Lawrence coughed delicately. "Would you like to address it now?" He glanced around the room with a careful expression. "We can come back tomorrow if you would like?"
I sucked my teeth for a moment, I'd need to shift some of my matches for tomorrow. Then I could make some calls, maybe get the Guardians to go to work for me. I was about to say just as much to the group only to chastise myself as I started to make plans without considering Forrest. I rolled my head towards the person this would impact the most. "Forrest? Feel up for it now?"Forrest grunted. "I think… I think it would be best to do it now while I'm feeling numb to what just happened." He sat up and shook his head. "I… I can't…" He shut his eyes and scrubbed his face. "No, actually I can see them selling me out. Ugh! That's so messed up!"Flint hummed. "Perhaps it's an indicator that on some level you already knew that they were friends of convenience only."I merely grunted and kept quiet.Forrest looked up to speak, only for the door to slide open and Yolanda to peer in. A look of relief took over her face, and she beamed at Forrest. "Oh, thank goodness you're alright!"She darted over and wrapped him in a hug. She squeezed him tight for a few seconds before releasing him. She stayed within touching distance as she checked him over again. "I might tell the others? They were pretty worried, but they weren't sure what was wrong. They were a bit tough to get to sleep, but Salvadore is still up."I checked my watch and grimaced. We'd been at the police that long? I glanced at the window and shook my head at the darkness outside. Forrest shook his head at Yolanda."No, I think I need to have a talk." He glanced at the others. "Sorry, we, need to have a talk." He licked his lips and glanced at me. "What was up with how you reacted when you heard that posh guys voice?"I tilted my head and considered. Forrest swallowed. "I've never seen you so mad or move so…" he tilted his head. "No actually there was that time Tilly was dancing on the bed and she fell and you were just across the room in an instant to catch her."I shuddered, remembering the incident from when I had just come back from my journey. I'd only just started baby-proofing our home."I think I broke that bed doing that," I said vaguely.Forrest snorted. "Yeah, you were really quick." Flint's eyes darted back and forth but Forrest kept watching me. "What was up with that guy that had you acting like that?""That was Will, he's challenged me to an Ace challenge battle where he intends to use my recent wins to highlight himself as a contender for Elite Four.""Woah? He's that big a deal?" Forrest said.I clicked my tongue. "He wants to be. He's not yet. He needs to do well first and after today there's no way I'm doing anything but crushing him.""So he and the mayor shouldn't have been there?" Flint said with a glare towards the window.Lawrence shook his head. "No, while Jonathan is a former public prosecutor, he had no reason, but Will being there was a particularly dangerous insinuation. Will is after all a psychic specialist and I have no doubt he has some psychic abilities.""Like Sabrina?" Yolanda said, speaking up.I shook my head. "Sabrina has morals, and she wouldn't have lurked around the police station unless it was serious and she'd been specifically requested. Jonathan having Will there was a threat. That or they thought they could get to you and pressure you before you had a chance to speak with us.""He looked surprised when I answered the door. He had been pulling out a key as if to open it," Lawrence said. "He also reacted very harshly when you…" Lawrence licked his lips. "What did you do back there Brock? I didn't see you release a pokemon? Do you have a ghost pokemon in your shadow?" He eyed my shadowI shook my head as the others suddenly looked worried. "No, I don't. It's something I've been able to do… well not for ages, but I've always had the fundamentals to do it.""What, are you talking about?" Yolanda said, glancing at Forrest and Flint for answers.Forrest perked up. "He was all rawr! Like he was standing in front of us all like they would have to get through him to get to us! That Will guy was really freaked out!"Yolanda nodded slowly, but it was obvious she didn't understand. Lawrence continued to eye me thoughtfully from his perch on the couch.Flint squinted at me. "You're dark type attuned?"I tilted my head. "Yeah, I have it and Rock type. It's what Titan taught me to use."Flint got a surprised look. "Two energies? That's… incredible. I encountered people… well when I was younger that had access to just one!" He shook his head. "They were all incredible people!"Yolanda perked up. "Oh? Old friends? You never have people over. Where are they?"Flint grimaced as a shadow passed over his eyes. "They're not with us anymore… they were priority targets during the war…""Oh," Yolanda said eloquently. I stared at Flint. Sometimes, with how suppressed discussion of the war was, it was hard to remember that Flint's generation would have been smack bang in the middle of it."You have Rock-typed energy don't you?" I said, leading the conversation away from the depressing line of inquiry it had been shunted onto.Flint waggled his hand. "Only a little, I… I was trying my hand at it and have been trying to develop it while I was away. I have a bit of a handle on it.""Hmmm," I said noncommittally. "I'll need to talk with you about that later, you're aware of the effects it can have though?"Flint huffed. "Of course I am!" he said with the air of one that thought they had it well handled.I merely hummed and pushed it to the side. I'd been in a similar state of mind with regards to my energy. That I had a good handle on it.And then tonight had shown me that no, I really didn't. I'd need to talk with him as well as put in some work on it. I shook my head. "Right well, again we're getting sidetracked. Lawrence, I'd suggest not making any inquiries about it as it is a delicate topic that has holdovers from the war."I glanced at Yolanda and Forrest. "You're a bit too young to try your hands at it. I'd suggest forgetting about it for now unless you plan to pursue pokemon training to a very high level where it can help."Both of them gained very interested looks, and I chuckled, realising that if anything, I'd fed their interest rather than dampen it. I waved a hand at them. "Later, We can talk about it later. Right now, we need to talk about what we're going to do to help Forrest out."Yolanda nodded and moved away from Forrest to claim her own seat. I tilted my head before shrugging. She was more than mature enough for this discussion. I held in the smirk. In some ways, she was more mature than… I grimaced. Yeah, it was not a good time to think that considering how things had played out.I sighed and looked at Lawrence. "So, Jonathan and the Police can't raise any protest due to having Will there like that."Lawrence's face was set in stone. "If I'd had half a clue that Will was there and that he could read minds... Urgh! I even saw him at the party and saw him come in. I dropped the ball on that one." Lawrence ran a hand through his mohawk. "Sorry Brock if I'd been on my game I would have made the connection and sued on the spot."I opened my mouth to forgive him, only for Lawrence to perk up. "Wait! I still can sue them for you!" He grinned like a Mightyena on the scent of a weakened Tauros calf. "It would even be in our best interest to do it!"I hummed and rubbed my chin. "That… well seems a bit cliche.""It's a cliche because it works! They overstepped themselves, and if we set the state of events and control the tempo we might get to file for a more lenient judge!" he stood and nodded firmly. "It's one of the first things we should do! I don't want them controlling any aspect of this!"Part of me squirmed at the 'sue them' option while the majority of me had me opening my mouth. "Screw it. Sue em, you're right."Lawrence looked like all his Christmases had come at once.Flint had a look of distaste that I ignored. Just as I ignored that part that agreed with him. I just… didn't want to agree with him!"That's not going to make things calm down though, is it?" Forrest said quietly.Lawrence lost his bloodthirsty smile in an instant and adopted a careful expression. "Yes, it's not going to calm anything down. The situation will be… delicate." he settled for. "There will be a lot of attention on your family due to this." He nodded his head. "You in particular, Forrest."Forrest sunk into the couch, his eyes stared off into the distance as he processed that. For a long moment, no one spoke before he nodded. "I guess that's fair considering I messed up.""You didn't mess up." "This isn't your fault," I said only to realise Flint had also spoken up. I didn't share a look with him this time and instead kept my gaze on Forrest as he looked up at us both. It took me a moment to realise we'd both moved. When had that happened? Now we were standing side to side next to him."I did though… I got suckered into hanging out with people that were using me.""Using you?" I asked, confused. "Have they done something else?"Forrest sighed. "I think I accidentally told them where the cameras are in the gym that face outwards. They might have always been planning to do something… hopefully just 'tag' the Gym.""Ah," I said. "That would explain how they got so close to the Gym and how they made sure to not face any cameras when they were too close to not be on camera.""That's on them! Not on you!" Yolanda said firmly. "Don't blame yourself for them!" I nodded but Forrest shook his head."I… I don't think I have the best judgment in people… or just good judgment in general." He waved a hand towards Yolanda. "I mean, I gave up a chance at a Pseudo-legendary!"Yolanda opened her mouth and held up a finger before shaking her head. "This and that aren't the same thing!""Aren't they?" Forrest said tightly. "I'm obviously an idio—""They're not," I said cutting in before it could become an argument or he could beat on himself more. "Forrest. Your reasoning for not taking Terra was a decision that I thought had a lot of good reasoning behind it. I actually respected you more for making that call."Flint glanced between us, not understanding what we'd meant.I didn't choose to fill him in and instead ploughed on. "Anyway, we have to allow ourselves the right to be wrong sometimes otherwise we are stubborn stagnant people. Growing mostly comes from failing our way forwards." I put a hand on my chest. "I hired Daniel, Forrest. That is a mistake I'm not going to forget in a long, long time. It had the potential to go very poorly. But it didn't, just like your situation didn't go all the way bad like it could have. We can both learn from our mistakes."Forrest smiled. "Thanks that… helps?""I think you don't have much to worry about Forrest," Flint said patting his own chest. "You're still a long way off reaching the lows I reached with my own choices. Brock is right. You're going to be alright, there's just going to be some rough patches coming up because of what happened."Lawrence coughed. "I have some suggestions for that as matter of fact."We turned to him. He raised a finger. "So firstly, we can continue as things stand and ignore the flak this causes. Those parents and Jonathan will probably be running damage control, which will involve some whispers I have no doubt. Especially with the social circle always with an ear out for any juicy rumours. They won't care if it's true, they just care if its salacious. There will also be some magazines that print some things so expect a few hits there regardless.""A lie can run a lap around the world before the truth has a chance to get its boots on," I said from memory.Lawrence nodded and pointed at me. "Precisely so. They won't get to smear you through any official channels and anything said will be conjecture. Anything beyond that? I'll be on them faster than a champion Pidgeot at the races."Forrest nodded slowly. "Is there any other options?""You could probably make yourself scarce for a while," Lawrence said carefully, his eyes flicking from Flint to myself. "Without you around, the rumours and muckraking will probably only last half as long. It will also give you time to work through all of this.""Like… on a journey?" Forrest said thoughtfully.Lawrence nodded. "That would work well, or perhaps joining the Rangers for a stint. More than a few young men and women run into trouble and choose a distant base to work at to escape awkward situations that have arisen at home."Yolanda shifted. "But… we only just got Dad back…" She swallowed and I pivoted to deal with the new issue."Hey, hey, Forrest isn't going to abandon us." Flint stiffened from where he'd been about to join me on consoling Yolanda. He rubbed the back of his head and gained a downcast look.Yolanda didn't see Flint's reaction as she stared at the ground. "Yeah, yeah! I know, It's just it feels like every time things get better for us…" she wiped at her eyes. "Sorry! I'm being a silly girl!" she said.I frowned. "You're never silly, and a girl has nothing to do with it," I said firmly. I turned and gave Forrest a pointed look."No! You're not! It's just that it might be best for us if I didn't hang around. Plus, it's not like we were all going to stick around. This is the journey I was always bound to take but had been delaying cause Brock needed me to help out!"I didn't point out that I barely needed that after the first year. Most of the said help came in the form of Surge as well but decided not to voice that thought. Recent events had shown that it might have been better to send Forrest out into the world on a journey earlier but as Yolanda had said, I'd been hesitant to split the family up earlier.That, and my own hubris in thinking I knew what would be best."The other option is paying things off… but—" Lawrence started to say only to stop as I glared at the ground before pinching the brow of my nose. I inhaled. Oh how the world changes when the shoe is on the other foot. I worked my jaw and inhaled before exhaling slowly."How much would that—" I started to ask only for Forrest to stand and stomp his foot."No! I don't want to be that kind of person! I don't want to make you that sort of person either!"I nodded at him, pleased at that and oddly glad that he didn't want me reaching into that poisoned option. Instead he'd rejected it out of hand.I then gave Lawrence a sly grin. "So more than fifty pokedollars for him?" Forrest stared as Lawrence snorted loudly at my poor attempt at humour. He then cast a critical gaze at Forrest before winking. "He's worth at least a hundred."Forrest stuck his nose up. "Urgh! I'll have you know I'm worth way more!"I chuckled and rolled my shoulders around. "Alright, so…" I stared into Forrest eyes. "You're going to go on a journey?" He nodded and I sat back down. "Right… alright."I laced my hands together and gave him a serious look as an… idea came to mind. "You should probably go with a group."Flint inhaled sharply. "He is not going to be gallivanting around with those two-faced punks that called themselves his friends!"Forrest swallowed and nodded. "Yeah, that doesn't sound like a good idea Brock. I don't think I should be near them right now. I'd probably beat them up or try to.""Oh you'd definitely beat them up if you got into a fight little bro," I said with a smirk. "None of those kids have worked out with geodude or onix or even Rhyhorn like you have. You're worth a hundred of those boys."Forrest blushed, but he sat a bit taller.I sighed. "Unfortunately, my success is not something that I should ignore. I have had more than enough incidences of people attempting to steal from me or attacking my interests to learn my lesson."I inclined my head. "You are my brother," I said with weight and let him grasp the depth of what that meant. "That comes with perks, but as you learned tonight, it has its own downsides. Some of these are, for instance, that you shouldn't be sent out into the wild on your own. You're far too tempting a target. It's why I have people looking out for… our mother," I said, the words tearing out of my throat. Yolanda, Flint and Forrest all blinked in surprise. I shifted, uncomfortable with the looks I was receiving. It had been a spur of the moment thing, but I'd still set it up with the same group that protected my cave of diamonds.I pushed aside the feelings I had about the whole… Lola issue and instead continued to speak, "She is potentially in danger with people no doubt looking into her and if a group like Team Rocket were to get hold of her…"Forrest and Yolanda went pale. I glanced at Flint only to find him shaking his head and smiling. "Ah, actually your mother is a bad example of that. If anyone were in danger, it would be the people attempting to kidnap her."Lawrence tilted his head. "How so?"Flint shifted and shrugged. "It's not my story to tell. Just trust me when I say she can handle herself… she's not in danger. If push comes to shove… she is the danger."I stared at him and felt my brow twitch. "You'll find I really can't just accept it as easily as that Flint," I ground out.Flint shook his head. "I only poked into it a little but she can handle herself. We met during the war, and it wasn't me saving her, that's all I'll say."I rubbed at my forehead. Alright, that opened up so many questions. Perhaps it was time to open the files the Guardians had on Flint and Lola. It seemed like it would be much more educational than I anticipated. I'd deliberately ignored those files in the past…"Right, well." I shook my head and got us back on track. "Forrest can't be sent off on his own. Pokemon thieves alone will be a threat to him looking to use him to get to him or just outright expecting him to have rare pokemon."Forrest nodded, his focus shifting away from Flint and back to me even as Yolanda shot Flint a penetrative stare that he fidgetted under. "Alright, but… I still don't trust the guys and I don't know anyone else… or were you going to call one of the sponsored kids back?" He said while fidgeting.I hummed. "That's another option, but I have another." I sat forward and grinned at him. "Want to hang out with Misty from Cerulean a bit more?"Forrest blushed furiously even as he got a smile on his face. Yolanda sighed before giggling as Forrest rubbed his nose.Now I just had to talk with Misty and Ash and get them to agree. I'd probably also need to give Forrest some stronger pokemon and get him a small boost to his holding capacity, but those wouldn't be issues. Just busy work that I could knock out before bed."Forrest and Misty sitting in a tree!" singsonged Yolanda all of a sudden. "K, I, S, S, I, N, G!"I laughed as Yolanda teased Forrest, with him unable to mount a serious response. It felt like things were slotting into place. Like a strange puzzle piece, I hadn't known where to place had settled home. I stood and clapped Forrest on the shoulder. "Right, well I'll go talk to them now."I pointed to Yolanda and Flint. "You both need to make sure he packs his gear up and has enough socks and underwear! You can never have enough underwear!" I said casually as I left Forrest to his fate.I signalled Lawrence to follow me. "Make sure the police and Jonathan get what's coming to them. Will should never have been allowed in there."Lawrence nodded at the reminder before looking me over. "You alright?"I nodded before shaking my head. "Yes in some ways, no in others. I think this is going to sting for a while."Lawrence clapped me on the shoulder. "You're making the most of a shit situation for your family. I think Forrest will come out of this stronger." Then he smirked. "You're just going to come out of it richer."I grunted. "Donate anything we earn to the police widows, the Rangers, and the orphans. I don't want money… at least not earned that way." Lawrence nodded, a curious smile on his face that made me tilt my head as I walked into the Gym. "What? What's with that look?""Nothing. It's just, you're still the aww shucks guy." I snorted at him and huffed but looked away to scratch my cheek.He nodded, chuckling to himself. "I'm glad." He then broke off when we reached the arena. I made for the trainer area and temporary lodging we had. I knocked on Ash's door and stood back. The door opened to reveal a sleepy Ash while Misty blearily watched on from her bed on the bottom bunk."Gym Leader Brock?" Ash said sleepily. Then his whole body jolted. "Ah! No! Did I sleep through my alarm again and miss our match!?" He turned as if to lunge back into the room for his pokebelt. He leapt up onto the top bunk and caused it to jolt Misty in the bottom bunk bed."Ash! What gives?" she said sitting upright and shaking off the sleep fully while reaching for a nearby pokeball. I hummed, pleased at her reactions, as Ash reappeared in front of me, still in his pyjamas but obviously ready to fight."Ah, no," I said confused for a moment before I remembered that Ash had in fact done so on his first day as a trainer, which had resulted in Oak giving him Pikachu… which was actually not the case but regardless… I shook my head again to clear it from the stray thoughts."No, I have had something personal happen, and I think you might be able to help out. It's—""Sure thing!" Ash said without a moment's hesitation.I stared at him, amused at his reaction. "You don't know what I'm about to ask." I pointed out reasonably. "What if it's shovelling the onix's leavings?""I'll do it! I'm a man of my word!" he said as Pikachu shot him a worried look. Ash licked his lips. "It's… not that though… is it?" he said, obviously hoping for a different answer."No, it's not," I said, amused as he sighed in relief. On the bottom bed, Misty groaned in exasperation.I chuckled. "You're on your journey right? I need my little brother to… well experience more of what life has to offer and mature. I think I've caused a bit of a stir of late, so much so I don't think sending him off on his own would be a good idea. Can he journey with you?""Sure?" Ash said. Behind him, Misty tilted her head before a look of realisation occurred."Is it that risky for him?" she said.I hummed and shrugged. "I don't expect so but I've been bitten a bit too much lately to not have a precaution in place. I'd feel better if he went with people I knew were of sound character."Ash puffed his chest up. "No problem! I'll look after him and teach him all that I know!"I nodded slowly, glancing at Misty who was facepalming. When she looked up she mouthed 'it won't take long' to me. I chuckled at their antics but then adopted a straighter pose. I then bowed my head to them. "Thank you, I appreciate it greatly."I held it for a moment and enjoyed Ash spluttering in surprise while Misty stiffened.I stood and shot them a smile before jerking a thumb over my shoulder. "I know that you Ash were going to challenge me tomorrow but if you want I can make an exception and also give you a slot Misty?" I was already lumping my brother with them.Misty blinked. "Eh?" I blinked, realising I'd misstepped. I'd just said it because there was the two of them, but Misty had never challenged the Gyms during the cartoon had she? She tilted her head and seemed somewhat agreeable to the idea now that it had been offered to her though.She smiled and shook her head. "No… I have decided that I'm going to challenge my sisters for my first badge." She stood and punched out in front of herself. "I'm going to come for your badge last Brock! Prepare yourself for me at the Elite level!"Ash stared at Misty. "Who are you and what did you do with Misty?" he said cluelessly.I chuckled as Misty shot him a furious look. I raised a hand and calmed Misty, saving Ash from a beating it seemed. "Alright, I'll look forward to that then." I then glanced at Ash. "Don't think that doesn't mean I won't be expecting the same from you later this circuit. You both will only get one shot at the Elite challenge regardless if you take the lower tier badge now.""Pi! Pikachu!" said Pikachu as he hopped onto Ash's shoulder and joined Ash and Misty in shooting me a determined look. His cheeks sparked with lightning. "Chuuuuu!"I stared at them."Huh, I think you guys will go far." I rubbed my chin. "You'd really depart without the badge?" I said to Misty."I'll come back! Like the hero did in the story with his first Gym challenge!" she said firmly. I chuckled, someone must have told her the myth. It sort of tracked if you rotated the starting position as Cerulean instead of the Viridian forest. I nodded, liking the symbolism."Well alright then. I'll be looking forward to your challenge Misty from Cerulean." I looked back to Ash. "Get your sleep, you have another few hours till your match with me."Ash grinned, and Misty beamed at me. I nodded at them. "I'll tell Forrest the good news.""We'll win and then leave straight away!" Ash shouted, only for another door to open and a sleepy-looking Rocko to stare out."Little man, it's eleven o'clock go to bed!" He then shut the door firmly as Ash grimaced. I chuckled and left them to return to bed.Tomorrow would bring a lot of changes it seemed. I hoped they'd be changes for the better.
107
When the morning rolled around and my alarm went off it took a moment to sit up and to parse what had happened and how things were going to change.It would really only be small changes but it would still be meaningful. I got out of bed, ran through my morning routine, only to pause in front of the mirror.I stared at myself. I had a sudden, incongruous feeling that I should be older. With wrinkles and crow's feet, with sleep bags from stress. Instead, a youthful face stared back at me through thin eyes.Huh. I hadn't had this feeling for a long, long time. Not since the early years when I'd just accepted that this wasn't all some strange dream and that I was in fact a child once more.I sighed and leaned my head against the cold mirror.With everything that had happened, I suddenly felt old. Like only someone that was old could be this tired. I shut my eyes. I had a lot on my plate but that shouldn't excuse the issue of letting my family not be my priority. Why had I…I sighed. I'd taken a step back so that Flint could come in. I'd turned my attention to the Gym and Sabrina.That… it didn't seem to be wrong. I couldn't fault it even with how things had played out. It was still awkward spending time with Flint and having him suddenly in so many roles that I was used to filling with the kids… it had me annoyed and frustrated. So I had stepped back and given him space.It had honestly felt like a good thing. Like I could take a breath myself as I suddenly became able to have more time. Time for me and Sabrina to actually go out. Time to spend training with my pokemon. Time to just laze about.Why was it that you could make all the right moves… and then still come up short?Life was strange and sometimes even cruel like that. I huffed, Forrest wasn't hurt… or Arceus forbid… worse… but he was in a less than ideal situation. Things had happened and then I would have to work with them. I couldn't go back and change time.…I squinted and rubbed my chin… well wasn't there that one movie… I shook my head. No! Don't mess with time! That was how so many bad things happened! I tilted my head, well not more than I had already by existing at least.I shook my head. These were the sort of thoughts that really didn't lead anywhere. I couldn't change things and I needed to move on.I got changed and marched out of my room only to find Yolanda and Forrest waiting for me expectantly. "Laaaaaaaaaaar," yawned Terra in a sleepy greeting.I nodded to the little Larvitar before eying Yolanda and Forrest. "Morning you two. Forrest, I got Misty and Ash to agree to group up with you for traveling. They also know to watch out for anyone that might try and take advantage or put you in danger."I jerked my chin towards the reserve. "I think I'd like to set you up with one of the stronger pokemon though. Make sure you have something like an Ace up your sleeve if you need it.""Can I have Challenger?" Forrest said quickly. I paused and considered him."Challenger?" I said tilting my head. "I would have thought…""I've been working with her a fair bit and I think she suits me the most of the stronger pokemon.""Huh," I said before nodding. "That's not a bad choice." I flicked my eyes to Yolanda. "So you were both waiting for me I take it?" I prompted.Yolanda nodded. "There was a lot of secrets that were mentioned last night! You can bet your pokedollar I'll be talking with dad later about Mum but you also were talking about something that you've mentioned a bit!" She pointed right at my face. "Dark energy and Rock Energy! What gives! Don't try and dissuade me! I want to be a strong trainer!"I hummed, amused at how serious she was being. I flicked my eyes to find Forrest just as interested and nodding along with Yolanda. "Hmmmm. Alright," I said easily.I jerked my head to the side. "Forrest will have it a bit rougher being on the road with this but he can still learn the foundation step. It takes the longest after all, but he has the requirements." I glanced down at Terra in Yolanda's arms. "You both do now."I led them out to the reserve and from there down to Titan's cave. I pointedly didn't use a torch or turn on any of the lights to walk through the darkness. I could literally feel Yolanda vibrating with excitement as we got closer to Titan's area. I whistled as I approached, announcing us.When we got there Titan yawned hugely only to blink when Yolanda and Forrest walked in. behind him, on his small stone alcove, Bertha waved disinterestedly. Titan hissed as Terra glanced at Bertha in confusion.I could see the instant Titan realised that his little sister had come into 'his house' and caught him snuggling up to Bertha. His mind short-circuited as instincts clashed. He leaned back over his 'bed' and pushed Bertha off the edge, causing her to drop into a small gap and vanish from sight. There was a loud 'whump' as she hit the ground.Terra tilted her head even further. "Tar?" she said, unsure what was going on."Rhhhhhhhhhh!" growled Bertha as she rose up from the other side of the rocky outcropping I could see her eyebrows twitching in annoyance. Titan glanced from her to Terra with an apologetic look only for Bertha to raise a fist and leap the divide.I led my siblings and Terra back out to give them room.Yolanda flinched when a loud impact echoed through the caves. "What happened?!" she said spooked. I blinked for a second, remembering that while Titan and I could see each other, everyone else had no idea what was going on. Bertha probably thought Titan was being weird, kicking her out of bed like he had. I reached over and switched on a set of lights.It illuminated the room and revealed Titan being bonked on the head by Bertha who paused to stare at us. Terra waved and clapped her little hands before barking a question.Bertha sniffed and stuck up her nose before bonking Titan on the head again much to Terra's amusement. She then hastily marched out of his cave to get some more sleep.Yolanda watched her go in amusement while Forrest tilted his head. "Can someone explain that to me?" he said plaintively.I coughed. "Matters of gentlemanly behaviour and waking up surprised leading to poor life choices," I said as though that explained anything.Yolanda giggled, obviously a bit more aware of what had played out from the context, while Forrest just scratched his head. "Uhhhh sure?" he just said while Titan rubbed at his head sheepishly.I coughed. "Sorry about that buddy but I need your help to teach something important to Yolanda and Forrest." Titan tilted his head and I smiled. "They're curious about aura," I said causing him to blink in surprise. He turned and sniffed at them before rubbing his scaly chin in thought. Then he shot me a look before shrugging.He then settled down into his meditation pose and snorted. With a gesture a trio of rocks rose from the ground and offered themselves up to my siblings and I. I hopped up onto them and turned back to Forrest and Yolanda."Sit down and get comfortable. Forrest you should release Onix and have him listen in to this as this is a partner exercise."Onix emerged with a loud yawn before squinting and looking around. When he spotted Titan he stiffened up only for Forrest to pat him comfortingly. "Hey buddy, we're going to learn something new today. This is training that is going to take a while apparently."I chuckled. "Actually, if done right this training is something that you will be doing for the rest of your lives.""Huh?!" Forrest said as he and Onix blinked in surprise.I raised a hand and coughed to indicate I wanted to speak freely. "The world we live in is one of wonder and excitement. With that comes a lot of potential. This can be good and bad, natural or even unnatural. One of the natural forces of our world is that of Aura. If you study anything with pokeball design or storage space design, there is a huge amount of technical understanding. At least, from what I've read on the subject. Those are the scientific and technological developments, however."I clenched my fist and suffused it with Rock energy. "The natural aspect of aura is that it is within us all. It helps us be stronger, faster, and more capable in a lot of different ways. It can also be attuned." I swept my hand through the rock I was sitting on to slice through it without a hint of resistance."There are currently seventeen accepted and public pokemon types. I know there are actually at least eighteen. They are Fire, Water, Grass, Electric, Psychic, Flying, Rock, Ground, Bug, Ice, Dragon, Ghost, Fighting, Normal, Dark, Steel, Poison, and Fairy. All of these interact with each other in often conflicting or supportive roles depending on what you're trying to achieve. What I want you to know though is that it is possible to use the aura that is part of all of us and attune it to one, or more of these types.""You're Rock and Dark?" Yolanda said, looking from me to Titan with a thoughtful look. When I nodded she tilted her head. "It has something to do with your starter then?"I made a so-so gesture with my hand. "Your starter pokemon will influence it or have a chance to. It depends. Technically, there is no reason you have to be limited to one or two. It is just a matter of the time it takes to develop these skills. I've only just started to get a good enough handle on Rock and Dark type and that was with years of working with Titan to feel out the energy that is always within him and trying to shift my own energy to match it."Forrest nodded slowly. "How do you do that?"I smiled at him. "The first step is something I already taught you."Forrest tilted his head and frowned. Yolanda rubbed Terra's head as she started to squirm about. I made a gesture and she handed Terra to me. Only for me to hand Terra over to Titan to with a smirk."The build up…" Forrest said steadily, like he was probing the path to make sure it wasn't about to crumble underfoot. I nodded encouragingly and he straightened up. "The build up of attacks or pokemon moves. We have our pokemon keep building up the energy for certain moves and we… get used to it?"I nodded again. "Correct!" I gestured to Onix and Forrest. "Rock Polish is an easy one to use for Rock typed moves. Dark Type have moves like Dark Pulse that can be held until they are discharged." I looked to Titan. "The first step is making sure you can feel the energy." I held up a hand. "Get used to it and then test yourself with other types of energy. I trialled my water types and fighting types and even normal types with feeling out the various energies.""Why other energy types?" Yolanda said as she watched Titan lift a claw and have Terra track it as he darted it back and forth.I sighed. "I… didn't work it out straight away but one of the ways to work out how far one energy type goes is to compare it to different energies. It allows you to determine the edges of where one type ends and another might begin or overlap.""Overlap?" Yolanda said, jumping on what I'd said.I huffed. "Certain aura types will embody certain characteristics. Rock Type energy for example can make your strong and give you a strong defense against physical attacks but this is not unique to just Rock Types. Steel types might be the same. It can also impact your personality with such things as being more stoic, more stubborn.""What about dark type?" Yolanda said now watching me carefully."It can make you more vengeful or make you more able to see in the dark, something that's very useful for a lot of spelunking. It also makes you immune to psychic types if you want."Forrest stiffened and shot me a glance. Ah, he would find that attractive wouldn't he? With the threat of Will announced to him?"Is Will one of these aura users?" he said tightlyI hummed in consideration. "Yes, psychic energy is another aspect of aura remember?" I tapped my temple. "Some people are simply born more aware of their abilities. People born with Psychic talent might become aware of people's thoughts, or feelings for instance. Grass types will be able to grow greater gardens or raise healthy families. Water types can heal from wounds or be amazing swimmers, Fire types can sometimes emit a burst of fire or be entirely immune to heat." I tilted my head. "Those are some examples that I can think of, I'm a Rock-Dark type so there will be nuances to their types just as there are nuances with mine."Both Yolanda and Forrest considered this for a while before Forrest spoke up. "So… we just meditate with our pokemon to learn this? How come everyone isn't a master at this?" scoffed Forrest."Cause…" Yolanda eyed Titan before looking back to me. "A lot of people don't know it exists… and like you said, it took you years right Brock? So it can't be easy…"I nodded. "More the latter than the former but yes. This is not a short journey. Just sensing the energy is going to take you ages. My advice if you want to pursue this and have it available to you before you're twenty or thirty years of age? Make a habit of doing it everyday for an hour. Or at least surrounding yourself with one type of energy with a few select pokemon." I gestured around. "Rock was pretty easy for me. Some energy types will come more naturally to others, I'd suspect Rock might be yours due to being surrounded by it for so long but that doesn't mean it has to be that way, it's just that odds are your environment and the starter you have will influence your aura."Forrest and Yolanda nodded and turned to their starter pokemon. Titan handed Terra back to Yolanda. "I'll show you how Titan and I practise."Titan huffed and shifted himself. I licked my lips in preparation. "Rock tail, dark head. Spines Rock!" I started to say hurriedly as Titan shifted the energy around himself. When I got it wrong—something that had started to take longer and longer these days— he stopped and wagged a finger at me. Then he restarted the game at a slower pace.After ten minutes my mind hurt, as I shook of the strange flexing I had been forced to perform with testing so quickly. It wasn't a new skill but it was still a difficult skill to train."That," I said while rubbing my temples, "is something that took Titan and I roughly five years to get to.""Didn't seem that hard?" Forrest said only for me to chuckle."I was trying to mirror him with the energy. So when I detected the energy and location I had to put the same type in the same spot on my body while saying it."Yolanda nodded thoughtfully as I turned to Forrest. "Take one of the evolution stones we have, and some of the Hard rock and soft sand that Flint might have. Those are examples of natural deposits of rock or earth that have types suffused through them. But again, you won't get anywhere with this trying to sprint. It is slow and steady. Trade out the evolution stones occasionally."When Forest opened his mouth to protest I raised a hand. "I don't want you taking more than one. You're already a potential target being my brother. Giving you items worth a lot of money is just asking for more trouble."I sat back and rolled my shoulders. I chewed my lip as I considered if there was anything else that I needed to say to him. When something stood out I flicked my eyes between Yolanda and Forrest. I shot Yolanda a look that made her blink. "Oh! I think I might go help dad make breakfast!" she said suddenly. I shot her a thankful look as she bowed to Titan and then marched back off.As she trudged off up the cave with her transceiver acting as her light, I turned to Forrest, now alone with me. "You… going to be alright out there?" I asked tentatively.Forrest nodded. "I was ready for this ages ago honestly. I just didn't want to go… I know all about camping out and wild pokemon and how to care for pokemon. I know a hundred and one things… Just surprised it's finally here is all.""If you want I can still—" Forrest shook his head."What are we going to tell the rest of the family?"I hummed. "The truth, that you're going to go off on your journey and learn about the world and yourself." Forrest snorted and I rolled my eyes. "Hey don't mock me for that. Learning about the world is easy. Finding out who you are? Much tougher than you realise." I flicked a rock at him."If you're going to meditate for a while on aura and try to work it out don't stop yourself from thinking about what you've done each day or are going to do. This circuit is going to be crazy Forrest. It's going to be more important than usual to have a clear idea of where you are and where you want to be going.""You're starting to sound like some cheap fortune cookie," he said with a huff.I rolled my eyes at him. "Please I'm giving you gold and here you are calling it cheap!" I shook my head before adopting a serious expression. "Misty and Ash might have agreed to travel with you for safety but they need it just as much as you do.""Misty will?" Forrest said perking up.I rolled my eyes harder and flicked another rock at him as Titan chortled. "Yes," I stressed out before shaking my head. "They might also need you to keep them going in the right direction. You were pretty good at that when we went trekking through nature. You'll need it for them."At his raised eyebrow I waved my hand. "If it didn't escape your notice it took them almost a month to make it here from Pallet. That is supposed to only take a week."Forrest tilted his head. "Huh… I hadn't considered that they might need my help like that…""It's easy to curl in after you've been hurt but sometimes the best thing you can do it reach out and help someone else." I shrugged. "If you want, that is." I waved my hand about. "You go out on your journey and have some fun otherwise, alright?""I can do that," Forrest said.I nodded and for a moment a quiet settled easily between us. I then shot him a smirk that had him tensing up in brotherly anticipation. "I'm only giving you stable rights for twenty-four pokemon by the way so don't go too crazy.""What! But I'm your brother!?""Yeah which is why it's not fifty!" I teased. He huffed at me and rolled his eyes at me making me sarcastically respond in kind. He chuckled and I stood. "Come on let's go talk with the others. Give them time to hang out with you. Ash's match is midmorning, I'll keep them home from school today and you can spend some time with each of them before you leave.""Urgh! fine! " he said. I opened my mouth to reprimand him and tell him that it would be more important than he realised but then I shut it. He wouldn't understand. Not until he experienced them not being around would he understand how important small moments could be.I merely huffed in mock annoyance and led him back to our house after I forced him to help me feed my elite team. When we got to feeding Gawain he got a gleam in his eyes. "Say, you still open to me taking one of your Elite with me…""Hell no," I said as he eyed my secret ace against Will.When we made it to breakfast Yolanda and Flint had made Forrest's favourite breakfast. Pancakes with bacon cooked into them. I felt my arteries clog up just looking at them but took one and then a small side dish of yogurt and fruit.Halfway through the meal I clapped my hands together. "Alright gang I have some news! Last night Forrest decided that he is going on his journey! That means that he will be heading out with some friends he made recently! Due to this you're all going to stay home from school so you can see him off properly!""Hooray!" some of them shout. Tilly and Billy of course take a moment to catch on before joining in "Yeah! Hooray! Forrest is leaving!" they shout.The older kids, caught up in their 'no school today' haze stop at that, and round on Forrest. "What?" said Cindy.Forrest grinned. "I think it's time that I go on my journey! I need to grow up and be my own man!""But… weren't you going to go exploring with me in Viridian Forest now that you had Onix?" asked Salvadore.I grimaced at that but Forrest shook his head. "Sorry little bro, dad will have to do that with you in my place!""You'll call right?" asked Cindy causing Forrest to roll his eyes and nod."Yeah, I suppose once a month." I coughed pointedly. "Fortnight!" I coughed louder. "Alright I'll call once a week!" I nodded slowly at that before returning to watching the others check in with Forrest.Suzie tapped Forrest on the knee. "Hey, if you're gone can we go into your room?""What? No! It's still my room!""But you won't be there, so it won't be?" Suzie said logically. Cindy and Salvadore snorted in amusement at this logic."Just because I'm gone doesn't mean it stops being mine!" said Forrest.Suzie considered this before nodding slowly. "Hmmm alright then… but eventually we'll have a room for Sabrina to sleep in. When we get a bigger house."I chuckled only to catch the glint in Yolanda eyes as she leaned forward. "Don't—""Actually, she already stays over. Remember? She sleeps with Brock?"Suzie gasped and shot me a look. "And you didn't invite me for a sleep over as well?!"I pinched the bridge of my nose. "And on that note I am going to go to work. Forrest. Clean your room before you go. I don't want Munchlax eating anything off that you leave behind.""I don't have any food in there!" he said. I snorted in disbelief. "No really!"I turned to Munchlax who'd just put his plate in the sink. I pointed up the hallway. "Munchlax, any food you find in Forrest's room today is all yours. Go!"Munchlax didn't even hesitate, he sprinted straight for the room leaving Forrest to gape after him. I smirked and walked off to see to the morning's challengers. Among whom was a certain Ash from Pallet town.When Ash entered the Gym through the doors the room was dark. He stepped forward with conviction and his jaw set. A boom light flashed to life to illuminate him and I called out from the dark."You challenge the Pewter Gym?" My words echoed through the room and Ash stopped to stand tall."I do! I'm getting your Boulder badge today Brock!"A light illuminated me on the podium. "Very well! Try your best!" I said exuding all the dark menace I could. I resized a pokeball as the other lights came on to reveal the rest of the arena and the crowd who came to life with the lights.They roared their approval but Ash didn't look away from me. His eyes remained locked straight ahead.In between us, Rocko raised the flags and called out the rules before indicating for us to release. Nostalgia swept through me as I tossed out my first choice. "Go Geodude!"A classic.Ash squared his jaw. "Go Pikachu!""Pika!" said his pokemon as he leapt into action, landing on the arena floor.I chuckled. "A Pikachu? Well let's see how wise that was.""Begin!" shouted Rocko as he dropped the flags."Pikachu, use Quick Attack!" Pikachu threw itself into a sprint that tore around Geodude."Geodude, Defense Curl!""Glancing hits Pikachu! Don't try to go head to head!" a moment later saw Pikachu sprint past my pokemon only for Geodude to grunt in annoyance. Pikachu had swiped his paw over Geodude at speed, then turned around and did it again on the other side.I wasn't about to just let that play out however. "Geodude, use Roll Out! Chase after that Pikachu!""Geo!" barked my pokemon as it threw itself into a ball and rolled after Pikachu quickly."Quick Pikachu! Weave through the boulders like we practised!" Pikachu began to sprint behind boulder after boulder, causing Geodude to slam into them one after another. I hummed. Not a bad move actually. It tired out Geodude certainly."Geodude, stop and use Rock Throw!" I said changing it up after the last boulder on the field was destroyed.Geodude stopped on a pokedime and swung his arms causing a huge cascade of rocks to go soaring through the air."Pikachu dodge!" Ash cried out desperately only for Pikachu to take a few hits. It shrugged them off and then sprinted back at Geodude who was caught off guard.This time Pikachu hit him head on with the Quick Attack and Geodude was tired and just weak enough to be taken out of the match. I hummed. Ash had done well to avoid a lot of damage from my attacks. Avoided throwing himself into head on clashes until my pokemon's defense was weakened and tired it out.That had all come at the cost of Pikachu running around a lot and taking a few glancing blows. But he'd really made the field a lot easier for me to use Rock moves. I could easily sweep him if I wanted to, I just knew it. I stared across the field at him, measuring how far I could push him."Go Onix!" I shouted releasing an Onix that roared defiantly. Pikachu took a few steps back. I punched my arm straight ahead. "Rock Throw! Sweep your tail about!""Uh!" Ash said in shock as Pikachu faced a wall of rocks. "Pikachu! Quick Attack through a small rock!""Pika-chu!" said the electric mouse as it tried only to fail."Uh! Pikachu! Get up we need you to keep fighting!"Pi-pika!" said Pikachu as he rose unsteadily to his feet. I tilted my head as Ash flicked his eyes towards the grating that ran around the arena. Hmmm was he banking on getting me to attack him?"Onix use Bide!" I said deciding to test him.Ash stiffened and went upright. "Pikachu quick into the corner!" Ah, he was aware of part of how Bide worked it would seem.I smirked as Ash leaned forward. Onix coiled in on himself and clenched tighter and tighter while looking annoyed. Ash stared so hard I knew he was just waiting for the right moment. Onix spasmed and flinched causing Ash to point to the side. "Now Pikachu! Leap to the—" Pikachu was already moving only for Onix to remain in place."Huh?" Ash said as Pikachu turned his head.I smirked evily. "Rock Throw," I said once more causing all the broken bits of boulder to rise up. This time Pikachu was out of position and nowhere near ready to dodge. A few rocks slammed into him and he tumbled away before skidding to a stop."AH! Pikachu!" Ash leapt off the podium and lifted his pokemon up. "You okay buddy?"I watched Ash carry Pikachu to the side where he handed the still weak mouse to Misty who started spraying potion all over him and gently wiping him down with a cloth. Ash then turned back to me his eyes taking in the field that was littered with strewn rock form his earlier tactic of avoiding Geodude.I could see him working out that his own actions had led to my advantage. He frowned for a moment. "Why didn't your pokemon attack? Bide forces the pokemon to attack."I chuckled. "It does, and it even returns the damage done to it double, but the key point is that it needs to take damage to be forced into it." I said playing into the trope of 'bad guy' by explaining my 'move' to the protagonist. It wasn't like it was a secret. Ash had obviously done his research but he hadn't done it to the depth that was required and now it was biting him in the backside.He nodded slowly as the lesson took hold. "Alright… Go Butterfree!" He said sending out his second pokemon.I frowned. Butterfree had been a favourite of mine for many playthroughs. But I never sent it out against Brock in the games due to the double weakness of Flying-bug type."Butterfree we're going to take on Onix with Tackle a few times! Prepare yourself!" he said causing his butterfree to nod vigorously. I tilted my head. Did he expect me to ignore the…Hmmm... Oh, I see; he wanted to bait me into using Bide again. Yeah, no."Rock Throw!" I shouted, enjoying the way Ash's eyes bulged."Fly up!" Butterfree swept its wings and rose rapidly, just barely dodging the attacks and now fluttering nervously side to side as Ash looked on worriedly. Alright Ash, your plan isn't working. What are you going to do now?"Sleep Powder!" he said. I nodded, a good move with his pokemon on high."... Rock Polish," I said deciding against upping the ante too much with Dig. A sheen went over my pokemon and Ash clenched his fist as the Onix's eyes fluttered closed."Now! Go for Psybeam!""Free!" said his pokemon as it charged up and fired off a blast of Psychic energy. I grinned. So, he'd really trained up his Butterfree alot it seemed over the last few weeks."Again!" he said just as Onix began to rouse itself. Another Psybeam was fired off and I had just enough time to shout out "Bide!" to him which caused him to clench up before the beam hit.Ash twitched. "Butterfree! Into the corner now!" Instantly his pokemon fluttered down.I hummed. "Sure that's a good move Ash? My pokemon has Rock Polish, it's going to come faster…""I'll believe in Butterfree!" Ash said firmly.I hummed. "Alright then, unleash it Onix!"Onix twisted and rose up onto the tip of his tail before descending."Butterfree! Use string shot to pull out of the way!" Butterfree shot a line of string that it then tugged on while flapping furiously to evade Onix as he slammed into the grill. When the water splashed up over Onix's head he groaned in pain before slumping over.I returned him with a snort as Butterfree started flapping around madly in celebration. Ash punched the air. "Yeah! We did it!"The podiums dropped down and I marched forth with Rocko. "Congratulations Ash, you have proven yourself capable of defeating me and earning the Boulder Badge.""Yes!" I got the Boulder Badge!" Ash grabbed the badge and whipped around to show it off to Misty and the crowd who cheered. He grinned as Butterfree hugged into the back of his head."It was well fought for a trainer that had pokemon that are at a disadvantage against Rock types." I tilted my head. "Unless you caught something else other than your Pidgeotto recently?"Ash shook his head and I hummed. "Maybe change that up before the next Gym yeah? Things will get tougher and with the pokenet people will be able to scout you out in advance. Also, some advice?" I said with an open hand. Ash sheepishly nodded,"Don't be too invested in a plan that you forget other options exist. There are many ways to solve a problem. You found one and tried to force the issue, but remember I'd seen you do it before with Forrest. I didn't have to take the bait." I offered a shrug. "Some people would have fallen for it though so nice work making the attempt. Also, beware changing the field around early if it ends up suiting the trainer your fighting. Rock throw and Stone Edge would have been easier on this field with it broken up. Pikachu had no areas to dodge into at the end."I clapped him on the shoulder. "And have some more confidence. I don't think you needed to back off Butterfree's attacks like you did. Those Psybeams were great and another would have ended the match just as well as your trick did. I'm impressed you were able to teach it Psybeam so early into your journey."Ash grinned. "Thanks! Selene showed me how to do it!"I snorted. That's cheeky, having another trainer's Elite pokemon teach him a move. Shameless, completely shameless. I gestured to Rachel and she moved in to take some pictures with Ash and I. "We'll make sure your mum gets some yeah?""Yeah! She'll love these!" he said happily. It was a good picture with Ash in the middle with Butterfree on one shoulder while Pikachu was on the other wearing Ash's cap. I stood slightly to the side with Rocko, both of us making V for victory signs at the camera.I gestured to the side. "Alright, I'll see you in a bit. I have one more match before lunch. Then we'll see if he's ready to go.""Sure thing!" Ash said as he ran up to where Misty was sitting. I chuckled when I saw him start recounting how the fight went to her."I know Ash! I was there remember?!" she said, leading him back to the rooms they'd been staying in.The last match was over far too quickly for my liking.And just like that. It was time for Forrest to leave.Forrest stood in front of our home rather than the Gym where we'd be swarmed by people. It wasn't just my family, but also some of the gym's employees like Dennis, Rocko, Jackson and even Missy there to see him off. Greta stood to the side, now officially a trainer of the Gym having completed the paperwork with the caveat that she'd be interchanging with other gyms on occasion as well for further development over the year.Forrest gave everyone a hesitant smile. "Sorry for all the trouble I caused!" he said with a bow.Missy bowed back. "Thank you for the time you spent showing me how things worked in the Gym when I started! Enjoy your Journey and don't be afraid of trying some new things!" she said earnestly.Rocko waved a hand. "Don't sweat the little things. Time will show you what does and doesn't matter. It's all relative little man!"Dennis sniffed. "You were dragged down through dishonourable conduct. Don't be ashamed of what others have done. It will not blemish you unless you allow it!" I leaned closer, was Dennis trying to stop himself from crying?Jackson swept Forrest into a hug and whispered something into Forrest's ear that had Forrest shooting out of his grasp with a blush. He glanced back at Misty and seemed relieved when she merely gave a curious tilt of the head. I rolled my eyes understanding that Jackson had obviously just given some 'helpful advice'.I let my little siblings weep around him giving him hugs and making him endure goodbye kisses. Flint hugged Forrest and there was a moment where Flint's eyes watered but he didn't cry. Forrest likewise had wet eyes but no tears that he most certainly didn't have to wipe away.I looked back after a moment and gave him a lazy smile. "Alright, guess this is so long for now little brother." I shared a smile with him and then gave him a hug that held.When we broke apart I adopted a serious expression. "When you next come back, I expect you to show me how far you've come." I stared him down and he stiffened at being on the receiving end of my Mean Look.Then he rolled his shoulders and stood tall like I knew he would. "I'm going to surprise you Brock!"I smirked and nodded before reaching out and hugging him once more. "I will look forward to that. You look after yourself, your pokemon and Ash and Misty alright?""I will," he said back.I rubbed the back of his head. "I love you little brother, come home safe and make sure to call when you can otherwise Suzie might claim your room for her dolls."He snorted and stepped back only to pause when he saw Suzie looking hopeful. "I'll call. I love you all." He stepped away and started walking , Ash and Misty linking up with him a moment later, their own backpacks firmly in place. "Good bye everyone!" he shouted while waving.We waved back and watched him round the corner. I sighed, and just like that Ash, Misty and Forrest were gone.Yolanda giggled, drawing my attention. "What's so funny?"She giggled a little more and then smiled as she said, "He's going to so appreciate being home and having a laundry when he comes home! But no way I'm doing his washing anymore now that he's finally gone on his journey!"I laughed, and a small tense part of me knew that my family and I would be fine.