FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

The next month of high school drifted by. Julie’s reputation hadn't healed, but some students said hi or raised a hand on occasion. More turned away, some talked to their friends and made remarks about her in her face, or double-looked.

At least Julie hadn't been bullied directly a third time. She'd come to terms that she couldn't fix the past or that it still rubbed everyone the wrong way.

Julie wasn't making friends, but she didn't need any. This school had turned into nothing but an ultra-negative experience.

She had visited and regularly spent time with Midnight in between classes throughout that month while enduring subtle background snickers for doing so. However, she never skipped lunch and ditched Alyssa.

In fact, Julie hadn't done anything sexual with Midnight since the room 200 incident, no matter how badly she wanted it. It got unbearable enough to where it made her whimper sometimes, but she couldn't continuously risk throwing away her chance at college and life itself for sex.

She had two more months left at school before graduation and would have to study for finals soon, but none of that was bothering her.

On a Friday morning, Julie wondered why Midnight had spontaneously disappeared as she lay in bed. He just hadn’t been around. It started three days ago when she didn't see him wandering the halls of Ecruteak High.

She'd told Alyssa about it yesterday, and of course, she recommended that Julie ask the principal again.

Julie went through her morning routine and rode to school while despondence stirred within. What had Midnight done to her, or was it her fault that she so deeply attached herself? Either way, he had claimed her and helped her get through classes daily. Of course Julie would love him a lot. She was more addicted to him than she had been to sugar, and this one was twice harder to shake.

She sat through all of her lectures; Midnight was still nowhere in sight. He wasn't waiting by her locker or the restroom throughout the day. The halls were full of students, but they were empty in her eyes. She always singled him out among the crowds.

"It was a mistake..." And it hurt like nothing else, leaving her on the verge of tears. She would never do something like it again, but that wouldn't fix the heartbreak she'd go through. Julie didn't want to believe she would never see him again.

---

“It’s so strange without him... I want his fur back under my fingers and those big eyes staring up at me.” Julie said to Alyssa as they strolled through sunny Mahogany Town after school during the afternoon, on the way to a popular Fioreanese cuisine. They'd left their bikes and bags at Alyssa's house.

It was refreshing seeing buildings that Julie usually didn't bother with since she usually headed straight home after school.

Mahogany was a small and cozy residential town with rocky mountains and mini forests of trees lining its outskirts, presenting a genial climate. It had roads spotted with potholes and cracks; most cars on them were older models. It was also considered a Pokégear city like Ecruteak, mildly cut off from the modern world but caught up as the years passed.

It sometimes felt like many parts of the world were still developing with the times. On a larger scale, cars and mobile devices were still a new and foreign phenomena to many, but it felt like they'd been introduced forever ago to Julie.

Alyssa had come to Ecruteak on day one with a cell phone, but Julie recalled some students from older cities wearing gear or owning pads, which never ended in their favor. They were either teased out of returning after a week or came back to school with a phone, even if it were a cheap one.

Julie put some attention to how life was lived here since she hadn't visited in a while. Not quite as old and slow as Ecruteak, but not nearly as fast and sophisticated as Goldenrod.

Older men stood leaning against walls in dingy tees and faded jeans, some with sodas or taking smokes on their breaks.

People packed groceries into their vehicles' trunks from beaten stores while employed pokémon like poliwrath and scizor aided seniors by carrying bags to their cars or transferring many from cart to trunk.

A few unguided teens lingered by liquor marts. One sat with his larvitar, watching people enter the shop.

“Hey, no one told you to attach yourself to something that wasn’t yours." Alyssa stuck her hand into her pocket. "That's a disaster waiting to happen. Don't you even have a Doption place a few blocks away from your house?"

“Alyssa, it just happened. I don't know..." Julie spotted a bench in some grass ahead by a few worn shops and sat on it with her hands resting over her thighs, fidgeting with the bases of her gloves. She watched people walk, wild pokémon traverse the streets aimlessly, and a crew work on remodeling a nearby store.

Alyssa sat next to her. “If he doesn’t show up, ask. You've gotta ask. It’s the only thing you can do. I’ll go with you if it makes you feel any better. Lemme know.”

Julie puffed out her cheeks for a moment. “I guess I'll have to if I want to know... Thank you, Ali."

"How'd you two get so close, anyway?"

She shrugged. "Like I said, it just happened. Maybe I shouldn't have brought him berries from the mart in the plaza I stopped at that day... and every other day. I saw him around the school for a year, and he seemed without purpose. Barely anyone said hi or even petted him. I guess I wanted to fill that gap."

"Well, you definitely did that, but at what cost?"

"A broken fu– frickin' heart."

Alyssa bit her lip to conceal a grin. "I know it's serious when you're holding back swears. I guess we're doing this then, huh?"

"Mh." Julie didn't have the slightest idea. Her stomach churned. "I think I just want to go home, Alyssa. I'm sorry."

"You're good. Rain check. I'll eat macaroni at home and game or something."

So, they headed back, chatting a bit along the way. The walk took around five minutes from their location, and Alyssa handed Julie her backpack from inside.

"See you tomorrow," Julie said while walking her bike to the road from Alyssa's modest home. It was a dull outdated one-story with barred windows among a row of others. The lawn had spots of dead grass; sections of the pavement leading before the line of residences protruded from the roots of thick tall trees growing by them.

Mahogany needed help that the mayor wouldn't give it. Who knew where all the money was going?

Julie used to go over to Alyssa's residence and vice versa to hang out and play video games since it had been a mutual hobby, although Julie never had the urge to buy a console herself. They were a ton of fun, but they'd be a massive distraction.

Julie had also gone to sleep over, so their parents knew each other too but never talked outside of phone calls pertaining to their daughters or having dinner at each other's homes a couple of times. Julie's mother never let go too often, though.

"Yep, and think about our discussion!" Alyssa returned while watching Julie ride off. "Text me!"

Julie began the journey back to her city while her mind spun, pedaling down the pavement beside parked vehicles, old homes, and a few people who moved out of her path until she came up on a driveway that she used to ride into the street against active traffic.

Why did it have to come to this? It was such an unreal situation. Granted, it likely had to happen anyway since Julie would graduate soon, and she wouldn't want to leave without Midnight since she coveted him, which would result in her asking for him.

And the answer, realistically, would be no, because he didn't belong to her.

---

Julie was roughly fifteen minutes from home, riding under a sullen Goldenrod sky saturated with the usual thick clouds and hosting an atmosphere close to frosting. The breezes dried the sweat on her face.

She was in the bike lane pedaling past endless traffic, liquor stores, busy markets, and apartments past the Radio Tower.

Horns went off frequently, and ranger sirens blared several blocks over.

Julie never got tired of seeing that tower. She remembered listening to the 'Pokédex Show' and 'Pokémon Search Party' on the radio on the way to school in the car, along with others or music her parents enjoyed. She also recalled looking out the window at the passing lively city while cool morning air hit her face until one of her parents rolled it up to keep the heat in.

The Pokédex Show explored various species and discussed interesting facts, stories, and events around the region involving them. Pokémon Search Party had been her absolute favorite, though. It was a documentary that followed a data crew and their encounters in-depth while exploring caves and ruins in various regions.

Her phone vibrated in her pocket, and she pulled it out while riding with her left hand, holding the device tightly to make up for her hand being numb even while gloved. It'd just be twice worse without it.

She glanced at her screen. "Oh, Mom... She's probably worried." She sucked her teeth. "I meant to tell her I'd be out for a while."

Julie had to get herself together. She'd been pensive all day.

She glanced down again to take the call and put the phone to her ear. "Hel–" Julie widened her eyes while coming up before an intersection ahead after the light turned red and put both hands on her brakes. She squeezed and gasped as her back tire lifted off the ground. Julie stood and put her foot down to compensate, skidding to a stop before the crosswalk. "Not this time..."

She sat and adjusted herself afterward. She blew relieved air through her mouth that was visible in the cold as a misty puff and looked aside at a car with its passenger window down and the guy inside looking at her, who she grinned mareepishly at before turning away. Some people waiting on the sidewalk to cross were looking too. "Need to start bringing my earphone with me again." That way she would have a hands-free.

Julie put the phone back to her ear while watching traffic pass in front of her "Hello?"

"Julie. Out later than usual?”

“I was out with Alyssa," Julie replied. "I meant to let you know."

“No worries, sweetie, but try to remember next time so I don't get bad thoughts. Goldenrod is too big to be safe, especially after dark. Are you close?"

"About ten minutes or so."

"Could you stop at the gas station for a lotto ticket? It's up nine billion. I've been meaning to pick one up recently."

"Sure, Mom. Anything else?" Julie pushed off the ground with her foot to start her bike. She put both on the pedals after the light turned green and traffic on both sides of the intersection stopped. She rode across the street while cars drove with and passed her.

"That would be all. Thank you, Jule. I'll see you soon. Love you."

She grinned. "Love you too." Julie hung up and put her phone back in her pocket. There was a gas station up ahead on the corner that her father used to frequent for its prices. She saw the tall elevated sign with '67' as its logo and gas prices digitally displayed under it.

Julie pulled onto the sidewalk and rode behind a few pedestrians, then veered into the station past people filling their vehicles. Others went in and out of the store, leaving with baggies or from paying for a pump. Every pump was occupied at the time, with vehicles in line too.

She unmounted her bike while in motion and kept up with a jog that she slowed to a walk, kickstanding it a distance from the double doors and pushing one side open. Julie pulled her bag's strap over her shoulder and slipped her hands into her jacket's lower pockets for quick warmth, looking around at a full house.

A pre-teen boy grabbed various snacks from the chip and candy aisle while his parents browsed alcohol in the refrigerated section.

A male teen in a jacket and cap stood at the slushie station with his female braixen beside him, who wore a white jacket with delphox designs on it and had wireless headphones around her neck. He put a top on his cup and stuck a straw through it, then grabbed another medium one for his pokémon, handing it to her while grabbing a top and straw.

She held it in two hands and eyed the machine with an eager grin, surveying all four available flavors. With a happy swish of her bushy tail, she put the cup under pecha and pressed her palm on the button to release. She held it until the creamy pink mix filled half of her cup, then let go and did the same with nanab two flavors over. Afterward, she brought it up and attempted to sip it, licking at the thick liquid to make it move but stopping after her owner stuck a straw inside.

There was also a line of about ten people before the register and a bearded man pointing out cigarettes to the cashier behind the counter.

"Was going to get a Violet Cola, but never mind..." Julie went to the tall orange machine by the door that offered various scratch cards one could choose via buttons. She stood before it and pulled her hands from her pockets, eyeing her options and spotting the 'Regionwide Dreams' lottery option in white and blue cursive letters at the top of the machine. Its staggering amount was stated below on an LED screen.

Julie took out her wallet and pulled out three bills that equaled 1,500. One ticket costed 500. "Mom said one, but two more won't hurt..." She slipped them into the machine's slot and hit three for Regionwide Dreams, then chose the option that let the system randomize the numbers for two tickets. She was about to hit it for the last one but stopped.

Julie reached for the keypad and typed in her birth month, Alyssa's, her mother's, the month she'd met Midnight, and filled in random for the last two. She was then out the door and back on the road.

Julie made it home in a little over ten minutes, a block from her street and at the outset of her neighborhood. She saw a purrloin hop a fence into someone's backyard, some houses with jingly chimes hanging up on porches, Johtoan flags hanging higher, and lights and living room TVs on inside of them.

Some vehicles pulled into driveways or garages for the night; people walked the pavement coming from local jobs or night school.

Julie stopped at a crosswalk and saw a truck with 'Nimura Rentals' plastered on the side slow at the stop sign. She glanced left and right to clear approaching traffic, then started pedaling— until the truck turned in front of her to get onto the next street.

"Ihg!" She squeezed her brakes with a grimace all over again, planting her foot on the asphalt. She watched it pass while peering at the truck's rear. "Nice blinker," Julie muttered, looking both ways before riding again, but she pushed her foot out and skidded to a stop before a telephone pole, grinning.

Stapled to it was a poster of that once-lost eevee. It read: 'Found!' It warmed her. "Glad you're safe and sound with your family, Bara."

Upon arriving at her house a minute later, she locked her bike up and went inside to a comforting and much warmer environment. She took off and bunched her gloves in her hand.

"Turned on the heater while you were on the way," her mother told her while sitting on the couch, smiling.

"Thank you," Julie replied while taking off her shoes and swapping with slippers, then walking to her mom while pulling the tickets from her pocket. "I got three."

"Much appreciated. I'll let you know if we win." She took them and brought Julie in for a hug, kissing her head.

She hugged her back and nuzzled her cheek. "It would be crazy if we did. What would we even do with that much money?"

"Invest a good amount and move to Alola or Unova, of course. Those who invested in Silph and Wikiblux forty years ago are well off now..." She looked up. "Well, maybe we wouldn't run to Unova with so much political tension there, although it would make a fun visit. Hope it doesn't influence the rest of the Accord one'a these days." She chuckled and let Julie go.

“I like Alola. It's so tropically warm and beautiful. Do you think Unova will always be a free, then?" Julie asked.

The entirety of the Accord and SNDA were considered free regions with free economies and used a two-party system. However, there was a possibility Unova was preparing to restrict freedoms among its masses. Currently, their government currently sought to ban Veela on all Unovan networks on account that it gathered intel alongside spreading falsified propaganda about their region from the SNDA. They also pressed the Accord to restrict the application on SNDA networks, as the Accord was a close ally, but that likely wouldn't come to be—

While citizens and officials living in SNDA-affiliated regions used Veela, Kanto had founded it and made ferryloads of money through the SNDA, and restricting it could create bad blood.

Kanto funded groundbreaking technology and the general advancement of the Accord's collective economy. Although the region shared its tech with other regions within and sometimes outside of the Accord, it was the largest tech hub in the world and the forefront of its greater industry.

Johto (Goldenrod specifically because it was the region's hub) barely held a candle and wouldn't at the rate Kanto progressed with research and the cross-fertilization of key-enabling technologies. They boosted its economy more than ever. This included photonics, nano and biotechnology, and more, all of which were new to the tech scene and world stage. Crossing them would mean combining said technologies to innovate and improve them.

Moreover, it would have a direct and indirect impact on stimulating the economy, including job generation, general growth, and increasing competitiveness in specific fields. Many corporations based in Johto and citizens looking to find prosperity and higher funding aimed to move to Kanto in the coming years, as the region offered the future and was well prepared for it.

Silph headquarters' overbearing presence alone ensured so, who sought constantly to maximize profits and reduce competition. It had achieved and established this through its abundant and growing lineup of tech products, leaving little room for newer companies to emerge within the tech market, and looked to automate production entirely in the coming decades.

Overall, Johto was behind by a few years, less innovative and ambitious, but felt like the more grounded half of the region, especially in general infrastructure. Meanwhile, Kanto pushed with determination and hope into the uncertain future.

The world had catching up to do and was, albeit slowly.

"No one can say," Julie's mother said. "I don't have the best feeling about it, though. And I know you tell me, but do you need a refill of your medication yet?"

"I guess we'll see," Julie returned while going to the stairs.

The Accord had among the best living conditions, the biggest economy, and held the most power in the world. Its currency was used in a majority of international transactions and was stored in the exchange reserves of most regions.

It was also a bully, established in many regions to remain in power, exploit resources, eliminate or deter threats to the nation, and instill fear and subservience. When not involved in world affairs and conflicts, it manufactured them, but it came with the territory of being and remaining the best.

Julie would never agree with it; it usually created unnecessary conflicts and deaths, but she could do nothing but enjoy the provisional results it provided in her life. "...And about my antis, no. I still have half a bottle."

"Good. Just let me know!" her mother replied.

Julie set her backpack by the wall once in her room, grinning at the liepard in her bed. “Hey, Lilly.”

She unzipped her backpack and took out her math book with 'Arithmetic' and various equations spelled out on its cover, a pencil, and several sheets of lined paper. It would be easier to get the most challenging subject for her over with.

Julie washed in the restroom first and replaced her pants with purple pajama ones, then threw herself onto the bed with her phone beside her. She watched Lilly groom and nibble at her sides and stomach with her hind leg held behind her neck.

Julie put her hands under her thighs to warm them up. She still felt hollow inside, in the sense that Midnight hadn’t been around to make her happy, of course, but more so that he hadn’t been inside her lately. That thought made her stifle a giggle.

Julie would ask about him on Monday. That gave her the weekend to decide how she’d approach the situation.

She would complete all her work before Sunday hit as long as her small procrastination habit didn’t set in. There wasn’t as much motivation to do her homework as usual, but she had to finish everything before Monday. “Eh, just stupid math tonight.”

Julie picked up her phone after it buzzed, reading a message from Alyssa upon unlocking it:

'Excuse me, but WHERE'S my text?'

Julie giggled and opened her messaging app: 'Oops, forgot. My mind's a mess. I'm home though. Xoxo.' She locked and tossed her phone aside, getting comfortable. She eyed the rows of numbered algebra problems and sighed, grabbing a sheet of paper and setting it on the book's page to write her name: 'Julie Lenita,' and the date at the top.

The teacher always made everyone show their work, so she couldn't use the calculator on her phone for anything other than to know what answer she needed to get.

It took her over an hour of PEMDAS and two sheets of scratch paper to finish since she had to redo several problems multiple times. She was done for the night afterward. It had been a struggle not to pull her phone out and scroll Veela several times over during her homework for a breather or out of boredom, but she'd fought the urge well enough so she could focus and get her work done faster.

First, Julie would go downstairs to eat, then she would sleep as long as Midnight or school, in general, didn’t plague her mind throughout the night.

She did miss his sleek fur under her fingers and those blood-red eyes fixed on her face, his 'bre's' of acknowledgment and rings mildly aglow in her presence. She missed him. Already. Just after a few days.

Her heart throbbed. She kept picturing their moments that could very well become fading memories, and it throbbed to the point where she could wheeze.

Julie wanted to hold him, and she wanted to kiss him so hard. She just wanted to touch and hold him tight. He couldn't be gone. It wasn't fair.

If Julie could have one thing to her name to love—

If she could be alone together with one other soul—

Why couldn't she have Midnight?

If only Arceus could be so kind. Her life was barely hers as far as she was concerned.