A/N: 16/10/2021. Major edit on this story. You will have to go back re-read if you're jumping in here. I've changed things and the chapters definitely don't match up. For example, this chapter used to be chapter Fifteen.

Chapter Seventeen: Truth

|| (+,+) (+,+) ||Chloe Blackthorn Prov || (+,+) (+,+) || Doctor's Office || (+,+) (+,+) ||

"Doctor," Chloe knocked on the door of their families Doctor.

Doctor Bankcroft had been treating members of the Blackthorn Clan for the last twenty years, just as his father had done for thirty years before then. He mostly treated the children and those of the direct line, which was herself, her parents, her uncle and his husband and their son: Lance.

"Ah, Chloe. I should have expected it really." Doctor Bankcroft opened his door and let Chloe in. "Lance is never around long enough to visit the me."

"It has nothing to do with you, Doctor. He flies in, and he flies out. Rarely stopping for a chat." Chloe smiled at the old man who had patched up her broken arm when she was nine.

"So, what can we do to help? I'll pass any messages on direct to my fool hardy cousin." Chloe took a seat.

It wasn't unusual for the Clan Head (as was Lance other official title on the retirement of both his father and her own) to have a member of the family assigned as being granted authority over the medical records and personal information. It was typical for the Clan Head to be the Gym Leader, but as he was Champion instead, he'd chosen the Gym Leader who replaced him to take up the role of authoriser.

"A week ago, a new patient registered at the hospital. As is standard for all new patients, a DNA test was run to find any next of kin. As they were an orphan, the scan was done across all records. It was red flagged, and the child's file sent through to me. When I unlocked it… I found that the child is of the Blackthorn Clan." Doctor Bankcroft explained.

"An Orphaned member of the Clan that Lance doesn't know about?" Chloe inferred, surprised.

In the rare events that a child of the clan was authorised, they were always found a new guardian from among the clan. It was the job of the clan head to keep an eye on the clan census and records, and he always copied her in on the condensed report he made. There hadn't been an orphaned child in their clan in thirty-three years.

"I'm afraid, it's a little more complicated than that." Doctor Bankcroft wined. "The child wasn't living in Johto originally. Their medical file list the father as unknown and mother as unfit for guardianship. I used the term orphaned as that is how the young child in question considers herself. In relatedly, she's just been removed from the mother's custody. The unknown father is of the Blackthorn clan."

"So, someone in the clan got a woman pregnant. The child was neglected and removed from their custody. And now they've come to the city and been found. Have you told the child the results yet?"

"No, the child isn't staying in the hospital or even the city. They only stopped briefly, and I figured it would be in the father's best interest to explain what happened." Doctor Bankcroft pulled a file out and placed it on the desk. The file was quite thick in Chloe's opinion, for a child's file. It was definitely bigger than her own file and she was twenty-eight. "And based on the medical report, it wasn't just neglect that had the child removed from the mother's custody."

"Summarise it for me. Lance is going to need all the details if he is going to be telling the unsuspecting father that he has an abused child." Chloe leaned back in her chair and started seriously.

"The child was under-nourished, which is a problem that has been fixed over the last few years. "Scans show a history of broken bones and damaged muscle. She refused to submit to a physical exam, so we don't know if she has scars. But it is expected that she did. The worst of her injuries…"

Doctor Bankcroft opened the file and looked upon image within. He turned it around so Chloe could see a close-up picture of empty eye sockets, torn skin where the eyelid had been completely removed. The cuts had been scabbed over, and there was no fresh blood. It looked extremely painful, but not fresh.

"Her eyes were completely cut from their sockets, and her eyelids with them." Doctor Bankcroft explained grimly.

"Jenny," Chloe realised, feeling sick as she stared at the image. She couldn't see the girl's face in the image, but there was only one blind girl that she could think off that had entered Blackthorn city a week ago who had then left the city. "Jennifer Hart."

"That's the name on her file," Doctor Bankcroft confirmed. "You've met her?"

"I escorted her to Liza, where she is Fostering. She'll be staying with me in a few months, to Foster under me." Chloe explained, closing the file so she couldn't see the image anymore. That poor, poor child. "She said she was originally from Shamouti."

"That is where her place of residence has been since 4th January 1996. But her place of birth and prior residence was listed as Kamquat before then." Doctor Bankcroft shifted the file to the first page where such basic information would be listed. Along with date of birth, height, age, weight and blood type.

"Who's the father?" Chloe questioned.

"Lance Blackthorn." Doctor Bankcroft flipped the page to show the two DNA sequences side by side.

"Oh hell." Chloe muttered as her world flipped sidewards.

|| (+,+) (+,+) ||Lance Blackthorn Prov || (+,+) (+,+) || Champions Office || (+,+) (+,+) ||

Becoming Champion had been his dream since he was a young boy and he had read about Professor Samuel Oak who had become Champion for eight months before retiring. In that time, Samuel Oak had made quite a few changes to Kanto and the formation of the League – including putting a lot of protections in place for the preservation of Pokemon. And he wanted to do that.

As he grew, so to did his dream.

Since the end of 100-year civil war there had been tension between Kanto ad Johto. A tension that had lessoned slightly in the time since Professor Oak had been Champion, but not enough for his liking. He wanted Kanto and Johto to be united under one Champion as they had been so long ago. United and working together for the protection of Pokemon, and the preservation of child. He never wanted to see anything like the 100-year war or the Rocket rebellion that had ended when he was only five.

He worked hard, him and his team, to become strong enough to reach his goal. And, just before his twentieth birthday he was confirmed as the next to ascend to the role, which he officially took up a month after he turned twenty.

Being Champion was a very stressful position, especially when he released the state that the League was still in following the fall of the Rockets. And he took up the additional responsibility of Blackthorn Clan Head when he was twenty-one, which added another time restraint on him. although it did give him another reason to return home beyond the occasional need for a Dragon Master of his calibre.

Ten years he had been Champion of Kanto and Johto, the first in six hundred years to hold both titles and the first to hold either Champion position for more than six. He was growing tired, but a worthy replacement had yet to show themselves. He kept an eye on all up-and-coming trainers in order to scout for one with the heart and the strength to replace him.

It was July 10th and he'd been working through some paperwork to ensure the funding of the various sanctuaries across the regions under his watch. Then he got a call through the Clan's emergency line.

"Chloe, what's wrong?" Lance picked up the device and started moving to the privet balcony of his office. If he was getting a privet phone call on the emergency line, then he would be heading home no matter what the emergency happened to be. And the fastest way home would be with his Dragonite.

"I need you home, now." Chloe said seriously. "Clan emergency."

"What happened?"

"A child was discovered. Unknown father, abusive mother. They found a safe home and have decided to be fostered under Liza for six months before fostering under me. Which means they needed to be registered at the hospital. They did a blood test and found the child's father." Chloe explained, purposefully dancing around the topic as Lance took to the air. He was experienced with talking and listening to calls while on the back of his faithful companion.

"The father is one of us." Lance deduced.

"Lance, you're the father."

He froze at that announcement.

Children had been a secret wish of his, but he'd known he wouldn't have them until he stepped down as champion. And he couldn't step down as champion until he felt that the Leagues would be in good hands. As his thirtieth birthday had approached, he'd given up on the idea of children as he would still have to find himself someone he could live with and have a family with.

And now, to learn that he had a kid out there… a kid he hadn't known about who had been abused. A kid who was at least ten years old, if they were old enough to be fostering under Liza or Chloe.

"I'll be there in two hours." Lance hung up. He would get a detailed report once he landed, and he had the authority to pull any League reports that would have been written on an abused child pulled from their home.

|| (+,+) (+,+) ||Lance Blackthorn Prov || (+,+) (+,+) || Blackthorn Clan Office || (+,+) (+,+) ||

"Jennifer Hart," Lance repeated the name off his daughter, staring at the official medical report on his daughter.

All the gruesome details about the damage done to her eyes, how under-nourished she had been when she was found and the slow and steady progress that she made to gaining weight and muscle density. The tears and the scars on her muscles, the evidence of breaks and fractures in her bones, and just how pocketed her bones had been before they started getting stronger with treatment. He'd read medical reports on Rangers and Ace's who had been tortured, and his daughter's reports looked frightfully similar.

His daughter who had just turned eleven, ten days ago.

"Hart, from the grandmother on her mother's side. She refused to give her mothers name but she was born on Kumquat." Chloe confirmed.

She didn't have the experience her cousin did on reading medical reports, so she knew only what Doctor Bankcroft had told her, but from the looks of Lance's blank face it was worse than she thought.

Lance got up and moved mechanically to the computer in his office. Without glancing at his cousin, Lance accessed League records and searched his daughter's name. When he got a restricted access passcode, he used his override and downloaded his daughters' file. Despite how thick her medical file had been, her personal file wasn't as thick.

Jenny Hart, born 30th July 1987 to unknown mother and unknown father. Born on Kumquat. Guardian was listed as Grandmother Hart until 2nd November 1990, and then her next known place of residence was Grasshope 1992.

Lance remembered Surge's report on Grasshope: the centre of an illegal breading and poaching ring of Pokemon. An unnamed sauce had rescued six eggs and given the information to Surge who shut down the operation over a period of five months. As of January 10th 1996, her listed guardian was Nurse Joy of Shamouti. She had seven Pokemon under her care.

This was the young girl who's reports he had been reading on Zweilous, Altaria and Noivern. He'd even gone back and read the reports on Riolu, Vulpix, Prinplup and Frogadiar to see if they progressed just as the dragons did, and he'd been amazed to learn that such was the case. He'd known this child only as Jenny of Shamouti, who had the favour of Professor Elm. He should have investigated closer.

"Has she been told?"

|| (+,+) (+,+) ||Jennifer Hart's Prov || (+,+) (+,+) || Charicific Valley || (+,+) (+,+) ||

In the first week at Charicific Valley, I fell into a retune and learnt that Liza was quite a lenient and relaxed teacher. She had only one rule: don't' go outside without her or Charla until she'd been around the Valley a month and therefore been recognised and accepted.

Each day started with just me and my Pokemon as Liza always slept in.

I'd take my Pokemon and Charla out to the little section of land that Liza had shown me on my first day in order to do some physical and speed training. The wild Pokemon watched us closely over the first few days, but when they realised that we were under Charla's protection and not destroying their home, they left us alone. They weren't fully accepting of us yet, but they'd seen we would respect their home and that we were powerful. Zweilous' presents gave them pause as he wasn't the sort of dragon that the common Pokemon would think about attacking, only the strongest would consider it.

Late mornings were spent on theory work, listening to research papers and reports that Liza, her predecessor and Blaine had gathered over the years. After lunch, it was time to go through the Valley tending to the chores that Liza would eventually pass completely onto my authority. Tending to the chores across the valley had the purpose of the wild Pokemon familiarising themselves with me and my family; especially Altaria who carried around the Valley, and Vulpix and Riolu who never left my side when on the ground outside.

The most common chore they tended to was checking on the nests and young of the various species of the Valley, as well as doing a population check. Then I was also given the responsibility of checking the Oran Berry plants to make sure that they were flourishing, and I would also be delivering them to Blackthorn City once they were ripe.

Other chores included checking on the lava streams and pools to make sure that they weren't over flowing and endangering the nest or habitat of other species. The lave typically flowed under the rocks, creating odd pools of Lava in the odd places where it came to the surface and hot springs across the Valley where the lava flowed under the rocks.

In time, once I was known and accepted by the Pokemon of the Valley, Liza would start brining me along in order to learn to treat injuries and complete other hands-on chores that make me familiar with other Pokemon, their habitats and different likes and dislikes. Such a chore would help me become familiar with the biologist of different fire types, the types of foods they needed to eat and the habitats they thrived in.

Mid-morning on the twelve, my eighth day in the Valley, I was sat in the living room listening to an audio recording off a book while leaning back into a sleeping Altaria's side. Vulpix was spread across my lap, taking a nap, while Noivern and Zweilous played a game of tik-tac-toe; Prinplup and Frogadiar were trying to beat Riolu in a game of chest. My reading and study time was their relaxing and bonding time since I felt it was important for them to bond without me actively taking part.

There was an alerting roar from one of the guarding Charizards to let the Valley, and Liza, know that there was a human approaching. The one long roar meant it was an authorised human, so I didn't pay much attention to the sound of Liza's shuffling feet.

At least, I didn't pay much attention until I felt a shift in my family which had me focusing and Vulpix and Altaria waking up. They weren't worried by whom was at the door, simple curious.

"May I come in?" a smooth baritone swept through the house as I removed my headphones and paused the story.

"Oh, yes of course." Liza's feet shuffled along the floor as she stepped back to allow their visitor in.

The sound of swishing fabric proceeding two sets of feet into the room had me tilting my head curiously. The closest sound to swishing fabric I'd encountered like that before was people who wore long coats that were left open. But it was too hot to wear a long coat, and the swish seemed to come from an entire length of fabric instead of simple the edge of the coat closest to the floor.

"Can I get you a drink?" Liza asked as they entered the living room and their guest stopped. I felt his eyes on me.

"No thank you. I'm sorry to turn up unannounced, but I'm here to talk with Jennifer." The man announced, his soft barratone was definitely focused as he continued looking at me. I could feel my family all shifting as though wanting to block his view.

"Jenny, are you okay if Lance stays to talk with you?" Liza questioned.

"Lance?" I tilted my head the other way, turning it to stare at where I thought he was stood.

"Right, sorry." Liza muttered, embarrassed. "Jennifer, I would like you to meat an old friend of mine, Lance Blackthorn. Lance, this is my current Foster, Jennifer Hart."

"It's an honour to meat you," Lance's smooth voice rang with truth and a note of wonder.

"I think the honour is mine. I've heard many good things about you, Champion of the Dragons." I bowed my head slightly. "Would you like to take a seat? I never use the arm chair, so you are free to do so."

"Thank you," Lance chuckled. I heard his steps cross the room and the creek of the chair as he sat down.

"How can I help you, Dragon Champion?"

"Lance, please." Lance requested.

I heisted before nodding my agreement with the name he preferred. "Alright. How can I help you, Lance?"

"I have a very delicate matter to discuss with you. Something I have only been made away of two days past." Lance admitted. "I will be as blunt and straight forward as I can be."

Liza moved and slumped onto the sofa. She kept quiet, but it was clear she was going to stay and listen as she hadn't been kicked out for the conversation.

"As you know a DNA test is run on those being registered. As is standard, your DNA was run against all those on file in Johto, and there was a hit." Lance explained.

I'd stiffened at first, stilling in surprise. If the hit was in Johto then that meant they hadn't discovered who my mother was – they'd found my father. "My dad? You know…"

"It was a classified file, and your entire medical file was automatically sealed and sent to the Blackthorn family Doctor." Lance continued.

"Blackthorn? My father is a part of your Clan?" I deduced, surprised as my hand moved to rest at the junction of Zweilous' neck to seek and give comfort. I could feel Noivern leaning into my side, but I had the urge to feel all my dragons.

"More than that. It showed that, well… it showed that I am your father." Lance finally admitted.

I was silent at that announcement. I didn't know how to react to learning that I had a father, and that he knew who I was. The fact that he was a man as well known and important as the man who sat opposite me was…. impossible was the word I wanted to think. But improbable was the word in truth. Improbable and yet true. There was no way that Dragon Champion Lance Blackthorn would have taken the time to come here and speak with me unless he had been absolutely sure…

Lance was silent. I could feel his eyes silent and watchful as I sat still among my family. They'd all turned their backs on their observers and were trying to cuddle into my body and offer the support I needed as I processed this unexpected information.

I hadn't realised it, but I'd long ago accepted that my father was likely dead, and if he was alive, he would never learn off me. To learn my father was alive, had learnt of me and was now reaching out…

"Wait!" Liza broke the silence. "How can you be her father! You're only thirty, and she's from the Orange Islands!"

"I visited Kumquat, just after I was announced as being the next champion. In the week before I was to begin my training. I was nineteen, I was on holiday." Lance explained. "I thought I'd been so very careful. There was an instance, when I was with a lady named Franchesca, that the protection broke… I didn't think about it too much at the time, but clearly that moment was enough. I left the island two days later, and I never heard from Franchesca again."

"You memorised the name of the woman you slept with while partying?" Liza questioned in disbelief before I could think of a question.

"I've only been with eleven women." Lance sniffed. "And I know all their names."

"I was never told who you were," I broke in as I heard Liza take a breath to say something else. "I don't think she even knew. She slept with so many men, she probably couldn't even tell me anything about you or that night."

"You should be aware that Franchesca will be found and prosecuted. You're name and identifying information will be kept sealed, but she will not get away with what she has done to you." There was a shuffle of fabric as Lance leaned forward. "Since I know her first name, and Hart is her mother's name, and I know what she looks like, it won't be hard to find her."

I was silent a moment before I pulled Vulpix close in a hug. As the smallest of my team, he was the easiest to wrap my arms round and pull close in a hug.

"Franchesca Dunn, she lived at 136 Fair Lane, Kumquat." I admitted. "I don't' know if she's even still alive, or if she still lives there. But that was the address she lived in before I was taken from the island."

"I wish I'd known about you sooner. You would have lived and thrived among the Clan; among the family." Lance sighed.

"But would I have met and known my family?" I questioned, motioning a hand to my family who were all still huddled close and touching some part of me. It was difficult with the size of some of them, but they had practise.

"I would have taken you long before you ended up on that cursed island." Lance sighed. "Your Pokemon family is the only good thing that came from that time."

"You've read the file." It wasn't a question.

"Yes. I'd read the Lt.'s report at the time, but your name was redacted. And I've been reading your reports since your family began hatching, but I didn't make the connection. I've since also read your medical file which was given to me the day that I was told who you were." Lance explained.

"Dose that make you my official guardian now? Instead of Nurse Joy?" I frowned.

"I have the right to take guardianship, yes. But Nurse Joy is still your guardian in all paperwork as I wouldn't change that without your permission. You know Nurse Joy; she has looked after you for the last two years. you don't know me from Ho-Ho." Lance reassured.

"Thank you," I sighed, relieved. Despite all I'd heard of Lance Blackthorn, I didn't know the man personally.

"You're eleven years old; old enough to make such decisions by for yourself. If you don't want to get to know me, if you don't want our relationship to be anything more than friends or something closer to a mentor or older brother, or if you want a father… I'll be what you need me to be. But I will never stop watching over you; you have my word." Lance vowed.

"I... I need some time to think." I got up and left the room, trailed by Riolu while the rest remained to keep a watch on Lance.

I didn't go far, just outside of the house were there was a small group of rocks that circled the house and I could use as a seat.

"I don't know what to do, Riolu." I admitted in a whisper. "I don't know what I want."

"What do you know of Lance Blackthorn, the Dragon Champion?" Riolu questioned, deciding that logic was the best way of helping me to understand what it was I wanted; logic and knowledge.

"Lance Blackthorn began training as Indigo Champion when he was nineteen after sweeping through the conferences with his team of dragons. He's placed first in all Conferences he attended since he was fourteen, and had managed to beat all four of the Elites since he was fifteen. He didn't challenge the Champion until the last Conference he did after turning nineteen. In an interview he said that he didn't feel he was old or mature enough yet to attempt to challenge the Champion, and he knew he would win that battle." I starting pulling the information I'd collected over the years, including the little bit of the new knowledge that I'd obtained from Chloe.

"He's done a lot of work into the protection and preservation of Pokemon, changing laws and making policies. If it wasn't for him, the Safari Zone wouldn't have been able to take in as many Pokemon as it did, and the current laws and rehabilitation in place for abused Pokemon wouldn't be as good or thorough. He's also the Clan Head of the Blackthorn Clan and renowned dragon Master. All members of the Blackthorn Clan typically have close connections with dragons, but few choose to become trainers and therefore acknowledged Dragon Masters. Of those who have not retired, there is only Lance and Chloe Blackthorn who are acknowledged. Because of this, whenever there is a problem with dragons that a Ranger can't handle, Lance is the one called to help."

I hummed, thinking over some of the reports I'd encountered over the last two years. League reports were split into three sections: Classified (which was then divided by different levels and viewable by different people for different reason), temporarily classified (flies which were eyes only for a few months or years) and public domain. As I was learning more about the world, and the different roles that can be taken up to work with Pokemon, I'd taken to listening to these reports. Even going back and finding reports by key-word, which was how I'd come across reports of Lance when I'd searched for reports on the Blackthorn Clan. He wasn't the sort of Champion who spent months on end in his office – he actually got out and made a difference.

"He is a good man." Riolu summarised.

"Yes. He embodies the truth of the Blackthorn Clan and their oath." I agreed.

"Blackthorn Oath?" Riolu questioned, as it wasn't something that I'd learnt about when he was with me. I didn't share everything I studied with my family, especially when I was listening to a report while they were training in a way that didn't need my input or inclusion.

I closed my eyes and thought back to the words: "I am the blade in the night. I am the guard who stands on watch. I am the fire that burns against the dawn. The horn that wakes the sleeps. The shield that guards the lands which lie before us. The companion who stands at the side of Pokemon and roars the loudest. I pledge my life and honour to the watch. For this night, and all the nights to come until dawn of life is upon us."

The meaning of the words had been lost in time, but the Blackthorn Clan had been strong leaders and defenders of the rights of men and Pokemon for so very long that it was assumed their oath had something to do with their stand. No one knew what the 'dawn of life' meant; some theorised that it was a good thing, while others assumed that it was a bad thing. The dawn of life sounded like a good thing to me, so I thought that when such a time was upon us the Blackthorn Clan would no longer need to stand strong.

"Those words have the feel of a legendary." Riolu said surprised. "And Lance is the Head of the Clan, so he would embody those words greater than the rest of the Clan."

"I'd like to get to know him." I decided. I didn't think I was ready to try and be anyone's daughter, but maybe after I'd had the chance to get to know him as a person… things could change.

"Then that is what we'll do."