Dawn's POV
We had just entered Pallet Town after leaving the Grand Festival a few days ago. Brittany was beside me and I was currently showing her certain things and places that were in Pallet Town, since she hadn't seen much of the town before.
"You see that building way over there?" I asked, pointing.
"Yeah, what is it?" she asked.
"That's the Oak Pokemon Lab. That's where Jason's dad works. It's also where beginning trainers go to get their first Pokemon. You see the big open space behind it?"
"Yeah, it's huge!"
"Lots of Pokemon live there. Ash's, mine, and Jason's parents' Pokemon live there."
"Oh, wow!"
I pointed out a few more places to her and she was in awe of everything. I knew that she liked seeing so many different and new things, because she had never been allowed outside when with her dad. She was finally seeing the world and it was a lot to take in.
Jason started heading up to the lab, going to see his parents. After walking for a little while longer, we reached our house.
"This is where we live. Brittany, you'll be staying with us until your dad is released. We'll take good care of you, we promise." I said, looking down at her. Spending time with us had allowed Brittany to be a lot more sociable and trusting of us. I knew that she would adjust to living with us.
We went inside and unpacked. I had just finished putting the last of my clothes away and then walked into the living room when Ash walked up to me.
"I'm going to see my mom and let her know that we're back." he said, kissing my cheek.
"I'm going to hang out with Jason." Adam said.
"Okay, be back by supper." I said.
They left the house and that left me and Brittany, who was currently sitting on the couch.
"What were contests like for you?" she asked.
I smiled at her and asked, "Would you like to see for yourself?"
She smiled. "Yes!"
"I'll be right back." I said as I walked off.
I returned with a box containing videos of my contests over the years. I grabbed one at random and put it in and it started to play. As Brittany watched, her face was covered with the same amazed expression that it had had when she was watching the Grand Festival.
"I have a lot of other videos in the box if you want to watch them." I said.
She smiled and nodded her head. "What's it like?" she asked, glancing at me.
"A contest?" I asked.
She nodded her head.
"They're amazing. It's really fun. You get to dress up and perform with your Pokemon."
"Is it hard?"
"It's a challenge, but everything is. You have to try your hardest to win and get a ribbon. You also have to bounce back if you lose. But in the end, it's worth it."
"Wow..." she said in awe at an appeal that caught her attention. "Why did you become a coordinator?"
"My mom, your grandma, was a coordinator, and a very well-known one, at that. I watched her contests and it inspired me to be one. I found the performing more appealing than the battling." I replied.
I had just sat back down after starting another contest when my mom walked in.
"Dawn, can I talk to you privately?" she asked.
"Yeah, sure. I'll be right back, Brittany." I said, walking out of the living room and following my mom upstairs. We walked into a room and I waited.
"Dawn...ever since Ash came back last month, we haven't really spoken. You've barely talked to me, you barely say one word to me. Why is this? Is there something wrong?" she asked.
I remained quiet and looked at my mom.
"Does it have to do with the revelation of Darien and Brittany when the kids talked about Team Rocket when they came home?" she asked.
I nodded my head and said, "You lied to me about my father and kept the fact that I had a twin brother a secret from me...my whole life. I know that you didn't want me to grow up worrying and wondering where they were, but you continued to lie and keep this a secret from me even when I was old enough to understand it. I had to find out from my son and his friends. It would have been easier if you had just told me yourself."
I had tried to feel okay about this, but I couldn't. My mom had kept this a secret from me for my entire life. It hurt and I felt betrayed. I told her about things in my life that I didn't want to share, but I did it anyways. Why couldn't she have done the same?
My mother sighed and looked at me. "I know that I should have told you when you were older, but I didn't know how. All your life you were told that your father was dead and you were an only child. I was trying to protect you. Can you try and see this from my point of view? What would you have done?"
She did have a point. If I was in her shoes...I think that I would have done the same.
"I understand. And with some time, I think that we can fix our relationship." I said. "Despite the secret, I've accepted my new family member. Brittany has grown up almost alone and has had nobody who's shown her love. Brittany needs me to be that kind of person to her. Besides, she's my niece and she's family. That's what families do, they look after each other."
We walked downstairs and I heard the front door open. Once we were down the stairs, I saw Ash, his mom, Gary, and Leaf.
"I told them that Brittany was here and brought them over to introduce her to them." he said.
"It'll be good for her to meet more people." I said.
We all walked into the living room, where Brittany had just finished another contest. She looked up, hearing footsteps and when she saw the unfamiliar faces, her expression changed. She was slowing trying to go back into her shell.
Ash walked over to her and knelt in front of the couch. "Don't worry, they're nice people. That's my mom, Delia. She'll be your grandmother from my side. Those are Jason's parents, Gary and Leaf." he said.
She looked at Ash, who nodded his head, encouraging her. She slowly moved her eyes and looked at the three new faces.
"Jason looks just like you." she said to Gary.
This caused the adults to laugh. After a little while, Brittany was comfortable with the new faces.
A few weeks passed since returning from the Grand Festival. Brittany was playing outside with Pikachu, Piplup, Buneary, and Pachirisu. She was having so much fun and had adjusted perfectly to her new life in Pallet Town.
"Brittany has changed so much while living here." I said, looking at her laughing and running with the Pokemon.
Ash and my mom looked out the window and watched her for a few moments.
"You're right, Dawn. When Brittany first met everyone, she was shy, nervous, and quiet. Now she's opened up to everyone. She's full of life and energy and she's always happy. She's just like you when you were her age." my mom said.
I smiled to myself. It was great to see her having fun after everything that she had gone through.
"Brittany and Dawn are a lot alike. Dawn was the first person that Brittany opened up to. Remember when I first brought her to meet everyone? She took one look at Dawn and ran to her, hugging her. It took her forever to warm up to all of us, but for Dawn, it was right off the bat." Ash said, taking the plates from me and moving to put them away.
Hearing everything that they had said, I realized that Brittany really was like me. "Well, Brittany may think of me as a motherly figure. Her mother has been missing from her life. She's never had a woman around to take care of her. That could be why she bonded so well with me, and how I bonded so well with her." I said.
We walked into the living room and were sitting and talking when Brittany and the Pokemon walked back into the house. Brittany walked into the living room and looked around.
"Where's Adam?" she asked.
"He's probably at the lab with Jason, training for the Pokemon League." Ash said.
"What's the Pokemon League about?" she asked.
"It's a tournament like the Grand Festival. But instead of coordinators, it's where the strongest trainers gather to battle."
"Daddy would probably do really well in that tournament. He's a really strong trainer."
"He is a strong trainer. He would do well in the Pokemon League." Ash agreed, having battled Darien when he was captured.
After a few minutes of silence, Brittany spoke. "I've decided what I want to do when I'm old enough to travel. I want to be a Pokemon coordinator like aunt Dawn and grandma." she said. "I became interested in contests after going to the Grand Festival, but watching aunt Dawn perform in those videos helped me make my mind up. I hope that my dad will be okay with it."
"I'm glad that you've found something that you want to do with your life. I can see that you have a passion for contests like I did when I was younger, and you have the drive and spirit to push yourself to reach your goals." I said.
She smiled at me. "I'm really excited. I can't wait until I'm ten and then I can travel and compete in contests! I also have one more thing that I want to tell you...
"Ever since I was released, you've welcomed me into your home and into the family with open arms. You've taken care of me and I just wanted to say...to tell you that...I love you. I love you all."
We all knelt down to her level and she hugged us one by one.
"We love you too, Brittany."
I had been waiting for a long time to hear Brittany say that. She had opened up her heart to us and finally accepted us as her family. By showing her our love and kindness, we had touched her heart. Love had been all too rare in her life, and now she had love from so many people. And she had returned that love with her own.
My mom and I wiped a few stray tears from our eyes as we stood up, having cried tears of happiness at hearing Brittany's loving words.
Adam's POV
It was finally here. We were finally here. We had finally reached the Indigo Plateau where the Pokemon League was held every year. My parents and Jason's parents, along with Brittany, had come with us while my grandmas stayed home to watch it on TV.
Brittany was looking around excitedly. "It's like the Grand Festival, but the decorations are different and the stands sell different stuff." she said. "Oh...can we get some snacks like last time?"
"Yes, as soon as we get the boys checked in and registered." my mom replied.
We walked into the Pokemon Center and Jason and I walked to the front desk.
"We're here to compete." we said.
"May I see your Pokedexes and badges?" Nurse Joy asked.
We handed them over and Nurse Joy scanned them into the system.
"You're all set." she said, handing our things back to us.
We walked out of the Pokemon Center and I saw orange hair out of the corner of my eye. Michelle! She was looking around, trying to find us.
"Michelle!" I called.
Jason glanced over and saw her. Michelle snapped her head towards the direction where she had heard her name called and saw us. A smile spread across her face and she started running towards us. We ran towards her and we hugged one another.
"I told you two that I would meet you here." she said as we pulled away.
"It's great to see you again, Michelle." Jason said.
"Likewise,"
"We missed you." I said.
"I missed you guys, too."
Our families walked over to us and Michelle smiled at them.
"Where are you all going?" she asked.
"We're going to the hotel that we stayed at during the Grand Festival to get our rooms." my dad replied.
After checking into the hotel, Jason, Michelle, and I were in a room together, my parents and Brittany were in another, and Jason's parents in another.
We were leaving when we ran into Trevor and Nikki.
"Hi, hi!" Nikki cried.
"Hey," Trevor said.
"What floor are you staying on?" Nikki asked.
"Second..."
"Us, too! That's great!"
"I'm going to go. I have to talk to the Elite Four about a few final details before the tournament starts." my dad said.
"I'm going to take Brittany to get some snacks." my mom said and Brittany smiled happily.
Jason, Michelle, Nikki, Trevor, and myself decided to go and look around.
The Pokemon League was so close to starting and I could only wonder what was going to happen.
Author's Note: After meeting the rest of the gang and spending more time with them, Brittany has finally opened up enough to tell her family that she loves them, a thing that they've been waiting to hear for a long time.
Now everyone has gathered at the Indigo Plateau for the Pokemon League. What challenges await Adam and Jason? Who will win the tournament?
Find out in the next chapter of Pokemon NG!