FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Tannish white walls with old chipped paint, rusty metallic fixtures, leaky rotten pipes, moaning and groaning, and gnashing of teeth. If Dahlia didn't know better she would've had said this place was a prison. The delphox nervously clung to her human's arm as he lead her somberly to the receptionist's desk. The lights were fading in and out, casting ghostly apparitions against the wall.

Dahlia strained her eyes and locked gazes with someone in the distance. The lights flickered on and off before fading out and bathing the hall in darkness. Dahlia shrieked and held to Jeeve tighter, but her unease quickly turned to fear as the lights came back on. The figure she had seen was nowhere to be found . . . The delphox looked to Jeeve to see if he shared her distress, but the human paid the situation no mind.

As they walked Dahlia snuck a whisper to Jeeve saying.

"What kind of place is this?" The scholar kept his gaze forward and replied.

"A human 'care facility.' Basically a shitty hospital for poor humans . . ."

"I-I've never seen a hospital like this before. Why are the conditions so poor?" The human looked back at her and shook his head.

"Not pretty is it? Welcome to the vicious underworld, population humans. "

"Why would they do this to people? "

"Because they can . . ." Dahlia closed her mouth and shrunk back at his words. She was starting to see why Jeeve was so adamant about pokemon repellent. The couple walked up a haggardly looking receptionist saying.

"Hi. I'm here to see my mother." The receptionist flashed a tired smile, revealing her old and yellow teeth saying.

"Oh how nice . . . Name please."

"Stella Javari."

"Hmm. She's just around the corner, room 103." Jeeve nodded and pulled Dahlia as he expertly navigated through the dark facility, it was if he had been here before. The pair made it to Stella's room and wasted no time barging in. Dahlia released Jeeve from her grasp and watched as he pulled up a chair and grabbed his mother's frail hand saying.

"Hey mom I came as soon as I heard, Arc said he forgot my phone number . . . Good thing we bumped into each other at your place huh?" Stella remained silent, trapped between the land of the living and the valley of death. The scholar ran his hand along her ethereal body, holding back a sob as he could feel her bones between every stroke. Her breathing was shallow and forced, Javari figured it was only a matter of time before she gave up and kicked the bucket. The human placed his forehead against hers saying.

"Why mom? Why didn't you leave?" Of course she didn't answer, only laid half dead as her son chided her soon to be corpse.

"Damn shame too. That women made me a lot of me money." Dahlia turned to the noise and wrinkled her face at the figure that had just walked in. The gruff talking Arcanine flicked his cigarette away and stood imposingly in the doorway. Jeeve ignored him and continued caressing his mother, but Arc insisted on making his presence known.

"Doc said she's got a double case of pneumonia and lung cancer, hasn't eaten in days, and they can barely get her up to drink water . . ." Jeeve sighed and said.

"Did you come here to pay your respects or mock my mother?"

"Whoa easy there slugger. I loved your mom too!"

"If you loved her, you wouldn't have passed her around like some toy!" Arc smirked and calmly walked over to Stella saying.

"We all show love differently kid. Your mother showed love by bringing in the customers."

"And how did you?"

"Let her keep the tips . . ." Javari shook his head saying.

"You're disgusting. Killed a woman in her prime and for what?! A few dollars more!? Pokemon like you should be in prison for how you treat people." Arc sighed and tried to place his paw on Stella's face, but Jeeve smacked his paw away saying.

"Don't you touch her you murderer! She wouldn't even be here if you treated her right! So just go! Go check on your other whores or something!"

"Hmm. You know your mom's spot is gonna be pretty tough to fill . . ."

"I don't care! Go abduct some other person from their family, like you did her!" Arc smiled brightly at the rebuke then said.

"You've got fire! I could always use more male workers, and more Alolans too."

"You're crazy if you think I would come work for you!"

"Come one kid! The pay's good, great hours, and you get you meet all kinds of pokemon! I'm offering you the job of a lifetime!"

"Read my lips Arc . . . NO! I'm not gonna become a back room girl for you!" Arc's smile faded and was replaced by a stoic glare. The club owner quickly snatched Jeeve's shoulder and forced the human to face him.

"Look at me brat! You'd be foolish to turn me down. I'm giving you something I didn't give her . . . A choice!"

"Put him down . . ." Arc looked over at Dahlia, who was snarling with fangs barred, and said.

"Who the hell are you?"

"I'm his mate! Now put him down before I rip you to shreds!" Arc brought Jeeve to his face and sniffed all around him saying.

"Talk is cheap girly. He's unmarked, which means he's fair game. What's to stop me from taking him now?"

"He's underage . . ." Arc looked at Jeeve as if he was holding a bomb and quickly dropped him saying.

"Oh no! I've been in trouble with you minors before! Promised myself I wouldn't go back to prison!" Arc shuddered and backed away saying.

"Call me when you're legal kid. I'm sure we can come to some agreement." The arcanine chuckled then walked out, taking another look at Jeeve as he whistled down the halls.

"Y-You . . . a-always were so brash . ." Her voice was tired, it's tone resembling that of a dying bird than a woman. Her eyes were dreadfully dull, lacking any and all signs of clarity, but her smile . . . Her smile held a joy, that the human hadn't seen in a long time. It was the smile of a free person.

"Mom . . . W-What did they do to you!?" Javari hands trembled as he struggled to grasp hers. Nothing had prepared him for this moment, but in all honesty what could?

"You're gonna be okay mom! You just need rest, lots and lots of rest!" Stella's tired smile never faltered when she said.

"You're just like him . . . Once your mind is set, you never veer left or right."

"Please! Not now mom . . ." Stella turned away and focused her gaze on Dahlia saying.

"O-Oh is this y-your mate? S-She's lovely . . ." Dahlia tried her best to smile, but she just couldn't muster the energy. She'd known Jeeve's mother for years, and to see her reduced to mere skin and bones broke the Delphox.

"Mom I'm doing it . . . I've studied your notes, but I'm stuck! I don't know what the other half of C22H23 is! I know you're tired, but I have to know!" Stella seemed lost in thought, her gaze was elsewhere as if she was staring into another place or time.

"Y-You still haven't l-learned yet have you? Just like your f-father I suppose . . . If this is truly what you w-want, then he will have the answers you s-seek . . ."

"Dad!? But I haven't se-" The scholar bowed his head and nodded. Jeeve brought his hand to his face and wiped a lone tear away. Javari hiccuped as he tried to control his tears, for crying was just an emotion humans couldn't afford to show. But he didn't care, the human sobbed and sobbed. Dahlia was quick and scooped him up, placing him on her lap. The delphox rubbed his back, speaking smooth and calm words as the human vented his frustrations.

Jeeve balled his fist and quietly murmured "no." Dahlia pushed him back and asked. "No what?"

"NO!" Jeeve sprung up from her lap and stared angrily at his mom. The hurt human pointed an accusing finger at her as he yelled saying.

"WHY!? Why would you save them!!? Y-You gave them life and what did they give you in return!? Enslavement and disease!?" Jeeve's mother let out a heavy strained sigh, it was so forced and labored that she struggled to breathe the air back in.

"W-Why?"

"Yes mom! Why!?"

"B-Because I-I love them . . ."

"You love them? Dear Arceus why?" Jeeve buried his face in his hands and sighed. The scholar had never had trouble discerning the world around him, but right now he just couldn't understand. His mother loved the same creatures that sold her into slavery, loved the same creatures that took her from her husband, loved the same creatures that forced her into prostitution, the thought alone caused the scholar headaches.

"Y-You spend s-so much time a-and energy hating. Y-You'll never be able t-t love . . ." Stella weakly pointed over to Dahlia, who was wiping tears from her own eyes.

"I-I love them b-because they're n-not perfect . . . Y-You're not perfect e-either. L-Life will get better s-son . . . N-Never f-forget . . ."

"Mom I'm here! Please j-just don't go!"

"I-I'm s-scared . . ." Jeeve's eyes widened as he heard her plea, causing Dahlia to rush behind him and wrap him in a hug. The two said nothing, only watched as Jeeve's mother painfully struggled to live. Stella breathing increased, in, out, in, out a pace so dangerous, she threatened to choke herself . . . And choke herself she did.

Stella began coughing and rocking violently in bed, the frail human began flailing her arms as she desperately tried to breathe. Jeeve patted his mother's hand in vain and cursed himself for being unable to soothe her suffering. Mother and son locked loving gazes then with a nod of her head, she fell still. Jeeve closed is eyes and bowed his head saying a prayer for her soul.

Once he finished, he gently closed his mother's eyes and stood saying.

"Come on Dahlia, we're leaving."

"Leaving!? We can't just leave! We need to wait for the doctor to take her body away or something right?" Javari sighed and grabbed her paw saying.

"You don't know how human death works do you? There is no pomp and circumstance, no home going, no funeral. When a human dies, they're either taken downstairs and incinerated or their bodies used to progress science . . ."

"N-No f-funeral?"

"No. I suppose it makes sense, I mean would you throw a funeral for your property? Make a big fuss if your cellphone died? Would you Dahlia spend thousands on a funeral for your car?"

" . . . I-I ."

"I didn't think so. You see Love, humans are nothing but objects to pokemon. We live to serve them and die forgotten . . ."

"I don't think you're property! You know I love you!" Dahlia buried her face in his neck crying, she hated herself for being so naive, so uninformed. How could humans go through this and pokemon continue on with their lives as if nothing was wrong? Jeeve smiled tiredly and rubbed her back saying.

"I know you don't . . . I don't blame you for anything, I'm just . . . Come on we need to leave."

"Where are we going?"

"To find my father . . ." Jeeve's arm snaked around and grabbed her waist, effectively pulling her closer. She made no effort to resist and only nodded as Jeeve led her back towards the hospital's exit.

Jeeve placed the key in the ignition and started the car, but even a simple act like that drained the scholar. Javari looked over at Dahlia and frowned as he saw her huddled up in the backseat. He felt bad for dumping his problems on her, so he turned saying.

"Hey Dahlia. I'm . . . Sorry. I shouldn't have lost my cool back there, this is jus-"

"No! You have nothing to apologize for! I should be apologizing to you! No WE should be apologizing! I never knew Jeeve, no one ever told me! No one talks about this in school, no one tells you humans are miserable and suffering! I've gone my whole life thinking you were all happy about this! I-I . . Just c-can't!"

Jeeve climbed in the back seat and cradled the sniveling delphox saying.

"Hey love, don't cry okay? You're not to blame for this. What I go through is hundreds of years of systematic oppression, you didn't do this . . . You're a beautiful pokemon, with a big heart. When I look at you I just know everything's going to be alright." Dahlia smiled and wiped a few tears away, she still had Stella's last words playing through her mind . . .

"I-I love them b-because they're n-not perfect . . ." The sentence stuck to the delphox's tongue like beedrills to honey, something about the way she said it chilled her to the bone. A slave loved her masters so much, she single-handedly secured their futures and did it because she wanted too. Dahlia looked to the sky and prayed that she could one day have as much love as Stella had for others.