FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

"This is a nice break from the city," Skye said while walking west along Route 205 toward Eterna Forest beside Aaron. She'd enjoyed herself at the dine-in restaurant back in Eterna City, but being on another grassy route brought her tranquility the bustling city couldn't. There was a stream that spread across the center of the route under a wooden bridge, and rocky, smooth hilly terrain lining its outskirts.

"Wait until we get to the forest, always cold and, for the most part, almost always vacant," Aaron replied.

"Oh, anything I should be aware of in there?" she asked, walking across the lengthy bridge and to the other side of the route. Skye saw the dark entrance to Eterna Forest up ahead.

"Just other pokémon that may want to pick a fight, but that's why we have ours. I'm not sure a wurmple would want to go up against Ruki anyway."

Speaking of Ruki, he was trailing behind and watching the route's river on the overpass with Sylmi. Ruki noticed Sylmi extend one of his ribbons ahead, which he followed with his eyes to see water splashing about and a glimpse of a Magikarp. He glanced at Sylmi innocently grinning at him afterward, and Ruki couldn't deny its cuteness. It just came with the territory of being a sylveon.

"Ruki!"

He tensed, slowly turning his head to see Skye standing about half a mile further. Ruki had to work on not getting sidetracked so much. He trotted to her with Sylmi following behind.

"Ruki, stay by me, please, especially since we're about to enter a forest." She sighed and turned around. "Okay, ready."

--

Their eyes had to adjust to the sudden change in lighting, only small strips of sunlight seeping in through its countless amount of thick trees. Ahead was miles of fertile, green terrain and tall grass.

"Kind of creepy..." Skye said, her eyes studying her surroundings. It was quiet, nothing but the sound of general ambiance spread throughout the chilly environment.

"We'll be out of here in no time. Don't worry," Aaron assured. "Come on."

Skye kept close beside him while they traversed the forest. She didn't dress for this. Skye had gone for the cutest look she could manage today and felt vulnerable and unprepared in shorts and a plaid tee. She felt safe enough with Ruki and Aaron with her, though.

Ruki stayed just behind her along with Sylmi and kept an eye out for anything abnormal. He spotted two trainers dressed in expedition wear walking through the forest so far, but nothing alarming.

A light, cool breeze blew past the group, and it caused Skye to shiver a bit, which Aaron took notice of. "Cold?"

"A bit," she replied. "I'll be fine. I should have brought my jacket."

"Here..." He stopped and began to take his off.

"No, Aaron it's-"

"Take it; I can't watch you freeze right next to me."

"Mh... thank you." She grinned subtly and took it, putting it on and zipping it up accordingly.

"Of course," he replied. Skye looked adorable in it.

--

In twenty minutes, they neared the exit of Eterna Forest. Skye had seen a few wild pokémon along the way that she pointed out, including a caterpie and dustox. Skye was never into bug types. They freaked her out to no end. She preferred fur and cute features on her pokémon. "Gosh, and we have to walk through there on the way back," Skye said after finally leaving the grim forest behind, now on the last route before Floaroama. The air was warm again. In front of them was an open dirt pathway atop an elevated hill that led south down to Floaroama's entrance.

"Not necessarily. We can always take the Jubilife route back," he told her.

"Oh, right, sounds better." Skye leaned down and gently patted Ruki's head. "Thank you for listening, Ruk'."

He pushed his head against her hand. Ruki's main focus in that forest was keeping Skye safe. He wouldn't dare have left her side.

They went down a small flight of steps into spacious grassy terrain, crossed a short wooden bridge over a body of water that covered the route's west section, and took a right afterward. "Just up ahead," Aaron said. There was a mile-long final pathway in front of them, and beyond a group of trees at the end was the entrance to Floaroama town.

"I see it," she said with anticipation, and she wasn't disappointed upon entering in the slightest. Skye stopped after taking a few steps to admire it. The town looked exactly how she thought it would. There were slope roofed homes, many of them spread apart by dozens of feet and others beside each other. In front of almost every home lay large organized, vibrant, and multi-colored flower beds that pleased the eye. A countless amount of flowers were planted alongside the town's dirt paths and vast grassy fields as well. "One of the most beautiful places I've ever seen..."

Ruki thought so too. The town was purely vivid. He took it in through his eyes for some moments before looking up at Skye. He wanted to wander ahead freely and explore a bit.

She felt his eyes on her and looked down to her side at his intent gaze. Skye knew what he wanted. "Go ahead, baby, but stay in sight." And she watched him quickly trot ahead a mile to an open field sprinkled generously with flowers.

"You can go ahead too, Sylmi," Aaron told him.

Sylmi glanced up at his trainer and then back to Ruki sniffing flowers ahead, which he enjoyed as well, so he walked after Ruki to join him.

"This was so worth the walk." Skye sauntered ahead off of the main path with other trainers passing by and into the field to the right, sitting down in its soft grass.

Aaron followed and sat beside her, but made sure to leave some distance between them again. "This is one of my favorite places to be in Sinnoh... priceless."

"Mine too, and I haven't even been to all of the locations here." She glanced over at him and then down at herself to realize that she still wore his jacket. "Oh..." Skye unzipped it and took it off, handing it back to him. "I forgot I still had this on. Thank you for lending it to me," she said.

"It was my honor," he replied and set it in his lap. Aaron looked ahead at Sylmi offering Ruki a picked flower with his ribbon, and Ruki leaning in to sniff it accordingly. "So, you told me you caught Ruki six years ago, right?"

"Mhm," Skye grinned at the cute sight in front of them.

"How'd you first come across him?"

"Mount Lanakila, coldest and tallest mountain in Alola. I hiked up there with my father in a few layers of clothing and a fleece hat one day. I was completely numb, couldn't feel anything on my shivering body, but it was more than worth it. When we finally reached its summit, we noticed a timid alolan vulpix hiding in some of its icy grass. This was a few minutes before we were going to leave since I kept complaining about the wind stinging my face. I did what any child would and kneeled a few feet away, attempting to coax the vulpix out with my gloved hand while my dad watched." She lied back on the grass and watched the blue sky. "Of course, it didn't come to me, so my dad proposed we catch it as remembrance we made it to Lanakila's peak, and as my very first pokémon. We did with the help of his lycanroc, but Ruki didn't put up much a fight. He was terrified." Skye looked at Aaron, who was wholly invested. "I was anxious to let him out and play with him the entire way home. I'd be smiling and staring at the pokéball in my hand while holding onto it like it was my life. As soon as I got home that evening, I let him out of his pokéball in my room, super excited to have a pokémon to myself, and as he stared at me with those shy cold eyes, it just came to me... Ruki."

"Sounds like what would happen in a movie," Aaron said.

"I know, that's not how it happened." She smiled and sat up. "My father's midday is named Ru, and I'm pretty sure I ripped ki from Lanakila. Still... I love it, and I love him. I'm glad I begged my father to take me with him that day. " Her eyes fell back onto Ruki, lying beside a group of flowers while Sylmi explored their scents. "How'd you and Sylmi come to be?" She turned back to him.

"Uh, Sylmi was a gift given to me four years ago when I was fourteen. One of my best friends gave me an egg she didn't want since she already had six pokémon, and you could imagine how ecstatic I was when an eevee hatched from it. I took him the sylveon route the very next year, always found them cute. After I evolved him was when I started getting into exploring other regions, and everywhere I went, I took him with me."

"And... what about his name?" Skye asked.

He chuckled, "Sylveon... and me."

She giggled for a few moments. "Almost as creative as myself."

"Nearly... and I can tell Ruki is really happy with you. He has a genuine and caring trainer. Many are more focused on battling gyms and having the toughest pokémon."

Skye hadn't gotten a compliment like that before, but it touched her. She looked ahead at Ruki following Sylmi to a nearby flower bed. "I try to be... I've done and do whatever I can to keep him content, and he's a strong fighter too." Skye brought her right hand up and briefly checked the time on her watch. It was 2 p.m., sitting in this grass under the warm sun was beginning to make her drowsy.

"We can go whenever you'd like. I know It's been a few hours," Aaron said after she lowered her hand.

"Soon... there's no rush."