Creak—
As the door opened, it made a soft sound.
Outside, little Andy, who was practicing writing at the dining table, immediately turned his head.
When he saw Aven coming out holding Shinx, he quickly ran over.
Immediately, Aven felt the little creature in his arms tense up, shrinking closer into his chest.
"Good day, Brother Aven! Hello, Shinx!"
Andy approached cheerfully, reaching out to pet Shinx.
Since it woke up, all his previous attempts to pet it had failed. Now that Brother Aven was holding it, he thought he finally had a chance.
But the next moment, his hand swiped through empty air. Aven had sidestepped him and instead reached out to pat Andy's head.
"Practice your writing well. I'll quiz you when I get back," Aven said with a smile.
Andy's face fell. He also wanted to go out and play, not sit around practicing writing.
"To become an excellent trainer, you have to know how to read and write," Aven encouraged. "Once you finish your writing, I'll teach you how to train your Oddish."
Hearing that, Andy's eyes lit up. Ever since successfully catching the Oddish, he'd been eager to train it, but his father hadn't allowed it. Now that Aven had promised to teach him, Andy felt a surge of motivation. He nodded quickly and ran back to the table, earnestly resuming his calligraphy practice.
Satisfied, Aven nodded, then looked down at Shinx peeking its head out from his arms.
'It seems like Shinx is afraid of Andy...' Aven thought, puzzled. Uncle Mike had said Andy had been the one taking care of it all this time.
Still puzzled, Aven gently stroked Shinx, then headed toward the grassy area outside.
Soon, he saw Uncle Mike and Aunt Erin harvesting the blue vines from the Tangela.
"Meow~"
Shinx buried itself deeper into Aven's chest again and let out a soft meow.
Aven paused mid-step, glanced at his busy aunt and uncle, then turned and walked in the other direction.
"Good afternoon, Aven," the simple village folk greeted him along the way.
Aven responded with polite smiles but soon returned home, his expression growing more serious.
'Could it really be… human phobia?' Aven frowned as a troubling thought crossed his mind.
Human phobia was a psychological condition commonly seen in Pokémon who had suffered abuse at the hands of humans.
And Shinx had been attacked by a human before—so it was very possible that incident had left a mental scar.
Thankfully, it didn't seem afraid of him. That alone gave Aven a bit of relief. Still, he felt it was necessary to have a serious talk with the creature.
Back in his room, Aven gently placed Shinx on the bed and began stroking its fur to soothe it.
"Lil ~"
Petilil, who had just noticed them, came over and curiously asked what was going on.
'What happened to Shinx? Did you guys sneak off somewhere without me?'
"Lass~"
Froslass reappeared from invisibility, scratching her head to show she had no idea either.
"Shinx might be feeling a little unwell," Aven explained to the two Pokémon.
"Wah! It's sick?"
Petilil perked up with excitement—this was her time to shine.
A gentle green glow appeared from the leaf on her head as life energy flowed through it, slowly drifting toward Shinx.
As the soothing energy entered its body, Shinx meowed in comfort and looked at Petilil with grateful eyes.
"Meow meow~"
Shinx scratched its head, trying to explain that it didn't really understand what was wrong. It just instinctively wanted to avoid humans when it saw them.
Even though it could force itself to interact with Andy, it always felt uncomfortable and subconsciously wanted to flee.
'Looks like it really is human phobia. But the symptoms aren't too severe yet...' Aven concluded silently.
Gently stroking Shinx's fur, Aven smiled and said, "It's okay. Shinx is just a little nervous."
"Wah wah wah wah!"
Petilil nodded—she remembered how nervous she'd feel every time someone came to harvest the leaves from her head.
"Meow meow~"
Shinx thought for a moment, then nodded and lowered its head.
In truth, it knew this wasn't just nervousness—it was fear, a deep-seated fear of humans.
Whenever it saw a human, it would remember the pain it had suffered, and those sword-wielding figures would haunt its mind again.
'Maybe I should leave and return to the forest...'
Shinx glanced at Aven, its heart torn in two.
It wanted to go back to the forest, but it couldn't bear to part with this human it had only just met yet already felt deeply connected to.
"This kind of reaction is very common."
"You used to live only in the forest, and you had never seen humans before."
"As you gradually get to know them better, and start believing that they won't hurt you, you won't feel this nervous anymore."
Aven continued comforting Shinx. Helping it build trust in humans and gradually overcome its anxiety and fear was also part of the treatment.
"Just like with me—you trust me and believe that I won't hurt you, so you're not afraid of me."
Aven smiled gently and said sincerely, "Thank you for your trust, Shinx..."
"Meow meow."
Shinx stared blankly at Aven, his words echoing in its ears.
Yes, it trusted him. That's why it wasn't afraid of him. But those other humans...
"Shinx, just as you trust me, I also trust you."
"Now, I want you to think seriously about what I'm going to say and give me your honest answer..."
Aven took a deep breath and slowly said, "Shinx, do you want to stay here… or return to the Black Forest?"
As he spoke those words, Aven himself felt conflicted. But he knew he had to be responsible for the little Pokémon.
If Shinx chose to return to the forest, its human phobia wouldn't really be a problem anymore.
But if it chose to stay, then it would have to face its fear head-on—and overcome it.
By giving Shinx the choice, Aven was putting its future in its own hands.
If it chose to return, Aven would understand. But if it chose to stay, then he would face everything alongside it.
(End of Chapter)