Chapter Text
Izuku was four years old when the doctors told him he was quirkless, subsequently crushing his dreams. He was four years old when he became an outcast of society, labeled weak and worthless, a boy who would amount to nothing because he wasn’t born extraordinary. He was four years old when the teasing stopped being playful and started being malicious, bordering on violent.
He was also four years old when he first got himself an unusual, and arguably rare, starter Pokemon.
It was a common sight, seeing a school bus roll up to Professor Oak’s research lab in Pallet Town. At the age of four, children were allowed to gain a Pokemon from a certified Pokemon professor to which would, more often than not, become their lifelong partner and friend, given that they did not already have a partner in mind from a relative. Granted, schools needed parental permission for such a big step, but in a world where Pokemon were crucial fixtures of the family household as well as the glue that kept society together, no parent in their right mind would deny their child of their first fated companion.
Inko Midoriya was no exception.
She knew her son was upset. He was diagnosed quirkless, his dreams crushed, and she had not made matters any better when she broke down crying in front of him. She could hardly look at her son for a few days after the diagnosis without feeling a gnawing pit of shame and guilt. So when Izuku came home one day buzzing with excitement and waving a permission slip for the famed trip to get a Pokemon, she couldn’t say no. Perhaps having a friend by his side would take his mind off of his predicament. Inko herself remembers how happy she was when she first got her Chikorita. If Izuku got a starter Pokemon, then maybe he wouldn’t be as crestfallen.
So yes, she signed the slip, and hence there was Izuku, riding in the back of the bus by himself as the other kids hooted and hollered at each other, ready and eager to take the next step in their lives. The boy shifted in nervous excitement, wanting to join in the conversations but too self-conscious to do so. He learned early on that being labeled quirkless also meant everyone ignoring you, or worse. So despite all the things he wanted to say, all the type-advantages and base stats and evolutions he could be gushing about, he chose to simply sit there and try not to be singled out.
Fate seemed to have other plans, however.
“Of course, I doubt there’d be any Pokemon who’d want to be Deku’s partner!”
Izuku flinched at the telltale rambunctious voice of Katsuki Bakugou. The firecracker of a boy was turned in his seat, grinning maliciously at Izuku. The other kids turned to do the same, and Izuku felt his face burn in shame at the laughter and chorus of agreements.
His mouth moved against his better judgement. “Th-that’s not true!” Izuku protested. “Pokemon are empathetic creatures! I’ve read that starter Pokemon really love kids, and that they’re always happy for human playma—”
There was a crackling sound, and Izuku flinched again at the sparks flying from Katsuki’s small palms. “You calling me a liar, Deku?!” he snarled. The other kids scooted away. None wanted to get in the way of Katsuki Bakugou, even at the age of four.
Something shifted in Katsuki’s lap. A Cyndaquil lifted itself from where it had laid, and nuzzled its face into Katsuki’s shirt. The boy glared for another minute, before clicking his tongue and sitting forward with a huff. “Whatever,” he breathed out, loud enough for everyone to hear. “No Pokemon would want to partner up with a quirkless nerd like Deku anyways.”
And through it all, the teachers pretended not to hear a word.
It was nothing new anyways. Izuku could deal with it. He wasn't going to let one bad encounter ruin his day.
Or so he thought.
They arrived at the lab, the children hopping off the vehicle and watching with enchantment at the multitude of Pokemon from all around the world that were frolicking in the neighboring field—Rapidash of Kanto, Azumarills from Johto, a flock of Altaria from Hoenn, a group of Bibarells of Sinnoh, a herd of Zebstrika from Unova, a family of Diggersby originating from Kalos, a pack of Lycanroc typically exclusive to Alola, and so much more. They immediately ran off to catch a closer view, with the teachers and other adults stumbling after and calling them back. Izuku was, of course, forgotten amongst the crowd.
He began to jog after them, trying to go as fast as his little four-year old legs would take him, when he heard the cry of another Pokemon. He paused, curiosity getting the better of him, and looked round. His eyes caught the sight of a blur of blue that hopped up into a berry tree, and Izuku changed course towards the wooden fence that separated the field from the road. He peeked through the logs, watching and waiting with bated breath for the Pokemon to reappear. It did, and Izuku couldn’t help but grin at the sight before him. A little Riolu hopped down from the tree, holding in its little arms three Oran Berries. It popped one into its mouth, making a noise of contentedness. Izuku giggled. The Riolu’s ears twitched, and it immediately turned towards the young boy. Izuku almost stumbled back, but he managed to save face and give a shy wave. The Riolu tilted its head in curiosity, before the call of a researcher from the direction of the lab caused it to scuttle back indoors. Though, it did spare a second glance at the little boy watching it with sparkling, hopeful eyes.
Once the Riolu was out of sight, Izuku remembered his reason for being there, and sprinted indoors to try and locate his class. It didn't take him long—a large mass of enthusiastic children was not hard to find, after all. An aging man in a lab coat—presumably Professor Oak—was saying something, and as Izuku took his place at the back of the crowd, he could make out the words.
“—very lucky, because it just so happens that we have starters available from all the regions!”
A wave of his hand, and an assistant opened up a door. A large assortment of starter Pokemon darted out almost immediately, and the other kids, Izuku included, squealed out in excitement. The professor gave the go to start choosing partners, and the kids immediately scrambled forward to get their favorite. The only ones who stayed back were those who already had their starter, all given to them by a relative. Katsuki was among those few, having only come to boast about how his Cyndaquil was stronger than everyone else's starters.
Izuku wandered around, eyeing each of the Pokemon and trying to figure out which one he'd work best with. Bulbasaur, Mudkip, Litten, Oshawott, Chespin, Chikorita, Chimchar...
But in his heart, he knew what he wanted most.
He approached a Torchic that was happily chirping away and scuttling around the room. It stopped upon seeing his approach, and looked at him with curiosity shining in it's eyes. Izuku's own eyes gleamed as he crouched down to be at eye level. A Torchic. The first evolutionary stage of Blaziken, the partner Pokemon of All Might. All Might. His hero. He had to have a Torchic!
“Hi there!” he greeted. Izuku held out his hand. “Would you please be my partner?”
The Torchic looked at his hand, then at his face. It leaned back a little and then—
And then it head-butted Izuku.
The boy yelped in pain, falling back on his rear as the Torchic skipped away. Izuku could hear his classmates howling in laughter around him. The shame was crawling up his neck again as he rubbed his sore forehead. A brush on his arm made him startle a little, and he looked to his side to find the Riolu from earlier standing next to him. There was a paw at Izuku's back, while the other was held out to him. He gratefully took it, and the Riolu helped him back to his feet.
“Thank you,” he muttered, sniffiling as he tried to bury his remaining embarrassment. The Riolu nodded, turning as it heard one of the assistants approaching.
“Ah, I'm very sorry!” he exclaimed. “I'm afraid that particular Torchic is a bit too mischievous. Is your head okay?”
Izuku nodded, opening his mouth to say something, but Bakugou interjected. “It must've sensed that Deku was quirkless, and decided not to bother with such a weak trainer!”
There was subtle shift in the atmosphere as the other children nodded along, as if it were the logical conclusion. The other starters shifted away from Izuku, some looked curiously at him, and many began to ignore him. Izuku was oblivious to it all. The Riolu sensed the shift in aura, and regarded it's environment with keen eyes.
The researcher frowned, and opened his mouth to say something when a teacher approached. “Pardon me, but is that a Riolu?”
The researcher practically lit up, moving to show off the little blue Pokemon. “Why yes! They’re indigenous to Sinnoh so they’re pretty rare in this region, and this one in particular comes with his surprises too, because, hear this, he knows how to use Vacuum Wave and Aura Sphere! See, Vacuum Wave must be specially bred into the Riolu line, while Aura Sphere can only be learned after it evolves. Strangely enough, we actually found him in the wild…”
The teacher began to shoo Izuku off, still listening with mild fascination about the Riolu at their feet. Izuku set off to find a partner again, hopefully with more luck. He didn't notice the pair of ruby eyes following him away, curious and glinting with a plan.
oOo
Izuku was upset. Izuku was distraught. Izuku was going to cry.
After that little fiasco with the Torchic, none of the starters wanted to partner with him. They ran off when he came near, snarled when he tried to pet them, or ignored him when he attempted to talk to them. The professor and his assistants did their best to persuade one of them, any of them, to be his partner, but they were either too shy to partner with anyone, too proud to be trained by a quirkless kid, or already taken by another student.
It didn’t help that the other children were becoming increasingly mean as the day continued.
“Look! He’s quirkless and partnerless!”
“How lame!”
“Not even the Pokemon think he’s good enough!”
“He should stop trying.”
“Typical Deku!”
The professor could only do so much before there’s nothing left they to do. They had no choice but to move on if they were to keep schedule. But Izuku felt numb throughout the whole ordeal. First, his dreams of being a Pro-Hero were crushed. Now, he couldn’t even become a decent Pokemon trainer?
The world was a cruel place indeed.
By the time the class was set to return home, the sun was setting and Izuku remained both quirkless and partnerless. The teachers ushered the children into single-file lines, all of them chattering animatedly about their dreams as heroes or champions with their trusty partner by their side. All except for Izuku, that is. He felt an endless hole in his heart at the sight of them all. All of his classmates took their first steps towards their futures as Pokemon trainers, leaving him in the dust once again. He could stand being quirkless. But being without Pokemon? What kind of life was that?
Izuku dragged his feet behind him, last in line. When he glanced up, he caught the spiteful look from Katsuki from further ahead. He sneered at Izuku, and turning to say something to the boys that followed him close behind. They glanced Izuku’s way and laughed, and he shrunk in on himself.
More students flowed into the bus, and Izuku couldn’t help but glance back at the lab, a deep sense of longing latching onto him. He had dared to dream—dared to hope —that he could turn his fate around. That he could not be useless Deku, not be so defenseless anymore. But it was a fool’s hope.
With a deep sigh, he turned back to the line, watching as Katsuki scooped up his Cyndaquil in his arms and prepared to board.
They all jumped at a sudden, shrill cry coming from the direction of the lab.
Izuku whirled around first, his eyes darting around to find the source. It’s familiar, he registered seconds before he spotted a blue blur headed straight for him. The Professor made a startled noise, moving in to try and catch the Riolu before it barreled straight at the child, but the Pokemon was too fast. It slid between his legs, leaped up without a single moment of hesitation, and continued it’s path towards Izuku. He squeaked in response, tripping over his own two feet when he tried to take a step back, and fell in the process. The Riolu didn’t falter, not until it was right in front of Izuku where it stopped, shoved something round into his hands, and disappeared in a flash of red.
He registered the round object in his hand twitching twice before becoming still. When he looked down, he had to take a moment to convince himself he wasn’t imagining what he saw. There, in his little four-year old hands, was a Pokeball.
No one said anything for the longest moment. Then—
“Well.”
Professor Oak blinked down at Izuku before letting out a boisterous laugh. “It seems you have an eager candidate after all!”
The words hadn’t quite registered in everyone else’s heads yet. That is, not until the little ball in his hands popped open, and the Riolu was nuzzling Izuku’s arm in the next moment. Still not quite believing what was happening, he raised a hesitant hand. The Riolu bumped its head against it and made a sound that could only be described as a delighted purr.
That’s when the situation hit Izuku like a truck.
Tears welled up in his eyes, and in an instant he had his scrawny little arms wrapped around the Pokemon as he wept with joy. The Riolu gave a reassuring pat on his back, as if affirming that no, this isn’t a dream and yes, it would gladly take Izuku on as its trainer.
When the teacher came to the same realization, she took a hesitant step towards the professor. “Um. Didn’t you say you were using that Riolu for research? Are you okay with letting Midoriya-kun here just…take it?”
Hearing that, Izuku squeezed the Pokemon—his Pokemon—tighter. He had just gotten it! They couldn’t take it away from him now! It was the only one that wanted him!
As if hearing his thoughts—or perhaps understanding the conversation and feeling a similar sense of connection—the Riolu let out a low growl.
Professor Oak laughed at the reaction. “Oh, I don’t mind,” he confessed. “We were pretty much finished with our research anyways. In fact, we had been planning on releasing him back to the wild by tomorrow afternoon! If he wants to train under little Midoriya here, then I say let him!” He chuckled, walking over and leaning down to give the Riolu an affectionate rub on the head. “Besides, this little guy’s stubborn. I bet if we were to take him away now, he wouldn’t want to cooperate with us anymore!” He looked at Midoriya next. “Do you promise to take good care of this little guy, Midoriya-kun?”
Izuku gave a vigorous nod. “I—I will do my best to raise him and love him better than anyone else!” he swore through his hiccups, wiping away his tears.
“Good!” Professor Oak straightened, turning back to the teacher. “Now, raising a Riolu isn’t particularly hard since they are, more often than not, independent and can be self-sustaining if need be, but nonetheless, raising one is a bit different than raising a normal starter. I’d appreciate it if you’d inform Mrs. Midoriya to give me a call so I can give her the specifics. That will be all, if I'm not mistaken!” He gave a single, cheerful clap. “Once again, I thank you for taking your class here today! I always find joy in setting future trainers on their path!” Again, he turned to Izuku, and gave a wink. “Who knows? One day, they could even turn out to be a renowned trainer like All Might!”
Izuku’s heart soared .
“Yeah right!”
They turned to meet Katsuki’s vindictive glare. “Just because you have a different starter than everyone else doesn’t make you any better, Deku!” he hissed, and with that, he stormed up into the bus, his friends scrambling to follow. When he was out of sight, the Riolu turned up his nose and blew a raspberry in his direction. Despite being a bit horrified at the idea of what Katsuki might have done had he seen that, Izuku couldn’t help but stifle a laugh.
“Now, isn’t he just precious,” Professor Oak quipped.
The teacher waved a dismissive hand. “Boys will be boys,” she reasoned. “Come on, Midoriya-kun. Let’s all get on the bus.”
The professor frowned at her reply, not quite convinced, but chose to look at Izuku instead. “You know, Midoriya-kun, you should name him!” He gave a supportive smile. “He is going to be your lifelong partner from now on, after all.”
Izuku paused as he stood up, and thought about it for a moment. He looked at his Riolu. His Riolu stared back at him. Then, Izuku smiled. “Does Rio sound good to you?”
The Riolu brightened, and let out an excited noise.
Izuku shared the sentiment, grinning from ear to ear. “Alright then, Rio! Let’s become the best heroes the world has ever seen!”
Quite frankly, Izuku Midoriya had no idea just what laid in store for him in the future, but with a partner like Rio by his side…
Well.
He had ten more years to prepare for it, didn’t he?