Chapter 0: Part 2: "How things came to be".
"Life will knock you down plenty. Just make sure to always get up."
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After being "adopted" by Decidueye, as he would say, Riolu learnt new interesting things about the world. For example, if not for his new father, he wouldn't know that they were in one of many regions across the Earth, and the one they were on was called 'Alola'.
As shown on one of the maps that Decidueye had lying around, Alola was split into four main islands, with many smaller ones in between. The main ones were called Melemele, Akala, Ula'ula and Poni, while these smaller remained unnamed.
When Riolu inquired on which island they were on, Decidueye guided his wing across the whole map, ending on Akala Island.
"More specifically, we're somewhere around... here." The big owl pointed at a solitary island just off coast of Akala Island. "If you want to be even more specific, then we are somewhere in the middle of the island, right behind a city called Gube which is full of humans." Decidueye grabbed the underside of his beak and stared at the map, zoning out.
Riolu lightly tugged at his father's wing. "Should I be scared of humans?" He said, his voice full of fear and emanating a worrisome aura which also influenced Decidueye.
"Nonsense. Thankfully, unlike all the other regions, Pokemon and humans live in harmony. Of course, there are a couple of bad apples here and there, but you shouldn't judge a whole species just because of some bad influences." Decidueye lightly pat Riolu on the head. "Remember that, because it goes for all life on Earth."
Maybe his father was right, but he still didn't want to risk his own safety. Or at least not right now. As he told the emanation Pokemon, Riolu were rare in these parts since they can only be found on Poni Island. But that just made Riolu wonder...
"But if that's the case, how come I was born here?"
That was a great question, and it left Decidueye stumped. He himself did not know. And as he thought, a multitude of different possibilities came to Riolu's own mind. Maybe a human had left him there? Or what about a group of roaming Lucario? They could've thought that his egg was simply dead weight. Or maybe-
"Whatever the case may be, that doesn't make you any different from all other Pokemon. You should look at everyone like everyone's the same. Leaving others out and not including them in many things just because they're different from you is a horrible thing to do. Remember to never be like that." Decidueye wore a worried look, and his aura, even if very subtle, was making Riolu feel uneasy. It felt depressing, like his father was trying to forget a distant and sad memory.
Now that he thought about it, he always wondered why the big owl was a different colour from all the other Decidueye he had seen in books. Was this the reason behind what he was feeling right now? Riolu didn't know, and decided to leave it at an affirmative nod, seeing as this topic distressed Decidueye.
"Riolu, I want you to do one thing for me." Riolu's ears perked up and he looked up at his patron with curiosity beaming from his eyes. "I want you to use your aura and find yourself a good human partner one day. It's the only thing I want for you, to be safe with someone of pure heart."
"But I want to stay with you! You're like my dad!" Riolu said, hugging on to Decidueye's leg and looking up at him with pleading eyes. "I don't want to live with a human, I want to live with you."
Decidueye could only watch as the little blue Pokemon hugged his leg tightly. After a moment of silence, he embraced Riolu with his wing and pat his head gently with the tip of his other wing.
"Riolu..." Decidueye sighed under his breath, not expecting his answer. They never separated their hug, holding on for quite some time.
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As time passed, Riolu became fond of the surrounding area. He has never been here, or at least not until Decidueye brought him here seven months ago. In that time, Riolu found many interesting places, stretching out from the ocean, all the way to a waterfall.
The first time Riolu had found himself staring into the blue abyss that is the ocean, he thought of himself falling off the cliff he was on and drowning under the waves, where no Pokemon could hear him. That thought alone was enough to deter him from even going near it.
Maybe one day, but certainly not now! The emanation Pokemon thought to himself that day whilst walking back to Decidueye's treehouse. I have a life to live, and I won't throw it away into the water.
The waterfall he saw the other day was crashing down into a small river, rushing to the ocean. Near the foot of the waterfall was a small, uninhabited area. Or so Riolu thought, as right after thinking that to himself, a small Pikachu emerged from one of the bushes! And then another, and another... And before Riolu knew it, he was staring into a whole colony of Pikachu, all gathered in one place.
And what if they're friendly? I'll have to go there in the future! The crimson eyed Pokemon said, taking a mental note of where the waterfall roughly was.
Apart from these various points of interest, Riolu found many berry trees sprouting left and right, presumably planted by humans long ago. Most of them yielded the pink heart-shaped berries that Riolu had seen so often in the food crate in Decidueye's treehouse. But on rare occasions, he would find a tree with some orange and yellow berries, which were very spicy! The emanation Pokemon didn't mind it though. In fact, he liked it. At least certainly more than the sweetness of other berries.
As Riolu promised himself, he would help around the house and restock the food supply, clean around and do anything in his power to please Decidueye with his hard work!
Restocking the food crate was easy. He had a set path which he would follow, away from everyone and away from any danger. Because as Riolu discovered on his expeditions, there was a lonely berry tree in the forest, looking like it was an outcast from the rest of the forest because all the other trees were moderately away from it.
And so, one day while Riolu was going out on one of his trips to the lonely berry tree with a basket in his paws, filled to the brim with goodies, he failed to spot a rather large obstacle in his path. And before he knew it...
THUD!
"Hey! What do we have here then, hm?" The large Passimian that Riolu bumped into turned around and was now staring at the scattered berries that the blue Pokemon dropped. "A Riolu?"
"He looks weak. Let's just beat him up and take his stuff!" Said another Passimian, though smaller than the first one and raring to take his frustration out on the baby Pokemon.
"That would be unfair though. Three on one? Come on, we have to have some honour, don't we?" Yet another Passimian revealed himself from behind the largest, taking on a more passive approach and trying to defuse the situation.
"Both of you, shut it!" Yelled the largest teamwork Pokemon and stepped towards the little Riolu on the ground who was trembling with fear. "I'll strike you a deal, little guy. How about it?" He said and grinned at the horrified Riolu.
"W-What kind of deal is it?" Replied the emanation Pokemon, surprising everyone that he speaks through telepathy rather than using words like a normal Pokemon would.
The shock wore off quickly and the big Passimian continued. "You give us your berries, and we don't beat you up! How's that?" He laughed, watching the bewildered Riolu look around for any possible ways to settle this differently.
"No way! I'm not giving you anything!" Said valiantly the small Pokemon, unwilling to give the crooks anything. He scrambled to get up, looking the leader in his yellow eyes.
"You heard him boys!" Called out the biggest Passimian, and before Riolu could even react, a swift kick aimed right for his stomach knocked him against a tree.
The three lemurs laughed between themselves as Riolu struggled to get up, barely breathing and gasping for air, seemingly finding beating on someone weaker fun.
As soon as the small emanation Pokemon did get up though, another kick sent him into the same tree, but this time aimed at his chest. He once again struggled to catch his breath and looked up at the three in a pleading way, begging for mercy.
But none of them stopped, only continuing to kick the helpless Pokemon into the tree and laughing as they did so. Riolu could feel his consciousness slipping, and his eyes get heavy. But no matter how hard he tried, the unstoppable barrage of kicks from the three Passimian made it impossible to stay awake.
He knew he didn't have much longer. It's only a matter of time until he finally closes his eyes for good and doesn't open them anymore. And all he heard while thinking about all this, were the taunting laughs of his assailants.
But all the laughter stopped, as an arrow with a red arrowhead and a black nock whistled past them all and embedded itself deep in the tree that Riolu was being shoved against.
And when they all looked up, they saw a shadow of a mighty and tall bird, sitting on a branch atop the tallest tree, aiming his bow at them.
"Hey! You ruined our fun!" Said the aggressive teamwork Pokemon and bared his teeth at the bird in the distance.
"Shut up you idiot! Come on, let's go. We already had our fun." Replied the more passive Passimian and looked at their leader, as if begging him to let this Riolu go.
"...Grab the berries and scram. We've got better places to be in." With that said, the three burglars gathered the scattered berries from all around the ground and began jumping away, sounding happy while doing so.
Now only Riolu remained, along with the cloaked figure on the tree. The emanation Pokemon closed his eyes, with no power remaining to do anything. He could only hear wings flutter, as the stranger flew down.
"You ought to be more careful. I won't always be around." The stranger bore a familiar voice, a voice which Riolu was sure he recognised. But before he could think more about it, his mind went completely blank, and he blacked out.
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Later that day, as Riolu was coming back to the land of the living, a quiet whistling awoke him as well as the sound of water boiling. There was a distant crackling of fire, and the smell of sweet and spicy berries was simply overwhelming.
The hungry emanation Pokemon looked around, only to see himself in the bed back at Decidueye's treehouse. There were two options as to what happened: either it was Decidueye who rescued him, or someone else rescued him and turned him in to his father.
But that could wait. What was more important now, was his current situation. His chest and stomach were both wrapped in bandages, as so were his legs. Looks like he got quite beat up earlier.
It proved to be quite a challenge when he tried getting up, or at least sitting upright on the bed. His whole body hurt, but his curious side would not let him sleep it off before he found out who saved him.
He slowly sat up on the bed, then turned to the entrance and stood up. His legs were shaking, and he was barely standing. He took a step forward and immediately felt the searing pain that shot all the way through his body up his spine. He shivered and gritted his teeth through the pain.
As he got closer to the circular entrance, the whistling got louder, and so did the crackling fire. There was a small splash of water, as if someone was putting something into the boiling water. Riolu carefully peered out through the entrance and found himself staring down at Decidueye, who was seemingly cooking.
It was rare to see his dad cook, probably because it was hard to cook with wings. But on the rare occasions where he did decide to cook, everything he made was exquisite.
"Dad?" Riolu called out from the treehouse using telepathy, catching Decidueye's attention.
"Ah, you're awake you little rascal!" It was obvious that Decidueye was quite angry with Riolu, and the emanation Pokemon could feel it. He sighed and looked up at the entrance. "Can you walk?"
"It hurts, but I can. Do you want me to come down?"
"Only if you can. Be careful though, I don't want you breaking a leg."
Riolu gave an affirmative nod and stood up again, holding on to the frame of the door and slowly stepping on the first step of the ladder. After some time and effort, Riolu finally got down and met his saviour face to face.
Decidueye sighed, using a stick to mix something in a cauldron suspended over fire. "What were you doing out there? I mean, all the way out in the forest?" His tone was much softer now, but Riolu could still feel some annoyance and angriness coming from him.
"I was picking berries to get them back home when these three attacked me..." Replied the beat up blue Pokemon.
"Yes, I realised that, but what were you doing there? Don't you know that that area's infested with Passimians?!"
"But they weren't there all the other times I went to that tree..."
"'All the other times'?! You mean to tell me you went there multiple times?! What were you thinking?!" It was clear now and obvious as day that Decidueye was very angry at Riolu.
The emanation Pokemon could only look down at the ground and shed a single tear, as his father yelled at him. Seeing this, Decidueye quickly snapped out of his enraged state and rubbed his eyes before wrapping Riolu around with his wings in a hug.
"Look... Just don't go there ever again, that's all I'm asking for. I won't always be there for you." Said Decidueye, hugging the little Pokemon with his wings.
Riolu hugged back and continued crying into Decidueye's wing as he embraced him.
After some time and after both of them calmed down, Riolu was sitting on a log and was observing Decidueye cook with curiosity and admiration. It must've taken a lot of hard work to learn to cook like that.
"Dad, if you don't mind me asking... what're you making?" Riolu asked sheepishly, still a little shaken after their argument.
"Something for your wounds." At that moment, Decidueye stopped mixing the concoction with the stick and filled a wooden cup with it, handing it to Riolu. "Here, drink up. I think you'll like the taste."
The moment Riolu tasted the drink he felt his body revitalise and his lips become increasingly hotter. Only after he took a second sip, he finally realised what the flavour was- at first, it tasted bland, given no reaction by Riolu. But after that first sip, the whole drink tasted very spicy, almost burning.
And as Decidueye promised, he did like the spiciness. In fact, he liked it a lot more than the sweet berries that his father had an abundance of.
The emanation Pokemon smiled at the big owl and nodded. "You were right! Its taste is... its..." Riolu stopped drinking. He didn't know the word to describe the taste! He never encountered any suitable word in any of the books he's read.
"Immaculate? Exquisite? Perfect?" Decidueye laughed at the little Pokemon's embarrassed face, all the while holding his sides.
Soon after, Riolu joined in the laughter and they both found themselves laughing, almost rolling on the ground. Riolu's laugh made Decidueye laugh, and vice versa. It was an endless loop of laughter, which was stopped abruptly with Riolu accidentally splashing the hot drink on himself and yelping in pain as it soaked the fur on his torso.
The pain was horrible. It was as if he was once again assaulted by the three burglars, only this time their feet were on fire. He could feel as if the hot water melted bits of his skin off and seeped further down his wounds.
As soon as Decidueye heard the screech, he turned to look at the now panicking Emanation Pokemon, desperately trying to get the hot liquid off of him.
After defusing the situation and cleaning up, Riolu decided that now would be a good time to ask his father about his saviour.
"Dad? Do you know who saved me?"
"All I know is that whoever that was, you should thankful he was around. Because from what he told me, you fainted the moment he scared them off." Decidueye took a sip of his own share of the drink and stared at Riolu. "You need to be more careful."
"I know, but I just wanted to make you feel proud that-" He was stopped by his father's wing hushing him down.
"I took you in because that was the right thing to do. I don't want or need anything in return. And certainly not your death."
"But-"
"Let's just end it on that. If I were to ever need anything from you, I would ask. Don't put yourself in unnecessary danger only because you want to pay me back. Because there's no debt on your record. Okay?"
A slow nod came from Riolu as a response as he stared down into his now empty cup. Although, one thing couldn't escape the little Pokemon's mind- if Decidueye hadn't saved him, who did?
He probably wouldn't get an answer in the near future, so for the time being he decided to focus on more important matter- learning English.
Now that Riolu didn't have to worry about restocking the food back at Decidueye's treehouse, he could at least try learning the human language so that in the future, if need be, he could understand everything. Of course, he himself didn't know if a time like that would come, but as Decidueye always said: "it's better to be safe than sorry".
But before Riolu could learn English, his father insisted that he learned and perfected Footprint runes, as this was the language that all Pokemon use. It wouldn't be a good thing if a Pokemon knew more English than they did their own language, after all.
The emanation Pokemon could only nod and sigh in agreement, knowing that he's backed into a corner. He just had to oblige.
"I have an idea as to how I can test if you've really grasped the concept of these runes." Before Riolu could even ask what Decidueye had in mind, he took out and placed two short books, both with roughly thirty pages each in front of the bewildered Pokemon.
"What do you want me to do with them?" Asked the confused emanation Pokemon, clearly not yet understanding the meaning of this.
"I want you to read them. Read them and then tell me what they're about."
The surprised Riolu widened his eyes and took both these books in his paws. They weren't as heavy, compared to some other books that Riolu had already read, but they still weighed a hefty sum.
Upon opening one of the books, the blue Pokemon was even more surprised to see that the whole book was written in nearly perfect Footprint runes. Almost all of the characters were perfectly aligned, as if magic was used.
This was new to Riolu, because so far all of the books he's read looked like they were written using hands, or paws, or anything else, but this? This really was like magic.
Seeing this, Decidueye smirked and pat Riolu on the head. "Get to reading. I'll come back this evening." And with that said, his father perched himself up on the entrance to their treehouse and flew away, knocking dust into the emanation Pokemon's eyes.
After a few seconds of uncontrollable coughing, Riolu finally stopped and sighed to himself, looking down at the books before him.
Just as Decidueye said- I better get to reading. And so Riolu sat down beside his bed, engrossed in the lecture. He didn't expect it to be so interesting! From one scene to another, from page to page, flipping furiously through the book, curious as to what would happen next.
The book itself was named "How night overtook a knight", and appropriately to the name, it showed how a human knight called 'Sir Julius II' found a strange tree, growing out in the middle of a dark forest with strange black and white berries growing on them.
Upon eating the first one, Sir Julius II didn't feel anything. Although the taste was very sweet, sweeter than anything he had ever tasted, he didn't feel like it had any side effect. So, he took another one. This one however, was incredibly bitter. Seeing as they all probably had different tastes, he harvested every berry and carried them back to his kingdom, where he offered them to the king.
"...and when the king ate them, the sky went dark and a powerful, booming voice roared out from above them. Then, a lightning hit the roof of the castle, and there was a fire, and everyone screamed, and, and-"
"Alright, I think you've proved yourself." Decidueye stopped Riolu before he could explain the rest of the story. He was overjoyed to see that the blue Pokemon was ready.
In turn, Riolu closed the book and with a gleeful expression and hugged his father by the leg, feeling proud of himself. It felt as if he had made another core memory, one that he will remember until the end of time. It really did make him happy.
"But I won't teach you now, it's too late. Come on, go to bed and sleep. You'll be learning quite an important thing tomorrow, no?" Decidueye chuckled and pat Riolu on the head while also taking away the books.
As the emanation Pokemon was about to get into the bed, he turned to his father with a puzzled look. "Dad, aren't you basically an owl? Why do you sleep at night? Shouldn't you be nocturnal?"
Decidueye stopped preening his wide black wings and looked at Riolu, completely stumped. "Well, you see..." He was struggling to come up with an answer, and the blue furred Pokemon could easily see it.
"...Life is more interesting in the day. I prefer sleeping at night so that I may experience my life to the fullest."
With a look of apprehension, Riolu nodded in agreement and laid back on his bed, sitting with his back on the wall. He took a brief look at his wounds, examining the soaked bandages and all the bruises he had from the encounter with his three assailants.
And for the third time this day, Riolu once again thought about his mysterious saviour. Who could've possibly saved him? This question would just not let him go, as if binding him down and continuing to reel him into itself no matter how hard he tried to not think about it.
With his mind racing and thinking of all the possible Pokemon they might've been, he laid down on his soft hay bed and closed his eyes, seeking comfort in dreams to escape this torment.
In his sleep he dreamt of himself in the encounter with the three Passimians, replaying it over and over again in his head, trying to remember if he maybe saw the silhouette of the mysterious stranger.
Then he felt as if he was uncovering a lost memory, long forgotten in the vastness of his mind- the arrow! He completely forgot about the arrow that flew past him! He could remember it very clearly, as it was right by his muzzle- a red arrowhead and a black nock.
Unfortunately for him, before he could even start to think about all the possibilities that uncovered themselves now, he felt the warm gaze of the sun staring deep into his eyes.
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As morning arose and the gentle beams of sunlight hit the Emanation Pokemon's face, he turned on his side so that the light wouldn't wake him. But if the Sun wouldn't wake him up, Decidueye would, and with a gentle shake his father called out to him.
"Wake up, we've got studying to do!" He said, enthusiasm very obviously radiating off of him. Riolu sometimes felt like he was the older one.
With a groan, the injured blue Pokemon opened and squinted his eyes, protecting them from the light. "Is it morning already?"
"Yes, and you need to get up right now."
Another groan escaped Riolu's mouth, followed by a barely suppressed yawn soon after. He sat up on his bed, looking in Decidueye's direction and seeing the sheer amount of joy that he felt.
His father beckoned him off the bed and in the direction of the shelf with all those books.
"Come on, come on! There's no time to waste!"
It was pure hell for the still groggy Riolu, as he could barely make sense of his surroundings in this sleepy state. Truth be told, English didn't sound like it was any harder than Footprint runes. There were more letters in the alphabet, sure, but that shouldn't prove to be that big of an issue.
Or at least the Emanation Pokemon thought it wouldn't much harder. When it came to actually learning, the pronunciation of some of these letters caused some hefty trouble for him. He could feel the frustration of having to repeat the same letter over and over again, just so that it sounded right build up within him.
But he didn't give up, nor did he let this frustration out. He kept it all in, disguising it behind steady and calm breathing. Disguising it so well in fact, that it even tricked him, because after those many failed attempts, he felt somewhat content, having finally finished the whole alphabet.
But as Riolu was soon to find out from Decidueye, it was far from over. Sure, the letters alone were enough to read and write, but in order to understand either of these things you had to know the meaning behind the words you see.
Just like aura then. The emanation Pokemon thought to himself. I know it's there, and I could use it, but first I would need to know what to use it for.
His thinking was cut short by the sound of something hard and heavy hitting the ground in front of him. He immediately opened his eyes and stared at what Decidueye had brought from the shelf. It was a giant book, with what looked to be an endless supply of pages upon pages, all filled with words.
"It's called a dictionary. It contains words from all around the English vocabulary, adding their definitions to them and even how they should be spelt!" Decidueye was not trying to be secretive about just how much he loved this book. And mixed with the childish joy, was also a hint of pride, as Riolu found out.
The big owl flipped to a seemingly random page, reading the words contained on it. "Of course, I don't intend on making you revise and remember all these words, no. There are far too many for you to memorise. Instead, I want you to read a little bit of it every day, even if only a page."
The apprehension on Riolu's face slowly dissipated, now replaced with a warm look of curiosity as he scanned the page that Decidueye opened the book at. He was stunned at just how many words there were. And that was only one page!
Though very discouraged at seeing the sheer number of words there were in the book, his natural curiosity overpowered him, and he soon felt compelled, even determined to read through the whole dictionary one day.
The blue furred Pokemon tried picking up the dictionary, barely lifting it up and carrying it over to the side of his bed. He looked over at Decidueye, who was staring at him and waiting to see if he'll open the book. To his own surprise he did open it and began drowning his mind in the endless sea of words before him.
It was like he was in some sort of hypnotised state, because he just couldn't pull himself out of the book. He just kept on reading... and reading... and reading, occasionally turning to the next page and continuing to read.
He put all his focus into the dictionary and was determined to read as much as he could. Decidueye, upon seeing this, chuckled at the sight and decided not to interrupt the little bookworm, feeling like it's the right thing to do.
The minutes turned to hours as Riolu was skimming through the book, curious as to what may lay on the next page. He was trying his best to pronounce most of the words he read and was successful with most. There was one word he couldn't say though, no matter how many times he retried- 'apartment'. The seemingly random order of words made no sense to the Emanation Pokemon as he tried over and over again, failing miserably on each try.
Apart from that single word, he made quite surprising progress with the book, getting through all the words that start with 'A' and 'B'. He looked out the window to see that the Sun has been long gone, with the moon now taking its place and shining brightly, illuminating Riolu's face.
Decidueye was nowhere to be seen in the treehouse though, and neither was he down on the ground cooking. He must've been tending to some more personal matters, Riolu thought as he picked up a leaf from the floor of the house. He placed it on the page he stopped reading at, with the tip slightly poking out of the book. He used this as a way to mark where he left off earlier when continuing to read some other time.
With a loud thud, he closed the dictionary and picked it up with some effort. It was surprisingly heavy for just some thin paper with a leather book cover. Then again, there were a lot of these 'thin papers', and it's not like the leather made it any lighter.
A content sigh left Riolu's mouth as he finally put the dictionary back in its place. It was now sitting just beside the bookshelf which was filled with various other books. And now that Riolu understood at least some words in English, he could try and read a human book.
Though before his curiosity could overtake him, he quickly snapped back to life and looked away, as to not feed his curiosity with what may be written in those books. He was now facing the bed, staring at the soft hay which looked enticing, to say the least.
Another sound came from Riolu's mouth, although this time it was a yawn. He was tired, and to no surprise. He did read all day long, after all. He walked up to his bed, feeling a little drowsy, before hopping on it and laying down.
It felt strange, to be alone in the treehouse when it was getting so dark outside. What if Riolu made Decidueye return to his nocturnal life? He wouldn't be able to learn from him anymore, nor could Decidueye give him advises and cheers whenever he was trying something new.
Riolu stared at the ceiling, thinking of all the possibilities as to what could've happened to his beloved owl, as the sound of flapping wings became louder and louder. Riolu's previous drowsiness disappear, and he was filled with vigour as he jumped off the bed and ran up to the entrance to peek out onto the ground beneath.
To his delight, it was indeed Decidueye, and he was carrying a strange box in his beak. Though he soon took it out and held it in his wing instead, presumably for comfort. From up above, the box looked pale white with nothing else on it, other than the paint.
Decidueye then turned to the ladder that lead up to the house and began climbing it, hopping from one step to another and using his beak to hold the steps above him to not fall. The ladder itself was quite flimsy, being made from sticks and twigs and held together by tightly tied grass.
Riolu quickly stepped backwards, away from the entrance to let Decidueye in. He felt ecstatic, though his face said otherwise, looking like he could really use some sleep.
"I see you're still not sleeping. It's late, if you haven't noticed." Decidueye didn't mention anything about the box under his wing, holding it concealed and close to his chest.
"I was busy reading. As you can see, I am not busy anymore." Riolu could barely contain the urge to ask Decidueye what he was holding on to. He just felt like he should let Decidueye bring it up himself later.
"Then go to sleep. It's not healthy to stay up so late."
With a gentle nod, Riolu turned to the bed once more tonight and jumped up on it, sitting snugly on the comfy hay. Decidueye walked over to the shelf with all his belongings and placed the small box he was carrying earlier down on it.
Riolu turned away from the entrance, laying down with his face facing the far back wall of the house. Decidueye walked over to the bed and stood beside it, closing his eyes and yawning himself. He too was exhausted, and it was obvious that he had a tiring day.
What made him so tired though? That was left for Riolu to ponder about, but maybe not now. He wanted to go to sleep. He had fun that day, even if it was entirely spent on reading and analysing the dictionary.
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Riolu's days went on quickly after that, most of them spent in the house or down by the tree it was situated on. Riolu found himself reading more and more as the days went by. Looks like he has found a new interest for himself, and it didn't look like he would abandon that interest so quickly.
And in a few weeks, Riolu was already done with reading the whole dictionary. He sighed contently as he closed the hefty book with its back book cover slamming against the stacks of paper inside. Riolu felt accomplished, like he had just done something that no other Pokemon has ever achieved before.
Of course, it wasn't a simple feat for any Pokemon. It was hard to learn the human language, after all. Especially when you've been speaking in your own language for your whole life. But what Life had taught Riolu, is that no matter how impossible the road ahead may seem, you just have to push on through. Because oftentimes, the path leads to a paradise filled with flower and berry bushes everywhere!
As Riolu was hauling the book up the flimsy ladder and into the treehouse, he found himself staring at the two pairs of talons that Decidueye had on his feet. He threw the book in, barely doing so and walked a little higher up, now on level with Decidueye's waist.
The big owl himself was radiating an upbeat aura much to Riolu's surprise.
"Done with reading for the day?" Decidueye asked, not bothering to hide the excitement and joy he was currently feeling.
"Actually, I'm done with reading. Done with reading this book, that is." Riolu replied. He was feeling proud of himself that he finished it in such short time.
"Then come. There is something I want to show you." With that said, Decidueye waddled closer to the entrance and spread his wings, inviting Riolu on his back. "Hop on."
Riolu did as he was instructed and got on Decidueye's back, embracing his neck as to not fall off mid-flight. Then, Decidueye took off with a mighty leap forward and a few flaps of his wings. Soon enough, they were soaring above the forest, looking down at all its inhabitants as they flew.
Today was a gloomy day, and the clouds were gray in colour. It seemed as if it was about to rain any moment now, though it didn't. It was like the sky was withholding its tears from falling. The wind blew gracefully through Riolu's fur, gently brushing it as the duo flew.
Riolu could soon begin to see where they were heading. From behind the trees, on one of the cliffs overlooking the city, there was a tall rock. From the looks of it, the area looked abandoned, as there was no life around. Zero signs of anyone.
As Decidueye landed on the rock, Riolu tumbled backwards off of his back and down the rock, ending with his face down on the ground. He got off the ground soon after, blowing out the pieces of dirt and grass stuck to his mouth.
Decidueye chuckled, sounding like he might break into a full-on laughter.
"I never knew you liked the nature that much." He remarked with a smirk, the Emanation Pokemon feeling just how proud he was of his own joke.
"Very funny." Riolu dusted himself off, trying to clean his fur at least a bit. He then turned back around to where Decidueye was staring and found himself looking out into the busy streets of a city.
"Down there is Gube City." He looked down at Riolu who was staring down in awe of the bustling atmosphere that was happening right beneath the cliff they were on.
"One day, I'll take you there. That is my promise." Decidueye continued, turning his gaze to the same place that Riolu's was in.
Riolu turned to Decidueye in shock as his words just started to sink in. He looked at him with a pleading look and surprise clearly apparent on his face.
"Will you? Really?!"
"Yup. But when I will, you'd need to conceal the fact that you are wild somehow. Which is why, I have brought... this." From atop the rock, Decidueye retrieved a small box, the same that Riolu saw Decidueye come back with some time earlier.
He kicked the small box down to Riolu, accidentally hitting him in the head with it. The box made a quiet clunk as it hit Riolu, who was now holding his paws over the top of his head.
"Ow!" He yelped and looked at the mysterious box, rubbing the top of his head. He got closer to it and eventually picked it up. It was surprisingly light and made from sturdy wood, with some pretty engravings all over it.
He inspected the container in admiration of how beautiful it was and turned his head towards Decidueye. "Is the box for me?"
"What? Don't be silly, open it!"
"O-Oh. Right." Riolu chuckled nervously as he said that and began sliding the hinged lid upwards, slowly lifting it off the rest of the container. When it was fully open, he peeked inside and found a hat inside- a fedora, to be specific.
Decidueye watched on in joy as the little jubilant put the hat on, finding it too big for him.
"It's too big for me."
"It is now, but when you evolve into a Lucario, it'll be a perfect fit. Trust me." Decidueye grinned at Riolu who was taking a closer look at the fedora he received. It was dark blue in colour, with a single stripe of a creamy ribbon wrapped around the top. It matched his fur colour perfectly, and the Emanation Pokemon found it very neat. Although, he didn't know why the colour of the ribbon wasn't black, as he doesn't have any fur that's cream in hue.
"Do you like it?"
"How could I not?" Riolu put the fedora back in its box and hugged it tightly, keeping it close to his chest and closing his eyes shut. A single teardrop formed itself in Riolu's eye and slid down his cheek, eventually falling down on the ground where he did stand.
He smiled. Not only out of joy, but also out of gratitude. He was so lucky to have met Decidueye, he thought to himself as the lonely teardrop from earlier found some friends. Riolu looked up at the sky, staring into the mouth of a brewing storm.
The rain wasn't as fast or as plentiful at the beginning, but as the skies grew darker, the rain grew heavier. It was until Decidueye snapped out of a trance like state did he finally mention that they should leave.
"You're right, I think we should. But in weather like that, I don't think I'd be able to fly anywhere, let alone to our treehouse." Decidueye sighed, hopping off the rock slowly and landing flawlessly on the now wet soil.
"Then... what now?" Riolu asked uncertainly.
"Well, unless you can somehow teleport us, we'll have to walk." Decidueye laughed light-heartedly, reassuring Riolu and putting his smile back on his face.
The monsoon was unforgiving, soaking everything and everyone in its path completely. Riolu could see many smaller Pokemon hiding in their little burrows along with their families, shielding themselves from the cold rain. And here he was, under Decidueye's wing, walking Arceus knows for how long.
Maybe it was only him, but it didn't look like the location was that far away when they flew there. Then again, they were flying, and flying is substantially faster than walking on foot.
Riolu could feel his feet sinking slightly into the ground with every step he took, the mud clinging to his fur and unwilling of letting go. Another thing that didn't look like it would let go anytime soon was the weather. For the whole trip back, the rain poured on.
Yet even in a time like that, Riolu was determined to not let his box with the fedora inside get wet, not even by a single raindrop, holding it close to his chest with one paw and clinging to Decidueye's body with the other. He didn't want his gift to be ruined, after all.
When they finally got back home, it was getting dark, with the sun slowly setting behind the trees and the wind getting colder. Riolu jumped on the ladder leading up to their treehouse and hoisted himself up to the top. He slid the box across the floor, all the way down to his bed to make it easier for him to get in.
As soon as Riolu got in, Decidueye soon followed, his black wings completely soaked and the turquoise hood on his head obscuring his whole face except for his beak and those yellow eyes of his.
Riolu couldn't help but giggle lightly at the sight, as it was quite comical to see Decidueye so wet. All the feathers clung to him like a Kanghaskan to its baby, not letting go no matter what he did.
Decidueye noticed Riolu quietly chuckling at him and looked over, starting to laugh with him as he saw how Riolu looked. He didn't look any better, with all his fur drooping down and some of it falling down on his face.
They soon found themselves laughing at each other's wet appearance, clutching at their sides as they did so. And while they were laughing, Riolu felt something strange, like if a butterfly flew straight into his mind and sat there. A pleasant memory has formed itself, one of many that Riolu had with Decidueye.
The aura around them danced like a rabbit, jumping from one side of the room to another, leaving its joy everywhere. Both Decidueye and Riolu fell to the ground, still laughing and holding their sides. It was really as if Decidueye was Riolu's real father, with all the happiness they shared in simple moments like these.
Once they finally seemed to be calming down, Decidueye was the first to stand up and speak up. "It's getting dark. I think it would be a good idea to sleep the storm away, don't you think?" He looked at Riolu, who was also coming back to his senses and getting up off the ground.
"Yes, I agree. There's nothing else to do in the rain other than sleep or read anyways." Riolu nodded to himself with a smile embedded on his muzzle as he turned to look at Decidueye.
The big owl stared at the Emanation Pokemon in amusement as he picked up the box with the fedora and placed it down beside the shelf with all of Decidueye's belongings. Riolu then looked up at Decidueye's meeting his piercing gaze as he motioned for Riolu to put the box up on the shelf along with everything else.
Riolu could feel just how proud of himself Decidueye was, as the emotion soon also flew over to the blue furred Pokemon. They just smiled at each other, both filled with glee.
"Well, time to sleep." Decidueye finally broke the silence nodding at Riolu and getting in his usual spot, preparing himself for the night.
Even though Decidueye was looking and feeling happy, Riolu could detect a faint string of sadness, deep within his companion. If he were to describe it, it was like an Ariados, weaving its web deep inside Decidueye's mind and catching his joy.
Riolu decided not to prod at the strange emotions, and instead walked up to his bed and jumped up on it, feeling the comfy soft hay brush against his wet fur gently once again. Riolu then laid down on the bed, looking in Decidueye's direction and smiling.
"Goodnight dad, I love you." With those words, Riolu looked away in the other direction and closed his eyes, letting his mind doze off into the state of dream and fall asleep.
There was a brief period of silence before a quiet sob could be heard. It was from Decidueye, who was looking at the sleeping Riolu with a smile. He wiped away the tears with his wing and nodded to himself.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
The next morning, as Riolu woke up, he felt... different. As if he's grown bigger and heavier. He opened his eyes groggily, hesitant to waking up. With his right paw, he tried rubbing his eyes with the back of his paw, only to be met by the sharp end of a spike that was now growing there.
His eyes flew open as soon as he felt the prick, scanning his arms and slowly going up and down his body. His muzzle was longer than before, and there were an additional two aura receptors on the back of his head. On his shoulders there were black circular pads, like some sort of protection.
There was now also a tuft of cream coloured fur growing around his neck. His torso also changed colour from the previous blue and black to the same creamy hue as he had on his neck.
As he noticed, in addition to the two spikes growing on each of his paws, there was also one giant spike right in the middle of his chest, sticking out dangerously and looking like it could do some serious damage. Further down his body, he noticed more changes. His legs were longer, with his tail also growing longer.
What he didn't notice at first though, was that now he could hear distant voices, calling out to him from all around. These calls were made by other Pokemon, talking to each other and doing all sorts of activities.
Riolu was in utter disbelief, but it couldn't be denied. During his sleep, he has evolved into a Lucario, a fierce and determined protector of others, using aura to gather information.
He was surprised that he had learned all this from a couple of books he read. Nonetheless, from what he also learned from the books he read; he should be able to do many other things with his newfound abilities. But first, he just had to tell Decidueye.
But as Lucario looked around the treehouse, he found that he was left alone. Down beside his bed laid a small book, and attached to it with Decidueye's black feather was a note. He Lucario raised his eyebrow and brung it closer to his eyes to read it.
"Dear Lucario,
I want to begin by saying that I'm sorry for leaving you confused like that. You probably just woke up and wanted to show me what happened overnight, only to find me not there.
Lucario read on, bewildered at the letter.
I wish I could explain everything to you, but I can't. What I can say though, is that over the year that we've spent together, I saw you change from a lonely and wandering Riolu into a joyous bundle of determination.
He could feel his fur standing on his end as he read on in anticipation.
I am not dead, I just had to leave for everyone's safety, including yours. By that, I mean that we probably won't be seeing each other anymore. It was fun while it lasted, but nothing lasts forever.
Lucario felt a sharp pain shoot through him, like an arrow piercing him through and through. He was sad.
And since I'm leaving you on your own, please take everything in the treehouse. It's all yours, all the way from my possessions down to the food stock. There's also another thing I'd want you to have. Attached to this note should be a small book. It's called a journal, and it's used to document all kinds of adventures that you stumble upon.
Lucario's eyes were tearing up, leaking his salty blue tears everywhere. He wiped them away in an attempt to not get the note wet and ruin it.
And the third thing, probably the most important... Please, Lucario. Find some friends so that you're not alone. I don't want you to end up like me. Treat everyone with respect and do everything in your power to make others do the same.
I love you too, son."
Lucario finally broke down, kneeling down on the ground and holding the crumpled piece of paper in his paws on his head. He was devastated, to have someone he knew for practically his whole life disappear just like that was... heartbreaking.
Lucario gasped for air through his cries, muttering something to himself, finally able to talk normally. "I-I promise... I'll try my best..."
"...I'll try."
AUTHOR'S NOTES
Wow, that was an ending even I wasn't expecting. I'm very sorry it took so long to make part 2, but from now on I'll try my best to post the following chapters in shorter intervals.
The next chapter will most likely focus on Lucario meeting one of his new friends, so stay tuned!