Chapter Twelve

The Harrison household was chaotic, to say the least.

When Brock and Forrest had mentioned younger siblings, Serena had been picturing maybe two or three children at home with their mother.

Ten.

Ten children.

Okay, that was counting Brock and Forrest in that number– but that didn't change the fact that there was eight kids waiting for them as Brock led them to their home. Their ages seemed to range from twelve to four, and all of them were bundles of excitement from the moment Brock had stepped into the house.

They had all been introduced to them: Salvadore, Yolanda, Tommy, Cindy, Suzie, Timmy, Billy, and Tilly; though Serena had no idea how she was going to keep all of the names straight, or how Brock managed to remember them all. She knew that she was biased, being an only child herself she knew nothing about having siblings, and she couldn't help but to be overwhelmed, though impressed.

There was no mother at home like she had expected, instead an older woman with kind eyes, who seemed to be able to calm the kids down with just a few soft words. Her name being one that Serena did find herself remembering: Rose.

"Soulmate, soulmate, soulmate!" The five youngest basically chanted, all surrounding Misty. The poor girl looked overwhelmed, Serena remembered herself how hard it was to adjust to seeing colors, and on top of that Misty had all these hyper children ecstatic to meet her. "Brock has a soulmate, Brock has a soulmate!"

"Does that make you our big sister now?" The oldest girl– Yolanda?– asked Misty.

"Um, I–"

"Yeah! Soulmates get married, right?" Another kid said. "They become sisters by the laws, right?"

"Sister in-law!"

"That's what I said!"

"When are you and Brock getting married?" One of the younger boys asked, tugging on Misty's backpack.

"Can you play with us?"

"What's your favorite rock type?"

"Yeah! If you're part of the family you hafta be a rock type trainer!"

"Children," Rose said, her feeble-sounding voice somehow easily being heard over the cacophony of kids, everyone falling silent. "Give the poor child some room, she hasn't even gotten the chance to properly introduce herself."

"Okay, Gran Gran!"

"Sure thing, Gran Gran!"

"Also it isn't polite to automatically start assuming marriage with soulmates," Brock said, crossing his arms. "Not all soulmates get married, and we just met."

"But you said you wanted to marry your soulmate when you found them!" Billy protested.

"You said your first date was going to be a romantic sunset dinner with candles on the beach!"

"Didn't you say you were going to buy your soulmate the prettiest diamond ring to propose to them?"

"O-okay!" Brock said, cheeks flushed. "Everyone, it's time to get ready for dinner. We have three guests over tonight, so we'll need to set extra places at the table. Move along, come on now."

It was loud, and there was a lot of giggles, but the army of children listened to their brother, and slowly the front hall didn't look quite like a primary school. Serena couldn't help but let out a small sigh of relief. She liked children... but she had not been prepared for so many.

Rose grinned at Misty. "You'll learn pretty quickly that Brock has always been quite the romantic at heart. I'm glad he found his soulmate, poor boy would have been crushed if he had been one of the ones who never did." She looked Misty up and down. "Make sure you treat my little Brock right, okay?"

"Gran Gran!" Brock cried from further in the house.

Rose laughed. "Come along now, and let's get some food in your stomach– you haven't lived until you've tasted Brock's cooking!"

"I'm so hungry I could eat a Steelix!" Ash said, grinning at the mention of dinner.

"I promise dinner will be much better than a Steelix," Rose said, and then her eyes slid towards Misty, winking. "Trust me, dear, you couldn't have gotten a better soulmate. Brock is fantastic husband material."

"Gran Gran!"

Rose shook her. "I swear, that boy has better hearing than an Audino."

All fourteen of them ended up crowded around the long table for dinner– a chaotic feast that Serena had never quite experienced before. At her home dinner was always quiet, a time for her and her mother to discuss business– where they'd be traveling for races, what her practice schedule would be for racing, what supplies she needed for Isla. The conversation at the Harrison table... Serena wasn't quite sure what it was about– there were too many happening at once. Everyone was talking and chattering away, everyone reaching for seconds with no hesitation, and the food... it was amazing.

Serena thought herself a pretty good cook, and her mother's food was delicious as well, but the meal Brock had made was simply divine. Once Serena found herself used to the activity that came from a table mostly filled with children she found herself not hesitating with reaching for another serving or two, feeling so much better after what had happened today with a full stomach.

It distracted her from the fact that she had yet to let her Pokemon out– because she had no idea what they would think of her after having been nearly stolen.

"This is amazing!" Ash exclaimed, sitting right next to Serena, grinning. "Brock– you made this all yourself?"

"I had the stew in the slow cooker since this morning," Brock said, getting another bowl full for one of the twins. "So it wasn't too difficult to get everything else to go with it. The bread was made by Gran Gran, so she gets all the credit for that."

"Don't sell yourself short, Brock," Rose said with a smile.

"So you're a water type trainer?" Suzie asked Misty.

"My whole family is, just like yours with rock types," Misty replied with a smile– but the children didn't seem quite sold on the idea of Misty not being a rock type trainer like the rest of the family.

"But rock type Pokemon are cooler," Tilly insisted.

"And water types are my favorite."

"But if you're Brock's soulmate then you should like rock types now," Billy said. "Right?"

Misty smiled. "Well, by that logic Brock should like water types now since he's my soulmate, right?"

The children didn't seem to know how to respond to this– and Brock let out a chuckle. "You guys know there's rock and water types out there, right? Like I was using the gym's Omastar in a battle today."

"There's also Corsola and Relicanth," Misty added.

"Kabutops, Caracoasta," Brock added. "There's a lot of rock and water type fossil Pokemon, now that I think about it."

"Don't forget Drednaw and the Binacle line," Forrest added.

"That's over six Pokemon," Timmy said in excitement. "That means you can have a full team of rock and water type Pokemon!"

"That's perfect!" Cindy said excitedly. "Now Brock and his soulmate can have a team of rock and water Pokmeon!"

"You gotta go catch some now, Brock!" Tommy insisted.

Brock smiled. "That would be fun, wouldn't it?"

"Are you okay, Serena?" Ash asked, glancing at her. "You've been really quiet."

She gave him a quick smile. "Heh, yeah, just not used to this many people, you know?"

Ash laughed. "Yeah, same– and it's awesome. I wish I had a sibling. Mom always said she'd like more kids if things work out for her and Dad..." he trailed off, glancing at Serena. "How about you?"

Her throat tightened. "It's just been me and Mom for years."

Ash's gaze softened. "I understand, it's the same for me. Just me and Mom for as long as I can remember. I've never met my dad, actually... he's still out there though, since Mom can see in color."

"That's what our Daddy says!" Timmy said, sitting up straight. "He can still see in colors, so Mama has to be alive– and everyone else are meanie-faced liars!"

"Now Timothy," Rose said, looking at her grandson sternly. "You shouldn't use words like that." There was a gleam in her eyes. "The words that do properly describe those people though, you're a bit too young to know."

Timmy tilted his head. "What words?"

"Gran Gran," Brock said, and the older woman let out a chuckle. However there was still a slight tension in the air, and an actual moment of silence. Brock scanned his siblings, before turning towards his guests, sighing. "Unfortunately, you guys aren't the only one that's been having trouble with the chief of police. He had a vendetta against Dad... and by extension the rest of our family."

"What happened?" Misty asked.

"Mama went missing and they won't find her!" One of the kids cried.

"They say Daddy's crazy!"

"They wanna take the gym from us!"

"Quiet down, children," Rose said, and the Harrison kids quickly fell silent in reply.

"It's... it's almost been about a year now, since we've last seen Mom," Brock said. "She was always... flighty, racing off to do the next big thing and going on journeys. It wasn't uncommon for it to just be Dad at home with us... but she was our mother. She loves us. And even when she'd raced off she'd always stay in contact, so when we were unable to reach her Dad knew something was wrong."

"The chief was awful from the start," Forrest growled. "Just dismissed our attempts to file a missing person report, saying she'd just show up in town eventually like she always does. It took months for that man to finally declare her missing and launch an investigation."

"A month later he declared Mother dead and closed the case," Brock said, bitterness in his voice.

"Mama isn't dead!" Cindy cried.

"Daddy sees colors!" Tilly added. "That means Mama is going to come home."

Misty's eyes flickered across the children. "How... how could they say someone is dead if their soulmate can still see in color? That means they have to still be alive, that's basic science–"

"Denial," Brock said with a shrug. "That was their favorite thing to claim. That Dad was in denial, still grieving, and he just needed time. The chief kept repeating that to anyone that tried to get him to reopen the case. It got to the point where some people were convinced that Father had met another soulmate and that's why he still saw color– even though that didn't happen!"

"People really don't believe some people about their soulmate connection?" Misty cried, rising to her feet.

"My Mom didn't believe I had a soulmate for several months," Ash said, looking over at Serena. Her stomach tightened as their eyes met. "I don't know how long it took Serena to convince her mom, but I know when we parted ways nobody was believing her either."

Serena swallowed– she had never convinced her mom.

"How come?" Billy asked.

"We were really young," Ash said. "Probably about your age– and everyone said we were too young to meet our soulmates." Ash's eyes flickered back up to Brock. "But it sounds like your family got it way worse."

Rose let out a long sigh. "Eventually claims about my son went from 'denial' to 'delusional'. Our attempts to report the chief for his practices were ignored, and in return the chief would try to launch investigations on Flint to attempt to declare him an unfit parent. I had to move down from my cabin to here just to keep neighbors from worrying about the kids."

"Of course Dad was doing nothing wrong, and not even the chief could land him in hot water," Brock growled. "We thought things were finally going to quiet down, and we could focus on trying to find Mom ourselves, when Forrest caught word that they were going to go after the gym."

"People in the city got it in their minds that Dad is lost in grief and has convinced himself that his soulmate is still alive," Forrest said. "People started questioning if he should really be holding the position of gym leader and the influence that comes with it."

"That's why my father left," Brock said, eyes shifting to Misty. "Left in the middle of the night on a journey to find Mom. As long as they're unable to contact him, they can't officially strip him of his gym leader title. Unless they can declare the gym as abandoned– but since I'm a Junior Gym Leader I can host official matches, which means the gym can still run normally."

"I've been helping Brock with everything involved in the gym," Forrest said. "From maintaining it, to taking care of the Pokemon. I also started doing some Rhyhorn races for the prize money so we can stay on top of bills."

"The gym pays a lot, but as a minor I can't access Father's paycheck. He transfers money to Gran Gran when he can, but if the Chief can establish contact with him then we'll probably lose the gym."

"I take care of the children when Brock's not around," Rose said. "And chase off anyone who thinks they can stick their nose in someone else's business. If Flint can find Lola and bring her home, that will be all the proof we need to figure out this mess."

"Something happened to Mom," Brock growled. "And thanks to that man there's no one out there looking for her– only Dad and the Knowing. And now the chief is apparently slacking in his other duties!" He looked at Serena. "He just completely ignored the fact that you had been robbed and attacked?"

Serena jumped slightly, having been so engrossed and horrified at the story they had been telling that she didn't even realize they were talking about her now. "Um... he made a report and took my testimony that it happened, but said it was out of his jurisdiction..."

"And we were on the Pewter side of the tunnel," Misty growled, but her expression was nothing but worry. "And I thought things in Cerulean were bad. I mean, my sisters are lazy when it comes to the gym... but at least our police are good people doing their jobs!"

"That man is disgusting," Rose said with a huff. "I can't wait for the day he's stripped of his title of chief and someone worthy gets that title."

"Yeah!" Suzie cried. "Down with the chief!"

Rose frowned at her granddaughter. "Now, don't go repeating that across town. We don't need to agitate that man even more."

"I need everyone done eating to help clean up now," Brock said, pushing himself to his feet. "Everyone check the job chart to see what you're in charge of tonight, and once we're done we can have a treat– okay?"

The kids let out a loud cheer, everyone hurrying up from the table, the room becoming loud and chaotic once more. Serena looked down at her empty bowl of stew as well, before pushing herself to her feet. She tried to take her dishes to the kitchen, only to have one of the Harrison kids take it from her hands.

"Guests don't hafta clean up!" They said with a grin. "You're a guest, after all."

Serena gave a small smile. "I don't mind helping."

"It's okay," the little boy said. "We got it."

With that the dishes were taken from her hands, and he bolted off to the kitchen. Serena looked about, watching as the large family got to work without complaint. Even old Rose was moving stuff from the table to the sink, were two of the children were in the process of rising off the dishes and loading them into the dishwasher. Brock was putting the leftovers into a container, one of his little sisters taking it to the fridge, while the twins were having a race to see who could wipe off their end of the table the fastest.

Chaotic, but organized– and despite the fact that it was work none of them were complaining, only laughing and giggling as they worked away. Ash and Misty had also attempted to help clean up, only to be told as well that they were guests. Serena went to stand over by them, glancing at Misty– whose worried eyes were on Brock.

Serena glanced at the eldest, and despite a smile on his face as he talked to his siblings... he looked exhausted. He was older than her, but as a Junior Gym leader he couldn't be older than seventeen– yet the gaze he had was the same as an exhausted adult after a long day of work. Still he didn't slow though, working away without pause.

"Brock," Misty said, walking over. "Let us help too– please."

"I got it," Brock insisted.

Misty grabbed the empty pot out of his hands. "The only thing you 'got' is too much responsibility," Misty said. "You gave us a free meal, the very least we can do is help clean up."

"Yeah!" Ash said. "We're happy to help!"

Brock stared at the three of them as they joined them in cleaning up the kitchen, clearly not sure how to react– but he let them help. Serena found herself by Rose, helping the older woman dry off dishes, before handing them to the kids to put away.

"This is good for him," Rose muttered so only Serena could hear. "Brock has had to take care of so much on his own for so long that he's forgotten how to accept help." Rose sighed. "I try to do my best, but my age is getting the best of me. The little ones help, but Brock doesn't like them to do too much, insisting that kids need to be kids. I think he's forgotten that he's just a child too."

"I hope things can get better for you all," Serena said, glancing at Brock. He may have been the eldest sibling... but from everything Serena had seen, he was most definitely playing the role of parent.

They ended up staying with the Harrisons that night– Serena and Misty having joined Yolanda and Cindy in their room, while Ash was crashing on the floor of Brock's and Forrest's. Both of the brothers had offered their beds to him, and it had taken a lot of insisting that his sleeping bag was just fine. It was a nice sleeping bag, and with staying indoors where he was offered piles of spare blankets and pillows, it was much better than usual.

"I need to sign up for the next Rhyhorn race tomorrow," Forrest mused as they all got ready for bed.

"Would you be able to show Serena where that is?" Ash asked as he climbed into his sleeping bag. "She does Rhyhorn racing too, but this is her first time here in Pewter, so we don't really know our way around."

Forrest blinked in surprise. "Huh. I didn't take her as the type to be a racer. That's probably why she was so interested in my Rhyhorn at the gym... I'd be happy to show her where to sign up if she needs it."

"I can't wait to see her race," Ash said in excitement. "She said she was going to be a racer ever since we were kids."

"I'll be honest, I don't really like racing, I do it because we need the money," Forrest said. "I like battles more."

"Me too," Ash said, grinning. "That gym battle today was awesome. You're a strong battler, Brock."

"Most of the Pokemon in the gym are ones my father raised," Brock replied. "He should be getting all the credit. The only one you saw today that I trained myself was my Onix."

"Still, that was your battle strategy– and they all respected you enough to follow your orders– it was awesome!"

"Are you cold?" Brock asked, frowning at Ash when he saw he was still wearing his jacket as he climbed into bed. "I can get you some more blankets, if you'd like."

"Oh, I'm just wearing this for Pichu," Ash explained, pulling open his jacket to show the sleeping mouse curled up in his inside pocket. "He bolts if I put him anywhere else. I can only get him to come out for food."

Brock frowned in worry. "...That's not normal baby Pokmeon behavior. How old is that Pichu?"

"...I don't know, actually," Ash said, zipping his jacket back up so the Pichu was hidden again. "I don't know a lot about him, really... All I know is that he came from an abusive situation, and would attack everyone. He's stopped attacking me for the most part, but I still don't think he likes me."

"You adopted a rescue this early on in your journey?" Brock said, surprised. "That's a lot of responsibility– but a very wonderful thing for you to do."

Ash laughed. "Yeah, my mom about died when she found out that he was my starter."

Brock paused. "Wait... you were given a rescue as your first Pokemon?"

"What's wrong with that?" Forrest asked. "Dad used to train rescued and abandoned Pokemon surrendered to the gym to be starters."

"Yeah, but those were rehabilitated," Brock said. "Ash is making it sound like this one was still attacking him when he got it." His eyes narrowed on him. "Who did you go to for your starter? They don't sound the most professional."

Ash snickered.

"It's not really funny," Forrest said. "If someone responsible for training or handing out starters is giving away dangerous ones that isn't safe. It doesn't sound like you went out and caught this Pokemon yourself."

Ash burst out laughing. "Professor Oak gave me my starter!"

Professor Oak, the official professor of Kanto, and one of the most knowledgeable professors in the world, being called not professional was the most hilarious thing he had heard all day. He couldn't help but laugh at it, and Brock blinked slowly.

"...The Professor Oak gave you that Pichu?" He asked in disbelief.

"He didn't want to, but I wouldn't take no for an answer," Ash replied, and when he saw the stares he continued. "Professor Oak is my neighbor, honestly he helped raise me– so I kinda guilted him into giving me Pichu when he couldn't give me an official starter. I just saw Pichu in the lab... and I couldn't leave him."

His hand rested on his chest, Pichu curled up in his jacket beneath it.

"...Well," Brock said slowly after a minute. "I'd be more than happy to give you a few tips on caring for Pichu in the morning. I'm not a professional by any means, but I did help Dad when it came to the rescued Pokemon he worked with, and I have always loved working with young Pokemon, so I do have some experience."

"That would be awesome, Brock, thank you," Ash said as the lights were turned off. He settled down in his sleeping bag, listening as the others climbed into their bed.

"...You still want to be a Pokemon breeder, don't you, Brock?" Forrest asked after a minute of silence.

"...Yeah," Brock whispered softly. "Working in a Pokemon nursery, taking care of hatchlings... that would be amazing."

"As soon as Dad comes back I'll take your place as Junior Gym Leader," Forrest promised. "Then you can go on a journey."

"I can't leave you guys behind."

"Brock, you've wanted to go on one for the last two years," Forrest said. "You should have the chance to go on one, you deserve it!"

"But..."

"I have no interest in a journey," Forrest countered. "I want to be a gym leader, stay here and train with Dad. Once Mom and Dad are back home I'll still be here to help out around the house, and you can go."

"...I don't know what I'd do without you, Forrest," Brock said softly. "But for now let's just worry about taking care of the others, okay?"

"...Okay."

Ash felt like that was a conversation he necessarily shouldn't have been hearing, clearly it was very personal to the family he had just met, so he stayed quiet as they all trailed off. He found his respect for Brock growing though, because this was someone who would clearly do anything for his family. Who had done so much for three strangers today, and clearly had no intention of helping himself when there were others out there.

Ash hoped Brock would be able to take his journey soon. He deserved it.