| Riolu POV |
I regret all the choices that led me to this point…
"I can't believe how soft your fur is!"
What a mistake it was, to crave power… Truly, such idiocy will be written about for years to come: Riolu's Folly, The Fable of the Foolish, The Woe of the Dumbass even…
"You must have taken very good care of yourself, didn't you?"
Such tales will be immor— UNHAND ME, WOMAN! DON'T TOUCH MY NONO SQUARE!!
"And you're quite energetic, huh? We'll get along just fine."
I give a small huff, squirming faintly in her lap, but not pulling away entirely. Torchic watches from May's knee, head tilted, eyes glittering with curiosity — not laughing, not mocking, just… watching.
Do you know how creepy that thousand-yard stare is? I never thought I'd say this… but I'm afraid of birds now.
"Chii?"
Please stay away from me, you KFC mascot…
May hums softly, reaching into her bag and pulling out a small pouch of berries. She picks one — plump, red, sweet-smelling — and holds it carefully toward me.
"Here, little guy. Want one?"
I blink up at her, snapped out of my PTSD moment. I mean, sure, I wouldn't say no to free food — and more importantly, stats!
My stomach gives a small rumble. Okay, okay, I get it, food is the most important thing in this world.
With a quiet sigh, I lean forward and take the berry from her hand, chewing slowly. It's good. Sweet, with a watery pulp, like a berry-sized orange.
[Eaten 1
A grin spreads across my face as my ADHD blesses me with that sweet dopamine rush from seeing numbers go brr. May swoons a little at the sight, letting out a soft giggle as she brushes her fingers lightly along my ears.
"See? You're not so tough, huh?"
As I nibble the last bit of berry, feeling very pleased with myself, I notice Torchic inching closer. Her little claws click faintly on the blanket, head tilted, eyes locked right on me.
Uh- Is she coming towards me...
My yellow fur prickles uneasily. I tense, ears flicking back.
Bird. (Insert PidgeonGang.PNG here)
Torchic tilts her head, letting out a soft, curious "Chii~?"
My heartbeat picks up. I know, I know — it's just a little fire chick, cute and fluffy and nonthreatening, but… but still.
My mind flashes back, unbidden, to the wild Pidgey from the forest — the one that had dive-bombed me out of the sky like a hawk, pecked me half-way into a sivv, and left me crumpled against a tree like some shity modern art.
No no no no—
I shuffle back instinctively, tail flicking in agitation. Torchic blinks, pausing, her tiny foot raised halfway.
"Rii…?" I mumble softly, glancing away.
I don't want to snap at her. I know she's not that wild Pidgey. I'm probably stronger than her even, but near death flashbacks don't seem to care — all I knows is birb = danger.
May, meanwhile, is still petting me gently, smiling softly. She reaches for another berry, humming under her breath.
"Here, want another?"
Ohhh food!
I can feel the tension slip from my body as my focus shifts entirely to the plump, red berry in May's hand. Without thinking, I lean forward, eagerly snatching it up.
The sweet, juicy taste explodes in my mouth, and my mind short-circuits with pure satisfaction. I forget everything else for a moment. The berry's sugary pulp fills my senses, and I let out a contented sigh, my tail swishing lazily behind me.
I'm just about to finish the last of it when I feel something soft and warm press against my side.
Huh?
I blink, looking down — and find Torchic now nestled right up next to me, her tiny body curled against mine like a heated pillow.
Wait… when did that happen?
She's just… there. Cosying up to me like it's the most natural thing in the world, her little beak tucked into the side of my fur, making quiet, content little chirps.
I blink at her, then back at May, who's smiling in that soft way again.
"..."
It's… okay, actually. Warm. Her fluff is kind of nice.
I can feel myself starting to relax into it, the tension of my earlier panic fading with the weight of her tiny body next to mine.
I don't even care that I'm basically cuddling a bird. Right now, it's just... peace.
I let out a deep breath, reaching for the last berry May offers with a lazy stretch of my paw, forgetting all about my weird birb phobia for the moment.
[Eaten 2
Again, stat numbers go brr.
| May POV |
The road ahead stretches out, a ribbon of dirt winding through the fields and forests as I walk alongside Riolu. My trusty Torchic is perched happily on my shoulder, her head poking out just enough to watch the world pass by with wide eyes.
Riolu, though… he's quiet today. More so than usual.
I can tell that he's still adjusting to everything, though the past few days have been a little calmer for him. After our time in the Pokémon Center, he's slowly gotten used to being around me.
Though, I still can't help but notice how often he freezes when I reach out to pet him — like he's still unsure of my touch.
It's kind of sad, really. But I know he'll come around.
I glance over at him now, walking a little ahead of me. His golden yellow fur shines in the sunlight, and even though his movements are graceful, there's an edge to them, like he's always watching, always on alert.
I smile softly to myself. I like having him around, even if he's a little prickly at times.
I'd never seen a shiny Riolu before. Heck, I'd never even heard of one here in Hoenn! Finding him was nothing short of a miracle. But beyond his rare appearance, I could tell he had potential. The way he moves, the way he thinks — there's something special about him.
Torchic lets out a soft chirp, drawing my attention back to her. I pet her gently with one hand as she continues to chirp happily. I can feel Riolu's gaze flicking over to us, but he doesn't say anything.
I catch the glint of light in his eyes, a flicker of curiosity, but he doesn't come any closer.
I don't push it.
"Are you ready for the next town?" I ask softly, my voice light and teasing.
Riolu looks up at me, his golden eyes narrowing just a little as he contemplates. There's a slight twitch of his ears, but no response.
I chuckle softly. "Guess we'll see, huh?"
I'm sure he'll warm up to the idea soon enough. He's not one to be cooped up in a Poké Ball for too long, and he's clearly got some energy to burn.
I watch him for a moment longer, then pull out the map from my bag to double-check our route.
"Okay," I murmur, tapping the map with my finger, "next stop: Petalburg City. We'll need to cross through Route 102, but it's a straight shot from here."
Torchic flaps her little wings in excitement, and I can't help but laugh. "I know, I know. We're getting closer."
Riolu looks over his shoulder, and for a moment, I catch a flash of a grin — just a brief, sly smile before he looks away again. It's small, but I catch it.
Progress... Actually... Why does it feel like he was mocking me?
I huff softly, shaking my head with a small smile. "Let's go," I say, snapping the map shut and starting down the road again, feeling a little spark of excitement in my chest. No matter what comes next, this little team of mine is slowly becoming something special.
A couple more hours pass as we walk along the well maintained path, wild Pokémon peeking at us curiously. Torchic hums a soft tune from my shoulder, occasionally hopping down to trot beside Riolu. Every now and then, Riolu, mostly focused on the surroundings with a noticeable focus on the tree tops, flicks his ears at her — not quite engaging, but not avoiding her either.
We round a bend, the afternoon sun warming our backs, and then —
"...What the…?" I blink, pulling up short.
A wooden barricade stretches across the route, ropes and stakes holding it firmly in place. And right in front, a man in a lab coat crouches low, furiously sketching something into a notebook.
He doesn't even look up when we approach.
"Ah! Please don't disturb the research site!" he calls quickly, waving a hand without turning. "This route is going to be blocked for a while!"
I blink. "Oh. Uh… okay?"
Torchic tilts her head, confused. Riolu covers his mouth, trying (and failing) to hold back a snicker.
What's so funny?
Peeking over the barricade, I can just barely make out what the man is studying: a trail of small, round indentations in the dirt. Footprints?
"I'm sure these are rare Pokémon tracks! I started finding fresher ones — I MUST BE CLOSE!" the researcher mutters, scribbling notes madly.
I turn around on my heels and start walking away from… whatever that is.
"Nope. We're skipping Petalburg for now. Let's head over to 103 — Brendan should have went that way…"
Word count: 1570
Should I make a discord? Maybe a patreon with daily chapters? Does this novel actually deserve that?