Blue Oak sat in his office chair. Alone and unbothered, he was free to stare at a wall, covered with photos of his family, his mind elsewhere.

  He knew there was work to be done.

  His grandfather had to be corralled into a proper research direction, spoilt for choice as he was after another of Gray’s matches inspired questions the professor was salivating to unearth answers to. Blue had to prepare for a meeting at the end of the week where he would find himself surrounded by the Pokemon’s League highest echelons, trying to negotiate for fairer policies that wouldn’t leave Kantonians bereft.

  But at this moment, Blue allowed himself to be distracted.

  Last night, Grandpa Sammy had informed them that Gray and the boys were already in Celadon City, that he would be scheduling his match in Celadon gym the very next day. It should be an innocuous thing, but Blue knew the implications behind it.

  He had briefly entertained the possibility that Gray and the boys would march into Celadon gym, register then leave uninhibited. It would have been perfect! A quick in and out that would maintain the status quo without shaking up the careful foundations Blue had struggled to maintain.

  But Blue, weathered by the realities of life and fatherhood, knew that this optimism was far too high, and Red would be more likely to scale down Mt. Silver of his own accord than for it to happen.

  To Blue, who had grown up fighting to be recognised beyond being Samuel Oak’s grandson, it was simply too convenient and thus likely not to happen. Contrary to what others thought, he had clawed for his current position in life. It wouldn’t be a surprise when he would have to fight for his ideal scenario in this too.

  Sure enough, his phone rang then, disrupting the silence he had been sitting in for hours.

  “Mr Blue, it’s your brother. Should I pick up?” The Rotom-phone shot up to ask. Right, Blue almost forgot that thanks to his brother he wouldn’t ever be properly alone as long as he was contactable.

  “Of course.”

  Blue sat straight up, ruffling his hair in a practiced motion to make sure it defied gravity in a way that enhanced his good looks. He pasted a cocky grin on just as his brother appeared on his Rotom-phone’s screen.

  For a moment, Blue breathed easier seeing his brother’s face. Gray’s silvery-gray hair was longer than it was in their youth, artfully styled and framing his face just right. Blue would admit it suited the man better, an improvement from his rebellious younger years where he wouldn’t care how he looked in defiance. Blue had argued with his brother then to improve his outward appearance so he wouldn’t give gossip magazines ammunition.

  “Well, well, well. Calling me in the middle of the day, little bro? Missed me too much?”

  Gray rolled his eyes at his brother, and Blue couldn’t help but compare them to his own and his children’s. Common the colour may be, but Blue swore the sparkle of arrogance in it was genetic, setting them apart.

  “Yeah, I wish you were here so your stinky odour could help me forget about the smell in Celadon gym. That place is a biohazard! You can’t convince me they don’t sell sludge masked as perfume!”

  Blue laughed, still tickled that the younger brother he had admittedly neglected growing up in favor of his agemate Red, was comfortable enough to verbally spar with him today.

  Gray let his older laugh a bit more before continuing with a nonchalant tone. “But it’s probably for the best that you weren’t here. The Celadon gym trainers weren’t your biggest fans.”

  The words made Blue pause — that was a confirmation of his expectations. He gave a conceited smile before matching his brother’s even tone, completely masking the pounding in his chest.

  “You met Leaf again? How was your reunion?”

  “Terrible. Whatever bitterness she had before had somehow managed to become infinitely worse. I know she was always more you and Red’s friend than mine, but that didn’t stop her from being comfortable enough to spew poison at me.”

  “Huh? I know I have my own issues with her, but why would she include you in that?”

  “Because I’m your younger brother. That’s enough of a reason for her.”

  Blue thought back to his estranged girlfriend. He couldn’t blame her, because he really had been far too busy with his responsibilities to give her the attention she craved. He had done his best, — anniversary dinners at the fanciest places, scheduling weekly dates that he never missed and sending her enough money to make sure she would want for nothing.

  But to Leaf, it was simply not enough. She demanded more time out of Blue, leaving him unable to balance his work properly. She demanded more of his energy when he was already drowning to keep up with his grandfather’s genius in the lab. She demanded more pieces of Blue when he was already dividing himself up to keep Kanto afloat.

  At the end of the day, it wasn’t enough.

  Blue had vowed to make it work anyway. Planned a marriage so grand that everyone in Kanto wouldn’t have questioned Leaf’s position at Blue’s side.

  But Leaf declined, saying that Blue wasn’t in love with her enough. She had thrown an ultimatum at Gray, demanding to balance the scale and to spend time with her more instead of helping his grandfather in the lab or the thankless job of representing Kanto.

  Perhaps if she had asked when they were much younger, Blue would have agreed without hesitation.

  But Blue was no longer a little boy with a clean slate; he had become a man battered with guilt.

  He had chased away his brother out of Kanto, forcing him to become estranged with his home region. He had advocated for a relationship between Red and Delia, eventually leading to the man secluding himself up a lonely mountain with nothing but his pokemon. He had chased away his younger brother and best friend — he couldn’t abandon his family members too.

  So he tried to make everything work, to pacify Leaf and balance his responsibilities and love for her.

  In the end, he ended up chasing Leaf away too.

  In the end, Blue simply wasn’t enough.

  “You didn’t tell me about your daughter. Her name’s Daisy, right?” said Gray after a few moments of silence.

  The perpetual smirk on Blue’s face dropped at the mention of another family member he would inevitably disappoint.

  “Leaf stays with her while I get Gary. Don’t worry, it’s temporary. After Leaf cools down and my work becomes less busy, we’ll be reunited. Hopefully she’ll agree to marry soon. It’d give Daisy and Gary the stability they need.”

  Blue didn’t need to know his brother to recognise Gray’s alarm and apprehension.

  “Why can’t Daisy stay in Pallet Town anyway? She’s old enough to not need constant attention, so she can accompany Grandpa Sammy in his retirement. She’ll have our whole family looking after her then.”

  That was true. In the hectic days that was his life, Blue failed to consider this. Unfortunately, the hope he had built crumbled soon.

  “Leaf would refuse. She doesn’t let me see enough of Daisy as is. I’ve been asking to live together again, but she refuses. She said it would be too much like the marriage she keeps saying no to.”

  “She can refuse your proposal to live together and get married, fine. But I don’t care if she refuses in regards to the children. You’re still their father, no? She can’t refuse you in that.”

  “And what would you have me do? She’s their mother, she has rights to them too.”

  “But she doesn’t offer you the same if she barely lets you see Daisy. Tell me, have you been neglecting your daughter? You’ve been trying, right?”

  Blue thought back to disappointing days he would fly over to Celadon to spend time with Daisy only to be turned away from the door by Leaf.

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  “Yeah, I’ve been trying,” said Blue, keeping the other thoughts to himself.

  “So she has no grounds to refuse. We won’t stop her from seeing the children like the way she’s been stopping you.”

  “What? How do you know that?” Did Grandpa Sammy tell him?

  “I’m your brother, I know you too. Plus I’ve seen you spend time with Gary every night, no matter how busy you got. I’m sure you would do the same for Daisy.”

  A funny feeling started in Blue’s chest before he stifled it.

  “I think it’s best for Daisy to stay with our family. I’m worried about her.”

  Alarmed, Blue demanded. “Did something happen?”

  “Nothing too terrible from what I’ve seen, but it’s just a feeling. Think about it, it can’t be easy for Leaf as a single mother. Besides, it’s best for the children that they aren’t in between you and Leaf. It can’t be healthy for them.

  Speaking of between, what exactly happened between you and Leaf? Why is she so hostile?”

  “She’s giving me what I deserve, I guess,” Blue said bitterly.

  “You’re an asshole, I’d be the first to say that. But even then, you don’t deserve the amount of vitriol Leaf and Celadon gym had been spitting. Before going to Celadon, Ash and Gary were anxious. I could tell they’re not exactly fond of her but they adore you.

  Kids have a way of knowing things. Whatever happened between you and Leaf, she shouldn’t be so hostile in front of the children.”

  Blue considered telling his brother right there and then, to let him know exactly what was up between him and Leaf. It would be nice to get his opinion on everything, considering he was the family member most likely to remain unbiased since he had been away for so long.

  Unfortunately, he kept quiet for so long that Gray assumed he was unwilling to speak.

  “Fine, you can tell me face to face when I get back home. For now, I’ll be focusing on beating the arrogance out of Celadon gym.”

  Laughing, Blue took the lifeline his brother offered by changing topics. “What did they do to make you so unhappy?”

  Gray briefly ranted to his brother. To Blue, it was refreshing to not be on the end of his brother’s temper for a change. “It wasn’t just you that they were insulting, they were looking down on our entire family. Don’t worry though, I won’t let them get away with it.”

  After the call with his brother, Gray couldn’t get over how subdued Blue looked behind his facade.

  He knew his brother by virtue of growing up with him: he was arrogant, but he wasn’t callous and unfeeling. He could tell that there was more to the story than what Blue was willing to tell him.

  When Gray saw the cracks in his persona, he felt like he had been far away from home for too long. The Blue he knew growing up would never let out even a hint of vulnerability, choosing to bottle his feelings even in front of family.

  It was disconcerting. Gray would prefer the haughty mask over seeing his brother in pain.

  On that note, Gray continued to fiddle with his phone. He respected Blue’s choice to not inundate his brother over the phone with his troubles, that was fine.

  But Gray refused to be completely blind. He looked up Blue and Leaf on the internet.

  Whilst public information couldn’t get the entire picture of the situation, it would be helpful for Gray to get some understanding of things even from the lens of tabloids. Since his brother was a prominent figure in Kanto, there would at least be something on the web.

  The more Gray searched, the more his temper rose. He fought to keep his rage and disbelief in check, lest he attract the attention of his pokemon and the boys who were deeply focused in training.

  He missed some of the worried glances from Gardevoir and Sylveon. As fairy pokemon deeply connected to emotions, they were in tune to their trainer’s emotions. They let him be, respecting his ability to manage himself.

  Article after article painted Leaf’s extravagant life. To the public, she was deeply connected to Blue. Apparently, she had been living the high life and enjoying the jealousy that came with being the mother of Blue’s children, married or not.

  Scrolling through her social media, the arrogant girl Gray knew in childhood was flourishing like never before. Shopping trips in the most luxurious stores in Celadon, decadent experiences reserved for the elite and even private dinners with men that were definitely not his brother, were freely posted on her account without care.

  But when Gray made an effort to look up how she was able to afford all this, he was stumped. According to what he found online, Leaf was simply a gym trainer in Celadon gym. Privileged as he was, he knew for a fact that the salary of a gym trainer was nowhere near enough to afford the luxuries in Leaf’s life.

  Was she a poke-influencer of some sort? Living a coveted life connected to Champion Blue Oak was something to be envious of after all.

  But despite his search, Gray found no sponsored posts in her feed, so she probably wasn’t financing herself that way.

  More articles discussing her on-off relationship with Blue, about how being the mother of children made her a de facto Oak, and it was only a matter of time before it became official.

  Gray thought back to his brother’s sombreness after he casually mentioned how Leaf was the party unwilling to commit.

  Digging deeper, Gray finally found an interview explaining the different men she was hanging around with on her social media. To no surprise, she denied having a relationship with them that went deeper than friendship.

  With that denial out of the way, she freely posted photos she had of them hanging out in an opulent apartment. Was she bringing these friends home where Daisy was?

  For the n-th time that day, Gray’s temper rose. Gardevoir knew she would have to conjure peace for her trainer tonight in accordance with her self-imposed job. After all, constant anger throughout the day would give her trainer wrinkles.

  Looking up to make sure he went unnoticed in his corner of the field, Gray was met with the sight of his pokemon training in concentration, doing what they could to perfect moves and movements. Ash and Gary sat by the side, Sylveon between them as they looked enamored with elite pokemon perfecting their craft in the privacy of a Training Centre’s most expensive field.

  Gray had to smack himself for his own blindness — the answer had been staring him in the face.

  Leaf was living her decadent life on Blue’s dime.

  But what right did she have to spend their family’s money when she repeatedly refused to marry into it? Of course, denying Blue was her own prerogative. As the man’s younger brother, Gray wouldn’t wish marriage with him on his worst enemy.

  But if she wasn’t willing to attach herself to him, why was she still able to fund her lifestyle with his money? Even worse, she was unfiltered in her low opinion of Blue and she had called the children she had with him bastards to their faces.

  It was Leaf’s fortune that Gray was away all these years, because Gray wouldn’t have left this level of stupidity stand if he was around.

  The next morning, Gray and the boys decided to start their day late. The boys had been excited to explore the hotel’s high-end amenities, so Gray let the boys roam around with pokemon companions to their heart’s content.

  Gray figured that his pokemon could use the break too, since he had full intention of ramping up their training. Not all of them would get the chance to fight in Celadon, but training with his pokemon family had always been a communal affair. With Gray, they all trained to improve or not at all.

  The fairy trainer let the TV idly play local news as he lounged on the comfortable sofa, Mimikyu settled happily on his chest. The ghost-fairy type had chosen to stay behind with his trainer, eager to spend alone time while the rest happily accompanied the boys, acting as both catalysts of and guardians against chaos that naturally followed the children.

  Trainer and pokemon were both taken out of their restful cuddling when the TV cut to an interview with the Celadon gym leader, Erika.

  “Miss Erika, we’ve heard rumours that you will be facing off against Gray Oak in the upcoming days. Can we confirm this with you?”

  “Yes, he went to the gym to schedule it yesterday.”

  “Mr Gray Oak has been making waves in Kanto recently. There has been talk that he’s the likely conference winner for this circuit, since he’s been challenging gym leaders’ personal teams. Can we get your thoughts on this?”

  “Yes, he’ll be facing my personal team too. I have no fear of the man, and look forward to crushing him and showing him his place. Celadon gym’s long history is a forest nurtured over years. Its branches will not falter under the arrogance of a man who only made the Top 128 of his first conference.”

  “Such strong words! Miss Erika, we also heard that Mr Oak’s pokemon managed to hit you and Leaf, his prospective sister-in-law, within your own gym. We all know such an action is reminiscent of times of greater conflict. Any comments?”

  Erika’s eyes darken, but the rest of her body remained steady, the biggest tree protecting the current status of her gym, the direct descendant of her ancestors and the culminated fruit of their labors.

  “Gray Oak is remarkably similar to his proud brother. His provocation is a reflection of his childishness, his lack of regard sparing not even the mother of his nephew and niece.

  It should come to no surprise for us. This generation of Oak brothers are unbridled, and one can only hope that their grandfather soon steps up to discipline them. The Oak family’s establishment of a minor gym in their seat of power was further proof of them overreaching their influence. Regardless, Gray Oak will be shown the folly of his arrogance in due time.”

  Erika excused herself from the interview and walked off screen. It didn’t matter much to the reporter, who was now babbling excitedly front and centre at the audience.

  Gray paid little attention to the man, his words of ‘intense competition’ and ‘explosive upcoming battle guaranteed’ sliding off of him like water off a Psyduck’s back.

  Once again, someone affiliated from Celadon gym managed to royally piss him off.

  Why was the Celadon gym leader so insistent on not just attacking Gray’s person, but also dragging his entire family into the mud? This was an escalation on her part too, going on record to make disparaging comments with the media.

  What exactly was up? Was it some sort of trend to hate on the Oaks now?

  He dug into his phone, trying to get a sense of public opinion. He had a sneaking suspicion that Erika’s incendiary comments were already making waves in online spaces.

  A few cursory glances was enough for Gray to note that public response was a mixed bag. Some comments were quick to agree with Erika, that the Oaks had been milking Professor Samuel Oak’s influence on Indigo, and their arrogance, influence and power needed to be pruned.

  Others appear more level-headed, saying how Blue had already proven himself as a competent trainer existing beyond the shadow of his esteemed grandfather. And the attacks against his character and entire family are disingenuous and unappreciative to the sacrifices of the family for the betterment of Kanto and Indigo as a whole.

  Gray can’t tell for certain, but he smelled something afoot with all the hatred. Perhaps he was too biased, but why were so many people suddenly coming out to disparage the Oak family? Were these just keyboard warriors hiding behind the relative online anonymity to stir trouble?

  For a brief second, he’s satisfied with Erika because at least she was willing to state her truth in public.

  But the fact that she’s become a rallying point for disdain against Gray’s most treasured people annoyed Gray more.

  She thought him arrogant, didn’t she? Gray hugged Mimikyu close to his chest to avoid jostling him as he moved to get up. He scrambled around the room, getting everything he needed for training ready.