Luke tugged at the bandages wrapped around his head, following behind Andrew, Rai, and Zuri. He looked at the Zorua with a slight blush before clearing his throat. "So Zuri, Rai, what are your guys' families like?"

The Zoura shrugged while giving of a tiny sting. "Nuclear family. Two Zourark are my parents, and I have an adopted brother, who is a cute Vulpix. Grandpa and Grandma are also Zourark." She turned around while grinning. "Before joining the guild, it was common we fought before dinner."

"Hm... That's really nice of your parents to adopt." The Eevee gave her a smile. "I've thought about how hard it must be to grow up without parents..."

Andrew slowly started walking backwards while placing a paw behind his neck. "Heh, trust me; it really was..." Everyone stared at the Pikachu confused. "Oh, my parents are alive, they just never gave me the proper 'bonding' time like regular parents do." His ears dropped while sighing. "I shouldn't talk about it."

"Don't worry about it, Andrew." Luke gave an apologetic smile, "You're not the only one with a questionable childhood."

The Pikachu only gave a thumbs up before looking at the Riolu. "Rai, what's your family like?" He asked while placing his head on one of her arms.

"Well I have an average family, too." She answered, swiftly picking the Pikachu up. "There's Brandy, my mom and dad, then there's my grandpa who lives with us, too. He has the best stories!"

"That's an understatement!" Zuri responded while wagging her tail swiftly. "I went for a sleepover one time, and heard the best story ever, minus Type Reluctant of course!" A wink could be seen coming off of her to Luke.

"I bet he hasn't heard any human stories before...," the Pikachu mumbled while blushing at her carrying him.

"Nope, just Pokémon ones. Some of them are even true!" The Riolu exclaimed happily, a shining smile on her face. "I hope to be able to tell stories like that to my grandkids when I grow up!"

He slowly nodded while nuzzling into Rai's waist. "Well, I kinda wish that as well then...!" It seemed like the smile was infectious, because Andrew started following her lead.

Zuri suddenly stopped to place a paw on her muzzle. "Hmm..." She looked around to notice no one around. "How are we gonna introduce you two? We can't just barge in and reveal you two being human."

"Easy." Rai remarked happily. "I just say, 'Mom, dad, this is the boy I'm interested in! Not really a boyfriend, but we'll see!'"

"Rai!" The Pikachu's cheeks turn into a red hue in embarrassment. "W-We shouldn't go for that! Stuff might go wrong..."

"I don't think it's bad." Zuri placed a paw on Luke's paw. "At least we can be up front about it."

The Eevee blushed embarrassedly, shuffling away from the Zorua. "M-Maybe we should go for a different approach..."

"Fine..." The Zoura's head dropped before continuing to walk. "We could just say that they're a part of our team, and they wanted to know our family up close."

Rai put Andrew down, giving Luke a soft, yet sharp sideways glance. "...I think maybe you should talk to him." The Riolu whispered to him. "I don't want him messin' around with Zuri's heart."

Andrew was completely confused with her statement, making him nod in confusion. Zuri started running towards Rai, making him sigh. "Luke how are you doing emotionally?"

"Kinda rough, I'm not gonna lie to you." Luke looked away with a nervous smile. "Why do you ask?"

"Well..." He gave a sideways glance at the two females. "To be honest, I have no idea."

The Eevee followed his glance before letting out a sigh. "Yeah... They're a little confusing." He replied nervously, noticing the strange taste in his mouth. "But this is a new world, everything's gonna be confusing."

He knew that already, but decided to just agree with it. "Yeah, let's just hope tomorrow isn't gonna be a problem rather than a party."

Meanwhile, Rai looked down at her best friend, a soft smile still on her face. "So... How was the makeout?" The Riolu walked cartoonishly.

"Makeout?" The Zoura stammered as she shook her head. "What makeout? No one made out, did you do that to Andrew or something?"

"Don't lie about it. Andrew told me a few details." Rai chuckled, "There's nothing to be ashamed about, it was so brave. And I bet you liked the taste, too~." The Riolu turned to see the Pikachu start laughing.

"Yeah..." She finally admitted while wagging her tail. "I really did; but why?" Her face could be seen glancing at her best friend. "Why did I even do that in the first place?"

"Well you like him, don't you?" The Riolu inquired innocently, looking down at her. "You were bound to tell him somehow."

"Yeah, but not like that!" Rai dropped her down to notice some raindrops falling. "I wanted to confess it to him during an amazing sunset, and an incredible view. Just like your grandpa did."

"Why can't you?" She asked, making her eyes widen. "You never told him that you liked him, did you? There's a sunset at the end of every day, and I know of a location. We could set this up."

The Zorua's eyes blinked in confusion. "Okay, I'm listening..."

***

It was weird enough that the guild didn't tell the team that there was a mode of transportation, but Andrew was seen extremely confused about why they had to pay for it. "Wouldn't they pay for it themselves?" he suggested while crossing his arms.

"Because they probably know that we can do it ourselves." Rai smiled, her arm wrapped around Andrew's waist, functioning as a seatbelt. "It's not really a problem if we just do our missions."

He could be seen pouting as the journey to the Riolu's house began. "Luke, do you wanna give a tour like last time?" Andrew joked, giving a grin in response.

"I wouldn't mind." The Eevee replied, clearing his throat. "Today we have a slight overcast, with varying warm drafts. On your left, you can see a cafe with a kissing couple. On your right, you can see many Pokémon walking the streets."

Everyone in the team could be seen silently laughing. "Luke, you should get a job on tour guiding." The Zoura moves closer next to him. "You seem really well improvising."

"Maybe I could as a side job." The Eevee replied, sheepishly putting his head on her shoulder and nuzzling her. "But it seems a little boring to do at times..."

"To be honest, it depends!" The Pikachu's head perked up to look down at Luke. "My hometown in the human world is the best! Makes me feel alive to see tour guides."

"I dunno..." Luke laid on Zuri. "And besides, I get kinda car sick easily if I'm not eating or drinking, and it really sucks..."

As Zuri started nuzzling at the Eevee, Andrew found Rai's face turning into a gleam. "Okay, I want in. What are you doing with Zuri and Luke tonight?"

"Whatever do you mean?" The Riolu asked, looking away with a smile. "I'm just happy to see them being affectionate."

"Right..." He sat down while placing his head in her arm. "If I'm a part of this, I'll shut it for now..."

"Okay, I'll tell you." Rai sneakily licked his muzzle, keeping it there for a while. "You promise not to tell anyone~?" The Riolu rested a paw on his cheek, giving a devious and flirtatious smile.

The Pikachu slowly nodded. "Yup... What are you going to do to my best friend?" Andrew's tail was unknowingly wagging, curiosity getting the best of him.

"I'm gonna help them get together." She answered honestly, putting a paw on his head and rubbing it softly. "Zuri wants to confess her feelings. In a different way than what she did back in the hospital."

"Oh..." He agreed to the statement. "Okay I'm in! What's the—?" The vehicle suddenly stopped, making the team lunge forward. Andrew felt the worst effect; he was sent flying since he wasn't wearing his seatbelt.

"Andrew, are you okay?" Zuri shouted while turning to Rai. They could hear a groan coming from the Pikachu.

"No..."

The Riolu picked him up gently. "You'll be fine, 'Drew." She licked his head softly. "So that means we're here now, right?"

"Yeah, I think so." Luke answered, still laying on the Zorua. "But maybe we just took a brief stop... We don't have to move..."

"Rai? Are you in here?" A familiar Lucario peeked in the transport before grinning. "Oh, hi guys!" He waved at the sight of the team.

As Luke quickly got off of Zuri, Rai gave her older brother a smile. "Hey, bro!" She greeted excitedly, putting Andrew down and running up to him..

Brandy gave off a grin as Rai gave him a quick hug. "Hi sis! How was the first mission?" The Lucario bent down to ruffle the Riolu's head. "Hi Luke, Zuri, Andrew." The Zoura waved as she greeted him with delight.

"The mission was fine. We got attacked, but we dealt with them." Rai answered, looking up at him. "We had to get Luke re-bandaged, though, since they came off during the fight."

"Technically he ripped off the bandages to use Helping Hand." Zuri corrected her.

Everyone started hopping off the car when Brandy placed a paw behind his neck. "Again Luke, I'm really sorry for giving you brain damage."

"It's fine. You were just following orders from Loli." The Eevee then scurried closer to the Lucario. "By the way, are you two just friends? Or...? I can't tell."

"Just friends..." He crossed his arms while sighing. "Even if I did like her, rules say I can't date anyone from work."

"You don't have to call it... Dating." Rai smirked. "You can just call it...  Emotional friendship. Kinda like Zuri and Luke." The Riolu's eyes then widened. "Wait, what do you mean 'used to'?" She raised an eyebrow, a smile forming on her face.

"What?" The Lucario tilted his head confused. "I never said that!" A slight blush came in while he started walking into the house.

"I'm gonna go tell Loli~." She teased, beginning to run ahead of the group. "And you can't stop me!"

"Hey!" The Lucario started ramping up speed, catching up to Rai. "I'm gonna beat you!"

"No you're not!" The Riolu exclaimed, now running backwards. "We both know that I'm faster than you!"

"We'll see about that!" The two siblings ran down the block, making everyone else have a cold sweat.

"We're not catching up to them anytime soon..." Luke put a paw on his chin, "It's like a Quick Attack... It's really fast. Too fast."

"So Quick Attack on steroids," Andrew summed it up. "Yeah I agree."

"Quick Attack on steroids... Wait... I know how we can catch up!" The Eevee's expression lit up as he gave a smile. "I'm steroids myself!" The Pikachu and Zorua looked at him in inquiry.

"You do realize the party is right in front of us, right?" Zuri responded while pointing at the house. "Rai's just teasing."

"Oh. Nevermind then." Luke smiled tiredly. "Let's just go in and meet a lot of people, then. Maybe wait for Rai to get back, too."

Suddenly, Zuri was tackled by an unknown Pokémon, making her squeak in surprise. It was a kantonian Vulpix, who wore a cheerful smile. "Big Sis!" The Vulpix began to nuzzle his cheek into Zuri's. "It's nice to see you again!"

"H-Hey Michael!" The Zoura nuzzled back happily. "How was your month without your sister?"

"I was fine, but I was still a little bored without you to play with." He innocently answered, "So I just helped Mrs. Mom and Mr. Dad with chores to pass the time."

"Mrs...?" Andrew tilted his head confused before realizing the situation. "Oh right, he's adopted."

Zuri placed a paw on the Pikachu and Eevee. "Michael, meet Andrew the Pikachu, and Luke the Eevee! You two, meet my adopted brother, Michael the Vulpix!"

"This is the Vulpix Zuri mentioned?" The Eevee slightly tilted his head. "Hm.. She's right, he is really cute." Luke smiled at the siblings.

Andrew took out a paw for the Vulpix. "It's nice to meet you then!"

"It's nice to meet you, too." Michael smiled childishly, his nose twitching slightly. His eyelids then lowered in confusion as he turned back to Zuri. "Hey Sis? You smell different..."

Everyone in the group had their eyes widened, realizing what happened. "Yeah, the soap in the guild is different...," Zuri lied while closing her eyes.

The Vulpix's nose twitched again as he followed the scent. He walked over to Luke before sniffing his muzzle. "...It smells a lot like his mouth." He innocently added as Luke blushed softly.

Zuri placed a paw on her brother's muzzle before laughing. "Okay, bro, you're too young to know about it..."

"It's not like we did anything devious..." The Eevee mumbled, "Just a bit of kissing. Well... A lot of it. I wouldn't mind doing it again..."

"I'm not that young..." The Vulpix argued with a childish pout.

"Shh..." The Zoura placed a paw on Luke and Michael's muzzles. "Let's just go see the rest of the family, 'kay?"

The Eevee sneakily licked her paw a few times before beginning to walk. "Okay then, let's get going."

The front door was locked when the four arrived at the door. "I got this!" Andrew shouted before starting to knock in the beat. "Bum bum ba-bum bum... Bum bum!"

"What... Was that?" Luke asked, giving the Pikachu a deadpan glance. "Are you vocalizing the beat?"

"Yeah..." He responded while placing a paw on his back. "Sorry, I'm addicted to music."

"Fair enough." The Eevee sighed as the door began to open.

"Hello~?" A soft, feminine voice greeted confusedly, revealing to be a female Zoroark. When her eyes drifted to Zuri, her eyes widened. "Sweetie! You're here!" She crouched down to the Zorua and gave her a warm hug.

"Mom!" She started squirming around the Zoroark's arms. "Mom, you're squeezing me to death!"

She softened her grip. "Sorry, I'm just so happy to see you!" She gave a motherly smile. "How have the missions been going?"

The Zoura started nuzzling into her mother. "We finished our first one yesterday! And we're alive to tell the tale." Zuri hopped off to look up at her. "We had to face Decargo thugs."

"Hm... Are you and Rai alright?" Zuri's mother began to examine the Zorua. "I know you two don't have much combat training... By the way, aren't you supposed to have at least three members before you can do any real missions?" Luke's ears shot up as he shuffled away and into a blind spot.

"Oh come on..." Andrew pushed him out of the spot and held him in the same spot. "Just don't mention your relationship with her," he whispered to him. The Zoura moved towards her teammates and introduced them profoundly. "Rai is in a race with Brandy right now..."

"Oh, those two... They're always trying to see who's faster." She giggled softly. "They do come from a line of quick runners after all."

"A family of runners?" Andrew tilted his head confused. "Is that why we couldn't catch up to her on the first day unless using Quick Attack?"

"Hm?" The Zoroark looked down to see a Pikachu and Eevee looking back at her. "Well, yes. Quick Attack speeds are normal for them, even much slower." She could notice Luke stiffen up as she looked at the two. "Um... Is something wrong with your teammate? Aside from the bandages..."

Andrew shook his head while walking in. "Nah. He's just nervous 'cause we've never saw a Zoroark in Pokémon."

"Understandable. We are a bit of a more rare species..." She nodded, "But what about those bandages? Was it from those Decargo Pokémon Zu mentioned?"

The Zoura shook his head. "Nope. Brandy decided to send an Aura Sphere to his head as a threat."

"So Brandy did this?" All of us turned to a Lucario with female proportions. "So he was doing his job, and you two are considered outsiders then, am I right?" Andrew and Luke guessed that she was Rai's mother.

"No. We just were being dumb. Well I was." The Eevee shook his head. "We were outsiders, but we've been cleared. And my bandages probably would've been taken off and replaced by a smaller one by now, if I hadn't taken them off..."

"But why would you take them off?" The Zoroark tilted her head slightly in inquiry.

Zuri hung her head down in response. "That's because he was using Helping Hand to save my life..." she responded with a sigh.

"Zuri..." Luke slowly moved his paw and touched hers, the action going unnoticed to everyone else. "...I'd do it again. You do know that, right?"

She slowly nodded. "Yeah, I know... I'm glad to have a teammate like you!" A quick hug is all it took for Andrew to facepalm in front of everyone.

"M-Me too..." The Eevee put his head into her shoulder to hide his blush.

"Guys!" Rai suddenly ran up to the group, a tired smile spread across her face. Luke accidentally gripped a bit tighter on Zuri, startled by the sudden appearance. "Why's everyone standing around like this?"

"Rai!" The female Lucario stood up to start giving the Riolu a motherly hug. "It's been too long!" Brandy could be seen walking inside, sweat everywhere. He barely avoided being a part of the hug as well...

"Brandy, come here." The Riolu pouted, "Don't you wanna hug Mommy, too? It's been a while since we've seen her."

The male Lucario huffed. "Rai, I'm an adult. There's no way you're gonna..." He could feel his body automatically moving; his mother was physically pulling him to them. "Okay, she can though."

The female Riolu broke the hug, a smile on her face. She reached down to pick up Andrew before clearing her throat. "Mommy, this is the boy I'm interested in!" she smiled brightly as the Pikachu's eyes widened.

"Rai!" He shouted while trying to squirm out of Rai picking him up. "I didn't want to share that now!"

The female Lucario decided to bend down and tilt her head confused. "Well, his smell is definitely foreign..." She placed a paw on the Pikachu's head. "Yet he feels like any normal Pikachu. Why are you interested in him, young lass?"

"I don't know how to really explain all of that stuff." The Riolu smiled nervously. "I just know I really do." She held him close to her body. Andrew paused for a few seconds before starting to nuzzle her neck as a sign of affection.

As the Riolu licked his nose, another Lucario showed up from behind a door. His presence could be felt by Andrew and Luke as they instantly turned to the door. "Oi, what is this I hear about Rai bringing home a boy?"

"You're not going to believe it, honey!" The female Lucario responded while rubbing Rai's head. "She's finally interested in someone!"

The Lucario looked between his mother's smile, his daughter's smile, and Andrew's blank, yet slightly nervous expression before letting out a sigh. "Arceus, finally!" He exclaimed, putting a paw on her head.

"Oh, I thought that was going to be worse..." The Pikachu gave a sigh of relief. "Seems like they really wanted you to find a relationship, 'Ri..."

"I'm glad..." She sighed, licking the Pikachu's head. "Now if only Zuri would take just a few more steps..." She turned to the Zorua, who was still in a private embrace with Luke.

"Man, is it getting hot in here?" Andrew realized while looking at the sweat of Rai. Drops of sweat came off of him as well. "...Cause I think Rai is either sweating profoundly or she's using a move..."

The Riolu put her head on top of his, purring affectionately. "Hey, guys? You mind if I show you my room?" She looked between Andrew, Zuri, and Luke as she snuggled the Pikachu.

"Not really, honestly..." Luke replied subconsciously, still nuzzling into Zuri. "I'd be fine saying right here if we had to, though." He blushed softly.

The Pikachu slowly shrugged, not knowing what to do. "I wanna find out who's the birthday boy first..."

"Oh right! I completely forgot!" The Riolu exclaimed, "Want me to take you to him? Or can you walk on your own like always?"

"I think I can walk..." Rai started placing him down while giving a last nuzzle, making him blush. "Okay, now, I'm ready."

Meanwhile, the Eevee let out a sigh. "Zuri? Can I talk to you alone later?" He asked, breaking the embrace between them.

"Later?" The Zoura backed away for a few seconds before looking down at the floor. "What is it about, Luke? Why not now?"

"Well we could now if you want, but it's about... The events earlier." Luke began to blush, looking at her with a sheepish smile. "I wouldn't feel comfortable talking about it with your mom here, too."

The Zoura glanced at her mother walking with everyone else and nodded. "Yeah, we can talk later then."

The Eevee looked around for a brief moment before licking the Zorua's cheek, close to her muzzle. "Talk then, I guess." Luke began to walk off, following the group.

Everyone entered the room to notice a Growlithe sitting in awe of a white hatchday cake filled with candles lit up. He was sitting on top of a Zeraora, making Andrew's and Luke's eyes gleam of surprise. "I can't believe you made me this cake, Grandpa!" The Growlithe responded while wagging his tail.

"This cake is nothing." The Zeraora scoffed with a confident smile, "The real beauty was the one I forged in '83." He put his paws on his hips. "But this one's fine, as well."

The Pikachu moved towards the Riolu. "I can assume this is your grandfather, right?"

"That's right." Rai answered, sitting down so that she was now Andrew's height. "That's good old Grandpa for you."

"Now who the hell just called me old?" Grandpa turned to face Rai and Andrew. His glare softened as he saw the Riolu. "Well if it isn't the young speedster herself. Glad you could make it." He put a paw on Rai's head.

"Hi 'cuz!" The Growlithe hopped on the top of the table and grinned at the Riolu. "I can't believe six months have passed..."

"Hey, Cody. How's it been?" The Riolu gave him a kind smile. "But you're right, time really flies sometimes." She then looked to Andrew. "Oh! And this is Andrew!"

As she hung her arm around the Pikachu, Andrew could be seen cursing himself. "Yeah, that's me..." He hung his head down before finishing his statement. "Rai's interested in me. She was yelling it out a few moments ago."

"You know I am!" The Riolu grabbed him and sat him on her lap, hugging the Pikachu lovingly. "I didn't say it this time, at least." She nuzzled him happily.

Cody could be seen turning away weirdly, but Andrew was currently trying squirm out. "Rai, if you keep on..." Sparks could be seen coming off of him, but they didn't give off any volts. "Rai, I swear you're using a move!" His eyes could be seen turning into tiny hearts.

"I don't think I am." She shook her head. "All I know is Thunder Punch, Blaze Kick, Drain Punch, and Attract—ohh..." The Riolu looked down at Andrew. "Are you feeling okay?"

The Pikachu blinked his eyes for a few seconds before slowly nodding. "I guess? I mean, I'm really attracted to you, but I don't know how to show my affection." He shrugged while chuckling loudly.

"That's really simple, actually." Rai began to carry the Pikachu off and away from the group. "All you have to do is kiss me until it goes away." She gave a blank smile, showing that she was being as serious as she was able to be.

As some weird noises could be heard in the background, Zuri approached the Zeraoura. "Hi, Grandpa!" The Zoura said while wagging her tail. "Do you have a story you wanna tell us later today?"

"Not any stories that I will tell right now. They're too grand." He replied, "There would need to be a reason to tell my stories, and... You kids are really runnin' me dry sometimes."

"Aww..." Zuri and Cody groaned in dismay. "That really sucks." The Zoura looked at Luke before placing her muzzle on his shoulder.

"You guys must really like when he tells you stories, huh?" Luke asked, wrapping an arm around Zuri. "No wonder he's struggling to remember more." The Eevee gave her an affectionate nuzzle.

"Hmm..." Grandpa looked at the two, putting a paw on his chin. "Oh... I see Rai wasn't the only one to make a 'special' friend while she was out huh, Zu?"

"No!" The Zoura gave an embarrassed blush. "No I didn't...!" She glanced at the Eevee before eventually sighing. "Please don't tell mom, Grandpa. She'll literally kill me for real this time."

"Don't worry, I won't." The elderly Zeraora fanned his paw dismissively. "Believe it or not, my wife was exactly like that towards her parents. She didn't reveal me to be 'more than a friend' until four years after we started dating." He laughed.

"Man, I always learn something new about him everyday," she mumbled while giving a smile. "Luke, do you have a story to tell? You and Andrew are writers." Cody and Grandpa were surprised to hear that coming from her. "Sorry..."

"It's fine, but I can't just come up with a story right here." Zuri felt a paw touch hers. "...But if I had to choose a real life example, I know what I'd choose." He blushed, giving a bright smile.

"I heard the word story!" Andrew could be seen running towards the group, his head fur messy. "Luke, are we saying stories right now? I really want to!"

"Um... What's with your fur?" The Eevee asked confusedly, "It's all matted and damp and messy..." He squinted at the Pikachu.

They could see his pupils returned to normal by now. "Yeah, Rai tricked me completely. I'm sorta mad, but not mad at the same time." Andrew started using his paws to flatten the puffy fur.

Luke gazed over to where Andrew came from, and saw Rai, who was licking her own muzzle lustfully. "...Yeah, I can see that happening..."

Cody hopped down from the table and decided to look at the Eevee. "Mr. Luke, can you say your story then?" He asked childishly. "Please?"

"I can't talk about how Zuri and I met! Then It'll be too obvious I'm into her!" The Eevee thought panickedly as he gave a nod. "I'll tell you guys a story about how Andrew and I met."

"Hey, I want in on this!" The Pikachu responded while giving a friendly hug. "I'm a part of this story as well!"

"Fair enough." Luke nodded.

*Game File Saved*