"Grandfather? It finally happened!" Cho yelled excitdedly, running down the hall. Her black hair is long and silky, and it fans out behind her like a current. Her pale skin is flushed with color, and her brown eyes are wide and glowing.
"Hush, child. This is not a playground," A nurse snaps, looking up from her phone. Cho's reaction is immediate- she stops, her hair drops, her eyes fade. She suddenly seems very small.
"Yes ma'am," Cho mutters, and continues down the hallway, looking down at her black, polished shoes. There is a scuff on the corner, she realizes, and shames rises inside her, swelling like the ocean. She has forgotten her place. She has scuffed her shoes. She is a failure.
The oriental girl rounds a corner, listening for the sound that will tell her all she needs to know- the beeping of machines. She listens, and yes, there it is: the sound of her grandfather's heartbeat.
"Grandfather?" She asks, peeking into the room. It is clean, and empty, save for the hospital bed next to the window. There are dying flowers on the windowsill- dying like the paitent in the room. She too, will die, she acknowledges in her mind.
The blankets on the bed shift, and there is a flurry of movement. A pale wrist reaches out and grabs the bed for support. Cho can see the hospital band hanging loosely from the slight frame.
A face. A wrinkled, calloused face, stained brown from the sun. His chocolate brown eyes cloud with confusion.
"Second daughter... Why are you here?" He asks, in a tone that wasn't unkind, merely concerned. "This is no place for a-" He coughs a ragged, hacking cough. "A child."
Cho crosses over to his side and rests her hand on his own. It is light and papery beneath her touch, and it is hard for Cho to believe that blood could possible run through it. It has been so long since she saw him, he has changed so much. His hand is cold. However, it is him, and she wonders why she stayed away for so long.
"Because, Grandfather... I have a surprise for you," She says, looking up into his eyes for approval. She finds none.
"Cho Lee Hwang, Daughter of my daughters... It is not safe for a young girl to travel by yourself. The soldiers still run rampant on the streets."
Cho's face was confused for a moment- there were no soldiers outside. There hadn't been a war in 30 years. She knew this from history class. But she will not hurt his confidence further, she decides. She thinks it is a very mature decision. So she lowers her voice to a low whisper, glancing around as if to seem unsure.
"I know, I know. But I had to show you this. Your wish came true."
Grandfather hesitates, trying to remember his wish. There were so many. Cho leans in.
"Poke..." She says, giving him a hint. His face lights up.
"Ah, yes! Pokemon! What about it, my child?"
Cho doesn't know how to explain, so she decides to show him. It had taken her a long time to save up 50,000 dollars to have a Pokemon taken from a game and created in real life- and she had done terrible things for the money. But her Grandfather was dying. And he deserved to die happy.
She reached into her purse, and brought out a honest-to-goodness pokeball. She clicked the button, and there was a flash of light.
"Fenn! Fennekin!"
There was a happy bark, and the pokemon leapt atop the bed, tail wagging happily. Seeing the state of it's trainer, it whimpered and sat down, licking his hand. The old man gasped, not understanding, and tears rushed down his cheeks as he finally understood. He smiled, and the pokemon licked the salty substance from his cheeks.
"Thank you. Thank you. Thank you." He said, giving a look to Cho that shouted so much love it made her tears swell. It had been so long since she saw that look.
Grandfather laid back and held the creature in his hands, closing his eyes, content. Finally, content.