The walk to Professor Kukui's house was, thankfully, uneventful. Ren wasn't sure he'd be able to deal with any excitement today considering his exhaustion, and thankfully the professor must've noticed this as well, opting to stay relatively quiet until they got there.
They had walked a good distance away from the school now, the path they were on overlooking the rest of Hau'oli City. The sun was just beginning to make its descent over the horizon, bathing the sky in a myriad of oranges and purples. Living in Tokyo, Ren didn't get many chances to get views like this, so he couldn't help but be entranced as he slowly ambled alongside Kukui.
"Wow…" Ren breathed, the cool afternoon air ruffling his fur under his illusion. He's been so swept up with everything that's happened to him so far that he really hadn't noticed how beautiful Melemele really was.
Kukui paused and glanced back with a hum once he noticed the teen had slowed down a bit, before smiling softly. "It's a beautiful view, right? Even when you live here it never gets old."
Ren couldn't help but agree, leaning his hands on the fence lining the cliff side as he gazed out to the horizon. Yusuke would certainly be abound with inspiration from a place like this… Hopefully, wherever he was, he was doing okay along with the rest of the Phantom Thieves.
A small yawn escaped Ren's throat, making Kukui glance over at him. "We can enjoy the sights some other time, though. C'mon, my house is just around the bend." He gave the teen a light pat on the back as he spoke, gesturing behind him.
"R-Right…" Ren replied with a light nod, rubbing his eye to try and keep himself alert. Last time he felt this tired was after infiltrating Shido's Palace… the entire team was wiped after that ordeal. "M' sorry, just… exhausted."
"No need to apologize!" Kukui said reassuringly. "Even the best of us deal with nasty nightmares every now and then. But, from the sound of things… you've been having them for a while, am I right?"
Ren had to hold back a dry chuckle. 'Ever since the interrogation room…' He thought with a sigh. It was a good thing that he had Leblanc to himself at night, he really didn't want to explain to Sojiro why he would wake up in the middle of the night screaming with a dull pain in his side every now and then. "Unfortunately, yeah. I'll deal with it, though… it's just been a rough few nights."
Kukui looked at him with sympathy in his eyes. "Well hey, as long as you're under my roof then feel free to ask if you need anything, alright? You may not be one of my students, but that doesn't mean I can't be in your corner."
"I… thanks," Ren replied, a bit taken aback by how willing he was to help him out. Normally, the teen found it difficult to trust adults he had just met, but thankfully Kukui seemed to be one of the good ones.
The professor grinned in return. "It's no problem at all!"
It was then that Kukui's house came into view as they rounded the bend, or at least what Ren assumed was the professor's house. It was a pretty nice looking place, with plenty of yard space surrounding it. A few solar panels sat on the roof soaking in the sun's rays, and a strange looking sign was suspended over the front entrance. Not really what he expected from a teacher's house, but it seemed the unexpected was the norm with this world.
The two of them ascended the steps leading up to the front door, and with practiced ease Kukui swung it open. "Welcome to my humble abode! Come on in and make yourself at home," He said, gesturing for the teen to enter first. Ren was more than happy to oblige, slowly walking through the doorway and glancing around.
It was a pretty spacious place, much different compared to the standard houses and apartments of Shibuya and Yongen-Jaya. There was what looked like a dining area and a kitchen to his left, a ladder that led up to an attic-like room, some stairs that went down into the basement and… a giant fish tank? Ren couldn't help but walk a bit closer to it, watching the different Pokémon inside swim around. The majority of them he's never seen before, but he did recall one of them, a Luvdisc, from his research.
"Ahh, there's nothing quite like unwinding after a long day of work…" Kukui said behind him as he shut the door, bringing Ren out of his thoughts. "You sit tight and I'll fix us some dinner, alright Ren?"
"Oh, right…" His exhaustion nearly made him forget about just how hungry he was. "Thanks again, Professor."
The professor waved him off as he took off his cap and hung it on the rack next to the door. "Just call me Kukui! It's not like we're at school right now."
Ren smiled softly at that. "Right. Thank you, Kukui."
"It's the least I can do! Now, what do I have hiding in the fridge…" Kukui trailed off as he swung open the refrigerator, scouring its contents for something to cook.
While the professor busied himself, Ren decided to take up his offer and made himself comfortable, sinking deep into the booth-like seats around the dining table with a heavy sigh. For the first time since he woke up in Alola, he felt… calm. Like he was finally allowed to let his guard down a little. Obviously, there was still the issue of his friends and how he was going to get back home (if that was even possible), but for now it seemed like things were on the upswing for him.
Of course, knowing his luck, it wasn't going to stay that way for long.
"Kukui, Kukui, you're home!" A loud, yippy voice suddenly pulled him out of his own head, making Ren blink and glance around. The professor never mentioned that anybody else was staying here… but where did that voice come from?
That's when he noticed the small dog running around the corner from the basement stairs, panting and wagging its tail excitedly. It was another kind of Pokémon he had read about in his studies, a Rockruff. Now that he thought about it, Kukui actually had mentioned a Rockruff once or twice.
The dog Pokémon ran over to the man and excitedly rubbed his neck fluff against his leg. "I missed you!" He barked out.
The professor looked down from the pan he was cooking with and smiled brightly. "Well hey there, Rockruff! Woke you up from your nap, huh? I'll get you some Pokéchow in a second, I'm fixing up a little something for our new guest here! Why don't you go say hello?" Kukui gestured over to where Ren sat, making him perk up a bit.
"A new friend?" Rockruff said curiously as he glanced over. The dog immediately lit up as he saw him. "Oh, wow, a new friend!"
Ren had to stifle a chuckle as he watched the Rockruff dash over to him, energy seemingly boundless as he sat down just in front of him, his tail wagging to and fro beneath his haunches. "It's nice to meet you! You can call me Rockruff!" He yipped out.
Even though he had already slumped down into his seat and gotten comfortable… Ren just couldn't resist, kneeling down so he could pet Rockruff on the head. "It's nice to meet you too, bud." The small dog leaned into the pets with a happy bark, rubbing his strangely pointy collar against Ren's arm as he ran his fingers through his coarse fur.
Kukui let out a light laugh as he watched from the kitchen. "Y'know, the way that Rockruff greet each other is by rubbing the rocks on their collars together. He must really like you!"
"Is that right..?" Ren said curiously, just now noticing the rocks embedded into the fur around the dog's neck. How strange… "You're pretty friendly, huh?"
Rockruff barked again and nodded. "I love meeting new friends! You smell a bit weird, but that's okay! That doesn't mean you aren't nice!"
That gave Ren a bit of pause. "… Weird? What do you mean by that?"
"Oh, well, most humans smell pretty much the same, but you smell like—" The dog stopped, before suddenly looking up at Ren with wide, surprised eyes. "Wait, did you just understand me?!"
Ren blinked. "Uh… yes?"
Rockruff's expression quickly morphed into one of excitement, leaping up against the disguised Zoroark's torso. "That's so cool! I've never met a human that could hear what I'm saying before! That must be why you smell different from all the other ones!"
… It was at this point that Ren felt monumentally stupid. How had he forgotten that regular people couldn't understand what Pokémon were saying? Hell, he actually growled at someone back when he first got to the outskirts of the city. He must've gotten so used to acting like a human that it just slipped his mind. 'Guess I'd better be careful with how I talk to Pokémon around others then…'
"What's your name, what's your name?" Rockruff asked excitedly, his tongue lolling out of his mouth as he panted.
"It's… Ren. Ren Amamiya," The Zoroark replied after a brief moment, idly glancing over to Kukui to make sure that he wasn't listening too intently. Thankfully, the professor was preoccupied with frying up a pan of veggies, hopefully not listening in to make sense of what he was saying.
"Wooow, that's a cool name! Are you gonna be staying here for a while? Gosh, I hope so!" The small dog's energy seemed boundless. "Most new friends I meet here don't stick around for too long… except for Burnet sometimes! She's nice!"
'Hm… That's actually a good question,' Ren thought to himself, idly rubbing Rockruff's neck. He wasn't quite sure if he could trust Kukui yet (even though he's been kind to him thus far), but at this point? He'd prefer just about anything to another night sleeping in a bush in the forest.
Before he could answer Rockruff's question, however, Professor Kukui walked on over with a couple plates in hand, setting them down onto the table. "Sorry for the wait, Ren. Dinner is served! And I didn't forget about you, either, Rockruff." He said with a smile as he set a decent sized bowl filled with different kinds of kibble onto the ground, making the dog's eyes light up.
"Thank you Kukui!" Rockruff yipped before diving into the bowl, chomping vigorously.
Ren couldn't help but chuckle lightly at the Pokémon's enthusiasm as he sat back down next to the table, looking down at his own plate. It wasn't anything fancy, just a bed of rice covered with a nice helping of gravy and various sautéed veggies scooped around the edges, but considering the fact that he hasn't had an actual meal in what felt like weeks… The teen was holding himself back from giving into his feral instincts and just eating straight off the plate.
"This looks delicious," Ren said as he took the fork that Kukui was offering to him from across the table. "Thank you again for doing this. I'll repay you somehow whenever I get the chance."
"Like I said earlier, it's the least I could do! As for repaying me… you don't need to worry about that." Kukui replied as he scooped out a forkful of rice and gravy. "I just wanted to make sure you're doing okay! You really didn't look so good back at the library."
"I'll be alright," Ren waved him off as he jabbed at his own food, taking a big forkful and stuffing it into his maw. After eating nothing but berries for days on end, the dish that Kukui cooked up for him was like an oasis of flavor, making him slump further into his seat from sheer relief and pleasure. "Mmm… Man, I needed that…"
The professor laughed lightheartedly at his reaction. "Haha, I'm glad you like it! It's a pretty popular dish around here called an Alola Plate. Figured you could use something quick to pick you up."
"You can say that again," Ren said in between large bites, already about halfway through the whole thing. It truly was rejuvenating, like the fog permeating his thoughts was already starting to seem a little clearer. There was a beat of silence between the two of them as they ate, though one much faster than the other.
"So, Ren…" Kukui began after a couple of moments had passed. "Your, uh, parents are okay with you spending the night here, right?"
"Huh?" Ren blinked, before nodding his head slowly. "Oh, right… yeah, it'll be okay. Thanks again for the offer."
The professor snapped his fingers and grinned. "Perfect! Since you're the guest here, I'll let you choose where you wanna sleep tonight! I've got some room up in the loft over there," he pointed over to a ladder that led up to another small area of the house, "or you could sleep down in the spare room next to my lab!"
"… Your lab?" Ren repeated.
"Well, I wouldn't be much of a researcher if I didn't have the lab to back it up, right?" Kukui chuckled.
Ren had to concede that made sense, but a whole lab in your basement? That seemed a bit strange. Either way, it looked like he had a choice to make here… As he looked up to the loft that Kukui had pointed out, a strong wave of sudden homesickness washed over his entire frame.
It reminded him far too much of his room back at LeBlanc.
"I'll take the room downstairs if that's alright," Ren decided quickly, shaking himself a bit.
Whether or not Kukui noticed his small bout of weakness he didn't know, the professor simply nodding in return. "Sounds like a plan. Let's finish up dinner then—" He suddenly blinked as he glanced down at Ren's plate. "Oh, already done eh? You must've really liked the food."
Ren nodded and set his fork down on the plate, sighing contently. "It was delicious. Thanks again for the meal."
"Me too!" Rockruff barked from below, sitting haunches down next to his almost completely empty bowl. "It was yummy as always, Kukui!"
Kukui chuckled as he knelt down to pick up the Pokémon's bowl, giving Rockruff an affectionate pat on the head. "I know I can always count on you to clear your plate, Rockruff!"
The small dog simply giggled in response, rubbing his rocky collar against Kukui's arm.
"Well, since you're all finished already, let me show you where you'll be sleeping tonight." The professor said as he grabbed Ren's empty plate for him, gesturing over to the stairs that led down into the basement.
With sleep hanging over him like a Shadow waiting to strike, Ren couldn't agree more.
"Wow… you weren't kidding when you said you had a lab down here."
Kukui let out an amused chuckle at Ren's words. "I've gotta make sure I can work from home when I'm juggling my research and teaching. This just makes sure I can Chip Away at my work whenever I see fit." The professor explained.
Even with that explanation, though, Ren was a bit shocked with just how much was down here. To the left sat all sorts of scientific equipment and a massive computer, and to the right was a whole training setup, complete with some weights and a punching bag. What was it that Mallow told him Kukui researched..? It was something to do with Pokémon moves, if he remembered correctly. 'He must really take his research seriously…'
"But we can gawk at my lab some other day. C'mon, the guest room's just under the stairs." Kukui waved for him to follow, walking along with his hands in his coat pockets.
Underneath the stairs sat a door, which Kukui pushed open with a light creak, revealing a small but cozy looking guest bedroom. It was a bit bare, just a decent sized bed with an end table and a desk, but you'd never hear Ren complain about having a roof over his head considering what he's had to deal with lately.
The professor turned to him with a sheepish grin, gesturing into the room. "Here you go! It's not much, but—"
"It's more than fine," Ren quickly cut Kukui off, smiling gratefully at him with a nod. "You didn't have to do all this. Thank you."
"You really like saying that, huh?" Kukui said, a bit amused. "And, well… you might be right, but I couldn't call myself a teacher if I stood by while a kid like you needed help. It just didn't sit right with me,"
Listening to Kukui's words… Ren was, once again, taken aback by the professor's willingness to help. It was an admirable trait for sure, and something a good chunk of his own teachers could certainly learn from. He had to stifle a scowl as he was reminded of how they did nothing to stop the rumors of him being a criminal from spreading, only scorning him further for being a "delinquent". At least Kawakami had come around… eventually.
"It's… greatly appreciated, Kukui. Really."
The professor had an unreadable look on his face as he hummed to himself. "Well, I won't keep you any longer now, I know you're probably exhausted. Get some rest, alright?"
Ren nodded as he walked into the room, yawning softly as the exhaustion slowly made him feel heavier and heavier. "Right… Have a good night, Professor," The teen said as he shut the door with a click.
For a moment, Ren simply stood there silently, until he slowly turned and let out a deep, tired sigh. 'Today was certainly… eventful,' He thought to himself with another yawn, slowly lumbering over to the edge of the bed and sitting down heavily. For the first night since waking up in this strange world, Ren finally had a feeling that things were starting to look up… at least for now. He'd figure out what to do tomorrow when the time came.
With a heavy head and half lidded gaze, Ren let himself fall backwards onto the mattress, not even noticing that his illusion had burst as he quickly fell into a deep sleep.
Kukui sat silently at the dinner table, staring down at his plate with a troubled look on his face. His food had gotten cold during the time it took to show Ren where the guest room downstairs was, but he couldn't bring himself to really care about that right now.
'That kid…' The professor sighed to himself, leaning back into his chair to stare at the ceiling. When Mallow had told him she was worried about a new friend of hers, Kukui had hoped that it would've been a small problem. But now, after talking with Ren for a bit and seeing how he acted… something was deeply wrong.
And he had a sinking feeling that he knew what.
It was obvious that the teen hadn't been taking care of himself properly. His mannerisms were sluggish like he hadn't gotten a proper night's rest in quite some time, and the way he talked so cryptically and dismissively about what was happening during his 'trip' only made Kukui worry even more. He didn't really like sticking his nose in other people's business, but this was a different case.
Maybe he was overreacting. Maybe Ren really was only dealing with some bad nightmares and everything else was just fine. But, even still… Kukui groaned and rested a hand on his head, mind whirling as he tried to figure out what he should do.
If it turned out that his suspicions were correct… Well, he knew what he wanted to do. From what he'd seen Ren was a studious and polite young man, and with how quickly him and Mallow became friends, he'd fit right into his classroom with no issue. Plus, Kukui had boarded students in the past, so it's not like this would be any different to him.
"I'm sure Rockruff would be happy to have someone new to play with too," He thought with a light chuckle. The small rock-type usually wasn't too friendly with people he just met (he was still technically a wild Pokémon, after all), but he was all over Ren today. He was a bit on the fence with his idea earlier, but Pokémon were good tests of character. If they liked you, you were usually at least a decent person.
"I'll talk with him about it tomorrow," Kukui said to himself as he ate the last forkful of rice off of his plate. He just hoped that Ren would let him help if he truly needed it.
Ren awoke as he usually did these past few days, to the first rays of the Alolan sun settling onto his muzzle, slowly but surely forcing him to come back to the land of the living. The Zoroark groggily opened his eyes, squinting as the light shone into them. "Ugh…" He groaned, bringing his paw up to shield his face. "I really should find a blanket or something to throw over the bush at night… Though that might attract too much attention from the other Pokémon around here,"
With a loud yawn and a long stretch, Ren slowly pushed himself into a seated position, and—
"… Wait, this isn't my—" Ren started as he glanced around the room he'd woken up in, before suddenly recalling what exactly happened last night. "Oh, right… Professor Kukui let me stay the night." The sunlight that he initially assumed to be breaching the treeline was actually pouring through a small window near the ceiling, giving him a view of the clear blue sky.
The Zoroark let out a sigh as he rubbed the sleep out of his eyes, idly noticing that his illusion had, once again, broken during his sleep. He felt substantially more recharged now, his headache almost entirely gone, and the only sluggishness he felt right now was simply because he was a bit groggy after finally getting a good night's sleep for the first time in a while. The meal he ate last night and actually sleeping in a bed must've worked wonders.
As Ren looked down at his paws, however, he froze as he realized something. His illusion had broken last night… and he was staying in Kukui's house.
His grogginess immediately forgotten, Ren glanced over to the door with panicked eyes, which stayed firmly shut. It didn't look like it had been disturbed during his sleep, but with his foggy memory of the night before… he couldn't be sure. Almost on instinct, he reapplied his illusion in a flash, afraid that the professor could show up unprovoked at any moment to check on him.
"... I really need to figure out how to keep my illusion up overnight," Ren muttered to himself, idly running his hand through his illusory hair. He'd just have to hope that Kukui didn't see anything.
His thoughts were suddenly cut off as his door creaked open, making the Zoroark's eyes shoot up, expecting the professor to be at his door. What greeted him, however, was a much smaller figure at the foot of the doorframe. "Oh hiya, Ren!" Rockruff barked happily, bounding closer to him with his tail wagging. "You weren't up there with Kukui so I followed your scent down here!"
Ren quickly calmed his raging heart with a huff, one hand over his chest. That was way too close for comfort… "W-Well, uh, good to see you, bud," He said after settling himself down, leaning forward to gently pet the dog on the head. "What's he doing up there?"
Rockruff giggled happily under Ren's touch. "He's talking on his little voice-box thingy! Dunno about what though. Sometimes he spends a long time on it,"
Ren's brow furrowed at his words. Voice-box thingy..?
"Well, why don't we go and see what he's up to together?" He offered to the pup, scratching under his chin. He needed to see Kukui anyway, to thank the professor for letting him stay the night. He didn't want to overstay his welcome after all.
The rock type's eyes immediately lit up. "Oh, sure! C'mon, follow me!" He said before breaking away from Ren's touch and dashing over to the door, waiting patiently by the foot of it.
"Alright, alright, I'm coming," Ren chuckled as he smoothly rose to his feet, hands resting in his pockets as he walked after the dog.
Rockruff cheerfully led him up the stairs, occasionally stopping to glance behind himself and call for Ren again with a bark. As the two of them came up to the main living area, the sound of Kukui's voice made Ren's ears perk up slightly under his illusion. It sounded like he was having a conversation with someone, but about what he couldn't tell.
Speaking of the professor… "Where is he..?" Ren muttered to himself as he glanced around, noting the empty kitchen and living room. He could've sworn he heard him as he was coming up.
"I'll call you later, alright? He just woke up," A familiar voice said from behind him, turning just in time to see Kukui putting his phone back into his coat pocket. That must've been the 'voice-box thingy' Rockruff mentioned… He waved lightly at Ren with a grin. "Morning, Ren! Just the guy I wanted to see. How're you feeling today?"
'Wait, was he… talking about me on the phone?' Ren thought with a slightly furrowed brow. From what he said, it didn't sound like anything bad, but who in the world could he be speaking to? "Uh… morning, Kukui. I'm feeling okay, yeah, just a bit groggy."
"I don't blame you! You were knocked out for a good eleven hours there," Kukui said with a chuckle. "You learned how to use Rest, huh?"
"Eleven–?!" Ren repeated incredulously. Even after Palace infiltrations he only needed about eight or nine to feel fully recharged! "Geez… I knew I was tired but not that tired."
"Sorry if I woke you up early… I didn't know you were sleeping that long," Rockruff whined below him as he leaned against his leg apologetically, looking a bit downcast.
Ren glanced down at the dog, smiling a tad as he leaned down to pet him on the head reassuringly. "If you're worried you woke me up, you're fine. I was already awake when you came in to say hi." He said, smile growing as Rockruff rubbed his stony collar against him affectionately.
"Rockruff's really taken a liking to you, huh?" Kukui commented curiously as he watched.
"Huh? Oh, I guess so… you would know since he's your Pokémon." Ren replied as he stood back up.
"Actually… Rockruff isn't my Pokémon." The professor admitted, making Ren's brow raise with curiosity. "A couple months back I fed him some Pokémon food on my way home from the school, and ever since then the little rascal loves hanging around here. I like the company, so I don't mind."
'So… Rockruff's still a wild Pokémon?' Ren thought as he glanced down at the dog. If Kukui's story was true, he was pretty well-mannered for a wild Pokémon. "That's interesting… with the way he acts, I thought you might be his trainer."
"Most people think the same, but, between you and me…" He leaned in closer, grinning. "I think he only sticks around for the food."
"Hey, it's also cuz you're nice to me!" Rockruff barked indignantly down below, before glancing away sheepishly. "... But the food is a plus,"
Ren let out an amused snort. "I think he took offense to that."
"Hah! Don't worry, Rockruff, I'm only teasing." The professor reassured the dog, who responded with a light, pouty grumble. "Anyway, it's good to see you up and about, Ren! I actually wanted to talk to you about something, now that you're awake."
"... You did? If it's about when I'm leaving, I was just about to ask you, actually," He assured, rubbing the back of his neck out of habit.
"Oh, no, it's nothing like that! It's actually… hm," Kukui paused, suddenly looking serious. He gestured over to where they had eaten last night. "Here, why don't we sit down for a bit."
Ren's hackles raised under his illusion. "Uh… sure," He replied slowly, walking over to the table and cautiously sitting down. Had he seen his true form downstairs? Was he going to capture him now that he was cornered?
The professor let out a sigh as he sat across from him, elbows resting on the table. "So, Ren… I know you've told me that your trip to Alola is going okay, but I just wanted to ask you… are you telling me the truth?" His stare as he said this was piercing, but also soft and understanding at the same time.
Ren immediately sputtered at the question. "I… it's," He sputtered out, unsure of what to even say. "... It's going okay, yes. That's the truth."
Kukui simply watched him for a moment before sighing again. "Look… I don't know what you're going through. But if you want to talk about it I'm willing to listen. I'm not here to judge you, I'm just… worried about you."
Silence fell over Ren at his words, trying to not let his mask of neutrality slip. This is the first time in a while that someone other than Sojiro and his friends had actually taken the time to see if he was okay, and he… wasn't sure what to do. He'd only just met the professor a few days ago, but he barely had anyone in his corner right now.
"I…" He started, staring down at the table. "I'm sorry, but… it's, complicated." He just couldn't. Kukui would think he's crazy if he told him the whole story. Plus, he just… wasn't ready to relive what had happened. Not yet.
Kukui's eyes grew sad as he frowned. "That's alright." There was a beat of silence before he continued. "I hope you don't mind if I ask, but… You're not really here on a trip with your parents, are you?"
With that question, Ren's mask cracked ever so slightly. "... No," He shook his head slowly. "I'm… not here with anyone,"
… He missed home so badly. He missed Sojiro, his school, hanging out with his friends… why did this have to happen to him? Why did the universe like seeing him suffer so much?
"Ren… I'm sorry." Kukui said lowly, dragging him out of his thoughts. "Like I said, I don't know what you're going through… but I'm sorry. You're a good kid. You don't deserve any of it."
"I'm sorry you're sad, Ren…" Rockruff whined from beneath him, making him glance down to see him leaning against his leg, tail drooping behind him. "I wish I could help you feel better,"
The Zoroark couldn't help but smile softly at Rockruff, reaching down to gently pet him on the head. "... Thank you, Professor," He sighed, trying to keep his emotions in check.
"It's no problem, really. Now, that brings me to my next question for you…" Kukui settles in once more, arms crossed in front of him. "Where do you plan on going after you leave today? Do you… have somewhere you're staying, at least?"
"… Not really, no," Ren admitted after a pause. "I've been sleeping in the forest the last few—"
"You've been what?" Kukui cut him off, eyes wide with shock and concern. "Arceus, I should've realized you need help sooner… Well, I have a proposal for you then. I'd be more than happy to keep housing you for as long as you need, but in exchange… I want you to enroll in the Pokémon School."
Now it was Ren's turn to be shocked, looking at Kukui like he had grown a second head. "Wh… what? You're not… kidding, right?" Scratch what he said yesterday about Kukui offering to take him in for the night sounding too good to be true, this sounded way too good to be true. He gets free housing and all Kukui's asking is that he enrolls in the school? In what world would he say no to that? There had to be some kind of other catch.
Kukui, however, simply shook his head. "I wouldn't joke about something like this, trust me. I was actually getting off the phone with Principal Oak when you came up to see if it would be okay with him if you said yes, and we'd both be more than happy to have you aboard in my class! Whaddya say, huh?"
"Are… are you sure you don't need me to pay some rent or anything..?" Ren asked, a bit incredulous. He could not believe his luck.
"No rent necessary. All I ask is that you help around the house every now and then and give it your all in school. I wouldn't want to see your studious nature wasted!" The professor assured him.
"I…" He didn't even know what to say. "Yes, yes, that sounds like… more than I deserve, if I'm being honest. Thank you so much." He said gratefully, unable to stop himself from smiling. It felt like a weight had been lifted off of his shoulders, relief filling his chest. He'd spent the last week filled with so much anxiety, but this… finally, things were starting to look up.
Kukui simply chuckled in response, beaming happily at him. "You can thank me by keeping your grades up. I'm sure Rockruff is gonna love having you around, too," he said, gesturing down to the pup.
"Are you really gonna be staying with us?!" Rockruff yipped excitedly, his previously forlorn attitude replaced by pure energetic happiness. "That's so amazing! I can't wait to play all sorts of games with you!"
Ren kneeled down to the dog and ruffled his fur. "Heh, I can't wait either, bud."
It wasn't Shibuya or LeBlanc, but… maybe he could get used to calling Alola 'home' for now.
Bit of a longer one this time around! I hope you all enjoy!