When the post-match wrapped up I checked my watch and was pleased to see that I still had plenty of time until my booked Teleport transport was due. I glanced up. There was another Ace match booked in but.. I had already gotten my fill of reviewing potential matchups and trainer fights for the day.
I wanted something else. I shot Yolanda a thoughtful look. She looked a bit tired but still had a bounce in her step thanks to the victory."Want to head out to the entertainment area for some fun now that the match is done?" I tapped my Xtransceiver. "We still have another hour before we need to leave," I said.Yolanda perked up before wilting. "Oh, ummm, won't the locals still be giving us the cold shoulder?" she said.I grinned at her. "I think, with how everything eventually played out, they'll be rather welcoming, you know?"Yolanda hummed but decided to nod. Missy and A.J. joined us, and I led us all out to the entertainment area of the pier that encompassed the stadium.I had to give whoever designed this place some credit; the entire pier was rock solid and despite the moves thrown around in the stadium, there wasn't any shaking going on.I shook that thought off and turned towards the surrounding entertainment area. A few of the signs still flashed with mine and Corvo's faces but others had snapped onto showing highlights of our match with a caption of 'watch on battlecast for replay' across the bottom.I hummed and walked into the entertainment area.A few people glanced in our direction and more than a few gained the light of recognition. Before any bad reactions could form, I tapped two pokeballs and released Gawain and Link. Both of them appeared and blinked in surprise."Hey, you two! Great work today!" I said. I waved a hand about us. "We're going to have some fun, interested in joining us?" I said.Link and Gawain shared a look with each other. They were each the newest members of my Elite squad. They glanced around and then shared another look before each of them gained goofy smiles before they jumped and shot their arms into the air."Vor!" "Fable!"When they jumped for joy I could only laugh as they acted their ages.Yolanda perked up, realising what I was doing as the people that had been side-eyeing me perked up."Hey! That's the Clefable that just fought daddy!" said a girl's voice. "He was really nice!"I grinned. While Johto was known for their cold shoulders they were also known for recognising kindness more than any other region. Link, without even meaning to, had thawed their response to us.Thanks to him, all of the vendors that we approached were more than happy to let Yolanda, Missy, Gawain, Link, and I, to play their games.I had to raise my Xtransciever a few times to take photos of Gawain playing the rubber psyduck game with the tips of his axes instead of the pole and hook provided.Yolanda dragged the pair of pokemon with her and Terra to a merry-go-round where they all laughed happily. Missy disappeared for a few minutes and came back with an armload of fluffy toys that she shoved into my travel pack."You want me to hold these?" I asked curious about what she was doing."Hmmm? Oh, no! These are for your little brothers and sisters, don't worry I have tons of toys like this. There are a few tricks you can learn if you spend a bit of time… and way too much money on these things. Once you work out the tricks you can win pretty big," she said with a shrug.Yolanda heard this and shot me a pleading look. I waved a hand. "Care to show us rookies?" I said, handing Yolanda some money to play with.From there, we spent the rest of our time playing games with the goal of winning prizes. More often than not I ended up with the consolation prizes but by the end, Yolanda had won herself a plush Bulbasaur while Terra had a smaller plush Tyranitar.Along the way a few locals who had watched the fight paused to take pictures with us. A few people asked for pictures with Selene and Don and I obliged them. Don seemed very pleased to get praise for how ruthless he'd been during the fight.Selene, while she was out, had spotted a photo booth and nudged me towards it where she demanded some pictures with me and the others.By the end, everyone had some photos with Selene in various poses.As I chuckled over a particularly silly pose of Yolanda and me with Selene held between us. Then I felt my wrist buzz. I checked the time and nodded only to frown as I realised I hadn't seen one person in our group in a while."Hey where's A.J.?" I said only to roll my eyes. "No, don't answer that, I know," I said.We walked back to the beach and sure enough, we found A.J. locked into what appeared to be a doubles battle that he was rather handily wrapping up with his Beedrill and Butterfree beating out a Staryu and Tentacool.Yolanda waved her hand. "A.J.! You need to wrap things up! We're going to leave soon!" she called out.A.J. waved back. He collected some winnings from the two trainers he'd been facing before marching up to us.Yolanda stared at him. "You're… smiling? You never smile."A.J. continued to grin, "I smile," he said undaunted by Yolanda questioning him.Yolanda tilted her head. "Are you sure? Usually, you just sort of grump," she said, using her fingers to scowl deeper than she could normally.A.J. huffed at her. "I just won a lot of really good matches against some decent trainers," he said. He shot me a look. "I think I like the idea of travelling around like this now!" he said.I snorted. "Of course, you went and got into some fights, but never mind. Good work finding your own fun. Come on, gang, it's time to head home," I said, leading them back to the transport hub where a Hypno would be ready to take us for a multi-legged hop.As I entered the transport hub, a dark-haired man leaning against the wall kicked off it. "Gym Leader Brock!" he called when he spotted that I'd seen him.I looked him over and realised that while I'd never met this man, I knew who it was. "Norman right? Or should I call you—"Norman raised a hand to his lips. "Ah! Sorry, that hasn't been announced to the public yet! The champion is going to release it soon.""Ah," I said.Norman waved his hand back and forth. "No worries I thought I'd come meet you before things get too hectic for me.""Hmmm yeah, you will be busy soon." I said.Norman bobbed his head in a lopesided manner. "Well about that, I checked the logs and goldenrod has already seen a number of challengers but I thought there might be a need to…" Norman rolled his hand about. "Demonstrate my skills to the public at large, I know I'm seen somewhat as an academic to most people so I wanted to ask a favour if possible."I nodded, having an idea of what he wanted. "You want to have a friendly match against me?" I said.Norman nodded "Gym match? So our typings only?" He asked.I paused and I considered him.Hmmmm that would make it a touch tougher but also more interesting. Normal versus Rock.That wasn't a bad idea for him.Heck, I should probably propose it to Visquez. Norman challenging me made sense, he'd be able to demonstrate his skills to the best effect."Yeah, I'd like that. I think we can work something out in the coming weeks," I said, finding myself locking eyes with him and an itch forming as my mind clicked hope that I was facing a challenger.Norman grinned. "Excellent! I'll arrange a date! Oh! Maybe bring your family with you! I know my family would love to meet some more kids their age."I nodded, that was right, May and Max were going to be of similar ages to Salvadore and Cindy or Tommy, weren't they? Although they might get on better with Yolanda and Salvadore in truth."That sounds nice," I said. Next to me, Rachel was brimming with energy at the potential showdown that she'd get to work on.Norman nodded once again, "I won't hold you up, good match earlier by the way," he said as he tossed a wave of farewell over his shoulder.I watched him go feeling an odd stirring in my chest. I'd never gotten to fight the Petalburg Gym during my journey, but in a way… that would be sort of like challenging it. I chuckled and waved my group towards the teleporting berth we'd be using.It would take another hour or so with the relays that we needed to do with other Teleporting stations, but soon enough, we were back home."I'm home!" I announced loudly."You were incredible!" shouted Cindy as she stormed towards me.I raised my hands in readiness for a hug only for Cindy to duck the hug, grab Link's pokeball from my pokebelt and to release him.She then slammed herself into him. "Eiii! The commentators were all going on about how mean Goldenrod people were being booing Brock like that but then you just made them love you!" she said while clinging to him."Clefable?" said Link with a tilt of his head, the only part of him he could currently move."We're home with gifts!" shouted Yolanda into the house.Flint, who'd been in the kitchen emerged with a washcloth in his hands. "Ho? Gifts?" he said even as a stampede erupted from deeper in the house.I shot Flint a look. "I thought the kids would have been in school during the match?"Flint smiled. "I made sure to record your match. You did wonderful despite Corvo trying to anticipate you."I grinned. "Thanks," I said, only to brace as both sets of twins slammed into me. "Brock!" Brock!" "Big Bro!" "Brother!" they all chimed over the top of each otherI gained the mental image of a Pidgeot returning to a nest of Pidgey and having them chirp at him."You brought gifts?" they said, completing the mental imagery. I sighed and shot Yolanda an amused look. She merely grinned as Salvadore walked up."Hey bro! Great fight! Gawain was great! So were you Link!" Salvadore said, giving Link a small pat that Link rocked away from with a giggle.I hummed and released Gawain. He appeared with a flash of light and blinked before perking up when he noticed my siblings cheering his name. I chuckled and toyed with the idea of releasing Don before crushing that idea. He wouldn't like being praised like this.He wanted praise, there was no doubt about that. He was a prideful sort, but he didn't want small grabby hands reaching for him. Him and small children were usually a recipe for tears. Unless Bertha was sitting very close at hand and thumping her club-like tail in warning the entire time.Hmmmm… I tossed that idea away as Suzie tugged on my pants. "Gifts?" she said with puppy eyes.I huffed. "Course you heard that," I said in amusement. I reached into my travel pack and started pulling out a number of cuddle toys and cheap plastic toys that we'd won from the Goldenrod entertainment area.The kids laughed at the silly toys and ran about playing with them. I handed some of the soft toys to Munchlax and Eevee only to pause and realise Gible was here. I blinked and handed him the most solid looking toy I had.He took it in his mouth and grinned hugely. "Gible!" he said, turning and running away with the toy hanging out of his mouth by its head. It looked very macabre."He's cute!" said Billy with a laugh, dropping his toy to give chase.I raised a hand and considered that for a moment before shaking my head, eh, let him enjoy himself. If he thought a tiny pokemon that were mostly teeth looked cute, who was I to judge? I rubbed my chin in thought. Hmmm, that had potential."Hey Flint? Do you want to represent Billy for next weekend's contest that we're running? We're going for a tough theme.""But Gible is cute?" Flint said with a tilt of his head.I sighed. "... Just ask Billy if he wants to do it with you. We have a section that is just for presentation and not part of the display-battle traditional contest style of Hoenn." I'd gotten the idea of animal displays at local shows that I had sometimes attended as a visitor and a few times as a competitor.I turned my attention to the rest of my family and spent some time playing with them and the new toys they had.Sadly, most of them didn't last very long due to how cheaply made they were. Suzie was the first to come up to me with her plushies' arm ripped off. I grabbed the sewing kit and reattached the limb before strengthening the rest of the stretches."Thank you toy doctor Brock!" chimed Suzie happily as she took her plushie away.As soon as she was done, Tommy presented himself. "Toy doctor Brock?" he said, presenting his. His toy had the head, and the legs ripped off.I stared at the toy seriously. I wanted to say, 'He's dead, Jim' but that would never go over well with a child, so instead I nodded. "You brought him to me just in time; I think we can attach him to life support.""I'm the Nurse Joy!" said Suzie, claiming the spot next to me. She then took the toy's arm. "There, there's a little guy, who's a brave boy?"She leaned down and gave the paw of the ursaring toy a smooch only for the arm to fall off."Ah!" she screamed. "I didn't do it!" she shouted, leaping over the couch only to trip and faceplant with a heavy thump.I grimaced. "Oh dear," I said.Suzie raised her head, locked eyes with me and started to tear up."Walk it off?" I offered hopefully.She tried, standing heroically lip quivering, only for her hands to shoot to her forehead. "It hurts!" she wailed."Yeah I didn't think that would work," I said, scoping her up for a hug. I carted her over to the medical kit and became 'Doctor Brock' for a few minutes. A small bandage was put on her head to help keep the pain going away along with a lollipop.She then sat in my lap for the rest of the 'surgery' with the Ursaring toy."How come you're stitching up the parts that aren't broken?" asked Suzie seriously after a few minutes of work.I tugged on the cheap stitching. "See these here? They're quite weak, so I'm just strengthening them up with a Ladder stitch."Tommy walked up with Timmy, who'd come to see how long the surgery would take, only for Tommy to tilt his head. "How come you're doing a girl's job Brock? Shouldn't you get Yolanda to do that?"I could feel Yolanda's head turning and her glare settling upon Tommy."It's not a girl or a boy job; it's just a job," I said reasonably.Sadly, reason wasn't that useful against seven-year-olds. "No, it's a girl's job!" he said."Hmmm what makes it a girl's job?""It's stitching! And only girls do that!" he said, crossing his arms and nodding seriously. Timmy copied him, and I felt a small part of me perk up. Ah, this was one of those moments that came along sometimes, and as an older sibling/parent you needed to be watching for them.Sadly, as I could attest, you weren't always going to be at your best when such developmental moments reared their heads."So only women can be doctors?" I asked.That got Tommy and Timmy to blink in surprise. I continued the assault to hammer home the point I wanted to make. "What about Leatherworkers? Bookbinders? Quilters? Tailors? Sailmaker? Shoemaker? Dressmakers?""Well! Some of those are… girl jobs and some of those are boy jobs!" said TommyI shook my head. "That's not the case, actually. Lots of people do different jobs depending on what they want to or are good at." Or what they need to do. But I wasn't going to say that last part as the discussions around economic unfairness weren't something that would register to young kids. Not unless you had a really simple method which I currently lacked. Maybe I needed to rent out some more parenting books?It had been a while.Thank Arceus that Flint had come back when he did otherwise I would have drowned in responsibilities and Will would have easily skated… I paused and played that thought back over in my mind.Huh, I hadn't thought of it that way. But, it really had been a good thing having Flint back home. He'd been able to cover a lot of the tasks I typically handled.I shot Suzie's dress a quick look over and found that the stitching done there to patch up a tear was actually better than mine. Huh, would you look at that?"Brock!" said Tommy, stomping his foot to get my attention."Hmmm?" I said finishing up the stitch before tying it out, my mind returning from the Furret hole it had been running along."Girls are better at stitching! And Boys are better at tough stuff!" he said, stomping his foot."So like Trixie and Sabrina? They're pretty tough, right?" I poked holes in his argument right away. "Agatha, Janine, Sophia, Daisy, Lorelei, and Erika…" I tilted my head. I was probably forgetting people, and that was without getting into Johto Gym Leaders."Okay! So…" Tommy tilted his head. "What does that mean?""It means there are a lot of jobs and that there is no job that is specifically only done by boys or girls," I said. I made the Ursaring toy dance in front of them. "Flint and I both needed to know how to stitch to look after you, and it's not a bad idea to have a good idea how to do things like this. Then you can be the one looking after your toys, or maybe even adding to them." I said. I then punched the arms forward. "Four armed Ursaring!" I said.I shrugged. "Or it could be a neat hobby."Tommy blinked at this before shaking his head. "I think I need to go lay down and process this."I snorted. "Yeah, you do that. It can be tough having your world flipped around like that," I said, handing the Ursaring toy back to Timmy.He gave it a cuddle and toddled off without any complaints, so I counted that a win for me, and I'd gotten Tommy to lay down and think, which was also a win considering that my audience was a young boy.Flint shot me a thumbs up and I shot back a smile before kissing Suzie on the back of the head. "So, are we watching movies and ordering Rapidash Pizza tonight?" I prompted.This got a resounding cheer from the kids which I capitalised on by clapping my hands. "You know the drill then! No pizza is to be ordered until everyone's teeth are brushed, faces and hands are clean and you're in your pajamas." I said firmly.This caused another stampede with Gible caught in the middle, thoroughly unsure what to do with himself. He chased one child around only for another to charge past him resulting in him switching targets.Eventually, Salvadore snatched him up and grabbed a spare toothbrush to brush his teeth. Gible seemed to rather like this but then again, he was generally a very jolly fellow.When everything was settled and the family assembled on the couch I gave them all a stern expression. "Hmmm, adequate," I said with a fake haughty sniff. I then drew up the pokenet page for Poliwag's pizzeria. "So what will we have?" I asked.The kids started shouting various things at me which I dutifully added to the cart. Munchalx leaned in to whisper things to Suzie which she added resulting in a cart that listed off twenty pizzas. I made a game of pretending to be perplexed by this much to the kids' amusement.Link and Gawain were still here so I included them on the order with some specialty pizza before shrugging and deciding to get some for my Elite team as a whole, taking the list up for forty pizzas.Munchlax, who could see things through his christmas had come early only to refute when I told him who the extra pizzas were actually for.A flash of light made me glance over to find a rather bedraggled-looking Sabrina had just arrived. She grabbed her transceiver and pressed a few buttons before sighing. "I'll have a meatlover's with extra onion," she said.She then waved to my family. Suzie leapt into a hug for Sabrina and Sabrina accepted it. When Gible leapt at her she telekinetically caught him in the air much to his shock. Sabrina blinked. "Ah, I apologise, when something with that many teeth lunges at me, I have a set response.""That makes a lot of sense, I have the same response for Munchlax!" Suzie said with a nod. Munchlax blinked at her and opened his mouth to feel around for how big his teeth were.He then shrugged and ran at Suzie. Suzie put a hand to her head and pretended to copy Sabrina. "Freeze!" she said, and Munchalx froze dutifully.Sabrina nodded her head, and I smiled. I'd seen her twitch if Munchlax had committed to a leap but the bond between Suzie and Munchlax meant they didn't have to worry about hurting each other.Sabrina hovered Gible into her arms for a quick pat before handing him off to me. "I'll be having a shower before coming out to watch the movie, I'm done with any League assistance for the next week at least," she said."Perfectly reasonable," I replied, sending out the order, minus the extra pizza that Suzie had ordered for Munchlax.Within a few minutes, Sabrina returned with a towel around her hair in her pajamas. She settled in next to me and yawned."Hmmm Detective Pikachu and the mystery of the unknown?" she said. I nodded. I'd watched this twice already but the little kids loved it so it was fairly common to see. Sabrina could recognise the scenes as and so she just focussed on getting comfortable and relaxing.When the pizzas arrived they came with a small herd of Rapidash and Gawain and Link led two of the horse pokemon and their trainers around the back to dish out the pizza to my Elite team with me.I had to stop a feeding frenzy from occurring with Don being adamant he needed three pizza himself despite the specialty pizza being much bigger than a standard human pizza. I distributed them and returned to my own family to find them in various states of food coma having gorged themselves.Flint looked far too amused, and Sabrina looked too tired to care that some of the kids had rather swollen stomachs. Munchlax was still working his way through the pizza while Gible was devouring the pizza boxes."Should he be eating those?" Flint asked worriedly.I shrugged. "Eh, it's mostly paper and pizza oil, he'll be fine," I said without too much concern. Only to then have to stop him from eating the next five pizza boxes."Thought you said he could eat those?" said Flint as he watched on from the side with a smirk."Some of them! I said. Not all of them! Moderation is key cause he's tiny!" I said, shoving my hand into Gible's mouth fearlessly to draw out the pizza box.When that was over and the youngest kids were being sent to bed, Suzie marched up to Sabrina and me. "Can you read the book to me, Sabrina?""The book?" Sabrina said, making sure to give the word enough gravitas.Suzie nodded and presented Sabrina with a very particular book. Sabrina inspected the book seriously. "The great book of poop?" She read aloud.Suzie grinned. "It's great!" she said, and I had to smile. She'd recently lost one of her front teeth and it made her look rather cute with the gap in her smile as her.Sabrina shot me an amused look while Flint facepalmed. "You've been reading this to her?""Yup!" I said shamelessly. "Readings a good habit to get into, so what if the topic is silly."Sabrina nodded and marched off to read a book about poop to a four-year-old. I watched her go and felt my heart swell a little.When she came back, I led her to the kitchen. The other kids were happy enough watching another movie so I spent some time with her enjoying a cup of cocoa."So, the League got pushy again?" I said."Yes, and they raised several good points for my assistance, but this time I've told them to just do it the old-fashioned way. I was running into walls with how much everyone knew and it was becoming a bit… too much for me.""I can't imagine the conditions would have been good for it, and well… the act itself?"Sabrina sighed. "It is taxing but it also… it becomes a bit too easy after a while of doing it over and over. I started to reflexively do it on the guards when they stepped in. The situation was getting to me so I told Lance no more.""Good," I said firmly, wrapping my arm around her and kissing her on the temple. She sighed and leaned into me.She then peered up at me. "I didn't get to watch your match against Corvo, can we go watch it in your room? I'd like to see how it went."I smiled, knowing she'd like seeing Selene do well, and Link's showing was sure to give her some more energy. "Sure thing," I said, standing to walk, only for Sabrian to Teleport us both.I chuckled at that before cueing up the match on my tv.When the match was over Sabrina pointed out the rough spots and also the good adaptations I'd made to the team and my planning. "You're getting stronger, and smarter about this," she said, giving me a kiss."It takes a lot of different skills than being a Gym Leader, that's for sure, it also…" I twirled my hand about. "You need to be more fluid in your thinking and more ready in case things change." I tapped on my chest. "You can't just rely on the same pokemon and the same tricks that were great at the Gym circuit, most people have seen those, you really have to start thinking about how people are going to react to your tricks and plan accordingly. It's.. a lot of fun.""I noticed, you were smiling during the match a lot and you're smiling now," Sabrina said. "It's good to see you smiling like this."I chuckled. "Well thanks, but now I feel bad because with how tired you've been I haven't seen you smile much lately."Sabrina allowed herself a softer smile. "This is how I've been smiling. When you ran the bath and left me with it without bothering me, with how you're happy for snuggles and hugs without pushing me when I'm tired. I know you've made me smile a lot." she kissed me then. "Don't worry, I'm not helping the League out any more. In fact I will make sure to have some time set aside to come and watch you next week in Celadon.""Yeah?" I asked, "That'd be great."Sabrina nodded before gaining a much more predatory smile. Her hand on my chest started to glide lower. "Now, I can think other ways you and I can… smile," she said huskilyI was entirely down for this sort of night time activity.In the morning, I stretched luxuriously and kissed Sabrina as we lay entwined."Morning," I said. Sabrina grumbled at me and then rolled over. I huffed and took a shower before heading out. With a later start, I hurried out to feed my elite and check on the reserve.All of the pokemon were there and looking very pleased with themselves. They'd really liked their pizza snack after the last two days of a controlled diet for their matches. Zubat looked a bit swollen so I assumed she must have gotten her fill of the pizza and then some."Right, sorry to say that you won't be getting too many more treats like that," I said, knowing full well that there was an ice creamery in Celadon that served pokemon.Titan shot me a wink, well aware of said cafe.I coughed and continued. As long as Bertha didn't learn about it, I would only have to take the group a few times."Now, until next Monday you're all on light duties, I've spoken to you before but we're going to have to stay fairly dynamic with which pokemon get to fight, when there are restrictions to consider. I will need to blend things pretty well." I then turned to the single Cradilly and Lileep in the training area."That being said I can devote a bit more time to both of you as neither of you are up to the Elite level as I deem it just yet. Everyone else is to go through a light warm up run, then some stretches with light sparing. Tomorrow we'll have some games to play instead to keep things as risk free as possible."Don screeched angrily at this and Bertha pumped her fist. I rolled my eyes. "That does mean the inflatable headgear, yes," I said.For Zubat that meant she'd become a floating orb that would bounce into people and then off them. I was expecting a comedy of error with her wearing protective gear.I then shot Don a look. "You don't have to take part, remember? You usually just sit on the side and mock everyone!" I said.Don paused and then grinned realising that was what he usually did. I decided not to bait him into doing something stupid while his daughter watched on but Bertha had no such restraint."Rhy Rhy Perior—" she started to say. I didn't need to speak pokemon to know what she was saying. I lunged over and put my hands in front of her mouth to shut her up."AS I WAS SAYING!" I bellowed.Bertha laughed and thankfully shut up instead of pushing the point. I detailed how things were going to go and then shifted focus onto running through a light session before working Cradily and Lileep. For part of this, I referenced a journal article Erika had written up for me.It was strange to have to blend Rock type training methods with grass type. A lot of this revolved around strong defence with the potential for quick, vibrant regrowth that started days, if not weeks prior with good pokemon care.It was a different sort of challenge and I had some doubts that I'd have Cradily ready to enter my Elite team for a while yet, I'd just have to keep her on the fourth badge tier team for a while for some experience. When she started feeling a bit too overpowered I could try otherwise. It was that, ori engaged in some more simple friendly matches just for a bit of pocket change with some of the battleclub locals.Both ideas had merit.Then again, everything I did with Cradily that worked I needed to repeat with Steven Stone's pokemon. I wasn't about to trade off a pokemon that was weak after all.Actually, now that I thought about it, it was strange that Steven hadn't contacted me, or Sabrina at all about her mega evolution.Perhaps he would when I eventually revealed to the public that Jormungandr was capable of it as well.For now, I got stuck into work with my grass-rock type ,stretching and bending with them, testing how quickly they could bend and twist themselves to get a feel for their actions before having them lash out their attacks as practice.When it reached breakfast time Yolanda and Sabrina walked out to meet me.It felt like a good start to a lazy weekend that would lead into a frantic week."Brock, Lance is giving a press conference," Sabrina said.I blinked, realising exactly what this would mean."Well, I can still have a lazy weekend… but there's going to be a lot of attention sent our way on Monday, isn't there?"Sabrina raised an unimpressed eyebrow and I sighed. "Alright, I'll call Rachel up and see if we can release our own press statement." I rolled my shoulders and waved the girls into the lounge room. "Not that it will reduce the attention we get," I grumbled.Damn, I'd forgotten about this.Maybe Lance wouldn't mention me?I straight away knew those were short odds.
177
I sat on the couch with Yolanda to my left and Sabrina to my right. Both of them were sitting up and paying avid attention to the television.Around us, my siblings played quietly. Salvadore lazed about on the couch with a giant encyclopedia open. He was slowly reading through it and occasionally taking notes.Suzie was sitting at Sabrina's feet with Ralts, both of them were playing with dolls. Sabrina occasionally shot them envious looks that made me chuckle. Tommy and Timmy were playing a game with Munchlax and Gible. It appeared to be some sort of knights and dragon game with the boys and the pokemon taking turns in each role.Billy, Tilly, Cindy, Flint, and Nanny Grav were all brushing out a pair of growlithe along with Eevee who was trying, and failing to push the Growlithe back out the door. Apparently she didn't like the new security features.Cindy quickly snatched her up and pampered her. "Oh, you're so grumpy about the new pokemon! You don't have to be! You're our special girl! Yes, you are! Yes, you are!"Eevee squealed with delight and rolled around so she could give the pack of Growlithe a look of superiority.I coughed and Cindy gained a sheepish look. "Sorry!" she said.I rolled my eyes before casting them about the room. "So, I can't help but notice that no one was in here before we came in, but the minute we sat down everyone decided to join us?""I'm here because Sabrina is here, and I needed to show her my new doll!" said Suzie as though that made it an open-shut case for herself.I decided not to poke holes in that argument. Instead, I turned to Salvadore.He shrugged. "I want to see what's going on? I'll be quiet."I hummed. "This is going to be a press conference from Lance about the recent Rocket Raid," I said. I considered that a moment and flicked my gaze about. "Actually maybe the younger kids shouldn't be here," I said.Flint glanced up from brushing out Spot the Growlithe. "Hmmm?"I shot him a look. "Urgesay otgay ockedlay upyay?" I said. Flint continued to stare at me, his face blanker than a fresh canvas.Yolanda, Salvadore and Cindy gasped in shock.Damn it! That hadn't been well thought out! Of course, Flint wouldn't know spoink-speak as it was called here, but the other kids would. They knew I'd said Surge got locked up!"You are really bad at keeping secrets," Sabrina said as she slid to the floor to start playing with the dolls, the temptation growing too strong for her."I know!" I said as I quickly shushed the trio of smarter siblings.Flint seemed to cotton on to the thrust of my point as he stood up. "Alright! Time for a family run!"The kids all shot him with dubious looks. "We don't do family runs," Tommy said, acting as the mouthpiece for the younger kids who nodded."We don't run to the park with our new Growlithe bodyguard pokemon?" Flint said, causing the Growlithe to pause, liking the sound of this. The kids all perked up, realising that they'd get to show off some cool pokemon.They were instantly up and clambering for the door, grabbing shoes and causing a cacophony of noise. Salvadore, Cindy, Yolanda and Suzie all stayed put.I leaned forward. "You want to go with them Suzie?" I said, indicating the melee that had formed in the entrance of the house where people were fighting over shoes while the Growlithe yapped excitedly."Nope!" she said brushing the doll's hair before turning and brushing Ralts' hair straight afterwards. I noted that she stayed well clear of Ralts' sensitive horns. "I'm perfectly fine here," she said, continuing to adjust her doll's outfit before posing the doll. "Actually I might go get more dolls, Sabrina hold this one," she said before trundling off to her room.I sighed. Well, she was going to be distracted at least.I turned to the older kids who knew what I was talking about. I shot Yolanda a look. "I thought I told you about this?" I said. I'd told the Gym Trainers after my giant nap a few days ago.Hadn't I?I tilted my head. I'd been pretty tired after everything but surely I hadn't not mentioned the Rocket Raid?Yolanda shook her head. "I wasn't there when you spoke about it to the Gym Trainers, I was at school. Same with Crystal!""Greta didn't mention it?" I said, surprised at this news.Yolanda shook her head. "She can sometimes get distracted or forget to mention things, she's pretty bad at gossip."I nodded slowly at that, understanding what she was talking about. "Right," I said, nodding as I made myself comfortable.My siblings stared at me. "Aren't you going to explain Surge being locked up?" said Cindy pointedly.I huffed. "Right, so when I went with Agatha, Sabrina, and Lorelei—""Koga was there as well," Sabrina prompted as she adjusted the doll in her hand to strike a more dashing pose."Yeah, he was there too," I said before continuing, "We went after the Head of Team Rocket who was Giovanni—""You mentioned this," said Yolanda. "It explained why you were always super leery about him and Viridian City.""I was?" I asked.The others all nodded. I coughed. "Right well when we went to arrest him he sent a decoy to the League and we had to chase down the real Giovanni. We found him with a bunch of really strong Admin-level Rocket trainers, along with Will and Surge.""We ended up fighting but I don't think Surge was really trying all that hard. We crushed him and Will together. But, because Surge had been helping out with Team Rocket he needed to be arrested as well.""So, what's that mean for the Vermillion Gym?" said Salvadore, while Cindy asked, "What are we going to tell Tommy?"I scratched the back of my head. "Surge said he had been called in on a favour that he built up in the past. He had handed over the gym to his daughter who is called Visquez. As for Tommy? I'm not sure. It might be best to not tell him. It will depend on what Lance mentions in his press conference."Yolanda nudged me. "Are you alright?""I'm good now, I just had to decompress a bit after the fight. I didn't go see Surge straight away but I did in the end.""Oh, that's good, but in future, you should tell us about things like this," Yolanda said. "You should probably also tell Tommy."I sighed. "I don't think he's mature enough for that conversation. Surge… well he's complicated," I said. The other nodded while Cindy merely shrugged."He did bad so he needs to be punished. It's sort of like having a time out going to prison, isn't it?"I raised a finger, unsure what to say. On one hand, it was apt and simplistic, but on the other it didn't delve into the issues that came from spending time around other criminals along with the myriad of factors that made prisons, not nice places to be."That… somewhat works.," I said, deciding to run with that. Cindy looked pleased while Salvadore looked confused.Yolanda tapped me on the shoulder. "So you're not going to keep any more secrets? Right?"I didn't meet her gaze. "If they're relevant," I said.Yolanda narrowed her eyes at me and grumbled. "Well, at least you're not very good at keeping secrets," she said. I felt like she'd shot an arrow into my heart.Ouch! The truth hurt!I leaned forward. "Sabrina, my siblings are bullying me," I said jokingly.Sabrina raised her doll and made it perform a chopping action at Yolanda. "Be nice to your brother," said Sabrina.Ralts giggled at this and Sabrina repeated the action to Cindy and Salvadore who looked amused but unsure why he was being bunched up with my sisters.Suzie charged back in with a dollhouse and several other dolls and dresses to play just in time for Lance to step out for his press conference.I stared. Not since the battle against Moltres had I seen him look so unkempt. His eyes had small bags under them and he had tousled hair that wasn't in his usual casually controlled fashion. His cape hung off him instead of flapping around as he marched to the front of the room."Good morning everyone, I'm thankful that you were all able to make it and I apologise for the need to call this press conference," he said.President Kruger, Chief Commander Ranger, Police commissioners of both Johto and Kanto, and the rest of the Elite Four filed in behind him.The appearance of so many highly-ranked officials caused a round of murmurs to break out. The press had to know that something big was going on, but to see it like this merely underlined how important. The atmosphere became much more tense.Ralts took Suzie by the hand and led her into the next room. I shot Sabrina a nod, that had been smooth.I raised an eyebrow that Lorelei and Agatha both had pride of place behind him while Bruno and Koga stood on either end. It cast a serious message that the might of the entire pokemon League, both administrative, police, and military might was on display.With all of them behind him, Lance cleared his throat."Last weekend was a momentous occasion for Indigo with the first public Mega-evolution to date in a pokemon fight. Gym Leader Sabrina's match against Ace trainer Will was an event many in our fair nation tuned in to watch in some manner. Many people called it the match that captured the nation. It was an amazing demonstration of skill and prowess. Sadly it was not the only incident that occurred in Saffron that evening. As everyone is aware Silph Co. the premier supplier of many of the goods that support our nation and that of other nations was attacked by Team Rocket."In response to this, I announced the formation of the G-men and designated Team Rocket as terrorists instead of merely criminals. Since then, the League and many others have been extremely busy."Lance swept his gaze about the room. "I would like to take this moment to thank the Rangers, the administrative teams in the League, the Gym Leaders, the police, and many, many trainers who have acted in support over the last week. The day after the Saffron situation, as the public is calling it, the League mobilised on a scale unseen in the Indigo League's history as a nation."Lance allowed himself a smile. "I can announce that the results of this mobilisation were an unparalleled success. Thanks to the formation of the new international organisation, the G-men were able to co-ordinate, raid and capture many Team Rocket sites. For the past week, we have been processing these sites.""Why hasn't this been announced before today?" shouted one reporter, unable to hold themselves back.Lance shot a hand up. "Please, wait until the end of my speech, but to assuage any concerns, the League has been processing Team Rocket and any known affiliates at this time to make sure that no traps or damage can be caused. You will understand what I mean when I discuss Team Rocket's proliferation throughout our League."Around me, my siblings were spellbound. Lance wasn't displaying any special charisma or using any oratory tricks to draw people in. If anything he was merely monologuing.Despite that, or perhaps because of the dry method of delivery, the importance of the information was clearly stated.Lance turned the page, showing that he had a few sheets of paper to get through. "The following sites were uncovered."Three sites in Goldenrod, one outside Mahogany Town, one in Blackthorn City, another in Mt Moon's cave systems, along with others in Gringey and Dark city. All of these were minor sites that were raided."Lance looked around the room. "In the process of capturing these facilities and the staff that housed them, more information came to light. Like a garbageman picking up trash only to find a Muk underneath I am sorry to say that the situation was more than I originally anticipated.""In the pursuit of justice, we discovered that multiple, pokemon trainers that are held to the highest of regard were secretly Team Rocket Members."You could hear a pin drop in the room as everyone leaned forward, ears and microphones poised to pick up what was said next."A number of Rangers were discovered to be Rocket plants and they have since been captured and protocols with the Rangers tightened." Behind Lance, the Chief Commander Ranger nodded firmly."Several police officers, along with League officials were likewise detained, and sadly a few notable Gym Leaders have been also arrested."Instantly the entire room of reporters were on their feet."Which Gym Leaders?" "What assurances do we have that this isn't just a League ploy to snatch more power for itself?" "Was it Giovanni? Why hasn't he made any appearances at his usual charity events?"Lance glared at the room at large and when he spoke his voice came like a whip cracking out over everyone's heads. "Sit. Down."Most people sat while a few defiant reporters held their ground. I had to give them props for weathering Lance's displeasure.He glowered at them for a long moment. "If you disrupt me again, I will have you expelled from this conference. This is not how I'm going to allow this to be run. So," he gestured to the chairs, sit down and allow me to enlighten you," he said calmly.The holdouts sat on the edge of their seats.Lance worked his jaw and seemed to consider the door as though still weighing up whether it was worth the annoyance of having them expelled now. Lorelei stepped up and put a hand on his shoulder. "I understand that this is a provoking topic as all of us have pride in where we have come from. The discovery that multiple Gyms have been supporting a terrorist organisation however is not one that we have taken lightly."She gave Lance's shoulder another squeeze before stepping back. Lance glanced at where her hand had been for a moment before shaking his head. "Lorelei is correct, passions will run hot over this… I am sorry to say that this took many of us by surprise." Lance adjusted his sheets."In order of importance, Grey from Neon City and Haley, the Gym Leader of Florando Town, both are minor Gyms but still part of the circuit. Both of these Gyms have been closed due to how heavily Team Rocket were a part of their structure."A few people relaxed in their seats, glad that it was only minor Gyms. Lance sighed loudly. "Of the major Gyms… four had been discovered. These were, Olivine City's Gym, Cinnabar, Viridian, and finally Goldenrod."A chorus of exclamations rang through the room with one man even collapsing out of his seat before sitting up quickly and indicating he was fine.I watched the shock play out as they learnt that six Gym leaders were involved with Team Rocket. I tilted my head. "He hasn't mentioned Surge at all," I said.Sabrina nodded. "I think he might have something else planned for that. Surge was a different case. Lance may have something planned." She then pursed her lips. "Also… You shouldn't underestimate Surge."I frowned.Surge wasn't being listed amoung the criminals.It stood out markedly to me, and for anyone in the know, it would also be a notable omission.What was going on? What games were being played at the League?Early this morningLance felt very pleased with himself. He had done weeks of work in the past few days and surely had done enough to solidify the League for years to come. Now he was ready to have a short nap before the press conference played out later.Just a small nap. He stood to make for the couch that had so recently become his bed. He lay down and reached for the blanket he had stored underneath it only for the door to ping.Lance glowered at the door. One day he would learn to perform a 'Dragons breathe' to ward off people like this. For now, he had to tap his transceiver and give a terse, "What?" to his receptionist."Sir, Howard from accounting has found something that you'll want to know."Lance rubbed his jawline and felt all the stubble there. He'd need to shave before the press conference he noted in the back of his mind. Send him in," Lance said eventually.The door swished open a moment later and Howard from accounting strode in. "I shall be quick as I know your time is precious, Champion. I was looking through recent documents from each Gym and I happened upon an acquisition claim from four weeks ago!"Howard handed over a form and Lance stared at it as his mind slowly recognised number. Numbers in front of zeroes along with a rather passionate description of a tank.Lance pinched the bridge of his nose. "How long have we known that Surge has a stockpile of weapons and a tank?""For four weeks sir, he claimed them through legal methods as the Gym Leader so there was no need to raise concerns, he was in fact acting to deny them from a civilian. In another circumstance, he'd be lauded for his actions."Lance groaned. "Where are they?"Howard coughed delicately.Lance growled at the ceiling before toggling his transceiver once again."Frank here," came the gruff response along with the picture of a man in prison guard fatigues."It's Lance Frank," said the aggrieved Champion. He rattled off his authorization codes before gritting his teeth. "I want you to give Surge your transceiver and hang about for the conversation I'm about to have."Frank blinked but did as asked after a moment. Surge appeared on the screen and looked far too smug. "Howdy there Champ!" said the giant blond man in prison fatigues.Lance shot him a look that he hoped would one day be enough to stop a man cold.Surge merely leered, his grin growing as Lance showed his frustration."Come to bargain? Have we?" said the former Vermilion Gym Leader.Lance wanted to curse but held off. "I want your entire stockpile of weapons and its location."Surge just cackled. "Ha! And those sissies think you can't negotiate with guns! I told them it's the only way to negotiate!" Surge threw back his head and laughed.Lance just sighed as he felt a throbbing in his forehead.I shook my head as Lance revealed that Giovanni, Hannah and Samwise had all been captured while Blaine was at large and considered extremely dangerous.I could just see the reporters dying to ask questions but the threat of expulsion from the room kept them quiet."At this point, Goldenrod will continue to operate but we have secured a temporary Gym Leader in the form of an excellent trainer that has been teaching. Norman's credentials are second to none when it comes to normal-type pokemon and he will serve until another can be found. Olivine likewise has—""Norman is a Hoenn Gym trainer!" shrieked one reporter who had their transceiver out.Lance snapped his fingers and a pair of Machamp materialised from Bruno to escort the reporter out. "The people have a right to know these facts Champion! Draconic rule will never be accepted!" the man screeched.Lance rubbed his forehead in annoyance and muttered. "Draconic rule would be so much simpler than this," he said only to jolt as Lorelei and Agatha both chuffed in amusement, causing him to remember where he was. He glanced down at the microphone that had caught everything he'd said and he sighed."I apologise for that statement, it was in poor taste, I can only claim fatigue," he said. He wet his lips. "Norman is a Hoenn trainer who has been staying in Indigo for a number of years but he is well regarded. He is at the moment a custodian and he understands this. With the current demands that the Gym Circuit is under we need as many Gym Leaders as possible. This was something that Team Rocket had no doubt thought allowed them greater impunity but it will not be the case. While Neon City, Cinnabar Island, and Viridian City will not be operational, other Gyms will remain open."Lance shifted another paper. "I would like to mention once again, my thanks to everyone who has been and will continue to be involved in this development. The League may feel weaker due to this chunk that we have had to exercise, but I can only state that sadly this part of ourselves was rotten and it needed to be dealt with before it weakened us further. Instead of things becoming worse I can in fact state that a number of financial stimulus and relief packages will be making their way out thanks to the funds from theft, graft and other illegal incomes that Team Rocket has generated. This will be turned over to the people and companies. Those that have had pokemon stolen from them in the past may now begin calling the League as we have a dedicated staff of hundreds waiting to help reunite stolen pokemon!"This seemed to be the biggest win for him as he smiled without reserve and seemed lighter.Lance looked down at the papers and his hand twitched as a frown shot across his face for half a second. Then he looked up and gave a practised smile. "I'll end the press conference with my thanks once again but especially to the Gym Leaders, Rangers, Police, and also my own Elite four that have strived to be examples. Lorelei, Agatha, Bruno, and Koga were crucial in taking down key targets."Lance bowed his head. "Sadly not everyone who took part in the Team Rocket crackdown was able to make it out safely, and to those I can only bid a speedy recovery or express my condolences to those who lost loved ones. Of note, Lt Surge of Vermillion will be stepping down due to injuries sustained. He will be staying in a specialised facility for the care period and will therefore be unable to see the continued success of his Gym. But his daughter, Visquez, however, will be looking after the Gym in his place."Lance stared right into the camera. "We wish him a speedy recovery," he said. Lance swallowed tightly, no doubt forcing down some emotion he didn't want to show.Lance sighed, braced himself, and then made a gesture indicating he would now take questions.The room exploded as reporters began to scream over the top of each other."What financial stimulus will be directed to Goldenrod?" "What's going to happen to the criminals you captured?" "Did you get all of them?" "How could the League allow things to become this bad?" "Are you going to resign as Champion?" "What is going to happen for the trainers that are currently attempting to gain badges for the end-year tournament?" "Three of twelve Gym Leaders for Kanto and another three from Johto?"Lance took a moment to drink some water before calming things down.I tilted my head. "Surge made a deal?"Sabrina nodded her head. "Surge made a deal.""Huh, politics," I said to myself. I could tell Lance didn't look pleased by doing this but I think I could understand it. Surge must have had something.I waved a hand towards Lance who was calmly dealing with the reporters that had been, for all intents and purposes, let off the chain. "Well, he's said a lot without giving away too much."Sabrina nodded again. "He has also kept things vague. I noted that he never once mentioned that Giovanni had been the Leader of Team Rocket."I nodded along only to frown. "Ah, kids, don't mention what I told you to anyone, yeah?" I said sternly. "It's not something to be shared around."Yolanda, Salvadore and Cindy all nodded seriously. I relaxed. "Well, there's probably enough people that know that it has spread about but if Lance is giving out an official press conference he might muddy the water." I leaned onto my side, watching the event play out.The door opened and I looked up to find Rachel walking in, her eyes glued to her transceiver as she wandered in and sat on top of Cindy. When her seat squawked and bucked the rainbow-haired woman shot back up. "Oh! Shoot! Sorry Cindy I was just too caught up in this!"I shot Rachel a look. "I read you into most of this earlier this week though?"Rachel snorted. "Yeah, and your discussion was way more unvarnished." She shook her head. Seriously! I can't tell everything you told me to the public! It'd cause an incident with the League! I've been waiting for them to talk first for this very reason! So now I'm going to have to adjust your talking points for next week," she said.When I merely blinked, unsure what she was talking about she sighed. "You're not doing a press conference yourself, it's just a press release, but Brock… you're going to be in the public eye. People know you and Lance are close and that you're strong. If Surge is being listed as injured and even Kong is earning himself some praise?"Rachel waved a hand towards Sabrina and me. "You two? Indigo's power couple not being included? Ha!" she said."Yeah it's pretty obvious that we were involved isn't it?" I said with a laugh, sharing a smile with Sabrina."Yup!" Rachel nodded. She then straightened up and pulled out some notes. "So! With that in mind we're going to play twenty questions hard style!" she said gleefully.Suzie chose that moment to come back in with Ralts holding her hand. "We're playing a game?"Rachel opened her mouth to say no only for a gleam to enter her eyes. "Yes, we're playing a game! Kids! How would you like to be journalists for the afternoon?"The kids shot up. "I want to be a fashion reporter!" said Cindy. "Can I ask the science questions?" asked Salvadore. "I shall ask about his romance," said Sabrina.I shot her a bemused look. "What? Why? You're dating me!" I said.Sabrina merely waved a hand and the cushions that the kids were sitting on rose and arranged themselves into a mock press conference setting. Suzie ran off and dragged back some cardboard and within five minutes the room had changed.Teddys appeared with fake boom mics and headsets.Salvadore had found a pair of empty frames to make himself look smarter. Cindy had primped herself up with some toy jewellery. Ralts had her own giant notepad and was scowling fiercely at me. Sabrina looked far too poised for this to be a game.Rachel was sitting on the couch looking like a host. She looked extremely pleased with herself for coming up with this entire affair.I was sitting in the middle with a toy mic in front of me.Rachel grinned. "Let's take some questions, shall we?" she pointed straight at Sabrina.Sabrina, with pen poised, locked her gaze with mine. "What do you find most attractive about Sabrina?"The others oohed and swivelled their heads to me. I huffed. I couldn't work out whether I liked or hated this game. I blushed, "She's got many attractive points about her beyond the obvious. Her mind and her body are amazing but pale in comparison to the depths of her heart, she's an extremely kind individual and I'm fortunate to have her in my life.""Oh! Good response!" said Rachel offering up a ten placard as though this was a Contest.Sabrina gained a pleased look with a faint blush that made me want to kiss her.I found I liked this game a bit more now.I could win brownie points!Cindy coughed. "Why are you still wearing last season's style?" she said firmly. I blinked, having not expected such a question from her. Was she trying to be a hard-hitting fashion reporter?"I liked the look and it suited my complexion," I said easily.Salvadore adjusted his glasses in what he must have assumed was a nerdy manner. "What factors contribute to the evolution paradox that the environment dictates how certain pokemon evolve?"Rachel blinked. "I didn't give you that question?" she said.Salvaodre preened. "I added to the questions," he said.I chuckled. Of course, he added to them.Cindy perked up and started scribbling as she realised she could ask her own questions.I started to rattle off my response and found I actually could weigh in a fair amount about how environmental differences changed how pokemon evolved. Sabrina looked very amused. When it was Suzie's turn she stared hard at the card she'd been given.Sabrina's eyes glowed as she supplied Suzie with what was written on there. "When is your favourite time of the year?" said Suzie robotically.I opened my mouth only for the front door to open and for the rest of my family to enter. They took in the room and Tommy tilted his head. "Are you guys playing a game?"Rachel's grin grew and I chuckled.Somehow I had a feeling that 'Interview' would become a popular game for my family.In a way, it was useful practice and it would give me some warm-up for the next few days when I would very much be in the public eye.Hopefully, people's attention would shift to the actual tournament I was taking part in, but then again Lance's reveal was going to be the biggest reveal of the year.I considered that thought and added an 'I hope' to the end.When Rachel was done she was very pleased with herself. She closed up her folder and shot me a thumbs-up. "Well, I'll send out the press statement we worked out but yeah expect people to be hounding you come Monday." She waved to my family. "You all have a good evening and enjoy the Battlecast match that's on tonight!" she said as she walked out the door.I frowned. "Who's fighting tonight?"Tommy and Salvadore excitedly shot to their feet. "Steven Stone and Drake!" they shouted excitedly.I blinked. "Huh, I'd forgotten about him.