Chapter 14- Eon

"Eon! Don't!" I pleaded. I ran as fast as I could, but he had already made his decision. He fell into the deep water with a terrifying splash. I stopped by the edge. As much as I wanted to save him, I couldn't jump in after him; that would kill us both.

I pressed my hands against my fluffy chest, tears clouding my vision as I watched his writhing, silver body be carried downstream. I fell to my knees, sobbing. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry… I never wanted this…"

Overcome with grief, I sat for what felt like an eternity. Sometime during my mourning, my wonderful Absol sat beside me, stroking my tails. I loved it when he did that. Eon did his best that one time but… ah… Hope always got it just right. I was soon reduced to quivering gasps.

"He'll be fine, Kyu," Hope told me.

"How can he? He jumped into a river!"

"I can't explain, but I know he'll be fine."

I wrapped my tails around him. "It's really sweet of you to try to comfort me, but I know he's dead. It's… okay…" I burst into a new round of tears. It wasn't okay. It wasn't okay at all. One of my best friends was dead! Ever since I transformed him, I kind of took responsibility for him. I guess that's why he fell in love with me, considering how often we were together. Oh, why didn't I tell him before?!

It was my turn to be comforted. I pressed my face against Hope's musky collar of white fur. I felt his tears leak into my fur as we mourned the loss of our friend.

"It's getting late," he whispered. "How about we sleep for now?"

"Don't leave me…" I pleaded.

He stood up, pulling me into a hug. "I would never leave you."

We walked together back to the campus park. I couldn't bear to be separated from my white-furred lover, so we made the earth our bed instead of separating to go to our dorms. I instinctively circled a patch of grass on all fours a couple times before curling up against Hope. Despite my grief, I soon fell asleep.

Blinking away my sleepiness, I stirred, brushing against the fluffy fur of my love. I heard his heartbeat speed up as he awoke as well. Together we sat on the wintry grass, watching the sun rise over the school. Neither of us said anything.

At least, for a while. "If I could have done anything different, I would have told him the moment I knew of his crush on me. Letting it build was an awful idea…"

Hope nuzzled my cheek. "It's okay. We all make mistakes. He'll be fine, I promise."

I licked his muzzle. "What do you think the afterlife is like? Is there a special place in Heaven for hybrids?"

"I think the general consensus is that it's better than here, at least."

"I hope so."

"I hope so, too." We nuzzled again as the sky brightened.

We made our way back to the main plaza solemnly. Matthew flew towards us from the direction of the boys' dorm. "Have you guys seen Eon anywhere? Vee's letting me play Minecraft today and I really, really want to play with him!"

"Eon's dead," I said.

Matthew fell to the ground, landing on his haunches. His bright blue eyes grew wide even as they filled with tears. "No… You're lying!"

"I watched him jump in the river. He killed himself when he found out I was dating Hope."

"You are?! Why didn't you tell me?!" The ground beneath him cracked as he lost control of his psychic power. "This is all your fault! I hate you! I hate you!" I winced at that. He buried his face in his hands, crying hysterically. "Now I'm never gonna see him again because of you!" Guilt began to overwhelm me again as tears once more welled in my eyes. Hope quickly reached behind me and petted my tails, calming me immediately.

The Absol looked over to Matthew. "You need to forgive her. Trust me, it only hurts more to feel angry. The sooner you forgive, the sooner you can feel better." He took a breath. "I don't know what happened, but I know Eon's fine, wherever he is. Can you trust me?"

The Mew sniffed. "Okay. Sorry, Kyu." He bowed his head floated before me. I scratched his feline ears, eliciting a giggle. "Stop it; that tickles!" He pawed away my fingers before returning to his grief.

We found a bench to sit on as we thought over our brief yet wonderful friendship with Eon. "I remember how he wasn't mad at me at all when I first turned him into a Ninetales. I was so afraid he would hate me for it, but he took it so well," I honored him.

"He never ever ever called me annoying. Not even once. He always was okay with playing with me, especially last week when we played Mario Kart. That was so fun," Matthew recounted.

"Most people don't really notice me. He always did. He always tried to make me feel better," Hope lauded.

"Hey… um… are you guys talking about Eon?" A quiet voice behind us queried. I turned and saw Shay holding a pair of hedge clippers in one hand and a flower in the other. "I wanted to give him this orchid I bred myself to say thanks for last night" The silver-colored flower had blue tips and nine long, thin petals. It was astonishing how closely it resembled his tails. My heart sank as I realized he would never get this gift.

I looked away. "Eon committed suicide." I heard the clippers bang against the concrete.

"…He didn't!"

"He did. I'm sorry, Shay." She was more upset than any of us. She sank to her knees, bawling uncontrollably. Hope hugged the Shaymin before running off. I suppose he couldn't handle all the grief what with his empathy and all.

I took Shay into my arms and did my best to comfort her as she cried for several minutes. "He jumped into the river when he learned I was already in a relationship with Hope. I'm sorry."

She gasped before lamenting, "If only I had known! I'm not going to blame you, Kyu, but really! Couldn't you have been a little nicer?" She whimpered in an animal-like way. "Now he's gone and there's nothing we can do. If only I had told him, maybe he wouldn't have gone and killed himself! Oh, why…"

"Tell me what?" a familiar voice asked. Shay gasped. I looked up to see Eon accompanied by Hope. He gave a bittersweet smile as he waved, tails held high.

Earlier that morning…

The first thing I noticed was that I was coughing fiercely to get water out of my lungs. The next thing I noticed was that I was awake. I opened my eyes to see that I was on a rocky clearing near a riverbank. A campfire crackled between me and a deer-like hybrid. Unlike Saws, the only word I could use to describe him was… majestic. A soft glow emanated from his blue fur and eight crystalline, unbranching antlers. However, while Suicuna's crystal horn was a light blue, his antlers shimmered in every color of the rainbow. The hybrid smiled.

"Hello, Eon," he spoke in a somewhat deep, caring voice.

"Am I in Heaven?" I questioned, looking for some sign that I had come through the pearly gates.

My companion shook his head. "I can see why you'd think that, but no."

I eyed him suspiciously. "Am I in Hell?"

He laughed in a golden, perfect voice. "No, my friend! You are still alive!"

My eyes widened. "B-but how?! I drowned myself! …Did you save me?"

He winked mysteriously. "You could say that. You see, I made you immortal."

I blinked, letting that sink in. "You're joking. There's no way someone could be immortal. It's impossible. Besides, I've gotten hurt plenty of times!"

He raised a finger, "But you've never died. Injury and death aren't the same." He stood, reaching into his pocket. "This might be a little uncomfortable; forgive me, please." Without warning, he drove a knife through my neck. I fell unconscious immediately.

I got up on my elbows, blinking open my eyes. The sun hung high above me. My assailant sat across the same campfire, serene as ever. "See?" He said. "You should have died, but you recovered regardless. Hybrid healing and hybrid lifespans are remarkable, but once you're dead, you're dead." He smiled. "But I am a special case. I can't die, and I can share that gift with you.

"Isn't it any wonder you changed your name to Eon? I put that name in your mind when you transformed because that's how long you'll live: Eons; eons upon eons. For as long as this world persists, so shall you." My jaw dropped. I was going to live forever? That seemed a little too long.

Though… as the implications sank in, my heart pounded in excitement. I could attempt any challenge. I could take any hit. I could do whatever I want, because I couldn't die.

Risk no longer existed in my life.

I felt totally overwhelmed, causing me to fall back on my tails. "Why me?" I questioned.

The hybrid smiled. "The world will need a hybrid like you. You have the right mindset to be immortal- you can live eternity content with what you have. Tell me: what do you want? Fame? Fortune? World domination?"

I looked down. I sighed. "All I want is to wrap my tails around Kyu, lick her muzzle, and tell her that I love her. And then… And then I want to hear that she loves me, too!" I squeezed my eyes shut, tears leaking out. "But she already loves someone else. I have nothing to live for! That's why I tried to kill myself!"

My benefactor walked to me and put a glowing hand on my shoulder. "And now that you're alive, what will you do?"

My eyes opened. I pondered his question. "I… I guess I'll go back. I'll make myself an asset to the school, now that I can do whatever I want safely." I smiled, trying to let go of my affection for the most perfect, most beautiful, most wonderful fox hybrid in the world. I tried to think of other things. "The Plasmid Foundation had better watch out- they literally can't beat me!" I grimaced as I tried unsuccessfully to push out thoughts of Kyu. "Who am I kidding? I'm a wreck! Why should I bother at all? Without Kyu, life, even endless life, is meaningless!"

The deer hybrid smiled softly as he stroked my fur. "Something I have learned over the millennia: 'This too, shall pass.' Whatever troubles you will fade, just like everything else. It may seem important now, but soon it won't matter. Relax, Eon."

I took a deep breath. "Thanks, um… what's your name?"

"I? I am Xerneas."

"Thanks, Xerneas." We sat for a few moments as I composed myself. "You know, if I had understood that, I probably wouldn't have tried to kill myself."

"Immortality is convenient, yes?"

"Yeah. …Aw, crap. I just realized something."

"Oh?"

"I tried to kill myself, and I ended up finding out I'm immortal. That sets a terrible example for anyone thinking about doing the same."

"Then repeat my wisdom: 'This, too, shall pass.' In doing so, they can find peace."

"Good idea. 'This, too, shall pass.' Okay. I won't let you down."

"I'm sure you won't."

"So how do I get back?"

"Follow the river back to the bridge you found. You can get back by scent from there."

"Okay. …Will I ever see you again?"

"Definitely. I'll stay nearby as often as I can. Actually, go ahead and take my email address as well."

"Wait, what?"

"My email address. Will that work for you?"

"Yeah, just… you seem like this ancient sage who only appears in the nick of time to deliver cryptic advice. Email is just too convenient."

He laughed softly. "That sounds extremely annoying. No, I have lived for thousands of years, but that's no excuse not to keep up with new technology. Here, take this." He handed me a slip of paper with an email written in flowing, calligraphic text.

"I'll write you soon. …Hey, how long have I been out?"

"It's only the next day. Are you ready to go back?"

I leaned back on my elbows. "So, to recap, I killed someone, my crush was already in a relationship, and I'm going to live with that forever- literally."

"Exactly!"

"Then I'm as ready as I'll ever be. Thanks again for saving me, Xerneas."

"You're quite welcome."

I set off, following the river upstream. Xerneas sat by the fire, waving goodbye.

I spent a good hour walking along the river as I contemplated my new, endless future. I resolved to go skydiving without a parachute, for one thing. It'll probably hurt, but hey. I can. I can improve and progress in my fiery talents forever. Just for fun, I translated that into Latin as I was studying it. Ignem Progressionis Infinitum: Infinite Fiery Progression.

I also realized that everyone I know and love will die, and I will remain. That was a sobering thought; it puts a new take on "This, too, shall pass." Then again, maybe if I find a mate that I would want to live with forever, Xerneas can make her immortal, too. I'd rather not face the alternative: a lifetime of infinite promiscuity.

Returning to more current matters, I returned to the bridge where I tried to take my life. To my surprise, I found Hope sitting on the damp wood as if he was waiting for me. As I made eye contact, he stood up and ran towards me, embracing me in a tight hug.

"I'm so, so, sorry I had to do that to you! You know I hate hurting people. Please forgive me!"

I returned his hug. "Wait… you knew?"

"I foresaw it. This future was the least painful for you… even if it was most painful for me."

I smiled, once more humbled by his selflessness. "Then you have no reason to be sorry. In fact, I appreciate you doing this for me." I extricated myself from his furry arms.

He sighed. "Ok. Thanks. Now hurry- you're making a lot of people very miserable. They all think you're dead."

I hadn't even considered how others would feel if I had died. "You're right, let's go!" We sprinted back to the school, bursting out into the park only a couple minutes later. I sniffed the air, looking for Kyu. After she saw my suicide attempt, I can only imagine the guilt she must have felt even though it wasn't her fault. I caught that wondrous scent of mahogany and mint and ran after it. I began to feel winded right as I rounded a corner and found her in the main plaza. Beside her was Matthew, feline head hung low, and Shay, who was sobbing on Kyu's shoulder. Kyu didn't see us, focused on her friend.

I could barely make out the Shaymin's quiet voice. "If only I had known! I'm not going to blame you, Kyu, but really! Couldn't you have been a little nicer?" She whimpered in an animal-like way. "Now he's gone and there's nothing we can do. If only I had told him, maybe he wouldn't have gone and killed himself! Oh, why…"

Wow. I didn't know she cared that much. I finally spoke up, "Tell me what?"

She gasped, looking up from Kyu's shoulder. Kyu's ears perked as she looked to me, eyes wide. I gave a bittersweet smile as I waved, tails held high. Matthew shot up ten feet in the air in surprise. "Eon?!" They cried in unison.

"But I watched you kill yourself! What happened?" Kyu questioned.

"As it turns out, I'm- oof!" Shay collided with me, knocking us to the ground in a hug.

"I love you, Eon, I really love you! Ever since I saw you when you first arrived here I've been trying to work up the courage to tell you- that's what I should have said! I didn't think this would happen between you and Kyu, but I'm not taking any more chances!" I've never heard her so emphatic about anything.

We stood up as she took my blue-furred hands in her white-furred ones, staring into my eyes with her forest-green irises. She leaned close to me. "I know you love Kyu. But if you can find it in your heart, can you at least give me a chance?"

I opened and closed my muzzle several times without saying anything as Kyu and Matthew watched in silence. I was stunned by her confession. I looked into her quivering eyes as I thought deep about this situation. My decision was soon clear: I didn't want her to go through what I did. "Um… next Saturday, after the tournament round- do you want to watch a movie and maybe get something to eat?"

She inhaled sharply, verdant eyes wide, before hugging me tighter than before. I returned her embrace, feeling just a little proud of myself.

While we hugged, Kyu walked over to us, tails swaying behind her. "So how did you survive?"

I finally broke the news. "I'm immortal."

"…What." Matthew said with his sky-blue eyes wide.

I laughed for the first time in a while. "I'm immortal! I couldn't kill myself if I wanted to! Granted, I didn't know that until, like, an hour ago, but a hybrid named Xerneas-"

"No freaking way…" Kyu said in awe. "You met Xerneas?!"

"You know him?"

"He's a freaking legend!" She explained emphatically. "Meeting him is like meeting the president, or Stephen Hawking, or, Ghandi, or, or,"

"Or Miley Cyrus!" Matthew blurted. We stared at him. "What?"

"Um, so, yeah. He explained that I was, in fact, immortal, because I could handle it or something. He also gave me his email address-"

"He WHAT?!" Matthew flew into me, separating me from Shay. "Gimme gimme gimme!" He demanded, pawing at my pockets.

"Whoa, whoa! Calm down! I don't think I should be handing out someone else's email, but I can ask if you want."

The Mew stepped- er, floated back. "Okay. Thanks."

"Um… Eon?" Shay called.

"Yes, Shay?"

She handed me a silver, nine-petal flower that bore a strong resemblance to my tails. "I bred this flower just for you." She scuffed the ground with a paw, looking down. "…D-do you like it?"

I smiled, lifting her muzzle. I smelled the sweet flower. "It's beautiful. Thank you." Her muzzle opened in an excited smile. Her enormous mane shook back and forth, evidence of her little tail wagging.

I looked over to Kyu. She was so beautiful, but… I guess, so was Shay.

"Hey, Eon!" Matthew shouted excitedly. "We need to go play Minecraft to celebrate!"

"Minecraft? I thought Vee didn't let you play that."

"I know, but he says it's his treat this weekend; c'mon! I have an extra computer we can use."

He rocketed off towards the boys' dorm… only to stop halfway and come back. "And, uh… you three can play, too, if you have the game."

"I've got an account," Kyu said.

"I can watch," Shay offered.

"I'll play," Hope said.

"Oh! I know: we should invite Vulcan! That way we can all win together!" Matthew exclaimed. He teleported away. We looked at each other, unsure of how to proceed.

"So should we…" Kyu began before Matthew reappeared in a flash of light, this time accompanied by Vulcan. The two Psychic-types both floated and grinned, excited for the game.

"I heard you guys were playing Minecraft. Mind if I join?" Vulcan asked.

"Not at all!" I said. "I'm sure we'll have great luck with you playing with us."

"Not like you have a choice; you have to win if you play with me," he replied.

I laughed a little. "Sounds good to me."

Matthew flew towards his dorm room with Vulcan and Shay in tow. I started after them only to be pulled back by Kyu. She gave me a big hug, wrapping her tails around me just like I had fantasized about. It was wonderful.

"I'm glad you're back," she whispered. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you earlier."

I enfolded her with my own tails.

Hope, Kyu, and I set off a little more leisurely. Kyu parted from Hope and me, explaining that she needed to go get her own laptop and she'd meet up with us in just a bit.

Matthew had rearranged his dorm room for this event, as evident by a couple long tables along a wall with extension cords snaking around them. Vulcan, Matthew, and Vee had already begun to set up, loading the game on their computers.

"Here's your computer, Eon," Matthew said, pointing to a large monitor beside his. The Minecraft logo was prominently displayed on-screen. "Okay; I'll generate a new world and you guys join in." He began clicking frantically, instructing the game to randomly build a pixelated world for us to explore. Navigating the menus, I managed to link my game to his so we could play together. Vulcan and Vee soon appeared in the game as well.

Vee instructed rapid-fire, "All right, guys. We will do this fast, and we will be efficient! First order of business- punch down some trees, craft a pickaxe, mine some stone, craft a stone axe, cut down more trees, craft a furnace, cook some charcoal, craft a stone sword, get some meat, craft some torches, and go mining- I'll tell you what to do from there."

I stifled a laugh. "Okay. I'll do… all that." Having played Minecraft before, I managed to keep up with his requests. I set off to work. As I began mining for stone, I heard a scuffing sound behind me. I turned to see Shay edging her chair closer to me for a better look at what I was doing. She ducked her head, blushing through her white fur. I smiled and turned back to my game.

"Hey, Vulcan, what are you doing?" Vee asked. I moved my avatar over too Vee's. The blocky avatar representing Vee peered down a hole in the earth.

"Well, you see, Vee, I decided to go straight for mining. Already I've found some coal and iron, so give me a few moments to smelt that." We waited. I heard his hind paw thud frantically against the carpet. "Gah! This is taking too long. Mm...

"Finally! Okay, now I'll make an iron pickaxe- oh, hey, look at that! Diamonds!" My jaw dropped. He randomly found diamonds- the rarest and most useful ore in the game- in five minutes?! It takes me at least an hour to come across the 16-bit jewels!

"Now I'll just mine this obsidian I just found… Agh! Holy crap mining obsidian takes freaking forever I mean I looked it up and it takes ten seconds to mine each block with a diamond pick ten seconds seriously who has the patience to mine one block let alone ten for the Nether Portal I mean come on this has got to be the most boring part of the entire game sure obsidian is useful and all and completely bomb-proof but do you really have to make it so darn hard to mine… hey, whaddya know? I'm done!" I face pawed. "Now I'll just use this flint I happened upon along with my iron to ignite it and there we go! Into the depths of Hell itself I shall venture!" For reference, yes: the Nether Portal is a portal to Hell- or the "Nether", depending on your preference.

"Aww, yes! Nether fortress! We'll be in the End in no time!" Finding a structure called a nether fortress is a crucial and… normally difficult part of completing the game. So of course Vulcan's god-like luck kicks in and he finds one immediately.

"Blaze, thy name is ruin; Hyaa!" I suppose that was a battle cry. I chuckled.

Considering all the plot-related aspects of the game were covered, I turned to more… domestic tasks. The biggest draw of the game was building- if you can imagine it, you can build it.

"All right, then. I'll start working on a mansion for us to live in."

"Thanks, Eon," Vee replied. "Here; let me get you some iron tools to get you started."

Kyu and Hope entered, carrying their own laptops. "Hey, you guys!" Kyu exclaimed.

"Hi, Kyu!" Matthew replied. "As you can see, Vulcan's already gotten plenty of blaze rods-"

"And seven wither skeleton skulls!" (Another extremely rare item- significantly rarer than diamonds.)

"And seven-"

"Eight, now!"

"Eight wither skulls," Matthew finished, laughing.

"Dang! Well done, Vulcan!"

"You know I can't lose."

"Well, yeah, just… accept the darned compliment!" Kyu stammered out. Vulcan giggled in response.

Hope logged on and directed his character over the mansion I was building. I wasn't all that good at building, so my framework implied a crude structure.

"Would you like me to help?" He offered.

"Sure, I can't say I'm too good at building. Are you any good?"

"I think so. Can I give it a shot?"

"Okay! What do you want me to do?"

Hope deliberated within himself for a few moments before giving me a list of materials to collect. It was quite a list, ranging from lava to wool to jungle tree leaves. Nevertheless, I collected some food from the farm Matthew had begun and set off on my quest. Two in-game days later (about an hour) and Vulcan had declared that we were ready to fight the final boss- the Ender Dragon.

"Also I have a full set of diamond armor for each of you." I face pawed again.

As any experienced Minecraft player can tell you, the final boss was… uneventful. We mostly just pelted it with arrows whenever it came within range, which is even less exciting than it sounds. Nevertheless, it was an accomplishment, even if Vulcan trivialized it.

With the newfound wealth the End dimension granted us, we redoubled our efforts to design an amazing mansion. Hope's design was… astounding. The group mansion had multiple wings with high ceilings, four grandiose floors, and beautiful grounds around it.

"This… this is incredible! How'd you do this?!"

He ducked his head shyly. "I want to be an architect. Minecraft is good practice."

I patted his back. "You're doing fantastic."

"Thanks."

A knock at the door made my pointed ears perk. Matthew floated over to admit entrance to, of all people, Professor Darck and a very disconcerted human police officer.

"Eon," the Lugia called in a worried voice. "We need to talk to you."

"Hey, what's a human doing here? Eon, is he your dad or something?" Matthew commented. I shook my head, bewildered, as I accompanied the two into the hallway. Johiko closed the door.

"Now, Eon, this will be a little uncomfortable for you. Please, just cooperate and I promise: everything will be fine."

The officer took a deep breath. "Lotus Kelvin, I am placing you under arrest for charges of the voluntary manslaughter of Jeremy Halls. You have the right to remain silent. You have the right to an attorney. Anything you say can and will be used against you in court of law."

My heartbeat quickened. "Wh-what?"

Johiko placed a reassuring wing on my shoulder. "Do as he says. I'll get you through this. Also, officer, be mindful of his tails. He doesn't like them being touched."

I let the policeman handcuff me and lead me to his car. Professor Darck took off above us as he drove, keeping his psychic presence in my mind to calm me. We soon arrive at the police station.

"You'll remain here overnight as we contact your parents and arrange the hearing," the officer explained. "Don't worry- you haven't been found guilty of anything yet. This is mostly a formality to prevent people from escaping their trial, and I'm sure you're a trustworthy kid. C'mon. Let's go." I was guided to a cell. It was mostly barren- a cot, a toilet, and a couple of magazines were the only furnishings. Johiko soon made his way into my room.

I sat on the cot as he asked, "So what happened?"

I took a deep breath. "When we went hunting on Friday, Kyu, Sidi, Saws, and I were attacked by hunters. Sidi told us to incapacitate them to stop them from trying to shoot us with their rifles. I tried to knock one of them out, but I hit too hard and… he died…" My ears fell back in shame.

"So you were being shot at entirely unprovoked, and you retaliated in self-defense with the intent to knock out, but not kill."

"Yes."

"Hmm…" The Lugia sat next to me, eliciting some dangerous creaking noises from the cot as he contemplated my situation. "So you did kill him."

"Yes, but I didn't mean to! Honest!"

"I believe you. Besides, it's a little hard to lie to a Psychic." He smiled with his beak, eliciting a small grin from me. "Will you be okay tonight?"

I sighed. "Sure hope so."

"Then we'll get this all sorted out tomorrow." He patted my back in a rather fatherly way. "Have a good night, Eon."

"You, too, Professor Darck." The door closed behind him, leaving me alone. Or so I thought.

Eon? I heard Matthew's voice in my head. Where'd ya go, buddy?

I was arrested for voluntary manslaughter.

I could hear him laugh. No, really, where are you? I tried to force it into his mind that I was serious. Oh. Um… what the heck?

Kyu can explain. I don't want to talk about it.

Okay. BRB!

Did you really just think "be right back" as an abbreviation? A melodious psychic laugh was my response. I reclined on the simple cot as our telepathic connection was severed. I took a deep breath as I tried to relax.

So you have nothing to worry about! Good to hear! Matthew reestablished our connection.

Keep in mind that I did kill someone. Involuntary manslaughter is still a crime.

That's stupid. If you didn't mean to, then can't you just say that you're sorry?

Court doesn't work that way, Matthew.

Well I'm gonna fix that as soon as possible. Oh- Shay wants to talk to you.

Sure.

Eon? The Grass-type whispered, using Matthew as an intermediary. Even her internal voice was quiet.

Hey Shay.

Y-you'll be fine, right? I don't want you to go to jail! Her mental voice broke up. I could feel her worry projected through Matthew. Please, promise me you'll take me out this Saturday no matter what. Promise me!

…I promise.

Thank you… Have a good night, Eon. …I love you.

Nighty-night! Matthew thought.

Good night, you two.

The next morning, I heard keys jingling in the lock on my door.

"Good morning, Mr. Kelvin. Your hearing will be today. Please come with me." The police officer from last night pocketed the keys. If he was disturbed by my vulpine appearance like my humans, he was hiding it stoically. I stood up and stepped out of the cell. "Now allow me to put these on you," he said, handcuffing me. I cooperated. "Thank you. Follow me." We walked to his car. I sat in the back as he drove us to a courthouse.

"Your hearing will be behind closed doors; you don't have to worry about anyone finding out about this. You won't have a trial by jury; instead it'll just be you, the judge, your parents, and an attorney if you obtain one."

"Thank you, officer."

Within the courthouse I was directed to a large room. There were many empty benches, along with an empty jury box. The only occupants were a transcriber seated at a laptop, Professor Darck, my mom, and the brother of the hunter I killed- the same one who tried to kill me. He saw me and smirked. My fur stood on end as I growled.

"Sir? Is there a problem?" The officer asked.

I blinked and shook my head, allowing my fur to resume its normal state. "It's nothing. Sorry, officer."

I was lead to a bench on the front row beside my Mom and Professor Darck.

"All rise for the honorable Judge Meese," the transcriber instructed. "You may be seated." The doors thudded closed. "December 7, 2014: Aaron Halls verses Lotus Kelvin. Court is now in session!"

Author's note: Surprise! I couldn't stand the wait of a whole week, so... early chapter! Now that school's out I can upload two chapters a week per story... yes, per story. If you haven't read Pokemon: Grey Version, I would appreciate it if you checked it out! It's about a Latios hybrid in the actual Pokemon world.

Anyway, yes, Eon is immortal. No, he's not overpowered. Trust me. Weren't expecting that, were you? :3