FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

(Author's Note)

=Character thought=

"Human Speech"

'Telepathy between characters'

{Pokemon Speech}

example: "Ni nine tai tales ninetales ine?" is what a human would hear.

{What do you mean you can't understand me?} is what other Pokemon, and certain humans would hear.

-Computer Writing, or on Screen Text-

|| * * * | | | * * * || = End Chapter

* * * = Scene Change

// // = Major Scene/Time Change

Chapter 4:

A short banker was pouring two shots of brandy, one for himself and one for his client. Smiling, he handed one to the tall man sitting across from him. "Always good to drink to a successful business venture," as he held up his shot in a salute. With a tip of his head, he took a sip of the burning drink, sighing as it went down his throat.

The other man looked at his shot, his eyes seeming to have an almost rainbowish glow about them. Seeing that, the banker blinked a few times, thinking that it was the alcohol that was making the glow. The man's flowing blond hair came to shoulder length, perfectly straight. His face was, for lack of a better word, flawless; he would certainly have no trouble finding a lady, if he so desired.

In a perfect pitch voice, low enough to be known as a man and yet high enough to make it sound beautiful, "This proposition of yours is a matter of convenience." Setting the shot glass down, not having taken a sip, he continued. "The money will be transferred, and you shall cover the tracks," looking up at the banker, who swallowed almost audibly, a smile graced his face. "I shall expect an update in one week," with that he stood up, a graceful motion that would make the finest of superstars look on with jealousy.

Suddenly, the very shadows seemed to morph around the now standing man as he stepped towards the door. Two shapes stepped out of the darkness, each taking a flanking position near the man. Visibly recoiling from the bright yellow eyes that stared out from the shadows at him, the banker felt a shiver run up the back of his spine.

"Your next client is on his way. He will be trouble if enraged," pausing, his hand on the door knob, the man looked over his shoulder briefly. "Ensure that he has no cause to interfere with our operations," with those last words, he opened the door and stepped out. The two shadows were right on his heels, the shorter one following closely behind teh man.

Pausing, the larger of the two shadows looked back at the banker. The smile on its face did not bring comfort, particularly because of the two gleaming fangs showing. It gave a dark, echoing laugh before following the other two, door closing behind it alomost of its own accord.

Sighing, the banker fell back in his chair, a cold sweat falling down his forehead. Grasping a tissue with a shaking hand, shakily patting his brow, "Damn. That man wouldn't be so bad if it weren't for those blasted guards of his...." He quickly poured himself another shot of whisky. Looking at the bottle, he gave a shrug and took a swig straight from the it, gasping at the burning sensation. "....guess I should make sure this," he picked up a piece of paper, "this, Jayden fellow is pleased." He glanced at the doorway as another shiver was sent up his spin, "That man makes me want to piss off the Mafia, rather than upset him."

Downing the shot of brandy he had poured earlier in one motion, he walked to the bathroom, slapping the handle to the cold water on. After splashing his face a few times, he walked back to his desk, readjusting his tie as he sat down, and took a kerchief over his face again to wipe away the water. He carefully fiddled with the pictures and personal items he had on his desk, waiting for his next client to walk through the door.

// //

In the dark of the hotel room, Aura yawned, stretching her body out as she awoke. With her eyes still closed, she threw off the blanket off of her and got out of bed, relying on her aura-sight to guide her. Her sleep-filled mind dragged her to the bathroom, and towards the shower. She turned the handle, made for easy use by Pokemon, until the bathroom was filled with steam.

Giving another large yawn, Aura stepped into the almost searing stream. She sighed in relaxation as the hot water flowed over her fur, washing out the accumulated grime and gently massaging her sore muscles. Not only was the hot shower massaging, the steam from the shower helped open her lungs, each breath bringing more of the wonderful steam into her.

Placing her hands on the shower wall, she lowered her head, allowing her neck to be washed by the water. The Lucario loved how the water ran down her back and then seem to defy gravity as it ran back up her tail a little ways, before finally dropping off in a large drops to the linoleum floor. A small, pleased purr left her, even as her eyes drooped close in pleasure. That's how heavenly the shower felt to her.

Then, she opened her eyes, simply to stare at the floor. A wave of emotions rolled through her, and she fought to push the memories back down. Clenching her eyes, it wasn't just water from the shower-head that was flowing down her face now. Quiet sobs escaped her even while her shoulders shook with the force of each.

Slowly, her crimson eyes opened, vision obscured by the tears in them. Whispering into the flowing stream, "Father," she clenched her eyes shut again. "I miss you," she smiled sadly. "How proud you'd be. A human, just like your partner," Her tears now flowed freely, mixing with the running water as she faced her muzzle directly into the stream of water.

"And now look," she took a step back, slowly turning around. "I'm a Lucario now," finishing her small spin, came back around so that she was facing the shower head again. Looking to the ceiling, she continued to speak to herself. "I don't think you'll mind that I didn't inherit your colorations though."

Taking a deep breath of the steam filled air, Aura closed her eyes again. Exhaling slowly, she opened her eyes, now filled with determination, "I'll make you proud. I'll prove myself worthy of the clan name."

Now, it was as if a weight had been lifted from her shoulders, and the emotional roller coaster she seemed to have been riding stopped. In its place, determination....and something else. Curious, she focused on that feeling, studying it. As Aura examined this new emotion, she realized what it was. Smiling with a pleasure, she chuckled. "One day. And not one soon."

Now she could continue with her shower, and she grabbed the bottle of soap, squirting some onto her paw. Lathering herself, pressing hard to get some of the deep seated sores that the water hadn't already washed away. Once she was fully soaped up, she allowed the shower to bathe her, and wash it away.

Now that she was finished, she turned the handle, stopping the flow of water. Stepping out of the shower, she took a towel, patting herself down. Two soaking towel's later, she was almost perfectly dry. Taking a brush, Aura got her fur as straight as she could. =Huh, guess I'll need Jay to brush me later,= she thought as she looked in the mirror.

Stepping out of the bathroom, she cast her gaze around, looking for Jayden. That's when she saw the note on the counter. Stepping over to it, she picked it up and read it, eyes dancing over it a few times, until she sighed and set it back down. She then grabbed the remote and plopped down on the bed, one arm behind her head while the other worked the remote to the TV.

Causally flipping through the channels, not seeing anything that caught her interest, Aura sighed finally giving in. Flicking the remote again, she tuned to the news station. Sitting up a touch she listened in, despite having come in halfway through the broadcast.

"...now there aren't any details as yet. But due to the simply remote nature of the island, it might take several days, maybe even weeks, before a rescue crew can get there." The duel-screen, one with the studio and one with the reporter in the field, faded away into the studio.

"Yes, well, thank you Shelly." The female reporter said, moving a few papers on her desk.

"...of course," after a few seconds delay.

"And now onto the weather. Bob?" The studio camera switched to the weather board.

"Yeah, well it looks like-" Aura muted the TV. That man's voice just grated her the wrong way. Instead, she watched as the weather-man pointed to various area's on his map, reading the subtitles on the bottom of the TV.

She sighed as she watched. "Looks like a rainstorm is on its way," suddenly, a huge yawn left Aura, catching her by surprise. Mumbling to herself, she left the TV on while she cuddled back up under the covers. Her eyes slowly closed as sleep once again took hold of her.

// //

Jayden followed the teller down the extravagant halls at the back of the bank. Various chairs, tables, and closed doors passed by, lining the walls, as the two made their way down the hall. They stopped in front of a door, and the teller reached up to knock. As the teller did so, Jayden caught movement out of the corner of his eye. Quickly, but seemingly casually, he moved his head to face in that direction, eyes jumping, scanning the area with a critical look.

He would have sworn he saw the shadows move, but his attention was drawn away before he could make certain. The teller was opening the door, making a small gesture to head on in. "Of course sir, just a minute," the teller said, talking to the banker sitting behind his oak desk.

Jayden walked in, taking in the whole of the room before focussing on the man in front of him. The door closed behind him with a quiet click as the latch caught. Standing up, the banker smiled as he walked around the desk towards Jayden, taking a hold of his hand. "Welcome. Please," the banker turned around, taking a couple of steps towards his cabinet, "have a seat while I pour us a drink."

Jayden took a breath, and let it out, closing his eyes for a moment. But, he did sit down in the chair, looking over the pictures and various nick-nacks sitting on the banker's desk while he waited the few seconds it took for the banker to come back, a shot of whiskey in either hand. Smiling, he set one down in front of Jayden, then taking a seat behind his desk. Jayden picked his up, but just looked at it, before setting it back down.

The banker took a small sip of his, but noticed that Jayden had set his down. Putting his own down, the banker cleared his throat softly. "Well, I have a good idea of what you want to do," he shuffled a couple of papers, "but why don't you tell me so that I'm clear?

Jayden sighed, and reaching up, took off his sunglasses. "Alright. You have the amount?" The banker nodded, "Good. I want 15% of that dispersed over these five accounts," Jayden pointed to a paper that had several bank account numbers on it. "50% will than be transferred to these two accounts," he pointed to another paper, this one with two Swiss bank accounts on it. "With 25% put into gold bonds. Although that should already be done, just needing my signature."

The banker nodded. "Yes. I just needed to confirm what you wanted," he then turned to his computer and started clacking away at the keyboard. Pausing for a moment, he looked up from his screen to Jayden, "This is going to take me quite awhile, due to the amount. I assume you do not wish Federal Authorities coming after you," to which Jayden nodded, making the banker give out a small sigh. "Okay than," he turned back to the computer, "There should be some books over there, if you're interested, or there's Wifi access here as well."

Jayden nodded, and stood up to look at the bookshelf. The banker continued to clack away at his keyboard, almost oblivious to what his client was doing. Looking over the books, Jayden picked one up. A History of Kanto and Johto was the name of the book. Jayden set it back on the shelf, when saw one that caught his attention. He slipped it out of its place on the shelf, and flipped it over to read the cover, How Long have Pokemon Existed? Jayden looked at the author, muttering to himself, "Allen LeMarn."

Jayden knew he'd seen that name before. Tucking the book in the crux of his elbow, he sat down in a leather recliner, reaching into his pocket. He pulled out his Pokedex, and flipped to the browser function. Quickly typing in -Allen LeMarn- in the search function, he started scrolling through the links that came up.

One that caught his eye was the same link he had seen in the Pokemon Center earlier. Just as his finger was about to hit the link though, he saw something else. He scrolled down a touch, reading the link description. His brow furrowed ever so slightly as he muttered "It can't be..."

Clicking the link, which opened to a article dated five years earlier, Jayden started reading it. As he continued to read, he wondered how he could have missed this. =It is, there's no doubt about it,= A picture was posted next to the report.

In it stood a man, obviously of French heritage, pointing somewhere off into the distance, a map in his hand. Flanking him on either side were psychic Pokemon, a Gardevoir and a Gallade. Jayden noted that the Gallade had a grey crest, rather than the more common light-blue. Sitting, cleaning herself off, was an Espeon who seemed uninterested n what was being discussed.

Jayden read the description -Professor LeMarn, with his team of Pokemon/assistants, discussing where they should begin excavation. Taken on the Pokemon Island of Astra, before foreigners were relegated to the three port cities.-

Jayden's eyes narrowed. He knew Astra. A land that unlike the Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, and Unova regions, chose violence when exposed to the outside world. It likely didn't help that an almost 200 year civil war still raged on the island.

Jayden flipped to the notepad function on his Pokedex, and typed in the name of the book, as well as a note to find more information on Professor LeMarn. Just as he finished, the banker said "Alright, I just need a few signatures. As well as an electronic confirmation." Jayden sighed, putting his book down. Standing up from the leather chair, he walked over to the desk, where the banker had set out three packets.

Jayden picked one up looking it over for inconstancies. When he was satisfied, he looked at the banker, "Where do I sign?"

"Ah yes," the banker leaned over, his tie falling out a touch, "here, here, aannd here." Than the banker pulled a pen out of his pocket. Clicking it, he handed it to Jayden. "And here's a pen."

Jayden took the pen, placed the paper back on the desk, and signed. He looked over the next paper, and signed that one as well. The banker took both these and filed them in a drawer in his desk as Jayden looked over the third packet. Giving a nod, he signed the last one, clicked the pen and dropped it on the packet, and pushed it back across the desk.

The banker looked it over, and gave a short nod. "Alright. Now I just need your password so I can transfer the funds," he turned the computer monitor around, and moved the keyboard so Jayden could access it. When the banker turned around out of respect, Jayden fingers became a blur over the keyboard. When he finished, he stood back up, clearing his throat. The banker looked at the screen. "Then it's done. Pleasure doing business with you," he held his hand out. Jayden glanced at it, taking it only out of necessity, and holding only for as long as he needed to so he wouldn't be considered rude. "Now," the banker turned back to his cabinet, pulling out a bottle of whiskey, "shall we drink to your fortune?"

"No, thank you." Jayden said, giving a small wave of his hand, "I still have to get home tonight."

"Ah yes," the banker sadly put the bottle back, but than eyed his shot he had poured earlier. "At least allow me to salute you than." Jayden sighed, but nodded. The banker smiled, holding up his shot, "To your good fortune sir. And to a long, healthy life." With that, he tipped the shot back, downing it in a single go.

Jayden checked his watch as the banker saluted him. When the baker finished, Jayden spoke up, "Well, I have to get going."

The banker made a small motion with his hands, "Of course, of course. Have a safe night."

Jayden's hands paused as the hovered on the door handle. Looking back over his shoulder, he gave a polite "You too." With that Jayden stepped into the hallway again. He sighed as the door closed behind him. "Damn I'm glad that's done," stretching his arms behind him, sighing in relief. With a final stretch, he walked back towards the main entrance of the bank.

There was still almost no one there, and the same security guard was standing there, alert as ever. The teller was currently helping a woman who was dressed to go clubbing. Jayden walked past the security guard, and tipped a small salute. "Goodnight."

The guard tipped his hat as Jayden walked by, "Night." Even the Growlithe gave a small bark.

Jayden walked down the steps, pushing through the revolving doors. Stepping out into the nigh empty street, just as a cool wind blew through the street, sending a small shiver up Jayden's spine. Zipping up his coat and slipping his hands into his pockets, he walked down the street.

* * *

As soon as he stepped back into Times Square, he was met by the bustle of the night-life. New York, even at this time of night, was still awake and kicking. Although by now, it was only the club-goers that were out. Many people also had a Pokemon or two out, either sitting near them or on their shoulder.

Times Square, like much of New York, did not sleep. Always abustle, always moving, never stopping, never pausing.

Within these crowds, Jayden blended into the mass.

He passed groups of people, some laughing, others calling for a cab, some waiting to get into a club. The sounds of dance music traveled onto the street out of the doors of the clubs.

Jayden kept moving with the flow, eventually coming to the entrance of a club. For soem reason, he wasn't surprised that it was located within the building that holds the iconic Times Square Billboard. He walked right in, as the first floor was a restaurant, even at this time of night. The second floor was where the actual bar part of the club began. Stepping onto the elevator, Jayden caught a ride to the second floor, along with several other people.

When the doors opened, the dance music of the club made Jayden pause for half-a-second.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YN_lV0qVmsY&feature=related

This and many other songs were playing.

Sighing, Jayden stepped into the club, and looked up. The first floor was a bar, with tables and booths scattered over it. Technically it was the second, but this is where the club truly begins. But, the second floor, which had a clear bottom, had a dance floor on it.

A dance floor that was currently filled with people and Pokemon dancing.

Slipping through the crowd, getting to the stairs, Jayden made his way up them, to the third floor. Walking out of the stairwell, he saw that this floor wasn't as filled, much to his relief. There were tables and booths, all surrounding the banistar. Walking towards the railing, he leaned over to watch the people on the dance floor having the time of their lives. Looking up at the floor above him, there was another dance floor, also with a clear floor.

Running the length of the entire club, almost seven floors, was an electronic pillar. Inside the pillar, a DJ booth moved up and down its length. As the DJ booth moved, the lights turned off to reveal the three DJ's, and as they passed by Jayden's level, he got a good look at them.

Inside, there was a human, his large earphones on as he played the music. Standing on one of the turntables stood a Kirlia, dancing to the music, a huge smile on her face, also wearing a large pair of earphones. On the other turntable stood a Vulpix also dancing to the music. Occasionally the Kirlia would stop, and a new disk would float into the DJ's hand. When that happened, a new song would start.

Jayden watched as they stopped on the first floor, and heard over the speakers, "All right my people! Let's get this party PUMPING RIGHT!!"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0NPazc9lBjM&feature=related

Jayden gave a laugh as the song began, giving a shake of his head at the DJ's choice of wording. As the song started, the people on the dance floor reacted to the change of music.

Jayden sighed, taking a step back from the railing. Turning, he saw a couple of girls, drinks in hand, head towards the stairwell. Listening in, he heard one of them say "C'mon! Blaze loves this song, and I promised I'd let him join us." But, they were out of earshot before he could hear the other's reply.

Jayden decided he'd spent enough time in the club, the music starting to get to him. Walking around the edge of the third floor, making his way past the bar, Jayden did a double-take when he walked past. Manning the bar, there was a Hypno and what Jayden assumed to be its trainer, putting on a show as they mixed the drinks that were being ordered.

Jayden paused, having forgotten that Pokemon were now allowed as waiters and barkeepers; intrigued, he watched as the two did a well rehearsed routine.

The Hypno would use his psychic powers to lift various drinks into the air. Just the liquid. As the parts of the drink simply levitated in the air, condensing into spheres, the human would take a mixer and toss it towards the floating spheres. The Hypno would catch the cup with his hand, and while holding it upside down, the liquid would float in. He'd than throw it back to the human, who'd catch it, pop the lid on, and start shaking.

The Hypno reached under the counter, pulling out two glasses. His eyes glowed slightly, and several ice cubes came out of the freezer to clink into the glasses. With a confidence that only practice brings, the Hypno salted the rims of the glasses, just as the human tossed the mixer behind his back, holding his hand out to catch it. Instead though, it floated to the glasses, the lid coming off and poured out its contents.

"And now, if'd you please," the human barkeep asked the Pokemon. Giving a nod, the Hypno snapped his fingers. The two drinks suddenly had a small flame coming out of them, and the couple who'd ordered the drinks gave a small cheer. They picked up their glasses, blew out the flame, and walked off, chatting and laughing.

Now that the show was over, Jayden continued on, shaking his head at how skilled the two were. He made his way to a double-door, which people were coming in and out of. Mostly in though.

Jayden opened the door, stepping out into a causeway, seeing that there was a line of people. Taking a quick not that this was the main entrance to the club, the way he'd come in more of a secondary. Walking past the line of people, Jayden saw the Pokemon Center on the far side of the causeway. The sounds of music slowly faded as he walked, until they were non-existent.

Jayden walked across the contrastingly empty food court. Sure, there were a few people walking across it, but for the most part there was no-one in the food-court. With the artificial lights the only source of illumination, he made his way to the double-doors of the Pokemon Center. They slid open with a quiet hiss as he came near.

Stepping in, he saw that the front room was almost completely empty as well. Hearing the door open, the nurse manning the desk looked up at him, giving a smile. "Hello there. Can I help you?" She sounded almost pleading.

Jayden shook his head, a slight chuckle leaving him. "Not tonight, I think," he started heading for the elevator, pulling out a key-card. "Already have a room," he said, pressing the call button.

"Oh," the nurse said, leaning back in her chair. "Alright than..." With that, she reached under the counter, bringing out a magazine. Flipping it open, she started reading it, propping her legs up on the counter.

Jayden gave a silent laugh, right as the doors opened. Stepping in, he gave a final glance at the nurse as the doors closed. With a small lurch, the elevator started moving up. Jayden unzipped his coat, leaning against the back wall of the elevator and closed his eyes. The brakes then gave a small whine as the elevator slowed and Jayden opened his eyes again.

The doors opened for Jayden and he stepped out. Once again, the halls were empty. But this time, using his aura-sight, he could see that there was life in the rooms. He loosened his concentration, allowing the aura-sight to fade from him, the world now only being viewed from his physical eyes.

Walking down the hall, the elevator doors closed behind him. Deciding to walk down the center of the hallway, Jayden stood tall. Coming to his door, he used his aura-sight again.

Jayden smiled when he saw Aura sleeping peacefully, but before he opened the door, he looked down the hallways again, a chill running up his spine.

Seeing nothing, he quietly slipped the key-card in. Turning the handle ever-so-slightly, he slipped into the room, and looked at Aura again, this time without his aura-sight, to make sure she was still sleeping. When he saw the regular rise-and-fall of the sheets covering her, he knew that she was asleep.

He gave a quiet chuckle at the TV, and walked over, clicking it off. Quietly, he rummaged through his bag, finding another change of clothing. Then, he softly padded over to the bathroom, and quietly closed the door behind him. Flicking the light switch, he turned on the shower handle.

Once the water was up to temperature, he took off his cloths, piling them under the sink, and slipped into the shower, reveling in the comforting warmth as the water washed over him. He did not waste much time in the shower. Picking up the soap, he scrubbed himself, and then let the water wash it off.

He finished, turning off the shower, and stepping out, he grabbed a towel to dry himself off. Slipping into a pair of shorts and putting on a simple tee-shirt, he flicked off the light before he opened the door. Stepping out, Jayden paused again as he looked at Aura, who was still peacefully sleeping.

Smiling, he slipped into the other bed, pulling the cover over himself, and closed his eyes. His breathing quickly became regular as the comfort of sleep took him.

|| * * * | | | * * * ||

Now the plot is starting to go somewhere. But where, oh, where is it going?

On another note, *grins while looking at the large bar behind me* what would ya like to drink for making it to the end?

Comments are always appreciated. Feedback of how the story is coming along and such.

Votes and favs are nice as well, but comments are the best ^.^

legal: Pokemon isn't mine, it belongs to Nintendo, GameFreak, and whomeverelse owns it.

Original Characters (Jayden, Aura, others in later chapters) and the story line are mine, please ask before using them.