As it was still the afternoon, Ethan had some time to clear his head before going to work with Pyroar. He… felt bad about his outburst, but at the same time felt vindicated. Jocelyn didn’t know what she was trying to dig up. She meant well, Ethan knew that somewhere, logically, deep down, but she doesn’t get to force that situation on anyone. Nobody has that right. She was younger, not even in her twenties if he had to make a guess. So, she was learning too. They both would need some time to reflect on what happened.


    He swung his front door swung open, causing it to clang softly as Ethan released a shuddering sigh and closed his eyes. The clap of the laptop being closed caused him to open them, finding Smeargle and Chatot hanging out. Smeargle sat at the table, and Chatot was perched upon his head. The way they both looked at him caused his already abysmal mood to lower even further. They had pity and worry in their eyes as they failed to pretend to be okay and oblivious.


    “I’ll be okay… Today hasn’t been very good for me.” He threw them a smile, knowing they''d know it was fake. “I don’t want to talk about me, though. What have you guys been doing?” He asked as he joined them at the table.


    Smeargle crossed his eyes as he looked up towards Chatot, who gave a simple nod in return. Smeargle then opened the laptop and turned it towards Ethan. They were on the pokemon world equivalent of Youtube, and on the page was a paused video of the singer they’ve been watching for tutorials. The title of the video was the announcement of a small singing competition. Looking down at the taskbar, he saw that the video app on the computer was open.


    Without a word, Ethan reached over, brought it up, and clicked play, earning more fidgets from his nervous pokemon. There, on full display, was a video made by Chatot and Smeargle. Ethan took a step back, then stood relaxed and carefully watched the video.


    Smeargle’s beret was the only thing in the shot, obviously fiddling with the laptop before he backed away. Chatot then fluttered from off shot on to the top of his head as music began to play. The gentle strokes of a piano and the soft sounds of whipping wind set the tone of what was to come.


    “? There were nights when the wind was so cold! ?”


    It’s All Coming Back to Me Now, by Celine Dion. Ethan knew the song, obviously. It was on his phone in the first place. He paused the video and took a deep breath. As much as he’d like to support Chatot’s entry endeavors... “Chatot,” He began. “While this is a good idea and I think joining this competition is great, I think you should find your own voice first.”


    He gestured to the video with one hand and ran his other through his long brown hair. “If you won with this video, would it be you winning? Or would it be the person whose voice you’re using?”


    Chatot looks like she disagreed, her eyes giving away her displeasure. Ethan scooped her up into his arms and then started toward his bedroom. “Smeargle, bring that laptop. Everyone knows the best acoustics are in the bathroom. If we’re doing this, we’re going to do it right.”


    His pretty bird’s attitude shifted a complete 180° once she looked at his face, spotting his mischievous smile. Smeargle wasted no time in following, using Psychic to carry the laptop as he caught up.


    Once they were all in the bathroom, Ethan did the singing warmup of ‘Do Re Me’ and his pokemon heard the acoustics of the room reverberate his voice. They both looked at him like he’d done some type of magic, with wide eyes and smiles. He set Chatot onto his shoulder and poke his temple with a smirk. “Wisdom!”


    “Now! To keep you from cheating, we will sing a song that you have never heard before.” Ethan gestured for Smeargle to set up the laptop, and his painter jumped onto the task. “I will sing a song, and then you will do your best to sing after me. Without using my voice. You will not mimic anyone, because you are finding your very own voice to use. When you think, there is a voice. Maybe you can’t hear it, but it is there. That''s you. That’s what I want to hear.”


    “So, I shall sing you a song you’ve never heard before, and then you follow. Ready?”


    Chatot nodded eagerly as she bent forward, watching his face with rapt attention. Ethan waited for Smeargle to finish setting up the laptop, earning a thumbs up, then started singing a song he sang once upon a time in elementary school.


    Now, an outside observer might think that Ethan was being nice, starting with a song he was taught in his youth. But, to ensure that Chatot wouldn’t cheat using someone else''s voice, turning their words into his, he did something he hadn’t done in a long time.


    He sang in a different language.


    Words even he didn’t understand, but remembered from the ridiculous amount of repetition drilled into him in his formative years.


    “? ? `O Kalakaua he inoa


    `O ka pua mae`ole i ka la


    Ka pua maila i ka mauna


    I ke kuahiwi o Mauna Kea ? ?”


    And of course, it was the opening to Lilo and Stitch.


    Ethan watched as Chatot’s smile dropped to that of a playful sneer, having been caught before she could even commit the crime. She also tilted her head as she listened, trying to piece together what the heck he was saying.


    If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    ? ? Ke ''amaila i Kilauea


    Malamalama i wahine kapu


    A ka luna o Uweka huna


    I ka pali kapu o Ka`auea ? ?


    It was about this time that Smeargle peaked out from behind the laptop, a singular raised brow high in the air as his mind started to understand that Ethan wasn’t singing gibberish, he was speaking another language.


    ? ? Ea mai ke ali`i kia manu


    Ua wehi ka hulu o kamamo


    Ka pua nani a`o Hawai`i


    `O Kalakaua he inoa ? ?”


    Ethan paused, as his part from his childhood ended. His singing wasn’t the best for this type of song, but there wasn’t much to be done about that. He didn’t remember any of the other parts. He looked at his pokemon, who looked at him like he’d grown another head. “Your turn.” He said to Chatot, challenging.


    “Not happening.” Chatot said, with his voice.


    Ethan laughed, a genuine one at that. Smeargle laughed along with him at the zero hesitation from his colorful bird.


    After he calmed down from that much needed uplifting, he set Chatot down on the counter facing the mirror. They both looked into the mirror together, looking at themselves in the reflection. Ethan looked at himself. Really looked at himself. He wore his vest overtop a simple white shirt and had cargo pants on, his hair was much longer than it had been back on Earth. It trailed down to his shoulders with wavy breaks in between.


    He looked nothing like he did in the past. He was a new person.


    Chatot used this time of reflection to find some errant feathers that needed to be plucked. He helped her out with a slight smile for a few seconds, then waved Smeargle over to stand next to him. “When you look in the mirror, what do you see?”


    Chatot made to look up, but Ethan gently pushed her music note forward, making her stare at him through the mirror. “Does your reflection look like you? Is your reflection the best that it can be? Do you want to change something to the person in front of you?”


    He patted Chatot on the head with his right hand and gave Smeargle a pat with the left.


    Seeing as he sang a Disney song once already, he might as well sing another.


    “? Now I see that if I were truly to be myself,


    I would break my family’s heart. ?”


    Ethan didn’t tear his gaze away from his own reflection. He didn’t need to look, as he felt the stiffening of his pokemon through his hands.


    “? Who is that guy I see, staring straight back at me?


    Why is my reflection someone I don’t know?


    Somehow, I cannot hide who I am though I’ve tried.


    When will my reflection show who I am inside? ?”


    “? When will my reflection show who I am inside? ?”


    The three of them stood there staring at the mirror for a few seconds in silence, which was only broken by Ethan’s sniff. “I have lost a lot in my life, and my heart hurts. I do not want to change, but I have been forced too. The only thing left to change is my feelings. I am very sorry you guys have to feel those.”


    He finally tore his gaze away from himself and looked at Chatot and Smeargle. Chatot looked saddened, as if she didn’t want to believe that her trainer was deeply troubled. Smeargle just stared at the ground, his tail clutched to his chest like a safety blanket.


    Then, Chatot shuffled, her stance strengthening. She looked at him through the mirror with a sharpened gaze, then spoke. She struggled at first, her mouth opening and closing as she found the words.


    Her first words with her own voice.


    “You are not alone.”


    Her voice carried a natural melody, light and lilting, like a songbird greeting the morning. Each word danced with an effort-filled rhythm, warm and inviting, yet tinged with the unsteadiness of youth—that of a teen. There was also a softness to it, a gentle rise and fall that made the simple words feel like part of a tune, but yet she spoke with such emotion, her voice wavered like a note held just long enough, full of raw, unfiltered feeling.


    Ethan smiled, heart filled with pride. Pride that was felt through his reverse empathy to the recipient. “There she is.”


    —-----------------------------------------------------


    Ethan, much happier than when he arrived, left his home after securing he had everything he needed for the day''s tutoring. He waved to the Oddish on his way down the steps, and one of them splurged out a poof of Sweet Scent in greeting. As he walked down the cobblestone path, he slowed and tilted his head in confusion.


    He had waved to the Oddish because one of them was awake… but, how did he know one of them was awake?


    With a glance back, he watched the plume of sickly sweet pink coast to the ground.


    “Must have been lucky.” He thought as he shrugged, picking up the pace towards the training field.


    Almost as if Tobias knew he’d arrive at this time, Ethan caught him walking onto the training field with Pyroar as soon as he arrived. “Ready to get things started?” He asked, earning a nod in greeting.


    “We’re ready. Feeling any better?” Tobias casually remarked, causing Ethan to sigh.


    “I am feeling much better. Chatot said her first words—real words with her own voice. Today’s been terrible, but that was a big ol white light in the darkness. So, Pyroar,” Ethan waited until he got the lion''s attention. “Go ahead and give Heat Wave a go, right off the bat! I highly doubt you’ll get it in one try, but it’s good to see where we’re starting from.”


    Pyroar turned to face away from them, incase of friendly fire, then surged forward about ten paces, twisting her body to skid on the dirt to a stop as she reared back her head to let out a devastating, “ROAAAR!”


    It was loud, it was proud, but there wasn’t any heat. Ethan clapped, “Good first attempt!”


    “Now!” Ethan shouted, “Think about the feeling of when you use a fire move. That rolling heat you hold within yourself before you let loose. Try doing it again but with that feeling!”


    As Pyroar walked back to her starting position, Tobias asked a question. “Are you using the knowledge you wrote down from when she showcased her moves?”


    Ethan spared him a quick glance, but returned his focus to Pyroar as he responded. “Of course. What? It’s like the number one rule of Tutoring and for Pokemon in general.”


    Tobias raised a brow in question, so Ethan cleared his throat, then said the words millions around Earth had heard a thousand times. “You teach me and I’ll teach you, Pokemon!”