FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Ruki watched gentle morning light hit the curtains while shifting his tails against the bed, listening to cars pass outside and the occasional cry from tropical pokémon. He'd awoken close to an hour ago. He lifted his head to see Skye still asleep on her side, the blanket covering her lower half.

She looked so peaceful in her slumber. It blossomed in his chest while gazing at her. Love, of course. Ruki wouldn't wake her but pulled himself closer and lay his chin atop her hand, keeping his eyes on her face.

After roughly ten minutes, her hand slightly shifted under his chin. He lifted his head as she rubbed her eyes with her free hand.

Skye yawned. "How long have you been up?" She spoke softly, pulling her other hand from under him and setting it on his head.

Ruki leaned into her touch. "Nih." Not long.

She grabbed her phone from under her pillow and checked the time. "Quarter to eight... We don't have anything to do until tomorrow, but I don't wanna spend all day in bed." She sat up with her back against the headboard.

Ruki moved up, admiring her sleepy appearance and messy hair, although Skye pulled it out to neaten it to an extent.

They didn't have to stay in bed. Various ideas filled his mind. For instance, it had been a while since they'd gone to the Berry Fields, but that would be more fun for him than her.

Skye placed her hand on the back of his neck and patted it. "Let's get something light from the kitchen; maybe we can go out afterward, yeah?"

"Nn!" he hummed to suppress the burst of excitement exploding within.

"I'll get dressed." She got up and went to her dresser. Today would be casual, so she got into soft jogger pants with drawstrings hanging from the front and light pink fading along the legs, and a thin sweater. Skye then grabbed her phone and purse, dropped her cell inside, and exited the room with Ruki trailing behind.

The environment was silent enough that every step on the creaky old floorboards was clear as day.

She first stopped at the restroom to fix her hair and ready herself for the day, afterward going to the kitchen. She figured her parents were still asleep, and Ru was curled up on the couch in a deep sleep. "Shh," Skye told Ruki and opened multiple cabinets above her. She didn't want to risk waking anyone with noise, so she grabbed two granola bars and stuffed them into her sweater's pockets.

Ruki sat while watching her.

"C'mon, quietly." Skye went and put her shoes on by the door.

He waited while she unlocked and opened it, walking outside after she motioned him with her hand.

"Whew… okay." She closed and relocked it, slipping the key into her pocket. "I kind of want coffee." Skye took a couple of steps across the pavement and looked ahead at the almost vacant beachfront and calm waves. The weather was lukewarm, and the sun rose, spreading a wakening layer over the sand and roads.

The Shopping District opened at 7 a.m. daily, so now would be a good time to head to it while it was still waking up.

Ruki went in the square's direction and looked back at Skye.

"Go ahead, lead us." Skye preferred the local café over corporate Wikiblux. Two of its thousands of locations were in Hau'oli, one of which was in the Shopping District. Wikiblux wasn't bad, but she enjoyed the quality of Alola's local beans and blends.

Skye had to remind Ruki multiple times along the way to walk instead of trot so she could keep up throughout the fifteen-minute expedition. It was too early for her to do anything more, and she wanted to take in her surroundings. Hau'oli never got old to her.

Ruki spotted the small shop's logo of green print over an alolan sandshrew less than a mile down the strip among a row of others. He couldn't walk this slow with it in view. He glanced at Skye before upping his pace.

"There he goes…" She didn't lose sight of him among such small crowds and caught up in moments, grinning at Ruki sitting by the window and looking up at her. Skye opened the glass door for him and entered the café.

The warm, pervading aroma of roasting coffee beans mingling with baked pastries all enveloped in a gentle climate soothed her, alongside the low hum of conversation from seated patrons and others standing by the pick-up counter while awaiting orders.

The curtains over the café's tall windows were rolled up to the top, inviting soft sunbeams that cast a warm glow upon the floor, tables, and customers.

Ruki approached and eyed pastries through a display window under the counter while baristas dressed in green and yellow moved from station to station and prepared drinks, chatting with each other. He then looked around at the bags of coffee lining shelves in rows for sale along the café's right wall.

A paragraph of neat white cursive was on the wall by the door, which told of the cafe's origin; Ruki read it every time to practice reading. His maw moved subtly as if framing the syllables:

'Haponi's Café was formulated one humid summer night on a rusty boat five miles from Seafolk Village. Two Alolan brothers and their alolan sandshrew settled for bed after finishing their nightly mug of dark, steamy coffee. The beans used to brew the tasty beverage were from the unreachable best-selling brand—we won't name names.

The issue? At the time, Alola didn't have a quality coffee brand to its name.

Our unconditional love for caffeine and a deeper love for our region's prosperity sought to change that. Three years from that night, after we turned our lazy half-thoughts into action, we are here, boasting three locations throughout Alola with fresh, rich beans grown locally in the Poni Wilds.

Whether a curious tourist seeking Alola's colorful flavor or a local striving for authenticity—enter our cozy home and sample our tropical taste, hot and silky with natural strength in every steam-rising sip.

We credit our sandshrew for being an outstanding taste tester and support system. Mahalo, Keo!'

Ruki could read at an okayish level. There were too many words he still couldn't understand or pronounce in his head, but Skye having read books with him at night as a vulpix (and explaining the meaning of various words he cocked his head at) helped, along with subtitled human shows and movies. He learned new words by applying meaning through actions and gestures, especially after seeing or hearing a word or phrase commonly.

He tilted his head up and sniffed the air some more. It would be difficult to eat something as simple as granola, but he would accept whatever Skye gave him.

He followed her to the front counter without a line. Only a few people, some with their pokémon or laptops to work or study, sat in chairs against the wall with outlined coffee beans and cups designed across them.

The lights were dim, and soft piano music played from the speakers on the ceiling.

Skye had noticed Ruki sniff the air the second they'd entered, and he still was. "You wanna share a sweet roll?"

"Nin!" He perked.

"Bet. You can go sit. I'll join after ordering."

Ruki trotted to the left side of the café. Skye hadn’t instructed him on where to sit, so he hopped into a cushioned booth in the corner beside a window that he could look out of while waiting. He watched her point the male cashier to a bread behind a glass display while giggling as they talked.

Ruki also looked at what other customers were doing and saw a male teen typing something on his laptop, and an older man in a suit talking to who appeared to be his wife in a casual dress. Both sat upright with confident demeanors.

Ruki's stomach growled, and the appetizing fragrances in the air weren't helping. He turned to the window and watched a couple of rockruff wrestling on the other side while people walked by, some laughing at the sight.

Skye handed the cashier the payment and walked over to Ruki, sliding in on the other side of the booth to face him. She set her purse beside her in the seat and rested her elbow on the table's edge. "How've you been lately, Ruk', well?"

He nodded. He was usually in a great mood unless Skye felt down for any reason; he was also thrilled to go to the resort tomorrow.

"I know you can't tell me upfront, but come to me if you aren't. Same way you're here for me."

While looking around, she caught eyes with a short-haired brunette girl in a dainty skirt and denim jacket around her age. She had hot tea while sitting with her boltund.

Skye also caught her eyes darting to Ruki before focusing on her again, almost nervously, which Skye couldn't make sense of no matter how much she analyzed the girl. Skye raised her hand and waved with a grin, receiving it back while the girl slightly lowered her head.

"Nine." Ruki gave another nod with a small accompanying grin and looked with Skye after seeing her eyes fixed on something, but he couldn't find out what.

In a little over three minutes in the cozy environment humming with active machinery and noisy blenders, one of the baristas called their order along with a few others.

Skye got up to grab it by the front counter that had drinks and various baggies holding warmed pastries on it. Once-seated people got up as well, some taking theirs to go.

"Thank you," she told the male barista while taking her drink. He was a slender, tan young man around her age with curly black hair.

"Skye," the barista said in a heavy Alolan accent, glancing around as if to ensure no customers were on their way to the counter.

"Yeah, Kinny?" She stopped with a slight grin.

"I can never catch you nowadays. What've you been up to?"

"A lot. I went to Sinnoh after my birthday, and now I'm going to Hano in a few days," she said.

"Well, stop by when you can. I want to ask you out."

"Huh?" Skye stiffened up.

"I won't on shift." He shrugged.

She stared at him. "...You liked me?"

He nodded. "Surprised you never noticed, but either way, your parents didn't allow it back then, and I respected that."

"Gosh, Kinny."

"Eh? You look like you saw a gastly." He chuckled.

Skye scrunched her lips aside. "Kinny, I'm seeing someone now."

His demeanor seemed to crumble. He shut his eyes for a moment and bit his lip. "That was fast... I guess I should've let you know a long time ago."

"Agh, I'm sorry." Her expression dimmed.

"No, no. It's not on you at all, Skye. Go enjoy the rest of your day. This convo never happened, alright?" He shot her a half-grin and went to grab a blender.

"Damn," Skye muttered while turning around.

She sat back at the booth. “I got an iced double caramel macchiato. Has an extra espresso shot too. It should wake me up." Skye looked her cup over and noticed that Kinny had drawn her name with a mini heart beside it, which made her grin.

"I had no idea... My parents really did a number." Kinny had been a close enough friend within her old group; looking back, Skye could see signs she wouldn't have back then because boys were rarely on her mind. He would always sit or stand just a bit closer to her, and even in group conversations, his eyes were on her more than anyone else. More than once, he had even bought her snacks or her favorite candy.

She stuck her straw through the top and opened the small bag holding their bread, tearing it neatly in half and handing one to Ruki.

He leaned over and took it.

"I guess we won't be eating granola, huh? Bet you're happy." Skye giggled, lifting and taking a sip of her drink while watching him chew. "You know, I love the coffee here, but you know where I really want to go?" She took another sip.

"Nine?"

"Close, but Almia. I wanna try theirs too. Their beans are said to be the strongest and make the richest, silkiest coffee out there."

They were a leading exporter of coffee beans, so she could buy a bag at the mall, but Skye wanted to be there and have a fresh cup. If she ever traveled again, she'd definitely choose Almia to taste the coffee, fresh food, experience abundant nature, and its tours. Pokémon and their habitats were treasured and respected highly there. Almia was generally untouched by humanity.

Alola held those values in a few aspects. Companies, no matter how big, were limited on what ingredients they could put in their products, and most were fresh. They couldn't use over a certain amount of sprays on growing berries to keep wild pokémon from eating them, either.

Strict laws and harsh punishments were also in place to protect wild pokémon and their habitats. Many weren't allowed to be hunted, alongside their corresponding pre-evos, such as toucannon, oricorio, decidueye, slowking, persian, braviary, lycanroc, eeveelutions, mudsdale, ninetales, and more. One also couldn't clear out or build in any natural areas without first getting government permission.

Skye noticed Ruki eyeing her cup while she sipped. She lowered it. "You want a sip?"

"Nnhm," he mumbled with a full mouth. (He'd reminded himself to chew this time.)

Skye took off the lid and waited until he was through with the bread, then reached her arm, lifting the cup to his muzzle as he opened it and tilted his head back.

Ruki swallowed after she poured the coffee. It didn’t taste as sweet as it could since he'd eaten significantly sweeter bread, so Ruki tasted more espresso.

"Like the caffeine? Didn't know my boy was a coffee drinker." She watched him lick his maw.

He shook his head at first but rolled into a nod. The flavor was too strong, but it wasn't bad.

She giggled. "Pfft, is that an I don't know? You're so silly." Skye leaned back against the cushion. “I think this is all we’ll do today. I thought I’d be up for more."

Ruki was okay with that. He wasn't sure what they'd do, but he was satisfied with such a good start to the day.

"You know what's weird?"

Ruki eyed her.

"I'm spoiled, right? You're also spoiled." She grinned.

Ruki couldn't deny that. He was rarely without a malasada or fancy restaurant meals. He'd never tasted PokéChow either. Many owners fed that to their pokémon, but Skye and her parents had always fed him meat and berries.

"But there are so many possibilities that things couldn't be this way. Maybe I was born in Oblivia in a less fortunate household, maybe you were born a pikachu, or maybe you and I never crossed paths." She rested her chin on her palm. "I don't know. Just want to appreciate this more than I do."

He appreciated it to the max as a beach ninetales with the best owner he could ever have asked for. It passed Ruki's mind sometimes too how differently his life could have turned out if Skye and her father hadn't been hiking Lanakila that day—or if he hadn't wandered a bit too far from his icy den. He wondered often how his siblings and community were doing, but whether or not for shame, he would rather live out his days with his owner.

---

Skye had cleaned around the house later that day to clear her head and do her part, sweeping, dusting, washing dishes, and whatnot. They didn't have a dishwasher because the house was old, but it gave her more to do.

She lay in bed alone atop her blanket while holding her oshawott plush, tucking it under her arm. She'd gotten off the phone with Aaron a while ago; they agreed on tomorrow at noon, so Skye had to claim a round-trip ticket online before they closed sales this evening and would pay for it at The Marina tomorrow. She would fly, but traveling domestically never took long. She'd save her first flight for something bigger.

She'd have proof of her reserved ticket since the site sent a confirmation number to her official Marina app that she gave to the employee. They used to use an email system before companies fell more in tune with technology, so they'd created an app years ago. It was either that or she'd have to go now in person and hold onto a paid one.

Skye sat up and grabbed her laptop, setting it on the bed and opening it. She leaned in and tapped her keyboard to wake her screen. Her browser was already open on Sozi's homepage. Its logo was at the top center: the outline of a blue and white hand holding each other with a heart in between.

Skye had shut her laptop on an image she'd hearted of one of her old local friends holding three feisty and playful litten while lying on his bed. His torracat had recently brought home a litter.

She still followed many of her friends and used Sozi's messenger to talk to and keep up with them occasionally. However, they rarely reached out nowadays. They did like the pictures she very rarely uploaded, though. Skye had a lot on her profile of herself, Ruki, and of her old group, many of which she'd taken years ago.

Skye went to the site's home page and scrolled past images, article links, posts, and video clips. There were videos of home pokémon or informative ones, next week's weather forecast in Hau'oli, and new stores coming to the Shopping District.

Skye scrolled a bit more and saw an advertisement telling of the world's first official Pokémon Academy based on a complete genuine curriculum and corresponding activities. It was in the process of being built in Hau'oli and was called 'Higher Palms Poké-Academy.' "Hm." She clicked and dragged it to a new tab for later but went to the tab to skim the site.

She scrolled then clicked on a hyperlink detailing 'divisions.'

"Divisions based on intelligence? Wonder where Ruki would rank." She then went to open a new tab beside it and began typing 'Marina' in the search bar.

Skye sighed. Talking to Aaron brought her a burst of inner joy, and so did Ruki whenever they spent time together, but something felt as if it were missing. It came and went shortly after Sinnoh. Skye still didn't know what exactly it could be, but she had an idea of what was at least partly to blame.

She was eighteen now, and with her aging came independence and a heightened sense of purpose. Sinnoh had opened her eyes to that. If that were the case—a cause among many of this brewing phase of depression, it'd only press harder.

Skye scrolled down The Marina's site past pictures of ticket sales and advertisements, clicking the 'claim ticket' tab.

What would she do, anyway? She could start at a job, but even the mention of it overwhelmed her. This would have to wait until Aaron left. Skye wanted to put her attention toward his week in Alola, as it'd play a major part in deciding her future.

She glanced at the time her laptop displayed at the bottom right corner of the taskbar. It would be noon soon. "…Wasted almost an hour in bed." But it wasn't like Skye had the motivation to do much else. She wanted to be productive, but another part of her wanted to do nothing at all.

Eating out and buying clothes only helped so much. All she'd had throughout her teens was Ruki and money. Her current laptop and phone were only a few months old, but that stopped now.

Skye had experienced an epiphany at seventeen and no longer wanted to center her existence around trends and general spending. She'd never taken proper time to focus or reflect on herself, never sought anything to fulfill her.

She also disliked living in a city so deeply concentrated with it sometimes, not in one deemed perfect because mountains of money were shoved into every crevice.

Skye was grateful her parents let her have everything she wanted and gave her a wonderful upbringing at the expense of prohibiting a fulfilling social life. Her life was great; she'd take it over anything less ten times over, but even with a full closet and endless money, the most important thing in her life was Ruki. He'd done more than a smartwatch could ever.

Skye had no emotional connection to a single inanimate object she'd bought. In a heartbeat, she would trade her closet for trustworthy friends to spend time with and moments to look back on. She really would.

Shortly, Ruki entered, having spent some time on the living room couch with Skye's mother. However, he wanted to check on Skye, and her mother tended to bore him whenever she wasn't petting him. She'd ended up so glued to a show that she'd started last week that she essentially forgot Ruki existed. He'd even bet two malasadas she hadn't realized he left.

Ruki could about sense Skye's disparate demeanor in the air almost instantly. Maybe because of how connected they were, or maybe it was a ninetales thing. He approached her bed.

"Hey," said Skye and set her oshawott back. A part of her didn't want to be bothered, but she'd feel terrible pushing Ruki away, and alone was the last thing she needed. She'd rather hold him than a plush. "Come up."