Silas didn't back down on his words and actually took Riolu in, which was a nice change of pace for the little pokemon. From having to sleep alone in hollow tree trunks and damp holes in the ground, to now having a hay bed with a giant protector at his side; he was really living his best life, he sometimes thought to himself.
Of course, because of the fact that the decidueye took him in under his wing, Riolu felt obligated to help him around as much as he could- usually it took the form of cleaning the mess that they made while eating or just cleaning the small lodge that they lived in together. It wasn't as bad as many other young pokemon would say- in fact, he enjoyed it.
It was one of the things that let him unwind after a day of either helping pokemon in the forest, or learning with Silas. One of the things that he promised Riolu, was that he would teach him how to do the things he should have already been doing a long time ago- those included reading, writing and sometimes even physical tests the likes of which the little blue pokemon has never seen.
While these were rare, on particularly sunny days (and if the big owl was feeling up to it), the two of them would venture out into the forest to practice both survival skills and have a sparring with the local trees which most of the times shredded Riolu's knuckles. He never gave up though. He was determined to get better and to make Silas proud.
Though, rising up to a level that he felt was praiseworthy would take a very long time and at least a box of new bandages. On the occasion that they weren't out in the forest, Silas would teach him about the world they are in- more specifically, the island they are on and their surroundings.
The black owl turned out to not only be a self proclaimed doctor, but also a good cartographer. Supposedly, he was the one to blame for mapping out most of the unnamed islands of Alola- the region which they resided in. The region itself was composed of four main islands and the countless unnamed ones that surrounded them.
Melemele was the smallest of the bunch, being the northwestern of the four major islands. It was home to Tapu Koko, one of the guardian deities that protected Alola. From what Riolu heard, it was a fickle and malevolent protector, having an explosive temper and a lightning fast reaction speed.
It was scary to think about- a powerful pokemon, faster than lightning itself being angry at you because you chose to do something it did not like... Riolu would always shudder at that thought, and it would in turn keep him from ever visiting Melemele. Or, at least, for the time being. He certainly wasn't planning on going there any time soon.
As Silas would later point it out, all the main island have a Tapu protecting them- Akala had Tapu Lele, a deity that is said to be "guilelessly cruel" for the way that it tricks others into falling for its trap. A trap that seems harmless, but is deadly on the inside, one that the decidueye claims to have barely escaped.
This pink Tapu would scatter its glittering, rainbow scales everywhere and grant everyone a taste of its healing factor. These small flakes do in fact heal the wounds of whoever touches them, but if they were to touch too many in too short of a time, tragedy would strike and it would kill them instantly.
People from all around the world have gone as far enough as to say that Tapu Lele is an incarnation of nature, the reason for that being that it does not feel any kind of remorse for its action, oftentimes being captured laughing eerily as its victims were being dragged away to the other side.
"..Are all of them so scary?!"Riolu thought to himself, his mind only echoing those words louder and louder as Silas continued to recite from both his map and his list of "minor deities". Ula'ula island was next, being the southeastern island in Alola and the home to the coldest mountain in the whole world- Mt. Lanakila.
Many legends shroud that place, as Silas has told Riolu, with the most prominent myth being the one telling the story of a benevolent guardian hiding at its peak, watching over Alola with their watchful eye and protecting it from any other-wordly threats- in a way, it was the fifth Tapu that never existed, a deity so strong that it could tear the fabric of reality as if it was a normal piece of cloth, jumping through space and time in order to protect its world.
Riolu wouldn't mind if that turned out to be true, as the real protector of Ula'ula felt quite underwhelming, especially after being exposed to such a legendary tale of a mighty pokemon. Tapu Bulu was the third Tapu, and it was the most lax of the bunch. It can command all vegetation, able to change its shape and form at will.
It is said to be twice as powerful as all the other Alolan guardians combined! However, the disappointing truth is that despite its fearsome might, it is largely inactive and therefore considered a lazy pokemon. As Silas had told him, however, it simply does not seek to cause unnecessary violence.
Instead, it rings its large bell to alert everyone of its presence, reminding them not to fight in its company. Nevertheless, its merciless to those that choose to disobey it, and will not stop at anything to silence those that oppose its peaceful views, often using nearby trees and swinging them like clubs with minimal effort.
Riolu didn't feel as threatened by it as by the other two that Silas introduced him to. The last one though was a force to be reckoned with- not for its physical power, for its ability to break the will and mind of the strongest of warriors. The guardian that the little blue pokemon feared the most was Tapu Fini, hailing from Poni island.
Fini was the most forgettable of all four, and for good reason too- a lot of people who actually met it did not come out alive from their encounter. This has led everyone to fear and respect it, in hopes that it would not turn on them one day and rid the world of them. What everyone dreaded the most, however, was its fog.
In order to avoid harm to itself in battle, Tapu Fini would shroud the battlefield with a fog that would entrance anyone inside it, sending them into a self-destructive coma. Despite this, a lot of valiant heroes try their strengths at fighting this deity in the hopes that they could win and secure themselves the reward.
What was the reward? Riolu had asked Silas about this, but even he had told him that the reward is shrouded in mystery to this day, as there hasn't been a single human or pokemon that could manage to win against Tapu Fini. Some came close, but ultimately suffered the same fate as all the others did.
After dumping so much on the unsuspecting riolu, the big owl pokemon then glided his wingtip across the map displayed prominently on one of his walls, until he stopped on the smallest of islands right at the coast of Akala- right off the bat, not a good sign for Riolu, as the pink Tapu guarded these areas.
Nonetheless, he looked up at the large doctor beside him with a question etched on his face. No words came out of his mouth, and yet the bigger pokemon understood him perfectly. And so, he smiled. He smiled and put his wing against the little one, ruffling the fur on the top of his head as he pat him. "Don't worry. It's not gonna come for you."
Reassured, the blue baby pokemon looked back to the map and pointed at a set of symbols right above the small island. Those were footprint runes, or more importantly, the language in which pokemon all across the world communicated in. They wrote in this language, read it too, and in the older days talked to each other using it.
He couldn't quite grasp the concept of pokemon using their footprints to talk, but that wasn't his biggest concern. Whatwashis interest, was what it all actually meant. It was only now that Riolu had realised that these symbol were everywhere, marking everything and supposedly labeling the things in Silas' lodge.
Whoever made him, may that be a god itself or his parents, they sure did bless him with a naturally curious mind. And with a curious mind, there come a multitude of questions, crashing down on Silas like a waterfall- Riolu would usually grab his attention and tug on his wing, then once his eyes were on him, the little blue pokemon would point at a sign unknown to him.
And so he studied, absorbing knowledge like a vacuum and trying his best to keep all that he learned in mind. Once a couple of months rolled on by lazily, Riolu had already memorised that every little sign and label in the decidueye's house had meant, even if he still had to learn the dialect itself.
Right above the entrance to the lodge was a small plaque, a few runes scratched into it so poorly that any outsider would think that an old and injured fearow wrote it with their beak, as a last ditch effort to tell the world that they existed. It was funny thinking about that, more so when it wasn't that far off the truth.
The runes themselves spelled out "ALOLA"- a greeting that everyone uses in the region by the same name. It helped reinforce Silas' story about being a doctor, having a welcome sign right outside his "office" and all. Riolu would learn to appreciate it and look for similar cases in other people, searching for the smaller pieces of a puzzle that would all fit together to form one big story.
On the left of the door was a heavy bookshelf, filled to the brim with similarly heavy books, displaying them proudly in all their glory in the sunlight that poured down on it from the skylight, illuminating all the different leathery binders and the inscriptions on them, all of which were the names of the books- like "The stufful and the teddiursa", or Riolu's personal favourite, "The Great Reconstruction".
The book tells a story of the world that they live in and how it came to be through a few chapters, all of which correspond to different days. all sorts of gods and godly existences would come down to earth to rebuild it for seemingly no reason. However, one thing had always concerned him, that being the fact that a few pages were missing, ripped out from the book and lost to time.
The little riolu enjoyed making up stories of how the pages went missing, usually explaining the strange phenomena with aliens, a lot of violence, and even more heroism. Though, ultimately, the bad guys always won- he just couldn't see a hero ripping out pages from such a legendary book; that would be scandalous and going against how a hero should behave!
There was no book like this one, as all the other ones were either fairy tales for little children, or records of "patients" that Silas has gathered up over the years. Even still, Riolu sometimes leafed through the pages, trying to look for clues as to what could have happened to his parents, as no hope has ever lost his little body.
Yes, it might have been clouded with hate, or rage, or anger, or maybe even disdain, but beneath all this rash and harsh thinking was a sparkle of hope, waiting to be rediscovered after things had cooled down. And its little host has always done just that, picking it right off the ground and keeping it at the back of his mind.
He believed that maybe someday they would return, smiling from ear to ear as they hugged him to death, saying things such as "We thought you were lost!" or "We are so glad to have found you!" And yet, up to that day, nothing had come up. Not a single soul has presented themselves in front of the door to Silas' lodge- or at least not a soul that was looking for him.
Apart from Riolu, there were others that came in regularly for check ups or to simply get help from the friendly healer in the middle of the forest. A lot of them he knew from rummaging through the decidueye's records and footnotes. Some could say he knew almost everything about almost everyone. But, just like Silas was famous for saying:
:
"Almost is almost," Silas said as he watched over Riolu, focusing more on not falling from the branch he was sitting on rather than on the small pokemon below him. "But beingalmostthe best at something doesn't mean you stop. Because if you want to actually be the best, you keep on practicing, learning, even when you actually are the best."
The riolu looked up at him over from under, a bewildered look sketched on his face. He raised his shoulders in a shrug, bringing his hands up- what did he mean by that? That's what he thought, and almost as if the big owl was using telepathy, it responded in a wise tone.
"That means that despite being almost at the finish line, you don't slow down even a bit, because someone else might swoop in from behind and take your first place." He grinned to himself, much to the little pokemon's dismay. As much as he has grown to love him, Riolu just could not bear listening to his words of wisdom, spoke in a cryptic language, and often accentuated with a smirk or a grin, as if Silas was the smartest being in the world.
Sure, he might've been a god for all Riolu knew, but his cockiness was a bit too much for his liking. The decidueye always said that he needs to be proud of who he is and be more confident in his skills, but not to the point of bragging about his own skills; then, he might brag about his power to some other pokemon and catch a punch with his face.
Silas' acumen was great, because from time to time he would spew out something actually coherent and smart, but as for all the other times... Well, repeating oneself isn't good. Nevertheless, Riolu was in the middle of the forest with his patron by his side, awaiting further instructions on his practice.
..But the big bird seemed to freeze, looking off into the distance with squinted eyes, likely thinking about what other philosophical words he could say. The little pokemon grabbed the oak tree and shook it violently, so as to wake up his friend from his daydream. And as the branches hit against each other, and leaves began falling down, a little stick seemed to break the trance, as well as another short twig on its way down.
The black owl looked down at his little pupil and smiled sheepishly. "Right! Sorry about that," he said and cleared his throat, gliding down not a moment after. "As I was saying, you need to work on your punches. Power itself will break the bark off the tree, but its agility that will let you avoid its falling boughs."
This message was a little less cryptic, and Riolu could understand it perfectly right off the bat. He brought his paws up to his chin and hunched forward, spreading his feet apart and staying light on them as he looked up at the decidueye in front of him in search for validation. He was met with a stern thumbs up and an even more stern look forward, into the forest again...
Riolu had to give him a light tap on the leg to bring him back to the land of the living once more. He visibly flinched, blinking rapidly before focusing on the riolu at his feet. "Sorry," He said as he rubbed the back of his head with his wing. "I've been a little tired lately. Don't get as much sleep as I used to, now that I have you to raise."
Silas pinched Riolu's cheek and pulled on it, like what a grandparent would do to their grandchildren, giving a big smile as they let go and went right back to stumbling around like a delibird and as blindly as a zubat, nearly knocking down everything in their house.
The little pokemon grabbed his patron's wingtip, clutching it in his paw. He looked back the way they came from, opposite of the river that rushed down from the waterfall, crashing down violently before calming down in an instant and looking almost immobile if not for the fish that swam in it.
Watching them was by far Riolu's favourite past time. Reading, learning, sparring with trees; none of those came close to watching fishes cluelessly swimming around. They looked like they had nothing to worry about behind those eyes of theirs, completely empty headed. They swim and they eat, that's all they have to do.
"..go back? Hey, little guy," Silas lowered his head to be at eye level with Riolu, who was staring ahead into the forest that surrounded them. "Do you want to go back home?" He asked with a tired hook attached to his voice, casting it like a fishing line and catching the smaller one on it, reeling him into his sleepy state.
They both yawned, one right after the other. The decidueye smiled at that and nodded to himself, beginning to waddle forward, marching through the forest and back to his lodge. Riolu followed suit, taking small steps right beside him, both their eyes as hazy as the fog that had been visiting them from time to time.
As they went further forward, Silas wrapped his large wing and draped it over Riolu, looking down at him with his usually bright and sunny-coloured eyes, that were now covered by a silvery mist or sleep. It was clear that he needed some rest by the look alone- he was probably barely standing.
The smaller pokemon looked up and smiled as brightly as he could, even if it seemed forced or crooked. Yawns were infective, and so was drowsiness, and his three hour long training wasn't making any of this any easier for his small frame. Almost out of the woods, almost asleep... Silas hadn't told him about a moment like this- should he still race for the bad choice, or give up before he makes it?
For now, he just needed to focus on trying not to fall asleep, though the serenity of the thicket was making everything harder than it should be. Bugs were humming melodically along with the many birds that swooned over their partners, their love songs heard throughout the whole forest and beyond.
Leaves were slowly, almost eerily so, falling down to the ground, the wind carrying them right beneath the pair's feet and paving them a pathway, showing them the way out of the forest. They crunched satisfyingly under their feet, their shade too green to look like they were dying, more likely being chewed off by all the insects crawling on the trees.
The sun broke through the crowns- illuminating the green carpet of moss, leaves and grass that they walked on, shedding light to what creeps and crawls around in the jungle, revealing all those crawlies that were gnawing on the fronds of trees, some as beautiful as the scene while others swiftly retreated back into the darkness, ashamed of their looks.
It has been a long day for Riolu and a sleepless couple of nights for Silas, most likely spent on analysing what he knows, theory crafting and asking his colleagues that live far far away if they have any idea what to do with the mute riolu he took under his wing, the same little riolu that he was walking with back to his small cottage.
:
Riolu was brought back to reality from his awfully vivid flashback by a harsh and loud knock on the door, followed by what he could describe as a gentle yet firm female voice, unusually low in tone. "Are you there, Mister Silas?" She asked, but no response ever came, causing her to knock on the door again.
The decidueye the person behind the door came looking for had just departed for another consult and a hasty check-up on one of their previous patients about an hour ago, and Riolu was the only one present inside. He swallowed hard, letting the anxiety fog up his mind.
What should he do? Should he open the door and tell them that Silas is gone? Or should he just stay quiet and not do anything, in the hopes that they would give up and retreat? With potentially his patron's reputation on the line, the little, blue pokemon stepped forward, away from the large desk and towards the door.
He took slow, cautious and calculated steps, as if walking through a minefield, where every step could very well be his last. This was mostly due to not wanting to make any loud and sudden noises, so as to not alert the visitor and make them think that he was some stranger simply wandering around Silas' home and stealing his valuables.
The knocks persisted, and so did the female voice. It was beginning to get softer, losing its sharp edge and becoming more kind, gentle- motherlike. "Look," they sighed "I'm sorry about my previous outburst... I-I didn't mean to cause you any harm, Mister." The words stopped, and so did Riolu, freezing in place. Now he was more curious than anything; what could have happened between Silas and the mysterious visitor?
A pause followed the short monologue, before another one came through the wooden door. "It's just that you were prodding at my past, and I didn't know what to say, and so I just..." Their voice trailed off momentarily, before getting back on track. "I understand if you choose not to forgive me, but please, know that I didn't do any of that consciously."
Riolu walked further towards the door and reached for the handle, jittering with it for a moment before finally opening it wide and exposing himself to the visitor- he had to look up to the sky to stare them right into their sharp eyes and their messy fur on the back of their head.
Silas' guest was coated in black, matted fur, their limbs thin and frail, looking as if they could snap at any moment. They boasted a large, crimson red mane, thrown over the back of their head and flowing down their back all the way to their ankles, tied at the tip with a teal bangle that kept their mane from (mostly) swinging around wildly.
They looked down at the tiny pokemon at their feet, snickering to themselves and covering their mouth with a paw, giggling into it. Riolu tilted his head at the giant before him, bewildered. Was she... Was she laughing at him? He knocked on the door to catch her attention, being lucky enough to get it.
He put his paw up to his head and made a circle, before pointing at her and imitating the shape of a smile by drawing it across his face. Initially, the big pokemon didn't understand him or his weird signs, and it took her a moment to realise what he had meant. Her eyes widened as she drew in a sharp breath, continuing to giggle not long after.
"Why am I laughing?" Her voice wasn't as gentle as before, having a slight edge to it once more and sounding more hoarse, rough, her words coming out tough as nails even if she didn't intend that. "I just didn't expect a small youngling like you to lounge in Silas' home, is all." She smiled and paused for a moment, before speaking again.
"Say, you haven't seen a big nerd of a black owl anywhere nearby, have you little guy?" She bent down to pat him on the head like a small newborn, smiling from ear to ear. She didn't look like a dangerous person, or a strong one at that. Nimble, yes, but definitely not physically powerful.
Riolu sighed softly and shook his head. He pointed at himself, before putting his paw up to his temple and putting it in front of himself right afterwards, just like someone would stop another person. Seeing the confusion written on the large woman's face, he shrugged dramatically, finally getting the message through to her.
She tilted her head and raised an eyebrow, smiling lightly in confusing. "Are you mute or something, little man?" She asked, understanding his next message on her first try, as it was just a curt and short nod, impossible to mistake for anything else, or to not understand at all. She gave a nod of her own.
"Well then... I won't bother you. I'll just come back another time, when the doc is actually around to help." Her face contorted into a grin, and Riolu couldn't help but crack a smile of his own. It was common for him to smile when someone else was smiling- they usually felt happy when they did so, and when someone else is happy, so is he.
She brushed the palm of her hand against his scalp again and straightened back up, standing up straight again. And without saying a word, she turned around on her heels and began marching onwards, back into the woods. Riolu didn't even get to say goodbye to her.
Then again, all he can do is just wave goodbye, so did it really matter? It was hard enough being unable to talk and having to point at things you wanted, but it would get exponentially harder when the person you were communicating with had their back turned on you, unbothered by your breathy gasps and sighs.
Riolu let out a sigh of his own, softly and quietly, letting the wind do the rest of the work. He believed that every word he hears, all the thoughts he intrudes on are the words that someone had thrown to the wind carelessly, now coming back to them with the mind reading riolu as an intermediary.
A quiet intermediary; if only he could tell those people about it, if only he could tell anything to anyone- but alas, he's destined to be the silent background character, someone who will surely meet people that will walk all over him however they want in the future.
Were a day like that to ever take place, he'd be ready. Silas wouldn't have taught him how to fight without a reason; this was surely it, right? So that he could protect himself in the future, or even the near future- that's what the decidueye was envisioning, surely.
He snapped back to his own self when the wind picked up a stray leaf and threw it in his face as he held the door open, making him spit aggressively and tear the leaf off of himself, closing the door as he did so.
Maybe it was a sign for him not to get too philosophical lest he gets ambushed by some predator, or some other pokemon waiting for him in the deep brush of the forest. Whatever the case may be, it was a sign to stop nonetheless. It's not like there's nothing else to do around except to think about life.
He still had to dust the bookshelves, clean up the dirt off the floor, wipe the windows, replenish the food supply... All that just to feel a small fraction of a weight being lifted from his shoulder, that being the burden of being cared for. Riolu did so much almost every day, only to feel a little more worthy of being taken under Silas' large wings.
Still, that meant that he'd need to get to work as fast as he could, to wrap things up before the decidueye's return as a form of a surprise gift. And that meant no more spending time thinking about random things.
So with a small grimace and a more confident sigh than before, Riolu moved over to Silas' desk, taking a feather duster up from the top and beginning to swipe away at the dirt that has built up over the last week. And boy was there a lot to clean...
At least he wouldn't be bored for the rest of the day.