With a finishing touch, Gray gingerly placed two pokeballs on the top shelf. Not letting himself get caught up in memories of the faraway pokemon they were registered to, he took a few steps back to survey his room.

  The past few days have been relatively calm for him and his team. As his pokemon slowly adjusted to their new home, Gray had also begun to slowly unpack his belongings.

  His childhood bedroom had been untouched, so it had taken some effort to clean everything out to make the space livable again. Gardevoir had been a frequent helper, her liberal use of Psychic had furniture and cleaning tools dancing around the room.

  The space now had a big enough bed to accommodate a few pokemon with him. His old badges and paraphernalia lined one wall. Grandpa Sammy had been particularly enthralled with them, and he had spent some time polishing every badge so they now shone anew. A study desk against the windows completed the simple room, and Gray could now comfortably say he had his own space back in Pallet Town.

  He left the house and decided to stroll around the ranch. While he got settled, his pokemon had also begun to create space for themselves in the corral. His water pokemon were now situated against the main freshwater lake, opting to stay within proximity of one another. Azumarill had taken savage glee at establishing himself as one of the strongest pokemon in the area, his vicious nature taking some of the bigger water types by surprise. Primarina, on the other hand, scoffed at the violence and had made a nest for herself against the water edge. The excessive interest that Blue’s Blastoise gave her was a cause for a small headache to Gray. He resigned himself to the idea of Popplios being introduced to Professor Oak’s ranch some time in the future.

  Gray’s peaceful stroll took him along the stream connected to the main lake, but was interrupted by some shouting from Gary and Ash. Deciding to see what was up, he leisurely walked towards them.

  Both boys were standing on a bridge that connected two banks of the stream. They were screaming at each other, pulling two fishing rods that were both hooked onto the same rusty, old pokeball.

  The scene was familiar to Gray. Wasn’t this the scene where Ash and Gary became rivals or something?

  Gray hesitated, unsure whether he should interrupt. Ash and Gary’s presence in Pallet Town had thrown him off at the start. Both boys were still two years away from embarking on their own journey, and them being the sons of Red and Blue made for a case of mental gymnastics. Was Ash still meant to go on a journey with Pikachu, saving the world one region at a time?

  Gray knew for a fact that while Red and Blue were prodigious trainers, they were not involved with Team Rocket shenanigans on their rookie journey. While it was possible that they had played a role in dismantling the organisation, Gray believed that if that were the case, Blue would not have shut up about it. Even if just to complain about Red taking the spotlight. Perhaps the most obvious fact against this was that Giovannl was still Viridian Gym Leader today.

  Did that mean that Ash would be tackling that? As his pseudo-nephew, blood notwithstanding, Gray found the idea of standing aside whilst Ash suffered impossible. Already, he found himself charmed by the cheery black-haired kid who was frequently hanging around Gary. The both of them were practically inseparable, even if they tended to have loud arguments. Ash may have been less knowledgeable than Gary, judging from the usual content of their arguments, but his compassion and natural affinity with pokemon was noteworthy. Even just spending a few days getting to know the boy peripherally made the reason for Professor Oak choosing him as a sponsored trainer in the future obvious.

  His nephew Gary, on the other hand, was an attention starved boy. He clearly found the easy affection and attention provided by Gray appealing. He would light up with every pat on the head or compliment after he proved his mental capabilities, a feat that had taken Gray in surprise after the boy was able to recite some of the facts Gray had offhandedly made in regards to pokemon care.

  Both boys frequently toddled after Gray as he made rounds to ensure his pokemon adjusted. Surprisingly, they made a decent team: Gray ensured the pokemon received the correct knowledge-based care, while Ash soothed and kept the pokemon calm with his charms.

  Their teamwork was a distant thing now, though, as they screamed at each other at the top of their lungs.

  Before Gray could move further, a disconcerting snap rang out. Both boys were staring at each other in disbelief, each now holding a fishing rod with half an old pokeball between them.

  Gray strode towards them, mentally chastising himself at the unknown implications of what he was about to do.

  “Why are you two screaming at each other? It’s such a nice day.”

  Successfully drawing attention to himself, both boys began explaining the situation with raised voices. Gray found it a struggle to process the situation as the two boys competed in getting their side of the story heard by going louder.

  “Okay! Okay! You’re both fighting over a stupid old pokeball. Why do you need to? If you both wanted pokeballs I could give one to both of you!” Gray fished out two empty pokeballs and nonchalantly threw them at both boys.

  They let go of the fishing rod in shock before scrambling to catch a pokeball each.

  They silently twiddled with their gifts, ears reddening as they refused to meet Gray in the eye.

  Sighing, Gray leaned against the bridge railings and adopted a casual stance.

  “You know, the two of you would probably be better trainers if you worked together instead of arguing all the time,” Ash and Gary startled at that, beginning to pay more attention to their uncle.

  “Your fathers fought sometimes, but they worked pretty well together. To become Champions, they constantly battled and learned from one another. Do you think they would have gotten as good if they didn’t have each others’ backs?”

  “... My dad was a champion too?” Ash whispered in awe.

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  Gray blinked. Surely they would have at least told Ash about his own father being Champion?

  “What do you know about your dad?”

  “Uhm… He’s not married to my mom. He’s out training somewhere?” Gray waited for Ash to elaborate further, but silence was all he got.

  Gray could feel his head getting more heated as both boys waited for him to go on.

  What in the distortion world was going on? Ash’s father never being shown in the anime was a canon thing, but Blue and Delia were both here to talk about Red. Gray tried to calm himself by coming up with reasons to keep Ash in the dark.

  Perhaps it would be safer if Ash didn’t know about Red? But that made no sense, both Ash and Gary were equally safe in Pallet Town. Pallet Town was a close-knit community of war veterans. Professor Oak, Blue and Grandpa Sammy were around too, regardless of how little attention they paid both boys.

  Did Red scorn Ash and Delia? A possibility, but unlikely. Red had always been the more sensitive older brother figure. As an orphan, he valued the idea of family highly, even treating his pokemon team like family. He was also raised around the Oak siblings, and it had been fairly obvious how smitten he was to be a part of a family. In the rare occasions he verbalised himself, he wasn’t shy about his desire for starting a family of his own in the future.

  Feeling himself get more irate, he trudged ahead.

  “You know his name?”

  “No,”

  “His name is Red.”

  Ash gripped the pokeball in his hands tightly as he focused fully on Gray. He was trembling slightly, overwhelmed.

  “They’re Red and Blue,” Gary whispered in shock, similarly surprised.

  Nodding, Gray continued.

  “Your dad was an orphan, but he was raised with me and Blue. Red has always been a good trainer. He connects well with pokemon, just like you.”

  Gray went on to explain about Red and Blue being as close as brothers growing up. He didn’t let any bitterness show as he elaborated on how Red and Blue were closer to one another than with Gray, waving a hand that it was due to age proximity.

  Red and Blue were prodigy trainers, taking on the Pokemon League by storm in their rookie year. They had travelled together, challenging each other to get stronger and stronger with every gym badge. They had been neck and neck, trading wins as they traversed Kanto. Desiring to make their own paths, they had trained separately in preparation for the Indigo League.

  “Blue won the Indigo League, so he got to challenge the Elite Four first. Little shit mouthed off about Red being a better trainer than the Elite Four, so Red got to challenge them too.”

  It had been sensational, two Pallet Town boys beating the Elite Four one after the other. Red and Blue, rookie trainers taking on the highest tier of battling Indigo had to offer.

  “Blue beat Lance, officially becoming an Indigo Champion. Their combined momentum was strong, and Red managed to beat Lance too.”

  Kanto had roared at that, two prodigy Kantonian trainers beating a Johtonian Champion. They clamored for more, however, which led to a rematch between Red and Blue for the official title.

  “It was close, but Red managed to win in the end so he got the official title,”

  “My dad is stronger than Uncle Blue?” Ash breathed out in awe.

  Gray grimaced. It was a point of contention between both Red and Blue, which had soured their relationship for a period.

  Blue may have been annoying, but he was still Gray’s brother. He could understand the frustration he must have felt after the high of successive wins, only to falter right before the finish line. It was his own doing too; had he not clamored for Red to get the same chance to fight the Elite Four, he would have stayed champion.

  “Not exactly. If you ask me, they’re both equally strong. Remember, Blue beat Red during the conference. They’ve always traded wins with one another, even after the Championship battle.”

  Gray could easily picture those days, Red and Blue battling it out multiple times afterwards. It mattered not, however. Red won during the final official match between them, so he was the reigning Indigo Champion in the eyes of the region.

  Gary seemed relieved at that, though Ash’s enthusiasm was unflagging. “Our dads were Champions… That’s so cool!”

  Ash had one of Gary’s sleeves in hand, repeatedly tugging in exuberance as he continued.

  “We’re gonna both be champions too! Then we’ll beat our dads, so we’ll be ultra champions!”

  Gary lit up at that, and they both began to converse in excitement, old grievances put to rest as they talked about the future.

  Gray relaxed as he considered the two animated boys in front of him. He spared a glance at the forgotten fishing rods and split pokeball on the ground.

  Rather than let this fight divide them, Gray had given Ash and Gary a reason to be more united. Gray had no idea what implications this could cause for the future, but it mattered not. Whatever comes in the future will come, and he’ll help both boys with the consequences.

  “How about you Uncle Gray? Were you a champion too?” Both boys reverted back their attention to Gray, eyes sparkling.

  “Er… No. I didn’t really do well during my Indigo Conference. I was only Top 128,”

  Ash and Gary gasped in astonishment. “That doesn’t make sense! You’re so strong! You beat my Dad!”

  “Championships aren’t everything! Blue and Red are equally strong, but Red became the champion because he won the championship battle,”

  Ash and Gray considered that, but their disappointment was still obvious.

  “Besides, being Champion’s overrated. So many responsibilities — blegh!”

  Both boys were unconvinced, but Gray let it slide. To them, being Champion was still a dazzling idea, in line with the ‘strongest in all the land’ rot that children believed in.

  Being Champion was first and foremost a responsibility. Sure, beating a champion in an officially sanctioned match was exhilarating, Gray knows the feeling intimately. But behind the glitz and glamor were days and days of paperwork and bureaucracy. There was too much pressure in maintaining the role of regional champion, too many lives you’re directly responsible for. Gray chose to wisely not elaborate to both boys.

  “But you could, right? If you wanted to be champion, you could beat Lance too?”

  “You betcha!”

  “... Did my dad lose to Lance too? That’s why he’s away, training to beat him?”

  “I’m not sure, Ash. I’ll have to ask Blue about it, I’ll let you know,”

  “Okay. It’s fine if he’s busy training, I guess. I just wish he’d come home sometimes so i can meet him,”

  The mood became sombre at that, and Gray’s frustration reignited and reached its tether.

  It had bothered Gray, how hands off parenting could get in the pokemon world. Personally, if memories of his past adult life did not trickle in as Gray grew, he probably would have had mommy and daddy issues considering how he barely saw his own parents growing up.

  Still, it was no excuse for Ash to have never even seen Red. The boy was 8-years-old at this point. Lines of acceptability have been crossed.

  Gray gathered himself together, taking deeper breaths to maintain a lid on his temper. He marched off the bridge and waved a casual hand backwards.

  “I’ll ask Blue about it. Don’t worry, you’ll see your dad soon,”

  Gray turned his body halfway, just enough to meet the trusting eyes of 8-year-old Ash.

  “Promise.”