Mega Altaria’s wings beat steady in the air whilst Gray and Ash rode serenely on his back, unruffled despite the speed they were going.

  Ash vibrated in his excitement, turning his head this way and that as Gray barely had to hold him steady. It was almost disconcerting that Ash was treated so well by pokemon in general.

  “Feeling comfy? Altaria seems to like you a lot,”

  Without care for his own safety, Ash twisted his body to face his uncle. Altaria immediately grumbled, stopping Ash from his careless maneuver. He idly patted the pokemon in comfort, and the vibrations they could feel through their legs halted.

  “What do you mean, uncle?”

  Gray had full intention to wait until they were grounded before beginning to teach Ash, but good teaching moments should be capitalised on.

  “See how fast we’re going?” He directed Ash’s attention to the treetops zooming past them below their feet.

  “Yeah! Altaria’s the coolest, we’re so fast!”

  Gray hummed in agreement before continuing, “But you can barely feel the wind on your face, right? Why do you think that is?”

  Ash thought hard, surprised he only noticed when it was pointed out. “I… I’m not sure…”

  “Altaria is using the move Tailwind to counteract the wind for us,” Gray freed one hand to supplement his explanation with gestures. “He’s creating gusts of wind from the back to go against the wind coming from the front as we fly forwards. That way, we’re more comfortable as we fly.”

  “Woah! Thanks Altaria!”

  “And he’s only doing it cause you’re with us. Normally, he doesn’t put as much effort when it’s just me flying with him,” Gray muttered. Altaria released a melodious sing-song of agreement.

  Ash laughed. “It’s okay Altaria. I wanna feel the wind on my face!”

  Without pause,, the Tailwind petered out just enough that the riders could begin to feel the wind on their faces. Ash giggled in delight as Altaria tittered in harmony.

  Soon, from a dragon’s eye view, one could see the treetops’ density receding like a curling wave. A strip of clear land separated Viridian Forest from the city they could begin to make out in the distance.

  Pewter City, as the name suggests, was a sprawling urban metropolis more developed than Pallet Town. Gray could make out the modest skyscrapers even from a distance. Sprawling trees were interspersed between buildings, creating an eclectic mix of green between the concrete. Most of the surrounding flat areas seemed to be made of farmland, Gray could spot the telltale arable land lined with crops of varying types.

  Before they could reach Pewter airspace, Gray directed Altaria to land in Viridian Forest. The mega evolved pokemon approached a clearing within the trees, had its passengers disembark before flatly refusing to go back into its pokeball. He devolved back into his baseform before perching up on the tallest tree surrounding the clearing, keeping an eye for trouble.

  Gray stretched as soon as he was back on solid ground, content to let Ash explore around the clearing. There was nothing particularly interesting about their surroundings, but Gray chalked it up to the boy’s excitement about leaving Pallet Town for the first time.

  Before Ash could even suggest catching the Caterpie pantomiming a statue hanging on a nearby tree, Gray corralled Ash into sitting with him. The worm pokemon, finally released from the intimidating attention of Altaria, skittered away in haste. Ash pouted, but Gray made an active decision to ignore him. If this mentoring was to work out, Gray would need to become immune to the boy’s pouts. He couldn’t pander to Ash’s every request.

  It would be a disaster waiting to happen, letting the protagonist dictate the journey’s pace.

  “It’s just you and me now, Ash. Moving forward, I need you to be as honest as possible. No pretending to know something you don’t. The only way you’ll learn is if you ask questions,”

  Gray began seriously, causing Ash to straighten up in attention. The boy bit his lip but nodded anyway. Gray softened at the display of youth before trudging ahead with his teaching plans.

  “What do you think you need the most help with?”

  Ash paused to consider the question, brows furrowed in concentration. His uncle waited patiently, electing not to rush him.

  “How many types of pokemon are there, uncle?” he nervously began.

  Taking everything in stride, Gray began his spiel. The black haired boy listened attentively, hands subconsciously pulling on grass as he concentrated.

  “So there are 18 types. How do you memorize all the strengths and weaknesses? There’s too many, it’s impossible!”

  Gray’s laughing response was interrupted by Altaria’s sharp thrill. The dragon pokemon had its wing spread in an intimidating display, glaring warningly at an approaching flock of Pidgeotto.

  Gray observed the situation. “Ash, the Pidgeotto there are normal-flying type. What types of attack would be super effective on them?”

  “Ugh… Normal types are weak to fighting, so a fighting type move?”

  “That’s true, but remember that flying types resist fighting moves. Because Pidgeotto is both normal and flying, a fighting type move would be a neutral move,”

  Ash groaned and fell backwards. He remained sprawled on the ground, panting in frustration.

  “Gary said that when you fight at higher badge levels, typings don’t matter as much! Can’t I just train hard so the typings don’t matter anymore?”

  “Yes, but…”

  Considering the boy in front of him, Gray pondered the best way to get through to Ash. It was obvious that route memorization was not the best way to go. He was neither dumb nor unintelligent, it was only a matter of finding a way to make it easier for him to digest information.

  “Do you know why typings don’t matter as much at the higher levels?”

  Receiving the negative, Gray elaborated carefully. “Trainers train their pokemon to withstand their weaknesses. They can increase their pokemons’ tolerance against their weak matchups or even get them to find ways to counter their opponent.”

  Noticing Ash’s raptured attention, Gray continued. “There are different ways to train pokemon, but the bottom line is all the same. If you don’t know what your pokemon is weak against, how will you know what to train them against?”

  The simple logic stunned Ash, for it was something he had not truly realised before. Choosing to capitalise on the moment, Gray patiently tried to redirect his attention back to the Pidgeotto.“Pidgeotto flies so if you use a ground type move, it won’t hit him cause he’s in the air. That’s why flying type pokemon are immune to ground type moves as long as they’re up in the air. If your starter is Bulbasaur, you might struggle because grass is weak to flying.”

  In his explanations, Gray endeavoured to use as many real life examples as possible. Ash seemed more receptive to it, interjecting with his own thoughts and questions whenever they arose.

  Gray placed a hand on Ash’s shoulder, directing them to leisurely walk towards Pewter City.

  The duo soon reached the city outskirts, evident from how the pathway was now a paved road instead of well-trodden earth. Ash maintained his enthusiasm towards their conversation topic.

  Like this, the boy’s intelligence was more obvious. He could make connections now on which pokemon could hit another for super effective damage. Gray decided to not mention type coverage to avoid confusing him further. This would do for now.

  Right before they entered the city proper, they came across a road stand selling rocks. The stall was rather tiny with miniscule offerings, but a shiny waterstone had managed to catch Gray’s wandering eye. They approached the stall, Gray leaning in further to scrutinise each item for sale.

  Though modest, the offerings were rather intriguing. Gray couldn’t claim to be a rock expert by any means, but he could tell that the stall had an eclectic mix of pretty, but ultimately useless, stones and other invaluable items like evolutionary stones. He had no need for either at the moment, so he ignored them. He instead zeroed in on an unassuming translucent marble. It had a swirl of yellow in the middle with a hint of brownish pink.

  “How much for this?”

  Gray asked the stall owner, a tan, bearded man covering nearly half his face with a faded red beanie. He was unkempt yet well-muscled, toned arms exposed in the tattered sleeveless tee he wore.

  “Five million pokedollars,”

  Ash hissed at that, his face incredulous in disbelief as he stared at the stone he could not recognize.

  “Done, but I want something else on top of it too,” Gray replied, unfazed.

  The seller froze, and he quickly tried to assess the young man in front of him. He could not recognize much, however. The gravity defying silvery grey hair was almost familiar, yet he could not for the life of him recall who he was. He had the sneaking suspicion that the colour was wrong, but he had no appropriate way to inspect whether the hair was dyed.

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  “You know what this is?”

  “Not exactly what, but…” Gray tilted his head just enough to expose his keystone earrings.

  The man’s eyes narrowed at them before he demanded in a harsh tone.

  “Who are you? Are you Kantonian? I won’t sell this to you if you’re from Johto,”

  Gray’s brown eyes furrowed before he dismissed the statement. The man was old enough to be around when Indigo tensions were at its peak. Gray had figured that while Kanto and Johto had animosities even now, it was far more peaceful than it was decades past. That being said, Gray wasn’t exactly aware of today's political climate, his only frame of reference being from before he left the East altogether. He’d have to ask Blue later.

  “We don’t want your stupid marble anyway! Come on, uncle. Let’s go, we shouldn’t spend so much money on weird stones,”

  Laughing, Gray playfully patted Ash’s hair, ruffling it even messier. The seller took in the young boy in front of him, carefully observing his features. Like the older man, he appeared somewhat familiar. He couldn’t put a finger on it, but he had a sneaking suspicion that the boy was missing a pokemon companion.

  “Where are you and your uncle from, son?”

  “We’re from Pallet Town, mister! And I’m not your son!”

  “Pallet Town…” he murmured, carefully taking in the two of them once again. His eyes flashed in recognition, mouth running faster than brain.

  “You’re Blue Oak? Why’d you dye your hair?”

  Gray sighed, throwing Ash a dirty glare for exposing them so quickly. “I’m not Blue. I’m Gray Oak, his younger brother. So are you selling or not?”

  “Gray Oak? Wait… If you’re an Oak, just take it. It’s meant to go to the lab anyway…” the seller admitted sheepishly.

  He wasn’t incorrect, exactly. New stones for undiscovered species were meant to be sent over to Professor Oak’s laboratory for research purposes. Knowing this man and his ability to scrutinise rocks, it was highly likely that should this be for an already established species, he would be aware. As it stood, however, he was trying to sell it under the table.

  It wouldn’t take a genius to determine why, judging from his tattered clothes and scruffy appearance.

  “It’s fine. I’ll pay for it fair and square, and I’ll even keep my mouth shut about where I got it from. You’ll have to do me a favor in exchange, though.”

  “... What is it that you want, son?”

  “Go back to your family. I’m pretty sure they need you,”

  Silence was the only response. The older man twitched uncomfortably, unable to meet Gray in the eye. Gray smiled politely, whipping out a black card. He gleefully paid for the stone, finding that spending some of his grandfather’s money truly sparked joy in him.

  Moving forward, he should do this more often!

  Gray carefully plucked the stone, storing it close to his body in his jacket’s inner pocket. Professor Oak’s money or not, it was vital that this remained safe.

  “Uncle Gray, should you really have done that? Why would you pay so much money for a fancy marble?” said Ash, whispering loud enough to be audible to both older men.

  “It’s not just about the stone, Ash. It’s about reuniting families too. If we can help a father return to his family earlier, shouldn’t we do so? As valuable as this is, I would say that any amount would be worth paying for that.”

  Gray carefully led Ash away from the stall. Had he looked back, he would have seen the seller clutching his calloused hands into a fist so tight that he had drawn blood.

  But it mattered not to Gray, for he was now a proud owner of what was likely an undiscovered mega stone.

  Ash was rather morose on their stroll right after the stall, dwelling on his uncle’s words. He wondered whether that old man would actually use the money he had gotten to go back to his family.

  Regardless, this was just another one of his pseudo-uncle’s kindness. He was under no delusion that his Uncle Gray was doing a lot of things for him.

  This journey was his uncle’s attempt to reunite him with the father he had never met. Furthermore, he did not have to take Ash under his wing, spending time alone to teach him things about pokemon training.

  Already, in the little time he had spent with the man, he was learning so much. It was somehow so much easier to understand pokemon training stuff when it was Uncle Gray teaching him.

  Admittedly, he was putting in so much more effort to this than what he gave during school. But he couldn’t help it! Uncle Gray was an awesome trainer. He would hate to disappoint the man. Ash knew he would do so eventually, but right now, while his uncle knew no better, he would milk this opportunity as much as possible.

  “You’re really nice, uncle,” Ash concluded solemnly.

  “You think so? I guess I’m not making you study hard enough yet. Mmm, here use this. I want you to scan as many pokemon as possible. After finding out their type, tell me what other pokemon you would use to beat them for super effective damage.”

  Gray handed Ash his old pokedex. This was an older version that Gray had used himself during his rookie year as a trainer. It had been useful, less so for identifying pokemon due to Gray’s past life’s memories, but more for its ability to help determine what moves an owned pokemon knew with a scan. For now, it was sufficient in getting Ash a headstart on identifying pokemon.

  Ash fiddled with the pokedex in apprehensive fascination. Once more confident in how it worked, he directed it at a passing Spearow. A mechanical voice began to read out a blurb on the pokemon. Ash listened intently before chattering about the types strengths and weaknesses.

  Pleased, Gary left him to it as they made their way deeper into Pewter City.

  At eye-level, Pewter City buildings were tall but not overtly so. The tallest buildings seemed only five stories high, unlike the cloud-reaching skyscrapers of Goldenrod City. It was definitely more vibrant than Pallet Town, however, with kids playing around amidst older workers bustling about. Gray could identify more and more younger teens, most likely new trainers, the closer they got to the Pokemon Centre.

  Once inside the centre, Ash became more spirited, shamelessly approaching trainers and pokemon with a smile as he scanned them after obtaining permission. After each entry, the boy would rush back to Gray and chatter about this pokemon fighting that pokemon and so on.

  Gray had to convince the boy to reign in his excitement to more appropriate indoor levels, but he largely let him flit about as he waited in line for the both of them..

  A few trainers rolled their eyes at the young boy’s enthusiasm, yet they kept their mouths shut upon realising that he carried a pokedex.

  Gray called Ash over as they neared their turn. They soon found themselves directly in front of the counter and being greeted by a pink-haired Nurse Joy.

  “Hello, I’m here to register myself for the Pokemon League,”

  “Certainly. Could I get some identification?”

  Borrowing the pokedex from Ash, Gray passed it over to Nurse Joy after pressing the screen a few times to reveal Gray’s Trainer ID.

  “I’d like to register as an affiliate under Pallet Town gym,”

  “Pallet Town gym? Of course,” she spent a few more moments typing on her terminal, confirming Gray’s affiliation before she asked conversationally.

  “If you don’t mind me asking, what’s your association to Pallet Town gym?”

  “It’s under our family. Gym Leader Sammy raised me,”

  The nurse was in the beginning of a warm smile before she froze, giving way to a shocked expression as she registered the name in the Trainer ID.

  “Gray… Oak? Are you perhaps related to Professor Samuel Oak and Champion Blue Oak?”

  Gray had been prepared for this. It was mildly exasperating to constantly be a footnote to his famous relatives, but Gray was okay with it for the most part. He was definitely more hot-headed about it as a child, but the years have mellowed him out. Now, he was more than willing to milk his relatives for all their worth.

  He smiled brightly at Nurse Joy before announcing cheerily. “Yup, that’s my grandfather and older brother.”

  It took a few moments for the nurse to recalibrate. She handed Gray back the pokedex and bowed respectfully. “I see. We look forward to your participation in this year’s league, sir.”

  “No need for sir! I’m not as old as those two, thank Arceus,”

  Gray nodded back in acknowledgement, handed Ash back the pokedex before guiding him out of the Pokemon Centre.

  Their interaction on the counter had not gone unnoticed. Gray had initially attracted attention due to his older age, but now that his standing had been revealed, more and more stares had shifted into unconcealed awe.

  Ash, sensing the change in the atmosphere, shifted closer and grabbed his uncle’s hand. He would chastise himself for the childish action later, but for now he sought comfort amidst the increased scrutiny.

  “People kept staring at us, Uncle Gray,” he whispered once they were out of earshot from the Pokemon Centre. The older man squeezed Ash’s hand in reassurance before comforting him in a serious tone.

  “That’s normal, Ash. Wherever we go, we’ll get stared at,”

  “They wouldn’t stare at me once they find out I’m not an Oak,”

  “Yep. They’ll stare at you instead for being Champion Red’s son,”

  Ash swallowed down his worry. Growing up, he was used to playing second fiddle to Gary. He was supposed to be the underdog best friend, not as well-known or as capable as Gary and his illustrious family.

  With it only being a week since he found out about his own impressive bloodline, it had yet to truly sink in to him that his own father was well-known too.

  Before his own thoughts could overwhelm him, Ash buried his head into the pokedex in his hand, reading more intently than before. It would not do if he also disappointed his father in the future.

  Soon, they stopped in front of a rock-like structure situated in a prominent spot of Pewter City. It would be confused for a normal boulder, if not for its gargantuan scale. As tall as the surrounding buildings but far wider, Kanto’s ‘first’ gym was not dissimilar to a colosseum in Gray’s previous life.

  Even from outside, one could already hear the din of rocks colliding and the cheers of an audience. Gray let his younger companion stare, mesmerised at finally seeing a major gym in the flesh.

  They beelined for the counter as soon as they entered and were greeted by a young teen with spiky brown hair. He had thick brows and slanted eyes with barely visible irises.

  “Welcome to Pewter Gym. Two tickets?”

  “Sure. Can I also schedule a gym match?”

  The teen’s eyes widened to the point where Ash and Gray could finally see his sclera.

  “What tier? Seventh or eighth badge? Can we make it an exhibition match?” he asked hopefully. Gray was an older trainer, chances are he’d be an experienced one too.

  With a Sharpedo-like grin, Gray immediately acquiesced. “I want to face the gym leader’s personal team.”

  The receptionist became more giddy, as if Gray had just announced that he would be saving his entire bloodline. Of course, Gray potentially already had when he purchased an unidentified megastone, but the teen did not know that yet.

  “Nice! I’m Forrest, the gym leader’s younger brother. Can we schedule the match two days from now? We’d have to shift a few other trainers around but that’s no big deal. What’s your name?”

  Here, Forrest matched Gray’s equally wicked smile. “We’ll have to know what name to announce before my brother whoops your ass.”

  A laugh escaped out of Gray. Normally, gym staff would be nicer to their patrons. But Gray just now had openly challenged Pewter City gym. Not even in a league-tiered match but one with no holds barred; Brock’s personal pokemon.

  “Hey! My uncle can beat your brother any day of the week!” was Ash’s indignant cry. Gray gave his shoulder a squeeze. It was nice to have one person on his side, even if it came from a tiny pipsqueek struggling to memorise type effectiveness.

  Before Forrest could respond, Gray interjected. “My name is Gray Oak. I’m competing in the league again after some time abroad. I’m also representing Pallet Town gym, please make sure to announce that part too.”

  “Pallet Town gym…? Oh, a minor gym right?” he said in a condescending tone.

  Gray gave a more legitimate glare at that, making Forrest stiffen a bit. He finally acknowledged the former part of Gray’s introduction shakily. “You- You’re an Oak? As in Professor Samuel Oak and Champion Blue Oak?”

  Stiffly nodding, Gray explained further. “My grandfather and older brother. But I was raised by the Pallet Town gym leader, Sammy Oak. I’m also a Fairy specialist. Anything else you need?”

  Forrest shook his head before quickly noting down all that information. He passed two tickets over to Gray with a trembling hand.

  Ash stepped forward to collect the entry tickets. He was still too short to reach over the counter, so he had to jump to snatch the tickets. Gray snickered at the young boy who stuck out a tongue at his uncle.

  Tickets collected, he dragged his uncle towards the gantries leading to the gym stadium. Feeling more relaxed after Ash’s childish antics, Gray let himself be led deeper into Pewter Gym.

  The stigma behind minor gyms was still a rather sore point for Gray. But it mattered not. In two days time, he’d be showing the entire Indigo region just how much they underestimated minor gyms.

  More importantly, he’d put Grandpa Sammy’s name in their heads, one battle at a time.