The world flashed black and white as crackles of electricity tore through Stantler.

  She screamed, a terrible grating thing that had some trainers on the stands flinching.

  As soon as the Thunder ended, she fell to the ground in a heap, unconscious and scorched black in some places.

  “Stantler is unable to battle. The Challenger’s pokemon have all fainted. Gym Leader Lt. Surge wins!”

  “Rai-chu!”

  No one claps, too stunned by the violence they just witnessed.

  “Hahaha, is that it? So much for showing me who’s boss, huh, Johtonian?”

  The tall man cackled freely, his muscular frame shaking. He then sneers at the challenger who said nothing in reply and recalls Raichu.

  It was just another day putting cocky foreigners in their place for the ex-military man.

  “Any other challengers? So many of you have been waiting, right?”

  He turns to the crowd, daring anyone to speak up. He knew full and well that this was his last match scheduled for the day, but he couldn’t resist egging the crowd on.

  Maybe some of them would be incensed enough to come the next day with defiance crackling through their veins.

  Receiving no reply, he snorts and marches off, whistling all the way.

  Lt. Surge was in a good mood, he tended to be after beating up a challenger and with something to look forward to.

  A well-built, scarred man approached the gym leader. His hair was cropped short, gym uniform cleanly pressed.

  “Sir,” he began. “We’ve just confirmed Gray Oak’s challenge. We expect him in the next few days, perhaps even as early as tomorrow.”

  Lt. Surge’s grin became even more savage, the bloodthirst practically leaping out of his skin.

  “Sammy finally got back to us, did he? Hahaha, Itty Bitty Oaky’s coming to show how much he’s grown!”

  His employee, an ex-comrade from the force, hummed in reply.

  “It should make for a good battle, sir. He did well against Brock.”

  “Hah! Sammy would have ribbed him if he performed worse! That boy better not think all gym leaders are easy pickings. I’ll crush him just to remind him!”

  The chance to unwind, to finally battle with no kiddie gloves on was intoxicating. To do so with the grandson of his comrade? Surge was salivating.

  Gray had disappeared for years, so the gym leader was eager to see what he’s made of now that he’s back.

  Lt. Surge’s booming laugh echoes around the room.

  _____

  The afternoon sun in Pallet may be setting, but the residents of Oak’s laboratory were anything but winding down.

  Gary and Ash were running about, trying to get everything they needed packed and ready.

  In Gray’s mind, it should have been an easy affair. All his nephew needed to do was emulate what Ash had brought to Pewter.

  The fairy trainer, however, failed to account for Blue’s chaos.

  His older brother was frazzled, muttering up a storm as he helped his son pack his bag. He was unloading everything before repacking it in, dissatisfied with how he did it before — Gray had lost count of how many times Blue had done so after the fourth.

  The funny thing was, the bag was made with space folding tech, so there was ample space in it regardless of how Blue decided to pack.

  Gray wisely chose not to point this out to his brother, letting him get his anxious energy out by packing and repacking for his son.

  “Mmm we need another space folding bag,” he chooses to say instead.

  “What? Why?” Blue asked, frazzled and concerned he had missed out on something vital.

  “This is Gary’s right? We need one for Ash too.”

  Blue takes a moment to process his brother’s words before he dashes off and returns with another bag. He reaches for Ash’s normal backpack and begins another transferring session.

  “There’s no need to stress pack, you know. We’ll be back pretty soon.”

  “I know, I know. But I can’t help it. I need to make sure Gary has everything he needs,” Gray looks at him pointedly, making him hastily add. “And Ash too, of course.”

  His older brother reaches for another shirt before he folds it expertly. “Plus, I’m a dad. This is bare minimum.” he whispers guiltily.

  While Gray approved of the sentiment, the way Blue said it gave him pause.

  His older brother shakes his head, bringing his mind back to the present.

  “Can you carry Umbreon’s pokeball too?”

  “Huh? Why would I do that?”

  “He’ll be tagging along to make sure both boys are safe, of course.”

  Gray bites back the gut instinct to snap at his brother.

  “I’ll be around. They’ll be perfectly fine.”

  “But…” Blue was just about to bring up the Zapdos incident but he wisely keeps it to himself, knowing it would only infuriate his brother.

  “I’ll always keep a pokemon with them, how about that?” said Gray to compromise.

  “But…”

  “Not just the Rotoms. Two experienced pokemon, to ease your worrying.”

  Just to drive the point home further, Gray reminds his older brother.

  “I’m their uncle too, so I’ll be making sure to keep a careful eye out. I know you care, but have a bit of faith in me dude.”

  Blue finally relents with a nod.

  But for good measure, he repacks the boys’ bag again, just in case he missed something important.

  The great thing about having Gary around was that Ash had someone to talk to, leaving his uncle free to his thoughts.

  They were approaching Vermilion city, soaring through the dead of the night on Mega Altaria’s back.

  Blue, Gray was coming to find, was an absolute worrywart. He had nagged at both boys again and again about what they could or couldn’t do. About the need to always stick to Gray, or at the very least, being around his pokemon at all times.

  He went through other rules like stranger danger, being respectful and staying aware of their surroundings.

  Gray would have taken offence when Blue had firmly warned both boys against catching random pokemon, making a point to blatantly mention legendaries, but Blue didn’t even spare his brother a glance while he said it.

  He just seemed aware of how much trouble both boys could get underfoot, especially together.

  As a result of Blue’s repeated nagging, their departure was delayed.

  So now, him and the children were forced fly through the dead of the night.

  Gray had fully expected both boys to crash as the hours passed, but they both were surprisingly raring to go.

  Gray prayed to Arceus that this was just because of novel excitement, no confidence in his ability to handle children who never got tired.

  If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

  The boys finally quieted down when they could spot Vermilion on the horizon from dragon back, and Gray couldn’t blame them.

  Vermilion City was a true metropolis, a far cry from Pewter City. The city skyline had a generous number of skyscrapers, each glistening even under the moonlight. Beyond the city limits, the navy ocean waters were littered with ships. Gray could spot a wide variety of them, from shipping containers to cruiseliners, a testament to Vermilion’s status as the port city of Kanto.

  Interestingly, both the architecture of the buildings and build of ships varied greatly. Some had the familiar sleekness of Kantonian builds, while others had the longstanding roundness of traditional Johtonian pagodas, similar to east Asian buildings in Gray's past life. Certain ships were also larger than the others, likely built for longer voyages on the deeper waters of Hoenn.

  To see the massive city from atop a dragon was rare, so both boys went quiet just to take it all in.

  Gray smiled at the silent awe they radiated. As a believer in seeing the world to know your place in it, he was satisfied in playing a small part in both boy’s development.

  They alighted in a quiet part of the city, with them only human beings awake at this time. Ash and Gary hopped off and began looking around, giddy again despite the hour.

  Not taking any chances, Gray commanded both Azumarill and Sylveon out of their pokeballs to accompany the boys.

  “Let’s keep it down. We don’t want to cause a nuisance by making so much noise this late.”

  Just as he finished his sentence, the shattering of glass pierced through the air, followed by the sound of blunt objects smashing against something metallic. Everyone twisted their head towards the commotion.

  “What was that!” Ash whispered excitedly.

  “Maybe it’s a bad guy. We gotta go stop him!” said Gary, equally eager.

  Their older companion massaged his head at their immediate conclusion, debating internally what to do in the situation.

  The choice was taken away from him as Ash and Gary started making their way towards the noises, thankfully followed closely by Sylveon and Azumarill, Rotom-dexes floating behind.

  Gray groaned, and was about to stop them before pausing. How much trouble could they actually get up to?

  He liked to think of himself as a cool uncle, a guardian standing at the peripherals ensuring their safety from a distance. Having grown up with the lax parenting style of the pokemon world, they would be unfamiliar with rigidity. He didn’t want to be too restrictive on the boys, knowing that doing so would only encourage them to rebel.

  “Ash, Gary,” he chooses to say instead.

  Both boys stop moving, turning their heads back in guilt.

  Good, at least they were self aware enough to know that running off the minute they arrived in Vermilion was in bad taste.

  “Stick close to the pokemon. Absolutely no running away on your own. If you do, you’ll have to stick by my side for the rest of our trip, got it?”

  They nodded enthusiastically, eyes shining at Gray for the compromise and degree of freedom their uncle was giving them.

  Sending them away with a wave of his hand, the noys went ahead with their adventure, eager to explore and investigate the strange noises.

  Gray followed from behind at a slower pace, content to stroll and take his time.

  “Uncle Gray is so cool,” mutters Gary as soon as they’re out of earshot.

  “Yeah, he’s letting us go on an adventure!”

  “It means he trusts us to get to the bottom of this! We can’t disappoint him.” Gary declares solemnly.

  So far so good, they had barely landed in Vermilion and there was already something cool happening. They increased their pace, turning multiple corners until their uncle was no longer in sight.

  Fortunately, the sound of things breaking got louder and louder.

  After turning one more corner, the group was finally greeted by the source of commotion.

  A group of people were destroying a Johtonian flower shop, smashing into windows and goods with clear abandon. They wielded bats and spray paints, carelessly flinging them around to demolish and vandalise everything within their radius. The shop's 'Blossom Bar' sign was smashed in half and left on the ground, dirty footprints all over it. Some pokemon were aiding them in the process, Ratatas headbutting into tougher shelves and Grimers oozing around, leaving trails of toxic waste in their wake.

  Ash and Gary were taken aback. These were obviously bad guys! They even had bad guy uniforms, black spandex covering their bodies with yellow ‘R’’s emblazoned on their chest!

  Wanting to stop them from their crimes, they both looked to each other for strength before they marched forward. Remembering their uncle’s words, they made sure to stick close to Azumarill and Sylveon who were now both hyper focused on their potential foe.

  “Stop criminals! Ya can’t destroy this shop!” Gary cried out.

  The sudden shout startled the looters, all of them immediately turning to Gary’s direction.

  Their alarm was short-lived, their shoulders loosening when they noticed only two unaccompanied pipsqueaks.

  “Huh? Beat it, kid. Don’t get involved in things that don’t concern you.”

  “You shouldn’t destroy things! That’s bad!” said Ash, indignant.

  The ‘bad guys’ were about to retort back when mechanical voices interrupted them.

  “Bzzt. According to Indigo Penal Code 43, intentional destruction of property is deemed as ‘mischief’ and is a punishable offence.”

  “Bzzt. Penalties can range from fines to imprisonment, depending on the scale of the damage.”

  The ‘criminals’ reconsidered their actions, taken aback by the floating machine-like pokemon. They were obviously high-tech, and it didn’t bode well that these two children had them as companions.

  Taking pause to properly assess the situation, they also noticed the other two pokemon by the boys’ side. One was an Azumarill, supposedly not much of a threat, but its unblinking stare at them was unnerving. The other was proof they made a correct choice in not attacking the boys immediately.

  It was a foreign pokemon, one they had never seen before. Pink and fox-like with ribbons extending out of its body and dancing in the wind. It looked beautiful under the moonlight. It would usually be easily dismissible as a simple companion pokemon if not for the intensity it radiated. The foreign pokemon took them and their pokemon in before snorting lowly, causing them to release a breath they had unwittingly held.

  Before they could reply to diffuse the situation, an angry voice interrupted them yet again.

  “Gary, Ash, what are you two doing!?”

  A man in simple yet well-tailored travel clothes came forward, eyeing their group with so much anger it was as palpable as the foreign pokemon's. His displeasure didn’t bode them well.

  Gray took it back. Maybe becoming a helicopter pseudo-parent was the way to go?

  He had barely let the boys out of his sight when they already managed to involve themselves in trouble beyond the norm.

  When he finally caught up, he wasn’t too concerned. His pokemon were more than able to handle a bunch of hooligans destroying property.

  But as he neared, he couldn’t help his heart from catching in his throat.

  The boys were openly confronting Team Rocket members! He immediately rushed forwards, a hand already reaching into his jacket to release another pokemon.

  “Gary, Ash, what are you two doing?!” he demanded out loud, hoping to draw attention away from his charges.

  He positioned himself directly in front of the boys, blocking them from the Rocket members’ view. Sylveon and Azumarill quickly stepped forward, flanking their trainer and reconsidering the threat in front of them after their trainer’s obvious panic.

  Gray was just about to command them to attack without holding back when he finally got a good glimpse of the Team Rocket members.

  They were all young, barely of age. Their faces, still lined with baby fat, were frozen in shock and fear, trembling as they clutched pokeballs in their hands.

  They obviously considered releasing their pokemon for protection, but hesitated for it would be seen as outright hostility.

  Gray stared them down, daring them to do anything.

  Despite their damning uniforms, Gray couldn’t bring himself to attack them, especially as they technically have never done anything to Gray and his own. At present, they appeared as nothing more than hooligans destroying a flower shop.

  “Why are you doing this?”

  "It's none ..." said one of them in a high pitched voice before she began to lose confidence under Gray's stare. "... of your business?" she said, nearly whispering towards the end.

  “Doesn’t matter uncle! We have to bring them to the police station!”

  “That’s right, they’re bad guys!”

  Gray sighs, calling out for Grimmsnarl. The Team Rocket members became more wary with the new addition, even less inclined to defend themselves when they couldn’t recognize the species again.

  “All of you, gather together, stay close. If you run, I’ll attack,” he warned.

  They scrambled to obey, their already released pokemon strategically placed closer to Gray.

  Once they were huddled together, Grimmsnarl formed a barrier around them, effectively keeping them trapped.

  They could have run or attacked, Grimmsnarl’s methods neither truly hindering nor restraining them, serving mostly as protection against their group. But they hesitated and chose to comply, wary of the command in Gray’s voice. They could tell he was the stronger trainer, and going against him could turn things ugly fast.

  Gray fiddles with his phone to orient himself before marching them in the direction of the police station.

  All the policemen turn towards their direction as soon as they enter the precinct.

  Their eyes narrow at the foreign pokemon around Gray and the young Team Rockets trapped within Grimmsnarl’s barrier.

  “What do you think you’re doing? Imprisoning young people just because you can? This is against the law!” One of the officers barks at Gray.

  Taken aback by the hostility against him, he eyes the Team Rocket members. They still carried bats and their uniform was dirtied with paint. Surely it was obvious they were in the wrong?

  As Gray observes them, he couldn’t help but notice how relaxed some of the members were now that they were in the station.

  Strange.

  “We caught them destroying a shop, mister! They’re bad guys!” insists Ash.

  “Do you have proof? Did you take a video of them causing the damage?”

  Seeing the negative in the boys’ expression, the officer quickly pounces.

  “Then you’re illegally detaining citizens! We’ll need to take down your information to register your offence! What are your names?!”

  Gary, not used to being on the receiving end of such hostility directed at him, snapped back.

  “My name is Gary Oak, son of Champion Blue Oak! And this is my uncle, Gray Oak, grandson of Professor Samuel Oak!”

  Gray would have chastised his nephew for using their special identity to get out of trouble, but he couldn’t in this situation. It was a great get-out-of-jail-free card, literally in this case.

  The officer’s expression quickly shifted at that revelation, his eyes roaming around both Oaks to ascertain the truth of his claim.

  Perhaps it was the calm indifference in the older man, the cocky certainty in Gary’s and his striking resemblance to Champion Blue, but he eventually back pedaled.

  His expression softens, tension draining from his body. “Ah, so you’re all Kantonians. My apologies for the hostility, we weren’t aware…”

  Another officer approaches, trying to take the heat off his colleague. “Er… Mr Oak sir… My apologies, but may I know what exactly happened?”

  Gray simply raises a brow before he directs Gary and Ash to start their tale.

  Quick to shift moods, the pair regales the officers with what happened, excitedly describing what happened and how they ‘helped to take down the bad guys’.

  The officers nod at their story. “Understood. Thank you for your help in keeping Vermilion safe.”

  Pleased at the more positive reception, Ash and Gary beam back at the officers, a satisfying conclusion to their tiny adventure.

  “I couldn’t help but notice they seem to be part of some organisation? Have there been other instances of crime attributed to the group?”

  At Gray’s first words since entering the station, the officers tense.

  “No, sir. They’re probably just a bunch of young people looking to cause a bit of trouble, nothing too serious.”

  “Hmm, I see. I’d appreciate it if you paid attention to any trouble related to their organisation in the future. A few hooligans are one thing, but a group committed to organised crime is another.”

  “We understand, sir. Rest assured, we will handle the matter as befitting the situation. You have no need to worry, Kantonians will always be safe in Kanto.”