THANKS SPHINX! THANKS FAN!

THAT SYLVEON

Okay, nice. I started this chapter a few days after releasing the last one. This is the kind of form that I want to keep up for as long as possible. Anyways, how're you guys doing? I hope you're taking care of yourselves despite the madness going on outside.

To all you guys in the TU server - Things are a little tough 'n' brazy. I haven't been active for awhile, but my loyalty will always lie in that general chat.

Also, Merry Christmas! Have a happy new year, too. I'm pretty sure we're all just waiting for 2021 at this point lol.

LuanOTP owns nothing.

Pain. It wasn't emotional, it was only all over his body. No big deal.

Pain. It was emotional, and it brought tears to his eyes.

Raidon stared at the wooden planks of the bed that was a distance above him. He remembered the events that had just transpired the day before. He remembered the emotional agony that ripped his soul apart on that rainy evening. He also remembered leaving the Zoroark at the computer to enjoy herself. Looking back over to his right, there she was, going at it.

The light that inched through the blackout curtains was a dastardly orange, contrary to the dreary, dark and dreadful grey that the sky had succumbed to yesterday. Rubbing his eyes, the Luxray sat up in bed, and eyed the back of his roommate's head.

"Good morning, Chloe." he said, wanting to curl up into the blankets and go back to sleep.

Chloe turned in her seat, a green bandana with a large peach star on it tied around her neck - her wireless headphones were nowhere near coming off.

"Mm. Afternoon, you mean." she scoffed, crossing her legs.

"Afternoon? Darn, that means I missed school. What time is it?"

She had turned back around to check the current time on her computer. "It's half past three. Ya slept the entire afternoon away."

"Oh. Uh oh." panicked the Luxray, sifting through the bedsheets to find his phone. It was eventually between his legs somehow. He reached for it, and looked at a black screen. There must be some missed messages from his girlfriend, but the device refused to switch on. "Uh, Chloe? Do you think I could borrow a charger around here?"

Swivelling about in the chair, Chloe got to looking around her computer setup for any spare parts. "I'll have a look. What phone do you have?"

"The Hi-Phone Five."

"Hi-Phone Five? What, are you a grandpa or something? The Hi-Phone Eleven got released a couple of weeks you know." remarked the Zoroark, snarkily pulling a wire and plug pair out from a small box of spare junk. "Yuh, I've got your wire here."

"T-Thanks." Raidon muttered embarrassingly, handing Chloe his phone once she had put her paw out. It was plugged into a nearby socket, but showed no signs of actually becoming usable yet.

"No sweat. Anyways, what school do you go to?"

This was the first question Chloe had actually asked him aside from what this 'Boomer' was doing at her door. It had caught him off guard, because the Luxray had no thoughts of being able to start an actual conversation with the Pokemon wrapped in black.

"Oh, uh, Evergreen. H-How about you?"

"Gross. Evergreen. I'm West LHS. No wonder I hadn't seen you 'round there though. I've got an older cousin on my pops' side that goes to that school, actually, but I don't really like her that much, so." elucidated the Zoroark, leaning back in her chair and folding her slim legs.

Raidon opened his mouth to speak, but shut it before anything could come out.

Would it make sense to ask more about a cousin she doesn't like? She does go to the same school as me after all. I've seen a couple Zoroarks around I think.

You miss every shot you don't take. Well, you don't exactly 'miss' it per se, since you never took the shot in the first place. Then again, using the same logic, you haven't scored either. Okay, well, to rephrase, you'll never know whether you would've scored or missed if you never took the shot in the first place. The question is, is it worth finding out which outcome you'd end up with? In that case, we'd be back to square one.

Uhm… Thanks? Maybe I'll just talk about something else.

Good idea.

"I can understand that."

"Hm. Maybe. Do you have any cousins?"

Raidon pawed at his chin, before realising that he doesn't quite have any cousins to his knowledge. "Um, I could, but I haven't met any."

"...So in other words, you don't understand." deadpanned the Zoroark, who had now deployed her entire fleet of sarcastic facial expressions.

"...If you put it like that, then I guess I don't really."

Chloe swung back around in her gaming chair. "Sounds about right. I just don't like her because she's never been nice to me. Always, always used to pick on me."

Maybe I really don't understand her at all. I've never really been bullied before…

Now, she had directed her gaze away from her monitor, and up toward the bland ceiling. "You know those times where you just wonder what you've done to someone to make them that bitchy to you? She's one of those girls."

"Yeah, I think I do..."

It was more than evident that Raidon actually didn't know what she was talking about. Well?! What are you waiting for, doofus! Respond with an instance of your own so she knows you aren't just talking out of your ass!

"So um, there was this one girl I knew… She was kinda mean to me at the start, as in when I first met her, but eventually, she turned out to be really nice. Well, at least that's what I think. I'm sure a couple people in school wouldn't agree though."

"Well ain't that swell? Anyways…"

If it wasn't anymore obvious, Chloe clearly had no such interest in the Pokemon with the gleaming eyes. Just like that, she was facing away from him in her chair again. Sheepishly, Raidon scratched an itch on his noggin. It was worth the try, at least.

"I don't know what you're planning to do with your day, Raidon," continued the illusion Pokemon, "But there's still time to do… whatever you usually do."

The young Zoroark was right. He may have been late for school, but the day was still young. Soon, the Luxray was out of the bed, and on his four feet again. He trotted toward the door to perhaps go and freshen up. It'd kill some time while his phone charged too.

"Oh, Chloe?"

"Mhmm?"

"Thanks a lot for letting me stay here. It was really cool of you."

"Mm. You're a decent dude, 'spose." The Zoroark waved back, yet still couldn't take those radiant eyes off her monitor. For all Raidon knew, it was a solid start.

"...Alright."

The room was departed. Chloe remained, though, playing a game that the Luxray had never seen before. He hadn't supposed that they were close enough for him to ask to have a go, though. Raidon ended up in the hallway on the first floor. He had remembered being here yesterday. He figured that the least he could do right now is get that awful stench out of his fur.

The three doors he had seen the day before presented themselves to him in uniform fashion. The question was, which one was the bathroom?

Raidon made a hasty U-turn, going back into the room that he had stayed the night in, alongside his furry companion. Opening the door, he had seen that the dark type hadn't left her seat.

"Umm… Chloe?" asked the Luxray, poking his head through the door. "Could you show me where the bathroom is?"

The respective Zoroark huffed, before pausing her video game and standing up. For the first time in forever - or less than ten hours - Chloe had taken off her headphone and bandana, and stood up. She hadn't looked any different from any other Zoroark aside from those features.

"You can't figure it out?" she scoffed, walking the Luxray out into the main hallway. "Follow me."

"Umm… Alright."

Raidon was beginning to get a hold of the dark type's persona. Staying here meant that he had to get used to her witty sarcasm. He followed the Zoroark to the second door (which would've been his second guess had he tried to look himself), which was a bathroom with both a bathtub and a shower room. Raidon didn't know they could both be in the same room.

Chloe folded her hands in the middle of the bathroom, facing the bathtub. "So, would you rather take a bath, or a shower?"

His mother would always forcefully remind him to take showers wherever possible. It felt out of place asking for a bath.

"Could I take a bath, please?"

Oops. That wasn't supposed to come out.

"Sure. Right tap is hot, the left is cold. I'll get you the bathing stuff. Hop in."

Raidon's eyebrows flew up. "Alright, then." the electric type had said, carefully tiptoeing into the tub. "T-Thanks, by the way. I really, really, appreciat-"

"Mmm. It's all good." interrupted the dark type, who really couldn't seem to care less. She reached into a wall cabinet to pick out some bathing utensils, such as a flannel and some body wash. "Here's your stuff."

He had only stayed here for a night. Nevertheless, Raidon was certain that the hospitality here superseded the treatment he had at home. He tried to blot those memories out of his mind, though. Four paws touched the inner concave ceramic surface of the bathtub. Pristine. Chloe had run the water, allowing the warm liquid to rush by his paws. Weirdly enough, the Zoroark then took a seat on the closed nearby toilet seat as the bathtub gradually began to be filled.

"Umm…?" hummed the Luxray. What would you say in this situation?

Chloe flicked her paw - hence her crimson claws - through the air. "Don't worry, I'll only be here until the bath fills. The taps are full of jank - you'd probably end up in Sinnoh if I left you alone."

It made sense.

The water was now up to Raidon's wrists. "Oh, that makes sense. I thought you were gonna stay there the entire time, aha."

"Nah, I'm not that kinda girl." The dark type's legs folded over one another as she reclined on the toilet seat. "So anyways, I didn't really know how to ask you this before, but you seem like a swell guy. What made you… er, y'know…?"

Chloe's paws turned in a circular motion emphasising her uncertainty. It was a brow-furrowing situation for the fairly reserved Zoroark, who had now taken to looking to the ceiling for an answer. Raidon had a gut feeling he knew what she was trying to get at.

"End up here?" he finished, making Chloe feel a bit more at ease.

"...Yeah. I'm no good with… tact, just letting you know."

Raidon's butt fell back on the tub's submerged surface. "It's alright. I… My Mom, got arrested. I don't even know why, or what even happened, but I'm sure she's innocent! I...I…" The Luxray ceased after stammering to take a moment to wipe the moisture from his eyes.

It was a tough picture to watch with a stone cold expression. Chloe did just that though, but couldn't stand to see her newest guest writhe in the pain of the past for any longer.

"You know, Raidon. I know it's not the same, but, Mom was taken away from me as well." Chloe told, looking up at the cream ceiling. "My Dad told me yesterday that she was attacked by some armed guy - I don't even know who - and… Well… She's in hospital, fighting for her life, again."

The Luxray paused to look at Chloe, who internally fought with all of her emotions as hard as she could, just to not let a single tear fall. She succeeded valiantly, and took a deep breath to continue her point.

"So I know how you feel, alright?" she confidently put. "Don't feel alone in all of this. You aren't, and you never will be."

He knew mere words couldn't bring his mother back. Nor could sitting in the bathtub, letting his tears drop to the flowing waters surface. However, hope for a better - yet motherless - future illuminated from the jet black Zoroark sittin' on the toilet.

"Thanks a lot, Chloe. You're a really cool person, you know."

"It's alright. I know."

It wasn't quite the response he was expecting, but a small smile appeared on Raidon's face. He'd never be sure why, though.

The bathtub had filled up to more than what was necessary for the Luxray to take a wash. Chloe had reached over to turn off the running faucets. She stood and stretched, reaching her claws to the air to give Raidon a view of her hourglass-esque hips and ample bosom.

"'Kay, guess I'll leave you to… Raidon? What are you staring at?"

Blinking, the submerged teen hadn't realised how long he hadn't been looking at her eyes.

Damn. Think of an excuse!

"Oh, uhm. Sorry. I was looking behind you." admitted Raidon, even though he was lying right out of his mouth, to someone he hadn't even known for an entire day.

Chloe turned around to look over her shoulder. "At the wall?"

Double damn! Act dumb!

"..."

"...There's a wall there?"

...Not like that...!

I'm sorry! I panicked!

"...Make sure you aren't drinking that water, Raidon, m'kay?" waved off the Zoroark, aiming toward the door as she strutted out of the bathroom. "Your towel is that green one on the radiator. Have a nice bath."

"...Thanks! I'll see you in a bit."

The door was closed shut gently. The Luxray was just happy to have gotten away with that quickly and quietly. He wasn't even sure what compelled him to glance there. Gradually, Raidon sunk deeper into the warm, off coloured water.

How comes she has those things on her chests, and most four-legged Pokemon don't?

Most quadrupes do, dude. Ya just can't see 'em because of fur. They're also much smaller.

Huh. They look kinda interesting.

...That's how it starts.

Sighing, Raidon got to washing, taking care not to procrastinate and become lost in his feelings. The new day's golden sunshine provided him with a bit of hope, and hopefully, he'd use that to power through the remaining hours. First, he'd have to get this soap out of his eye. Why does it sting so much!?

...

The same sun was setting somewhere else. Across the horizon, Julley bid farewell to the giant source of light that gave his world colour. Reflective cuboids stood as titans from the ground to the clouds, blocking his view of the ocean in the background. In his brother-in-law's manor he stood, watching the Pokemon go about their day further down in the city's basin. They all looked like Flabébés from here.

He exhaled a relieved sigh, releasing all the painful memories of the day before in a single breath. For now, it'll do.

Now, back to the situation that he took a break from.

Wailing insufferably was his wife, Cassidy. What was the cause of her distress? His unwell teenage daughter, Anais. What was his solution? His exasperated step sister, Jasmine.

"There's no way, no way, Jasmine!" cried the quazzy quadrupedal, careening carelessly through all the corners and crannies of the room. "Please, please tell me Anais will be okay! I won't be able to focus on my store if Anais is sick!"

Julley's tired eyes wandered to his equally fatigued sister.

"Cass, you need to relax. For the hundredth time, Anais just has a cold. Prob'ly because she was out in the rain for so long." annoyedly explained the Lucario, the bags below her eyes seeping down to the floor. Using a stethoscope she received from work, she experimented on the Sylveon's heavy chest, rising up and down. "And you got me here thinkin' that she got something actually serious."

"This is serious! To me and Julley, at least!" she whined, turning back to check if Julley was still on her side. The Umbreon nervously evaded eye contact, trying to spot any if not all stars in the diffused lavender sky.

"Right. Well, she's fine." the blue and cream aunt groaned, pocketing her stethoscope. "I'm gonna make food for Julius, could you at least keep me company?"

"Okay, fine! But I'll be back for you, miss." warned the ice type, vigorously pecking the resting Anais.

"Blech! Give it a rest, Mom." the ill teen responded.

As she walked out, Cassidy looked back at the Umbreon who remained in the room.

"Come down soon, okay?"

"Yeah. I-I'll come down."

Faintly, she smiled. It had faded away, though, and the door was closed. Father and daughter were all that remained in the room. The fairly boyish smelling room.

Julley had pushed away from the window, taking a few steps closer to his child.

"S-So, Anais." the father anxiously commenced aloud. "How've you been holding up?"

Huffing, the Sylveon (who laid in his cousin's bed) had barely put in the effort to face her father.

"Well, as good as I can be, which is still sorta shitty." she puffed, finally making awkward eye contact once she realised what had slipped out. "S-Sorry."

Now leaning on the bed, Julley lay a paw on the fairy's own. "It's… It's alright. Just don't do it around your Mom. I d-don't think she'd like it."

"Yeah, I know." Anais finished, opting to face the ceiling now. "Hey, Dad?"

"Yeah?"

"How'd you guys know where to find me?"

The question dropped the corners of Julley's mouth. That very day that the letter was in his paws came back to him.

"Do you mean at th-"

"The pier, yeah." Now, Anais was forcibly looking into her father's pupils. "I just… I remember being stuffed in a bag by that guy. How'd you know it'd happen? How did Bren- Uncle Brendan, know to find me?"

It was difficult maintaining eye contact. It was always difficult for the Umbreon, to be fair. One pair of sapphire orbs from his wife glared right at him, marking his soul with a branding iron of conviction.

"I… W-Well, it's hard to… That man, who had kidnapped you, he had, uh. He had sent us a letter. Er, more like a threat to your Mom." illustrated the tactless Umbreon, struggling to evade Anais' irascible eyes of ire. "He had included details on it for a location, and…"

The Umbreon eventually just trailed off, leaving Anais to shamefully put her paws over her eyes, and attempt to stop the flow of tears knocking at her mind's doorstep. Sniffles still escaped, though.

"S-So what happened to him, then?" croaked the fairy, gritting her teeth.

"Who?"

"The guy!" she yelled, her dark type father recoiling meanwhile. "The k-kidnapper!"

Julley's heart jumped in the air once he realised what that question meant. "He, um… He was arrested. B-By the police."

More sniffles emerged from the intertwining teen, and it wasn't long until the Sylveon was all out bawling.

This wasn't the Umbreon's first. He puffed the sighs away as he let a couple of the fairy's ribbon feelers pull him closer for a hug. The hours went by, and this was usually how his days were. Riddled with the remorse of yesterday's scars. He wrapped his charcoal paws around the child that he had given birth to.

Julley shut his eyes, and accepted the fate as the day came to a close. The sunset's violet radiance fading into a starry black.

Hi! Luan here. I hope you had enjoyed that chapter! Right before New Years, too. So, I got asked a fairly interesting question the other day by the main man known as SavageCaliber22: "If Anais, Raidon, Barry and Lola visited a diner, what drinks would they all order?"

That was paraphrased by the way. Anyway, the answer to that question inspired me to make a scene based on it. Hence, I hope you enjoy it!

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Stop me if you've heard this one - Anais, Raidon, Barry and Lola all walk into a bar. Well, I imagine you probably wouldn't have heard it. It's not a joke at all. It's not even funny. Just four friends trying to grab a non-alcoholic drink.

The latter two sat at a bench next to each other, leaving Anais and Raidon to sit on the opposite side to admire the couple. From time to time, the Luxray would sneak a peek at the Sylveon on his right, and just wonder. The possibilities of having the happiness that his cohort Barry shared with his cheerful Lopunny of a girlfriend. Nonetheless, it was beyond his grasp.

"Alright, alright, alright!" sang Lola, playfully tapping her paws on the table in time to her chant. "I know I've said this for the millionth time, bu-"

"The drinks here are SOR-PREN-DEN-TE!" Anais mimicked. A sarcastic eye roll accompanied her mockery, leaving her normal type friend to pout miserably. "We get it, Lollipop - you told us a million times on the way here. Let's order already!"

It was grueling to watch Lola downheartedly disperse the menus to everyone. Raidon accepted the laminated sheet, and scrolled through the laminated sheet of paper. Thirty seconds passed, and the Luxray realised that he had no idea what to order.

"So, um. Lola, what do you usually get from this place? I dunno what to get." he quizzed, rubbing his forehead after setting down the menu.

The electric type sweatdropped as soon as he saw Lola's face illuminate with excitement. "Ooo. Good question, Raidon. Ya see, I'm a woman of many tastes, so I don't just get one drink - I get a mixture!"

"A mixture?" mumbled Barry for the first time since they had sat down. "You're allowed to do that here? C-Can I mix banana with blu-"

Lola pinched her boyfriend's love handle.

"No, carino. You can't mix milkshakes."

"Aww… Even the notion…?"

"No. They'll probably kick you out. Anyways, Raidon, I was talking about mocktails."

Raidon cocked his head. "Mocktails? Do you mean cocktails?"

"Nah, she meant mocktails." butted in the Sylveon, stating calmly, "So, mocktails are just like cocktails, but they don't have any alcohol in them, so they can sell it to teens like us."

"Ohhh… Nice. Hmm… I'll have another look, and see what catches my eye."

"Oh, I dunno, Raidon. I think you've already got a tall glass of water already." Lola jestered, waggling her eyebrows up and down at the Sylveon beside him, who put her red face back into the menu.

"But… He hasn't ordered anything yet…" mumbled Barry, aimlessly glancing at his peers, struggling to follow the conversation.

"Aww! You're so cute when you have no idea what you're talking about!" squealed the normal type, pecking her boyfriend before equipping herself with her purse. "Now, let's hurry up and order. This baby's got a show to binge when she gets back. What'll you guys be having?"

"I'll haaave…" the Sylveon, Anais, contemplated her choices by tapping the underside of her chin. "Leaf Green Bubble Tea. Extra extra large. Also, what're you watching?"

"The Mandibuzzorian, duh. By the by, I hope you're aware of how big the portions are, Ann."

The fairy type waved her off, nonchalantly, so Lola decided that there was no use trying to convince her. Instead, she gazed and nodded at a confused Raidon, who was incredibly invested in the menu.

"Darn, uh, there's a lot of stuff on the menu… Could you come back to me?" said the Luxray, meekly.

"No worries 'bout it. The menu's massive." The Lopunny then turned to her Blaziken, gently grabbing the sides of his face. "So, how about you, amore mio?"

"Hey, watch the cheeks, Lola! They're sensitive…"

…What cheeks? He's a bird!

"Ahaha, alright. So banana milkshake, right?"

Barry nodded his head playfully. "Yeah, it's my favourite!"

"'Course, I know that because I'm incredible. Plus it's on your Dad's blog. Okay Raidon, are you ready?"

Now, Raidon looked much more ready to state his order. "Yup. I'll have milk tea, please."

"Milk tea?" questioned Anais, looking at the electric type as if she had seen a Genesect forge a machinegun out of it's arm. "You know, there's two hundred different choices in the menu. You can also make milk tea anytime you want."

"I know, I know!" the electric type exclaimed rather defensively. "My Mom used to make it for me all the time, and I just wanted to see how it'd be different."

It was an odd explanation, but it wasn't like it was much of Anais' business anyway, what the Luxray wanted to drink. Without much ado, Lola upped to pay for the drinks, which soon came to their table promptly. Each of the teen customers got exactly what they had asked for, delivered on a confetti-decorated silver platter.

"You know, these look really nice." commented Raidon, not seeing anything like it before. His drink was a caramel colour, in a white teacup. He slowly brought it to his mouth to have a sip. Then another one. And another, starting to enjoy the taste. "Not as good as Mom, but I can definitely appreciate it."

"Golly - They taste just as good as they look, too!" came from Barry, who had reeled back from a world of extraordinary banana flavoured rivers, meanders and waterfalls.

Shrugging her shoulders, Lola cheekily stuck the straw of her mocktail in her mouth. "What'd I tell ya? The best around West Latias for sure."

Anais takes much after her mother; "Never let a meal go cold before you enjoy it" she always used to say. The Sylveon had already gotten into her drink, but a couple hundred millilitres later, she realised that her order was a much bigger deal than she had anticipated. At least half a big bottle's worth of bubble tea left in her tall cup. It'd take a bit of help to finish it. Click. Oh? Is that the sound of a plan coming together?

Slowly, sapphire pearls eyed the empty cup that was filled with milk tea at one point in time. Perfect. A deep breath prepared her for phase one of the scheme brewing in her head.

"Hey, um, Raidon?" she softly spoke, batting her eyelashes playfully. "I think I kinda need some help with my drink. Do you wanna grab a couple straws and finish it off with me?"

The Luxray pet his belly, struggling to get a full breath in.

"Whew! Nah, I think I'm good!"

Not before an awkward silence, albeit almost immediately (as she had been surveying the situation since Raidon finished his drink), Lola burst out laughing, before coughing painfully from the sudden burning burst of cocktail flying out of her nose.

As if to replicate a chain reaction, Barry began his own chortle, followed by Raidon who was caught by the Blaziken's contagious caricature. Soon, Anais realised that the emphasis of the joke had shifted to her Lopunny friend of old, so she started to bust a gut herself. The table quickly developed itself as the 'annoying loud teens' area of the restaurant.

The laughter soon died down, before Barry suddenly ceased amusement, looking at his neck with a stern face. His gaze turned to his cousin, battling companion, then his significant other.

"Uhm… Why are we all wearing orange scarves?"