The Human and His Lopunny

by Burningbloom78

Life with the Family

Of the past a tale of solemnity.

There once was a little bundle of joy living in the slums of a forgotten ruined settlement. She was abandoned, left to fend for herself in the hostile hamlet full of dangerous wolf creatures, frightening bugs, and menacing abominations.

Lost and without her trusty egg, the joyous tyke tried her best to survive, but every day presented challenges the tiny Pokémon just couldn't handle, and she got sick as a result. One day, she was being relentlessly hunted by a tenacious giant purple terror with a tail laced with poison. She ran for her life, ducking and dodging the monster's harrying strikes, but then she came to a wall that impeded her escape.

Fatigued and sick, the little tyke couldn't muster up the strength to defend herself and resigned her fate to the vicious claws of the monster. As the creature closed in to deliver the killing blow, a Lopunny came to the rescue accompanied by a human with bracers clasped tightly around his wrists.

He dived into the terrified tyke, deftly blocking the murderous strike with his bracers before cradling her within his arms while issuing commands to the eager Lopunny. The brown rabbit was nimble, easily avoiding the purple creature's dark slashes. She dodges a powerful sweep from the creature's tail, then climbs onto it and dashes towards the creature's face to deliver a swift and destructive kick that whiplashed the air around the two Pokémon; The Lopunny's Mega Kick cracked the creature's hardened shell, knocking the horrid beast out cold as it fell to the ground in silence.

Now victorious, the human began to heal the sick Pokémon with powerful medicine. Safe and saved by her heroes, the little tyke gave them both a hug, but then she felt sorrow wash over her as she realized one thing: She didn't have her egg. It was separated from her when she was running from scary-looking wolves. The human laughed and told the little pink Pokémon he and his Lopunny will help her find the egg. Eternally grateful to her new allies, the little Pokémon and her saviors set out to find the lost egg.

During their search, a budding connection began to blossom between the human and the little pink tyke, and when they did find the egg, the human asked if the little Pokémon would like to come with him. Without hesitation, the Pokémon merrily danced around the human and his Lopunny accepting the invitation to become part of his family.

---

Nian stared out at the distant blue sky. The brown rabbit already missed her partner; she missed being by his side. She was forced to stay behind to be around the other Pokémon. Nian didn't hate the others, she loves most of them, but she was always around Joey ever since they met. The rabbit preferred to be with him than anyone else.

As Nian lamented Joey's absence in silence, she and Yuna heard the rambunctious singing coming from the happiest Chansey they've ever known. They turned to see Lena dancing down the stairs with a smile permanently plastered on her pink face. The upbeat Chansey wrapped Nian and Yuna in a heartfelt hug that wrung out all the air from their lungs.

Lena vehemently shouts, "Morning, sisters!" Her bubbly voice rang into the eardrums of the captive Pokémon. "I'm so, so, so, so happy to see you both! I came down to fix everyone's breakfast! Happy times ahead!"

Yuna, and even Nian surprisingly, struggled to escape Lena's killer embrace. They tapped on the pink Chansey's head in a desperate attempt to breathe in life's sweet oxygen. Fortunately, Lena obliged their fervent requests and let them go. The two Pokémon fell to the ground gasping for air.

Lena shimmied her way towards the kitchen. "Yuna, do you want to help? Your eggs are so delicious; you HAVE to show me how you cook them!"

That's right. Yuna, Lena, and to an extent, Nian, all know how to properly cook food. They gained this skill by having Joey instruct them; Joey and his parents were usually the ones who prepared the village's meals, so naturally, he passed the skills to his Pokémon that were willing to learn.

Yuna and Lena were naturals while Nian... wasn't that good. She almost poisoned Joey one time with her cooking, and since then the rabbit never held a skillet again, not that Joey allowed it, but because the rabbit was afraid of hurting her partner.

"O-okay," Yuna murmured, holding her paws against her chest delicately; Yuna always had a maiden's modesty and gentle nature. Nian always wondered how beautiful Yuna would look in a dress. "I'll be t-t-there soon." Yuna meekly faces Nian and shakes lightly, saying, "Be r-right back, okay?"

Before Nian could respond, the two Pokémon saw Jenny skimming down the steps gracefully; she left a fading trail of beautiful frost behind. She approaches the two Pokémon, towering over them with those mysterious cold eyes and bows. Quickly, Yuna sloppily bows back almost slipping while Nian gave a quick nod.

Jenny was always a hard Pokémon to pin down; she never drops her icy demeanor, but that didn't mean she never reward anyone for showing manners. She takes the long icicle out of her mouth, which is called a Nevermeltice, and studies Yuna. As the name suggests, it is ice that never melts. Jenny holds it like a pencil and expertly draws in the air a miniature ice sculpture of Yuna and hands it to her as a gift. Being part Psychic certainly is a major blessing.

Yuna's eyes glistened as she hugged Jenny before going upstairs to put the sculpture in a safe place. After, Jenny studied Nian's well-toned figure and attempted to draw her, but the brown rabbit respectfully declined Jenny's gift.

Lena peeks her head out and says, "Jen! Good morning!" Jenny bowed as Lena did the same. "Going outside?" Jenny nods silently. "Okay! I'm making breakfast with Yuna, so be sure to come inside once we're done. Speaking of... Yuna, let's go already!"

"S-sorry!" Yuna replied from the top of the stairs. She makes her way down and stood in front of Lena. "O-okay, I'm ready..."

"Then come on, let's get cooking!" Lena grabs Yuna and drags her into the kitchen.

Nian sighed and shook her head. Lena was always a joyful Pokémon, even when times were tough for Joey. Lena was always there to put a great big smile on that loveable idiot's face, and Nian, though she never told the Chansey, was eternally grateful.

Following Jenny outside, Nian leaps onto the roof and confronts the ever-vigilant Metagross. Being a large robotic Pokémon, Mechan barely eats or sleeps opting only to survey its surroundings instead. A short memory serves that Joey had to force Mechan to eat... well... anything. A Pokémon is still a Pokémon, whether it is flesh or not.

"Joey has gone away; he left his home and flew towards a castle off in the distance," Mechan spoke coldly. "Estimated time is... inconclusive; additional information is required. Nian," it says, "what is the purpose of your visit?"

Nian informed Mechan of the errand Joey was running and how he decided to not bring her along. She went on about how rightfully angry she was since she and Joey always did everything together down to insanely personal things. Even with that spiel, Nian told Mechan that here she was, chilling at the house while Joey went with some purple horse. As far as Nian was concerned, Joey could be in danger.

"Do you doubt Joey's strength?" the large robot asked, shifting its eyes towards the blue sky. "Hmm... Do you believe Joey is incapable of handling situations without your aid?"

Nian told the Metagross she had no reason to ever doubt Joey in any capacity. How could she? Before she came along, Joey was surviving an endless snowstorm without her help up until she met him. She could never doubt his strength, she trains with him regularly in hand-to-hand combat; What was there to fear from Joey getting into a fight? He'd be able to snap the neck of virtually any living creature if he wished, not even counting the bracers which ensure his protection.

Joey isn't a fool; he's not some gullible punk that is easily tricked into doing things he's not fully aware of. She trusted Joey's wisdom to make the right judgments. If anything, it was Nian who would require help in many situations; The Lopunny is a feisty Pokémon, and she knows she can't punch and kick her way through many problems.

"Then why worry about our human when he can take care of himself?" Mechan asked, but it already knew the answer. "Your fear and worries are valid; Joey went to an unknown location with a character we know hardly anything about to talk about something in an indefinite amount of time. However, this is Joey, nothing out here could hinder or harm our human friend. Calm yourself."

Nian sighed and rubbed one of her long ears. She told the Metagross that it was right. There was a saying: Even if you had complete and total faith in your friend or loved one(s), that never stopped the feeling of uneasiness you would feel, that you care for them and their safety. Nian has full faith in Joey's abilities, but that didn't mean she worried.

To veer from this gloomy conversation, Nian told the Metagross that Lena and Yuna are making breakfast for all the Pokémon.

"Really?" Mechan said with a slight interest. It tore its gaze from the sky to Nian. "I haven't had their food in quite some time. It's Joey who normally cooks for us. He's been feeding us regular human food for a while."

Mechan was right. Most Pokémon are omnivorous while other types of Pokémon fed on elements like electricity and fire, dreams... nightmares, even emotions like love and anger... or anything else along those lines. The human even made curry when he visited the Galar Region. Joey didn't leave anything out; he cooked a myriad of food for his Pokémon family: Poké Blocks, Poffin, and Poké Puffs were often treated as sugary delights or dessert after a hefty meal.

Nian's mouth began to water at the thought of tasting Joey's delicious, succulent Poké Puffs. Every human has a guilty pleasure and the same applies to Pokémon. Sadly, those small, cake-like confectionery delights were... heavily limited on account of Nian's greed. There was a time when Joey made a whole batch of Poké Puffs one night and Nian ate every single one, leaving none for the rest of the Pokémon. Her love for Poké Puffs had at one point gotten her pretty chunky and Joey had to put his foot down, making the sugary pastries once every six months. The worst part was that Nian had to share.

Shaking herself from the vivid daydream, Nian bid farewell to Mechan and jumped from the roof. She skips over to Nils's trees and called out to the mighty avian.

Heeding the call, Nils flew from his nest and glided to the ground to greet his buddy. "Well, if it isn't Miss Iron Legs. How's ya doin'?"

Out of all of Joey's Pokémon Nils is the only one who speaks with an accent often heard from the metropolis of New Tork City in Unova. Nils claims he stayed there for a few years on account of finding strong Pokémon and Pokémon Trainers, and over time, the city's dialect crept into his speech and never left.

"Hey, hey, I got a new one for ya," the bird said excitedly as he attempted to stifle a laugh. Nian facepalmed and groaned. "Aw, come on Miss Iron Legs, it's a good one. Okay, okay, here it is: What do ya get with a buck-toothed rat playing the drums, huh? A Rattata! Get it?!" Nils began to wheeze from his poor joke, falling to the ground with tears in his eyes. Nian was unfazed. "Hahaha! Because... because rat-a-tat-tat-a-tat-tat when you play the drums, and Rattata the Pokémon?! Priceless!"

Nils had a thing for terrible jokes. This infatuation was manifested during one of his travels to look for strong opponents when he met a Mr. Mime and Mime Jr. Nian had those freaks to thank for the bird's endless streak of bad jokes she and the rest of the Pokémon had to endure. The only person to, unfortunately, enjoy these travesties was Joey, and it served as the main justification for why Nils won't shut up.

The brown rabbit wondered why she even cared to approach the 'jokester' if she knew this would be the outcome. Wishful thinking, perhaps. She turned to leave but the large bird pleaded with the rabbit to wait. Lamenting her choice to stay, Nian faced her irksome brother.

"Whew... Miss Iron Legs is a tough crowd; I thought I had to find an Audino to keep my fragile emotions in check," he quipped as another giggle escaped his sharp beak. "Taking a crack, I assume you didn't mosey on over here to listen to my wonderfully constructed jokes, huh? What's biting ya, a Chewtle?"

She had to make a mental note to kick Joey later. Nian gritted her teeth and struggled to tell Nils about Lena and Yuna making breakfast today.

"Thanks for the heads up, Miss Iron Legs," Nils said happily. "Are you just a messenger bird today? Funny, you don't look like a Pidove."

Nian warned the avian there will be no jokes at the table or else she'd be clipping some wings. Now, Nils knew that when Nian made a threat, it wasn't a hollow one. His backside still hurts a little from when the rabbit plucked his tail feathers. Remembering that horrible memory, Nils promised to try and not make many jokes. The bird, like most, loved his wings, and he really wouldn't want to be considered the closest relative to his ancestor, The Flightless Bird Pokémon Archen.

Satisfied, Nian started to walk toward the house, but Nils calls out to her. "Are you going to tell Narros?" he asked. "I have to stay and preen my feathers; I can't go to breakfast looking like a hot mess."

Nian didn't say a word, she didn't even turn around. Seconds pass and the rabbit told the avian what would be the point. Narros would rather be alone than be surrounded by other Pokémon; that's his nature as an Absol, and it's only been exacerbated due to his lonely upbringing.

Nils looked at Nian with his critical red eye. "Eventually you will have to stop ignoring him. He will join the others in time, so why wait?" The large bird walked over to the rabbit and started circling her. "We all know why you hate him, it's quite difficult to forget when any of us look at that Pokémon; those times are as fresh in our minds as an Alakazam using Future Sight." Nils stops in front of Nian and looked her in the eyes. "He licked Joey on the nose yesterday."

Now that got a reaction from Nian. She gets up in the avian's face and demanded to know why he or any Pokémon let Narros get that close to Joey.

"Calm down, calm down," he hissed, struggling to ease the tension the rabbit had over his feathers. Nian was no predator, but she had the eyes of one, and Nils respected that. "It was when you were asleep. Joey moves pretty fast, and before we knew it, he already had his arms locked around Narros' body. We should have a Clefairy count our lucky stars Narros decided-"

A loud, but cheery voice grabbed the two Pokémon's ears. It was Lena informing everyone that breakfast is ready and to get their butts to the kitchen table. Nian turned her attention to Narros who didn't even respond to Lena's announcement.

It seems Narros still prefers to be alone rather than be with the rest of Joey's family, and Nian didn't mind. That Absol could lay all day in the sun for all she cares.

"Hey, sis, why don't you go on ahead and I'll meet ya and the family at the window, eh?" Nils began to clean his feathers at a rapid pace; It seems the rush to get to breakfast didn't affect his skillful preening.

Nian agreed and she, with the rest of the Pokémon who were outside aside from Narros, filed into the house and made their way toward the kitchen to begin eating. Yuna and Lena made a lot of eggs: scrambled eggs, eggs over medium, eggs sunny side up, side down, with waffles laced perfectly with golden brown syrup for everyone.

Although Joey taught some of his Pokémon how to cook, he often had to watch over them to make sure they didn't go overboard. And he still hasn't taught them how to make a variety of food yet; You got to start somewhere. Unfortunately, in Joey's absence, Yuna and Lena had made too much food.

---

Time passes, twenty-five minutes and most Pokémon had finished their food. With all the satisfied looks on most of their faces, Lena scoops up the plates and set them in the sink to be washed. Before she did, Lena reveals a fresh plate of scrambled eggs and waffles. Nils noticed along with the other Pokémon, who all had confused faces... well, except for Jenny.

The frills along the sides of Lena's head drooped, but her smile remained if only slightly less bright. "This is for Narros," she said. Everyone glanced to Nian who had her arms crossed with an annoyed glare. "This plate... it is for him, but he never came to join us. I was wondering if anyone would like to give this to him; I need to clean up."

With a hopeful look, Lena scanned the Pokémon huddled around the kitchen table for any volunteers, but as she waited and waited, no one said anything.

"A-anyone?" All the Pokémon were silent. Lena's bright smile faded.

"I'll do it," a voice said suddenly. It was incredibly feminine, but it expressed reluctance. Lena looked down to see Nian standing in front of her with the rabbit's hands waiting to grab the plate. "I'll go and give it to him."

To Nils, this was a clever excuse for Nian to question Narros about yesterday. The avian knew he shouldn't have said anything; Tension could escalate if Nian pesters Narros.

Nils squinted at the brown rabbit. "Nian, going over there and cau-"

"I won't cause trouble if that's what you're worried about," she said, cutting the bird off. "And I do have something to say to that... to Narros, but I won't snap his neck. Besides, Yuna will come with me."

Instantly, Yuna began shaking. The bashful Lucario is fearful of Narros. When she and everyone else looked at Narros, they were reminded of the attempts he made on Joey's life, so suffice to say, Yuna didn't enjoy the idea of getting anywhere close to that Absol. Even so, Joey counted on Yuna to stick by Nian until his return. She has to stay committed.

Although Lena was delighted someone wanted to give Narros his food, she was anxious when Nian volunteered. The Chansey carefully handed the plate to the rabbit. "Are you sure?" she tentatively asked the rabbit with an unsure look. Nian can be quite passionate and protective of Joey. It was one of the first traits Nian made crystal clear. "You don't have to, Ninny..."

"Lena, listen to me," Nian said with a calm yet firm tone. "Nothing will happen. Narros likes being alone, it's in his nature, but he'll come around. Yuna, let's go." Nian began to leave the kitchen with the demure Lucario scrambling after her.

"C-coming, sis!"

The duo made their way outside to find Narros still sunbathing. As they got closer to the white creature, Nian looked up to the sky towards the castle with a muted sigh. It has been thirty minutes since Joey left. Nian hopes the human got back soon.

As Nian and Yuna, who took shelter behind Nian, approached Narros, his ears flicked to alert him of their presence. He yawns and lifts his head to see Nian holding a plate of scrambled eggs and waffles without syrup. It seems Lena thought Narros wouldn't appreciate the syrup on account of his fur. And she would be right.

Narros and Nian stared at one another in a dreadful silence. Yuna was shivering; looking at Narros' eyes frightened the poor Lucario.

"Nian." The Absol's deep voice sent chills down Yuna's spine.

"Narros," Nian said with hardly any emotion. Yuna noticed Nian's left hand was gripping the plate quite hard. She hoped it wouldn't break.

"You aren't going after my throat, so I assume you have something to say?" That distant, nonchalant voice annoyed Nian to no end. It was like Narros didn't care about anything.

Nian let out a dry chuckle. "You would know a thing or two about going after throats, wouldn't you?"

It was already happening as Nils feared. The Absol barely said anything to the rabbit, and she got riled up. He and Mechan watched from the house along with Jenny leaning against the doorframe and Lena who nervously shuffled in place.

Nian presented the plate, gently setting it down in front of Narros to inspect. The Absol gave a sinister grin that showed his sharp canines; Yuna yelped and almost cried as she held onto Nian for dear life. Narros chuckled at Yuna's timidness which only fed Nian's building rage. The Absol didn't have a twisted sense of humor, but he couldn't pass up the opportunity to scare the anxious Lucario.

Narros asks, "Did you make this for me?"

Nian squinted and balled her fists. "No," she answered. "Lena did. If I did, I would've stuffed it down your throat and watched the life from you get choked out."

Narros looked to the house and saw Lena giving the smallest of waves. Lena felt like all the other Pokémon did toward Narros: She was apprehensive and wary, as well as a little angry. Even so, Lena knew that Narros is part of Joey's family, which makes him her brother, and Lena loves her brothers and sisters very much.

Despite what he made an effort to do to Joey in the past, it didn't stop her from caring about him. Maybe it was in her nature as a Chansey.

"Then I'm glad you didn't," Narros replied in his usual no-care attitude. He tasted the food and loved it, but he didn't express any signs of satisfaction. "After I'm done, I'll offer my thanks for the meal. Is that all you've come over to do or is there something else?"

"I was told you licked Joey. Why? It isn't like you."

Though trenchant and angry Nian was, Narros was surprised she kept a level head. "Easy, boss," he quipped. "You aren't the only Pokémon here who loves Joey. I may not love him as much as you do, but I do love him. He's the only person who truly accepted me... even when I tried to kill him. Is that all?"

Nian huffed and stepped away. "It is for now," she replied. "However, you have a lot of work to do to be accepted by everyone else. Do you understand?"

"I know that already," he whispered before going back to his meal. "And thanks for not killing me. You've handled yourself quite well. Also, having all that anger fester isn't good for you; Only a Gyarados should harbor that much hate."

"Don't push it," Nian muttered before stepping away with Yuna.

Shortly after the quick conversation, a familiar voice from the skies aroused the Pokémon to raise their heads. They saw a golden chariot descending to the ground with a gentle thud. Then, the Pokémon gazed upon a figure jumping out of the chariot. It was Joey.

The human spoke to Twilight Sparkle before they parted ways. He waved to his Pokémon with a cheery smile as he approached the white fence. "Hey guys, I'm back!"

Most of the Pokémon rushed to Joey and welcomed him back. "I have some big news! We got a job!"

---

Time passes and night rolled around. Joey had told all of his Pokémon about Princess Celestia's proposal, and all of them, save for a few, were pretty amped. As a nomad, Joey never had a concrete job since he never stayed in one place. However, he has worked for and with on multiple occasions, Pokémon Rangers, an organization of people who uses Pokémon to solve problems in nature, stop criminals in the Pokémon world.

He's helped them an innumerable number of times, and he was often compensated for his aid. It was because of his involvement with the Rangers that Joey met Mechan a few years ago.

The job Princess Celestia gave Joey starts tomorrow night as she needed to get a few things done before then. He pondered the reason behind Princess Celestia's willingness to allow him to join the operation. She wanted to see how he and his Pokémon would do. Well, if that's what she wants, she picked the right human for the job.

"I don't think I'll need everyone, but just in case... you may never know," the human told his rabbit. Joey was in the master bedroom wearing pajamas while going through his backpack.

The human had to thank a certain Professor in the Galar Region for giving him such high-tech equipment, and he wondered why all travelers like Pokémon Trainers and those of the like don't have this essential bag. To put in quick and concise words, the backpack is designed to hold a lot of space by use of advanced technology Joey didn't really understand.

"Lopunny," the brown rabbit said. She jumped on the bed and nuzzled Joey lovingly before laying on her stomach on his lap. "Lopunny..."

Without a single thought, Joey's hand graced Nian's head and rubbed it. "Yep, it all starts tomorrow night. It's been... a year since we did anything relating to criminals, and to be frank, I'm a little bit nervous."

Nian sat and leaned against Joey's chest. "Lop, Lopunny. Lopunny."

Joey chuckled and revealed three thin, silvery plates clasped tightly around his wrists. They were dark and faded, heavily deteriorated from use, and very well-worn with scratches and dents. Though old and worn are the bracers, they have served Joey well by giving him the means to fight alongside his Pokémon during certain circumstances his Pokémon alone cannot deal with by themselves.

"Do not worry," the human softly said to his rabbit, "Princess Celestia told me there should only be a few of them left, so it'll be a quick and easy job." Joey rubbed his face and sighed. "After that, we can just chill out for however long we are in this world. Have you ever wondered if we could go back?"

Nian nodded silently, but Joey knew that the rabbit didn't particularly care where she or he was because they would always be with one another. It didn't bother her in the slightest that she and Joey, along with the rest of their family, have been whisked away to some new world they never thought existed.

Just being with Joey is enough; he is her home as she is his. Joey is the home for all his Pokémon; that's why they never cared or wondered when they were ever going to finally settle down in some nice town or village. The circumstances of meeting him may differ from one another, but their desire was the same.

Nian asked if Joey wanted to go back. The question made Joey look to the ceiling.

"Would I want to go back?" he thought aloud. "Nah... there's nothing back in that world. I have a family; my loveable gang of Pokémon, what would there be left to go back to? All that is left there are old memories, and memories should stay as they are."

Nian reached her hand to grab Joey's and bussed it tenderly. He smiled faintly, remembering the time the rabbit accepted to be his friend.

"It's been fifteen years since that day," he whispered. "How crazy is that? We got a whole lot more years ahead of us hopefully. You ready for tomorrow?"

"Lopunny!" Nian exclaimed joyfully.

"Of course, I should've known. Well... before that time, let's get into that special treat. Ready?"

Nian laid down on Joey and closed her eyes, a shy murmur escaped her lips.

Joey placed his hands on her back and began massaging her lightly. "I'll be gentle. Relax and let Joey take care of you..."

Comments

[Okamiluver]

11270133
I mean, he's got a Lopunny, Lucario, Chancey, (hot) Jynx... and he's in the MLP-verse... so there's gonna be a chance for Poké-eggs

[bonberjean]

Looks good, hope it get more chapters and readers