Gray lounged on the plastic seat of Pewter Gym’s stadium, content to watch rookie trainers get beaten one after another.

  In contrast, Ash had yet to stop vibrating in excitement. He had a routine by this point: Ash would hurriedly raise the pokedex to scan the pokemon on field, listen intently to the mechanical voice detailing said pokemon’s type and descriptions before chattering on with his uncle about type effectiveness. Once the battle ended, he would stare intently at the pokedex screen, press a button that would repeat the pokemon entry out loud and mumble to himself until the next battle began.

  The boy’s enthusiasm was unflagging, he had been at it nonstop for a solid thirty minutes thus far. Gray had a feeling he would be happy to do so for hours.

  “Onix, Rock Blast!” Brock’s deep voice commanded, the sound system causing it to reverberate menacingly around the stadium.

  Gray wondered if that was the intended effect or if the gym’s equipment was poorly maintained. Noting the peeling wall paint all around the gym, Gray was leaning towards the latter.

  Rocks began to free themselves from the ground before shooting towards the frantic Furret who hurriedly tried to dodge. It was futile, however, as one lucky hit led to consecutive ones. Furret’s trainer screamed in tandem with his pokemon.

  When the dust began to clear, the battlefield, once rugged but pristine, was now an ugly mess of boulders and cracks. The audience could barely make out the downed pokemon amidst the debris.

  The Johto trainer recalled his fainted pokemon and marched off without a word. Gym leader Brock paused his movement, he had been about to walk towards the trainer as is customary after a gym fight. He frowned at the trainer rudely walking away before shaking his head in disappointment.

  Brock had been a bit heavy handed for this fight, but his opponent had been insulting. His quips about Kantonian trainers being weak and easy had ruffled a few feathers in the audience, so Brock’s beatdown was well-received by the crowd.

  He quickly announced a quick intermission before Geodudes appeared to clear the debris, resetting the field for the next fight.

  Gray had had the intention to scope out his competition today, but it seemed like there was little to be learned. This early into the season, Brock’s opponents mostly consisted of rookie trainers. This wasn’t a surprise considering Pewter was traditionally seen as the ‘first’ gym in Kanto.

  Brock seesawed between reassuring crying trainers who he had just soundly beaten to sternly reprimanding the cocky ones. His mic would be turned off for those portions, so his words were private nuggets of wisdom for his opponents.

  From the short time he and Ash had been watching, Gray concluded that Brock was a decent gym leader who adjusted his methods depending on his opponents. One could argue that beyond being seen as a hurdle to overcome, Brock took his role seriously and did his best to nurture his opponents. He still maintained an untouchable aura, though, commanding the visage of a respected gym leader.

  But it was easy to see his kindness. It only took Gray watching him comfort a hysterically sobbing trainer to cement this fact.

  Gray idly watched as the Geodude on field rapidly cleared it. Just as they began the process to repair cracks with Mud Sports, he caught wind of Ash mumbling the same lines over and over.

  “... When under at-ack, it can sl… sleakly? Skirm through nair… “

  He huffed in frustration before pressing a button on the pokedex. So focused on the screen, he was unaware of Gray’s attention on him.

  The mechanical voice quickly repeated the line. “Furret has a very slim build. When under attack, it can slickly squirm through narrow spaces and get away.”

  “Slickly... Slickly… Slickly skirm…?” The boy mumbled again.

  Gray took in the eight-year-old boy’s struggling. Shock was beginning to fester in him, but he buried it deep to maintain a neutral expression.

  He placed a gentle hand on the boy’s shoulder to avoid startling him. It was pointless, though, as Ash visibly jumped upon contact. Gray squatted down so he was eye level with Ash. He carefully pointed at the words and read them slowly.

  “... slickly squirm through narrow spaces and get away.” With every word he read, Gray pointed at the corresponding word.

  The previously tan boy was now completely red in the face. His face was squished so intensely that Gray began to worry it would become permanent. Ash blinked hard and fast, but was betrayed by how watery his eyes were becoming.

  Gray rubbed his shoulders soothingly. His voice softened as he reminded Ash. “It’s not a big deal, little dude. I’m here to help you, all you have to do is ask.”

  Ash kept his silence, refusing to meet Gray’s eye.

  The announcer signalled the start of the next match. Gray sat back down on his chair but kept a casual hold on Ash. His fingers remained mobile, carefully rubbing soothing circles for the boy who stubbornly refused to cry.

  It was only when the match ended before he began to whisper. Gray had to lean in to catch the boy’s quiet words.

  “I… I’m not very good at reading, uncle… No one taught me how… I had to learn on my own…”

  It was now Gray’s turn to struggle maintaining a calm facade. He gave Ash a small comforting smile.

  “In school, everyone was… better than me already… But…” he trailed off. He took a few deep breaths, pinched himself hard before his weepy expression marginally shifted to one of determination.

  “But I’m working hard! Promise! I’ll get so good I’ll be able to read all the words here!” Ash waved the red device.

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  Gray’s answering smile was bright as he nodded encouragingly at Ash. He gestured for Ash to scoot closer. Once they were close enough to press on one another, Gray began reading to help Ash.

  He would let the boy read as best as he could, whispering the correct words whenever the boy struggled. With each entry, Ash gained confidence. He resumed his enthusiastic commentary on the matches, but this time around he would listen intently to Gray’s corrections in between each battle.

  Gray projected an aura of serenity which went a long way in keeping Ash calm. Inside though, he was anything but.

  What the heck was going on in Pallet Town?!

  Ash was eight, at this point in time he should have at least been able to read confidently. It was obvious that there was something wrong in his home life. But beyond his missing father figure, Ash still had a parent with him.

  If Delia knew, she would have already helped her son, right? Neglect was common in the pokemon world, but this was surely too much.

  Whenever Ash’s attention drifted to the battle, Gray would take surreptitious glances on the boy, carefully cataloguing what he observed.

  He was skinny, but not overtly so, about the same as his age mate Gary. A point in favor for Delia if not for Gray remembering that Ash frequently joined his family for meals. Looking back on it now, Ash was a constant presence in the lab during mealtimes.

  His clothes were well-worn with some tears, but considering how often he and Gary were underfoot back home it wasn’t exactly a surprise.

  Overall, Ash wasn’t visibly destitute. So perhaps things were not as bad as he thought?

  In the middle of a lull between gym battles, Gray questioned the boy casually. “Who else knows about your reading struggles?”

  Ash tensed again, but quickly relaxed after a fleeting glance at Gray’s relaxed state. He admitted sheepishly while scratching a cheek.

  “Only Gary knows. It’s my biggest secret… He’s been helping me get better though! Gary’s awesome, even if he’s a little mean sometimes,”

  It made sense. As annoyed as Gray was towards his brother and grandfather, he doubted they would have let the problem fester had they known.

  “Promise not to tell!” Ash insisted with fervor. He seemed to be under the illusion that an innocent expression with Baby Doll Eyes was enough to compel his uncle.

  “Sorry, Ash. But I’d at least have to tell Blue. He should have known this kind of thing,” Ash deflated, prompting Gray to hurriedly reassure him.

  “Doesn’t matter though. Give it a few months and you’ll get so good at reading you’ll forget all about it,” The encouragement resonated with Ash, causing him to beam with joy. He hurriedly went back to reading the pokedex entries as best as he could.

  It was rather amusing, Ash’s ability to shift between emotions. At the very least, his enthusiasm towards becoming a better future trainer was enough to keep him moving forward. Gray wouldn’t begrudge him this relief.

  As much as possible, he’d keep Ash on steady improvements and looking towards the future. He would try his best to keep Ash shielded from the burdens of the past, but Gray had full intention of addressing everything that lay behind them.

  Soon, the day’s daily gym battles drew to a close. Gray kept a listening ear to Brock’s closing speech, but his mind was racing with the thoughts of what he could do to help Ash.

  He pondered at the pokemon Ash had yet to let go of, brainstorming solutions.

  Ash kept up a constant chatter as they followed the crowd in exiting the gym. The boy had been ecstatic to hear Brock address the crowd, likening it to him being indirectly spoken to by a ‘cool gym leader’. He was quick to reassure Gray that he was still ‘way way cooler than him’ though.

  With the gym finally behind them, Gray carefully led Ash towards a fancier side of Pewter City. Fancy was a relative term, however, as the only glaring difference in this area of the city was the smoother paved pathways and the more upscale shops lining the roadside.

  Gray directed Ash to enter a classier looking hotel with meticulously cleaned, floor to ceiling windows on its ground floor. Inside, the space was centred by a glorious rock formation that gleamed under soft lights. Perhaps a replica of a moonstone, though Gray doubted its authenticity.

  Regardless, it dwarfed anyone entering the establishment, immediately causing a sense of awe. Even Ash dropped his volume as soon as they entered.

  Gray booked them a room for three days, vindictively offering Professor Oak’s card when asked for payment. As far as Gray was concerned, the esteemed Professor earned enough to finance a more comfortable stay for him and Ash.

  He gleefully wondered how the old man would react once he got billed for both the megastone and for this stay. Gray harbored no guilt in his heart. A small part of him blamed the Professor for Ash’s inability to read properly, nevermind that it wasn’t really his fault.

  Official guardian to Ash or not, the old man was famous for his ability to draw connections between his pokemon observations and findings. Surely It’s not impossible to hope that he at least used his eyes to see what was happening to a boy right under his nose?

  Gray had Ash settle down in their luxurious hotel room. He ignored the boy darting around the lavish furniture in favor of getting ready to rest.

  In the middle of the night, when Ash had finally exhausted himself into a deep slumber, Gray lay awake and wondered not for the nth time: what the hell was Delia Ketchum doing?

  The next day, Gray awoke to Ash giggling and squirming with Gray’s team. He was smack dab in the middle of a cuddle pile of Fairy pokemon, laughing at one antic or another.

  Ash laughed loudly when Mimikyu climbed on top of one shoulder, only to scamper to the other side when Ash made a grab for him. It was an encouraging sight to see Ash get so comfortable with pokemon.

  The eight year old gasped when he realised how loud he was being, eyes darting to Gray on the bed in horror once he realised the man was awake.

  To reassure him, Gray merely rolled his eyes before getting up from bed to start his morning ablutions.

  Once everyone was fed and pokemon were recalled, Gray and Ash descended from their hotel room and into a bustling street. This area of Pewter City had way more traffic in the mid-morning, with office workers walking with purpose to get to their destination.

  Gray scanned their surroundings. Upon catching sight of a small patch of green beneath a tree a few blocks away, he led Ash towards it.

  Normally he would be a bit more discreet about this, given that they were in an unfamiliar city far from home. However, Gray was ultimately an Oak. While he was confident in saying he was less pompous than his older brother, he wouldn’t go out of his way to attract less attention.

  As far as Gray was concerned, people would stare if they wanted to stare.

  The rainbow of lights that soon erupted from beneath the tree attracted the attention of passersby. What would normally have been an average work day was now disrupted by the harmonious song of Mega Altaria.

  The Fairy-Dragon preened once he realised that he had successfully stopped traffic. He positioned himself at an optimal angle for the photos that were now being taken.

  Ash giggled at the display, not even protesting when Gray carried him up to be strapped on properly against Mega Altaria’s back.

  Once he himself was secure, Gray gave his flyer the go ahead. Altaria took an unnecessary running start in the middle of the road, giving his audience ample opportunity to capture the moment of his flight.

  With a powerful flap of his wings, he rose into the air, leaving a faint trail of misty, pink fairy energy on the ground. The energy dispersed outward, causing jackets and hats to fly amongst the watchers.

  Gray would have felt guilty for being a disruption if not for the collective aweing the action had inspired. Camera flashes followed the mega evolved pokemon as he gained height

  “Where are we going, Uncle Gray?” Ash questioned a few minutes into their flight.

  “We’re going to get you a pokemon friend to help with your reading.”

  Shocked, Ash’s responding shout was loud enough to nearly deafen one ear. “I’m gonna get a pokemon?!”

  Gray let the boy squirm in excitement as much as he wanted, careful to keep a firm grip on his waist. He was adamant about not spoiling the surprise of what pokemon exactly Ash was getting, no matter how much Ash begged.