When The Sun Sets (Moon X Gladion)

Unbreakable Bonds I

When little Riolu hatched, it should've been a joyful day. Pikipeks should've sang and the heavens should've made way. Flowers should've bloomed and smiles should've grown. As soon as the Alolan sun beamed down on his innocent, furry, blue face, everything should've been happy. Sadly, not every beginning is delightful. And thus, when the first thing Riolu saw was the disappointed, scrunched up face of his trainer, he couldn't have been more confused.

"Ugh, normalcy," the trainer spat coldly. Then, placing the newly-hatched Pokémon down in the fields, they sighed. "Sorry bud, but I need a shiny."

Then, without a second word, they just... left. Riolu shakily got up, stumbling as he began to cry in protest. However, it was no use. As the trainer slowly disappeared from view, Riolu fell into the depths of the yellow tall grass of Paniola Ranch. Forgotten and discarded, with no one around to comfort him, the small Pokémon began to weep.

.....

Knee-deep in tall grass, two young trainers hiked the fields of Paniola Ranch, a Torracat and Dartrix following their lead. Joking around with one another, they were debating about their journey thus far, as well as some... interesting things.

"All I'm saying is that pizza bites are the ultimate snack," the girl with straight black hair laughed.

"But," the boy with a green ponytail argued, "Malasadas come in many flavors."

"So does pizza!" The girl interjected as she moved to avoid a passing Mareep.

"What about sweet, Moon?"  The boy gave a triumphant smile.

"Pineapple," The girl named "Moon" simply stated.

"Fruity?"  He gave her an apprehensive look as he realized the metaphorical wall he was now trapped against.

"Pineapple is a fruit, Hau." She gave him a weird look before breaking into a smile.

The conversation continued as the friends roamed the fields. Eventually, they passed a truck. They thought nothing of it at first and continued walking. It wasn't until Moon's Torracat began to mew wildly that the children stopped.

Backtracking, Moon curiously knelt down to catch a glimpse of whatever Torracat was meowing at. To her surprise, she was met by the strange, unfamiliar sight of a Riolu. Propped against the truck's rear tire, he sniffled softly. Then, peering at Moon through the darkness, he quickly stifled his cries.

"Hau, do you have any Moomoo Milk?" Moon's grey eyes gazed forlornly into the darkness as she studied the sickly-looking Pokémon.

Hau, who had crouched down beside her, rummaged through his backpack. "Uh... yeah! Here you go."

He thrust the bottle towards her but she didn't take it. Instead, she cupped her hands into a bowl and said, "Pour some."

Hau did what he was told, uncapping the bottle and pouring the contents into his friend's hands. He watched as she turned her attention back towards the Riolu.

"C'mon, it's okay little guy." Her voice was softer than velvet as she beckoned the young creature towards her.

It took a few minutes of persuading but Riolu eventually came forth. He hesitated with Moon's offering at first, placing his little paws on her thumbs and gazing at the sticky puddle. Then, realizing he was safe, Riolu dug into his treat, lapping it up as if it was the last meal he'd ever receive. When he was done and Moon's hands were empty, she quickly wiped them on the forefront of her green shorts. Then, ever so slowly, she reached forward so she could lift the creature into her arms.  Once he was secure, she turned to Hau.

"C'mon! The Ranch is closer than the Pokémon Center." As soon as the words left her mouth, she was off.

.....

"Poor thing! You said you found him... under a truck?" The ranch worker was mortified; her hair stood on end as her brown eyes practically popped out of her skull.

"Yeah, we think he was abandoned but we wanted to find his owner– just in case." Hau's face was twisted with concern as he stood next to Moon.

"Well, alright. Just hand him to me so I can check for a potential trainer ID." The ranch worker smiled gently, holding her arms towards Moon.

Without a second thought, Moon attempted to transfer the small Pokémon over to the professionals. Unbeknownst to all of them, however, Riolu wanted the opposite.

As soon as Riolu fell into the worker's arms, he began to fuss. Barking and weeping, his small paws desperately clawed the air between him and Moon. He didn't want to go with the employees or reunite with the trainer who left him for dead, he wanted to stay with the only souls who had shown him kindness during his early life.

Luckily for the small Pokémon, Moon took notice. Swifter than a Jolteon, she sprung forward and grabbed Riolu. As he clung to her, the ranch worker breathed: "I don't believe it... Riolus are usually loyal to their first trainers. Maybe the little guy was abandoned after all..."

"What now?" Moon asked after a moment.

"I guess you've got a new partner," Hau replied, rubbing the back of his neck with a bewildered glint in his eyes.

Moon looked at him, astonished at this turn of events. Then, looking down at the small creature huddled in her arms, she made a silent promise to him and herself: she was going to be the best trainer this Riolu could ever have, no matter the cost.

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EYYYY, here's a terrible flashback chapter that takes place BEFORE the events of this fanfiction! Sorry to drag everyone away from the main story, but I have big plans for Lucario and I wanted to establish why him and Moon have such a stellar bond.

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this, especially considering this is only part one of the "Unbreakable Bonds" storyline. I'm aware that it sucks but I'm trying my best because I literally have no motivation rn. I may edit this chapter later. Anyways, the next chapter will continue the main story.