Ash, Gary and Daisy cheered loudly as their uncle stepped out of his trainer box once it was finally lowered back to the ground.

  The younger boys couldn’t stop chattering about their coolest-most-amazing-trainer-in-the-world uncle, reliving the best moments and feeding each other excitement. Of course, they knew he was already amazing before his match in Celadon gym. But seeing him today was completely different in the best way possible!

  They waved back to their uncle who had taken the time to look at them just as he approached Mega Gardevoir with a smile. Gardevoir preened at her trainer’s praise, accompanying him towards Erika who was still frozen on her own trainer box.

  Daisy watched him walk past Venusaur, the downed pokemon back to its normal form and still smoking from the battle she just had. With her mom a gym trainer, Daisy had watched the grass type from afar and admired her strength. Only now, even after a mega evolution, she had stood no chance during the battle.

  Was it even a battle?

  As soon as her uncle commanded Mega Gardevoir to end the match, Gardevoir’s eyes had turned a piercing sapphire when she used Psychic to rip out balls of rock from the ground and hurled it at Venusaur. The grass type managed to Protect against the first rock, but was powerless against the others that followed.

  The massive rocks battered against her body as she tried to reduce their force with Vine Whips. Unfortunately, her opponent managed to catch her too. She was miraculously lifted up in the air, her limbs frantically moving from up high.

  Normally her considerable weight and the dense energy within her would make such a feat impossible. It was unfortunate that impossible was nothing to a Gardevoir with maximised Calm Minds.

  Venusaur was smashed to the ground repeatedly like a ragdoll. Bruised and battered from the Super Effective hits, Venusaur could feel her mega evolution slipping from her clutches. Before she could recover her breath, a massive pink laser shot at her.

  Daisy would have described the whole sequence as impossible, but no matter how much she rubbed her eyes, Venusaur's fainted body had never disappeared.

  Even Ash and Gay were stunned by the super powerful beam, and they insisted they had never seen such a powerful move from their Uncle Gray before when Daisy asked. They asked Rotom-Dex, who after spending much time with Gray’s pokemon, knew that it was a Hyper Beam. Why it was so pink, however, was not something it could answer for there was nothing to explain it in the pokedex.

  Daisy joined in the boys’ conversation with the Rotom-Dex, eager to learn more about the uncle she had just met and the pokemon he had. She entertained the fantasy of owning her very own fairy type before she dismissed the impossibility from her mind.

  Deep inside her, far deeper than she was willing to acknowledge to herself, she thought that if her uncle was capable of showing her something she thought was impossible, then maybe her own fantasies weren’t so far away either.

  Gray walked towards the shell-shocked gym leader.

  Looking at Erika now, she appeared spent. Like a Drifloon in a vacuum, she appeared unmoored and untethered. Beads of sweat ran down her face, unsettling and smudging her make up. Beneath the layers of foundation and concealer, Gray could see hints of a chalk white pallor. Her shoulders were slumped as she stared blankly at the ground.

  Erika was a far cry from the usual arrogance and poise she carried herself in.

  Gray would have pitied her, but he remembered her awful words. Her lack of professionalism had been appalling, and the fact that she had enabled her gym trainers to act the same way was ridiculous.

  He would have been content to leave her to her own folly. Far be it for Gray to dictate how a grown woman decided to live her life.

  Unfortunately, she chose to direct her ire at what was his.

  “Give me my Rainbow Badge. I’d like to leave this place as soon as possible.”

  If the woman hadn’t mechanically moved to take out a badge from within her obi, Gray would have thought she had gone catatonic.

  She held out the badge blankly.

  Petty as a Fairy, Gray gave a look to Gardevoir and had her lift the badge from Erika’s palm with Psychic. Gray did not want to touch the Celadon gym leader if he could help it.

  The grass type trainer flinched at the Pokemon move as she stared at the floating badge, haunted. When she flickered her eyes at the chunk of rocks strewn around the battlefield, Gray understood the direction of her thoughts.

  “You need better strategies. You’re overly reliant on weather strats. It was far too simple to come up with a decent counter against the sun.”

  She said nothing as she glared at the ground, unwilling to look up and meet Gray in the eye.

  “Also, I have no idea why you’re so hostile towards my brother. I can understand if Leaf had her misgivings, they have that history. While I’m not too clear on the details, that’s something between my brother and Leaf.

  What I don’t understand is why you insisted on inserting yourself and sticking your nose where it doesn’t belong. Plus, you made an active decision to involve your gym and enabled their atrocious behaviour.

  Now, you’ve reaped the consequences. You made your bed, now you get to lie in it.”

  Gray turned back and marched off, content to have gotten things off his chest before he remembered something important. He looked back at Erika who had finally looked up when Gray had walked away.

  “Also, your gym stinks. You should do something about it.”

  Thinking his legs too slow, he gave a nod to Gardevoir. She teleported both of them away, leaving Erika to ponder his words alone.

  Ash, Gary and Daisy were still amidst their conversation with the Rotom-Dex when their uncle and Mega Gardevoir appeared out of nowhere.

  “Uncle Gray, you were super awesome!”

  “Gardevoir, you look so cool in your mega evolution! You’re so pretty and strong!”

  Thanks to their frequent contact with Gray’s pokemon, Ash and Gary fearlessly approached the pokemon. They poked around her, marveling at her bigger dress and the strength in her limbs. Gardevoir indulged the boys, lifting them with her psychic powers to give them an even closer look.

  Dazzled to be subjected to Gardevoir’s powers, the boys ‘swam’ around the fairy in a light mood.

  Since it was her first time meeting the pokemon, Daisy was too shy to approach despite the longing in her heart. As if she could sense her feelings, Gardevoir pulled her close and gave her a pat on the head. The fairy didn’t make a move to initiate further contact, choosing to let the little girl do what was comfortable for her.

  Gray smiled at the scene. He checked with Sylveon, Azumarill, Clefable and the Rotom-Dexs to see if all had been well when he fought.

  The people around began to slowly thaw from the shock at seeing Gray so close, a few even offering their own congratulations after Gray finished his short conversation with his pokemon. Gray accepted them with a gracious smile.

  The celebratory air lingered, the mood light yet excited as the people around them relished the chance to observe Gray Oak from up close.

  Unfortunately, it was ruined by a shrill commanding voice.

  “Daisy, come here! We’re going home!”

  Gray kept his gaze on Daisy, noticing the miniscule flinch and slumped back after her mother’s command. Staying true to his fairy roots, Gray made a decision true to his heart without thought.

  “No. She’ll be going back with me and the boys.”

  Leaf matched Gray’s calm voice by raising her own. “And who are you to make decisions for my daughter?”

  “I’m obviously her uncle. Keep up, Leaf.”

  “You’re just an uncle! You have no authority over her, she’s my flesh and blood!”

  “My blood runs through her too, in case you forgot.”

  “I refuse! You can’t steal my daughter away!”

  The subject of their conversation was heard clearly by the crowd around them, especially since they had gone quiet when Leaf initially shouted. They looked between the two adults, intrigued.

  While Leaf didn’t seem to care about making a scene, Gray himself was more conscious. With his name and recently prolific actions, he was essentially a public figure. More importantly, the more he and Leaf argued, the more awkward it became for the kids.

  He brought out a phone and dialed Blue. His brother picked up the video call after the first ring.

  “Gray? You’re checking in this early?” said Blue, loud and excitable discussions coming from his side of the call.

  “Yeah, I want to bring Daisy home. As her dad, do you have any objections?”

  Before Blue could respond, Leaf shrieked, so loud that it was audible through the line.

  “Absolutely not! Blue Oak, you will not be stealing my daughter away from me!”

  Blue bit his lips, torn between what his brother and lover wanted.

  Not confident that his brother would side with him, Gray went to someone whose opinion he deemed the most important. He bent down to include a smaller figure into the frame of the call.

  “Daisy, would you like to come back to Pallet Town? I’m sure the rest of our family misses you. Plus, I’d like to get to know you more.”

  The little girl brightened. She looked at Gray with discerning eyes, a familiar brown that Gray saw everyday in the mirror.

  “Daisy!” The girl flinched.

  Gray leaned forward, covering Daisy behind one shoulder. “Daisy, let us know your own opinion. Ignore what me, your mom and dad want. This is up to you. Would you like to come home to Pallet Town?”

  Struck for a few moments behind her uncle’s protection, her hope rose. If her uncle said it was a matter of what she wanted, she decided to risk the truth.

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  She nodded.

  Her father saw his little girl’s agreement and his decision solidified. “Bring her home, Gray.” Blue gave his blessing before ending the call.

  Not wasting a moment further, Gray proceeded with the next steps. “OK Daisy, is there anything you’d like to grab from your house in Celadon?”

  Thinking back to the spacious but hollow apartment she stayed in with her mom, Daisy struggled to come up with something. “My clothes? My toothbrush?”

  “Hmm, are you attached to your things? What say you to a shopping trip with your uncle instead? We can spend some time together and buy everything you need in Pallet Town.”

  “That’s fine!” A shopping trip where she could actually buy her own things sounded great. Plus, she’d get to spend time with her uncle. Maybe she’d get to meet his pokemon too? She thought as her eyes slid to Gardevoir.

  “Gray Oak! You will not do this! I am her mother!”

  Giving Daisy a genuine smile, Gray’s expression turned Sheer Cold as he regarded Leaf.

  Sylveon stepped forward with Azumarill to crowd Gray. His ribbons corralled the boys into one huddle, pressing their entire family together. Gardevoir, still majestic in her mega form, closed her eyes briefly in concentration. When she opened them again, they were blue in preparation.

  “And I’m her uncle. Say bye to Leaf, kids.”

  Confused but willing to trust their uncle, Ash and Gary followed his instructions.

  “See ya later, mom!”

  “Bye Auntie!”

  A beat too slow, Daisy obediently gave the final farewell. “Bye Mom.”

  Gray hugged all three kids in his embrace. He ensured everyone was touching each other, careful not to leave a single family member behind.

  He gave a nod to Gardevoir.

  A blue glow engulfed all of them before they disappeared, the Teleport finally bringing them home.

  The Teleport brought the family directly into Pallet Town. They landed on the front porch of the lab.

  “Wow! We’re back home already?!”

  “Gardevoir! You’re so cool!”

  The boys wasted no time showering the psychic type with compliments.

  Gray groaned and fought to keep the contents of his stomach inside where they belonged.

  As his pokemon got stronger, Gardevoir and Hatterene eventually became proficient enough to Teleport their trainer around. They had brimmed with excitement, eager to exploit their ability to bring their trainer back to places they had been to before.

  Always one to encourage his pokemon, Gray encouraged them both till they eventually were capable of intra-region travel. The fairy type trainer knew for a fact that the most proficient psychic types, were capable of much more. Teleporting between regions was definitely a possibility.

  Unfortunately, a few days after giving his Psychic types free reign, he had to call it quits. Gray, who had managed to brave storms and seas to get to the Western continent, was diagnosed with Tele-sickness.

  He had tried to brave through it, not wanting to dampen his pokemons’ spirits. Gardevoir and Hatterene were more horrified that their trainer had downplayed his own well being in order to pacify them.

  They still practiced their teleportation, Gray insisted on its usefulness for emergencies. Their trainer, however, stuck to getting flown around by Altaria.

  When Gardevoir subtly used Heal Pulse on Gray, his stomach finally settled. All the while, she entertained the boys’ excitement, knowing that her trainer would not appreciate drawing attention to a moment of weakness in front of his charges. She knew that Gray would want to maintain his cool image in front of the children.

  Earlier in the day, it had already been planned for them to leave Celadon as soon as possible. The boys had to scramble around their hotel room to pack all their belongings.

  But with the addition of Daisy and the uproar Leaf had caused, the hasty Teleport was the better choice. Besides, Gray and his team had long grown tired of Celadon City.

  “Uhm… Uncle? Are you alright?” Daisy quietly asked.

  Gray stiffened. Oh, he didn’t realise his niece wasn’t occupied by Gardevoir like the younger boys were.

  He laughed with a hint of tightness. “I’m fine, I’m fine! Thanks for checking in on me Daisy, very sweet of you.”

  Gray herded the kids towards the lab, which was suspiciously empty the more they walked. Directing them towards the noise, they finally reached the laboratory’s common room where it seemed like the entire lab was congregated.

  On a massive screen played a recording of Gray’s earlier fight, Ninetales summoning up a winter storm as an expert analysed her tactics. The lab scientists exchanged their own excited opinions.

  Professor Oak led the charge, his words being written down by an equally animated junior researcher. Blue and Grandpa Sammy lounged on a sofa, pleasantly watching the excitement.

  Gray rapped his knuckles loudly on the door. “We’re home.”

  “Gray, you’ve returned!” Professor Oak was first to let go of the shock. “Remarkable battling! Your pokemon proved so much of their strength. Your Ninetales’ abilities are clearly top tier, why I think she’s definitely made for dragon slaying considering her typing!”

  “Yes. In some regions, she was known as such.” said Gray shortly. Chatter in the room died a little bit, growing Gray’s guilt.

  “Sorry, I’m just a bit tired. Just came out of battling. We can discuss it later, for now I’d like to get Daisy settled.”

  The attention of the room turned to said girl, who had flushed at all the eyes on her person.

  Blue got up from the sofa and approached with no hesitation. “Welcome home, Daisy.” he said with a Snorlax hug.

  “Ah, yes! Of course. Best we get her settled.” Professor Oak said, generously not mentioning Gray’s frayed temper. “Should have expected it, you just let your brother know a few minutes ago,” he muttered to himself.

  That meant that Blue had answered Gray’s call in the room. Meaning, the whole lab was likely privy to what had just happened with Leaf. Wonderful.

  “Gray, welcome home,” Grandpa Sammy walked up to Gray and patted the man on the back. Gray missed the disappointment flashing in Professor Oak’s eyes.

  “Right, does Daisy have any necessities here?” said Gray a few moments later when all the niceties had been observed.

  When he received answers in the negative, he immediately insisted on a shopping trip in town to get everything she needed.

  “I’ll come with,” said Blue.

  Gray didn’t mind. The situation with Leaf was complicated, and he knew that the best source of information was from his brother himself. While Gray had been focused on the match the past few days, now that it was over he could direct more energy towards getting to the bottom of everything.

  If Blue wanted to put himself in the line of fire, Gray had no objections.

  “Of course. You’re paying for everything anyway,” the fairy trainer agreed, conveniently forgetting that he himself was now a proud owner of a card charging expenses to his grandfather.

  Gray settled Ash and Gary first. Afterwards, he released his pokemon to the lab, letting them have free reign of the entire property. His heart felt full as he watched his pokemon independently navigate the corral, their comfort obvious now that they were home.

  They deserved to spend a few days at home after all the training they had in preparation for Celadon gym.

  Shopping with Daisy and Blue started off awkward. At first, Gray was content to keep quiet and observe, not wanting to overly insert himself in the interactions between father and daughter.

  But Arceus in heaven, was it painful.

  Blue kept touching apparel after apparel, asking his daughter what she thought of this and whether she liked that. He loudly complimented his daughter, telling her how pretty she looked and how something that caught his attention would suit her ‘completely, I just know it’.

  His prideful brother turned out to be an awkward dad. Daisy sheepishly accepted all the attention, conscious of strangers who were keeping an eye on their family of three.

  While Blue was a common sight in Pallet Town, on account of having grown up afoot all the older residents, his feats as a trainer were still noteworthy.

  Gray chalked it up to the novelty of seeing the powerful man in awkward dad mode. The fact that Blue himself seemed not to care about the eyes on him was interesting. It would seem that Blue’s ‘dad routine’ was something he shamelessly owned up to.

  Gray would be fine to leave his brother to his own devices, but Gray and Daisy were in the fall out too.

  Gray interrupted a tirade and asked Daisy to go pick out her own things. Daisy took the opportunity with fervor and immediately disappeared from sight.

  When she was out of earshot, Gray lightly chastised Blue. “She’s old enough to pick out her own things, right? Let her make her own choices, you just need to pay and call it a day.

  “Right, I made her awkward right? Can’t help it, it’s been so long since I last got the chance to spend time with her alone.”

  Gray resisted the urge to point out that his brother was here too. Inwardly, his stomach warmed that Blue seemed to hold him in such high regard.

  He also figured that Blue had alluded to Leaf always policing his interactions with his own daughter. Since the champion brought it up, he would enter the conversation without hesitation.

  “What happened between you and Leaf?”

  Blue whispered his response lowly, mindful to keep his voice down. His little brother was clearly enamored with his children, so it was best he got the full picture. Hiding things could potentially make it worse, and if anything, Blue knew that Gray would always be in his children’s corner.

  His brother’s candidness took Gray by surprise. As he listened, he fought to keep a lid on his rage. What in the Distortion World, the situation was worse than Gray thought!

  He had assumed that Blue had his own faults, and he had been correct. Blue never hid his own shortcomings in his tale, but from how it sounded like, Leaf was equally if not more messed up.

  “She clearly wants nothing to do with you! Why hold on?”

  “I can’t just give up, can’t I? She’s the mother of my children. And you can’t deny I have a history of chasing people away with my personality.”

  The older man spoke lightly, but what he alluded to was clear as Sunny Day.

  “That’s between us! This is you and Leaf, it’s not the same! She’s not even respecting your boundaries. Did you know she was with another man in Daisy’s presence? What message was she hoping to send? She denied your presence as you tried to win her back, but she was brazenly spending time with someone else!”

  “Uhmm…” Daisy approached her father and uncle wearing new clothes. Gray’s furious expression disappeared completely as he regarded his niece with a genuine smile.

  “Looks good on you, Daisy! Grab a few more things though, you’ll need way more since you’re going to stay in Pallet for a long time.”

  “I’m staying here for a long time?”

  “Yep, forever basically. You’re not going back to Celadon any time soon.”

  She looked to her father to see if he would express his denial. Her spirits buoyed when Blue said nothing. She ran away again, eager to buy more things.

  Gray’s pleasant expression melted off. The rapid change in emotions unnerved Blue.

  “I don’t support your relationship with Leaf. But at the end of the day, it isn’t my call to make. It’s your life and your choices. But your kids should not be in between! Is Erika involved in your spat with Leaf?”

  Blue blinked like a Hoothoot at the sudden segue. The Celadon gym leader? What does she have to do with anything? He denied.

  “Then Leaf must have been airing your dirty laundry because Celadon gym sees you in such a horrible light! Why else would your reputation be so terrible amongst her colleagues? Did you know how much they looked down on us the day we went to schedule the match?”

  Gray proceeded to inform Blue about the experience, sharing how they glared at Gary — a child! Blue frowned.

  “Imagine, if they had the audacity to treat Gary like that because he looked like you, do you think they’re kinder to Daisy? Maybe they might not mind her so much because of Leaf, but would you want to take that chance? They probably don’t censor themselves when they talk shit about her father in her presence. No, she should stay here with us. She’s ours!

  Wait, is she old enough to go on her own journey?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Then why hasn’t she gone yet?”

  “Leaf insisted she could learn more from Erika.”

  Gray’s incredulousness was so Clear Body that Blue would have laughed if not for the content of their conversation. “From Erika? Did you not see my match with her? Does she even have the qualification to teach an Oak how to battle? If Daisy wanted to be a grass type trainer, sure I can maybe justify it. But is that what she wants?”

  Blue grimaced. This was correct. Even as he watched that battle, Erika’s shortcomings as a trainer were plain to see. While he couldn’t discredit Gray’s own prowess, Erika’s over reliance on the sun was a crux that Gray managed to exploit when he shouldn’t even have had the opportunity. Erika was not a good battler.

  “I don’t know what Daisy wants. We’ll have to ask her.”

  “Ok, we’ll breach it in a few days or something. Let her settle down first. She’s old enough to make the choice herself.

  The lull in their conversation after that felt like a lifetime to Blue. His mind raced with everything. About Leaf, about Gray and most importantly about his children. He carefully asked his brother.

  “You don’t think Leaf and I should marry?”

  Gray’s response came as swift as a Quick Attack. “Absolutely not. She’s not a good fit for our family, with the way she treats her kids and how she uses them against you. But I can’t tell you what to do about her, so that’s on you to think about.”

  Blue sighed and continued to be troubled.

  Gray was content to leave him to his thoughts. As the shopping trip continued, Gray naturally took a more active role in getting Daisy her things. Blue was content to follow along, only occasionally chiming in.

  Just as they were walking back, with Daisy racing ahead, Gray brought something up again.

  “Leaf claimed you were too busy to give her the attention she needed, but I think your reasons were justified and you did your best. Your role puts a lot on your plate, every action or lack thereof impacts not just you, but millions of people. How busy are you now, though?”

  Running a hand through his ginger hair, Blue grimaced at the thought of his waiting responsibilities. “Incredibly so. Always so much to do, so little time.”

  “I’ll be staying at home for quite some time. What can I help you with?”

  As an older brother, Blue was quick to jump at a chink in his brother’s armour.

  “Can you help with Grandfather’s research? You know how many Buneary holes he can dig when he’s spoilt for choice. He’ll compromise his health but still have nothing to show for it because he became too fascinated with something inconsequential.”

  It was now Gray’s turn to grimace. This would mean spending active time with Professor Oak. Previously, he had been there but his presence need not be so obvious. It wasn’t unfair to say that he had let the lab Struggle on its own — Gray had justified that their uninfluenced direction could potentially lead to findings new even to him.

  But he had just offered a lifeline to Blue, and it wasn’t appropriate to take back a Helping Hand.

  “Fine. I’ll help directly with his research and reel him in if it gets in too deep at something not worthwhile.”

  “Thanks, I’ll owe you.”

  Scoffing, Gray replied. “Unfortunately, you’re my older brother. If we want to talk about debts, you should be more concerned about the damages you’ve caused me for growing up near your big head.”

  Blue laughingly pulled his brother close for a hug.

  Gray cursed him out, but never made a move to pull himself out of it.