FSE

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formerly SoFurry search engine

Chapter 1

An Unpleasant Meeting

Teya and Qagan walked together quietly as they were led to the home of Temin. They talked and laughed with each other before they approached the door to a water Pokemon habitat. It was curious to behold, almost identical to the Human dwellings on the outside, but vastly different inside. Which became apparent as they followed him in.

Many water types were walking through the halls of this relatively small building. Some odd symbols marking the doors instead of numbers. Teya didn't recognize any of them. She looked at Qagan and he just smiled at her.

"interesting aren't they?" He asked.

Teya nodded. "But what do they mean?"

"They're family crests... more or less." He shrugged. "They not only help identify the homes they live in, but it's also supposed to bring luck to those who live inside."

"Is it like the stuff you have in your home?" She queried.

Qagan thought for a second. "Something like that. But I carved those ones myself. I saw those ones in my dreams. I'm not sure what they mean."

She gave him a curious look. "Really? How did you carve them into the stone?"

He held up his other paw and it began to glow blue with a reddish hue. "Aura is quite powerful. I could teach you how to use it if you want."

Teya looked to him with shock. "You can teach me?!" She asked excitedly.

He laughed. "Of course. All living creatures can learn. All we have to do is apply ourselves."

Teya was in marvel at this thought. She wondered how many Pokemon could use the Aura.

Temin looked over his shoulder and showed his hand. It glowed a peaceful blue.

"Have any humans learned to use it?" She wondered aloud.

Temin nodded. "Moss knows it well." He said. "He don't like to flaunt it like Qagan does."

Qagan laughed. "It's just who I am!"

The Blastoise shook his head as he stopped in front of a door. Which he knocked on softly. The only thing heard on the other side were a set of heavy footsteps. Another Blastoise stepped from the open door. A smile on her face.

"You now you could just come in." She said to Temin. When she looked to Qagan, her smile immediately died. "What he be doin' here?" She asked in a strained tone.

Temin placed his hands on her shoulders. "I know he did tread on your nerves last time, but he is my friend. I ask kindly d'at we all get along." She rolled her eyes and looked to the Charmander standing next to Qagan.

She squealed with excitement as she pushed Temin to the side. "Who 'dis charming lady?" She asked.

Teya shifted nervously as the Blastoise stared at her in wonder. "I'm Teya... From the Crater."

The Blastoise continued to smile. "I'm Pavati C'lana." She held out her hand. Teya held out grabbed her hand and attempted to duplicate the greeting she had seen a couple times before. Pavati giggled, indicating she probably messed it up.

"Well... I suppose you are bot' welcome." She shot Qagan an angry look.

The four Pokemon made their way into the living quarters of the C'lana home. Teya looked in wonder at the many strange objects set meticulously around what looked to be a deep pool that got more shallow near the edges. The air seemed very cool and somehow thick. Teya had never been in it's like before, and it made her slightly uncomfortable. But Qagan kept close to her, keeping her calm. They sat down next to the pool across from Temin, Pavati was gathering food and drinks for lunch from the kitchen part of the home.

"What Shokan been up to?" Temin asked.

"Oh, you know. He's been around, he mostly keeps his family in check. Keeping the peace between them has been tough, but the younger generations are showing better cooperation than the elders."

Temin nodded. "De younger ones seem wiser d'en us sometimes. More willing to accept differences. We been hearing de same t'ings from de beaches to de sout'east. T'ings have been going well d'ere."

"Good to hear." Qagan smiled. "Any news from the Exodus team?"

"Not d'at I heard. It could be awhile yet, probably less d'an half made it to target locations. We got to give d'em more time." He replied.

"Ah, too bad. Hoping there would at least be something from them. Guess I'll just have to be more patient."

Temin looked to Teya for a second. "What of de crater?" He asked.

Qagan was caught off guard for a second. "Oh... um..." He thought for a second. "We actually are not sure what happened."

It was clear that Temin was confused. "What?"

"I can't go into it until we know more. You'll have to wait." Qagan gave him a look that told him to drop the subject.

He just nodded as a reply. Teya looked confused. Pavati walked in with a large plate of raw seafood and placed it in the middle of their circle. She turned and walked back to the kitchen and grabbed two glasses of water, she gave them to the guests before finally seating herself next to Temin.

"Eat up now little one, you have much growin' to do." She said to Teya. Qagan waited patiently for everyone else to get their choices before choosing his personal favorite, Salmon. Teya had chosen a simple trout. Temin and Pavati chose some tuna that seemed to dominate the entire plate. They all ate quietly enjoying the varied flavors of the food. Teya had never had this kind of food before, it tasted so fresh. She wondered why the Char never tried food like this. It was cleaned so well and rubbed with some oddly soothing spices.

Qagan was clearly enjoying his, each bite was accompanied by a smile. He simply loved salmon in all of its forms. The two Blastoise seemed satisfied with their choices. The fish were being consumed rather quickly.

"You been beat, Qagan?" Pavati asked.

"Yeah, but I'll live." He said quickly. "Great lunch by the way!" He took his final bite.

"What you been fighting?" She wondered. "Looks to have been monstrous."

He finished off his final bite and shrugged. "I've had worse."

Pavati glared at him as he dodged her questions. Teya noticed Qagan just smiled at her pleasantly. Not giving any hint that he was annoyed with her. The tension was rather unpleasant for Teya and Temin both.

"I want you two to get along!" Temin broke their stares with his order. "No fighting today!"

"Qagan." Teya said, getting his attention. "If you don't want to be here... maybe we should leave."

He nodded and looked over to Temin. "I think I should." He said simply. "I would hate to be more of a problem to you."

"I wish you two would just drop your hostilities, we were once like family." Temin stated sullenly.

"I don't have a problem with him." Pavati said simply. "He just insists on being on my nerves every time he visits."

Qagan maintained his composure, but his eyes did have a tinge of red for a second. Teya grabbed his arm and gave him a pleading look.

"I have nothing to say." He said simply. "It wouldn't matter if I did. I'll see you later Temin." He stood up and bowed deeply to the two Blastoise. "I thank you greatly for feeding me and my dear friend." He lead Teya to the door and opened it slightly before Temin walked over.

"Do you have to be so stubborn?" He asked.

Qagan looked to him. "I'm not going to be where I am not welcome. She will not forgive me for it. So I do not have to pretend we're on good terms. I'll see you around, brother. But I will not be coming around your home anymore."

Temin shook his head sadly. "I am sorry for d'is."

Qagan placed a paw on his shoulder. "Don't be. With her you are happy, so stay with her. Sometimes we have to change with the times. We are still brothers. We should go down to the beaches soon, grab some rest and catch up."

The Blastoise smiled weakly. "I suppose so... Keep in touch." He opened the door for the two Pokemon and waved to them as they walked out.

Teya and Qagan walked from the building and Teya turned to him.

"What was all of that about?" She asked.

Qagan shrugged and continued walking with her. "I once insulted her on accident... When I didn't know much of their culture. She still hasn't let it go."

"How did you insult her?"

"Temin never would tell me, but he said it was pretty serious. I don't know how I can apologize. I tried once and she punched me in the face." He said nonchalantly.

Teya shook her head. "Sorry to hear that. Seems you and Temin have been close for a long time."

"Just another obstacle in our enduring friendship. He just needs to worry about himself, not about me and Pavati. He fell for her and now plans on having a family with her. I told him it was a good thing to be focused on. Hopefully it turns out like he wants it to."

They walked silently with each other through the small town looking at all of the activity taking place around them. Teya watched some of the fire types, seeing if she recognized any of them. No such luck. Qagan seemed to be enjoying the wind that was blowing through the streets, it was nice and crisp. Indicating Autumn was drawing near. Teya wondered how she would manage without the heat of the crater.

"So what do you want to do?" Qagan finally asked. "See anything around that catches your curiosity?"

Honestly, she didn't. "Not really." She answered.

She looked very depressed all of the sudden. Qagan gave her a questioning look. "You feeling alright?"

Teya shook her head and tears began to stream from her eyes. She stopped walking and hung her head. "I... I'm just..." She couldn't think of anything to say.

Qagan knelt next to her and gave her a comforting hug. "It's alright... Let's go home." He picked her up and carried her back to the human complex. She was crying heavily now. The full weight of her problem had finally hit her, and it was a devastating blow. Qagan had a feeling it would happen. He stroked her back soothingly as she hugged tightly around him, tears flowing onto his shoulder. She needed this to happen. It simply couldn't remain in the past, because the future depended on it.

Chapter 2

Under Human Hands

Moss and Alex branched off from each other as they headed off to tend to their duties. Moss had to discuss his new position with Isis. As he would be effectively taking her place as the leader. He made his way to the Free Pokemon Administration office, where Isis would be handling the ever accumulating problems of governmental control of free peoples. She tried hard to set up a Democratic government controlled by Pokemon exclusively. All to be undone by the note he held in his hand. For he would be a human ordered to take control of the operation.

He knocked on the door. No sound was heard on the other side. The door popped open, a Lucario stepped out with a weary smile on her face. She stood at 4'5" and had eyes of the most beautiful lavender color. Her figure was thin and powerful.

"Moss!" She exclaimed with surprise. "Want to help me out with something today?"

"Actually, that's what I came to discuss with you." He said in a foreboding tone. "Mind if I come in?"

She stepped to the side with a worried look on her face and waved him in. She shut the door behind her and followed him to a table where he sat. She sat across from him and gave him a questioning look.

"What's up?" She asked, cutting directly to the chase.

Moss passed her the note without saying a word. She opened it carefully and began to read it.

By the order of Professor Keldan,

Moss is to hereby take control of all Pokemon activities within the Town as well as the current operations within the Reserve. He is to take complete control of the Governmental setup of the free Pokemon. Any complaints will be delivered directly to me. Expect backlash from higher ranks than myself.

Isis sat slack jawed. "Is this serious?"

"Sadly, yes." He answered.

"This is bullshit..." She sighed. "There's no way I can get the others to agree to this."

"He's not asking for anyone's agreement. This is how it's going to happen from now on. For what it's worth... I'm sorry."

She crumpled up the note and threw it across the room. "So how are we going to do this?"

"I would like it to be the way it has been up until now. I want you to be making the decisions. The only difference will be that now I'll be putting my name on it."

Isis was not thrilled with this news. "Well... At least it's you. I don't think we could do it with anyone else."

"Keldan knew that, which is why he chose me. I just hope this doesn't destroy your faith in him. He's trying to keep us all together, which is becoming harder all the time. The man has no life out of his work. We need to tell everyone to be more patient." He explained.

"Alright. I'll try to put a positive spin on this. It's gonna be a long shot. I think the problem is that it seems like the Humans have unquestioned power over us."

"For now, it basically is that way. It's an uphill battle that you will win. You must be willing to fight for your freedom. The terms will change, right now their tightening. But farther down the line we will be equal."

Isis smiled. "I wish I had your positive outlook." She rubbed the weariness from her eyes. "Does this mean we'll be splitting the work load?"

Moss laughed. "Yes, but I'm adamant that I don't take any power over you. I may have been told to be in charge. But I will consider you nothing less than a partner."

"Sounds good to me... You know. This might be a good thing. If they actually see this as a partnership rather than a takeover, we can sell it as being equals."

"We won't have to sell it. You are my equal, Isis. You must believe it if you expect others to." He said. "I start tomorrow, so I want you to get a full nights sleep tonight. I want you on the top of your game."

"I'll try. I suppose I could leave some work for you." She teased.

"Whatever it takes. I'm gonna head home." He stood and made his way to the door. "I look forward to officially working with you." He said with a wink.

"As do I. See you tomorrow." She waved, and smiled sweetly.

Moss walked out and shut the door behind him. This could be a good thing. Soon he would see how the world would change, as long as everything goes according to plan.

He made his way back to his room slowly, enjoying the peace of the hallways. He always did enjoy the quiet of this building. The room wasn't to far from the Pokemon meeting rooms. Which was nice because he spent the majority of his time there, giving advice on how to deal with Humans and the way they think. More often than not the Pokemon would resort to threats in negotiations with their Human counterparts. Resulting in an automatic Human victory no matter the problems or outcomes. He has managed to make some progress in making them understand the way most Humans work, which was more or less, Give me what I want and I'll be glad to help you. It wasn't to different than the way Pokemon did things, but the Pokemon would do it in a more pleasant manner.

Moss approached his door and dug through his pocket for his key-card. He finally dug it out and slid it through the reader, it popped open. He walked in quietly and heard a sobbing sound, it sounded like Teya. He looked to the couch and saw Qagan hugging her as her head was buried in the fur on his chest.

"She alright?" Moss asked quietly.

Qagan looked up with solemn eyes. "She's grieving. She'll be alright. I hope."

He simply nodded in reply and went to his room. There was a computer on the far side, he walked to it and sat down in an office chair. The computer kicked on and started to hum with activity. He sat patiently, thinking to himself before the monitor shot on. He fiddled with the mouse and keyboard quickly and opened his document handler, which had hundreds of files saved to it. All of them were plans for the Pokemon government that they had already started. Perhaps he could discuss some of them with Isis if he got the chance. Some of them were pretty good ideas and others were complete shit. Still, maybe some could be worked into some decent ideas. He opened a drawer and withdrew a flash drive, he planted it in an open slot and moved all the documents to it. Estimated time: 2hrs... Shit...

Chapter 3

Pleasant Evening Out

It was 3:26. Alex would be at the bar about 4:00. Moss made his way to the living room to check on the Pokemon. Qagan was watching television and Teya was napping with her head on his lap.

"I'm gonna head off to the bar. You gonna be alright?" Moss whispered.

Qagan nodded. "We'll be fine. You go enjoy yourself, I know where all the food is."

Moss looked unsure but shrugged and walked to the restroom to clean up a little.

Before he walked from the room he looked back to Qagan.

"I don't know when I'll be back. So don't wait up." He said quietly.

Qagan simply nodded in response.

Moss walked from the room and shut the door behind him. He quickly made his way from the building and toward the bar named Lucky Milo's Remedy. Named for the owner of the place, Milo Fullan, and his family. He had a habit of being terribly unlucky. The irony was not lost upon those who knew him.

The streets were still bustling with many activities as it has for the past several months, but it would soon quiet as the winter season approached. Moss pushed open the door to the bar and sauntered inside. He seated himself at the main bar and ordered a drink. The bar itself was relatively quiet with a few conversations scattered about. It wasn't busy by any means. Most of the patrons were Human, but a few Pokemon were sitting in the booths.

Someone tapped his shoulder while he sipped at his amber ale. Moss turned to see the driver that got him out of the crater.

"How 'bout that drink?" The man asked.

Moss smiled. "What do you want?"

The man ordered his drink and sat next to Moss.

"I don't think I got your name." Moss stated.

"I am Corporal Collin Naskis, but the boys just call me Gasket." He said before chugging the drink the bartender place in front of him.

"I am Moss." He replied simply.

Collin gave him a curious look. "Got a first... or last name?"

"Moss is my last name."

They were both silent for a second. "And?" Collin asked.

"I don't much care for my first name. Just call me Moss."

Collin just gave him a dismissive wave. "Alright." He drank from his mug again. "So, how's your Pokemon?"

"Qagan is fine. He just needed a little time to recover. Also, he's not myPokemon. He's my friend."

The Corporal flushed. "Oh, right. Sorry. I'm just not used to this whole thought process we're trying to adopt here. We never let Pokemon roam free in my home town."

"Don't worry about it. We'll all be used to it eventually." He shrugged and sipped from the bottle he held.

Once again they both sat in silence, not quite sure what to say to the other. Alex finally walked in the front door and walked to the bar. "Corporal, you are dismissed." He said politely. Collin stood and walked back to the booth he was in before, slightly thankful to Alex.

Alex replaced him in the seat. "How goes it?" He asked, gesturing to the barkeep to bring him the usual.

"Goes well actually." Moss replied. "Just talked with Isis a little while ago."

"How did she handle the news?" He asked, as the bartender handed him a bottle of imported beer.

"She was skeptical at first, but she came around. We talked about it for a little bit and decided it might be a good thing."

Alex chuckled in disbelief. "I swear, no one could have gotten her to agree to this but you."

"It's because no one else treats her with respect. All of the people around here still look uncomfortable with this whole concept... I just don't know if I can be as useful as she hopes." He sighed. "The council still needs to know."

"They will be fine with it. They all still trust you." Alex drank from his bottle. "I think you underestimate yourself."

"And I think you all overestimate me..."

"You've got to have more faith in yourself. Otherwise they don't have a chance at being truly free. I think you're the only one who can help them."

Moss shook his head. "I can help them, but I'm sure I'm not the only one. Otherwise they're all in trouble."

Alex was quiet for a moment. "So, what's the deal with Qagan?"

"What do you mean?"

"How long is he gonna stay here for?"

"I dunno. I haven't talked to him about it yet. I'm sure he'll want to head back in a couple of days. Although I would like him to consider staying here on a more permanent basis."

"Think he would go for that? He doesn't seem to think very much about all of us here."

"Well, I think he would consider it now. He's got to worry about Teya now. We have a good fire habitat here."

"Why would that make him stay?"

"He likes her." Moss stated simply. "The crater is no longer a viable option. Hell, she might even end up living with him."

Alex looked surprised. "No shit."

"I hardly believed it myself, but the more I see them together the more it becomes clear."

"But a Char and a Lucario, it's just an odd match."

Moss smiled. "Maybe that's what they are thinking. I guess we'll see how it pans out. Qagan was never one to make rash decisions."

Alex chuckled. "What? He makes rash decisions all the time!"

"I'm sure to him they all seem perfectly reasonable."

The two laughed for some time before they quieted down and drank some more. The bar was beginning to get busy as the evening went on.

"So, How's mom and dad?" Moss asked.

"You would know if you called them once in awhile. They're getting worried about you."

"They know I'm perfectly fine, and I would rather talk to them face to face than over the phone."

"They're our parents, man. They just want to hear your voice."

"Well, then they can come and visit." He replied simply, taking another drink.

Alex just smiled and shook his head. "Whatever."

The two brothers sat for several hours discussing what their plans were for the next couple months. Time went on and on until the clock struck about 10:30. They exchanged farewells before they split up and returned to their homes. Moss walked slowly enjoying the nightly show of stars and the ever enticing moon. A cool breeze blew through the quieting streets, reminding him of winters swift return.