttered darkly.

"Rowlet, is this true? Did you attack this poor boy because you wanted him to pick you?" Hala asked the bird gruffly, his tone disapproving. The Rowlet simply closed its eyes and gave a hoot in response.

"Seems that's the case, Kukui. Though he also said it's because it thought that spooking the boy would be funny as well. That one's got an…interesting personality to say the least," Hala said with a small sigh.

Sun, meanwhile, considered the bird on his chest. He had been just about ready to pick Popplio, the Water-type starter, but…He had also seriously considered Rowlet. It apparently really wanted Sun to pick him. Pokémon were usually considered to be pretty smart in general, with some being vastly more intelligent than humans. If this Pokémon wanted to be his so badly…who was he to refuse it?

"Hey…So what if I decided to go with Rowlet instead?" Sun said to the older men, who looked down at him in surprise.

"Sun, my boy, you're taking a bit of a risk. Are you sure that you want to have a Pokémon that just attacked you?" Hala asked Sun, sounding bewildered. Sun privately thought that was a bit much, considering that Professor Kukui had been pretty careless so far with him, and Sun didn't see anyone rushing to his aid to protect him from that man. Besides, Sun really liked birds. Surely he'd be able to control an overexcited owl.

"Yeah. Why not? He's apparently really set on being who I pick, and I was considering him anyway." Sun said with a bracing smile, which faltered when the bird tried pecking at him again.

"Hey, stop it!" Sun snapped at the Pokémon, his smile slipping away. The Rowlet's expression somehow became a bit smug, but the Pokémon did fly off of Sun's chest and back onto the stage, where the Litten and Popplio were staring at it in horror. The bird's head rotated 90 degrees so that it was staring directly at them, which made both of the Pokémon scoot away from the strange bird. Kukui helped Sun to his feet and had Lillie help treat the new cuts that were on his face. After a few minutes, Hala returned the other two starters, leaving Rowlet alone on the stage.

"Sun, if you are truly sure…then go upon the stage with Rowlet. Only when you have chosen each other, can you truly call yourself partners." Hala said almost gravely, obviously not approving of Sun's choice. Sun realized that his call probably wasn't a very good one, but he also considered that the bird wanted to go with him for a reason. It wanted him to be his trainer. So…maybe he would chose it as well.

Sun made his way onto the stage, limping slightly as the others watched on silently. All of the walking beforehand and then being assaulted had worn him out. He was looking forward to falling into his bed and passing out once again when he returned home. But for now he got onto the stage with the excitable owl Pokémon that was staring him down now.

"Sun, you have decided to choose Rowlet. Now we shall see if Rowlet truly chooses you." Hala said from his position between the two of them, one hand resting on a Pokéball on his belt so that he could intervene if needed. Sun smiled and bent down, putting his hands on his knees as Rowlet stared at him.

"Koo…" Rowlet chirped, cocking its head for a few moments before nodding to itself. The owl Pokémon suddenly flew forward and hooted happily at Sun's feet, causing the boy to grin widely as he lifted the bird up into his arms.

Where it promptly pecked him on the nose.

"Will you stop that!?" Sun demanded as he held the bird out of harm's way (his own). Rowlet hooted in amusement a few times before calming down, flying out of Sun's hands and landing gently on his head.

"So. It looks like little Rowlet had accepted you as well, Sun. Though I suppose that it was obvious." Hala said with a small sigh, though he smiled a bit despite himself. He handed Sun the bird's Pokéball as Kukui chuckled quietly nearby.

"Having accepted one another, despite the assault, I'm sure you'll both be friends for life." Kukui said cheerfully as Rowlet's head tilted towards the Professor, who took a step back out in response. Mainly fear.

"So, Sun, do you know what you're going to name your new Pokémon?" Lillie asked timidly. Sun crossed his arms, looking up at the bird on his head, who stared down at him.

"Hmm…I really should have thought of that earlier. I…Really don't know. Any ideas?" Sun asked the trio around him.

"Some trainers usually have some sort of naming system to what they name their Pokémon as. That said, a lot of trainers just choose whatever comes to mind. Some pick things that are important to them, like colors, people they idolize or things they like. Things like that." Kukui said helpfully, making Sun think.

"People who are important to them…" Sun thought for a few moments, a name coming to mind. Sun reached up to pet the bird on the head, receiving a hoot of pleasure in response.

"How does the name Oliver sound?" Sun asked the Rowlet. The bird flapped its wings and hooted again in approval, making Lillie and Kukui grin happily.

"Looks like he approves. Oliver it is!" Kukui said with a laugh.

"It's so nice to meet you, Oliver!" Lillie said as the bird looked at her. Oliver hooted in response and flew from Sun's head over to Lillie's head, making her shriek in surprise before she realized that the bird had simply chose to roost on her head and was sitting calmly on her hat.

"I think that means that he thinks that its nice to meet you as well, Lillie." Kukui snickered, causing Hala and Sun to crack up laughing while Lillie smiled nervously.

"Pew!" Lillie yelped in surprise, scaring Rowlet off of her as Nebby suddenly let out a cry from the ground. Sun wondered how it escaped from its bag with no one noticing. Rowlet flew back to Sun, who held the owl in his arms with a smirk as Lillie looked down at Nebby with a confused look.

"When did you get out again?" Lillie muttered. "I know that Kahuna Hala and the Professor said that they would help keep you safe from harm, but you should still stay out of sight and in the bag, where others can't see you. You know it's safer that way."

Lillie then turned to Sun, her expression becoming a bit brighter as she said, "I think you both chose well. Make sure to take care of Oliver, Sun!"

"No worries." Sun said to the girl as she helped Nebby get into the bag again. Oliver hooted in agreement with the boy.

"Well, we all know what this means, right?" Kukui asked the others before turning to Sun. "You're a real Pokémon Trainer, now that you've got a Pokémon of your own. And here's a lovely little gift from me to help make it special, cousin."

Kukui reached into his lab-coat pocket and pulled out a small red device with a dark screen. He handed it to Sun, who looked at the object with confusion.

"This is what we call a Pokédex. It's a high-tech tool that can automatically record information about any Pokémon that you meet. On top of that, it has all of your personal information stored on it already, which includes Pokémon you've captured. Your new partner, Oliver, is already registered to you on it. Check it out!" Kukui said with his usual cheery grin. Sun looked at the Pokédex for a moment before the Professor snapped his fingers. He then dug into his other pocket and pulled out a small booklet.

"And this here is a Trainer Passport that I had put together for you." Kukui explained, offering the booklet to Sun.

"There you go. All set! Now, why don't you head on home and introduce your new friend to your Mom, Sun?" Kukui said to the young boy. Sun looked up at the grassy owl sitting on his head and slowly nodded.

"Sounds like a good idea. I think after all of the excitement today, a bit of rest would be nice." Sun looked over at the Kahuna, grinning at him.

"Thanks again, Kahuna Hala." Sun said to the older man, receiving a smile right back at him.

"I may have some misgivings, but I can tell you're something special, my boy. Good luck. And have a safe trip back home." Hala said with a small wave of his hand. Sun then looked at Lillie, who fidgeted nervously for a moment.

"Umm…It was nice meeting you, Sun. Thanks again for all of your help." Lillie said quietly, smiling at him.

"Same to you. Make sure to keep an eye on Nebby. It seems like a troublemaker." Sun remarked, his smile becoming a smirk as Lillie shook her head in mock dismay, though she was smiling nevertheless. Nebby chose that moment to wriggle in the bag, cooing loudly.

Sun then turned to Professor Kukui, who had his palm raised into the air, a silly smile on his face. Sun looked at it for a moment before he high-fived the Professor and began making his way out of the village.

"You all take care. Have a good night!" Sun said to the trio behind him as he began making his way back home. The boy looked up at his partner, whose head was swiveling around in all directions like crazy.

"Let's find out a bit more about you, huh?" Sun muttered, powering on his Pokédex. After flicking through a few menus, he found the information on Rowlet, which he picked on from the selection screen. The Pokédex surprised him by speaking in a smooth male voice.

"Rowlet. The Grass Quill Pokémon. This wary Pokémon uses photosynthesis to store up energy during the day, while becoming active at night." Sun nodded slightly as the voice added after a moment, "For additional information, please use the scan feature to access personal information on your Pokémon."

After a minute or so of fiddling with the device itself, Sun found the scan feature and used it on Oliver, who was still on the boy's head and had made himself at home. The Pokédex quickly loaded a new batch of info and read it aloud for Sun.

"This Rowlet is male with the Ability Overgrow. It is a Grass/Flying Pokémon. It currently knows the moves Tackle, Leafage, and Growl." Sun frowned for a moment, as he didn't recognize the move Leafage at all. He quickly looked it up on the Pokédex and saw that it was an offensive low-power Grass-type attack. As Sun tapped his Pokédex once again, he was broken out of his searching by the sound of a new arrival.

"Hey!" Sun's head snapped up as he saw a young boy with tanned skin about his age sprint towards him, an eager grin on his face. He was wearing a black t-shirt, bright yellow shorts, and had an orange backpack on his back.

"You and me! Let's have a Pokémon battle!" the boy said excitedly, offering him an even wider smile.

Sun grinned back at the boy, thinking about it for a second, before replying, "I'm game. Let's battle."

A cackle of mirth came from behind Sun, who turned around to see Hala, Kukui, and Lillie walking towards him. Hala stepped past Sun and over to the other boy, clapping on him the shoulder fondly.

"Where's the fire, boy? And what kind of Pokémon battle would you be having if you don't even give your name to your opponent first?" Hala said to the other boy, who replied by grinning cheekily and putting his hands behind his head and looking at Sun, who was trying not to laugh at the situation.

"Fair enough. My name is Hau. And my partner is my Popplio, Cassy." Hau said to the boy, extending a hand towards Sun. The Kanto native stepped forward and shook the other boy's hand.

"I'm Sun. And this Rowlet here is my partner, Oliver." Sun replied, pointing to the bird resting atop his head. Oliver hooted a greeting to the boy.

"Your Rowlet looks really cool, Sun!" Hau exclaimed excitedly.

"Thanks. So, are you ready to do this?" Sun asked the other boy. Hau replied by sprinting back an acceptable distance.

"Yeah! Let's battle!" Hau yelled out. "I couldn't wait for you to find your way to Iki Town, so I've been looking all over for you!"

"Blame the Professor. He's the one decided the new kid would be fine walking through the wildness by himself." Sun replied as he put away his Pokédex into his backpack.

"I'm standing right here you know." Kukui said in a dull voice, ignoring the pointed look Hala and Lillie were giving him for allowing a defenseless child under his supervision to run around on a route alone for any length of time.

"I know Professor. I just want to make sure you don't forget it," Sun replied with a smirk.

"Um…" Sun looked over at Lillie, who was looking at the ground. She fidgeted for a moment before looking up at Sun.

"I…I really don't like to see Pokémon battles where Pokémon can get hurt…But I'll watch for you." Lillie looked as though she were blushing pink for some reason, at least as far as Sun could tell, but he could have imagined that as Lillie looked down at her bag again and began messing with it. Sun was tempted to ask if she was alright, but Kukui decided to scare the daylights out of him by clapping him on the shoulder, which had the added effect of scaring Oliver and making him flutter angrily onto the ground.

"Oh yeah! Your first battle already!" Kukui cheered, laughing good-naturedly with his slight annoyance forgotten. "Basically, just have your Pokémon throw down some moves and see who wins. It's as simple as that, cousin!"

Hala then spoke up, from a halfway position between Hau and Sun. "Sun. I appreciate that you're willing to take on my grandson here. I expect a no-holds barred battle from the both of you!"

"I'll try my best." Sun said to the Kahuna, grinning determinedly as he knelt down to Oliver.

His partner.

His Pokémon.

"You ready to get your first win?" Sun asked Oliver. The Rowlet hooted in reply before turning around, facing Hau, who was doing some stretches.

"All right! This is gonna be great! I'm so pumped!" Hau yelled out, his grin somehow getting even wider. Sun had a feeling he was going to like this guy.

"Very well, then. Let the Pokémon battle commence!" Hala called, acting as the referee between the two young trainers. Hau finished stretching and snatched up a Pokeball from his belt, tossing it into the air and catching it with a practiced ease.

"Cassy! Let's go!" Hau called out, releasing a Popplio onto the field. The seal Pokémon barked out a cry before crouching low to the ground.

"Oliver, let's do this." Sun said, becoming a bit more serious. Despite the fact that this was just a battle for fun, he still wanted to win. He had no experience, but from the looks of it Hau was a beginning trainer as well.

"Ugh…Just stop thinking and act! You've got this!" Sun thought as he pointed at the Popplio.

"Oliver! Use Tackle!" Sun commanded. Oliver obeyed and soared forward, hooting at the other Pokémon.

"Hehe! Hit them with a Pound!" Hau shouted at his Pokémon, which bounded forward and met Oliver in midair, making both Pokémon smash into one another and fall to the ground with pained expressions.

"Hit it with a Growl! Make it back off!" Sun said to Oliver, who responded by hooting angrily at the Popplio. Cassy's eyes widened in terror and she frantically began backing away from the rather scary bird.

"Oh come on, Cassy. He's not that scary." Hau said with a laugh before Oliver's head turned to towards Hau, whose smile took a noticeable hit as the bird gave him a look that the word horrifying couldn't cover.

"OK, maybe I was wrong. Hit him with another Pound!" Hau instructed the Popplio. Cassy hesitated a moment before launching herself forward, smashing into Oliver again. The battered Rowlet took to the air with a pained expression, which made Sun's heart sink. He needed to wrap this up and quickly too.

"Aren't Water-types weak to Grass-type moves?" Sun realized after a beat, mentally kicking himself. He then called up to Oliver and said, "Oliver, use Leafage and keep your distance!"

"Hit it with a Pound before it gets away!" Hau yelled out. Cassy the Popplio leapt into the air, colliding with Oliver for a third time and making the Rowlet tumble for a moment in the air, hooting in pain before it suddenly flared out its wings. A series of leaves suddenly flew out of the bird, hanging in place for a moment before the Rowlet spun like a top in midair, willing the glowing leaves to shoot towards Cassy as they spiraled around in a circle. The Popplio howled in pain at the super-effective attack, crashing onto the ground with a whine of pain. Hau didn't seem phased at all, but Sun felt nothing but excitement pouring through him.

"Hit Oliver with Pound one last time!" Hau commanded his panting Popplio. Cassy shakily rose up off of the ground and launched itself at Oliver, knocking him completely out of the air and onto the ground.

"Leafage, Oliver!" Sun called out as the bird rose to it's feet, panting now. The bird spun around once again and unleashed another barrage of leaves that soared forward and rushed past Cassy, making it cry out in pain. Cassy the Popplio collapsed onto the ground with a dazed expression, but after a few moments remained where she was, obviously unable to battle further. Sun blinked in surprise before his smile widened in triumph.

"We won!" Sun ran forward and hugged his Rowlet from behind, laughing as he picked up his Pokémon. Oliver hooted in joy as well as Hau clapped excitedly across from them (after having returned his Pokémon), making a cheering noise as he did so. He then scratched the back of his head sheepishly. This lasted all of a second before Hau began dancing in place, pumping his fists into the air with sheer excitement.

"That gave me chicken skin!" Hau yelled out, unable to contain his sheer excitement. "You said your name was Sun, right? Your Rowlet was awesome! You were awesome!"

Hau then put his hands on his hips, shutting his eyes as he laughed a little. "Now that settles it! I'm going all out next time! You better believe that, after giving me an awesome battle like that!"

Sun was about to reply when a bright light caught his attention out of the corner of his eye. Hala reacted first, stepping forward with a curious expression on his face. Sun looked down at his pocket and pulled out the strange stone he had received earlier from Tapu Koko, which was now glowing faintly.

"Sun…Would you be so kind as to give me a look at that sparkling stone you have there? I promise, I just wish to examine it." Hala said to the young boy. Sun nodded, handing the stone over to Hala, who's brows furrowed in surprise.

"Could…could it be!?" Hala muttered, noticing the glow of the stone fading the moment it left Sun's presence.

"Tutu…isn't that a…" Hau trailed off, looking at the stone with wonder and a little bit of envy. Hala simply nodded before looking at Sun.

"My boy…You were rescued at the Plank Bridge by Tapu Koko. Is that not correct, Sun?" Hala asked the young boy.

"That's when I got the stone. It gave that thing to me…I don't know anything else about it though, sir." Sun replied to the Kahuna. To his surprise, Hala chuckled at the boy's response, as though the new development brought joy to the old man.

"So…Tapu Koko even saw fit to give you a stone…Perhaps, Sun, you were brought to these wonderful islands because this is where you were meant to be." Hala said with a wide smile, his mustache wrinkling a bit. The man then said, "Sun, would you mind if I borrowed this stone for now?"

Sun hesitated at that. After all, he was given that by the Guardian Deity of the island itself. It was pretty special, and it was his…wasn't it?

"Fret not, my boy!" Hala replied, seeing Sun's expression. "I will return it to you the next time we meet. It would seem as though you have the makings of a fine trainer, Sun. I would like to personally ask you if you would do us the honor of joining in our festival at the end of the week, five days from now."

"Festival?" Sun asked, confused.

"I'll tell you all about it, don't you worry. For now, though, I say we start getting you back home. It's getting late and we don't want your Mom to get worried." Kukui said to the boy. He then gave the Kanto native a sheepish grin and said, "Don't worry. I'll be there to get you back home safe this time, Sun."

"Thanks sir…but just so you know, I have a Pokémon. I should be fine now, right?"

"I'm aware. It just makes me feel better for messing up earlier. Just give me this one, cousin," Kukui said to the boy. Sun shrugged in a way that made Kukui give him an amused grin while the others watched on with smiles. Kukui then turned to Lillie and said, "You too, Lillie. We don't want to go losing you and your little friend twice in one day, now, do we?"

"Of course, Professor. I'll keep an eye on…huh?" Lillie peered into her bag with a confused look on her face while everyone else stared at Nebby. The Pokémon was outside of the bag and had escaped once again, floating at Lillie's feet.

"Pew!"

"Oh, you! Would you not try to escape the very moment that I told you not to wander off?" Lillie asked Nebby, which simply cooed in response as everyone else began laughing at the development.