Chapter 2: Settling down is Hard

August 13, 2020, Alola Region

Chase and James were walking through the lush, green forest to the nearby city where the gold luxray lived. The luxray had offered Chase a place to stay without a second thought, which had the white-ringed umbeon completely perplexed. In Kalos, you had to fight for a place to sleep, let alone food and water. Battles for these things usually ended with the loser being executed by the victor, which was of course a far cry from the treatment the lonely umbreon was getting. There was only silence while the two walked. James did nothing while Chase tinkered with his gauntlet. He was making sure that he could strip it down without repercussion. James wanted to spark conversation in order to break the silence.

"So..." He started. "Wonderful weather we're having." he finishecd the sentence rather awkwardly. The luxray had so many questions that were nagging him, yet he was afraid to ask the umbreon, due to their sensitive nature.

Chase knew what the luxray was trying to do, and the umbreon saw it as unnecessary. "You don't have to beat around the bush James. If you have any questions I'd be more than willing to answer them, depending on what the question is. Just make sure to pace yourself." the luxray gave a relieved look, and then composed himself.

"Alright. So, how did you get out of Kalos exactly? Why did you pick Alola? Why do you have weapons and tech I've never seen before? And, what was Kalos like before the coup?" The luxray asked at a rapid pace.

Chase had seen enough people on rare candy to understand what the luxray said however, so he just continued. "It's no simple tail. How I escaped is for another day. I picked alola by hitting it on a map with a dart, so to speak. The technology was stolen from the Regime. They've put a major emphasis on technological development. But the gauntlet; I built it. For the most part, it's a digital storage unit. As for before the coup, Kalos was peaceful. Luminos city was the crown jewel of peace and prosperity. Back then, people weren't being slaughtered in the streets. Back then, people could truly live." They both let those words hang in the air for a moment, before James spoke again.

"What happened to the technology? Did you build more?"

Chase didn't even hesitate. "I destroyed most of it, save for my rifle. I got rid of the other things because the result would be catastrophic if The Regime found them and put them to use."

James nodded in understanding. He only had one more question. "Chase?"

"Yes?"

"Why are your rings white?"

He was immediately pulled from reality. He just stood there, motionless. James waved his hand in font of the umbreon's face, but he had no reaction. He noticed that his new friend was shaking. Hands unsteady, lip quivering. He was staring off into nowhere as if in a completely different world. He let out shaky breaths as his heart rate accelerated. James shook him back to reality. When he did though, Chase seemed more distracted, but not distracted enough to leave the electric type without an answer.

"Th-That is a sensitive subject. I don't want to talk about it." and with that. The conversation ended abruptly. They continued on to the city in silence.

They made it to a refugee center in only a few minutes. While James was checking for places for Chase to stay, the umbreon was looking at all of the other refugees. He looked at them somberly. Their grieving hearts touched his own. He knew their pain. He experienced the hopelessness that it brought. His attention was grabbed by James who was shaking his head.

"No dice. All of the refugee shelters have been fully booked for the last few hours. That means you'll be living with me." Chase nodded when he heard the news.

"I'll only stay for as long as I need. I wouldn't want to take advantage of your company." He only looked onward towards the people. Many of them seemed to recognize him. Their faces would light up, until the implications of his presence outside of Kalos would crush their hopes. A mother and child gave him a pleading look. He only gave an apologetic one back. James's phone rang and he checked it.

"Fuck! We're late! Come on Chase, we need to run! My parents are gonna be furious." He started running in the direction of his home.

Chase nodded and followed after looking at the woman one last time. He hated himself on so many levels. She and the refugees only added another one.

The duo had sprinted for James' home for roughly thirty minutes, leaving the luxray ready to collapse on the sidewalk in a crumpled heap. Chase just stood there while the luxray was about to keel over, with only a few drops of sweat on his fur.

"How can you sprint for thirty minutes and not keel over?!" James asked in between breaths. Chase only shrugged as the electric type pulled himself together.

"By the way, it would be wise to put that boomstick of yours away." Chase nodded and put the rifle in his bag after field stripping it.

James went over to the door and opened it with his house key. When they walked inside, Chase was hit in the face with a foreign scent. Enough to disorient the mind. To say it was pleasant was an understatement. It was heavenly. The house that he had entered was a stark contrast to the many buildings and ruins of Luminos, which gave the dark type a sense of vertigo from the sudden rush of mixing colors. He managed to regain his bearings and looked around. The walls were decorated with pieces of art, family photos, even some cheesy lines like "May all who enter as guests, leave as friends" and all that. But what got Chase's attention were the flowers used for added decor. There was a large assortment ranging to all kinds of flowers. Orchids, tulips, dandelions, daffodils, lavenders, lilacs... and roses. Chase walked over to one of the roses on the wall. He couldn't help but gently hold the stem between his fingers with the top of the rose in his palm. He inhaled through his nose to bask in the sweet scent, closing his eyes. He let out a tired exhale and put the rose back, delicately caressing the pedals as he let his hand drift from the crimson flower. He then turned to James who had an understanding look on his face. It didn't take a genius to figure out that he lost something that the flower was tied to.

"I'm guessing that you don't want to talk about it?" James asked. Chase saw the look of concern on the luxray's face and decided to put him at ease.

"Yeah. I don't. I-I'm fine. Its just... some things resurfacing. I can handle it." Chase said with an assuring smile, albeit forced.

James eased up and put a hand reasuringly on Chase's shoulder before continuing into the kitchen. Chase recognized that the heavenly smell from before was coming from there, so he followed suit. Upon entering the kitchen, he saw an anthro vaporeon and another anthro luxray, this time around with the ordinary. Chase took the two to be James' mother and father. The vaporeon was making something in a pan on the stove. Whatever it was, it made the umbreon's mouth start to water.

"Mom? Dad? I'm home." James said, walking into the room with Chase in tow.

"Hello honey. I was just about to call..." The vaporeon trailed off, noticing the incredibly filthy dark type standing next to her son. "Who is this?" she asked

"Oh. This is Chase. He's an umbreon I met when hiking along the cliffs." James told his mother. The umbreon in question looked at both the vaporeon and the blue skinned luxray. They looked back at him with concerned faces. Chase didn't see the need for the awkward silence so he decided to speak for himself.

"It's nice to meet you both. Like James said, my name is Chase." He extended a hand out for the both of them to shake, but then retracted it when he realized how dirty his hands were. "Right, right. My hands are filthy and you're cooking. Wouldn't want to do that." There was even more silence. It would've been deafening if not for the sound of the food frying in the pan.

The silence went longer until Mr. Volt spoke up. "Well it's nice to meet you son! Sorry things got awkward. We were just looking at your rings. We've seen yellow and blue, but we've never seen white. And you don't have to call us that. Just call me John." the blue luxray said apologetically.

"And call me Linda." the vaporeon said after her husband, going back to cooking.

"Okay. I'll call you by your names. and I get it. My rings aren't natural. I just... have them." Chase responded, holding up his hands.

He went over to sit down at the small table in the kitchen, putting his bag next to the chair. He sat across from the blue Luxray and observed his features. He had yellow eyes and black fur of course, except there were some grey hairs in his fur and a few wrinkles that clearly signified that the Luxray was much older than both James and Chase, looking to be in his late forties or early fifties.

"So, Chase." John started. "Tell me about yourself."

"Well, I'm not going to beat around the bush. The most important thing is that I'm from Kalos. Luminos City to be more specific. I guess that makes me a refugee."

John didn't seem surprised by the fact that the dark type was from what could be described as "no man's land" and neither did Linda.

Chase was confused to say the least. "You're not surprised?" he asked, still confused as to why they had no reaction, unlike their son.

"Not really, Chase. Hundreds of refugees come in every week. Considering the bag, the grime, and the attire, it was obvious. If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were from a post-apocalypse movie." John said matter-of-factly. He looked at the stranger before him and saw a scar that started slightly above the right side of his jaw, and going down, disappearing under his dirty white shirt. "Say. Where did you get that scar Chase?" John asked.

"Oh. This?" Chase asked, gesturing to the scar. The luxray only nodded. "I received it long ago. Attacked by another and he managed to land a hit." He responded with a tone that couldn't be put under a singular category. But it was with a level of casualness. Surviving was his life up to this point and life or death encounters were part of the package, so getting hit was just a part of it that he had to live with.

"Speaking of which..." Linda cut in. "You probably didn't have any means of keeping yourself clean?"

Chase nodded. He looked himself over and only now did he realize how filthy he was. He smelled himself and recoiled when a putrid stench entered his nostrils. The house had made him aware of just how badly he smelled, and it made him realize the full extent of what years of surviving in Kalos had done to him.

"Don't worry!" Linda chirped. "You can go clean yourself up while I'm still making dinner. Have you ever had tacos?"

Chase shook his head. "I have not. It should be a new experience for me. And as for the shower; I would, but I don't have any extra clothes."

Now it was James's turn to cut in. "Oh don't worry about that. We have clothing for guests meant for this very situation. We knew that that something like this would happen, considering the impending crisis. So we have some clothes for you to wear until you get your own."

Chase was surprised that they came prepared. Most people wouldn't think that far ahead. He was thankful to have met them. A new friend who lets him stay in his residents, his friend's family being quick to accept him into their home, and they even have spare clothes for him to wear. It felt too good to be true for him. Chase nodded in thanks when he was told where the bathroom was. He was given a set of clothes and he went off. The bathroom itself had a mint green atmosphere, which was very appealing to the eyes. The tiles on the floor were a plain white, the walls were a mint green, and the ceiling was a baby blue color. There was a sink, and a bathtub with a shower faucet hanging over it. They were just generic white.

Chase put his clean clothes on top of the sink. He then stripped himself and left his old clothes on the floor. He got into the shower and turned on the water. The water rushed out and fell onto the umbreon's body in torrents. It was ice cold at first and Chase was frozen in place because of how frigid the water was. His eyes closed and his teeth gritted. He thought the water would stay cold forever until he felt it start to heat up, eventually becoming comfortably warm. Chase was thawed from his state of paralysis and he just basked in the warm water. An actual smile appeared on his face as the feeling of warm water seeping through his fur and onto his skin rushed over him. He was in pure bliss. It was the first good thing he ever felt in so long. He had gotten used to cold nights and insufferable sleep. He then noticed that just by rinsing off his fur the water was already a murky grey and brown color from all of the dirt and grime in it.

Damn. I really should've taken care of myself. But then again, I really couldn't.

After he was done cleaning himself up, he felt like a new man, partly in a literal sense. His fur was no longer heavy and matted. It was smooth and soft. James had shown the umbreon to his room, where he unpacked the things he brought with him from Kalos. He pulled out an assortment of items: Batteries, climbing equipment, a flashlight, a solar powered battery charger, and a Kalos cook book. He brought the cookbook because of the memories it held. Back when Kalos was a center of culture. Cookbooks like the one he had were permanently confiscated and/or destroyed. He wanted to keep one of the few remaining pleasant reminders of his home with him. He unpacked everything and went downstairs, coincidentally right as Linda called to everyone that dinner was ready.

Linda had placed four plates on the dining room table, each one with a mouthwatering pair of crunchy shell tacos on them. Each filled with ground beef, lettuce, cheese, everything you'd expect. She gave everyone the go ahead and they started digging in. Chase took one bite and was put into a roller coaster of flavors, each one going by so fast that he couldn't identify them. After the roller coaster ended, Chase realized how hungry he was and ravaged his tacos like a wolf who hadn't eaten in days. He was the first to finish, the initial exhilaration of his hunger subsiding. Everyone else looked in shock as they hadn't even finished their first, but those faces turned from shock to amusement.

"I see you liked them." Linda said with a chuckle. "Would you like more?"

Chase shook his head, an idea to show his gratitude already in his head.

"No thank you. Say, do you have anything planned for desert?" the dark type asked.

"No we don't." Linda said. "Why do you ask?"

"Perfect. Because I have an Idea, but I'll need to clear the kitchen."

after everyone was done eating, they helped clean the kitchen. The others insisted that Chase relax but he wouldn't budge. He pitched in too. When all was said and done, Chase raced up the stairs to his temporary room and grabbed the cook book. when he got back to the kitchen he told everyone to wait outside the room. He started skimming through the pages of the desert section of the book and looked through the pantry for the right ingredients at the same time, until he found the perfect dish.

Chocolate soufflé with a cheri berry filling topped with powdered sugar. Perfect.

Chase got the necessary ingredients and got to work. To anyone who didn't know him, Chase seemed to have no experience in cooking, but under the surface, it was his passion.

He never got rusty either.

It took him roughly thirty minutes to complete the deserts for everyone, and when he he did, he couldn't help but smile at the delicious pastries before him, like a chef taking pride in his art.

Chase you've been out of it for a while, but you still got it.

He then called the Volts to the dining room. They all sat in their previous seats and waited patiently. Soon our favorite umbreon came out of the kitchen.

"Hello everyone. You're wondering why I had to occupy the kitchen. That is because you've shown me more kindness than I ever thought possible anymore. So I wanted to make you all something a little special."

Chase ran back to the kitchen and came back with a tray of four chocolate pastries all baked to perfection. The family of three were surprised that he had made this for them.

"Chase. You made these?" Linda asked while looking at the deserts in a trance. Chase nodded his head and passed out the soufflés to everyone, leaving the worst one for himself (not that it was bad), It was chef's etiquette after all.

"Arceus Chase. These look so good!" John exclaimed, he too was caught in a trance by the delectable deserts.

James said nothing as he looked ready to scarf it down.

"Please, I'm not looking for praise. I just want to say thank you for your hospitality. Back in Kalos you'd have to bargain or even fight for just a place to sleep. I just felt the need to show my appreciation." Chase said. He was nothing if not humble.

Chase gave everyone the go-ahead and they started eating their deserts. All of them were shocked by how good they were. Even Chase was surprised by how they turned out. They ate in silence and just enjoyed the desert he made for everyone. Eventually, they all finished and the umbreon took care of the dishes, before going to bed.

"Thank you for dinner everyone. I'm going to get some much needed sleep." Chase said.

"Goodnight Chase," Linda said with a warm smile. "And welcome to Alola."

He nodded and bid everyone goodnight. He went up the stairs, into his room, and immediately collapsed on the bed, the fatigue from the events of the day finally getting to him. He pulled himself under the covers and adjusted to a position he felt comfortable with. He slowly let his eyelids fall until his eyes were closed.

For the first time in years, Chase let sleep take him.

For once he didn't know what tomorrow would bring, but he knew one thing.

Things were going to be better.