Pokémon School

Rockruff watched them warily. He made no other move, merely rising to his feet and looking their way.

Hu Yang had only come to let Rockruff get used to seeing him. He was in no hurry to catch him.

So he pretended it was his first time seeing Rockruff and exclaimed in surprise, "I didn't expect a Rockruff to live here!"

Rockruff was puzzled.

Does this human want to catch me?

Will he pull out a Poké Ball and throw it at the Pokémon he wants, like other Trainers do? Rockruff wondered.

But the human didn't take out a Poké Ball. He turned and walked away.

As Rockruff watched him go, an indescribable feeling stirred inside him.

Having once lived with humans, Rockruff, like most Pokémon, had hoped to find someone of his own.

But in the end, he had been abandoned.

Memories of the past flashed through Rockruff's mind, and he lay down again, dejected.

Forget it. Even if someone wants to catch me, they'll probably abandon me once they realize how weak I am.

His spirits sank lower still.

He closed his eyes and tried not to think about it. If he didn't think about it, it wouldn't hurt.

Just then, footsteps sounded behind him.

Rockruff opened his eyes at once. When he turned, he saw the same human approaching with a dish of fragrant Pokémon food.

"Here, eat up! You haven't had a full meal in a long time, have you?" Hu Yang crouched with a smile and set the food in front of Rockruff.

He knew what the hillside behind the school was like. Flowers, grass, and trees grew everywhere, but very few of the trees bore Berries. It was hard for Rockruff to find food here.

From what Hu Yang had observed before, Rockruff even