After collecting his Silph Co bag and trainer ID from the reception desk of the Police Department, Ethan made his way outside to find an argument underway. Well, an argument was a stretch—It was more like a lot of begging and pleading with raised voices. As soon as Ethan came into view of Jessie, James, and Meowth, they pounced on him like he was their savior.
“Please! Ethan, my good, best, handsome, caring, respectful—” James started on his knees, hand outstretched like an over the top damsel in distress.
“Ethan! Talk some fucking sense into this woman! I’m not flying on that scaly death machine again! It’s a death sentence!” Jessie cut off her partner, but through all of her bravado, she too was begging.
Meowth was flexing his claws with a calculating glint in his shifting eyes… but Cynthia was blatantly ignoring the cat. She must have been confident in his math skills, as there wasn’t a possibility that Meowth would attack her. That’d be suicide.
As Ethan stood there with a dumbfounded expression, Joyce let loose a heavy sigh and spoke loudly for all to hear. “Just gather around! Cleffy will teleport you guys…” Joyce huffed, tired and exasperated. “Cynthia was going to use Togekiss… you idiots.”
And just like that, the begging stopped in the blink of an eye. James got to his feet with a satisfied smile and happily wiped down his dirty knees—A job well done. Jessie deflated like a big red balloon, going boneless as she fell onto James’ back in relief. Meowth simply nodded like this was the natural outcome he expected, a guile filled smirk stretching across his face as he sheathed his claws like he was in some action movie. “All according to the plan…” He said in the silence, earning a flat stare from Joyce.
After some goodbyes, Ethan joined Jessie, James, and Meowth in an awkward touch fest. Cleffy, Joyce’s Cleffable, seemed to enjoy the game of ‘everyone touch the small pokemon’. Once everyone had an awkward hold, the standard dizziness and uncomfortability of Teleport surged through his being. They appeared near his front door, and Ethan had to walk off and take a moment, hand on his knees, to see if he was going to throw up.
The Rockets didn’t seem bothered in the least. They said their goodnights and wandered off back to their cottage, leaving Ethan alone in the night. Exhaustion hit him like a wave of force, reminding Ethan that he was very much up past his normal bedtime. It was approaching midnight, and the Oddish were gone from their normal resting grounds.
Slowly, one by one, Ethan released his pokemon. Chatot appeared in a swirl of colors, a loose feather coming undone as she fluttered to the ground. She eye’d him for a moment, before saying a simple phrase in her own voice. “You are not alone.”
Ethan smiled, and she flew up to her nest on the top of his house to turn in for the night.
Pachirisu was next, simply appearing with crossed arms and a glare. “Pach! Pachi-pach!” He spouted, stomping one of his tiny feet into the dirt.
“Thank you for coming. I felt safer with you than without. You’ll get your battles soon enough.” Ethan placated the pokemon, earning a nod. Pachirisu then ran up and scratched the door, wanting to be let in. Ethan obliged, opening the door for his squirrel.
Munchlax and Tinkatink both gave him leg hugs as they appeared, before also wandering off inside to rest… and Ursaring…
Ursaring stood in front of him like a giant, her fierce eyes scanning him to make sure he was truly okay. Ethan spread his arms out in a helpless gesture. “Smeargle’s okay, so I am okay. Don’t know what I’ll feel tomorrow, but for now I am just tired.”
“Urs.” Ursaring grunted as she stalked forward. With an unexpected show of love, Ursaring wrapped Ethan up in her giant arms and gave him a big squeeze. Ethan obviously fell into the big fluffy hug, wrapping his arms around her as best as he could. Slowly, Ursaring rubbed his back in a caring gesture. “Urs.”
“Thank you.” Ethan murmured from within the fur.
Ursaring eventually let him go when two little teddy bears eagerly and excitedly called for their mom. Ethan laughed as she felt Ursaring’s sigh of exasperation. This little outing might have been a break for her.
With heavy steps, Ethan made his way inside his darkened home and unpacked. He tossed his bag and ID onto the table with little care and withdrew his gun from his waist. He ran a hand over the metal glinting in what little moonlight trailed through his windows, thankful that he didn’t need to use it this day.
He stored his friend’s pokeballs into the pokeball safe and unloaded the gun, placing it back into its metal lockbox.
“Ba?”
Ethan slowly closed his eyes and sunk his shoulders as he heard Tinkatink’s voice from behind him. She’d obviously seen his gun, and was curious about the shiny metal object he knew she knew he was keeping from her.
Damn empathy thing….
“Ba-ta… Tink?” It was rare for pokemon to use sounds that weren’t their name, but it did occasionally happen. Tinkatink was the pokemon he had that turned that rarity into commonplace.
With the sound of scraping wood, Ethan pulled out a chair and patted his lap. Tinkatink scrambled up his leg and plopped herself down into it, and he ran a hand through her small top-knot as he spoke carefully. She knew he was serious, and he appreciated that she was taking this seriously as well. “That metal is off limits. That metal is locked away because it can kill things. I need you to promise me you will not try to get it—the gun.”
“Tinka.” Tinkatink nodded, Ethan’s hand dipping from the small motion.
“If you ever see me with that metal object, it means that one of my pokemon or myself is in trouble. Or, trouble is coming. It is not a toy. Do you understand?”
Tinkatink nodded again, her little legs swingingly lightly from off his knee. “Good.” Ethan finished, picking her up from beneath her armpits. He carried her off into the guest room and gently laid her down next to Emolga, who was fast asleep on the bed next to Pachirisu. Pachirisu had her wrapped up in his thick, fluffy tail. “Goodnight, and thank you for coming.”
Tinkatink hugged her hammer as she curled up into a little ball to sleep. She used Pachirisu’s tail as a pillow—a wise choice.
When Ethan made it to his room, he palmed the last pokeball he had on him—Smeargle’s Greatball. He steeled his resolve and released Smeargle onto the bed. After the shining white light of release, Ethan gazed at his painter as he slept.
Tiny matted and flattened tear streaks ran down Smeargle’s cheeks. Tonight had been a terrible night for his friend. With slow and heavy steps, Ethan walked forward and sat down on the side of the bed, grabbing Smeargle’s tail and bringing it up to his friend’s chest. Like instincts, Smeargle grabbed his tail with a hand and clutched it tightly, even when asleep.
Ethan ran a hand over his friend’s head caringly. Afterwards, he slipped his hand into Smeargle’s free hand.
“? Come, stop your crying, it'll be alright. ?”
Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.
“? Just take my hand, hold it tight. ?”
“? I will protect you from all around you. ?”
“? I will be here, don’t you cry. ?”
Softly, Ethan began singing. Smeargle was asleep, but whether or not his friend could hear him was irrelevant. He needed this.
“? For one so small, you seem so strong. ?”
“? My arms will hold you, keep you safe and warm. ?”
“? This bond between us can’t be broken. ?”
“? I will be here, don’t you cry. ?”
For the next few minutes, Ethan sang You’ll Be In My Heart, by Phil Collins. When he eventually finished, he heard the door to his room creak open slowly.
Standing in the doorway, hand on his heart, Munchlax stood with hopeful eyes. “Munch?” Munchlax spoke questioningly, pointing to himself—his heart.
Ethan smiled and nodded, understanding the question. “You too.”
Ethan rose from his bed, withdrawing his hand from Smeargle’s gently. “Cmon, I’ll bunk with you tonight.”
“Mu-munch!” Munchlax nodded rapidly with a smile before padding away and jumping up onto the couch, his legs flapping wildly as he heaved himself up the final few inches. Ethan grabbed a blanket and pillow before following.
A minute later, Ethan was lying down on the couch ready for bed with Munchlax resting in the crook of his arm, fully underneath the covers. “Goodnight.”
“Mu.”
—------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Like always, Ethan awoke at the crack of dawn. With a massive yawn and a big stretch, Ethan got up and got to work making breakfast for his pokemon. Munchlax was still sleeping, but the cyan and tan furry pound of fluff only really woke up when he smelt food. So, maneuvering around the sleeping pokemon was easy.
After popping his head into his room to make sure Smeargle was still sleeping, Ethan got to work on cooking. On the kitchen counter, his dough for last night’s pizza fiesta was still covered and resting. With a quick detour to grab his Silph Co bag, Ethan opened it up to see if Smeargle actually managed to buy the cheese he had asked for before his… kidnapping.
Silph Co bags were interesting, and completely magical bags. With his hand inside, Ethan willed to withdraw ‘cheese’ and immediately felt a large smooth bulge in his grip—much larger than anticipated.
For a minute, Ethan struggled to pull the ‘cheese’ out of his bag, eventually deciding to just upend the bag itself and let gravity due to work. With a loud thud, an easily twenty to twenty-five pound wheel of wax sealed cheese dropped onto the table. With dread suffusing his entire being, Ethan looked at the tiny stapled piece of paper on the top of the enormous wheel.
After a mere second of glazing at the script written on the stapled receipt, Ethan had regrets.
He should have been more clear when instructing Smeargle… They didn’t need a thirty-thousand pokedollar wheel of cheese… Smeargle had spent the equivalent of $300 on… cheese…
“Well, I guess it’s pizza for breakfast.”
It was hard to be mad at Smeargle, as he had done what he had asked… but maybe they needed to sit down and talk about money sometime in the future.
Thirty minutes later, six pizzas were laid out and waiting to be baked in the oven. Munchlax was wide awake at this point, watching with wide eyes as Ethan slid the circular pizzas into the oven. Everyone else was still resting, so it was peaceful cooking with his big-eater. “You’re going to love this, Munchlax. I guarantee it.”
Munchlax had helped with grating the cheese, picking out the large basil leaves, and crushing the garlic. He had wanted to put Cheri berries on top, but that would have to wait for another time. Maybe one of the later pizzas could be used as an experiment.
As two of the pizzas cooked in the oven and as Ethan and Munchlax talked about the delicious food, the door to Ethan’s room opened up. Smeargle walked out shyly and stood at the entrance to the kitchen awkwardly, unsure of his place. Ethan wiped his flour coated hands as he took large steps towards his friend. Ethan threw his hands over Smeargle’s shoulders and gave him a hug. “You’re okay. We can talk about it later when you’re up to it. For now, though… Do you want to help us make breakfast?”
With a nod, Smeargle let a small smile spread across his face, and it was then that Ethan knew that Smeargle would be alright.
When the first two pizzas were finished cooking, Ethan used his mitt covered hands and quickly pulled out the blistering hot baking sheets. At the same time as Ethan, Smeargle used Psychic to transfer two more of the uncooked pizzas inside the oven. Munchlax bounced on his feet in anticipation and was acting as mostly moral support now. He was done helping, he wanted to eat.
As Ethan walked to place the baking sheets down onto the countertop, a knock on the door grabbed his attention. “Munchlax, go answer the door please.”
“Mu-munch!” Munchlax called as he jogged over and opened the door.
“Mu?” Munchlax called questioningly, head tilted in confusion.
A long forgotten pokemon cry came in response. “Chansey!”
Munchlax stepped aside and held the door wide open as Chansey waddled her way inside, eyes scanning Ethan’s home with curiosity. Following the healer pokemon, Joyce came through wearing some common clothes. Ethan had to do a double take because he’d grown accustomed to her wearing her uniform. Joyce was wearing a snug black turtleneck that popped in sharp contrast to her naturally (he thinks) pink hair and bright blue jeans. A casual pair of running shoes finished off the ensemble. She looked very nice and well put together, unlike himself and his standard white t-shirt, brown cargo shorts, and unruly bed head.
“Oh? Something smells good!” Joyce said as she strolled into the kitchen while waving to Munchlax and Smeargle.
“I had everything ready for pizza last night. So, I figured we’d make it for breakfast… Not the ideal morning meal, but it’ll do. I’ve been craving a slice.” Ethan replied as he closed the oven. “You’re welcome to join us.”
Chansey got on her tippy toes and looked at the steaming, freshly cooked pizza on the countertop. Chansey’s… earflaps? Dangly hair? He wasn’t actually sure what they were… Whatever they were waved up and down as she sniffed the wondrous scent of pizza! “I promised Munchlax the first slice. Why don’t you give it a taste test?” Ethan said, turning to the now extremely excited pokemon.
Since he didn’t have a pizza cutter, Ethan used a normal knife and cut the pizza into eight slices. Once done, he grabbed one of the slices by the garlic washed crust and pulled. Strands and streams of melted cheese oozed off the sides as steam plumed into the air. He placed the slice onto a plate, used his finger to get the cheesy strands back onto the pizza, and handed it over to Munchlax. The big eater pokemon took the plate like it was a gift from Arceus, full of reverence as he took in a deep whiff of the tasty aroma.
Everyone watched with anticipation as Munchlax took hold of his slice of pizza and ever so slowly brought it up to his mouth. He took a normal sized bite and pulled the slice away, watching with crossed eyes as the cheesy goodness oozed. He used his large tongue to cut away the loose strands and pulled them into his mouth…
Then, Munchlax closed his eyes and chewed. It was slow, unlike any other time Ethan had seen the pokemon eat his meals. He savored every bit of the singular bite he took, taking several long moments to enjoy what he had been given. When Munchlax eventually swallowed—a large, satisfied gulp—he opened his eyes and released a dreamy sigh.
“Well, well, well. This may be the first time I’ve ever seen a Munchlax showcase that particular trait.” Joyce commented, who now looked extremely interested in Ethan’s pizza. “I’ve had pizza a few times! It’s a specialty in Kalos!”
Joyce watched Munchlax eat the rest of his slice slowly, then turned to Ethan and Smeargle. “Ethan, might I have a word in private? Smeargle as well?”
Ethan spared Smeargle a glance and saw him already walking towards Joyce and Chansey. Without a word, Ethan followed Joyce outside onto the patio and closed the door behind them. Once the four of them were alone, Joyce planted a hand on the top of Chansey’s head. “To start, I want to apologize to you, Ethan.” Joyce’s smile faltered just a tad. “It was my idea to send Jocelyn to your ranch, and while she was sent here to do what was agreed upon… I did suggest therapy for you. In her inexperience and desire to help, she went about it in the wrong way. I am sorry for the trouble and stress that caused you, and I hope you have it in you to forgive her for her misstep and my meddling. We wanted to help, but we failed.”
Ethan stood there, unmoving and with a blank face as he listened. He didn’t immediately respond to her apology. So, she carried on, this time speaking to Smeargle. “Unlike Jocelyn, I will not make the same mistake. Smeargle, in my professional opinion, I feel that therapy would help you with what you’re feeling. The events of yesterday were terrible, and if you would like to speak to Chansey or myself about it and work through those conflicting feelings, we are here for you.”
“You’re a strong pokemon, but even the strongest of pokemon sometimes carry wounds we can’t see—wounds that don’t heal properly with time or potions. You don’t need to decide now, or even soon, but just know that it is a possibility for you.” Joyce nodded once, her smile back on her face when she was happy that Smeargle understood. “Ethan could be there with you, you could go alone, you could have another pokemon there—anything you need.”
“Now… I think you have another guest.” Joyce said, tilting her head forward to point behind Ethan.
“Joy…” Jennifer said with as much warmth as a desolate mountaintop as she pushed herself up the steps of the patio.
“Jenny…” Joyce responded in kind.
Ethan could feel the tension in the air. It appeared that the Jennys and Joys had beef.
“Chansey!” The big blop of pink shouted with a hop and a smile, completely destroying all semblance of hostility.
“I’m going to go check on the pizzas… Cmon, Smeargle…” Ethan said quietly, excusing himself from the conversation.
They could handle their business outside.
https://discord.gg/T6AD3E2qVR Feel free to join!
