THAT SYLVEON

We'll return to right where we left off, with the good vibes and the calm vinyl jazz music. But um, I haven't much information for you right now. Thanks everyone for the good notes from the last chapter. Reviews, just as they always have been, are incredibly helpful for the sake of improving my writing. It'll be up to you to judge though.

LuanOTP owns nothing.

…

Things were becoming more usual. All he truly needed was time. After days of being in the presence of a teenage Zoroark and a quiet Jolteon, Raidon finally felt like it was time. Well, tomorrow would be time.

He sat across from the electric type that had taken him in. Two bowls of minced meat and vegetables sat at each member of the dining table. Fresh food, he had been accustomed to more than ever.

"Hope ya enjoy your food, kid." told Cooper, who was actually 'Uncle Cooper' to the Luxray. "I'm not actually that good at home cooking unless we're talkin' barbecue."

Raidon had already taken two bites out of his meal. "It's fine, Uncle Cooper. It tastes really, really nice." he made out after finally swallowing his food.

A smile creaked from the corners of the Jolteon's mouth. "Heh, thanks. Y'know, I couldn't even wring a compliment out of Chloe if I tried. So, I appreciate it, is what I'm saying."

"Oh. No problem. I also uh, I also really appreciate the roof over my head. I don't think I'd do well on my own." timidly admitted the electric feline.

"Don't mention it. Ay, Chloe isn't giving you any trouble, is she? She's very… Uh… Entitled? I don't even know how to put it."

*BZZZTT*

Raidon's ears twitched once he had felt the vibration coming from an undisclosed spot on his fur. He made a mental note to check on his cellphone. "Oh… Really? I think she's been pretty accepting of me, especially since… I sorta just moved in last week outta nowhere."

Bitterly guffawing, Cooper leaned back in his chair. "Ahaha, you know, that's a good one. Anywho, fair enough, y'know?"

The juicy meat tickled his taste buds with sweetness and succulence. Raidon made a face of delight per munch. It hadn't taken long for the evening to come, and alongside it an empty plate. The moon arrived with starry companionship, as well as a pair of satisfied stomachs.

"So how was the meal, Raidon?" questioned Cooper, who reclined and had their paw on their swelling belly. "Damn. I feel like a Wailord. Is that offensive?"

Raidon took deep breaths, seeming like he had gone for a kilometer long swim. "Far out - I'm a really big fan of meat. Massive, even."he stifled a hiccup. "Also, uh, I don't think I know any Wailords."

"I guess. Anyway, no problem, champ. Are you gonna head to school tomorrow, or do you think you need a few more days?"

Confidently, he could shake his head, and so he did. "No - it'll definitely be tomorrow. I've got a lot to catch up on, and I don't think I'll be able to keep up working from here."

The Jolteon stretched, before gradually easing himself out of the chair that he was sat in for the last amounts of hours. His full stomach felt like a weighted belt around his waist. "That's good news. I'm gonna be a bit busy tomorrow… I'm going to make a visit to the hospital... so I'll be back late. Do you have Chloe's number?"

Raidon jumped into thought. Shortly after, he landed and shook his head. Cooper lazily swatted an invisible Venomoth.

"Alrighty. Make sure you ask her for that, as well as for the spare house keys. Whew. I gotta sit down."

"Gotcha, Uncle Cooper." the seated Luxray spectated his fellow quadrupedal in golden fur drag himself toward the door to the main hallway. "Are you going to bed?"

"You bet. It's been a long day, and it doesn't need to be any longer, aha. Goodnight, Raidon."

The teenager waved goodbye to the exiting Jolteon. "Okay! See you tomorrow." He allowed his Uncle to waltz out of the open-plan lounge area and into the foyer, before giving in to the strains of his own gastric negotiation. He leaned back into his chair, and gave a look at his wrist. A pattern of cuts that had been apparent as wounds days before now came off as an less obvious loss of fur.

"Five, five… Uhh…" mumbed Raidon, to no one but himself, and the walls that surrounded him. "I think I have really bad memory…" Next, he enthusiastically took his phone out from his fur coat, and looked at his screen.

To his surprise, it was a message from the zesty Zeraora whom he never remembered giving his number to. Slightly less enthusiastic, he opened the notification, and read it through the gleams and colourful seams of his eyes.

"Yea Don! The 'Yamo sent ya bell. where u been? Got some maaad news bro."

Never seeing such dialect before, Raidon had to take the time to read the text over again. After a sharp intake and a squint in his eyes, the Luxray stuck his tongue out and asked Manu what on Arceus' good green world he could be on about.

"aight, so lemme 'splain. while yous wuz Psyduckin' about with yo' yeehee yahoo schnizzle, ya boi wuz pickin' chicks like berries."

Eyebrows came crashing down, and Raidon was no longer invested. Often, he'd just drown out whatever nonsense spoken by the Zeraora, and this felt like the same. He still took the time to begin forming a reply, but a twitch ran through his body once his ears picked up a jangling sound.

He sucked in his gut and approached the main door through the front foyer. The entrance opened in from the outside, revealing a dark type coated in a purple dye from the twilight above, wearing nothing but a green bandana and a messenger bag. A pair of eyes from the half open entrance glared at the quivering Luxray, who felt much smaller under her gaze.

"Hello, Raidon." spoke the Zoroark, bringing some of her free-flowing red-black hair across her shoulders to obscure her bosom and bandana.

"Hi, Chloe - I didn't even know you were out." Raidon responded, struggling to keep his eyes off her own.

Shutting the door, Chloe turned and faintly smiled at her new housemate. "Mmm. Went out to meet some friends."

"Oh. Alright then." The Luxray headed toward the stairs, but noticed that Chloe was already in the way. "Uh, sorry. I was just about to get to bed."

"It's all good."

The duo slowly crept up the stairs - Raidon followed closely behind the Zoroark. He got a whiff of an interesting smell while in this proximity. One he never had the delight (or misfortune) of identifying. First floor, and Chloe had held the door open for the Luxray to gratefully trot through.

His eyes twinkled like gems in the sky. spectating the Illusion Pokemon from behind. Like clockwork, her bag went off in a flash. The bandana was folded in half, then into quarters, before getting stuffed in a nearby desk. Chloe sat down at her desk, immediately booting up her laptop. All the while, Raidon had only breathed twice, and maybe scratched at an itch on his nose.

"So, what'd you get up to?" asked the Zoroark, putting her legs up at her desk authoritatively.

Raidon scuttled onto the bottom bunk bed, "Nothing really. I slept a ton today. Oh, I was packing my things for school tomorrow." he elucidated proudly. Although, the dark type didn't seem very fazed. She hadn't even bothered with eye contact. "So, uh. How about you? I know I asked this already, but uh… Just making conversation. Geez, Raidon."

Weirdly enough, Chloe had chuckled as she wrapped her headphones around her neck. "Okay. That's pretty funny. You talk to yourself in the third person or sumthin'?"

"...Not regularly."

A snort exploded from the Zoroark's nostrils, before she had outright bursted out laughing.

"Ahaha, Dude, what?" she cried, gently spinning in her chair. "Alright, man. Whatever you say."

He'd never describe himself as funny. Hence, Raidon had no idea what that was. He beamed, though. It was the first time he had seen the Zoroark bust a smile, and it made a jolt of a current zip through his veins. Awkwardly, he exhaled through his nose and laid in bed.

"Well, anyways…" he mused, getting all snuggly. He sighed, untensed, and dropped his tongue from the roof of his mouth. Yeah I see you. Yeah, you! Relax! Drop those shoulders! "I guess I'm gonna chill in bed for a bit."

"Go for it."

Raidon turned on his back. He then realised that it was very uncomfortable for an animal with four legs such as himself, and flipped back onto his front. One last time, he checked his phone for any news from anyone. Preferably good news.

Flicking through his messages, his eyes remitted colourful kaleidoscopes of light from the screen he so intently viewed. Inappropriate texts from Manu lingered in his notification list. What was below that caught him by surprise.

Five messages from Anais.

"yo"

"hi again."

"hey, mind if we talk sometime?

"hey, are u alright? haven't replied in awhile"

"Raidon. where are u? pick up your phone caveman"

It definitely sounded like her. Raidon didn't bother fighting the twinkle that grew on his face. Equally, he couldn't help the edging sleepiness that wanted his attention. Or rather lack of it.

I could probably respond to her tomorrow morning, right?

His eyes closed. Gently, weariness led him by hand into the town of slumber and imagination. Suddenly, the bed was jolted. Raidon's eyes flew back open. Chloe had stopped the spinning of her chair by firmly applying her foot on the bed.

"You're goin' to bed already?" Chloe scoffed, looking down at the sheepish electric type. "Lame. It's only eight as well."

Like a horny Beedrill would on a warm summer's day, Raidon's irises darted from side to side with no particular pattern. "Well, you know school. It starts early and all."

The female Zoroark nodded slowly, although her coy grin and slit eyelids suggested condescension.

"Yeah - no, I get it. Just wanted to ask; what grade are you in?"

"Eleventh. What about you?"

"College. First year. Y'know, you ain't too bad for an eleventh grader." she admitted, cupping the underside of her maw using her paw. "Prolly 'cause I know a lot of asshole 'leventh graders. Especially around your area code, anyway. But yeah, you're cool."

Raidon's ears fell flat against his head in an unconfident motion. "Wait, people think I'm a… a jerk or somethin'?"

"Eh?" recoiled Chloe, smiling from surprise. Spinning her claws without certainty, "Well not you, dude - Just forget what I said." she told, dismissing the Luxray. "I just think you're cooler than most of your guys."

This sentence activated the charcoal black quadrupedal's thinker.

Wait - isn't she only a few years above me? What makes me a youngster?

Even worse - Didn't she call you boomer the other day?

"That's gotta be one of the nicest things someone's said about eleventh graders, thanks." jestered Raidon, and Chloe did follow suit with a giggle.

"Don't mind it. Hey, I was thinkin' - you must be pretty bored sitting around here all the time." smugly noticed the Zoroark. One of her digits caressed her bottom lip. "Do you wanna have a go at my game?"

Raidon shot up once he heard "game", a word he hadn't heard since the summer of '92. "Game? Like, video game?"

"Yeah."

"On your computer?"

"Yeah."

"...Now?"

Chloe scratched her head. "Dude - do you wanna play or no?"

"No!" Raidon screamed, blowing the dark type back a little bit. He cleared his throat and brought his volume back down to a level that wouldn't make Chloe eye him down. "Erm, I meant to say yes. Yes please."

Shivers, vibrations, and other unwanted oscillations shook the electric type's backbone as he made awkward eye contact with the Illusion Pokemon.

"...Alright, come take a seat."

His gaze dropped to her pair of rather plump thighs. "...On the seat, right?"

"Duh. Where else?"

The Luxray chuckled skittishly. "Aha, yeah, of course."

His phone was slung lazily to the side, and he immediately hopped into the gaming chair once Chloe had politely made some space for him. The colours, the graphics, and just the very feel of playing a modern video game jetted through his veins like a bolt of freedom. Yes, he did get his ass kicked by all of the other online players, but that was an ass well worth getting kicked. With Chloe watching intently from the lower bunk bed, the duo wasted the evening hours in front of twenty-eight inches of screen.

…

"Anais, are you sure you wanna go today? Why don't you take another week off? We can contact the school an-"

She was already tired from having to wake up in the wee hours of a Monday morning. It didn't help that her mother, a stubborn Glaceon stood in her way of education. Flicking the bangs of fur - that grew on her head down to her eyebrows - to the side, "Mom. Like, chill." she deadpanned for the upteenth time. "It's been ages, and I think I'm ready to go back to school now."

"I know, I know, it's just…" Cassidy leaned on the doorway to the garage from the main hallway. Defeated, she sighed. "You know how much I care for youuu!"

The mother to the Sylveon clasped her paws around her daughter's cheeks. Anais wriggled around in her grasp.

"AH! I get it, Mom! Could you at least let me through before mphmpmhmhpmh!"

Cassidy now began mushing the fairy's cheeks against her poor face. "GAH! Why do you kids grow up so quick!? When I was your age, I was still a baby!"

"Cassidy!" called Julley, who emerged onto the scene via the lounge. "D-Don't keep Anais from going to school; s-she's gonna be late!"

Swiftly, the Glaceon brought the younger, smaller and more easily irritable Sylveon toward her torso, gripping her tightly. "...maybe that's what I was going for…"

"She can't stay here on her own, can she? Brendan and Jasmine have left for work already." reasoned the Umbreon, stepping closer to his wife, who held onto her hostage with homely hostility. "I know you have a shift too."

Anais began struggling with more tenacity.

"What? They're nowhere near getting ready!" countered Cassidy, still keeping ahold of her daughter.

"Huh? Don't they - uh…" Julley peered at the Sylveon, who looked more blue than pink. "Umm… Cass? I think Anais needs to breathe."

"Wha? Oh. Ahaha, oops!"

Cassidy deactivated her robotically intense grip, allowing Anais to drop to the floor and catch her breath.

"That's… the fifth time… This week." the Sylveon sputtered, staring at the solid tiles below as if they were her salvation.

Speechless, Julley let Cassidy gently caress their teenage daughter's forehead, whispering sweet, apologetic nothings into her ear. "Um… A-As I was saying, don't they have really early morning starts?"

"Who?"

"B-Brendan and Jasmine."

Almost on cue, a Lucario in nothing but scrubs zipped down the banister of the staircase, somersaulting (with grace) through the air. Cutting wind with one more spin for style, she landed on one foot, and darted toward the kitchen.

"HIGUYSSORRYIMLATEANDHUNGRY." she called out in a rush, vaulting her own brother to get to the toaster in time for a Popplio Tart. "Put 'em in the car, Barry!"

Julley heard more thumping from the stairs. It was a Blaziken. Just when he thought he had called it, closer inspection saw Barry scampering to the ground floor with two Riolus safely in his jurisdiction.

"Morning guys! Erm, would you mind if I scooched past you Anais?" quietly greeted the fire type, awkwardly shuffling past the Glaceon and her daughter to enter the garage.

Cassidy took a step out of the doorway and to the left. "Um, morning, Barry."

Anais recovered from her brief asphyxiation. "Eugh… Why do I feel like I'm in a cutscene or something…?"

"B-Back to the point, Cass, I think it's important Anais gets back to school." Julley admitted, and admittedly, it hurt his heart to see the dejected profile upon his wife's face. While making a face that said 'please', "it's for the best. She can't stay here forever."

Sighing, "Fine, fine. Make sure you come straight back here with Barry after school, okay?" the Fresh Snow Pokemon pleaded, her hands firmly placed on Anais' shoulders like a pair of weighted epaulettes.

"We'll be alright. I'll be alright, Mom." responded the Sylveon, stepping into the garage after briefly embracing her mother. "See you guys later."

The garage door was shut. Cassidy disappointedly leered at the Umbreon. However, he still smiled.

There wasn't much of a grace period before Julley pressed his nose against a Glaceon he could call his own. "She'll be okay, Cass. L-Let's go back to our room for a bit, maybe? I've still got time before I head off."

That always found a way to get her smiling. As a fountain of blood, redness dispersed itself over her cheeks. The dark type continued to gleer into the future through her pupils.

"-And cuddle for a bit?"

Julley twinkled. "And cuddle for a bit."

*DUM DUM DUM*

A beige and berry blur tumbled down the staircase. Brendan, a mess at the foot at the stairs, groaned in medical impatience.

"Fuuuuuck, man…" he moaned, clutching his shoulder. "I think I dislocated my arm…"

Cassidy sprinted to the Blaziken's side. "You, WHAT?!"

Jasmine entered the room, cracking her knuckles. "Alright, alright, stay calm. I'll take care of his arm. Cass, could'ya hold his beak shut so he doesn't squall again?"

…

The car ride was silent. Anais and Barry waited patiently in the backseat of the Bursyamo-mobile, piloted by Brendan.

"Hey, Dad?" spoke up the latter cousin, the first he had uttered since the trip began. "You keep clutching your shoulder. Is everything alright?"

"I don't want to talk about it."

The whip pulled in after a harsh right turn to the road sidelining Evergreen highschool. Brendan parked more than twenty carlengths from the doors of the institution. He then turned to the teenage tykes behind him.

"Alright you two. Hop on out. I really don't want any school kids seeing me toda-"

"Hey… Isn't that Brendan Bursyamo's car?"

"...shit… Okay, c'mon you two!"

Anais and Barry were hurriedly chased out of the car. Half-donut later and the father to three was gone in a flash.

"What's with your Dad?" asked Anais, hopping onto the pavement. "He's acting like… a numbnut, dude."

Barry scoffed and turned his head. "Numbnut is a swear word, you know."

Continuing on, the Sylveon locked onto a Pokemon she was familiar with, shimmying off one of the closeby public buses that ran through the hazel-lit town. His eyes pointed to the depths of the recesses below the world, although Anais could've sworn she saw an angel wrapped in black fur.

"Hey! Raidon!" she called.

Her yell fell on deaf ears, as well as fellow students scuffling about to get inside. The enigmatic onyx quadrupedal disappeared beyond the school gates.

"What?" Anais mumbled aloud, as Barry came to her side.

"Maybe he didn't hear you?"

A palm met her forehead. "I literally screamed. How would he not have heard me?"

"I hear music players are trendy now."

"Barry I will eat you."

The Sylveon trudged on forwards, eager to get some answers. Approaching the gate, she swivelled around a pole that was square to the footpath in. Something tough stopped her in her strides.

Something furry.

"Ouch, shit." Anais grumbled, stumbling back a few steps. "I… Oh my god, Raidon!"

The cumbersome electric type, as uncool as a frozen cucumber, aided the fairy to her four feet. "Hi, Anais…! Hi." he repeated, now in a lower tone.

"Arceus, I'm actually really happy to see you - I-I've got so much to tell you." she spoke quickly and out of breath, but it didn't stop her. "Oh, and, didn't you hear me call your name?"

"Um, no. I mean, yeah, I did, but I thought you were angry, so I uh… I pretended to ignore it." harshly and painfully admitted the Luxray. His face displayed worry, although hers had confusion.

"Huh? Well, why'd you think I was angry?"

"Oh. I forgot to reply to your message yesterday. I kinda got caught up doing stuff, and I only just clocked it today."

Anais snickered. "What? Ahaha, Raidon, I'm not gonna be mad over stuff like that." She began leading her boyfriend into the school. "Do something dumber and then see how I am～"

A blush befell Raidon's cheeks. "Damn. Really? I spent the entire morning wondering whether I had another option or somethin'."

Anais couldn't contain her laughter. The duo traversed the school halls, where students parted to the lockers as if to create an isle for them.

"That's ridiculous, aha." she exhaled, before turning to look at the Luxray in his eyes. His expression was no longer awkward and timid. And so, she smiled. "Oh, so um, Raidon, there was something I wanted to talk to you about. Like, a lot happened to me these past couple weeks. I really want to tell you."

"Phew, um, sure." he replied, his eyebrows scaling upwards. "I've got a bit to tell you too, so maybe we could find a spot during recess?"

"Aha, alright. You're great, Raidon." Anais somewhat blurted, but she was able to mask her embarrassment by staying close and rubbing against the larger quadrupedal.

"Thanks…! You're great too, by the way."

The Sylveon rolled her eyes. Once they had returned to focus, though, they did so. A grey and black Pokemon at the end of the hallway - that was certainly camouflaged against the pearly white walls - became the centre of her attention. That Mightyena, she hadn't spoken to in what felt like years.

Squinting closer, the dark type target seemed to be intimate with a sparkling golden figure, whom she couldn't identify from behind. She took another step. Then another. Finally anoth-

"Uh, hey? Which class are you off to?"

The fairy rotated about her paws. Raidon stood at the open entrance to their form room.

"Oh. Oops. Duh." she sniggered, lightly fanning herself. "'Scuse me for being a bit of a numbnut."

"I accept your apology." joked the Luxray, before sternly glaring down the fairy type. "Although numbnut is a swear word, you know."

Anais sighed and pushed the electric type from behind into the classroom. "Alright, that's quite enough."

…

Okay, yes! I'm sorry! I know this chapter is short. I'll try and try to make it up to you. This was mainly because it had been awhile since I last uploaded and I wanted to reassure you that I wasn't dead lol

Alright! That'll do for the chapter! Thanks for the read, as per usual.

-LuanOTP

…

…

"Valencia, you must depart. I will not put your life under any more risk than it already is." a heavenly voice pronounced from within the darkness, responded to with hastened remarks from a less divine, voice of panic. All ensued within a whirring noise, indicating the arrival of authorities.

"B-But this wasn't the plan! This is a disaster! You had told me we were both going to be just fine!"

"Everything you need is in the briefcase, Valencia." the voice spoke, calmly. "Money, a place to stay, and even a change of identity."

Snow white paws and serrated claws gripped the handle of the case. "...Will I ever get to see you again?"

"We'll see each other again, whether in this life or the next."

Whimpering, and holding back tears, the shakier voice replied. "...I will forever be in your debt."

*THUMP*

"Honestly, these thriller books were never really my type. I know they weren't yours either…"

Cooper closed the light novel, and threw it onto the chair behind him. He looked up on the stretcher bed, glaring at the sleeping Zoroark who occupied it. The steady beep of a tranquil heartbeat and regular - sometimes irregular - breathing was the only ambience around.