As the seasons came and went, Anonymous had begun to feel a sort of bind towards the sheepish boy as if something of an essence was urging him to stay by his side. He couldn't quite place it; he had never been exposed to such treatment ever since he could remember. The pup was not even able to tell if he lacked the ability or never wanted to recall what had happened to him before: The darkness, the needles, the tests. The nightmares seemed to have faded into his subconscious during his time with Shin, and Anonymous decided that he wanted to keep it that way.

For five whole years, the Rockruff was completely overjoyed with his life by his companion's side. He watched Shin grow from a shy, innocent boy to a mature and adventurous individual. Shin had made many friends over that time, yet he still claimed that he would never miss a day with Anonymous, even if it meant abandoning his schoolmates. He had promised to always be diligent in meeting up with Anonymous at his usual window spot.

So it took Anonymous by surprise when he strolled into the boy's bedroom one day to realize that it was devoid of his friend. Anonymous had made sure to scout Shin's usual route back towards his home for any signs but to no avail. He then sat himself down patiently near the doors of Shin's closet until he began to fear that something may have happened. For moments more he attempted to reassure himself that it was just his overactive imagination, but he could no longer ignore the bubbling feeling of uncertainty clawing it his stomach.

Maybe, he thought, he was in the house? Anonymous edged his way out of the wooden barrier of the room, trembling as he took his first steps into the outer hall, and gulped. His eyes then peered over the towering stairwell leading to the first floor. Unfortunately, the Rockruff knew very well of the risk he would be taking if he were to go through with his scavenge.

Shin had always warned Anonymous about being sighted by his mother; the mere thought of her even evoked fear into the poor pup's mind. The two always practiced hiding under covers, clothes, and even the closet just in case of an emergency where Shin's mother was to arrive so suddenly. He could recall that on a few separate occasions, this had occurred, however, Anonymous' instinctive reflexes had never failed a single moment.

The Rockruff had caught a few glimpses at the woman while he roamed around the windows of their abode, and she had much resemblance to his friend: Silky raven locks, deep hazel jewels that hung foggily beside her snow white flesh, and the rare occasions that she revealed a smile were genuine but plastic. Despite this, Anonymous had always sensed a sort of chilling aura around her. In front of her son, she seemed as bright as a sunbeam, yet she would turn away and a new face of terror and misery would be brought forth and eclipse the happiness she once showed.

Once, for an entire month after she watched Shin hurry off to school, she had thrown her head on the table and sobbed endlessly, grasping certain objects around the room with a sort of want. Sometimes she would scream and bawl herself to sleep for hours on end, but never in front of Shin. To say the least, it had confused, let alone worried the pup, but it was not his duty to come between the mother and son— especially if doing so would end his friendship with Shin. He knew the boy was strong, and overcoming this obstacle would be a journey the Pokémon would happily accompany him through.

Anonymous cautiously trodded throughout the living room, desperately looking for any indications of Shin being around. To his dismay, nothing seemed out of place.

Then there was a sound.

A faint clatter of some objects. A single door creaking open.

And then silence.

Anonymous felt his fur bristle with anticipation. He'd better make this quick. The pup padded into the kitchen and began to nose every cabinet and pantry. Blasts of food scents clashed in his nostrils, but still no evidence of Shin. Before he even realized, his legs began to quiver. What if Shin was lost? What if he was in trouble? Attacked? Anonymous couldn't describe it, but a blinded warmth, almost like molten hot lava, began rising through every vein and artery. His fangs ground against each other, and a dull ache rose from around his neck.

Somehow, it was all morbidly familiar to him...

"Hello there."

The world froze around him.

"What's a Pokémon like you doing in here?"

Anonymous began to feel sick and lightheaded. He forced himself to turn and face the woman behind him, shrinking backward in doing so. However, to his surprise, she only softened her expression, crouching down to his level.

"It's alright, don't be afraid of me. I won't hurt you," she cooed, slowly holding out her hand. As she said those words, Anonymous was instantly transported back to the day he was first taken in by Shin.

His trying ways... His nervous expression. Somehow, no matter what, it always calmed him.

The Rockruff neared her until she was able to pet his head gently. "There we are... There we go..." She let out a chuckle-like breath, her smile haggard, but sincere. "Are you lost? I'm so sorry, I must have left the door open when I came in. I can show you out if you'd like."

It took a moment for Anonymous to realize his situation before backing up hastily. His nerves had begun to creep out from his body again and he stood paralyzed, staring into the woman's curious orbs. He noticed her face come to a sort of a realization. "Oh, are you hungry? I have an extra bowl of oran berries if you want a snack before you head out," she suggested. She began to make her way into the kitchen and soon arrived back with a white bowl in hand full of the chopped up fruit. "My son is always asking for these after school, so I always cut some up when I can. He eats so much! Thank goodness these are healthy for—"

She suddenly stopped dead in her sentence. Her muddy eyes seemed to be locked onto something on the pup. Anonymous traced her gaze down to his collar, shooting his head back up to watch her silently crawl closer to him and wrap her fingers around the tag, letting out a short gasp under her breath. He felt her hands shaking as she flipped it. In an instant, her pupils became the size of needles.

_______________________________

"Mom! I'm—"

Shin stopped in his tracks, his mouth agape at the sight before him. He suddenly felt his entire world crumbling before him, and it broke his heart as the sound of his backpack hitting the ground echoed through the room.

No...

"Shin."

"Mom! I can explain—!"

"How long have you and this Pokémon known each other?" Her voice was as sharp as a blade that had been acutely polished. Her son began stammering.

"Listen, I know you didn't want me to have a Pokémon, but he was hurt! I had to!"

"You didn't answer my question. How. Long?" Shin went quiet, bowing his head down to hide his teary, flushing face. A few stray hiccups scattered his unsteady breathing.

"Five."

"Five?"

"...Years."

Neither of them dared to speak, but soon, Shin's mother began clenching her fists, her breathing getting more rapid to the point of hyperventilating.

The boy frantically gritted his teeth, his face red with heat. "Mom, for once, hear me out! I'm not a little boy anymore!" Shin cried defiantly. "Most kids my age are already out taking on their trials! Why can't I do that with my own Pokémon?!"

"How dare you yell at me like that!" his mother snapped with boiling rage. "I am your mother! And I know what's best for you right now—!"

"Oh do you?!" Shin roared, his voice ringing through the air like a siren. "Then why are you isolating me from so many friends like Anonymous?!" He began to stomp forward towards his mother, hovering over her crouched figure like a predator to its prey. "Why are you holding me back from growing up?!"

"SHIN, WON'T YOU SHUT UP?! THAT'S NOT THE POINT!"

A terrifying hush fell over the area.

Shin watched as his mother began gasping for air, weeping into her hands after letting out such a strident retaliation. She soon pointed a finger at the frightened Anonymous, whose ears were flattened onto his head from all of the shouting. Her lips trembled as she said her next words.

"That is the problem."

Shin's eyes widened. "Anonymous...?!"

His mother heaved a few more sharp inhalations before speaking again, her voice cracking. "Your father, Shin... he did terrible things after he left us."

Left us...?

"His 'job'... He and his 'partners'... would take innocent Pokémon off of the streets. Breed them.... over and over and over until they were finally satisfied with what they got. Killed the rest..."

Shin began trembling.

No, that... That can't be right... Dad...

"Then they would take those infants... They would twist them up... beat them up endlessly... Injecting them with Arceus knows what into their broken bodies."

This can't be true...!

"Those poor Pokémon lose all of their sanity... all of their hope in their lives. They become mindless. The spitting image of their creators... Monsters."

The woman pursed her lips, streams of regret running down her cheeks.

"Your father was a horrible man, but he was my husband; he was your father."

Shin froze.

"Was?" he repeated. His mother turned to him, her eyes completely dead.

"Shin...

...Your father was killed by a monster."

Shin could feel his breaths weakening with every second. His mind feigned to process what he had just heard. His rationality was tangled in impossible knots, looping under and over each other, ensnaring itself up until it was in an immobile web.

"No... You're lying...!" he breathed, but his mother only exhaled a sobbing fit.

"No, son. I'm sorry," was all she was able to reply before wiping her eyes and sniffling. "I've wanted to tell you for so long, but I just couldn't bring myself to..."

Shin felt darkness gnaw on his consciousness, no, he saw it. It was cold and unwelcoming, it was uncertain and convoluted. He found himself being drowned within the sea of night with no light to guide him out. He was alone, lost, scared: his mentality and his gut were eating him alive.

That was when his mother grabbed ahold of his shoulders and glared at him dead into his soul. "You need to get rid of that monster right now, do you hear me?!"

The boy flinched, ripping away from his mother's grasp. "What?! No!" he screamed. "I'll never do that to him!" He quickly found Anonymous and scooped the shivering mess up into his arms for protection.

"It's a threat to our lives, Shin!" the woman hollered.

"I don't care! I'm not leaving Anonymous!"

His mother slammed her hand onto the floor, never taking her sight off of her son. "If those maniacs want it back, they'll do anything to get it back! They've probably put a tracker in that damn thing! They'll come to ambush us both! " Gripping the Rockruff tighter, Shin released an infuriated growl.

"I WILL NEVER LET YOU SEPARATE US!"

He immediately sprinted to the door, not looking back at his mother's distraught screams as he slammed it behind him, and he continued to run deep into the twilight with the pup as he ignored the world around him passing him by.

Before he knew it, his house and his mother was only but a distant nightmare.