Gray spent his journey to the laboratory trying to even his breathing, telling himself that it was counterproductive to punch his brother in the face for Ash’s lack of knowledge about his own father.

  It stung a bit that Blue was an accessory to another child growing up fatherless, considering how their mutual disdain for distant parents was one of the few reasons they had connected with each other growing up.

  For the past few days he had been home, Gray had endeavoured to learn as much as he could about the general situation in Kanto and his family. And still, Gray had to give credit where credit was due.

  Blue lived an incredibly busy life but was still somewhat present in Gary’s life. Their grandfather could double down on his research, releasing paper after paper in the years Gray was away by letting Blue handle literally everything else. Blue had essentially become the face of Professor Oak’s Lab, manning press conferences and attending meetings on behalf of the aging man. He manhandled his easily distracted grandfather into a semblance of a scheduled life, creating reasonable timelines for his research and redirecting the old man’s energy into more worthwhile endeavors.

  On top of that, Blue had also become the de facto Kantonian representative, managing the interests of Kanto and ensuring the region doesn’t get shafted by its Johtonian reigning Champion, Lance Blackthorn.

  Both roles combined made for a hectic life, especially since it was difficult to offload his work to others. As the grandson of Samuel Oak, he was one of few individuals who had the technical right and necessary tenacity to corral his famous grandfather. The highly sensitive nature and potential impact of Professor Oak’s research made it a challenge to entrust its inner workings to individuals beyond family. Furthermore, as an ex-Champion, he had the proven chops to represent the region as his voice was more likely to be heard. At the end of the day, the pokemon world was a place where strength spoke, and Blue had the right to be heard because he was strong.

  In the days learning more about his family, Blue had been present for family dinners, entertaining Gary’s inane questions about his busy day. It could not be helped that his son was attention starved due to his dad’s busy schedule. Gray had made a conscious decision to not bring up Gary’s missing mother.

  Upon entering the laboratory, Gray was directed to a meeting room. Blue was seated on one side of a conference table, shuffling papers in hand and glancing occasionally at a laptop in front of him. His older brother looked up as Gray entered the room.

  “You have a sec?”

  “I have a meeting soon, but it should be fine. What’s up?”

  “Where’s Red? Ash doesn’t even know his name,” The direct statement caught Blue off guard.

  “He’s up in Mt. Silver,”

  “So? Why can’t he come down?”

  “He doesn’t want to,” It was Gray’s turn to be taken aback. He’s immediately incensed.

  “He’s a deadbeat then,”

  “Well… Technically he is but…”

  Gray’s replying scoff was loud enough to reverberate around the conference room.

  Blue paused, maintained eye contact with Gray before revealing, “He doesn’t know Ash exists,”

  “Excuse me?”

  “He left before he found out Delia was pregnant,”

  “So he didn’t abandon his son, just his girlfriend,”

  “Well…”

  Now open-mouthed in disbelief, Gray quickly put the puzzle pieces together. “They weren’t together.”

  Blue grimaces at this, but nods sheepishly.

  “It happened once, they weren’t together. Delia liked Red a lot though,” The implications of that don't go over Gray’s head, and he begins to theory craft.

  Accidents could happen, for sure, but the likelihood of Delia conceiving over a one-time fling were astronomically low. In the pokemon world, over population was a non-issue due to biology. Couples were more likely to struggle with conception, as poke-humans were seemingly not built to reproduce easily. Gray had chalked it up to Arceus-level interference to maintain ecological balance between humans and pokemon.

  As a consequence, fertility improvements were more commonplace than contraception. Could Delia…?

  Shelving the thought for later, Gray tries to bring the conversation back to more immediate concerns.

  “Why can’t you go get Red then? Let him know about Ash,”

  “He’s too deep into the wilderness for a casual visit. It would take weeks to track him down. I don’t have the time for it, Gray,”

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  “Okay, I’ll go get him then,”

  Blue smirks in satisfaction at that, a Meowth that got the cream. He relaxes back into his chair, lounging as if their heated discussion happened yesterday.

  “Go ahead. You’ll need clearance, though. Mt. Silver is the most protected wild area in Indigo because of how strong the pokemon are,”

  “Fine. Which government loser do I have to beat to get clearance for Mt. Silver?”

  Blue merely smiles at Gray. Their conversation halts when a tall, red-headed man strides into the room. He carries himself stiffly, posture perfectly upright. Dressed in a sleek crimson jacket, his shoulders are adorned with a broad cloth that billows into an intimidating cape that ripples dramatically with each step.

  “Ex-Champion Blue. Apologies for the delay. Are you ready for our meeting?” He ignores Gray, dismissing his presence entirely.

  “Reigning Champion Lance. We can begin. My brother will be joining us, he has something to discuss after,’

  Gray stiffens in understanding, and he seats himself beside his brother, directly in front of Lance.

  His brain races, coming up with the ways he could accomplish the gargantuan task in front of him. He turns a deaf ear to the discussion happening in the room, something about trade between Johto and Kanto, but is startled out of his thoughts when the discussion shifts to him and his team.

  “When can we expect information on the new Fairy Types in Professor Oak’s Lab?”

  “It’s slow-going. Don’t expect it any time soon. We’ve yet to even interview our expert on them,”

  It’s only then that Lance acknowledges the presence of Gray with a fleeting glance. His nose is up in the air, face blank as he continues.

  “I suppose that’s fine. Research on such a weak typing can hardly be impactful, all things considered,”

  Gray’s mind clears and his body relaxes. He lets the Champion’s words stew in his head. When he interrupts the conversation between the champion and his brother, his voice is steady, void of emotion.

  “What exactly are you implying?”

  “I mean nothing by it. Fairy pokemon,” he states evenly, but his tone carries a hint of loathing, “... don’t make for good battlers. Their weakness is merely the antithesis to the might of dragons.”

  Fed up with the ups and downs he’s had all morning, Gray lets loose a loud guffaw. Lab assistants outside the meeting room turn their head towards them concernedly.

  “You honestly believe that your dragons could beat us.”

  The atmosphere in the room darkens, static tension filling the air.

  “Fairy immunity to dragon attacks are an evolutionary response to fairy pokemons’ incapabilities. Too weak to function otherwise, they have been Arceus blessed to survive the mightiest of attacks.” Lance intones like a well-oiled machine, his words the exact doctrine spouted by the Blackthorn Clan in regards to the relatively recent discovery of the fairy type.

  Mirth fills Gray. Reading up on Indigo reactions to Professor Oak’s confirmation of the fairy type a mere few years back had been very entertaining. Their scientifically proven immunity to dragons had caused a boom in fairy pokemon popularity for a period of time. In response, the Blackthorn Clan vehemently asserted dragon-type superiority, claiming that Fairy type pokemon were so weak that only with divine intervention could they even survive. Despite this, some trainers with trained Fairy type pokemon managed to breeze through Blackthorn gym, prompting a crisis within the clan. It had taken considerable re-training and clan-wide efforts to restore the clan’s ‘honor’.

  “Would you stake your beliefs on that for a wager, then? We’ll battle for it,”

  “A wager? What exactly does the wayward Oakson want?”

  “Access to Mt. Silver,”

  Lance recovers from his burst of emotion, plastering a condescending smile on his stoic face. “Mt. Silver is one of the most dangerous regions in Indigo. Boys who barely qualified for their debut conference have no business there.”

  Gray’s glare deepens into a scowl, fists clenched. While his successes in the West has bolstered his pride, his showing during his first year as a trainer was a factual sore point.

  “The great dragon master is afraid of a battle?”

  “I have nothing to fear from the likes of you. A runaway, green boy with nothing but his name.”

  Lance nods briefly at Blue before turning to saunter away. His cloak remains billowing, nearly brushing against Gray’s face with his dismissal.

  “What a pompous dick!” Gray seethes when Lance has fully left the room.

  Blue laughs out loud. “He’s always been like that. Calls me ex-Champion Blue. Consecutively losing to two ten-year-olds was so harrowing for him that he needs to remind the world he managed to beat me back after years of intensive training.”

  Snorting in response, Gray proceeds to needle his brother for ways he could access Mt.Silver.

  It comes to no surprise that Mt. Silver was an area reserved for conference winners. Supposedly, the region believes that beating everyone else in a conference is proof of a trainer ascending beyond the norm. To continue growing, they’re given access to Mt. Silver in an effort to keep their senses sharp. Some of the strongest pokemon in the region called the rocky terrains of Mt. Silver home. It was a tremendous incentive for trainers to potentially capture an already strong pokemon into their roster. The byblow of testing their mettle against strong beings was equally enthralling.

  Experience played a key part to a pokemon’s growth. Pokemon needed to be constantly challenged to become strong. In the tenuous wilds, pokemon evolved to survive. From the nearly impenetrable shell of a Metapod in a bid to stave off hungry Pidgeottos to two male Tyranitors duking it out for a mate, pokemon evolved both biologically and culturally to live. In a region like Mt. Silver, pokemon learned to become tougher in order to live in the harsh terrain. It was an expected norm for a Mt. Silver Geodude to be stronger than its Mt. Moon counterpart.

  Gray’s thoughts raced as Blue ended his explanation.

  “... We’re only a month into the new conference season though. If you’re serious about finding Red, that is.”

  Blue packs up his laptop and paperwork, standing with a leisurely stretch as if he had just performed a strenuous task. He places an uncharacteristically gentle hand on Gray’s shoulder, ignoring the slight tensing of his younger brother.

  “There may be some stiff competition this year, but you should be fine. From what I’ve seen, you’re not the little boy who left Pallet Town in tears all those years ago.”

  He squeezes lightly, meeting his younger brother’s eyes meaningfully before leaving Gray to his thoughts. The door thuds closely as he exits, unlike the possibilities he’s opened to Gray with one conversation.