FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Chapter 2: Lost in Memory

Bibbit opened the door to the hotel room that she had booked, and her team walked in and looked around. Lucy and Lola instantly dashed over to the large bed and flopped down onto it. Bibbit and Griselda both step on out to the balcony and look over the hillside overlooking the massive city below them. The balcony lead directly to a personal hot spring. The city of Calabaster was known for the many, many small hot springs in the hillsides overlooking the city. Calabaster was a massive metropolis, even bigger than Goldenrod City in Kanto.

Bibbit looked over the sprawling lights below her, the blanket of lights, the rivers of red and yellow lights slowly trickling through the concrete mountains. It was hard to tell where the stars ended, and the city began.

Bibbit looked to see if she could find the park they had visited earlier that day. It wasn't that hard to spot, seeing as it was on the roof of a massive shopping center.

“Wow! I haven't seen a rooftop park before!"

Lucy looked around the park, seeing the nice long grass and the tree-lined walkways with benches. The city had even planted berry bushes for the pokemon. Bibbit looked around and spotted a few picnic benches and fire pits. She could see a pond glinting in the mid-day sun, water confetti spraying up into the air. Bibbit could feel Griselda's gaze and looked over at her.

“Fine, you can go. We are here for fun anyway."

Griselda smiled and dashed over to the pond, the speck of the frog leaping in, sending another plume of liquid glitter into the air. Lucy spotted a trainer throwing sticks for his mightyena and she perked her ears up and whined softly.

“You can go and ask him if you can play, but you have to be okay if he says no, alright?"

Lucy bounced up and down some, nodding excitedly and dashed on over to the trainer, then raced his mightyena to get the stick that he threw.

“I swear that girl thinks she's a poochyena..."

Bibbit smiled as she watch her lucario play with the other pokemon. She felt Lola hug her from behind and she looked back at her.

“What?"

The lopunny shrugged and stepped to Bibbit's side.

“What, I can't hug my trainer?"

Lola teased Bibbit, who simply shook her head. Bibbit looked over at Gabriella who was looking around at the scenery. Bibbit smiled and walked over to her.

“A little lost there Gabby?"

Gabriella looked up at her and blushed softly.

“It's just so lovely up here, I don't know what I want to do."

Bibbit smiled and giggled a little.

“Well, there's plenty to do, I could pull out a blanket for you and you could relax in the grass."

Gabriella nodded to herself and looked around, walking over to a patch of grass and sat down, laying back and relaxed. Bibbit looked over at Zoe who had a particular grin on her face.

“Hey, no tormenting the other pokemon, I'd rather not have to bail you out, or keep you in a pokeball, or pay a fine, alright?"

Zoe rolled her eyes and huffed.

“You never let me have any fun, do you?"

Bibbit rolled her eyes at her.

“I'm just making sure nothing happens Zoe."

Zoe chuckled and shakes her head.

“Oh, nothing's going to happen Bibbit..."

Bibbit watched as Zoe walked on over to Gabriella and laid down with her. Bibbit looked back at Michelle who was off to the side a bit and sighed.

“She'll come around Bibbit, just give her some time."

Bibbit nodded to Lola's words, and sighed again.

“I know, but, I just wish that she would open up more, you know?"

Lola nodded and then nossed Bibbit in the arm.

“You need to lighten up Bibbit. You know, that hotel up in the hills has a hot spring per room, right?"

Bibbit looked over at Lola and tilted her head.

“Is that so? I guess we have a bit of a hike ahead of us then to get to our room tonight."

“Or we could just, you know, take the train or something."

Bibbit smiled and shook her head.

“It would get us there faster after all, I'll book us a room and figure out transportation."

Bernadette looked over the city, spotting the shooting stars weaving through the city and traced it back to the center. The maglev trains in the city wound throughout the city and circled it. Passengers on the trains could not only get to where they needed to go quickly, but they could also see the beautiful city from a different vantage point.

“Wow! This is amazing!"

Lucy's muzzle was plastered against the glass of the observatory car in the train as the train banked around a corner, curling around one of the smaller plazas in the city. People sitting and eating with friends and pokemon, open air shops with people selling their wares. Even with the new digital age of commerce, people still enjoyed walking to stores and selling things in a more personal way. This city was one of the hubs of the new digital commerce, and even here, shops were still just as valid, and just as successful as ever.

Once Zakaya made digital delivery of virtually any arbitrary item, many people were worried that they would lose their business due to the newer, more convenient method of shopping, fearing that physical shops were becoming obsolete. While larger companies found a boost in sales, and some started to cater directly to this new method of selling, people still wished to go to stores in person, and even chain stores stayed. Chain stores found it easier and cheaper to transport goods, which ended up boosting the economy some, allowing goods to be sold at a cheaper price, and gave the ability to keep the supply stable with demand.

Michelle was sitting quietly, staring out the window, seemingly off in her own little world. Bibbit shook her head some and looked over at Lucy and giggled to herself, as the lucario fogged up the glass from pressing her nose up against it. The train banked around a smaller park, one with a nice patch of grass, surrounded with trees. The train then started to shoot towards the hills, climbing higher and higher. Bibbit looked out the window at the flaming horizon, the sun dipping down past the horizon, the flames of the sky glinting and shimmering off of the windows of the many, many buildings. Bibbit spotted the massive shopping center that towered over the city.

“Wow, you can see the whole city from up here!"

Bibbit giggled at Lucy, once again loving the new experience, looking over the glass balcony of the 37th floor. The building was almost entirely made of glass walls, the view of the city clear from just about any spot in the shopping center.

“Hello, may I take your order?"

Bibbit looked up to the lady with a smile.

“Yes, I'd like to have one of your smoothies, let's see... how about a Citrusberry smoothie?"

The waitress smiled and jotted some things down, turning to Lola.

“I would like a carrot and oranberry smoothie.

The waitress then turned to Zoe.

“I'd like a nice hot pidgey sandwich."

The waitress nodded and jotted down a few more things, then turned to Gabriella.

“Um... could I have a lemonade?"

The waitress smiled and nodded.

“Of course, and for you?"

The waitress asked Griselda.

“Water."

The waitress nodded and turned to Michelle.

“And for you?"

Michelle looked over at her and shrugged.

“A salad would be alright with me."

The waitress nodded and started to walk off.

“Oh, um, one sec. LUCY!"

Lucy perked her ears up and came over to bibbit.

“Yush?"

“Tell the nice lady here what you would like to eat, or drink, okay?"

Lucy nodded and looked up to the waitress.

“Um, can I please have a lemon sorbet please?"

The waitress giggled and smiled.

“Of course you can, I'll be right back with your food and drinks."

Lucy's tail was wagging once again.

“Yay! I get to have a treat!"

Bibbit giggled and nodded, petting the lucario's head.

“Well, you've been a good girl."

Lucy closed her eyes and pressed into the pettings that Bibbit was giving her. Lucy smiled and licked Bibbit's hand.

“I wana show you something Bibbit!"

Lucy grabbed Bibbit's hand and took her to the balcony and looked over the city. Bernadette leaned on the railing and looked down at all the plazas and parks littering the city. Bibbit could see people playing with their pokemon down in a few parks, and was even able to see one park that was made for pokemon battles. There was two young trainers battling with their new pokemon. It was a bulbasaur and a squirtle. Bibbit giggled watching the two pokemon trading blows.

Soon, the Squirtle rose victorious and the two boys cheered. The looser tended to his bulbasaur and the two of them walked off to the side and had a little picnic, the two boys and their pokemon eating together. Bibbit smiled and giggled at the sight, a flock of pidgey flew past her.

“Bibbit! The drinks are here!"

Bernadette looked over to the table as the waitress placed the drinks and food down, Lucy and Bibbit walked back over to the table with the rest of the team. Lucy's tail was wagging like mad as she saw her treat, digging in and then winced and whimpered.

“Owie!"

“You need to slow down Lucy, you do this every time!"

Feeling like Bibbit was scolding her, she nodded as her ears were pressed flat against her head.

“I-I'm sorry Bibbit..."

Bernadette shook her head and petted Lucy gently on the head.

“Besides, it'll make your treat last longer, alright?"

Lucy nodded and started to lap at her treat, smiling, her tail wagging once more. Bibbit looked over at Zoe, enjoying her sandwich, perhaps a little too much. Lola was sipping away at her drink and walked over to the railing, leaning over and showing off her perfectly formed rump. Gabriella was sipping away at her own drink, eyes closed and off in her own little slice of heaven. Michelle was eating her salad, but only because she had it.

Bibbit looked over to where Griselda was once standing, to find empty space, so she looked around and found her perched on the roof, silhouetted against the night sky, the moonlight glinting off of her smooth, amphibian skin.

“Hmm.. seems like you have the better view up there Grizzy."

Grizelda simply nodded and looked over the city. Bibbit smiled and shook her head, Grizelda had a way of talking without saying a word. Her pose, like a statue as she gazed over the city, her eyes said everything. The night air, the lights, the quiet breeze, she felt at home. It may have been a small victory, but it was a victory for her.

The rest of her team were already turning in for the night; Lola and Lucy cuddled together in the bed, Zoe and Gabriela on futons, and Michelle laying down on the couch off to the side. Bibbit looked over her team and sighed, turning back towards the city and leaned up against the railing. Her mind started to wonder, the stars and the lights started to blur, she started to fall.

Bibbit landed, the ground around her scorched as the flames around her wrists and ankles died down, the Jolteon in front of her panting, narrowly avoiding her attack.

“Jolteon, pin missile!"

The opposing trainer called out and Bibbit watched as the yellow canine flared up their spikes, letting loose a volley of sharp pins, flying through the air. She was ready for the attack, and she dashed off to the side, flipping in the air as she dodged the attack. She then heard a sickening cry of pain from behind her and she snapped back to look behind her and her blood ran cold.

Her trainer stood there, with one of those pins sticking out of his chest, his shirt turning red with his blood. He fell to his knees in slow-motion, and before she knew she was even moving, he was in her arms.

“N-no!"

She could barely breath, let alone speak, her whole body was shaking, her body felt weak. Her trainer started to cough up blood and wince in pain.

“B-bibbit, here, take my pokedex and take it to professor Balsa, tell him what happened, he'll know what to do..."

“I-I'm so sorry... I should have been-" Zakaya silenced her with a finger and shook his head.

“Don't beat yourself up over it, I should have been paying closer attention... Just, take care of the others for me"

Bibbit held him tightly in her arms.

“N-no, don't talk like that, I can get you help! You'll be fine!"

Zakaya smiled and chuckled into more coughing.

“We are in the middle of the forest, I'm done."

He placed his hand on her cheek and she felt it fall away, his body going limp. She closed her eyes tightly and felt her tears fall onto the back of her hand. She was digging her talons into something, something hard.

Bibbit felt something touch her shoulder and she opened her eyes, Zakaya was gone, only the claw-marks in the wood in her blurred vision, tears streaming down her cheeks. The sound of the breeze and rustling leaves faded into her consciousness. She looked over at Grizelda and clung to her, wrapping her arms tightly around the frog, crying quietly into her neck.

“I miss him so much Grizelda..."

Grizelda rubbed Bibbit's back and nodded.

“I know you do..."