Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon. It belongs to Nintendo and Game Freak.

This is the second release of the day.

Chapter 38

Lucas arrived in Pewter City and exited the tower.

His first impression of the city was that it felt confining, as it was situated inside a shallow crater, surrounded on three sides by towering cliff faces, making the city appear smaller. Many of the buildings were shaped from rock, which gave the city a solid and grounded feel. In some ways, it reminded him of Saffron City, with its bland colour palette, but it wasn't necessarily a bad thing. There was a lot of craftsmanship that went into the buildings, temples, monuments, and effigies scattered throughout the city. It was the most unique city he had seen yet, and it gave off the vibe of an ancient stone city from his old world.

He spotted Brock ahead and walked over to him.

"Lucas!" Brock greeted him. "Thanks for coming to support me."

Brock didn't look like his usual self. He appeared anxious, as evidenced by his inability to remain still. His foot kept tapping on the ground, and he was fiddling with his hands.

"No worries," Lucas replied. "I don't know what I can do to help, but two heads are better than one, right?"

Brock nodded. "Let's get going. I don't want my siblings to have to deal with my father alone longer than necessary."

Lucas followed Brock as they made their way through the streets. He also noticed that the city's layout was very uniform, with wider streets than usual.

"Pewter City is primarily a mining city," Brock explained, noticing his curiosity. "There are extensive mines north of the city that supply a large portion of the region's minerals and ores. Since the war, the scale of the operation has been drastically reduced, but it remains the city's primary source of revenue. About twenty per cent of the city's population are either miners, or have a job related to it."

"I heard there was a museum here," Lucas said. "I was going to check it out after we finished the business with your father."

"It's not that great," Brock warned. "It has been in decline for years. One of the reasons it was built was to study Pokemon fossils, but the ones that have been mined thus far have all been too damaged to use. I don't know what will come first. The museum no longer receives much funding, so either it closes, or they discover a viable fossil and resurrect an ancient Pokemon."

Lucas was sure that he could find plenty of amazing treasure if he were to explore the mines here, and perhaps some fossils as well. If he didn't have his own mine to worry about, and so much else on his plate, he might have stayed here for a few days to explore it further.

They arrived at the Pokemon Gym, a round structure that resembled a colosseum. This city was undoubtedly aiming for a particular aesthetic, and he appreciated how different it looked from the others. It made exploring them so much more interesting.

"We live over there," Brock said, pointing to a two-storey house across the street from the Pokemon gym.

They headed for the house. Someone must have been keeping an eye out for them, because a swarm of kids rushed out of the house as they walked up the path. Lucas stepped to the side as the kids swarmed Brock, noticing how much they resembled him, with brown hair and narrow-shaped eyes.

The kids were all talking over each other, trying to get their say, but Brock raised his hands to silence them.

"Let me catch my breath!" Brock exclaimed. "First of all, let me make the introductions. This is my boss, Lucas. Say hello to him."

"Hello!" The kids yelled at him.

"They are certainly energetic," Lucas remarked, feeling overwhelmed. He could see where Brock got his nurturing nature from if he had to care for this lot.

"This is my oldest sibling, Yolanda," Brock said, and the girl waved at him. He went on to name the rest, from oldest to youngest. "Salvadore, Tommy, Cindy, Suzie, Timmy, Billy, and Tilly."

"Hello," Lucas said with a smile. "I am going to have trouble remembering all of your names, so please bear with me."

"Brother, you didn't tell us he was so handsome," Yolanda said.

"I didn't think that was a necessary detail," Brock countered, ruffling her hair. "Don't develop a crush on him. He is already spoken for."

"Brock!" Yolanda protested.

There were eight siblings in total, ranging in age from about three to thirteen years old. Despite their circumstances, they all appeared to be happy, and clearly adored their big brother.

"Wait, I thought you said you had nine siblings," Lucas said.

The kids' mood immediately changed, and he wondered what he had said to upset them.

"That was a slip of the tongue," Brock admitted. "We used to have another sibling. His name was Forrest, who was the oldest after me, but he passed away a year ago."

"Sorry," Lucas apologised.

"You didn't know," Brock said, waving his hand dismissively. "Yolanda, where is our father?"

Yolanda scowled. "He's still sleeping. He went out drinking last night after he couldn't persuade me to hand over the pokedollars you gave me."

"Did he do anything to you?" Brock asked, his brows furrowed.

"No," Yolanda said. "He smashed a few things, but I was able to get everyone away before he turned his anger on us."

Brock clenched his fists. It looked like he was seconds away from marching up to the house and confronting his father. His siblings shouldn't be around to witness the confrontation.

Lucas pulled out his wallet and handed some pokedollars to Yolanda. "Why don't you take your siblings out to eat while we talk with your father?"

Yolanda glanced at Brock, who gave her a nod. She and Salvadore, the next oldest, led the kids away, while Lucas and Brock made their way up to the house.

"Sorry to bring the mood down," Lucas said. "May I ask how Forrest died?"

Brock's face darkened. "Officially, it was ruled an accident. Forrest fell down the stairs and broke his neck."

"But you believe differently."

"Forrest was arguing with my father at the top of the stairs," Brock said. "I heard them in the kitchen, but I was too preoccupied with my other siblings to investigate. Then I heard a scream, and ran into the entryway to find my brother at the bottom of the stairs, no longer moving. Father was at the top of the stairs, and he had this expression on his face. Maybe I was imagining it, but it looked like guilt."

"So, you think it was your father that pushed him. Maybe it really was a tragic accident."

"Maybe," Brock replied, climbing the steps and opening the front door. "But it's not the first time he pushed someone down the stairs. I was fortunate to survive the fall with only a few bruises."

Lucas was caught off guard. How was it possible that the kids were still living with their father? Was there no one who had noticed what was going on in the house? Perhaps it was because he was a gym leader with a lot of authority and respect that no one wanted to say anything against him.

He followed Brock into the house and up the stairs to the second floor. "Should we be worried about him using his Pokemon to attack us?"

Brock shook his head. "He keeps them in the Colosseum. Most of them are too heavy to keep in the house, and they could easily damage it."

When they arrived in the master bedroom, Brock knocked on the door. When there was no response, he opened the door to look inside. Lucas noticed a man sprawled out on the bed, over Brock's shoulder. The room was a mess, with dozens of empty bottles of alcohol and food containers littering the floor.

Without saying anything, Brock retrieved a bucket from the bathroom and filled it with water before returning to the bedroom and tipping it over his father. The man yelled and sputtered, rolling off the bed to escape the water being poured on him.

"What the hell?" The man roared, glaring up at Brock. "What the hell was that for?"

His appearance was unexpected. Flint Harrison did not come across as the monster that Brock had portrayed; he appeared too pathetic for that. He looked old and frail. Not someone who would abuse his kids. Perhaps years of alcoholism and gambling had brought him to this point.

"What were you trying to do?" Brock growled. "I told you to stay away from my siblings. Are you too fucking stupid to follow one simple order?"

Flint wiped the water out of his eyes. "Don't speak to me like that. Yolanda has been hiding pokedollars from me. As her father, it's my responsibility to take care of her savings until she is old enough to take care of herself."

Brock snorted. "If she did that, she would have no savings left by the time she turned eighteen. Don't pretend you don't know where the pokedollars came from. I sent it to ensure that my siblings received proper care, which they were clearly not receiving from you."

"What are you going to do about it?" Flint smirked. "Are you going to try and report me to the authorities again? That didn't work out so well last time, did it?"

"What's he talking about?" Lucas asked.

Flint squinted at him. "Who the hell are you?"

"I tried reporting him to social services," Brock explained. "But instead of sending someone over to investigate, they returned my call and chewed me out for reporting a false claim."

Lucas whistled. "You must have some friends in high places to get it dismissed so easily."

Flint climbed to his feet. "That's none of your business, whoever you are. I suggest you get out of my house before I call the police on you."

"You're really pathetic," Lucas sighed. "Can't you be persuaded to leave your kids alone?"

"One million pokedollars!" Flint chuckled, stumbling to his feet. "That's my price."

"Forget it," Brock said, pulling Lucas out of the room. "I knew that talking with him would be a waste of time, but I wanted to let him know that I'm not going to let him do whatever he pleased."

Brock led him back outside, and they stood on the front porch, staring out into the street.

"Does he have some friends within the government?" Lucas asked. "It astonishes me that your father is still a gym leader with his behaviour."

Brock nodded. "His name is Shido. He is an old politician who works for the Pokemon League department in the government. My father supports him, which is no small thing. The gym leaders have a lot of influence, so getting their support goes a long way to legitimising a politician's position."

Lucas paused. "Shido? What's his last name?"

"Masayoshi."

He had heard that name before. That was Shichiro Kuroi's political opponent, who had a hand in the attack on his family and was working with Team Rocket. It wouldn't come as a surprise if Shido would use his influence to protect Flint, in exchange for his support. Did Shichiro know about this situation, and could he do something about it?

"Give me a second," Lucas said, pulling out his phone. Shichiro had given him his number, but he never imagined that he would ever use it for this reason.

"Shichiro speaking."

"Hello, Prime Minister. This is Lucas speaking."

"I thought I told you to call me Shichiro. What can I do for you?"

Lucas noticed Brock's astonished expression beside him and grinned. He had deliberately said prime minister to get a reaction out of him.

"Do you know the situation with Flint Harrison, the gym leader of Pewter City?" Lucas asked.

"What situation? The Pokemon League department deals with the gym leaders. I'm only informed of the most important issues."

"Would a gym leader who is an alcoholic and abuses his kids qualify as an important issue?"

"What the hell? Explain!" Shichiro ordered.

Lucas gave him a summary of the situation, and Shichiro fell silent as he processed the information.

"If Shido is involved in this, I would be dealing a huge blow to him if I took out one of his supporters," Shichiro concluded. "But, if I expose Flint's abuse and fire him as a gym leader, there will be consequences for his children."

Lucas glanced at Brock. "What do you mean?"

"If there is no family to take care of his children, then they'll be placed into foster homes," Shichiro said. "With the number of children he has, it's unlikely they would stay together. The oldest isn't old enough to take custody of them."

Lucas frowned. Considering how close the siblings were, it would be the worst thing that could happen to them. At least with their father, they were all together.

"You need to find someone who will adopt all of them together. At least until Brock turns eighteen and takes over custody of them." A hint of amusement could be heard in his voice. "Are you willing to take on an instant family? I wonder what Sabrina would think."

Lucas grimaced. There was no way he could take responsibility for so many kids. He was only eighteen years old, and he was years away from thinking of ever having kids. While it wouldn't be too difficult because they were fairly self-sufficient, he was unwilling to make that kind of sacrifice.

"Is Brock there?" Shichiro asked. "Pass the phone over to him. I have an idea."

Lucas handed over the phone to Brock, who appeared intimidated to be speaking with the prime minister. But he quickly got over it as the conversation progressed. Lucas could get the gist of it just by listening to Brock's side of the conversation, so he wasn't surprised by what Shichiro said when he took the phone back from Brock.

"The Kuroi family will be taking custody of the kids until Brock turns eighteen," Shichiro said. "But because of the strife that's going to hit the capital soon, I want them to stay away from there. So, Brock will continue to look after his family, with Sabrina supervising him."

"Alright," Lucas said. "They will have to move to Viridian City since Brock works for me."

"You have recently rented a property there, correct?" When Lucas confirmed, he continued. "I will look into purchasing a property nearby where the siblings can stay. I will also hire some servants to care for them."

"You certainly work fast," Lucas observed. "I must applaud you for your astute political move. The public will love you for taking in a bunch of abused siblings."

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Did you get permission from Sabrina before volunteering her for this responsibility?"

"I will get it from her. If she refuses, I can always pass the responsibility onto you. Don't worry, I will pay you appropriate compensation."

"I'm hanging up now," Lucas told him.

"Wait a moment. There are a couple more things I wish to speak about before you hang up. Sabrina will be leaving Saffron City in another two weeks. I will have some security come and check out your place of residence to ensure it's secure."

"You just love getting your own way."

"Of course. Another thing I wanted to mention was the mines. When did you plan to tell me about them?"

"Why do I need to? I assumed the mayor of Viridian City informed you of the matter."

"Don't trust Cassidy. The way that she was able to get the position of mayor was highly suspect. Furthermore, she has had a few questionable incidents in her past, but none of them were proven."

"Giovanni suggested her for the position," Lucas said.

He had always had some reservations about the woman because of this, but knowing she had a history made her even more suspicious. Now, the fact that she was keeping tabs on him made her intentions look even more suspect. Still, he had no proof that she was working against him.

"Yes. It doesn't paint Giovanni in the best light," Shichiro commented before hanging up.

"You could just come out and say you suspect the man," Lucas muttered, putting his phone away.

Brock nudged him in the side. "Can you believe what's about to happen? Who would have thought that it would take one phone call from you to solve the whole situation?"

"I'm amazing like that," Lucas replied. "So, how's it going to go down exactly?"

The social services arrived to resolve the situation. Flint didn't look happy when he realised what was going on, and he sent the two teenagers threatening looks.

Not long after, a representative from Shichiro's office arrived and fired Flint from his job as the gym leader. He gave Brock some instructions, as well as a huge stack of pokedollars to purchase the kids some new clothes, and stuck around to help Brock get his affairs in order. Firing a gym leader was no small matter, so there would have to be a press conference to provide a statement as well.

Seeing how overwhelmed the kids were, Lucas took them to the museum, leaving Brock to handle the responsibilities.

"This is not what I expected the museum to look like," Lucas said, gazing at the dilapidated building. The Pewter Museum of Science had seen better days.

"Not many people visit here anymore," Yolanda said. "But I like coming here. The scientist that runs this place is nice."

They went inside, where an elderly man in a khaki uniform stood behind the counter. He looked up and smiled when he saw them. "Hello, everyone. Welcome to the Museum of Science. I am Professor Stone, the owner of this fine establishment."

"I'm sure it was fine at one point," Lucas said sceptically, looking around.

The first floor was dedicated to the Pokemon fossil exhibits. Except there wasn't much to show, as the ones being displayed weren't complete fossils.

Professor Stone's shoulders slumped. "Ah, you aren't wrong, lad. You will find the second floor more interesting, as it houses the space-related exhibits. Although, since the war, that has also declined."

Feeling sorry for upsetting the man, Lucas paid the fee, and the kids ran off to explore the museum. He stayed behind to talk to the professor and learn more about Pokemon fossils.

"So, what happened to these fossils?" Lucas asked. "Were they all found like this?"

"Yes," Professor Stone replied, leading him over to one of the fossil exhibits. "This one here is a fossilised Kabuto. I was unable to revive it since it was too damaged, but it was in the best condition out of all the ones that were found."

"What do you think happened to them?"

Professor Stone grinned, clearly enjoying Lucas' interest in the subject. "There is evidence of a major seismic event that occurred in this area in the past, long before the city existed and people were still roaming the lands in tribes. A mountain used to exist here but it was destroyed during the event, leaving the crater where the city now stands. As a result, tonnes of fossils were shattered and buried underground."

"Interesting. Can't the fossils be found elsewhere?"

Professor Stone shook his head. "There haven't been any discoveries made as far as I know. I believe that this was the only area where these extinct Pokemon lived. A lot of Pokemon are like that, where they stick to a certain area because of reasons like the availability of food sources. For rock and ground-type Pokemon, they like places rich in minerals, and this is the best place to find them. It's no wonder these mountains are home to a lot of rock and ground-type Pokemon."

Lucas examined the fossil carefully. If he ever came across one in the future, he wanted to be able to recognise it. "What happened to these Pokemon? How did they go extinct?"

"That is the million Pokédollar question!" Professor Stone exclaimed. "But we know they existed because ancient murals were discovered, with drawings of them etched into stone."

"So, you are just waiting for an intact fossil, and then you will be able to bring these Pokemon back to life," Lucas said. "Does anyone think you are upsetting the natural order of things?"

"Oh yes. There are many, with the church at the top of the list. They are a major reason why this museum has been declining."

"I don't really like agreeing with the church about anything, but maybe they died out for a reason. Maybe Arceus didn't want them to exist anymore?"

"Maybe so," Professor Stone acknowledged. "If I ever succeed in reviving a Pokemon, and get a visit from an angry legendary, then I will have that answer. Even if I die, it will be worth it."

The kids grew tired of exploring the museum, so they left soon after. Trying to think of what else to do, he came up with an idea.

"Does the city have a shop selling second-hand Pokemon?" Lucas asked.

There were Pokemon that lost their homes after their trainers died or were abandoned. While some of them found new trainers or moved into Pokemon Reserves, many others weren't so fortunate. Some businesses sold them to new trainers in exchange for providing the Pokemon with shelter and food. While they were more difficult to bond with than normal Pokemon, and, in some cases, outright impossible, they could still be used for certain tasks.

He needed to begin looking for a psychic-type Pokemon that could teleport. Since he was already here, he might as well start in this city.

Yolanda nodded. "Of course. I will show you where the store is."

The store was called Pre-Owned Pokemon and had stores in all the major cities. Lucas entered and started browsing through the Pokemon on display. The shelves were stocked with pokeballs, each with a description of the Pokemon, as well as the price.

"Can I help you?" A middle-aged woman approached him. "My name is Kim, the manager of this store."

Lucas nodded. "I'm looking for a psychic Pokemon that knows how to teleport. Preferably one that is in the level thirty to forty range, so they can teleport longer distances."

"One moment. I will check my records."

Lucas followed her to the counter while she checked up on her computer.

"I'm afraid we don't have anything here, as they are in high demand," Kim said. "But we do have a Gardevoir in our store in Celadon City. It won't take long to have him teleported here, but you will have to pay for the travel expenses."

"How much is the Gardevoir?" Lucas asked.

"120,000 pokedollars," Kim said. "It's actually on the cheap side because the Gardevoir isn't very cooperative. But he already knows dozens of locations that he can travel to, which are spread across the United Kanto, Hoenn, and Sinnoh regions."

Lucas' eyes lit up. This sounded too good to be true. Gardevoir's disobedience wasn't a problem because he knew how to deal with it.

"I would like to purchase him. Can you bring him here?"

"It will take a couple of hours," Kim said. "And you need to pay for the travel costs upfront."

Lucas paid the manager and told her he would return in two hours. He took the kids to a toy store and let them each choose something before taking them home. Brock was still there, speaking with the representative, but Flint was nowhere to be found.

"Flint owns the house, so we have to leave immediately," Brock explained. "We will be moving to Viridian City tonight and staying in a hotel until the Kuroi family can find a house in your neighbourhood."

"They can stay at my house for the time being," Lucas told him. "I'm going to be busy over the next few days, so I won't even notice they are there."

Brock nodded. "That will be helpful, thank you. I'm going to pack some things up for the kids, but I will be purchasing new things for them, so it shouldn't take too long."

Lucas took a quick tour of the city while he waited for his Pokemon to arrive. He collected as many hidden items as he could, earning back a portion of the pokedollars he intended to spend.

Before returning to the store, he opened his menu and spent two skill points to upgrade his Pokemon Friendship skill to level two. It granted him the ability to more easily gain the trust of a Pokemon up to level forty, as well as the Pseudo Bond ability, which he had previously learned about. He also summoned Meowth so that he could communicate with the Gardevoir and ensure that there were no hidden issues.

Kim was waiting for him, alongside another individual, who had a pokeball in their hands. They summoned the Gardevoir out, and Lucas took his first look at his new Pokemon.

Species: Gardevoir

Level: 38

Condition: Perfect

Threat Level: Zero

"His name is Dante," Kim said. "His trainer passed away two years ago, and he's been living in the store ever since."

"Hello, Dante," Lucas reached out a hand, but the Pokemon slapped it away.

"Dante!" The man who had delivered the Pokemon scolded him.

"It's fine," Lucas said, smiling. He had been prepared for such an outcome, and had activated Pokemon Friendship beforehand. It would now be easier to convince Dante to cooperate with him.

Before he did so, Lucas used Insight on Dante and took a look at his parameters.

Dante's parameters were slightly above average, but he had a nice move set. If he were in danger, then Dante would be able to provide some adequate protection, at least until his team grew stronger. He was pleased to find that Dante had an energy stat of eight, which meant he would have more energy to travel further distances.

Now he only had to convince Dante to come with him.

"May we have some privacy?" Lucas asked. "I would like to spend some time with Dante and see if we are compatible."

Kim nodded and led the delivery man to the other side of the store.

"How's it going?" Meowth said, waving a paw at Dante, who looked shocked. "Yes, I can speak the human language. If you want to say anything to Lucas, then you may do so."

It took some time, but Lucas managed to establish a connection with Dante. But despite using Pokemon Friendship, he found it hard to convince the Pokemon to come with him.

"Is there anything you want in return?" Lucas asked.

"Dante!"

Meowth's eyes widened. "He says he wants help getting justice for his trainer. He was killed by someone, but they got away with the murder."

Lucas frowned. "Who is this person?"

Dante said something else.

"Dante says he will tell you when you have a level sixty team at least," Meowth said.

"Then you have yourself a deal," Lucas said, reaching out his hand. This time, Dante took his hand and shook it.

When he checked Dante's status again, he found that the Pseudo Bond had been activated. Lucas grinned, pleased that he now had a more convenient way to get around. He wouldn't be able to communicate with Dante telepathically, but that would not be a problem as long as Meowth was around.

"I would like to purchase him now," Lucas called out.

Lucas used Dante to teleport him from Pewter City to Viridian City. Because he owned him, his fees for the tower were cut in half. Dante was already paying back the pokedollars he spent to acquire him, and he would save even more because he didn't technically need to use them anymore.

With the device Bill gave him, he would be able to travel more freely without the towers. He couldn't use it indiscriminately, though, because depending on where he teleported to, he might be seen by others. He was thinking about establishing secret bases all over the United Kanto region, where he could teleport in complete secrecy. The secret base south of Viridian City, however, was out of the question because the real owner could return at any time.

Brock and his siblings followed behind them, and they hired two carriages to take them home. They ordered takeout for dinner and ate it while watching the television in the living room.

His mind was elsewhere, though. He was thinking about what he was going to do tomorrow. He had returned earlier than expected, and so he still had to wait another day before he had to lead the mining team to the mine. Maybe it was time to do some more exploring, now that the weather had calmed down a little.

"Lucas, listen to this," Brock said, snapping him out of his thoughts. Brock turned up the volume, and Lucas listened to the newsreader.

"We have breaking news. A Ditto has been spotted along Route 14, near Fuchsia City. This is the first time the miracle Pokemon has been sighted in over three decades. Currently, no known individual is known to own a Ditto.

Lucas sat up in his seat, listening intently.

"Pokemon Breeders are flocking to the location, hoping to catch the elusive Pokemon. Ditto is considered a miracle among Pokemon Breeders because it can easily breed with almost any Pokemon. Cross-species breeding is a notoriously difficult process, so you can imagine how valuable a Ditto would be. Is someone going to get the prize, or are they merely on a fool's errand? Stay tuned to find out!"

"Well, I think I know what I'll be doing tomorrow," Lucas murmured.

There was no way he was passing up this opportunity.

So, what do you think? In the next chapter, Lucas is going to go hunting for a Ditto.

Patrons get access to advanced chapters for all of my stories. Read my profile for information on how to join if you are interested.

Thanks for reading.