Hey guys! So sorry for the delay! I've been so busy with my first full time job while also looking for other jobs (since that one is only temporary) so it's been much easier for me to upload my stockpiled one shots. I did finally sit myself down and finish this chapter, however, so now you'll get to see what Brandon's up to!

Chapter 64: A Pewter Reunion

Brandon sucked in a deep breath as his home came into view. He hadn't visited since he first left with Aiden and Michelle. Sure, he'd called frequently and assured his parents he was fine. But he hadn't physically been there in months.

He was afraid his mother might kill him.

There was no use running off now. He was already there, and even if he tried to make a run for it, he was sure that somebody in his family would spot him. After all, it felt like they made up half of Pewter City.

So, gathering his courage, Brandon marched towards the light brown house and grabbed the doorknob, twisting it to the right and pushing the dark brown door back with ease.

"Hello?" He called, sticking just his head in. "I'm home!"

"Oh, Brandon!"

The boy didn't have a moment to react before his mother had her arms wrapped around him, squeezing him so tight that he couldn't breathe.

"M-Mom!" He gasped.

She released him and instead gripped his shoulders, the digging in of her nails not feeling much better than the bone crushing hug. "Your father and I were so worried! What were you thinking, getting caught up with Team Rocket like that?!"

Brandon blinked as he stared at his mother's face. She was very pretty, even when she was upset. She had lightly tanned skin, noticeably lighter than most of his family's, and straight, dark brown hair that stretched midway down her back. Her brown eyes were set wide, filled with obvious terror.

"I'm sorry, Mom," Brandon apologized earnestly. "But they were up to no good! Did you know they've been trying to kidnap Aiden and Michelle since they were babies? And when they couldn't do that-"

"They went ahead and kidnapped orphans all across Kanto," she sighed sadly. "Yes, we saw all of that on the news. That didn't stop us from worrying about you, though! Team Rocket is very dangerous."

"Nah, they were," Brandon corrected, a smile on his face. "They're done for now!"

"Olivia, don't nag the boy's conscience. He's just fine."

Brandon looked around his mother and beamed, while she growled and looked over her shoulder. "Forrest, please. Don't encourage this."

"I'm not encouraging anything," Forrest chuckled, walking closer to his wife and son. "But he's back home safe, so why even dwell on it? All you're gonna do is psych yourself out."

"Fine," Olivia sighed, releasing her son's shoulders. "Just try not to get yourself into trouble like that ever again, okay?"

"I'll try my best," Brandon replied.

"Brandon!"

"I don't want to make promises, Mom! Then I'll just get in even more trouble if something happens."

"He knows you well," Forrest hummed, crossing his arms.

"I'm his mother, I would certainly hope so," Olivia muttered, raising an eyebrow.

Forrest just laughed and pulled Olivia in closer to him, earning another scowl from the woman. "By the way, Brandon, Grandma and Grandpa were pretty worried about you too. You should go show 'em you're alive."

"Forrest!" Olivia scolded.

"What? I'm being serious," Forrest chuckled.

"Okay, I can head over there," Brandon replied, eagerly turning towards the door to escape from his currently overbearing parents.

"They're not home!" Forrest was quick to call out, causing Brandon to slowly turn back around.

"What?"

"They're in the backyard," Forrest continued, jabbing a thumb over his shoulder. "Everyone is."

"What do you mean everyone?!" Brandon croaked.

"I mean everyone," Forrest snickered.

"Your father told them you were coming home today and they all invited themselves over," Olivia sighed, shaking her head.

"So you've got a bit of a crowd back there," Forrest finished.

"Why didn't you warn me about this before I came home?" Brandon groaned.

"Ah, you'll be just fine, Brand!" Forrest laughed it off. "You're a rock star, after all!"

The younger boy grumbled and slouched over as he trudged towards down the hall, towards the back door. Forrest was still laughing softly to himself, which earned him a whack on the shoulder from Olivia.

"You're not funny," she scolded.

"I don't know, I think I am," Forrest mumbled.

When Brandon reached the end of the hall, he first peered out the back door to observe the scene he would be walking out to. Just as his parents had said, everyone was out there. His grandparents, all of his aunts and uncles, and all of his cousins…all 18 of them. Brandon sighed. It wasn't that he didn't love his family. Of course he did! But they could be pretty overbearing. And to think, he'd been getting overwhelmed by just his mother and father before!

Oh well…guess I don't have a choice.

He grabbed the handle and pulled it back, squeezing his eyes shut tight as the door opened up and revealed his figure to his family.

"BRANDON!"

The boy was instantly swarmed by a bunch of younger kids, all of them staring up at him like he was some kind of legend.

"Uh…hey guys!" Brandon greeted, trying not to sound too tense.

"You really took down Team Rocket?!" One of the slightly older boys cried out.

"Sure did, Brady," Brandon replied, smiling at the boy.

"And you did it with the Pokémon Master?!" Brady continued, jumping up and down.

"Yeah, Team Rocket was after his kids," Brandon answered. "You remember Aiden and Michelle, don't you?"

Brady continued jumping up and down, but nodded his head excitedly.

"Brady, it's not exciting!" A girl who appeared just a little younger than Brady cried. "It's scary!"

"No it isn't, Kathy," Brady scoffed. "It's awesome! Brandon's like a hero!"

"Yeah, a hero!" A smaller boy cried out, hopping alongside Brady.

"Ugh, look what you do to Blake," Kathy groaned, rolling her eyes.

Brandon just chuckled to himself. Brady, Kathy, and Blake were all siblings; the kids of his Uncle Tommy. Brady and Kathy were just a year apart, and at 8 and 7, they rarely ever got along. Blake was 3, and worshiped the ground his older brother walked on, much to Kathy's ire.

"Brandon, can we play with your Pokémon?" A little girl pleaded.

"Yeah, can we?" A slightly smaller girl chimed in.

Brandon smirked at the two. Those were Shania and Bailee, his Aunt Suzie's two oldest girls who were 4 and 3.

"Sure thing!" Brandon assured, taking out his poke balls. "Come on out, guys! You've got some people who want to play with you!"

Cranidos, Numel, Rhyhorn, and Spearow all appeared before him, the kids all marveling over the Pokémon.

"This one is sooo cute!" One girl squealed, running towards Numel and kneeling down before the fire type.

"That's Numel, Alexandra," Brandon informed his nearly 6 year old cousin. "A really nice fire type breeder let me have him! He's a really cool Pokémon."

Chloe, Alexandra's 4 year old sister, inched up next to her, timidly reaching out to pat Numel's head.

"Nice Numel," Chloe murmured, still sounding somewhat shy.

Dominic, Kenneth, and Taro were seemingly obsessed with Rhyhorn, and Brandon knew it was because Rhyhorn was half rock type. Those three were all brothers, the sons of Brandon's Uncle Salvadore. At 6, 4, and 18 months, they always seemed to argue over which one of them was going to be the next Pewter City gym leader. Well…that was more so Dominic and Kenneth. Taro, however, was starting to talk more, and considering how much time he spent around his brothers, he too was starting to get involved in the debate.

Jack, Monica, and Samuel, who were all familiar with Cranidos, had busied themselves with the fossil Pokémon. They were all siblings as well; their mother was Brandon's Aunt Yolanda. 8 year old Jack had no problem at all continuously reminding his twin 3 year old siblings that they needed to be gentle with the Pokémon, and treat it with respect. Brandon had always felt very connected to Jack. It was probably because the younger boy had already declared his desire to be either a Pokémon doctor or a breeder.

And then there was little Levi, the 4 year old son of Brandon's Aunt Tilly. He had busied himself with chasing Fearow around, jumping up in the air to try and catch the bird as he flew.

Brandon liked watching his younger cousins play with his Pokémon. He was also grateful for the break it awarded him from watching over them or answering all of their questions. That little break, however, appeared to be over as he felt a hand clutch his shoulder and pull him to the side. Brandon looked up with questioning eyes, and was more than happy to see who it was.

"Alan!" Brandon gasped, his smile stretching across his face.

The other boy smiled back at him. Alan was the only cousin older than Brandon, even though it was only by a month. He was Aunt Yolanda's oldest child as well, making him the older brother of Jack, Monica, and Samuel.

"Nice to finally see you home, cuz," Alan teased, his smile unwavering.

"Yeah, it's been a while," Brandon laughed sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck. "How's it been around here?"

"The usual," Alan replied with a shrug. "Your dad is doing a great job with running the gym, Grandma is constantly on his back about redecorating, Grandpa's rock business is going well, Uncle Brock's clinic is still booming, and everyone else just keeps having kids like there's no tomorrow."

"That sure sounds like the usual to me," Brandon agreed.

"Speaking of Uncle Brock, he's the reason I came over here to get you," Alan continued.

"Really?" Brandon breathed, looking all around. "Where is he?"

"He's not here, not yet, anyway," Alan answered. "I just came over here from the clinic. I figured you might want to sneak out of here for a little while and pay him a visit in a place where the rest of the family wouldn't bug you. He kind of figured the same."

"Sounds good to me," Brandon said, his smile widening. "But wait…how am I going to sneak out of here without anyone seeing me? They're everywhere, Alan."

Alan folded his arms and smirked. "No kidding."

"Plus, Dad said that Grandma and Grandpa were worried about me after the whole Team Rocket thing," Brandon sighed. "Maybe I should go talk to them before I go see Uncle Brock."

"Yeah right," Alan scoffed. "If Grandma sees you, you'll be stuck with her for the rest of the day!"

Brandon grimaced as his mind wandered. He knew Alan was right. Their grandmother was a very sweet woman, but man could she talk. And talk and talk and talk. Lola would talk your ear off if given the chance! And while Brandon knew he really should've gone and seen her…he already needed a break from the rest of the family.

"Not to worry, I can get you out of here," Alan assured, snapping Brandon out of his head.

"Really?" Brandon questioned.

"For sure!" Alan chuckled. Retrieving a poké ball, the boy tossed it in the air, releasing his Claydol. Brandon admired the dual type Pokémon; his cousin's most treasured partner.

"Claydol looks great!" Brandon commented. "Did you change what you've been feeding it?"

"No time for breeding talk, Brando," Alan refuted. "Grab onto Claydol."

Brandon blinked out of confusion, but nevertheless grabbed onto one of the clay doll Pokémon's arms.

"Claydol, teleport!" Alan whispered to his Pokémon.

Claydol made a whirring sound before disappearing into thin air, taking Alan and Brandon with him. Within a matter of seconds, Brandon realized they were now standing in front of their Uncle Brock's clinic. The aspiring breeder gasped and whipped around, Alan chuckling at his reaction.

"Alan, that was awesome!" Brandon laughed.

"It's a good trick, isn't it?" Alan hummed. "Perfect for getting away from my parents whenever they get on my case!"

Brandon chuckled to himself as he turned towards the clinic, opening the front door and stepping inside with Alan following closely behind after returning his Claydol to its ball. The boys walked right up to the front counter, where Brock's head nurse was sitting.

"Hi, Valentina!" Brandon greeted, causing the woman to smile widely.

"Brandon, you're back!" Valentina exclaimed, beaming at the boy. "How are you doing after that little adventure of yours?"

"Oh, just fine," Brandon replied, sheepishly rubbing the back of his neck.

"Don't worry, Val, he's already gotten the shakedown from his mother," Alan teased.

Valentina giggled at this before asking, "so, I'm assuming you're here to see your Uncle Brock."

"Yeah!" Brandon answered excitedly. "Alan said he was here and was coming to the party later."

"He's right," Valentina confirmed. "Your uncle is in back in the examination room, checking out some of the patients. You can head back there if you'd like!"

"Thanks, Valentina!" Brandon chuckled, walking behind the counter and towards the examination rooms. The hallway, similarly to the waiting room, was adorned with different photographs and artwork of Pokémon, many of which were actually done by Tracey. Brandon's favorite was one of his father's Steelix, which was hung right outside of Brock's office.

Just as Valentina had told the boys, their Uncle Brock was in one of the examination rooms, checking out a Sandshrew while the Pokémon's trainer was sitting in a chair in the corner. Not wanting to intrude, Brandon and Alan watched through the slightly ajar door as their uncle gave the Sandshrew a thorough examination, running his hands over the mouse Pokémon's body.

"Just as I thought!" Brock suddenly announced, causing Brandon and Alan to jump. "A Sandshrew's skin should be dry and rough, but your Sandshrew's skin has a bit of moisture to it. That's probably why he's been so irritable lately."

"Oh, that would make sense…" the young girl murmured. "What can I do for him, Dr. Brock?"

"Luckily, it's a simple fix," Brock assured the girl with a smile. "A sand bath will get his skin back to being dry and rough in no time! Just fill a box with some sand and let Sandshrew roll around, play in it…you can even rub it over his skin just like you would with water in bathing any other Pokémon."

"Okay, I will!" The girl chirped, jumping to her feet to pick up her Sandshrew. "Thank you so much for your help, Dr. Brock!"

"Of course," Brock replied. "Call me tomorrow and let me know how it goes."

"For sure," the girl assured. "You're the best!"

And with that, she skipped right out of the room, her cherry red ponytail bobbing behind her. With the door now wide open, Brock realized that Brandon and Alan were standing there, which caused him to let out a long sigh.

"Boys…"

Alan just chuckled at the reaction. "Come on, Uncle Brock. Is that any way to treat Brandon on his big homecoming?"

The aspiring breeder smiled sheepishly, while Brock finally dropped his exasperated façade and let out a hearty laugh. "No, I suppose not." He strode up to Brandon and engulfed the boy in a hug, surprising him. "Thank goodness you're alright!"

"Yeah, I'm fine," Brandon grunted. His uncle's hugs were just about as painful as his mother's. When his uncle finally released him, and he was able to breathe more easily, Brandon added, "I never thought I'd get caught up with Team Rocket like that."

"They certainly sound more dangerous than the three who constantly followed me, Ash, and Misty around," Brock grumbled. "Kidnapping orphans…that's just awful."

"They used to try and kidnap Aiden and Michelle when they were really young, too," Brandon murmured. "And when Team Rocket couldn't get their hands on them…that's when they started kidnapping orphans."

Brock sighed and shook his head. "Misty must have those two locked away by now."

At this, Brandon smiled. "Nah. We wouldn't have been able to take Team Rocket down without those two. Or their parents."

"Course not," Alan remarked. "One of the region's best gym leaders and the Pokémon Master? Can't go wrong with them on your side!"

Brock just chuckled and placed his hands on his hips. "Never thought those two kids would be bringing down a massive crime organization like Team Rocket…and with their children, too!"

Brandon smirked as he excitedly added, "this was all part of Ash's G-Men mission!"

Brock's head whipped around to stare at his nephew. "What do you mean G-Men?"

"Oh…" Brandon muttered, unsure of whether or not he should have said anything. It was too late now, however. "Yeah, Ash was doing a mission with the G-Men, and this was it."

Brock's face was suddenly quite pale. "Oh…oh Arceus. That's why Misty has been so unnerved! I tried to get her to talk to me about it but she wouldn't. That's why. Man…I wish I had known."

"If it makes you feel better, she's a lot happier now," Brandon assured his uncle with a smile.

Brock's expression resolved into one of happy relief. "I believe it."

Alan cleared his throat, catching the attention of both his uncle and cousin. "Uncle Brock, shouldn't you show Brandon his egg? I mean, he hasn't seen in it a really long time."

Brandon's face lit up. "Right, my egg! With all that was going on, I almost forgot that I sent it over to you to look over."

Brock hummed and nodded his head. "Yeah, I've been looking after it right here in the clinic. It should be very close to hatching at this point!"

The young boy chuckled excitedly. "That's awesome! I'd love to go see it!"

"Well, I think that could be arranged," Brock teased, smirking at his nephew. "I've got it right in the next room!"

Still beaming, Brandon followed his uncle out of the room, with Alan following alongside. The Pokémon doctor led his two nephews into another room, this one filled with several large windows. On a small table against the far wall as Brandon's egg: its pink surface covered in white stars looking shinier than ever. It sat on a white pillow beneath a heat lamp, a clipboard with notes placed by its side.

"Wow, you really have a whole setup for that egg, Uncle Brock," Alan marveled.

"I sure do!" Brock chuckled. "I had to keep it on the right track."

Brandon hummed to himself and moved closer to the egg. "Wow. Do you think it's any closer to hatching?"

"Definitely," Brock confirmed with a nod. "The egg's vitals have been changing and showing more activity as of late. I expect it to hatch in the next couple of days."

Brandon picked his head up and beamed at his uncle. "That's so exciting! I can't wait to see what kind of Pokémon hatches from it!"

Brock smiled at his nephew and gave a slight nod of the head. "By the way, shouldn't you two be over at that party right now?"

"I mean; we already were…" Brandon trailed off as Brock eyed him warily. "You're the one who thought I'd want to come here! Besides, it was overwhelming, Uncle Brock! I didn't know everyone was going to be there!"

"Yeah, neither did your parents," Brock sighed. "I love our family, but they don't get the concept of personal space."

"Or manners," Alan quipped.

"I was trying to be politer, but that too," Brock sighed, a smirk playing on his lips.

"Alan and I were going to go back with you," Brandon explained.

"He knows that, he's just teasing ya," Alan chuckled. "You're all done for the day now though, right, Uncle Brock?"

"Yeah, that was my last patient of the day," Brock confirmed. "I'll just get my stuff and then we can head back over!"

He strode past his two oldest nephews, who turned towards Brandon's egg as Brock exited the room. Alan let out a hum of interest as he leaned in closer to the well-polished oval, examining its smooth and shiny surface.

"Pokémon eggs sure are interesting," Alan commented, causing Brandon to look over at him. "It's no wonder you're so interested in Pokémon breeding."

Brandon smirked at that. "You would be a really good Pokémon breeder too, you know."

Alan just shrugged his shoulders. "I'd rather stick to Pokémon archaeology. Eggs are cool, of course, but I think that fossils are just a little bit cooler. The mystery of eggs is only temporary. The mystery of fossils is thousands of years old!"

"Not a bad point," Brandon conceded. Alan had always been interested in Pokémon archaeology, and had just started an apprenticeship with a local archaeologist. He went on digs all the time and would always send Brandon pictures of whatever fossils they found, as well as updates on what they had discovered about those fossils.

Just as Brandon turned away from his cousin, however, the egg began to glow, causing both boys to gasp.

"No way…" Alan marveled.

"It's hatching!" Brandon cried, leaning forward out of excitement.

The oval's glow soon became bright enough that Alan and Brandon were blinded. By the time the light died down, and both boys were able to see clearly again, the newly hatched Pokémon was standing before them: a little pink star-shape with brown ears and little brown eyes.

"I don't believe it," Alan breathed.

"A Cleffa!" Brandon chuckled. His exclamation caught the attention of the baby Pokémon, who looked up at the aspiring breeder and smiled. "Hey there! Nice to meet you."

"Clef!" It squeaked, ears twitching with excitement.

"It looks healthy," Alan remarked.

"Sure does," Brandon agreed. "Uncle Brock did a great job taking care of it!"

"Hey, don't give him all the credit," Alan teasingly scolded. "You were watching after that egg before he did! You had just as big a part in that being one healthy Pokémon."

"I guess you're right," Brandon laughed sheepishly. "It was…a team effort."

Brock came shuffling back into the room, having changed out of his white lab coat. "Alright, I'm all ready to…wait a second…" He wrapped around Brandon, his eyes widening when he saw Cleffa bouncing up and down on the table where the egg once sat. "The egg hatched?!"

"Yeah, into Cleffa!" Brandon chuckled, nodding towards the baby Pokémon. "Cute, right?"

A smile appeared on Brock's face as he nodded his head. "Yes, very cute."

Brandon laughed and beamed at Cleffa. "I can't wait to get back to Aiden and Michelle and show you off! They're going to be so impressed!"

So Brandon's egg has finally hatched - into Cleffa! Now it's onto the Grand Festival...what will happen there?!