Deception - Gladion x Reader. [UNDER CO.]

Part Of The Family

Reader's POV

After I'd chosen Litten, Hau chose Popplio and the moment they were put face to face, Popplio accepted him immediately which made them both extremely happy; they were beaming like rays of sunshine. The sight of it made everyone else happy, especially me. I knew from the beginning they were a perfect match and would be the best of friends, and I could only hope it would be the same for Litten and I.

Later that afternoon before we'd even taken our new Pokémon home, Hau made it clear he was ready and willing to battle me. I'll admit, I definitely considered it, however Kahuna Hala and the Professor both recommended that we train up and spend some time getting to know our partners first in order to bond with them before heading into something as intense as a Pokémon battle. Kukui also told me it would be best to head home and introduce Litten to my mom since he was now a member of our family, which is exactly what I decided to do after spending a little more time with everyone in Iki Town.

It was starting to get late when everyone began saying their goodbyes and making their ways home, which wasn't too much of a bother since everyone who'd gathered lived relatively nearby. Despite my nerves on the first day, receiving a hug from Hau and even an awkward hug from Lillie was lovely and helped me feel like I'd already made some friends, which was always one of my biggest worries. As I was about to head home, I decided to let Litten out of his Pokéball so he could walk home with me which seemed to please him; he enjoyed running around ahead of me until we were approaching the garden path, when he decided to climb up onto my shoulder and stay there the rest of the way.

When we reached the front door I placed Litten back on the ground, giving his head a quick pet before opening the door and closing it behind us. Once inside I was greeted by the sight of my mom in the kitchen holding a box of Pokémon food, pouring it into a bowl whilst Meowth stood behind her and watched closely as he waited.

"Welcome home, y/n!" She exclaimed, finishing filling the food bowl before turning to me, a huge smile forming on her face when she spotted the small kitten by my side. It was obvious she'd fallen in love with it just like I had. "Oh, you got your Pokémon! Who's this little cutie?" Her hands came to cup her cheeks for a moment before she bent down in front of Litten, scratching under his chin for him to purr and lick her hand in response.

"This is Litten, he's a fire type."

Her smile grew more as she stood back up. "Have you given him a nickname?"

"I wanted you to be there when I did it, but I have thought of some options. . ." I glanced down at my new partner and smiled to myself. "One really stands out to me, though."

"And that is?"

"Well. . . since he reminds me of dad's old partner, I thought about naming him Shadow."

My mom looked straight at me and although she was smiling, her eyes were welling up making me think she might cry any second. "Honey, that is so sweet. I'm sure your dad would be touched that you named your partner after his." Her response caused me to let out a sigh of relief, now knowing that any tears were happy tears.

Both of us highly emotional, she wasted no time pulling me into a hug which lasted for a good few minutes. When we eventually pulled away, Meowth made a sound which made us both glance down to see him standing by our feet looking intently at Shadow. They sniffed at each other and I bit my lip, nervous of how either would react. It was a tense moment, but that all faded away when they began jumping up and down, playing and chasing each other around; it seemed as if they liked each other.

"I bet your new friend is hungry, and if not, he will be after Meowth is done with him!" My mom laughed, making her way back to the kitchen to grab the food box from the cupboard again. She filled up a clean bowl for Litten and placed it on the floor next to Meowth's, and neither wasted a moment hurrying over to dig in.

It took a few minutes, but once they'd both enjoyed their food we all gathered together on the couch to relax for the rest of the night, Meowth sitting on my mom's lap whilst Shadow curled up comfortably on mine. It was nice, and for the first time since we lost my dad it felt like we were becoming a family again.