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Chapter 22

Pulling on his jacket, Ash glanced at Gary as his best friend groaned for the third time since Vali had given them the news. Was he annoyed that they had to go to dinner and possibly see Misty again, yeah, he was. Annoyed wasn't exactly the word he'd use though, the feeling that had gone through him when Vali had made her announcement wasn't something he was really willing to name. But was he going to complain? No because he'd already buried himself in enough shit as it was with that stunt back in the mountain, he was lucky that Vali still trusted him enough to look after the pokemon egg he'd been given back in Viridian city.

At that thought, Ash moved to his bag and carefully pulled out the egg case. Opening it carefully, he pulled out a microfiber towel that he'd been keeping close on hand and began rubbing down the warm egg. Pikachu settled down beside him as he sat down on the bed while Electrike curled up on his other side. Clefairy made a soft sound while leaning against his knees to get a better look at the egg as he'd been doing since finding out that Ash had it. He looked up as Gary muttered, "C'mon, Ash, are you really not going to say anything?"

"And risk pissing off Vali? No thank you, I really don't feel like getting on her bad side when I'm in enough trouble as it is," Ash didn't bother looking up from the egg which was steadily losing the red spots as time passed on which he hoped meant it was going to hatch soon, "Considering what happened..."

"Fuck..." Gary groaned while flopping on his bed, "I hate this,"

"Hate it or not, we should take the advise not only Vali, but everyone else is usually saying," Ash pointed out while over at Gary, "Take whatever chances we get to learn from those around us, we won't always get a chance to be in the presence of two Gym Leaders with such amazing track records. They might be on their way out, but both Walter and Grace Waterflower are water-type pokemon masters. Walter is also one of the best known breeders of both Milotic and Kingdra. Grace on the other hand is known for her specialty in water-type migrations,"

Blinking at him, Gary shook his head, "You've been listening to Vali...And Gramps."

"Not to mention Mom when they're all talking," Ash put his pokemon egg away while making a mental note to speak with Gold about checking it out when he arrived, "So less annoyed?"

Grunting a bit as he sat up, Gary sighed, "Yeah," He eyed Ash, "You clean your egg a lot, Ashy-boy. Like more than you ever cleaned up your Eevee's egg when Gramps had us looking after that small litter."

"I just had a feeling that this one needs it," Ash shrugged his shoulder.

Both of them looked at the door as a knock sounded, Vali stuck her head in a moment later, "Ready you two?"

"Yeah," Ash stood up though paused to place his egg case back underneath the shadows provided by his backpack.

Eyeing the modifications that had gone through since her last visit, Vali thought the gigantic Dewgong painted across the gym's front looked a bit tacky for all that it was a water-type. She pushed open the large glass door only to gag at the scent of cheap perfume mixing with chlorine. To her dismay, the gym's entry hall had been changed to resemble that of a conference. Before she could call out, Grace had appeared with a slightly embarrassed look on her face, "Vali, I am so very glad that you three have made it."

"Grace," Vali greeted her warmly, "I want you to meet my younger brothers. The black haired one is Ash Ketchum and the brown haired one is Gary Oak," She tilted her head as the two gave their own greetings, "So," She gestured around them, "What's going on? I understand the need to change things around with new gym leaders, but..."

"The girls..." Grace's face grew pinched, "You know how they've always been and well..." She shook her head as Vali hummed in agreement, "Walter's been talking some sense into them since we've returned while I've mainly been dealing with Misty,"

Nodding in understanding, Vali looked at Elrond as he said, "Well at the very least they should've kept things within code, right? If no one has-"

Upon seeing Grace's expression fall, Elrond paused and Vali spoke in a soft tone, "They've let things slip, haven't they?"

Head dropping with a sigh, Grace rubbed the back of her neck, "The girls always loved their water shows more than pokemon battling. Sure they kept up with their skills enough to keep up with evaluations, it's just...they didn't do the same for the gym's battlefields."

Reaching out, Vali placed a hand on Grace's shoulder earning a surprised look. Offering the older woman a soft smile, she said, "Which is it's a good thing you're back, you can set them on the right path. Not to mention, I'm here to help out wherever you need me," She held up a hand as Grace went to protest, "While it might be my vacation, I'm always here to help my friends."

Letting out a low laugh, Grace grasped Vali's wrist with a relieved smile, "You truly are one of a kind, Vali. Truly."

"Eh, I'm just doing my best though," Vali grinned sheepishly as her stomach rumbled, "There is supposed to be food available, right?"

Starting to laugh loudly and shake her head, Grace nodded as she released Vali's wrist, "Of course," She looked behind Vali towards Ash and Gray, "Let's get all of you fed, I look forward to hearing about how both of your journeys have gone so far."

Getting settled at a table with everyone and their pokemon settled in a specific area off to the side once the triplets had calmed down after their initial freak out after finding out Vali had been invited to dinner, Vali had struck up a conversation with Walter about his recent travels as he did the same with her. The triplets were torn between having a conversation with Vali that didn't involve work and getting to know the two 'newbie' trainers that were currently within their home. Misty was currently absent which apparently wasn't unusual as the girl tended to sulk as of late after being returned to Cerulean. Only the ginger haired girl decided to appear an hour into dinner, she froze upon seeing Vali and her brothers at the table.

Laughing as she leaned back against her chair, Vali looked towards the stairwell as Grace caught sight of her daughter. The woman simultaneously wilted and perked up while calling out, "Misty-"

"What the hell are they doing here?" The enraged tone and poisonous glare directed at Grace by Misty made Vali's inner Arcanine seethe.

Eyes narrowing a bit, Vali sat up as Walter spoke up, "They were invited to eat with us-"

"The hell?" Misty growled as her cheeks puffed up and turned red, "Why would you do that? They ruined my life-"

"Ruined your life? Like seriously sis, you were the one who did that," Daisy put down her fork with a frown.

Lily nodded as she scowled at Misty, "You left Cerulean without telling anyone and ignored every attempt we made to get in touch."

"Not to mention," Violet's eyes narrowed at Misty, "You like got into it with them. They weren't the ones to provoke a Gyarados,"

"I-" Misty started as her face became completely red.

"And," Vali's voice was deadly calm, "Your 'life' isn't ruined. You have a chance to salvage things, but if this is the way you're acting, I doubt you'll be able to,"

Eyes widening before narrowing, Misty scowled at Vali, "And who are you to say that to me? I haven't done anything wrong!"

"And that right there just proves my point," Vali kept her voice calm despite the wish she had to snap at the girl, "You were the one who provoked the Gyarados that day. You were the first one to harass my brothers. You were also the one who left Cerulean, Misty," She stared down Misty and relished when the brat flinched away from her gaze, "You took a vow upon taking the trainee gym leader test. You willingly did so and even celebrated upon passing," She snorted softly, "You are little more than a brat who wanted too much and didn't wish to try other options. Seek help from those that might've been able to,"

"Seek help? What help?" Misty snapped as tears began running down her cheeks, "I was trapped-"

"By your own devices," Vali shook her head, "If you'd truly paid any attention during your preparations to become a trainee gym leader, you would have known about your options. Specifically the six month transference option,"

"T-transference?" Misty's voice trembled, "That's only for gym train-"

"That's for all members of Indigo League staff including Gym Leader's and Gym Leader Trainees," Vali saw Misty's eyes widen and multiple gasps sound around the room, "Article 67B dash 8.2 reads that any Gym Leader trainee can be transferred to another Gym from their home one for a period of six months. Barring any penalties given to said Trainee before this time, they must gain the agreeance of the Gym Leader in question alongside at least one Elite Four member or the Champion," She crossed her arms, "I read that when I'd been but an apprentice per instruction by Gym Leader Blaine and again as an Elite Four to ensure my knowledge of the regulations were still fresh. So tell me where were you trapped?"

"I-I-" Misty took off up the nearby stairwell.

"Misty!" Grace shouted only for Walter to place a hand on her shoulder, "Walter..."

"Grace, as much as it pains me, she needed to hear that," Walter looked at Vali with a sad expression, "While I wish it could have been said in a little more gentle of a tone, I know that it wouldn't have gotten through to her in any other way...I still don't know if things will change, but at the very least, she isn't a raging ball of anger right now,"

Nodding to him, Vali looked at Grace, "Grace, I...I'm sorry for over-stepping, but hearing her speak to you like that-"

"It set you off," Grace let out a low sigh and shook her head, "I know, Vali. You are always one who will do anything to protect those close to you..." She looked towards the stairs with a sigh, "Even if it means giving their children a reality check,"

Hearings the triplets all swallow heavily, Vali glanced at them and inwardly snickered. She looked at Grace with a slight frown, "If you need us to or at least me, I can leave-"

"No, Vali," Grace held up a hand, "For all that it pains me, Misty did need that," She smiled weakly, "Now how about we talk about something else, have you managed to date anyone recently?"

Letting out a laugh, Vali shook her head as Ash and Gary started to snicker loudly. Why was it everyone tried to ask about her dating life especially if they were older and female?

Flopping against her pillows, Vali jolted as her pokenav went off and almost ignored it for a few minutes before deciding she might as well answer it. With a slight sigh, she said, "Hello."

"My, my, Sparky," Cynthia sounded more than a little amused, "Someone sounds tired,"

"Things have gone more than a little fucked up over here, Thia," Vali rubbed at her face, "And I can't really blame my luck for it this time either,"

"Truly? Though I'm surprised Lance hasn't called to bitch about-" Cynthia started only to pause and her voice went soft, "Vali, is Lance...?"

Sighing through her nose, Vali put her Pokenav on video and peered at the blonde champion with a tired look, "Do you want the official story or what we're able to tell other champions without breaking confidentiality?"

Eres widening as her eyes widened, Cynthia was quiet for a long moment before speaking in that same soft tone, "Tell me what you're able to, Sparky."

Shifting into a sitting position, Vali explained in a somewhat dead tone, "During our recent trip to Hoenn, Lance was poisoned. We are currently investigating everything, but-"

Looking as if she wanted to come through the phone and hug the stuffing out Vali, Cynthia cut her off, "You're not alright, are you?"

Eyes stinging not for the first time when the subject of Lance being poisoned was brought up, Vali shook her head, "N-no, Thia. I-Lance says it isn't my fault, but it's hard not to feel like it is. How can't it be? The entire reason he brought me along was to act as his protection," She sniffed softly, "It wasn't supposed to be a vacation even if we both treated it like one any time there wasn't something important to do," She rubbed at her stinging eyes, "He didn't bring anyone else along because-" She felt her throat tighten, "He trusted me, Thia, and I-"

"You didn't let him down, Sparky," Cynthia murmured softly, "You did your best-"

"It wasn't enough if he got poisoned," Vali wanted to scream, "He trusted me and I let him down. What good am I as a-"

"You are an overworked Elite that desperately needed a proper vacation," Cynthia scolded her, "And keeping an eye on someone twenty-four seven by yourself even with two ghost-types isn't feasible," She crossed her arms, "Lance had to know that, Sparky. It's his fault even if it should have never happened,"

"But-" Vali started to protest.

"No buts," Cynthia frowned heavily at her, "You are going to stop moping over this. If you're still moping by the time we get to Kanto, I am going to whoop your tanned ass in battle and outside of it. I'm also going to tell your mom and Sirius,"

Unable to help it, Vali started to giggle earning a soft smile from Cynthia. In moments like this, she really did desire the comfort that came from physical contact. She felt Aragorn settle against her side and laid a hand on his head. Nodding to Cynthia, she said, "O-okay, I'll do my best."

"Good," Cynthia sighed softly, "I'll have to call Lance and see how he's doing. I'm guessing by your reaction this poison did something that isn't normal?"

Nodding softly, Vali said, "I'm not exactly allowed to say, but yeah."

"Alright, I guess I'll figure out what's going on when we talk," Cynthia sighed softly, "But...how are you doing other than the whole Lance thing?"

Shifting to lean against Aragorn's side, Vali began telling Cynthia what she could about everything that had happened since they last spoke. Somewhere along the way, she ended up falling asleep which was somewhat embarrassing though Cynthia sent her a rather sweet voicemail saying it was fine as she'd looked rather tired. There was also a message from Steven saying he'd be out of reach for a little bit which was not out of place, she was somewhat disappointed as she'd planned on calling him soon.

Looking around the open air market, Gary looked at the various stalls though didn't see much he really wanted to grab. Admittedly the exotic shell polish being sold at one stall looked somewhat interesting, he refrained since Squirtle didn't like having his shell polished by anything other than mineral water. The same could be said about the various other pokemon related items being sold that any of his pokemon could use. Bell didn't exactly enjoy having his vines massaged nor did he like dipping them in anything. Spearow didn't like anything covering her feathers for even a second unless it was that special mixture Vali used on Celina. But as he walked deeper through the market, a smaller tent caught his attention mostly due to it being further away from the hustle and bustle of the main market.

Rather ramshackle in appearance, the faded blue and purple colors of the tent looked pale in the sunlight. As he slowly approached the front, Gary caught sight of a circle marker pitched at the tents front which made him frown. Tents with markers like that only appeared at the Conference as it was a sign of League approved breeders selling pokemon, the only question was why a tent like this was set up here? Pulling out his pokedex, he sent off a message to Vali while mentally cursing at the fact they hadn't been given an actual form of communication beyond the device. Slightly hesitant, he moved towards the tent and walked inside a bit slowly.

Small cages were set up rather randomly around the tent, they were mostly empty though a few held some basic Rattata and a single Sandshrew that huddled against the back of its cage. Frowning a bit especially as he felt how hot it was within the tent, Gary almost back out of the tent until he heard a voice croak out, "Oh, a customer?"

Jolting a bit, Gary looked around until his eyes caught on a rather ragged looking man slowly standing from his seated position near the tents rear. Looking as if he hadn't eaten in days, the man's bloodshot eyes peered at him for a few moments before his scraggily black hair fell over the pale orbs. Swallowing heavily, he spoke, "I-I was just curious-"

"Curious?" The man's tone was gruff as he walked towards Gary, "Well I've got a couple different pokemon. Some Rattata, a Sandshrew as you can see," He stopped before Gary and seemed to be breathing heavily, "I've also got a few others,"

"O-oh?" Gary wanted to rush out of the tent as his nose began to burn a bit from how close the man was standing.

There was something wrong about how the man smelled, it was a too sweet scent mixed with heavy BO that made Gary's stomach turn in a bad way. He almost bolted as the man grasped his shoulder and began leading him further through the tent. He stiffened at just how tightly the man's fingers clamped around his shoulder and those sharp nails dug into his blessedly thick shirty. Walking further back into the tent, he almost gagged as the scent of feces and urine became prevalent with pokemon clearly wadding through their own bodily fluid just to move. Dull eyes stared up at him as they passed by, he felt horrified at just how bad the conditions of these pokemon were and hoped Vali would be here soon.

They stopped in front of a cage where the man gestured at a group of Zigzagoon that were trembling, "These here are my exotic ones, I managed to get 'em from a good buddy. Granted he did get me an odd runt that I'm tempted to toss."

"R-runt?" Gary really wanted to puke right now.

The man led him to another cage where a very young looking Galarian Zigzagoon was trembling within a very unclean cage. It stared at Gary with somewhat hazy eyes and without needing to touch the pokemon, he knew it wouldn't survive for much longer in that cage. Turning his head as the man spoke again, he almost tuned it out until he heard, "...maybe a few hundred poke-"

"I'll give you two hundred," Gary stared at the man, "Three hundred if you're willing to give it to me today,"

Silent for a long moment, the man slowly cracked a smile which revealed several missing teeth with the rest blackened and yellowed. He held out his hand to Gary, "You've got yourself a deal, Boy."

Taking the man's hand, Gary shook it slowly feeling his chest tighten. It wasn't until thirty minutes later when the Galarian Zigzagoon's pokeball was in his hand and the pokemon was officially transferred to his trainer ID that the feeling eased in the slightest. It was as he was being shooed from the tent that Vali arrived with a small host of Rangers and Ace trainers earning a loud curse from the grimy man. Quickly rushing to Vali's side, he was ushered into the custody of an officer Jenny who attempted to take the Galarian Zigzagoon from him. Only after he'd been assured that it would be looked over immediately did he willingly hand over the pokemon, he gave his statement only after seeing the pokeball being rushed off towards the nearby Pokemon Center.

By the time he was finished giving his statement, Vali was hugging him tightly. She murmured softly, "You did a very good job, Gary."

"I-Is it going to be okay?" Gary asked as he gripped her tightly feeling his throat tighten, "I-Please-"

"Only time will tell," Vali rubbed his back, "But I'll keep you posted and we'll go visit it when Nurse Joy says it'll be able to handle visits," She pulled away and he felt his chest ease at the look of pride she wore, "You did so good, Gary. I...I am so proud of you, Little brother,"

"I-" Gary's throat was tight and he could only hug Vali again in reply.

Letting out a soft laugh, Vali hugged him in return.

Walking into Lance's room, Vali smiled at him while moving to take a seat on the chair beside his bed. Lance shook his head in amusement, "Not only do you uncover Rocket Plots, Gary discovers a bad breeder operation all the while you're supposed to be on vacation."

"Up," Vali leaned back against the chair, "So they been catching you up?"

"As best as they can, I've been looking over what notes I kept," Lance gained a pained look, "I...I can't tell you how sor-"

Cutting him off with a shake of her head, Vali reminded him, "If I'm not allowed to apologize to you despite my guilt, you aren't either," She crossed her arms, "So," She looked at him in amusement, "How's it been since I was in Mount Moon?"

Letting out a groan, Lance pressed a hand to his face earning a grin from Vali, "You are absolutely terrible at giving me more work, you know that?" She winced feeling a bit of guilt, "Seriously keeping the fact that you know not only members of the Commision, but a Commander and their team quiet? And according to Karen, you've been scouted by them?"

"By the Commision," Vali corrected with a shrug, "But yeah, I did keep it quiet. And yes, I was scouted by the Commision, but they've never really offered me anything that the League hasn't,"

Giving her a look, Lance crossed his arms, "Yet, we both know they have ways of tempting people."

Feeling a spike of guilt even if she wasn't going to be accepting the Commission's offer, Vali would still be leaving the League behind. She shook her head to push away the guilt, "Lance, you know I'm not an easy person to buy."

"True," Lance let out a low chuckle, "Otherwise I would have gotten away with a few more things over the years,"

"Maybe," Vali smiled softly while reached over to lay a hand on his shoulder, "Seriously Lance, you've got nothing to worry about when it comes to the Commision. They've got a lot of good resources, but nothing really that Indigo doesn't have,"

Nodding his head, Lance relaxed back against his pillows, "At the very least, I don't have to worry about that," He ran a hand through his hair as Vali took her hand off his shoulder, "I need your help with something though I'm a bit hesitant to ask."

Tilting her head a bit, Vali gave him a curious look, "What's up?"

"I've been completely caught up on the situation with the Stones," Lance explained while reaching towards his side table and picking up a rather thick file, "And thanks to those resources that you've managed to help me gather not to mention ones that Karen was able to drum up, we managed to find out that Flint wasn't an only child as we'd originally thought. After some more digging and searching, we managed to find three siblings that had gone unnoticed until now. One of the siblings, a Miss Elizabeth Garnet, is willing to take over the Gym,"

Blinking at that, Vali grinned a bit, "That's wonderful though is she qualified?"

Nodding as he opened the file and flipped through it until he'd reached a certain section, Lance gestured to the photo of a rather pretty brunette woman, "First thing we checked for all the siblings after discovering them, she alongside one other do have the qualifications though they needed to be renewed. As you weren't here for it, Karen and Will took over testing the two while Agatha watched over it. While close, the male sibling only qualified as a substitute Gym Leader which while not bad-"

"Isn't what we need," Vali leaned back against her chair while looking over the woman's file, "She actually traveled and trained in a lot of Gym's over the years not to mention is an accredited breeder for Shuckle," She nodded slowly, "Huh, I've actually read a few of these papers that she's written and we've been in contact a few times since she has a pair of fossil pokemon,"

"You've spoken with her before?" Lance looked at her in surprise.

Nodding as she reached into her pocket, Vali pulled out her pokenav and began scrolling through her contacts. It took awhile before she found the specific one and held her pokenav out to Lance. He took it slowly and looked at the contact with a confused look as she explained, "Alongside Steven, we're apart of a larger chat group that discusses how to care for our fossil pokemon. Everyone in the last two years that has gotten a fossil pokemon is added to the chat group."

"Huh, I never knew though why wasn't I added to the group chat? I've got Aria," Lance pouted at her

"To be honest, Steven or I were supposed to add you in when you got her," Vali flushed a bit, "But remember how everything got busy around that time with all those Rhydon getting loose from the Safari zone? Not to mention Steven finding those mega stones? Yeah, it kinda of..."

"Slipped your mind until now, I understand though please add me later," Lance shook his head as Vali nodded quickly while handed back her pokenav, "But why the name though?"

"Everyone in my contacts has a specific nickname," Vali put her pokenav away, "It helps me figure out who's who mainly due to the fact I know a lot of people with similar names. I even know people with the same first name," She shrugged her shoulders, "So I've taken to putting everyone under a nickname," She grinned slightly, "And if someone happens to look through my pokenav without my permission..."

"They won't be able to figure out whos who," Lance shook his head, "So getting back on topic, do you think she's a good pick?"

"No idea as I've never actually battled her," Vali closed the file, "She's got a solid team though for each level which is definitely needed," She handed the file back to Lance who put it back on the side table, "But regardless of what I think, she's the only real choice we've got right now since leaving Brock as the Gym Leader isn't an option,"

"No, it isn't," Lance sighed heavily, "Which brings me to my question," He gave Vali a pleading look, "With the situation in Pewter, I really don't want to risk there being a chance that something worse could be going on. You and I both know that things could possibly spiral even with an adult Gym Leader getting involved. While we're moving the other children out to their relatives who are happy to take them in, Brock is too old for that. In fact, he is ready to go on a journey of his own. However with the situation and how sensitive it is-"

Seeing where this was going, Vali sighed as she held up a hand stopping Lance. She gave him a look, "You want me to take Brock along with the boys, don't you?"

"Just until the situation can be sussed out a bit more," Lance quickly explained, "And things are a bit safer,"

"Which may not happen until the Rockets are shut down," Vali ran a hand through her hair, "And just sticking him in another city won't won't work even if we send the kid to Johto," She sighed heavily, "I really don't want to do this, but forcing kids to be in danger isn't fun either," She groaned softly, "Fuck," She gave Lance a look, "You owe me big,"

"Thank you," Lance sighed in relief, "Anything you want, I'll see about getting, alright?"

"I'll send you my want list," Vali told him earning a low chuckle, "Though you already know which off the list that I'd really want from you,"

Weak smile, Lance told her, "I don't know if she'd really be willing to give me one, but I could see if my mom would be willing to get it for me. I'd just have to explain why."

Letting out a laugh, Vali patted his shoulder while standing up, "I'll leave you to it through anything can wait for a couple weeks as I've got two little ones to train as is," Lance gave her a curious look, "I'll introduce you the next time I come for a visit. For now, I'll be heading back to Cerulean as I've got a feeling Gold's there and I really want to get my egg off of him."

"I'll ensure Brock comes by within the next couple of days," Lance promised her earning a smile.

Hugging him tightly, Vali told Lance, "Recover quick, Dragon-Boy. I want to make sure we're able to battle again soon now that you're not being a pain in the ass."

Laughing as he hugged her back, Lance replied, "I'll do my best."

Head on his knees with an arm wrapped around them, Gary's chest felt tight as he stared into the room where the Galarian Zigzagoon laid within what was essentially an incubator. Settled against his side on a chair was Bell, the Weepinbell was silent as he offered comfort in the shape of rubbing a vine along his arm. Squirtle was leaning against Gary's other side with an unreadable look on his face though there was a pained and angry gleam in those purple iris' that tore at his chest. Spearow was cuddled into his neck and cooed softly. Taking some form of comfort from them, he felt a bit of despair at the fact that they weren't able to offer the tiny pokemon on the other side of the glass any of it.

There was a low sigh before someone took a seat beside Bell, Gary jolted at the sound of Gold's voice and his head turned so fast that even he was sure he'd given himself whiplash with the movement, "It's hard seeing young pokemon like that. I always hate having to see situations like this play out even if it's a fact of life in the breeder world."

"Uncle Gold..." Gary's voice was barely a whisper to his own world.

Despite that, Gold turned his head and those eyes which carried his name sake were soft as they stared at Gary, "Hey, Gare. It's been...Fuck, I don't know how long other than a long time, huh?'

"Yeah," Gary nodded carefully to avoid disturbing Spearow, "I-" He felt his throat tighten again and there was a stinging feeling in his eyes, "What happened?"

Sighing deeply, Gold leaned back against his chair, "I won't sugar coat things from ya, Kid. I won't say everything 'cause your mom and Vali would skin me alive," He pulled his cap off and Gary saw Gold's Typhlosion, Explotaro, walk up carry an Egg case, "Shit hit the fan in a bad way, I pissed off a lot of people growing up alongside your pops and Ash's not to mention the rest of our friends. Only the fact that I was a breeder really kept them from trying to fuck with me...well that and just who I was connected to," Gold's lips pulled back into a dark smile that fell away, "But they came crawling up anyway and I had to act. Ensuring you two boys would be okay was my top priority alongside the pokemon that were under my care, I had to keep my distance even if it killed me."

"I...So you had to do what Mom and Dad did?" Gary asked earning a nod.

"Granted your mom tends to wander a lot and loses track of time regardless because she's a fucking scatterbrained brat with sticky fingers," Gold rolled his eyes, "But yeah, I did. Even now, I've got to be careful, but," Gold dug into his pocket and pulled out a slim box that he handed to Gary, "I got this for you. Ash'll be getting his when the kid actually shows up. I swear he's like Red and Green sometimes,"

Snickering softly despite his feelings, Gary opened the package and his eyes widened at seeing a blue Pokegear. He looked at Gold in shock as the man grinned slightly, "This-But-"

"You're my brat of a nephew," Gold ruffled his hair, "So you deserve it, Ash on the other hand is getting from Red though he entrusted me with the delivery," He pouted a bit, "Bastard really had to just drop it on me before fucking off into the wind,"

Letting out a small snort at that, Gary reached over Bell to hug Gold prompting his partner to follow his actions earning a grunt from the dex holder. He spoke after pulling away, "Thanks for this, I...I was thinking about how I'd have to save for one."

"Hey, I would've made sure you'd have started with one, but no one was clear about when you two were starting," Gold got free of Bell's vines and stood up, "So where is your wonderful sister anyway? As much as I love caring for eggs, I really should be giving her this one,"

"Gold!" Ash called out seconds before he slammed into Gold earning a loud grunt as they both toppled over as Explotaro merely snickered a bit, "I didn't know you were going to be here today,"

"Yeah..." Gold wheezed, "Fuck kid, what's Vali been feeding you?"

"Good food when possible," Vali's tone was dry as she walked up and reached out to pat Explotaro's shoulder earning a slight grin, "Taro, it's good to see you again,"

Purring softly, Explotaro gave Vali a careful hug after shifting the egg case in his arms around. Gold called out, "That's just cruel, you greet a man's pokemon before greeting the one giving you an egg?"

"But Taro is so much cuter than you," Vali giggled as Ash got off of Gold and the man began getting up, "Though it's good to see you, Gold,"

"You too, Brat," Gold rolled his eyes before gesturing to Explotaro, "As you can see, Taro has your egg. You can take it,"

Nodding with a grin, Vali turned to the Typhlosion who handed her the egg with a gentle look on his face. Taking it from him, she gaze at it with a look of wonder on her face. Smile curling across her lips, she looked at Gold, "Thank you, Gold. You don't know how much this means to not only myself, but my pack."

"It's true, but seeing that look always makes things a bit clearer," Gold shrugged lightly, "So anyone up for some lunch? I'm kind of starving since we didn't really stop for any brakes on the way over here,"

Letting out a laugh, Vali nodded, "I'll even pay since I know a fairly good restaurant we can eat at."

Looking up at the sky, Vali didn't really react as the roof's door opened to admit someone else. She only turned her head when Gold's voice sounded from behind her, "So those eggs came from Giovanni?"

"I doubt he gave the boys pokemon bred from his own team, but yeah," Vali saw the frown on his face, "While I'm certain that Gary's egg is a Trapinch..."

There was a sigh as Gold reached her side, he held out a hand and she handed him a cigarette. Gold lit it and took a long drag before answering, "It's a Sandile," She blinked a bit and frowned, "And based on what I was able to get from the readings on my equipment, it's male."

Clicking her tongue, Vali muttered, "That's...that's not too bad."

"If it has Moxie though," Gold gave her a look, "You and I both know Ash isn't going to be fully equip to handle that kind of pokemon at this stage, Vali,"

Sighing at that, Vali ran a hand through her hair and took a long drag from her own cigarette. She looked back at the starry sky, "But we both know that Ash has done the impossible with pokemon before, Gold. Ones who weren't even his and were old, don't you remember the Charizard six years ago? The one from Charicific Valley Elm wanted my help with?"

That had been a rather nasty wild Charizard with more dragon in him than most, Vali had been called in by Elm in hopes that her abilities would help them to better deal with the proud beast. As he'd been suspended from school and no one else could really watch him to ensure he'd stay out of trouble, she'd brought Ash along to Elm's lab in hopes of keeping him out of trouble for the day. One moment he'd been in the baby pokemon room and in the next he'd been in that temperamental Charizard's room, they had been just about to rush in there to save him when someone realized the damn thing had started to act like a gigantic Persian. All curled up around Ash, the Charizard was all calm and serene with Ash petting it as he hummed softly.

Lips pursing as he sighed again, Gold grunted, "Be that as it may, a Sandile with Moxie especially one that's male isn't exactly something most first year trainers are allowed to have, Vali."

"I'm well aware," Vali inwardly groaned at the amount of paperwork she'd have to do if this Sandile had Moxie, "But we won't know what ability it has until it's born,"

"Unfortunately true," Gold leaned against the railing beside her, "But thankfully, it looks like he's taking stellar care of it. Honestly, he's taking better care of it than Gary,"

Almost snorting that, Vali replied, "With his Aura, he's probably subconsciously hearing what the baby needs."

"I'm almost jealous if that's the case," Gold gained a contemplative look, "Perhaps I should take Diamond up on his offer about getting a Riolu, I mean having Fairy-and-Psychic-types are nice, but if a human aura user can do that..."

"Maybe you should," Vali shrugged her shoulders.

"Anyway," Gold gave Vali a look, "I've got news from Green," She straightened up at that, "They've been traveling around Sinnoh, but apparently certain people aren't present apparently...They've taken a vacation as far as rumors go," She gave an innocent whistle and looked away from him, "Vali,"

"Thia needed a vacation is all. Am I to argue with her?" Vali asked in a sing-song tone.

"You really are a brat," Gold shook his head, "And what about the rumors we've all been hearing? Of Legends beginning to move,"

Grimace forming about that, Vali sighed heavily, "If it weren't for the fact you're as much connected to them as I am, I wouldn't be answering that," She took a long drag off her cigarette and finished it off, "Ho-oh has given a feather," She heard Gold let out a sharp intake of breath, "Lugia came to me when we'd been returning from Hoenn and asked in a roundabout way about Ash," Gold's eyes narrowed, "Suicune has all but confirmed that soon enough Entei will be along to challenge Ash in hopes of discovering his strength."

"They think that-" Gold shook his head, "But he's only-" He clenched his fingers, "But we were just kids..."

"We truly have until the ceremony on Shamouti Island before it can be confirmed," Vali hesitated before reached out to place a hand on Gold's shoulder and felt the slight tremors going through his body, "Gold...I won't try to comfort you even if part of me wants to. All I can is promise that I'm going to do my best to ensure Ash and his team train hard. I'll teach them as best as I can before we go there,"

"And you'll...you'll be there with them?" Gold asked as he pinned her with a look.

Giving him a nod, Vali informed him, "As a Flame Bearer, it is my duty to be at his side though I cannot truly interfere. I will be there to ensure outsiders are unable to."

Nodding as he swallowed heavily, Gold stood up causing her hand to fall away, "Alright," He took a deep breath, "At the very least, it's awhile away," He grimaced a bit, "I...I just wish that...I wish that the kid didn't have to deal with this."

"Me neither," Vali leaned back against the railing again.

"How both boys have this kind of luck, Ash with the mystical shit and Gary...Gary with the fucking bad breeder? It's-" Gold groaned softly, "I swear it's like those two are getting the brunt of it from us,"

"Let's hope not since I've heard far too much for me to wish that on them," Vali shook her head earning a weak smile

Ash's Team:

1. Pidgeotto

Female

2. Electrike

Male

3. Pikachu

Male

4. Blitzle

Female

5. Clefairy

Male

Gary's Team:

1. Weepinbell

Male

2. Squirtle

Male

3. Spearow

Female

Vali's present team:

1. Balto/ Arcanine

Male

2. Smaug/ Charizard

Male

3. Elrond/ Alolan-Raichu

Male

4. Eowyn/ Houndoom

Female

5. Aragorn/ Vulpix-King-Gene

Male

6. Pele/ Camerupt

Female

7. Celina/ Pidgeot

Female

8. Thorin/ Flareon

Male

9. Arwen/ Rapidash

Female

10. Galadrial/ Chandelure

Female

11. Nazgul/ Gengar-Shiny

Male

12. Irmo/ Pyroar

Male

13. Ortho/ Furret

Male

14. Noldor/ Smeargle

Male

15. Terra/ Tyranitar

Female

16. Empress/ Salamence

Female

17. Idril/ Sandslash-Shiny

Female

18. Pippin/ Luxray

Male

19. Bombur/ Dewgong

Male

20. Balrog/ Magmar

Male

21. Khione/ Aurorus

Female

22. Rosie/ Meganium

Female

23. Balin/ Typhlosion

Male

24. Disa/ Jolteon

Female

25. Absol

Male

26. Noibat

Male