• Published 9th Dec 2014
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Old Scars, New Chances - Arcticbrony



Ethan Summers is a Pokémon caretaker that has been hiding from the law for several years. But when Arceus sent them to a new world, he finds himself teamed up with an unusual and unwanted partner. And running away from his problems is not an option

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Chapter 45

Author's Note:

Arctic: Hello everyone, I am glad that I did not make you wait as long as last time. Now, this is labeled as a normal chapter, but it is more of a small interlude. A look at some of the things I have not focused all too much on in the main story, but goes on in the day to day life of some of our characters. We will return with a major plot heavy chapter next time, but for now I hope you enjoy this bite sized chapter.

Moldyshishkabob: “Short, and sweet. Or maybe semisweet, depends on your sense of mental readerizing tastes.”

He had laid his head down again after Chii had left, but sleep did not come as easily now as it had before. He was still a little tired, but there was simply too much on his mind for him to completely relax.

“Might as well get something done.” Ethan grunted as he forced himself up. He could hear the noise leaking through the walls from all the Pokémon who lived there. He could hear voices, loud and quiet, and numerous feet as they ran around, doing various things. If he closed his eyes and focused, he could even make out some of the individual conversations they were having, but it would be rude of him to listen in, so he dropped that.

His first thought was to go check back up on Jenny, but Zoey would just throw him out again, likely chain him to the bed too, so that was a no-go. He glanced to the side of his room where a small pile of books and several papers were stacked: the books he had borrowed from Mary and others from the local library.

“It's a little early, but I think they have had enough time to complete their assignment now.” He mused to himself as he picked up one book in particular, Education: the Pony Brain. It would be a little sudden, but he hoped his eager students would rise to the occasion.

He left the room and looked around for one little bird in particular, and it did not take long to spot him. The little Taillow was often quite loud and liked being the center of attention.

“Taillow!” Ethan called out to him.

“Yeah, whaddya want?” The brash bird asked as it stopped in front of him, slowly flapping his wings to keep afloat. It was the same brash bird who had so boldly proclaimed that he would leave as soon as he was able. Whenever someone brought it up though, he brushed it off, saying that they would not make it without him around.

“Could you fly over to the school and see if Lady is free?” None of them disputed his claims of that, better to let him have his pride.

“Erm…. I guess.” Ethan was still baffled over how that particular Taillow managed to perfectly shrug midair without it affecting his flying at all. “What should I tell her?”

“Just that we got a class starting soon. She loves learning, so if she is available she will be here in a split…. Now, let's see if I can't find the rest of them.”


It took a little while to find them all, but before long Ethan was seated outside with a small group of six Pokémon. They had gotten two additional members to their little group since they had started. Only the Natu was missing, but she was living with Stormy now and was assisting her full time.

“I'm glad that you all could find the time to come on such short notice, and- yes, Lady?” Ethan stopped as the Abra held her hand up.

“Um, what are we doing today? The Taillow did not tell me much, and we don't have another class scheduled for another few days.” A few murmurs of agreement went through his students. He had been rather vague with them all.

“That is very true, but, because of some of the recent events, I thought we might have an extra class for those of you who want and have the time to join. So if you have other plans, don't feel bad about leaving.” He waited a few seconds, but none of them got up. “All of you want to stay? That is wonderful.” Ethan grinned. “Now, this is an extra class, so you don't have to worry about not having prepared for it.”

With those words, the Monferno, Hali, visibly relaxed. She had been very quiet in the beginning, but after a few classes, she had opened up a little, and Ethan had found her to be something of a perfectionist.

“But before we start, all of you had an optional assignment: to help somepony or someone in one way or another. Have any of you done that since the last time?” Two hands shot into the air, immediately with three others and a tail following. “All of you? Now that is amazing. Does anyone want to share with the rest what they did?”

“Me, I do!” Lady eagerly stretched her arm higher.

“I expected that, but maybe we should let someone else go first for once?” Lady was very energetic and always the first to speak. That was not a bad thing, but he wanted to promote the others as well.

“Aww, okay.” The Abra sat back with a small pout.

“How about you, Hali, how did you help someone since last time?” He knew that Hali probably would not speak up unless he asked her directly, it was a small effort he had to help her be more comfortable with speaking in front of others.

“Oh, um…” The Monferno looked around. “There was this old pony who was having some trouble with carrying her groceries back to her home. She was walking very slow and almost shaking, but when I offered to help her… she got really angry and slapped me. But after sticking to it, I managed to get her to accept the help. I… have been helping her around the house every now and then ever since. She is too proud to ask for help, but I think she appreciates it.” Her voice was low, but everyone leaned in close to hear her story. “Is that what we were supposed to do?”

“You were supposed to help somepony, what that meant was up to you.” Ethan answered her. “I certainly think you have helped this old pony out quite a bit from the sounds of it. Now, how does helping somepony like this feel?”

“It… feels really good.” Hali smiled. “She does not ask for help, or thank me. But last time, she made some tea and cookies for me when I arrived, I think that was her way to thank me. And she seems happier, more energetic. I like it… and I want to continue.”

“That is very good, Hali, and wonderful to hear.” Ethan smiled, highly satisfied with her little story. “Now, there are plenty of reasons to help others. You may help someone for your own gain, for payment, or because of an obligation. You may help someone in order to help someone else, or even yourself. And I want you to remember, that the reason for helping someone may vary tremendously for each and every one of you, and it may change over time. But know that helping in itself, is right. Now, there is a fine line regarding expecting payment but I will go over that at a later date.” Everyone had their own motivations, and it was important to acknowledge those. Helping for the sake of helping others is, of course, very noble, but it's unrealistic to think that everyone will act like that.

Looking around, Ethan was pleased to see the thoughtful faces of his students after that little explanation. After a few moments though, the small Minccino raised her paw, and Ethan nodded for her to continue.

“Is it okay to not help someone though?” She asked, and Ethan had expected a question of that manner for some time now.

“That is a good question, and there is no right or wrong answer to that. Many will say that you should try to help everyone who you see needs it, but you can't help everyone, no matter how hard you try. And you should not try to help everyone either; you will just burn yourself out and then you won't be able to help anyone. Do you understand what I mean?” Ethan asked, and he got a few nods and a few questioning glances in return. “I’m sure that you will understand more of it later. Now, does anyone else want to share their story?”

“Ooh, me, me next!” Lady urged on, her hand high in the air. “I have helped the foals every single day ever since I started working in the school.” She beamed, her smile as wide as it could be. She had truly found her calling it seemed like.

“I kinda expected that.” Ethan laughed. “Now, how about the rest of you?”

As it turned out, Lady had invited the rest of them to help out in the school as well. Some had taken better to it than others, but they all had given it their all, doing what they could, and putting their heart into it, which was all that Ethan could have hoped for.

“This is very good, everyone, but we will move onto something a little different, though it is very relevant when it comes to helping ponies and Pokémon, and I’m sure that all of you will come into contact with this in one way or another. Today, I will teach you about what's known as depression.” Ethan reached down into his bag and pulled out a small stack of papers that he handed out to all of his students.

“Today, I'll be educating you on Major Depressive Disorder, otherwise known simply as depression. This is a mental disorder that affects a lot of ponies and Pokémon. But because of how broad this subject is, and that it affects us somewhat different than it does ponies, we will focus on ponies for today and handle Pokémon another day. The papers I gave you all are to help you follow this lesson and help you better understand what I'm saying.” Most of his students had now started looking through the papers. “That being said, if there is something you don't understand, don't be afraid to ask. Now, can anyone tell me what some of the most common causes of depression are for ponies?”

The small crowd started mumbling among each other, and Lady was reaching for her paper to see if it had something on the subject.

“No looking in the papers for this one,” Ethan caught here before she got there. “I want you to use your imagination for this. What do you think are some of the common causes? Just give me anything that pops into your head. Don't be afraid to answer.” He encouraged them on. Something like this was to be expected though, since they had gotten no time to prepare on the subject, so they were hesitant and unsure.

“If someone has been through something really bad?” A Petilil by the name Navi spoke up. She was standing on top of her papers. “And they don't know how to deal with it.”

“Very good, trauma such as physical or emotional abuse is a very common cause, or grief from the loss of a loved one or just loss in general can lead to clinical depression.” It was very brave of Navi to share exactly that as she had been part of the second group of Pokémon they had rescued, and she had gone through a major loss herself. “Thank you, Navi.”

“Health conditions?” Lady was the next to speak up. “Like blindness or a permanent injury.”

“That’s right, Lady, conditions that cannot be cured can weigh heavily on the mind. And here its important that support is given to help the pony accept their inability and how to best live with it. Anything else?”

It look a little longer this time, a Minun raised her hand.

“S-stress?” She asked with a questioning tone.

“Yes, stressful events and changes can sometimes trigger a clinical depressive syndrome that is more than just normal sadness.” This was something they were still dealing with, as the drastic change of being thrown into a new world was still affecting a lot of Pokémon. “These are all very good answers, but I also want you to understand that depression, in most cases, don't have a single cause. Instead it's often a mix of things.” Ethan paused and smiled as Hali raised her paw. “Yes?”

“So… it is like a glass that overflows if too much is put into it?” She asked, making Ethan's brow furrow in thought.

“Yes, that analogy can be used. If the pony is the glass and all the different causes is the liquid that's poured into the glass, then if too much is poured in then it will overflow. Or the glass itself might shatter, or break. Very good, Hali.” The Monferno hugged her tail while smiling proudly.

“Why do we have to learn about this?” The Minccino spoke up. “I thought we were supposed to learn how to help ponies. This seems a little over the top.”

“Hey! Don't be rude!” Lady immediately cut in with some of the others not looking too pleased about the question either.

“No, no, it's a good question.” Ethan intervened, and knelt down infront of the Minccino. “This might seem a little too much for some of you, and that's okay. But knowing what is wrong with somepony will make it so that you will be in a better position to recognize the problem and in turn help them. Do you understand?”

“I… I think so.” The Minccino nodded. “This is still a little hard for me to understand, but I'm sorry for interrupting.”

“No need to apologize, it was a good question, and something that I should have explained before beginning, so thank you for bringing it up.” This was a learning experience, not just for his students, but for him as well. “Now, if you are stuck on something, just stop me and we will go through it together.”

Ethan cheered silently as he watched Lady apologised to the Minccino for jumping on his question. He would help and teach them as much as he could, but if they could help each other aswell, then they would reach new heights in record time.

“Now if there are no more questions…” He waited a few moments, and when no one spoke up, and no paws were raised he continued. “I am sure that some of you have a basic idea of what depression is, but I will go over the basics anyway for all of you. So if you look at page two you will see…


“–and that brings us back to Cutie Marks. While they show a pony's true meaning and passion, they can also be a source of turmoil. Most try to focus their job around their Cutie Mark or try to include their passion in some way, but not everyone gets that luxury, and a pony may even in some cases grow to resent it or feel like they ended up with the wrong Cutie Mark altogether. There are several ways to handle a situation like this, but-” everyone flinched as the backdoor slammed open.

“There you are!” A very annoyed looking Zoey stomped towards them. “I looked all over for you.” She stopped and took a few slow breaths before calming herself. “We need you inside right now. Jenny woke up.”

“Oh, that is great–wait, is she panicking like earlier?” Ethan asked, noticing the urgency in Zoey's tone.

“No, no, she is surprisingly calm right now. I think her Growlithe is helping with that. But she does not want to speak to anyone other than you. She practically snapped at anyone who came remotely close to her.”

“I see. Sorry, everyone, but I will have to cut this class short. Now, if you look at the last page, you will find a couple of questions.” Ethan put his hands on Zoey's shoulders and pushed her down into the makeshift seat he had just been using. “Work on those together, and Zoey here will answer any questions you might have and help you along.”

“Wait, I will do what now?”

“She is very experienced with the subject you are working on, so get along well.” Ethan smiled as he began to back away. “And it will be a good experience for you too, Zoey.”

“I did not- urgh, okay what are you working on?” Luckily, it did not take much for Zoey to give in, as a single look at some of the student's pleading eyes was enough.

Vernus was waiting outside Jenny's room when Ethan arrived.

“She is in there, clinging to her partner with all the strength she has. We tried to get some food or water into her but… she just kept repeating your name.” The Leafeon shook his head and looked away. “Nothing we could do.”

“Don't worry, buddy, I got it from here. Run out to Zoey in the back if you want, I'm sure she could use some help now.” Vernus shot Ethan a questioning look, but shrugged and went along with it.

Inside it was just like Vernus had described. In the bed’s corner, as far away from the door as she could get, Jenny was huddled up with her Growlithe glued to her side, a blanket encompassing the both of them. Her head shot in his direction immediately as he entered the room and it seemed like she tried to crawl further back into the corner.

“Hey, Jenny.” He greeted her softly. She was nervous, and scared, but the Growlithe kept gently nuzzling her, encouraging her to look up.

“H-h-hello.” Her voice was different from what he remembered, no longer did it carry her usual authority or the playful edge it always had, as it was now, every word seemed forced.

“Try to relax, you are safe here. No one is going to hurt you.” Ethan slowly walked up to the bed and sat down on a small chair in front of it. “We have a lot to talk about.”