"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.
Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.
"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.