{"sf1_id":870581,"sf2_id":null,"title":"Chapter 4: \"...We've all Got Secrets to Hide...\"","author":"Tessler","words":4328,"posted_at":"2015-06-07T23:14:00.000Z","tags":["Plot Development","Story Progression","ampharos","lucario","milotic","pokemon"],"url":"https://fse.anthro.fr/stories/870581-chapter-4-we-ve-all-got-secrets-to-hide","original_url":"https://sofurry.com/view/870581","image_url":"https://www.sofurryfiles.com/std/thumb?page=870581\u0026ext=.jpg","description":"","content":"Noticing his older\ncousin beginning to doze off, Nathan and his dear Christine had called out\n\"Ethan!\" trying to bring him back to his senses. He seemed to be ignoring them,\npossibly lost in very deep thought.\nNot thinking of better\noptions, Christine turned to Beleza and asked her \"Uh, we could use your help\nhere!\"\nHaving grown concerned\nfor the human she saw as her boyfriend, she replied \"Milo.\" before suddenly\nhitting him and Nathan with a powerful volume of water out of her mouth,\ndrenching the two. Unsurprisingly, Ethan let out a sudden blast of electricity\nin response, which oddly enough didn't hurt Nathan, despite the two being in\npoint blank rage of each other, and they hit the ground. Worried she and\nChristine went to check on their trainers, and were surprised to see them get\nup, with Nathan feeling a bit exhausted from the surge of power he had just\nrecently felt.\nKnowing what happened;\nEthan turned to his Milotic and said \"Thanks...I needed that.\" Helping his cousin\nback onto his feet upon realizing that he just electrocuted him, he asked\nsomewhat worried \"You okay, Nathan?\"\n\"Well, I'm\ndrenched....and felt a few thousand volts of lightning at point blank range, but\nthat aside, I'm feeling okay. Somehow...\" Nathan explained. \"That should've\nhurt...\"\nNot wanting his cousin\nto catch a cold, Ethan remarked \"Let's get going. None of us want you to get a\ncold prior to us meeting up with our parents.....kind of wish I was born with\npyrokinetic abilities. Be one less problem for us to deal with.\" None of them noticed\na figure in the thunderclouds, the figure of an individual that had been\nwatching Ethan and his family ever since his birth. \nOn a normally bright and clear day, New Bark Town's\na peaceful town with little activity. Sure, it'd probably drive some people Zubat-crazy,\nbut for Ethan, he preferred the quiet and serene nature of New Bark Town. To be\nfair, it was always home to him no matter where he was. Thanks to what was now\nturning into a downpour, Ethan and Beleza had no issue with the rainy weather,\nbut they knew Nathan was another story. As for Christine...well, nobody likes the\nsmell of a wet jackal...do they?????\nNormally, people would be walking across the\nstreets, going to various places and the like, but with the rain, many people\ncould be seen running back to their houses, or getting into their vehicles to\nreturn to their homes. \nOnce they were several yards away from their house,\nEthan had acknowledged \"I hate to do this, but we should recall our Pokémon.\"\nUpon saying that, he pulled out a Dive Ball, ready to recall Beleza. \n\"Milotic\" she said sadly, having enjoyed the feeling\nof the rain on her body, and not being a fan of being inside a dinky metal\nball. But then again; who wouldn't?\nWhile Phosphora was recalled with no interest in\narguing, Christine just said with a huff \"Fine. Can you send me out when we get\ninto your room, please?\" Nathan just nodded as his love was sent back to her\nball.\n\"Let's go.\" Nathan remarked, as he tightened the\nbelt on his trench coat, regaining the strength to walk on his own. \"I'm glad\nthis is made of leather, but leather can only do so much.\"\n\"So can wool.\" Ethan replied, having forgotten that\nhe was in a pea coat in the middle of a thunderstorm. Walking back, he remarked\n\"Shame this is going to smell for a while.\"\nThe both of them couldn't help but laugh, even with\nthe cold rain pouring on them, as they returned to their old home. \nLooking up at the two story house where they were\nraised, Nathan had asked once they were at the front door \"Want me to knock, or\ndo you want to do it?\" Before Ethan could respond, the front door had opened, and\nthey saw none other than Hilda, who was more than happy to see them, even in\nspite of not having seen the two for the last two years. Feeling as if he\nlooked like a wreck, he had said \"Tia, we're sorry for how we look...\"\n\"Don't be.\" She said calmly. \"I'm just happy to see\nyou two again. Come inside, I'll get you some soup for the both of you.\"\nEnjoying the idea of soup, Nathan had said \"Thank\nyou Mom. That sounds excellent.\"\nShutting the door behind them, Hilda explained \"Call\nit convenient timing, but your Dad will be coming home soon from work. We can all\nsit in the living room, and discuss how things have been for all of us.\"\nThe both of them nodded, as they went upstairs to get\nthemselves changed, as well as remove their coats to let them dry, leaving them\non a coat hanger. \nWith her son and nephew having returned home, Hilda\ncouldn't help but smile. She hadn't seen them for two years, and given what Nathan\nwas training in, she didn't have a single clue as to what he had really been\ndoing. And Ethan, she felt that he had just disappeared, almost like her\nbrother. Part of her had feared that something had happened to the last\nsurviving connection she had to him.\nPutting that last thought to the side, she began\ncutting up a few vegetables, and heated up some slices of fresh Fearow. To her,\nall that mattered was that both of them had come home. Cooking up the soup, she\nlooked up a ceiling lamp that was above her. Out of curiosity, she raised a\nhand towards, and saw a weak bolt of lightning as it made contact with her\nhand. Pulling her hand back as the spark vanished, she had asked herself \"Just why am I able to wield this? What she\nsaid to my brother and me all those years ago? Is it true? So...could Nathan be\nable to learn it too? I'll explain it to them when the time is right. Who am I\nkidding; we've all got secrets to hide...\"\nReaching the top of the stairs, Ethan had asked \"I'm\nthinking of letting out Beleza and Phosphora in my room. Are you thinking the\nsame for Christine in yours?\"\nSmiling, Nathan had responded \"You got it....actually,\nwhy don't I let out my team and your friends can get to know them?\" \n\"I'm up for that.\" Ethan responded. Rather than head\nto their rooms directly, they agreed on a gaming room that wasn't too far away.\nHeading inside, it still looked the same as they had left it two years ago. An\nHDTV set up in a corner with one or two consoles set up, and a pool table in\nthe center. Even a couch with a table not too far away where people could hold\nconversations. \"I'll go first.\" Ethan said as he prepared to let out the girls\nhe had loved for as long as he knew them. \nAs she was brought out, Beleza just looked around,\nfeeling happy to have been brought back to the same place where Ethan had\nraised her. Sending out Phosphora, she acknowledged with a very surprised voice\n\"Ampharos!\" as she affectionately hugged him and Beleza. Grinning, the two\nhugged her back. \nNot wanting to have chimed in, Nathan said\napologetically \"Sorry to chime in, but I'm guessing both of your Pokémon are\nhappy to be back here?\" The three nodded in response. \"Okay, then. Christine, we're\nin!\" he called as his mate jumped out of her ball. \nUpon jumping out of her Pokéball, she remarked \"About\ntime. I was beginning to feel claustrophobic in there!\"\nUnderstanding, Nathan replied \"I know. I thought it\nwould've been easier on all of us.\" Pulling one more Pokéball, he asked \"I\nsuppose your friends should meet mine, Ethan?\"\n\"Why not? The both of us might be busy with our\nparents.\" Ethan replied. \n\"Okay then.\" His younger cousin remarked. \"Omega,\ncome out!\" Opening one of the balls, a spider like species, known by many as a\nMetagross of the Hoenn region, had appeared; a sight that caught Ethan off\nguard. \n\"You caught a Metagross?\" Ethan asked quite\nsurprised by the sight of the walking supercomputer.\n\"Yes, he did.\" It replied, a somewhat metallic voice\nbeing very noticeable in it telepathic speech. \"A long story, there is not.\"\n\"We'll be back for the four of you.\" Nathan announced\nas he and his older cousin left their teams together, while they got themselves\nready to catch up with their parents. Heading back to their bedrooms, they\nchanged out of their clothes into more comfortable clothing, such as short\nsleeve shirts and sweatpants, the both of them being surprised at how their\nclothing still fit despite not having worn them for so long. \nFeeling better with the change of clothing, the two\ncousins headed back downstairs to catch up with Hilda. With the living room set\nup with fresh hot soup ready for the two, she was sitting on a nearby chair, having\nwaited for them while she ate some of her own creation. Beginning to eat their\nsoup, Hilda had asked \"So who wants to go first?\"\nShrugging Ethan decided \"I think I'll go.\" After\ntaking another sip, he began with a frown visible \"I feel I made a mistake leaving\nhere. I wanted...to use my powers for good...I don't know where to really begin,\nTia.\"\nUnsure of what else to say, Ethan just looked down\nat his soup. His Aunt couldn't help but get off of her chair, and give him a\nhug. She even remarked \"Ethan, we've always been proud of what you are capable\nof. I'm glad you've tried to put them to good use, and not squander them for\nyour own interests.\"\nComforted by his Aunt's words, he replied \"Thanks\nTia. Perhaps it just isn't time for me to really use my powers. I've also tried\nto find my parents, but I haven't had any success. Do you have any idea where\nthey might've gone off too?\"\n\"I honestly don't know where they've gone off too.\"\nShe replied sadly. \"When I last saw them twenty years ago, there was a war that\nhad broken out in Unova. And....and...I promised your father...my little brother...I'd....protect....\"\nUnable to speak further, Hilda had broken into tears. Putting his soup down,\nEthan couldn't help but hug her back in an attempt to comfort her. Not liking\nseeing his mother in tears, Nathan got off his seat, and hugged her.\nFeeling better, Hilda remarked \"Thanks boys.\" \n\"Anytime.\" The two had responded, as they let go of\ntheir parent. \nDeciding that it'd be for the better, Nathan had\nreasoned \"I think my story should just wait until tomorrow.\"\nWiping a few tears away as Ethan grabbed a box of\ntissues for her, Hilda replied \"If you wish, Nathan.\" Looking at her watch, she\ncontinued \"We should go to bed. I'm looking forward to how your time in Kalos\nhas been, Nathan.\" Finishing up their dinner, they bid each other good night,\nand the two cousins headed upstairs.  Hilda decided to wait until Cheren came home\nto tell him the news as she sat back in her chair. \nHeading back to the game room, they found their\nPokémon having barely moved from where their trainers last saw them. Seeing\ntheir trainers, the four Pokémon bid each other good night before they were\nwillingly recalled into their Pokéballs. \nWalking back into his room, Ethan let his\ngirlfriends out, wanting to sleep by their side. Being changed for the night, he\ngestured for the two to follow. After helping Phosphora back onto the bed, she\ncouldn't help but ask \"Ethan, what do you really think of us?\" Soon, all three\nof them were on the same bed, Beleza having coiled herself up on the mattress, while\nEthan and Phosphora were on top of her. \nDespite having told the both of them before, Ethan\nreplied as he pulled the both of them into a hug \"Is it necessary for me to\nrepeat myself? I still love the both of you, and I would love a future with all\nthree of us in it...I just fear that people would go after us if they were to see\nme romantically involved with two Pokémon, let alone one.\"\n\"Isn't Johto known to be accepting of Pokémon and\nhuman couples?\" Beleza interjected.\nStroking her hair-like fins, Ethan explained \"From\nwhat I've read of our region's laws, such relationships are legal...but people don't\nreally like it, as far as I've seen. And I've seen the reactions people have\nhad just seeing us anytime we've done something harmless like share a kiss\nwhenever we forget we're in public. It's unsettled me, and I...almost felt ready\nto run for my life anytime I've shared a kiss with any of you. I just wish we\ncould find a place to settle down somewhere, and we wouldn't have to worry of\npeople judging us for being together.\"\n\"Why not Kalos, Ethan?\" Phosphora asked. Asking her\nto go on, she continued \"Christine had explained to us that the region is very\nopen to Pokémon and Human relationships, almost said to be a haven for individuals\nlike us.\"\nSmiling sadly, Ethan replied \"I'll keep that in\nmind. But Johto is our home. I feel too attached to this place, especially our\ntown.\" \nNeither of them was aware that Hilda had stood\noutside their bedroom, having heard their entire conversation that was playing\nout when she went to grab something from her bedroom. Sure, she didn't have\nEthan's ability to hear Pokémon directly speak, but she could get an idea of\nwhat they were saying by his responses. Backing away from the door, she\ncouldn't help but facepalm at the revelation of her own nephew being\nromantically involved with a Pokémon. \n\"Like\nfather, like son I suppose. I can't hate him for whoever he chooses to be with,\nbe it human or Pokémon.\" She thought to herself. Although, she\nalways hated what her brother had done that led to Ethan's birth.  However she found it worthy of cringing at the\nimplication of him being with two Pokémon. Sneaking away to her left, she\nthought \"But still, the fact he seems to\nbe with two Pokémon? Even if it's not sexual Arceus forbid, I still fear that\neven people here....I'm thinking too much. I'll just wait for him to confess when\nhe's ready....but what about Nathan...?\"\nHolding both of his Pokémon, Ethan had said \"The\nboth of you are everything to me....and I don't know what I would do if something was to happen\nto any of you.\" Touched by his opinion, Beleza and Phosphora snuggled up to\nhim, as the fell asleep, their dreams taking hold of them. Ethan however didn't\nget to.\nAs he slumbered, he heard a distinctly feminine\nvoice declare \"Arise Ethan!\" Opening his eyes, he found himself having slept on\nwhat looked like a public road, his face in the pavement.\n\"Where am I...\" he asked himself. Looking down, he\nfound himself wearing a dark blue pea coat style jacket with the thinness of a\nwindbreaker for use in warmer weather, as well as black jeans and sneakers.\nLooking upwards, he realized he was in a city with many skyscrapers that\nappeared to pierce the clouds. \"How did I get here from New Bark town? I must\nbe back in either Violet City, or I'm even in Goldenrod City! But why would...?\"\nBefore he had a chance to finish his last question,\nthe same voice had yelled \"Silence, you\nfool! You have no idea of how much of a threat you've become to our operations!\nYou've forced this upon yourself, but we don't have much of a choice now!\" Suddenly\nhe heard the screaming of civilians as blasts of light were seen across the\ncity. He realized that the blasts were coming from people that could manipulate\nit. Or produce it themselves. \"We Team\nPhoenix wanted to conquer Johto without bloodshed, but so be it. We've even kidnapped\nyour girlfriends, Ethan!\" Upon hearing that, he looked down, tapped himself\nrepeatedly, before realizing that he didn't have Beleza or Phosphora's\nrespective Pokéballs.\nHe did however, have one Pokéball. Despite his\ndesperate attempts of opening it, he couldn't. Yet he could sense there was a\nPokémon inside it. \"Are you done, Ethan?\"\nthat same voice asked him as he struggled to open that dinky sphere. \"The forces I command are conquering Johto,\nstarting with the grand Goldenrod City! Do you think you can even stop us with\nyour power?\" Knowing that it was a waste of time for him to respond, he ran\ninto the entrance of Goldenrod City. Regardless of what was going on, he knew\nhe had to stop it. He was alone, his cousins nowhere to be found, and he was\nsure that his Aunt and Uncle were far away from whatever was going on. \nTurning across an alleyway as he ran, he soon\nnoticed many injured civilians attempting to crawl away as well as the\nGoldenrod Police in a gunfight with what looked like men clad in white business\nsuits wielding heavier firepower. \"It's Ethan!\" Someone called out. Turning around,\nhe noticed a crowd of people gathering rocks to throw as they came his way.\nFearing the worst, he prepared to run only to hear\nanother person from the crowd call out \"We're not here to hurt you! We want to\nhelp! We're not letting buffoons like these take our home! Especially not after\nTeam Rocket tried the same!\" \nNot sure what to say, Ethan had said \"Uh, okay? Let's\nstop these guys!\" Gesturing for the crowd to follow him, they did so, as a few\ngrabbed something to use as a weapon. Noticing the grunts reloading their\nweapons to open fire on the crowd, he yelled \"Find some kind of cover!\" Giving\nthe crowd time to disperse, he raised his hands out. Concentrating his\nelectricity that emanated from his hands, he produced a pair of rings, and\npointed them in the direction of the Phoenix Grunts whom prepared to open fire\non him. Before they could try to gun him down, a beam of concentrated light had\nhit him, knocking him on his back, destroying the shields he created. Fear\ngetting the better of the civilians, they ran for their lives, leaving Ethan to\nfend for himself.\n(Sorry\nto intrude this story, but remember how I said was just going to leave a random\ntheme to fit the scene, and assume everyone would go onto YouTube? Well, ignore\nthat. I'm now just going to say cue this theme, and leave a link, since this is\nSoFurry. Perhaps. As for right now, cue \"Encounter! Archie/Maxie from Omega Ruby/Alpha\nSapphire\": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uUBIfyyfqw4)\nGetting back on his feet, he saw many of the grunts raise\ntheir weapons at him, as they walked up to him. Unsure of how powerful he had\nbecome, he tried to think of a way out. \"Hold your fire!\" someone had called\nout, prompting them to lower their weapons. \"I shall deal with this sinner.\" The\ngrunts soon backed up, keeping their eyes on Ethan as he noticed a man;\npossibly around his age approach him. What caught his attention was the man's\napparel with long blonde hair, fair skin, a pure white cassock featuring a gold\ntrim around the front along with golden buttons as well as white pants and\nshoes. In a way, the individual resembled a priest starting his career with the\nattire worn.\nGetting back up on his feet, Ethan had joked \"Oh,\ngreat; it's Neo. I thought he wore black, though.\"\n\"Silence, heretic!\" the priest like figure had\nremarked. \"You have committed a great sin for expressing 'romantic' emotions\nwith your Pokémon! Our master is disgusted with what you have done. And such\nactions have made your soul as black as this night! But he sees favor with you\nfor some reason. Our master, The Phoenix, sees great potential with you, and\nwants you become one of us. Put the past behind you, resolve the sins you have\ncommitted, let alone the sins your father had committed that lead to your\nconception, and make things right by joining Team Phoenix!\"\nClenching a fist, Ethan replied \"Idea sounds nice....but\nscrew you!\" before the \"priest\" could react, Ethan struck him with an\nelectromagnetic vortex of air, sending him floating several feet as he\nattempted to regain his bearings. \"As an Arceus fearing man, I know my place as\nwell as my love for my Pokémon! I refuse to listen to your lies, and you won't\nconvince me to join the group that you speak of!\" He declared as the \"priest\" had landed\non his feet, as if he had experienced what Ethan had just pulled off.\n\"Very well, Ethan Black. I, sub-commander Valor of\nTeam Phoenix shall end your life where you stand! May Arceus have mercy on you\nwhen I've finished the good work of my master!\" The man known as Valor had\ndeclared, as he snapped a finger, and created a claymore (mind you, the\nScottish longsword, not the explosive) of golden light.\nRealizing that he had his stun baton in an internal\npocket, he drew it out as the baton extended, and produced sparks no doubt from\nhi power. Noting its length of two feet, he thought \"It's better than nothing.\" Clenching their respective weapons,\nthey charged at each other.\n(And\nnow cue this: Valor- In Courage and Gallantry from Bayonetta 2)\nRunning up to each other, Ethan held his stun baton\nlike a sword as he threw a horizontal slash, creating a flurry of sparks as\ntheir \"blades\" clashed. Breaking the clash, Valor fired another beam of light\nfrom his hand, and Ethan narrowly dodged it, shuddering at the immense heat he\nfelt from exposure alone. \"Two can play this game!\" He joked as he fired a bolt\nof lightning, one after another. Unfortunately, Valor was able to dodge the\nbolts faster than Ethan could fire somehow. \nSensing that his opponent would've gained the upper\nhand if he lost control of his emotions, Ethan took any opportunities he could\nto catch his breath. \"The forces you command will pay for kidnapping my\ngirlfriends!\" Ethan yelled as he fired a missile of concentrated lightning at the\nsub-commander. \nLaughing at Ethan's remark, Valor teleported in a\nflash of light to dodge the missile at the last second, and replied \"You\nshould've joined us!\" Getting right in front of Ethan as he narrowly dodged\nbeing impaled by the light sword. \"When I'm done with you, I think I'll pay a\nvisit to your cousin, who's performed a greater sin with that canine, and\npunish them both!\"\nClenching his teeth, Ethan blocked another sword\nstrike, and followed up with a superman punch full of lightning to Valor's\nface. Thanks to the length of the cassock that the latter wore, Ethan grabbed\nhim by the ends of his robe, and slammed him onto the road. Taking the\nopportunity, he threw an electrically charged fist to where Valor lay, only for\nhim to teleport at the last second, leaving his fist to slam into the ground,\nleaving cracks in the road. Before Ethan had a chance to recover, his opponent\ngrabbed him by his neck, as he got thrown to the side. \nLooking up, he saw Valor prepare to impale him in\nthe chest. Realizing the two were in a puddle, Ethan grinned as he zapped the\nwater around the both of them, electrocuting Valor as he felt thousands of\nvolts course through his body. Gaining the upper hand, Ethan got back up, and\nstruck the wielder of light with a front ball kick to the stomach. Not even\nthinking, he withdrew his baton, and raised his fists to the night sky, as\nthunderclouds rolled in. \"Take this!\" He yelled as he summoned monstrous bolts\nof lightning from the sky to finish Valor, only for his combatant to teleport\nout the destruction produced, and struck him with another beam of light.\nA beam that had hit with enough force to leave a\nburn across his chest, effectively crippling him as he gripped his chest,\ntrying to find an electrical source to heal himself. \"You can't hope to stop\nme, Ethan! The power my Lord has blessed me with is far greater than the power\nyou had been born with!\" Valor boasted as he teleported up to Ethan, ready to\nfinish him off.\nGrabbing a nearby lamp, he gripped it as his energy returned\nto him, restoring him of his exhaustion and his injuries. \"I refuse to accept\ndefeat!\" Ethan replied as he pounced onto Valor, and attempted to hit him with\na punch to the face, only to be stopped as Valor grabbed his arm.\n\"A simple punch won't do me in!\" Valor boasted; the\nfighting messing up his hair as the two struggled on the concrete ground.\nHis fist opening up into an open palm ready to grab\nhis face, Ethan replied \"Who said anything about punching you!?\" In the midst\nof their struggle, he succeeded in grabbing Valor by his face as he was drained\nof his bio-electricity, healing Ethan, but leaving his opponent exhausted from\nthe leeching. Taking the opportunity, Ethan lifted Valor off the ground, and\nstruck him with an uppercut, knocking his opponent back onto the ground. \"Now take THIS!\" He declared, as he his opponent\nwas struck by the same storm of lightning bolts summoned from before.\nCalling off the attack, he went to check the damage,\nonly to hear a voice call out to him screaming \"Ethan, wake up! You're only\ndreaming! You need to wake up!\" Before he could comprehend what was going on, he\nsuddenly found himself struck by a bolt of lightning, realizing at the last\nsecond that he was only dreaming. And none of it was real....and yet it felt very real to him...","previous":"https://fse.anthro.fr/stories/1367398-chapter-3-hydro-blast.json","next":"https://fse.anthro.fr/stories/781423-chapter-5-starting-over.json"}