Ethan was running down towards the waterfall with Zoey and Chii closely following. He was not really sure what to think about the situation at hand, but a Gyarados and someone else coming down the waterfall was something that needed to be checked out.
“So what do you think has happened?” Zoey asked as they ran besides Ethan.
“I… I really don't know,” Ethan answered. “And it did not look like the Gyarados was chasing whoever it was either, it looked more like it was falling.” A Gyarados has a distinct way of swimming, and that had not been it. Ethan could not think of anyone what would be crazy enough to surf down a waterfall either… Well, maybe one person.
“Do you think that they are okay?” Chii chimed in.
“I… the Gyarados should be, at least.” They were powerful Pokémon and a fall like that should be nothing to it. Ethan was more curious about the other being, since it was too far away for them to see what it was clearly.
“How did it go with the mayor then?” Zoey asked, they were still some distance away from the waterfall and she was curious to know how things went.
“Oh, that… went surprisingly well,” Ethan told her. “He had heard that me and Jenny had helped with the situation in the forest and was more than happy to give us a place to stay. It’s the same building that Mary Care told me about, so it will need a little work. But we can make it work.” Ethan was just happy that they had a place to call home.
Zoey smiled as she saw how happy Ethan was. He always seemed happy, but she had been with him long enough that she knew how he really felt. Having a home really did mean a lot to him.
It was then that Zoey decided that she would tell Ethan that she loved him, after they had investigated the situation at the waterfall. Chii had been right, if she continued to put if off, she would only end up regretting it in the end.
As the road led them down to their destination and the trees started to thin out, two figures could be seen at the water’s edge.
The first one was the Gyarados, being as large as it was, it was easy to spot. It was lying near the edge of the water, with its head resting upon the bank. In front of it, however, stood a Mienshao with a long piece of wood leaning up against it. The long whip like fur on its arms had been wrapped up around each arm, so it looked like a couple of bracers.
Ethan did not want to admit it, but the way it stood and the piece of wood it had apparently used as a surfboard down the waterfall could only make him think of one person that would be crazy enough to try something like that, or have the skill to pull it off.
“Hello there.” Ethan decided to be on the safe side and called out to the two of them as he approached, Chii and Zoey following close after.
“Huh?” The Mienshao turned around to look at the ones that had greeted him. “Well, hello there, Zoey. Who’s your friends?” And with that Ethan knew exactly who that person was.
He walked forward until he was face to face with the surfer who still had a relaxed stance and look on his face.
“Really? No greeting for your old buddy, you insane bastard?” Ethan grinned as the Mienshao`s eyes widened in realization.
“Ethan?” He asked and grinned once Ethan nodded in return. “Well, look at what the waves dragged ashore.” He reached out and grabbed Ethan in a bonecrushing hug.
“Who is that?” Chii asked Zoey as they watched Ethan squirm in the merciless hug he was getting. The Mienshao was not much bigger than him, but easily lifted Ethan into the air.
“That, is Brawly,” Zoey smiled at the sight at their reunion. “He is a friend of Ethan… a really good friend,” She giggled as she watched Ethan begin to struggle for air. It seemed like Brawly had kept his strength.
Brawly finally let Ethan go, and gave him a hard slap on the back as he dropped him back down.
“Ugh… it’s nice to see you again, too.” Ethan said with a pained expression. Brawly had been strong before, but to Ethan it felt like he was even stronger now. He was sure that he had heard something crack when he was hugged like that.
“And you too, my old friend!” Brawly exclaimed happily. He looked over to Zoey who waved back at him, and Chii who looked at him with caution. “And who is the little cutie?” He asked Ethan.
“Zoey, Chii, come over here,” Ethan waved the two of them over. Zoey did not need another invitation and walked over to them, though Chii was still a little unsure about Brawly.
“This is Chii, she was rescued not too long ago,” Ethan told Brawly who nodded in return. Zoey did not need any introduction. Brawly visited Ethan regularly and was well acquainted with most of their family. “And Chii, this is Brawly. He is an old friend of mine,” Ethan told Chii when she and Zoey had made their way over to them. “Do you think you can say hello for me?”
Chii stared at Brawly as she tried to make up her mind about how to feel about the newcomer. On one paw, he was Ethan’s friend and she did trust Ethan. It was just something about his brash nature that made Chii a little cautious. It reminded her of her Mary.
“H-hello…” Chii said meekly as she looked down, refusing to meet Brawly`s eyes.
“Well it’s nice to meet ya,” Brawly smiled nonetheless, ignoring Chii`s caution towards him. “And you as well Zoey, it’s been awhile!” He wanted to go over and give Zoey a hug as well, but he held back for the moment. He knew very well what Pokémon Ethan dealt with so he did not want to intrude on Chii`s personal space if she did not want him to.
“It’s nice to see you again, too, Brawly!” Zoey happily greeted him. “How have you been? You know, considering…” Zoey looked over him as she searched for the right word. Luckily for her, he understood what she meant and just let out a short laugh.
“Well it was certainly strange, I’ll give you that. But you just have to go with the flow.” Zoey could not help but giggle slightly as Brawly did a small, wave-like motion with his arms. He was just as laid-back in his attitude as she remembered.
“I don’t mean to put a damper on our little reunion…” Ethan started as he looked at the Gyarados that was still resting its head on the bank behind Brawly. “But who is that… because she really does not look okay,” Ethan could see several burn marks on her scales, electrical burn marks if he was not mistaken. It would be easier for him to see when he got closer.
“Ah… I’m glad you are here, dude. I think this girl here may need your help.” Brawly turned around and walked towards the Gyarados, letting his improvised surfboard fall to the ground. “I found her a little up the stream… she kept slipping in and out of it. I tried to stop her, but the stream wanted to guide me and her to you, it seemed.”
Ethan was slightly impressed as he got a closer look at the Gyarados. It was strong, that much was obvious, and he could see the muscles positively rippling underneath its scales. More so than usual for a normal Gyarados, at least. But even with all its muscles, it was much slimmer than a normal Gyarados.
But with the multiple electrical burns Ethan could spot, it was no surprise that it had gone down. Electricity was its weakest element after all.
“What happened to her?” Zoey asked as she gazed upon the huge Pokémon.
“‘Fraid I don't know, Zoey,” Brawly spoke as he scratched his head. “I had just gotten my bearings and my board when I came across her… couldn't make too much sense of what she spoke of most of the time either… sorry, dude.”
“Well, I think she will be fine,” Ethan spoke up. He had gone over most of the damage that he could see, though a large part of her body was still underwater. “None of the damage seem to go deep, so I believe that she should make a full recovery…” he looked back to the Gyarados. “Though I would still like to go back and get a few supplies for some of her wounds, just in case.”
“Oh yeah, I thought I saw a town from on top of the waterfall,” Brawly mused as he looked back up to the thundering waterfall.
“Yeah, it’s a nice little town,” Ethan told him. “Have you met any of the locals yet?” He asked Brawly.
“Yeah, on my first day here. They seem cool, though maybe a little strange. They never answered my question either…” Ethan looked at his friend for a moment as he thought about what he had just said.
“And did you have a translation spell cast on you since they can't understand us?” He asked, feeling the urge to facepaw or hit his friend when realisation lit up on Brawly`s face.
“Ohhh… that explains a lot… Well I think we managed to get along just fine nonetheless.” Somehow that did not surprise Ethan. Brawly was a very likable guy that mostly got along with everyone, apparently even when they could not understand him.
“That’s just like you.” But even if he knew, he could not help but comment on it.
“Do you think she will be fine until we come back, though?” Chii asked Ethan as she looked over to the Gyarados.
Ethan had to admit that Chii had a point. His mind had been elsewhere since he had been reunited with his old friend.
“Tell you what, why don't you three go back to town, and ask Mary for some supplies to treat electrical burns and I’ll wait here in case she wakes up. Does that sound good with you, Chii?” Ethan proposed. That way, he would be able to handle the situation if the Gyarados happened to wake up while they were gone.
“You sure you are going to be okay?” Zoey asked him as she glanced over to the resting Gyarados. It may have been weakened since it was hurt, but a Gyarados was still a fearsome opponent if it chose to attack.
“I’ll be fine, you just worry about getting the supplies,” Ethan told them.
“Come on, girls,” Brawly said as he patted Zoey on the back and started leading them back towards the town. “If he says he’s got it, then it will be fine. Dude knows what he is talking ‘bout.”
“But…” Chii looked back to Ethan as they walked away from him. She wanted to protest, but she had conflicted feelings. Ethan had told them to get the supplied and that was what they would do. It did not take long until all three of them were out of Ethan’s sight.
“Of all the people to show up…” Ethan could not help but grin slightly. He also had another small thought behind sending all three of them to get the supplies while he stayed back. It would allow Brawly to get a small look at the town, and hopefully Chii would warm up to him. He was such a likable guy so he could not understand why she was so wary of him.
“Oh well, I’m sure it will work out…” He mused to himself as he sat down and looked at his new patient. “I wonder what you went through…”
“You know, just glaring at him won't change anything,” Zoey whispered to Chii who had not stopped staring at Brawly. He had kept his distance as they walked out of respect for Chii.
“...” Chii did not say anything, she just continued to glare at him. She was mad at the fact that his arrival had stopped Zoey from confessing her love to Ethan. It had all been going perfectly too.
Zoey just let out a long sigh and shot Brawly an apologetic glance.
“I’m sorry for her behavior, she is not normally like this,” Brawly just shook his head with his normal smile.
“It’s alright, I’m sure she has her reasons… so this is the town you have been staying in, huh?” They had entered the town and was making good progress towards the Mary`s clinic.
“Yeah, it’s a nice little town, and the ponies in it are great… well most of them at least,” She thought back to all of the injured Pokemon that had been brought in.
“Sounds like something has happened.” Zoey smiled, Brawly had always been a great listener. Not that Ethan was not, he was just… Ethan.
“Yeah… It started with this injured Swablu…” Zoey got started and told Brawly about everything that had happened, including the fact the an Officer Jenny had helped them out.
“Sounds like you have had a rough ride so far,” Brawly commented as he waved at the nearby ponies that they passed. “An Officer Jenny though? That could create some rough waves…” He knew of what Ethan did and his past after all.
“Yeah… and it kind of did,” Zoey let out a sigh but did not comment on it any further since Chii was still there with them. “But it all worked out in the end.” She gave Brawly a reassuring look, which he nodded to, having gotten the meaning behind it. If there had been any trouble Ethan would have most likely told him beforehand.
“We are here!” Chii cheered when the clinic was in sight. She jumped down from Zoey and ran towards the building to greet Mary Care.
“She really likes the pony who works there; she had been kind to us,” Zoey explained to Brawly as he looked after the speeding Chii.
“She seems like a nice little girl… do you mind if I ask why Ethan has her? It had been some time since we last talked so I had not gotten wind of the fact that he had gotten any more patients.” Brawly asked Zoey. He had been so busy with his job as a Gym Leader the past few months that he had not had a chance to visit Ethan.
“She… has had a rough past,” Zoey was really not comfortable speaking of it, since it was Chii`s past and not her own. But she did trust Brawly. “Do you know the name Mary Costatilla?” Brawly`s eyes lit up in understanding.
“Yeah… her mother was widely known after all.” He stopped for a moment as he watched Chii run in through the door.
“Then just know that she is very fragile. She will warm up to you, she just most likely needs a little more time.” Brawly nodded in understanding as the two of them followed after Chii to get those supplies.
Zoey grew increasingly more nervous as they walked back through the forest towards the waterfall. She had promised herself that she would finally tell Ethan about how she felt. She had to do it, it would just continue to eat at her if she did not.
She was going to tell his how she felt. But what if something went wrong… what if he did not love her back. What if-
Zoey was brought out from her thoughts as Brawly put a paw on her shoulder.
“Are you alright? You seemed a little out of it,” Zoey blushed and shook her head. She had to get her act together. Everything would be fine, she had to tell herself that.
“Y-yes, I’m fine. I’m just thinking about something,” Chii grinned knowingly from on top of Zoey`s head. She knew exactly what she was talking about. Her plan was playing out just the way she imagined it… well mostly, it was the end result that was important.
Brawly did not inquire anymore as they were closing in on their destination. The trees were already beginning to become scarce and the sound of water was becoming cleared with every step that they took .
“Hey there!” The group could hear Ethan call out to them. He was sitting on a small stone next to the Gyarados and was waving at them.
“Ethan!” Chii yelled as she jumped down and ran over to him, jumping into his lap as she nuzzled against him.
“Hello to you too, Chii,” an amused Ethan said as Chii was purring loudly. “Did everything go well, did she have the supplies that we need?” Brawly nodded and brought out the small sack he had been carrying.
“She said that you wanted this, I trust that you know how to use it.” Ethan nodded as he took the sack and was about to open it to inspect its content when Zoey stepped up to him. She was fidgeting with her claws and was looking as nervous as she could possibly be.
“C-can I talk to you about something?” Zoey managed to stammer out, she was visibly shaking as she stood before Ethan. “Alone,” she added before Ethan could speak up.
Ethan glanced over at Brawly who just shrugged in response, and Chii who had jumped down from Zoey and was nodding and smiling at him.
“Of course, Zoey.” Ethan stood up and put his paw on her shoulder. He noticed how she calmed down at his touch before she nodded and they walked a small distance away from the others.
He could not help but wonder what was eating at Zoey. She was usually so confident and straightforward in her actions. He hoped that there wasn't anything wrong.
“So what did you want to talk to me about?” Ethan asked when they stopped. He could still see Chii and Brawly in the distance, but they should be to far away to listen in.
“I…” Zoey took a few deep breaths as she steeled herself. “I… I love you.”
Zoey felt as if a huge burden had been lifted off her shoulders as she said this, she felt relieved beyond anything else. Especially as she looked at Ethan and saw him smiling back at her.
“Well, I love you too. I love all of you guys, you are my family.” Zoey felt her eye twitch. How could he be that dense!? She wanted to hit him, but held herself back. She had come that far, she would see things through.
“No, I love you… I like you… romantically.” She could see the moment that Ethan realised exactly what she meant as his eyes opened, and his mouth, while open, did not speak for a few moments.
“Oh… OHHH…. ohhhh,” that last “oh” could have very well have been a Bisharp stabbing her through the chest. Especially when she took into account the look on Ethan's face. He was looking around as if looking for a way out, and he was looking really nervous… he did not love her back, she knew it.
“Y-you dont love me back, d-do you?” Zoey stammered out, she was beginning to cry, her eyes already misty. “I-is it because you used to b-be a human?” Zoey sniffed. She had kept telling herself that everything would be okay, so it felt so much harder for her now that things did not go the way that she had hoped.
“No, of course not,” Ethan said as he put a hand on her shoulder. “I never cared about that…”
“Then why!” Zoey yelled at him, her tears were flowing freely now. “A-am I just too ugly for you or what?” Ethan did not like the direction that Zoey were heading in, that and her voice had kept increasing since she had started crying. “I-its the scars isn't it?” Zoey sobbed out as she hit his paw away from her shoulder.
“What? No of course not,” Ethan retorted. “it’s ju-”
“It’s just WHAT!?” Zoey roared at him, but visibly calmed down as she felt a paw on her shoulder… that did not belong to Ethan.
“You never told her, did you?” Brawly sighed out. He stood just behind Zoey with a sad Chii sitting next to him, her ears flat against her head.
“I-it’s not something that I tell everyone… besides, I never saw the need to tell it. It never came up.” Ethan grabbed the fur on his head and let out a deep sigh.
“T-tell me what?” Zoey asked. She looked in between Ethan and Brawly, obviously confused about what was going on. Ethan opened his mouth to explain everything to her, but Brawly beat him too it.
“He’s gay.” The look Ethan sent Brawly would have been enough to kill lesser men. He always had a tendency for just blurting things out.
“I…” Zoey was at a loss for words. Did she truly know Ethan at all? She had been with him for several years and she had not known about such an important piece of his life. She was not sure what to think.
“I’m sorry I never told you, Zoey.” Ethan knelt down in front of her to be able to look her in the eyes since she was staring at the ground.
“W-why… why did you not tell me? I thought we were family,” Zoey asked, her tears heavier than before. Ethan basically knew everything about her, but now that she thought about it, she knew next to nothing about him.
“I…” Ethan looked at Brawly, who just shook his head. His friend was right, this was his mess and he had to deal with it. “I’m sorry Zoey… I just never thought about telling any of you... Hell, Brawly only know because he was there when I told my father.”
It tore him up to see Zoey in the state that she was now in.
“I’m sorry that I can't give you what you are looking for…” He truly did love Zoey, but it was the same love that he felt for Vernus, Chii, or any of his close friends and family. “Can you forgive me for not telling you sooner?” Ethan held out his paw towards her.
Zoey looked at his paw, and back up towards his face. She knew that Ethan never meant to hurt her. He had always done everything he could to make sure that each and every one of them had it as good as possible. But that did still not change the feeling of betrayal that she felt in her chest.
“Y-you can't change who you are…” Zoey managed to crack the smallest of smiles as she reached out and grabbed Ethan’s paw, letting herself being pulled into a hug. “I… I just wish that you had told me… us sooner. We are your family you know, you should trust us...” she wiped her tears on Ethan’s fur.
“I know… I’m stupid and I can't explain how sorry I am that it had to come to this…” Ethan held her tight and stroked Zoey`s back as she slowly managed to calm down. “Are you going to be okay?” As he asked this, Zoey leaned away and stood back up again.
“I… yeah,” she nodded as she wiped her eyes once more. “I just… think I need some time to think if that’s okay with you,” she flashed him a smile before she turned around and started walking away. She still felt really betrayed, there was no changing that, so she needed a little time away from Ethan to properly think things through.
“Brawly, do you mind going with her?” His friend paused before nodding slowly.
“If that is what you want… What about you?” Brawly looked at Ethan. He knew that his friend cared about his family above everything else so that situation must have been hard on him too.
“I’ll be fine,” Ethan grinned at him. “I would just feel safer if someone looked after her right now. She is your friend, too, and I think she could use someone to talk to right about now. Someone that is not me. ” Brawly nodded and walked after Zoey, leaving Ethan and Chii sitting on the banks.
His little companion had been quiet during most of what had happened, but now she had to get her feelings out. And so she jumped up to Ethan and hit him in the face with her tail, making him fall flat on his back in surprise.
“Oww… what was that for?!” Ethan complained as he sat back up. Chii may be small, but she could really pack a punch when she wanted to.
“It’s because you had to go and make Zoey sad!” Chii exclaimed as she glared at him with as much ferocity as such a small pink furball could manage. “Why could you just not say that you loved her back!?”
“Chii… it’s not that simple,” Ethan looked down at her as she glared back at him. He was sure that she had been there when everything had been told and explained so what was she… “Chii, do you know what it means when someone is gay?” Ethan asked her.
“Yes, of course I do!” Ethan looked at her with an eyebrow raised. Their little staring contest only lasted a few seconds before Chii gave in and looked down to the ground. “No…” Ethan let out a deep sigh, it made a little more sense to him now.
“I’m sorry that I made Zoey sad, Chii, but I can't change who I am. You see, normally…” and so Ethan began what might have been his biggest challenge yet.