FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

"You two are an odd couple." Leon said as he came back out of one of the rooms. Instead of the BDU's he wore before the sun went down he now had more casual clothing; a pair of faded blue jeans and plain grey shirt. Mal sat against the edge of the ruined wall that overlooked the city, Sari lay against his chest having finally gotten to sleep. The comment clicked in Mal's head as he understood Leon's meaning.

"Well when you've been alone as long as we have you get... close." Mal said automatically looking down on the sleeping Lucario.

"I always thought Lucario were almost impossible to come across. Where'd you find her?" Leon continued as he took a seat opposite Malcolm.

"My parents were breeders." he began. " And I used to be a trainer... You know, back in the day." He finished with a comical tone which got a grin out of Leon. "Anyway Sari's mother belonged to my mother and once she was born they both thought I could be her trainer. When she was old enough they sent her to me..." Mal's expression darkened as he remembered those times when everything was normal. "She had only been a part of my team for a couple months when the infection started."

"So how come she's the only one with you now?"

"When the outbreak had first started, back when there were still people, the infected were still concentrated in the smaller towns and I thought it was only a matter of time before the situation was back under control. I never really worried about it until I saw the infection for myself.....

.....And our challenger from Severoot town, Malcolm!" The crowds cheer was almost explosive, having long forgotten his inhibitions about stage fright he raised a hand and beamed back at the onlookers as the noise intensified. Against the excitement Malcolm felt a tight squeeze against his leg as a small Riolu nervously hugged his calf. Quickly kneeling down he rubbed her back to comfort her. "Hey relax," He smiled. "Everything's going to be fine." Sari seemed to believe him as she eased up a bit.

While Malcolm tended to his pokemon the announcer had already addressed the gym leader who got an even louder applause than Mal if that was even possible. When he started to pay attention again he managed to catch the announcer stating the rules of the match. "Both trainers may use only two pokemon, only the challenger may substitute! Begin!"

"Alright Krokorok, your up first!" The gym leader called out as his pokemon materialized from the fluorescent red light of the pokeball. Malcolm already knew this gym leader specialized in ground type pokemon so pulling a ball from his belt.

"This ones all yours Jaxx!" Once the pokeball left Mal's hand it snapped open and belched a similar red light. When the light faded Jaxx, a Leafeon and Malcolm's first pokemon, stood poised and ready for battle. Malcolm paused for a moment as he took in the smell of crushed pine needles that Jaxx gave off naturally. "Now use swords dance!"

"Krokorok use sandstorm!" The reptile stood almost twice as tall as Jaxx and kicked up a massive dust cloud with a powerful swipe of it's tail over the field. At the same time Jaxx's tail started to glow as it's attack power went up. Aside for the slight damage Jaxx received Krokorok was also concealed within the roiling storm so Malcolm had Jaxx us double team.

"Krokorok, stone edge!"

A grin touched Malcolm's lips as the attack was called, wherever the attack came from was sure to be where his opponent lay in wait. It took a moment but eventually the rain of stone shards rained down but Mal's grin faded when they came from all directions in the dust cloud. Several of Jaxx's copies were also hit as he failed to come up with a counter attack though the real Jaxx managed to evade the attack.

"It appears our Malcolm is in a jam already and is unable to find his opponent. How do you hit what you can't see?" The announcer called while Malcolm tried to think, and it was that statement that gave him an idea, By using an attack that can't miss! "Jaxx use magical leaf!"

Flourishing his tail Jaxx sent a series of luminescent leaves gliding into the surrounding storm which were multiplied as his copies followed suit. Because they gave off light Malcolm was able to follow their movement inside the sandstorm but they only flew in circles instead of hitting a target. "What?"

"Now Krokorok!" At that moment Krokorok burst out of the ground, another set of stone shards weaving through the air around it. The dig attack took out one of the Leafeon copies while the second stone edge wiped out the rest of them and also deflecting the magical leaves. In the rain of shards the real Jaxx was also hit leaving him open to attack which was an opportunity the gym leader quickly exploited. "Hit it again with shadow claw!"

"Hurry, counter it with leaf blade Jaxx!" Just as Leafeon's tail went a bright green color Krokorok's claws were consumed in a purple-black borealis. The two pokemon met in a tangle of slashes and swipes as they attempted to land a hit on one another but their attacks were either blocked or dodged. It wasn't until they tried to feint each other at the same time that the both landed a hit simultaneously. The two were sent wheeling away as they tried to regain their bearings.

"Krokorok use dig once more." With that Krokorok didn't even get back to it's feet as it burrowed deep under the field. Jaxx barely got back to his feet when Krokorok came back to the surface sending Jaxx flying.

"Jaxx hit him with magical leaf again!" Jaxx balanced himself in midair and sent a flurry of glowing leaves at his opponent below. Krokorok and his trainer had no time to think or evade as the attack rained down doing massive damage to the ground-type. Krokorok was engulfed in smoke which swirled and churned as it mixed with the raging sandstorm and once again hid it from view.

"That last magical leaf attack was sure to do a lot of damage to our gym leaders Krokorok but is it enough?"

"Heh, you put up a good fight kid. Not bad for a first round." The gym leader shouted across the field, for a moment Mal thought he had won but the feeling didn't last. "Krokorok finish this with take down!"

Just as Jaxx hit the ground Krokorok was on him in a flash leaving a white vapor trail behind it as its momentum was bolstered by the attack. Jaxx had no time to recover as it was smashed head on by the reptiles sheer brute force. By the time he hit the ground again he came to a sliding halt inches from where Malcolm and Sari stood. With Jaxx unconscious Mal couldn't help but notice that in spite of the damage it took Krokorok looked like it hadn't even broken a sweat.

A referee standing by along the center of the field held up a red flag towards the gym leader. "Leafeon is unable to battle, Krokorok is the winner."

Both pokemon disappeared inside their pokeballs at the same time though Krokorok looked like he could go on for days. Malcolm was silently glad this round was over, he had an idea of what the gym leader was capable of and was already starting to doubt his chances of winning, still he wouldn't let stop him from giving this everything he had. Choosing the next pokemon he tossed the ball into the air. "Your turn Cyrol!"

"Quagsire, your up!"

Cyrol appeared with a snarl while Quagsire stood erect with a bland expression. Cyrol was a Floatzel, Malcolm had chosen him for the same reason he chose Jaxx; for their advantage over ground types though because Quagsire was also a water type Cyrol won't be as effective as Leafeon would have been. "The next round is Floatzel versus Quagsire, begin!"

"After a harsh first round Malcolm is already down to his second and last pokemon, will he be able to hold his ground in round two?"

"Quagsire, start this off with mud shot!" Quagsire stood up tall before releasing a torrent of muddy water towards Cyrol. Already forming a plan Malcolm waited for the last possible moment before calling for an ice punch. Cyrol's glowing paw connected with the mud shot which in turn froze the mud converted it into a pillar of ice and dirt. With a large thud that shook the entire arena and the ice crashed to the ground and shattered on impact.

"Cyrol follow it up with ice beam!" The off white beam arced through the air towards Quagsire like a lightning bolt, Quagsire however ducked and sidestepped the attack with a sort of fluid grace. When Cyrol repeated the attack the result was the same, though Quagsire were notoriously clumsy this one seemed pretty quick on it's feet.

"Quagsire use-"

The gym leader was about to call for the next move when a scream broke the otherwise silent crowd, all eyes followed the noise and suddenly there were dozens of others joining in. Everyone in the stands started trying to get out but Mal still couldn't see what the commotion was all about, too many people were moving to pick anything out. A deafening bellow cut through the uproar followed quickly by a body flying through the air over the crowd. With a wet crunch it landed in a heap at the edge of the field. "What in the gods' names?" At the same time Malcolm mumbled he felt Sari grip his leg tighter again.

Malcolm knew there was no way for someone to survive a fall like that, from the ground to the bottom edge of the stands alone was almost fifteen feet but when the body's arm moved as if to get back up there wasn't a doubt he was still alive... Sort of. When it was up straight enough Malcolm saw that the arm was disjointed and appeared to be coming out of it's back, it didn't stand yet but it managed to sit upright which caused it's neck to hang limp over it's chest. When globules of blood started to run from it's mouth Malcolm knew for sure something was way off but he couldn't bring himself to move. A low rasping escaped the creature as it weakly drew breath through crushed lungs, it's exhale was followed by more blood which was now tainted with small flecks of black. "Cyrol..." Malcolm started to say, trying to get his pokemon off the field. He tried saying it quietly but over the roar of the crowd the baffled pokemon didn't hear, but the creature did, it still sat upright though it's shoulders sagged but when Malcolm spoke it's head turned with a series of popping sounds. Malcolm instinctively took a step back as he saw it's eyes; bloodshot, tainted with red-black blood of the infection. A low rumble escaped it which could have been a growl as it started to get to it's feet. As it moved Malcolm saw that it's fingers and nails were stretched to the breaking point, bones at the tips of the fingers jutted out like claws piercing the flesh. Blood stained the creatures hands giving away what it could do with them, and what they could to Malcolm.

Malcolm couldn't bring himself to move, he stood terrified as he watched what had been a normal human turn into a monster before his very eyes. "Shes trusting you to take good care of her pup." Remembering his mothers voice snapped him back to reality as the creature got to it's knees. He distinctly remembered the subtle glare the Lucario female gave him over the video phone during that conversation. It was like a fog was lifted as he became conscious of the world around him, the creature was slowly rising, Cyrol watched confused as it snarled at Malcolm, people in the stands were desperately trying to get away from other creatures and the gym leader had disappeared with his pokemon. He put his fear aside as he heard Sari whimper quietly, if he was terrified then she had to be petrified. "Cyrol let's go now!"

The Floatzel gave a concerned glance at Malcolm before he returned it to it's ball, as he replaced Cyrol's pokeball on his belt he scooped up Sari and ran for the archway that led to the trainers lobby. He had enough time to see the creature collapse under it's own weight trying stand on broken bones but concentrated on getting away... He had to keep his promise, he had to keep Sari safe.....

.....After that I realized just how serious the infection was. I'd heard and read headlines about the outbreak starting in the northern cities." Malcolm continued, looking down on Sari's sleeping form. He watched her take a full breath before speaking again. "I never thought of it being much more than just another flu though."

"But then it was coming at you through the door's and through the windows." Leon added, obviously understanding.

"And chasing you through the streets ripping through everything in it's path." Malcolm concurred.

All was quiet then, or as quiet as it was going to get. Malcolm eventually managed to tune out the infected and was content to just listen to Sari's steady breathing. Half the night could have passed before Malcolm was stirred again. "So what happened to the rest of your pokemon?"

"I released them." Malcolm answered. "All of them, even Sari."

Leon was quiet for a while as he thought about everything he'd just been told. The silence seemed to linger forever in the dark of night, only the occasional cry from one of the infected kept either of them from falling asleep. "So why did she stay with you?"

Malcolm wasn't even sure how to answer that, he'd released her like all the others, she had left with the others too. "I guess she wouldn't leave me, and if it wasn't for her I wouldn't be here right now. She came back, she actually saved me. That was the day she evolved and I couldn't get her to leave again... So we've been wandering together ever since."

"I still remember when it happened. I was with a group or people trying to escape during the outbreak. One of the infected had followed us, it got one of the others... Then there were two of them and they both just kept coming." Malcolm said, his face sullen as he recounted the event. "We separated, I don't even remember most of their faces but I remember running with a few of them after me. I stumbled, fell... And then there was a bright blue flash. I heard the infected and I though 'this is it.' My eye's were closed and I saw a bright white light too. You can imagine what I thought, but then I felt something grab my arm and started shaking me. That was the first time I heard her voice."

Leon nodded when Mal finished, he'd read several books on the various pokemon species. Lucario were renowned for not only their rarity but also because of their loyalty. They only bonded with one person or other pokemon and it was that bond that caused them to evolve. Clearly years of living on the run had strengthened that bond between Sari and Malcolm. "Can I ask one more question?"

"Sure." Malcolm answered vacantly.

"How does she talk?" Malcolm was confused by the question at first mostly because he didn't even know the answer.

"I'm not even sure, I couldn't even understand her until after she evolved." Now that he thought of it, there times when Sari's mother would speak too but they had to be in person, if it was a phone conversation he would only hear the typical pokespeak. "I thinks it's because she trusts you." Malcolm concluded.

"Trusts me? You've only known me a couple of hours."

"Well you did save us."

"True." Leon nodded leaving the topic open. Again the silence took over the conversation. It wasn't long before the first rays of sunlight started peaking over the shorter buildings.

---

Sari awoke some time after the sun came up, the first thing she was was Mal's chest as he took a deep breath in his sleep. The warm morning sun felt divine as heat radiated through her fur. She allowed herself a girlish yawn as she stretched, having slept better than she had in ages.

Looking around the kiosk Sari looked and was surprised to find Leon crouching beside one of the propane camp stoves. After spending so much time living in the middle of nowhere to avoid the infected the idea of waking up to someone cooking breakfast was just outlandish. The feeling didn't last, however, as she smelled what he was cooking. Her thoughts were confirmed as she got up and saw the yellow mash of scrambled eggs in the small pan.

"Good morning." Leon said looking up as he heard Sari yawn.

"Morning." Sari answered as she sat across from him. "Where on earth did you find those?"

"The eggs?" Leon asked looking over the stove for something out of place.

"Yeah, I can't remember the last time I saw a bird, much less a birds nest." She said rubbing a paw under her eye sleepily.

"Oh, well these are synthetic." He told her as he stirred them making a puff of steam rise.

"Synthetic?" She knew what the word meant but the idea of fake eggs made her think of a child's plastic eggs that came with those toy kitchen sets.

"Yeah, it's a powder. Just add water and it looks, feels and tastes like regular eggs." After a few moments of silence Leon finished the batch he had and put it onto a paper plate and handed it to Sari. "Here you go."

"Thanks." She took a plastic fork he gave her and handled it a little clumsily before getting a proper grip and digging in. The idea of a hot meal sat very well with her and she was pleased with the taste of Leon's cooking.

Malcolm woke up a while later while Leon was cooking for himself, when he finished he offered Mal the plate but he insisted that be cook for himself. Bisharp contented himself to a can of fruit while he watched the goings on.

For the next half an hour the group chatted openly with Sari translating on Bisharps behalf. Malcolm and Sari both shared the same thought; it was almost normal. The day progressed under the impression that there were no worries, in spite of having just met the day before all four of them enjoyed the new company. After spending so long alone with Sari Mal was glad to have someone new to talk too.

After the first half hour passed the dishes were burned on the gravel rooftop but then it all went right back to idle conversation; how did it start for you? How did you get here? What are your plans? What do you know? Have you seen any others? Before any of them knew it the whole day had passed by, the sun was going down and once again the song of the undead filled the evening sky.