FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

As the first chilly wind passed the two wanderers by, Lucario shivered while Zerobi sighed out in relief. Being on the wrong side of the equator for so long had made her forget how nice it was to finally be entering a colder climate. It felt very refreshing, like she had been given a full night's sleep after months of being kept awake.

"You know... I was all fired up back then..." Lucario muttered as he clutched the side of his arms, not appreciating the prospects of traveling north as much as his companion, "... But now I'm just hungry and tired..."

"I wonder why?" Zerobi asked snarkily, "Maybe it's because you never eat and sleep on the ground?"

Lucario grumbled, lamenting the fact that they had once more lost their backpack containing sleeping bags, this time in No Man's Land. Every night he had been imagining some smelly beast nuzzling up inside the comfy folds while he was forced to use rocks for a pillow and morning dew for sheets. As for food, fleeting dreams of simple rice and the magnificent meal Silver had supplied haunted his every moment. Had they not been in such a hurry, he would have gone off to look a way to rectify both errors.

Zerobi saw his predicament. Although his suffering was nothing new to her, she knew this was a chance to prove her worth.

"Hey, Lucario!" she said cheerfully as she reached into her hair and pulled out a tiny satchel, "I've got a present for you!"

"... Huh?" Lucario exclaimed, surprised by the abruptness as well as the fact that everyone but him seemed to be storing things in their hair. He scratched the top of his head, sad to find that he would have difficulty keeping anything but dandruff in there.

"Well... It's from both me and sis..." Zerobi admitted quietly, "She grew it, and I... Uh... Requested it."

Before Lucario had time to ponder her statement and take away all her credibility, Zerobi opened the satchel with a light flick of one of her claws. She moved up to Lucario who held his hands out expectantly, seeing something thin and green dwindle out of the small bag and into his palms.

"These leaves are edible!" Zerobi chimed confidently, "In fact, from what I've read, they're the kind humans love to eat all the time!"

"E-Edible?" Lucario stammered and sniffed the quite odorless contents of his hands, "Like... Spices?"

"Come on, give it a shot!" Zerobi continued, silently praying and hoping her sister knew as much about farming as she had let on.

"I'm not so sure..." Lucario muttered, vividly remembering the so-called 'meal' Mew had prepared for him once, "... Ahh. Worth a shot. Anything's better than berries."

Bending his head down, Lucario took one of the leaves into his mouth and started chewing. Slowly but surely, a blank expression began to form on his face.

"Mint," Lucario said flatly as his expression turned into a sneer.

"Is it tasty?" Zerobi asked hopefully.

"No... I mean, yes... I mean..." Lucario stuttered at a loss for words at the vaguely familiar taste on his tongue, "It's minty, I'll give you that. Not exactly what I'd consider a satisfying taste or a filling meal."

"Oh..." Zerobi said disappointedly, regretting not having opted for learning how to cook at some point during her many years of free time, "... Well, I thought maybe you can use them to kill the taste of the berries?"

Lucario's expression suddenly lit up, looking around until he spotted a grove a little further ahead. He ran ahead, Zerobi following while wondering if he had sensed an enemy or something. Within the grove she found him hunched next to a berry tree, padding the insides of his mouth with the mint before taking a bite out of a Grepa Berry. He cringed at first, but the worry on his face soon melted away as he started chewing.

"Oh, hey..." Lucario whispered hopefully as he reluctantly swallowed down the bite, "Yeah, you're right... It does taste less wretched like this..."

Berry after berry he ate, making sure not to damage or accidentally swallow the mint. Zerobi stared at him, making him realize he had his mouth rudely open for display like he was paying an inordinate visit to the dentist. Even so, he couldn't help but notice she was smiling for some reason, thinking she was probably glad to not be kept awake by his growling stomach any more.

"Haahhh..." Lucario sighed as he leaned up against a tree and slowly sunk down, his mouth a bit sore but his stomach full. Worry struck as he spat out the mint, seeing that his saliva had already done quite a number on the small leaves, bringing ruination while draining nearly all taste out of them.

"I brought more," Zerobi quickly added, disgusted to see Lucario trying to wipe off as much drool as possible from his tiny saviors. Lucario's ears perked up as he stared at her, before throwing the leaves away with a silent nod of gratitude. He yawned as he leaned back further.

"Feeling a bit tired..." Lucario whispered, his back and neck rather stiff and uncomfortable against the hard bark.

"Digestion and sleep runs on the same nervous system," Zerobi said clearly while moving closer, "Here, you can lie on my lap, if you want."

Playing it cool while Lucario's eyes squinted, she sat down next to him and leaned up against the same tree.

"... I did go to school, remember?" Zerobi said casually as she feigned ignorance.

"No, like... The other thing you said," Lucario clarified, his aching back chafing painfully as he subtly shuffled away from her.

"What? You've got to rest if you want to keep going," Zerobi stated as reasonably as possible, having learned a few tricks from talking to Zoroark earlier and observing his behavior, "We're friends, we help each other out. Nothing wrong with that, right?"

Opening his mouth in protest, Lucario slowly closed it again as he could not think of a good response. It felt wrong somehow, but considering how many times they had hugged up against one another, he knew this really should not be any different. Zerobi smiled and patted her lap, realizing that her claws were all but inviting and quickly moved them aside.

Remembering how nice it had been to sleep next to Celebi, Lucario decided to give it a shot as he laid down, placing his head on Zerobi's legs. They were soft but had certain firmness to them, and the fine hair pleasantly tickled the back of his head. In contrast, the hair on his head was rough and coarse, and his ears seemed to drop slightly in relaxation, Zerobi rejecting the urge to poke them just to see what would happen. She hardly believed how easy it had been to convince him, wishing she had attempted something like it earlier.

As the minutes passed, the stress accumulated from the past few hectic days seemed to melt away. It was is if they had been surrounded by a cloud of tension ever since running into the armored human, and only now was it being carried away by the cold wind brushing past their bodies. Lucario felt warm when next to Zerobi, and she for once did not mind the heat at all. They were both enjoying the moment to the fullest, neither eager to continue their journey away from peace and towards future strife.

"Hey... You've been awfully nice to me lately..." Lucario mumbled while rubbing his eyes, feeling like he had just been moments away from falling asleep.

"Oh really?" Zerobi scoffed and snickered to herself, wishing she had something besides freakishly large and sharp hands to affectingly comb through his hair with, "You think putting your faith in me when no one else would might've had something to do with that?"

"Well... Might as well have, we've been together an awful lot..." Lucario said with a display of calmness rarely shown, "Who knows? Maybe we're fated to be stuck doing things together forever?"

"That would be really unexpected..." Zerobi admitted somberly in disregard to her own feelings, "I always figured our friendship was only temporary... That you'd abandon me once the truth about my past came out..."

"... Hmm... I guess I had about the same idea..." Lucario replied after thinking to himself for a few moments, "I was so sure that I was going to become human again and leave all this behind... Getting to know a bunch of people would just make it harder to go..."

A sudden thought hit Zerobi, diverting her attention from the nice situation at hand.

"Lucario..." she whispered, "What do you think would've happened between us had you still been human when we first met?"

"Hahaha..." Lucario chuckled quietly to himself while thinking back, "I guess I'd capture you and drag you around with me?"

"Hehehe..." Zerobi snickered in return, "Not much of a difference, then?"

"Hey, you're the one who dragged me around!" Lucario insisted while breaking his calm, "Going off to rescue Celebi and all that!"

He tried to sit up, but his head fell back into place soon enough, feeling like a heavy rock lying in the soft sand at the bottom of a cold but gentle sea. Everything felt so peaceful for some reason, and Lucario could not bother to muster up even a sliver of effort. He looked up at Zerobi, her smiling face clashing against the green crown of the tree above, and suddenly Lucario started to feel bad.

"... Just so you know..." Lucario mumbled while looking off to the side in embarrassment, "... I never helped you because I felt indebted."

"Indebted?" Zerobi replied with confusion. Whatever she had been expecting him to be thinking about, it had not been that.

"Yeah. You know, because you saved me from Brendan and Suicune," Lucario continued as he faced her once more, "I... Don't really care about stuff like that. The reason I helped you is because... Well, I like you."

The words hung in the air for a moment, leaving Zerobi relieved yet somewhat unfulfilled. All the relief in the world could not quell the lingering and powerful emotions she had developed for Lucario over the past year. She could hardly believe how much he had changed her life, and how big a part of it he had become. Having come through countless times and staying loyal even in the darkest times had transformed the handsome yet brutish fighting-type into something of an icon for the relation-starved Weavile. Her initial curiosity had turned into interest. Appreciation became admiration. Care had become... Something more.

Against Zerobi's own wishes, her heart was beginning to pound harder, ruining their serene moment together. Relaxing with Lucario in her lap was such a nice feeling, but served to cloud her mind with a deep longing for more. Why could she not be satisfied with this? Why strive for something so obviously out of reach? She had kept her feelings hidden, well aware of the potential rejection and the consequences it would bring. They could pretend it never happened, but it would just be an act they both could see through with ease. He would distance himself from her, and she would find herself all alone once more. It was a risk that had once seemed unthinkable, but as her desire and frustration grew she found herself contemplating it more and more often.

She had tried her best to make him notice her in a different light, but was not able to read his reactions very well. His surprising complexity and unpredictable nature was one of the things that had drawn her curious mind towards him, and her repeated failure in predicting his actions always left her eager for more. Afraid and unable to directly confront him, she had even gone as far as to ask Celebi to probe him for answers. As she thought about it, she remembered that it was not the only thing she had asked Celebi for regarding Lucario. The reason she and him were here alone at this very moment was because of a promise she had made to her sister, something that had been so easy to promise yet so impossible to go through with.

Why was she hesitating? The moment was perfect in every single way. She knew she would never get a chance like this again, and could not spend the rest of her life agonizing over what could have happened and what could have been had she only been a little bit braver. If she had the inner strength to admit and even accept what had happened in Cerulean City so many years ago, something like this should be no problem at all. It was now or never, and never was something she simply could not tolerate. She had to know.

"Lucario... There's something I have to tell you," Zerobi whispered slowly and worked on removing her unfittingly troubled expression, "Something that's been on my mind for a long time."

"It's... Not as bad as your last revelation, right?" Lucario asked cautiously, enjoy the peacefulness far too much to give it up.

"No, no," Zerobi replied while smiling. The smile faded as she looked down at Lucario, looking back at her with a curious expression. The fierce beast-like features she had seen so many times in battle were all but gone, leaving his face in a gentle and relaxed state. His normally sharp eyes seemed to have softened, and reminded her of when he had supported her after the battle against Lucas. She shook the memory from her head as she focused on the task at hand.

"Lucario, I..." Zerobi said, letting her voice trail off as she gave pause, hesitating as she fully enjoyed their final quiet, untarnished moment together. She inhaled deeply tried once more.

"I think..." Zerobi continued as she swallowed, looking him deep in the eye, "... I think I... Love you..."

Lucario stared at her, raising an eyebrow.

"... You, uh..." Lucario responded his face caught between a laugh and panic, "You're kidding, right?"

"Eh?" Zerobi exclaimed in surprise, amazed that she had actually made her confession and immediately wishing she could take it back.

"You can NOT be... Are you serious!?" Lucario burst out as he immediately sat up and started shaking his head, "No! Impossible! How in the..."

He looked at Zerobi who was reaching out for him, and in a panic stumbled back away from her large claws. Seeing her face droop in sadness, he quickly rectified himself and moved closer, crouching down on one knee.

"... You've seen me beaten within an inch of my life like a goddamn wimp!" Lucario explained while trying to make sense out of things, "I haven't even tried to be charming... Hell, I've been a complete ass! This makes no sense, how the hell could you possibly fall for me!?"

"No, you've... You've been nice!" Zerobi responded with shock, "You believed in me-"

"That's because we're friends!" Lucario shouted in exasperation, "I didn't think you'd see it like THAT! I..."

Lucario forced himself to calm down as he stood up, turning away. Zerobi felt speechless as she also stood up, a solid grip tightening around her heart.

"I already told you, it can never happen..." Lucario whispered as he clutched his fists, "I'm human, I could never be together with someone like you... You know, a Pokﾃｩmon..."

"But... You aren't human anymore!" Zerobi argued as she took a step forward, refusing to give up on something so important without a fight, "You're a Pokﾃｩmon, now and forever! And you're already together with me, right at this moment! Why's that, if it's so impossible!?"

"W-We're friends!" Lucario gasped as he turned around and faced her, "There's no problem with that, so don't go complicating things!"

"We're still friends!" Zerobi said before shaking her head in an attempt to clear her mind, "I just wanted you to know that I... I really, really like you!"

"... Well, of course! I like you too!" Lucario shouted back, not knowing what to say anymore, "But... Love? It... It seems wrong..."

Zerobi gave off a hurt expression and fell quiet, which did little to calm Lucario's nerves. To him, this had all come out of the blue, and he was far too surprised to think rationally. Finding a short pause in their talks, he decided to think things over before saying something he would come to regret.

Unlike what he had initially thought, he found himself to be not entirely opposed to the idea. After all, Zerobi was a great friend. Her air of mystique was rather alluring, and her snarky quips always brought a smile to his face. Never crossing him and never pissing him off without reason, she really was someone he could see himself spending time with years from now.

And although he had never thought much of it before, he could not deny that there was a certain beauty to her. Her sleek frame and noticeable curves was something he assumed would drive normal Pokﾃｩmon wild in a heartbeat, not to mention the fact that she was able to retain both class and cleanliness in a world of dirty beasts. The grace and elegance he had assumed to just be a show the first time they met had turned out to be part of her nature, permeating her very being. Moving like a mysterious dancer, her jet black form radiated charm with every motion.

It was something he could learn to enjoy... But would it be something he could learn to love? He felt so confused. Usually he would back up his determination with endless confidence, but as his confidence slipped away he found himself dazzled and unable to make up his mind.

"... And here I thought you were like me..." Zerobi whispered as she looked down on the ground, wondering maybe it was time for her to give up, "Ready to step into the unknown..."

"... Huh...?" Lucario mumbled as he snapped out of his own thoughts, wondering what she meant.

"I've never loved anyone before, either..." Zerobi admitted, "But I want to know what it's like... If you don't like it, we can always go back to how things were..."

Realizing the meaning of her own words, she suddenly took a step towards Lucario. If this was as close as she was getting to true romance, then she at least wished to take back a souvenir, a memory to make the whole thing worthwhile. Lucario instinctively took a step back, but Zerobi had already taken three steps closer.

"Just... Please..." she whispered quietly, "Let's give it a try... I want to know..."

She approached until she was right in front of him, Lucario able to see his own reflection in the yellow gemstone her forehead bore. Although the turn of the situation was abrupt, he was well aware of what was about to happen and found himself stuck to the ground, unable to run away. His stern ration and tempting curiosity fought hard as he could not decide whether to reject or embrace it.

"Kn... Know, not... Y'know..." Lucario stuttered as he swallowed hard, moving his head back as far as possible in a futile attempt to gain more time. Zerobi's belated breath felt both moist and chilly against his chin.

"Come on, I know you... You're not so innocent..." Zerobi whispered seductively as she leaned in further, "... And neither am I..."

With her last words, she moved her head forward as they finally locked lips. Lucario felt the underside of his nose graze by her hair as he stared up into the sky in shock, completely frozen. The moment lasted for nearly three seconds before the two of them split off, jerking away from one another in disgust. Zerobi clutched her throat and coughed wildly as Lucario fell to his knees with a ghastly expression.

"Awawawa! It burns!" Zerobi yelled with her tongue outstretched, rubbing away layer after layer of strong minty taste with her claws, "H-How do you stuff yourself with something like that!?"

"Tastes... Like licking the front lawn..." Lucario wheezed dryly, the accumulated taste of several berries sucking every last bit of life out of him. Zerobi inhaled deeply several times as the horrible assault upon her taste buds settled, and shut her eyes in frustration. This was not at all how she had imagined her first kiss to be like.

"Damn it! You're right..." Zerobi groaned as the realization finally hit her, "It can never happen... You and I, we're too different... We're not meant to be..."

Slowly coming returning to the world of the living, Lucario looked at her with a dazed expression. His heart was racing, but not from fear like he had expected. It was from excitement, the situation feeling so weird and unfamiliar it was like a new experience altogether.

"... That taste's going to haunt my nightmares..." Lucario muttered, "But... I guess... If you're OK with it... I'm open to trying new things."

Zerobi's head suddenly perked up as she looked at him, some kind of determination lighting up in her eyes. Digging through her hair and drawing out another satchel, she cut it open and let the minty leaves fall into her open palm. Clenching every muscle in her body and closing her eyes, she suddenly lifted her hand and thrust every last leaf into her mouth, cringing as fierce gustation wracked her once more while struggling not to spit out the evil herbs.

"Uh... Those are hard to come by..." Lucario pointed out as he saw his precious supply of flavor enhancers disappear inside the mouth of someone else.

"Not as hard as this..." Zerobi muttered as she stood up and approached Lucario. Mustering up courage while making sure he would not escape, she wrapped her arms around him and kissed him with all her might. Lucario felt his uvula twitch wildly in fear as he expected to find the taste of loathed berries on the other side, but was instead met by a minty, fresh aroma. There was also something else, something he had not noticed before. Whatever was happening, he wanted more of it. A wild sensation at the back of his mind suddenly activated as his feet fastened upon the ground, he opened his mouth further and embraced Zerobi. Before he knew it, he was kissing her back. Unspoken thoughts and sensations swirled between them as they continued to kiss, the world around them disappearing as they shared the moment in rapture.