The downpour intensified as they struggled to an abandoned lighthouse.
The coat Breccia gave to Arlia was useless at this point and when their destination appeared in the distance, both were soaked through and shivering.
Breccia wondered if Riker had sent someone in their direction. Radio contact went out on their way to the island and her Transceiver was dead. She was secretly praying she could rely on both Riker and Morice's paranoia to them.
"Hang on..." It was obvious the lighthouse hadn't seen use in years, as the light up top was out.
What Breccia found startling, however, was a large, snake-like mass skulking around the entrance.
Arlia was shaking, hugging herself to try and keep some body heat. She was about to pull Breccia away when the creature near by caught onto them and started to slither in their direction. She, of course, was having a bad enough time without another Pokemon giving them trouble .
"Arlia, wait!" Breccia wasn't able to stop her when she charged, full force, ahead. It was obvious the Blaiziken didn't care WHAT was in the way, as long as she could get the two of them inside.
"Stop!" Another voice cut through the rain.
Arlia screeched to a halt, her feet creating heavy skid marks in the mud. When Breccia caught up, she saw the 'distant figure' as an elderly Steelix. While very large, (as to be expected of its kind), the creature had lost its shine. It was lethargic in its movements and had two clouded eyes, squinting just to see the two figures in front of him.
The strange voice that called a halt to Arlia's rage came from a man standing in a blue rain coat. Breccia couldn't make out his features due to the slicker's hood covering most of his face.
When he tugged it down, she was able to get a better look at him.
From where she stood, she surmised he was middle aged, mostly due to the crows feet around the edges of eyes and mouth. His hair was salt and pepper gray and a bit shaggy. He had a little chin stubble that matched in color.
"I'm sorry." He said, speaking louder than normal when the rain started to drown him out. "He's not trying to pick a fight. He's blind."
"I noticed..." Breccia said, shivering. Even though she was shaking, it wasn't nearly as bad as Arlia was. "Do you live here?" She craned her neck to take in the full length of the lighthouse.
"Just down below." The man answered. "I sent Rusty out for a walk before it started pouring. Good thing I was out here in time, he can't fight like he use to." He glanced to Arlia. "C'mon, we better get your friend inside."
Following the stranger, the lighthouse seemed like a relic lost in time. There was a spiral stairwell that started at the door. It rose along the wall in a circular fashion, going all the way up to a parapet near the top. Along the way, the walls were covered in mold and vines with cracks traversing through the bricks.
The bottom floor was empty save for a ragged, splintered floor. There were a few chairs and a table tossed about, all covered in faded yellow sheets. Breccia figured, back in the day, the lighthouse must've been gorgeous.
"I saw your copter land a ways off." The man said, pulling his rain coat off and hanging it on a wall nail. "I'll get the fire going in the grate, we need to get her warm."
Breccia had to support Arlia as they were heading down into the basement. The Blaiziken was still soaked, feeling weak and queasy.
Once they reached the lower level, Breccia was surprised to see a rather quaint living area. There were two rooms, one serving as the main area. The walls were faded, with wilted, ripped floral paper. The floors were just as splintered, but covered in a heavy, brown rug. There was a single hanging light at the center, rocking back and forth when a gust of wind blew through the open window.
The kitchen area was nothing more than a mini fridge, and the bed nearby was a twin mattress on a shakey metal frame.
The man went to the fireplace, where a weak flame was lit. Tossing a few logs in, he invited Arlia over.
"Hand me that blanket." He ordered to Breccia, pointing to a quilt tossed over the back of the near by sofa. Instead of handing it over, Breccia put it around Arlia's shoulders, helping her sit in front of the grate.
"Do you have anything warm she can drink?" She asked, not concerned with how rude it may have sounded. All she could think of was how pissed Riker would be if anything happened to his Pokemon.
"I made some coffee this morning." The stranger said. "I'll heat it back up."
Still shaking, Arlia curled up, on her side, infront of the grate.
Pouring the old coffee into a metal kettle, the stranger hung it above the flames in the fireplace. "Speaking of which." He said. "What are the two of you doing here anyway?"
Soaked herself, Breccia shivered, rubbing her hands over the fire. "My father's buried on the island..."
Their host rummaged through his fridge for a moment before moving to the dresser beside his bed. "That explains a lot."
"What does?"
Retrieving a shirt from the top drawer, he tossed it in Breccia's direction. "Here, we better get you warmed up too. I'm sure you don't want a case of pneumonia."
"Wouldn't be the first time..." Breccia mumbled, changing her shirt when the stranger's back was turned. The shirt was large, almost like a tent, and hung down to her knees. Regardless, it was dry and warm.
"There's been more people coming around." The man continued. He said this while watching Breccia. She was glancing about, looking at all of his hanging photos. "They've stayed away from the lighthouse, but I noticed them around the large tree at the center of the island."
Picking at the matted strands of her hair, Breccia piled them up and fastened them down with the holder around her wrist. "That's probably my brother. He had dad buried here...against his wishes."
The host nodded, as if what she said served as a realization. "Ah, I see." Checking the kettle, he poured a little of coffee and handed it to Arlia.
Checking her Transceiver, Breccia grumbled before stuffing it back in her pocket. She knew, if she kept it off long enough, it'd get enough juice for her to call. She was sure Riker was pulling his hair out wondering where she and Arlia got off to.
Not to mention Morice.
She sighed.
Rubbing her forehead, she felt her heart skip a beat.
He's probably terrified.
Coming to a framed certificate above the sofa, the paper was singed around the edges. With most of it singed away, it was still legible.
'Esteemed Grand Champion...'
"Grand champion...?" Breccia whispered to herself.
Pouring another cup for his guest, the stranger asked. "Do you mind if I ask your name?"
"Breccia." Breccia accepted the drink, still staring at the certificate.
...grand champion.
Seeing his name, Her heart slammed into her throat.
"E-" She said out loud. "You're the Grand Champion!?"
Ethan nodded, taking a loud sip from his mug. "I was."
"How..." She paused to collect her thoughts. "Why are...Why are you all the way out here?" Before he could answer, she added. "How long?"
Sitting in a dumpy looking arm chair, Ethan stayed silent, finishing his drink and sitting the cup on the ground beside him. "I needed to get away." He smiled. "I figured I'd get some decent alone time here, but you still managed to find me."
Breccia frowned. "I didn't mean to invade..."
Arlia, warming up, tried in vain to sip the cup given to her in a shaking grip. She could care less about WHO had taken them in. All she knew was she was wet, tired, and wanted to go home.
"You'd know if I didn't want you here." Ethan said, leaning back in his seat. "I was letting Rusty out to stretch when I heard an ruckus. I'm guessing one of those rotted trees finally fell over."
"Yeah." Breccia complained. "Right on top our copter." She waved her transceiver around. "I've been trying to contact my boss, but this thing is dead as a stone." Fatigued, Breccia collapsed on the sofa when the offer was given. She wondered if Riker was on his way to get her. If so, it was best she said nothing about her helper in the lighthouse. Clearly, Ethan wanted to be left alone, and she knew the lowlives she worked with would pester him. (Granted, Riker and Morice would be nice enough to leave the man be if she asked, but they'd be the only ones.)
Noticing a small frame on a nearby end table, Breccia picked it up. "This you?" She asked, pointing to a little, smiling boy hugging a much younger Rusty. In the photo was an older woman as well, with long, sandy hair and a Magnamite floating by her head.
"That's my boy." Ethan said. "With his mother. I took that photo when we were on vacation in Hoenn."
"He's adorable...Looks just like you." Breccia moved over when Arlia stood from the ground and stumbled to sit beside her.
"He did when he was younger. Took more after his mom when he got older."
"She looks familiar..."
"She was a gym leader in Johto."
"So was daddy..." Breccia corrected. "In Kanto-" Having forgotten about him due to all the drama at hand, she glanced down when the pokeball containing Nibs burst open. "Seriously? You couldn't behave for one day?" Instead of flying about the room, Nibs crawled up yawning and settling down on her leg. "You're lucky you're cute." When their host stood to poke the fire, Nibbles hissed. "Stop it."
Ethan adjusted another picture frame on the fireplace mantle. "He seems protective of you."
Breccia chuckled. "He thinks he's vicious." She stroked the top of her Zubat's head. Leaning into the contact, Nibs stayed true to his name sake and nibbled on the tips of her fingers.
"I'm guessing Pewter city?"
"Hmmmm?"
"You said your father was a gym leader. In Pewter?" Ethan took Breccia's surprise as a 'yes'. "I've seen many Zubat in my day, they usually aren't that docile. It takes a gifted trainer to raise them correctly. Your old man had the magic touch when it came to Pokemon."
Breccia nodded. "He opened a clinic in Lavender after stepping down at the gym. He had big dreams...I'm sure he had big dreams for me too." She exhaled. "I was hoping, seeing his grave would help me put things at ease..." Since her conversation with Morice, she had been slowly working towards acceptance. She knew her father would always love her, and they had a much closer relationship than her dad and Shale ever did. But, maybe that made her deeds even worse. She wanted to take over the clinic as a little girl, help do good like her old man. Instead she decided to be a little shit and ruined everything.
She crossed her arms. "Sorry...I screwed up a lot of things. I never really had the chance to apologize." She wasn't sure why she was so willing to spill her guts to this stranger. He reminded her of Morice, with how approachable he was. "I'm sure dad hated me before he died..."
Ethan shook his head. "I doubt. With how much he loved Pokemon, I can only imagine the love he had for his children." He added. "I know it's hard for you to understand but a real father's love never changes." He pointed to the picture of his wife and son. "My boy..." He paused, contemplating whether he should continue. "He was a good kid. His mother died when he was a teenager. We were both devastated. He reached out to me to heal and I was too destroyed to help. He hooked up with a bad crowd and next thing I know, the police are dropping him off in the middle of night. We started fighting more, one night he and a few buddies broke into some old man's house and...he stayed in the car during, but the courts still nailed him. He was locked up for a few years. I thought, once he got out, he'd come back home and we could try again. Instead, he booked it and I haven't seen him since." Ethan pursed his lips. "I know it didn't help, being the Grand Champion's kid. The wife and I never held that above him, but others did. All the gym leaders in the area, the Professor, they all told me about the potential he had, but all I wanted was for him to find his own niche in life."
Breccia listened to the story, her feelings crushed for this man's plight. "Is that why you came here?"
Ethan waited to answer, staring off for a moment. "More or less...after Lee left, I lost the home in a wild fire. Then, my Typhlosion fell ill and, before I could get help, he passed. After all of that, losing my family and my home, I decided I needed to get away. I stepped down at the league, and left. It took me a bit to settle, but I've been here for a couple years now.." He added. "Regardless. Answering your dilemma. No matter what happened, or what you did, I doubt your father loved you any less. I count down the days that Lee's ready to come home. Right now though, he's running. And I can't stop him."
Fiddling with her transceiver, Breccia turned it on, praying it had a little juice left. Though it sounded rude, the next sentence left her lips before she could catch it. "You ran too..."
Instead of being upset, Ethan shrugged. "True, but I've taken my time here to come to terms with a lot of things. There's nothing wrong with running, you just gotta turn around eventually. Lee will. And so will you."
"I'm not runn-" Breccia was interrupted when her transceiver vibrated. There was a small sliver of battery, about five percent. There were also multiple missed calls, seven. Two from Riker, three from Morice and two from Maddie.
Great. Everyone is freaking out.
"Hang on, I gotta call my boss." With how little battery she had left, she figured calling Riker would be best. Leaving the basement and walking up into the light house: she crossed her fingers she had enough power.
Dialing, she hadn't even put the transceiver to her ear before Riker picked up.
"Hey...yeah I'm fine...no, I'm fine, I promise...Riker, I said I'm fine...the copter lost radio signal...because a tree went down on it, we're kinda stuck here...where am I?" She contemplated what to say. "Yeah Arlia's alright, tired but alright...we're on the south side of the island...at an abandoned light house...there's no one here with us, it's abandoned...there's a dock near by...about a mile out from the lighthouse, I'll meet the ferry there...I have to go, I barely have any battery left-" As soon as she said it, the call dropped. The transceiver died one more, this time for good. "Damn it."
Going back downstairs, Ethan was offering another cup of coffee to Arlia. "Did you get through?"
"Yeah. I think the rain's stopped." She pointed to the Blaiziken. "She and I have to get down to the dock. The ferry is already on it's way." She hoped Riker had the sense enough to let Morice and Maddie know she was still alive. "Thank you for helping us...and being a therapist."
"Don't worry about it." Her host laughed. "Not the first time. I had a friend as kid that I had the same conversation with. He had a lot of issues with his father...we lost contact a while back, I hope he's in a better place." He handed Breccia her coat, having hung it near the fireplace to dry. "Do me a favor, keep my presence here a secret. I don't want too many visitors."
Breccia put Nibs back in his ball and waited for Arlia to get around. Standing near the door, she nodded. "Don't worry about it. If I come back, I'll leave you be. You don't want me poking around too much."
Before she left, Ethan followed with: "You I don't mind. I'm a good judge of character."