Chapter Text
“The battle was amazing!” Izuku beamed, radiating joy as he spoke to his mother’s Pokemon that came to pick him up. “Kaa-Chan’s Quilava really is the strongest Pokemon in our entire grade.”
“Gardevoir?”
“Quilava fought against a Squirtle and still won. Although I guess, that’s to be expected since it’s the second evolution of Cyndaquil, and the Squirtle wasn’t evolved yet. But it was still a good fight! Quilava beat not only our whole grade but the entire eighth-grade class as well!”
Izuku grinned at Gardevoir, doing his best to recount the battle when the topic of conversation himself, rounded the corner.
“Heh, well if it isn’t stinky Deku.”
“Kaa-Chan!”
“Still getting picked up by your mommy’s Pokemon?” Kaa-chan crowed. “Worthless,” he kicked dirt at Izuku and his Quilava mimicked it’s trainer’s spiteful attitude, flaring it’s back with fire and singeing Izuku’s pants.
“I - but-“
“Ch, don’t talk to me until you get a Pokemon. Oh wait, that’s right. You can’t! Pokemon hate you!”
Izuku’s smile dropped as he watched his childhood friend leave school grounds. “That's not… that’s not it,” Izuku mumbled, glancing at the Pokemon at his side. Gardevoir didn’t hate him. Right?
Izuku sighed, reaching out to grab Gardevoir’s hand. “Lets go-“ he blinked, pausing. “Let’s visit Professor Woods,” he finished with a hopeful smile as he felt Gardevoir using Teleport on them and a sort of weightlessness lift him.
Not a second later, they were in front of Professor Wood’s lab.
Izuku bit his lip. One more time, he promised himself as he edged away from Gardevoir. She always did her own thing when they came here, and Izuku didn’t want her to see him fail yet again.
Stopping before the door, Izuku raised a fist and took a breath. He could do this. It’s not like he hadn’t come here before. He just had to get a Pokemon. Yeah, ten years late was better than never getting one. Izuku took another breath and kn-
The door opened.
“Midoriya?” Professor Woods raised a brow below the wooden helmet he favored. “Is there something you needed?”
“P-Pokemon,” Izuku stuttered. “I’m here for a Pokemon.”
The Professor didn’t seem shocked, more resigned than anything as he nodded and retreated into the lab with Izuku at his heels. Izuku wanted to be mad at the dismissive way Professor Woods treated him. He wanted to take a page out of Kaa-Chan’s book and brashly ask if the man didn’t believe he could get a Pokemon. But after ten years, Izuku himself didn’t believe he could get a Pokemon.
Oh, he wanted one. Izuku wanted a Pokemon so bad. It was the only thing he wanted, but each time he so much as hinted at wanting a partner Pokemon, things would happen, and he’d go home without one.
“I recently got some Rattata from a rescue,” Professor Woods said. “Maybe one of them…” he sounded unsure, and even Izuku had to suppress a wince. His last Rattata attempt ended up with the Rattata in question - an originally healthy Pokemon - getting a heart attack the moment Izuku asked if it wanted to become his partner.
That had been a couple years ago, but even before that Izuku learned not to get his hopes up after Eevee number fifteen.
“Here we are.” Professor Woods gestured to a familiar open glass room where Izuku could see several Rattata scampering about. “Take your time, I’ll be in the hatchery.”
“Thank you,” Izuku said.
“Good luck kid.”
When the Professor left, Izuku took a breath before entering the room.
As usual, the Pokemon ran up to him with happy cheers of, “Rat, Rattata!” Some even clawed at his clothes and climbed up his body before Izuku decided it’d probably be best to sit.
“Hello,” he chuckled, cradling a trio of purple Pokemon who decided to snuggle into his chest. Despite the disappointment that itched at the back of his mind - and he didn’t even pop his question yet! - there was something about being with Pokemon that always brightened his day.
Izuku giggled when one of the three Rattata snuffled at the hem of his shirt and stuck it’s head under the cloth, tickling Izuku’s stomach. Izuku smiled at the three - they were actually kind of cute with their puffed cheeks.
Deciding that it was now or never, Izuku spoke to them like he always did when meeting his partner hopefuls. His smile turned fake and his voice sounded hopeful if a little dead.
“One day, I want to be a hero. Like All Might. It’s been my dream since I was four, but to do that I’d need a Pokemon…”
He let his sentence hang, and watched as three pairs of eyes widened, and felt as they stiffened in his harms. Izuku’s heart broke just a little. He was well acquainted with this scenario. Izuku swallowed the lump in his throat, pushing through.
“Would any of you like to be my partner?”
They scattered.
Izuku sighed, dropping his empty arms and slamming his head into the wall at his back. Why? Tears freely fell from his eyes.
Was Kaa-chan right? Did Izuku really smell like some sort of Pokemon repellent? Was the idea of being his Pokemon so horrid? Izuku’s hands curled into fists, nails digging into his palm. It wasn’t fair.
Maybe he really should jump off a building. Maybe then he’d be reborn as someone who could befriend Pokemon.
Izuku wiped his eyes and made to stand, only to fall when he stepped on something. Blearily, he looked down.
“A Pokeball?”
He picked it up. Red top. White bottom. Button in the middle. Yep, a Pokeball.
What was it doing here? Izuku glanced out the glass wall to see if the Professor had returned but no one was there. Half curious, Izuku pressed the release button and was disappointed when nothing came out.
“Of course fate wouldn’t just give me a Pokemon. Idiot,” Izuku mumbled to himself.
Before he leaves, he pockets the ball.
“Any luck?”
“No.”
The professor sighed. “What attempt was that?”
“Nine hundred ninety-eight,” Izuku sighed.
“Well, let's make your next an egg.”
Izuku looked up so fast his neck cracked. “What? Really?”
“I just got a Skiddo egg. A trainer came in with it and asked that it be given to a good home,” Professor Woods said.
“The grass-goat Pokemon?” Izuku asked.
“Mhmm. Let me get you an incubator so you can take it home with you. I’m guessing I don’t need to tell you how to care for an egg?”
Izuku shook his head, stars in his eyes. Finally a Pokemon. “I learned about egg care last year.”
Izuku hugged the incubator to his chest, ready to leave with Gardevoir at his side and the egg in his arms. He did it! He had a Pokemon! Why hadn’t he asked for an egg to begin with? An egg couldn’t say no to returning home with him.
“Thank you so much,” Izuku said, trying to show Professor Woods just how grateful he was with those simple words.
“No prob-“
A blur rammed into Izuku’s side. His grip on the incubator slipped. He gasped, panic and pain flooding him as he fumbled for the incubator, his fingers slipping-
“Gooo!”
The blur -a Gogoat- stared him in the eyes, incubator safely nestled in its antlers.
Izuku blinked, feeling distinctly like an unruly child being reprimanded by his mother at the harsh look the Pokemon gives him.
“Is that egg yours?” Izuku asked, feeling another opportunity slip by him.
The Gogoat nodded.
Can’t even raise an egg without a mother Pokemon taking it away. Izuku bit his tongue.
“Oh…” he said dumbly. “I-I promise to take care of it….”
But the Pokemon was already walking away, incubator still sitting between its horns as it met its trainer. The young woman rubbed the Pokemon’s head with a puzzled look before glancing over at Professor Woods and Izuku.
“Sorry,” she probably mouthed before she too walked away. Taking attempt nine hundred and ninety-nine with her.
Summer vacation starts. For Izuku it’s not a vacation, but another step toward the inevitable. He has one more year of middle school and then he’d be a waste of space with no future, no job, no Pokemon.
Izuku has one more year to look forward to before he truly becomes worthless.
Pokemon play such a huge part in society that not having one made Izuku the social outcast. Not having a Pokemon meant that there was something inherently wrong with Izuku. It was like a disease. Only the sickly or the truly evil had problems getting Pokemon. And even then, that’d only limit the type of Pokemon they got, but Izuku? He tried everything from a cute innocent Eevee to a Gengar.
Without a Pokemon Izuku could kiss UA goodbye. UA aside he’d never get into any high school without a Pokemon. They’ll take one look at his file, mark him as a problem child, and never give him a second glance. The same could be said for jobs.
Izuku didn’t have to go to high school. It was optional after all. But again, he didn’t have a Pokemon, so why would any potential employers want to hire him when there were other candidates with Pokemon that would assist them with the job?
In a world where having Pokemon was the norm, and not having Pokemon wasn’t, Izuku was looking at a rather bleak future.
He couldn’t become a hero without a Pokemon. Who’d do the fighting then?
He couldn’t become a detective. His nose wasn’t good enough to sniff anyone out.
Becoming judge or lawyer was out of the question too. He’d need a psychic Pokemon for that.
Doctor? Nurse? Nope, he’d need a Pokemon that knew how to heal.
Engineer? Well, maybe except no one would want to hire him since steel and electric type Pokemon could get an intimate understanding of whatever gadget they touched.
Grimer and Trubish existed for a reason, so becoming a janitor or one of those men who picked up trash, was also out of the question.
In a world where one needed a Pokemon to get a job, Izuku was useless. He couldn’t even be a part of a productive society.
His dream of becoming a hero like All Might was just that, a dream.
Summer is coming to an end and all Izuku can feel is dread.
It’s the night of July 15th when Izuku decides that enough is enough. It’s his birthday today. He’s officially thirteen. There’s nothing special about it. Nothing like the Big Four when kids usually receive their first Pokemon or like age ten when kids with strong enough Pokemon are allowed to start their journeys if school isn’t for them.
For Izuku, his thirteenth birthday is like any other day except there’s cake and another broken promise of, ‘by this time next year.’
Izuku’s tired of it, so when he heads to his room and hears his mom crying through thin walls, Izuku promises himself it will be for the last time.
Rolling the empty Pokeball from the Rattata playpen in his hands, Izuku shrinks and enlarges it like a makeshift stress ball.
I don’t need a Pokemon to go on a journey, he decides and packs.
Izuku packs a set of clothes for every day of the week and does not forget his underwear like the trainer of legend did. His clothes are all themed after All Might. Even his sleeping bag is fashioned after All Might’s shiny Lucario and Izuku straps that to the bottom of his bag.
He throws in toiletries as a second thought and even though he plans on staying in the wilds, he stuffs his wallet in his pocket too. His phone stays on his desk though. He has no way of charging it and doesn't want anyone tracking him.
The last thing he slips into his bag is his Hero-Dex. Since he never got a Pokemon, he never received a Pokedex - Izuku supposes that it’s another reason he’d never be excepted into high school or get hired - he has no form of ID. But he has his Hero-Dex, something he made out of old phone parts to resemble a Pokedex. It can't scan Pokemon, nor act as an ID, and it’s closer to an electronic notebook than anything else, but it has Izuku’s notes of Pokemon he’s seen through the years and notes on Heroes and their Pokemon, and that’s good enough for him.
It helps that it runs off of solar panels, so Izuku slides it into his bag.
Izuku leaves at midnight. He doesn’t tell his mom, but he writes a note.
One month? Two months? Three months? Four?
Izuku isn’t sure how long it’s been since he’s been home. Honestly, he’s surprised he’s still alive.
The wild Pokemon are surprisingly nice. A pair of fire canines - one Growlithe, one Arcanine - allowed him to claim residence in a corner of their den and a Toucannon seemed to have taken him under its wings. It’s a mother hen if Izuku ever saw one, providing him with heaps of fruit; half of which Izuku shares with any Pokemon that comes near.
It’s shocking how accepting these wild Pokemon are. Izuku’s heard stories and read history books of famous trainers who were chased off of Pokemon territory.
And Izuku is deep in Pokemon territory.
It made him question why the Pokemon were so nice to him and yet wanted nothing to do with becoming his Pokemon.
It couldn’t just be because they didn’t want to go into a Pokeball. There were a lot of Pokemon who hated Pokeballs but still joined a trainer, so it had to be Izuku himself. Which didn’t make sense.
Surely if he was the human-Pokemon-repellant that Kaa-chan claimed he was, he wouldn’t be attracting so many wild Pokemon in droves. And why hasn’t be been driven out of forest yet?
It was something to ponder at least.
Humming to himself, Izuku heads back to the den.
He has to blink when he spots the addition to his home.
It’s an egg with swirls of orange and black stripes decorating the shell. It’s the most beautiful egg Izuku’s ever seen. He edges toward it under the watchful eyes of Arcanine.
“Wow, you’re going to be a mother,” Izuku says with awe in his voice. “Can I touch it?” He reaches forward even as he asks, but his fingers stop an inch away.
“Arc,” the Pokemon huffs, large muzzle suddenly snuffling at the crook of Izuku’s neck and Izuku can’t help but laugh as fur tickles the skin there. When Arcanine withdraws, Izuku takes it as a yes and gently places his palm on the egg.
It pulses with energy. The shell is cold but with an underlying warmth like the kindles of a fire.
It glows suddenly and Izuku yelps, snatching his hand back. He’s sure he’s done something wrong. Sure it’s about to hatch or crack. But it doesn’t, nothing happens, and Izuku can make out the silhouette of a baby Pokemon.
Human and Pokemon share a look and can do nothing but stare until the odd glow dies.
“Why won’t anyone become my Pokemon?” Izuku asks his self-appointed mother hen once.
Toucannon gives him a look that’s half exasperated and half disappointed. It vaguely resembles the look that Gogoat gave him when he tried taking the egg home, except this time it’s on the face of a bird. Confronted with such a look, Izuku shrinks back like a child that asked a particularly stupid question.
“I mean, why are you all so nice to me?”
Izuku gets a peck on the forehead in response. It’s while he’s rubbing his head that Toucannon takes flight, doing wild loops and occasionally landing on a branch to make some convoluted motion with its wings.
Izuku gets the idea that he’s playing charades with the Pokemon, but he’s no closer to understanding the meaning between the odd loops or jerky wing motions than he is to understanding the looks she gives him.
If only Pokemon spoke human or he spoke Pokemon. Life would be so much easier. But life is never fair, so he asks Arcanine the same thing when he returns to the den.
He’s tracing the patterns on the egg when he asks.
Arcanine gives him the most adorable confused look ever, and Izuku forgets that he even wanted answers, cooing over the soon-to-be-mother instead.
Later he learns, she used attract on him.
Izuku starts taking hunting lessons.
Growlithe is a patient teacher and starts him off with pouncing lessons, then in a game of charades, Izuku comes to the conclusion that he wants him to practice on the grove Pokemon.
The grove Pokemon are like the neighbors. They all live within a small territory and make a community of Pokemon. No one is enemies here and things such as hunter and hunted don’t exist within the community.
Izuku’s seen several young Pokemon playing with some of the older Pokemon, stalking them and attacking when they least expect it. It’s almost like the entire grove raises the young and belatedly Izuku wonders if Growlithe is treating him like a baby Pokemon.
He starts pouncing on Pokemon anyway.
The grove Pokemon are amused and Toucannon starts rolling her eyes at him.
Pouncing on Pokemon is also the first step to befriending all sorts of other Pokemon, and he adds thousands of notes to his Hero-Dex.
In the wild where there’s no such thing as alarm clocks and where everyone wakes up on their own time, Izuku usually wakes up at noon, and sometimes in the morning if Growlithe wakes him.
This time though, it’s crazy o’clock in the morning when Izuku wakes up and wonders how so many Pokemon crammed themselves into the den without waking Izuku earlier.
He gets no time to question it though, because his eyes land on the egg and it’s glowing again, just like all those day’s ago. But it’s also pulsing and rocking, and Izuku can feel heat coiling around the den from the untrained power that the egg exudes.
Izuku isn’t sure how long he’s watched the egg. The pulse which Izuku had thought was fast before, begins beating faster, and even more Pokemon has crowded into the den to watch the event.
The sun’s just reaching the tops of the trees when it hatches.
It looks just like any other Growlithe except smaller and Izuku can still feel the untamed energy licking his skin. That was one strong hatchling. Izuku wondered if it had what Kaa-Chan called IV’s, but shrugged. It didn’t matter. Izuku was just overcome with happiness for the mother and father duo. They were parents now.
“Asahi,” Izuku whispered, naming the little one.
Asahi follows Izuku everywhere.
Asahi is also a little copy-cat. It’s adorable, and Izuku makes it his goal to make Asahi the best pouncer that has ever pounced.
Growlithe isn’t pleased. He wanted to teach his son how to hunt, damn it!
For the first time since Izuku took residence in the den, he leaves the grove with Asahi at his side and Growlithe in the lead. They’re going hunting.
It’s a bit embarrassing when Asahi is better than him despite the fact he still stumbles over his paws, but Growlithe doesn’t seem to mind when Izuku steps on twigs and scares away the Buneary.
Apparently Pokemon within the Grove are friends even if they are prey Pokemon, while Pokemon outside are considered potential food.
It’s weird, but it works. Izuku would hate the idea of eating his neighbors too. Regardless, Izuku makes such good friends with the grove’s resident Buneary and Tauros that he stops eating meat entirely and relies on an entirely vegetarian diet.
Toucannon is inordinately pleased.
It’s some time after Izuku converts to a vegetarian diet, that Toucannon introduces him to a Pidgeot. It’s easily the prettiest wild Pokemon he’s seen in person. Though its fierce eyes makes Izuku scramble back.
“Um, hi,” Izuku says and swears the bird rolled its eyes at him.
When the Pidgeot repeatedly squats and stands with increasingly irritated looks, Izuku finally looks at Toucannon.
“Does he want me to ride him?” Izuku squeaks and both flying types coo loudly.
Izuku flies and it’s the most amazing thing ever. From there he begins asking all sorts of Pokemon if it’s ok to ride them.
His favorite will always be flying with Pidgeot, but there’s something about riding on a flaming Rapidash that get’s Izuku’s heart pumping too. Gyarados also gets his heart pumping, but for entirely different reasons. Each time he rides Gyarados, Izuku promises it will be his last, but they both know it isn’t true.
Clearly, Gyarados learned the puppy eyes from Asahi. The little traitor.
Life in the wilds is great. For the first time in his life, Izuku feels alive.
With the wild Pokemon by his side, Izuku doesn’t need a Pokemon to call his own. Sure, he still wants one, but it’s nothing more than an occasional whisper of a thought. A what if scenario that Izuku never thinks too much about.
Instead, he thinks of what his classmates would think of him now. Izuku knows that what he’s doing isn’t considered normal and that by all right’s he should have been dead a long time ago or at best driven back to the city. But he’s still here and thriving off the land with this diverse group of Pokemon.
Izuku wonders what Professor Woods would say if Izuku told him of the Arbok that conversed with a Rattata, or about the Ursaring that helped the Magikarp build homes in the lake out of rocks.
No one would ever believe him.
It was hunter and hunted living in peace, where it should have been only the strong survive.
Of course, that was only within the community. But, well, Izuku didn’t like thinking about it. He went vegetarian for a reason. He’d never be able to look Toucannon in the eye if he ever ate a Pikipek again. Regardless of if it was from outside the community or not.
“Asahi!” Izuku called, circling the grove and even outside exploring the boundaries of their territory, searching for the pup.
It’s Poke-napping that marks a change to Izuku’s life in the wilds.
He didn't notice it right away, but when he does, he feels terrible for not noticing sooner. Toucannon had grown more aggressive in the past weeks, and the Rattata were restless.
Izuku thought that Ursaring had migrated, along with the birds, but peeking into the cave Ursaring shared with several Teddiursa, had Izuku facepalming.
Bears didn’t migrate idiot. They hibernated. And it clearly isn’t migrating season. Izuku pinched the bridge of his nose. He’d just ridden Pidgeot the other day too, and Toucannon was still there. Surely if it was migrating season, those two would have been the first to lead their flocks. Plus the Butterfree were even caring for the flowers around the grove, and they usually migrated too… but they weren’t.
Izuku returned to the den empty-handed.
“No luck either, huh?” he pet Arcanine’s flank. “Don’t worry I’ll find him. Tell Growlithe I won’t be hunting with him today.”
The grove wasn’t the only territory with missing hatchlings.
After some investigating, Izuku found that the neighboring territories were also panicking over their young going missing. Some even blamed the grove, but Izuku knew it couldn’t have been them, nor the other territories. Even though hunting was a thing, Pokemon never went for the young. It was a rule.
There were a lot of rules in the wilds.
And maybe Izuku was putting Pokemon on a high pedestal, but he just didn’t think any Pokemon was capable of breaking the laws of the wild.
Humans then?
Izuku hated humans sometimes. Almost wished he wasn’t one.
Humans always looked out for themselves and their best interest; they never cared for the little guy. It was one of the reasons Izuku liked All Might so much. He fought against evil and would put himself in harm's way if it meant protecting other people. Izuku would be hard pressed to find someone like All Might. It’d be just as hard as finding another person who had no Pokemon. Honestly, Pokemon were more caring than humans were.
His thoughts were interrupted when Toucannon and Pidgeot swooped in.
“Find anything?”
They hooted a positive.
Izuku grinned viciously. “Show me.” He swung himself onto Pidgeot.
It was a disaster.
Trees were blown aside to make room for the cages that twisted and curved to create a dome of captured Pokemon. It seemed to leech the life away from the surrounding forest. The captured Pokemon scared and hurt.
Izuku sneered in disgust, directing Pidgeot to land on the scorched land in the middle of the destruction. He could recognize a dozen homes destroyed by the structure. It was the perfect copy of the grove… you know, if the grove had been destroyed.
Izuku was just about to step forward when he heard it.
The sound of screaming.
But it’s humans. It’s been a long time since he heard something other than parts of Pokemon names, and yet all he can feel is hate for the people screaming.
And then he felt it.
The ground he stood on, shook and slid open. Izuku had to jump onto Pidgeot’s back to prevent himself from falling into the fissure that opened, revealing an underground tunnel.
From the aerial view that Pidgeot provided, Izuku watched as people streamed out of the tunnel and into the forest, carrying weapons and screaming. Most seemed terrified of whatever they were running from but a select few - like the silver-haired man - looked more pissed than anything and shouted something about a ‘league of villains’ and a ‘fucking Arceus hack.’
It was then that Arceus - Fucking Arceus - strolled out of the tunnel and let out a mighty roar that made Izuku’s ears ring.
Arceus lifted a foot and tapped it on the ground. It wasn’t even a slam, but with that mere tap, Izuku could see the Earthquake it caused and even flying, Izuku felt like he was in the middle of it, his whole body quaking. Grappling Pidgeot’s neck - and even the bird seemed to be struggling with the pressure Arceus exuded - Izuku looked down, watching as the golden rings on Arceus’ torso glowed along with its eyes and all cages released the captured Pokemon and floated them out.
Once every cage was empty, all the villains were harshly levitated and slammed into the cramped space before the cage doors slammed closed.
Izuku gaped. That seemed like a bit much.
But Arceus was far from done because a moment later the cages - the dome - shook uprooting the attached underground base as it floated into the sky… humans in tow… it kept floated, way above Izuku, and past treetops. And disappeared.
Izuku gulped. He'd demand that they be released, but- well, that was Arceus. A god. Izuku wasn't about to challenge that. He hoped they’d have a safe landing at least and weren’t heading toward the sun.
It looked like they were heading toward the sun.
Izuku shivered, tore his eyes away to look down. He was met with blue on black eyes and a silent threat handing in the air. Izuku couldn’t help but flinch, fearing for his life as those blue eyes glowed and the pressure built around him.
He took a breath, but it caught in his throat, and right when Izuku felt himself being lifted off Pidgeot’s back Toucannon squawked at Arceus.
Toucannon squawked at Freaking Arceus the creator of the fucking world!
It was in that scolding tone she loved using too.
Never mind Izuku’s life, Toucannon was going to fucking die!
Except Arceus was steadily beginning to look like a kicked puppy and even turned its head to look at the ground.
And then Arceus said, “zor,” and Izuku had to raise a brow because that was not a sound Arceus should make. Zor, wasn’t apart of Arceus’ name nor did it sound like it’s cry. “Zorua…” it said again and in a flash of black and red, Arceus shrunk into a tiny Zorua with red tipped black fur and blue on black eyes.
A/N:
How do I add that pretty note section I see on other fics? I can't seem to figure it out.
Also, what's the protocol on gift fics? I got this idea while reading a pokemon/BNHA crossover and while this is different, I did take a few ideas from that author. Plus Regrets, was on the mind while writing this, so it probably has animal!Toshi vibes too. Am I supposed to ask before posting even though it doesn't take place in the same universe as their stories? How does that work?
Anyway, hope you all enjoyed the story so far.