"Hello? Mister Brock? Is now a bad time?" The young girl who looked like Serena called out as she entered the doors of the large building. She was being followed closely behind by Delia and Ash with Pichu sitting on Ash's shoulder.
"Serena?" A deeper voice called out from the opposite side of the room. It paused for a moment before speaking again. "Serena, I told you that you are welcome anytime but now while I'm wor- oh! Erm… hello."
The boy speaking to Serena seemed to suddenly realize that there were others alongside the girl as he sheepishly waved. Delia noted that while he seemed older than the two kids, he was much younger than she thought this 'friend' of Serenas would be. He couldn't be much older than 16 at the maximum.
"You must be here for a gym battle… Ahem!" The young man cleared his throat and raised his shoulders to appear bigger than he had previously as his voice gained some gusto. "I am Brock Harrison, the Gym Leader of the Pewter City Gym! Are you here to challenge me to a gym battle to earn the Boulder Badge?"
"You bet I am- ack!" Ash was interrupted as he was flicked on the side of the head by his mother with a very unamused expression.
"No, not yet, Ash." Delia sighed as she turned back to a now very confused gym leader. "Hello. My name is Delia Ketchum and this is my son, Ash."
"I made new friends, Mister Brock!" Serena yelled out with a huge smile as she hopped up and down with excitement. "And they're like us, too!"
Brock suddenly seemed very concerned while he began walking towards the excited girl. Delia merely smiled at him as she could understand his concern completely. This poor girl has shown that she can be easily tricked so Brocks's hesitancy and guard are completely understandable. Though she couldn't help but wonder how he could walk so well with his eyes closed like that.
"They are like us in what way, Serena?" Brock asked with a smile as he placed his hand on Serena's shoulder like an older brother or responsible adult while his other hand palmed a Pokeball, no doubt ready to throw it.
"They're weirdos!" The child exclaimed with an innocent smile like she had no idea the insulting implications behind that description.
Brock's face seemed to flush red with a bright blush as she suddenly turned to Delia and Ash, who were still standing there patiently. "I am so sorry about her, you two. She um… she has trouble expressing herself, is all."
"Nono! I'm totally a weirdo!" Ash smirked as he looked around to see if anyone was in view before his tail poked itself out of his waist as he waved with his claws outstretched.
The sight seemingly froze Brock in place as his jaw dropped but his eyes remained shut tight. The young man stammered over his words a bit before eventually he eventually stuttered out. "D-do… we should talk in the back. I'll uh… close up early today. Serena, you can lead them to where we do lessons, okay?"
"Okay!" The cheerful girl nodded and waved to Ash and Delia before she skipped off towards the doors to the right of the arena. Ash followed immediately but Delia stayed to watch Brock, still probably in disbelief, shake off his shock and walk towards the front door to probably lock it.
"Woah… I never thought I'd see the back of a gym before... It's just a house." Ash mumbled as he walked through the doors while holding them open for his mother. Delia couldn't help but agree with her son in that regard. The place did seem quite cozy. At least, the entrance to the housing portion of the building did.
"Right in here!" Not Serena walked through the hall and gestured to an expansive dining room/kitchen with a huge dining room table with 12 chairs in total at the rectangular table. Behind it seemed to be a pretty clean and tidy kitchen. The appliances such as the stove and oven seemed to be a tad old but that didn't matter as long as they functioned fine.
"That… is quite the large table!" Delia remarked with awe as her hand went over her mouth. The thing was so big that it nearly took over the entire room. Anyone would have to hug the wall in order to get around the thing, and that certainly wasn't happening if the table was currently in use.
The sound of a door closing caused Delia to turn and see Brock walking towards them with a smile. "Yeah, I have quite a big family. There are ten of us total but don't worry, they're all in school right now and won't be back for a couple of hours. They also know about my and Serena's… abilities so you don't have to worry about them." Brock explained as he walked to the kitchen.
"A family of ten… wow." Delia remarked. The concept of having a family that large both terrified her and caused her heart to flutter. Sure, it would be difficult, but it would also be so rewarding. She would have liked to daydream of that a bit more but her mind got snagged on something else. "Hold on… all of them are in school? What about your parents?"
Brock seemed to pause a little at that, causing Ash to look up at his mother with a look of mild concern, which she met with one of her own.
"Would you all like some tea?" Brock suddenly spoke up again. Not giving anyone time to speak again before talking once more. "Serena, why don't you let Mawile out onto the table and let me have a look at them while the water gets hot?"
"Yes, please! And okay. He's doing really good! Thank you again for those vita… veto-mans, Mister Brock." Serena nodded as she opened her Pokeball for the tiny Mawile to appear while sitting on the table. Pichu almost immediately jumped over to give a chipper wave to the Pokemon, which the baby copied.
"Vitamins, sweetie. Vi-ta-mins." Delia corrected the little girl, causing her to nod and mumble the word to herself quietly. Gods how she reminded her of Ash when he was younger. Though pushing her feelings of care for the girl to the back of her mind for the moment, there was a matter of a dodged question that needed to be addressed. "Brock? You didn't answer my question. What do your parents do for a living?"
"Yeah. I wanna ask them how you become a gym leader!" Ash chimed in while sitting opposite Serena with a smile as he watched Pichu and Mawile play.
"They travel a lot. But it works out." Brock half-answered as he placed the kettle on the stove and turned around with a smile. "Also, that is a very long and boring process, Ash. And I'm sure that there are some more important questions that we need to talk about…" The boy trailed off as he sat at the table beside Serena.
Delia wasn't satisfied with his answer to her question but it would have to do for now. He was right, after all. There are more important things to discuss. "So… I guess I should get the big one out of the way… are you like my son and Serena, here?" The woman asked while gesturing to the two children.
"Yes, I am. I'm the only one in my family like this as well." Brock nodded as he clasped his hands together while looking intently at Delia and Ash. Serena seemed to be uncomfortable with the serious tone of the conversation but didn't speak up about it. Instead, she just sank in her chair a little as she hugged Mawile and Pichu to her chest.
Ash was the first to speak up. "Wait, you're the only one in your family to be born with specialstuff?" The boy asked with his eyes wide in disbelief. Delia was going to ask that question as well, Ash just beat her to the punch.
"Yes. I got it from my mother. Only me and the second oldest of us, Forrest, are blood-related to her. The rest of my siblings are technically only half-siblings as we just have the same dad. Though Forrest is perfectly normal for some reason." Brock remarked before the kettle went off. Delia was about to rise for her seat to get it out of muscle memory but Brock had it covered.
"Maybe it's just dominant or recessive genes? It could skip a generation for him if that's the case." Delia wondered as Ash and Serena looked at her like she was speaking another language. She did need to get around to teaching Ash about biology sometime soon…
"I had the same thought." Brock nodded as he took what looked like orange flower petals from a jar and ground them up using a mortar and pestle. "But it works for him. I'm happy that he doesn't have to hide who he is like we do. Have you two had to go through what happens when people find out?" Brock asked as he looked back at Serena, who was now hugging the two Pokemon tighter as her legs came up to mimic a cradle position as she sniffled.
"No. But Serena told us about it…" Delia answered as she held out her hand across the table for Serena to take, which she sadly didn't as her body morphed to the appearance of Seth. The now boy shook his head at Delia. The woman slowly retracted her hand while admiring the child's uncanny ability to just swap forms at will.
"It's okay. I'm strong. I'll be okay. I don't need help." The boy gave a little 'hmph' with a nod to Delia as he placed Mawile and Pichu back on the table while trying to slyly wipe his eyes on his sleeve to hide any tears that had formed.
Ash looked over to Brock as the older boy poured the hot water into tea cups. "Some regular people know about me though. Professor Oak, his grandson, and my friend Serena over in Kalos. They're all nice people though so we haven't had to… yeah…" Ash trailed off as he glanced at Seth.
"So a Pokemon professor knows about us and isn't trying to track us down? That's… interesting. Also, wait, did you say you had a friend named Serena in Kalos?" Brock asked as he walked over to hand out the cups of tea to everyone present. Even Mawile and Pichu got their own little cups!
"Yeah!" Seth answered for Ash. "I was Serena at the time and they recognized me, or well, they recognized what I looked like."
"Yeah." Ash nodded, confirming Seth's story. "I have a friend I met when I was six named Serena who does modeling now. Her first modeling thing she did was in a magazine and it turns out that that's the one Seth used for Serena."
Delia nodded as she took a sip of her tea, feeling a comforting warmth permeate through her entire body as she smiled. "Yes. We would have had no idea that anything was off if they looked like anyone else. So this is just one huge coincidence."
"That… wow. What are the chances?" Brock shook his head a little in disbelief as he sighed. He then looked at Ash and raised an eyebrow. "So… you have a tail and claws? Did I see that right?"
Ash nearly spat out the tea he was currently chugging. He most certainly wasn't expecting the conversation to turn to him again anytime soon. "Oh! Uh… yeah! It's super cool! I also have this, like, sorta telepathy with Pokemon. I can hear what they say pretty much perfectly if they let me. But some are harder than others. Me and Pichu got it without even trying but Mom's Bibarel… I get nothing." Ash admitted with a sweat drop rolling down the side of his face as Pichu rolled his eyes.
"And he also has these… instincts. We call it the itch. He needs to go out and hunt something once in a while or he starts getting stir crazy. Usually, it's just like a mouse or a rat or something, but-"
"One time, I brought back a deer!" Ash interrupted with an excited, prideful glee in his voice as his arms went out wide to show the size of the thing. Pichu just giggled at the sigh of Brock and Seth's faces as they stared at the duo.
"A baby deer, but yes, a deer. Other things like him not being bothered by the cold or him not getting motion sick are notable too but that's not that important." Delia corrected her son and finished her statement as Brock nodded. "Brock… what is your special trait? I understand if you're uncomfortable showing us, but I hope we've proven that we're trustworthy."
Brock remained quiet for a moment as he looked at Seth. The boy just nodded quickly with a smile in response to Brock's silent question, causing the older boy to run the back of his head as he turned back to Delia and Ash. "Alright… if Seth trusts you enough to bring you here, I guess I might as well trust you too. Just, please don't freak out, okay? I swear that it doesn't hurt or anything."
Ash tilted his head a little as Pichu took his spot back on Ash's shoulder to join the view of Brock's secret. "What doesn't hur-"
"We promise." Delia nodded with a smile as her hand covered her son's mouth. She loved him greatly, but Ash could be quite dull when it came to keeping up in conversations such as these.
Brock nodded and crossed his arms. Delia's eyes widened as she stared into Brocks 'eyes' as his eyelids opened. His left eye was entirely red. It wasn't even an 'eye' at all, for that matter. It looked like some gemstone or rock. A ruby, perhaps?
Meanwhile, his right eye wasn't an eye either! She could see into the back of the socket, unlike with the left, but this one seemed to hold a small… bud? A flower bud, if Delia had to guess. Delia was no gardener (Perhaps in another life…) but would be willing to bet that it was some sort of flower that had yet to blossom.
"That is… wow. I certainly wasn't expecting that…" Delia mumbled as she found herself swapping which eyes to stare at in disbelief.
"That is so freaking cool!" Ash exclaimed with a big smile on his lips. Delia couldn't blame him for his excitement at all. Finding others like him must be something he hadn't expected to happen at all. It's a good thing he was so adamant that he and Delia go today or else they might have missed all this.
"Yeah. It freaked me out a lot the first time I saw it." Seth nodded with a smile as he stared at the flower bud in Brock's eye socket. "But it stopped being weird when I realized that Mister Brock is actually super nice!"
"Yeah…" Ash nodded in agreement as he leaned in to squint as he kept staring at Brock's previously hidden 'eyes'. "How do you see, by the way? And do you have weird instinct stuff like me?"
"Well, the flower eye-" He points at his right eye. "Can't see. That's just a flower that grows out of my skull and blooms if I keep my eyelid open long enough. It gets big so I can't close my eye again unless the flower is erm… plucked." Ash winced at that and Delia grimaced slightly at the unpleasant thought of her eye getting 'plucked' as Brock described.
"But the ruby one-" Brock then pointed to his left eye. "Sees just fine. Even with my eyelid closed, I can see through it near perfectly. As for having weird traits, I… erm…" Brock stopped as he turned his head with a small blush while muttering something that Delia couldn't make out.
"What's that, dear? There's no need to be embarrassed." Delia smiled at the boy genuinely, hoping that he didn't feel ashamed of his differences like she was scared that Ash was going to when he was young.
"I… eat rocks." The boy admitted sheepishly, only for silence to begin to fill the room for a moment as Delia tried to process that information. Sure, Ash had the itch, but it wasn't like his entire biology was different from that of humans, unlike Brocks.
Ash seemed to be in a similar state of bewilderment. "So… you can't eat rice balls and stuff? What happens if you do eat regular food, anyway?"
"Well… I know I kinda…" Brock paused as he put his hand to his chin while rubbing his stomach with the other. "My stomach breaks down rock and stuff. And food gets crushed too, I guess my body just doesn't absorb it. I have to throw up any regular food I eat. So I don't get sick or anything. It's just sort of nasty."
"So…" Seth was the one to speak up this time. "Can you just eat any rock? Lucky… finding food must be super duper easy for you…" The child whined as he crossed his arms with a small 'huff'.
"Well, not any rock, but kind of?" Brock tried to answer as he rubbed the back of his head.
"Take your time. Sorry that we are asking so many questions. It's just that this is new to all of us and we'd love to know more." Delia tried to comfort the boy who was likely feeling overwhelmed and pressured.
"Yeah, no. Don't worry. This is nothing compared to all the questions my siblings ask daily." Brock chucked while waving Delia off lightly. Delia wasn't quite laughing at the mention of his siblings again. "I can eat most rocks, yeah. But I guess if I had to compare just a regular pebble you find lying around to anything, I guess it would be fast food or junk food. I mean, it'll do but it won't make me feel good or anything. Things like obsidian, limestone, quartz, and precious gems are what equates to healthy foods."
At Seth's look of confusion, Delia smiled as she turned her attention to the boy. "Those are all different types of rocks and minerals, sweetie."
"Yeah!" Ash smiled at Seth as well. "I think I have a book on different rocks and stuff. I'll show it to you if you'd like!"
"O-Oh! Um… sure, whatever." Seth gulped as he looked away, having been the one unprepared for the spotlight this time. "I mean, only if you want to. I still can't read good."
Brock gave a little hmph as he looked at Seth. "Yeah, about that. We still need to practice, don't we? Do you still remember the alphabet?"
That seemed to perk Seth right back up as he turned and nodded quickly to Brock. "Mhm! I've been saying it to myself a whole lot so I won't forget! I'm trying really, really hard, Mister Brock." The sight caused Delia to smile. It seemed that they were telling the truth when they said that this 'friend' was teaching them how to read.
"Well, that's good! And what did Mister Steve have to say about that?" Brock asked with a smile. The mention of this 'Mister Steve' grabbed Delia's attention. There was someone else who this child was associated with?
"Well…" Seth frowned as he looked down slightly. "I didn't see him last night… But I think that he's proud of me!"
"You have another friend?" Ash asked as his tail circled the giggling Mawile as if it was just begging to be chomped down on by the Pokemon's second mouth. "You didn't mention that guy before!"
"Really?" Brock blinked a bit in surprise at Ash before he turned his attention back to Seth. "That's a surprise. Why didn't you bring it up to them before?"
Seth merely turned away again while scratching his cheek with his finger. "Well… he wasn't here so… I didn't feel like bringing him up." He stopped and turned back to see the questioning faces of Delia and Ash. "I have a friend who only shows up at night and stuff. He's really nice and helps teach me things like left and right and how to eat neat with a fork and spoon."
"Oh, okay. So if you get taught things from two people, who do you usually stay with? Where do you sleep, sweetie?" Delia asked another question that had been bugging her for a while now. While Seth/'Serena' looked clean and well-fed, this child can literally make themselves look any way that they want, so looks can be deceiving.
"I usually fall asleep to Mister Steve's lessons! I stay with him. His voice and his Lilipup, Goldie, barking are really nice. They make me feel nice and stuff." Seth answered plainly as Ash grimaced.
"You fall asleep during lessons? Mom might just throw me out a window if I did that…" Ash groaned as Pichu giggled. While Delia wanted to reprimand her son and defend herself by explaining that she wasn't that bad, Seth's delighted giggle stopped her.
"Hahaha! I wish that I could learn more but he always repeats lessons or I fall asleep too soon… I don't like how he's only here at night when I'm tired…" Seth whined a bit at their desire for learning being unfulfilled as Brock took the time to get up and grab a piece of paper off the counter, bringing it back.
"Well if you want to learn," –He slid the piece of paper in front of Seth- "Start tracing the letters and sound them out." Brock assigned the child with their task as he smiled, much to Seth's joy. Seeing a child who seemed to be so excited about learning as they were made Delia smile. Their joy at something that so many children took for granted was infectious! If not a little saddening considering the circumstances.
"Yes sir! You got it!" Seth nodded quickly before looking to Ash and Pichu, who seemed to just be watching their excitement and smiling as well. "Um… do you want to help me a bit, maybe, please? I want to be sure that I say them right…"
"Me?" "Pi?" the duo asked with their hands on their chest, causing Seth to laugh a little as he nodded. "Uh… sure! Do you guys mind?" Ash asked as he looked at Delia and Brock with both of them shaking their heads."
"Go ahead and help them, dear. I want to talk with Brock anyway." Delia smiled at Ash while she spotted Brock gulp in discomfort out of the corner of her eye.
"Pi! Pi chu chu!" Pichu nodded as both he and Mawile began to dash to the other side of the table, away from the kitchen and their tea. The two Pokemon were followed by Seth and Ash as they too moved further down the dining room table.
"Quite the big table…" Delia remarked as she turned to face Brock again. The woman stared deep into his ruby eye with an intensity that she rarely showed. "Do your parents often join you for meals?"
The question seemed to hit home for the older child. He merely grimaced slightly as he went to collect their cups. "That… that shouldn't be your concern, Miss. Respectfully…" Brock tried to sound firm but it lacked the key element needed for it: eye contact. Brock wouldn't even look at her as he turned to walk towards the sink.
"But it does," Delia exclaimed calmly as she got up to follow Brock to the kitchen. She was trying to keep her voice at a moderate level so as to not draw attention from Seth or Ash. "Brock, I can't help you if you don't at least tell me what's going on. You're only…" –Delia paused for a moment– "How old even are you, sweetie?" Her voice grew softer as she realized that he never told his age. Delia had guessed he was maybe sixteen, but as she was quickly starting to grow accustomed to, looks can be deceiving.
Brock didn't answer at first. He just remained looking into the sink as he scrubbed the cups with a sponge. "14… but I'm fine. We've been fine for a while now…" Brock's head hung low as he weakly tried to appease Delia, but the woman wasn't having it.
"And how long is 'a while', Brock? Weeks? Months?" Delia pressured the boy with a worried tone. Her hand reached to grab Brocks, pulling it out of the sink as her hands interlocked around it in a comforting gesture.
Brock finally looked into her eyes as she held his hand tenderly. It was only a glance, but it was enough. She could see it in his eyes. The anger, the sadness, the confusion. "A… a little over a year now." He spoke softly as he looked down into the sink again in shame.
"A year?!" Delia gasped as she squeezed his hand tight. Stammering as she tried to process that information. "W-what about your parents? Where are they? Do you know?"
Brock solemnly shook his head. "I don't know. Dad was the first to leave, then Mom, not even a month after. I called so many times but… nothing. I got the message anyway." He huffed as his other hand gripped the rim of the sink.
"They abandoned you…" Delia affirmed with Brock's solemn nod as his eyes closed again. "How many people know? Why didn't you tell anyone?"
"Because… I…" Brock trailed off as he couldn't find the words. "Because we are fine… It's just how it is. Besides, they could come back at any moment, after all."
"No!" Delia hissed, her voice raised but she quickly got it back to a reasonable level so as not to draw the attention of Ash and Seth. "Brock, sweetie, that shouldn't be 'just how it is' at all. It's wrong! They should be here to love, support, and care for you! You deserve that. Your siblings deserve that, Brock."
"I know." Brock answered softly. His body was shaking lightly as if he was struggling under immense pressure.
"Are you scared? Are you worried that you and your family will be split up? I have connections with Professor Oak and from back when I was a trainer. I can make sure that won't happen." Delia reassured the boy while rubbing his back as he breathed deeply.
"I just don't want to… to give up, I guess. I mean, I'm supposed to be a gym leader. The guy whose will is as solid as stone. This gym has been in my family for four generations now, too." Brock let out a shaky sigh as he shook his head. His hand went to his face in order to rub his still-closed eyes as Delia could hear him sniffle.
"Brock… you're only 14." Delia reminded him as she kept rubbing his back. "You're not 'giving up', you're asking for help, sweetie. And there's nothing wrong with that. It's unfair and cruel for your parents to leave you like this. It isn't right. But we can make it right, Brock. If not for you, for your siblings? They deserve to have parents."
"I get it…" Brock sniffled as he looked back into Delia's eyes with a small smile. "But, to be fair, you haven't ever even met any of my siblings, Miss Ketchum."
"I don't need to!" Delia returned the smile with her own as she clasped her hands around Brocks once more. "If they're anything like you then they deserve more than anything. And so do you… so will you please?" Delia pleaded with the boy with a solemn, pleading tone in her voice.
"I…" Brock trailed off, just staring into the woman's eyes quietly, then looking to the massive table that stretched across the room. It was too big. Simply too big for such a small living space. It felt as if it suffocated the space more than adding anything to it.
"I'll do it." Brock softly stated as he looked back at Delia. "I need to make a call."
Delia nodded slowly. "Alright sweetie, I'll be here the entire time."
Delia sat outside the gym quietly as she waited for the police to finish questioning Brock and the other children who had gotten back from school in the time between Brock reporting his parent's abandonment to now. She had offered to take the younger children off their hands so that the police could do their jobs and her request was thankfully fulfilled.
So now Delia sat watching a group of kids all chase Ash around the park giddily as they tried to dogpile her son. Seth currently sat beside her on the bench as he continued to redo their task of writing the alphabet over and over with Delia supervising.
"So… the 'K' makes the same sound as the 'C'?" Seth asked cautiously as he looked up at Delia.
"Hm?" Delia hummed as she was pulled from watching Ash get pulled to the ground. "Yes, sweetie. It's a little confusing, isn't it?"
"Yeah…" Seth nodded with a nervous whine as he bit his thumb a bit. "Reading is super, duper hard… and I feel bad for bothering Mister Brock about it too."
Delia gently reached over and pulled their hand away from their mouth gently. "You shouldn't bite yourself like that, Seth. You could accidentally hurt yourself. And I understand, dear. Learning can be hard but it's also so worth it." The woman smiled as she caressed the back of the child's head gently.
"Sorry. I do that when I get nervous…" Seth admitted, making Delia wonder if it was some equivalent to sucking on their thumb, reminding Delia of how young they are in contrast to the facade that they put on.
"Don't be, dear. Here, want me to help you? I taught Ash how to read after all." Delia offered with a smile, though she got distracted by the pop of a Pokeball. She turned her head to watch Ash escape from the dogpile with a triumphant laugh as he was now on top of Dracovish's head.
Seth watched Ash and Dracovish run around for a moment before seemingly remembering Delia's question as he turned back to her with a surprised expression. "Oh! Um… sure. Only if you'd like, Miss Ketchum." Seth responded formally, most likely copying Brock from before.
"Just call me Delia, sweetie. And okay, let's start." Delia smiled as she began to teach the alphabet to Seth slowly. Before she had even realized it, the police had begun to leave the gym and the sun was starting to set on this most unexpected of days.
Having brought all the kids back inside, Ash looked as if he was about to pass out in exhaustion from running as Pichu fanned the boy with his large ears. "Well, that took a bit longer than I thought it was going to." She smiled at Ash as they walked into the main doors of the gym.
"Yeah." Ash agreed with a slight groan "My freaking tail is sore. I think these jeans are getting tighter on me."
"Hmmm… you may be getting a growth spurt again. You do look a bit taller than before." Delia smiled as she ruffled Ash's hair.
Seth tilted his head as he walked beside them. "Do growth spurts happen often? Am I supposed to have one? Getting looking stuff right is super hard." The boy whined softly as he looked down at himself. Sure, he didn't exactly articulate his thoughts perfectly, but Delia knew what he meant.
"They do when you're growing, Seth. Kids around the age you look like grow a lot, after all." Delia smiled as Ash went to get the door for both of them. Pichu just stood with a bow as he beckoned the two in like a little gentleman, causing Seth to chuckle lightly and Delia to smile at her two, little gentlemen.
"Thank you, Ash!" Seth smiled as he waved, and Delia entered the housing part of the gym as he did.
"How very kind of you, dear." Delia praised her son as Ash followed them in behind. Delia turned to look ahead once more as she spotted the large family all huddled around Brock in a big hug.
"It'll be okay. I promise that I'll do everything I can. It'll be okay." Brock softly spoke in the big group hug as Delia stepped forward while clearing her throat, causing some of the kids to turn and make way for Delia to see Brock as he was sitting at the end of the table in a chair with his arms around his siblings.
"Is… is everything alright, Brock?" Delia questioned as she stood in front of the family. She had a feeling that she knew the answer to that question already but she simply needed confirmation.
Brock didn't respond for a second. The boy just took a shaky sigh before opening his mouth. "They… didn't say that they were certain but…" Again, he took another deep sigh. Clearly trying to hold himself together. "They said that they can't guarantee that they can keep us all together because of how big we are. Something about how some of us may go to Johto or go to separated girls and boys homes."
Delia didn't say anything. She just took the few steps forward that were needed in order to lay a hand on Brock's shoulder. "I won't let that happen." She declared while staring into Brock's ruby eye. Noting how the flower bud located in his other eye twitched slightly. "Brock, I promise you that I-"
"We!" Ash yelled out from behind his mother, interrupting her as he ran forward to put his arm onto Brock's other shoulder. "I'll help too! I promise!"
"Pi pi!" Pichu chirped up while jumping into one of the youngest's arms and smiling up at them. The little Pokemon patted his chest as if he was drawing attention to himself.
"M-Me too! If you'll let me!" Seth nodded as he joined Delia and Ash in crowing Brock. "You've helped me so much with Mawile and learning how to read and just being so nice and everything! I wanna help you so please let us?"
Delia couldn't help but smile as her chest filled with pride as the others joined in with her to back her in helping the Harrison family. As both of his shoulders were now taken by the kids, Delia extended her hand as if offering it to Brock. "Will you let us help you? We will do it all together."
Brock remained silent for a bit. Just looking at the faces of the nervous, lost children as they looked to their guardian for guidance. They were looking to Brock for his answer. Brock, having seemingly made up his mind, reached out to clasp Delia's hand. "Please… I don't want them to be taken away." Brock pleaded as the bud located in his eye socket began to flower into an absolutely gorgeous orange lily with white accents.
Delia smiled. The mother felt that warmth of pride that was glowing in her chest burst into a flame of determination and drive as she stared into Brock's stunning eyes. "Then let's go home and get to work." Delia exclaimed as she pulled Brock to his feet.