"I'm glad she has him." Where MATIAS SILPH might only feel disgust at the Luxray, Chu-e is glad Eris Halla has someone she can rely on. Chu-e trusts that the electric type would do everything in his power to keep Eris safe. He was a good boy.

The presence of the Porygon and the darkening of the cave make something in Chu-e's mind unstick. He pulls a pokeball from his pocket, releasing a Houndoom. The Dark type sniffs idly at MATIAS SILPH before jerking away with a snort, no doubt sniffing out his rancid vibes.

Not to focus on that, though, Chu-e reaches into his pocket and pulls out a small scarf. One of Eris', from her room, and he holds it out for his pokemon to sniff. The Houndoom scoffs but bounds off, nose to the ground.

The Houndoom grunts and snorts on the offered berry, bouncing away. A flame lights from his maw. Not an attack, just enough to light up the way as he tries to catch a whiff of Eris's scent.

"About... six months or so? It feels like it's been a lot longer. She's really livened up the house! It's..." A sigh. Chu-e was just making himself more sad, now. His favorite parts of the day had been cooking for or with Eris, watching her play with her pokemon or tinker with things. The house without her would feel so empty.

MATIAS SILPH

"I don't think it was secrets." Chu-e gently disagrees. He glances around at the cavern. He doesn't think Eris is here. Somehow the idea of stopping the search hurt worse than the alternative.

"Kids just have different priorities than us. An important detail to you and me might just be whatever, then something tiny means so much to them. I mean, I didn't know she knew you." It's not an accusation, just a fact to Chu-e.

MATIAS SILPH

That question in particular stabs at an old wound. Old, faded, but not a scar, just infected, still leaking pus into his life even now.

"I wish I'd had the chance to stay a kid longer. I think I would be a different person."

It's just a little melancholy when he thinks of what was taken away. Who he became.

MATIAS SILPH

Chu-e rolls it around in his mind as he thinks of how to word his answer. The best thing to do would be to play it off. But, for someone in his position, Chu-e did surprisingly little lying. (Aside from the obvious.)

"A guy abused me when I was a kid. Fucked me up for a long time. I don't like talking about it."

Simple and sufficient without revealing too much. At the end of it, if MATIAS SILPH wasn't ready for the answer he shouldn't have asked.

Chu-e was never good at taking apologies for this topic. MATIAS SILPH couldn't change it. All he could do was be better and do his best to not let it happen to anyone else.

But he's right about Eris Halla's childhood. So much has been taken from her.

"I am, too. As soon as I met her, I knew she deserved a better deck for all the cards it's given her so far."

He's dealt with worse than MATIAS SILPH.

Chu-e clicks his tongue but keeps his eyes firmly ahead.

"You say that like I want her in Rocket."