Shin quietly cracked open the door to his house and peeked inside, listening for any signs of his mother roaming around. After only a long silence responded to him, he suspected she was asleep in her room and carried the Pokémon inside. It started to whimper as Shin did his best to quiet it. "It's gonna be fine. Just stay put." After finally tiptoeing upstairs to his room, he gently laid the Pokémon onto his bed, resting its head on his pillow. "Stay there, I'll be right back," he assured as he ran into his father's office.

The room seemed to have been accompanied by an almost aged ambiance, as his father never used this place or his equipment for so long. Although the cabinets were worn and messy, the objects contained in them were neatly placed in an accountable order, so it didn't take long for the boy to find what he needed: Bandages, cotton swabs, disinfectant, and some potions. Most of the other substances were too complicated for him to read, so he left them there for safe measure and headed back to the injured Pokémon, only going back once to grab a record journal that he and his father had always kept in a little drawer to identify unknown Pokémon.

Shin shut the door behind him softly and went straight to tending the Pokémon wounds. He couldn't lie that he was slightly panicking— he only ever saw his father do this on certain occasions when a Pokémon got hurt while it played with him. While his hands were meticulous and steady, his son's were shaking with the anxiety of messing up. Still, he soaked the cotton in the disinfectant and gently rubbed the cuts on the Pokémon's body. As it winced slightly, it took most of the pain as if it wasn't the worst it had experienced in its life. Shin couldn't help but feel slightly suspicious, however, he shook it off and focused his attention back onto the Pokémon, beginning to stick the bandages and gauzes onto the damp fur. "Rest here until you feel better, okay?" he said to it. "I don't think its best for you to move yet."

The Pokémon seemed hesitant. It looked somewhat tense at the fact that it was in such a comfortable environment, that it was currently curled up in a soft bed with gentle care from such a gentle creature like Shin. It looked as if it wasn't used to it, not at all; Shin could only stare worriedly at it. That was when his eyes lit up. "Oh! Hold on!" he cried.

The child stealthily ran downstairs into the kitchen and snatched up a light blue berry that was nestled in a wooden basket that his mother had brought home a few days ago. He bolted back up to his room, nearly scaring the Pokémon half to death. "Here!" He offered the Pokémon the berry with his outstretched hand. It sniffed the fruit suspiciously. "It's an oran berry. Dad used to give this to the Pokémon all the time when they got hurt." He let out a hopeful smile. "Maybe it'll help you."

After a long pause and a few attempts, the Pokémon slowly bit into the berry, juice dribbling down its mouth and sharp teeth. Its eyes immediately relaxed along with its body. It munched with no care on the fruit and let out pleased sounds as it did so. Shin couldn't help but smile to himself. "You liked it?" he asked it after the entire berry was consumed. "I'll get you some more then."

Shin made his way out of his room once again, his barefoot feet swiftly tapping the cool wooden floor under him. He had never felt so excited in his life, yet concern still flooded his mind for the Pokémon's fate: Would it heal properly? Would it heal soon? And what would he do if his mother found a Pokémon— the one thing she forbade him to have— in his own bed? It made the boy shake with anticipation. However, the thought of leaving the injured creature on its own mortified him. He knew that if he had let that Pokémon lay there, collapsed and broken, it wouldn't have made it. Reassurance from that fact gave him the confidence to push forward and hunt for more oran berries.

That was until he heard the click of a door opening from his left. He whipped his head towards the sound to see his mother, still in her apron, slowly stepping out of her room. Her eyes were heavy, looking as if she had just woken up from a long nap, and she returned his alert gaze with one of her own. Shin was frozen, only for a moment, before straightening himself up. None of them said a word to each other, that was until the woman walked quietly over to her son, knelt down, and pulled him into her arms tightly. Shin felt tense as his mother warmth hit his body, and yet the gesture was soothing, he still stood his ground and refused to lift his arms to wrap around her.

Finally, his mother spoke. "Shin, honey," she whispered shakily. "I'm so sorry about what I said earlier. I never meant to make you mad. I just... never meant to say any of that at all." Shin stayed silent, not knowing how to respond. After another brief pause, she spoke again. "I know how badly you want a Pokémon, but Mommy needs to take care of you and help you and be there for you. Having a Pokémon... It'll take my focus off of you. You understand, right?"

Shin knew he was able to argue with her. He knew deep in his heart that his ultimate wish was to have a Pokémon companion. Yet one look in his mother's tear-ridden eyes; one listen to her breaking voice was enough to hush the young boy about his wants; he even completely blurred out the reality that he had a Pokémon in his room at the very moment.

He nodded sorrowfully at his mother's request and finally returned her hug. The woman sighed. "Thank you, darling. You're such a lovely boy..." Her arms became slightly tighter around him. "I'll always love you, okay? Please remember that." It was with another nod and a few more seconds that Shin's mother finally relaxed and released him. She gave him another look before heaving a sigh. As she began to trod away, Shin felt his throat choke on words that had been scratching him for the entire time.

"Can I have some oran berries?" he blurted out. His mother turned around, giving him an amused expression.

"Oran berries? What for?" It was then that he had realized the suspiciousness of his abrupt question. He knew he had to think of something quickly.

"I... saw some boys from school at the park eating some," he answered meekly. "They looked good, so I wanted some too." He stared up at his mother intently, trying his very best to look convincing enough. 

The woman looked quietly at his fidgeting fingers and stature, soon letting out a faint smile. "Sure," she replied. "I'll cut them up for you." Shin watched his mother disappear into the kitchen with the basket of oran berries in hand. He exhaled: that was close. Shin took the time to sit down on the matted floor and rest his legs, something he was told only old people do every day. He found himself starting to reflect on the day's farfetched events. Placing his hands on his temples, thought to himself.

Why would his mother say such a thing? Now? Everything she did was so confusing to him, each emotion she attempted to express seemed ambiguous and ambivalent. It was as if she was a computer, spitting out randomized orders and actions, reckless with a calculated pattern. Nothing she did made any sense to his knowledge. Words could not express how much he longed to learn how she thought and what was bustling through her exhausted brain. All he wanted was to make her happy again, just as she was when his father was still around. However, the feeling of uncertainty always seemed to linger through him in her presence, almost like a barrier keeping him from keeping her as his utmost importance in life. It was as if she would never be the main purpose of his life like she had been for all this time. Shin couldn't help but wonder if that was the right mindset at all, being so selfish.

And then came a thought he had never considered. Although he cared for his mother, there was another being in need of his care at the moment. Somehow, that Pokémon seemed to fill that gaping hole in his heart that the past few years had drilled into him. He couldn't quite describe it, but he knew that at least this felt right. As long as this Pokémon felt content, he felt satisfied as well, and wasn't that important too?

"Here." Shin suddenly perked up at his mother's voice and the clanking of the bowl of oran berries being placed on the table next to him. The fruits were neatly cut up into fourths, the one closest to him having a tiny plastic fork plunged into its meat. "Enjoy, sweetheart. Mommy has to go call someone. Why don't you go play?" With a little peck on his forehead, Shin's mother went back into the kitchen, leaving Shin alone once again. 

The boy waited patiently for her to disappear before snatching the bowl up and running to his room. "Hey! Sorry, I'm back! I brought some more oran—" Shin stopped himself when he was met with an empty bed, the folds of the sheets where the Pokémon once sat being the only remains of any sign of life. He felt his heart almost leap out of his chest and his mouth seemed to close down on him at the sudden pang of anxiety that struck him at that moment. His movements became sharp and feverish as he began to peel away at any openings he could find in his room; his bottom lip fading pale as he continued to bite down hard on it. He gulped hard, his mind wildly racing with possibilities as to where the Pokémon would have run off to.

If anyone... If mother were to have seen it... then...

Clothes were soon thrown left and right from his hamper, limply flopping onto the carpeted floor. Shin felt the swirl of emotions become more and more intense with every second that passed him. It was only when his neon yellow sock landed near the crack of his closet door that he rose to his feet and almost dived for the knob, yanking it open.

There it was. Its ears were perked up, clearly alarmed at the boy's rash appearance, its wounds still looking fresh despite the oran berry from before. "There you are! Oh, thank goodness you didn't get out!" Shin let out a smile of relief and hastily reached out his hand to the creature. He felt the excitement bubble within him that his secret was still preserved, however, the joy was soon interrupted by the whimpers of the Pokémon, who was backing up slowly into the wall of the closet. The child squatted down to its height. He cocked his head. "What's wrong?" he asked it curiously. He moved forward, but the Pokémon shrank back, its ears low. "I'm not going to hurt you." he reassured, attempting to hold out his hand again.

It was then that the Pokémon let out a shrill yelp. Sharp rocks suddenly protruded through the floor, causing Shin to flinch and tumble onto his backside. He sat there gaping at the sight before him as his mind went completely blank. He could only breathe out an audible "whoa" as he fought to keep himself from running away. The Pokémon was no better: Its fur bristled in defense, claws sunken into the soft carpet below it. It trembled as it hid behind the large stones.

"Shin! What's going on up there?" Shin gasped at the alarmed voice of his mother from the first floor. 

He turned his gaze on the Pokémon once more, who finally had the courage to look up at him with slight concern for the current situation. He swallowed. "Just playing 'Pokémon trainer!'" he responded innocently. "I... fell down!" 

There was a short pause before he heard her speak again. "Alright, just be a little quieter, okay? Mommy's talking to someone."

"Sorry!" And with that, the house fell silent once more, with only the faint murmurs of his mother's voice echoing downstairs. Shin heaved a heavy sigh. "Alright, let's not do that again," he huffed as he pushed himself off the ground. He looked again at the frightened Pokémon, daring not to say a word. He let his dark eyes lock onto its turquoize ones for a moment before it whined and stooped its head. What was troubling the poor creature was a concept Shin struggled to grasp, no matter how hard he tried to calm it down. He gave it food, he nursed it, what was he doing wrong? His father had always done it this way...

The boy glanced around nervously and, once more, reached out his hand. "Come here. You need to get some rest. You can use my bed." The Pokémon blinked, its eyes heavy. It seemed to be taking its time to think, hesitating at the boy's previous brashness. Its leg seemed to want to step away until it pulled back again, finally curling up on a pile of clothes that had dropped from the hangers above behind its rock barricade. Shin darted his eyes away in defeat. "Okay. You can stay there, I don't mind," he managed to utter, a pang of disappointment submerged in his tone.

He turned away and made sure to check if the front door was tightly shut before making his way to his bed. Shin paused briefly, his eyes widening slightly when they spotted the journal he had brought with him from the basement half-buried under his favorite t-shirt.

He bent down and grabbed it, and soon began to flip through the chalky pages of his father's discoveries. After a while, he finally spotted the image that looked much like the creature, who was now fast asleep on the other side of the room. "Rrrr... Rock... Ruff..." he read out slowly. Many of the other words that followed seemed too tedious to read with such long, complicated words, so he shut the book, taking a brief moment before looking over to the Pokémon. He watched its stomach rising and falling gently, it was almost hypnotic to him.

Even though it has only been minutes since their first encounter... even though it seemed completely terrified of him... he felt it: This Rockruff... There was something about it. Never in his life after his father left was Shin so connected to a Pokémon, and the feeling that rose within him felt like a memory long forgotten was finally being brought back into the light. He couldn't quite place it, but he knew it existed... and that it meant something.

The child exhaled, letting his body collapse onto his mattress and his eyes surrender to the call of sleep.