FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

"Keep up, Ruki! The ferry's off in fifteen!" Skye called behind to her ninetales in a faint Alolan accent. They walked Hau'oli's busy central strip on the way to The Marina. She had a designer backpack on her back over one shoulder while holding its strap and a corseted jacket and jeans on her person.

Palm trees swayed against tropical breezes and cast moving shadows on the ground; a late afternoon sky with a bright sun in its hold glared off the pastel hoods of parked cars before meters. The sun's warm layer spread over Alola to provide a tame climate.

It shone off Skye's long, wavy blonde hair that flowed free to her upper back with pink highlights to match her nails; her eyes were an ocean blue.

Ruki trotted down the long stretch of pavement with a slight, animated bounce to his step and caught up, his tails mirroring his movements in tandem. He kept beside his owner among groups of people, many of whom were sightseeing tourists, and vehicles on the road.

They entered and exited markets and extravagant hotels. Others sat at high-end outdoor restaurants behind short gates and under umbrellas, some with pokémon and others in groups. Vibrant chatter and laughter filled the air and faded after he passed their tables.

Ruki had the tendency to wander or fall behind when he saw or sniffed out anything interesting. This time, it had been sweet bread as they passed the Shopping District. The expansive, always-busy area full of various stands, stores, and restaurants was one of Ruki's favorite places to be. Hau'oli's mall would be his second, or the Berry Fields on the next route over.

His wandering was likely a trait from his previous evolution, as he had only spent a few days as a ninetales. Ruki had tripped over his legs several times. He also had a bigger appetite and felt stronger and more confident now, like a force to be reckoned with, albeit an inexperienced one.

"You've gotta stop lagging. We can't be late." Skye looked at the slim gem-studded watch on her right wrist to check the time. On her left was a thin bracelet with mini crystal pokéballs lining it. It'd be 1 p.m. soon, when they'd have to be on the ferry.

Skye pulled out a small map of Sinnoh that she kept in the front pocket of her jacket and unfolded it, scanning the display of detailed 3D terrain and locations labeled in print. She'd come across it online while researching Sinnoh after seeing it pop up in an ad. The map was a pricey purchase, and she loved studying it. She had for hours in bed with Ruki after it got delivered and pointed out appealing locations to visit.

They would deboard in Sunyshore City and, from there, would make their way west through Route 222 to reach the Grand Lake Hotel.

"Nice walk. Short and sweet." Skye folded and slid the map into her jeans' rear pocket.

Ruki was more excited that she'd decided to take him along than anything else. He couldn't imagine living an entire week without her and now didn't have to.

The Marina and a large, sleek white ship was moored in the water ahead. Many people, a lot having pokémon at their side, awaited boarding.

"Stay close," she reminded as they entered The Marina and walked down to boarding. Skye couldn't afford to lose him here and would rather avoid the headache.

An unorganized and scattered line teeming with passengers stood by where the crew would let down the ship's ramp. Skye waited at the back with a few others and watched the crowd ahead, where a bit of chaos was present. Unruly kids ran between adults, playing tag while parents watched or shouted at them.

A munchlax and meowth play fought by their male owner on the phone, which turned into play wrestling in seconds, soon resulting in the munchlax biting the meowth's cheek too hard. The owner had to put his call on hold and break them up after his meowth cried.

The milder crowd stood at a distance near Skye and Ruki, watching it unfold. A slender older woman in a floral sundress shook her head with disdain while holding her eevee, whose ears twitched while following the activity with full eyes and an eager grin.

A growlithe wearing a red bandana sat upright with a confident gaze by his older teen female owner and monitored their surroundings. She was kneeling and had her palm on his head while smiling down at her phone, texting.

Skye knelt beside Ruki as he sat, pulled her backpack's other strap over her shoulder for stability, and put a hand on his upper back, looking at him. "First time leaving home. Nervous?" Since she'd turned eighteen last week and finished grade school, her parents allowed the trip, which Skye had been anticipating forever.

Skye pulled her passport from her backpack's pocket. She had sense and would prove it to her parents. She felt she could live independently at this point but still had a lot to learn—about five times more than the typical teen due to her upbringing.

Ruki twitched his ear and looked up at Skye while she spoke to him. He wondered where they'd go first in such a vast new region. A thousand vague ideas ran through his head. From what he'd overheard last week when Skye was talking to her parents and what he'd seen of the cityscapes and towns on Skye's map, it was much different from Alola.

Most of the details had slipped his mind, so that was all he knew. It would be exciting between fresh sights and Skye.

Before boarding, crew members verified tickets, IDs, and distributed keycards based on room numbers, including Skye's that she returned to her bag afterward. Each ticket allowed one pokémon accompanied by an adult on the ferry for free, each extra costing 3,300 pokédollars.

More crew onboard let down the anticipated ramp some minutes afterward and let everyone on.

Being last in line, Skye had to wait an extra couple of minutes before boarding with Ruki. The ship would arrive in Sinnoh the following day. "We'll go down in a sec. I want to watch the view," she told Ruki while walking to the ship's rear.

Skye looked around at the front end of the deck while they walked and saw a stand selling colorful berry smoothies, beverages, and snacks. However, she didn't see a store on this cruise—unless it was below deck. The ones Skye used to take in Alola always had a souvenir shop and market under the control room. She saw the control room before the front deck with the captain and crew members setting up to start the cruise through its windows.

To be fair, those were local ships. Maybe ones that traveled internationally ran older models and still needed to implement them.

"Nin." Ruki's voice sat at a neutral pitch, although on the higher side.

His curious nature had him wanting to see the view as well. He followed Skye down the side of the ship to the railing where one could look out to see Hau'oli and had to stand on his hind legs while using the railing as a balance.

An expansive beachfront of sunny sand and carefree tourists sprawled for miles. A busy Shopping District, exorbitant five-star hotels, and rows of buildings completed the atmosphere. It warmed the mind and soul of whoever had the pleasure of gazing at it. Ruki had lived here all his life and embraced it still. His eyes shot from tall palms to toucannon and flocks of wingull occupying an enriching blue sky dotted with thin, fluffy clouds.

"Pretty, right?" She placed her palm on his head and sighed at the last time she'd see home for a while, taking in the air's tangy, fresh scent. It was nerve-wracking and invigorating leaving all she knew, even if just for a week, but maybe that was more cause to do so. Skye wasn't the type to spend her entire life in the same region; that aspect had sprouted and bloomed with age.

They stood until the ship's engine started with a groan, huff, and a few resounding creaks and additional groans, beginning its journey to Sinnoh. Alola started to fade as the ferry progressed and built speed.

"Alright, c'mon. I wanna see what's below," Skye said.

The entrance to decks one, two, and three, sat just behind them, so they walked a short distance and jogged down two flights of stairs beside the elevator, with Skye scolding Ruki and making him slow down after he tripped over his paws and nearly fell down the steps.

A spa and small restaurant were on their floor, which was deck three—midship, but Skye had ensured she fed herself and Ruki before they left home. She would bookmark it for later.

"We're in room three hundred five. I booked us a studio with a window." Some of the five hundred rooms, such as those on deck one below the waterline, had no windows for a reduced price. Other rooms on deck four and five, farther above the waterline, had balconies for an increased price, but Skye would rather go up on deck if she wanted air. A middle-priced ocean view cabin at sea level was ideal.

They strolled down the narrow, brightly lit, red-carpeted corridor with doors lining the hall and stopped after passing several.

"Here." Skye slipped the keycard into its designated slot until the indicator flashed green.

Ruki entered the small room after her to a bed dressed and tucked with a blanket, a polished wooden nightstand with a lamp beside it, and a clear window showing off the ocean.

Cozy. "Cute." Nothing extravagant, but cozy. She closed the door, dropped her backpack on the floor, and sat on the bed. She lowered and slacked her shoulders against the room's mild climate. She looked aside at a vented box on the wall with a remote hanging beside it to control the temperature. "Ruki." Skye patted the mattress and prompted him to join.

He hopped up after a couple of tries and nudged her hand with his cheek.

"You act like we haven't been together all day." She giggled. "You gonna miss home?" She tilted his chin up and scritched his cheek with her other hand.

"Nn..." He averted his eyes before focusing on her again. A part of him did since Alola was and had always been the only region in his life, but Skye was the epicenter at the same time. He went with a short nod.

"I will too, but it'll be overshadowed by what Sinnoh offers, I'm sure." Skye lay back on the bed, kicking off her boots and socks and moving up so she was on the mattress entirely. On her boots' outsoles was the imprint of a ninetale's paw.

Her lips flickered to a grin while weight crept onto her until its tepid warmth covered her chest, a withheld giggle stuttering within. She looked down to see Ruki gazing at her with frozen eyes, his fluffy tails swishing. Her breaths strained ever so slightly. "You know you aren't a vulpix anymore, right?" Skye ran the icy-white tufts drooping from his head between her fingers, then placed her hands on his sides, patting them.

He glanced back at his new size, which covered a lot more of her.

"We'll call you a big vulpy, then." Skye reached and pressed his head to rest his chin by her neck.

She couldn't wait for the next day.

A ferry to Sinnoh used to take close to three days to complete. With modern upgrades, it had been reduced to a day, give or take, but further progress was being abandoned in place of aviation because of how safe it had become. There were few to no crashes per year, deeming ferries no longer global culture. Alola had two airports built within the recent decade. One was far east of the strip five minutes out from Hau'oli, and another was in Heahea.

Skye would rather take a ferry unless she had to fly, which she had yet to try. It was a better alternative, though, since it reduced a trip to Sinnoh to a few hours. Flying was required in place of cruises that would take two weeks to arrive at destinations. It wasn't mandatory until approximately five years ago. At least Skye could enjoy the short ones.

---

Several hours had passed. The ferry glided across the water with determination, parting waves like a piston with its sharp bow and leaving crested ripples behind.

Wingull trailed behind and above the cruise, filling the chilly air with their cries. People shared smiles and laughter on the deck that was illuminated by lights lining the walls and below its railings. Teens sat with their pokémon or shared berry smoothies, while adults stood by the railing with drinks. Some were alone, but more had found people to talk to or were with family.

A pre-teen stood on her tippy toes while holding her umbreon partially over the ship's railing to take some of its weight off her arms. Its rings glowed dimly under the coming nightfall. The girl smiled while letting it look at the dark moving waters.

With a heaving chest, the umbreon had its hind legs and tail tucked, frozen while being suspended over the boat's port with the ominous sea surging below that’d swallow it in moments. It splashed against the sides and reached up as if to grab the exposed pokémon.

The girl looked back and snatched her umbreon away, pouting after her father scolded her. She returned to her parents' chair, holding her beloved dark-type to her chest until she had to set it down when her arms got tired.

A young couple stood off to the side after having a few drinks, giggling and getting touchy-feely before getting the sense to head to their room after receiving a few looks from irritated people.

The man running the drink stand denied an older man another beverage several times because he'd gotten more than tipsy after downing three, resulting in the customer giving in and leaving to the lower deck as well. It was a good time all around.

Meanwhile, in room 305, Skye opened her eyes and yawned, tensing her limbs to simulate stretching. She looked down at her sleeping ninetales sprawled across her chest, his tails giving subtle twitches.

Skye enjoyed his new size and felt more secure during their snuggle sessions. She embraced his sides while musing out the window to the right. It was coming up on evening, offering a marvelous view.

Looming darkness threatened a fading blue sky tinged with a pink and purple hue as the sun descended below the horizon; below that, the endless ocean swayed in every direction. On top of the sight, the room was articulately silent other than the more pronounced moans and creaks the ship made while its gears thrummed and churned.

This was definitely an old ship. The newer builds in Alola were a lot quieter. At most, one would hear its engine's steady, gentle hum. They must have installed modern engine upgrades and neglected everything else.

Anyway, it was her and Ruki with no one to disrupt them. In that, Skye found solace. She spent a lot of time in her room as is since there was never anything better to do that she hadn't done hundreds of times over.

She experienced a few more minutes of the tranquil environment before Ruki lifted his head while opening his eyes.

"Evening, sleepy boy." She drew her hands up to hold his cheeks and grinned at his slacked gaze, leaning up and kissing his nose while he quivered and stretched.

Ruki moved in after that kiss and gave her cheeks and nose aimless licks.

"No," she said while giggling. "Stop, baby." Skye pushed his face aside and wiped hers. "Hungry?"

"Ni." Ruki yawned. He hadn't eaten since this morning.

"I am too. Why don't we check out the restaurant, yeah?"

Ruki rolled off her and sat up on the bed, stretching again while watching Skye get up.

She glanced down at the casual outfit she'd worn all day. "I should change…" She gave Ruki an indecisive stare while scrunching her lips and shifting them aside. "Eh, I will tomorrow," she said before slipping on her socks and boots, then walking to the door.

Skye gestured for him to exit first, which he did. "No wandering."

Ruki cocked his head while walking next to her. Where would he run off to on a ferry?

He turned a right with her into the dining area before the stairs and scoped out the environment.

Velvety red carpeting and seating under dim lighting ensured voices were low.

Glossy vases and candles adorned tables while the walls showcased water-colored paintings of nature and oceans from various places around the globe.

Servers in white button-ups and black vests, two dressed lopunny who stood with poised postures included, walked back and forth with trays of food, finished dishes, and drinks. They tended to seated customers while soft jazz echoed throughout the restaurant. One of the lopunny had piercings running up the side of its ear, and the other had a curvy fur tuft atop its head that draped between its eyes for style. Both also wore shorts, which was required of any pokémon working in food service.

A sign at the entrance read: 'For to-go orders, you may order at the front counter.'

Skye looked at Ruki. "Oh, we should do that. I want to go back up to the deck."

Ruki nodded, even though sitting and eating at a booth in this restaurant looked like it'd be nice.

She went to the front counter and picked up a menu from a small stack, scanning it with her eyes and doubling back after she passed something. Skye held the menu closer to her face for a moment, squinting. "They've got malasadas, Ruki!"

He hopped slightly off of his forepaws while staring up at her. He adored malasadas. He'd eaten more sweet ones than any other, as sweet was the only flavor available in Hau'oli, but he never ever got tired of them.

"Can I help you?" A male employee with short red hair seemed to appear out of nowhere and stood at the counter.

"Just a sec." Skye smiled and crouched to show Ruki the menu while pointing at the section displaying all five flavors available in Alola. "Look, they've got all of them too. Isn't that cool? I'll get us one of each."

"Tales?" How did they have all flavors in one place, and why couldn't anywhere in Alola have that?

Skye stood again and faced the worker. "Okay, so one order of malasadas. All five flavors, please." They were double the price here compared to Alola, which usually was two hundred for one. Here it was four hundred, but she expected that on a ferry.

"That'll come out to two thousand pokédollars." He rang it up on the register. "Credit?"

"Oh, no." Skye wanted a few newbie credit lines with banks in Alola now that she was eighteen, especially since credit cards had risen significantly in popularity over the last decade. She used to use her parents' cards growing up sometimes when they allowed it so she could get familiar with the process, but mainly cash. Cards were just cool and convenient so she didn't have to carry bills and coins around all the time.

She had enough money to last them for more than a week, so she handed him the funds from her pocket and waited by the counter while he went to gather their order. She usually carried a small purse but couldn't be bothered bringing that and a backpack along for the trip, so she'd pay out of pocket. If Skye had both with her, she'd end up returning home without one.

Alola's currency mirrored the vivid joy the region emitted and was an accepted form of payment globally due to the region's status. The bills ranged in different colors and designs with value.

The weakest one was bright yellow with a silhouette of Tapu Village's tropical forest on it and numbers stating the value in its center, while the middle bills climbing upward varied in color, landmarks, and pokémon. One displayed Hau'oli's skyline with trumbeak flying in flocks, while the highest one, a bright pink, displayed Solgaleo and Lunala of Alola.

The coins differed in size and had various kinds of tropical trees native to Alola carved into them.

Its currency was three times stronger than it had been a decade ago due to the government expanding and improving the economy. Alola's society thrived and developed faster and more ambitiously than ever with no region holding it back while Galar helped it progress.

Galar was now the world's most powerful region. Its currency held the spot as the world's reserve choice after the Accord fell and regions such as Almia, Fiore, and others began dealing and trading with it. That had led to the fall of the Accord in full, which shook the global foundation for years afterward until the power shifted and stabilized.

Ruki's stomach rumbled merely thinking about having a malasada, though he wasn't sure which flavor he'd choose first. He would take them all in one sitting if it were up to him, but Ruki had puked the last time Skye allowed him to eat six in the span of three minutes, which was on his birthday.

He sat by her feet while watching other pokémon dine with their owners to pass the time.

A teen girl giggled with her cincinno while sipping her soda through a straw.

A waitress brought two guys sitting across from each other fries and bread with butter on a silver platter, possibly as appetizers that Ruki wanted to inhale. One of the lopunny served a man and woman a few tables away two sandwich wraps and beverages that they thanked it for.

Skye also watched and had them step aside in case other customers came to order. "Maybe we'll sit next time. Looks nice."

They waited five minutes before the employee returned from bagging donuts, Ruki sitting in internal anticipation the entire time. It was an unhealthy addiction, as Skye had told him multiple times in the past. She was the one always buying him malasadas, though; it's not like he'd ever turn them down.

"Thank you so, so much. Enjoy your night," Skye said while taking the packaged order he handed her.

"You too!"

"Come on, Ruki." She exited the restaurant with a white bag and saw him eyeing it while they walked upstairs. She giggled. "We're almost up." She went and leaned against the ship's railing after they were back on the upper deck, where cool air hit her.

The waters thrashed against each other, and mild waves overlapped, creating marvelous white crests spreading over the prodigious ocean's surface.

She would go to the front, but that was where most passengers were; Skye loved socializing, but this was a special week for her and Ruki. "Which do you want?" she asked while opening the bag.

Ruki sat before Skye with a gaze fixed on the bag and saliva pooling in his mouth.

"Um, sour?"

"Nin," he huffed a little. He hadn't had sour in a while since they hadn't left Hau'oli in ages. He nodded.

"Here." She checked the labels on the plastic wrapping of each malasada until finding a sour one. "Aha." Skye took it out of the bag, unwrapped its cover, then leaned and handed it to his mouth. It was a rounded, fried donut with flavored filling.

Ruki took it, chewing a couple of times as the dough melted in his maw. The creamy filling burst, which he winced his eye against while swallowing.

Finished, he licked his maw and had his eyes back on the bag, glancing at Skye.

"No, you can't have all of them now. Save some for Sinnoh... and it wouldn't hurt to chew before you swallow, you know?" Skye sounded like a broken record. She'd been telling him that all his life.

"Nine..."

"Don't you nine me. I don't want you choking to death in front of me one day." She looked out at the dark waters while a western breeze brushed her hair aside, not a piece of land in sight. The refreshing, pure misty ocean air calmed her with every inhalation.

The steady blare of a plane's engine echoed overhead, which she looked up at but couldn't spot. Maybe it was on the other side of the ship. "I don't know if we'll be able to since we just woke up, but we need sleep for tomorrow. It'll be a long day."

Ruki usually slept whenever Skye did. That would be up to her. He could run on a few hours if need be. He used to stay up late with her when she binge-watched TV shows or had trouble sleeping on a hot night, which was when he wasn't allowed to snuggle with her.

Something about body heat and her pushing him away whenever he got too close, even though his body temperature sat at lukewarm. This occurred occasionally when she was on her period too. He didn't know what exactly it was or meant but had overheard her mentioning it to her parents over the years and knew it resulted in a lot more snack binging.

"It's cold out, anyway. Aren't you cold?" She then remembered Ruki was half ice type with fur. "...Don't answer that."

They shortly made their way back to the room, and while Skye hadn't changed, she wouldn't sleep in jeans. She turned on the bedside lamp and took off her clothes, revealing a white tee and pink panties underneath. Skye folded her clothing, put everything on the nightstand, and grabbed her toothbrush and pack of makeup remover wipes from her bag.

Meanwhile, Ruki awaited her in bed. He didn't pay much attention to her body and never had a reason to focus on it, but he'd seen a lot of it since Skye had always been comfortable around him.

"One more minute." She entered the restroom to wash her face and remove the concealer she'd put on this morning with a wipe. Skye didn't use much else, but she applied concealer to cover the light acne scarring and subtle blemishes on her cheeks from recent years.

She brushed her teeth and whatnot too, which took over five minutes. Afterward, she went and turned the lamp off, getting into bed. "Move over." He was sitting at the center for some reason.

He did, watching her get under the covers and shift until she was lying on her side.

"Okay, bedtime." She moved part of the blanket aside and tapped the spot in front of her with her hand. She'd be thirty and still cuddling Ruki like there was no tomorrow. She didn't like imagining herself at that age, though. Skye hoped to still look attractive at that point. How was she eighteen already? She was sixteen last week. Time genuinely flew.

Ruki took some steps and lay on his stomach beside her as she covered them with the blanket, yawning. Hopefully, he'd hold onto some dreams and forget the nightmares he had on occasion. Ruki was sick of getting chased by that huge dusclops. Maybe he should quit watching as many horror pokéshows.

Skye pulled him, breaking his original position in the process. "We're cruising into a small two-hour time difference. New time zone." She yawned after him. "Sinnoh is two hours behind us."

Ruki shifted closer. His upper back was pressed against her chest, and her arm snaked around the side of his body to hug him.

She leaned in by his ear. "Love you." And kissed it, to which it twitched in response. Skye rested her cheek on the pillow. Ruki's body heat made her sleepy already.