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Chapter Text

Chapter 1

The Beginning, Part 1

Ethan collapsed on the shore, soaking wet and gasping for air. A pillar of unnaturally bright light, reflected on the surface of the water he pulled himself from, caught his attention. The hole or portal or whatever it was that ejected him here began to shrink.

Ethan let his head fall back to the pebbly ground and began organizing his muddled thoughts. First, what happened? A few moments ago, he had been leading a young men's group in an exploration of the lava tubes in Snow Canyon State Park. They had made plans months ago to explore the caves.

12 minutes earlier

Parts of the tunnel Ethan and his group traversed were cramped, only permitting them to crouch or crawl through in a single-file line. During a break to rest and hydrate, Ethan scouted the next portion of the cave. When he reached the next fork, he consulted the guidebook that the park rangers had given him to confirm his location and which path to take. Satisfied, he turned to go back when he noticed a dim light shining from the other path.

Odd, Ethan thought. We should be the only ones down here. He looked back to where he had left the group before shaking his head. They'd be alright for a few more minutes. His longtime friend, TJ, was with them after all.

After pocketing the guidebook, he placed a reflective sticker pointing to the exit on the wall of the tunnel, adjusted his hard hat and headlamp, and descended farther to investigate the light. He continued placing stickers every fifteen or so paces so he could find his way back later.

We're too far below the surface for that to be sunlight. I'm not sure what else it could be, assuming that it's not another person, Ethan thought. As he got closer to the light, he decided to call out, "Hello? Anyone there?"

His words echoed, carrying his soft-spoken voice. When he didn't hear anything in response, he continued forward.

A few minutes passed before the cave opened into a large cavern. Ethan stood to his full height and reached for the ceiling, stretching his sore back.

After a few moments, Ethan looked around and raised a brow in confusion. The smooth stone floor in this area was glowing a bright yellow. Could this be phosphorescent rock? No, phosphorescent rock needs to absorb light to emit any kind of light, he thought. He grabbed his phone and took a picture to show his group and the park rangers later to ask about it. This definitely wasn't mentioned in the guidebook.

Being the curious man he was, Ethan took a stone and tossed it a fair distance in front of him. The rock skipped a few times until it settled. Nothing remarkable happened.

"Ethan, where'd you go?"

"Dude! You get lost?"

Crap. He'd been away for too long. "TJ, grab the others and follow my markers. You've got to see this!" Ethan yelled back. It would take a few minutes for his friend to get all the boys moving.

A shadow of something on the far wall caught Ethan's attention. Curious, he walked over, unaware that the light of the floor parted around his steel-toed boots. Once he got closer, the object of interest appeared to be a depiction of a massive tree. Near the base of the tree, there was a crude drawing of three large, humanoid-like figures. He slowly took in the details, noting the many different creatures drawn in and around the tree. Near the top, a feline with disproportionately long feet and a long, bulbous-ended tail was depicted.

Hah, that kind of looks like Mew, Ethan mused. But who would have the time or commitment to come down here just to carve something few would ever see? Ethan took a few pictures of the whole thing and tucked his phone away in his backpack.

Ethan appreciated the carving for a moment longer before heading back to the mouth of the cavern. Halfway there, he stiffened when the ground shook, and a boom echoed as if something gave way farther underground. He shielded his eyes as the glow from the cavern floor intensified, and a loud hum accompanied the blinding light.

"What's-?!" Ethan yelled in a panic. Suddenly, the floor around him dimmed to a calm blue, and the humming abruptly stopped. Ethan lowered his arms and looked around, heart hammering in his chest. It was as if time itself had stopped. He saw TJ and the others just beyond the mouth of the cavern, frozen mid-step.

"This is so eerie. What the hell is going on?" Ethan whispered. The air seemed still, and the only sounds he could hear were his breathing, his rapidly beating heart, and a dull ringing in his ears from the tinnitus.

"WHAT THINKEST THOU? WILL THIS ONE BE SUFFICIENT?" a strong voice reverberated from seemingly everywhere. Ethan tensed and pivoted on his feet, trying to find who spoke. Sufficient? What the hell was this voice talking about?

The air around Ethan grew heavy, making it difficult to breathe. He fell to his hands and knees, his hard hat rolling to the side before settling with the headlamp casting his shadow on the cavern wall. He suddenly felt lightheaded and unable to support his weight. His mind grew fuzzy, and he couldn't form a coherent thought.

The pressure subsided after what felt like hours, and Ethan breathed heavily. Another powerful yet gentler voice responded to the last one's query. "Yes, this one will do."

The earth shook once more. Ethan screamed, stomach rising to his throat as the ground crumbled and gave way, thrusting him down into a dark void. The only source of light came from a headlamp illuminating an otherwise dark cavern wall.

Present time

…I heard voices, I fell, and now my probable only way of getting back is about to– "Oh, scheiss!" Ethan hurriedly stood and ran for the light. He was knee-deep, sloshing through the water, when a bout of lightheadedness hit, causing him to lose his balance and catch himself in the water.

"No, no, nononono!" Ethan cried, forcing himself back up, and started swimming towards the rapidly shrinking light. He was too late, though, as the hole in the lake's surface closed with an echo of dripping water. A shockwave then exploded from the epicenter of where the light once met the surface of the lake, creating waves that overtook him and carried him back to shore.

Ethan rolled himself to his stomach and coughed out the water that made its way into his nostrils. "And the day started off so well," he muttered to himself. What was it those voices had said? That he would do? Would do for what?

Ethan decided to drop that thought in the 'figure out later' pile in his mind. There was no use thinking about something if he didn't have a way to get an answer. He took some deep, shuddering breaths in an attempt to calm himself. He was alone in a place he didn't know, and panicking wouldn't help.

First order of business: figure out where I am, Ethan decided. He scanned the area around him. There was the lake he had just come from, the water slowly calming back down. There was a natural ramp heading upwards to his right and a tunnel opening behind him. Looking up, he could see the cavernous ceiling and sunlight filtering in through gaps in the rocky wall–

Wait, sunlight? He set his backpack on the ground and pulled out his phone, shaking off some droplets of water that clung to the screen. After unlocking it, he checked for cell service or GPS. 'No signal' was the only thing that greeted him.

"Wonderful! No service and no satellites," Ethan muttered sarcastically. As he put his phone away, he noticed the ringing in his ears and realized it was eerily quiet. There should at least be insects or other wildlife. This place is perfect for them, he thought. Maybe I scared them off?

Deciding that he would get nowhere by standing around, he started for the tunnel opening. Before he got far, the ground began to shake, and Ethan froze, fixing his gaze beneath his feet. "Ah, crap. Not again!" he cried.

Instead of the ground falling out from under him like he was half expecting, dirt spewed out like a geyser into the air a short distance in front of him and blocked his path. A spinning figure launched from the new opening and landed in front of it, causing the earth to shake again and make Ethan lose his footing in surprise. He sat up, pulled his glasses from his pocket, and put them on.

Ethan couldn't believe what he was seeing. Standing there, a body made entirely of rock and clay, was a realistic-looking Regirock.

Uhh, am I dreaming? Ethan pinched himself and flinched. Okay, probably not dreaming. Why did I have to squeeze so – Is that a Hyper Beam?!

Ethan threw himself to the side, narrowly avoiding receiving a hole in his chest. "What was that for?! I didn't do anything to deserve that!" he yelled.

Regirock just beeped and charged another attack.

Ethan didn't need more prompting than that. He hopped to his feet and ran in the direction of the ramp he spotted earlier, adrenaline pumping through his veins and sharpening his senses. The Hyper Beam from the Rock Peak Pokémon went wide, missing Ethan entirely.

This just isn't my day, Ethan thought to himself as he made his way up the ramp and out of sight.

A young kit sat on her haunches, taking in the view of the craggy terrain below and the setting sun to the west. She breathed in the crisp, cold air, taking in all the scents around her as a gentle breeze caressed her fur. She liked living here. There was plenty of food and clean water, and she had shelter; she had everything she could need to live a comfortable life.

She sighed and lay her head on her paws, staring at the ground. Comfortable like this wasn't what she wanted.

She came to this same spot every day, mulling over the idea of leaving her home to go and find the adventure her young heart yearned for. She had heard from some of the more well-traveled Pokémon that there were creatures out there called 'hoomans' that weren't Pokémon. They went on journeys to train Pokémon and had lots of adventures.

She supposed she wouldn't mind being trained by a hooman if they would be a good friend and could help her get stronger. She loved battling, but most of the Pokémon living here preferred their boring, peaceful lives. Not many would indulge her when she wanted a fight.

She looked up as the sun disappeared behind the horizon. Closing her eyes, she made a wish that she could find a hooman to befriend and go with on plenty of adventures.

When she felt she had closed her eyes long enough, she stood. She stretched each of her legs and yawned, then departed for her den to rest for the night.

A star in the sky twinkled a little brighter before going dim.

As Ethan ran, a few thoughts came to mind. First, running in soaked clothes and boots sucked. The higher he climbed, the cooler it became and the colder he got, despite the adrenaline staving off the worst of it.

Second, there were Pokémon everywhere! He couldn't spare a thought to identify them, but he spotted them at the edges of his vision.

His third thought was how unlucky he was to have drawn the attention of both a Regice and Registeel. What's next?! Regieleki and Regidrago? The Sword and Shield expansions had yet to come out, so other than their typings, he had no idea what they were capable of. He just hoped they wouldn't show up.

It got dark, and the only light came from glowing blue crystals that were seemingly everywhere. How he had not noticed them before was a question Ethan was too preoccupied to ask himself right now.

They sure love their Hyper Beams. At least they have stormtrooper aim, Ethan thought as he ducked under another attack. Ethan hadn't been able to get by completely unscathed. He had bruises forming on the less protected parts of his body. His clothes were torn in places, either getting caught on rocky outcroppings or the debris that nicked him from the attacks exploding around him.

Ethan came to another fork and took the path to the right, hoping, like every other path he took, that this one wouldn't come to a dead end. Thankfully, he could see an opening at the end of the tunnel. When he emerged, the twilight from the set sun greeted him. He stopped, looked down, and saw just how high he was.

Ohh, this isn't good. If I keep going up, I'm going to get cornered, Ethan frantically thought as he breathed heavily and wiped the sweat from his brows. But I don't know my way around here, and the Regis are blocking the only way down that I know. I didn't pack any rappelling equipment because I didn't think I'd be chased up this Arceus-forsaken place in an alternate dimension!

Ethan paused. Wow, I'm already using Pokémon swears.

"Vee?"

Ethan nearly jumped off the cliff, nerves figuratively and literally on edge. He turned around and met the eyes of a fox-like creature standing at about a foot and a half tall from its front paws to the top of its head. It had two long, brown ears angled back, big green eyes, a thick white mane, brown fur, and a tail with a white floral pattern on the end of it.

"Eev eevee!?" it – she barked as she backpedaled.

"S-sorry, little Eevee, I can't talk right now. I'm kind of running for my–"

Registeel burst through the opening of the tunnel he exited moments ago. Ethan bolted past the eevee as Registeel fired a Hyper Beam. Eevee yipped in surprise and avoided the attack meant for Ethan, then ran in the same direction and shot past him.

Another Hyper Beam fired by Registeel went high. The shot, however, hit a rocky overhang, and debris rained down.

"Eevee! Above you!" Ethan called out. Eevee looked and locked up, frozen in fear.

Damn it, Eevee! Ethan put on a burst of speed, not knowing where the energy to do so came from, and grabbed Eevee by her thick mane, narrowly avoiding the worst of the falling debris. He wished he still had his hard hat. "D-don't worry. I got ya!" Ethan winced as he placed her in his arms.

His adrenaline was starting to flag, and Ethan knew he wouldn't be able to run for much longer. He needed a break, but the Regi trio was relentless. He had no idea how he had managed to run so hard for as long as he had. He had never pushed himself this hard in all of his twenty-six years. Then again, his life never depended on it.

Seeing that he had left his pursuers behind the rockslide for the moment, he slowed to a stop and sat down to catch his breath. He set the eevee down and opened his canteen to drink the last of the water he had. He looked down when he felt something pat his leg.

"Wh-what's up, Eevee?" Ethan coughed through gritted teeth, most of his body in pain from over-exertion.

"Eev… vee eevee," Eevee mumbled before she broke down and began sobbing.

Ethan, unsure of what to do, lifted a shaky hand and rubbed her behind the ears, saying in a soft voice, "It's okay. I'm scared too. But you'll be alright."

That seemed to be the right thing to do, as Eevee's sobs turned into hiccups as she calmed down. She then tilted her head as if asking him something.

"Honestly, I don't know if I'm going to make it. It seems like the Regis really don't want me to be here. I don't even know how I got here in the first place! Hell, I don't even know where I am!" Ethan growled before deflating. "I just want to go home."

Eevee pulled her ears back, surprised by the outburst. Ethan sighed and covered his eyes, wiping away tears before they could form. "You're not safe with me, Eevee. If you stay with me, the Regis might target you too. You should run while you have the chance." Ethan shakily pushed himself up and shouldered his pack.

"I'm going to keep moving. I don't want you to risk your life with me if they find me," Ethan said. The ground shook with the thuds of heavy footfall. He stiffened before turning to Eevee. "Go! Get out of here!" he yelled, pointing a finger in the opposite direction from where he was running.

Eevee hid behind a rock as the strange two-legged creature that had saved her life ran off. Shortly after, the elemental golems entered the room and exchanged a few beeps between them before splitting up and going down different tunnels.

Eevee pondered about what had just happened. The creature saved her life, comforted her when she needed it, and even put her safety before its own. Eevee set her face in a determined frown. She would not let the one who saved her life fall to the guardians. She wasn't strong enough to stop them, but she knew who was. With a plan in mind, she ran off, determined to save her new friend.

Ethan was reaching his limit. Then again, he had thought that several times now and managed to keep going. His clothes were mostly dry now, though the blisters forming on his feet, combined with his exhaustion, more than canceled out any hope he could go on for much longer.

The air was thin, making it harder to breathe. Fortunately, Ethan hadn't been found yet, so he was trying to keep at a pace he could maintain, which wasn't much more than a brisk walk.

Ethan's entire body was struggling, and his focus began to wane. As if to prove this was the case, one foot tripped over the other, and he fell forward, letting out a yelp. He covered his face as he hit the floor, groaning in pain.

…Need rest, Ethan begrudgingly thought. He pushed himself onto his knees, crawled over to the nearest wall, and sat back against it.

I have one hell of a headache, Ethan remarked as he tilted his neck to one side, then the other, getting a few satisfying pops. Reaching into a pocket in his cargo jeans, he pulled out an energy bar and bit off one end.

As he chewed, he took time to think about things he had put on hold. He was in the Pokémon world! This is every Pokémon fan's dream, but he was actually here. True, his experience thus far had been less than stellar, but it was still amazing to think about. Which Pokémon world did he end up in, though? Mystery Dungeon? Anime? Games? Manga?

Was he in a Mystery Dungeon? Nope, still human, he thought as he took another bite. Though, this place did feel like a bit of a maze. He couldn't remember any places like this in the games, and he only knew bits and pieces of what happened in the manga. This could be the anime. He was sure he had seen crystals like these before, but his tired mind was drawing up a blank.

Ethan finished his snack and pocketed the wrapper. No need to litter here. He didn't need to give his pursuers a real reason, however small, to chase after him.

Oh, right. Life's still in danger.

Ethan tried to push himself up with shaking arms, but they failed, and he sat back down. His entire body was shaking from the full brunt of his adrenaline crash, and he couldn't run anymore. If he died, he would die here.

Ethan raised a hand and touched a nearby glowing crystal. As he ran his hand over the smooth surface, he felt a sense of calm wash over him, as if assuring him that everything would be alright.

Ethan's eyes snapped open as he felt the thuds of footsteps grow closer. He didn't feel like he had been out for long, maybe a few minutes at most. The thudding stopped, and Ethan met the cold, indifferent gazes of Regirock, Regice, and Registeel.

The Regis beeped amongst themselves before charging their attacks. Ethan closed his eyes as tears rolled down his cheeks. At least he'd be able to see his friend and family again in the next life.

"Come on now. It's too early to give up!"

Ethan cracked open his eyes. In place of his pursuers was a man. The man seemed ethereal, but his features stood out well enough. He had blue eyes and spiked dark blue hair under his hat. He wore a dark cape that went down to his ankles, gray clothing with a simple blue tunic, and blue boots laced halfway up his shin.

"Wh-who are you?" Ethan asked, feeling a sense of familiarity.

The man smiled. "I am just a friend, but that's not important now. Your time is not yet up. You still have things to do. You're here for a reason. You are here to lend a hand in changing the fates of many in this world."

The man leaned down and extended a hand to Ethan. "Take my hand, and I will awaken the potential within you. You might not need it, but it may help."

Confused and knowing he had nothing to lose, Ethan took the proffered hand. When the man let go, Ethan didn't feel any different than before. He arched an eyebrow at the man, who only offered a kind smile. "Good luck, Ethan."

Ethan blinked, and the Regi trio was back where they were before the strange vision. He squeezed his eyes shut as the trio fired their attacks, but the pain he was expecting to feel never came. Cracking his eyelids open, he was astonished to see that the attacks had been stopped by what looked to be a radiant pink barrier.

What?

'Well, hello there!'

Ethan was startled out of his stupor. That last thought wasn't his. He looked up to see a floating pink-furred feline with its paws outstretched. The defining detail that Ethan could see was a long tail with a bulbous tip.

Mew giggled. 'You're funny! I like you!' Mew let the barrier fade when the attacks ended. 'The human is with me now! Go back to your posts,' Mew said, shooing them away.

The trio just stood there, unmoving, and Mew sighed. 'Execute function: addFriend - input: this human.' The lights on the Regis' faces blinked in seemingly random patterns, processing the request before turning to leave.

Ethan, having had enough excitement for one day, promptly fell over and passed out.

Chapter Text

Chapter 2

The Beginning, Part 2

The first thing that greeted Ethan as he awoke was the soreness he felt in his everything. Groaning, he tried to sit up but was stopped by a warm, soft weight on his chest. He opened his eyes to discover a bundle of brown and cream-colored fur, taking in slow, even breaths.

It took a moment for him to make the connection between the sleeping fox on his chest and the previous day's events.

Right…. I wound up in another dimension, incurred the unprovoked wrath of three super-powered Minecraft golems, and saved an eevee that the Detective Pikachu movie didn't do justice, he recalled, then sighed. I'm probably – no, definitely going to need therapy.

Ethan focused on the Evolution Pokémon again, the corner of his lip curving upward. It didn't matter what universe he was in; if an animal is sleeping on you, you do not move from your spot and are stuck until they move off you. I guess I need to add Pokémon to that unwritten rule, he mused.

It wasn't long before the sun climbed over the mountains to the east, its light shining on Eevee's dozing form. Eevee yawned cutely, her small, white, pointed canines catching the light. She licked a paw and began grooming the messy fur on her head.

"Hey, Eevee? I know I make a great bed, but I really need to pee," Ethan quipped. "Did you sleep well?"

Eevee's eyes shot open, and she pounced, assaulting the human's face and ears with aggressive licks and excited yips.

Ethan laughed and winced, fruitlessly trying to protect his face from the onslaught of cuteness. "Stop that, Eevee, please," he begged. He slowly struggled into a sitting position, causing Eevee to fall into his lap. He brought up a hand to pet Eevee between her ears. After a moment, Eevee leaned into his touch, purring contentedly.

"You're pretty friendly. Thanks for keeping me warm. Now, where am I?" Ethan asked.

"Eev-vee eevee!" Eevee replied, puffing out her chest.

"…I hate to burst your bubble, but humans don't understand Pokémon speech," Ethan told the proud eevee.

Eevee blinked and tilted her head, a broad smile still on her face.

Ethan chuckled. "I'm a human, Eevee. I can't understand Pokémon speech," he clarified.

If Ethan had a camera…. He grabbed the pack at his side, took out his phone, and opened the camera app to capture Eevee's expression. Her green eyes had somehow gotten wider, her ears straightened, and he was sure her jaw would have hit the floor and continued through if it could. That's my new lock screen photo for sure, Ethan decided.

Eevee was in awe. Her new friend was a hooman! Eevee thanked Jirachi for making her wish come true.

Ethan booped Eevee's wet nose to get her attention. She came out of her trance and sneezed, rapidly shaking her head from side to side. Ethan chuckled and put on the most genuine smile that had graced his lips in a long time. I still can't believe I'm with an actual eevee! A Pokémon! he thought.

"Eevee, do you know where Mew is?" Ethan asked. "I need to talk with them." He figured if he were going to make any progress getting out of here and back home, Mew would be a great place to start. He had questions that needed answers.

"Eevee!" Eevee nodded, rolled off his lap, and ran to a nearby tunnel. She stopped and looked back at him expectantly. "Eev? Eevee!" She called, prancing in place.

"Okay, I'm coming. Just… give me a moment. I wasn't kidding about needing to pee," Ethan replied. He slowly stood up, grimacing as he did so. He shouldered his pack, adjusted his glasses, and, after finding a place to relieve himself, followed the impatient eevee.

Eevee stopped at a spring to drink, and Ethan took the opportunity to quench his thirst, refill his canteen, and wash the dirt, blood, and sweat off his face and hands. The scabs on his feet reopened, and Ethan took the opportunity to clean and wrap them with antiseptic gauze from his first-aid kit, which thankfully didn't soak through. With his immediate needs fulfilled, his mind was free to wander while he followed Eevee, who was humming an unfamiliar, upbeat tune.

He didn't want to think about the legendary Pokémon that had been hunting him down. That was in the past, and he'd rather it stay there, thank you very much. Though he couldn't help but occasionally glance around nervously.

The first question on his mind concerned where he was. Now that he wasn't in survival mode and could think more clearly, he had a pretty good idea of his location. Mew and the Regi trio were here, there were glowing blue crystals everywhere he looked, and he had spotted some lileep, anorith, and a few other curious Pokémon among the local population before they hid from view. He would confirm his suspicions with Mew later.

He thought back to the vision he'd had before Mew rescued him. That was another thing that made him sure of where he was. The man he had seen had to be Sir Aaron from the Lucario and the Mystery of Mew movie. The man didn't have the auratic gloves, but he supposed that made sense. Aaron did take them off before he died. If this is the anime world, then he had an idea of how he might be able to get a general window of when he was.

The final question on his mind, one he still couldn't answer, was why. Why was he here? He knew now he wasn't here by accident. The voices back in the lava tubes said he "would do", and Aaron told him that he would help change the fates of many in this world.

Well, Ethan figured if he was supposed to do something specific, then whatever forces brought him here would shepherd him where they wanted him.

As Ethan and Eevee entered another tunnel, Ethan's thoughts turned to home. If coming here had to happen to him, he was grateful he had never married or had any children to leave behind. He wasn't very close to his siblings, though he would miss his young nieces and nephews.

Back home, the pandemic made finding a job as a fresh coding Bootcamp graduate challenging. Everyone seemed to want three to five years of industry experience for an entry-level position or six years of experience in a technology that was only four or five years old. Ethan was forced to move back in with his aging parents when money became tight. They welcomed him with open arms and offered support with whatever he needed.

Gotta stay optimistic. Nothing good comes from being a pessimist…. Most of the time, Ethan thought to himself, rubbing his temples. He had a headache, which had only grown since he woke up earlier. This wasn't anything too unusual for him. He was used to dealing with migraines.

"Hey, Eevee? I just realized I never told you my name," Ethan told his companion. Eevee stopped her humming and looked up at him, head tilted to one side.

"Eev? Eevee vee eev?" Eevee asked.

Ethan took a guess at what she said. "My name's Ethan. It's what my friends and family call me. A name is a word someone gives you to distinguish you from everyone else."

Eevee considered this and nodded. "Vee, Eeveev," she said.

Is my name in eevee-speak Eeveev? It's kind of endearing, Ethan smiled. "You're pretty smart. Do you have a name, or are you just called Eevee?" Ethan asked.

"Eevee," Eevee replied.

"Wait, which one?"

"Eevee!"

Ethan sighed. "Nevermind. I'll just call you Eevee for now." Eevee giggled and nodded her assent. "I've got another question for you. You've been a wild Pokémon all your life, right?" Ethan asked.

A nod was her response.

"You've never seen a human before you met me?"

Another nod.

"Then how do you understand what I'm saying?"

Eevee paused, face scrunched up in thought, a frown on her muzzle.

After a moment, she shrugged and resumed walking.

"I guess it's just one of the many mysteries of Pokémon," Ethan quietly noted, adjusting his pack and pushing his glasses back into position.

After another ten minutes of walking, Eevee came to a halt at the exit of the tunnel she had led Ethan through. Ethan had been intrigued as he watched the rocky, grainy wall of the tunnel gradually transition into crystal that was smooth to the touch.

"Eeveev."

Ethan turned to face Eevee, who sat down and pointed a paw at Ethan before moving it to point at the exit. "Is this the place?" Ethan asked.

Eevee nodded and repeated the last gesture, pointing at him and then back to the tunnel exit.

"I have to go in alone?"

Another nod.

"Eevee eev eev." Eevee looked down and patted the ground with her front paws, then looked back at Ethan expectantly.

"And... you'll wait for me here. Is that right?"

She nodded again, pleased that she was so good at charades.

Ethan unshouldered his pack and set it down next to the beaming eevee. He rolled his shoulders to work out some of the built-up tension. "Watch my bag for me while I'm gone, please. Thanks!" Ethan requested before turning and leaving the tunnel.

Eevee sniffed the pack and cautiously swatted one of the straps, quickly bringing her paw back as it moved. She smiled, subconsciously wagging her tail before hitting it again. This was fun!

Ethan found himself admiring the room he was walking in at a leisurely pace. This area was different from everywhere else he had been thus far. The same crystal he had admired near the end of the tunnel covered every surface, lighting up the area.

A series of erratically placed crystal columns on the floor and walls rose and converged to a central point on the ceiling. Every surface seemed to emit a heat that warmed Ethan to his core, but not uncomfortably so. An opening high up on the wall exposed dark clouds. He could smell ozone and idly noted that it would rain soon.

Ethan shifted his studying gaze to the center of the room. A massive conduit of pale-green energy flowed from the converged crystal on the ceiling, down through a gigantic, rose-like crystalline structure on the floor and out of sight.

A glint from the base of a nearby column caught his attention, and he moved to investigate. The formation at the bottom of this column appeared to be a little more jagged than the others.

Ethan knelt and looked at the object that had caught his interest. These are Sir Aaron's gloves! he realized, swiftly moving his gaze to the crystal formation in front of him.

Ethan squinted, searching through the semi-transparent formation until he saw what he was looking for. The man in his vision was there, perfectly preserved and frozen behind layers of crystal. His eyes were closed, and a smile donned his face. If Ethan didn't know better, he would have thought the man was sleeping.

Sir Aaron. So this is the Tree of Beginning! That narrows down my 'when' to a 2000-year gap - assuming Bulbapedia is correct, Ethan concluded.

'Do you like my room? I helped make it,' a voice in Ethan's head giggled.

He stood up and looked around, trying to find Mew. All he heard was more giggling. That was Mew's telepathic voice, though it sounded feminine. Did Mew have a gender? They were always genderless in the games, though that could be because it was a mythical Pokémon, and no one could study or observe something that never appeared to them.

'Genderless?!' Ethan's field of vision suddenly turned pink, and displaced air ruffled his hair. 'I'm a girl! See?'

Ethan turned away, covering his face as his cheeks flushed in embarrassment. "Okay! Okay! I believe you! I never said you weren't," he hastily said.

Mew snickered and patted his head. 'You're so easy to work up. You never answered my question! Do you like my room?'

Ethan uncovered his face, pointedly looking away from her. "It's definitely unique. I, uh, love the crystal aesthetic you have going. What's that energy coming from the ceiling?" he asked.

Mew looked to see what Ethan was referring to. 'Some humans in Unova call that the Dragon Force. It's the lifeblood of the Tree of Beginning and the entire planet. This chamber is the heart that keeps that blood flowing throughout the world,' she explained.

Ethan nodded, amazed. He remembered the Dragon Force was a key plot point in the Pokémon Black and White Victini movies. He had never made the connection that the Tree of Beginning and the Dragon Force might be related. As cool as that little tidbit was, Ethan came here to ask a few questions.

"Mew, I've been wondering. Why did you save my life the other night?" he asked.

Two nights ago

"Lady Mew, where are you? It's an emergency!" Eevee shouted, panting from the speed of her run. She had just entered Mew's resting grounds, head moving side to side as she searched for the New Species Pokémon.

"Hiya, Eevee! Do you want to play a game? I've been in the mood for some dodgeball~," Mew sang, floating upside down to Eevee's level.

Eevee paled. Mew's idea of a game usually involved near-death experiences dangerous for anyone who wasn't Mew.

"Uh, not right now," Eevee stuttered. "Mew, I need your help! The guardians are hunting and trying to hurt my new friend. It said they were trying to kill it for no reason! Please, stop them from hurting my new friend," she begged, putting on the best puppy eyes she knew how to make.

Mew gained a stern look and laid her paws on the nearest crystal, eyes closed in concentration. She expanded her psychic senses using the tree's crystal network, searching for her guardians and the new friend Eevee had made. There! Mew's attention was directed to an alien presence touching a crystal elsewhere in the tree.

Mew could feel the stress, terror, exhaustion, and resignation in the now-identified human's mind. Mew checked Eevee's memory and saw the image of the human. Messy short blond hair, striking blue eyes, and a face covered in dirt and blood. Yep, this was the same person. The guardians weren't too far from his location.

"I found your friend, Eevee. They seem nice, but why should I save them?" Mew asked the anxious eevee.

"Because they're my new friend, and I don't want my friend to die. I owe them my life, and now I want to save theirs," Eevee replied, sniffling.

Mew nodded, smiling. With her paw still on the crystal, she sent waves of calm and assurance to the human. Having done so, she let go and disappeared.

Present time

Wow, Ethan thought, humbled. I haven't known Eevee for long, and she's already a more genuine friend than any other that I've had. We saved each other's lives.

Ethan sat down, removed his glasses, and wiped his eyes, taking a moment to appreciate what Eevee and Mew had done for him.

He moved to put his glasses back on but found they were missing from his grasp.

'Woah, everything looks so weird.'

Ethan looked up to see Mew peering through one of the lenses.

'How do you see with this thing on your face?'

"Things at a distance are a blur if I don't have them on," Ethan chuckled. "Please don't break those. I need them," he quickly added, taking his glasses back and putting them on.

"I have a few more questions, Mew. I'm from a world where Pokémon only exist in stories and games. Do you know how I got here and if I can return to my world?" Ethan asked, not getting his hopes up. If fan fictions were a reliable source, he wouldn't be going home anytime soon.

'You're from another world?! Oooh, can I read your mind? Please, please, please?' Mew asked excitedly, getting in Ethan's face.

Two slender, green arms wedged themselves between Ethan's and Mew's faces and pried them apart.

"Bi, lebi!" a stern voice said, shaking its head and wagging a finger before flying up and through a small vortex of light, which shortly after disappeared with a bell-like chime.

"Uhh, was that Celebi? I guess that's a no-go on the mind-reading then," Ethan remarked.

'Fine,' Mew pouted, crossing her arms.

'I don't know how you got here or why you're here. I'd need to know that to figure out a way back that wouldn't collapse the barriers between dimensions,' Mew explained.

Ethan sighed, removing his jacket. The heat from the surrounding crystals started to feel uncomfortably warm. "Figures that there wouldn't be an easy solution," he lamented. Lightning flashed from the opening in the wall, and the dark clouds began to release their contents.

"Is it getting hot in here?" Ethan asked, removing his boots in the hope of trying to cool down. Mew didn't seem bothered by the heat, and she tilted her head, studying the human. Ethan's breath hitched, the heat seeming to stifle his attempts to suck in precious air. His heart beat rapidly, and sweat began to bead on his face.

"Wh-what's happening to me?" Ethan spasmed, now on his back, sparks racking his entire frame. The heat that had been uncomfortable a moment ago now felt like it was burning him from the inside. Mew came into view and laid her paws on his head, one on each of his temples, and began to gather power. Ethan's vision blurred and darkened, and the last thing he heard was Eevee's rushed steps and concerned cries before losing consciousness.

Ethan yawned. That was the best sleep he'd had in a long time. He rubbed his eyes and scratched his chin, then froze. His goatee was missing, replaced with smooth, flat skin.

That wasn't the only thing that felt off. Ethan opened his eyes and looked around. It was dark, but he could see the outlines of two bundles of fur on either side of him illuminated by the nearby, dimly glowing crystals. One belonged to Eevee, and the other to Mew, who was hovering a few inches off the ground in her sleep and had her tail wrapped around his left arm. Memories of what happened before came to the forefront of his mind.

What exactly happened? He remembered talking with Mew, feeling uncomfortably warm, then nothing but pain. He had been moved, seeing that he was lying on a bed of leaves and grass surrounded by trees. His jacket covered him, and his pack was pushed under his head.

At least my headache's gone. My body doesn't ache anymore, either. I'm feeling great, actually, Ethan thought. His stomach chose that moment to growl at him, demanding sustenance.

Ethan groaned and put his free hand on his belly. How long was I out? It feels like I haven't eaten in days… which is probably true. I haven't eaten anything more than that energy bar since I wound up here. Why didn't TJ and I split the rations? He cried internally.

Ethan let his arm fall to his side, brushing against Eevee. Eevee shuffled and sleepily grabbed his wrist with her front paws, pulling his hand under her with surprising strength before settling down again.

Ethan chuckled. It looked like he would be trapped here for a while now that both arms were bound. He decided to try to get some more sleep.

"Eeveev?"

Ethan awoke to the feeling of something nudging his shoulder. His eyes opened to the sight of vibrant green eyes and tall, brown ears.

"Eeveev!" Eevee exclaimed, delighted.

"Morning Eev-" Ethan frowned. "…Why does my voice sound like it's an octave higher?"

Eevee tilted her head. She didn't know what an octave was, but she knew that his voice sounded lighter than it did the last time he spoke.

'You're awake. About time!' An aipom approached, carrying several apples, Oran, Pecha, and Cheri berries in its arms and hand-like tail. It dropped them in a pile, and the aipom's form morphed and changed into Mew, who picked out a Pecha berry. 'I got this for all of us. Go ahead and eat!'

Ethan, voice issues set aside for the moment, sat up and picked out an apple and several berries, wondering how each would taste. The Oran berries looked similar to blueberries but about four times larger. Ethan popped one in his mouth and chewed. It tasted comparable to a blueberry, just a bit more juicy and a little more tart. Overall not bad, but not very filling.

The Cheri berries, Ethan was more cautious about. He knew the games categorized them as spicy berries, and Ethan had long lost his tolerance to spicy foods. Hopefully, it wasn't too much for him. He used to eat cayennes with only mild discomfort. Now, he couldn't even eat jalapeños.

Ethan took a bite and chewed. It had the texture of a cherry, but the spiciness he expected was tolerable. He bit the rest of the berry off the stem and spat out the pit.

Ethan took a bite out of the Pecha berry and was surprised by how sweet it tasted. He decided this was his new favorite fruit. He idly wondered if he could get dried Pecha berries somewhere.

Ethan helped himself to more while he watched Eevee. She seemed to like the Cheri and Pecha berries the most. Spicy and sweet, huh? She might be naturally inclined to power and speed if I remember natures from the games correctly, he mused.

Having had enough to satisfy him without making him sick, Ethan turned to the pink feline and asked, "Mew, what happened to me?"

'Hm? Oh, apparently, you're capable of using aura. Being near so much concentrated life energy reacted with your aura, causing it to build up to the point that it nearly killed you,' Mew explained, casually tossing another Oran berry in her mouth. 'If I didn't do anything, you probably would have exploded.'

Ethan blanched at that revelation. "S-so, what exactly did you do?" he asked, becoming conscious of his higher-pitched voice again.

Mew giggled and pointed to a nearby pond. 'Take a look for yourself.'

Ethan, confused, stood and took a step, catching his cargo jeans as they fell.

What the…. Oh. Oh no, Ethan thought as he pulled up his jeans and tightened his belt. He also rolled up the hems until they were above his ankles. Satisfied, he unsteadily stepped towards the pond, his socks absorbing the morning dew from the blades of grass under his feet. Eevee decided to accompany him.

Ethan had an inkling suspicion of what he would find as he got on his hands and knees to look at himself in the still water of the pond. Besides his voice, everything around him seemed slightly bigger, and his eye-hand coordination was a little off while eating.

Ethan looked at the flat surface of the water, ignoring other nearby Pokémon, and saw a familiar, transparent reflection that he hadn't seen in over a decade. He rolled his eyes, now knowing what Mew did. This is so cliché, he thought. Looking back at him was a younger version of himself, pre-puberty if he had to guess by the sound of his voice. Judging by his appearance and build, he estimated that he was around twelve, maybe thirteen years old.

Ethan groaned. This meant he would go through puberty again, though it probably wouldn't be all bad. If he played his cards right, he could grow to be taller than he had the first time around. He had been slightly below average in height as an adult. Maybe he could at least become as tall as his dad, who was a head taller than he had been.

Eevee mewled and rubbed her head on his arm.

Ethan inhaled and exhaled slowly through his hands, then scratched the fur behind Eevee's ears, much to her delight. "I'm okay, Eevee. This is just a lot to take in," he assured.

After a few moments, he returned to his original spot, a new question on his tongue. Eevee decided that his lap was the perfect place to sit. Maybe she would get more attention that way.

Ethan smiled and obliged her, rubbing her under her chin, drawing a pleased rumble from her throat. "So, it looks like I'm young again. How did turning me into a pre-teen save me from dying?" Ethan asked.

'That's easy. Humans capable of controlling aura typically show signs of their powers when they're young and spend years learning how to control it,' Mew explained. 'These powers don't exist in your world, right?'

Ethan shook his head. "No, not that I know of. Before you rescued me, Sir Aaron came to me in a vision and said he unlocked my 'potential.' Is that why I have aura now?"

Mew shrugged. 'Maybe. But with how much energy you were giving off, I wouldn't be surprised if you already had the capability, and the Dragon Force just acted as a catalyst.'

Ethan gave that some thought.

'Anyway,' Mew continued, 'making you younger was the only way to save you on short notice. It gives you a chance to learn how to control your powers so they don't overload on you again.'

Ethan nodded. What Mew said kind of made sense if you looked at it from an anime logic or science fiction point of view.

"So," Ethan began, "what now? I don't know how to get back home, and as cool as this place is, I can't stay here."

'You're right. If you stick around for too long, you might overload again,' Mew informed him. 'Why don't you be a Pokémon trainer? You'd find something better to do than hang around with little old me all the time.'

Eevee's ears perked up, her tail wagging, and she jumped to the ground, barking excitedly. "Eeveev, eev veev vee eev," she said, looking at Ethan with sparkling green eyes.

Ethan met her gaze and considered what Mew said. Once upon a time, he had fantasized about what it would be like to be a Pokémon trainer.

'It looks like Eevee wants to go with you,' Mew translated.

That put a smile on Ethan's face and a warm feeling in his chest. "There's no one else I'd rather have as my first Pokémon partner than you, Eevee. We haven't known each other long, but we've already been through a lot."

Ethan hesitated, then pulled Eevee back into his arms. "Eevee, I may have mentioned this, but I'm not from this world, and I'm looking for a way back to mine. Do you still want to leave your home and join me on a journey as my Pokémon?" he asked. "We probably won't be coming back here for a while, but I'd love to have you with me. I'll need strong Pokémon like you by my side."

Eevee nodded without hesitation and gently butted her head against Ethan's chest as if to say they were in this together.

"Thanks, Eevee. This would have been so much harder without you," Ethan sighed in relief, pulling Eevee into a hug. Eevee decided this was nice and leaned into his chest.

'Here, take these. I think you can put these to better use than their previous owner,' Mew said. Mew focused her power. The next second, Ethan's hands and forearms were covered in navy blue gloves with simple gold trimming and a large, clear crystal embedded into the back of each hand.

'These are Sir Aaron's gloves,' Mew explained. 'They assist aura adepts in focusing and regulating the power in their bodies.'

"Isn't this graverobbing?" Ethan asked, unsure if he should keep Mew's gift.

Mew shrugged. 'It was in my room. So, in a way, it was mine. If Aaron did appear to you, I'm sure he'd want you to have it. Besides, he's not really using them.'

Ethan nodded and shifted Eevee to his left arm. He flexed the fingers on his right hand, testing the fit of the gloves. He could have sworn that they were bigger when he saw them before, but they seemed to fit perfectly. Maybe they have some magical property that conforms them to fit the wearer, Ethan mused.

Ethan set Eevee down, retrieved his things, put on a fresh pair of socks, and placed his steel-toed hiking boots over them. Surprisingly, his feet didn't shrink much, and the boots fit comfortably. He slipped on his torn, dirty jacket and reached to pick up his pack, getting a whiff of his scent. "I need a shower," Ethan muttered to himself.

One of the straps looked like it had been chewed through. Ethan shot a deadpanned look at Eevee, who had the decency to look sheepish. Ethan sighed and took out his knife to cut off the ruined strap and place it in his pack. He then unclipped the other unchewed strap and clipped it into the opposite buckle so the strap spanned from his left shoulder to his right hip.

"Okay, now I'm ready. If I remember right, the nearest settlement is Cameran Palace and its village," Ethan said as Eevee made herself comfortable on his right shoulder. "Mew, do you know how I can get there? I think that would be a great place to start."

Mew considered his question, a mischievous glint in her eyes and an evil grin forming on her muzzle.

Ethan took a step back, suddenly feeling uneasy.

'I can do something way better than that,' she said before disappearing and reappearing behind Ethan, grabbing him and Eevee, then disappearing again with her two passengers.

Everything passed by in a blur. It felt like every part of his body was in the wrong place, and he could feel his breakfast rising to his throat. The sickening sensation ceased after a few moments, and Ethan and Eevee collapsed onto a marble floor, feebly clutching their stomachs.

Mew laughed gleefully above them, twirling in place. 'I hope you liked Teleport! It gets easier after the first time.'

Still holding his stomach, Ethan could only say, "Never again." Eevee mewled in agreement.

'Visit again sometime!' Mew giggled, waving a paw and teleporting away.

Fortunately, Ethan and Eevee were able to keep their food down, and Ethan pushed himself up, only to find himself surrounded by men in suits of armor pointing spears at him.

"Who are you, and what business have you teleporting into the presence of Her Royal Majesty, the Queen?" One of the men demanded.

Ethan blinked at the stout man, took in his surroundings, and groaned.

Mew had dropped him right into the middle of Cameran Palace's throne room.

Chapter Text

Chapter 3

Preparations

So bored, Ethan thought as he stared at the ceiling of his musty cell with one eye, tracing cracks in the bricks with a gloved finger. It had been a few hours since Mew unceremoniously dropped him off in Cameran Palace.

He was quickly detained and placed in a holding cell on the castle grounds. The guards confiscated his jacket, backpack, and everything in his pockets, leaving him with nothing to do but to wait for something to happen.

He couldn't care less about his stuff right now, though. When the guards detained him, they pried a terrified Eevee out of his arms and put her in a kennel, seeing that she didn't have a Pokéball. He did his best to assure her that everything would be okay, though he wished they would have let them stay together.

The two good things to come out of his predicament so far were that Ethan was away from the tree, and he narrowed down the "when" he was to a smaller window. The guards mentioning Pokéballs brought the timeline closer to the start of the anime as he knew it, assuming this wasn't some alternate universe. As they escorted him to his cell, he learned from a group of passing maids that the current monarch was Queen Ilene, which narrowed the window even more.

The groaning of a heavy door whose hinges were in desperate need of oil echoed through the small jailhouse, bringing Ethan out of his stupor. He sat up as he heard the sounds of several approaching footsteps echo off the stone walls.

Queen Ilene, led by a guard in front and two behind, walked into view before coming to a halt. A boy he hadn't noticed set up a foldable chair well out of arm's reach from the bars of the cell. The queen quietly dismissed the boy and her escort with a wave of her hand, then sat. A moment later, the door groaned as it shut.

Ethan simply bowed his head and remained silent. He racked his brain, trying to recall a late-night Google rabbit hole he once dug himself into about speaking with royalty.

The queen's green eyes studied him intently before her face softened.

"What is your name?" Queen Ilene kindly asked. "You may speak."

"M-my name is Ethan Dust," Ethan replied. "Your Majesty, is the eevee that was with me okay? I'm worried about her."

"Your eevee is under the care of Nurse Joy. She's in good hands," the queen assured him.

Some of the tenseness in Ethan's shoulders loosened as he sighed in relief. "Thank you," he said.

The queen smiled and nodded. "I usually would not have come to see you myself. However, the circumstances of your appearance warranted my visit," she said. "What were you doing with Mew?"

Ethan considered how to answer that. He couldn't think of a believable story that wasn't the truth. Even the truth might be unbelievable. He hoped that Ilene was trustworthy based on what he knew about her.

"Your Majesty, may I speak freely? It would be easier for me to answer, and I have a lot to explain," Ethan said. "Also, are we alone? I don't want what I'm about to say to reach the wrong ears."

Queen Ilene arched a brow but granted him his request. "You may speak. We are alone here."

Ethan spent the next hour recounting his experience on how he ended up at the Tree of Beginning. He told her of his escape from the Regis, meeting Eevee and saving her life, and how she and Mew rescued him in return. The queen occasionally asked clarifying questions but otherwise let him continue uninterrupted.

He told her of his experience in the heart of the tree and how he found Sir Aaron's final resting place, which piqued the queen's interest. He then told of his second near-death experience and how Mew changed him into his teenage self to save him from his untrained auratic powers.

"…then, being the prankster she is, Mew thought it would be funny to drop me off in your throne room," Ethan finished, mouth dry.

"I'm so sorry to hear that. You must have been terrified," the queen consoled after a moment.

Ethan dropped his gaze and swallowed thickly. "Yeah," he whispered hoarsely.

An awkward silence reigned for a few moments before Ilene spoke again. "You said you are capable of aura? Can you show me?"

Ethan kept his eyes down but lifted a gloved hand so the embedded crystal faced the queen. "Well, all I've figured out in the past few hours is that I can make the backs of Sir Aaron's gloves light up a little, but it's hard," he said as he focused and did just that.

The queen sat in silence, going over everything she had learned. It seemed impossible that this boy could be from another world or be older than he appeared, but she couldn't sense a trace of dishonesty in what he said.

"You said you know of this world from stories told in yours, and you seem to be familiar with who Sir Aaron is. If this is so, do you know what happened to him after he left Queen Rin?" she asked.

Ethan hesitated. She was good, though he hadn't made any effort to hide what he knew. It wasn't like she asked him to divulge future knowledge, so it wouldn't do any harm to tell her what happened in the past. Celebi would stop him if he were wrong…. Right?

"I do. Would you like to know?" Ethan asked as he lowered his hand. At the queen's nod, he gathered his thoughts.

"When Aaron departed on his pidgeot, his destination was the Tree of Beginning. Partway there, his apprentice, Lucario, caught up to him, and Aaron sealed Lucario in his staff to stop him from following.

"When Aaron made it to the tree, he sought out Mew and gave her all his aura to stop the two warring armies and save the kingdom from destruction. Since Aaron gave up his aura, he died shortly after, but with no regrets," Ethan finished. He definitely could use some water now.

Ilene closed her eyes, a hint of a smile forming on her face. "I have decided to believe all you have told me," she said.

An audible thump was heard as Ethan sagged against the wall with relief. It felt nice to have someone other than Eevee to confide in and believe him.

Queen Ilene stood, and Ethan followed suit. "I'll release you and have your personal belongings returned. What will you do now?" she asked.

"I planned to come here to Rota to get information and to make preparations and more plans. I've decided to become a traveling Pokémon trainer while Eevee and I find out why I'm here. I think our first stop will be Pallet Town to see if I can enlist Professor Oak's help," he replied.

The monarch nodded. "That sounds like a good plan. Samuel is a smart man. He comes by every year for an annual Pokémon poetry competition held in the village."

Huh, interesting. That sounds like something Professor Oak might do, Ethan thought.

"I'll have a room prepared for you for the duration of your stay. You should take time to recover before you begin planning," the queen offered.

Ethan, not expecting that, could only smile and say, "That will be a big help. Thank you."

"I should thank you," she replied, smiling. "It has been millennia since an aura adept last walked the halls of the palace. Thank you for telling me about Sir Aaron."

The queen took her leave. A short time later, a guard unlocked Ethan's cell and escorted him back to the palace proper, where he was handed off to one of the palace servants.

"Good afternoon, Master Dust. My name is Jarvis. I will be your butler for the duration of your stay. Your room is undergoing preparations as we speak. Please, follow me," Jarvis said in a British – Galarian? – accent before entering the palace.

Fifteen minutes, several flights of stairs, and a brief history of Cameran Palace later, they arrived at a door in the palace's guest wing. Ethan noted that the palace's aesthetic was much like the various castles he had once visited in Germany, only with the addition of crystals growing through cracks in the bricks. Nearly every surface was decorated. Framed paintings covered most of the walls, and murals covered the arched ceilings, to name a few things. Everything screamed wealth and prosperity.

Jarvis opened the door and ushered Ethan through. "You will find your personal belongings already inside. We have left some fresh sets of clothes for you to change into after you freshen up. You will find the washroom through that door over there. Once you are clean and dressed, pull the string near the door, and I will show you to the Pokémon Center to retrieve your Pokémon."

"Thank you, Jarvis. I appreciate this," Ethan nodded. Jarvis nodded and left, closing the door behind him.

Ethan entered the washroom, turned on the shower, and began to strip down. "This is all a little too posh for my tastes. At least I have a place to stay for a while. Still a nice place, though."

A streak of brown and white was the only thing Ethan's eyes registered as he entered the Pokémon Center before the air in his lungs was forcibly removed. He found himself on the ground holding a familiar eevee with vibrant green eyes. Eevee wriggled and yipped excitedly, trying to lick Ethan's face.

"Eevee!" Ethan wheezed. "I missed you too. I'm glad you're alright. Did Nurse Joy treat you well?"

"Eevee was just fine once we got her out of that kennel. She was such a sweetheart with the nursery Pokémon. Is she yours?" Nurse Joy asked as she approached with a clipboard in hand.

It took Ethan a moment to regain his breath. "Technically speaking, she's still a wild Pokémon. She wants to be my first partner, but I haven't had a chance to get her a Pokéball," he replied, standing up and draping Eevee over his shoulder, where she made herself comfortable.

Joy smiled and nodded. "That's wonderful! Do you have a trainer's license?"

"Uh… How do I get one?"

"If you have your ID card and you've passed a physical exam within the last two years, I can get you started here," she replied.

Ethan briefly wondered if he could use his driver's license before dismissing the idea. It wasn't supposed to exist in this dimension, and he didn't look like his photo anymore.

"Is there another option? I don't have any identification, and I haven't had a physical that recently," Ethan said. Nurse Joy raised an eyebrow, but it disappeared so quickly that Ethan wondered if he even saw it.

"Even without a license, you can still carry one Pokémon with you," she explained. "Though it would be best to get a license, especially if you plan on going on a Pokémon journey. The league season for next year's tournament starts in a week, after all. You can visit the post office after it opens tomorrow to apply for an ID and the health clinic next door to schedule an appointment for a physical exam.

"Follow me, and we'll get Eevee registered to you. I'll even give you a Pokéball when we're finished. Once you have an ID and have passed your physical, come see me, and I'll help you upgrade to a full license."

"Thank you. Let's get this done so we can eat," Ethan said. Eevee chimed in her agreement with a growl from her stomach.

"How about I grab something for Eevee to eat after we get you started on the forms," Nurse Joy proposed. "I'll also give her a full check-up to ensure she's healthy and up to date on her shots."

"Thanks, Nurse Joy. I would appreciate that," Ethan said, then turned to Eevee. "Do what Nurse Joy tells you to do, okay, Eevee? I'll be nearby."

"Eev eevee," Eevee nodded reluctantly.

Ethan was back in his room, having just finished a meal of bread and a potato-based stew with meat and veggies. He briefly wondered where the meat had come from but pushed the thought away when he decided it tasted good.

Eevee was already dozing off on the large bed, having buried everything from the neck down under the covers. Ethan thumbed her Pokéball in his hand, pressing the center button repeatedly to expand and shrink it, wondering how it worked.

When Nurse Joy showed him the Pokéballs, he was ecstatic, but not totally surprised, to find that standard Pokéballs didn't come just in the default red but in a selection of colors. He picked out a ball with a green top to match Eevee's eyes.

After explaining to Eevee what the Pokéball was and how it would prevent others from capturing her, she tapped the ball's center button. It shook a few times before it went still and dinged, indicating the capture was successful.

It turned out that while Eevee didn't hate the Pokéball, she preferred to stay outside of it. That was just fine with Ethan. It would be less lonely that way and would give them more time to bond and get to know each other.

Ethan set the empty food tray on a cart outside the room and returned inside. He closed the door behind him and sat at the desk where his phone was charging. Fortunately, his charger fit the outlets here.

Ethan unlocked his phone and glanced at the date he had set. He learned at the Pokémon Center that today was Tuesday, March 25, 1997. If Ash Ketchum's journey began on the same day that the Pokémon anime premiered in Japan – assuming he even exists here – he would start his journey in one week. I hope he's a little better than the anime depicted, he idly thought.

He opened the Pokédex app to look up information on Eevee. He wanted to come up with an idea for how to train and plan what to teach her. She already knew Quick Attack, which Ethan experienced first-hand when he picked her up from the Pokémon Center.

After a few minutes, Ethan gave up on figuring out a training regimen. There were too many things he didn't know yet. Were Pokémon limited to four moves? Did Pokémon battles have a turn-based approach, or were they more realistic? He hadn't seen Eevee battle yet and didn't know her preferred fighting style or if she even had a preference. He would have to hold a training session or go into town to battle some local trainers to get a feel for her current abilities. He would also have to research what the laws and rules were regarding Pokémon battling.

While Ethan didn't have a trainer's license, he was only allowed one Pokémon and was not permitted to catch more. He wouldn't be allowed to buy Pokéballs or challenge gyms to official battles, either. He could still battle other trainers and make wagers, however.

He grimaced. That was another thing he needed to sort out. His cash and plastics were no good here. He would need money to buy equipment, supplies, and food to travel. He didn't want to bum off his host more than he already was, so he decided to wander the town tomorrow to see if he could find any small jobs to earn some cash.

Ethan let out an eye-smarting yawn. It was late, and it had been an exhausting few days. He dimmed the bedside lamp, crawled under the covers, and pulled Eevee into the crook of his arm, which she groggily wrapped her forelegs around. "Night, Eevee. We have a full day ahead of us," Ethan whispered before closing his eyes and waiting for sleep to take him.

Ethan walked through the automatic doorway of the Pokémon Center after spending most of the day in town and made his way to the training fields out back. He rubbed the bandage on his still-tender left shoulder.

After asking Jarvis for directions and a town map, Ethan made his way to the post office. He filled out some forms and had his photo taken for his ID, which he could pick up in a few days.

He was also able to schedule a same-day physical examination at the clinic. With no prior medical or vaccination records, he was required to receive several shots before the doctor would pass his physical. At least he didn't have to pay for any of it, as the government covered preventive care.

The town was beautiful and had a medieval feel, again reminding Ethan of a few places in Austria and Germany he had visited on a family vacation when he was ten. Eevee was entranced by everything in sight. There were so many new smells and people and Pokémon she had never seen before.

Ethan was able to earn some cash thanks to his education and inclination toward most things tech-related. Many family-run businesses had either an issue or an opportunity with a machine or a website or had some other menial work available. The internet here was still in its infancy, and its coding languages were primitive compared to what Ethan was used to working with, but he managed.

News of his skill set spread quickly through the small-ish community, and by the time he set off for the Pokémon Center, his skills and services were in demand. He promised to return tomorrow for more work.

"Hey, Eevee," Ethan began when they got to the training field, getting Eevee's undivided attention. "Do you like to battle?"

Eevee ran in circles around his feet and yipped an excited "Eevee!"

"Woah, calm down!" Ethan laughed. "I'll take that as 'I like to battle a lot.' I want to see what moves you know and how you fight. Let's start with your moves."

Ethan pulled out a notepad and pen he had bought earlier and pointed at a straw training dummy. "I know that you know Quick Attack. Show it to me again, but this time on that target."

Eevee spread her legs and took a stance, face set in determination, before sprinting towards her target, her form trailed by a streak of white light. She impacted the dummy, pushing it back several inches before coming to a stop.

"Wow. Pretty good, Eevee! You were holding back on me yesterday, weren't you?"

Eevee sheepishly nodded and grinned.

"Go ahead and show me another one of your moves. I'll watch," Ethan instructed.

Over the next several minutes, Eevee went through her move pool on the poor dummy. Ethan identified Tackle, Sand Attack, Growl, Tail Whip, and Quick Attack. But there was one more move he wasn't sure about.

The attack made Eevee's eyes flash green for a moment but didn't affect the dummy, making Ethan guess that it was a status move. He'd have to check his Pokédex app later to see if he could identify it. That answered the four-move limit question he had.

Ethan finished taking notes and called Eevee back. "Okay, Eevee, based on what I saw, you favor physical moves and close combat, though that could be because you don't have any ranged coverage. You also have some good speed and a standard move pool for your level of strength.

"I'm thinking we'll need to find someone to battle to get an idea of how your defenses are. It might also help me figure out what that last move you used was," he said.

Eevee bobbed her head in agreement with his assessment.

"Speaking of ranged coverage, we should teach you moves like Shadow Ball or Swift. We also need to add some type variety to your move pool. I think I want to teach you Dig first, then we can move on to other moves like Bite or Iron Tail," he continued. "But we can get started on that tomorrow. For now, let's head back to the castle. I'll race you there!"

"Hey, you! I ain't seen you 'round here before. You a trainer?" a bratty-sounding voice asked before Ethan could take a step to leave.

"Uh, yeah," Ethan replied, turning to see a kid in shorts. "Why do you ask?"

The boy smirked before pulling out a Pokéball. "You look weak. Come on, let's battle!" he said.

Eevee growled. No one calls her best friend weak and gets away with it!

Ethan looked to Eevee, who met his eyes. "What do you think, Eevee? We wanted to battle someone anyway."

Eevee nodded in affirmation, and Ethan walked to one end of the field while the brat went to the other box.

"Eevee's my only Pokémon, so let's make this a one-on-one," Ethan called over as the boy sent out his Pokémon.

"Fine by me. I only need one to beat you anyway. My rattata is in the top percentage of all rattata!" Brat boasted.

"Sure, kid. Are we gonna start or what?" Ethan asked as his heart began to beat faster.

"I ain't no kid! Rattata, use Tackle!" Brat yelled.

"Eevee, Growl and dodge!" Ethan countered.

Rattata's attack seemed to slow as Eevee curled her lips back and growled before she dodged to the side.

"Knock it off balance with Tail Whip, then use Tackle!"

Eevee got a running start, then pivoted on her front paws, bringing her tail around to whack the rattata as it turned to face her, dazing it. She set her hind paws back on the ground and rammed her body into her foe, who kicked up dirt as they rolled toward Ethan.

Brat ground his teeth in frustration. "Rattata, use Super Fang!"

Ethan's heart skipped a beat. "Don't get hit by that!"

Eevee grinned and stood her ground, waiting for the rattata to get closer as its fangs began to glow and elongate.

Why isn't she dodging?! Ethan asked himself.

When it looked like Rattata would land a hit, Eevee's eyes flashed green, and she blurred to the side, narrowly avoiding the attack. She then took advantage of the new opening to Tackle the rattata away.

Ethan blinked, trying to figure out what just happened. There was that flash in Eevee's eyes again, and she avoided the attack. Then it clicked. "Eevee, was that Detect?! How did you learn Detect?"

Eevee turned to Ethan with a cheeky grin before returning her focus to the battle, which was unnecessary as Brat's rattata was out cold.

"Huh. Must have hit a weak spot," Ethan said. "Eevee, you're amazing!"

Eevee ran and jumped into Ethan's arms. "It's so awesome that you know Detect! You must have had a fighting-type parent," Ethan remarked.

"Vee, vee," she replied, beaming in pride.

I wonder if this means she could learn Double Kick, Ethan mused.

"You just got lucky. There's no way you'd beat my rattata in a fair fight," Brat said.

Ethan just rolled his eyes and shooed him away. "Sure, kid. Why don't you take your rattata and get it to Nurse Joy."

Brat huffed and left after returning his Pokémon.

"So, Eevee. Still want to race?"

Eevee yawned and shifted, perfectly comfortable in Ethan's arms. He chuckled. "I guess you deserve it this time. You did well." With Eevee cradled in his arms, Ethan made his way to the bridge north of town.

Ethan spent his free time over the next week at the Pokémon Center learning basic Pokémon medicine and training Eevee or at the library finalizing his plans and filling his knowledge gaps, particularly in the care and dietary needs of Pokémon. He noted that there was no mention of TM's in any books or on the internet. It looked like he'd have to teach moves the old-fashioned way.

He also learned that Pokémon weren't well documented. Professor Oak and Professor Westwood V created a joint 'Pokédex Initiative' a few years back to begin documenting the known Pokémon species of the world, starting with the Pokémon native to Kanto. The last number of recorded species was closing in on 150. They had only had recent success in getting the Johto and Hoenn regions involved with the initiative.

Professor Oak would have a heart attack if Ethan showed him the Pokédex app. Even though it contained data based on the games, it still had over 900 Pokémon species – if you counted regional variants – from Kanto to Galar.

Ethan received his ID and was able to get his trainer's license. There was a small processing fee, but thanks to all the work that kept him busy, he had earned more than enough to pay it.

When he saw that he was making more money than he could reasonably carry, he deposited most of his earnings into his trainer account. It turned out that registered trainers had something akin to bank accounts with the league, which he decided to put to use.

After consulting Jarvis on what he would need for his journey, Ethan bought what he needed and replaced his waterlogged and irreparable items. He wanted to get a new backpack as well but decided against it. His pack was still fit enough to use.

Ethan decided on an outfit for himself: a simple green button-down shirt, a blue zip-up hoodie with gold stripes for when it gets chilly, some gray jeans, and a few other changes of clothes. After some thought, he grabbed socks made from wooloo wool.

He also bought a Pokémon grooming kit with tools and brushes to groom and clean Pokémon with fur, scales, or feathers. Eevee was a big fan of that purchase.

On the evening before his departure, Queen Ilene summoned Ethan to her throne room.

"Greetings, Ethan. I know you've had a productive week. Are you ready to depart?" Ilene inquired.

Ethan nodded. "I am, Your Majesty. I plan on taking a bus tomorrow morning to Pewter City, which will take most of the day. After that, I'll make my way to Pallet Town on foot."

"Very good. I have something for you," the queen said, nodding to Jarvis, who walked into a side room before coming back out.

In his arms was a sapphire-blue satchel with simple yellow highlights and an embedded crystal in one corner, matching the pattern on his gloves. It had several pockets on the outside and an opening on the top. Jarvis approached and offered Ethan the satchel.

"Open it," Ilene said, smiling. Curious about the gift, Ethan unzipped the top. His eyes widened, unable to believe what he was seeing.

"I-it's bigger on the inside?! What? But how?" Ethan confusedly exclaimed, checking the other pockets and confirming that the same phenomenon was present.

This is some Doctor Who and Mary Poppins-level stuff, he thought. Each pocket and opening seemed to have its own space that should have conflicted with the others. He could fit everything he owned in here with plenty of room to spare.

Jarvis explained. "Master Dust, this bag is a product of the Devon Corporation. It uses similar technology to that of the Pokéball in that it makes items easier to carry. You can also holster your Pokéballs on the strap. Her Majesty had this custom ordered and imported for you as a way to support you on your journey."

Ethan nodded dumbly. He didn't know what to say.

"Ethan, like Rota Kingdom's aura guardians of old, this is your home," Ilene said. "When you visit Rota again, you will be welcome here."

The stunned Ethan managed to find his voice. "Thank you, Your Majesty. I accept these gifts."

"I have one more thing to ask you," she said. "You said Sir Aaron's Lucario is sealed within his staff. Do you know how to get him out?"

Ethan thought through her question before deciding it should be okay to tell her. "In the story, Lucario breaks out of the staff when he mistakes someone else's aura for Sir Aaron's. I know who this person is, but I'm not yet sure if they exist. I can find that out while I'm on my journey and, circumstances permitting, bring them to next year's Guardian of the Aura tournament."

"Thank you. Remember to nurture and develop your aura as well. You may not have a teacher, but do the best you can," Ilene requested. "I will send word to Samuel Oak to expect you. Now, go and rest. Tomorrow is a new month, and the day your journey begins."

Ethan nodded and bowed. "Thank you for everything you've done for me," he said before standing and shouldering his new satchel. He was genuinely grateful for the bag. He had wanted to buy one, and this one looked awesome! He couldn't imagine how much it had cost.

Ethan released Eevee from her Pokéball once he was back in the room. Eevee curiously sniffed the new bag. "Eevee, no chewing or playing with this, okay? I can't replace it," he told her.

Eevee scoffed dramatically. It was only one time, and she hadn't done anything like that since.

After sorting and moving his supplies and items to the new bag, Ethan tested the weight. To his delight, it was lighter than when he had it in his pack. Satisfied, Ethan set it down, changed into some pajamas, and crawled into his bed, accompanied by Eevee.

"Tomorrow's the day! We're finally going to see the world I've always wanted to see," Ethan said, excited.

"Eevee Eeveev vee eev!" Eevee cheered before crawling to Ethan's chest and lying down. Ethan ran his fingers through the fur on her back, causing Eevee to purr.

That night, their dreams were of the journey that lay ahead.

Chapter Text

Chapter 4

The Journey Begins

Ethan stepped off the bus and out of the way of other alighting passengers and stretched, legs cramped from the ten-hour ride between Rota and the central bus terminal in Pewter City. While the distance didn't warrant a long drive, the terrain did. There were few paved roads between the two places, and the bus often drove up and down winding paths on the rocky mountain trails.

Ethan checked his watch and noted that the sun would set in about an hour. He grabbed Eevee's Pokéball as he studied a nearby city directory map for directions to the Pokémon Center. He wanted to plan his route through Viridian Forest before turning in tonight and was informed that the Pokémon Center had maps and guidebooks for sale. He also wanted to check out the gym before it closed.

First things first, he would stop at the Pokémon Center. "Eevee, come on out! We're here," Ethan said as he opened Eevee's Pokéball. She materialized on the ground and yawned, incoherently muttering as she rubbed her eyes.

"Sorry if I woke you up, but I thought you'd like to stretch your legs and see the city. Pewter's pretty different from Rota," Ethan told her. Eevee looked around and shrugged, a little too tired to care at the moment.

"Yeah, I agree. This part of the city is more like what I'm used to. Let's take in the sights as we walk. We have a few things we need to do before we turn in," Ethan said as he turned to exit the station with Eevee padding alongside him.

Ethan sighed as he marched down the sidewalk. All the rooms in the Pokémon Center were taken by new trainers who had started their journeys today, leaving Ethan with the need to find another place to sleep. I could have reserved a room online before leaving Rota, but noo. I didn't even think of it, he groused. At least he was able to get the map and guidebook he needed.

When Ethan told Eevee about the gym challenge and the Pokémon League competition on the ride over, her eyes grew wide, and Ethan could have sworn he saw stars. He decided then that it wouldn't be a bad idea to take on the gyms after his business in Pallet Town was concluded. He had a feeling that he would need to get stronger for whatever trials lay ahead, so he decided to trust his instincts.

Several minutes passed before the gym came into view near the city's western outskirts. The front looked rather plain, with large, gray slate boulders stacked to frame the entrance, and the words 'PEWTER GYM – Officially sanctioned by the Pokémon League' were carved into the front.

Ethan took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. "What do you think? This is the Pewter City Gym. The gym leader here uses rock-type Pokémon," Ethan said, holding in his excitement. When his only response was silence, he looked down only to find Eevee was no longer by his side. A yelp from the gym made him look up to see Eevee dashing inside the gym doors as a dejected-looking trainer opened them.

"Eevee? Don't run off! Wait for me!" Ethan yelled as he ran after her. He dashed past the trainer, apologizing when she yelped again, and through the open door.

Once inside, he scanned the room. There was an unoccupied reception desk and waiting area off to the side. Straight ahead was another set of doors, cracked open with light shining further inside.

"It's so cute!"

"I saw it first!"

"No! I want it!" A couple of children's voices argued back and forth. Ethan opened the door to the scene of a young boy and girl with squinty eyes, each having a hold of Eevee, trying to pull her to their side.

Eevee saw Ethan and looked at him with big eyes as if saying, 'Save me!' and cried a distressed, drawn-out, "Eeeeveeeev!"

Ethan sighed and marched over, snatched Eevee from the tug of war, and held her out of reach, much to her relief. He turned his attention to who he presumed were two of Brock's younger siblings, who protested his actions.

"You should treat Pokémon better than that. Eevee isn't as durable as the rock-type Pokémon you may be used to playing with," he said before looking up at Eevee.

"And you, little missy, shouldn't run off like that. I know you're just as excited as I am to see the gym, but please show a little restraint next time," Ethan chided. Eevee's ears flattened, and she mumbled what sounded like an apology.

Ethan nodded and looked back down only to find that more squinty-eyed children joined the original two, and they were… looking at him curiously? He couldn't exactly tell since he couldn't see their eyes.

"Why is your hair so bwight?" one of the younger girls asked.

"Uhh, because I was born with it?" he replied, feeling awkward with all the eyes on him.

"Who's that Pokémon you're holding?" one of the older children asked.

Ethan felt some relief that the spotlight was moving away from him. "This is Eevee. She's my Pokémon and best friend," he said as he sat on one of the large rocks behind him and placed Eevee in his lap.

This could be a good opportunity to get Eevee used to new people, Ethan thought.

Brock Harrison took two Pokéballs from the rejuvenation machine outside his gym's Pokémon vault and set them on his belt. It had been a busy first day of the April rush, where new trainers starting their journey hurried to challenge his gym. He and the gym Pokémon had had their work cut out for them, but they managed to fend them off successfully. This wasn't one of the original eight Kanto gyms for nothing, after all.

Having finished tending to the needs of the gym Pokémon, Brock closed and locked the vault. He checked the nearest clock and noted that it was six o'clock: time to lock up and prepare the evening meal for him and his nine younger siblings.

Brock wasn't a gym leader by choice. The gym belonged to his mother's side of the family. A few years ago, his mother, Lola, became bored with the home life and left to travel abroad shortly after giving birth to his youngest twin siblings. He only knew she was still alive from the occasional postcard they would receive.

His father, Flint, was the gym leader until three years ago. He left the gym and all of his children in Brock's care to go on a journey to become a stronger Pokémon trainer. Brock hadn't heard from him since.

Brock loved his brothers and sisters with all his heart, enough to put his dreams on hold to take care of them and run the gym so they could support themselves.

Brock heard a commotion from the gym arena and shook his head, smiling. It sounded like his brothers and sisters got sidetracked while cleaning again.

"She likes to be scratched behind the ears. Yeah, like that," an unfamiliar voice said, followed by a separate cry of delight.

Brock frowned and put on a stone-cold expression, adopting his gym leader persona. It sounded like someone else slipped in while he was healing his Pokémon. He stepped into the gym arena and moved to the shadows to observe the trainer, hand on a Pokéball just in case.

The trainer was sitting on one of the battlefield's larger rocks, and in front of him were six of Brocks' siblings sitting in a half-circle. He had short, messy blond hair and was well-dressed compared to most rookie trainers.

"Eevee is capable of evolving into several different forms. That's why her species is known as the Evolution Pokémon. The evolved forms already known here in Kanto are flareon, jolteon, and vaporeon, though there are a few more which haven't been documented yet," the young man told them.

Yolanda, Brock's oldest sister, raised her hand. "Can eevee evolve into rock types?" she asked.

"I'm not sure, Yolanda. If they can, it hasn't been discovered yet," the trainer replied. "I wonder what a rock-type eeveelution would be called, though. Rockeon? Graniteon? Obsideon? That last one sounds pretty cool, actually."

Brock's expression softened as he stepped forward from the shadows. "Salvadore, Yolanda, Tommy, Cindy, Suzie, Timmy, please finish your chores. I'll be inside in a few minutes."

"Okay, big brother," was the collective response as the siblings dispersed. Cindy walked up to the trainer to return his eevee, then left to join the others.

Ethan hopped down as Brock approached, his footsteps echoing around the open arena. Eevee opted to stay on the rock to get a better view of the approaching stranger.

Like the rest of his siblings, Brock had the same squinted eyes and spiky brown hair, and he stood a good five inches taller than Ethan. He wore the outfit he used in the original series, telling Ethan that this might be the pre-anime debut Brock. One difference that stood out was the well-toned arms Brock had.

"If you're here to challenge the gym, you'll have to come back another time. The gym closed a few minutes ago," Brock said. Even though Ethan knew his demeanor was for show, it was still unnerving.

"Oh! No, I'm not ready to challenge the gym yet. I want to catch another Pokémon and do some more training before I'm ready," Ethan said. "Eevee and I just wanted to check out the gym and see if we could meet Brock, the gym leader. Can I assume that you're him?" he asked.

"I am," he confirmed. "Who are you?"

"My name is Ethan, and I'm from Rota Town," Ethan replied, nodding towards Eevee. "That's Eevee."

Eevee raised a paw and chirped a friendly "Eevee!" in greeting.

"Did my brothers and sisters give you any trouble?" Brock asked.

"I had to rescue Eevee from Suzie and Timmy when we first got here. Other than that, all your siblings were fun to be around," Ethan replied. Eevee jumped down onto his shoulder and chimed in her agreement.

Brock nodded, relaxing his persona. "That's good. I have to finish closing the gym, but I look forward to your challenge. I can tell you'll bring a good fight with you," he said.

"I sure hope so," Ethan replied. "Do you know of any places in town I can stay tonight? The Pokémon Center's booked, and I don't think my wallet would appreciate hotel prices right now."

Brock cupped his chin in thought. If the Pokémon Center was booked, and Ethan couldn't afford a hotel, that didn't leave him with many options.

"If not, I can find somewhere to break in my camping gear," Ethan said.

"Tell you what," Brock began. "We have several empty beds in the gym home that are usually reserved for gym trainers. If you want, you can have one of those beds for the night, on the condition that you do some grocery shopping for me. I also want to try making Pokémon food for your eevee. She looks well taken care of, and I haven't had a chance to make something for an eevee yet."

Ethan considered the proposal and then turned to Eevee. "What do you think, Eevee? It's your food he's messing with if we accept. It'll probably be better than what I got at the PokéMart."

Eevee immediately nodded. Anything would be better than the bland PokéMart Pokémon food.

Ethan chuckled and scratched behind her ears, drawing out a pleased "Eevee vee!"

"Thanks, Brock. We'll take you up on that. Eevee likes spicy and sweet foods, if that'll help when you make her something," Ethan informed the gym leader as he shook his hand.

"I'll keep that in mind. I have a shopping list at the house. Go and wait by the back door while I finish locking up. It's through those doors behind me. I'll come to get you in a minute," Brock said.

After Ethan settled in, Brock gave him the list and his gym leader badge to pay for the shopping trip. Ethan left Eevee at the house per the children's request while he was out.

When he informed Brock of his plans to travel through the Viridian Forest, Brock told him that he should stock up on antidotes. "There are a lot of beedrill colonies. They're more aggressive than usual this time of year because their young recently hatched," he explained.

Ethan left the market, groceries and extra antidotes purchased. It still amazed him how much stuff could fit in his bag. He had one more stop he wanted to make. On his way to the market, he had seen a military surplus store. He thought about getting a small, easy-access pack that could carry his knife, some medicine, and a few Pokéballs.

After browsing for a bit, he bought a desert camo pouch he could strap to his thigh. He would pack it later tonight.

Ethan returned to the gym and followed a side path to the house behind. The door was propped open to let in the crisp evening air. He entered and took off his sneakers – something he would have to get used to since Kanto and some of the other regions' social customs were similar to Japanese customs – and proceeded to the kitchen.

"Hey, Brock! Smells great in here. Where do you want me to put the groceries?" Ethan asked.

"Just put them on the counter… Ethan? Where are the groceries?" Brock questioned when he saw Ethan's empty arms.

Ethan set his bag on the ground, opened the top, and proceeded to unload the haul. Brock cocked an eyebrow at the display of Ethan pulling out more than what should rightfully fit in the bag.

"Is that a Silph Co space bag? Those things aren't cheap," Brock remarked.

"Devon Corp, actually. It was a gift, one of the most helpful items anyone's ever given me," Ethan replied, smiling. "Here's the receipt and your badge. I'll set them on the counter here."

Brock shrugged. "Thanks for doing that. Dinner will be ready in a few minutes."

Ethan nodded and went to his room to do one last check of his supplies.

Potions and status effect cures, four empty Pokéballs, and rope, check. Food to last me and two small Pokémon a couple of weeks, check. Canteen, water purifier, and extra water, check. First aid kit, check.

My old knife, multi-tool, and magnesium/flint fire starter, check. Compass, map, and guidebook, check. Folding shovel, flashlight, cooking supplies, dishes, hygiene items, toilet paper, biodegradable soaps, and towel, check. Sleeping bag and tent, check. The most important thing: Duct tape, check, he finished as he skimmed through the more important items on his list. Jarvis really knew what he was talking about. I would have missed getting some of this stuff otherwise.

Taking into account the bag and antidotes I bought today, I still have around 15,000 Credits in my account to work with.

A knock at the door came as he finished taking inventory of his things. Ethan got up and opened the door.

"Food's almost ready."

"Thanks, Forrest," Ethan said as his stomach growled, drawing a good-hearted chuckle from both boys. "Food sounds amazing right about now."

"I hope you're ready to be amazed by Brock's cooking then. You've never had anything like it," Forrest bragged as they walked down the hall to the dining area.

"I don't know. My mom makes a mean lasagna, but that's about it," Ethan said, getting excited at the reminder that Brock was actually a great chef. How had a detail like that slipped his mind?

"Well, all of Brock's dishes taste great. He can take almost anything and make it the best thing you've ever had."

"Anything, huh?" Ethan said as they arrived in the dining area. He took a seat on what he learned was called a zabuton between Forrest and where Brock would be sitting. Eevee padded up to Ethan and placed her head under his waiting hand.

Ethan glanced around the chabudai table to see what was being offered. Everyone's plate was filled with rice, chicken, yellow curry, and mixed vegetables. Ethan raised a brow when he noticed Tommy's plate had cornflakes sprinkled all over it.

Salvadore noticed his confusion and explained, "Tommy won't eat anything without cornflakes."

"Oh! For the crunchy texture?" Ethan asked.

"Finally, someone gets it!" the young Tommy cheered.

"Someone finally gets what?" Brock asked as he entered the room and set down a bowl of Pokémon food next to Ethan for Eevee.

"We get why Tommy likes cornflakes," Ethan replied.

"Ah," Brock smiled.

Eevee stepped away from Ethan to sniff at the bowl set near her. After taking a cautious bite, she squealed in what Ethan could only describe as pure joy and dug in.

"Woah, not too fast, Eevee! You'll get sick," Ethan warned.

Eevee looked at him with her stuffed cheeks before returning to her bowl, eating a little slower.

"Great. Eevee won't want to eat the PokéMart Pokémon food now that she's had yours, Brock," Ethan chuckled.

"Sorry about that," Brock laughed sheepishly. "Just dice and mix in a few of Eevee's favorite berries, and she should be fine with it. Now, let's say grace."

"Grace!" The Harrison children yelled before digging in.

"Uh, grace," Ethan echoed before picking up his chopsticks and taking a bite.

"Oh, wow," Ethan said, surprised at the explosion of flavor in his mouth that was somehow perfectly balanced with the texture. "Sorry, Mom, but you've been dethroned."

"Well?" Forrest asked expectantly.

"It's great! I don't think it's fair to compare Brock's curry to my mom's lasagna. They're totally different kinds of food, but this is the best curry I've ever had," Ethan said with some finality.

"Told you it was good," Forrest smirked before turning back to his meal.

"You could start a restaurant, Brock. People would flock from all over just to eat your food," Ethan told the oldest member of the table.

"I appreciate the thought, but I don't see myself cooking full-time. My dream is to become a Pokémon breeder. Cooking is just a small part of that," Brock confessed before taking a drink from his cup.

"What do Pokémon breeders do?" Ethan asked as he took another bite of food.

Brock set his cup down and leaned over. "Do you know about the pidgey and the beedrill?" he asked in a hushed tone.

Ethan looked confused for a moment before it clicked. "I'm aware of what sex is, Brock," he whispered back.

"Right, well, some breeders care for and breed Pokémon to get a particular trait in the offspring, such as physical traits or specific moves," Brock explained. "For example, I've never seen an Eevee with green eyes until today. If I wanted to breed for an eevee pup with green eyes, I'd look for a compatible male with green eyes to increase the odds of the offspring having the same trait as the parent.

"Other breeders, like those who work for the league, will help Pokémon repopulate an area if their numbers fall too low. The Pokémon farfetch'd, for example, is an endangered species, so league breeders are working on getting their numbers back up."

Ethan nodded along as he ate, intrigued by this new information. "What specifically do you want to do?"

"I'm not sure yet. I've still got a lot to learn," Brock shrugged.

"You'll have to show me some of what you know after our battle, at least the parts about taking care of Pokémon," Ethan said as he finished his meal.

"Sure, but only if you get the badge," Brock chuckled.

Ethan spent the next half-hour enjoying the food and company of the other members of the table. After finishing and setting his dishes in the kitchen sink to wash, he returned to the dining area to find Eevee belly-up, groaning as she pawed at her bulging stomach.

"I think we should get ready for bed," Ethan said. "I want to get an early start tomorrow."

Ethan placed Eevee in his arms, stood, and thanked Brock for the meal and bed before bidding goodnight to the rest of the Harrison family.

"You still ate too fast, didn't you?" he said to his furry companion as he set her down on the bed.

Eevee grumbled before curling in on herself to succumb to a food-induced coma.

Ethan shook his head and planted a kiss on Eevee's head, making her smile in her sleep. "Good night, mein kleine überfresser."

Ethan carried a still-sleeping Eevee in his arms. He was now traveling southwest through Route 2, on the stretch of farmland between Pewter City and the wilderness before Viridian Forest. He got up at five this morning, and the twilight was already beginning to light up the sky.

Brock was awake and wished him good luck on his journey before he left. He also gave Ethan the recipe for Eevee's Pokémon food. She loved Brock's cooking, which wasn't surprising. He did too.

He continued walking down the path, crinkling his nose as he passed by a larger farm. Ethan was surprised when he looked over the fence and saw a herd of cows. Not tauros or miltank, but just regular cows. He knew from his time in the Rota library that they and other animals existed, if only in captivity, but it didn't fully register until now.

Ethan was out of farm country and on the final stretch of wilderness before the Viridian Forest by the time the sun rose over the distant Mount Moon mountain range. Eevee stirred and yawned, then took in her surroundings.

"Morning, Eevee. Feeling better?"

Eevee hopped down and stretched, arching her back and shaking out each leg. "Eevee, Eeveev," she greeted as she wiped the sleepiness out of her eyes.

"That's good. How about some breakfast before we start into the forest? Brock told me how to make the PokéMart food better so we can use it up. Why don't you go relieve yourself while I get everything ready?" Ethan suggested as he set his bag down on the side of the path.

Eevee nodded and tapped her Pokéball on the satchel's strap, returning herself.

While Eevee was taking care of business, Ethan got a bowl and measured out some of the Pokémon food. He then mixed in some pre-diced Pecha berry according to Brock's instructions.

Ethan pulled out a sandwich that Brock had prepared for him and took a bite, savoring the flavor of ham and sharp cheddar. While he chewed, his thoughts turned to the trek ahead. This would be his first time going into the wilderness alone in either world – if he didn't count Eevee.

While it was true he was an Eagle Scout and earned his wilderness survival merit badge, it had been years since he used any of those skills. The most he could remember about the experience was how to make a shelter and start a fire.

I've got a compass, a map, and a plan, he assured himself. If I stick to the plan, I can make it to a campground most nights and be out of the forest in a week.

Eevee's ball shook, and Ethan tapped the release. Eevee materialized, sharply inhaled one, two, three times, then sneezed loudly.

"Gesundheit! Here you go, Eevee. Eat up," Ethan chuckled as he set her bowl down. "After we make it to the first campground tonight, we'll work on your Double Kick again. It looks like you're able to form the fighting-type energy correctly, so we just have to work on your power and technique."

"Eev eevee eev!" she agreed between bites. After a minute of silent eating, Eevee's ears flicked up, and she stopped before getting another mouthful of food. She looked around as if searching for something.

"Hm? You sense something?" Ethan asked.

Eevee looked up and barked excitedly, raising her front paws to point at what caught her interest. She lost her balance and fell onto her back, but made no move to get up.

Ethan looked to where she pointed and blinked. In the sky far above him was an enormous bird trailed by a rainbow. "Oh, you've got to be kidding me. Is that Ho-Oh?"

The legendary phoenix flew northeast until it was out of sight. A golden glint of something in the air caught Ethan's attention as it slowly descended.

When it was within reach, he caught it and lowered it so both he and Eevee could examine it.

"Please don't tell me this means I'm some kind of chosen one," Ethan groaned as Eevee beheld the object, captivated by its many colors.

In his hand, Ethan held a brightly glowing Rainbow Wing.

"Of course a being from another dimension would be noticed by what are basically the demi-gods of this world. Why wouldn't I be? They're probably the reason I'm here," he further complained.

After some healthy ranting, Ethan carefully wrapped the feather in a handkerchief and placed it in a hidden compartment of his bag with his phone and a few of his otherworldly possessions. He and Eevee finished their food and walked side by side with no further exciting developments thus far.

"Okay, let's be on the lookout for a caterpie. Those should be relatively simple to raise and train, I think," Ethan said.

"Eev veev," she nodded as she began to look side to side, eyes, ears, and nose alert.

While Ethan had some meta-knowledge of Pokémon, he acknowledged that real-life Pokémon could not be raised like video game Pokémon. Therefore, he opted for something like a caterpie to be his first catch so he could gain more experience and confidence raising a Pokémon. If Ash could do it, then it should be a breeze.

The canopy of the forest soon became thick enough to filter out most of the light from the brightening sky. Dirt and gravel crunched underneath Ethan's boots, insects buzzed and chirped, and the cries of Pokémon sounded in the distance.

"I'm kind of surprised we haven't run into anyone yet. It'd be nice to see how our training is coming along in a battle," Ethan said, breaking the silence.

Eevee nodded, then stopped, sniffing the air.

"Eevee eev eev!" she exclaimed, running up to and around a nearby tree. She looked at Ethan and pranced in place, telling him to hurry up.

"You found one already?" Ethan whispered as he caught up to Eevee and peeked around the tree.

Ethan blinked, rubbed his eyes, and squinted. "Damn, Eevee. Either that's a really strange weedle, or you've found us a yellow caterpie."

Of course my first catch is going to be a shiny, not that I'm complaining. My shiny luck was crap in the games, Ethan thought excitedly.

He crouched next to Eevee, keeping an eye on the caterpie who was on the side of a nearby tree. "Okay, strategy time! The only moves a caterpie can use are Tackle, String Shot, and Bug Bite. Avoid the String Shots and use hit-and-run tactics. If we do this right, you'll knock it out in two, maybe three hits tops. Get out there and start things off with your Dig attack."

Eevee nodded, a grin forming on her muzzle as she jumped up and came down to earth, seemingly sinking into the dirt. The caterpie sensed something was up and began to move, only for Eevee to jump out of the ground nearby and tackle it to the Earth.

"Eevee, let's take this chance to try out your Double Kick attack," Ethan commanded, coming out from behind the tree. He reached into the camo pouch on his right leg, pulled out a Pokéball, and primed it.

Eevee ran straight for the caterpie, gathering the energy for a Double Kick attack as she moved. The caterpie recovered from the surprise attack, cried an angry squeak, and rapid-fired globs of String Shot, landing a hit on Eevee's flank as she charged.

Wow, I didn't think String Shot could be used like that, Ethan thought. "Zig-zag as you approach, Eevee. Make yourself harder to hit."

Eevee got the idea and began to do just that. It took more time to get to the caterpie, but she didn't get hit by any more of the String Shot.

When she was in range, she jumped into the air and performed a front flip, hind legs glowing white. She kicked the caterpie once, then twice before bouncing back and landing on all fours.

Despite the move not being very effective, it still knocked the caterpie out cold. Ethan pulled his arm back and threw the Pokéball, watching as it flew through the air.

It missed.

Ethan blinked. "Huh. They make it look so easy," he mumbled as Eevee rolled on the ground, laughing. He retrieved the Pokéball, then crouched next to the still-unconscious caterpie, deciding just to tap the Pokémon with the ball in hand this time.

The caterpie dematerialized into red light as it was sucked into the ball. It shook a few times before it dinged, indicating a successful capture.

"All right! We made a new friend by beating them up!" Ethan shouted to the sky as he stood and raised the Pokéball above his head.

. . .

"...I'm never doing that again. I don't care if nobody was watching. That made me cringe. Stupid pre-teen impulsiveness…."

Eevee calmed down from her giggle fit and walked up to Ethan, chest puffed out.

"Okay, Eevee, you were pretty awesome. Your Double Kick is looking good," Ethan praised, scratching behind her ears while he pulled off some sticky string from her fur. "Maybe we can start working on Swift or Shadow Ball tonight."

"Eev vee," she said, beaming as she stood on her hind legs and pawed Ethan's camo pouch. He knew what she wanted and pretended to be deep in thought.

"I don't know…. You were laughing at me. I don't think you deserve one."

Eevee gasped and moved her front paws to his leg, saying something that sounded like a frantic apology.

Ethan chuckled, pulled out a chunk of dried Pecha berry, and stuffed it in her mouth while she was still talking.

"Now, let's heal Caterpie and welcome them to the team."

Ethan held a hand over his mouth as he yawned. It had been a few days since Caterpie joined the team. In those few days, he learned that Caterpie was a glutton. His Pokédex app confirmed the behavior with a few of the games' entries about it. After the first couple of meal breaks, he made sure his Pokémon ate at different times so that Eevee wouldn't get her food stolen by the ravenous bug.

Caterpie became rather affectionate once it got to know Ethan and Eevee. When it wasn't in its Pokéball, it was riding on Ethan's shoulder or his satchel.

Ethan was pleased to find out that Caterpie did know all the attacks it was capable of learning on its own. After looking up its move set, Ethan realized that caterpie were capable of learning Electroweb, though he could only guess how to teach it.

Maybe if I expose Caterpie to some electric-type attacks, it could learn how to mimic that and combine it with String Shot, he theorized.

Ethan checked his compass to get his bearings. Yep, he was still traveling in a southern direction. The forest had become so thick that the only way he knew he was still on track was because of all the signs he had passed pointing toward Viridian City.

"Viridian City," he muttered. "I feel like I forgot something super important related to Viridian City."

"Eevee?"

"I'm not sure. Well, if I can't remember, it's probably not important enough," Ethan concluded.

"No, not again! Not now!"

"Never interrupt the Team Rocket motto!"

"That's what it was! I completely forgot about Team Rocket!" Ethan said, snapping his fingers.

Ethan and Eevee crept closer to the voices, staying hidden by the forest's natural cover.

"Jessie!"

"James!"

"Keep it down before you wake up the beedrill!" a boy with messy raven-black hair and a bleeding scratch on his cheek yelled in a hushed tone.

"TEAM ROCKET BLASTS OFF AT THE SPEED OF LIGHT!"

"SURRENDER NOW OR PREPARE TO FIGHT!"

"MEOWTH, DAT'S RIGHT!"

Ethan covered Eevee's ears when explosions of blue and pink fog went off behind the Team Rocket trio. "Sheesh, how loud can they get? And how does Jessie keep her head straight with all that hair?" he asked himself.

"Eeveev, eevee eev?"

"That's Ash Ketchum! He's the one I told you about, the one that can free Lucario from Sir Aaron's staff," Ethan told her.

By this point, Ash had outrun Team Rocket and evaded the dive-bombing beedrill that became enraged by the explosions, causing them to focus on the criminal trio.

"Come on. Let's catch up with him."

"I didn't abandon you, Metapod! I just got sidetracked. It was all Samurai's fau-." Ash lost his footing and yelled as he hit the forest floor, Metapod rolling a short distance away in a tumble.

After a moment, Ash spoke up again. "No, it wasn't Samurai's fault. It was my fault. If I was a better Pokémon trainer, I'd stop making all these excuses. From now on, I swear I'll never run away and leave my friends behind again."

Ash got back on his feet, ran to Metapod's side, and nodded. "No more excuses." Ash's and Metapod's eyes met, and he knew that Metapod forgave him. Their moment was interrupted as he heard the telltale buzzing of a beedrill's wings, and he turned to face the approaching threat.

"Ash!" Misty cried as she, Samurai, and Pikachu ran to try and save him.

"Watch out for the Twinneedle attack!" Samurai warned.

"Pikapi!" Pikachu cried.

"Quick Attack!"

Ash blinked as a blur of brown and white from the corner of his vision rammed into the beedrill's side, knocking it off its trajectory and forcing it to face its new attacker. That last voice wasn't Misty or Samurai.

The blur stopped and positioned itself between Ash and the beedrill soldier.

"Who's that Pokémon?" Ash asked as he pulled out his Pokédex.

"Eevee, The Evolution Pokémon. It has the potential to evolve into any one of three different Pokémon," his Pokédex informed him.

"She can actually evolve into eight different Pokémon, but we can get into that later."

Ash started and turned to face the new speaker. "Who are you?"

The blond-haired newcomer confidently smiled. "I'll tell you in a minute. Gotta take care of that beedrill first." He grabbed a Pokéball off the strap of his bag and threw it. "I need your help, Caterpie!"

His caterpie formed from the bright white light, and Ash was… confused. "I thought caterpie were supposed to be green," he said.

"Amazing! You caught an off-colored caterpie," Samurai remarked as Misty shuddered at the sight of another bug. "That's a rare find."

"I just call them shiny Pokémon," the stranger shrugged as he caught the rebounding Pokéball. "Caterpie, use String Shot, then Tackle."

The caterpie obeyed and spewed out the sticky substance, gumming up its opponent's wings and stingers and causing the beedrill to fall to the ground. It then charged forward and tackled the defenseless beedrill into a nearby bush.

"Good job, Caterpie," he praised, then pulled Ash to his feet with his free hand. "Come on. Let's get out of here before the rest of the swarm shows up."

"Uh, right!"

"A good idea. Come, my cabin is nearby," Samurai said.

Ash carried Metapod as the stranger collected his eevee and caterpie, and both entered the safety of Samurai's protective bug net.

Ho-ly crap, I'm sitting next to Ash Ketchum, Ethan thought. This was the kid who helped him get through his early childhood afternoons after school on Kids WB. Granted, rewatching the same episodes as an adult significantly dimmed his views on how great Ash was as a trainer, but he still held some respect for the guy.

"Now that we're out of immediate danger, let me introduce myself. My name is Ethan, and I'm from Rota Town," Ethan said. "What are your names?"

"I'm Ash Ketchum, from Pallet Town. And this is Pikachu."

"Pikachu!"

"I am called Samurai."

"My name's Misty," Misty finished. "Rota Town…. Isn't that the castle town near Cameran Palace? I've always wanted to visit!"

"It is," Ethan nodded. "It's a beautiful place filled with great people. I moved there just before leaving on my Pokémon journey."

"Eevee, Eeveev!" Eevee said, pouting at Ethan.

"I didn't forget about you," he assured her. "This is Eevee. She was my first Pokémon."

"Aww, she's so cute! Can I hold her?" Misty asked, irises getting big.

"Sure. Be gentle, though. She's still getting used to people. She was a wild Pokémon before she joined me."

Eevee cautiously padded up to Misty and quickly warmed up to her.

"Hey, Ethan? Thanks for saving Metapod and me earlier. What did you mean when you said eevee can evolve into eight Pokémon?" Ash asked. "Dexter said eevee only evolves into three Pokémon."

"The Pokédex only has data on Pokémon that have been documented so far, so it doesn't have entries for Eevee's other evolved forms," Ethan informed him. "The current Pokédex has information on close to 150 Pokémon native to the Kanto region. Pokémon in other regions are still being studied and documented."

"Other regions?" Ash asked, visibly confused.

"Yeah. You didn't think Kanto was the only region in the world, did you?"

"O-of course not!" Ash said, flustered.

Ethan raised a brow, then shook his head. That sounded like a typical season one Ash response.

"So if Dexter doesn't have every Pokémon, how many are there?" Ash asked.

Ethan hummed in thought. "I'm not exactly sure, but I believe there are at least 900 different kinds."

The room went silent, other than Eevee's purring, and Ethan looked around to find the other three humans openly gaping at him.

"…What? Stop looking at me like that," Ethan said nervously.

"Sorry," Misty said. "It's just amazing to think that there could be so many kinds of Pokémon. Think of all the water types!"

"Or the bug types!" Samurai chimed in.

Misty visibly shuddered, hugging Eevee a little closer. "N-no, thanks."

"Wow," Ash whispered, seemingly in a daze. "That's a lot."

"Yup," Ethan nodded, twiddling his thumbs while everyone else processed that bombshell before settling on Ash again.

"Hey, Ash, would you mind having a training battle with me using Pikachu? I think my caterpie is pretty close to evolving and needs a push," Ethan asked.

Ash took a moment to process his words before replying. "A training battle? Is that like a regular battle?"

"Yeah, but the idea is to help our Pokémon get stronger rather than knock the other out. I have an idea for an attack that requires Caterpie to generate electricity, and being hit by a Thundershock or two might help Caterpie learn how to do just that."

Chapter Text

Chapter 5

Pallet Town

Ethan crested one last hill and paused to take in the view of the town below. It had been a little over a day since he and Eevee left Viridian City. In his opinion, they made good time getting here with daylight to spare.

Eevee jumped to Ethan's shoulder to get a better look. She liked this place already if her wagging tail was any indication. Pallet Town was quiet and smelled much less polluted than Viridian did.

Ethan lifted his red metapod higher in his arms to give them a better view.

"Here we are, you two. Pallet Town! Population: 721 if that sign is correct. It looks nice here," he said.

"Eevee!" Eevee nodded her head in agreement. Metapod couldn't really do or say much right now, but he got the feeling they agreed.

They spent another moment taking in the view before Ethan cast his searching gaze over the town, looking for one place in particular.

"There! That's our destination," he said as he moved Metapod to one arm and pointed with his other. "See that windmill over there? That's Professor Oak's laboratory."

Ethan grabbed Metapod's Pokéball and expanded it. "I'm going to return you to your Pokéball for now, Metapod. I'll call you back out soon."

Metapod blinked once, and Ethan returned them before setting the Pokéball back on his satchel. "Want to walk with me, Eevee? We don't have much farther to go."

Eevee hopped off his shoulder and did a flip before touching down. She looked up at her friend and grinned.

"Showoff," he chuckled. "I could do the same thing if I wanted to."

Eevee looked skeptical.

"…Okay, maybe not 26-year-old me, but 12-year-old me still has hope," he clarified.

Ethan rang the Oak Pokémon research laboratory's doorbell. He stepped back to wait, tapping his foot on the doormat that had an image of the three Kanto starter Pokémon. The lab was pretty close to Pallet's northern outskirts, so he and Eevee hadn't seen much of the town yet.

Eevee impatiently pawed the concrete beneath her. Remembering what happened at the Pewter City Gym, Ethan scooped her up, drawing a surprised squeal from her, and held her in his right arm while stroking her back with his left. She found the arrangement acceptable and leaned into his hand. That helped to soothe Ethan's nerves somewhat.

After a minute, the sound of heels approached from the other side, and the door clicked and slowly opened. A young woman in her mid-teens with long brown hair and a green one-piece pencil skirt appeared.

"Hello, can I – Oh, wow! Your eevee has green eyes! She's so cute!" the young woman gushed.

Ethan chuckled nervously. "Yeah, she gets that a lot. Is it unusual for Eevee to have green eyes?" he asked.

The woman shook her head. "It's just not common. Most Pokémon look the way they usually do, though some will have different features than their species' standard."

She then seemed to remember what she was supposed to be doing. "Oh, I'm sorry. Whenever I see adorable, I kind of get sidetracked," she apologized. "What can I help you with?"

"Oh, um, I came to see Professor Oak. He should be expecting me, though I'm a day or two later than I thought I would be," Ethan replied.

"You must be Ethan! I'm Daisy Oak. Gramps did say he expected you to arrive any day now. He's working on something right now, but come in and have something to drink while you wait. I just finished brewing a pot of sugina tea."

"Thank you. I think I'll take you up on that," Ethan said as he followed Daisy inside.

I don't remember seeing Daisy in the anime. Maybe she just wasn't around when Ash left, Ethan thought. "Do you have honey? I've never had sugina, but I heard it has a strong flavor."

"Sure. I like honey in my tea as well."

Ethan sat in a chair on the lab's back patio, blowing softly on his tea before taking a sip. He set the cup back down on the table and added a little more honey.

"You and Eevee look pretty close. How long have you been together?" Daisy asked before taking a sip of her tea.

Ethan looked out at the expansive ranch, his brows furrowed as he ran the numbers through his head. "About… three weeks? Wow, time flies by," he answered.

"Only three weeks? It looks like you've been together for a lot longer than that! She seems happy and well taken care of if her coat and the amount of energy she has is anything to go by," she observed as Eevee and Daisy's clefairy ran by, playing a game of tag.

"We've been through a lot together already," Ethan agreed as he looked at his Pokémon. "She means this whole world to me, and I love her like a father loves his daughter."

Daisy smiled. That was pretty mature for someone Ethan's age. He was much more mature than her little brother Gary and his rival, Ash.

Ethan hastily set his tea down and abruptly caught a flying Eevee as she jumped at him mid-Quick Attack. Eevee's momentum caused Ethan and the chair he was sitting on to screech back about a foot before coming to a halt.

He set her on his lap, and she stood on her feet, bracing herself on his chest as she rubbed her cheek against her trainer's. "I guess she heard us talking," Ethan laughed as he scratched her favorite spot behind her ears.

"H-how did you do that?!" Daisy asked, stunned. "She was moving so fast I couldn't even see her!"

Ethan shrugged. "She has tells. Her pupils get really big, and she wiggles her cute little bum whenever she's about to pounce. The first couple of times were painful, but I learned quickly."

"Daisy, was that the parcel I'm expecting from Dr. Autumn? I can't make any more progress on the PTS project until it arrives," a familiar voice from the open door said.

"It hasn't shown up yet, gramps," she yelled back when she shook off her surprise. "Take a break and have some tea. We have guests!"

Ethan looked to the door as a middle-aged man with graying brown hair and thick dark brown eyebrows stepped outside wearing a red short-sleeve button-down shirt and tan slacks. The only thing missing was his lab coat.

"Oh? You must be Ethan! I'm Professor Oak, the lead Pokémon researcher in the Kanto region," Professor Oak said as he offered his hand.

Ethan shifted Eevee to his left arm as he stood and shook the proffered hand. "Good to meet you, Professor. I read some of your book 'An Introduction to the Research of Portable Beasts' while I was in Rota. You pretty much single-handedly changed the world's perspective over the past thirty years that Pokémon are entirely different from animals!"

Oak nodded and waved off the praise as he let go of Ethan's hand. "I had a lot of help from Professors Rowan and Juniper back then in getting it published. It certainly jumpstarted my career," he laughed.

"Oh! You reminded me of something." Ethan opened his bag with his free hand and pulled out a sealed cardboard box. "Nurse Joy in Viridian City asked me to deliver this to you. I figured I would since I was coming here anyway," he said as he handed the box to Professor Oak.

"Well, if it isn't Dr. Autumn's parcel! Thank you, my boy! Daisy, will you take this inside and set it on my desk? I believe Ethan and I have some matters to discuss," Oak said.

"Sure, gramps. I've got to get back to my studies anyway. I'll see you two later!" Daisy cheerfully said as she carefully took the parcel and disappeared inside, her clefairy skipping after her.

The professor sighed. "Daisy was such a talented coordinator back when she traveled. She's studying to become a Pokémon groomer now, and I've never seen her happier."

Oak turned to Ethan and waved him over. "Follow me to my study. We can talk there in private."

Ethan adjusted his grip on the now-snoozing Eevee and followed the professor inside.

Ethan walked through the door held open by Professor Oak and sat on the farther of the two sofas in the room. He carefully set Eevee on the cushion next to him and put his bag on the floor near his feet.

"So, Ethan," Professor Oak began as he sat across the coffee table on the other sofa, "is Eevee here your first Pokémon?"

Ethan smiled. "Yeah, she is," he answered. "Professor, what is it that you study again? Is it human and Pokémon relationships?"

The professor nodded. "That is my primary focus as a Pokémon professor, but it's not the only thing I study. Every Pokémon professor and researcher has an obligation to uncover the mysteries of Pokémon. I had this laboratory and its various environments throughout the ranch built twenty years ago so that my aides and I can study Pokémon in their natural habitats," he reminisced with a smile and a distant look.

"Ah, I'm babbling, aren't I? Let's get down to why you're here. Queen Ilene sent me a message to expect you." Professor Oak furrowed his brows. "She mentioned that you have an unusual Pokémon-related incident you need help with. The message was rather vague, but I'm assuming you can fill me in on the details?"

"Right. I've had a lot of time to think about this discussion, and this will sound like an odd question, but what do you know about the multiverse theory?" Ethan asked.

Professor Oak folded his arms and looked up in thought. "Hmm…. If I had to put it simply, the theory suggests that there are multiple universes. Some are similar to our own, while some are very different. There's no definitive proof that they exist, however."

Ethan nodded. "That's part of the reason I came to see you. I still can't think of a believable way to explain the, uh, complicated situation I'm in, so I'll explain it as best I can," Ethan said nervously before taking a deep breath.

"I'm not from this universe. I'm from an Earth where we know about Pokémon through… stories, legends, cartoons, you name it, but Pokémon themselves don't exist. The last thing I remember from my world before I wound up near Rota was hearing a couple of powerful voices in a cavern deep underground. The next thing I knew, I was in a lake in the Tree of Beginning."

Professor Oak waited patiently while the boy in front of him finished his tale. "You're right. It is hard to believe. I can't even think of what a world would be like without Pokémon."

"I think I can prove it, though," Ethan said.

Professor Oak sighed. "Very well. What do you have?"

"Well, if this is the Pokémon world I think it is, I can tell you of something that happened specifically in your past that you've probably never told anyone about."

Professor Oak blinked. "There are stories about me in your world?"

"Sort of?" Ethan shrugged. "In most of them, you give the main character their starter Pokémon and keep in touch with them after."

Ethan took a few moments to gather his thoughts. "Anyways, back to the topic at hand. Tell me if this sounds familiar. Almost forty years ago, young Sammy Oak was in a forest in northwest Johto, north of what is now Olivine City. He saved Celebi from a Pokémon hunter but got dragged forty years into the future and met Ash Ketchum. Together, the two of them saved Celebi from the Iron-masked Marauder, and then Celebi brought Sammy back home."

Ethan chuckled. "By the way, you, having gotten the idea for the Pokédex from Ash, who got his Pokédex from you in the first place, is a causal time loop. Technically speaking, no one really knows who came up with the idea for the Pokédex."

Professor Oak's jaw dropped more and more throughout Ethan's monolog before he abruptly stood. "H-how do you know all this?! I never told a soul about Celebi!" he accused as he narrowed his eyes.

Ethan tensed as he stroked Eevee's head when she twitched in her sleep, calming her down. "A-as I said, the Earth I'm from has stories about the Pokémon world. Now I know for sure it's based on this world. I've watched the cartoon series on and off for over twenty years. Hell, even your and Ash's adventure with Celebi was made into its own full-length movie."

Ethan looked at the professor, who was back to staring with wide eyes.

"Oh, but please keep this a secret between us. I don't need the wrong people, especially Team Rocket or anyone affiliated with the League, finding out that I'm from another universe. I'd prefer to choose who I tell, and the only ones I've told about my origins so far are Queen Ilene, my Pokémon, and now you."

Oak slowly lowered himself back into his seat and put his head in his hands. "I could never have imagined that the incident Queen Ilene mentioned would be on a scale of interdimensional proportions," he muttered. He contemplated the situation for a moment longer before looking back up.

"I suggest being careful with whom you tell your secret and how much you reveal," Oak suggested. "You're looking for a way back, I assume?"

"That's my goal. I have a few ideas for what Pokémon could have been involved in my appearance. Do you know of the space and time legends in Sinnoh?"

"You think Palkia and Dialga are somehow involved in your coming to this world?"

"It makes some sense to me. Palkia is the master of space, and Dialga is the master of time. I was pulled here through time, space, and dimensions. I suppose Giratina could be involved somehow, though I don't know enough about them. Maybe the Sun and Moon legends of Alola could be involved?" Ethan mused.

"I'm afraid I'm not as familiar with the Sun and Moon legends. How much of our world do you know about?"

"A lot, maybe? Though a better answer would probably be 'less than I think'," he answered. "The Sun and Moon legends of Alola are Solgaleo and Lunala. I'm sure your cousin Samson or Professor Kukui could give you more details if you called them up."

"Professor Kukui? Who's that?" Professor Oak asked.

"Um, he either is or is going to be Alola's regional professor. I didn't consider that he may not be a professor yet. Forget I said his name."

Oak raised a brow, then shook his head. "Anyway, I'm afraid I don't have a solution for your predicament. I can check my resources to see if anything like this has happened before, though I'm not confident anything will turn up."

Ethan nodded. "That's alright. I figured this wouldn't be easy."

Professor Oak thought back over the conversation and remembered some things Ethan had said. "You're rather young for someone over twenty years old," he chuckled. "You also said you heard voices before you wound up in this world. Do you remember what they said?"

"Oh, yes. I'm mentally twenty-six and physically twelve. A separate incident in the Tree of Beginning made me younger. Don't ask how. It wasn't pleasant," Ethan shuddered. "As for the voices, the first voice asked the second if they thought I was 'sufficient,' and the second said I 'would do'. It makes me think I was brought here to do something."

"If that's true, then it's possible that you won't be able to go home until you do whatever you were brought here to do, assuming it's possible to go back at all. Have you considered the possibility that your coming here was a one-way trip?"

Ethan's heart skipped a beat, and he froze as those words processed in his head. "I-I didn't even think about that. I have family back home, damn it! I can't imagine not seeing them again!" he said as he held his head in his hands.

The professor gave him an empathetic look. "I'm not saying that it's impossible to go home. This is something that, as far as I know, has never happened before. But it may be wise to prepare for the possibility that you may be spending the rest of your days here."

"You're probably right," Ethan shakily mumbled. "Still, I've got to keep hope that I can see them again, right? I didn't even have a chance to say goodbye…."

Ethan felt something soft and warm slip through his arms and onto his lap. He opened his eyes to meet Eevee's worried green irises. "Eeveev?" she asked softly.

He remained silent and pulled her into a tight hug as if she were his lifeline. His shoulders began to heave as the stress he had buried over the past few weeks manifested all at once. He buried his face into Eevee's mane and wept.

Eventually, the heaving subsided, and Ethan let go of Eevee. "S-sorry about messing up your fur, Eevee. I'll fix it later. Promise."

"Eevee veev," Eevee said as she licked his cheek.

Ethan turned to look at the professor with puffy eyes. "I'm an emotional wreck. I was taken from my world against my will and nearly died twice since I got here. I guess these last three weeks have been harder than I thought."

"Twice? Well, don't worry about it. Everyone needs to cry once in a while. I've had my fair share," Oak said in understanding. "I'll see what I can figure out and update you on my findings."

"Th-thank you," Ethan hiccuped and took a moment to breathe. "Oh! I almost forgot. I took some pictures of some kind of mural that I found in the cave I was in before I found myself in the tree. Maybe that could help you in your search? I'll show them to you in a minute. I've got a few more things I want to talk about with you before I forget."

"Alright. What else do you wish to discuss?"

"I was wondering if I could have a Pokédex and the ability to have Pokémon transferred to your ranch if I exceed the carry limit. Even though I'm looking for a way home, I still want to go on a Pokémon journey, collect badges, and do whatever else trainers do. It's not every day you have the chance to do something that was supposed to be impossible."

"Indeed," Professor Oak chuckled, then looked down in thought as he considered Ethan's request. "I usually only allow locals or trainers I sponsor to keep their Pokémon on the ranch. I'm already inclined to sponsor you, but tell me why I should."

Ethan worked his fingers through Eevee's fur as he thought about what he could offer. Spoiling future events was off the table. He didn't want to risk a negative outcome of some future event by telling someone else what he knew. He thought about his phone and had an idea.

"You and Professor Westwood are working on expanding the Pokédex database," he stated. "You're probably just getting data from Johto on their native Pokémon for the next iteration of the Pokédex, right?"

Professor Oak raised a brow. "That's correct. We are working on expanding the Pokédex. Why do you ask?"

Ethan opened his bag and pulled out his phone. "This is a device from my world. It's my phone, camera, and a computer. Remember that I told you that, in my world, Pokémon only exist in cartoons, stories, etcetera? They're also a video game series. I have a program on here that has data on over 900 species of Pokémon.

"The data is based on the games, but something constant between the games and everything else is that they have the same species of Pokémon."

The professor leaned forward, intrigued. "Interesting…. If what you say is true, this could bring the Pokédex project forward by several years! Will you show me?"

After Ethan turned on his phone and showed Professor Oak how to use it, the professor eagerly scrolled through the list, occasionally stopping to look at some of the entries. It was like watching a wide-eyed kid experiencing the magic of Disneyland for the first time.

"This is fantastic! These may be artistic renderings, but I've traveled all around the world and seen many of these Pokémon. Who knew there was a fairy type? Oh, and look at all these alternate forms!"

Ethan held back a chuckle. "I'd probably keep mega evolution, dynamaxing, and gigantamax forms under wraps unless they're already known. Professor Sycamore is supposed to be the one to study mega evolution, and the latter two are a phenomenon only possible in the Galar region being studied by Professor Magnolia, so it might already be known there."

The ecstatic professor nodded. "There are things I'm going to have to keep to myself, at least until I can verify them. I don't see a problem using the data for most of the non-legendary Pokémon, though verifying and gathering real-world data will take time."

Professor Oak looked up from the phone. "I'll sponsor you and give you a Pokédex if you leave this device with me for a little while. I'd like to copy the data from this application and see how the device works. It'll take some time."

Ethan frowned. That would leave him without his camera and number one reference to figuring out movesets for his Pokémon. Then again, maybe he was becoming too reliant on it.

"Can you tell me how the Pokédex works? If I'm going to be without my phone for a while, I want to know of the Pokédex's capabilities."

"Given what I've seen so far, that's understandable. The Pokédex gives you basic data on wild Pokémon you scan, like their typings and some need-to-know information. Scanning your own Pokémon will provide you with more detailed information like gender, known moves, and moves that their species are known to learn. If the Pokédex doesn't have data for a particular Pokémon you've caught, it can still tell you its gender and known moves."

Ethan considered Professor Oak's proposal. The downside was that anything his phone had that the Pokédex didn't wouldn't be available to him. The upside was that the Pokédex could show him information specific to his Pokémon.

"That sounds agreeable. Let's talk details."

After hashing out more details about the agreement, showing the professor the photos he took in the cave, and concluding their business, Ethan was surprised to find that the sun had already set. He was now following Professor Oak to a place he could spend the night since the lab didn't have any guest accommodations prepared.

Being the techie he was, Ethan was playing with his new blue Pokédex. He discovered by scanning Metapod that she was a girl. Is this going to become a trend that I can't catch male Pokémon? he wondered. At least I know she's a girl now. I kind of felt bad for not knowing.

Professor Oak, of course, was surprised by the red metapod. Ethan told him that she was due to evolve any day now, and he'd happily give him the leftover chrysalis if she evolved during his stay.

Ethan decided it would be best to rest a full day and make more plans before heading out. He already knew he was heading back to Pewter City to challenge the gym. Eevee's Dig and Double Kick attacks were pretty much mastered, and she was making progress on Swift and Shadow Ball. When given a choice, Eevee decided she wanted to work on both attacks.

"Here we are, Ethan. Pallet House: Delia. You won't find a better meal or a more gracious host in Kanto," the professor claimed. "This is where Ash lives."

"Huh. I didn't know Mrs. Ketchum ran an inn."

Professor Oak knocked on the door and waited. "It's not a true inn. Pallet Town is an out-of-the-way place, and we don't get many visitors, so it's unprofitable to build and maintain a dedicated inn or hotel. Delia is more than happy to lend a room to the occasional traveler like yourself."

The door opened, and a woman with amber eyes and reddish-brown hair stepped forward. "Samuel, it's good to see you! I heard Daisy's in town. How is she?" Delia asked.

"She's doing quite well, Delia. If she keeps studying like she is, she'll be a licensed groomer before the end of the summer! She has her heart on setting up shop in Celadon City," the professor replied.

"I'll have to visit tomorrow. Come inside! Would you like to stay for dinner? I'm making spaghetti and meatballs," she said before noticing there was another guest. "Oh? Who's this?"

Ethan took that as his cue. "My name is Ethan. It's nice to meet you, Mrs. Ketchum! I was wondering if my Pokémon and I could rent a room for a couple of nights."

"Delia, Ethan is my newest sponsee. I'm willing to cover any costs for the duration of his stay," Oak added.

"In that case, I'll let him stay at no charge. If you're offering to cover costs, he must have done something very nice for you."

A pair of loud growls interrupted the conversation, and the two adults looked at Ethan and Eevee, who sheepishly chuckled. "I guess Eevee and I haven't eaten since lunch. Does your meal offer extend to us, too? It smells great!"

The next day found Ethan in an open field under a tree on the ranch. Metapod was leaning against the tree while Eevee was a short distance away, in a wide stance, and her eyes closed, focusing her power.

"Remember, the best places to focus your energy for a Swift attack are the white of your tail and your mouth. You don't need to worry about aiming. Just keep your target in mind when you launch the attack."

Ethan then turned to Metapod. "Metapod, I want you to keep on meditating. You can learn Confusion once you're a butterfree, so focusing and strengthening your mind now should help you have finer control over your psychic powers."

Metapod closed her eyes and began to do just that, and Ethan pulled out his notebook to plan the next part of his journey. He had done all he could for now to find a way home. He thought about heading to Sinnoh but had a feeling that going there wouldn't bear fruit until Team Galactic became active.

Come to think of it, a lot of things seem to wait until Ash is conveniently nearby. Maybe it would be a good idea to stay near him? He does seem to meet almost every legendary Pokémon he comes near, Ethan thought.

Then, another idea came to him. Would it be easier just to join Ash's group? I did promise Queen Ilene I'd bring him to Rota's tournament next year. That's happening a few weeks before the Indigo League competition next July, so Ash should have his eight badges by then. That'll probably mean skipping the filler episodes that happen around then, so it's nothing significant to the timeline.

Plus, maybe having some constant competition around him will motivate him to train. Brock and Misty were always too soft on him. We could also work on developing our auras together, assuming his power isn't still dormant.

Ethan frowned. Would it be awkward to travel with kids between ten and fifteen years younger than him? I guess I'm technically in their age group now, so it would only be weird to me.

Ethan checked the date on his watch. Saturday, April 12th. If the English dub were correct, Ash would get to Pewter City within the next few days, and Ethan didn't know how long Ash stayed there. It had to be around two or three days.

"Eeveev! Eevee eevee eev!"

Ethan broke out of his thoughts to see his excited Eevee dash into the tree's shade to his left side. Curious, he turned to see what caught Eevee's interest.

Metapod's eyes were glazed over, and Ethan noticed a line running through her chrysalis getting larger and larger. The cracking stopped after a few seconds, and a sudden bright light poured from the open seam. Ethan's horror changed to awe as he realized what was happening.

The first things to emerge from the cracked shell were two pairs of white chitinous wings with black outlines: a large upper pair and a smaller, lower pair with the central area filled in black. The light intensified before dying down.

The butterfree experimentally flexing her wings had two antennae, green compound eyes, a pink mouth, pink hands, pink feet, and the regular purple-colored exoskeleton.

Butterfree trilled an exultant "Fweee" as she took off into the sky and flew in circles between the lab and Ethan's location.

Ethan grabbed his Pokédex to record Butterfree's data.

"Butterfree, the Butterfly Pokémon. One week after caterpie evolves into metapod, it again evolves into butterfree," the Pokédex informed him.

"I know that! Show me the deets, Jarvis," Ethan told his Pokédex as he pushed a button to show the information he wanted.

"Let's see…. Looks like Butterfree can't use Harden anymore. Her known moves are Tackle, String Shot, Bug Bite, Gust, Sleep Powder, Poison Powder, Stun Spore, and Confusion. Neat!" Ethan said as he happily looked at his beautiful, recently-evolved Pokémon.

"This is so awesome, Butterfree! Congratulations on evolving! Let's check you out, and then I'll get you some food!"

Butterfree descended and landed near Ethan, waiting for instructions.

"Let's get a good look at you before we start. I've never seen or touched a butterfree before," Ethan said as he lifted a hand before stopping. "May I?"

"Fwee fwee!" Butterfree nodded, and Ethan proceeded to rub the side of Butterfree's head, careful to avoid her eyes, wings, and antennae. Eevee walked up and sniffed her to memorize her new scent.

"Huh, it isn't weird like I thought it would be. You're firm, but there's a bit of softness that feels nice."

Butterfree trilled contentedly and leaned into his touch, putting a smile on Ethan's face.

After a moment, Ethan stood, and Butterfree hovered in the air next to her trainer.

"Alright. Jarvis says that you learned five new moves when you evolved." Ethan grabbed his things plus the empty red chrysalis and moved away from the tree with his two Pokémon close behind.

"Butterfree, show me your Gust attack!" Ethan commanded as he pointed to the tree they vacated.

Butterfree flew up to get into position and beat her wings rapidly. The wind picked up and blew towards the tree, whipping the thinner branches around and causing several leaves to fall.

"Not bad for your first try. We'll have to practice to make it powerful. I don't want to try out your spore or powder moves until we have an actual opponent."

"I can help you with that!" an approaching cheery voice said from behind him.

Daisy and her clefairy approached from the patio of the lab. "I saw what you were doing and figured your metapod evolved. She's the prettiest butterfree I've ever seen. I just adore those green eyes!"

Ethan looked at Daisy and noted her green dress and green headband. "I've got the impression that green is your favorite color," Ethan quipped. "You said the same thing about Eevee's eyes yesterday."

Daisy stuck out the tip of her tongue and rubbed her neck. "Well, you've got me there! I'm taking a break and just put on a kettle for tea. Let's have a quick battle – my clefairy versus your butterfree. We'll keep going until one is too tired to continue or the kettle whistles."

"Sure," Ethan agreed. "You up for a battle, Butterfree?"

"Fwee!" Butterfree nodded and took a position in front of Ethan while Clefairy stood before Daisy.

Ethan thought through what he knew about the matchup. Clefairy was a fairy type. Fairy types are weak to poison and steel and resist bug. If Butterfree had Tinted Lens as her ability, that resistance would cancel out. Unfortunately, the current iteration of the Pokédex didn't have the capability or data to identify abilities, so they would have to figure that out themselves.

"Butterfree, start things off with String Shot. Scatter it around Clefairy's side of the field."

Butterfree spat the sticky thread from her mouth and spread it on the grassy terrain while Clefairy seemingly danced around the string.

"You'll have to do better than that, Ethan!" Daisy said. "Clefairy, use Pound!"

"Fly up and rapid-fire String Shot. Target Clefairy!"

Clefairy charged and raised a glowing arm. Butterfree tried to hit with the String Shot, but her opponent dodged around each one and jumped into the air.

"Quick, switch to Gust!" Ethan yelled.

Butterfree frantically flapped her wings and created a current of air. It only slowed the airborne clefairy, and the pound attack still hit its mark, but the blow was weakened thanks to Clefairy's decreased momentum.

"Butterfree, try a Confusion attack. Throw Clefairy back!"

Butterfree righted herself and focused, willing her power to grab the falling clefairy. Clefairy became outlined in a suffused blue glow before being roughly thrown.

"Clefairy! Stick the landing and go in for a Double Slap!"

Clefairy righted herself and landed on her feet. Her hands began to glow, and she charged only to trip and fall forward. She caught herself on her paws, and only then did she and her trainer realize what had happened.

"Oh, that's sneaky, Ethan. Trapping Clefairy in the String Shot you laid on the field earlier. Clever!"

"That, or Clefairy is doing exactly what you told her to do," Ethan cheekily said.

It took Daisy a moment to think back and suppress a snort. "That's such a terrible joke!"

"Thanks! Butterfree, Stun Spore then Bug Bite!"

Butterfree spread the orange-yellow powder from her wings over the stuck Clefairy, causing it to seize up. She then swooped in.

Daisy smirked and waited for Butterfree to get close. "Clefairy, Fire Punch!"

Clefairy's right paw burst into flame and burned the sticky string around her, allowing movement once again. Before the surprised Ethan could call off the attack, Clefairy leaped, and her fist made contact with Butterfree's abdomen. Butterfree fell back and collapsed on the ground a short distance away as a high-pitched whistle sounded from inside the lab.

Scheisse! Clefairy must have the gen four version of Magic Guard, Ethan realized as he and Eevee ran to his fallen Pokémon's side. "Butterfree? Are you okay?"

After a few moments, Butterfree stirred and averted her gaze from Ethan. "Fwee…," she trilled sadly.

Ethan breathed a sigh of relief and rubbed the side of her head. "It's okay. I'm glad you're alright. You've only been a butterfree for what? Ten minutes? And I think you did really well in your first battle. I'm proud of you."

Butterfree's eyes shined at Ethan's praise, and she trilled a happier "Fwee!"

"Good match, Ethan," Daisy yelled as she ran toward the lab. "You're pretty good, and I think you'll go far. Get Butterfree healed up in the rejuvenation machine inside, and then we can have lunch and tea!"

Ethan recalled Butterfree, and after getting directions and instructions on how to use the machine, he placed her Pokéball in a slot and pushed a button on the device. The display came to life, scanned the Pokéball, and showed that the estimated time to heal would be about nine minutes.

After setting the empty red chrysalis on a nearby table, Ethan walked down the stairs to join Daisy in the kitchen.

"Butterfree will be fine. The machine said it would be several minutes before she's healed, so I thought I'd get food ready for her and Eevee," Ethan told Daisy.

"Can I help?" she asked. "Pokémon groomers have to take some breeder classes, and I picked up a few things about making Pokémon food."

"Sure," Ethan agreed. "Do you have a recipe for Butterfree? I don't have anything for her yet. She hasn't eaten since she was a caterpie, so I imagine she's starving for a meal."

"Of course!"

Ethan and Daisy worked in silence as they chopped, diced, and mixed ingredients needed for their Pokémon.

"Ethan, you're leaving tomorrow, right?"

"Mhm."

"Where do you plan to go?"

"My first stop will be Pewter City to win a Boulder badge. After that, I'll head through Mount Moon to Cerulean City for their badge."

Daisy stopped her food prep for a moment and looked at Ethan. "Would you mind if I tagged along with you until Cerulean City? I caught Clefairy at Mount Moon, and I have a feeling she wants to visit. After that, I have to get back to Celadon for finals and my summer semester. I can catch a bus there from Cerulean."

Ethan filled Eevee's bowl with her freshly made food and set it on the ground for her to enjoy, then thought as he watched Eevee eat.

It would be nice talking with someone he could understand. Eevee was great company, but he couldn't have in-depth discussions with her. Plus, there was safety in numbers.

"Sure, I wouldn't mind. I'm sure Eevee would love having Clefairy around for a little while longer."

"Thank you! It can get boring traveling alone."

That night, after Ethan's trip to the market to restock his supplies, he sat in the Ketchum residence's front room browsing his Pokédex with Eevee curled up on his lap. Both were content to sit there and enjoy each other's silent company.

Footsteps sounded from the stairs, and Ethan turned to see Delia holding a small box in her hands. She came around the chair and took a seat.

"Are you all ready to go, Ethan?" Delia asked.

"Yeah. Thanks for letting me stay here, Mrs. Ketchum. I appreciate it."

"Please, just call me Delia," she insisted. "Mrs. Ketchum makes me sound old."

They shared a laugh before Delia set her box on the coffee table. "You said you met Ash in Viridian Forest, and that he was headed to Pewter City. If you see him, will you give him this?" she requested, looking somber. "It's a present for his birthday next month, and he's not going to be around for me to give it to him."

Ethan took the box in his hands. "Sure. It's the least I can do to repay you, and I have a feeling I'm going to run into him again anyway. What's in it?"

Delia put a finger to her mouth and winked. "I'm not telling! That would spoil the surprise."

"I hate not knowing things," Ethan shrugged and yawned, then checked the clock on the wall. "I better head to bed. Daisy and I want to get an early start tomorrow," he said as he stood up, Eevee in one arm and the box in the other.

"Good night, Delia."

"Sleep well, Ethan."

Chapter Text

Chapter 6

Rock 'N Roly

"This is a KSL 5 news bulletin update. It has been three weeks since an underground cavern collapse in Snow Canyon State Park forced the closure of the lava tube exploration experience.

"Twenty-six-year-old Utah resident Ethan Dust, who was exploring the caves at the time of the collapse, is still missing. Washington County's Sheriff's Department states every effort is being made to stabilize the cave, and that the search and rescue operation will commence once it is safe to do so.

"In other news, school districts across Salt Lake and Utah Counties are still deciding how to reopen schools this fall to minimize the spread of—"

Mr. Dust shut off the television and slowly stood from his chair, his back aching from old injuries. His son's disappearance had been hard on him and his wife, not to mention the rest of their adult children.

They were still grateful that the rest of the group that had been with Ethan had escaped. Ethan's friend, TJ, told them that he couldn't exactly remember what happened. He and the group were making their way to catch up with Ethan, and the next thing they knew, the cave in front of them collapsed. He made the hard decision to leave Ethan behind to get the teens of the group and himself to safety.

"Anything?" asked a somber Mrs. Dust when her husband made it up the stairs.

"Not yet," Mr. Dust sighed. "They can't start searching until they make sure they can get search and rescue through safely."

Mrs. Dust nodded slowly and turned back to preparing dinner. She cried all her tears over the past few weeks and was emotionally spent. "I hope he's alright. I've prayed and prayed that he would be kept safe and alive…."

Mr. Dust hobbled over and held her in his arms, planting a kiss on top of her head. She returned the hug, a fresh wave of tears staining his 'Retired US Army Veteran' t-shirt.

It didn't matter to him how many times they had done this. When she couldn't be strong for herself, he would be strong for both of them.

The sound of sobbing awoke Eevee, and she looked at her trainer with concern. Ever since they left Pallet Town, Ethan started crying in his sleep some nights, but he always seemed okay when he woke up.

Eevee crawled into his sleeping bag and slipped into his arms. It was a little cramped with both of them in there, but she didn't mind.

Ethan's breathing evened as Eevee snuggled against his chest. She licked the salty tears on his cheek as they fell, and after another few minutes, he was sleeping peacefully again.

Twilight began to brighten the sky. Ethan usually got up around this time to get ready for the day to make the most of traveling with the sun.

Ethan's watch began beeping, and he stirred. Eevee quickly put her head and ears down and closed her eyes.

He silenced the alarm and groaned as he came into consciousness. He felt the bundle of fluff against his chest and rubbed Eevee's back, smiling. "Time to get up, Eevee."

Eevee cracked open her eyes, made a show of yawning, and stepped out of the sleeping bag.

Ethan wormed his way out and slowly stood, reaching for the sky as he shivered in the cool morning air. He grabbed his camo thigh pouch from his satchel and strapped it on.

Daisy was still fast asleep near the remains of the dead fire. He grabbed Butterfree's Pokéball and quietly walked to the nearby river and out of sight of their campground with Eevee close behind him.

Ethan tapped the release on the Pokéball, and Butterfree materialized. "Morning, you two. Get some water and do whatever you need to do to wake up. Warm-up starts in five minutes."

Eevee and Butterfree cried an affirmation and began going through their morning routines. Ethan knelt over the river and splashed his face, chasing off any remaining drowsiness and sending a chill through his body. Nothing shocks you awake quite like freezing river water.

He and Daisy had left Pallet Town a week ago, and they were only a few hours away from Pewter City. With any luck, he would win his badge today and move on to Mount Moon without needing to stay the night. The full moon was only three days away, which Ethan predicted was when the wild clefairy would hold their ceremony around the giant Moon Stone.

Ethan and his Pokémon worked hard this past week. In the twilight hours, every morning and evening, they would train. Eevee became proficient in both Swift and Shadow Ball but hadn't yet mastered them. She seemed to pick up special attacks slower than physical attacks.

After they entered the Viridian Forest, Ethan started to have Eevee work on strengthening her tail in preparation for Iron Tail by tying on some rocks and walking with them while they traveled. As she became accustomed to the weight, he added a little more.

To make sure she wasn't too off-balance, he added some weight to her back to counter the weight on her tail. Surprisingly, she took to this style of training wholeheartedly. Ethan made a mental note to buy some weighted gear for him and his Pokémon.

Butterfree took most of the week to get used to her new body and train the moves she already knew. She was flying much faster, her gust was much more powerful, and she had learned Whirlwind. How she didn't blow herself back with the winds she created was a mystery that Ethan was sure had something to do with anime physics.

"Okay, girls, line up!" Ethan ordered as he stood. Eevee dashed and sat a few feet in front of Ethan, a serious look on her face. Butterfree landed and stood beside her. Both gave him their undivided attention.

"Today's the day we take on the Pewter City Gym! We've been training hard all week for this, and I have every confidence we can win, even with our type disadvantage."

He looked at his first Pokémon. "Eevee," he said, "no weights today. I need you in top condition." Eevee gave a mock salute like she had seen Ethan do before.

Ethan disguised a chuckle as a cough as he walked back to the campground and looked around. There were a few other trainers scattered around the clearing, either still asleep or just stirring. "Eevee and I will start with fifteen laps around the edge of the clearing. Butterfree, I want you to fly laps as fast as you can until Eevee and I finish ours. Let's go!"

At that, the three began their warm-up. Ethan decided, after leaving Viridian City earlier that week, that he should probably train, too. He theorized that if he were ever to make progress with his aura, he'd have to train both body and mind. The thought of what he might be able to do with aura was a big motivator. Gaining and keeping the respect of his Pokémon was another.

After twenty minutes, Ethan and Eevee stopped by the river to catch their breath before stretching their warmed-up limbs. When Ethan felt limber enough, he helped Eevee stretch in ways she couldn't easily manage on her own, like how someone would help a dog back in his world stretch their limbs.

"Okay. Time to get to training," Ethan said when they finished. "Eevee, your most effective moves for this gym will be Double Kick and Iron Tail. I want you to find a good tree and practice. I'll check on your progress soon."

"Eev vee!" Eevee nodded and padded to her chosen tree, staying within sight.

"Butterfree, we'll start with meditation." Ethan sat cross-legged, opened his camo pouch, pulled out Sir Aaron's gloves, and put them on. The crystals on the gloves pulsed with a barely perceptible glow before going dim again.

"Sit across from me, and we'll begin. Clear your mind and focus on feeling the different energies in your body. I want to see if we can teach you Energy Ball or Electroweb before we get to Cerulean City," he said. "Remember the energy you felt from Pikachu's electric shocks? See if you can find your dormant electric-type energy."

Ethan was guessing how energy worked, but it seemed to be producing results with his Pokémon so far. He had seen Avatar: The Last Airbender and noticed that energy here seemed to work similarly to Guru Pathik's explanation of chakras, where different pools of energy are located in different parts of the body.

Butterfree's compound eyes glazed over as if focusing on something unseen. Ethan closed his eyes, brought his fists together, and breathed slowly. Meditation was still new to him, and he was going off what little he knew about it and what Daisy told him about the subject.

"Clear your mind," he repeated. "Focus on your breathing. Once you have your rhythm, feel where the energies in your body are located. Identify each one until you find the energy you are looking for, then immerse yourself in it."

Once he got Butterfree started, he turned his focus inward. He had tried meditation a couple of times with Eevee, but she didn't have the patience for it, and she was doing well enough without it for now.

He settled into his rhythm and began to search for something, anything that felt different than expected. He remembered the intense heat he had felt before his transformation into a young adolescent and how it burned him from the inside. The burning feeling had been most intense in the center of his chest, either in or near his heart.

. . .

The sun's beams eventually penetrated the canopy of the trees from the east, and Ethan came out of his meditation. That went somewhat better than it usually did. He didn't find what he was looking for but at least felt he was getting better at meditation.

"Alright, Butterfree, I want you to go to the river and practice your Confusion attack by holding as much water in the air as you can in a sphere until you start to feel a strain, then hold it for as long as you can. We'll start working on Electroweb after this gym battle," Ethan promised. "I'll check on you when I finish checking on Eevee."

Butterfree nodded and took off for the river. Ethan grimaced as he stood, favoring one leg as he felt the pinpricks of the other having fallen asleep. He limped his way to Eevee, his walking returning to normal as his leg woke up.

As he approached, he was pleased to see the notable tail and paw-sized dents in the poor tree. Eevee was a short distance away, preparing for another go.

"Hey, Eevee," Ethan called as he approached, "how's your Iron Tail coming along? Are you able to keep your tail charged with the steel-type energy?"

Eevee glanced at Ethan before turning her focus to her tail. After a few seconds, her tail gleamed with a silvery, metallic sheen. She then dashed on all fours to her chosen tree victim. When she was within range, she pivoted on her front paws and let the momentum and added weight of her hardened tail spin her around, striking the tree with a loud thunk, causing wooden splinters to explode off the tree and some leaves to fall to the ground.

Ethan whistled appreciatively at the display. "That's pretty awesome! You'll have Iron Tail mastered in no time! With more practice, you won't even have to think about it. It'll all be muscle memory."

Eevee managed a smile through her labored breathing, glad that her friend thought so highly of her.

Ethan returned Eevee's smile and turned around as he beckoned her to follow. "I don't want to wear you out before the gym. Let's get you some water and keep Butterfree company while she practices confusion. I'm going to get a little more exercise before breakfast."

After morning training and a meal, Ethan and Daisy packed and cleaned up camp, refilled their canteens, and continued to Pewter City.

"So, Ethan," Daisy said, "excited for your first gym battle?"

Ethan hummed in thought before returning his gaze forward. "Honestly, I'm kind of nervous. This will be my first official battle. All the battles I've had so far will probably be nothing compared to what I'm going to face. No offense."

"None taken. Gym leaders aren't your everyday trainers. You've been training pretty hard, so you should give yourself a little more credit," she encouraged. "You'll be fine! Gramps always said that if you're nervous, your Pokémon will feel the same way."

"I know, I know. I'm sure I'll be fine when we get there," Ethan said before changing the subject. "I'm going to stop by the Pokémon Center first to top off Eevee and Butterfree. After my win, I'll freshen up at the Center, restock our supplies, and then we'll move right on to Mount Moon."

"Yes! I'd love a hot shower!" Daisy said as she combed her fingers through her hair.

"River baths just don't cut it, do they?"

"Eevee eev!" Eevee chimed in her agreement.

Ethan reached up to his shoulder to scratch Eevee behind the ears. "I guess you'll be wanting a bath as well, huh? You're about due for one anyway."

Eevee nodded and leaned into his hand. Ethan gave her a warm bath in Rota before they left on their journey, and she found that she loved the pampering. She also started becoming somewhat vain about her appearance once she discovered mirrors.

Daisy giggled at the display of affection. "Most mammalian Pokémon should go around a month between baths unless they really start to stink or get dirty enough that some grooming can't clean it out. This allows their natural body oils to maintain a healthy coat and skin. Also, I just want to say that you two are just too cute together! It makes me want to get an eevee of my own."

"I think I read that in a book in Rota," Ethan commented. "And if you want an eevee, go for it! But you'll never find an eevee like mine."

The three laughed as they exited the forest and turned northeast towards Pewter City. It was great to be able to have a conversation with someone.

After a trip to the Pokémon Center, Ethan stood in front of the Pewter City Gym. Eevee stood by his side, eagerly pawing the ground.

Daisy said she had some errands to run and would see them later. The chance to shower and freshen up was too tempting for her to put off, so she encouraged Ethan to go without her and challenge the gym.

Ethan exhaled slowly. "Now or never. Let's see if Brock's still here," he said, stepping towards the gym doors and pushing one open.

"Ethan? It's you!" a familiar squinty-eyed girl said as Ethan closed the door behind him.

"Hi, Yolanda. I'm finally challenging the gym! Is Brock around?" Ethan asked.

Yolanda shook her head as she came around the reception desk. "Brock left yesterday to join a trainer named Ash on a journey. We'll miss him, but he deserves to pursue his dream of becoming a Pokémon Breeder."

Ethan nodded. So he had barely missed his chance to battle Brock. Now he had no idea what kind of challenge he would be facing.

"Good for him. Brock's a great guy," he said. "Who's taking on challengers now?"

Her face soured. "My father runs the gym now. It's his first day back as a gym leader. You better beat him!"

"Well, I don't have plans to lose. I need to win, then get back on the road," Ethan said, looking at the doors that separated the waiting room from the battlefield.

Ethan paused, then looked back at Yolanda. "Is your father in there already, or do we need to let him know I'm here?"

"I'll go get him. You can wait at the challenger's box inside," she replied, indicating the doors where Ethan was just looking.

Eevee was already at the door, grunting as she tried to push it open.

The two humans chuckled at her antics. "Better hurry," said Ethan. "As you can see, we're eager to get started."

The large doors on the other side of the arena groaned as they opened. Ethan stood from his crouched position on the ground with Butterfree and Eevee and turned to face the approaching man.

The man was essentially a taller, older version of Brock. His hair was brown-gray, and the sleeves of his yellow t-shirt were rolled up to his shoulders, exposing the defined muscles of his tanned arms.

Flint's hardened gaze locked onto Ethan, and he slowly approached, his footsteps echoing loudly in the comparatively quiet gym. His nine children filed in through the door and moved upstairs to spectate the upcoming match.

Ethan's heartbeat became more and more audible as Flint closed the distance between them. He tensed in his mixed nervousness and excitement for the upcoming battle.

Flint came to a stop a few feet away, his expression of stone still boring into Ethan, who did his best to betray no emotion.

Flint then spoke. "Who are you, and what do you want with my daughter?" he demanded.

Ethan's face broke into a confused surprise, then laughed as he understood what Flint was asking.

"Daaad!" Yolanda yelled exasperatedly from the spectator area. "I told you, he's just a friend!"

"She's telling the truth, Mr. Harrison. I'm just here to challenge you for the Boulder Badge," Ethan explained. "Nothing more."

Flint studied Ethan for a moment more, then nodded.

"Very well. How many badges do you have?"

"None. This is my first gym battle."

"Then we will use two Pokémon each."

Flint hummed in thought, then looked up at the spectator area. "Forrest, did Brock train you how to judge matches?"

"Uhh, yeah, he did," Forrest replied.

"Then come take your place on the field."

Flint turned around, walked to a panel near the door he came in from, and pushed a button. The ground rumbled as unseen machinery opened the roll-up doors on either side of the gym, and the rocky battlefield moved into position.

After the battlefield was in place, Forrest took his place on a tall, flat rock on the side of the field.

Once Flint was in his box, he nodded to Forrest and enlarged the great ball he held in his hand.

"The Pewter City Gym battle between the gym leader, Flint Harrison, and the challenger, Ethan Dust, from Rota Town, is about to begin!" Forrest declared. "The format of this battle is one-on-one, and each side is permitted to use two Pokémon. The match will be decided when both of either sides' Pokémon are unable to battle, or one side forfeits. Only the challenger may substitute Pokémon. Are both trainers ready?"

Ethan took a deep breath as he and Flint nodded.

Forrest raised his arms. "Then let the battle begin!"

"Go, Rolycoly!" Flint yelled as he threw his great ball. The ball burst open, and a small, rubbly black and gray Pokémon with a single red-orange eye formed on the rocky field.

Ethan's eyes widened in surprise. "Where did you get a Rolycoly? That's a Galar Pokémon!"

"Oh? So you know what a Rolycoly is. So much for the element of surprise. Yes, I caught him in the Galar region a few months ago when I was trying to get endorsed for their gym challenge," Flint said.

Has to be a rock type. I barely touched gen 8, so I don't know what moves it can use. It only has one eye I can see, so it probably lacks depth perception, Ethan speculated as he scanned Rolycoly with his Pokédex and took a photo using its camera. He would submit Rolycoly's data to Professor Oak's database for review later.

Ethan looked to his right. "Butterfree, you're up first," he said. Butterfree trilled and flew into position over the field. Gasps and hushed whispers echoed from the spectator walkway above.

"Eeveeeev!" Eevee whined.

"None of that, Eevee. I'm saving you for his second Pokémon. Gym leaders always save their stronger Pokémon for later," Ethan assured her.

Eevee huffed and sat, appeased for the moment.

"Challenger, you may have the first move!" Flint called.

"Thanks! Butterfree, start with String Shot like we planned!" Ethan directed.

Butterfree nodded and spat the sticky string at her opponent, wrapping it up.

"Yes! Now fly over and use Stun Spore!"

"Rolycoly, raise your body temperature. Burn the string away!"

The coals on Rolycoly's back turned a cherry red as if a fire stoked under them, and the strings burned and shriveled away. A cloud of thick smoke grew and concealed it from view.

A coal Pokémon? So does that make it a fire type too? Ethan wondered.

Butterfree looked around, trying to locate her missing opponent.

"Butterfree, blow the smoke away with Gust, then prepare a confusion attack."

"Fwee!" Butterfree acknowledged as her wings buzzed to dispel the smoke.

"Now, Rolycoly, use Smack Down!"

"Deflect it with Confusion!" Ethan yelled.

Butterfree began to gather her psychic power but made the mistake of holding still. A rock flew from the smoke and smacked Butterfree, stunning and knocking her to the ground.

Verdammt! That was an extremely effective attack, and she can't take another hit like that. Having only one eye doesn't lower Rolycoly's accuracy at all! Ethan analyzed. Butterfree stood and shook her head.

"Rolycoly, Rapid Spin attack!"

"Butterfree, use a Gust and Stun Spore combination and aim it right under you!"

Rolycoly rapidly approached using its wheel-like underside and started to spin. Butterfree channeled the air in a current under her as she flapped her wings and propelled herself upward, saturating the air with the orange spores and scattering them across a short radius of the field.

Rolycoly spun right through Butterfree's previous spot and seized up, the Stun Spore taking effect.

"Now's your chance! Use Confusion and knock it out!"

"Smack Down!" Flint desperately yelled.

It was no use. Butterfree trapped Rolycoly in her psychic grip, lifted her opponent into the air, and hurled it into the ground repeatedly before releasing the unconscious rock-type. Her breathing was labored, and an ugly bruise formed where she was struck.

Forrest studied the outcome for a moment, then raised his left arm. "Rolycoly is unable to battle. Butterfree wins the first round!"

"Great job Butterfree! Take a break. Do you want to rest in your Pokéball or watch Eevee's fight?" Ethan asked.

Butterfree shook her head and landed next to Eevee. She trilled a few silent words to her, who nodded before taking a position on the field. Butterfree flew up to the spectator area to watch the match from a better point of view.

"Okay then," Ethan said as he shrunk her ball and pocketed it.

"Ethan has chosen to substitute in Eevee as his second Pokémon," Forrest announced.

Cheering echoed from above. "Go, Eevee! You can do it!"

Eevee looked up at the eight Harrison siblings and flashed a grin before refocusing on the upcoming round.

"Flint, send out your final Pokémon!"

Flint expanded the Pokéball in his hand. "This Pokémon is the kid of one of my toughest Pokémon. Go, Rhyhorn!"

The Spikes Pokémon formed from the white light of the Pokéball and stomped its foot, roaring for all to hear.

Eevee set her face in a determined frown. Ethan was right. Flint did save his stronger Pokémon for the last round.

Rhyhorn can't steer very well. We've got this, Ethan thought.

Forrest raised his arms, signaling the start of the round. "Begin!"

"Rhyhorn, Take Down attack!"

"Eevee, strafe and use Double Kick."

Eevee widened her stance to steady herself as the Rhyhorn charged, its steps shaking the earth each time its feet came down. She prepared her hind legs for the Double Kick attack, hopped to her right, and jumped off a boulder into the air. The Rhyhorn passed harmlessly under her and put on the brakes.

At the apex of her jump, she reoriented herself and performed a front flip, coming down feet first and kicking Rhyhorn in the back once, then twice before bouncing back and landing on the same boulder she jumped off.

Rhyhorn roared again, but this time in pain from the super-effective attack.

"You can take that, Rhyhorn. Use Earthquake!"

"Eevee, jump with Iron Tail!"

Eevee focused, trying to prepare the Iron Tail as fast as she could. Rhyhorn reared up on their hind legs and stomped the ground with their front feet, causing the earth to tremble. Eevee lost her footing and tumbled from the rock she stood on. Ethan caught himself, bending his knees to try and absorb the shockwaves of the attack.

The quaking slowly subsided, and Eevee shakily stood, blood trickling from her nose.

Damn, I guess we're not ready for that kind of thing yet. Glad I decided not to use Dig for this match, Ethan thought. "You okay, Eevee?"

Eevee snorted and spat a globule of blood to the side.

"Rhyhorn, let's finish this up. Fury Attack!"

"Eevee, Shadow Ball!"

Eevee opened her maw and gathered the energy needed for the attack. Some blood leaking from her nose turned into a dark, wispy substance and fed the forming attack. That didn't go unnoticed.

What the hell? Does blood fuel ghost-type moves? I better ask the professor next time I call, Ethan thought.

"Eevee, let 'er rip!"

Eevee fired the Shadow Ball directly at Rhyhorn. An explosion shook the battlefield as the attack hit the charging Pokémon, covering it in smoke.

Ethan closed his eyes and strained his ears, trying to find out if Rhyhorn was still moving. His eyes snapped open.

"Detect!"

Rhyhorn charged out of the haze of smoke, a little slower than before, and managed to hit Eevee once before she successfully activated the defensive move.

Eevee blurred right, down, right, then did a backflip to avoid the rest of the multi-hit move. Rhyhorn was breathing heavily, while Eevee was only doing a little better.

"Eevee, one more attack, and we win. Use another Double Kick!"

Ethan would have finished with an Iron Tail, but the charge time on it was still too long, and he didn't want to risk Rhyhorn recovering in time to counter.

Eevee ran around a rock to Rhyhorn's flank. She charged her hind legs with the fighting-type energy, then spun around and rammed them into her opponent's side at the same time, causing a decently sized crack in its armor.

"Rhyhorn, no!" Flint cried.

Rhyhorn's cry of pain faded into whimpers as the force of the double kick rolled it onto its side, and it fell limp.

Silence reigned for several moments before Forrest called the match. "Rhyhorn is unable to battle. Eevee wins, and the match goes to Ethan!"

Ethan fell to his knees and placed a hand over his hammering heart as Eevee's cheering section celebrated her victory. That was the most challenging battle he had had to date, and it felt… good.

He looked up to Butterfree, who was gliding back down, then to Eevee, who was also making her way to him. His heart swelled with pride, and he wiped away tears that were beginning to form.

When both of his Pokémon were close enough, he pulled them into his arms. "You girls did great. I'm proud of you both. Thanks for battling with me."

Eevee wriggled out of his arms, jumped onto his shoulder, and nuzzled his cheek, making herself comfortable. Butterfree trilled contentedly, then hovered by his other shoulder as Flint came into Ethan's field of vision.

Flint's gaze softened as he offered a hand to Ethan. Ethan accepted the hand and let Flint pull him to his feet.

"Good match, Ethan. Now I see why my children were so excited to see you."

Ethan chuckled. "I think they were here for Eevee. She was pretty popular when we stayed the night a few weeks ago."

"Come to think of it, they did talk more about the eevee than the trainer," Flint mused. "Regardless, you have beaten me."

Flint reached into his pocket and pulled out a small, polished gray octagon. "This is the Boulder Badge. It is proof of your victory at the Pewter City Gym. Take it."

Ethan accepted the badge and held it so Eevee and Butterfree could see what their hard work earned them.

"Thank you," Ethan said. "Check it out, girls. Just seven more to go, then we can enter the Indigo Conference."

Eevee leaned forward and sniffed the trinket in her trainer's hand. She smelled the coppery scent of blood and remembered that her nose was still bleeding.

Ethan pulled out a badge case from his satchel, pinned his new badge in the first slot, and stowed it away.

"Good luck on the rest of your journey," Flint said before walking away.

"I'll come back to challenge you at your full strength if I have time before the next league," Ethan said.

Flint waved an arm in response. "I look forward to it."

Ethan took in the condition of his Pokémon and winced. "Let's get you two to the Pokémon Center."

Ethan and his Pokémon said their goodbyes to the Harrison family and departed.

After Ethan dropped his Pokémon off with Nurse Joy, he met up with Daisy, got a key to the room she rented, took a shower, and started a load of laundry. He then went to the nearby market and restocked on food and supplies.

He was surprised to find that he received a stipend from the league for his victory at the Gym. The extra cash would be nice. He decided to purchase a few weighted training harnesses for his Pokémon and a weighted vest for himself, purchasing them using the credits that Professor Oak deposited into his league account.

As part of Professor Oak's sponsorship, all his trainer and Pokémon-related expenses are covered, within reason. The professor would deposit a lump sum of credits to his trainer account each month, and all Ethan had to do was keep track of his expenses. Any spending beyond that allotment would come out of his reserves. Of course, Ethan wasn't too concerned about going beyond that allotment. If being jobless through a pandemic back home had taught him anything, it was how to be frugal.

He was now back in his room at the Pokémon Center, drying Eevee off after giving her the bath he promised. The hair dryer made her fur stand out in all directions.

Ethan laughed and wished he had his phone. "C'mon, Eevee. Let's see if we can tame that fur of yours."

Ethan carried her into the bedroom and set her on his lap, where she made herself comfortable. He pulled out a brush and began brushing down her fur like Daisy had taught him during their trek through the Viridian forest.

Butterfree was on a nearby bed, resting after her spot-cleaning courtesy of her trainer. Since she couldn't allow her wings to get wet for long periods, Ethan cleaned her by wiping her down with a warm, damp towel.

"You know, I really am proud of you two. You battled remarkably well," Ethan praised. "I feel like it's my fault you got hurt. I realized partway through the battle that our training was focused so much on offense and power that I completely spaced working on defense. I'm going to fix that before we get to the Cerulean Gym. I think I'll start mixing in defense and evasion training with what we're already doing."

Eevee nodded along with whatever Ethan just said. She was in such a state of euphoria that she couldn't be bothered to do anything other than purr.

A knock at the door broke the silence. "Ethan, you in there?"

"Door's unlocked."

The knob turned, and Daisy walked in carrying a sack. "Your clothes finished drying, so I brought them here for you."

"Oh, uh, thank you. Just put them on the bed there. I'll finish packing when I'm done with Eevee."

"You're doing a good job with that brush," Daisy praised as she set the sack down. "How soon do you want to leave?"

"I think we'll leave after I'm all packed and we have lunch. I'm glad that I got the badge on the first try."

"It's always a good feeling when you win. I remember getting my first contest ribbon. It felt like I was on top of the world, as cliché as that sounds."

"Very cliché," Ethan agreed. "Anything else you need to do while we're here?"

Daisy thought for a moment. "I don't think so."

Ethan nodded, inspected his handiwork, and nodded again. "Okay, Eevee. You're all pretty again! I just got to pack, and then I'll feed you."

"Eev, Eeveev!" Eevee licked his chin, then jumped onto the bed to rest near Butterfree.

Ethan kneeled over his things and began packing. "How about you wait in the lobby, Daisy? I'll be down in a few minutes."

"Sure! I'll call Gramps while I wait. He'll want to know that you earned your first badge." Daisy said as she left and closed the door behind her.

Ethan smiled and began humming the Pokémon theme song as he folded and stuffed his clothes into his bag. Today had been a great day.

Chapter Text

Chapter 7

Mount Moon

A short, five-note jingle played over the intercom.

"Ethan and Daisy, your Pokémon are ready for pickup at the front desk," Nurse Joy announced.

"Well, that's our cue. Ready to hit the road again?"

The trainers stood from their table, having finished a late-morning breakfast, and left their trays at the dish-return window where a chansey eagerly accepted them. They had arrived at the Mount Moon Pokémon Center that morning to heal their Pokémon, freshen up, and get a warm meal.

"Yep! I'm all set," Daisy replied. "We're not far from Mount Moon, so we should be there in a few hours."

"Good," Ethan said as they exited the cafeteria. "I'm looking forward to going through the tunnels. I've always liked exploring caves."

"Why's that?"

He looked at the tiled ceiling in thought as he placed his hands behind his head. "I'm not sure. I just like spelunking on occasion. I've found cave drawings and carvings before, though most of it's just graffiti."

"Spelunking? Is that even a word?"

"Of course it is! Spelunking is what you're doing when you explore a cave system."

Daisy shrugged. "To each their own. I don't like being underground for too long. I prefer being able to see the sky when I want."

Ethan nodded and stopped at the patient pickup station at the front desk. He presented his ID to Nurse Joy to verify his identity, with Daisy mimicking his action.

"Thank you! Here are your Pokémon. We hope to see you again!" Nurse Joy said with a practiced smile.

Ethan and Daisy gave their thanks and accepted their Pokéballs, then turned to the exit. Halfway to the door, Daisy spotted a familiar boy walking into the lobby from the lodging hall, covering his mouth as he yawned.

"Hey, Ash! Long time no see!" Daisy shouted as she closed the distance to the raven-haired trainer and pulled him into a hug, drawing a surprised yelp. Pikachu had the right idea to jump away.

"D-sy? C-n't Br-th! St-p, pl-se!" Ash gasped and fruitlessly struggled as Misty and Brock walked into the scene of Ash getting the life squeezed out of him. Misty cocked a brow while a red-faced Brock had steam coming out of his ears and nose.

I kind of forgot about them, though I should have expected to run into them today, Ethan thought, surprised. And how the hell is Brock doing that?

"Pika, pika pika-chu, Pikapi?" Pikachu worriedly asked.

"Daisy, let him go before you asphyxiate him," Ethan cried as he walked over.

Daisy released her death grip, and Ash fell to the floor, coughing and greedily sucking in air. "Sorry about that, Ash. I just haven't seen you in months!"

Brock hopped over Ash's recovering form and knelt before Daisy. "There's no need to be sorry, my beautiful flower! My name is Brock. I'd like to take you out to dinner and get to know you a little better. My treat!"

An empathetic sigh could be heard from the front desk.

"Uh, n-nice to meet you, Brock," Daisy stuttered.

"If he's the one making a meal, I'd give it a shot. His cooking is on par with Delia's," Ethan encouraged.

"Hold it!" Ash confusedly cried out. "Ethan, what are you doing here? And why is Daisy with you? And how do you know my mom?"

"Hello to you too, Ash," Ethan greeted as he rolled his eyes. "Your mom let me stay in her home for a few nights when I visited Pallet Town. Daisy and I are traveling together because she and her clefairy want to visit Mount Moon. I'm on my way to Cerulean City to challenge the Cerulean Gym for their badge. We thought we might as well travel together until she finds a bus that'll take her to Celadon."

Misty tensed at the mention of the Cerulean Gym, which went mostly unnoticed.

"Huh? Are you taking on the gyms too? Do you have any badges?" Ash asked.

"Yup," Ethan replied, emphasizing the p. "I challenged the Pewter Gym a few days ago and won the Boulder Badge. It was a tough battle, but my Pokémon pulled through."

Brock got to his feet, only now noticing Ethan was there. "Hey, Ethan! So you battled my father, huh? How did he do?" he asked.

"Flint didn't make it easy. He even had a Pokémon I wasn't expecting to see in Kanto. Eevee and Butterfree each battled a Pokémon, and they won two-nil."

Misty whistled, impressed. "Wow, so your metapod evolved, and you actually knocked out your opponent's Pokémon to earn your badge? Sounds like you're a much better trainer than a certain someone I know," she said, making a not-so-subtle jab.

"Hey! I earned my badge too!" Ash protested.

"True, but you didn't earn it by knockout," Misty teased.

"C'mon, you two. If Ash really wants to, he can challenge Brock again some other time," Ethan sighed. "Since you three are here, that means you're planning on heading through Mount Moon, right? Why don't we travel as a group of five? Safety in numbers and all that jazz."

Ash, Brock, and Misty looked at each other as if having a silent discussion.

"Sounds like a great idea!" a lovestruck Brock chimed in with a blush and a held-back giggle.

"Great! How soon can you be ready? Daisy and I are ready to go."

Ethan waited outside while his three new traveling companions quickly ate and prepared to leave. Daisy decided to help, and Pikachu opted to join Ethan outside after his meal to avoid the scramble of packing bags inside.

"Hey, Pikachu, how have you been since I last saw you?" Ethan asked the mouse Pokémon as he scratched him under his chin.

"Pikapi pika pi, pi-pichu ka-pi Pi-cha!" Pikachu animatedly exclaimed with a smile, leaning into Ethan's hand.

"Sounds like you're pretty happy. That's good!" Ethan laughed as he grabbed Eevee's and Butterfree's Pokéballs. "Eevee, Butterfree, come hang out while we wait for the slowpokes!"

The two Pokémon materialized, and Pikachu walked over to greet them. Eevee barked excitedly and play-tackled Pikachu, drawing squealing laughter from them both.

Butterfree decided to sit with Ethan.

"Don't want to play, Butterfree? That's fine. Remember Ash's metapod? He's probably evolved into a butterfree by now. You can meet him later if you want," Ethan suggested as he rubbed her head.

Butterfree thought about it, then nodded before leaning against his side.

Ethan observed how Butterfree was so relaxed, listened to Pikachu's and Eevee's playful giggling, and smiled. He appreciated little moments like this where he could just be close to his Pokémon and see them enjoying themselves.

After a few moments, he looked at Mount Moon's looming peaks. He knew what was shortly coming up, though he didn't know how his and Daisy's presence might affect things. Just his presence alone might alter events. How much could he change things? Should he try to stop Team Rocket from tailing Ash all the time?

Ethan shook his head. It probably wouldn't do any good to try to stop the Team Rocket trio from following Ash, at least not until after they lose all credibility with Giovanni. Which, if he remembers correctly, happened after the failed heist on the St. Anne.

Did he really want to travel with Ash? On the one hand, Ash would meet and become involved in some plot or another with almost every legendary Pokémon he came within several hundred miles of, which could lead to some clue to home. On the other hand, he would have to put up with 'season one' Ash.

The aura adept sighed. If he had to choose between going it alone or having companions that frequently ran into danger, he would travel with companions that frequently ran into danger.

In addition to his own Pokémon, Daisy's company had been a boon in helping him from the sinking despair of his seemingly heavy burden. He didn't want to be alone.

Two new weights on his lap pulled Ethan from his melancholy state and back to reality, and he looked down to see Eevee's and Pikachu's eyes looking into his own. Eevee licked the back of his hand, then looked at him pleadingly.

"Eev Eeveev?"

Ethan's smile returned. He delicately scratched her and Pikachu behind their ears, drawing a pleased "Veeeee…" and "Chaaaa…" respectively, as they melted into puddles of brown and yellow fur.

The doors of the Pokémon Center opened, and Brock and Ash stepped outside, packed and ready to go. They quickly spotted Ethan thanks to Eevee's loud purring. Ash saw the Pokémon on his lap, and his eyes widened.

"What are you doing to Pikachu?!" Ash demanded.

"What does it look like?" Ethan retorted. "Most Pokémon love it when you scratch or rub them in the right places." He demonstrated this by carefully rubbing Pikachu's red cheeks like he had seen a few times in the anime, and Pikachu somehow melted further.

"Oh, um, okay," Ash said as he rubbed the back of his head. "I didn't know that."

Ethan simply shrugged. "Where's Misty and Daisy?"

Brock cleared his throat, red tinging his dark cheeks. "They'll be out in a few minutes. They're probably talking about girl things."

Ethan nodded and pushed himself to his feet, prompting Butterfree to hover in the air. He lowered Eevee to the ground and handed Pikachu off to Ash. The mouse clambered to the top of Ash's backpack and yawned.

"You know, maybe I'll catch a pikachu of my own someday," Ethan said to himself. He opened his satchel and pulled out a couple of small weighted harnesses and a weighted vest.

"Line up, girls! It's time to put on the weights."

"Weights?" Ash and Brock echoed.

Eevee pulled herself up from the ground as Butterfree landed next to her. Ethan held out the harnesses. After a second, they became outlined in a blue glow as Butterfree used her telekinesis to fit herself and Eevee.

Eevee and Butterfree flexed their limbs, testing the fit of their harnesses while Ethan slipped his vest over his head.

"Oh, I get it!" Brock said. "You're building up their speed, strength, and stamina while we walk."

Ethan snapped his fingers and pointed at Brock. "Yep! And it's not just them," he said, then tested his arms' range of motion.

"They don't look that heavy," Ash remarked as the Pokémon Center doors opened again, and Daisy and Misty walked out.

Ethan shouldered his bag and stood. "Well, the point of this training isn't to see how much weight you can carry, but to get used to carrying the extra weight. I'll add more as we get used to them, so it stays challenging."

"Sorry if we kept you waiting," Daisy announced. "Everyone ready to go?"

"So, wait, how do you know everyone already?" Daisy asked Ethan as they walked up the inclined trail.

"I met Brock," Ethan said as he pointed at him, "during my first visit to Pewter City. He let me stay the night at his home because the Pokémon Center was booked by greenhorn trainers. His food is among the greatest I've ever had. I would seriously consider taking him up on his offer for dinner."

Brock nodded a silent thanks.

"I met Ash when Eevee, Butterfree – who was a caterpie at the time – and I saved him and his metapod from a swarm of beedrill. We had a battle afterward. I was winning but decided to be merciful when Caterpie evolved."

"Eevee eev!" Eevee chirped to Butterfree, getting a chittering giggle in response.

"String Shot's a cheap move," Ash huffed. "I still think you cheated. Pikachu couldn't move right when he got hit with that String Shot."

Ethan rolled his eyes. He had a feeling he would be doing that a lot. "Ash, that's what String Shot does. Pikachu relies on his tail to keep his balance and aim electric attacks. I just stuck his tail to his back to throw you two off. 'Cheap moves' are still strategy. Besides, Pikachu landed a good Thundershock or two before that."

Ethan moved on before Ash could offer a rebuttal. "Anyway, I met Misty at the same time I met Ash. We haven't talked much yet."

"Huh, you're right! We'll have to fix that," Misty realized.

"Yeah, if you want to get to know her temper," Ash muttered.

"What did you say?!"

"You heard me!"

A voice-cracking scream of fear interrupted their argument.

Ash spotted the source. "Look, over there!" he said as he and Ethan ran towards the commotion.

They dashed out of the thick of the trees and found someone curled in on himself to protect his face from a horde of Pokémon.

"It's a bunch of zubat!" Ash exclaimed. Pikachu hopped to the top of his head to get a better look.

"They're attacking that guy!" Misty said, pointing out the obvious.

Ethan caught Ash's arm as he tried to pull out his Pokédex. Ash looked at him, annoyed. "Shouldn't we, I don't know, save the guy first?" Ethan asked.

"Oh, right. Sorry," Ash apologized.

"Eevee, use Swift!"

"Pikachu, Thundershock!"

The cream tip of Eevee's tail glowed. After a second of concentration, she shot dozens of star-shaped projectiles at the horde. Pikachu's Thundershock joined the assault and charged the stars with electric-type energy, causing sparks to jump between them.

The never-miss move hit its mark. The Swift exploded on impact, discharging the stored electricity in explosions of star-shaped sparks, shocking the Bat Pokémon and driving them back into the caves. Unfortunately, the poor man on the ground got zapped as well.

Ethan cringed at the sight as he caught Pikachu after the mouse finished his attack. He did not look forward to the day he would get a serving of electricity.

"Woah, what was that? That was so cool!" Ash said in amazement.

"That was a combination attack, Ash. I used to do stuff like that in Pokémon Contests all the time," Daisy answered. "That one was simple, yet effective."

"Combination attacks? I gotta remember that," Ash muttered to himself.

A pained groan sounded from the man still curled in on himself.

"Oh yeah, the guy!" Ash remembered, then sprinted over to check on him. "Are you okay, mister?" he asked.

The man – Seymour, Ethan remembered – got on his feet faster than he could react and pulled Ash into a hug.

"Wow! You guys are the greatest!" Seymour exclaimed.

"N-t ag-n!" Ash's muffled voice said. "R-ly. It w-s n-thing!"

"I'm talking super fantabulistic! I mean two thumbs-up! Way up! The best rescue I've ever had! I've never been rescued the way you rescued me!"

"Pl-se. L-t me go!"

Ethan raised a brow. Shouldn't they have been electrocuted by now- "Ohh," Ethan whispered as he looked at the pikachu in his arms. Pikachu looked back at him quizzically, none the wiser.

That was the last thing he saw before he found himself face-first in the eccentric scientist's lab coat, and the air was forcibly removed from his lungs, being replaced by the smell of sweat and body odor.

"You were fantabulisitic too! I have no idea what I would have done if you hadn't come along! I would probably be dead! Or at least extremely sore and poisoned!"

Ethan's vision swam as he struggled to breathe. He felt the hair on his head and arms stand on end, and his eyes widened. That was the only warning he got before the worst pain he could remember in recent history racked his body.

The chamber of the tree…

Ethan's breathing quickened as he hit the ground.

Can't breathe

His pupils dilated in terror.

The Sparks Hurt

His heart pounded in his ears.

IT BURNS

"Something's wrong! What's happening?"

"Eeveev?!"

"He's been paralyzed, and I think he's having a panic attack! I've never seen one this bad!"

"What do we do?"

There was a moment of silence before someone spoke up.

"We need to sedate him before we can treat the paralysis, or he might get hurt. But how can we do that out here?"

"His butterfree knows Sleep Powder. Would that work?"

"Pikapi! Pikachu ka-pi pi Pi-cha!"

It was then everyone noticed that Ethan's eyes were glowing an intense blue, and motes of blue fire danced at his twitching fingertips.

"Now what's happening to him?"

"I don't know!"

"Hurry, Butterfree! Please use Sleep Powder on Ethan. We have to stop him from hurting himself!"

"Fwee!"

Ethan took no notice of the world around him as his vision faded to black.

"Oww, my head," Ethan groaned as he sat up.

Something didn't seem quite right. He racked his brain, trying to figure out what it was, but only ended up making his headache worse.

"Ughh, never mind. I'll figure it out lat-" Ethan's eyes shot open. His voice was back to normal!

He inspected his hands, then brought them up to pat his face.

"Aww, I missed you, beard," he said.

Ethan took off his glasses, looked at them, then frowned. "I thought I lost these. What's going on?"

He slipped his glasses back on and finally took in his surroundings. He was sitting on fresh-cut grass bordering a gravel road intersection. There were dozens of vehicles parked along the side of the road.

"Wait, these cars have Utah and Idaho license plates! Am I back home?"

Ethan scanned his surroundings and spotted a large gathering of people a short distance away. He stood and approached, intending to ask where he was. As he got closer, he realized that he knew many of their faces.

"Mom? Dad?!" He broke into a sprint when he saw his parents and family at the front of the gathering.

Ethan slowed to a halt when he got near. No one reacted to his outburst. The atmosphere was solemn, and the air was still. He could feel an intoxicating sadness permeating the air.

"Mom… Dad?"

Nothing. No reaction. No one even looked at him. Their attention was directed at something else.

Ethan followed their gazes, and his heart dropped. How had he missed that?

In front of the gathering, a lacquered brown casket covered with a white cloth and dozens of flowers sat, ready to be lowered into the ground. On either side of the coffin were photos of him mounted onto easels with the words, "In memory of Ethan Dust, beloved son, brother, uncle, and friend. May God receive you into His rest. May 21, 1994 - July 7, 2020."

Is-is this what it's like to be on the other side when people say they can feel the spirit of their departed loved ones? Ethan shook his head.

"Mom! Dad! Everyone! I'm not dead! I'm right here!" he yelled more fervently.

"They can't hear you, Ethan. No matter what you do, they won't hear you."

Ethan whirled around to face who spoke.

"Aaron?"

The ancient Aura Guardian approached with a sad smile.

"I had to go through the same thing you did, Ethan. Like you, I was not born in the world of Pokémon. I'm actually from Toronto, believe it or not."

"How are you here? How am I here?" Ethan asked.

"I'm not actually here. I'm an echo of Sir Aaron made possible by his aura that lives on in his gloves," he explained. "As for what 'here' is, this is a vision of what's happening in our world. You're just unconscious right now."

"Oh," Ethan despondently replied. He looked back at his family, who were beginning to disperse, tears running down many of their cheeks. His dad, the most loving and stoic man he knew, laid a hand on the casket with quivering lips.

"…Did he ever try to get back? To Toronto, I mean?" he asked.

The echo's smile faded. "Aaron looked for a way back for a few years. He eventually chose to stay. Do you want to know why?"

Ethan shook his head. "No. If you tell me why, then I'm afraid I'll stop looking. If I ever choose to stay, I want to find my own reason."

Aaron nodded. "I understand. We don't have much time left, so I'm here to tell you that you've begun developing your empathic abilities. You're going to start feeling other living beings' emotions and intent."

The world around them began to brighten, turning to an indistinguishable white as Ethan's eyelids grew heavy.

"Remember, Ethan, the aura is with you."

Ethan stirred, opened his eyes, and wished he hadn't.

Ughh. Feels like I hit my head. He groaned, feeling annoyed as he rubbed a tender spot covered in a bandage on the back of his head. He hated waking up sore and not knowing why.

…Why do I hear the Team Rocket motto theme?

"To denounce the evils of truth and love,"

"To extend our reach to the stars above,"

"Jessie!"

"Ja-"

"Oh, shut up!" Ethan yelled as he glared at the Team Rocket trio and stood, steadying himself against a rocky wall. "I'm tired, sore, and have a killer headache. I'm not in the mood for this!"

There was a pregnant pause as all eyes turned to Ethan.

"Eeveev!"

"Fwee!"

"Ethan!" his four traveling companions and Pokémon exclaimed simultaneously.

"Oww, keep it down," Ethan whimpered, holding his head.

"Hey! Stop ignoring us!" Jessie screeched.

"Interrupting the motto is a crime against Team Rocket. We need to teach you some manners," James sneered.

"Hmph. After we deal wit' you, we'll get our claws on the Moon Stone and power up our Pokémon!" Meowth declared.

Ethan rolled his eyes, wincing as he did so. "Do you know how stupid your plan is? I see at least two problems with it."

He lifted the index finger on his right hand. "One: the six of us have… what? At least ten Pokémon between us versus your three. You're outnumbered and outmatched."

He lifted a second finger. "Two: the Moon Stone only 'powers up' certain Pokémon, none of which you carry. Even if you take the Moon Stone, it'll be nothing but a glorified paperweight."

The Rocket trio glared at the twerp that ridiculed their master plan.

"Our plan is stupid, is it?" James scoffed.

"We'll see who's got less brain cells," Jessie finished as she and James tossed their tools away, then pulled out a Pokéball each.

Ash and Brock responded in kind and prepared for battle.

"Misty, Daisy," Ash whispered, "keep an eye on Seymour and Clefairy. Make a run for it when you have the chance."

"I'll help," Ethan added, feeling steady enough to stand without help.

"Don't push yourself too much, Ethan. You're still recovering from earlier," Daisy said.

"I'll have to ask what happened after we're through with these bozos. It's still fuzzy to me."

"You mean you don't remember?" Misty asked.

"Later, Misty," Ethan replied.

Ethan whispered instructions to his starter as he walked to join Ash and Brock. "Eevee`, Meowth's gonna sneak off to attack that wild clefairy. Follow him when he does, and feel free to beat him up as you please."

Eevee gave him a confident grin, then located her opponent and used Dig, disappearing underground.

"Butterfree, you're with me on the front line," he said as he stopped by Brock's side, receiving a nod from him. Butterfree flew up to hover near her Pokémon allies, Zubat and Butterfree.

That's going to get confusing, Ethan thought. I should come up with a nickname.

"Koffing, Smog attack!"

"Whirlwind!" Ethan, Ash, and Brock commanded in unison.

"I'll show dat blondie twerp dat our plan is genius. I should know, I came up wit' it," the Scratch Cat Pokémon sneered as he continued his pursuit of the clefairy.

He exited the rocky tunnel and surveyed his surroundings as his eyes adjusted to the sun's natural light. There! That arch was the only way to cross the river. That clefairy would have to cross to get to this side. He climbed with feline grace, jumping from rock to rock until he was in position on his end of the arch, hidden from sight.

"Whatcha doin'?"

"What's it to ya… ya… whoa!" Meowth stammered as he beheld the vision of beauty that climbed out of a hole in the ground. Everything from the tips of her erect brown ears to her green eyes, her fluffy mane, and the cream color heart-shaped pattern on the end of her tail was perfect.

"…Why are you looking at me like that?" she asked, feeling weirded out.

Meowth composed himself and wiped the drool from his chin, then coughed to clear his throat. "Hiya, Eevee! My name's Meowth."

"I know who you are!"

"You do?"

"Yep! You're the mascot of Team Rocket, and I'm gonna beat you up!" Eevee excitedly cheered, bouncing on her paws.

"Dat's me! I'm the… wait, what?"

Eevee's cheerful demeanor morphed into a vicious grin. She pounced, catching Meowth by surprise with a Quick Attack to the gut, which sent him tumbling away from the arch and onto open ground. She caught up, pivoted on her front paws, and Double Kicked him right in the charm.

"Ow ow ow! Why? Why'd it have to be the charm?" Meowth whimpered as he hunched over, rubbing his forehead.

"It's shiny. It was begging me to kick it!" Eevee growled before swinging an Iron Tail, striking him in the chest.

"I'm not a mascot!" Meowth yelled as the attack sent him flying away and out of sight.

Eevee's demeanor switched back to her cheery self, and she pranced around in a circle. "Yay! I beat up a bad guy! I beat up a bad guy!"

"By Cresselia! Will he be okay?"

Eevee's ears perked as she looked at the clefairy that spoke from the end of the arch. "Eh, don't worry about it. You're the clefairy he was chasing, right?"

"I am. I have to get to the gathering, or the start of the ceremony will be delayed!"

"Wait, hold on! You can't go with that creep looking for you. Stay with me. We'll find my friends and make sure you get there safe."

"Eevee! There you are!" Ethan yelled as he made his way towards them from the top of the arch, carrying something in his arms. The other five humans were close behind him.

"Or they'll find us," Eevee giggled as her tail wagged back and forth. "Eeveev, I did it! I beat up a bad guy!"

It didn't take any convincing to decide that everyone needed a break. The gang shrugged off their gear and settled next to a nearby stream.

"I wish I had had the time to take these off before all that crazy stuff happened. You fought really well, regardless," Ethan complimented as he removed Eevee's and Butterfree's weighted gear and stowed them away in his bag.

The two Pokémon stretched their limbs and rolled their necks, relieved to have the harnesses off after having worn them for most of the day, which was much longer than they were used to. Butterfree flew over to Ash's butterfree to join him in his meal and talk while Eevee dragged her bowl near Ethan's lap so she could sit and eat.

"I put your vest in your bag already, in case you're wondering," Brock said as he finished administering first-aid to the sandshrew Ethan carried earlier. "There we go! Sandshrew will be fine."

"Thanks, Brock. You feeling better, Sandshrew?"

While Ash, Brock, and Ethan were racing to catch up with Misty, Daisy, and Seymour after battling Team Rocket, they rescued a sandshrew that was being beaten mercilessly by a group of invading paras. Ethan couldn't just leave it there, so he drove the paras away and carried the near-unconscious sandshrew with him.

Sandshrew shyly nodded and hesitantly stepped towards Ethan, then curled up near his side.

"Thanks again, Brock, and thanks for carrying me while I was out."

"How'd you know I carried you?"

"Ash was carrying your pack when I woke up," Ethan shrugged as he ran his fingers through Eevee's fur and took a bite of his sandwich.

Misty sat across from Ethan. "Speaking of waking up, what happened earlier?" she asked.

Ethan's mood soured, and he swallowed before answering. "I'm not really sure. The last thing I remember before waking up was that guy," he pointed at the scientist with a glare, "invading my personal space and crushing my ribs."

"Ehehe, sorry about that," the scientist apologized. "I just get grateful when someone does something nice for me. My name is Seymour, Seymour the Scientist. I'm a researcher for the Pewter City Museum of Science, and I'm here investigating the Moon Stone."

"So you don't remember what happened after that?" Daisy asked in concern.

Ethan shook his head. "I don't remember anything between then and when I fell unconscious."

"Well, you and Seymour got hit by Pikachu's Thundershock attack," Ash volunteered as he sat down with his sandwich.

"Oh yeah. Pikachu got caught between us," Ethan remembered.

Pikachu's ears fell flat against his head. "Pi-cha… pika pika. Pi-Ka-Chu?"

"I'm alright, Pikachu. I forgive you. Don't feel bad," Ethan assured the electric mouse with a few pats on his head, earning a relieved "Chaa…" in response.

"After that, you had a panic attack. A bad one," Brock continued. "Your eyes were glowing, and your hands looked like they had blue fire coming off of them. We had to put you to sleep."

Ethan tensed and looked at Brock in his squinted eyes. "Are you sure?" he asked urgently.

"We all saw it," Misty confirmed.

Ethan deflated and ran a hand through his hair. Eevee looked up at him and mewled in concern. "I was hoping to keep that a secret, but I guess it didn't work out that way, did it?" he muttered.

Ethan pointed at Seymour. "You! Why don't you go and keep the clefairy company? And please keep what you saw to yourself."

Seymour opened his mouth to say something before closing it again, and he reluctantly nodded. "Okay," he said before getting up and leaving.

Ethan watched him go before motioning for everyone else present to huddle in closer. "I hope this goes without saying, but I also need you to keep what you saw a secret."

Everyone nodded in affirmation, while Ash asked, "But what was that?"

"I'll get to that. First, do any of you know what aura is?"

Blank stares were all the answers he needed.

Ethan continued. "Aura is the spiritual energy, or life energy, inside every living thing. Lucario are a species of Pokémon capable of directly manipulating their own aura and can use it as a weapon or barrier. They can also use it to sense other auras and see their surroundings, even with their eyes closed.

"A long time ago, a group of humans called the 'Aura Guardians' were also capable of wielding aura. They disappeared centuries ago, and no one knows what happened to them."

Daisy's eyes widened. "So what we saw was-"

"My aura manifesting outwardly? I think so. I have the potential to wield aura like the Aura Guardians, but since there's no one to teach me, I have to figure it out on my own. I've never been able to consciously do what you saw me do. If I had to guess, what you saw was the emotions from my panic attack forcing my aura out in some kind of self-preservation instinct."

"That's so cool!" Ash exclaimed. "I wish I could use aura."

Oh, if only you knew, Ethan chuckled. "Ash, aura can be cool, and I'm pretty excited about what I might be able to do with it, but it can also be dangerous to the user."

"Huh? What do you mean?" Ash asked.

"What do you think would happen if I used too much aura, which is my life energy?" Ethan answered with his own question.

Misty gasped. "You could die!"

"Exactly! I don't think I would have died there, but thanks for knocking me out anyway."

"Oh," Ash deflated, staring at his half-eaten meal in thought.

Ethan noticed Ash's shift in mood. "It's not all bad, though. Once I'm trained up enough with it, the only way I'd die from aura depletion would be if I willingly gave it up."

"That's a relief," Brock said. "How long have you been training this aura?"

"Uhh, well," Ethan blinked, "my abilities only started manifesting about a month ago, right before I left on my Pokémon journey. I've been trying to figure it out since then. So far, progress has been slow."

"Hey, you guys!" Seymour called to the huddled group. "Clefairy's moving!"

The five stared at Seymour, then each other, and scrambled to pack their belongings as Ash stuffed the rest of his sandwich into his mouth.

"Eevee, follow Clefairy. We'll be right behind you!" Ethan said before he felt a tug on his jeans.

He looked down to meet the black-blue eyes of the sandshrew he and Brock had helped earlier. It looked at him as if wanting to ask something but seemed afraid to do so.

"…Would you like to tag along, Sandshrew?" he asked.

"Sh-shrew," they meekly nodded.

"Alright. You should be able to keep up with us, I think. Come on."

It didn't take long to catch up with the wild clefairy, and the group was able to keep pace. Ethan was near the middle, having a conversation with the scientist of the group.

"So, you believe Pokémon came from outer space using the Moon Stone as a spacecraft?" Ethan asked.

"I do. I've believed it ever since I was a boy. Do you not think so?" Seymour replied.

"Well, not all Pokémon came from outer space. The handful that I know of that come from space are lunatone, solrock, the beheeyem line, and possibly the clefairy line, not to mention a few legendary Pokémon. Most other species of Pokémon are native."

"Oh? And how do you know that?"

I watched the anime and played most of the games, Ethan thought.

"Much like yours, it's only a theory. I've read the Sinnoh legends about the Alpha God Pokémon, Arceus, creating the world and everything in it. There are a few books about it at Rota's public library. Don't ask me to go into detail. There's too much material to go over."

Ash groaned ahead of them. "Where on earth are Pikachu and Eevee taking us?"

"They're following Clefairy to where the Moon Stone is, probably," Daisy replied, her breathing slightly labored from the uphill trek. "I need to work out more. I'm out of shape."

"Here, let me carry your bag," Brock offered with an outstretched hand.

Daisy mulled over his offer for a moment before lifting her bag's strap over her head and passing it over. "Thanks, Brock."

Eevee, Pikachu, and Clefairy hopped over a waist-high bush and stopped at the sight of a cave entrance.

"Hold on a minute, guys," Ethan motioned for everyone to stop.

Misty raised a brow. "What's wrong?"

Ethan scanned their surroundings before quietly speaking. "Team Rocket might still be looking for the Moon Stone. Let's make a plan, just in case they're following us."

Footsteps echoed in the dimly lit tunnel as the otherwise silent group followed Clefairy. Awe and wonder escaped the lips of people and Pokémon alike as the reflective dark surface of a large boulder, set up on a natural pedestal, came into view.

"…It's the core of the Moon Stone," Seymour said in awe, a giddy smile forming on his lips.

Ethan whistled in appreciation. "Wow. Just… the way the moonlight shines on it is… wow. I've never called a rock beautiful before, but this rock is beautiful."

Misty and Daisy nodded, agreeing with Ethan's sentiment.

Ash stared for another moment before movement caught his eye. "Hey, Clefairy's doing something."

The wild clefairy hopped up to the pedestal and placed its moonstone next to the others already there, completing a ring of similar stones surrounding the giant one. The clefairy hopped down as the stones seemingly attracted the moon's light, causing them to glow, followed shortly after by the Moon Stone core. The light intensified until the entire cavern was bathed in its blue light, revealing many more clefairy, some cleffa, and a few clefable that approached the giant stone.

Ethan bit the inside of his lips to stifle a yawn as he watched the mesmerizing sight taking place before him. I hope Team Rocket shows up soon. I could use some sleep.

Daisy gasped and pulled out a Pokéball. "Oh! I wonder if Clefairy wants to join." A flash of light later, her clefairy opened her eyes and cried for joy. Clefairy hugged her trainer's leg and then left to join the other clefairy in their dance.

Ethan shook his head and stepped a short distance from the group, unnoticed, and released Butterfree from her Pokéball. He had a plan to enact. "Eevee, Sandshrew, time to go underground. Butterfree, on the wall above the tunnel. You all remember what to do?"

Each Pokémon nodded, and Eevee gave a mock salute, drawing a smile from Ethan as she joined Sandshrew underground. Butterfree flew up and clung to the wall above the tunnel exit they had come in from.

Satisfied with their positioning, Ethan rejoined the others.

"…the human race will ride the Moon Stone into space! First to the moon, then to Mars, then together to the stars!" Seymour exclaimed.

"I think the astronauts at the Mossdeep Space Center already landed on the moon. They'll probably be the first to launch a rocket to Mars, too," Ethan chuckled as he rolled his eyes at the scientist's antics.

"Did someone say rocket? That's our cue!"

The clefairy stopped their dance, and their audience turned around to face the newest arrivals. With smug smiles and confident strides, the Team Rocket trio of Jessie, James, and Meowth stepped into the light.

"You guys don't know when to quit," Ash remarked.

No duh, Ethan agreed.

Seymour ran between the Moon Stone and Team Rocket and spread his arms, trying to act as a barrier to the priceless object behind him. "You keep away from the Moon Stone, or else!"

Oh, this should be fun.

"Or else?" James mocked.

"I think we've been threatened," Jessie scoffed.

You sure have! I'm… starting to get loopy. I really need to finish this up. Wait, why's Seymour running? Yup, he forgot the plan.

"I'll show you!" Seymour charged, mustering the best battle cry he could. Meowth simply stuck out his foot, tripping the scientist and causing him to fall to the ground face-first.

Ethan couldn't help but snort, which drew a collective confused look from the other four humans near him.

"What?" Ethan said. "It was funny."

Ash shrugged before scowling at the trio. "That was a dirty trick."

Jessie smirked. "All is fair in love and Pokémon battles, boy."

"Enough talk!" James yelled as he and Jessie threw a Pokéball each.

"I agree!" Ash declared. "Pidgeotto, I choose you!"

"Go, Onix!"

Four simultaneous flashes of light formed into Onix, Pidgeotto, Koffing, and Ekans. Each Pokémon cried their name, with Onix drowning them out with a roar.

Welp, here we go.

"Ekans, underground now!"

"Koffing, smokescreen!"

Ethan tapped the steel toe of his left boot on the rocky ground three times, then yelled, "Butterfree, now!"

A blue glow suffused and outlined Koffing's body. Butterfree willed her Confusion attack to shut her target's mouth and plug the holes that had begun spewing the dark smoke, causing pressure to start building in Koffing's body.

"What?!" the trio exclaimed in shock.

The ground rumbled and ruptured between Team Rocket and the gang. The joint efforts of Eevee and Sandshrew forced Ekans out of the ground and launched them into the air.

Brock was the first to react. "Onix, Slam Ekans towards Team Rocket!"

"Pidgeotto, help him out with Whirlwind!" Ash followed up.

Onix roared and swung its tail, batting Ekans into the humans of the Team Rocket trio, sending them tumbling back into the tunnel. The winds stirred by Pidgeotto increased the momentum of their tumble and sent Meowth and a very bloated Koffing flying with them.

Butterfree cried a strained "Fweee!", signaling that she couldn't hold her grip much longer. This was confirmed as Ethan noticed Koffing begin to glow.

"Oh, scheisse! Brock, have Onix block the tunnel!" Ethan cried as he enlarged Butterfree's Pokéball.

"Onix, cover the exit!" Brock commanded, then ran towards Daisy, having seen the danger Ethan had.

The Rock Snake Pokémon quickly moved its massive bulk and used its third segment to block the tunnel exit, and not a moment too soon.

Butterfree released her hold on Koffing as she was returned to her ball. A near-deafening explosion and flash of light followed a moment later from the tunnel behind Onix. Ethan ducked down and grabbed Eevee and Sandshrew, hugging them to his chest.

Ethan thought he heard the classic "Team Rocket's blasting off again!" cry from the trio, but he wasn't sure.

Everything fell silent for a few moments as the ringing in everyone's ears faded. Only then did Ethan look up from his sprawled position on the floor.

"Wow, Ethan. Your plan worked!" Misty exclaimed as she helped Ethan to his knees.

"Well, it never hurts to be prepared. You all did great!" Ethan praised.

Eevee puffed out her chest while Sandshrew scratched the back of its head, seemingly abashed at the praise.

"Misty, will you go check on Seymour?" Ethan asked, suddenly remembering the scientist.

"He's fine. He crawled away before the battle started," Daisy said.

Ethan nodded, then turned to Brock. "Brock, could you take a look at Butterfree for me? After you check on Onix, of course."

"Sure," Brock nodded. "Oh? It looks like the clefairy are trying to get your attention."

Ethan raised a brow and turned his gaze to a group of clefairy approaching him.

"Fairy clefairy clef clefairy fairy," the lead clefairy of the group bowed and held two darkly glowing stones in its paws. "Clefairy fairy clefairy."

"Those for me? You sure?"

The clefairy smiled and nodded, placing the stones in front of Ethan.

After setting Eevee and Sandshrew down, Ethan picked up the glowing stones. He studied them, admiring and wondering how something so dark could glow as it did.

"Th-thank you," Ethan slurred as he placed the stones in his bag. He stood and wavered on his feet as he loosed a wide-mouthed yawn. He staggered over to the nearest wall, laid out his sleeping bag, and promptly collapsed on top of it.

Brock and Ash looked at the snoozing Ethan and then at each other.

"I guess he was tired," Ash noted.

"Eeveev eevee," Eevee nodded sagely, drawing chittering laughter from Sandshrew.

Chapter Text

Chapter 8

Empath

"Attention, everyone! We are now boarding and will be departing for Saffron City momentarily!"

"This is it! Thanks for letting me travel with you," Daisy said as she hugged Ethan.

"Don't mention it. Thanks for keeping me company for as long as you did. It would have been boring otherwise," Ethan smiled, returning her hug.

"Vee?! Eeveev, eev eevee vee?" Eevee exclaimed from his shoulder.

Ethan tapped Eevee's nose. "No, no, you're not boring. I'm just saying it was fun traveling with Daisy. Don't you think?"

Eevee playfully nipped the offending finger and nodded.

Ethan, Daisy, Ash, Brock, and Misty stopped at a small town a few days outside Mount Moon the previous evening. During their stay, Daisy discovered that a bus scheduled to head to Saffron City would arrive the next morning. She bought a ticket since she was a bit behind schedule to get back to Celadon.

"Oh, Daisy, my beautiful flower! Wherever you are, wherever you go, please don't forget me!" Brock cried as he cupped her hands, causing her to chuckle.

"D-don't worry about that, Brock. I doubt I'll forget about you," she said as she reclaimed her hands.

Daisy then turned to Ash and adjusted his hat. "Ash? Train hard, and you'll be a great trainer."

Ash puffed out his chest. "Of course I'll be great! I'll beat anyone who challenges me!"

"Except Samurai. And Ethan. And Brock," Misty counted on her fingers.

"Misty!"

Everyone laughed at Ash's expense as he hung his head.

"Final call for Saffron City! Final call for Saffron City!"

"I gotta go! Look me up when you get to Celadon. Good luck on all your journeys!"

With a chorus of goodbyes and see ya's, Daisy stepped onto the bus, and the doors closed behind her. The bus roared to life and pulled away, leaving behind fresh tire tracks on the dirt road.

Ethan patted Brock's back at the noise of the former gym leader's sobbing. "Cheer up, Brock. We'll see Daisy again. In the meantime, there'll be plenty of other girls to flirt with."

"I know, but," Brock lamented, "there will never be anyone like Daisy!"

"Of course no one's gonna be like Daisy, Brock," Ash said. "She's not a twin or anything."

Misty shook her head. "Oh, Ash. You're so oblivious."

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"You'll understand when… if you start noticing girls, Ash," Ethan chuckled at Ash's look of confusion. "You guys don't mind if I travel with you for at least a little while longer, do you?"

"I don't mind," Misty said. "What about you, Brock?"

"Why not? Someone's gotta look after you if you have another, um, episode," Brock agreed.

"Sure! The more, the merrier, I say," Ash said.

"Pika pikachu, Pi-Cha!"

"Eevee Eeveev!"

"Neat!" Ethan grinned. "Let's get going then, shall we?"

"This road leads to… Cerulean City," Brock read from the sign at a fork in the path. "Well, I guess we're headed the right way."

Ethan raised a brow. "The other path leads to the backcountry of Rota. Huh, I didn't know there was a path from Rota that led here."

"That's where you're from, right?" Brock asked.

"Sort of? I only lived there a week before leaving on my journey, but it's home for now," Ethan replied.

"Where are you from originally?"

Ethan's shoulders sagged slightly, and his face fell before he schooled his expression. "Far away. Maybe I'll tell you someday."

Brock narrowed his eyes – more than they already were – before shrugging. "I look forward to it."

"'…Gary was here… Loser?!'"

Ash ground his teeth, and Ethan felt irritated as he turned toward the fuming Ash.

"That Gary!" Ash muttered before declaring, "I'll show you!" to the sky and sprinting down the path, arms spread behind him.

"Ash! Cerulean City's still a week's walk from here!" Ethan yelled, his words failing to reach Ash's ears.

Ethan sighed in exasperation and turned to Brock, Misty, and Pikachu, who wore similar expressions. "Serious question: How do you all put up with him?"

"I haven't known Ash for very long, but he's a good kid. He has the potential to be a great trainer and an even better friend," Brock said.

"Pika pika," Pikachu nodded.

"Eevee vee?" Eevee asked.

Ethan nodded and left the two Pokémon to whatever they were discussing. "Well, we better catch up."

Brock agreed and took the lead. Ethan adjusted his weighted vest as he fell into stride behind him while Misty hesitated for a moment before following.

"Eevee, Pikachu, Sandshrew, Jade, we're leaving!" Ethan called as they started walking.

Jade was the nickname Ethan chose to give his butterfree. He was hesitant to give her a nickname at first, primarily out of fear that he would forget it, but thought it was necessary to avoid confusion with Ash's butterfree when they were both out. Jade, however, loved her new name so much that Ethan thought she had learned Quiver Dance. So it stuck.

The morning after the Moon Stone ceremony, Ethan found Sandshrew curled up next to him alongside Eevee. It took a moment for Ethan to get the message, but when he asked Sandshrew if she wanted to join him on his journey, she agreed.

Three girls. When Dad said I would get all the ladies, I don't think this is what he meant, Ethan mused before the corners of his lips tugged upward. I suppose it doesn't matter. I love 'em all.

His smile quickly faded as his thoughts turned to the vision of his funeral and the subsequent discussion with Sir Aaron. His dreams were plagued with that same vision; he would wake up in that cemetery and see his family, but they wouldn't respond to his cries. It was like a cruel deity was taunting him and laughing at his misery.

And then seeing his dad looking so broken….

Ethan shook his head and stared into the crystals of his gloved hands. Since the secret about his powers came out, he had taken to wearing the gloves full-time. He furrowed a brow and concentrated on pushing an imaginary power in his body to the crystals and was rewarded with a subtle pulsing glow before he let his focus go.

He thought back to what Sir Aaron said in that vision. He revealed that his empathic abilities had begun developing. Ethan briefly wondered if he had already started sensing others' feelings without knowing it.

A subtle notion of anxiety tugged at his chest, and he subconsciously glanced to his left at Misty, who was staring blankly at the ground.

Ethan's eyes widened a fraction as a realization hit him. He had been feeling little tugs like that for a few days now but didn't think much of it. Could they be the emotions of his traveling companions? There was one way he could find out right now.

"You feeling okay, Misty?" he asked.

The redhead's shoulders briefly tensed before relaxing. "Hm? O-oh, I'm fine."

The tugging feeling intensified in time with Misty's words, and Ethan mentally cheered at his discovery.

"You sure? I can literally feel your anxiety. You're worried about something."

Misty's viridian-green eyes met Ethan's blue ones before she sighed. "You wouldn't understand."

Ethan chuckled. "I bet I would. Care if I take a guess?"

"Sure, go ahead."

Ethan looked back at the path ahead of him. "You're not looking forward to seeing your sisters again."

A hand slapped over Ethan's mouth as he was roughly pulled backward, nearly causing him to lose his balance.

"How do you know that?" Misty hissed into his ear, not wanting to get Brock's attention.

I watched the anime.

"Mmph, mph pthbbft," Ethan pointed to the hand covering his mouth.

Misty removed her hand and wiped it on Ethan's sleeve. "Now talk!"

Ethan wiped his mouth and spat into the grass to get the taste of moisturizer off his lips. "I know a lot of things I shouldn't. But I did my research on the Kanto Pokémon League gym circuit before I left on my journey. The Cerulean Gym is run by the Waterflower family's 'Sensational Sisters', of which you are one of them. Though the picture online seemed to be dated. And your name was in the footnotes."

Misty's eyebrow twitched before she sighed, and the two of them continued walking. "So, does having aura let you read minds?"

Ethan rubbed a spot around his mouth where it stung from being slapped. "I think mind-reading is more of a psychic thing. I can just relate to you. I have two pretty bossy sisters who think they know everything, so I guessed you have a similar relationship with yours. Aura lets me feel others' emotions, so when I say I know exactly how you feel, I mean it."

Misty chuckled humorlessly. "That's exactly how my sisters are."

Ethan grimaced. The tugging – which he had decided to call it for now – felt sad. "You know, even though my sisters are the way they are, I still love them, and they love me. I bet it's the same with your sisters. After all, it's a sibling's responsibility to tease their other siblings. It's in the job description."

Misty's gaze turned to the ground as if in thought.

"Let's move on to another subject," Ethan suggested. "Let's talk about water Pokémon! I can tell you a few things about water Pokémon from other regions, and you can teach me what you know. It'd be a waste not to ask a Cerulean Gym leader about water types."

Misty's eyes brightened as she smiled. "Sure! You first."

The tugging changed from sadness to eagerness. Hey, I'm getting the hang of this!

"Okay, uh, have you heard of the Pokémon feebas before?"

"Nuh-uh."

"Well," Ethan grinned, "I don't have a picture, unfortunately, but feebas are among the weakest and ugliest-looking Pokémon in the world. Yet, they are one of my favorite water types."

"But if it's weak and ugly, why would you want one?"

"Well, you know that magikarp evolve into powerful gyarados once they get strong enough, right?"

Misty shuddered. "Y-yeah, I know that."

"It's the same case with a feebas' evolution. I mentioned how they are one of the ugliest Pokémon, remember? Feebas evolves into milotic, which is the most beautiful water Pokémon in the world."

Misty gasped, and her eyes widened. "Wallace has a milotic! He's a famous water Pokémon trainer and coordinator in the Hoenn region. I didn't know milotic had a pre-evolved form! But you're absolutely right about its beauty."

The tugging feeling changed to… excitement? Excitement. "Oh, so you know who Wallace is? Great! I don't have to try and describe how a milotic looks. Anyway, there are a couple of theories on how a feebas can evolve into a milotic.

"One theory says that the feebas has to look past its ugly exterior and realize its true inner beauty. It helps if it has a trainer to help them along. The second theory involves an evolutionary item called a 'Prismatic Scale.' Or is it 'Prism Scale'? I don't remember which."

Misty was in awe. "Wow, now I want a feebas. Realizing one's true inner beauty to transform into a more beautiful version of oneself sounds like a happy ending in a fairy tale!"

Ethan shrugged. "I guess so. Enough from me. It's your turn to teach me something you know about water Pokémon."

"Fair enough. Now, where to start…."

Ethan's messy hair caressed the bridge of his nose as a gentle, early-morning breeze blew through the trees, carrying the scent of morning dew, though he paid it little mind.

He and Brock were the group's early risers. Brock acknowledged him with a nod before returning to his morning preparations. Joining Ethan in his twilight meditation were Eevee, Sandshrew, and Jade.

During the few days after discovering his empathic abilities, he came up with a theory. Suppose his empathic abilities worked by feeling a tugging emotion from an outside source. Could he use his new sixth sense to initiate a connection with anyone's consciousness to feel their emotions?

That was the objective of this morning's meditation and why Eevee agreed to meditate with her trainer. Though, she didn't seem to mind the closeness between them as she settled in his lap.

Ethan scratched behind her ears, much to her delight, and she purred and leaned into his hand. "Thanks for joining me this morning, Eevee. I know you don't… prefer meditation, but I think this will help me get closer to understanding my powers. You too, Jade and Sandshrew."

Jade and Sandshrew nodded and quietly whispered an acknowledgment.

"May as well get started. I'm gonna start with you, Sandshrew."

Ethan brought his fists together, closed his eyes, and took a deep breath, smelling the scents of morning dew and the woods around him.

Okay, I want to reach out to Sandshrew. We haven't known each other for too long, but maybe….

Ethan envisioned what he wanted to happen, imagining his heart making an intangible connection with Sandshrew's very being, like a tether. He exhaled and willed himself to create what he envisioned.

. . .

. . .

. . .

Maybe doing this requires a stronger bond than what I have with Sandshrew?

He tried again with Sandshrew before moving on to Jade, then Eevee, becoming frustrated the more it didn't work.

Why isn't this working? I thought for sure it would!

"Eeveev!"

Eevee squirmed in his lap, and he opened his eyes to see what was going on. He raised a brow in confusion when he noticed that his Pokémon seemed unsettled.

"What happened?" he asked.

Sandshrew shyly averted her eyes. Jade tilted her head, looking concerned. Eevee buried her head in Ethan's chest with her ears down.

Eevee only does that when she's… OH!

"Were you three feeling something just now that made you uncomfortable?"

Jade and Sandshrew glanced at each other before nodding.

Ethan sighed and gently pulled Eevee into a reassuring hug. "I'm sorry I made you upset. I think I ended up projecting frustration rather than making the connection I was going for."

"Eev eevee, Eeveev," Eevee forgave before resting her muzzle on his shoulder. Jade walked up and leaned against his side, followed by a hesitant Sandshrew on his other side.

Aww, this is cute, Ethan thought with a smile.

Ethan felt contentment and love, and his eyes shot up. While he, too, was feeling those emotions, the tugging directed his attention to his three girls around him.

He wanted to smack himself. I'm so dumb. I never needed to initiate contact. Why did I think that? The tugging is like a passive ability, like a radar!

"I love you all, and I think I've made some progress, thanks to you. Why don't we move on to your training now?"

After giving instructions to his Pokémon, Ethan left Eevee and Sandshrew to practice and spar together. Eevee was teaching Sandshrew how to use Swift and, in return, was being shown how to use Dig more effectively.

"Alright, Jade. You're going to be the MVP in our battle at the Cerulean Gym," Ethan began.

Jade tilted her head as she hovered in place.

"Oh, right. MVP means 'Most Valuable Player.' Let me explain what I mean. The Cerulean Gym's battlefield is mostly water, with a few floating platforms. I can't use Sandshrew because she's a ground type, and she can't swim. Eevee can swim but would have a hard time getting close enough to a water Pokémon to get a good hit in, even with the floating platforms. You, however, can fly, and you've had a lot of evasion practice this week, so you should be able to avoid getting shot down.

"I want to make sure that we get Electroweb to a proficient level before we get to the gym. You've got the web part down, but we need more power for the electro part." Ethan held his chin. "In fact, I wonder if we could borrow Pikachu again. Maybe he would have some tips on generating the needed electricity, or-"

Ethan heard a little sneeze some distance to his left, and he looked to find the yellow mouse rubbing his little nose.

"Oh, hey, Pikachu, great timing! Can I ask for your help again?"

"Pi?" Pikachu asked as he walked over.

Ethan crouched as the mouse approached. "We're trying to figure out how to help Jade make enough electricity for Electroweb to be effective in battle. Do you think you can help her figure out how to generate more electricity?"

Pikachu frowned before apologetically shrugging.

Ethan sighed as he rubbed Pikachu between his ears. "That's alright. I guess being an electric-type, you've never really had to think about how to make electricity. It's just natural for you."

Ethan turned to Jade. "Got any ideas, Jade?"

"Fwee…," Jade looked between Ethan and Pikachu as she hummed, then landed in front of Pikachu and grabbed his paws. "Fwee, fweee! Fwee?"

"Pi-ka?!" Pikachu seemed shocked at Jade's idea and rapidly shook his head.

"What's the matter?"

Ethan paid attention to what he felt as Pikachu and Jade spoke. He could feel a mix of hesitance, eagerness, desperation, and shock. If I didn't know any better, I wouldn't be able to tell what emotion was coming from which Pokémon.

"Let me see if I got this right."

The two Pokémon went silent and turned to Ethan.

"Jade, you'd like a battle with Pikachu?"

Jade nodded.

"Pikachu, you don't want to battle because Jade is a friend, and you don't want to battle friends?"

"Pi-ka," Pikachu affirmed.

That's what I thought. Pikachu wasn't much of a battler and refused to battle friends, at least until after he fought Lt. Surge's raichu. Let's see if we can change that.

"Pikachu?" Ethan began. "I can't, and won't, make you do something you don't want to do, but I want you to know that it's okay to battle friends."

Ethan pointed to Eevee and Sandshrew, who somehow ended up in a pile and were laughing. "Just take Eevee and Sandshrew, for example. Battling with friends helps you both become stronger and deepens your friendship with them. Jade and I ask for your help because we're all friends, and we could really use your help with mastering Electroweb. I know you can do it."

Pikachu pondered what he said, then turned to Jade. "PikaPika? Pik Pi-Cha pika-chu?"

"Fwe fwee!" Jade fervently nodded.

Pikachu looked at Eevee and Sandshrew again, who had resumed their sparring, before taking a deep breath. He looked at Jade and Ethan and gave them a determined nod. "Pika-chu pika pi, chu ka PikaPika."

"So, you'll help us out?" Ethan asked.

"Pi-ka!" Pikachu nodded again.

Ethan smiled and rubbed Pikachu's head. "Thanks, little buddy. Jade and I appreciate any help you can give."

Ethan stood and began walking back to camp. "Jade, you and Pikachu decide how to work this out. I'll be back soon, but come get me if you need anything."

"Hey, Brock, need help with breakfast?" Ethan quietly asked as he stepped past the sleeping forms of Ash and Misty.

Brock glanced at him from in front of the fire pit laid with hot, cherry-red charcoals, over which a griddle was placed. "Thanks, Ethan. You can start by making your Pokémon their food."

"Got it." Ethan reached into a compartment of his bag, grabbed some ingredients and a batch of Pokémon kibble base made by Brock, and got to work.

"Brock, why do you want to be a Pokémon Breeder?" Ethan asked.

The aspiring breeder smiled as he sliced some berries. "Before I got Onix – my starter – there was an elderly couple that ran a Pokémon breeding farm and daycare on the edge of Pewter City, close to the Pokémon Center. When I wasn't busy helping my dad with the gym, I'd go play with the Pokémon and help out around the farm. They taught me most of what I know about breeding and raising Pokémon."

Brock's face turned somber. "A few years ago, they had to close the farm when their health began to fail, and they had no one to pass it on to. They never had any children. Whenever I could, I visited them to keep them company and learn what they knew before they passed away last year. In a way, they were more like parents to me than my actual parents."

Ethan wiped an eye with the back of his hand. Wow, I wasn't expecting a tear-jerker. I guess some of what I felt was coming from Brock. Note to self: Learn how to feel others' emotions without them affecting me.

"That's a pretty cool origin story," Ethan chuckled as he set aside Eevee's food, then picked up Jade's and Sandshrew's dishes. "Thanks for sharing."

Brock raised a brow, then chuckled along. "What about you? Do you know what you want to do? I want to be a breeder, Ash wants to be a Pokémon Master, and Misty wants to be the best water Pokémon trainer in the world. I don't think I've heard you say what you want."

Ethan paused his food prep as he thought about how to answer Brock's question. His initial thoughts turned to home, and a feeling of homesickness washed over him. If only he had a way to tell his family he was okay, then maybe being away from home wouldn't-

"Ethan? Bud, are you alright?"

Ethan pulled himself out of the hole that his thoughts dug him into. "I'm fine," he lied. "I'm not sure what I want to do yet, so I'm just doing the gym circuit for now. Maybe I can do something that could put my talent in aura to use, depending on how it develops. I'm also pretty good with tech and software development."

"Ethan," Brock frowned, "you're not fine. I have nine younger siblings, so I have a fair amount of experience telling when someone is not fine. Do you want to talk about it?"

A sigh escaped Ethan's lips. Brock was always the most perceptive of the group, wasn't he?

"Not now. Maybe someday."

"Alright," Brock nodded after a moment. "Whenever you want to talk, you can come to me."

"Thanks, Doctor Brock," Ethan chuckled.

"Doctor Brock, huh? You know, that has a nice ring to it," Brock considered.

The two laughed for a moment before a strong feeling of distress hit Ethan's senses, and he hurriedly turned in the direction he thought it came from. A moment later, Sandshrew burst from the ground.

"Shrew! Sand sandshrew, sand sand sandshrew!"

Ash and Misty stirred and sat up.

"Huh?" Ash yawned. "What's going on?"

Ethan furrowed his brows. "Something must have happened at the training ground."

"What? What do you mean?" Misty asked, getting on her feet.

"Sandshrew's distressed, and she was just training with Eevee. Pikachu and Jade could be in trouble too!" Ethan turned to where he had left his Pokémon to train and ran, with Sandshrew on his heels.

Ash grabbed his Pokéballs and ran after him. "I'm coming too!"

"Grr, why can't ya 'it that stupid bu'erfree, ya daft Pokémon!"

Ethan ran onto the scene of Jade casually avoiding attacks from another eevee while Pikachu and Ethan's eevee watched worriedly from the side. Unlike Ethan's, this other eevee was thinner, its fur was unkempt and faded in some places, and a bit of its lower left ear was missing.

He couldn't help but feel pity for the poor eevee. He grew a soft spot for them ever since he met his own.

"If I dun't catch that bu'erfree, ya dun't get ta eat!"

Ethan looked at the trainer with the Cockney accent and felt his blood boil. Commanding the poor eevee was Damian, the blue-haired asshole that left Charmander for dead before Ash, Misty, and Brock rescued him in the anime.

"Who's that?" asked Ash. "And why is he attacking your butterfree?"

"I'm going to find out," Ethan growled. "Stay here."

Ethan stepped forward, still unnoticed by the despicable trainer. Eevee and Pikachu noticed and moved to their trainers' sides.

"Jade, Sleep Powder! Just enough to put that eevee to sleep."

Jade flew up higher, avoiding another attack from the eevee, and scattered the blue powder from her wings over her opponent. The eevee fought for a moment to stay awake but succumbed and fell to the ground.

"Oi, butt out! That's my bu'erfree. I saw it first!" Damian snarled.

Ethan glared, expanded Jade's Pokéball, and wordlessly returned her, keeping eye contact with Damian the entire time. "I'd appreciate it if you didn't attack my Pokémon! You should have been able to tell that my butterfree had a trainer the moment you started attacking, at least."

"Tch. Wha'ever. It looked funny anyways. Prob'ly has a disease," Damian said as he returned his eevee to its Pokéball and began walking away.

"One more thing, you prick," Ethan growled. "If I ever see another Pokémon abused like your eevee by your hands, I will make you regret it."

Damian frowned, then busted out laughing. "Yeh, sure you will," he said as he walked away, still laughing.

I can't wait 'til route 24. I gotta make plans for that.

"Eeveev? Eevee eev eevee…."

Ethan picked up and hugged Eevee, then returned to the others. "I know, Eevee. It hurts to see another eevee, or any Pokémon, abused like that eevee was."

"Abused?" Brock asked.

"Ethan, what happened? What did you say to him?" Misty asked.

"That prick thought Jade was a wild butterfree and wanted to catch her. That eevee he has looks like it's been abused," Ethan said.

"What? We gotta do something!" Ash yelled.

Ethan sighed. "We can't really do anything to help without some solid evidence. Not legally, anyway."

"But…."

"That poor eevee," Misty murmured.

"Don't worry. I have a feeling we're going to run into him again. We'll do what we can to help," Ethan assured.

"Hey, Brock?" Ethan asked as they walked back to camp. "How much authority do gym leaders have policing Pokémon-related crime?"

Chapter Text

Chapter 9

Cerulean City

It was a cool, sunny day in northeastern Kanto. Puffy white clouds drifted lazily across the azure blue sky, the sun and the gentle breeze felt good on Ethan's skin, and Eevee's soft humming was a treat to his ears.

The gang had just been admitted through one of Cerulean City's western checkpoints, and Ethan had a few things he wanted to do. One of which was to find out if the Nugget Bridge was a thing here. He wanted to get Sandshrew some battle experience and fine-tune how best to train her.

Ethan reflected on the training he had done with his Pokémon since leaving Mount Moon. Jade trained Electroweb's power to the point where even the gritty Eevee yelped in pain during their training battles. Brock's suggestion to add a pinch of a copper powder supplement to Jade's diet every other day was producing results.

Eevee learned Double Team on her own, which Ethan was happy about, and could create up to three clones without much effort. Sandshrew worked on steering her Rollout attack, which Ethan confirmed did gain more power if Defense Curl was used beforehand.

Ethan rubbed Eevee's cheeks as he glanced at Ash. Speaking of training….

"Hey, Ash? Have you trained for your next gym battle? I don't think I've seen you train your Pokémon much, if at all."

Pikachu jumped down as Ash stumbled before catching himself. "O-of course I have! We've done lots of training! Right, Pikachu?"

"Pika?" Pikachu tilted his head.

"Uh-huh," Ethan considered before shrugging. "I'm gonna have to call you out on that one, Ash. I've been with you almost every waking moment since Mount Moon and seen you 'train' maybe once outside of battles with other trainers."

"Oh yeah? Well, I haven't seen you train!" Ash argued.

"That's because you're usually asleep when he does, Ash," Brock interjected. "He and his Pokémon train early every morning before you and Misty get up. Not to mention the weighted vests during the day and his evening training sessions. Pikachu's even watched them a few times. I wouldn't be surprised if Pikachu's learned a thing or two by watching Ethan's Pokémon."

"Thanks, Brock," Ethan nodded. "Ash, you're welcome to train with me if you want. I know things you can teach your Pokémon that you won't find in the Pokédex."

"I don't need help. I can train on my own!" Ash stubbornly refused.

"Well, I tried," Ethan shrugged as he shared a piece of dried Pecha berry with Eevee.

"Have either of you seen Misty?" Brock asked.

Ethan glanced behind him and saw a hint of red disappear through an alley in the suburban neighborhood they were passing through.

"I was wondering why she was being so quiet," Ethan said as he sucked on half of the shared treat. "Ash, you challenging the gym leader today?"

"Yeah, and I'm going to beat him!" Ash declared as he raised a fist in the air.

"I'm sure you will," Ethan chuckled. "Well, I'll see you at the gym later then. I have a few errands to run while we're here. Eevee, the free ride's over. Run with me."

Eevee swallowed her treat, hopped down without a complaint, and ran with Ethan as he pursued the missing redhead.

Ash looked confused as he turned to Brock. "What was funny?"

"I don't know, Ash," Brock shrugged.

Ethan followed Eevee along a cobblestone path as she tracked Misty's scent. Truthfully, Ethan knew exactly when Misty had snuck away. Growing up, he could always get away from people without being noticed, so knowing when someone disappeared was almost second nature to him, or so he liked to think. His developing empathic abilities only further enhanced that skill.

So we've now begun the episode in which Ash challenges the Cerulean City Gym, Ethan mused. I'm sure it'll be at least a few hours until his battle starts. I should be able to find an optometrist during that time, right?

Even though his eyesight improved when Mew made him younger, he still had trouble gleaning small details on faraway objects. Thus, he made it a priority to get some new glasses.

Maybe I should get a pair of prescription shades, too, Ethan thought.

"Eeveev," Eevee called as she led Ethan off the path and into a park filled with trees, the occasional local, and their Pokémon.

After another few minutes, Ethan spotted Misty sitting at the edge of a large pond, hugging her legs against her chest as she absently watched some magikarp and poliwag swim by. Her drawstring bag lay in the neatly trimmed grass by her side, forgotten.

Her… I guess I should just call it aura. Her aura feels withdrawn and… stressed? No, anxious.

"Hey, Eevee?" Ethan whispered. "Would you mind letting Misty hold you? She could use some comfort right about now."

"Vee!" Eevee smiled. She loved being held, so she had no reservations when she dashed up to Misty and wriggled into her arms.

"Eevee? What are you doing here?" Misty asked, surprised.

"We could ask you the same thing, though I think I know why you're here," Ethan said as he sat in the grass next to Misty and set his bag near hers. "You really didn't want to come home. Sister problems?"

Misty groaned and hugged Eevee closer. "Yeah. The last time I left, I said I wouldn't come back until I became a great water Pokémon trainer. If I go back to the gym, they'll tease me relentlessly!"

"Of course they will. Remember what I said before? That's what siblings do," Ethan laughed. "But remember what else I said? Even though they tease you, they love you. They won't care if you drop by for a visit before you become the trainer you want to be. Perhaps teasing is a way they show their love and affection for you."

"Yeah, I guess you're right. Doesn't mean I like it," Misty sighed into Eevee's fur.

Ethan stared at the backs of his gloved hands in thought before looking back at Misty. "If you want, I'd be happy to help you become the water Pokémon trainer you want to be. What all does that involve? Catching, training, and learning everything you can about water Pokémon?"

Misty's eyes lit up. "It's so much more, but that's the basics of it."

"I'll have to add a fishing rod to my shopping list," Ethan noted. "Would you mind showing me around the city? I have some things I need to get done before I watch Ash's gym battle."

"Sure! He'll be waiting for a while. My sisters put on a show every weekend, and it won't end until this afternoon, so we have time," Misty informed as she and Ethan stood and shouldered their bags.

"Is it the weekend?" Ethan checked his watch. "Whaddya know, it's a Saturday."

Misty giggled along with Eevee, who was still in her arms. "That's right! So, where do you want to go first?"

Over the next few hours, Misty showed Ethan and Eevee around the city, which was built around a large harbor that opened to the east sea. Ethan was able to get the important things done that he needed to. When he asked around about the nugget bridge, an older couple kindly informed him that the nugget bridge challenge hadn't been around for several years since it was exposed as a recruitment front for Team Rocket.

Ethan tapped the ill-fitting plastic shades he was wearing. "I forgot that optometrists like to dilate your eyes when you go in for an exam. I think I'll put off my gym challenge 'til tomorrow or Monday."

"That's too bad. At least Eevee can't get enough of your eyes," Misty smiled.

Ethan looked at Eevee, who was now in his arms, and lifted his shades, causing another fit of giggles to rack her body.

"She thinks it's the funniest thing that my eyes are as big as hers now," Ethan laughed as he put the shades back in place, then rubbed his head. "I'm going to get a migraine if I keep doing that."

Misty laughed before turning somber. "Looking at how happy Eevee is, I can't help but feel bad for that poor eevee that blue-haired jerk of a trainer has."

Eevee's ears drooped, and Ethan fell silent for a moment before speaking up. "I know we're going to see them again. I just don't know when. I'm coming up with a plan, but it's still in the works. If that was the state his eevee was in…."

"Do you think he treats his other Pokémon the same?"

"I wouldn't doubt it," Ethan said. "Let's stop talking about this for now, though. It's making us all upset."

"Okay," Misty nodded. "Well, um, we have one more stop, right?"

"Yep! We're looking for Pokém's, a Pokémon whole foods place. I gotta have the best for my girls. It should be right about… here," Ethan said as he stopped and looked at the shop in front of him.

According to the guidebook, this well-known chain had pretty much everything for a Pokémon's dietary needs. It seemed like a slow time of day, as only a few customers were inside.

"Hey, isn't that Brock?"

Ethan squinted to focus more clearly on one of the human-shaped blobs. "I don't know. My eyes are still dilated. Let's go inside."

Misty checked a nearby street clock and noticed the time. "I should head to the gym. My sisters' show should have just ended, and I want to make sure they're taking care of the place."

"Okay," Ethan nodded. "I'll meet you and Ash there in a bit then. I'll see if I can drag Brock along."

"See ya!" Misty waved, then exhaled before hurrying to the gym.

"She'll be fine," Ethan said, petting Eevee between her ears before placing her on his shoulder.

A bell jingled as Ethan opened the shop door and entered before letting it shut behind him. Eevee sniffed the air and began wagging her tail a little more fervently.

"Welcome, welcome!" a taller man greeted. "How can I help you?"

"Just browsing for the moment," Ethan replied.

"Alrighty then! Ring the bell at the desk if you need anything," he said before walking to the back.

"Ethan? What are you doing here?"

"Hey, Brock!" Ethan greeted, recognizing his voice. "Probably the same reason you're here. Gotta have the best for our Pokémon, right?"

"Right! There's an extensive selection here, but I don't know what to get. Whole foods are more nutritious but spoil faster because they don't have preservatives."

"That is a problem," Ethan pondered. "Too bad we can't take a fridge with us."

Brock chuckled. "No, we can't. But I just remembered something. You said your bag is made by the Devon Corporation, right?"

"Yeah. Why do you ask?"

"My backpack is similar, but it's made by Silph. They have the same technology as Pokéballs. They can shrink down and store tons of items, but your bag can also put things in stasis. If you carried our perishable items, they would last a lot longer."

Ethan thought that over and smacked his forehead. "Of course! How didn't I notice that the food I've had for a while is still good?"

"It's easy to overlook things when nothing seems to be wrong," Brock said.

"That's deep, man."

"Well, Ash said some pretty deep stuff earlier, and I guess it rubbed off on me," Brock chuckled.

"Eevee?"

Ethan looked to find Eevee had jumped down at some point during the conversation. He found her next to a shelf, sniffing a small paper bag of something.

"Eevee's got the right idea. Let's get everything we need, then head to the gym. You don't want to miss Ash's match against the sensational sisters, do you?"

"The sensational sisters are the gym leaders now?! You don't have to tell me twice! Let's hurry," Brock exclaimed, running from aisle to aisle and filling his basket with everything they needed.

I knew that would work. Ethan smirked as he picked up the bag Eevee was looking at and examined it. Still blurry. I just needed new glasses! How did they talk me into doing a full exam?!

As the gym came into view, Ethan was surprised to find that it looked different than he thought it would. Instead of resembling a rounded circus tent with a dewgong sign, the entire roof was made of glass, framed with metal, and the building was huge.

Wait, isn't this how the gym looked in that one episode of the Sun and Moon anime? Ethan recalled, confused. I guess not everything in this world will look exactly as I remembered it.

"Something wrong?" Brock asked.

"Hm? Oh, no. Just taking in how big the gym is."

"I… suppose it is larger than the Pewter gym," Brock acquiesced.

Ethan nodded before frowning. "Why don't you go inside and save us some seats, Brock? I want to do a lap around the building."

"You sure you'll be fine?"

"I'm not blind, Brock. Well, not completely. I'll be fine."

"Alright. See you in a bit," Brock chuckled as he walked through the automatic doors of the gym.

When Ethan was sure Brock was inside, he turned left and began walking. "Hey, Eevee, ready to mess with some bad guys again?"

"Eevee? Eev eev eevee!" Eevee cheered.

Ethan put a finger to her lips. "We gotta be quiet, though," he whispered. "We don't want them to know we're coming."

Eevee silently nodded as Ethan used his sixth sense to determine which general direction the aura of ill intent came from a moment before. I think it came from this side of the gym, he decided.

As he passed the corner of the building, Eevee gently batted his face and then pointed to the right. Ethan followed the direction of her paw and hid behind a nearby bench when he saw who he was expecting to find. The unmistakable forms of the Team Rocket trio were crouched near the gym wall, using some kind of device to listen in on whatever was happening inside.

They're distracted. I could probably take them on, but I don't want to risk it, Ethan mulled, trying to come up with an idea. Wait, maybe I could sabotage their machine! They stole a giant vacuum cleaner or something like that in this episode, right? Where is it?

Ethan silently moved from his spot, using a nearby fountain to mask the sound of his movements as he scanned his surroundings. It's gotta be nearby. They wouldn't have left it too far away.

Eevee jumped down from his shoulder and walked to the line of foliage that surrounded the gym property before hopping over. Ethan, guessing she found something, followed her.

"Good job, Eevee," he praised. "This is what we're looking for." The giant vacuum had been hidden beyond the treeline, and Ethan's temporarily impaired vision caused it to blend in with its surroundings.

Ethan adjusted his shades and reached into his bag, pulled out his multi-tool, and climbed onto the machine's deck, looking for some kind of console or hatch he could access. "Eevee, keep watch and let me know if Team Rocket's coming."

"Eev vee!" Eevee saluted before moving to where she could keep an eye on Jessie, James, and Meowth.

She's too cute, Ethan smiled. Okay, I don't see the kind of console I'm looking for, so I'll have to mess with the internals. Don't Team Rocket's machines have a tendency to explode? I wonder if they added a self-destruct mechanism.

Ethan looked around more before his foot kicked against a protrusion on the floor. Kneeling, he realized it was a handle and pulled it open, revealing a way inside. Wait, this thing has to move somehow. Maybe there are more controls below the deck.

He hopped down into the small space and brought out his flashlight. He saw a Meowth-sized driver's seat with a console that showed an image of the surrounding area.

"This looks promising," he said as he saw a big red button that said 'DO NOT TOUCH' in large letters. "Do villains always have big red buttons?"

He hesitated. Would it be right to rig this machine to explode? "Eh, they survived an enclosed self-destruct from Koffing and walked it off. They'll be fine."

With that decision made, Ethan got to work. He opened the console with his multi-tool to expose the inner wirings. After figuring out which ones he needed to work with, he cut two wires connected to the button and tied them to the ignition; one wrapped around an input wire and the other around an output wire, being careful during the entire process not to complete the circuit.

"It's a sloppy job, but I think that's how it works," he said to himself as he cleaned up.

Ethan finished packing, pulled himself onto the deck, and then jumped to the grass below. "Eevee, time to go!"

Eevee came running from the treeline and jumped to her usual position on his shoulder. After making sure Team Rocket was still distracted, Ethan left his cover and took a different route back to the gym entrance.

"Good job, Eevee! Team Rocket's in for an explosive surprise," Ethan said with a grin as he scratched her favorite spot behind her ears.

"Ee veevee, Eeveev!" Eevee licked his cheek and matched his grin with one of her own as they entered through the gym's automatic doors.

Ethan found a directory map of the Cerulean Gym and studied it, trying to find his destination. It's hard to read, but this big area looks like it could be the gym.

"So, think Ash will win his gym battle?" Ethan asked.

Eevee looked thoughtful for a moment before shrugging. "Eevee eev, eev vee?"

"I don't know. In the original timeline, Ash's battle was interrupted by Team Rocket, and he was given the badge out of pity. Now that Team Rocket's taken care of, I'm curious to see how he'll do."

Ethan and Eevee stopped in front of the doors that led into the gym. "Time to stop talking about Team Rocket. They're probably still listening to what's happening in the gym arena."

Eevee nodded, and Ethan pushed the doors open and entered. Despite the gym's exterior looking like it did in the Sun and Moon anime, the battlefield kept the season one design with the rectangular pool and the floating platforms.

Ethan spotted Brock sitting relatively close to whom he assumed were Misty's sisters: Daisy, Lily, and Violet. Ash and Misty seemed to be having an intense staredown as they stood on their respective platforms.

Misty broke the silence. "I wasn't planning on battling you until you paid me back for my bike, but this is as good a time as any!"

Ethan raised a brow as he made his way to the stands. I either have perfect anime timing, or I'm in a poorly written fanfic.

"If you want that Cascade badge, you're gonna have to beat me!" Misty continued.

"It'll be my pleasure!" Ash said, excited and determined, before whispering something to Pikachu, who looked less than thrilled.

"Did I miss anything?" Ethan asked as he took a seat next to Brock.

"Not really," Brock greeted. "How was your walk?"

Ethan took off his bag and set it next to his feet, and Eevee jumped down to his unoccupied lap. "It was nice. There's a lot of water decor out there."

"Makes sense. This is a water-type gym," Brock agreed.

"Pikachu, I choose you!"

Ethan stifled a chuckle at the sight of Ash trying to throw Pikachu out to the battlefield like a Pokéball while Pikachu clung desperately to his fingers.

"Chuuu!" Pikachu whined as he hopped back to the ground.

"Pikachu, what are you doing?!"

Pikachu looked down for a moment, then looked at Ethan and Eevee.

"Pikachu? What's wrong?" Ash asked, concerned.

Ethan met Pikachu's eyes through his disposable shades and nodded.

Pikachu frowned in determination and jumped to a platform on the field, ready and willing to battle.

Ash grabbed the brim of his cap and moved it to the back of his head. "Alright, Pikachu! Let's do this!"

"Wow, Pikachu's battling," Ethan muttered.

"Pikachu's a great choice. He has the type advantage," Brock replied. "By the way, Ethan, did you know Misty was a gym leader? You don't seem surprised that Ash is battling her."

"Oh, yeah. I've known that Misty's family runs the Cerulean Gym for a while. My training for the past couple of weeks has been focused on preparing for my battle here."

"Good thing Jade got that move down then. It's called Electroweb, right?"

Misty sent out Staryu, and the battle began with a barrage of Water Guns against Pikachu, who couldn't move much on the limited area of the platform. He took a few hits and was knocked into the water.

"Yeah. It's a good coverage move for Jade, and I see a lot of potential for it. She's gotten really good with String Shot as well since it's kind of a base for Electroweb."

"Pikachu," Ash yelled, "try a Thunderbolt!"

Pikachu climbed back onto the platform and shook his fur dry. His red cheeks then sparked, and the smell of ozone filled the air as he unleashed a bolt of lightning from his small body, striking Staryu's core as it was coming in for a Rapid Spin attack.

"Woah! It still surprises me to see how much power can come from a small Pokémon," Ethan remarked while running his fingers through Eevee's fur.

"I know what you mean," Brock agreed. "It looks like Staryu's down, but Pikachu looks pretty wiped out too."

True to his words, Pikachu sported several bruises and was panting heavily. Still, he seemed happy to have won.

"Must have scored a critical hit. Hey, Brock, aren't official league battles supposed to have referees?" Ethan asked.

"They are, but for one and two badge challenges, it's up to the gym to decide if they employ one for the match. This way, the gym's referees aren't constantly swamped," Brock explained.

"Wow, Misty's actually doing pretty well. She, like, almost took out Pikachu," Daisy commented.

"Well, we three got the good looks in the family, so I guess she had to get something," Lily said.

Ethan groaned. I forgot they have Valley girl accents, he thought. There was no reason it bothered him. It was just one of those things that grated on his ears.

He took a deep breath before returning his focus to the battle.

"You're doing great, Pikachu!" Ash praised his starter as Pikachu rejoined him on his platform. "Think you can keep going?"

Pikachu looked ready to agree before tiredly sitting on the spot. "Chaaa…."

Ash looked at his starter in concern. "You alright, buddy?" he asked, to which he got a nod.

"Ash, Pikachu's exhausted. Let one of your other Pokémon battle," Brock yelled.

"Uh, okay," Ash replied.

"Hurry up, Ash! We don't have all day!" Misty yelled impatiently, having already sent out her starmie.

"Fine! Butterfree, I choose you!" he called as he threw the Pokéball.

Misty shivered before shaking her head and refocusing. "About time! Starmie, Rapid Spin!"

"Dodge it!"

Starmie cut through the air like a shuriken and sped towards Butterfree, who flew out of the way. Starmie came in for a few more attempts before landing back on its platform.

"My turn! Butterfree, Stun Spore!"

Butterfree rapidly flapped his wings a few times before gliding over and covering the area with a cloud of spores, causing Starmie to seize up.

"Wash it off!"

The starfish Pokémon teetered over the edge of the platform before allowing itself to fall into the water. After sinking for a few moments, it launched itself out of the water and onto the platform with no signs of paralysis.

"Ha, bet you didn't know about Starmie's unique trait! It can get rid of status effects by washing itself with water or when it's returned to its Pokéball," Misty gloated.

Oh, what was that ability called? Ethan wondered. Natural Cure? I thought it only removed status effects when returned to its Pokéball. I guess wild Pokémon with that ability don't have Pokéballs to trigger it, so it makes sense that there's another way to activate it.

Ash ground his teeth before calling his next command. "Butterfree, it's time for your new move. Use-"

A loud explosion from outside rocked the building, causing the battlefield's water to slosh around and cause those not already sitting down to lose their balance. To Ethan and Eevee, it was music to their ears when they heard the distant "Team Rocket's blasting off again!" cry from the Team Rocket trio.

"What the hell was that?!" Violet asked.

"Hey, language! There are kids here," Ethan scolded, trying and mostly succeeding in keeping a straight face. "Besides, it's not our problem, so don't worry about it."

Brock raised a questioning brow. "What did you do on your walk?"

Ethan's face cracked as he leaned closer to Brock. "Smelled the roses, made a wish at the fountain, foiled Team Rocket's plan to steal Pokémon. You know, the usual."

Brock opened his mouth, thought better of it, then sighed and shook his head.

"Hey, the battle's not over yet!" Ethan yelled to Ash and Misty, who were back on their feet.

"Right! Butterfree, use Confusion!"

Wait. What, when, and how?! Ethan choked. Butterfree never knew Confusion! Or if he did, he never used it on-screen.

Butterfree focused his energy – struggling to do so, which told Ethan it wasn't practiced much – and grabbed Starmie in his psychic grip. He then levitated Starmie up into the air, who was trying to shake itself free of its imprisonment.

Brock nodded. "This is actually a smart move from Ash. Being submerged or surrounded by water increases the potency of water-type moves. Removing Starmie from the water should put this matchup in his favor."

"I… that actually makes sense," Ethan realized. "I thought only terrain and weather-altering moves boosted certain types of attacks, but it makes sense that the environment already in place could have an effect."

"Starmie, use Bubblebeam!"

"Whirlwind!"

Butterfree released his grip as the bubbles sped toward him, and a low buzz filled the room as he flapped his chitinous wings. Winds stirred, blowing the bubbles back to their sender, inflicting minor damage to Starmie as it was violently carried through the air before coming to a sudden halt with a concrete wall.

Ethan and Brock winced at the noise as a crack appeared in its gem-like core. That had to hurt.

"Oh no, Starmie!" Misty gasped, jumping off her platform and onto the floor before running to Starmie's side.

"I think that's the match," Ethan said as Brock stood to go check on Starmie.

Ethan made his way down to the pool, where Ash was celebrating his victory with Pikachu and Butterfree. Eevee padded along behind him.

What changed to make Butterfree learn Confusion? Ethan pondered. Preventing Butterfree's early evolution that day in the Viridian Forest? I know I've seen him and Jade talk when they're both out of their Pokéballs. Maybe Jade's given him tips?

Ethan then looked at Ash. Maybe Ash is training his Pokémon, at least a little bit. Otherwise, he wouldn't have known that Butterfree knew Confusion in the first place.

"Alright! I won, I won!" Ash cheered as he jumped up and down.

"Hey Ash, the correct phrasing is 'we' won. Your win was a joint effort between you and your Pokémon. It'd be rude not to include your Pokémon in your little victory dance," Ethan chuckled.

Ash stopped and faced Ethan. "It's not a victory dance. I'm just excited that I – we won."

Eevee talked with Pikachu for a moment as she gestured to her back. Pikachu considered it before deciding he was too tired to care and climbed aboard for a free ride. Eevee looked like she barely even felt his weight.

"Eevee's a few steps ahead of us. I think we should get your and Misty's Pokémon to a Pokémon Center. Go collect your badge and do your victory pose so we can leave," Ethan said.

"Oh, right! The badge!" Ash realized. "What about you? Aren't you going to have your battle?"

Ethan tapped the sides of his disposable shades. "I'm confident I could win right now, but I'm working with a handicap at the moment, and I want to be at 100% for my battle. I understand that all of the gym Pokémon are currently being treated at the Pokémon Center. I'm going to have to set an appointment and battle either tomorrow or the next day."

"Like, the gym's closed Sundays, but I can handle your battle on Monday," Daisy said, apparently having been close enough to listen in.

Nails on a chalkboard.

"Would Monday morning work?" Ethan asked. "I'm pretty sure we want to leave for Vermilion at noon that day."

Daisy giggled. "Confident, huh? Okay, cutie, Monday morning it is."

The walk to the Pokémon Center was filled primarily with Ethan thinking how adorable it was seeing Eevee carrying a sleeping Pikachu on her back. The mouse was really tired, and Eevee didn't seem to mind the weight.

The other less adorable thing was Ash admiring and talking on and on about his newest badge.

"We get it, Ash! Shiny badge, you beat Misty, blah blah blah," Ethan snapped.

"Hah! You're just jealous that I have it, and you don't!" He boasted.

Brock and Misty groaned behind them.

"First, I don't care that I don't have the badge yet. That'll come soon enough," Ethan dismissed. "Second, having more badges doesn't mean you're a more skilled trainer than I am. Don't look at me like that. I'm a budding empath now, remember? You feel like you're on top of the world and that no one can beat you.

"Let me tell you something you should learn sooner than later, Ash. You should never compare yourself to other trainers. It'll only hinder your progress as a trainer and as a person. The only one you should be comparing yourself to is… well, the trainer you were yesterday. You'll become a better trainer much faster if you resolve to do better than you did the previous day, every day."

Brock whistled. "Today's just the day for saying deep things, and Ethan took the cake with that one."

Whatever meaning Ethan's words were supposed to have seemed to go right over Ash's head. "Whatever. I won the Cascade badge!"

…Ash may very well have some degree of ADHD, Ethan realized. That makes so much sense!

The next day passed quickly. Ethan used it as a rest day to plan and finish preparing for the battle ahead. He didn't want to be caught off guard if his gym battle turned out to be more challenging than he expected. It wouldn't do to underestimate anyone.

Ash was antsy to leave and get to the next gym but was talked down by Brock. "Ash," Brock had said, "we need to make sure we're rested and ready for the next leg of our journey. Besides, we should watch Ethan's battle. I haven't seen him battle seriously yet, and I'm curious to see how he performs in the gym."

On the morning of the battle, Ethan picked up his new prescriptions before meeting Ash, Brock, and Misty back at the Pokémon Center and heading to the gym.

"I'm amazed that these are already done. I thought I would have to have them shipped to the next Pokémon Center," Ethan said. "Everything looks so much clearer now."

"Why do you need glasses?" Ash asked. "I thought you could see fine before."

Ethan grabbed Eevee's paws and held them away from the black plastic frames of his glasses before answering. "It's because I'm nearsighted. I can see things up close just fine, but the farther away something is, the fewer details I can make out."

"I didn't think glasses would suit you, but they look natural," Misty complimented.

"Thank you. Honestly, I felt kind of naked without them. I wish I hadn't lost my last pair."

I'll bet Mew kept them, Ethan thought. Damn it, Mew!

He imagined Mew giggling before he shook his head and addressed Brock. "Are we ready to leave right after my battle?"

"Yep! Our bags are packed, and we've checked out of the Pokémon Center. We have enough supplies to last at least a few weeks," Brock confirmed.

"And there'll be a few places on the way to Vermilion where we can restock if need be," Ethan nodded. "Sounds like we're set."

"Let's get to the gym already! The sooner you finish, the sooner we can get to the next gym," Ash complained.

"Aww, don't be like that, Ash," Ethan said. "You love Pokémon battles, and I'm sure you'll enjoy watching my battle. I just hope I'll get a good challenge from Daisy."

"Huh? What's Daisy got to do with this?" Ash asked, confused.

"What? No, not Daisy Oak. Misty's sister, Daisy Waterflower," Ethan clarified.

"Oh, right," Ash sheepishly chuckled.

Misty sighed at Ash's antics. "Even though my sisters aren't serious battlers, they're still gym leaders. I wouldn't underestimate them."

"Don't worry about that. I'm not about to pull an Ash," Ethan chuckled as they entered through the automatic doors of the gym.

Ethan could feel the confusion of his traveling companions, and he reviewed what he said.

Ah, crap. Ash didn't show any seriously arrogant overconfidence until he battled AJ.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Ash asked while folding his arms.

Ethan just smiled, covering up his initial panic. "You'll see in due time," he said.

Ethan stood on his floating platform on the pool opposite Daisy, bending his knees to try and keep his balance. Daisy seemed to be having no such issue.

"Okay, cutie! We'll use two Pokémon each, and only you will be allowed to substitute Pokémon," Daisy called.

"You know I'm only twelve, right?" Ethan asked. "Though I do turn thirteen in a few weeks."

"Oh well," she shrugged. "Wooper, sweetie! It's your turn!"

Wooper materialized and splashed into the water before coming back up with only its head above the surface. It-he had a dopey smile that Ethan couldn't help but grin back at. Two gill branches, so it's a male.

Battle of the blondies time! Wooper's immune to electric-type attacks, and Jade's still figuring out Energy Ball. Time to set the stage.

Ethan enlarged a Pokéball and tossed it. "Jade, you're up!"

"Like, wow! Your butterfree's so pretty!" Daisy gushed after Jade materialized.

Ethan chuckled as Jade did a twirl in the air. "We get that a lot, but it's always true."

"As the challenger, you have the first move," Daisy said.

"Alright, then. Jade, time to set the field. String Shot!"

"Like that's going to hit. Wooper, underwater!"

Wooper dove underwater as Jade spat the silk from her mouth. The silk, however, went wide and hit the wall off the side of the pool. Jade continued to spit the silk, aiming nowhere near her opponent.

"What's Ethan doing? His butterfree isn't even hitting that Pokémon!" Ash said as he put his Pokédex away, disappointed that it couldn't identify the Pokémon Daisy was battling with.

"First off, Ash, that's a wooper. It's a water-type Pokémon from the Johto region," Misty informed him. "Second, I have no idea what he's up to."

"Pika pika?"

Brock crossed his arms and studied the battlefield. "I'm not sure either, but Ethan seems confident. Do you see how Jade is only hitting the floor and walls around the pool with her string shot? This is planned."

"It still doesn't tell me what he's doing," Ash said, now getting more curious.

"We'll just have to wait and see," Misty concluded.

Ethan raised Jade's Pokéball and returned her before nodding to Eevee, who jumped out onto another floating platform.

"Like, what was the point of that? All you've done is made cleanup harder," Daisy complained.

"You'll see," Ethan replied.

"Whatever. That string won't stop us! Wooper, use Slam!"

"Eevee, you know what to do."

Eevee grinned and nodded. Wooper jumped high out of the water and spun, preparing to slam Eevee with his tail. As gravity carried him down, his tail caught on a few thick threads of silk, slowing his descent before shooting him straight back up.

"What? No way!" Daisy gasped.

Eevee jumped onto another thick thread and used it as a trampoline to launch herself straight at Wooper. As she got close, her tail glowed and took on a silvery sheen. She swung around and used the momentum of her flight to slam the Iron Tail straight on the crown of Wooper's head, sending him flying to the center of the poliwag design on the wall.

Ethan winced as Wooper made impact before it fell to the ground, knocked out with that dopey smile still on its face.

"Uhh, is Wooper okay?" Ethan asked.

"As long as he's still smiling, he's fine," Daisy assured as she returned wooper to his ball. "I'm surprised. I wasn't expecting that."

Ethan scratched Eevee between her ears when she landed by his side. "I don't think anyone was. I wasn't sure if it would work, but the tensile strength of Jade's String Shot is pretty good."

Daisy sighed. "I don't think I can, like, give you a good match. So, I concede."

Ethan stood straight up in surprise at the declaration, nearly losing his balance. "What?! You can do that?"

"Eevee?!"

"It's ultimately a gym leader's decision who they give their badges to, and you are more than a match for me."

Ethan stood there in shock. "B-b-but I had so much planned for this match! Jade's gonna be so disappointed…. What was your second Pokémon going to be?"

Daisy pulled out a Pokéball and opened it. Eevee's ears perked, and she barked and bounced excitedly on the spot.

"I was going to use Vaporeon here. He's more used to battling than Wooper, but not much. He's a maintenance Pokémon trained to help keep the aquarium and pipes running between the exhibits clean."

I had a feeling I wouldn't get a good challenge no matter who I battled here, Ethan groaned. Misty's a beginner water Pokémon trainer, and her sisters are total flakes.

Ethan stared at the Cascade badge in his hand with a pondering look as he trailed the others outside of the gym. He knew it was stupid, but his victory felt somewhat hollow.

Eevee spent some time chatting with Daisy's Vaporeon, and he could tell Eevee asked lots of questions. Vaporeon even showed off some of what it could do, including its Acid Armor move, which freaked Eevee out. That got a chuckle out of Ethan and Vaporeon when it reformed from the puddle it had melted into. If Ethan had to guess, Eevee was interviewing for her potential evolutions.

"That was an awesome battle, Ethan!" Ash said, breaking him out of his contemplative state.

"Yeah…. Eevee and Jade did well, but I was hoping for something more challenging. And longer."

"Ethan," Brock said, "are you still thinking you don't deserve that badge?"

Ethan sighed. "I don't think I do, Brock! I won by forfeit, which doesn't feel like a win to me."

Brock shook his head. "You won by forfeit after you knocked out Wooper. You showed incredible foresight by changing the battlefield in your favor, then having Eevee utilize that. You're a skilled trainer, and you outclassed Daisy by a long shot."

"I don't know…."

Misty's temper flared. "Oh, give me that!" she yelled as she snatched the badge out of Ethan's hand. "If you want to feel like you deserve it, I'll train up as hard as I can, then give you the official gym battle you want when I'm ready!"

Ethan blinked, then smiled. "You have a way with words, Mist. Thanks."

AN: I'm anticipating that this will be the last chapter I'll post in 2020. I want to use the rest of the year to decompress and spend the holidays with family and perhaps get ahead with writing. (lol)

Stats for posterity: 324 story favorites, 431 story followers, 98 reviews at the time of this chapter's publishing.

Discord: discord .gg/hAFGRb6j4w

Published: November 24, 2020

Chapter Text

Chapter 10

Changes

Ethan covered his mouth as he tried to stifle a yawn. He hadn't slept well for the past few nights, which came as no surprise to him. His recent dreams had him reliving his first few hours at the Tree of Beginning and the trauma he experienced at its heart.

Eevee was one of the few good things to come out of that experience, in his opinion. She could sense his distress and stuck to his shoulder whenever possible, hoping that being close to him would bring some measure of comfort. Ethan was grateful and gently scratched her favorite spot, causing her tail to shake a little more fervently as she leaned into his hand.

The gang left Cerulean City several days ago, and Ethan was surprised by how large central Kanto was when he looked at a map. The constant change in scenery was beautiful. If he recalled correctly, it canonically took Ash, Brock, and Misty a couple of weeks to get from Cerulean to Vermilion. Ethan doubted they would get there that quickly, and they surprisingly hadn't gotten lost.

Yet.

"You holding up okay, Ethan?"

Ethan shook himself out of his musings and nodded. "I'm fine, Brock. Doing better than this morning, at least."

"My very berry pancakes did some good then!" Brock chuckled. "Anyways, I was just asking, what do you think of this battle?"

Ash was battling a youngster from the farmland community they were passing through. He called for Pidgeotto to use Gust, forcing the other trainer's rattata to dig its claws into the grass to stop itself from being blown away.

"Honestly?" Ethan started. "Any half-serious trainer could beat the locals here in a Pokémon battle. Ever since Ash won his last badge, he's been getting cocky. Now he's getting some easy wins and thinks he's invincible. He won't take it well when he meets his match."

Brock nodded in agreement. "I was thinking something along those lines. Winning is fine, but Ash needs to battle someone on his level to progress as a trainer."

"Are you sure you're a beginner, Ethan?" Misty asked.

"Nah," Ethan shrugged. "I'm an experienced adult trapped in my pre-teen body."

Misty shook her head in amusement at Ethan's dry wit and resumed watching the match.

"Pidgeotto, finish it!"

Pidgeotto swooped from above and lunged with its talons, kicking the rattata away and knocking it out.

"Well, that's that," Ethan said as he walked with Brock and Misty to join back up with Ash.

"…I was pretty good there," Ash bragged as he not-so-subtly opened the flap of his jacket, displaying the badges pinned there.

"Wow, you've got badges!" The local trainer gushed.

"Oh? You mean these?"

"Giving him those badges was a mistake," Misty and Brock groaned for the umpteenth time since they hit the road. Ethan just rolled his eyes.

"Pika pika…." Pikachu shrugged.

"I bet you could beat AJ! He trains savage Pokémon and hasn't lost a single match. He lives further down the road."

"AJ, huh? He's never battled anyone like me!" Ash declared. "I'll beat this AJ."

"He's getting a big head," Misty dryly remarked.

"He already has a big head," Ethan corrected. "And it's primed to pop."

Brock raised a questioning brow as they began following Ash down the path again. "What makes you think that?"

Ethan placed Eevee on the ground before answering. "If AJ's any good, he'll be the one to bring Ash's ego down to an appropriate level. At least for a while."

"Are you going to battle AJ as well?" Misty asked.

"I know Eevee's itching for a fight, and I still owe Jade a good battle," Ethan shrugged as Eevee nodded. "So, maybe." His face scrunched up in thought before looking at Brock. "We still haven't had a battle, have we?"

"You're right! I still owe you one," Brock realized. "We should do that before we get to Vermilion."

"Deal," Ethan said as he and Brock bumped fists.

"Hurry up, guys!" Ash yelled impatiently from far ahead of them.

"We'll get there when we get there!" Misty screamed back, shaking her fist.

Brock sighed as Ethan walked on with barely concealed mirth.

This far out in the country, 'down the road' apparently meant an uneventful hour-long trip. Finally, the walls of AJ's gym came into view, and Ethan sighed in relief. He, Brock, and Misty had to jog to keep up with Ash's one-track mind the entire way, and his feet were killing him.

They came to a stop in front of the gates of the gym. Above their heads, a sign indicated that this was indeed the right place.

AJ'S GYM

UNDEFEATED!

W - 98 L - 0

NOTE: GYM NOT SANCTIONED BY THE POKÉMON LEAGUE

"Look at that," Ash scoffed. "This gym isn't even licensed by the Pokémon League."

Ethan sighed as he relieved himself and Eevee of the weighted training gear they had been wearing most of the day and put them away in his bag. Eevee stretched her legs and arched her back before working on grooming the fur flattened against her body.

"Undefeated? Big deal. I can beat him," Ash continued.

"You sure?" Ethan grunted as he stood up. "I don't even know if I can beat him, and I have my doubts that you could."

Brock and Misty stood off to the side, watching the conversation like one would a tennis match.

"What!?"

"Look at it this way," Ethan continued. "Regardless of who AJ is, he has to be a fairly strong and experienced trainer to have a ninety-eight win-streak. Strong trainers train their Pokémon regularly.

"Do you see where you're falling short? He's won more battles than the both of us combined, and you hardly train your Pokémon."

"Oh yeah? Well, you don't battle nearly as much as I do, and I haven't lost a single match," Ash shot back defensively.

Ethan raised a brow in confusion. "What's your point?"

"You don't believe in your Pokémon, and you don't battle because you're scared to lose."

The forest went silent. If glares could kill, Ash would be dead and buried from the glares Ethan and Eevee leveled at him. Ash's eyes widened as he saw the faint blue light of aura flicker an angry calm behind Ethan's glasses.

"Okay, Ashton Satoshi Ketchum," Ethan coolly said, slightly unnerving everyone present. "That's uncalled for. I don't care that you let your wins get to your head. I don't care that you think I'm scared to battle. But saying I don't believe in my Pokémon? That's a damn lie, and you damn well know it!"

Ash angrily ground his teeth. "That's what you think! I challenge you to a Pokémon battle right here and now!"

The two continued to glare at each other until another voice cut in. "Uhh, am I interruptin' somethin'?"

Ethan looked over Ash's shoulder to find a young man standing next to the gate. He had a stocky build, spiked green hair, and wore a spike-pattern orange and black collared shirt with dark blue shorts.

"AJ, right? May we use your battlefield? I need to beat some sense into Ash here," Ethan explained, jabbing a thumb at his soon-to-be opponent.

AJ thought for a moment before shrugging and unlocking the gate. "So long as I can battle both o' ya sometime today, I don't care. Just don't wreck it too much."

Ethan nodded before addressing Ash. "We'll use one Pokémon each, no substitutions, and…," he grinned. "Let's make a wager. If I win, you forfeit your hat to me until I decide you earn it back."

"And if I win, I get your gloves!" Ash shot back.

"Deal," Ethan said. "Brock, will you ref?"

"Sure, but why?" Brock asked.

Ethan explained as their party walked through the open gate and into AJ's compound. "We need a neutral 3rd-party to judge the match so that Ash has no grounds to call foul play when he loses."

"Hey, I'm not gonna lose!" Ash protested.

"You're pretty worked up for someone who's not gonna lose," Misty smirked. "Oh, I'm looking forward to this!"

Ethan ignored Ash's and Misty's ensuing bickering match in favor of looking over AJ's setup. Looming near the back of the compound stood a tall, dome-roofed tent that he thought would fit in with a circus. To the side was a small berry garden growing a variety of berries being tended to by an oddish and bellsprout. Their destination, the battlefield, was a League standard half-field.

"Nice place. Did you build this yourself?" Brock asked.

"Sure did," AJ replied with some pride in his voice as a butterfree came out of the tent and hefted his backpack away. "I built this gym as a sort of base to train my Pokémon and prepare for my journey. As soon as I reach 100 consecutive wins, I'll go around and compete for badges."

"Do you have a lot of Pokémon? Can I see them?" Ash asked.

"If ya want," AJ shrugged. "But aren't you about to battle your friend?"

Ash glowered. "He's not my friend."

Ethan gritted his teeth and held a hand over his chest as the pain of Ash's words cut through him. What the hell?! That felt like it physically hurt! I… I guess being an empath has its drawbacks.

As he stepped up to the battlefield, Ethan's mind unwittingly turned to his first childhood. Growing up, he never made many lasting friends, and the ones that did last were the ones he valued the most. It didn't help that he was shy, timid, and a complete self-shut-in growing up, which he mostly outgrew by the time he began college. TJ was one of the only friends he made that he kept in regular contact with before… all this happened.

Making friends as an introverted adult is hard.

Brock cleared his throat, bringing Ethan back to the present. "This will be a one-on-one battle between Ash and Ethan. The winner will be decided when either side's Pokémon is unable to continue, or one trainer forfeits. Since Ash challenged Ethan, he will send out his Pokémon first."

Ash grabbed the brim of his cap and moved it behind him. "This will be a piece of cake. I choose you, Pikachu!"

Pikachu hesitated for a moment before smacking his cheeks with his paws and running onto the field.

"Eevee," Ethan whispered. Eevee's ears pricked up as she looked at him. "I want you to battle, but you'll be doing so without me giving you orders. I want to see how well you do without my input. Do your best."

"Eev Eeveev!" Eevee jumped onto his shoulder and affectionately nuzzled his cheek, lingering for a moment before jumping into a starting position on the field. Ethan moved his displaced glasses back onto the bridge of his nose and folded his arms, a smile tugging at his lips.

Seeing that Ash and Ethan were ready, Brock raised his arms and declared, "Let the match begin!"

"Pikachu, use Quick Attack!"

Pikachu sped forward under Ash's command, running straight at Eevee. Eevee used a short burst of her own Quick Attack to dodge to the side and chained it with a Double Team. Pikachu's cheeks sparked as he nervously looked between each of the clones.

"Just Thunderbolt them all, Pikachu," Ash said.

Pikachu closed his eyes, gathering the power needed for his attack. He then jumped and cried his name, sending bolts of electricity to every eevee he could see.

There was no cry of pain, and all the eevee in sight disappeared when the Thunderbolts dispersed the illusory copies. Eevee was nowhere to be seen.

"What?! Where'd Eevee go?" Ash asked.

Ethan smiled. It looked like Sandshrew's tips and his own brainstorming were working well here. Eevee used Dig while Ash and Pikachu were distracted by the clones and sealed the hole behind her, which was Ethan's idea. The seal wasn't perfect and could be easily spotted. Still, it bought enough time for Eevee to get under Pikachu and deliver a ground-powered tackle, knocking Pikachu back and causing him to cry out at the super-effective attack.

"Oh no, Pikachu!" Ash cried. "Use your Agility!"

Pikachu shook off the pain and ran in circles around Eevee, using the speed-enhancing move to become a blur and look as if he was in multiple places at once. Eevee frowned as she tried to keep track of the mouse.

Looks like Eevee's having trouble deciding what to do, Ethan observed, but she'll figure something out.

"Now, Pikachu, use Thunderbolt!"

Pikachu slowed but kept a brisk pace as he prepared his attack, charging it a little faster this time, and shot the Thunderbolt at Eevee. She hadn't been idle. Her tail gleamed with steel-type energy as she stuck it in the ground.

Atta-girl, just like I taught you! Could've used Detect, but this is the next best thing.

The electric attack struck Eevee, traveling through her body and tail until it dispersed into the ground. The electric attack still seemed to hurt, but not nearly as much as it would have if Eevee hadn't grounded herself.

"Alright! A direct hit!" Ash cheered.

Pikachu slowed to a stop, out of breath after having used Agility and Thunderbolt in quick succession.

"Eevee, time to wrap this up," Ethan called.

Eevee nodded and, using Quick Attack, sped towards her opponent and slammed her still-charged Iron Tail into Pikachu.

"Pikachu!" Ash cried, watching as Pikachu was forcefully lifted off the field and over the edge, landing with a thud on the ground.

"Pikachu is unable to battle. Eevee is the winner, and the match goes to Ethan!" Brock declared.

Ash stood where he was, mouth open in an expression of shock. "I… I lost?" he said before looking at Ethan, who was walking toward him.

"Do you understand now?" Ethan asked. "Even though Eevee may not have as much battling experience as Pikachu does, her training more than made up for it."

Ethan came to a stop and offered a hand. "Plus, you've helped me realize that I probably should battle more often, so you have a good point there. If I don't battle when I can, I won't find out where my Pokémon and I need to improve."

Ash clenched his hands before smacking Ethan's proffered hand away and pointing an accusing finger at him. "There's no way I lost so easily. You had to have cheated!"

Ethan looked at his hand, then at Ash, and let out an exasperated sigh. "Seriously!? That's what you got out of this? I'm trying to help you become better, Ash, but you're so… so blind and stuck on this loss that you can't see that!"

Ethan swiped Ash's hat off his head and held it out of reach before Ash realized what he was doing. "I was going to let you keep this, but now you've lost your hat privileges. Maybe you'll see better after you've been without it for a while," he said with a finality that left no room for argument. "Go check on Pikachu. The first thing you should do after a battle is make sure your Pokémon are okay."

Ash stood in place for a moment before begrudgingly stepping away.

Ethan watched him go before leaving the field himself and plopping down on a nearby log, taking a deep, calming breath. "I hate it when I have to be the adult," he muttered into his hands as Eevee rigidly placed her front paws on his leg. "It's exhausting, and no one feels good afterward."

"Eev eevee vee eev, Eeveev," Eevee said.

"I know I'm actually an adult, but it doesn't make it any less tiring," Ethan muttered as he reached into one of the pockets of his bag. "Enough about that. Eat this. Looks like you got paralyzed by Pikachu's Static ability on that last hit. Good job, by the way. You did very well!"

Eevee beamed under the praise as she bit the offered Cheri berry off the stem and swallowed, the stiffness in her limbs fading.

"Now, where to keep this," Ethan said as he examined Ash's official Pokémon League expo hat. It looked pretty much like it did in all its depictions: red brim, white front with a green stylized L, and red in the back.

Ethan shrugged and carefully packed it away in his bag. Even though he and Ash weren't on good terms right now, he knew how attached Ash was to his hats. He would take care of it like it was his.

Ethan looked up as Brock and Misty sat on either side of him. Pikachu sat with Eevee next to Ethan's feet, looking tired but much better. "That was a good match," Brock complimented. "You trained Eevee very well to have battled and won without a command."

"That trick with her Iron Tail was interesting. Why train her to use it like that?" Misty asked.

"Lieutenant Surge's gym is coming up soon in Vermilion, and we're trying out anti-electric strategies. Since Iron Tail is a steel-type move, the electricity is more attracted to her tail. When it's stuck into the ground, electricity disperses almost harmlessly, like a lightning rod," Ethan explained. "How's Ash holding up?"

Brock frowned as he looked up at the battlefield. "He challenged AJ to a battle, and I don't think he should have. He's not in the right mindset and needs time to cool off and think about his last battle, but…."

"But he's more of an 'in the moment' kind of guy than someone who thinks things through," Ethan finished.

"Exactly, but I think he'll overcome that. One of the reasons I travel with Ash is because of how easily he connects with Pokémon, and that's a mark of a great trainer in the making," Brock said. "Now that I think about it, you and Ash have that in common."

Ethan considered that as he pulled out Jade's and Sandshrew's Pokéballs. If Brock was pointing it out, being able to bond with Pokémon as he and Ash do must not be that common. Is it because of the power of aura inside them?

A snap-crack startled Ethan out of his thoughts. Oh, right. AJ has a whip. Ethan tucked Jade's ball away on his bag's strap and brought out Sandshrew, who materialized on his lap, before tuning in to what was happening in front of him.

"Ninety-eight wins, and you still don't have a badge?" hatless Ash smirked as he showed off his badges. "That's tough luck, AJ. I have… had," he sent a quick glare at Ethan, who rolled his eyes, "ten wins, and I earned two Pokémon badges."

Well, he's half-right. He did earn one of them by actually beating Misty. I should get him to battle Brock sometime. Maybe after we rescue Charmander? Ethan mused. It seemed they were still on schedule, seeing as AJ only had the 98-win streak when they arrived.

"I can see blondie there having two, maybe even three badges judging from how thoroughly his eevee stomped your little pikachu," AJ sneered as he pulled his whip tautly. "But you? I wouldn't be surprised if you stole your badges or competed in some loser gyms. Where were they? Failure City, or Wimpsville?"

Even his empathic abilities weren't needed to see and feel the rage emanating from the gym leaders on either side of him. Ethan and Sandshrew nervously held each other a little tighter as he felt the heat of their anger wash over him.

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN LOSER GYMS?!" Misty screamed.

"Ethan, if Ash doesn't win, pulverize this guy," Brock growled.

Ethan meagerly nodded.

"Hey, I'm not going to lose!" Ash yelled.

"Eyes on the battlefield!" AJ snapped. "Sandshrew, go!"

The battle went pretty much as Ethan expected. Brock and Misty's advice fell on deaf ears, AJ's sandshrew didn't even break a sweat knocking both Pidgeotto and Butterfree out of the sky, and Ash once again stood in shock as AJ celebrated his 99th consecutive win.

So far, it doesn't seem like there's anything I can learn from AJ for Sandshrew that I'm not already working on with her, Ethan thought.

Ash returned his Pokémon. Then, without warning, he ran off the battlefield and out of the compound, hiding tears that only Ethan saw as he ran past. A distressed "Pikapi!" came from Pikachu as he followed closely behind him.

"Ash, where are you going?!" Misty called.

Ethan frowned. Ash never stormed out of here in the original timeline, did he? No, something changed.

"I'll follow him. You two stay," Ethan said. "Why don't we break for a late lunch here? Invite AJ. Be back soon. Later!"

With that, Ethan returned Sandshrew and ran off in the direction Ash went, with Eevee hot on his heels, leaving behind a bewildered Brock, Misty, and AJ.

"Oh, Ash," Brock sympathetically said.

"Ethan said this would happen, but I didn't think it would be this bad," Misty said. "What should we do?"

"We leave it to him and break for lunch," Brock replied. "Maybe some grub will cheer Ash up."

It wasn't difficult tracking Ash's aura. His emotions were running high, and it was as if he was projecting them to the environment around him, leaving an invisible trail.

Will Ash be able to protect himself from wild Pokémon? All his Pokémon must still be exhausted from their battles, Ethan thought worriedly. He couldn't help but think that this situation was entirely his fault. If he had kept his mouth shut, he wouldn't need to chase after Ash while dodging around the dense trees and foliage.

After another few minutes of running, Eevee sprinted ahead and led him to a break in the trees. They found Ash sitting on a rock overlooking a river, hunched over and shoulders heaving while Pikachu tried to cheer him up.

Deciding to let Ash have more time to sort out his emotions, Ethan sat against one of the trees behind him, where he could keep an eye on Ash and their surroundings. With some effort and focus, he experimentally reached out to Eevee's aura and projected his intent to wait and leave the duo of Ash and Pikachu alone.

Ethan pulled one of Eevee's brushes from the grooming kit in his bag. He carefully worked it through her fur, causing the delighted Eevee to happily purr from his lap. He soon lost himself to his thoughts as his hands rhythmically pulled brush through fur.

Ethan knew Ash didn't mean what he said about him not believing in his Pokémon. That was why he had Eevee battle without orders, to show that he trusted his Pokémon to battle well without him. He couldn't recall anything untrue he said to Ash, though that didn't mean he didn't take offense to what was said. People often don't like to be reminded of their shortcomings.

He didn't know entirely why, but he wanted to help Ash become the trainer he claimed he wanted to be. He supposed he could chalk it up to whoever brought him here had shepherded him to this point. It couldn't be a coincidence that he was brought into this world and was traveling with people he was familiar with from the other side of the fourth wall.

"Ethan? What are you doing here?" Ash said with an edge in his voice, bringing Ethan out of his thoughts.

Ethan stood, holding Eevee in one arm, and pulled out another brush from the grooming kit as he approached. "I want to show you how to brush Pikachu. Then we should talk."

Ash opened his mouth to protest before he saw Pikachu regarding the brush with interest. Ash's shoulders slumped. "Okay, fine."

After showing him how to use the brush, using Eevee as an example, Ash got to work on brushing down Pikachu's unkempt fur. Pikachu seemed to enjoy the pampering, bringing a smile to Ash's face.

"Grooming your Pokémon is a big way to increase your bond and trust with them. Daisy told me that," Ethan said. "We'll have to ask how you can brush Pidgeotto. I'm not sure if it's different with bird Pokémon."

"Do you think Brock will know?" Ash asked.

"He wants to be a Pokémon Breeder, so it's something he'll learn if he doesn't," Ethan replied, moving on to brushing Eevee's tail. "Ash, you want to be a Pokémon Master, right? Can you tell me what a Pokémon Master is?"

"Yeah, of course I do! A Pokémon Master is someone who… uh…."

"Is it someone who wins the Pokémon League competition? Is it the strongest trainer in the world?" Ethan offered.

"Well, winning the Pokémon League is one step to becoming a Pokémon Master, but…." Ash sheepishly rubbed the back of his head. "After that, I'm not sure."

"Pi-kachuuu" Pikachu whined.

"Oh, sorry, Pikachu," Ash said as he resumed his brushing.

"Okay," Ethan said thoughtfully. "Let's figure out what you'd need to do to make it to that first step. Off the top of my head, you'd need to learn a lot more about Pokémon than you know now: type matchups, how different kinds of Pokémon fight, the best ways to train your Pokémon, etc."

Ash frowned. "I don't want to train my Pokémon."

Ethan paused his brushing. "What do you mean?"

"My Pokémon are my friends. I don't want to train them like animals," Ash replied.

"If that's how you think Pokémon are trained, you are horribly, horribly misinformed," Ethan said as he pointed the brush at Ash. "Do you remember my gym match at Cerulean last week?"

"Of course I do! The way Eevee beat that wooper was so amazing!"

Eevee's ears perked at the mention of her name but otherwise didn't move.

"Well, we had to practice that a lot. I couldn't tell you how many times Eevee tripped or got tangled up in string before she got it down," Ethan explained. "That's part of what Pokémon training is: practicing moves and strategies.

"Another part, which I think would help your Pokémon the most right now, is stamina and endurance training. I've noticed that your Pokémon tend to tire out pretty quickly in battle, and they can't take many hits."

"I guess you're right." Ash paused his brushing and looked down at Pikachu in thought. "Why are you helping me?"

Ethan, satisfied with how Eevee's fur looked, set the brush aside and looked at Ash. "What are friends for? I want to help because I want to see you succeed."

"Friends?" Ash closed his eyes tightly. "I'm sorry for what I said before. I-I didn't mean it when I said you weren't my friend."

Ethan clapped him on the shoulder as he rose to his feet. "I know, but it still hurt to hear you say that. You can apologize by joining me in my training session tonight. I want to show you what my Pokémon training looks like. It's not at all what you seem to think it is."

"Uh, sure," Ash said as he carried a half-dozing Pikachu in his arms.

"Let's head back to AJ's gym. Brock is making lunch, and I know I'm hungry."

As if on cue, Ash's stomach used its own version of a Growl attack. "Okay, let's go!"

"Ash, the gym is this way," Ethan said, pointing to the forest behind him. "Just follow me."

Ash sheepishly chuckled and turned around to follow when some nearby bushes rustled, drawing his attention to a blue, rabbit-like Pokémon approaching the river.

"Hey, it's a Nidoran!" Ash exclaimed, jostling Pikachu awake while pulling out his Pokédex.

"Nidoran(F), The poison pin Pokémon. Its poison pin is quite powerful for its size, but its horn is smaller than a male's," Dexter recited.

"Awesome! Pikachu, let's catch it," Ash said. Pikachu hopped down while Ethan and Eevee watched in interest.

Well, I've already screwed with the timeline. May as well see where things go from here, Ethan thought.

The Nidoran finally noticed Pikachu, hissed in response to the challenge, and lowered her head, preparing to charge.

"Ash, try to avoid fighting up close. Nidoran may have the Poison Point ability, which can poison Pikachu through physical contact," Ethan said. "Does Pikachu know Thunder Wave?"

"I don't know," Ash replied.

"Use your Pokédex on Pikachu, then push right on the directional pad two times. It'll show you what moves Pikachu knows on the right screen."

Ash did as Ethan directed, and a list of Pikachu's moves came up. "I didn't know that was a screen," Ash remarked. "Pikachu knows Thunder Wave! And there's a move that's all question marks."

"Really?" Ethan looked over Ash's shoulder. "Maybe it's a move that's not in the Pokédex?"

"Pikapi!" Pikachu yelled.

"Oh, right. Pikachu, try a Thunder Wave!" Ash commanded.

Pikachu's cheeks sparked and crackled before firing a thin stream of blue electricity at the charging nidoran, causing her to tumble as she seized up.

"It's paralyzed, now's my chance to catch it!" Ash said as he reached for his backpack… only to find it wasn't there.

"Oh no! I left my Pokéballs in my backpack at AJ's gym!" Ash cried.

Ethan rolled his eyes, pulled out a Pokéball from his easy-access bag, and offered it to the panicking trainer. "Just give me one of yours later."

"Thanks," Ash sighed as he took the ball and primed it before reeling his arm back. "Pokéball, go!"

The Pokéball flew with an accuracy that made Ethan stare. That had to be at least fifteen yards. How did he hit that nidoran dead on?

The ball landed on the ground and shook while Ash and Pikachu held their breath.

"Eev eevee?" Eevee cocked her head.

"They're just holding their breath since they can't handle the suspense," Ethan whispered, to which he got a puzzled nod.

The ball stilled and dinged, and Ash and Pikachu cheered. "All right! I caught a Nidoran!"

"Pi-Pikachu!"

"Congrats, Ash! Let's get back to the others. I'm hungry," Ethan said as Eevee's and Pikachu's stomachs growled.

"We're all hungry," Ash laughed as he placed Nidoran's Pokéball on his belt. "Let's go!"

"Ash, that's the wrong way!"

Ash skidded to a halt and turned around. "Hehe, oops. Which way is the gym again?"

Ethan smiled as he shook his head. "Just follow me. By the way, Ash, how do you throw Pokéballs so well? The first time I tried to catch Jade, I completely missed my mark."

"I'm just that skilled!" Ash boasted.

. . .

"...Uh, well, I used to play pitcher for the Pallet Town Pidgeys. Gary's dad coached for us until he disappeared one day. He taught me how to throw a perfect pitch," Ash explained. "Oh, you probably don't know who Gary is. He's my rival."

"Daisy's little brother, I know," Ethan said. "I didn't know about their dad. What happened to him?"

"I don't know. He just disappeared."

"Do you know his name?" Ethan asked.

"Uh… I don't know. I always called him 'coach' or 'Gary's dad'," Ash sheepishly replied.

Darn, Ethan thought. That would've been interesting to find out. Guess I can ask Professor Oak later. Assuming I remember.

"You'll have to show me how to throw a ball the right way sometime," Ethan shrugged. "My aim isn't that great."

"Okay, but first…," Ash began as his stomach growled again. "I need food!"

Pikachu's, Eevee's, and Ethan's stomachs joined Ash's in a cacophony of growls.

"Food would be nice. Just look at poor Eevee," Ethan cooed as Eevee dramatically cried her name, flopped her head down on his shoulder, and brought a paw to her forehead. "She can barely move."

"Piiika," Pikachu cried, mimicking Eevee's actions on Ash's shoulder

Ethan and Ash laughed. "Our Pokémon are adorable, and I love them," Ethan said.

"Pikachu's not adorable. He's cool!" Ash rebutted.

"Pi pika, Pikapi!"

"You're both?" Ash asked.

"Pi-ka!" Pikachu nodded and ruffled the hair on Ash's head.

"Come on, I don't think they can wait much longer," Ethan laughed.

"Hey!" Someone yelled ahead of them. "Get back here!"

"That sounds like AJ!" Ash said before he and Ethan ran in the direction of the commotion.

When they got to a corner of the fence around AJ's gym, Ethan held out an arm and stopped Ash.

"What are you doing?" Ash asked.

"Wait for it…."

After a few moments, Ethan stuck his foot out and tripped a familiar trio of Pokémon thieves, causing them to become a tangled pile of limbs.

Jessie groaned from the top of the pile. "James, you're such a klutz."

"It's not my fault, Jess," James said. "Something tripped me."

"Will ya just get off me!" Meowth yelled from the bottom of the pile.

Ethan cleared his throat, drawing the attention of the three stooges. "What are you up to now?" he sighed. Ash and Pikachu weren't even in the tent with AJ like they originally were. Were these three so incompetent that they didn't notice Ash leaving the compound?

The trio jumped to their feet. "Prepare for-"

"No!" Ethan interrupted. "Just answer the question."

"Hey! Don't interrupt the motto!" Jessie yelled.

Ethan just stared them down.

"…We're stealing Pikachu, of course!" James gloated as he tauntingly held out a bulging canvas sack.

"Pika?"

They looked at Pikachu on Ash's shoulder, then did a double-take between the sack and their intended kidnapee as the cogs turned in their heads.

"If Pikachu's over there, then what's in here?" Meowth asked.

AJ finally caught up, with Brock and Misty in tow. "Give me back Sandshrew, now!"

Sandshrew slashed the bag and dropped to the ground, then jumped into AJ's arms.

"Sandshrew, I'm so glad you're okay!" AJ cried before turning a scornful gaze to Team Rocket. "What's the meaning of this, stealing my partner?"

"That was an unfortunate mix-up," Jessie tutted.

"We have no interest in your second-rate sandshrew," James said.

"Second-rate?!" AJ snarled.

"The only Pokémon we're interested in are Pikachu and Eevee," Jessie continued.

Ethan raised a brow. "Why Eevee?"

"Not only is Eevee a rare and valuable Pokémon, but she's strong enough to beat even Pikachu!" Meowth declared.

Eevee puffed up in pride while Ethan rolled his eyes. "Of course she is. Why did I bother asking?"

"I won't let you take Pikachu or Eevee!" Ash stepped up beside Ethan.

"Ash, blondie, let me take care of this. No one insults my Pokémon and gets away with it," AJ growled.

As with AJ's battle against Ash, his match against Team Rocket pretty much happened as Ethan remembered. Even facing down three Pokémon, AJ's sandshrew beat Ekans, Koffing, and Meowth handily, not that that was much of a feat. The fight was a little longer than its canon counterpart and ended differently, with Team Rocket's Pokémon defeated without Sandshrew's Fissure move.

"Wow," Ash said as they watched Team Rocket run away. "Sandshrew is crazy strong."

"That's what good training can do for a Pokémon," Ethan agreed as he munched away on his stuffed rice ball. "Any Pok'mon can be str'ng with the right train'ng."

"You said it," Misty said. "But please say it when your mouth isn't full."

Ethan swallowed. "Sorry, I just wanted to say it in the moment."

"Glad you're enjoying the food," Brock said. "Looks like your Pokémon just finished as well."

Ethan turned to see his Pokémon approaching him from the tent. "Hope you ate light, Jade. We're facing AJ next."

Jade nodded before Ethan turned to see Eevee's pouting face. "Oh, come on, Eevee. Let's give Jade a chance to battle."

Eevee hopped up to his shoulder and continued to pout.

"Aw, don't be like that. You already had a battle today, and it was an awesome one!"

"Eev eevee." Eevee seemed a bit more placated with the compliment.

"Hey blondie, you ready or what?" AJ asked.

"Sure thing, ringmaster," Ethan replied.

"Ringmaster? What makes you say that?"

"Well," Ethan started counting on his fingers, "you've got the whip, tent, ring of fire, high diving board, and tightrope, to name a few things. Hell, I even saw a rattata balancing itself on a giant ball. The only thing you're missing is the outfit."

AJ stared before smirking. "You've got a sharp mind there, blondie."

"It's Ethan, actually."

"Sure thing, blondie. My family runs a traveling circus, and I've taken what I grew up with and applied it to Pokémon training."

I knew it!

"Let's each use one Pokémon that hasn't battled yet today. As much as I want to face your sandshrew, I'm curious to see if your other Pokémon are up to par," Ethan proposed. "You can't go through an entire journey relying on just one Pokémon."

AJ considered that before shrugging. "Probably not. Sandshrew isn't my only tough Pokémon."

Ethan stepped up to the field and took his place in the trainer's box.

"On three," AJ said. "One, two, three!"

Both trainers sent out their Pokémon at the same time. Jade hovered over Ethan's side of the field while a poochyena materialized before AJ.

"Cutie!" Misty cooed from the sidelines. Poochyena growled, making Misty reel back. Ethan pulled out his Pokédex so it could record the poochyena's data. Gotta make the professor happy, right?

I don't remember a lot about Poochyena's moveset, but I think this matchup favors Jade.

"We have the type advantage. Jade, String Shot!" Ethan called.

"Fire Fang."

Flames licked Poochyena's fangs as it bit on the incoming string, burning it to nothingness.

"That may be true, but any psychic attacks your fancy butterfree has will have no effect on my Pokémon," AJ said matter-of-factly.

"Good thing she has more tricks than that. Jade, Electroweb!"

A sphere of pulsing electricity grew in front of Jade's antennae before she spat a web of string through it. The electric web flew through the air like a net shot from a launcher.

"Jump and Fire Fang!"

Poochyena managed to jump into the air, avoiding the web that stuck to the ground, and towards Jade, who was still recovering from the attack she had just thrown. The Fire Fang ignited and bit down on Jade's midsection, causing her to screech in pain and slowly lower to the ground.

"Jade, hang in there and use Bug Bite!"

Jade fought through the fire. Her two little fangs glowed a light green and elongated before biting the poochyena on its snout, drawing a cry of pain as it let go and landed roughly on the ground.

"Use Gust to blow Poochyena out-of-bounds before it recovers!"

"Poochyena, get up now!"

As Jade prepared her Gust attack, Poochyena managed to get on all fours then howled to the sky before glowing with a blinding white light.

No way. Now? Ethan exasperatedly thought.

"What's happening?" Ash asked.

"Poochyena's evolving!" Brock exclaimed.

The Bite Pokémon's legs and body grew in length, and its tail extended behind it before the light died down.

"It's… not as cute anymore," Misty shivered.

"I've got to admit," AJ said. "I didn't know Poochyena had an evolved form. I don't even know what to call her now."

Right, inter-regional Pokémon knowledge is kind of scarce right now, Ethan remembered.

"Your poochyena evolved into a mightyena," Ethan informed him. "Battle's still going on, though. Jade, Gust attack!"

"Dodge it!"

Mightyena's increased size did it no favors on the comparatively small battlefield. Jade furiously beat her wings and blew a strong wind at her opponent, who dug their claws into the field.

"Pour a little more power into it, Jade!" Ethan encouraged.

"Fweee!" Jade cried as the tips of her wings glowed brightly. Silver-colored crescents shot from her wings with each flap, impacting Mightyena and causing it to howl in pain.

"Wow, not bad," AJ muttered. "Mightyena, Bite attack!"

Mightyena growled and charged, dark fangs appearing in front of its mouth.

That looks more like a crunch! Ethan thought. "Jade, dodge that and prepare another Electroweb!"

Fortunately, or unfortunately for AJ, Mightyena underestimated the strength of its new form and overshot its jump, missing Jade completely.

"Fire Electroweb on my mark," Ethan said as he held up a hand. Mightyena reached the top of its arc and began to fall. "Now!" he said, bringing his hand forward.

"Dodge it!" AJ cried.

Once Mightyena began its descent, Jade spat the electric webbing, successfully wrapping up her opponent. Before Mightyena hit the ground, her form turned red before returning to the waiting Pokéball in AJ's hand. The sparking web left behind floated harmlessly to the ground.

AJ sighed before looking at Ethan. "You win. Don't think you're better than me because you got lucky."

"Of course not. Mightyena didn't have a chance to get used to her new body. I'm sure if she did, the battle would have been a lot closer," Ethan agreed.

"I'm gonna get ready for my journey. I expect to see you at the Pokémon League, Ethan. You hear?" AJ asked.

"Of course! We'll see you there," Ethan grinned before AJ walked into his tent.

"That battle was awesome!" Ash cried. "That Gust attack earlier didn't look like a Gust attack. What was that?"

Ethan looked at Jade, who was hovering beside him. "I think that was Silver Wind. It's a bug-type move and a pretty good one for any butterfree to have," he explained. "Great job, Jade! I hope this makes up for the battle you didn't get at Cerulean."

Jade happily pushed her head into his hand and nodded, obviously pleased with how things turned out.

Ethan smiled. "We'll practice Silver Wind tonight to make sure you have it down."

"Why don't we get moving," Brock suggested. "It's a few hours until sunset. We can walk and talk."

Everyone agreed. After packing their belongings and saying their farewells to AJ, the group continued down the trail.

After finding a suitable clearing to make camp, Ethan set down his bag and looked up. The skies were clear tonight, and the temperature was mild, so he settled for pulling out the tarp and setting up everyone's sleeping bags on it. Brock was busy circling stones around a shallow pit Sandshrew dug to prepare a campfire while Misty was out with Geodude gathering firewood. Ash and Pikachu returned from the nearby stream with everyone's refilled canteens and a pot of water, which was set down near Brock. Jade, Butterfree, and Zubat were out in the surrounding area scavenging for berries to supplement their supplies.

Misty's Pokémon were settled in a nearby pond, happy to have the chance to be out of their Pokéballs. Pidgeotto was flying lazy circles around the clearing to scare off any wild Pokémon in the area.

"Looks like we're in charge of digging the latrine tonight, Eevee," Ethan sighed as he grabbed his foldable shovel and a roll of toilet paper from his bag. Eevee grimaced but followed him regardless.

After camp was set up, Ethan grabbed Ash and walked a short distance from their campground while remaining in sight. "Okay, Ash, ready for tonight's training?"

Ash set his face in determination. "Yeah! You were going to show me how you train, right?"

"Yep," Ethan nodded. "But I think it wouldn't be a bad idea for you and your Pokémon to join in. Call everyone out."

Ash looked confused but nodded as he got all his Pokémon together, Ethan doing the same.

Ethan did a headcount before looking back at Ash. "Where's Nidoran?"

Ash's eyes widened. "Oh yeah! I guess so much happened today that I forgot," he said as he pulled out Nidoran's Pokéball. Ethan grabbed his wrist before Ash could release her.

"Not yet. We don't know how she'll react to a bunch of strangers. Let's get everyone else started, then you and Pikachu can introduce yourselves to her," Ethan explained. "Jade, get Butterfree and Pidgeotto started on warm-ups. Eevee, Sandshrew, you can get started as well. We'll join you shortly."

The Pokémon nodded and left to start their pre-training routine. Ethan turned his attention to Ash and beckoned him away from the others. "Now you can release Nidoran. Introduce yourself, let her approach you, and don't touch her horn or spines. You don't want to get poisoned."

Ash nodded and pressed the release. The blue nidoran formed before she opened her eyes and took in her surroundings, ears twitching.

"Hi Nidoran, I'm Ash! And this is my partner, Pikachu."

Ethan left them to it and watched the rest of the Pokémon running or flying around the clearing, wondering what other changes awaited them.

Chapter Text

Chapter 11

Eeveev

Ash's training and studies were slowly coming along. He held his training sessions in the evenings since waking him up in the mornings was near-impossible, and Ethan discussed Pokémon types and type matchups with him during the day.

Ash got into physically training himself just fine once Ethan drilled him on the importance of gaining and keeping the respect of his Pokémon. The practical knowledge, however….

"Okay, Ash, Pikachu has a type advantage over what other types of Pokémon?" Ethan asked.

Ash took a moment to think. "Pikachu's Thunderbolt worked really well at the Cerulean Gym, and on my first day as a trainer, he beat a flock of spearow. So, water types and flying types?"

He was getting better.

Ethan nodded. "That's right. Now, what does he have a disadvantage against in terms of type matchups?"

"Uhh…," Ash said as he scratched the top of his head, hat still absent.

But he still had a ways to go.

"Electric types take more damage from ground-type attacks, and that's their only true weakness. Electric-type attacks deal less damage to grass, dragon, and other electric types, and have no effect on ground types," Ethan explained.

"How do you remember all of this?" Ash asked, exasperated.

Ethan thought about it as he bent down to accept another twig from Eevee, adding it to the small pile of firewood in his arms. He rubbed her head, and she sighed before leaving to find some more wood. Ethan watched her go with some concern before answering.

"It takes time to study and remember it all. It's…," Ethan thought for a moment. "It's more something that you learn, then recall in the moments you need it. The more experience you get, the more it will be cemented into your brain. If you asked me to write down every possible type matchup and who would have the advantage, I wouldn't be able to. Remember, despite how awesome I am, I'm a beginning trainer, too."

Ash snorted at that.

"And don't even get me started on matchups where the Pokémon have more than one typing," Ethan chuckled, then continued. "Okay, one example. Butterfree is a bug type and a flying type. Jade got hit by a rock-type move during my gym battle against Flint that almost knocked her out in a single blow. Both bug types and flying types are weak against rock-type moves and take more damage from one than a normal-type Pokémon. Since Jade is both a bug type and a flying type, she has a… I guess you could call it a double weakness against rock types."

"I think I get it," Ash said.

Pikachu and Eevee came into view from the fog surrounding them and handed a larger piece of wood to Ash. Ash thanked them before they ran off in search of more wood.

"Keep in mind that while it's important to consider type matchups, it's not always a requirement to win a battle. Jade still won her battle at the Pewter City Gym despite her double-type disadvantage. Even Eevee had a few moves that worked well against rock types, like her Double Kick attack."

Ash groaned. "This is a lot more complicated than I thought."

"Well, don't stress over it," Ethan shrugged as he shifted the bundle in his arms to pat Ash on the back. "It'll just take time and experience to learn it all."

"But I have to learn this stuff! I can't be a Pokémon Master if I can't figure this out!" Ash stressed.

"What did I just say?"

They walked for another few minutes, gathering more wood with Eevee and Pikachu while the fog around them grew thicker. "I think we should head back," Ethan said. "This should be enough for Brock to make those crêpes."

Ash looked at Pikachu and then at the surrounding area. "I want to try something Pikachu and I have been working on before I head back. Will you take my pile back to Brock?"

"Sure, if you don't mind me taking credit for finding all of it," Ethan grinned under Ash's glare. "Kidding, kidding. Hand it over."

As Ethan and Eevee walked back to the picnic spot Brock set up, Ethan noticed Eevee's downcast expression as she padded alongside him. Her usual cheery disposition was absent, and he sensed something was bothering her. "Eevee, are you feeling okay? What's wrong?"

It took Eevee a moment to realize she was asked something. She looked up at her trainer and opened her mouth to say something before looking back down and sighing instead.

Ethan pondered what she was feeling, then had an idea.

Ethan ran through the dense forest, dodging low-hanging tree branches and other plant life while trying to make as little noise as possible. He had a pretty good headstart on his pursuers but could feel them getting closer. His heart pumped as he ran a little faster.

He scanned the area around him, looking for a place he could hide. There! He jumped, grabbed a low-hanging branch, and pulled himself up with some effort. He climbed a few more branches before hugging himself against the tree, holding stock still.

After about a minute, three figures stopped below his tree and looked around.

Don't look up, don't look up, don't look up.

The smallest figure, clearly the one in charge, said something to the others. They all nodded before splitting up, probably to comb the area.

When he was sure they weren't in the immediate vicinity, Ethan let out the breath he was holding. He wasn't out of the woods yet, and he needed to figure out what to do next. He probably couldn't stay in this tree for very long before being found out. His pursuers had the capability of searching from the air, so he had to avoid being seen from the sky and the ground.

It was when he was planning his next move that something truly unexpected happened.

'Hiya Ethan! Whatcha doing?'

"Woah!" Ethan shouted before he covered his mouth with a hand. He looked around before looking directly above him to find a pair of large blue eyes staring mere inches from his face, their owner floating upside down.

"Mew!? Not that I'm not happy to see you, but what are you doing here?" Ethan whispered.

Mew giggled. 'You were the most exciting thing to happen in centuries. Plus, I'm bored. So, whatcha doing?'

Ethan shrugged. "Eevee was feeling down, so I'm playing hide and seek with her and my other Pokémon while my friends are visiting Pokémon Tech. It's been a while since I've had a chance to play with them like this."

Mew looked in the direction Eevee presumably was as she draped herself over one of Ethan's shoulders. 'That sounds like fun, and Eevee's having a great time! You know, I can help you hide better if you want.'

Ethan raised a brow. "First, wouldn't that be cheating? Second, how?"

'That depends on your definition of cheating,' Mew giggled. 'And I can help you hide like this!'

Mew vanished and reappeared in front of Ethan's face, planting her paws on his temples before he could flinch. Ethan suddenly felt nauseous. His body felt like putty, and he began to shrink, brown fur growing over his body. He felt something sprout from his rear, his fingers shrunk into his hands, and his ears moved to the top of his head and elongated while his face stretched into a snout.

When he solidified, he dizzily turned around and hurled the contents of his stomach to the forest floor below. He finally caught his breath and then turned back to face Mew, who had a few digits of her paws outstretched, like she was admiring a work of art with a critical eye.

"Wh-what the hell did you do? And why?!" Ethan shouted. Then he looked down at himself, noticing his fur and… paws? His auratic gloves had changed shape and size to fit his new front limbs. He looked behind him and found a brown tail with a white spike pattern almost as big as the rest of his body. "And what happened to my clothes? WAIT, AM I NAKED?!"

Mew clutched her stomach and fell on her back, unable to maintain her levitation with how hard she was laughing. Her mirth only redoubled as Ethan tripped over his tail, trying in vain to cover up his privates.

'You-' Mew coughed and wiped tears from her eyes. 'You're a Pokémon, Ethan! You don't need to worry about something silly like clothing. You've got fur for that.' She looked him over again. 'You make a cute eevee.'

"Well, excuse me if I'm not used to feeling a breeze in some places," Ethan scowled at her before taking some deep breaths – not as deep as he was used to in this smaller body – to collect himself. "Wait, this isn't permanent, is it?"

'Nah, it'll only last for maybe a few hours. Your clothes should come back at the same time,' she replied.

Ethan sighed in relief before catching himself. "Maybe? Should!?"

Mew giggled again before disappearing.

"Mew?! I swear to Arceus if I don't turn back and with my clothes on–"

Ethan's ears swiveled, and he jumped and tumbled to the side, avoiding the talons of a large fearow. Or did it look big because he was small? Either way, the fearow banked around and eyed him as if he were a piece of meat.

"Oh, scheiss," Ethan paled as he realized that that was precisely what it was doing. He needed to get down, and fast.

He stumbled as quickly as he could to the wide edge of the tree branch and looked down the way he had come up. The next branch down seemed so far away but would have been minuscule if he were still human.

A screech signaled the fearow coming in for another dive. Ethan checked its current position, then looked back down before leaping, narrowly avoiding the predator's outstretched talons. As if on instinct, Ethan stretched his front paws forward and landed on the lower branch, bringing his hind legs down at the same time to absorb the shock of the impact.

That wasn't so bad, Ethan thought. With increasing confidence, he leaped from branch to branch until he was on the ground. He stepped around the splatter of vomit and ran further into the forest, gaining speed the less he stumbled, and the more his new body automatically fell into the rhythm of running on all fours. The fearow spotted him and flew after its prey.

Ethan yelped as he ducked under a Peck attack. He found a break in the trees, only to find a cliff face and a dead end. "Eevee! Jade! Sandshrew! I need you!" he cried.

The human-turned-eevee turned around and locked eyes on the fearow. He would have to fight, and with only a few minutes of being one, he had no idea how to use any Pokémon moves. "Well, there's nothing like mid-battle experience, right?" he nervously chuckled.

As the fearow circled above, Ethan used those moments to develop a strategy. He could probably lower its stats to give himself an edge and buy time. Growl and Sand Attack?

Ethan set his stance like he always saw Eevee did and bared his teeth, letting loose an adorably high-pitched growl.

"I'd be so embarrassed if my life weren't at stake," Ethan muttered before he resumed growling. It seemed to be working, as his opponent faltered slightly before diving down.

Ethan experimentally pawed at the ground. He wouldn't exactly call this sand, but it should do. He turned around and, using his hind legs, shot loose dirt and gravel much higher than he thought he would. He still managed to hit the fearow in the face, to no effect, as it charged right through.

"Wha-" Ethan's words were interrupted as the fearow struck him with a Peck attack, sending him rolling closer to the cliff face.

"Ow ow ow! Son of a-" Another caw cut him off. Ethan got his legs under him and saw the fearow coming in for another go.

Ethan watched carefully and timed his opportunity. "Leave me alone, you overgrown rat with feathers!" He charged forward in an intercept course and jumped. As he focused on bringing his front paws down on his opponent's back, the crystals on his gloves lit up, and his paws flickered with the blue fire of aura. Before he could process what was going on, his front paws made contact.

For a moment, nothing happened. Then, a burst of blue light exploded, and the fearow shot straight down like a meteor, sending up a cloud of dust and dirt when it cratered the ground.

Ethan landed on all fours, looked dumbly at the downed fearow, then lifted a gloved paw to stare at it. "Was that a Force Palm?! Eevee aren't supposed to learn Force Palm!"

Ethan's ears twitched as he heard something approaching. Eevee and Sandshrew emerged from the forest, with Jade flying above them.

The fearow stood and spat out some dirt, then turned to face Ethan, a look of rage on its face that promised pain. Ethan nervously backed up as it flared its wings and stepped closer.

"E-Eevee! Quick Attack!" Ethan cried.

"Eeveev?!" Eevee exclaimed.

"Yes, it's me! Please, get this bird away from me!" Ethan cried again.

Eevee burst into action and got between Ethan and his hungry predator. "Get away from my best friend!" She screamed before tackling it away.

The fearow stumbled and, seeing it was outnumbered and injured, huffed and flew away. Eevee shot a Swift attack at it for good measure, then went to check on Ethan.

"T-thanks, Eevee," Ethan said as he collapsed, the adrenaline wearing off. "I-I was so scared. That dumb bird wanted to eat me!"

Eevee placed a paw on Ethan's back as he shook. "M-Mew showed up and thought it would be funny to turn me into a Pokémon so I could hide better, then she disappeared, and I… I got attacked."

Eevee sighed in exasperation. "I'm sorry. That sounds exactly like a prank Lady Mew would pull. Maybe not the getting attacked part, but everything else."

"Fwee, fwee fweeee!" Jade said.

"Yeah, that's right. You put up a good fight before we got here. You had nothing to worry about!" Eevee said to try and comfort him.

"But I've never been a Pokémon before! I…," Ethan paused. "Jade, say something again."

Jade tilted her head. "Fwee, fwee?"

"Huh. Sandshrew, you say something now."

"Shrew, sandshrew?"

"Wait a minute. Eevee, how come I can only understand what you're saying?" Ethan asked.

Eevee's eyes widened. "You can understand what I'm saying? For reals?"

Ethan smiled. "Yeah, for reals!"

Eevee squeed happily and squeezed her trainer in a tight hug, rubbing her cheek against his. "This is so awesome! Now we can stay up late sharing spooky ghost stories, and talk about our most favorite things, and–" Eevee gasped, "–and we can share our most secret secrets, and…."

As Eevee embraced him and listed all the things they could talk about, the tension that built up in Ethan's body bled out. Some chatter drew his attention to Sandshrew and Jade, who looked to be having some kind of conversation. Outside of the waves of joy and happiness, he sensed some curiosity and uncertainty.

He tapped Eevee, prompting her to give him some space and allow him to speak. "Jade, Sandshrew, it's really me," Ethan assured them. "Eevee and I have a, uh, history with Mew."

"I know it's you," Eevee said. "You still have the prettiest blue eyes you always do. And you can talk like Meowth."

"Prettiest?" Ethan chuckled, then addressed his Pokémon. "Mew said I'd turn back to normal in a few hours. So, in the meantime, why don't you three show me how Pokémon have fun?"

Eevee, Jade, and Sandshrew looked at each other as if coming to a consensus, then began to move. "That's a great idea! Come on!" Eevee excitedly grabbed Ethan's mane with her teeth and lifted him to his paws.

"Okay, okay! You don't have to drag me," Ethan laughed. This was a unique opportunity to spend time in his Pokémon's figurative shoes, and he wasn't going to waste it. "Lead the way!"

Meanwhile, at Pokémon Technical Institute

Ash was liking this top 'beginner' student less and less. He couldn't believe he and Brock thought Giselle was pretty when she was just a bully. Joe said she was his friend, but a friend wouldn't bully and turn their back on him.

Ash and Brock were standing by the school's outdoor pool, with Misty holding her injured starmie after her battle with Giselle's graveler ended poorly. Standing opposite them were Joe, Giselle, and Giselle's posse from the beginner class.

"Now we're by the pool, your Pokémon's specialty," the brunette snarked. "You can use a different water Pokémon if you want."

Misty looked contemplative before meeting Giselle's eyes and glaring. "And I'm sure you'll use another Pokémon that's weak against water."

"Pokémon are only as strong as the trainer who raises them. A Pokémon that's weaker but better trained can still win. It depends on the trainer," She shrugged before looking behind her. "I hope you're learning something from this, Joe."

Joe started at suddenly being addressed. "Uh…."

"A Pokémon's level of training is just as important a factor as a Pokémon's type in deciding a match," She explained.

Ash had had enough. "Stop bullying him! There's so much more to Pokémon training than calculating levels or having a type advantage. A type advantage isn't a requirement to win a battle, and levels are just… Ethan called them arbitrary numbers."

The brunette scoffed. "You all keep mentioning this person. I don't even think he exists."

"He's my friend! We've been traveling together, and we both have two badges."

"So you're both beginners, and you probably started Pokémon training, what, at the start of the season two months ago? And you still let your Pikachu walk free? Who's training who?"

"My Pokémon training is coming along just fine. They're my friends, and… Ethan changed how I saw Pokémon training." Ash went silent for a moment. "I used to not want to train my Pokémon because I thought they would hate me. But since I started training my Pokémon and myself, we've only gotten closer and stronger."

Giselle laughed. "Friendship has nothing to do with how strong a Pokémon is. Why don't you try winning with the 'power' of friendship," She mocked as she pulled out a Pokéball.

"Gladly! Let's show 'em, Pikachu!"

"Pika!" Pikachu jumped forward and faced his opponent, standing on all fours like Ash had trained him to do.

Pikachu will be faster and tons more maneuverable if he moves around using both his arms and legs. He's technically a quadruped, after all, Ash recalled what Ethan told him.

As soon as the cubone finished forming from Giselle's Pokéball and both trainers were ready to go, Ash called out his first command. "Pikachu, use Agility!"

"Cubone, use Leer attack!"

By the time Cubone activated its Leer, Pikachu was out of its area of effect. Cubone blinked, trying to keep track of the yellow mouse.

"Use Thunderbolt!"

Pikachu materialized behind Cubone and struck with the electric attack. Cubone twitched but was otherwise unharmed.

"What?!" Ash exclaimed.

Electric-type attacks… have no effect on ground types.

"Cubone's a ground type?!"

"You didn't know? You mustn't be awake yet, judging from your bedhead!" Giselle laughed. "Cubone, use Bone Club!" Cubone swiped its club at Pikachu's head, only to miss as Pikachu dodged backward.

We don't need to tell our Pokémon to dodge attacks they can already see coming, right?

"Pikachu, Tail Whip, then Slam!"

"Bonemerang!"

Cubone reared its arm back and swung it around, releasing his bone at his target. Pikachu jumped over it, and, with Cubone defenseless for the moment, Pikachu freely slapped his tail across Cubone's skull before slamming it across its chest, causing it to clench in pain.

"Pikachu, jump!"

Although, we should tell them how to dodge attacks that they don't see coming.

Pikachu immediately crouched, then leaped as high as he could. The returning Bonemerang came at Cubone faster than it could react and slammed into its head, knocking it back and out cold.

Ash grinned as Pikachu ran up to him and jumped into his arms. "Yeah! We did it, Pikachu!"

"Pi-pikachu!" Pikachu cheered as Ash spun him around in his arms.

Giselle stared at Cubone, a look of disbelief on her face, before sighing and holding up a Pokéball. "I'm sorry, Cubone. Return."

As the others marveled and talked about the battle, Misty glanced at Ash, then stared at Starmie's Pokéball in her hand, deep in thought.

"You have to!"

"Eevee, I am not going to lick myself."

"It's not licking. It's grooming, and it's very important."

The experiences Ethan had over the past hours are something he would say have been fun and enlightening. The first thing they did was play a game Eevee liked to call 'Predator and Prey', which was pretty much a combination of freeze tag and hide and seek. According to Eevee, "It's much more fun when it's called Predator and Prey!"

Then, Eevee took on the role of translator so that Ethan could speak with Jade and Sandshrew. He learned that Jade was only about a week old when he caught her, so she viewed him as a sort of father figure. She was struggling in the wild due to her unique coloration, which made it difficult for her to blend in, and she only survived thanks to her creativity with her String Shot attack. She was glad that Ethan found her when he did.

Sandshrew had lived a simple, quiet life up until Team Rocket's intrusion at Mount Moon. It never crossed her mind to leave, though she did want to get stronger – all Pokémon do to some degree – and Ethan rescuing her gave her a good reason to leave.

Eevee's story was an interesting mystery. She woke up in the Tree of Beginning several months before meeting Ethan with no recollection of how she got there and with no memories. She wasn't a newborn, as her first examination by the Rota Pokémon Center's Nurse Joy estimated her to be at least three and a half years old.

When asked if she tried to recover her memories, she said, "Mew tried helping once, and it didn't work. I had a headache for days after that, and I couldn't do anything. It was the worst few days ever!"

And that somehow led to an impromptu lesson on how to be an eevee. During Eevee's "lesson", Ethan couldn't help but feel around the inside of his mouth with his tongue. It felt similar yet foreign compared to his human mouth. His tongue felt kind of like sandpaper, his teeth were sharp, and his mouth had a little more depth comparatively than his human mouth.

Having a tail wasn't as interesting as he thought it would be. If he wasn't paying attention to it, he didn't really feel it, and it seemed to have a mind of its own with how it moved.

He curiously reached a gloved paw up under his mane. Yep, there's his neck! So eevee do have necks under all that fluff. He already knew that from all the times he pet Eevee, of course, but it was still fun to reconfirm.

Ethan paused and set his paw back down. I think being an eevee is affecting what I consider 'fun', he thought.

"Eeveev? Are you even listening?" Eevee asked.

Ethan snapped back to attention. "Uhh, yes?"

Eevee grinned. "I guess this is boring stuff anyway. Let's do something else. Poképile!"

"Wha-" Was all Ethan got out before Eevee playfully tackled him over and piled on top of him, followed by Sandshrew and finally Jade. "Ack- get off!"

"If you properly groomed yourself, you'd have no problem wriggling your way out of this," Eevee giggled, the others joining in.

"Oh?" Ethan huffed. "When I get out of this, there'll be no treats for a week!"

The girls froze. "Y-you wouldn't!" Eevee cried, her protests joined by Jade and Sandshrew.

"You sur-" Ethan's breath hitched as everything went numb. The crystals on the back of his gloves began to glow brightly, and he started to morph and change.

When the light died down, he hugged his girls tight and laughed. "I'm back to normal!" Ethan looked down at himself. "And with my clothes on… backward?" He sighed in annoyance. "Damn it, Mew!"

"Eeeeeeeev," Eevee whined. "Eev veevee vee ev vee vee eevee."

Ethan sat up and released his Pokémon from his grip. "...I can't understand you anymore," he said sadly. "Dang, I'm sorry. We had fun while it lasted, right?"

Eevee seemed to deflate at that before smiling. Her stomach growled, which was joined shortly after by Jade and Sandshrew.

"Guess we had so much fun that we forgot to eat," Ethan laughed before looking back down at himself.

"Uh, Eevee and Sandshrew, go and wait over there for me. Jade, I need you to act as a curtain while I fix my clothes. We'll head back in a minute, and then I'll get you all something to eat," Ethan said.

Somehow, his socks were inside out, which he suspected was also Mew's doing. After Ethan fixed his clothes, Eevee took her usual spot on his shoulder and leaned into his neck, purring contentedly.

Chapter Text

Chapter 12

The Hidden Village

"Good evening board members of Celadon University, League officials, and fellow Pokémon researchers around the world. I am Professor Oak, the lead authority on Pokémon in the Kanto region.

"As I'm sure many of you know, it was only a few short decades ago that two new Pokémon typings were documented and officially recognized. Namely, the dark and steel types, increasing the number of known Pokémon typings from fifteen to seventeen. As a result of that discovery, some moves' typings were reclassified, such as the Bite attack from its previously thought normal-type classification to its current dark-type classification.

"Many of you are probably wondering where I'm going with this, so I won't make you wait any longer. I am here to submit an eighteenth Pokémon typing, which I have dubbed the 'fairy' type. The highlight of the fairy type is that it is entirely invulnerable to dragon-type attacks. Our other preliminary findings suggest that the fairy type is resistant to fighting, bug, and dark types and weak to poison and steel types. Details on the fairy type's offensive strengths are actively being researched, though we have confirmed that fairy-type moves are especially effective against dragon types.

"To demonstrate the fairy type in action, I've asked my granddaughter, Daisy, for assistance. She has a clefairy, whom we have confirmed is a fairy type, not a normal type as previously thought. Daisy?"

Lance Blackthorn, champion of Indigo, leader of the Pokémon G-men, and topmost eligible bachelor according to Pokémon Magazine, watched the demonstration on television from his league office with a scowl on his face. One mirrored by the large dragonite curled up behind him.

"It was going to get out eventually. Clair's going to throw a fit about this." Lance chuckled at the thought. "Maybe I'll give her a call later, just to see how she's taking it. Actually, I should talk to Ryu if I want the full version."

Dragonite grunted, his hot breath ruffling Lance's hair.

"Yeah, yeah, big guy. Fairies are no match for you," Lance said with a hint of sarcasm.

Lance muted the TV and picked up the file lying on his desk, skimming through the details inside. His eyes widened before picking up the phone and dialing a number.

"Lance here. This report you sent me, where did you get this information? … Rota? … If what this says is true, then I want eyes on him!

"… What do you mean you don't know his current location? … I see. Find out where he is, then assign someone we trust for the job."

Lance ended the call, then sighed. "If even my best men don't know where he is, he must be a master of evasive maneuvering," he mused as he flipped to the next page, showing a photo of a young man with short, messy blonde hair, blue eyes, and a green-eyed Eevee on his shoulder.

Despite how much it pained him, Ethan took a back seat when it came to navigating. He was sure they turned northwest at some point in the past few days, but he didn't say anything. He didn't want to prevent Ash from meeting the other Pokémon he was supposed to befriend.

Plus, he still had plans for Damian and wouldn't miss it for the world.

"Are you sure this is the right way?" Misty complained. "We've been walking this way for hours, and I'm tired."

"Don't worry. I'm positive this will take us back to the right path," Ash assured.

"Positive, huh?" Brock muttered under his breath.

"You know, I thought you guys would know your way around Kanto, seeing that you're from here," Ethan teased. Eevee giggled from her sprawled position on his head.

"Doesn't mean I know this part of Kanto," Ash muttered.

"I knew it! You have no idea where we are!" Misty yelled.

"Well, neither do you!" Ash retorted.

"Eevee, why do I tend to passive-aggressively insult people without realizing it until after the fact?" Ethan sighed as the yelling devolved into something about broken bikes.

Eevee shrugged and patted him comfortingly on the head.

"I know what we need," Brock whispered before clearing his throat. "Oh boy, I could sure use a break. Good thing I made sandwiches! I think I see a good spot to take a break over there."

Ash and Misty's stomachs growled, and their arguing ceased.

Ethan nodded appreciatively. "Brock, you are a miracle worker."

Some small conversation picked up after settling on some flat rocks clear of any tall grass and distributing a light lunch for humans and Pokémon alike.

"Ash, how's your training coming along?" Ethan asked.

"It's going great! Pikachu's getting really fast, and his attacks are more powerful."

Ethan looked at Pikachu, who was stuffing a pellet in his mouth while looking at the two of them. "I can tell. Hard to believe such a handsome little Pokémon was hiding under all that extra yellow fluff all this time."

Pikachu couldn't help the smile that came to his face as he sheepishly rubbed the back of his head.

"Butterfree got Confusion down. Nidoran learned Double Kick and Poison Sting. I think Pidgeotto learned a new move, though Dexter doesn't have any information on it," Ash said. "Maybe you could tell me what it is?"

Ethan leaned forward in interest. "I'll try. Describe the move to me."

"First, she flies up, then does a mid-air somersault before diving down and leveling out close to the ground. Then, it's like she disappears before she hits her target."

Ethan thought for a moment. "That sounds like it could be Aerial Ace. It's an extremely fast flying-type attack that rarely misses."

"Aerial Ace," Ash repeated.

"Where did you learn so much? Did you go to a Pokémon academy?" Misty asked.

I played the Pokémon games and watched the anime, Ethan thought. "No, I just studied a lot at home. I wanted to learn as much about Pokémon and their abilities as I could, and I picked up a lot of little tidbits."

"Like what?" Brock asked.

Ethan hummed in thought. "Well-"

"Hey look, it's a Pokémon!" Ash interrupted.

An oddish skipped merrily to a spring, oblivious to the presence of the humans nearby, and began to drink.

As Ash and Misty argued over who would get to catch it, Ethan's mind nagged him that this was supposed to be familiar. Wait, we're near the hidden village!

The oddish began to flee but was blocked by a Water Gun from Misty's Starmie and then tackled. Misty reeled her arm back and threw a Pokéball.

A vine shot out of a nearby bush. Its owner deflected the Pokéball, then positioned itself in front of the trembling oddish. It looked pissed.

"A bulbasaur!" Ash gushed excitedly before pulling out a Pokéball. "Butterfree, Confusion attack!"

Butterfree formed and immediately focused, surrounding the bulbasaur in a light blue glow, causing it to grit its teeth in pain at the super-effective attack.

"Now, use Sleep Powder!"

Ethan blinked, then snickered.

"Vee?" Eevee asked.

"Don't worry about it," Ethan said. "It's just something ironic."

Eevee shrugged and resumed watching the battle.

Bulbasaur inhaled deeply and blew the powder back at Butterfree, who struggled to regain altitude before being tackled away, giving Bulbasaur and Oddish the window they needed to escape.

"Oh man," Ash groaned before checking Butterfree for injuries.

"As I was about to say," Ethan said, lips quirking upward, "one little tidbit I picked up is that grass types are entirely unaffected by spore moves like Sleep Powder."

"Are you serious?!" Ash exclaimed as Pikachu sympathetically patted him on the back.

Ethan shrugged helplessly as he started walking in the direction the wild Pokémon fled. "I didn't make the rules."

Up next was the bridge, if Ethan recalled correctly. That shouldn't be too hard. Just wait for that inevitable gust of wind to pass, then just make sure they don't all cross at the same time. What could go wrong?

Ethan jolted back to consciousness, coughing and sputtering. He felt himself being turned on his side as liquid was forcefully expelled from his throat.

"-an? …-than! Can -ou hear me?"

Ethan coughed some more before trying to breathe. He slowly pushed himself into a kneeling position, supported by an arm around him.

He blearily opened his eyes and looked around. He was soaking wet; a swath of flattened grass and disturbed dirt came from a river to where he was sitting, and a redhead was kneeling next to him, holding him steady. What was her name? She looked familiar.

Misty, he thought. The events leading up to now then flooded his mind.

"We-," Ethan coughed. "We fell off that bridge, didn't we?"

"More like it fell out from under us," Misty replied. "You were right not to trust it. Are you okay?"

Oh, come on! Seriously?! Ethan coughed again. "Where's everyone else? Where's Eevee?!"

"We were the only ones that fell off. You sent Eevee across with Ash and Brock first. We got unlucky with a sudden gust."

Ethan sighed. "Oh, right. Glad I took some precautions. At least I'm not a complete idiot."

"You couldn't have known the bridge would collapse."

Except I kind of did. "General rule of thumb, Misty. If you find a suspended rope bridge in the middle of nowhere, don't trust it."

Ethan pulled off his glasses and flicked some droplets off of them. "Remind me to leave a review for whoever made these. I would have thought they'd fall off in the rapids."

Misty laughed. "Your sarcasm's intact, so you're fine. Come on, let's make sure we got all the water we could get out of your lungs. You don't want to catch pneumonia."

After taking a few minutes to catch his breath, Ethan stood and called out his second Pokémon. "Jade, we got separated from Brock and Ash. Follow the river upstream and see if you can spot them, please. If you don't find them before you get to the bridge, come back."

"Fwee!" Jade nodded in acknowledgment and flew off.

"Now then," Ethan said as he closed his eyes.

Misty looked at him curiously. "What are you doing?"

"I'm trying to see if I can stretch my aura to sense Eevee and what direction she's in. We have a strong bond, so I think I can pick her out from everything else."

"Oh, that's cool," Misty said. "Why send Jade to look for them then?"

"Well, if this doesn't work, then we save some time."

Ethan focused and opened himself to the world around him. He still hadn't figured out aura sight, but he could still feel things and tell what direction they were coming from. He felt curiosity from the trees to his left, probably some Pokémon who don't often see humans. He felt a couple of small auras a little farther away that were experiencing intense feelings of… okay, moving on.

He turned to face the approximate direction of the bridge and narrowed his focus. Then, taking a deep breath, he expanded his senses further.

The more he pushed his aura, the more he felt the strain and load of information. He did his best to ignore what he wasn't looking for and pushed further. A familiar aura popped up, seemingly in the air and moving away. Jade. She seemed pretty happy to be flying around.

He pushed a little further before stopping and sweeping a little to the left. What he found broke his heart.

"Found them! I think," Ethan said. "Oh, poor Eevee."

"You think?" Misty asked.

"Give me a break. I'm still figuring this aura stuff out," Ethan half-heartedly huffed as he opened his eyes again. "Ohh, that's really disorienting."

Ethan waved her off when she reached a hand out to him. "I'm fine. Let's start moving. Jade will find us."

"If you're sure. Just a second, though," Misty said. She reached into her bag and pulled out two Pokéballs. "Thanks, you two! Goldeen, Staryu, return."

The two Pokémon Ethan hadn't noticed waiting patiently in the river were returned to their balls. As Misty and Ethan started walking, a realization came to him.

"I almost drowned."

Misty glanced at him but didn't say anything.

"That means you performed CPR."

Misty tensed and took a sudden interest in the greenery around them.

"Thank you."

Misty stumbled. "Oh. You're welcome?"

Ethan smiled. "You don't sound too sure there. Did you think I was going to say something else?"

"N-no! Shut up! Shouldn't you be more concerned that you nearly drowned?!"

That gave Ethan pause. Have I been through so much trauma already that nearly drowning doesn't phase me?

"Maybe," Ethan conceded. "But I have a good friend who bailed me out, so I'm not going to dwell on it."

After a few more moments of silence, Ethan cleared his throat. "Um, so, how's your Pokémon training coming along?"

"Is that all you know how to talk about?" Misty seemed grateful for the change in topic regardless. "Well, we haven't had many chances to train. My Pokémon can't battle on land for long or at all. Goldeen can't breathe air, and Staryu and Starmie will dehydrate if they're out of the water too long."

Ethan hummed in thought. "Sounds like you just need to find a way to work around that or catch some water Pokémon that can battle on land. Or both. Both would be good."

"If you have an idea how to make it possible for Goldeen to battle on land, I'm all ears."

"Just some crazy theories that I don't know will work," Ethan admitted. "Does Goldeen know Water Sport?"

"Yeah, but how would… Oh. Oh! That's brilliant! That could work. Could it work? Why didn't I think of that?" Misty exclaimed as the gears in her head went into overdrive.

Ethan took her hand in his and quietly guided her through the forest as she thought out loud. Water Sport could resolve the issue of breathing on land, but he wasn't sure if it would allow Goldeen to swim. Then again, this world's laws of physics often seemed to make exceptions where they shouldn't. Didn't Misty's luvdisc swim in the rain in the anime?

"Rain Dance would probably work, too," Ethan added.

"Rain Dance? I don't think I've heard of that move," Misty said. "What does it do?"

Ethan involuntarily shivered as he answered. "It pretty much creates a localized rainstorm. Boosts the power of water-type moves and makes it so Thunder and Hurricane don't miss. I'm sure there are a few more effects, but that's the gist of it."

"Oh no, Ethan, you're shivering. You need to change into some dry clothes," Misty said.

"I'll be fine for a bit. I want to find Eevee first," Ethan replied.

Misty sighed. "Well, don't say I didn't warn you when you catch a cold."

"Is that some kind of Pokémon?" Ethan laughed before getting punched in the arm. "Ow! You know, at this point, I don't know if you're trying to help me or hurt me."

"You know exactly what I meant!" Misty yelled.

"I know, I know. Sheesh, you hit hard. Hope this doesn't bruise," Ethan winced as he rubbed his arm.

A spike of fear accompanied by a hint of curiosity hit Ethan's senses. Compared to everything else he was feeling, this aura felt more… human. How he knew that he didn't know. He stopped Misty and faced the direction it came from.

"Who's there? We're friendly, I promise," Ethan called out.

A few moments went by before someone spoke up. "Are you trainers? What are you doing here?"

"We were washed downstream when that bridge collapsed," Misty said. "Who are you?"

"Oh dear! I'm so sorry about that. My name is Melanie," Melanie said as she stepped into view.

Is that her natural hair color? Ethan wondered. Melanie had waist-length blue hair tied back in an oversized bow, which somehow complemented her red overalls and light pink shirt. That'd take a long time to dye if it isn't.

"I'm Ethan, and this is Misty," Ethan introduced. "Quick question: Have you seen anyone else in the past thirty minutes or so? We got separated from our friends."

"There's more than you two here? I hope they don't fall into the other traps around here," Melanie worriedly said.

"Other traps?" Realization dawned on Misty's face. "WAS THAT BRIDGE A TRAP?!"

Uh oh. An angry Misty is a scary Misty. It took everything Ethan had to restrain her in a full nelson. "Misty! Don't do anything you'll regret!"

"How would I regret this?!"

Ethan scrambled to make something up. "B-because I've heard rumors that there's a place called the hidden village near here and that the caretaker of that village nurses sick and injured Pokémon back to health. Melanie might be that caretaker!"

Misty stopped struggling. "The hidden village? The one rumored to have a goddess that heals Pokémon?"

"That rumor? O-oh, I'm not a goddess," Melanie giggled nervously. "But I do take care of any Pokémon I find that needs help."

"Fine, but why trap a bridge? We could have died!" Misty snapped as Ethan cautiously let her go.

Ethan nodded in agreement. "Yeah, she's got a point there. The bridge was way overkill."

"Fweee!"

Ethan looked up to find Jade slowly descending. "Jade! Did you find the others?"

"Fwee!" Jade nodded.

"Great! Lead us to them, please," Ethan said.

"Oh, let me go with you," Melanie said. "I can guide you around the traps."

Ethan nodded. "That… would be much appreciated."

"Hey, Brock?" Ash began. "Do you think Ethan and Misty are okay?"

"I'm sure they're fine. Don't forget, Misty has her water Pokémon," Brock replied.

"But what if Misty couldn't call out her Pokémon in time? What if they–"

"Ash, stop," Brock warned as he gestured at Eevee. Eevee's tear-stricken face spoke volumes of how distressed she was, and no amount of comfort had gotten through to her. It didn't help that they all had no personal space in this net trap they found themselves in. There wasn't enough space for Brock to reach his hunting knife or for either Pikachu or Eevee to attack their way through the net.

"They're fine," Brock reiterated. "They're fine, they'll find us, and they'll get us out of here."

"You're right," Ash sighed. "I'm just worried about them. Do you think Ethan knew the bridge would break like that?"

Brock thought for a moment. "Maybe his powers in aura give him some kind of precognition in the form of a 'bad feeling', as he put it. It makes sense in a way, him being an empath and all."

"So, we should take Ethan more seriously when he gets those feelings?" Ash asked.

"I think we should."

Ash and Brock resumed their silence while Pikachu kept on trying to comfort Eevee. Eventually, Pikachu's and Eevee's ears perked up, and they looked steadfastly in the same direction.

"Hm? What is it?" Ash asked as he looked to see what caught their interest.

A familiar shiny butterfree appeared above the foliage, followed by Misty, a stranger, and–

"Eeveev!" Eevee cried out in joy.

"Hang on, Eevee, I'll get you down," Ethan yelled as he ran over to where the net was anchored. The stranger joined him and showed him what he needed to do.

Misty looked up at Ash and smirked. "What are you doing hanging around here?"

"Oh, haha. Very funny, Misty," Ash rolled his eyes as he and the others were gently lowered to the ground.

"C'mon, Eevee. You didn't think a little water would get me, did you?" Ethan asked as he rubbed Eevee's cheeks, who refused to be anywhere but his arms. "I mean, we've been through worse. Much worse."

"Eeveev, you're not allowed to leave me ever again," Eevee mumbled into his shirt.

"Wish I could still understand you. I'll add that to my aura to-do list. Seriously though, Eevee, I need to change out of these wet clothes. I'll only be a few minutes, okay?"

Ethan set Eevee down, and she finally didn't hop right back into his arms. He sighed as he walked into Melanie's cabin and closed the door behind him.

"Hi, uh, was that your trainer that went inside?"

Eevee tore her eyes off the door and looked at the oddish who spoke. "Yep! Hey, you're that oddish we saw earlier, aren't you?"

Oddish nodded nervously. "Y-yeah. That girl isn't going to attack me again, is she?"

"You mean Misty? No, she won't. She's actually a nice human."

"She yells a lot, especially when that other boy is around. I don't like that."

"Well, she's not as nice as Eeveev or Brock, but she's still nice."

"Oh, which human is Brock?" Oddish asked.

Eevee looked back at the cabin door, then stood. "Come on, I'll show you. He makes the best food."

Oddish closely followed Eevee to the tallest human of the group, who was helping Melanie prepare lunch.

"Well, hello, Eevee! Looks like you made a friend," Brock said. "Ready for some grub?"

Eevee nodded.

"Alright! For you, I've got the usual. For Oddish, I've got my special blend made for grass-and-poison types," Brock said as he set a couple of bowls down. "Enjoy!"

Eevee watched Oddish as they took a hesitant sniff, then as they grabbed a pellet in their mouth and bit down.

"Oh, sweet Shaymin, this is the best thing I've ever had!" Oddish squealed in delight as they took another pellet. "Do you eat like this every day?"

"Almost every day, but everything Brock or Eeveev gives me is great."

Oddish munched on another pellet, then walked up to Brock and rubbed against his leg. "Thanks for the food, Mr. Brock! It's delicious."

Brock chuckled. "Guess you like it, huh? You're welcome!"

"Wow," Melanie said. "That's the first time I've ever seen Oddish show affection for someone else."

"Well, you know what they say," Ethan said as he joined in the conversation. "The way to a Pokémon's heart is through their stomach. Or something like that. I bet Oddish will follow you around the rest of our time here."

"You think so?" Brock asked.

"Your food is one of the many reasons I stick around," Ethan chuckled.

Eevee finished the last of her chow and hopped into Ethan's arms.

"Good, you've eaten. I'm thinking of taking a nap. Almost drowning takes a lot of energy. Want to join me?" Ethan asked.

Ethan winced as Eevee slapped the bruise on his arm with her tail before she noisily yawned and nodded.

"Good! That tree looks like a good spot," Ethan said as he walked out of earshot of Brock and Melanie. He grabbed two Pokéballs from the strap of his satchel and enlarged them. "Before I forget… Jade, Sandshrew, come out."

His other two Pokémon materialized in front of him and took in their surroundings.

"Jade, Sandshrew, go ahead and get something to eat. Jade, keep an eye on the sky after you're done. Team Rocket may be dropping by soon. Sandshrew, you may do whatever you'd like when you've finished. Just don't go too far."

Both girls nodded, and Ethan sent them off with head scratches before lowering himself under his selected tree. "I feel like my old man," he chuckled as he lay down, Eevee curling up on his stomach.

Ethan found himself in an empty white void. His feet felt like they were on solid ground, but there didn't appear to be anything there. Another vivid dream?

"Hello again, Ethan."

Ethan turned around to see the echo of Sir Aaron standing there.

"Aaron? I guess this isn't a dream, then," Ethan said in his grown-up voice.

"Not quite, though this is still your mindscape. Why don't you imagine up a couple of chairs for us? I have something urgent to bring up with you."

Ethan thought for a moment before a room materialized around them.

"Nice place," Aaron said before taking a seat in a recliner. "What's this based on?"

"It's the front room of my parents' home," Ethan replied before taking a seat on the couch.

"Nice. I've been watching your progress, and you have a good grasp of your empathic abilities. What you did today would have taken an apprentice in my day several more months to accomplish."

Ethan chuckled. "That instills some confidence."

"Confidence is good. If you are always as confident in your abilities as you were earlier today, I think you'll make much faster progress," Aaron replied with a smile.

Ethan raised a brow. "I know confidence is a key component in anything you set out to do. Is it more so with aura?"

"In my experience? Yes, it is." Aaron thought for a moment. "My master always told me that you need to be confident in your abilities for them to grow. He was usually right.

"Something I wish my master told me from the start is that aura can," Aaron waved a hand around as he tried to find the right words, "...guide you? Guide you. Like a little voice or feeling that tells you what's possible and what you need to do."

Ethan considered what he heard. "So, it's kind of like an exercise of faith? In order to achieve an end goal that you can't see, you keep working at it until you enjoy the fruits of your efforts."

"That's a way to put it," Aaron nodded. "This was a good little chat, but I'm afraid I don't have as much time as I'd like. I'm here with a warning and a heads up to be on the lookout. I've been sensing an especially dark presence in Kanto lately, and it reeks of malicious intent. I believe they're trying to track down your party."

"What?! That doesn't sound good," Ethan exclaimed. "I have no idea who would want to track us down. Is there anything else you can tell me about them?"

"That's all I know so far, unfortunately," Aaron admitted. "Be on guard. You don't want to be caught by surprise. You should be capable of keeping your aura sense up all the time when you're awake."

"I'm pretty sure it stays on when I sleep, too. I just don't always pay attention to it." Ethan sighed as he leaned back into his seat. "Are you only able to visit when I go through a traumatic experience?"

Aaron blinked, then laughed. "I guess I've made you think that haven't I?"

The room around them began to fade, and Ethan's eyes grew heavy.

"Remember, Ethan, be confident in your abilities and let your aura guide you."

Ethan awoke to twenty pounds of fluff jumping up and down on his stomach, causing him to grunt and catch Eevee with an arm before she could touch down again.

Ethan yawned. "We're rather chipper right now, aren't we?"

Eevee giggled as she hopped down and rubbed her cheek against her trainer's.

"Okay, okay, I'm up!" Ethan laughed. He grabbed Eevee again and stood up, bracing himself against the tree as a bout of light-headedness hit him. "Ohh, I got up too fast again."

The all-too-familiar sound of yelling grabbed Ethan's attention. He found Misty and Ash going at it again while the oddish that Misty had tried to capture earlier ran and hid behind Brock's leg.

Then Bulbasaur charged out of a nearby bush and bowled Misty over.

"Oh, great," Ethan sighed, keeping a firm hold on a growling Eevee as he walked over.

"...You're just mad because I was gonna beat you, and you chickened out–"

"Hey, Ash?" Ethan stared evenly at Ash and flicked him on the nose. Hard. Eevee slowly brought a paw up to cover her own nose.

"Ow!" Ash said as he held his stinging nose. "What was that for?!"

"For provoking Misty and scaring Oddish!" Ethan admonished. "Misty was pouring her heart out because she feels bad for what she did to Oddish, then you come along and ruin the moment!"

"Yeah, you tell him, Ethan!"

Ethan turned to Misty and flicked her nose as well, though not as hard as he did to Ash. Eevee quickly brought up her other paw.

"Hey!" Misty yelled.

"That's for taking Ash's bait! He was purposely trying to get a rise out of you." Ethan shook his head. "Seriously, you two act like an old married couple."

Misty's face turned tamato red while Brock poorly disguised his chuckles. Ash just looked confused. Bulbasaur could only watch, dumbfounded at what was unfolding before him.

"Please, stop fighting!" Melanie pleaded. "And don't be upset with Bulbasaur. He volunteered to guard our village, and he protects the injured Pokémon when he feels they're threatened."

"So that's why Bulbasaur attacked me…," Misty realized.

Eevee managed to wriggle free and hop down, standing in the way of Bulbasaur, who was trying to move closer to Ash. "Eevee! Eev vee vui?"

"Bulba, bulbasaur saur!" Bulbasaur growled back.

"What are they talking about?" Ash asked.

Ethan hummed for a moment. "Don't know, but Bulbasaur has a lot of enmity directed at us."

"It's not specifically you," Melanie explained. "Bulbasaur just doesn't like Pokémon trainers."

"Why does he hate trainers so much?" Ethan asked.

Melanie hesitated. "I… think it's because he used to have one, and he was abandoned. When I found him, he was badly injured and crying over a shattered Pokéball. It took a long time for him to start trusting me."

Brock's hand curled tightly. "Who could be so… irresponsible and heartless?!"

I was afraid it was something like that, Ethan thought, sharing Brocks' feelings.

"Even after all Bulbasaur's gone through, he put others first… He's such a great Pokemon," Ash whispered.

"Fwe fwee!"

"Shrew, sand sandshrew!"

Ethan looked up to find Jade descending with Sandshew on her back. It looked like it took Jade little effort to stay airborne. Sandshrew jumped down, taking Ethan by surprise as he barely got his arms out in time to catch her.

"Hey, Sandshrew," Ethan grunted. "I didn't know you liked flying."

Sandshrew shook her head. "Shrew, sandshrew…."

Ethan shifted her so she was facing him. "Ah, you wanted to try it, then found out you didn't like it?"

Sandshrew nodded, embarrassed.

"Hey, there's nothing to be ashamed of. You tried something new, and now you know you prefer the ground. Good on you for trying new things," Ethan smiled as he tickled her under the chin, eliciting a gravelly giggle.

"You're so good with your Pokémon," Melanie cooed.

"Ethan and Ash are both like that," Brock said. "In a way, it makes me a little jealous how well they hit it off with any Pokémon they meet."

"Fwee!" Jade yelled, exasperated.

At Jade's insistence, Ethan looked up at the sky and saw a dark shape far in the distance.

"Guys, we've got company," Ethan said as he pointed to the object in question.

Brock took out a pair of binoculars and put them up to his eyes for a few moments, adjusting the focus to get a better look. "It's Team Rocket!"

Ethan was already thinking of what to do. "Melanie, Ash, Misty, get the wild Pokémon to safety. In the cabin or the forest, I don't care where! Brock, you're with me."

"But-"

"Hurry!" Ethan interrupted Misty. "There's not much time until they see what we're up to. Knowing them, they're here to steal the Pokémon, and I don't want them to see more Pokémon they might try to take."

"Fine, but as soon as the Pokémon are safe, I'm coming back to help," Ash said.

Ethan nodded as Melanie and Bulbasaur, along with Misty and Ash, gathered the Pokémon together and departed into the forest behind them.

"Jade, Sandshrew, return for now. I'll call you back out if we need you," Ethan said as he expanded their Pokéballs and returned them before stuffing them securely into a pocket.

"What's the plan?" Brock asked as Team Rocket's machine overshadowed them and began its descent.

"Play it by ear," Ethan said as he tugged on his gloves. "And be ready for them to fight dirty."

A pair of eyes peeked curiously around the corner of the cabin as Team Rocket's machine touched down.

"There's a cave up ahead," Melanie said. "We can hide everyone there."

"Good," Ash said. The earth shook for a few moments as something heavy landed where they came from. "Let's hurry!"

Misty went into the cave first, leading the Pokémon inside while Melanie took a headcount. She did a double-take and counted them again.

"Oddish is missing!" Melanie gasped.

"Bulba?!" Bulbasaur said as he looked around.

"We were in such a hurry to get out of there. We must have missed them," Misty said.

Ash looked back to where the cabin was. "Misty, you stay here and protect the Pokémon. I'll go find Oddish." He turned to leave, only to be stopped by a vine that wrapped around his wrist.

"Bulbasaur saur!" Bulbasaur growled.

"What are you doing? I have to find Oddish!" Ash said as he locked eyes with the Kanto grass starter.

They held their staring contest for a few moments until Bulbasaur nodded and released his wrist. He then ran ahead of Ash before looking back and gesturing to him. "Saur, saur!"

"Bulbasaur wants to save Oddish as well," Melanie said. "You should go together."

Ash looked at Melanie, then back at Bulbasaur. "Okay, let's go, Bulbasaur."

Ethan knew what might have happened if he didn't do anything. Perhaps Team Rocket would have been foiled anyway. He didn't want to take any chances, though. Now that he was in the picture, he wouldn't stand by and do nothing, hoping that things would turn out exactly as they originally did. He knew his actions were changing things little by little, for better or worse, and doing nothing wasn't a risk he was willing to take.

"Today only at Jessie's Stadium, it's the Team Rocket challenge!"

"The flying stadium was my idea," James grumbled.

Meowth swept his gaze over the ground below and frowned. "Hold the phone. Where are all the Pokémon? And the rest of the twerps?"

"We'll find them later. We can still grab the two twerp's Pokémon," Jessie said as she pressed a button on the remote in her hand. A hose extended out of the stadium and began to suck in the air surrounding it.

"Brock!"

"Right. Onix, cover us!"

Onix emerged from his Pokéball and immediately coiled around Brock and Ethan, giving them a pocket of air unaffected by the winds.

"We need to stop that vacuum before Melanie's cabin gets swept up," Brock yelled as the winds continued to increase in speed.

"I don't think Jade is strong enough to stop winds that strong psychically, and even then, that would only be a temporary solution!" Ethan said.

Brock peeked over Onix's bulk. "I have an idea! I need you to divert that–"

"Oooddiiiiish!"

Brock lunged for Oddish as they tumbled through the air overhead and managed to grab them, only to start drifting himself when he didn't come back down.

"Eeveev!"

Ethan hugged Eevee against him with one arm as he reached for Jade's Pokéball with the other, only to be preempted as a set of vines wrapped around Brock's waist.

"Hold on! We'll reel you in," Ash yelled as he held Bulbasaur down.

Ethan watched for a moment as Ash and Bulbasaur struggled to pull Brock and Oddish to safety. It's not enough!

"Jade, use Confusion on that hose. Point it at the sky!" Ethan yelled as he sent her out. "Onix, use Rock Throw. Make it big enough to plug up that hose!"

Both Pokémon got to work. Jade took the end of the hose in her psychic hold, and pointed it away, causing Brock to tuck and roll when he fell to the ground. Onix uncoiled and dug his tail underground. With a mighty roar, he flicked his tail up and launched a boulder into the air, leaving a sizable hole in the ground.

"Pikachu, use Electroweb to stop that Poison Sting!"

An orb of electricity flew by and intercepted the attack coming from Jessie's ekans intended for Jade. Ethan nodded in thanks.

Ethan dropped Eevee to the ground. "Eevee, Swift attack on Ekans!"

Eevee's tail briefly flashed as dozens of stars formed before shooting in an arc toward where Ekans was presumably located on top of the stadium.

The boulder came back down and landed perfectly in the opening of the hose. The sudden loss of air intake caused the hose to collapse back in on itself and into the stadium, bringing a quarter-ton of rock with it and tearing through the stadium before going out the other side.

"It looks like…," James began as the floor underneath them sparked.

"…We struck out," Jessie finished as the sparks intensified.

Then, the stadium roof exploded.

"Wait, did they seriously stand in the one spot that could explode?" Ethan asked himself as Team Rocket blasted off and out of sight.

He shook his head and looked around to inspect the damage, sighing in relief when he saw the cabin and everyone else was in one piece. "Everyone okay?"

Brock looked up from where he was checking on Oddish. "We're fine. I have to agree with Sandshrew that I prefer to keep my feet on the ground."

Ethan laughed at that. "My heart's still hammering. There was so much going on, and I had a hard time keeping track of it all. Good thing Ash and Bulbasaur came when they did."

"Bulbasaur and Pikachu were both awesome! We still have some work to do on Electroweb, though. It didn't come out quite right," Ash said as he rubbed both Pokémon's heads.

"Well, Pikachu didn't use Electroweb, Ash. That was an Electro Ball. The faster Pikachu is than his opponent, the more damage the move will do. That's a great move for Pikachu to have in his arsenal."

Ethan looked around and saw that the hole Onix left in the ground was quickly filling up with water. "You might want to give Misty and Melanie the all-clear. And let Melanie know she's got a new pond."

After getting everyone back together, sweeping the stadium debris into a large pile (Melanie said she knew some people who could help her get it removed later), Ash catching Bulbasaur, and surprisingly, Oddish refusing to not go with Brock, the gang got back on the road.

"I can't believe I'm saying this, but I'm glad we got lost," Ash said as he walked behind his Bulbasaur, who was unsure of why Nidoran was sticking so close to him.

Misty huffed. "I guess I can let you even saying that pass this time. But don't let it happen again!"

"Give him a break, Misty. I'm pretty happy we got lost too," Brock said as he gave another bit of food to Oddish, whom he was holding in his arms.

Ethan was lost in his own thoughts, his legs on autopilot following the group.

I've been sensing an especially dark presence in Kanto lately, and it reeks of malicious intent. I believe they're trying to track down your party.

There's no way that dark presence could be Jessie, James, and Meowth. They were softies at heart. He also doubted Team Rocket could have found out what he was. There wasn't any other antagonist that seemed to fit from the first season of the Pokémon anime that he could remember either.

There just wasn't enough information. Ethan grimly accepted the fact and resolved to do as Aaron suggested, hoping they could deal with whatever was coming their way.

Should he tell the others? What would he say? That a man from 2000 years ago visited him in his dreams and told him to watch out for an unknown threat?

No. At least, not yet. Ash needed to catch Charmander and Squirtle to complete his primary Kanto roster. Krabby, Muk, Primeape, and Tauros were all secondary. If he told the rest of the group anything now, would that make them decide to take a different route?

Ethan blinked. Was that him, or was this his aura 'guiding' him?

Some laughter drew Ethan out of his thoughts and his eyes up to Ash and Pikachu. "Today was the best birthday ever!"

Birthday? Ethan checked his watch and his eyes widened when he saw that, indeed, the date was May 22nd. Where did the time go?

"Wait, wait, wait. Hold up, Ash. Today's your birthday?" Ethan asked.

"Yep! I'm 11 years old now."

Impossible, Ethan thought as he chuckled sheepishly at himself. "Mine was yesterday, but I lost track of the days and kind of forgot. Oh! I have something for you."

Ethan opened his bag and fished around inside.

"My gift to you, your hat," Ethan said as he offered it to Ash. Ash quietly accepted it and thumbed the brim of the cap before smiling and putting it on.

"That feels so much better. Thanks!" Ash said. "What's in the box?"

"This is a birthday gift to you from your mom. I have no idea what's in it. She wouldn't tell me," Ethan said as he handed it over.

"Mom?" Ash tore the box open and pulled out a note. "Dear Ash, Happy birthday! I wish I could have given this to you in person. I was going to give you something on the day you left on your journey, but you surprised me by picking Pikachu as your starter, so it took me some time to find this again. Pikachu should know what it is. Love, Mom. P.S. Don't forget to call every once in a while."

Ash smiled as he set the note in the box and pulled out the other item, a yellow, translucent orb. Pikachu's ears pointed straight up, and he reached out for it.

"Eevee vee?" Eevee tilted her head.

"What is it?" Ash asked.

"That's a Light Ball!" Brock said, amazed. "Those are extremely rare. It's an item that only Pikachu can use."

Ash looked between the ball and Pikachu, then gave the eager mouse the orb. As soon as it made contact with Pikachu, the ball glowed a bright yellow before being absorbed into his body.

Misty was the first to speak up. "Okay, did anyone else see that?"

"No one's sure why that happens," Brock explained. "Man-made items for Pokémon don't do that, but natural-made items, like that Light Ball, can be absorbed. It's not permanent either since Pikachu can take it back out if he wants to."

"Huh. The more you know," Ethan mused.

"That's pretty cool. What does the Light Ball do?" Ash asked.

"I think I know the answer to that," Ethan said. "It increases the potency of Pikachu's physical and special attacks. In short, Pikachu will hit things a lot harder."

Brock nodded at Ash's inquisitive glance.

"That's so awesome! Pikachu, we're doing some special training tonight!"

As the excitement died down and the group resumed their trek, Ethan thought again about who their mystery pursuer could be. He looked at Ash, wondering just who exactly was being targeted and what this dark presence intended to do.

Chapter Text

Chapter 13

The Light of Fire

"Phil, sweep the area one more time. You know what happens if we miss anything," Top Pokémon Ranger Maria ordered.

"Yes, ma'am!"

Ranger Phil disappeared into the trees with his magnemite partner as the cabin door opened behind the Top Ranger. She turned around to see Melanie approaching with a glass of water.

"Thank you so much for doing this," Melanie said, offering the glass as a few kadabra teleported away with a large piece of the wreckage. "I'm not sure what I would have done with this mess."

"Just doing our jobs, miss. It's despicable that Team Rocket would try to poach Pokémon in such a way," the Top Ranger replied. She accepted the glass, downed its contents before offering it back, then took out a notebook and pen. "If I may ask, how did you stop them?"

"Oh, it wasn't me. Some nice trainers helped drive Team Rocket away," Melanie answered.

"I see. Did you get their names?"

"Of course! Let me write them down for you."

The Top Ranger scanned over the names before nodding. "Thank you. If you need anything else, give us a call."

Melanie thanked her before walking away.

The ranger flipped open the communicator on her Fine Styler as it alerted her of an incoming call. "Maria here."

"Hey, Mari! How's cleanup coming along?"

"We're just about finished and will be returning to base soon."

"No need to be so serious, Mari. Lighten up a little!"

"Tony, is there a reason you're calling me?" Maria pointedly asked.

"Aww, you're no fun," Tony pouted before shrugging. "Anywho, Ranger Kellyn's been requested for a special assignment! I'll send the details to your styler for you to pass along to him. He's to depart as soon as you let him off his leash."

"Understood," Maria sighed as the call ended.

As Maria waited, she viewed the assignment briefing, did a double-take, and then looked at the list of the names Melanie wrote down. "Huh. Small world."

It was a peaceful, sunny day. The sky was a calm blue, and a gentle breeze swayed the leaves on the surrounding trees. It didn't look like anything could ruin this lovely day.

"Bulbasaur, Leech Seed!"

Yep, nothing at all.

"Close in with Rollout, then spam Fury Cutter!"

Sandshrew curled up and spun, avoiding a sprouting seed where she had just been, and took a wide-angled approach to Bulbasaur.

"Keep them away with Vine Whip!"

Bulbasaur shot out both vines and swung, aiming to hit Sandshrew's side.

"Up!"

Ash and Bulbasaur gaped as Sandshrew jumped above the attack and unfurled in the air, claws already glowing light green. She touched down, rolled to a stop, and raked Bulbasaur across his flank, then again and again, claws growing larger with each hit.

"Tackle her away!"

Bulbasaur did just that and faced his opponent. Both were breathing heavily.

Ethan held up his hand in the universal gesture to stop. "Ash, that's enough for now," he said.

"Fine," Ash grumbled as he returned his Pokémon. "You did a good job, Bulbasaur. Get some rest."

The ball shook in acknowledgment before he placed it on his belt. Ash looked at Sandshrew, then back at Ethan. "How does Sandshrew know which way is up when she's rolling like that?"

"Honestly? I have no idea," Ethan chuckled.

Ethan gave Sandshrew an Oran berry, thought about what to do next while they waited, and then snapped his fingers. "Remember that thing you told me? About what Pikachu did in the Pewter Gym? Let's try to replicate it. I still want to figure out how Pikachu was able to electrocute Geodude."

Ash and Brock had finally gotten around to telling Ethan how their gym battle went down, and Ethan pointed out how Pikachu shouldn't have been able to shock Geodude at all since Geodude was part ground type. Onix, he could understand, with the fire-suppression system in the gym acting as a soak effect, negating its immunity.

"Sure! Ready, Pikachu?" Ash asked.

Ethan called out to Sandshrew as he moved over to stand next to Ash. "Don't worry, Sandshrew. If this doesn't work, you won't feel a thing. If you do feel something, let us know."

Sandshrew gave him her equivalent of a thumbs up and stood in place.

"So," Misty said as she joined them. "What's your theory on how Pikachu was able to shock a ground type?"

"I've got two at the moment. One: Pikachu can shock a ground type if it has another typing. For example, a rock-and-ground type. Two: If Pikachu puts enough power into his electric attack, it can overpower the ohm resistance of the ground-type Pokémon and shock them anyway. If that was the case, any electric-type attack from any Pokémon should be able to shock a ground-type Pokémon if it has enough power."

"What's an ohm?" Misty asked.

"An ohm is a unit of electrical resistance. I don't know the math behind it or how to measure it, but that's what it's called. Maybe I should ask Professor Oak about all this." Ethan blinked, then pulled out his notebook. "I've actually got a list of things to ask him about, and this is just another thing."

Ethan jotted something down. "Okay, thanks to Pikachu's Light Ball, his electrical output should be around double what it normally is. Let's start with a half-power Thunderbolt and work up from there."

Three minutes later, with no success, Ethan set the eraser of his mechanical pencil against his lower lip. "I wonder… Is intent just as important as power? Pikachu doesn't want his Thunderbolt to hurt Sandshrew, and so far, nothing's happened even though he's going at full power."

"Or maybe what Pikachu did at the gym was just a fluke," Misty pointed out.

"But he did do it once, so it has to be possible to do it again. If intent is important, we may need to have Pikachu battle a ground-type opponent in a real battle against someone he doesn't know. If it's the dual-typing theory, we'll have to try this again with Geodude."

Ethan spun his pencil around his fingers a few times while he thought before firmly gripping it. "Actually…." He bent down and whispered something to Pikachu, who looked at him with some doubt.

"C'mon, Pikachu, at least try it. I know you wanna see it as much as I do," Ethan nudged playfully.

Pikachu thought it over for a moment, shrugged, and then sent thin, scattered streams of electricity at Sandshrew. For a second, nothing happened. Then Sandshrew twitched and fell backward as she started to giggle.

"Yes!" Ethan yelled with an unashamed fist pump.

"What did you tell him to do?" Ash asked.

"Well, he didn't want to hurt her, so I appealed to his mischievous side and asked him to tickle her."

"You asked him to tickle her – with his electricity – and it worked?" Misty deadpanned.

"Yep! And the amount of power he used wasn't even at the level of a Thundershock." Ethan jotted some notes down. "This means that this could be an ability only Pikachu has or that the amount of power used has little to do with making a ground type feel electricity. I'd have to test this with other electric types, but I'm sure that it would be widely known that this is possible if just any electric type could shock a ground type."

"…Oh, okay. Just wanted to make sure I heard that right," Misty said as she held her head.

Come to think of it, Pikachu tickled Ash's phanpy the same way all the time, Ethan mused.

"Hey, guys," Brock interrupted as he folded the map, "I found where we are! We're near Route 24, and there's a Pokémon Center nearby. I'd like to get Oddish her first checkup. Plus, it's been a while since we've seen Nurse Joy!"

Ethan chuckled at Brock's dual motives. "Thanks for being a good sport, Sandshrew. I'll get you something extra good to eat later. Return."

"Great! Showers and real beds, here we come!" Misty cheered.

As the others left to pick up their bags, the green-topped Pokéball on Ethan's satchel shook and burst open, allowing Eevee to form on the ground in front of him. She yawned and rubbed her eyes.

"Have a good nap?" Ethan asked. "Guess what? Pikachu was able to tickle Sandshrew with a Thundershock!"

"Eevee?!" Eevee ran to Pikachu and bounced on her paws. "Eevee eevee!"

"Pik, pikachu!" Pikachu complied as his cheeks sparked and sent thin streams of electricity over Eevee, who spasmed slightly before her fur comically poofed in all directions.

"Pika-chu," Pikachu sheepishly apologized as he rubbed the back of his head.

Ethan and the others laughed at the Pokémon's antics. "You almost look like a little jolteon, except for the tail. Jolteon tails aren't very noticeable."

Eevee's giggling trailed off. She looked at her tail and then held it in front of her with a contemplative look.

Ethan picked her up and worked on fixing her fur. "Eevee, if you want to evolve and still have a tail, we can go over what your potential evolutions are later. I know what all eight of them are." He paused. "Well, that's all the ones I know of anyway."

Eevee met his eyes, smiled, and nodded before lifting her head and licking his chin. "Eev, Eeveev, eev eevee."

"I'll take that as a yes," Ethan chuckled as he walked behind the others. "Once I get my phone back from Professor Oak, I'll even be able to show you some pictures."

"Eev Eeveeee?" Eevee begged, her eyes getting bigger and her lower lip jutting out.

"Well, I guess I can show you a few now," Ethan acquiesced as he pulled out his Pokédex. "Jarvis, load entries 134 through 136."

The Pokédex beeped and pulled up the first image. "You've already met a vaporeon at the Cerulean Gym. They're water types and use their tails to help them swim. I'd say because of that, out of all your evolutions, they have the strongest tail."

Eevee made a face and shook her head.

"Oh, right. You don't like Acid Armor, huh? That's fine." Ethan tapped to the next entry. "Here's a jolteon. They're electric types, and they can run pretty fast. I guess you can call that bit of spiky butt fluff a fanned-out tail. What do you think?"

Eevee looked between the image of the jolteon and Ethan's hands before shaking her head.

"Zero for two so far. Then how about-"

"Hey, guys?" Misty said nervously. "Is that a Pokémon?"

Ethan looked up from his Pokédex and squeezed between Misty and Ash to get a better look.

Arceus… What did Damian do to you, Charmander?

It wasn't a pretty sight. Charmander's claws and teeth were a sickly yellow. Most of his scaly body was covered in dried mud and grime. Some of the more visible parts of his hide, where he wasn't missing scales, weren't a healthy color.

Charmander was also way too small, and his ribs were visible. His shallow breathing was made all the worse by the small flame on the end of his tail.

The three things you need for a healthy fire are oxygen, fuel, and heat. Take away one, and the flame will die.

"I've always wanted a charmander!" Ash said excitedly. "Should I battle it?"

"No, Ash. Charmander's in bad shape," Ethan said. "It looks like some of those wounds are infected."

"A fire-type's body temperature is normally high enough to burn off infection. It needs a Pokémon Center, now!" Brock said.

"I'll just catch it in a Pokéball then," Ash said as he grabbed the only empty Pokéball on his belt, primed it, and tossed it.

Despite how weak Charmander looked, it had enough strength to bat the Pokéball back at Ash, who reflexively caught it before it could hit him in the face.

Ash glanced at the ball, then at Ethan. "It seems healthy enough to me."

"A healthy Pokémon wouldn't be out of breath after one Tail Whip," Ethan rebutted, indicating Charmander's labored breathing. "That alone took a lot out of him."

"Then I'll try the Pokéball again," Ash said as he primed it again and gave it an underhand toss.

The ball hit its mark and absorbed Charmander in a flash of red energy. It quickly shook a couple of times before it burst open. Charmander reformed, breathing heavily and glaring at Ash.

"That is one stubborn Charmander," Brock noted as Pikachu and Eevee hopped down and went to talk with said Pokémon.

We can't leave Charmander here. He came way too close to dying in the original timeline, and I don't want that to happen, Ethan thought as he mulled over what to do.

"Okay, I think I got it."

Ethan looked up to see Ash standing up from where he was crouched in front of Pikachu and Eevee.

"They're saying that Charmander is waiting for someone to pick it up."

Brock looked conflicted. "If it's waiting for its trainer, then I guess we should leave it be."

"No."

Everyone looked at Ethan. "Charmander went into the Pokéball and broke out of it. If he did have a trainer, the Pokéball would have aborted its capture routine before Charmander was absorbed."

Misty looked worried. "Are you saying what I think you're saying?"

Ethan nodded. "Charmander was abandoned, and his old trainer told him to stay here with a promise that he would come back for him."

Ethan approached the rock formation and stood in front of Charmander, who was slightly above eye level. Charmander, of course, was wary.

"Charmander, how long have you been waiting here for your trainer to come back?" Ethan asked softly.

While Ethan waited for an answer, he emitted feelings of calm and concern for Charmander's well-being felt by him and the others.

It seemed to affect the fire-lizard, as he became a little less wary and replied, "Man, char char man."

Ethan glanced at Eevee when she audibly gasped. "Eev eevee eevee?!"

"More than a week?" Ethan asked.

Eevee looked up at Ethan, tapped the ground with her front-right paw twice, and nodded.

"At least two weeks!?" Ethan clenched his fists, and the rounded crystals on the back of his gloves flared to life with a fiery blue glow.

"We can't leave him here then!" Ash said as he joined Ethan. "Charmander, Ethan's right. You won't survive here much longer, and your trainer probably isn't coming back for you… I'm sorry."

Ash tugged his gloves on tighter as he looked at Charmander with determination. "You can come back here if you want after you feel better."

With that said, Ash reached up and lifted Charmander off the rock, who started growling and thrashing about. Ash kept a firm grip and hugged him close to his chest, facing Charmander away from him, mindful of the flaming tail.

What Ash didn't keep in mind was Charmander's jaws. Once the lizard was close enough, he let out a pitiful roar and bit down on Ash's left forearm.

"Ash!" Brock and Misty cried as Ash yelled out in pain but kept his grip firm.

Ethan was the first to jump in. He used one hand to touch Charmander's head and the other to grip Ash's arm. Then he closed his eyes and focused.

He met wave after wave of fear, desperation, and anger in this soul-scape he found himself in. Ethan looked around until he saw the source and pushed toward it. Giving it everything he had, Ethan struggled forward as the chaos of emotion buffeted him until he came to a standstill.

So close! Just a little more, Ethan growled as he tried to push further.

Suddenly, someone was by his side and provided the boost he needed, and he was able to connect to Charmander. The whirlwind of chaos slowly abated as Ethan and his ally wrapped Charmander in a blanket of peace.

Once Ethan opened his eyes, he found that he and Ash were out of breath, and Charmander had passed out.

"Ethan?" Ash began. "What… what was that?"

"I… I just wanted to help calm Charmander down, and it worked." Then Ethan realized something. "You were there with me!"

"Yeah… I was going to ask about that," Ash said.

"Ash, you idiot! You're bleeding!" Misty cried.

"It's not that bad," Ash grimaced. "C'mon, let's get to the Pokémon Center!"

Brock nodded. "Right. This way!"

As the group rushed off to get Charmander treatment, thunder rumbled in the distance, the mountainous area proving that weather can change on a dime.

There wasn't much to do this early in the afternoon. There were no patients needing treatment, all the equipment had been inspected and found to be in good working order, and orders had been put in for things needing to be restocked.

Nurse Joy sat near a window, enjoying the pitter-patter of rainfall as she appreciatively eyed the featured bachelors in last month's issue of Pokémon Magazine, silently giving each one a rating before moving on to the next.

What? It's not like she has to have Pokémon on the brain all the time. After all, it was a quiet afternoon.

Her train of thought was suddenly interrupted by the all-too-familiar sound of the front doors slamming open and the words "Nurse Joy!" being yelled loud enough to wake a snorlax.

Joy sighed, silently berating herself for even thinking of the 'q' word. Oh well. This was probably just another trainer overreacting about their fainted Pokémon. Seriously, let them rest, and they're usually good as new. She looked up, immediately eyed the charmander in the boy's arms with a practiced eye, and gasped.

"Chansey, bring a stretcher for a small fire-type Pokémon, stat!" Joy called to her partner behind the desk as she jumped into action. "Bring Charmander over here!"

The boy holding Charmander hurried forward carefully, along with another trainer with an eevee on his shoulder, who began speaking with her. "We found Charmander out in the woods. He's gone a while without food, possibly water, too. He's got multiple infected wounds, and his body temperature is way too low. He exhausted himself trying to get away when we tried to get him here."

Joy eyed him critically. "So none of you are responsible for the state he's in then?"

"No, we just found him," he replied.

The stretcher arrived, and the boy with the pikachu laid Charmander on it carefully.

"I'll take care of Charmander and find out who's responsible for him after he's stable. There's a first aid kit in the closet over there for your friend," Joy said before rushing off with her patient and closing the doors behind her. A moment later, the sign lit above it, indicating an operation in progress.

"Ready? On the count of three. Three."

Ash clenched his teeth as the wound on his arm flared in pain. "Man that hurts!"

Ethan continued dabbing the cotton ball soaked in hydrogen peroxide over the bite. "Unfortunately, washing and rinsing a bite like this isn't enough. Gotta make sure it doesn't get infected. How attached are you to that arm again?"

Ash clammed up after that and took the pain like a man. If being a man meant crying a little every time the stinging pain returned.

Ethan then rubbed some Pecha ointment over the wound and wrapped a bandage around it. "That should do it. Don't pick at any scabs, and if it starts to swell or turn red, let me know."

"Thanks, Ethan," Ash said as he pulled his glove back on. "How do you know so much about healing?"

Ethan took off the sterile gloves and threw them away before pulling his auratic gloves back on. "I spent time each day with the Nurse Joy in Rota learning some of this stuff while I was there, and it's come in handy a few times."

Ethan surveyed the lobby of the Pokémon Center. A few trainers were milling about, but there was no sign of Damian yet. He couldn't be too far away.

"Would you mind taking my Pokémon with you and getting them something to eat? I have a phone call to make," Ethan said as he called his Pokémon out, and Eevee and Pikachu hopped down from the table. "Oh, that reminds me. Don't forget to call your mom sometime today."

"Oh no, I haven't called her since Pewter City! Oh, man," Ash winced as he walked to the cafeteria, Pokémon in tow.

At least you're able to call her, Ethan thought sadly before shaking his head.

"Well, might as well set up," Ethan resolved. He stood, put away the first-aid kit, then headed for the fire pit in the lobby's lounge area and sat next to the only table there.

Ethan opened and reached into his bag, shuffling the contents around. "Where did I put it?"

There! His hand came back with a tape recorder he picked up in Cerulean with a new cassette tape already inserted.

"Can't wait for when SD cards are invented," he mumbled as he made sure he inserted new batteries into the recorder before affixing it underneath the table and pushing the record button.

After verifying it would pick up audio, he left it on record, made his way to one of the few private video phone booths, and dialed a memorized number.

He didn't have to wait long for someone to answer. "Hello? This is Jarvis speaking."

Ethan smiled and spoke into the mouthpiece of the phone. "Hey, Jarvis, how are you doing?"

"Ah, I'm doing quite well, Master Dust! How are you faring on your journey?" Jarvis asked.

"Doing well, overall. I'm just checking in to let you all know I'm alive and to see if there's any news for me."

"Actually, there is! Her Majesty has been looking through everything we have regarding aura in what little spare time she has, including some ancient laws still in effect today, and I think you'll find this interesting. Just a moment."

After a couple of uneventful minutes, Jarvis returned. "Now, then, during the time Aura Guardians still roamed the land, they acted as peacekeepers throughout the home regions, which are today called Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, and Sinnoh. Today, while each region has its own government, they still respect the authority of the Queen and follow the laws and decrees set forth from the Rota Kingdom. Think of it like the Galarian Prime Minister, who runs the region in place of the Queen of Galar but still answers to her."

"I see…."

More history. Cool! Ethan thought.

"This is pretty interesting, and I get the feeling that what you're saying is leading up to something," Ethan said.

"Very perceptive! The Aura Guardians of old received their peacekeeping authority from the monarchy of the Rota Kingdom. The only requirements that we know of were that they were active practitioners of aura and that they were recognized by the monarchy of the time."

"So, they were essentially like police?"

"Like the police, only more independent! And since you're a practitioner of aura and you have the full endorsement of Her Majesty…."

Ethan's eyes widened. "That basically makes me a police officer!"

Jarvis chuckled. "Only if you want to. According to Her Majesty's findings, the official title was 'Aura Knight' for those still apprenticing under an Aura Guardian, while those who had mastered their abilities had their usual title, 'Aura Guardian'. But, seeing that you're trying to keep your abilities secret for the moment, she's decided that your title can be shortened to 'Knight' until you go public with your aura."

Ethan's mind swam at the implications and grinned. "Do I get a cool badge? Police officers have a symbol of authority that they wear to prove they're law enforcement."

"We do have those, yes. I assume this means you'd like to take on the peacekeeping mantle of your heritage?"

Ethan thought about it for a moment. But only for a moment. "Yes. There's been a few times on my journey where taking people in would have come in handy. How soon could you have a badge delivered? Could you also send me some information on the duties of these Aura Knights so I have more of an idea of what I'm getting into?"

"Of course! I'll get everything together and have it sent to you via one of our alakazam immediately. Her Majesty had a feeling you'd accept, so you already have her blessing. We'll take care of the ceremonial formalities upon your return. Just tell me where you are."

Ethan downed a spoonful of warm berry soup as he skimmed through the reading material Jarvis sent him. A lot of it was simple stuff that his 26-year-old mind thought was common sense. Other things would require further study.

One thing that stood out was that Aura Knights had a lot of freedom.

It was apparently commonplace that, like their lucario counterparts, Aura Knights and Aura Guardians had some innate sense of justice, so there was usually never a problem with one of them abusing their authority.

It's like they were all Captain America or something, Ethan mused.

"How come you never told us you knew the Queen?" Brock asked, bringing Ethan out of his thoughts. "Is she pretty?"

Ethan shrugged. "It never came up," he said. "And yes, she's beautiful. No, I will not set you two up. She's way out of your league."

Brock briefly looked offended before pouting and muttering something about how he was probably right.

"Still, that's pretty cool," Brock said. "And your new title probably means you don't need Misty and me anymore for whenever we run into that one trainer again."

Ethan set the material aside and thumbed the badge of authority looped into his belt, which had the crest of Rota on it. "I'll still need you. It never hurts to have help," he said. "I just wish I knew about all of this the first time we met him."

"Can't change the past," Brock sighed. "We can only move forward."

Ethan nodded in agreement. "Where's Misty? I haven't seen her since we got here."

"She was out training with her Pokémon in the rain earlier and came in to dry up not too long ago. She should be joining us soon," Brock said.

"Good for her. She hasn't forgotten about our battle," Ethan smiled as he used his thumb to rub the fur on Eevee's chest in slow circles.

Loud slurping followed by the clatter of a bowl on the table broke the ensuing silence.

"That was great!" Ash grinned.

"Ash, your table manners are atrocious," Misty said as she joined them, wearing an oversized sweater with a simplified golduck design on the front.

Raucous laughter drew their attention to the lounge area where some boys were gathered around at least a dozen Pokéballs, and in the center of the bunch….

"Speak of the devil," Brock muttered.

"It's him!" Misty and Ash whispered.

Ethan held up an arm to stop them from standing. "Wait. Let's just listen in for now. I want to know what he's talking about."

The other three shared a look and sat back down, with Ash holding on to Pikachu and Ethan keeping hold of a growling Eevee.

"You sure got a lot of them."

"Jus' look a' 'em! It's a pretty coo' collection," Damian gloated.

"Yo, I thought you had a charmander too!"

"Yeh, I 'ad one, but tha' puny thing was so weak it couldn' even beat a magikarp."

"He's even worse than I thought," Misty muttered.

Brock frowned as he continued to listen.

"So, what did you do with the charmander?" another boy asked.

"Eh, I lef' it on some rock in the woods. That thing is so stupid! No matter wha' I do, it keeps on following me. I finally got rid of it by promising I'd come back for it. And the best part? It fell for it! It's probably still there wai'in for me!" Damian laughed, quickly joined by the other boys around him.

"He's the one who abandoned Charmander!" Ash exclaimed.

Brock had had enough. He stood and started making his way over, Ethan and Ash joining him.

"Hey, Brock, what's the legal carry limit again?" Ethan innocently asked.

Brock looked at the pile of Pokéballs and grinned. "You deal with Damian. Ash and I will get the Pokéballs."

Ethan nodded and whispered to his starter. "Let me handle this, Eevee. I'll let you know if I need help."

Eevee acknowledged him and hung back a little.

"It's probably still out there waggin' its tail!" Damian said.

"It'll probably wag it so long that the flame will go out," someone said, and they all laughed again.

Ethan grabbed Damian by the front of his shirt, dragged him to his feet, and smiled sweetly at him. "Hey, Prick! Remember me?"

"Who the fock are you, geek?" Damian growled.

"You know, if you're going to admit to pretty much murdering a Pokémon, you probably shouldn't do so where everyone can hear you," Ethan ignored him as Damian unsuccessfully tried to budge free.

Ethan's expression turned serious. "You abandoned Charmander! He would have died out there if my friends and I hadn't found him!"

"It was still ou' there? Wow, it's even dumber than I thought," Damian laughed.

Brock and Ash came in and scooped up all of the Pokéballs laid out on the table. The other trainers that had been with Damian were nowhere to be seen, having bailed the moment there was trouble.

"Wha' the fock are you doing? Give those back!" Damian yelled.

"Nuh-uh. You're under arrest. But before I place you in cuffs and call Officer Jenny, You're coming with me," Ethan said, then started dragging him to the front desk.

Damian growled and threw a punch at Ethan while he wasn't looking. Ethan, sensing his intentions, quickly ducked under it and punched him in the stomach, knocking the wind out of Damian and making him hunch over in pain.

"Let's add assaulting a knight of Rota to the list of charges," Ethan said as he cuffed him.

"Knight of wha'-a? Let me go, you fockin' nerd!"

"What is going on!?" Nurse Joy yelled.

"Nurse Joy, this is Charmander's trainer," Ethan said as he flashed his badge.

"I know. As soon as I found out Damian was Charmander's trainer and he was here, I called Officer Jenny right away," Joy said. "Unfortunately, she won't be able to make it until morning. It's a monsoon out there."

"I did nothin' wrong!" Damian spat. "Charmander's my proper'y, and I can do wha'ever the hell I want with it!"

"That's disgusting!" Misty yelled. "Pokémon aren't things! They're intelligent individuals like you and me! What you did to Charmander was a death sentence!"

"So what? It's its own fault for being stupid enough to fall for it in the first place!"

"Char… charmander?" a voice weakly cried.

Everyone looked over to see Charmander tearing up before a chansey picked him up and carried him back into the intensive care unit.

The more aura-sensitive individual of the group clutched a hand over his heart and fell to his knees with a cry of pain.

"Eeveev!" Eevee cried and ran to her trainer in concern, pushing her paws against his shoulder.

Ethan growled and forced himself to stand. He eyed Damian, whose widening eyes reflected the aura dancing in Ethan's own, and grabbed him by the collar. "Nurse Joy, do you have a windowless room we can keep him in?"

"Y-yes. There's a couple of rooms in the rear of the lodging area that should work," Nurse Joy answered.

"Thank you. Brock, will you lend me a hand?"

"Sure. Just a moment," Brock replied. "Nurse Joy, these are Damian's other Pokémon. Would you mind checking them too?"

"Of course! I'll get started right away," Nurse Joy said as she accepted the Pokéballs from Ash and Brock.

"Alright, Prick. You have the right to keep your damn mouth shut."

After locking Damian up and setting up a watch, which a trainer with a pachirisu gladly volunteered to help, the evening flew by rather quickly.

Ethan retrieved his tape recorder and made sure it captured everything. Having ensured that, he finally freshened up and put on some pajamas, then reconvened with Ash, Misty, and Brock in one of their shared rooms.

"I'm glad we finally got him," Misty said. "I hope he never gets his hands on a Pokémon ever again!"

"Yeah, me too," Ethan said as he absentmindedly stroked Eevee's back.

Brock set his tea down. "You feeling alright?"

Ethan sighed before shifting Eevee in his lap and petting her head, intensifying her purring. "I will be. I've never truly hated someone before, and I know with Damian, it's justified, but it still bothers me. I just hope I never run into someone like him again."

The others didn't say anything, so he continued. "On one hand, the power of aura is a curse. Charmander's heartbreak earlier was so bad that it hurt enough to bring me to my knees. It still hurts, and I can't ignore it. If I knew how to, I'd shut off my aura sense to escape the pain."

Ethan took a deep breath and smiled. "On the other hand, aura is such a blessing. I can feel my Pokémon's love for me more than a regular person can. Whenever one of them is having a bad day, or they're frustrated, I know exactly how they're feeling, and I can figure out how to best help them."

Ethan smiled as Eevee touched her nose to his. "The same applies to you three. You're my best," he paused as he glanced at Eevee, "ah, human friends."

"Pi-Kachu?"

Ethan laughed as he scratched Pikachu under his chin. "You're one of my best Pokémon friends, after Eevee and my other Pokémon, of course."

Pikachu was okay with that.

"Sorry about the rant, but I feel a little better now," Ethan apologized.

"Don't be sorry. I think I speak for all of us when I say I feel like I understand you a little better now and what you're going through," Brock said.

Ash and Misty looked at Brock, then back to Ethan, and both nodded their heads in support.

"Thanks," Ethan softly said as he stood, feeling a little lighter than before. "I'm going to try and get some sleep. See you all in the morning."

Ethan went to the room he was sharing with Ash, crawled into his bed, and pulled the covers over himself and Eevee, quickly drifting off to the lullaby of rain pattering against the window.

Chapter Text

Chapter 14

The Darkness of Shadow

…

. . . . . .

Damian awoke with a start and looked around the room from the bed he was cuffed to. "W-who's there?!"

He reached for his belt with his free hand, only to remember that his Pokéballs had all been taken away.

"Tch, damn blond freak!" he swore, his heart pounding as he struggled against his bonds. Something felt wrong, saturating the air so thickly that the sweat on his forehead felt like oil slowly dripping down his skin.

'You have much darkness and hate within you. You will do… nicely,' a voice laughed as Damian tried to scream.

Ethan jolted awake and, before he knew why, threw the door open and ran down the hall, bare feet thumping against the smooth wooden floor of the Pokémon Center.

"Eeveev?!" Eevee cried as she struggled to free herself from the blankets.

As Ethan turned a corner, he found out why he suddenly woke up. Something felt incredibly wrong, and he was running straight for it. He slowed and shook his head as a bout of dizziness hit him.

"Ethan? Something wrong?" Kellyn asked as he looked up from a book he was reading.

"Open the door. Now!" Ethan yelled.

Seeing the look on Ethan's face, Kellyn didn't hesitate to unlock the door and push it open.

The only evidence that Damian had been in the windowless room was the handcuffs swinging from a bedpost.

"This is impossible! No one came in or out all night!" Kellyn exclaimed.

"And we made sure he wasn't hiding any Pokéballs, so he couldn't have teleported out," Ethan growled.

Ethan closed his eyes and focused, but he couldn't feel Damian's aura, and the wrongness that permeated the room had all but disappeared.

"Damn it!" Ethan cursed before he realized something and ran out of the room, pushing off the walls so he wouldn't crash into them. "The Pokémon!"

The commotion had woken up several trainers, who were poking their heads out of their rooms.

As he entered the lobby, he noticed Nurse Joy speaking with Officer Jenny at one of the tables over some steaming coffee.

"Nurse Joy, Damian escaped! Are all the Pokémon still here?" Ethan asked as he ran up to them.

"I haven't seen him, but I'll go take a headcount now," Joy replied as she set her mug down and hurried off.

"You must be Sir Ethan," Officer Jenny said with a salute. "Please take me to where Damian was being held. I'll need something with his scent so that my police growlithe can track him down."

"Ethan?" Ash yawned as he and a sleepy Pikachu came out from the lodging area. "What's going on?"

Ethan caught Eevee as she jumped into his arms before replying. "Damian's gone. We have no idea how."

It took a moment for Ash to process his words before all traces of drowsiness left him. "What? He couldn't have gotten that far! We have to find him!"

"Some help wouldn't hurt," Jenny said thoughtfully, a hand to her chin. "I'll see if I can get some volunteers together and organize a search."

Ethan blinked and looked out the window to see that the sky was clear and slowly getting brighter with the early-morning sunrise. "It's worth a shot. There should be enough light out by now."

After gathering several volunteers, Jenny laid out a map of the area and sent them out in groups of two to three people each. She sent a couple of groups to search the surrounding forest while any flying-type Pokémon available would search from the sky.

Ash, Brock, and Misty were assigned to search the main roads, while Ethan was assigned to stay behind if Damian decided to loop back to the Pokémon Center to try and take his Pokémon back.

After finally taking a moment to get properly dressed, Ethan approached the door to Nurse Joy's office and knocked.

"Come in," Ethan heard from the other side.

"Now that things have settled somewhat, good morning, Nurse Joy!" Ethan said as he entered her office and took a seat across from her. "Are all the Pokémon accounted for?"

Nurse Joy shook her head and set aside the reports she was preparing for Officer Jenny. "Unfortunately, two of them are missing, and their Pokéballs were destroyed, so we can't track them. One of them was a growlithe, and the other was an eevee with-"

"A bit of their lower left ear missing?" Ethan asked.

"And his fur is very thin," Joy added. "In fact, most of Damian's Pokémon have a small part of their left ear missing. I believe that was his way of marking them as his. Luckily, none of them need a pinnectomy.

"I'm guessing that means an ear removal?" At Nurse Joy's nod, Ethan took a moment to assure Eevee that her ears were just fine. "What are the odds that Growlithe and Eevee broke their own Pokéballs and ran away?"

"It's unlikely. Both were very weak and in no shape to get far on their own," Nurse Joy replied.

"When I get my hands on him again…," Ethan simmered for a moment before sighing.

Eevee's ears flattened against her head, and she pushed herself into Ethan's chest.

"I know, Eevee. We'll find them," Ethan whispered as he rubbed her back.

"I wanted to bring up Charmander with you before I do my rounds again," Nurse Joy said. "Charmander's recovering fine physically and can be released soon, but his spirit is crushed. He needs someone to help him heal, and I was hoping you would be willing to take him."

"Me? What about Ash?" Ethan asked. "He'd be good for Charmander."

"I'm sure he'd be able to handle Charmander," Joy said. "He may even be able to handle him when he's a charmeleon. I have my doubts that he'd be able to control a charizard, though."

Ethan raised a brow. "And you think I can?"

"I think so," Joy nodded.

Ethan sighed. "I don't know. I mean, I've known about Pokémon for most of my life, but I never saw or met one in person until a few months ago," he admitted as he gently caressed Eevee's fur. "I was, uh, pretty sheltered growing up," he quickly amended.

"Ethan, what are Pokémon to you?" Joy asked after a few moments of silence.

"What are Pokémon to me?" Ethan mouthed the sudden question but started to think about it. "Pokémon are powerful, intelligent creatures that need to be respected. My Pokémon are like family to me."

Ethan tried to think of something more but just groaned, took off his glasses, and pinched the bridge of his nose.

What a headache.

"I'll think about it, but I think Charmander should decide," Ethan decided. "If he wants to join me, I'll treat him like all my Pokémon. Like part of my family."

"That's all I ask," Joy said with a genuine smile before standing up. "I think it would be a good idea for you to talk to Charmander."

Nurse Joy left, leaving Ethan to his thoughts. Eevee's wet nose tickled his chin, and she gave him a curious look. "Eevee? Eev vee eevee?"

"I don't know. Is it stupid that I've got hangups about catching a Pokémon I know is supposed to go to someone else? I mean, Charmander's supposed to go with Ash, but things are happening differently now," Ethan said.

Eevee hopped up to Nurse Joy's desk, faced Ethan, and nodded. As she spoke, Ethan got the impression from her that, summarily put, yes, it was a silly hangup.

Things aren't happening the same as before, so why should it matter who Charmander goes to?

"I may not understand you word for word, but I think I get the gist of it," Ethan said. "Let's go talk with Charmander and go with whatever he wants to do. Thanks, Eevee."

Eevee smiled and hopped down, and they left Joy's office together. After asking one of the Chansey for directions, they made their way to one of the recovery rooms and opened the door to see Charmander sitting up and looking out the window.

Eevee, being Eevee, jumped up to the bed and sat down with him.

"Um, hey, Charmander. How are you feeling?" Ethan asked as he took a chair next to the bed.

Charmander glanced at Eevee, then Ethan, then looked down and nervously wrung his tail in his clawed hands.

"You're thinking of Damian, aren't you?" Ethan asked, to which he got confirmation as Charmander clenched his eyes shut.

"There's nothing for you to be ashamed of," Ethan said as he extended a hand and rubbed Charmander's back. "I know some would say to forget about Damian, but those who say that are ignorant. It's hard to forget someone, especially when they were supposed to care for you but brought you pain and suffering instead. What Damian did was wrong, and whatever reason he had for abandoning you was not your fault."

Charmander fully turned around, his eyes glued to Ethan, drinking in his every word. He took the human's hand and placed it on top of his head before taking it off and looking at him quizzically.

"You're wondering how I calmed you down yesterday?" Ethan asked.

After getting a nod in confirmation, Ethan explained. "I have the ability to use aura. I'm still figuring out what I can do with it, and I honestly have no idea how I did what I did yesterday. I just knew what needed to be done the moment I needed it. I'm not sure I can do it again right now."

Charmander looked a little disheartened at the end of Ethan's explanation and looked down.

"Last night, when you heard what Damian said, I could feel your broken heart, and it's still there. I don't know if I can fix what Damian did to you, but," Ethan pulled Charmander into his lap and enveloped him in his arms, holding him against his chest. "If you want, I'm willing to try."

Ethan felt a nudge on his arm and lifted it to invite Eevee in. "We will help if you'd like," he chuckled.

"Eevee eev!" Eevee trilled as she joined the hug.

Ethan loosened his grip and looked at Charmander, smiling. "Plus, I'm a Pokémon trainer, so I'll help you become stronger. I'd love to have you. Ash would also love to have a Pokémon like you on his team, and everything I've promised, he'd be willing to do as well. But it's up to you who you'd like to join if you'd like to join one of us at all."

Ethan set Charmander back on the bed and stood, letting Eevee jump to the floor. "I have to go now, but I'll be back later. Get some rest and think about what I said."

After Ethan entered the lobby, he habitually opened his aura sense further and scanned a wide area. He sensed Ash, Brock, and Misty about a quarter-mile away and getting closer, probably on their way back. He looked a little further and frowned.

He could feel the wrongness again, and it was heading straight for his friends.

"Eeveev?" Eevee asked.

"They're in trouble! Let's go!" Ethan dashed for the front door, with Eevee close on his heels.

Thus far, the efforts of Ash, Brock, and Misty's search bore no fruit. Well, they did find fruit, but not the kind they were looking for.

"Ash, we ate already. How are you still hungry?" Misty asked with mild annoyance.

"Ish sho good. Wash beggin' to be ea'en!" Ash reasoned before swallowing. "Want some?"

Misty looked disgusted. "No thanks."

"Guys, stay focused," Brock said. "Remember why we're out here."

Ash felt a sudden chill go down his spine. He turned around, looking at the trees and foliage, but nothing was there.

"Pika?" Pikachu asked from his shoulder.

"It was nothing," Ash said, albeit a little nervously, as he turned back, wondering why he felt this way.

Pikachu didn't seem convinced and scanned their surroundings before pointing straight ahead. "Pikapi, pika Pi-Cha!"

Ash squinted to see what caught Pikachu's attention. "Hey, isn't that Ethan?"

"Yeah. Why's he in such a rush?" Misty wondered.

Ethan pointed a finger over Ash's shoulder, and Eevee ran ahead and jumped up to and off the shoulder of Ash not occupied by Pikachu, sending him stumbling forward. A metallic clang reverberated in the air as Eevee's Iron Tail intercepted an attack from a shadowy blur and knocked it back.

"What was that?!" Ash shouted as Pikachu hopped down and raised his hackles, looking around for the threat as his cheeks sparked.

Ethan caught up to them and stopped, placing his hands on his knees as he caught his breath from his sprint. "Are- are you guys okay?"

"Ethan, what's going on?" Brock asked as he reached for a Pokéball.

The aura adept closed his eyes and immediately opened them. "That… wrongness I felt this morning is here somewhere, and it tried attacking Ash."

"Pikaka-chupi!" Pikachu growled.

A laugh sounded from the trees to the left, and they turned to see Damian walk out onto the path.

"Well, well, I was aware of this nuisance," Damian said as he pointed at Ash. He then pointed at Ethan. "But you don't exist."

Ethan's heart skipped a beat.

"What are you talking about?" Brock said. "He's right here!"

Damian sighed. "Let me rephrase that then. He shouldn't have ever existed in this world, yet here he is."

Ethan narrowed his eyes. "Who are you? You look like Damian, but you don't talk like him."

Not-Damian grinned. "Oh ho, aren't you so smart? If you must call me something, you can call me… M."

M snapped his fingers, and two Pokémon emerged from the trees and took positions in front of him. One was a flareon with a bit of its lower-left ear missing. The other was a Pokémon with a curled gray tail, a mane that started from its head and curled at its chest, covering most of its face, and what looked like a sharp point at the top of its head.

"Who's that Pokémon?" Ash wondered as he pulled out his Pokédex.

"There is no data," Dexter informed.

"Is that Growlithe? What did you do to him?" Ethan demanded.

"My master may have… changed them a bit," M grinned. "Flareon, use Shadow Hold!"

Ethan's eyes widened. He focused on M's Pokémon more closely, and the telltale signs of a shadowy, wispy substance flowing around them became visible.

Misty and Brock were blasted back and fell on their rears, eliciting cries of surprise and pain.

"Brock! Misty!" Ash yelled as he tried to run over to them, only to be blocked by a shadowy barrier.

"Ah, ah, ah!" M wagged his finger. "If you want to leave, you'll have to beat me!"

Ethan's hands shook before he firmed his resolve and clenched them into fists. "We need to battle together, Ash. Those are Shadow Pokémon, and they're much tougher than normal Pokémon. They won't be holding back."

"What are Shadow Pokémon?" Ash asked.

"Simply put, they're Pokémon that have had their hearts artificially closed," Ethan said. "They're emotionless fighting machines with no free will."

"That-that's horrible!" Ash growled.

"The only way to save them is to battle and catch them," Ethan continued before glancing at the camo bag strapped to his leg. "Man, I really hope normal Pokéballs will work."

Ethan looked behind him. "Brock, Misty, go and radio Officer Jenny. We'll be fine."

"But-"

"Let's go, Misty. I don't like leaving them either, but they'll be fine. The best thing we can do is get help," Brock assured her.

Misty sighed and grimly nodded. "Be safe, you two," she said before she and Brock turned around and ran for the Pokémon Center.

When they were out of sight, Ethan tugged his gloves on tighter. "I'll handle Flareon. You deal with Growlithe."

"Right," Ash agreed. He took a Pokéball in hand and tapped the button, only to find that it wouldn't expand. "What's wrong with Nidoran's Pokéball?"

Ethan thought about it for a moment. "Shadow Hold! It must have made it so that you can't switch out Pokémon. You'll have to battle with Pikachu."

Ash nodded and placed the Pokéball back on his belt. "Alright. Pikachu, I'm counting on you!"

"Pika!"

"Are you two ready yet?" M sneered as he stopped tapping his foot. "Good. Flareon, Shadow Blitz! Growlithe, Shadow Rush!"

"Pikachu, Agility, then Electro Ball!"

"Eevee, Dig!"

Pikachu and Eevee managed to avoid the attacks: Pikachu seemingly blurred out of existence, and Eevee, in a spray of dirt and mud, dug her way underground.

"Flareon, intercept the Electro Ball."

Flareon moved when Pikachu launched his Electro Ball and jumped between it and Growlithe. When the smoke cleared, a refreshed-looking Jolteon was in its place.

"What?!" Ash exclaimed.

M just laughed. "Like it? My master altered the eevee to be capable of changing forms between its base and its three Kanto evolutions."

"Huh. Just like Red's. Things just got a little more complicated," Ethan muttered. "Eevee, now!"

The ground behind Jolteon shook, and Eevee burst out, landing a hit with a resounding thwack. Jolteon let out a grunt of pain before Eevee went back underground.

"As long as Jolteon's out, Pikachu's electric attacks can't do a thing," Ash said.

"Then we need to take it out first or force it to change forms," Ethan thought out loud.

Eevee came up again, attempting to land another Dig on Jolteon, who sped out of the way with lightning-fast reflexes. Eevee growled before sinking back into the ground.

Ethan raised a brow. If Jolteon's that quick, why didn't he dodge the first Dig attack?

"Tch. If that brown rat won't stay up, I'll target the trainer instead! Jolteon, Shadow Blitz," M cried.

"Pikachu, use Slam on Jolteon!" Ash yelled.

"Eevee, Dig, then Bite!" Ethan ordered.

With Pikachu's enhanced speed from Agility, he intercepted Jolteon, slamming him with his tail and sending him rolling back. Eevee jumped out of the ground in an explosion of dirt and clay, ramming into Jolteon before giving chase and biting down on one of his hind legs.

"Pikachu, Quick Attack!"

Eevee spun around and threw Jolteon in the air, where Pikachu blurred into existence and hit Jolteon, sending him rolling into a charging Growlithe and causing both to tumble, creating a cloud of dust.

Eevee and Pikachu returned to positions in front of their trainers, breathing heavily.

"I thought this would be harder," Ash remarked.

"Hey, I'm not complaining. They weren't fully healed before they were taken from the Pokémon Center. And who knows what toll the changes made on their bodies took on them?" Ethan said.

"Is Jolteon down?" Ash asked.

As if the universe were listening in and decided to give them the one-fingered salute, Jolteon shakily got up on his paws. The shadow surrounding his form intensified for a few moments, and when it returned to normal, Jolteon looked refreshed and ready to go another round.

"You had to ask," Ethan said, voice dripping with sarcasm.

"Haha! You didn't think it would be that easy to take down a Shadow Pokémon, did you?" M gloated. "You'll need to do more than that to knock them out. Is that all you've got?"

Ethan let out a growl of annoyance, thinking of what they could do before his face lit up. "Ash, I have an idea. It's risky, and it might not work, but be ready with Pikachu."

Ash opened his mouth to ask what the plan was but stopped when he saw the confident smirk on Ethan's face. "Okay."

"Eevee, keep Growlithe busy!" Ethan said, projecting to her his confidence through his aura before clearing his throat. "Crap, I left myself open! I hope I don't get attacked."

"That will be the last mistake you ever make," M sneered. "Jolteon, Shadow Blitz that fool!"

"Here we go," Ethan muttered, his heart rate spiking as he prepared himself and spread his arms.

Jolteon finished charging his attack and bolted at Ethan, cloaked in a shadowy aura.

Time seemed to slow. When Jolteon was a few yards away, he pounced at Ethan. Ethan pivoted to one side, reached out, and caught the electric canine before falling to the ground and wrestling him.

Ethan managed to wrap his legs around Jolteon's middle and placed him into a chokehold, pinning him to the ground. Jolteon struggled, trying to thrash about to free himself. Jolteon's pins dug into Ethan's skin, causing him to grunt in pain, but he held firm.

"C'mon, change already!" Ethan yelled.

As if Ethan spoke the magic words, Jolteon shifted and changed into a vaporeon, and he became stiff and unmoving. Ethan released him, rolled away, and yelled, "Now!"

"Pikachu, Thunderbolt, full power!"

Pikachu charged his attack, jumped high in the air, and rained lightning on the prone vaporeon, causing Ethan to cover his eyes to protect them from the bright light. Vaporeon cried out in pain for several agonizing moments before passing out and reverting to an eevee.

Ethan grabbed an empty Pokéball from the bag on his leg and enlarged it. Before he could toss it, he felt his aura travel down his arm, into the crystal on the back of his glove, and escape, streaming out in several ribbons of light. The light swirled above his hand before slamming into the ball, causing it to glow a bright blue. He looked at it in surprise, a name for it coming to mind, before throwing it.

"Aura ball, go!"

As if attracted to the shadowy aura, the aura ball corrected its course and flew faster than it had been thrown. The shadow aura and the aura from the ball clashed for a few moments until the dark aura was overpowered, and the eevee was absorbed into the ball.

The ball fell to the ground, and as it shook, a dark mist steamed out of the line around its middle. The ball shook violently for several moments before it stilled and dinged, returning to its usual red and white color.

"What?! How? What did you do?!" M demanded.

Ethan took a breath to steady himself and slowly stood. "Jolteon was inconsistent. He took Eevee's first Dig attack, but was plenty fast to avoid the second one. I took a guess that he freezes up for a few moments after a transformation, so I forced him to either pass out from a lack of oxygen or to try and change forms to escape. That's what I was betting on."

"No, no! What did you do with the Pokéball?!"

Ethan ignored the question, staring at the back of his gloves before taking one of them off and handing it to Ash. "Ash, put this on and ready a Pokéball. You're going to do the same thing with Growlithe."

Ash took the glove with surprise. "What?! Can't you do it again? I can't use aura like you do!"

"I'm drained," Ethan said simply. "And you can use aura. That's how you were able to help me calm Charmander yesterday. Just trust me. I'll keep Growlithe busy until you're ready."

Ash still looked doubtful but nodded, slipped the glove on, then grabbed the last empty Pokéball on his belt and began to focus.

"Eevee, get some distance! Use Sand Attack, then Swift!" Ethan yelled.

Eevee, who had been keeping Growlithe occupied, acknowledged the command with a quick "Vee!" before kicking up some sand, momentarily blinding her opponent. After jumping back, her mane glowed, and several stars circled her head before shooting off toward Growlithe. Growlithe lowered his head and used it as a shield, where the Swift stars bounced off harmlessly. The last star hit the horn and bounced off with a plink.

M finally regained his wits and gave his next order. "Growlithe, use Double-Edge!"

"Eevee, careful of the horn. Use Iron Tail!"

Eevee barely had time to prepare her attack before Growlithe rammed into her. Gritting her teeth, she stuck her Iron Tail into the ground and slowed her opponent's charge. Then, using Growlithe's momentum, she bit the fur on his head and, in a show of strength, tossed him over her head and suplexed him to the dirt.

"Great job! Follow that up with Double Kick!" Ethan said before looking behind him.

"Ash, how's it coming?"

"I… I think I feel something, but nothing's happening," Ash replied. "How did you do it?"

"When I did it, I thought - Eevee, Detect and Double Team! - I thought of how much I wanted to help that poor eevee. Just breathe and feel the power of that desire and emotion going from your heart to your hand!" Ethan urged.

Ethan felt a surge of power from Ash as he struggled. A bright blue light shot out from the crystal on the back of the glove, curved around, and shot into the Pokéball.

"I think it worked!" Ash said excitedly. "I need an opening!"

"I'll get you one," Ethan said. "Pikachu, I'll need your help."

"Pika!" Pikachu joined Eevee in front of Ethan and stood ready. Growlithe was on the ground again but started to recover from a Double Kick Eevee had delivered.

"Pikachu, Thunder Wave!" Ethan commanded.

Pikachu obliged, sending several sparks of electricity that encircled Growlithe, freezing it in place as the paralysis took effect.

"Eevee, Helping Hand on Pikachu."

Eevee laid a paw on Pikachu's shoulder, and he became surrounded by a multicolored aura of light.

M began to panic. "Get up, you useless excuse for a Pokémon! Use Shadow Rush!"

Growlithe, hearing the cry of M, rose to his paws, and a shadowy red and black aura exploded around it. Growlithe roared to the sky, a sound full of anger, pain, and confusion.

"I think it's entered hyper mode! We have to end this now!" Ethan yelled.

"Now, Pikachu! Thunderbolt!" Ash yelled.

The sky darkened. The hairs on Ethan's head and arms rose to their full height, and ozone rapidly filled the air as Pikachu charged his most powerful Thunderbolt yet.

"Pika-pika-pika-pika! PIKACHUUUU!"

The Thunderbolt, doubled in power from Pikachu's Light Ball and boosted by Eevee's Helping Hand, was more than Growlithe could take, and he passed out on the spot.

Ash took this as his cue. "Aura ball, go!"

The ball flew through the air and hit its mark without needing to correct its course. As with the shadow eevee, the auras of the Pokéball and Growlithe fought before the ball overpowered the shadows and absorbed its quarry. The ball shook violently for a few moments before becoming still and returning to its original color.

"NO, NO, NO, NO, NO!" M screamed and stomped his foot on the ground. "This isn't how it was supposed to happen! My masters said so!"

"Well, obviously, they were wrong," Ethan tiredly quipped. "Who are you working for, anyway?"

"Tch, you want to know who they are?" M sneered. "Like I'll-"

M suddenly seized up, eyes rolling to the back of his head before he collapsed.

"Oh, come on!" Ethan cried in exasperation. He ran over, rolled Damian onto his back, and checked for a pulse.

"Well, he's alive," Ethan muttered. He peeled back Damian's eyelids, noticing a dull lifelessness slowly fading away. "And he was hypnotized, I think, so he probably won't remember any of this. Damn it!"

Ethan let out a shuddering breath and plopped onto his rear, feeling the aftereffects of his adrenaline. "I never want to fight a Shadow Pokémon again."

Eevee winced, favoring a leg as she hopped into his lap, nuzzling his face as she mewled in concern.

"You okay, Ethan?" Ash asked.

"Yeah," Ethan replied. "Just some post-life-threatening-battle jitters."

"That was pretty scary. But you seemed fine during the battle," Ash said as he sat down, holding the two Pokéballs containing the newly caught Pokémon. Pikachu tiredly flopped over his legs.

"I just put up a brave front," Ethan excused. "I was terrified almost the entire time once I realized we were facing Shadow Pokémon. I guess I just hid it well."

"Well, you didn't think of running away, did you?" Ash asked.

Ethan raised a questioning brow. "No, of course not."

"Then I think that means you really are brave. You were scared, but you didn't run away," Ash said.

Ethan blinked. "Wow. That's surprisingly philosophical, Ash."

"What's philosophocles mean?" Ash asked, confused.

"And there's the Ash I know," Ethan chuckled as he pulled Eevee closer to him. "You know, we were lucky. I'm not sure we would have stood a chance if they were at their full strength. I'm glad Eevee and Pikachu battled so well together."

"Yeah, they were great," Ash said with a smile as he rubbed Pikachu's cheeks, who cooed in delight.

Ethan started petting Eevee before pulling his hand back with a clod of mud. "Oh, shoot. Looks like the ground was still soaked from the rain last night," he said as he pulled out more clods of drying mud from her fur. "Sorry about that."

Brock, Misty, and Officer Jenny arrived not long after the battle. True to Ethan's prediction, Damian didn't remember taking on the persona of M, and he was promptly booked and taken away. Officer Jenny informed them that, with all the reports Nurse Joy compiled and the audio recording Ethan provided, Damian would never be allowed to have Pokémon again and would be spending some time in jail.

Ethan was treated for his injuries, mostly for the painful removal of the quills that Jolteon left in his skin. After being treated and leaving their Pokémon in Nurse Joy's care, Ethan felt it important that they call Professor Oak to consult him on the matter of the Shadow Pokémon they captured.

"You were right to call me," Professor Oak said. "Shadow Pokémon are a serious matter. In fact, they were the center of a conflict that happened in the Orre region some time ago. Thankfully, I have colleagues at Celadon University who assembled a machine from blueprints given to them by Orre's regional Pokémon Professor, Professor Krane. It's called a 'Purify Chamber', made to purify Shadow Pokémon and return them to normal."

Professor Oak looked at Ethan. "Ethan, can you sense if Growlithe and Eevee are still infected?"

"The shadow aura's not as strong as it was before, but it's still there," Ethan confirmed. "They're currently being treated for their injuries."

"They may not be fully purified yet. How many people know about them?" Oak asked.

"Let me think… Other than me, Ash, Brock, Misty, and maybe Nurse Joy, just you," Ethan replied.

"Good. The fewer people that know, the better. There's no need to cause undue panic when this could just be an isolated incident," Oak said, then cupped his chin in thought. "Though, it is concerning that someone created Shadow Pokémon in the first place. The only ones I know of who have that knowledge are either dead or in prison."

"Hey, Professor?" Ash asked. "What's going to happen to Growlithe? Do we need to bring him to Celadon City as soon as possible?"

Oak nodded. "The sooner, the better. Though, I'd like to ask that Ethan do so alone."

"Huh?!" Ethan and Ash shouted at the same time, looking at each other before returning their attention to the professor.

"But why?" Ash asked.

"Ash, as one of my sponsored trainers, I'd like you to visit one of my colleagues, Bill, and learn what you can about Pokémon from him. He happens to be on your way to Vermilion City. I don't expect Ethan's trip to take too long, so he should be able to rejoin you in Vermilion," Oak said, turning to Ethan and giving him a meaningful look.

Ethan got the idea. "It'll be fine, Ash. I'll take care of Growlithe for you. He'll be back to normal in no time!"

Ash stared at the ground for a moment before nodding.

"Excuse me, Professor Oak, sir?" Brock asked. "Couldn't we just use the transfer system to send you Eevee and Growlithe?"

Professor Oak shook his head. "The Pokémon transfer system is undergoing a major upgrade right now, so it'll be inaccessible for a week or two. Even if it were online, Shadow Pokémon can't be safely transferred through the system until they're purified."

"Why is that?" Misty asked.

"I'll spare you the details, but in short, it's not something I want to risk. Shadow Pokémon are seen as a virus in the system. That could cause the anti-virus program to target and destroy them," Oak explained. "That's not something that would end well."

Everyone shuddered a little.

"So," Ethan began, "I take Growlithe and Eevee to Celadon University, and Ash, Brock, and Misty continue on to Vermilion and stop by to see Bill along the way?"

"That sounds right. Make sure you're all prepared. You don't want to leave and realize you didn't split your supplies properly," Oak reminded them.

Ethan chuckled. "Yeah, I would have felt bad if I had taken all our food with me."

"As soon as you reach Celadon City, head for a Pokémon Center. I'll leave a message for you on where you can find me," Oak said.

"Will do, Professor! I'll head over as soon as we're all done here," Ethan confirmed.

"I look forward to it, my boy! Ash, I'll send the location of Bill's lighthouse observatory to your Pokédex."

After a chorus of goodbyes, Ethan ended the call. He sighed, then gave Brock a mock-serious look. "I'll have to take a rain check on our battle, Brock."

Brock looked surprised, then chuckled. "I guess so. It'll give me more time to train up, at least! We can have our battle once you catch up."

As the gang took seats around the fire pit to wait for their Pokémon to finish healing, Misty, who had been mostly quiet, spoke up. "Ethan? Back there, Damian- or I guess M, said you weren't supposed to exist in this world."

"Oh yeah! What did he mean by that?" Ash asked.

Ethan sighed and ran a hand through his hair, pushing it out of his eyes. "M… was technically correct. I wasn't supposed to exist in this world. I don't think I'm ready to open that can of worms yet."

Brock raised an eyebrow. "Does this have to do with where you lived before Rota?"

Ethan nodded. "That's part of it."

"Why won't you tell us?" Misty snapped. "Don't you trust us?"

"I do trust you! It's just," Ethan sighed in exasperation. "It's complicated!"

Ethan turned his gaze down, looking at the cracks in the wooden floorboards, and rubbed the back of his neck. "I-I need time to think about it. I'll tell you about it when I'm ready, okay?"

Brock nodded and placed a hand on Ethan's shoulder. "Take the time you need, Ethan. You don't have to tell us until you feel you're ready. Remember, you're a good guy and a great friend."

Misty sighed and leaned her head back. "I'm sorry for yelling. I didn't think this was so personal."

"I just realized," Ash said, "that I don't actually know much about you from before we met, other than you started your journey from Rota."

Ethan chuckled and looked behind him at the doors separating the lobby from the treatment area. A moment later, Nurse Joy emerged from those doors pushing a stretcher, upon which sat Eevee and Pikachu, who were talking animatedly with each other, and two Pokéballs.

"I'm sure it'll be quite the story," Ethan replied as they got on their feet and met Nurse Joy halfway.

"Thank you for waiting! Your Pokémon feel much better," Nurse Joy said before picking up Eevee and handing her to Ethan. "Eevee sprained her left hock, so I treated it as best I could and put a brace on it. I advise keeping her from putting weight on it for a day so it will heal faster. She should be fully healed within a few days. Until then, no battling or intense physical activity."

Eevee's ears drooped, and she whined as Ethan took her in one arm and scratched her behind her ears. "Thanks for battling so hard, my little battle junkie. We'll pick right back up as soon as you're all better. Knowing you, that last battle has you raring to get even stronger."

Eevee chuckled and buried her face in his arm in embarrassment.

"As for these two," Nurse Joy said as she picked up the Pokéballs. "I was able to treat their injuries, and I got a message from Professor Oak just before coming out here that I'm to place them into your custody."

Ethan placed Eevee on his shoulder and took the two shrunken Pokéballs, feeling the faint shadowy aura emanating from them before placing them on his belt, away from his other Pokémon's Pokéballs.

"Thanks so much, Nurse Joy!" Ash said as Pikachu took a spot on his shoulder. "How's Charmander and the other Pokémon?"

"Oh, right! They'll be transferred to a rehabilitation center in Vermilion City as soon as I clear them. I'm not really equipped or trained to deal with mental trauma, so they'll receive further treatment there before they're either put up for adoption or relocated to a Pokémon reserve to live the rest of their lives," Nurse Joy explained.

"Hey, we're going to Vermilion City! Could we see them when we get there?" Ash asked.

"Hmm, I don't see why not," Nurse Joy said. "I'll give you the address and let them know you're coming. I'll even ask them to let you have the first pick of any of the Pokémon that are open to adoption if you're interested."

"I wouldn't mind at least seeing how they're doing when we get there," Misty piped in. "Especially if there are any water types."

Ethan looked at the door behind Nurse Joy as it cracked open and shut again. The sound of skittering claws across the polished wooden floor got closer until he felt something bump his leg. When he looked down, he saw Charmander looking up at him. He got down on one knee and rubbed his head.

"Hi, Charmander. What brings you out here?" Ethan asked.

Nurse Joy smiled. "I think Charmander decided who he wants his new trainer to be."

Ethan shared a glance with Ash before looking at Charmander again. "Is that so? Who do you want to go with?"

Charmander gripped Ethan's jeans and looked at him intensely before pointing a claw at him. "Char, charmander char charmander!"

"...Are you sure?" Ethan hesitantly asked.

"Mander!" Charmander affirmed.

Ethan gave Ash an apologetic look, but Ash just grinned. "It's okay, Ethan. Charmander wants to go with you. Besides, I'm sure I'll have my hands full with Growlithe once you bring him back," Ash said.

Ethan blinked in surprise. "Wow, uh, thanks, Ash. But I thought you wanted Charmander."

Ash looked away and scratched his cheek. "I did, but Growlithe is really cool too!"

Ethan closed his eyes, exhaled out of his nose, and smiled before opening his eyes again.

"In that case, welcome to my little family!" Ethan said as he pulled out a Pokéball and enlarged it. Charmander tapped his head against it and let himself be absorbed. The ball didn't even shake before it dinged. Ethan held the ball against his chest as butterflies formed in his stomach.

I hope this doesn't mess too severely with the timeline. I only took one of Ash's strongest and most reliable Pokémon.

Ethan then realized something. I'm not the only guy on the team anymore! Yes!

Chapter Text

Chapter 15

Interlude 1

Part 1

Eevee anxiously paced along the shore of a small pond, hoping her new friend was alright and that Mew got to them in time. Her ears twitched, and she looked up to see Mew floating down along with a figure suffused in a blue glow, who was lowered gently to the ground. The figure didn't get up.

"Oh my gosh! Are they okay?" Eevee asked as she ran as fast as her four legs could take her. She placed a paw on their shoulder and an ear over their fur-covered mouth, sighing in relief when she heard their deep breathing.

"I think he'll be a-okay!" Mew said. "He just had the crap scared out of him. Literally."

Eevee took a tentative sniff. "I don't smell anything smelly."

"Well, I cleaned him up on the way here. Teleport can be used to move things other than me," Mew giggled. "It was still kinda gross, even though I didn't actually touch anything."

"Can… Can I take care of him until he wakes up?" Eevee tentatively asked.

Mew looked at Eevee, then the adult human, and smiled. "You like him, huh? Like, like like. You want some alone time with your savior?" she teased.

Eevee blushed and turned away. "I just want to make sure he's okay…. A-and it's not like that!"

Mew just giggled. "Suuure it's not. Well, if you're going to watch him, let's take him to your den," Mew suggested as she carefully cradled the human in her psychic grasp. "Race you there!"

Eevee ran, trying to keep up with the finicky cat. "Hey, be careful with him!"

Eevee glanced at her friend from the entrance of her den the next day. The sun was setting again, and he still hadn't woken up. Mew had come by earlier and healed some of the more severe injuries he had, which seemed to ease his breathing.

Eevee sighed and sat next to him, dropping an apple on the ground before taking a bite. As she ate, her mind wandered back to her life over the past several months.

When she first woke up all that time ago, she found herself in an unfamiliar place with no memories. She had wandered, feeling increasingly tense as she walked through the corridors of the maze-like tree, though she couldn't pin down why she felt this way. Then Mew appeared out of nowhere, startling Eevee and introducing herself before dragging the unsuspecting amnesiac into one of her games.

Eevee shuddered at the memory.

Something sounded from behind her. She looked at the form of her friend lying on his back, noticing he was shivering. It was a cooler night, she supposed, and he didn't seem to have that much fur to keep him warm.

Decision made, she crawled onto his chest and laid down, trying to cover as much of him as she could with her comparatively small form. After a few minutes, his teeth stopped chattering, and he was still again.

"Good night," Eevee whispered before laying her head down, falling asleep to the rhythmic beating of his heart.

"What's happening to him?!" Eevee cried as she ran as fast as she could. She heard her hooman friend cry in pain all the way from where she was watching what he called a 'bag'.

"Shush. I need to concentrate, or he might die," Mew said, her paws on either side of his face.

"Die?!" Eevee yelled.

"Shush!" Mew cried in a strained voice.

Eevee watched worriedly as the hooman spasmed and crackled as if he were charging an electric attack.

"There we go!" Mew said as some kind of energy came out of the hooman's chest and flowed into her. "Just one more thing to do…."

Then he began to shrink. Not much, but it was noticeable. The fur around his mouth vanished. After a few minutes, things seemed to calm down, and Mew wrapped her tail around his wrist.

"Whew. That should do it. I'll need to stay physically connected to him to make sure he's good, but I think he'll be fine," Mew said.

"What happened!?" Eevee demanded.

Mew looked up at the energy flowing in the center of the room, then to the silhouette of Sir Aaron, and shrugged. "I'm not exactly sure, but Ethan is not a normal human. Something reacted with his very being and gave him energy that his body wasn't made to handle. I had to make some changes to him so he could survive."

Eevee looked over Ethan again and sniffed the air. "What changes?"

"Well, for one, he's half the age he used to be!" Mew giggled. "And he'll be able to handle the energy that almost killed him. With time and practice, of course."

Eevee stared uncomprehendingly and sighed. "How long is he going to be out this time?" she asked.

Mew hummed, slowly floating to a ninety-degree angle. "I'd say until tomorrow morning, give or take a few hours. We'll take him to my place this time! Ooh! We can have a sleepover!"

As she levitated him again, she picked up his glasses that fell to the ground, peering into them again before discreetly teleporting them away. "Now, then. Let's get this party started!"

Part 2

Professor Oak stood from his chair and stretched, arms spread over his head, before grunting in satisfaction. Finally, finally, he had finished poring over and transcribing what he felt could safely be copied from the Pokédex app on his newest trainer's phone.

The device was truly amazing. It could store hundreds of gigabytes of data and process complex requests in seconds, if not faster. It was years ahead of what was available in this world for something that could fit in one's pocket.

A series of beeps drew the professor's attention to his computer. After sitting back down and typing in his password, he found that he had several new notifications.

"I'm not surprised. I was at it for-," Oak checked the clock on the wall. "...four hours this time? No wonder my old bones are stiff."

He went through his emails first, pleased to see that his request to present his new findings at Celadon University was approved and confirmed to take place in two weeks. Another email from the Goldenrod Radio Tower had a reminder that his next appearance on DJ Mary's show was just a few days away. That would be the best time to promote his presentation.

"Ah, Ash and Ethan just got their second badge! They're making remarkable progress," Oak mused as he browsed through their profiles. "Only three Pokémon each, though. They should really pick up the pace on that front. They've got more than enough funds to maintain a full team."

The professor rolled his chair to his workbench and picked up one of the two latest prototypes of the Pokédex he designed based on Ethan's phone. "Ah, good! It passed all hardware and OS checks. I'm sure Ethan will be more than happy to field test this once it's ready."

He glanced at an open notepad where he kept the names of a few Pokémon that caused him concern. The name at the top of the list particularly had him worried. "Mewtwo…. Does it exist here? Who would create such a-"

Professor Oak blinked. "What was I doing? Ah, yes. Ethan will love this for sure," he said as he set the prototype back down and stood once again. "I could use something to eat. I wonder if Alakazam would mind getting some seafood takeout."

Part 3

He was happy once. He remembered meeting his parent's eyes for the first time. His mother was an umbreon. His father, an espeon. For months, he was happy.

Then, the human wearing black came, and those happy memories now only brought tears and longing for what once was.

He watched from his hiding place as his parents fought to protect him. They were no match for the monster the man in black commanded. They were beaten, and then they were all taken.

"Hmmm…." the ugly human said, looking into the cage the whimpering eevee kit was forced into. "We scored big time! We can sell the runt and keep this pair for breeding. We have a money-making machine!"

The monster of a Pokémon grunted in response, the sound like a rumbling of stones.

He didn't know how much time passed after that. His mother stopped moving completely after a while. Her chest didn't even move, and his father wept openly over her unmoving form as the vehicle jostled beneath them.

"Son," his father choked out. "Don't let this experience taint your perception of humans. There are many more good humans than there are evil ones. Like my old trainer…."

The eevee kit focused on his father in the cage opposite him, trying to understand what he was trying to tell him.

"It's too late for your mother and me, but you can still live a good life," he said, hacking out a cough that left dribbles of blood trailing down his chin. "When you find a good human, never leave their side. They will take care of you."

The cracked gem on the espeon's forehead flickered and glowed before a faint click sounded inside the Eevee kit's cage, and the door flew open.

"I know you've never been much for words, but I love you. Your mother loves you. Live for yourself. Live for us. Live a good life. This is the last wish your mother and I have for you," Espeon said, smiling and holding his kit tenderly in his psychic grasp one last time before throwing him out the cage door and into the greenery around them.

The eevee kit landed with a grunt but didn't bother to get up. His parents were gone, and the human didn't come back. The reality of what happened crashed down on him, and he cried. His parents were gone, and he didn't know where he was.

Live for yourself. Live for us. Live a good life.

He didn't know how long he lay there. He was abruptly brought back to reality when something hard hit the back of his head, and the strangest feeling overcame him. Everything went dark, and he felt something closing in around him. He tried to fight it but was too weak, too drained from what he had gone through.

"Hah! Wha' luck! An eevee, in the mi'dle of nowhere. Now it's all mine," Damian grinned as he pocketed the Pokéball and continued down the path.

Part 4

Ethan stared at the starry night sky from his sleeping bag, deep in thought. He couldn't recognize most of the constellations, but he could make out the big dipper and the north star that it pointed to.

"Just like home. But at the same time, it's not," Ethan whispered to himself.

One month. Just one month ago, his life turned upside down when a freak incident landed him in the Pokémon world. He looked to his side and smiled. Eevee seemed to be resting peacefully, oblivious to the world around her. His recent catch, Sandshrew, was resting on his other side.

Daisy and her clefairy slept side-by-side, as well as Ash and Pikachu. Misty and Brock didn't have any of their Pokémon out, which was understandable. Rock Pokémon probably wouldn't be terribly comfortable, and Misty's water Pokémon were usually out only for short periods unless there was a body of water nearby.

Ethan was grateful for his friends, human and Pokémon alike. He'd probably be in a depressed funk otherwise.

Something wet dragged itself across his face, and he stiffened before relaxing. "Hey, Eevee. Couldn't sleep either?"

Eevee shook her head before inviting herself into his sleeping bag and crawled up to his chest, kneading his shirt before lying down.

Warmth bloomed in his chest, his worries set aside for the moment as he raised his hand and stroked Eevee's back. "Thanks, Eevee. You always know when I need you."

Eevee chuffed and settled her head into the crook of his neck.

"I may have lost my old world, but I'm glad I ended up in this one and met you," Ethan said in barely a whisper as he closed his eyes and let sleep take him.

Chapter Text

Chapter 16

Promises

Lance looked on the battlefield below, face propped onto his fist, with an expression that some would mistake as 'bored'.

It wasn't that he didn't want to be here. After all, watching the recently-crowned Silver Conference Champion going up against his Elite Four was much better than skimming through the stacks of paperwork he couldn't pass off to his personal assistant.

"Lapras, keep them cornered with Ice Beam!"

Lorelei was down to her fifth and final Pokémon. Lance had to admit that this new challenger was competent, and her Pokémon were well-trained.

"Absol, use Detect to get out of there!"

Yes, very well-trained, Lance thought as he watched the cornered absol charge and impossibly weave around the Ice Beam before the move could fully form a wall, then threw a Psycho Cut at the plesiosaurus for good measure. We do need to fill a slot on the Elite Four. I wish Walker would have waited to retire until after we found his replacement.

Lance's train of thought was interrupted as his communicator buzzed.

"Lance here."

"Lance, we heard back from the ranger union about that kid from Rota," said a gruff voice on the other end.

"Give me the short version and send the detailed report to my email," Lance said.

"The short of it is that the kid can use aura, just like your source in Rota said he could, though he seems inexperienced with it. Not sure what baseline the rangers are using since human aura users were supposedly extinct."

"Anything else?" Lance asked.

"The kid's in the service of Queen Ilene. He became a knight just the other day, so if your intention was to recruit him, forget it."

Lance grunted. "Anything else interesting?"

"As a matter of fact, there is. Another trainer he's traveling with has also shown signs of being able to use aura. Our ranger got confirmation about their capabilities because they used aura to subdue and rescue a pair of Shadow Pokémon."

Lance remained silent for a moment as the arm of his chair groaned within his grip. "Shadow Pokémon? In Kanto?!"

"I've already ordered ears to the ground for any other signs of Shadow Pokémon activity, and so far, this seems to be an isolated incident. The Knight is on an errand from Professor Samuel Oak to bring the Pokémon to him at Celadon University for purification."

"Good. It sounds like it's being handled. Have the ranger make sure the Knight gets to Celadon safely before their mission is considered finished. Include as much detail as you can about the Knight and the other aura user in your report," Lance said in dismissal.

"Yes sir," was the last word as the call ended.

Lance looked up just in time to see Lapras and Absol fall to the ground simultaneously, both having succumbed to the latter's Perish Song.

"Both Pokémon are unable to continue!" the referee declared. "With two Pokémon remaining, Karen is the victor and may now challenge Bruno of the Elite Four!"

Lance stood from his chair, straightened the lapel of his cape, and left his private booth. Karen was an excellent dark-type trainer, and he was sure he'd be facing her soon.

July 1st, 1997

I should have started keeping a journal a long, long time ago. I bought this back in Rota because Jarvis said I'd want a place to write down some of my thoughts, but I kind of forgot about it until now. The last time I regularly kept a journal was during my two years as a missionary in Fresno, now that I think about it. I think I'll keep it stashed in the hidden compartment of my awesome bag of holding so no one but me gets their hands on it. I wonder if I can use aura in some way so only I can open it since I don't know any ciphers I could write in. I could call it an Aura Lock!

Anyway, the experience Ash and I had with Damian last week prompted me to start writing. I know nothing I've done up to this point would have had that much of an effect on the timeline where we'd be fighting against a hypnotized Damian and the Pokémon corrupted by whoever this "M" is.

I'll be honest. I was downright terrified during that entire ordeal. I think the aura the Shadow Pokémon were giving off may be partially responsible for that since after the aura-infused Pokéballs caught them, the suffocating dark aura they gave off became greatly muted. I think the aura Ash and I infused into the Pokéballs is acting as some sort of insulation. Thank goodness for that!

I feel that this encounter may also be my first clue as to why I'm here. There's an unknown third party which, if I had to put a word to what I felt from M, is pure evil.

Okay, that's two words. But still!

I'll need to think about this some more when I have a better clue than that M is likely a psychic-type Pokémon or is a human with what is likely a psychic-type Pokémon.

Wait, could M be Mewtwo? Arceus, I hope not. I'm nowhere near ready enough to take him on. Based on what little I know about Mewtwo before he had his change of heart, this doesn't seem to be his modus operandi. Plus, if he's been cloned already, he's likely still at a Rocket facility or in the Viridian City Gym.

Well, that's something to come back to when I have more to go on.

I suppose I should record some recent events as well. Sandshrew evolved! However, the circumstances around that event have me kind of worried. Team Rocket (the TRio) apparently decided to follow me instead of Ash, thinking I'd be the easier target since I'm traveling alone.

In short, because Eevee was still recovering from her injury (and I wasn't paying any attention to what was above me), she got caught in one of their extend-o-arm thingies. I had to laugh for a moment after the initial shock because, while the TRio was occupied with reciting their motto, I just returned Eevee to her Pokéball. The expressions on the TRio's faces were priceless as if it hadn't occurred to them that, unlike Pikachu, Eevee is fine with being returned to her ball when the situation calls for it.

I had a double battle with them using Sandshrew and Jade against Koffing and Ekans, and I guess that was enough to trigger an evolution for Sandshrew. We sent them blasting off using one of Sandslash's new moves, Sand Tomb, followed by a Silver Wind and a pretty overpowered Dig attack. I think Sandshrew Sandslash is about powerful enough to start learning Sandstorm, which I know is a condition to activate whichever ability she has. I think sandslash normally have the ability Sand Veil? I really wish I had my phone back so I could confirm that.

Anyway, I haven't seen nor sensed the TRio since, so I'm hoping they decided to backtrack and go after Ash again. Still, I'm worried about how their following me might have affected Ash's meeting with the Squirtle Squad. Eh, he has a way with Pokémon, so I'm sure everything with Squirtle will work out.

Wait, if the TRio doesn't backtrack, will Ash also get to actually meet that giant dragonite? I'm so jealous now!

As far as the Shadow Pokémon are concerned, I'm afraid I haven't made much progress with them. They listen to me, but I've found that I have to be very specific with my instructions. I learned that the hard way after Growlithe tried to eat his bowl along with the Poké chow inside it. I really hope Professor Oak and his colleagues can help them.

We should make it to Celadon by tomorrow around noon, so at least we'll get them the help they need soon enough.

Eevee's demanding scritches and belly rubs, and I want to spend some more time bonding with Charmander, so I shouldn't keep them waiting.

- Ethan

Ethan skimmed his first journal entry before nodding in satisfaction and using the pen as a bookmark to mark the page. As he started to close it, the pages flipped until it opened up to the middle where Ho-Oh's feather lay, as perfect as it was when he first picked it out of the air outside Viridian Forest.

The aura adept still wondered why Ho-Oh had given him one of their feathers in the first place. He didn't consider himself to be any kind of hero or someone special - other than the fact that he was an unwilling interdimensional traveler.

As Eevee began lightly nibbling his fingertips again, he was reminded that despite the circumstances of his arrival into this world, he wouldn't trade the experiences he's had for anything.

"Okay, okay! I guess I better give you what you want before you acquire a taste for human flesh," Ethan laughed as he extricated his fingers from Eevee's mouth before suddenly lifting her up with a hand under her belly and flipping her over onto his lap.

"Eev eevee!" Eevee squealed in laughter as she vainly tried to escape her trainer's dancing fingers.

"Who says humans can't use moves?! You're helpless in the face of my Tickle attack!" Ethan declared as his other hand joined the assault.

"Eeeeveeeev! Eev vee vee veev eivui!" Eevee choked out between fits of helpless laughter, promising revenge.

This went on for another several seconds before Ethan finally stopped. Eevee continued to lay on her back, catching her breath for a moment before looking at her trainer with eyes full of mischief.

"Nuh-uh! You can get me back later, my dear Eevee. I'd like you to oversee Jade's and Sandslash's training tonight. I think it's time I start Charmander's training, so I'll be working with him," Ethan said. "Besides, a revenge prank is much better when you have a plan and execute it at the right time."

Eevee huffed and nodded before rolling off Ethan's lap and calling for Jade and Sandslash to follow her to a more open spot. Charmander stood up where he had been sitting next to the unlit fire pit of the campground that they seemed to have to themselves tonight, intent on following them to watch them train like he had since he joined the team.

"Hold up, Charmander," Ethan called as he got up on one knee and put his journal away in the hidden compartment of his bag. "How do you feel about starting your training with me tonight?"

Charmander's head whipped in Ethan's direction. His feelings shifted from shock to nervousness, to uncertainty, then assurance and excitement, his face reflecting each one in turn before he hurried over. "Charmander!"

"Awesome! I saw an area on our way here where we can train without the risk of setting anything on fire," Ethan said. "Come on!"

"Char!" Charmander cried as he easily followed along, which Ethan was very happy about. During the first few days after Charmander had joined him, the little guy's body just didn't have enough energy to keep up while they walked, which was understandable given that his muscles had started to atrophy from two weeks of disuse with no food while he waited on that rock, according to Nurse Joy's report.

If he were human, it would have taken weeks, if not months, to recover. Ethan was still amazed at how fast Pokémon could recover from pretty much anything non-lethal.

After a few minutes, the two made it to the center of a small rise devoid of any trees and plant life. A quick sweep of the area with Ethan's aura senses revealed that they were alone.

"All right, little guy. Since we haven't actually gotten you cleared by Nurse Joy yet, we can't do any heavy training, so we're going to use tonight's training to gauge where you stand. This'll include what moves you know and how much power you have." Ethan explained. "Though don't worry if there's not a lot of power yet. After all, Rome wasn't built in a day but rather one brick at a time."

Ethan considered what to say next before getting down on his knees and taking Charmander's claws in his hands. "Before we start, though, I want to talk about something and offer some promises and assurances to you."

Charmander tilted his head curiously and nodded, giving his full attention.

"This might be a bit of a painful subject for you, but I want to address this now. I hope it goes without saying, but I am nothing like Damian, and I hope to prove that to you in time. I won't leave you on some rock in the woods if you don't meet my expectations. I believe with the right training and dedication, you can be the strongest charmander, charmeleon, and eventually the strongest charizard in the world. So my first assurance and promise is that I will never abandon you if I can help it."

The little fire lizard's face was in a state of open-mouthed shock. He had a complex set of emotions swirling through him, among which stood out heartbreak and hope. Even as Ethan watched, the heartbreak shrank a little but was still there.

Charmander's eyes started glistening, and he tackled Ethan into a hug, nearly causing him to fall over. It was then he let the waterworks flow.

"Let it all out, Charmander. People may say men like us aren't supposed to cry, but I say let real men cry," Ethan smiled as he rubbed Charmander's back comfortingly. "Let all your stresses and uncertainties flow away."

They stayed in that position for several minutes, during which it felt like a load was lifted off Charmander's shoulders.

"Can you make a promise to me?" Ethan spoke up, allowing Charmander to back away a bit to look up at his trainer.

"After you evolve into a charizard, would you take me flying? I've never flown on the back of a Pokémon before, and I'm finding myself wondering what it's like."

Charmander choked out a laugh and eagerly nodded. "Char charmander!"

Ethan grinned before looking at the barren rise around them. "You know, most people will look at this place and see nothing of value here. But you and I will remember this place for a long time."

Charmander eyes shone with a spark behind them that Ethan had never seen before.

"I do have one more secret I'd like to share with you, but I'll tell you another day. I think we've put off training long enough," Ethan said with a grin as he stood up and placed Charmander back on his feet.

"All right, I could use my Pokédex to see what moves you have, but that's no fun. Show me what you've got!"

It was a very productive training session. Ethan didn't even mind that Eevee got the other girls in on her revenge prank, which ended up with him spending the night in a cocoon made up of Jade's string shot. It was very comfortable.

Ethan grunted as he struggled to push himself up. "Ninety-seven!"

"Eevee vee!" Ethan heard, accompanied by three swift taps to the center of his back as he lowered himself back down.

"Ninety-eight!"

Two more taps as he prepared for the next push-up.

"Ninety-nine!"

Sweat dripped from his chin, mixing with the dew hanging from a blade of grass below. He felt one more tap. "Eev eev, Eeveev!"

He breathed quickly and pushed himself up one more time, holding his position for a moment before dropping onto the blessedly cool grass. The weight on his back disappeared, and Eevee appeared in front of him and licked his nose. "One hundred."

Ethan caught his breath and then pushed himself into a sitting position. "Is it just me, or have you grown bigger since we first met?"

Eevee tilted her head, then looked at herself curiously as Ethan ran a hand through her fur, humming in thought.

"You've definitely grown, though a small bit of that is this extra fluff," Ethan said, his hand coming back with a small wad of fur. "Looks like you're starting to shed. I don't know if it's okay to trim your fur, but luckily, there's a Pokémon salon I have in mind where we can find out and get it done if we need to. It's been a mild summer so far, but it's going to get hotter over the next little while, and we don't want you to overheat."

Eevee ears perked up, and she swiftly nodded. She then looked up at the top of Ethan's head and tilted her own. "Eevee eev?"

Ethan moved his hand to his own head, pinched the end of a few hairs, and pulled down until the ends stopped at the tip of his nose. "Yeah, I guess it's time I get a haircut too."

Ethan shrugged and got to his feet. "Anyway, when we go to get that brace taken off today, I'll ask Nurse Joy to take your measurements again," he said.

Ethan walked over to the rock where he had left his shirt and slipped it back on. "I'd like to get to the city as fast as possible, so we'll have a quick breakfast. Mind getting the others for me while I get everything out?"

Eevee barked a confirmation and quickly walked away, the brace on her leg more of a hindrance than a support at this point.

But Nurse Joy said to keep it on until we get to Celadon, just in case, Ethan recalled. Eevee was annoyed that she was missing out on all the training and channeled that frustration into doubling her trainer's training. Ethan thought it was also some form of punishment for getting bodily involved in the fight with then-M's shadow eevee.

Ethan shook his head as he took out six bowls from his bag. He set four of them close together while setting the other two on his other side, then began prepping each Pokémon's dish.

Charmander's and the Shadow Pokémon's bowls got a little extra food, along with some vitamins and their medicine mixed in according to Nurse Joy's instructions. Ethan was amazed at how quickly they were recovering from their physical ailments. Charmander had enough energy that his playful personality had finally started to shine through, and he had put on enough weight that he was almost in the healthy range again.

Even the Shadow Pokémon gained a healthy amount of weight, and their patchy fur began growing in evenly, and their coats were regaining their vibrant color.

Ethan still wondered about Growlithe. Its form wasn't something he had seen before. I suppose it could be a regional variant from a future game or Gen 8 dlc I didn't get a chance to play. I'll have to see if my phone has anything on it whenever I get it back.

Having finished preparing everything, Ethan sat back and closed his eyes. Slowly, he took a deep breath and let it out through his nose. The morning was just cool enough that he appreciated the breeze blowing around him. He could sense Eevee a short distance away calling out to her fellow teammates, and he knew they would be back shortly.

In this moment of quiet, his thoughts turned to his family back on Earth. He had somewhat come to accept what had happened to him but wished he could send a message that he was okay if only to alleviate the grief he was sure his family was going through.

I suppose it wouldn't hurt to say a quick prayer. I've kind of been slacking on that a lot recently, Ethan thought.

Ethan thought of what to say as he bowed his head. "God, if you can hear me, please let my family know that I'm okay. And please keep me and my Pokémon safe as we journey. Help me know what I need to do to help my Pokémon and I be the best that we can be."

Ethan paused as he took a breath. "And if it is your will, please help me find a way home."

A sudden noise broke Ethan out of his prayer. A patch of rustling leaves shook and slowly rose as a face appeared underneath them.

"Oddish!" The Pokémon said as it dug itself out of the patch of dirt it presumably buried itself in the previous night. It shook itself off, then noticed the human staring at it.

"Um, good morning!" Ethan waved with a smile.

The oddish stared for a moment before scrambling away through the underbrush.

"Well, amen," Ethan whispered as he pulled out two Pokéballs and waited.

He didn't have to wait long. Eevee, Charmander, Jade, and Sandslash entered the small clearing they were camped in, each of them being short of breath. Looked like they decided to have a race.

"Alright, everyone, dig in! I'm sure you're hungry," Ethan said.

Everyone voiced their agreement, sat in front of their bowls, and started eating.

"Growlithe, Eevee, time to eat," he called as he released the two Shadow Pokémon.

The other four Pokémon tensed and kept a wary eye on them, ready to jump into action if they tried anything.

Ethan doubted that would be necessary. Like all the other times he brought them out of their Pokéballs, they just… didn't do anything unless they were directly told to do so. Their faces were perfectly neutral, and they showed no personality or signs of their individuality.

They still exuded that primal fear-inducing aura, which made the chatter of wild Pokémon in the immediate area cease. Ethan could only say he had mostly gotten used to it, though it was still a little unnerving.

"Growlithe, your food is in this bowl. Eat as much of the food in it as you can. Eevee, your food is in this bowl. Eat as much of the food in it as you can," Ethan instructed them, making sure he gave his instructions clearly, noting the bite marks on the side of the bowls from where they had tried to eat them earlier in the week.

The two Pokémon mechanically did as instructed. Ethan sighed as he set a bag of trail mix in his lap, eating with his left hand while petting Eevee with his right - the shadow eevee.

"You know what, little man? I'm going to call you Vee, after Red's eevee that could transform into their evolutions and back. Just like you," Ethan said. "If you want a different name after you're all better, or don't want one at all, let me know then."

Vee's eyes widened, head twitching in Ethan's direction before his face went to a blank neutral again, and he resumed eating.

Ethan blinked, then met eyes with Eevee. "I didn't imagine that, did I? Vee looked shocked for a second there?"

Eevee confirmed that with a nod before taking her empty bowl and placing it next to Ethan's satchel.

"That name means something to him. Why does it mean something to him?" Ethan wondered.

Wanting to get to Celadon City in a reasonable time, Ethan forewent the usual weighted harness training and returned everyone sans Eevee to their Pokéballs, reasoning that he would likely be having a few battles as he got closer to the largest metropolis in Kanto.

Within an hour, he was able to spot the aircraft warning lights atop the taller skyscrapers flashing red and white at set intervals, despite the fact he was still a few hours from reaching the edge of the city. Other travelers and trainers were becoming more frequent, as expected, though one look at Eevee's wrapped leg changed many trainers' minds about challenging Ethan to a battle.

He still took on quite a few, allowing Charmander, Sandslash, and Jade each to score a few wins and only one loss for Charmander. Ethan had to stifle a laugh when he praised Charmander's progress because the little fire lizard still didn't seem to know how to parse being praised after a loss. Or at all, really.

It wasn't long after their last battle that they reached checkpoint E-17 on the east side of the city. "Finally! Can't wait to get some hot food and a nice, cold shower," Ethan said as he entered the line waiting to get into the city.

"Eev?! Vui vee veevee eev veev eievui eev vee, Eeveev?!" Eevee asked.

Ethan scoffed, removed Eevee from his shoulder, and held her in his arms. "Just because I know the joys of a hot shower doesn't mean I can't like cold showers, too."

A tap on his shoulder stopped the conversation before it could go on, and Ethan looked over his shoulder to see who it was.

"What a coincidence seeing you here, Ethan," the person said.

"Kellyn? What are you doing here?" Ethan asked as he fully turned to face him. Then he noticed Kllyn's uniform. "I didn't know you were a ranger. Are you on an assignment?"

Kellyn looked up and ahead. "I, uh, actually just finished one. Can't say what it is, though. It's classified."

The ranger had a considering look, then looked back at Ethan. "What about you? I thought you were traveling in a group?"

"I'm running an errand for someone. Can't say what it is, though. It's classified," Ethan said with a smirk as he reached the front of the line and pulled out his Pokédex to hand to the checkpoint security guard.

"Ah, touché," Ranger Kellyn laughed. "Well, maybe I'll see you around. I'm thinking of sticking around for a day or two for some R and R before I head back to HQ."

"Sounds like fun! I have to get going, but it was nice talking to you. Say hi to Pachirisu for me. And thank you for your service and all that," Ethan said as he accepted his Pokédex back and proceeded through the checkpoint.

Kellyn stood open-mouthed before smiling. "You're welcome! See you later, maybe!"

Ethan waved goodbye, placed Eevee back on his shoulder, and then walked for a couple of minutes to a park he had spotted. He sat down on a bench, set Eevee next to him, and fished out his guidebook from the bag strapped to his leg. "Alright, Eevee, let's find a Pokémon Center and get that brace off."

"Eevee!" Eevee excitedly jumped around on the spot, enough so that a foot went over the edge, and she started to tumble over.

Ethan caught her before she could fall far. "Woah! Careful, Eevee. I guess the sooner we get that off, the better, huh?"

Eevee sheepishly nodded as Ethan flipped through the guidebook to figure out where they needed to go.

"You arrived a little sooner than I anticipated, Ethan. Unfortunately, the machine isn't quite ready yet," Professor Oak said apologetically.

"When will it be ready, Professor? I don't mean to sound like I'm in a hurry, but I was hoping to get Vee and Growlithe back to normal asap," Ethan said into the telephone while tapping the fingers of his other hand on the table.

"Vee?" the professor questioned, seeming intrigued.

"Oh, right. I gave the little guy a name," Ethan explained.

"Interesting choice of name. Well, I anticipate that it will be another two, perhaps three days before we'll be ready. The machine is mostly set up, but we have to be thorough with its calibrations to ensure that everything goes right," the professor explained. "If you'd like to tour the campus in the meantime, I'd be more than happy to make arrangements for that."

Ethan mulled the offer over. "I'd like that, but maybe tomorrow. I was thinking of exploring Celadon as well as looking into a few places to see if they correlate with… what I've heard about."

Professor Oak raised a brow before a look of understanding crossed his face. "This has to do with what you called your 'meta' knowledge, correct? Any place in particular?"

"The department store. I'd like to see what they have and maybe splurge a little on some supplies," Ethan trailed off for a moment. "Hey, is HopHopHop Town and Scissor Street part of the Celadon Metropolis?"

"Why, yes, they are! HopHopHop Town is a suburb on the southwestern side of the city. Breeder's Lane, or Scissor Street as you called it, is actually where Daisy has an internship and isn't far from the University."

A crash of metal sounded from the professor's end of the call. "Hey, be careful with that! I'm sorry, Ethan, but I have to get back to supervising these interns. If we don't hear from each other again, then come to the University in three days. We should be ready for you no later than that."

"Alright, Professor, sounds good. I'll see you then," Ethan said. The professor returned the goodbye and ended the call.

Ethan sat back in the worn, squeaky plastic chair and sighed. One other location came to mind after Professor Oak's question, and he hoped he was wrong about whatever was under it.

He picked up his guidebook from the kiosk table and flipped through it until he came across an advertisement.

"Celadon City Game Corner. Win fabulous prizes, including rare items, Pokémon, and much, much more," Ethan read, noting it also had a coupon for 100 free coins on your first visit.

He tossed the idea of investigating whether there was a Team Rocket base under the Game Corner before a thought came to mind. The nugget bridge was busted as a Team Rocket operation. Maybe this one already was, too, Ethan thought to himself. It looked like a trip to the library was in order to see if there was anything on the subject.

The Pokémon Center intercom came alive with its signature five-note jingle. "Ethan Dust, your Pokémon are ready for you."

Ethan stood from his seat and groaned as he rubbed his lower back. The chair was more uncomfortable than he thought. As he made his way to the front desk, a gathering of trainers and a few Pokémon watching a news broadcast on the television caught his attention.

"It's official, folks! Pokémon Contests are coming to the Kanto and Johto regions! The announcement was made earlier this morning by the Pokémon Activities Committee Chairman, Raoul Contesta. For those of you who missed the live broadcast, here it is again!"

The picture shifted to a video of a man with graying hair and a distinctive red suit walking up to a pulpit in front of a large crowd with cameras flashing every step.

Mr. Contesta waited for the applause to die down with a smile before he began speaking. "First off, I'd like to thank the Indigo Pokémon League for the use of their building, as this is going to be a very momentous occasion. My name is Raoul Contesta, Chairman of the Pokémon Activities Committee. For those of you who may not know, we are responsible for organizing and coordinating the increasingly popular Pokémon Contests commonly seen in the Hoenn and Sinnoh regions.

"Pokémon Contests are competitions that showcase the style, grace, and skill of Pokémon through visually impressive performances and battles. From what I've seen, much of our television audience are viewers that tune in from the Kanto and Johto regions, and for that, I thank you.

"After much discussion and a unanimous agreement from the Pokémon Activities Committee and the blessing of the Indigo Government, it is my pleasure to announce that we are bringing Pokémon Contests to the regions of Kanto and Johto!"

Applause and cheering sounded through the television before Mr. Contesta began taking questions. The trainers gathered around the television talked amongst themselves, some excitedly and some still confused about what contests even were.

I was starting to wonder why I hadn't heard of any contests being around, Ethan mused as he picked up his feet again. I want to go see one when they start up.

Ethan presented his identification to the person manning the front desk. With a nod, they placed a tray with four Pokéballs on the counter. "Thank you for waiting, Ethan. According to Nurse Joy, your Pokémon are in great shape. Your Charmander's at its target weight range now and can be taken off the light training only order given to you previously. Also, here are the measurements you requested for your Eevee."

"Awesome! Thanks, John. Give Nurse Joy my thanks, too," Ethan said. He placed three of the Pokéballs on the strap of his bag, tucked away the report in a side pocket, and held the green-topped ball in his hand.

"Oh! One more thing," John said. "A message came in for you while your Pokémon were being healed. Jarvis from Rota wants you to call him when you can."

Ethan raised a brow. "Oh, okay. Thanks for letting me know."

John smiled and nodded before calling for another trainer who had been waiting.

Ethan released Eevee from her ball as he made his way back to the private video phone booth he had been using before. Eevee shook her head and jumped up to her customary spot on his shoulder, where she greeted him with an excited "Eevee!" and then began sniffing his hair.

"Hello to you too, Eevee! Yes, I showered. You're probably smelling the Pecha shampoo I used," Ethan said with a laugh as he smooshed her face against his.

Eevee responded by licking his fingers.

"I've got one more phone call I need to make, then we'll get some lunch and see if we can find Daisy. Professor Oak told me she works at a place near where she goes to school," Ethan said. "Remember Daisy?"

Eevee's face scrunched up in thought - well, as much as it could with her face being smooshed - before she gasped and nodded vigorously.

"Ha! I knew you would. Anyway, phone call, then lunch!" Ethan said as he took a seat once again in the plastic chair. He entered his trainer ID and password into the video phone before dialing a number he had memorized.

After about a minute, the ringing stopped, and the words [Voice Only] appeared on the screen. "Ah, Sir Ethan! I'm glad you could call. How are you?" Jarvis' voice asked.

"I'm doing pretty well! We made it to Celadon City this morning," Ethan answered. Eevee hopped down to his lap, placed her front paws on the screen, and cried, "Eevee vee!"

"Well, greetings to you too, Madam Eevee! And you say you're in Celadon City now? That's rather convenient!" Jarvis said.

"Why's that? Are you coming for a visit?" Ethan joked.

Jarvis laughed along. "Oh, I'm afraid not. My duties keep me here at Cameran. No, the reason it's convenient is that Celadon houses an opportunity for you."

"What opportunity?" Ethan asked, confused.

"The opportunity is this. Celadon City is the location of the Kanto Police Academy. We'd like you to enroll in their three-day boot camp to help give you a better understanding of how you can fulfill your duties as a knight."

"Oh," Ethan said, surprised. "Am I expected to be there at a certain time?"

"I'll notify them to be on the lookout for you, though it's up to you when to enroll."

"Okay. Okay, um, I've got a lot on my plate, so it may have to wait until the next time I drop by Celadon. I need to get back with Ash and the others as soon as I'm done here, but I'll see if I can at least drop by the academy and talk to someone," Ethan said.

"Ah, Ash is the one you were referring to in relation to Sir Aaron's Lucario, yes? Very well, that may be for the best."

Eevee's stomach growled loudly.

"Thanks, Jarvis. I've got to feed my Pokémon, but it was nice talking to you again!" Ethan said.

"Likewise. Stay safe!" Jarvis said as he hung up the call.

Ethan placed the phone back in its receiver, then leaned back and sighed.

"Eeveev?" Eevee asked.

"I'm just surprised that it never crossed my mind that there'd be some training for all this Knight stuff. I think I'd like to go a little while without surprises," Ethan said.

"Hey, it's you!" a bratty-sounding voice shouted.

"Me and my big mouth," Ethan groaned in exasperation and turned around in his chair to see a kid in shorts, a yellow shirt with a Rattata print, and a blue cap he was wearing backward.

The kid was also pointing a finger and looking right at Ethan with a challenging stare.

"It's time for my revenge! I challenge you to a battle!" the kid yelled.

Ethan and Eevee looked at each other, then back to the kid.

"Sorry, do I know you?"

Chapter Text

Chapter 17

Celadon City

"Sorry, do I know you?"

The kid stumbled at those five words. "Wait, you don't remember me?"

"I mean, should I?" Ethan asked with a one-armed shrug.

"I battled you at the Rota Town Pokémon Center with my rattata!" the kid yelled, spittle flying out of his mouth and drawing some looks from the other patrons inside the Pokémon Center.

Ethan kept his face from showing it, though he watched the spittle fly with distaste. "Ah, right. You're the kid with the rattata that's in the 'top percentage of all rattata', right?"

"I ain't a kid!" Brat yelled. "Don't mock me! And don't change the subject neither! Are you going to battle me or not?"

This kid has issues. Ethan breathed to push down his building irritation. "Sure, why not? Eevee hasn't had a battle all week, and she's itching for a fight."

"Eevee!" Eevee cheered at this.

"About time you made up your mind! Meet me out back!" Brat said, then walked away.

"You know, Eevee, I don't think I ever got his name. I've just been calling him 'Brat' in my head," Ethan whispered. Eevee jumped onto his shoulder and swatted the back of his head with a paw in reproval, even as she tried to hold back a laugh.

"Ow! Damn it, Eevee! That kind of hurt," Ethan winced as he rubbed the spot.

"Eev eevee, Eeveev!" Eevee said sternly.

"Fine, I'll be nicer," Ethan grumbled as he stood from the chair. "You didn't have to hit me."

Eevee nosed her trainer's cheek, licked him, and rubbed her head against his neck.

"You're lucky I love you," Ethan said affectionately, scratching behind Eevee's ears. "But only hit me when I actually deserve it, k?"

"Eevee!" Eevee nodded as they walked in the direction Brat– the rattata trainer went.

As they drew closer to the doors that led to the Pokémon Center's battlefields, Ethan noticed that other people were gathered around the fields where his opponent was, either waiting to watch a battle, watching another battle going on, or trying to find a battle themselves. "Looks like we'll have a bit of an audience, Eevee."

Eevee shrugged dismissively.

"You know, I'm so glad I never had to train stage fright out of you," Ethan said appreciatively. "I know I've still got some to work through before we battle in front of the big crowds at the Indigo League."

"Eev eevee," Eevee offered in support.

Ethan smiled. "I know I'll get it. We've got time."

The automatic doors opened before them, and they walked to the battlefield where the youngster awaited him.

"So, you decided to show up after all," he snorted derisively.

"I wasn't planning on running away," Ethan said neutrally. "By the way, I don't think you've ever told me your name. I'll tell you mine if you tell me yours."

"The name's Joey, from New Bark Town," Joey said. "My rattata isn't like other rattata. He's going to be the top rattata in the world!"

"Nice to finally meet you, Joey. I'm Ethan, from Rota," Ethan said. "What rules do you want for this match?"

Joey thought about it for a moment. "One Pokémon each. Rattata against your eevee, and a 100 Credit wager."

"Sounds good to me," Ethan agreed. They each stepped into their respective trainer boxes on opposite sides of the field, and another trainer stepped in from the crowd to the referee's box.

"My name is Olivia Jones. I'm a four-badge trainer and I'll ref this match for you both. This is a one-on-one battle with no substitutions. Are both trainers ready?"

Eevee shuffled in place on Ethan's right shoulder, eager to get started as both trainers voiced their readiness. Other trainers judging matches were rather typical, especially around Pokémon Centers.

"Trainers, send out your Pokémon!" Olivia declared.

Joey tossed his Pokéball out. "This is a revenge match, Rattata. Let's do this!"

"Eevee, let's make this quick," Ethan said as Eevee hopped onto his extended right forearm before he threw it forward, launching Eevee over the battlefield, where she landed neatly inside the center ring. This drew some cheers from the watching crowd.

Olivia looked to make sure everyone was ready before she raised her arms. "Let the battle begin!"

"Rattata, use–"

"Quick Attack!" Ethan barked out. Eevee disappeared in a blur before suddenly appearing where Rattata once stood.

The rattata tumbled over the dirt battlefield before regaining control and skidding to a halt.

"Hey! It was my turn–"

"Again, into Double Kick!"

Eevee again disappeared, and the rattata braced for impact. When he didn't immediately feel anything, he dared to crack an eye open only to see Eevee's glowing hind paws impact his midsection.

A chant of "Ee-vee! Ee-vee! Ee-vee!" started from the crowd. Ethan spared a glance to see that a group of six cheerleaders started it.

Huh. They look familiar, Ethan thought before refocusing on the battle.

The rattata slowly struggled to its paws before collapsing.

Olivia counted down from three, and when Rattata didn't rise, she made the call. "Rattata is unable to continue. Eevee wins, and the battle goes to Ethan!"

Man, talk about one-sided, Ethan idly thought as Eevee started walking back with her head held high.

"I call foul!" Joey yelled over the crowd. "We're supposed to take turns calling out commands!"

"What do you think this is? Trainer school?" a haughty voice called out. Ethan looked to see a trainer in a long-sleeved blue shirt, his jeans tucked into his boots, with a head of too-much mahogany-colored spiked hair approaching the two.

"Give him his winnings and get lost," the trainer said as he stopped. Joey looked like he was about to protest, then saw all the eyes on him before grumbling, shoving a few crumpled notes in Ethan's hand, and storming away.

Ethan watched him go before turning to the trainer. "I had that handled, but thanks anyway."

"Yeah, well, I didn't do that out of the goodness of my heart. You actually seem competent. I saw how you stomped that newbie and wanted a shot at you myself," the trainer said. "Gary Oak is my name, and don't you forget it."

Ethan grinned. "How could I forget? Daisy, Professor Oak, and Ash talked a lot about you."

Gary gave Ethan an appraising look before snapping his fingers. "Ah, you must be that Ethan, the third trainer Gramps sponsored this year."

"Third? Didn't a couple of other trainers receive starters from him?" Ethan asked.

"Yeah, but they weren't good enough for a sponsorship deal. Just you, me, and somehow Ash. I still don't get how Ash got one," Gary shrugged. "Guess it's none of my business."

Gary hummed before snapping his fingers. "Here's an idea. There's a small tournament tomorrow being sponsored by the Pokémon Fan Club for trainers with up to three badges. How about we register for that tournament and battle each other there, assuming you're good enough to make it that far into the brackets."

Eevee jumped to Ethan's shoulder and bristled but was quickly calmed by a reassuring hand on her head.

"Sounds like it could be fun. Haven't been in one of those yet," Ethan said thoughtfully. "What time does it start, and where do we sign up?"

Gary smirked and motioned Ethan to walk with him so the next trainers could use the battlefield. "It's a one-day tournament, so it'll start at ten in the morning at the Pidgeot Transport Arena at Celadon University. You can sign up at the Pokémon Center near the commerce district, which is the closest public center there. I was going to compete anyway, so I already registered."

Ethan nodded as he pulled out his guidebook and flipped to the map it had for Celadon City. "Okay, looks like that Pokémon Center is a pretty decent walk, and it's close to where I want to go after that. Thanks, Gary."

"Yeah, don't mention it. I'll see you there," Gary said dismissively before walking back into the building.

Ethan spent another moment studying the map before putting the guidebook away and looking at his partner. "Gary's a good guy, Eevee. Don't let his 'cool guy' attitude fool you. Anyway, let's go get registered. I'm not sure when signups close, so we're taking a bus."

Eevee nodded and tightened her grip on Ethan's shoulder.

After registering for the tournament, booking a room, and cleaning everyone up, Ethan and Eevee were on their way to the commerce district through crowds of people and Pokémon. "I've never been in a city this huge, Eevee! I wonder if this is what New York or Tokyo is like," Ethan said to his furry companion. "These are the tallest buildings I've ever seen!"

"Eev eevee!" Eevee exclaimed, taking in his infectious excitement.

Ethan looked around some more before he spotted something and laughed. "Definitely Tokyo. Just look at all those vending machines!" he said as he headed over to take a look at what they were offering.

There was the standard fare of candy bars and beverages, grossly overpriced, that you would expect from a vending machine. Others were more interesting, like ones that would spit out fully cooked hot meals, another one where you could customize bags of Pokémon food, and one that had an assortment of bagged treats, like poffins and Pokéblocks.

Nearby, a young woman placed an expanded Pokéball in a slot on a machine and made her selection. Several seconds after the ball was taken into the machine, it came back out with a newly printed floral pattern on both hemispheres. She took it off and showed it to her oddish, who didn't seem to care.

"Hey, this one has stickers specifically made for Pokéballs! I've been wanting something like this," Ethan said as he pulled a few notes from his wallet. "I think I'll grab a few sets in case the others want some."

As Ethan packed his purchase in his bag, Eevee's ears perked up, and she jumped off his shoulder and walked to a nearby window to look inside. "Eeveev! Eev eev eevee?"

"What did ya find, Eevee?" Ethan asked as he walked over to look at what was displayed. "Oh, wow! I didn't think I'd see one of these again!"

Inside, protected in a glass case, was a display model of a red Game Boy Color.

"It's a little over a year early, but damn. This brings me back," Ethan said as he placed Eevee back on his shoulder. "This thing was my first game console and what introduced me to Pokémon in the first place."

Eevee tilted her head questioningly. "Eevee?"

"Ah," Ethan said in understanding. "I haven't introduced you to video games yet, have I? That won't do at all! We're finding an arcade before we leave the city."

Ethan moved on, explaining the concept of video games to Eevee and doing his best to answer the questions she asked. They eventually crossed a street, entering Scissor Street, also known as Breeder's Lane. Ethan opened his guidebook and looked at the address scribbled on a sticky note tucked in one of the pages.

"Almost there," Ethan said as they passed by a trio of growlithe holding their own leashes as they sat outside a Pokéms food and drug store.

After navigating another few blocks and through the bustling crowds, they reached their destination. Ethan double-checked the address to ensure he was at the right place before nodding and opening the door with a vulpix design above the handle. A chime echoed in the store as he entered.

"Be with you soon!" a woman's voice said from further in the salon.

Eevee hopped off Ethan's shoulder onto the table at a booth where he sat. "It's so much quieter in here," Ethan remarked as he opened his bag and pulled out a canister of Eevee's Pokémon food, shaking it to get her attention.

"How about a little bite to eat to hold you over 'til lunch? I whipped this up last night," Ethan said, a smile coming to his face when Eevee cheered happily.

Ethan popped open the lid and picked out a few pieces to hand-feed her, which she eagerly enjoyed before nudging his hand for more.

"This batch must be better than usual, eh?" Ethan laughed as he poured some more bite-sized pieces into the palm of his hand.

A feeling of curiosity that Ethan knew was directed at him hit his senses, and he looked across the room to meet the eyes of a six-tailed fox on a puck bed staring at him with one eye open. Ethan looked at the Pokémon food in his hand, then back at the vulpix with a smile.

"You're welcome to come try some of this if you want, Vulpix," Ethan said. "It's based on a recipe by my friend studying to become a Pokémon breeder. It's made with pecha and cheri berries for a great balance of sweet and spicy, just like Eevee."

Eevee raised a paw, seemingly ready to swat her trainer, before pausing and giggling. "Vee, Eeveev!"

"See what I mean?" Ethan said, laughing along with his starter.

The vulpix just rolled their eyes and laid back down, though Ethan could sense their amusement at the exchange.

A chime echoed in the store as the door opened and closed again.

"Sorry I'm late, Suzie! Classes ran a little long today."

"You don't have to apologize for that, Daisy," said a woman with waist-length teal hair and brown eyes wearing a bright, professional salon smock. "Your education is worth more than a few minutes of work."

"Eevee!" Eevee cried and jumped off the table, running up to Daisy and jumping excitedly around her.

"Hey, I know this eevee! Where's Ethan?" Daisy asked.

"Over here," Ethan said as he put the canister of food away and stood up from the table with a grin. "How've you been, Daisy?"

"I've been doing pretty well! I just have a few weeks left before I'm done with school, then I'll be moving to Cherrygrove City to open up my own salon," Daisy said as she picked up Eevee and opened her other arm to Ethan.

Ethan took the invitation and hugged her back. "Cherrygrove, huh? I hear that's the only place you can catch a boat to Alto Mare, so I'll more than likely come visit whenever I decide to take that trip."

"I'd like that," Daisy smiled. "So, did you see me on TV a couple of weeks ago?"

"I just got to Celadon today, and the only TV I've watched was an announcement about Pokémon contests coming to Kanto and Johto," Ethan replied.

"They are? Really!? That's fantastic news!" Daisy exclaimed, twirling in a circle with Eevee in her arms. "Well, Gramps revealed the fairy type to the public, so I helped him with a demonstration. The league had to tighten security around Mount Moon so that overeager trainers wouldn't disturb the clefairy's natural ecosystem."

"Really? I'll have to ask him about it when I see him this week," Ethan noted. "Anyways, I came here because it's starting to become a hot summer, and Eevee might need a trim to help stay cool."

Daisy dug her fingers through Eevee's fur in a few places and nodded. "Yep, she's not shedding much, so a trim is the way to go. You look like you could use a haircut yourself," she said, pointing out a few hairs that were touching the tip of Ethan's nose.

"I could take care of that," Suzie said. "Are you going to introduce me to your friend, Daisy?"

"Ah! Sorry, Suzie. Suzie, meet Ethan. He's one of my Gramps' lab trainers. Ethan, this is Suzie, a top Pokémon breeder in grooming and nutrition who also happens to have a barber's license. And she's Brocks' idol." Daisy giggled at the last part.

"Ah, yeah, he did mention that once, didn't he?" Ethan hummed. "Nice to meet you, Suzie."

"Nice to meet you, too! Why don't we take care of the two of you, then we'll close shop for lunch?" Suzie suggested.

"Yeah! I know all of the good restaurants around here," Daisy said. "Do you have a preference, Ethan?"

Ethan thought about it for a moment before looking at Eevee. "I have been wondering how Eevee would react to waffles. Got any waffle houses around here?"

After a trim and a haircut, the group found a comfy, rustic-looking waffle restaurant that allowed Pokémon to dine with their trainers. They took a large corner booth and gave a waiter their order for the all-you-can-eat waffle special. Ethan brought out Jade, Sandslash, and Charmander. Daisy brought out her Clefairy, and Suzie sat with her Vulpix, who had walked with them to the restaurant.

Soft piano Jazz was playing in the background through the speakers in the ceiling, creating a nice, relaxing atmosphere.

"Your Pokémon look wonderful and healthy," Suzie began, "but your Charmander looks like he's seen better days. What happened, if I may ask?"

"...Ash and I recently rescued Charmander from an abusive trainer," Ethan explained somberly. "Charmander was near death when we found him, but he's almost fully recovered over the past week. Isn't that right, bud?"

Charmander happily crooned as Ethan rubbed his head.

"So, is he yours now?" Daisy asked.

"Yep!" Ethan grinned. At that moment, Eevee, Jade, and Sandslash butted their heads against him, drawing laughter from him. "Hey, calm down! I only have two arms!"

Suzie giggled at the sight. "I think I see why you're friends with him, Daisy."

The first round of waffles arrived, and all the rest of the Pokémon dug in. Eevee eyed the odd-shaped piece of bread in front of her with no small amount of curiosity.

"This is a waffle, Eevee," Ethan explained. "The fun thing about waffles is that they're made to be topped with whatever you want. Let me prepare yours with the toppings I like. First, we top it with some of this moo-moo whipped cream, then top that with fresh pieces of pecha and oran berries."

Eevee's eyes lit up, and drool started to pool in her mouth before she gulped and took a sizeable bite. She chewed with her eyes closed for a moment and swallowed.

After a few moments. Eevee jumped in place and cried happily, causing Ethan's right ear to start ringing from the volume of her cry. Ethan's senses went into overload, and he had to hold back a groan with how much joy Eevee radiated at that moment.

"Yeah, I think this is a hit," Ethan remarked, rubbing his head.

"I'd say," Daisy giggled.

The group ate, taking time between bites for small chatter. Ethan was mid-chew when Eevee pawed at his arm. When he looked over, he quickly swallowed to avoid choking on his food. Most of Eevee's face, other than where she could reach with her tongue, was covered in cream dyed with the juices of the berries from her meal.

"You made a bit of a mess of yourself, didn't you?" Ethan whispered, silently laughing. He used a couple of fingers to scoop some of the cream off her face and held it in front of her so she could lick it off. They repeated this a few times before Ethan wiped her face with a rag to get whatever was left in her fur.

"Vee, Eeveev!" Eevee said before looking at her plate and deflating when she realized there was nothing left.

"You're welcome! We'll have to do this again sometime," Ethan said. I haven't seen anything resembling Mexican food yet. Maybe we should try that next. Now I wanna see Eevee eating a taco.

"There's more waffles where that came from, Eevee! Just don't overeat again, and remember to eat slowly," Ethan reminded her as he took a waffle from the community plate and prepared another serving for her.

Eevee looked up at him with an expression that said, 'I know that!' before going back to her new plate.

Ethan smiled and scratched the base of her tail, where she wriggled in delight. Then he looked up at Suzie and Daisy's amused faces.

"...What's with the looks?" Ethan asked with a raised brow.

Daisy and Suzie looked at each other and giggled.

"Oh, nothing. It's just fun seeing you spoil Eevee," Daisy answered.

"Oi! Get your facts straight," Ethan rebutted with a serious face before cracking. "I spoil all my Pokémon because they deserve no less."

After everyone finished, Ethan paid for his team's portion and returned Eevee and the rest of his Pokémon to their balls. The group parted ways, though Daisy promised to watch for him and Gary at the tournament the next day.

After mulling over what to do next, Ethan decided to make a quick trip to the Police Academy to introduce himself and see if they had any study material for him. He figured it wouldn't hurt to start studying, just in case they had a written portion of the boot camp that Jarvis suggested he attend.

After leaving the academy campus, even though it was barely late afternoon, Ethan decided to head back to the Pokémon Center. He hadn't been to a big city in a while, and his aura sense was starting to give him a migraine from all the auras he could sense in the densely populated metropolis that amounted to a constant buzzing comparable to white noise.

Aspirin and meditation. That's what I need. Right after I get everyone else started on their training, Ethan thought with a grimace as he switched out his regular glasses for his shades to help block out the light that was beginning to aggravate his eyes.

A sudden, nearby spike of fear and distress made itself known. Ethan looked around for a moment before realizing what he felt and started running in the direction the feeling came from. Before long, Ethan found himself sprinting through an area full of warehouses. Though they seemed a little run down, there were more wild city Pokémon than humans around.

"Give me the fairy, kid, and I promise not to hurt you," a man, who sounded like he had way too much to smoke, said as Ethan stopped at a corner and focused his aura. The alley next to him had four auras he could pick out. The furthest was a young human cradling an unconscious Pokémon. The others felt like a poison-type Pokémon and an older human with less-than-noble intentions.

Ethan's heart started racing as he took out his Pokédex and sent out an SOS, making sure the signal went out before pocketing it. He then enlarged the Pokéballs on his satchel and pulled one off.

"I-I can't! I won't!" the boy cried.

The man sighed. "Well, I warned ya. Nidorino, poi-"

"Sandslash, defend with Rapid Spin!" Ethan yelled as he threw her Pokéball.

Sandslash appeared in a bolt of light between Nidorino and the boy, already spinning horizontally and deflecting the venomous needles harmlessly into the metal and concrete walls of the buildings on either side of the alleyway.

"What the fuck!?" The man yelled, turning around and revealing a red letter 'R' on the front of his black shirt.

"Return your Pokémon to its Pokéball and get on your knees!" Ethan ordered as he grabbed another Pokéball.

The Rocket grunt sighed in relief. "Whew, it's just another kid. Doduo, take care of the pest," he said as he threw a Pokéball.

"Jade, Electroweb!" Ethan called out as he released his butterfree. "Sandslash, Swift! Don't let Nidorino get anything past you!"

"Doduo, dodge that and use Fury Attack. Nidorino, Poison Sting that Swift!" the grunt yelled.

The doduo jumped forward and actually began wall-running as the Electroweb flew under them. Suddenly, the Electroweb changed course and tangled up its legs and necks, causing the pair of heads to cry in pain as they spasmed and rolled across the rough, eroded asphalt.

"Nice one, Jade! Keep 'em down with Stun Spore. Sandslash, rock and roll!"

The grunt looked back and forth between each battle, seeming to realize with increasing horror how much he underestimated the 'kid'.

Sandslash, having finished Defense Curl, began rolling in place and sped toward the Nidorino.

"Shit, shit, shit!" the Rocket grunt swore as Sandslash rammed into the Nidorino, sending him flying past his trainer and onto the twitching doduo. Both Pokémon were electrocuted for a moment more before they lost the will to fight, too exhausted to continue any further.

Ethan scanned the area with his aura sense again, finding, much to his relief, that the Rocket grunt didn't bring any backup. "I'll say this one more time. Return your Pokémon to their balls and get on your knees!"

The man looked between his incapacitated Pokémon and Ethan, openly gaping before sighing and returning his Pokémon. After that, he shrunk the balls to their travel forms and tossed them a short distance in front of him before getting on his knees and placing his hands behind his head.

Ethan nodded and stepped forward, picking up the Pokéballs and placing them in his pocket. "Jade, Sandshrew, please keep an eye on him. If he tries anything before the police arrive, hit him with a dose of Sleep Powder."

After the two acknowledged his orders, Ethan turned his attention to the boy, who was staring at him with wide eyes.

Ethan's face softened as he closed the distance and knelt in front of him. "You alright? Are you or… Marill hurt?" he asked as he identified the Pokémon the boy was holding.

The questions seemed to shake the boy out of his daze. "My m-marill got hurt pretty bad. Thanks for saving us."

Ethan smiled. "You're welcome. Let me take a look at Marill," Ethan said as he put his bag on the ground and pulled out a small pillow and hand sanitizer.

At Ethan's gesture, the boy carefully placed the water fairy on the pillow and scooted back a bit to give Ethan space to work.

Right away, Ethan noticed several Poison Sting needles sticking out of Marill's side. He pulled off his gloves, cleaned his hands, and then gently placed the back of a hand against Marill's forehead.

"She's got a fever, and her breathing seems labored. She's been poisoned," Ethan deduced as he pulled a few items from his bag. "Luckily for us, I've got Antidotes to spare. Before I can administer that, though, I need to remove these needles."

"Will she be okay?" the boy asked as sirens started to fill the air.

"I'm sure she'll be fine," Ethan said as he grabbed his forceps tweezers from his first aid kit. "I'll do my best to stabilize her so we can get her to a Pokémon Center. Do you have her Pokéball?"

The boy nodded, and Ethan started carefully extracting the venomous needles so that the tips wouldn't break off. After that process, someone knelt beside him, and Ethan looked up to acknowledge them.

"You're doing a good job so far, son," the EMT said as he offered the bottle of Antidote, which Ethan had previously placed on the ground.

"Thanks. Just glad the needles weren't barbed," Ethan said as he accepted the bottle and looked behind him to see that a few officers were cuffing the Rocket grunt and placing him in the back of a police cruiser.

"You all missed the fun," Ethan joked as he sprayed the Antidote over the Marill's wounds.

"I'm not really much of a battler, so that's the kind of fun I'm okay with missing," the EMT chuckled. "Are either of you in need of medical attention?"

"I'm fine. Just have a headache, is all," Ethan said as he set the bottle down. "Though I'd recommend giving," he paused, realizing he never got the boy's name.

The boy flushed as he realized he was being talked about. "M-my name is Evan."

"I'd recommend giving Evan a once-over," Ethan continued. The EMT nodded and gently guided Evan over to the ambulance.

Marill began to stir, and she slowly opened her eyes.

Ethan reached into his bag again and pulled out a couple of berries. "Easy there, Marill, you were poisoned. Eat this," he said softly, exuding calming waves of aura as he held a Pecha berry to her mouth.

Marill took a few ginger bites while Ethan held his other hand over her head, feeling her fever drop the more she ate.

If we had these berries back on Earth, people would lose their shit, Ethan thought with a sad smile, not for the first time, as he packed everything back into his bag, having to move Marill to his lap to pack his pillow.

After Marill finished the Pecha, Ethan moved her to his arms and handed her an Oran berry, which she was able to hold under her own power. "Let's get you back to Evan, yeah?"

"Ril, marill," she nodded tiredly before returning to nibble on her berry.

As Ethan carefully stood and began walking to the ambulance, he saw Sandslash and Jade standing off to the side conversing with a pair of growlithe. After a moment, Officer Jenny noticed Ethan was done administering first aid and walked up to him.

"You're the one that sent out the SOS, correct?" Jenny asked as she took out a notepad.

"Yeah, and I'm guessing you have questions," Ethan sighed, to which the officer nodded. "Let me get this little one back to her trainer, then we'll talk."

After answering questions, giving his statement at the station, and remembering to hand over the confiscated Pokéballs, Ethan was back at the Pokémon Center watching over his Pokémon, who were hard at work.

At least my headache's going away, he thought as he cracked an eye open to check on his Pokémon's progress. He decided that with the tournament tomorrow, everyone would train light tonight, just enough to get some exercise and work on refining some of their new battle-ready moves. With all the battles they had gotten in this morning, he felt this was justified for tonight.

At least Jade and Sandslash were doing light training. Eevee was determined to make up for the week or so of missed training sessions, and Charmander seemed equally motivated to catch up to the rest of his peers.

Seeing that everyone was still doing fine and that they weren't bothering the other trainers or Pokémon around, Ethan returned to his meditation. He turned his focus inward and began consciously circulating his aura through his body, pushing his exhaustion away and slowly reducing the ache in his head.

I'm pretty sure that this is aura healing, Ethan thought with a grin. Aura is so damn useful!

After a few minutes, Ethan jumped to his feet with a sigh of relief, then went to assist Eevee with her cooldown stretches.

"How's your leg feeling, Eevee? Good?"

"Eev vui!" Eevee nodded as she moved the previously bandaged leg around before holding it up behind her for her trainer. Ethan placed his right hand under her chest behind her front legs, gently grabbed the knee of her back-left foot, and slowly pushed it back, stopping for several seconds when he felt resistance. They repeated this several more times until her leg was fully extended.

"All good! Let's get everyone's stretches done, then head inside," Ethan said. "We'll retire a little earlier tonight to warm up early tomorrow for the tournament. You excited for that?"

"Vee! I- eev eevee- am!" Eevee cheered excitedly.

Ethan stared at Eevee for a moment, then smiled widely. "I understood a couple of the words you said there, Eevee! That's awesome!"

"Vee? Eevee!" Eevee jumped into Ethan's arms and nuzzled his chest.

Ethan's smile didn't waver. "Come on, Eevee. Let's finish up out here, then you can talk my ears off before bed!"

Eevee was fully on board with that idea.

Chapter Text

Chapter 18

Summer Showdown

Ethan tapped his foot on the ground in nervous anticipation. There was a lot more of a crowd than he had expected for a tournament of this size, considering there were only sixteen participants. Eevee and the others were in their pokéballs since Ethan wanted to give the competition as little as possible to go on.

"What's the matter? Never been in front of a crowd?" Gary asked from the wall he was coolly leaning against.

The aura adept considered the question for a moment from where he was sitting before answering. "Not for this kind of event, at least."

Gary grunted. "Well, you better get used to it. The stadiums at the Indigo Plateau are at least ten times bigger, and they always sell out."

Ethan huffed and started circulating his aura, having gotten into the habit since yesterday when he found that the rhythmic motions of his inner energies were soothing and great for calming his nerves.

The silence between the two resumed as they waited in the locker room for the last few competitors to arrive. A TV on one of the walls was broadcasting a couple of sports analysts going back and forth about who had the best odds of coming out on top.

"It's gotta be Gary Oak, right? Come on, there's no way the grandson of a retired Champion doesn't take it all!" The woman on the left argued with the young man.

Gary watched the analysts with an impassive face, though his emotions betrayed a small amount of irritation.

"I'm not necessarily disagreeing with you there, Yuki. But you have to remember that Gary Oak, while he is a very talented trainer, is not his grandfather. Remember, he only started his Pokémon training career a few months ago and has a long way to go before he comes close to being a champion-level trainer."

The annoyance that was hitting Ethan's senses dimmed, and he glanced at Gary from the corner of his eye before returning his attention to the TV.

"You also need to take a closer look at the competition. Take this one, for example. Ethan Dust, from Rota Town, is also being sponsored by Professor Oak, and he doesn't give those sponsorships to just anyone. Ethan breezed through his first two gyms without losing a single Pokémon. His Pokémon didn't even take a hit in his second gym challenge. Not many rookie trainers can say that!"

"You've got a point there, Hal. We'll have to wait and see how things go, though I have a feeling that if Gary and Ethan end up on opposite sides of the bracket, the odds are very high that they'll be facing each other in the finals."

Ethan rolled his eyes and tuned out the broadcast as they began analyzing the other contestants they hadn't gotten to yet. "They're really hyping us up, aren't they?"

Gary smirked. "As they should."

"Yeah? Why's that?" Ethan asked.

"Jeez, do you really not know?"

"Know what?"

Gary stared for a moment before straightening. "Do you know how many gym badges the average trainer gets in their first season?"

"...I don't know. Five?" Ethan threw out a guess.

"Two," Gary answered. "Three if they're lucky. You and I have only been trainers for three months. I have three badges, and you have two. We're both on track to get into the Pokémon League competition this season, and it's a big deal. Most trainers you see at the Pokémon League take years to get their eight badges, and even then, most of them get their badges from the minor gyms."

Gary's smirk returned to his face. "Still, how did you not know that?"

Ethan placed a hand over the wiggling green-topped ball on his belt, and it stilled. "I guess it's something I haven't bothered to look into much. Still, only two?"

"Yup," Gary said before a look of realization crossed his face. "Oh, right. Gramps did tell me you were from another region. Guess things are a little different where you come from, right?"

"Uh… yeah," Ethan said, looking away. After a few moments, the double doors that lead into the hallway opened.

"Attention, everyone! May I have your attention?" a man wearing a Celadon University referee's uniform yelled over the gathered trainers. "Thank you all for arriving on time. We will now decide where you will be placed in the brackets. When I call your name, please come forward and pick a ball out of this box. The number on the ball will indicate where you will be placed in the bracket. Numbers one through eight will be on one side of the bracket, while nine through sixteen will be on the other. Number one will battle number two, number three will battle number four, and so on."

Two more people, members of the local chapter of the Pokémon Fan Club, if their club jackets were any indication, carried in a small table, where the referee set the box so he could free his hands to hold the clipboard tucked under his arm.

"Gary Oak!"

Gary walked to the front and stuck his hand in the box before pulling out a ping-pong-sized ball and showing it to the referee.

"Number thirteen. Next, Harold Winston!"

The trainers went up one by one, as they were called, picking a ball out at random and getting assigned a place in the bracket until only spots seven and nine remained.

"Ethan Dust!"

Ethan walked up and picked out the first ball he found, reading the number before showing it to the official.

"Number seven! Which means Katie Hutch will be number nine," the official said as he made his final notes.

"The first battle will begin in ten minutes! Harold and Aedan, please follow me. The rest of you will sit at the stands to watch the battles until it's your turn," he said before gesturing to the two Pokémon Fan Club members. "These two will escort you to your seats."

Already being near the front, Ethan followed the two out the door.

"Welcome, ladies, gentlemen and Pokémon, to this year's Junior Summer Showdown, brought to you by the Pokémon Fan Club!"

Cheers and applause echoed from every corner of the stadium. While the stadium wasn't packed per se, there was still a good turnout. A lot of the crowd was comprised of college students taking a break from studying for their final exams, if the bags under their eyes were any indication. One section of seats was taken by Celadon University's marching band, their brass and percussion instruments playing loudly to further hype up the crowd.

"Before we begin, the president of the Pokémon Fan Club, Mr. Sukizo, would like to say a few words."

The large screens at the top of the stadium flickered to life, showing a rather unremarkable-looking man in a suit.

He looks almost exactly like his anime counterpart, Ethan mused.

"Thank you! I'd like to thank you all for joining us here at this remarkable event! It is always important to show our support for the next generation."

Applause and cheers sounded for a brief moment before Mr. Sukizo continued.

"Now, this wouldn't be much of a remarkable tournament if there were no remarkable prizes! So in addition to the cash prize, the first-place winner will receive a remarkably rare Pokémon! What kind of Pokémon, you ask? You'll have to wait to find out!"

"I might have to take this seriously, then," Ethan heard Gary mutter.

"May the most remarkable trainer win!" Mr. Sukizo concluded and bowed before the screens flickered again. The image was replaced by a scoreboard showing the first two participants and a space under each of their portraits meant to show their Pokémon team for the fight.

The band began their playing anew as the referee stepped up to his post at the side of the field. He took a few moments to visually inspect the field, then nodded before turning his microphone on.

"Testing, testing," he said before clearing his throat. "The field is set! Harold Winston, Aedan Hines, please step forward and shake hands!"

The two trainers entered the field from opposite sides and met in the center before shaking hands. They then separated and took their positions in their respective trainer boxes.

"The first round will consist of one-on-one matches. Each trainer may use one Pokémon, but no substitutions are allowed. When either Pokémon cannot continue, the match will be over, and the winner will be declared. Trainers, are you ready?"

"Ready!" "Yes!" both trainers confirmed as they readied their pokéballs.

"On one, send out your Pokémon! Three!"

The crowd joined in on the countdown. "Two! One!"

Harold and Aedan threw their Pokéballs at the same time. At the top of their arc, the balls flashed and popped open.

A mareep formed before Harold, while a jigglypuff formed in front of Aedan. The ref pushed a button on a remote he held, and a barrier shimmered into place around the field.

"Let the battle begin!"

Ethan watched the first minute of the battle before turning to look at Gary, finding that he already looked bored.

Gary noticed him looking. "What? I already know we're facing each other in the finals, so why bother watching them?"

"I mean, you never know what you could learn by watching someone else," Ethan countered, keeping half of his attention on the battle. "What do you think the prize Pokémon could be?"

Gary shrugged. "It's probably going to be a rare Pokémon from a breeder, so most likely an eevee or a vulpix."

"Really? Okay, now I definitely have to win," Ethan said as he grinned at the thought of what it would be like to have an entire team of eeveelutions. "Wait, what about the traditional Kanto starters?"

"Unlikely. Gramps is one of the few people in Kanto authorized to distribute those three Pokémon, and he reserves those for potential trainers who score well in their trainer exams. Mr. Sukizo is not one of those people."

"Ah, I see," Ethan said, fully turning his attention back to the battle. Jigglypuff had sung Mareep to sleep and was pounding away. This continued until Mareep briefly woke up. Jigglypuff hit them with one more pound, which put them down.

"Mareep is unable to battle! Aedan and Jigglypuff win and move on to the next round!"

The screens changed to show Aedan advancing in the bracket. After that, the graphic highlighted trainers five and six as the next battle to commence.

"Why… Ah. I guess the reason three and four aren't up next is so that Aedan has a chance to heal his Pokémon before his potential next opponent battles," Ethan deduced after a moment.

"Makes sense to me," Gary shrugged. "We've got a few minutes before the next round. Want to get some snacks?"

Ethan shook his head. "No thanks. I could be facing off against whoever wins the next battle, and I don't want to miss a thing."

"Hey guys, come inside quickly!" Brock yelled so Misty and Ash could hear him. "Ethan's on TV!"

Ash and Misty looked at each other and stopped their practice battle before running up to Bill's lighthouse, which they had been staying at for the past couple of days, followed by Pikachu and both of their squirtle.

"Why's Ethan on the TV?" Ash asked when they passed through the lighthouse doors.

"Ethan's competing in the Junior Summer Showdown tournament," Brock explained. "It's a tournament hosted once every summer by the Pokémon Fan Club, and it's happening in Celadon City this year."

"Really? Oh man, I would have signed up if we went there," Ash lamented. Pikachu patted Ash's leg comfortingly.

"I don't get why you're complaining," Misty said. "I'm sure Ethan would have loved to be here. We're learning so much about Pokémon from Bill, for crying out loud!"

"I know, but I really want to battle, too," Ash sighed as he sat on a chair facing the TV. Pikachu hopped up and sat on his lap while the pair of squirtle sat on the floor.

Brock walked in and set some lemonade and jelly-filled donuts on the coffee table. "Well then, let's make sure to cheer Ethan on, yeah?"

The TV finished its ad break and returned to its broadcast, showing Ethan standing across the field from another trainer that the commentator identified as Isabelle Hodge.

"Oh, hey! He cut his hair," Misty pointed out when the TV showed a closeup of Ethan's face. Ash and Brock nodded in acknowledgment but kept their eyes forward.

"Trainers, are you ready?"

"Ready!" "Ready!" Ethan and his opponent confirmed. Ethan took a Pokéball with a mountain sticker in his hand and enlarged it. The music playing from the band section intensified his nervous excitement, so he continued circulating his aura to take the edge off his nerves.

"Send out your Pokémon!"

"Let's do this, Sandslash!" Ethan yelled as he threw the ball over the field. Sandslash appeared in a flash of light between him and the middle of the field. Her opponent, a Nidorino, formed just inside the center ring.

Huh, what a coincidence, Ethan thought, remembering the encounter with the Team Rocket grunt the previous day.

The barriers shimmered into place. Once the referee was satisfied, he raised his flags. "Let the battle begin!"

"Nidorino, Focus Energy!" Isabelle yelled.

"Dig down!" Ethan commanded and began tapping his foot on the ground.

Sandslash swiftly dug her way underground while a white aura gathered around Nidorino.

"Use your ears to find out where Sandslash is, Nidorino!"

Nothing happened for a few moments while Nidorino's ears twitched. Ethan stopped tapping before lifting his foot and rapidly tapping the toe of his boot against the ground twice as if he were trying to get more comfortable.

A geyser of sand and earth shot up from under Nidorino, sending him skyward and spiraling out of control in a cry of pain.

"Don't let up! Swift!" Ethan yelled, pressing the advantage. Sandslash obliged and shot a plethora of star-shaped projectiles that swiftly homed in on her helpless opponent.

"Nidorino, counter with Poison Sting!" Isabelle yelled desperately. Nidorino, to his credit, managed to orientate himself and shot a barrage of needles at the incoming stars, managing to destroy a good chunk of them. The remaining stars made it through and hit home.

Nidorino fell out of the smoke cloud caused by the stars' explosion and hit the ground. The referee held up his flags to signal the trainers to hold while he assessed the fallen Pokémon.

Nidorino got back on his feet, having had his breath knocked out of him from the fall, but he was still ready for more.

"Continue!"

"Fury Attack, Nidoran!"

"Metal Claw!"

Nidorino's horn glowed and elongated while Sandslash's claws took on a metallic luster. On an unspoken signal, the two charged. The battle became one of technical skill, with Nidorino thrusting and then dodging strikes with good footwork while Sandslash deftly parried or deflected each strike that came her way.

Before long, Nidorino growled in frustration and lunged forward. Sandslash took advantage of his overextension and smashed her claws into his face, diverting him to one side before she raked her other set of claws against his flank. Nidorino lay on the ground growling and breathing heavily, about to get back on his feet again while Sandslash backed up and held her claws at the ready.

"I-I withdraw Nidorino!" Isabelle declared as she returned her Pokémon, looking dejected.

The referee nodded. "Isabelle has withdrawn Nidorino! The victor of this battle is Ethan and Sandslash!"

Ethan breathed a sigh of relief. "Great job, girl! How do you feel?" he asked as she ran up to him.

"Slash!" she exclaimed, flexing her arms before melting into Ethan's hand as he scratched her jaw.

"You did awesome! I think you're ready to learn a new move," Ethan praised. "We'll work on it on our way to Vermilion City."

Sandslash nodded before Ethan returned her to her Pokéball. "Proud of you! You've gone from a shy, little sandshrew to my confident, strong sandslash."

The ball wiggled in acknowledgment as Ethan made his way to the Nurse Joy on standby.

"That battle was intense! But in the end, Sandslash won without taking a single hit! I told you he was one to look out for, Yuki!"

"Yes, you did! Well, that concludes the first half of the first round. The next battle will be between Selah Bean and Jayda Harris. But first, a word from our sponsors!"

Ash, Brock, and Misty watched in stunned silence for a moment before being startled by clapping hands.

"That was a wonderful, if quick, battle," Bill said from his chair. "It really showed how in sync Ethan and Sandslash were when Sandslash never hesitated to follow commands."

Bill turned to face the three. "Ethan is your other traveling companion, correct?"

"Uh, yeah! He would have been here with us, but he had to run an errand for Professor Oak," Ash explained.

"Pity. I would have loved to pick his brain," Bill said as he took a bite of a donut. "Mmm! These are very good! Did you make this, Brock?"

"Of course! I'd be happy to give you the recipe if you'd like," Brock said.

"I would love that," Bill said, happily munching away. "This is much better than tofu."

The next battle went by quickly as well, with Jayda scoring a quick win with her meowth against Selah's cubone, which looked like it had little battle experience. After another short break, the next battle was between Gary and a trainer named Emmanuel Marshal.

Emmanuel… That's a name from the Old Testament. Does the Bible exist here? Ethan idly wondered. Since the other competitors now knew he had Sandslash, he brought her out so she could keep him company and watch the other battles.

"Send out your Pokémon!"

A scyther appeared in a flash of light in front of Gary, swinging its blades through the air before holding them at the ready when its opponent, a parasect, clacked its claws, trying to appear threatening.

Emmanuel noticeably slumped at the matchup before squaring his shoulders.

The eyes on that parasect are… disturbing, Ethan decided as he skimmed his Pokédex for tidbits of information he might not know about the two Pokémon. Ah, right. Mind-controlling parasitic mushroom. Got it.

"Let the battle begin!"

"Focus Energy, Scyther!"

"Parasect, use Stun Spore!"

Scyther tucked his blades close to his body as he began to focus while Parasect shook the mushroom on its back, creating a cloud of yellow-orange spores that drifted swiftly to the Mantis Pokémon's position.

Gary snapped his fingers. "Now, Vacuum Wave! Follow through with Wing Attack!"

Scyther began twirling his blades, creating a tunnel of wind that sent the spores away and opened a direct path to his opponent.

"Parasect, Cross Poison!" Emmanuel cried.

Parasect reacted quickly, exchanging blows and catching Scyther in his chest, leaving a pair of cuts behind, though not without suffering several gashes littered throughout its mushroom.

Even as Ethan watched, the cuts in the mushroom began to close and heal over, though it seemed to be draining energy from its host, if the transfer of aura Ethan was reading was correct.

Wow, Ethan thought as he pulled out a notebook he kept in a pocket for research purposes. Professor Oak will definitely want to hear about that.

Scyther staggered a little as he landed, his veins turning a sickly purple visible even through his exoskeleton as poison began spreading through his body.

"Fury Cutter! Finish this!" Gary ordered.

Parasect was already on its last legs from the previous critical hit it took, and it finally went down after a few hits of Fury Cutter.

"Parasect is unable to battle! The victor of this battle is Gary and Scyther!"

"What!? Gary's there too?" Ash yelled in surprise from the door.

"So that's your rival you told us about?" Brock asked. "Seems pretty strong."

"Ash, if you had gotten back here on time, you wouldn't have missed that battle," Misty said with a roll of her eyes.

Ash grumbled. "It's not my fault that this place is so huge. Why does the bathroom have to be so far away?"

"It's not. I bet you were stuffing your face in the kitchen," Misty said cheekily, furthering Ash's grumblings.

After the subsequent two battles, the round of 16 came to an end, leaving eight participants remaining for the quarterfinals. After the final battle of the round, a 12-minute break was announced to let everyone rest and prepare for the next round. Ethan gladly took the opportunity to find a space in the empty locker room where the other trainers still in the tournament wouldn't be around, and he brought Eevee out of her Pokéball.

"Eeveev?" Eevee asked quizzically, looking around before eying her trainer and tilting her head.

"We're between rounds right now, Eevee. I guess I just missed you, is all. It's been a few hours," Ethan informed her as he pulled her into his arms. Eevee smiled and pressed her head into his chest.

"Love you," Ethan said as he rubbed his thumb in circles around the fur on her chest. "So, are you bored to death of waiting yet?"

Eevee rolled her eyes. "I- vee vee eevee vui eevee- need- eev," she said.

Ethan sighed. "I heard the words 'I' and 'need' between all the eevs and vees. I guess you said something along the lines of 'I know you'll send me out when you need me'?"

"Eeev," Eevee drew out the syllable before nodding in a 'close enough' gesture.

"I'm sure I'll be able to understand you word for word before long," Ethan said before smirking. "Maybe I'll figure it out and just wait to tell you for a bit to hear what you say to the others about me."

Eevee's green eyes rolled once again. "You- eevee- not- eev eev vui."

Ethan chuckled. "Fine, fine. I won't make you wait."

They spent another minute like that, Ethan petting Eevee and noticing her fur feeling a little nicer since her trim yesterday. They made idle chatter, with Ethan picking up a word or two in most sentences Eevee spoke.

"Say, have you given any more thought about what you'd like to evolve into?" Ethan asked. "I know I started telling you about your evolutions before we came across Charmander. Want to continue that discussion now?"

"Yes!" Eevee nodded enthusiastically.

Ethan laughed as he pulled out his Pokédex, allowing Eevee to sit on his lap with her back to him so they could both view the photo the Pokédex had. "Alright then. I think you said no to both vaporeon and jolteon. The next one is flareon, a fire type. They're more of a physical attacker, but if I remember correctly, they don't have a lot of good physical fire moves to take advantage of that. The few I can remember off the top of my head are Fire Fang, Flame Charge, and Flare Blitz."

Eevee looked at the picture and hummed for a few moments before shrugging. "Eev vui," she said.

"So that's a maybe? Well, we still have five more to go through, and I don't have pictures of any of them, so I'll just tell you what I know," Ethan said as he pocketed his Pokédex. "The next one up is espeon, a psychic type. They're more of a tactical special attacker and are one of the speedier eeveelutions. And since I know this next bit of info is important to you, their tail is thin and long and forks near the end, like this."

Ethan, as if in a game of rock paper scissors, showed his hand with his index and middle finger pointed out and away from each other.

Eevee giggled at the display.

Ethan smiled and brought his hand back down to pet her down the length of her body, from her head to the tip of her tail. "If I get my phone back soon, I'll at least have something to show you with how they look. Anyway, next is Umbreon. They're a dark type and the tankiest of all the eeveelutions. They're endurance fighters who try to outlast their opponent with status effects and defensive moves. Their tails are like yours, just longer and black, and have a glowing ring on 'em."

Eevee had a considering look on her face, though it felt like she had some doubts.

"You don't have to decide anything now. In fact, I should see if I can get an everstone for you so you don't accidentally evolve until you decide what you'd like to evolve into. How does that sound?" Ethan asked.

Eevee snapped out of her musings and nodded seriously. "Yeah- eev vee eevee."

"Sure thing. We'll hit the mall today after the tournament and see if we can find one."

The intercoms overhead crackled to life. "Attention all tournament-goers! The action will resume in four minutes. Grab your concessions and make your way back to your seats!"

"Time to go," Ethan said. "Be ready. Okay?"

Eevee nuzzled his chest and then nodded as she was returned. He rubbed the crystal-shaped sticker on her Pokéball for a moment before shrinking it to its travel form and putting it back on his belt.

"Mankey is unable to battle. Aedan and Snubbull win!"

Like most of the battles in the first round, the battle between Aedan Hines and Angel Davis didn't last too long. In the end, Aedan's snubbull overpowered Angel's mankey, whose fighting-type moves couldn't hit hard enough to knock out the fairy type.

That's two fairy types Aedan's brought out so far, Ethan noted. Either he recently got them, or he's had an affinity for them since before the fairy reveal.

Ethan set thoughts of Aedan aside to go over what he knew about his next opponent as he made his way down to the arena. Gillian used a Pidgeotto in the first round and looked strikingly similar to flying-type trainers from the games. What cemented the idea in Ethan's head was the leather gloves with long, thick sleeves covering his opponent's forearms.

Ethan stepped into the trainer box and tugged on the ends of his gloves at the thought, finding that they were perfectly snug, as usual.

"Trainers, are you ready?"

Ethan nodded and thought for a moment over which of his Pokémon to send out, grinning before picking out a Pokéball with a forest sticker and enlarging it.

"Send out your Pokémon!"

Gillian threw his Pokéball out, Ethan following an instant later. Both Pokéballs popped open, their contents coalescing in the air opposite of each other before the light died down. The same pidgeotto Gillian used in the first round flapped in place while Jade hovered in the air, her body glinting in the sun's light.

The referee waited a moment before raising his flags. "Let the battle begin."

"Pidgeotto, Wing Attack!" Gillian yelled.

"Jade, dodge and Supersonic," Ethan ordered calmly.

Gillian made no order to abort, and Jade patiently hovered in place, waiting for her opponent to get closer. When Pidgeotto was nearly upon her, Jade locked her wings and dropped toward the ground, avoiding the attack before reorienting herself and… making some kind of sound with her mouth?

Ethan had little understanding of how sound waves could confuse an opponent, but if it worked, it worked. He could tell the exact moment the confusion took effect, as Pidgeotto's controlled flight became erratic.

"No! Pidgeotto, snap out of it!" Gillian cried.

Ethan smirked. "Jade, Stun Spore, then Psybeam!"

Pidgeotto's wings glowed, and they took a swing at something that wasn't there. Jade quickly flew over the confused bird and shook her wings, releasing a cloud of yellow-orange spores that surrounded her opponent.

Confused and now paralyzed, Pidgeotto locked up and began to fall to the ground. Jade helped them along with a Psybeam to the back, dealing the first hit of damage.

Ethan had a thought and then gave his next order. "Jade, Silver Wind!"

Gillian was looking more and more flustered. "Pidgeotto, get out of there!"

Pidgeotto was no longer confused, but their speed was still significantly reduced due to the paralysis. As a result, they couldn't get away before the Silver Wind hit, though it didn't seem to deal much damage.

All right, Jade probably doesn't have Tinted Lens. Compound Eyes isn't bad, though. Probably helped land that Supersonic, Ethan thought before looking at his butterfree when he felt a small surge of power flow through her. Feels like she hit that 10% chance of raising her stats with that hit, though. Neat!

Pidgeotto managed a shaky flight into the air, still having some strength left. Ethan looked between them and Gillian's flustered face and knew the battle would end soon.

"Pidgeotto, Quick Attack!"

"Electro Web!"

Jade's antennae began to spark as Pidgeotto built up speed. Despite Pidgeotto's reduced speed, it disappeared in a blur and hit Jade beak first with its Quick Attack, causing a cry of pain from her.

Jade still maintained her focus even through the hit and launched the Electro Web. Pidgeotto started flying away but locked up as the paralysis fully kicked in.

Pidgeotto squawked in alarm, getting tangled up in the web, which forced its wings to tuck against itself and plummeted to the ground, electricity coursing through their entire body even as they hit the ground. A faint snap was barely audible as they landed on a wing.

Ethan winced at the noise.

The referee immediately raised his flags. "Pidgeotto is unable to battle! Ethan and Butterfree win!"

"Good job! How do you feel?" Ethan asked as he eyed the small bruise forming on Jade's chest. She landed before him and trilled before leaning into his hand as he pet the side of her head, making him smile.

Some rather loud cheering drew his attention to a section of young boys with what looked like hastily drawn depictions of a shiny Butterfree. "Looks like you have some fans among the bug catchers, Jade," Ethan chuckled.

"Hey, um."

Ethan looked past Jade and saw Gillian standing with a hand behind his head. "Um, good match," he said.

"Good match," Ethan echoed, offering a hand for a handshake. "Sorry about Pidgeotto's wing. I didn't mean to do that."

The tension in Gillian's shoulders eased, and he shook the proffered hand. "It's alright. He should be as good as new in a few days."

"Pokémon Centers are amazing, aren't they?" Ethan grinned as he returned Jade, and both trainers walked off the field.

"Ethan's doing great so far," Daisy commented from her seat in the luxury suite of the Pidgeot Transport Arena. "Don't you think so, Gramps?"

Professor Oak nodded as he set down a half-empty glass of Moo-Moo Milk. "He's been training consistently and working very hard. I'd be surprised if he were struggling this early."

"It's hard to believe that that butterfree is the same one Clefairy and I battled a few months ago. I'm sure he'd win if we had a rematch."

The Professor took another swig of his milk.

"Gramps, what happened with Ethan and Ash last week?" Daisy asked. "Ethan had this faraway look when asked about his charmander yesterday, and it looked… haunted."

Professor Oak finished his milk and set the glass back down, considering his answer carefully. "I don't have all the details myself, but I think that it came as a shock to him to actually meet someone who could be so cruel to their Pokémon."

The Professor turned to face Daisy fully. "It's one thing to hear about Pokémon cruelty. It's just not something you hear about very often. But it's another thing to see it in person. Thankfully, Ash and Ethan stepped in, and the abusive trainer in question is now behind bars pending trial."

The aged Professor stared into his empty glass. "As long as I've known him, Ethan has treated his Pokémon as equals, as if they were members of his own family. It's obvious to anyone who cares to look. When you consider that, can you see why someone doing the complete opposite may come as a shock?"

Daisy considered this for a long moment and nodded. "Yeah, I see what you mean. I remember him telling me he loves Eevee as if she were his daughter."

"Hmm," Professor Oak considered. "Well, enough about this for now. Gary's next battle is about to start, and I need another drink."

"Gramps, your stomach will hate you if you have any more milk. I'll make us some tea," Daisy said, pushing her grandpa back into his seat and taking his glass before walking over to the kitchenette.

Professor Oak grumbled but stayed where he was.

Gary was in the middle of a battle with one Haven Rich. As the surname implied, he was loaded with daddy's money. Haven had a very strong machoke on the field, but that was all he had going for him.

Haven was a very poor battler, and it was evident to anyone experienced enough that he didn't train that machoke himself.

It still took Gary's kadabra several good hits to bring the thing down. He used Kadabra's mobility well with Teleport and spammed super-effective psychic-type attacks. The strategy was simple and straightforward.

With only four trainers remaining, an hour-long break was announced, and the crowds dispersed to browse the local stands or venture into the nearby commerce district.

Ethan was in the midst of deciding where to spend the break when he heard someone call his name. He looked in the direction the call came from and saw Professor Oak over the heads of other people in the crowded hallway walking up to him.

"Good to see you, Ethan! Would you and your Pokémon like to join me for a small bite to eat?" he asked. "It would just be something light to take the edge off. No need to start feeling lethargic before the real battles begin."

"Professor Oak! Good to see you," Ethan said as he dipped his head in a nod and shook the professor's hand. "What do you have in mind?"

"There's a cafe not far from here. I've made a reservation already, so let's get going," Professor Oak said before taking the lead. Ethan walked by his side.

"By the way, Ethan," the professor started, "Do you have that growlithe and eevee with you right now?"

"Depends," Ethan said. "Can you tell me what was in that photo I showed you when I first met you?"

"You showed me your cat stuck in a tree," Oak replied.

"True enough," Ethan laughed. "Yeah, I have them on me. Do you want to hold on to them for now?"

"That won't be necessary. I just want to know if their mood has improved at all."

Ethan thought back to yesterday morning. "Vee was lucid for a few seconds when I gave him his nickname, like he was surprised to hear that name. Other than that, not by much."

"Gramps! About time you got here," Gary called from a table outside a cafe. "What's Ethan doing here?"

"You weren't kidding when you said it wasn't far," Ethan remarked.

"Ethan's joining us for lunch," Oak said as he sat at a large table, prompting Ethan to do the same. "Go ahead and bring out your Pokémon, boys. They can eat as well."

Ethan thought it over for a moment and shrugged before calling out Eevee, Jade, Sandslash, and Charmander. Gary already knew what Pokémon he had and saw no harm in it.

"Pretty gutsy of you to show me your charmander," Gary said as he brought out a few of his Pokémon.

Charmander hid behind his trainer's leg before being lifted up into Ethan's lap. "He's not ready for a tournament quite yet," Ethan said.

Charmander looked a little down at that.

"But maybe I'll challenge the gym before I head out, and Charmander will be the first in the lineup," Ethan said, brightening Charmander's expression.

"Char, charmander!"

"Man, I just keep adding to the list of things I need to do before I head out, don't I?" Ethan realized.

"Eevee- do!" Eevee nodded helpfully.

"I'm sure you'll have time to get some of those out of the way after the tournament," Professor Oak said as he opened his menu. "Now, what to get?"

"Welcome back, folks! Let's get right back into the battles. The next match is between Ethan Dust, whose Pokémon have been dominating in their matches thus far, and Aedan Hines, who has showcased two of the new fairy types.

"Now tell me, Celadon City. ARE. YOU. READY?!"

The crowd, who somehow seemed bigger than before the break, roared.

Ethan breathed and continued circulating his aura to keep his nerves down. They're just background noise. I'm here for my team, not for them.

"That's what I like to hear! For the semifinals, each trainer will use two Pokémon, and no substitutions are allowed. Referee, whenever you're ready."

The referee nodded and stepped up to his platform before turning on his microphone. "Trainers, are you ready?"

"Ready," Ethan yelled, enlarging a green-topped Pokéball with a crystal sticker.

"Send out your Pokémon!"

"Show them what we're made of, Eevee," Ethan said to the Pokéball in his hand before throwing it.

Both Pokémon formed on their respective sides of the field. Eevee within the circle in the middle of the battlefield, and a kirlia closer to their trainer.

"Oh, wow! That's a Pokémon I haven't seen before," the hypeman boomed through the speakers. "Is it another fairy type? This is going to be an interesting battle!"

"It'll be that for sure," Ethan muttered, reviewing what he knew about the psychic and fairy type.

The referee raised both flags. "Let the battle begin!"

"Show them our passion, Kirlia! Calm Mind!" Aedan shouted.

"Shadow Ball!" Ethan ordered, Eevee having formed the attack by the end of the first word and shooting it off by the second.

"Cancel and Teleport!"

Ethan focused his aura sense to try and feel out where Kirlia would appear and felt a disturbance to one side of Eevee. "Quick Attack, nine o'clock!"

Eevee obeyed immediately and blurred to the left, impacting Kirlia right when they reappeared.

"Huh!?" Aedan cried before shaking his head. "Kirlia, blast them back with Confusion!"

"Back off and Shadow Ball!" Ethan yelled.

Eevee jumped back to avoid Kirlia's Confusion attack, which still pushed her back further than she anticipated. However, she quickly regained her balance and retaliated with a Shadow Ball. The ball flew swiftly, but Kirlia managed to Teleport away again, causing the Shadow Ball to hit the ground and break it into chunks of earth.

"That's annoying," Ethan muttered as he sensed out the field and pointed to a spot to his right. "Swift, three o'clock!"

Eevee fired star-shaped projectiles from her mouth toward the location indicated by Ethan. Kirlia reappeared, and the stars adjusted their course before exploding upon impact. Kirlia cried in pain as they were blasted back but still managed to pull off another teleport.

Kirlia appeared in front of their trainer, legs a little shaky but standing nonetheless.

"Kirlia, I believe in you! Give them a taste of Psychic!" Aedan yelled.

Eevee was suddenly lifted into the air and her fur pressed against her body as a force began squeezing her body, causing her to cry out in pain.

"Eevee!" Ethan yelled, scrambling to come up with something. He focused on his aura senses and felt something that he couldn't physically see.

"Eevee, listen to me! There's a psychic tether between you and Kirlia. Use Bite on the air in front of you!"

Eevee opened her eyes and gritted her teeth in a growl before forming her dark-type energy into a set of ethereal jaws and biting down.

Kirlia cried out at the backlash as Eevee was dropped to the ground, a little breathless but more than ready to continue the fight.

"Quick Attack!"

Eevee immediately charged and rammed into her opponent, sending them skidding back in a cry of pain to the foot of their trainer. Kirlia tried to push themselves back onto their feet but collapsed to the ground, unmoving.

"Kirlia is unable to battle! Aedan has 30 seconds to send out his next Pokémon."

"What a mind-blowing round! It was as if Ethan knew exactly where Kirlia was going to teleport to! How did he do that, I wonder?"

"Good job, Eevee!" Ethan praised. "Up for another one?"

"Eev eevee!" Eevee affirmed as she shook her fur out before retaking her starting position on the field.

Aedan, meanwhile, looked nervously between Eevee and Ethan, seemingly indecisive about which Pokémon he would send out.

"10 seconds!" the referee said.

"We're not out of this yet. Show them our passion, Snubbull!"

Snubbull formed and began growling, pawing eagerly at the ground. Eevee just grinned confidently and lowered herself to the ground, ready to pounce.

"Begin!"

"Quick Attack!" Ethan said.

"Roar!" Aedan commanded.

Eevee, quick as she was, charged straight into Snubbull and drove them back a few feet. Snubbull groaned but gathered itself and let out a deep roar that had no right coming out of something so small.

"Uh oh. Eevee's not going to like that," Ethan whispered as Eevee dematerialized into red energy and was forced back into her ball. Ethan looked at the two remaining Pokéballs on his right hip, wondering who of Jade and Sandslash would be sent out.

A flash of light from his left side had him looking at the field. He looked on in growing panic as a very confused Pokémon looked around.

"Char? Charmander?"