.—.—.
Ethan's journey had officially started. Later than nearly every other rookie this season, but that just drove him harder. The southern trek to Hawthorn left Ethan with a strange feeling of nostalgia. Ethan loved Pallet Town. The ruggedness of the town was his paradise for years now. Pallet Town was where he had made his friends and placed his roots.
Yet, New Bark Town weighed in his thoughts. Pallet had its own grand appeal, but it wasn't the same. Pallet wasn't the place he'd been born and raised. It wasn't truly his home.
He was glad he'd been born into the small New Bark Town rather than one of Johto's mega centers. The thought of having to live in the cramped neighborhoods of a city like Goldenrod was wholeheartedly unappealing. New Bark Town had its share of problems—the strict traditionalist elders came to mind—but nothing he deemed worthy of disdain. For every annoyance the town held, there laid a dozen or more benefits.
His father, Mason Hirose, had been a trainer in his youth before he'd settled down in the calm seclusion New Bark Town provided. It was his father's decision to leave behind Goldenrod that Ethan had to thank for the peace New Bark Town gave. Ethan's father went towards an electrician's career after his retirement from being an active trainer. Being certified to carry his former team of primarily electric-types with him gave him a leg up on most other tradesmen. His mother was never one to be fascinated by pokemon and went towards law.
Both careers made good money themselves, but his father also had stock in one of the largest pokemon ranches in Johto. Mason Hirose was the son of the founder of one of Johto's most prominent operations responsible for the breeding and farming of pokemon. Pokemon food made from free-range tauros and fresh magikarp across Johto had a good chance to be sourced from the Hirose family business. Miltank and mareep herds were also bred and raised for their products. A necessary job in the modern market.
Mason's brother took over the company as the elder of the two with their father's death. This left Mason to explore wherever he liked and do nearly everything he wanted to do with the monetary backing of his family's wealth.
What he wanted to do was apparently travel across Indigo as a pokemon trainer. A not uncommon venture, though his entrance onto the battling scene was years later than the normal trainer's. In his travels he met one Victoria Rand and had to rush a wedding before their child was born outside of the sanctity of marriage.
A truly romantic story, Ethan thought, one worthy of poems. It was a marriage for the sake of publicity. One simply to save face for both his grandfather's company and his mother's reputation. His father was nothing if not a good son, willing to go to great lengths to protect his father's legacy and company.
Ethan had had great expectations heaped onto him from an early age. It was top marks or nothing in the Hirose household. Sports, academics, and casual extracurriculars all became competitions for Ethan to triumph over his peers in. Friendly rivalry was a foreign concept, all or nothing with no holds barred. Do or die, so to speak.
Ethan came out on top in everything he applied himself towards. He was academically unchallenged, an athlete with a great pitch, and a quizbowl champion. It was one of the many facts of life for the next generation raised in New Bark Town. The sky was blue, the grass was green, and Ethan Hirose was taking home the gold.
He never cared for the wins themselves, he'd done it simply for the fact that his mother demanded it of him. Every time he placed first, every time he would receive his next shiny gold metal, he would show it to his mother. He'd ask, beg and plead for her praise in every way besides outright saying it. "Are you proud of me, mom?" He had always wanted to scream at her. "Do you love me?"
She never heard those questions. Ethan knew more than most when to hold his tongue. Still, her eyes gave him all the answers he needed. She'd never laid a hand on him, but it felt like a slap. "Do you deserve it?"
So, he reached further. He tried harder and flew higher. He'd have jumped to the moon if she'd asked it of him. He was the little golden boy always trying to please her, please everyone.
He sneered.
The Golden Boy of New Bark Town.
Ethan hated that nickname. It was an insult more than anything. It reminded him of far too much. It reminded him of the jealous, hateful stares the other children would look at him with. It reminded him of his mother's icy gaze, always watching. It reminded him of Lyra, of the primal fear of the well.
Ethan felt a pain in his chest as the scar on his cheek seemed to burn with old pain. He straightened himself and walked forward. Hawthorne was finally in sight.
He'd been ten when he left Johto for Kanto, New Bark Town for Pallet Town. His uncle and father had deemed it necessary after the incident. After they'd finally found him, after hours of searching, at the bottom of the town's old well. The children of New Bark Town that glared at him more than the others, the peers that despised him more than he'd given them credit for, had shoved him down the maw of the excavation. He'd been nearly frozen solid when they had discovered him. The jagged scar on his cheek from the fall reminded him of the event every day when the memory of the freezing cold and dislocated shoulder didn't. His shoulder's socket still felt wrong sometimes.
Ethan shivered as a chilled breeze swept by him. He hated the cold now, even as irrational as it was. It reminded him of a short girl, one with pigtails that always stuck out of her oversized white hat and brown eyes that gleamed with kindness.
He inhaled deeply. Lyra's eyes hadn't seemed all that kind when she was watching the other boys push him down a thirty foot drop. He had been lucky the well was located at a low point and hadn't ever been finished, any higher and he'd likely bare more permanent scars. It had been–against all odds–Kris who had told someone about his location. The one person in New Bark Town that Ethan would have expected to join in on the assault had been the reason he had been saved. Funny how life worked.
So, he left New Bark Town with his mother. His uncle pulled some strings and got him a promising future admission to the Pallet Academy of Pallet Town, home of the Great Samuel Oak himself. His mother switched to a law firm based out of the nearby Viridian City and rented an apartment there. As such, she was only home some days out of the month.
Pallet Town, Ethan reflected, was his first real taste of freedom. Away from the hateful stares of his peers, the domineering presence of his mother, and the coward that was his father. Perhaps that was why he loved the town as he did.
When he finally attended the academy ranked first in the region, he'd been worried. Would the other students look down on him? Would they, just like his New Bark Town peers, despise him? Instead, he felt the one thing he had never truly felt. Inferior.
Gary had been better than him. He'd taken that on the chin at first. As the grandson of the Great Oak it would have been shocking if Gary wasn't the first place student. Then he faltered. Ash was better than him. Leaf was better than him. Ethan took those far worse. He hated it at first, he'd hated them. A hot pit of fury blooming and taking root every time he looked at any of the three.
The worst part was that they were his friends. Ash had been reliable since they'd met. Gary and him hadn't gotten along at first–how Ash stood by the younger Oak when he was such a prick was something of a mystery in Pallet–but they'd worked past it. They'd learned to respect each other and worked from there. Leaf was…Leaf.
How could Ethan hate them for the very thing he'd been hated for? He would be a shameless hypocrite to do so. No, he was not like the others from New Bark Town. He was no Lyra, no turncloak. His Pallet Town peers (even Gary and his ego) were not simply obstacles to conquer, rather friends and rivals. Friendly rivals. A new concept to his mind. And so, finally, Ethan was content. Happy, even.
That wouldn't last, of course.
It was two days before their TLEs when the news reached him from Johto. His father had been arrested and incarcerated. Fifteen years in prison. Supposedly guilty of fraud, money laundering and a dozen similar charges.
It was all false, Ethan knew. His father was too cowardly to commit such blatant crimes. Yet, not so cowardly as to not take the repercussions for someone else's. Especially if it meant saving his brother's company, his father's legacy. He was the fall guy for the sins of his own brother, nothing more. Cain and Abel come again.
The TLE came and went, his failure coming as a final blow. He shut himself in his room, refusing to see anyone or anything. Even Leaf's visit didn't rouse him from his seclusion. He knew he should've talked to her, talked to any of his friends, but he couldn't. He couldn't because, despite himself, that pit of resentment returned. The pit of indignant fury at being inferior.
He was being a hypocrite, Ethan knew.
He hated it.
His mother gave him the same icy glare as always. Her talking to him would mean to acknowledge him, and that was something she avoided. "I knew you were a failure." Her eyes told him what she did not voice. "Fool's gold and nothing more."
Ethan's eyes hardened even now. He refused that notion. He'd thrown himself into the second round of his TLE and passed. With his license and identification, he'd only needed a starter and he was prepared for the road. He had a starter, one that had already been arranged for months ago.
His mother said not a word to him as he left her and Pallet behind him. No goodbye, no wish of good luck, nothing. He said nothing to her, for nothing needed saying.
"I'll be here to see you fail." Her glare told him. "Crash and burn, Icarus."
Ethan nodded at the captain of the ferry as he boarded. It would take him to Cinnabar Island from Hawthorne. He planned on catching a ferry to New Bark Town–to the origin where it all began for him–and completing the Johto Gym Circuit. He'd changed those plans. His departure was already delayed and the Silver Cup would be completely out of his reach.
That was not to mention that he didn't want to face Johto yet. He'd thought he could, but he simply was not yet mentally ready. He couldn't face New Bark Town. He couldn't face his uncle. Or Lyra.
His uncle fronted the money for the ferry, just as he fronted the collateral for his starter. A silent apology for the downfall of his father. A gesture for something Ethan knew but the public, much less the authorities, could not.
Ethan wouldn't—couldn't—fail. Not now, not ever. Whatever awaited him, he would deal with it. Do or die.
His starter gave a bleat from beside him. Ethan gave her a look. "Ready for this, girl?" The mareep gave another call that he took for agreement. "Good, 'cause I'll need you. We're gonna ascend to the upper ranks together."
The ferry lurched forwards. Mareep let out a bleat out in shock as she lost her balance. Ethan watched the electric-type pokemon get back to her feet with humor. A starmie using Surf coasted them out from the pier before the engine was turned on. As the vessel scuttled forward at a slow pace, the mainland was left behind. As the fresh and salty sea breeze blew around him, Ethan Hirose smiled for the first time in weeks.
He was a great many things, but he was no one's fool. Not anymore.
.—.—.—.
Waves lapped at the hull of the ship. Ethan watched the sun drown at the ocean's horizon. Mareep was recalled into her ball at the captain's request, and had been for days now. The Southern Kanto Sea was tranquil as they moved through it. The occasional wingull had followed them in the first couple days, but had long since dropped off.
Captain Seamus was a large man. His skin was toned and his hair discolored from long hours in the sun year after year. The ship he manned, one of the Seagallop ferries that toured the Southern Kanto Sea, held a dozen people awaiting Cinnabar Island. Ethan tagged most of them as tourists easily. Flashy clothes, cameras, and the wide eyed looks as they crowed over every water-type that surfaced around the ship.
The only two other trainers that were also aboard were rookies like him. A girl with a bellsprout and a boy with a sandshrew. Not great company either, too starstruck. After the third instance of a tourist elbowing him out of the way to get a good view over the edge of the ship, Ethan had had enough and retired to his cabin. The rocking of the ship at least helped lull him to sleep.
He woke up when the captain made an announcement. Land was in sight. They'd be docked in Cinnabar within the next few hours. Perfect timing to avoid the storm that was apparently brewing. Ethan gathered any of his items he'd left out in preparation for departure. As soon as the ship was docked and the captain gave them the go ahead, Ethan shot off onto the island.
A room at the Pokemon Center was first, which Nurse Joy helpfully supplied, before he took Mareep to the fields for training. They'd gotten some drills in before leaving Route 1 but nothing intense. This was their first real session. Ethan had a notebook where he jotted down everything about his starter. A pokedex would've made his job easier, he knew, but he didn't have one.
He was not one of Professor Oak's chosen. Not good enough for the device like the other three, he supposed, and certainly not good enough for a sponsorship. Ethan gripped his notebook until his knuckles went pale white. He took a breath before he continued.
Mareep knew Thunder Wave, Cotton Spore, and Thunder Shock. Not a bad starting point. Then again, not amazing either. However, it was a start above all else. Ethan gave the sheep a run down on the normal drills as well as the areas he expected to focus on.
The most important one, he emphasized, was her control. Power was good, great even, but control of that power was a vital asset. Mareep took to it all with gusto. She may not be the smartest creature around, but she was dedicated.
He also worked on her capacity for electrical charges. Her wool worked as a great excess storage when her electrical sacks grew overfull. The charges bounced around her coat as she worked to absorb as much as she could bare plus some.
The bulb on her tail sparked bright during those sessions. It was the focal point of all her electrical power. Unlike other electric-types, the mareep-line didn't have large internal organs dedicated to generating electricity. The raichu-line, for example, had two charging organs. The extra organ gave the species the capacity to use the move Volt Tackle, whereas a mareep would never be able to.
Instead, mareep had their tail bulb and their wool. Their wool as a mareep and flaaffy would generate static that would transfer to their tail bulb. By the time they evolved into an ampharos, their need for their fleece was gone. Instead they solely had their tail bulb and the second one on their head.
Ethan called their training to an end when the sky rumbled above. Tiny sprinkles of raindrops were ready to fall. He recalled the electric-type as he made his way to his room for the night. Before the sun was up the next day he was back out in the fields with Mareep at his side. The storm gave him little sleep. Lightning and thunder seemed to crack open the sky. The storm had finally moved on from Cinnabar early in the morning. It had moved east over water, bringing about a problem Ethan hadn't considered.
The rookie had noted the tall poles scattered across the island without much thought. They had large speakers around them and lines that spread electricity to the residents of the island. Ethan thought that, if one ignored the odd pidgey that rested on the lines and caused them to sag, they were unremarkable.
Until they kicked to life with a loud siren. A wail echoed around the island that no person could ignore. Ethan shot his head to look at the nearest pole in shock as a voice replaced the siren.
"ATTENTION!" The sudden voice of a man sent any pidgey that had braved the siren flying away in fright. "This is not a drill! Within the hour a large number of water-types will attack this island. All civilians are to evacuate away from the shore immediately and return to their homes. Any structures within a mile of the shore are to be evacuated. The Cinnabar Gym, the Pokemon Center, and the Ranger Headquarters will take in anyone needing shelter. All trainers are being called to action. Experienced trainers are to report to the Cinnabar Gym for assignment. Any rookie trainer or trainers with less than three badges are to report to the docks."
Ethan hesitated. This was real. Mareep tilted her head at him in confusion as he returned her. Without a second to take in the situation, he was running to the docks.
.—.—.
Water-types were about to attack the island en masse. Ethan was thankful for his starter. The wool pokemon would be a blessing to fry any sea creatures that got a little too close for comfort. The docks were crowded with people when he got there. Captains and sailors were bracing their ships for the assault while rookie trainers were nervously pacing around.
A Ranger was dishing out commands to any trainers nearby. Voices joined together in a jumbled mess that Ethan could scarcely make out. A pyre of smoldering fire shot into the sky, drawing all eyes. A typhlosion stood on two legs, fire lapping from its curled lips from the powerful Flamethrower.
"Shut your traps!" A woman in a Gym Trainer uniform called out from near the fire-type. "We have less than an hour before the legion of water-types is on us! Take positions along the shore, leave room between each trainer so as to not interfere with each other's efforts. Remember, if we make enough of a show of force the water-types will bypass the island entirely."
She snapped her hand at the assembled trainers closest to her. "You lot! Stay with the sailors and protect the ships and docks!" She turned towards the remaining trainers, including Ethan. "The rest of you, gather up! Electric-types are your best option, grass-types if you have them!"
Ethan was quick to take his own position down the shoreline. Mareep was bouncing back and forth on the sand. She didn't quite grasp the situation, but she was ready to shock whatever Ethan pointed at. Really that was all her job entailed at the moment.
Ethan palmed a couple extra pokeballs at his waist. If anything proved too strong for Mareep's electricity then he'd buy them a few seconds to retreat to the nearest Ranger or experienced trainer. He held no illusion of his skill; he was a rookie just starting out. No one expected him and Mareep to take on a rampaging gyarados.
Someone near the docks spotted it first and called it out. A massive wave was ripping through the once calm waters. Ethan gasped. "Fuck." He heard similar curses from the trainers nearby. The wave was approaching fast and it carried mayhem with it. He identified almost every water-type he could name. Staryu, poliwhirl, tentacool, goldeen, horsea, remoraid, qwilfish, and on the list went. Surely a waterspout couldn't have caused the pokemon this much distress?
Ethan decided that was a thought for later. He watched the flood of pokemon approach the beach as he sucked in a breath. Now or never. "Mareep, Thunder Wave. Then Thunder Shock." Remaining calm was key, he reminded himself. Panicking helped him not.
The instant the water-types touched the sand, they were hit with volleys of attacks. Mareep gave a bleat as she shocked any pokemon close to her. Ethan spotted various other electric-types shooting attacks at the water. Grass-types were just as plentiful.
Mareep made liberal use of Thunder Wave to paralyze any pokemon that got within range. Thunder Wave was usually enough to drive the assaulting pokemon back towards the water, but Thunder Shock cleared up the braver ones. These water-types were not malicious, Ethan knew, simply panicked.
The rookie watched as the trainer to his left fared. The small sunkern near her was holding up relatively well. The seed pokemon faced an approaching marill and gave it a Mega Drain. The sunkern seemed to be tough for one of its kind and won all of its encounters with the water-types. That was until it was crushed by the marill with a single Bounce. Ethan blinked in shock as the sunkern was recalled by its trainer in horror. The marill that had knocked it out took the time to beat its hand on its stomach challengingly.
Ethan gave a critical eye to the now bare beach that Mareep was supposed to be guarding. "Mareep, Thunder Shock on the marill!" The electric-type was quick to follow. Her tail bulb sparking electricity up her wool as the attack was loosened at the aqua mouse. "Cotton Spore!"
The marill shook itself from the sudden shock. The Cotton Spore was ignored as if it had no effect. Ethan realized that it had no effect. Sap Sipper must be its ability, he reasoned. The reason it was able to shrug off the sunkern's Mega Drain and other attacks so easily. "Thunder Wave and Thunder Shock!"
The aqua mouse bounced away from the sheep. It would have been completely out of the range of the attacks, but it made a critical mistake. It shot a Water Gun at the sheep in response. A terrible idea. It proved so a moment later as the electric attacks traveled up the water. The marill sizzled as it was paralyzed. Ethan took the chance to throw a pokeball at the weakened water-type.
The pokemon disappeared in a crimson light. The capture device shook twice before falling still Ethan gave a smile. He nodded at the other trainer who was healing her sunkern with a potion. He retrieved his new pokemon as he turned his eyes back to the sea. No pokemon were in sight anymore, but that meant little to his untrained eyes. At the very least, his section of the beach was clear. He hummed as he scanned farther down and up the shore. Nothing.
Ethan made his way to the docks to see if he was needed there. He was met with the sight of a surprisingly well maintained marina. Only subtle surface damage was the worst of the attack. The sailors had obviously defended their ships with valor. Cinnabar had seemed to weather the assault with better odds than he'd have thought. The Gym Trainer had been right, a sizable show of force put the water-types on their way.
That did raise some questions about how the Seafoam Islands would fare with the leftover water-types. Ethan was exhausted, so that worry was not for him at the moment.
A good night of rest was on the agenda. Then introductions with the marill he captured and, when his pokemon were ready, a challenge at the Cinnabar Gym. Ethan gave a hum as Mareep pranced next to him and fell in step. When he had gotten the Volcano badge, he'd try his hand at capturing a fire-type at the base of the volcano. Then a ferry to Fuchsia City to challenge Janine.
Yes, a plan was forming. Ethan hummed in satisfaction. His start may have been late, but his progress was great. He'd always had a spark. Now it was time to fan that into a full blaze.
.—.—.
Blaine was, in a word, unpleasant. Another description might be senile. The man was crazy, Ethan would never disagree with that notion. Strong enough to be an Elite in his prime, but the fire-type Master's mind had clearly degraded over the years.
The man was a loon.
Ethan shook it off. Instead he focused on the gleaming Volcano Badge in his hand. Blaine could despise challengers and his Gym Leader position as much as he liked, Ethan had what he needed from him.
The old man had even rambled about putting the Gym in Cinnabar's volcano. Too bored with rich tourists and inexperienced greenies challenging him as the locals say. Senile, indeed. To see a man that could have rivaled Oak's genius having fallen so far was eye opening.
Marill was bouncing around Ethan's feet with watery giggles. The aqua mouse had been a vital part of the Gym challenge and was rightfully celebrating. Ethan let her do as she liked. She was tough and loved to battle, he saw no reason not to encourage that.
The water-type had taken out Blaine's ponyta quickly and only barely lost to the following torkoal. Mareep was able to finish off the torkoal eventually, though not without some effort. He marched along with Marill as they approached the base of his destination. The geographical pinnacle before him seemed to rumble with primordial might. A person could not step foot on Cinnabar without recognizing the eminence of the fissure.
Ethan considered the Cinnabar Volcano as one of the few things the island had going for it. Long before the island had been defaced with tourists and vacation spots, the volcano had sat unaltered for centuries. It was worshiped as the roost and birthplace of Moltres for centuries. The more zealous worshippers still remained, convinced that the massive transformation Cinnabar had gone under by outsiders was to blame for their absent monarch.
The caverns of the fissure harbored fire-types of all kinds. Rumor would say that some of them were as old as the volcano itself. That was likely a local myth, but Ethan would rather not verify that personally. A pokemon didn't live so long without wielding incredible power.
Still, Ethan wanted a fire-type pokemon. The typing was a great addition to any rookie's roster and there was nowhere in Indigo like Cinnabar to acquire one. He wouldn't venture into the caverns, but the volcano's base was a haven for plenty of fire-types.
Ethan hummed as he ventured forward. He already had his newest addition in mind. A vulpix was tempting if he came across it. Ninetales were powerful in both fire attacks and mental prowess. A magby that could one day become a living inferno as a magmortar was also promising. But they were not the addition his mind had set itself on. No, his newest capture was sure to be found in the rocky areas around the island.
Ethan spotted a flash of brown.
"Too easy." Ethan said as he fetched a pokeball.
The numel gave him an oblivious stare as Marill snickered on her approach.
.—.—.
Ethan sneered as the trainer he'd defeated handed him a stack of cash. What a disappointment. He was starting to give Blaine a bit more credit. These tourists were cannon fodder. Even Numel's four days of proper training was too much for them.
He'd been on Cinnabar for a while now and was no closer to leaving than he'd been the day before. Cinnabar was chalk full of tourists, but far fewer trainers he could challenge.
Between the cost of the Gym challenge fee and the price of pokeballs, Ethan was flat broke. He needed a lot more cash to get a ferry to Fuchsia than he'd thought. He'd swim to the mainland before he went crawling to his uncle for cash. Or worse, his mother.
Ethan nearly took the hand off of the person who tapped his shoulder. "What?!"
A tall man in a black jumpsuit removed his hand quickly. "Woah, kid, at ease."
Ethan gave him a glare. "You need something?"
The man chuckled. His purple mohawk jumping along with his laughs. "I heard there was a kid needing some quick cash. Heard he challenges every trainer he can."
"What about it?"
"Heard you were pretty tough for a brat so green he pisses grass."
"You lookin' for a battle?" Ethan said heatedly.
"Nah, I was gonna offer you some work if you want it. Pay is surprisingly good." The man said with a faint bit of humor. "We don't have dental, but the management is great. Plenty of room for advancement too. Interested?"
"Maybe." He relented. The guy was shady, but he was in dire need of some funds. "I'm Ethan."
The man grinned. "A pleasure." He offered his hand for Ethan to shake. "Call me Petrel."
.—.—.
Ethan's interlude done. Good to catch up with him after all this time. Gotta say, Ethan is underutilized in fics. Hope his background didn't come off as forced or too angsty. Also, Pyrite = Fool's Gold in case you were wondering. I'm a chapter-titling genius, I know. Next time we return to our regularly scheduled protagonist. If you haven't you should go check out Ascendant by Dragonridr21. Interesting story with some great worldbuilding. I needs WAY more love.
Thanks for reading, reviews are appreciated. Replies below.
Jelle88: Thank you! Hope you like this one as well.
BurbWatcher: Thanks! I did wanna do something different with my story. Trying to do the same story beats as something like Traveler, in the same order as well, really sets most people up for failure.
Gouravsilentreader: Thanks!
Dman09: Who can say? Well, me, but I shan't. Could be a shuckle, could be god itself. :)
HDK315: Thanks, man. Yeah, I think I put more callbacks in than I thought I was going to. Glad you liked the training segment. I did really enjoy writing Stone Town, so happy that it felt like a little reprieve. And the storm…glad you caught that it wasn't just some throwaway lines.
Speed Reader: Thank you! I did try to choose teammates that could use some love.
BJJPanda: Good catches, I fixed those. Glad you liked Cove! We'll get more of him in the next chapter.
Eagle10000: Ethan indeed, hope I lived up. As for the Safari Zone I hope you'll stick around to find out.
Haziq Saffari: Yeah, at this point Ash would have no way of controlling a Gyarados in any capacity. Cove should be fun, we'll see a bit more of him later.