FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

At 12:40 p.m. Julie was finally done with her classes. She sighed with dreary eyes from the constant note-taking, chatting, and listening she'd been doing all day.

She strolled down the busy second hall to the right of the bench, where the school's closed auditorium doors, her science and language arts class, the restrooms, and her best friend's locker were located. She held a now-empty water bottle that she tossed in a bin.

Julie was about to pass the school's bulletin board on the wall behind a glass case but stopped, looking it over.

Pinned papers covered it, advertising ongoing or upcoming events around the school and different elective programs students could sign up for. There were also a couple of trophies and medals the school had earned after competing in sports against other schools across the region over the years.

Ecruteak's sports team used to be strong, but it wasn't what it used to be. They lost more often than they won nowadays.

Julie passed sports, self-defense, culinary, instrument lessons— which she'd taken back in tenth, and more, but cheerleading caught her eye. She'd do that if she had the confidence, but the girls may not even accept her. It was too late anyway.

She kept walking, slipping past people and ignoring the occasional bump in the packed halls. The only classes in session were electives and ones for students who had an hour of PE. Others stayed for an additional hour or two after school and went upstairs to the library for tutoring and help sessions.

Johto, as a whole, typically had shorter school days compared to several other regions, such as Alola and Galar. They required that every school host eight-hour days. Johto's law was more lenient, requiring a minimum of five hours of education per day. Julie's would be close to five if she'd chosen not to take her business elective. The government didn't make a big deal out of it if the student was in their senior year.

Julie turned at the bench and passed her regional history class down the congested main hall, now in thought about how she hadn't seen Midnight between periods; however, she spotted him sitting by her locker ahead.

Her lips curled to a slow, widening smile that she faded while glancing at the many surrounding faces, and found herself walking faster to get to him. He didn't do this often. It seemed as if Midnight had gotten accustomed to Julie's schedule. “Awe, missed me?" She crouched and toyed with his ears, noticing a side-eye from Leia after she arrived at her locker to grab her stuff.

"Umbre..." He nuzzled her leg.

“I missed you too. I've got to head home, though." She looked around as students cleared out. “A few more minutes..." Julie shot a few more glances around her. The emptier the hall was, the more it'd shine the spotlight on her, but more students present also meant more eyes on her overall. It was a lose-lose.

She ran her digits down his sleek back while he gazed up at her, his deep red eyes meeting hers. Goodness, he was the very definition of cute, and those orbs were so pretty to look into. Julie could practically lean in— to get a closer look, that was. “I could sit here all day, but... I have to go. I'll see you tomorrow, okay?" Julie said and pulled her phone from her pocket after it vibrated. She'd received a text from her mother.

It read: 'I'll be home around 5 tonight. Let Lilly in if you see her.'

"Usually gets off at three. Must be working later than usual..." Julie stood in what was now a dead hallway for the most part, besides a few people organizing their lockers and some couples talking. She grabbed her backpack from her locker and ensured all her books and supplies were inside.

“Bye!" She waved to Midnight while walking towards the school's exit, wearing a subtle, coy smile.

“What's it with you and that night eevee?"

Julie looked behind her and saw her best friend, who wore a black jacket, canvas sneakers, and ripped skinny jeans with a black key lanyard hanging out of its front pocket that went with her hair, which was the color she usually wore. The dress was code was tame at Ecruteak. One just couldn't wear anything too revealing or what the faculty deemed offensive.

She was a rough-ish sense of cute if Julie had to describe it. She was also shorter than Julie and sat at a middle course between slim and chubby.

"He deserves affection, so I give it to him. Give me a break, Alyssa." Her comment made Julie wonder if she'd been watching their interactions often, and if so, it likely meant everyone was.

“Uh-huh, bet you were longing for him during every class." She blew a pink bubble from the gum she was chewing and popped it.

Okay, Alyssa had to have seen them together multiple times, or maybe she was being stupid and poking fun as usual. Either way, it caused Julie to blush a little, which she tried to hide by turning her face. “Shut up! I just like spending some of my time here with him." As in a lot, but Julie had always withheld the giddiness, so no one could possibly know how she... felt about him, right?

It was a recent realization due to them mutually seeking each other and meeting in the halls as if a daily date. They were doing it now more frequently than ever; her bringing him berries couldn't help, but was it translating to their general interactions?

Maybe Julie should work on toning things between them down, but imagining that drained her mood already.

Alyssa briefly pulled out her phone to open a few social apps, refreshing feeds. “I'm messing with 'ya. Calm down. Got anything to do tonight?"

“Study. I'm pre-exhausted from an upcoming math test the teacher announced today, and then I have to study for a test in two days I somehow forgot about. I was also thinking about getting a mani-pedi at the mall later, but I'll go when my nails start fading more." She glanced at Alyssa's nails, which had some grime underneath and could use a file-up. "When are we taking you for one?"

“Not my speed. I don't need it; mind if I join you at some point tonight? We could do the science homework together and... study."

“Be there at, mh, three? I want to settle first."

“See you then, and stop ignoring my DM's on Veela."

"You send the dumbest videos, but fine."

Veela was one among a couple of rising new social media platforms as smartphones became more commonplace. It was currently the most popular one due to its innovative user interface and enticing features. Julie didn't use it much unless she was deathly bored and wanted to scroll, but Alyssa was an addict.

They went their separate ways for now, and Julie went to the bike station, watching another student tug at their lock and struggle to take it off.

It had gotten cooler outside since this morning, meaning it was twice cooler in Goldenrod, in turn making Julie worry about Lilly, her liepard who spent most of her time outdoors.

Lilly had belonged to Julie and her mother for four years. They'd seen her out on the street and in multiple yards one day during a frigid winter, shivering and crying, so they'd caught her with a pokéball her mom had kept from the Center as a just-in-case.

However, Lilly still loved roaming outside, which came with plenty of risks. It was why most people kept their pokémon inside, but Julie didn't want to keep Lilly from her happiness, and she got irritable when locked inside. The best Julie could do was try to keep tabs on her.

They had to get her spayed after rescuing her, as Julie's mother couldn't afford a litter. Neutering and spaying were generally frowned upon and illegal to perform on most species. Liepard and its pre-evolution were exceptions, as they tended to invade cities and reproduce at a rapid rate.

---

The sky was a darker shade of blue as evening wasn't far. Billowing gray clouds filled the sky overhead, stretching for miles and packed together in thick fields as if one could run across. They let down steady drizzles that hit small puddles on the pavement and asphalt from heavier rainfall prior.

Barely any sunlight was present, often blocked by the moving clouds. It shone off and on in strips whenever it found gaps, beaming between tall buildings that cast shade over the pavement and checkering through fences and trees swaying against mild breezes. It provided a dull, tame aesthetic that spread throughout the city.

Goldenrod was as lively as it was during the morning. More of the population occupied stores and hangout areas.

Training Centers in several areas were full of people who had gotten out of school or off work to spend time with their pokémon and sharpen their skills. They were communal buildings or outdoor fields that all towns and cities were required to have.

Like every Pokémon Center worldwide, Training Centers were non-profit; they received funding through donations and via hosting official Poké Marts at indoor locations.

Poké Marts stayed relevant by selling exclusive balls, stat drugs, and healing properties that were illegal for unofficial markets around the region to sell. This included all pokéballs excluding default and great balls, max revives, hyper potions, and more.

Depending on the size of the said town or city, one to five Training Centers had to be built so every owner and trainer were able to train their pokémon, even if they lived in circumstances that made it difficult, such as residing in an apartment, condo, or hotel.

The elementary school held a playground full of children, most waiting for their parents to pick them up while playing tag or using equipment like swings and slides, or playing at hand or tetherball courts. Some left the grounds and got into vehicles with their mothers or fathers.

That neighborhood's street was always extra busy during the hour school let out and had a traffic officer to help the children cross the street. More had the family pokémon or an older sibling pick them up while only a few walked alone.

Employees pulled the gates open to nightclubs and cars parked at curbside meters, gallerias, in huge plazas hosting restaurants and designer stores, or in lots at restaurants and bars with vibrant murals of pokémon, famous trainers, or people on some of their walls.

Grocery marts were full of people shopping for their families after work; some shoppers sent their pokémon off to grab certain items to quicken the process.

Buses braked at packed stops, opening their doors to let floods of passengers out, some of whom held ready umbrellas, then refilled with plenty of new ones and continued their routes.

If not buses, people flagged down bright yellow and black checkered taxis on roadsides. It was a more expensive option, but it was the price to pay to be around no one but the driver.

People who lived outside of Goldenrod or in Kanto and commuted for work took the train, so the Magnet Station was full too.

Julie lived on the southwestern side above Goldenrod's docks; the small district was residential and more reposeful. She shivered against the wind that she only had to endure for a minute longer and squinted at a dark purple silhouette ahead. "There you are." It wasn't difficult to spot her liepard sitting on the porch once the house was visible.

Julie's ride home had her beat; she was cold and wet at that. Several strands of her hair clung to her head. Even her bikes frame was dotted with water droplets. They ran down and dripped to the ground in rivulets against the steady vibration her tires made rolling along the rain-slicked asphalt and cutting through stray puddles.

She hopped off her bike moments later and jogged with it, slowing to a pace and taking her keys out of her pocket while approaching. She first stopped to open the mailbox's lid and grab a couple of envelopes from inside, likely junk mail.

Julie looked to her right at the house adjacent to hers upon noticing movement and saw an elderly woman crouched before rows of dirt in her yard behind picket fences with gloves. She smoothed soil around organized rows of planted berry bushes. Those were the next-door neighbors, an elderly couple that kept to themselves.

The house on the left was vacant, for rent, and had a sign posted in the yard stating so with a phone number on it. A married couple from Alola with two small children and an alolan persian had lived there since Julie was ten but moved out last year. Her mother used to chat with them out front sometimes, and even that had stopped after her mother fell into a dreadful depression.

Julie didn't miss hearing the kids shout in the yard while playing ball or kicking it into hers, but it felt kind of lonely with that gone; the colorful kiddy chalk art on the public pavement they drew was cute to look at when Julie left and returned from school.

“You were gone all day yesterday, Lilly. I'll feed you in a sec." Julie stepped onto the porch and ran her hand across the side of her cold, damp fur, unlocking the door to let her slip in.

She leaned in to toss the mail onto the couch and locked her bike up afterward, which took almost a minute since her hands were quivering, then entered the house with the key she kept in her wallet. She turned the thermostat's dial by the door, activating the central heating.

“Ugh, so much warmer in here. I can't feel anything." Julie shuddered again. She took off her shoes at the door, slipped into her slippers, and walked upstairs while wringing her hands together, glancing at water-colored paintings lining the wall of vague fields and mountainous landscapes.

At the top was a wooden stand against the wall displaying a couple of framed portraits of Julie from years ago with her parents. Her father was tall with black hair usually held up in a bun and wore glasses.

One photo was at her middle school graduation afterparty, where she wore a blue and gold cap and gown; the other was a group photo taken at an amusement park in Kanto in front of a large board themed after a major action film. It had explosions, a lucario mid-aura sphere, and a man in a suit and shades while holding a rifle.

Antique pokéballs and fake vines lined the wall above the photos.

Julie passed it and went to the restroom, drying her hair and arms with a towel and going to her room afterward. Her mother stayed downstairs in the master bedroom, and an extra one was up here across from Julie's that her mom used as a storage unit with stacked boxes.

Julie would have the house to herself for a while, so she didn't have to stay in her clothing.

She left her shirt on, emptied her pockets, and set everything on the nightstand except for her phone. She then took off her pants and tossed them into the hamper she kept in her open closet. It left her in socks and panties.

Julie tossed her phone underhanded on her bed. “Okay, Lilly!" She jogged downstairs to the kitchen and almost slipped with a gasp after her heel slipped over a step near the bottom, making her grab the railing.

Julie took a bag of PokéChow out of one of the lower cabinets and poured a generous amount into Lilly's bowl at the kitchen's entrance. Lilly nibbled off and on at her food, so she wouldn't vacuum it.

Their kitchen had an upscale island in the center made of black marble, as were the counters. They also had racks to hang pots, pans, and utensils.

“That should be good for now." Julie rubbed her liepard's head while she ate before grabbing a water bottle and bag of mini muffins from the cabinet, walking them back to her room.

Julie closed the door enough to leave it cracked and flipped on the light. She had to start her homework before studying, so Julie grabbed her regional history text and striped notebook. It has Alyssa's faded name in black permanent marker and Jane's in pink with a heart replacing the 'a.' She tossed them and her kitchen items on her bed.

Her regional history book read 'Geographical History' over its cover photo of Wyndon City in Galar, specifically its massive spherical stadium with a plaid design and a logo above its entrance.

It was a reading assignment with a few questions to answer at the end. Easy enough, and she would read the study guide she'd forgotten about afterward.

She sat on her bed and glanced at her Silph laptop on the floor leaning against the wall by her closet. It was useful when she had to look up questions, but she'd just use her phone. Julie had little reason to use her laptop nowadays unless she had an important assignment or essay.

She then looked at her prized volleyball trophy on the nightstand that she had a love-hate relationship with. Firstly, Julie wasn't fond of her district's middle school. It was around ten minutes north of the elementary one, twice larger than Ecruteak, and had more students, but it wasn't a good school. Her parents were always waiting out front the moment Julie got out to ensure she didn't slip and fall into bad crowds.

All in all, she never had genuine friends but did have acquaintances and was never bullied there, perhaps because the school was bigger, and she wasn't the girl she was now. The school did have an impressive sports team and won more games against other schools than it lost, though.

Julie hadn't been the worst at volleyball either. She was no top player but was considered decent enough to be valuable to the team. She kept her blue and white jersey and shorts in her closet as a memory and remembered vividly the day of that big championship game against one of the best teams in the region, where she was as confident as she was nervous.

It was the last time she'd had her father's support. Both he and her mother were in the bleachers of Golden Ocean's buzzing indoor gym along with hundreds of other parents.

Julie performed well that day, better than she, the other girls, and probably even her coach had expected. She saved the game multiple times, moved with purpose, positioned herself well, was in the right spot often, and hit the ball with all her might.

She would be going to the closest Goldenrod high school twenty minutes south by the beach; however, while better respected than Golden Ocean, it still wasn't anywhere near the best. Hence, they looked into pricey private schools around the city until finding Ecruteak High in an advertisement. It, technically, was one of the best public options in the region that allowed children outside of Ecruteak to attend.

Julie pushed off her slippers, closed her curtains to cut incoming light, set her bottle and muffins on the nightstand, and got under her blanket on her side. She tucked it around her to keep in the heat.

She reached and grabbed her phone from the bottom of the bed and slid it under her pillow, plugging it in using an outlet on the wall behind her, then opened her book and stretched her legs. She had to read five pages; after that were the easy questions. She just adored this subject.

Ever since day one of middle school, regional history had been her absolute favorite subject since it taught her so much about every region, from modern history down to their pasts. It was a broad discipline, covering the geography and intricate exploration of the history of every region dating back to the Stone Age alongside the people and pokémon that lived, persisted, evolved, and developed with the land.

Her notebooks were always filled like a diary with what she'd jot down from her readings and research, all of her favorite facts and whatnot so that they'd stick with her.

Julie looked around the bed and lifted the blanket. She'd forgotten her notebook and pencil pack in her backpack. “Come onn…" She wouldn't bother reading without them, and there was no way she'd be willing to get up after skimming through so many words. Julie lay on her back, her head on her pillow. She listened to droplets of water hit the pavement that dripped from roofs outside among utter silence.

Her mind started to run. It pushed thoughts from what she'd do after school to how she was doing in school now, then to how she was doing in general. Julie had never had a boyfriend and rarely talked to the couple of people she knew. They'd think she was weird for wanting to be around a pokémon more than other people, anyway, but she couldn't help how she felt.

Now that she thought about it, Julie yearned for something specific.

She reached her hand under the blanket and spread her legs slightly. She should be doing homework, but she couldn't ignore this growing arousal. Plus, since the house was hers for a while, now would be a good time. Julie ran her digits along her inner thighs and exhaled before pressing them into her clitoris over her panties.

Naturally, she thought about what turned her on the most while masturbating. There wasn't much that spiked it except for something that would bring her some guilt: Midnight.

He wasn't her umbreon, but he was something to drool over to Julie. This was more or less what she had been hiding as a result of their constant interactions that had brewed and brewed over time into stronger feelings— at least on her end. Now she was here.

She sat up for a second, reached behind to unclip her bra, then slipped her hand under her panties and placed two fingers on her clit, rubbing in a slow, circular motion with a short-lived and subtle moan. She shut her eyes while thinking of Midnight and herself in mentally engaging scenarios.

She pictured him mounting her from behind and how adorable his expression would be as he thrust into her virgin pussy. "Ah, mn..." Her legs twitched, spreading more, and with every other second, she rubbed faster, her breaths building. Julie spread her labia and caressed her thin outer lips.

She pulled up her shirt with her other hand and slipped her hand under her bra, fondling her breast. "F-Faster, Midnight. I n... I need it..." she whispered. She imagined him thrusting faster and how incredible it would feel. She had to satisfy the ache. Her pussy begged for penetration. Julie teased her hole with her digits' tips and gave a moment while she caught her breath and calmed down.

With a soft sigh and serene chill traversing her, she reset her imagination to Midnight mounting her in missionary. His warm, loving paws rested on her thighs while he stood between her legs spread just for him, and those eyes— those adorable orbs stared at her as they did always.

"I'm ready, Midnight..." And as he thrust his hips and pushed his heat inside her, spreading her pussy, she parted her labia by slipping two fingers inside. "Uhn... You can start moving," she whispered, grinning at his care. Julie drew her fingers along the topside of her canal, pressing and rubbing them while moaning under her breath from the stimulation.

Her legs quivered while Midnight pumped his hips; she fingered herself to match it, watching his eyes grow weak. "Like it? Nh, I hope you do... You can go faster. It'll be better for us both." So she fingered herself at the pace he'd set himself on, watching his hips move and imagining the equally adorable moans behind them.

She gasped, pushing as deep as she could go, up to her knuckles while slightly arching her back. Her shirt slid over her hand while she rubbed her nipple due to her movement, so Julie pulled it up again and bit it to avoid further nuisance. "Mhn, yss... You're gonna make me... m-make me..." Her shirt somewhat muffled her moans.

Julie squeezed her tit and fingered faster, her pussy getting wet from such vivid thoughts and avid stimulation, making her actions audible— until her door swung open.

She sat up and gasped while catching her breath, mortified. Her cheeks turned a shade of dark red. Fortunately, it was only Lilly that interrupted; she sighed in relief, briefly shutting her eyes.

For a second, she thought it was some low-odds possibility that her mom had come home early. “Lilly, ugh, d-don't barge into my room like that!" Julie scowled across the room at her.

"Lipr." Lilly flicked her tail and turned around nonchalantly, walking off after the scolding.

"Stupid entitled liepard..." Julie softened her narrowed eyes and mumbled. She could breathe slower, though her legs still shook. She pulled her hand away and grabbed her water bottle, opening it and taking several sips before setting it down.

She then unplugged and took her phone from under her pillow. Julie saw loose strands of her hair splayed across it from last night's sleep and her act now, so she took a moment to pick a few stubborn ones off and dropped them on the carpet to vacuum another time.

She didn't even know if Midnight felt the same way. Why would he? That didn't mean she'd try to find out if he wanted to have sex with her or anything, though. She shook her head. "Don't be stupid, Julie. Stop it..."

Anyone with decency would tell her such thoughts were pathetic. Poképhilia wasn't outright illegal in Johto or most regions, for that matter. A few, like Alola, Galar, and Almia had outlawed it, but one could perform the act with bidepal pokémon in this nation and Unova.

However, the majority frowned upon it, so one would never know the people who did have sex with their pokémon, and marrying one was out of the picture.

Governments introduced stringent laws over twenty years ago to get better control of the practice, as there had been a statistical increase in humans seeking only pokémon as long-term partners and vice versa.

It created a noticeable decline in the human population and less of one in pokémon, alongside an alarming increase in sexual assaults happening to females and males on routes and in cities by both species. Often, other pokémon or people stopped such attacks, ending occasionally in the death of the perpetrator(s) via pokémon using their abilities.

Abuse of the same or a similar type by people who caught pokémon to use as objects rose as well. It was a collective degradation in a civilized society seeming to slowly lose its civility.

More explicit poképhilia media was uploaded to adult sites than ever before, both consensual and occasionally forced. The aspect had crept into general media and still did only subtly since regulations were in place.

All of this and more was why even trading pokémon without supervision was outlawed. One had to call a ranger department and set up an appointment held at a station with a ranger present to ensure the situation and transaction were clean and consensual.

The consequences had risen significantly for anyone caught or found guilty of committing non-consensual sexual crimes against pokémon. Consensually, a person couldn't have more than one bipedal pokémon five years after they'd hatched as a sexual or romantic partner at a time, nor could one marry that pokémon under any circumstance.

The consequences weren't as steep for consensual acts with quadrupeds, but they equaled hefty fines and imprisonment for a maximum of three years in the Accord. The pokémon got confiscated and either rehomed, rereleased, or put down after professors evaluated its nature, background, and behavior.

Midnight didn't belong to Julie, so the school would have to pay the price or take her to court.

She recalled a number of students getting caught for sexual acts with other students and getting expelled in the past, which was far from worth it. It would be ten times more obscene if she were caught getting drilled by a four-legged pokémon.

She unlocked her phone and checked the time. "Almost three." Alyssa would be over soon, and Julie had to get ready on top of getting at least some of her assignment done.

---

“Do you know the answer to number three?" Alyssa looked at Julie. She sat at the bottom of her bed, legs crossed, in a tee that had a woman from an animation on it.

“Did you even try looking yourself? You asked me the same thing for one and two." Julie kept reading her work and didn't look up.

“I would… if I liked science, now, do you have it?" Alyssa asked almost icily, her tone miffed.

"Hold on." Julie spoke softer and pulled up her pajama pants while reading more text.

"You okay?"

She no longer read, but she still stared blankly at the page.

“What is it?" Alyssa dropped her pen. "You've taken–" she cut herself short and wore a tinge of relief upon Julie not seeming to notice.

“Mh." A lamentful expression washed over Julie, frowning her face, but she fixed it before facing Alyssa.

“Well, want me to go? You said your mother would be here at six, and it's five."

"Here, let me give you the answers first."

She let Alyssa copy her answers and let her leave afterward.

Julie stood at the top of the stairs and watched her slip on her shoes by the door. "Text me when you're home safely!"

"I will!" Alyssa replied and went out.

Afterward, Julie returned to her room and parted her curtains enough so the sun would shine in when morning came.

She had to finish her work so she could go to bed. Julie hoped her mind would clear overnight. It'd be back regardless, though.

The ruminative thoughts regarding her social flaws never let her be, and Julie had to be more than flawed when she was sexually attracted to an umbreon to the point where she rubbed herself out to the very thought of him and not a single boy.

It reminded her of back when she was fourteen and had her first period; she'd gone to her mother because of how hot and uncomfortable she was feeling.

Her mother sat her down and explained that it was a step toward womanhood and that she would be menstruating often, so she had to teach Julie to use pads and whatnot, but what stuck with her was that her mother also told her it was normal if she started finding boys more attractive.

Well, that never happened. Not once, at least not enough to where she desired any that she was around.

None of it had stopped crossing her mind since Ecruteak and as she aged and supposedly became an adult.

Julie sighed and shook it off. She remembered that she'd forgotten to check her messages on Veela, so she sat on the bed and grabbed her phone, unlocking it and inputting '0205' into the numpad, which was the month and day she and Alyssa had first met in class.

Her home screen wallpaper was Alyssa last year at an outdoor school fundraiser event with an unamused expression and skitty face paint on. The faculty applied it since she was painting other kids' faces, so Julie snapped a pic she'd never get again.

Without looking, Julie reached for the nightstand and grabbed around for her muffins, opening the pack and popping one in her mouth. She opened her app list and scrolled through, clicking the one with a logo of an eevee's tail and opening it. Julie was already logged in, so it took her to the brown-and-white home page.

It offered a search bar at the top to find specific posts, people, or browse trending tags. Otherwise, the app offered countless general posts to scroll through while an outline of an eevee sat at the top right.

She clicked the sidebar and opened her empty profile. The site prompted her to publish something in the empty area where her posts would be with an: 'Eevee won't evolve unless you post!'

At one hundred user posts, the eevee at the top right of the screen became an umbreon upon refreshing, which altered the site's theme to black and yellow. One could switch back if they pleased. Espeon was locked behind two hundred, and so on. Users even earned publicly viewable badges in their profiles as they unlocked them. One could unlock shinies as well, but those were locked behind likes and were more difficult to achieve.

Julie wasn't interested. She had no profile picture, and her username was 'Julie_5' since she'd been late to the party. The other Julies snagged the good names. She had zero followers and only followed a few news and history profiles, like 'JohtoNN,' a news network that covered happenings around Johto, 'Silph,' which covered major technological advancements and studies, and 'WorldOrigins,' covering current events and new groundbreaking scientific discoveries globally.

She also followed other profiles that posted pokémon and region facts— and she followed Alyssa, of course.

Julie went to her 'following' list and tapped Alyssa's profile among others she followed. Her profile picture was of an animated woman in a black and white mink coat and silver hair from a TV show. Her username was: 'xoAlysssa.' She posted a lot, too.

She clicked the newest one posted this morning beside her rows of others that scrolled down forever, which was a twenty-second video with one hundred and fifty likes, plenty of comments, and forty revees. People used those to reshare posts to their profile.

Julie pressed play on the video: a stationary cam recording from the ceiling of an overall view of a living and dining room, displaying the couch, TV, and whatnot, during the night.

A small glameow entered the frame and stretched, approaching the dining room table that looked to be set up for an event the next day. It was tableclothed and had glasses, napkins, and packs of steel utensils on it. The glameow went to the cloth and pawed at a red bow on its end, pulling at it with its claws, which moved one of the glasses dangerously close to the table's edge.

Julie bit her lip, grinning. "This is going to end so badly."

The glameow pawed at it some more; on the next tug, the glass shifted over the edge and fell beside the glameow with a loud shatter, making it flinch and flex its claws, a few of which got caught in the bow and fabric.

"Ssstt," she sucked her teeth and wore a grimace, keeping her eyes glued while taking another muffin. "No way it gets any worse."

The pokémon then scrambled to get away with flattened ears but couldn't get its claws unstuck, so it pulled and tugged desperately, which shifted the entire tablecloth over until everything on it came crashing to the floor in a series of shatters, tings, and clanks.

That's when the glameow got away, running for its life as a gray blur while dragging the cloth for several feet.

Julie giggled, a fit she couldn't stop for almost half a minute. "So glad Lilly isn't a menace." The worst Lilly used to do was hop on the stands downstairs to look out the window, which stopped after repeated scoldings.

"Thanks, Ali." Julie reached for her water. Checking on what Alyssa had sent in messages wouldn't hurt.