Chapter Text
It was bright.
What? You expect me to say something else when referencing the first breath I took outside of my egg's shell?
It was bright; blindingly so. The only sound that registered was distorted, and at the time, I doubt I even knew what sound was. It was all just so... oppressive.
My father, Ookido Yukinari-Hakase, or as most people know him, Professor Samuel Oak, was the first blurry face I saw. Later, I discovered that from birth, Pokémon tend to 'imprint' on the first face they see, marking them as family.
Professor Oak is my family.
He cared for me since that very first day, and then later, at aged four, my father saw a potential in me that he'd seen in no other Pokémon before...
You see, my father researches the relationships between people and Pokémon. He's actually in the top band of Pokémon researchers worldwide, considered a legend and revered as one of The '7 Pokémon Professors'. He's contributed magnificent amounts of research and knowledge towards the discovery of Pokémon relations.
Each one of these Pokémon professors have contributed to a specific cause revolving around Pokémon. Professor Elm studies Pokémon breeding patterns, whilst Professor Rowan specialises in Pokémon evolutionary patterns, (so on and so forth).
But I digress. All in all, it was pretty ironic that my father was the one researching Pokémon/Human relation, as I, as a Pokémon, have a quirk, - something that has only been precedented within humans. Not only that, but he also acts as my surrogate father, despite being human, after all. It's rather fitting, really.
My dad loves his job; he's great with Pokémon. Even though he can't actually understand the other Pokémon like I can, he is still rarely wrong in interpreting what we need or want. It's because he cares so much about all Pokémon, that he's so talented at understanding them. Also due to him being a researcher, we live in the largest renowned Poké-centre/research facility in Japan. This meant I was at least able to make lots of friends out of the other residents -although most of them left at young ages to go to beginner trainers that needed their first Pokémon.
My dad never gave me up though. In a very special way, I guess he understood that I wouldn't do as well as I could in life if I were simply given away. We were family, and he understood that.
As I was saying earlier though, it was discovered, just a month after my fourth birthday, that I was unlike any other Pokémon to exist. I had no limit to my potential growth in my moveset, allowing me to recall and re-perform moves that I had learnt without ever forgetting any -unlike all my other Pokémon counterparts who were limited to knowing only four moves at a time (a nature-induced rule created due to the Legendaries fearing that the world would turn to chaos from powerful, greedy Pokémon if they had every move available to them at all times).
I also understood human speech to the same degree as a normal human child my age at the time. I was capable of comprehending the alphabet, along with numeracy -counting up to twenty at age four wasn't bad at all in my own honest opinion, especially for a Pokémon, that was absurd. I even displayed abnormal rates of brain activity when my father went to diagnose my enigmatic capabilities.
Whilst none of these things were at all unordinary for the normal kid, the reason I was such an enigmatic existence was that no Pokémon, in existence, had ever developed a quirk, let alone displayed levels of intellect to this degree -including most Psychic Pokémon.
It was found out that my quirk was very simple, yet very illogical to fully comprehend and explain: It gave me 'limitless potential' so long as I practiced and put remarkable effort into anything I do. That's not to say I find everything easy- not in the slightest. But because of this all, I was forever considered a paradox -but that's okay with me.
At first, they wanted to take me away. To study me. Put me under blade and surgical instrument until they figured out how to... replicate me. To work out how to create other Pokémon like me.
Thankfully, Professor Oak ran them away. He denied all the Government's methods of claiming my ownership, protecting me from their hungry, rabid gazes. The only repercussion to keeping me to himself, was an agreement to continuously update my record and 'explore my potential as best as possible' (meticulously study me). That wasn't that bad, though, since Professor Oak was always analysing things regardless (it was his job), so it hardly affected my home life as I had already grown used to it. I also don't doubt that he would have wanted to provide me with all education possible for me to thrive and grow, regardless of the 'agreement' to explore my total limits in mental acuity.
When the papers came in that same year, certifying that I was a legal citizen of Japan, I never felt happier, past nor future. That was the single happiest milestone of my life up to that point, when Professor Oak strolled up to me with an enormous, eye-reaching smile, hand outstretched and displaying the adoption file, birth certificate and citizenship papers. I cried openly, feeling over-the-moon and definitely expressing my joy through endless hugs that year. He explained to me how hard it was for him to pull enough strings to get these papers for a Pokémon, due to how I wasn't human, yet luckily with his authoritative power and influence as a world-leading scientist, he managed to miraculously get it done.
All for me.
Biological son or not, that day I knew my father truly cares for me.
Then, after the issue with guardianship and individuality was dealt with, it was just a simple journey of me trying to improve my skills and prepare for my future.
At the age of five, I had already learnt several new attack and defence skills, and my dad never failed to remind me of just how amazing I was and proud he was of me. Then on my seventh birthday, I had told my dad that I didn't want to be caught and forced to become some else's Pokémon sidekick. That I wanted to become my own hero, and to save people with a smile as the first Pokémon to ever debut as their own individual.
Dad cried happy tears when he heard my dream. Said that he would be proud if I lead my own path following my dreams to become a hero, and that he would do anything to help me achieve it, and a year later, he gave me the most incredible birthday gift I could have ever have asked for: A prototype, custom-made Luxury Pokéball that acted as my own portable home. It was unlike any other Pokéball in existence, with the sharp looks of both a premier ball and luxury ball mixed together, and due to how it registered my own ownership over me as 'belonging to myself', instead of being caught by someone else, I was indefinitely and unchangeably my own Pokémon.
It meant that I had no fear of ever being abducted and forced to fight for someone else. That I was legally 'my own' trainer.
I had to refrain from crushing my dad with the biggest hug I had ever given anyone that day.
Each year following that was similar, with me learning new moves to add to my repertoire, training to perfect them, as well as enjoying my youthful years as a pup.
I was pretty young when my dad taught me more about the exceedingly rare breed of Pokémon that I am. As a Riolu, I was regarded as the 'Emanation' Pokémon, and I then discovered why I could always sense all these different, vibrant, mingling auras surrounding me. Due to my final evolutionary stage being Lucario, the 'Aura' Pokémon, I had (and still have) the unique ability of sensing auras -though less prominently as a young, un-evolved Riolu. I could sense when people or Pokémon were happy, sad or angry, or I could subtly manipulate other people's emotions myself, but I've always hated doing that so it wasn't something I practiced.
I was nine when I discovered something extraordinary.
I could speak telepathically.
Whilst at first, I thought it made me freaky and therefore refused to do it outside of the lab with my dad, it was still apparently astonishing to him. Only very few other Pokémon were known to have communicative abilities, and almost all of them were Psychic-type Pokémon, Legendaries/Mythicals, and Pokémon such as Chatots. As a Riolu, I was only Fighting-type, so it was just another revolutionary discovery regarding me. I later found out, however, that it was due to my kind's gift for Aura that I was able to communicate my thoughts through it by bridging a mental connection with others to hear me.
That was also the start of me being able to actually hold two-way conversations for the first time in my life, since I've never been able to write very well with my paws. Finally being able to say 'I love you' to my dad was the best feeling I ever felt in years.
No matter how old I got, however, when I left the laboratory to go outside with or without Professor Oak, I was still always treated like a baby that hardly understood what the ice cream man meant when he asked 'Which flavour would you like, little guy?', however I guess expecting them to treat me like a human my age was a little presumptuous of me.
Anyone who did discover how intelligent I was (usually through my eventual irritated resignation through telepathy), just ended up treating me like some strange, enigmatic circus creature anyhow, so that wasn't much better than the baby-talk. Inescapable prejudice surrounded me wherever I went due to my nature as a Pokémon, so it was pointless trying to hide from it.
Apparently, just the label 'Pokémon' was enough for me to be written off as below humans, like a pet. A sidekick or companion, but never in the lime-light.
Someday, I'll prove them all wrong about me though.
I was thirteen when I finally evolved into a Lucario, and I felt so accomplished for reaching such a high stage at such an accordingly 'inexperienced, young age' from Prof Oak. For years, I put in endless amounts of effort in order to be prepared for my goal. I had to work harder than anyone else if I wanted to have any sort of chance against the prejudicial world when I entered the top hero school in Japan, Yueei High. U.A. only had a 0.02% rate of admission, and that was between all the kids who had super strong quirks as well as reliable and dependable Pokémon teammates. That meant I would have to fight not only against individual people for my place during the upcoming exams, but against their equally strong companions as well.
Naturally, I of course decided to put in place a training regiment to combat my clear disadvantage. I would wake up early each day, and work my butt off at the local seaside, Dagobah Municipal Beach. I would spend my day hauling mountains of trash away for collection to be recycled, hours upon hours upon -guess what?- more hours of back-breaking labour.
It felt endless.
Every muscle ached in my body, which constantly protested the strain I put myself under, but I never gave up. I continued training my body to get stronger, and frankly, I couldn't have made a smarter decision. By training non-stop daily for many years, I managed to raise my IV level exponentially.
That's another thing regarding me, that was previously unprecedented and believed to be impossible to achieve.
See, there are two affecting factors when measuring a Pokémon's strength: EV's, and IV's.
A Pokémon can increase their base 'statistics' (measurable physical capability) by defeating other Pokémon and levelling up -this is common knowledge. By defeating another Pokémon, whatever that opponent's best base stat is (take a Gastly's high Special Attack for example), would contribute towards improving your own Special Attack stat. It takes four EV's (four opponents of that stat specifically) to raise that specific stat level by one, therefore making you a stronger Pokémon than the average of your species at that level. It's much like the accurate saying 'experience determines the victor in battle' -more experience = more capability.
On the other hand, it was universally agreed that Pokémon are simply born with unchangeable IV stats, ranging through 1-31. The higher the IV number for any stat (Speed, Attack, Health, etc), the stronger you naturally were as a Pokémon of your species.
For example, if two Charizards fought against each-other at the same level and neither had improved through EV's, the one with the higher IV's would theoretically win. It could be visualised simply as that Charizard having 'better genetics' which made it naturally stronger. Like survival of the fittest, they were simply born with a stronger physical disposition than those who are thin, weak or frail; that's how natural selection weeds out the weak from the strong.
No one believed that a Pokémon's IV's could change from birth. That it was just 'luck of the draw'. Like genetics, they could not be altered (naturally -but genetic engineering is highly illegal, so we won't go into that).
I can confidently say, however, that people simply don't explore their logical options hard enough.
Pokémon generally don't train, with the only real exception being fighting types who like to visit gyms. Pokémon therefore only ever get their exercise and growth through battling. This has always simply been because they aren't generally as... intelligent as humans, and so do not care about training their muscles or doing any form of external exercises past 'let's fight each-other' with others.
But why would no-one consider the fact that if IV's act as a 'natural strength stat' regarding a Pokémon, then all they had to do was train and build up some muscle and such in order to improve that 'natural strength'. There's nothing stopping a weak, thin person from training their muscles to become bigger and stronger, is there?
Humans are admittedly dumb sometimes, but at least I have an advantage there against others, I guess?
Anyway, in other words, for years I've trained on improving my natural IV stats tremendously, however have only battled other Pokémon a handful of times before in my life, thus meaning I have gained hardly any EV points. This means that I am naturally extremely strong, however have little real battle experience, despite my training. Hopefully I can catch up on that once I'm at hero school, but it should just require literal experience to improve that, so it shouldn't be too impossible, right?
... Probably.
Another thing to note, is that since birth, I've always kind-of struggled expressing my inner emotions. As a Riolu, I could perfectly express my emotions through common, toothy smiles and lots of hugs, however once I evolved into a Lucario, I found it harder to express myself past a piercing, stoic glare that rests on my face naturally. It's really annoying, since apparently having a 'face that looks like a bag of spanners' is a universal trait and characteristic between Lucario as a species and not really something I can help without constant conscious effort.
At least, that's what I was jokingly told I looked like at all times by my father. According to him, I developed a 'face that looks like I'm perpetually irritated at life itself', which always makes me pout when I hear. He means that as a joke and only smiles widely when he says it with a chuckle, so I never get upset, however it has made me try more about 'fixing' my expression.
Anyway, currently, I'm fifteen (-almost sixteen!), but for the last many years I've been learning mixed martial arts under the tuition of many of the other Fighting-type Pokémon in the facility. A Sawk, Machop and Throh taught me karate and judo respectively, whilst the Hitmon-evolution species' (Hitmonchan, Hitmonlee and Hitmontop) all taught me boxing, kickboxing and capoeira, as well as trained me in combat against several enemies at once, which was really hard but worth every moment of training as I feel I learnt a lot.
A Hariyama, at one stage, offered to teach me a few sumo-wrestling moves, however I denied lessons due to my light weight and small frame. I'm built more for manuevering and speed with strong but quick attacks, so pulling people around using my bodyweight didn't really fit with my -still incredibly diverse- style. The same was said for Machamp trying to teach me wrestling. In the end there were still one or two moves that I could incorporate from each of them into my fighting style, however, so I did ask to learn one or two specific things that I'd seen them do or perform, such as how Hariyama manages to tense their muscles to improve their defence (because hitting him was like hitting rock), as well as Machamp's pile-driver technique to wind someone who's already on the ground to leave them breathless and open.
One thing that I always struggled with since their full development, however, are the large spikes that protrude from each of my paws at the top by my knuckles/wrist. At first, I wasn't sure how to use them effectively, since whilst they're sharp, they're on the back of my paws, making it slightly awkward to slash with them depending on the position of my paws to my enemies. Luckily, however, the Professor noticed my difficulties and managed to somehow get a super cool Bisharp from overseas to come and train me for a year! He was incredible, and definitely the best tutor I could ever ask for since the Bisharp belonged to a retired Pro-Hero, and therefore had lots of experience. Their species is also somewhat similar in shape and structure to me, so the methods that he used in combat translated perfectly over to me. He definitely left me with a lot of techniques to practice, which I'm eternally thankful for.
Another thing I forgot to mention that I trained, was my aura reading abilities. Since my evolution into a Lucario, I've been able to utilise my Aura in ways that allow me to attack, as well as locate others or fight disguised or hidden enemies. I can also now sense Aura around me far more acutely, and to a further degree in both scale and distance, which is incredibly useful.
All in all, I've been training very hard to prepare for my future, and soon I'm going to be heading off to chase my dream, starting with the entrance exam for U.A. Hopefully it won't be too much of a struggle due to how much effort I've put into this, but I'll be prepared for anything. I'm sure of it.
My name is Izuku Midoriya, and I'm going to become the first ever Pokémon Hero!