Back in Pallet Town, the Oak family watched Gray’s match on the widest possible screen they could. They were all present, watching every exchange intently, cheering at each win and groaning at every loss. Basically a wholesome but unofficial family event.

  So of course, joining them were a gaggle of scientists making sure to capture every battling moment of Gray’s team.

  They rushed about, discussing theories on Azumarill’s monstrous strength, Carbink’s prowess and Clefable’s type energy manipulation.

  This was their first opportunity to do so, so they were loath to miss the chance.

  Their boss, Professor Samuel Oak, the world’s most renowned pokemon professor, flitted about like a man in his prime, completely in his element.

  Dedicated assistants recorded every conjecture he made, ready to test them when Gray and his pokemon returned.

  The Professor was dazzled by the match they were watching, happy with each instance of irrefutable evidence that proved his own shortcomings, mainly due to his lacking knowledge on Fairy pokemon.

  For example, Azumarill were known to be a docile species, not too interested in the intricacies of battles though capable of defending themselves well enough when the situation called for it.

  Gray’s Azumarill blew that assumption out of the water, and Samuel would bet half his research that Azumarill had an innate reason for his astounding strength. A Hidden Ability maybe? It was exciting to speculate.

  Seeing a foreign pokemon battle was a treat too. Samuel believed Gray’s Carbink to be a prime example of his species. He expected nothing less of his progeny, and Gray was no exception. After all, for all his faults, Samuel and his late wife managed to pass on the best of them to the next generation.

  The small reminder of her made a part of his heart ache but he ignored it. At this point, the dull pain was part and parcel of what it meant to be Professor Samuel Oak.

  When Clefable took the stage, Samuel had been excited. If Gray’s Azumarill could make him and his team reconsider what they knew of Azumarill, he expected the same of Clefable. Sure enough, Gray had managed to prove to the world stage that the timid, rarely seen Clefable were capable of high-tier battling. The Fairy pokemon’s ability to mold type energies simultaneously was proof of their potential for greatness.

  While Samuel and his team had relatively free reign to study Gray’s team while he was in the lab, seeing them in action truly revealed how much there was left to discover.

  Samuel couldn’t wait for his grandson to come home, sure in his heart that their shared collaboration in releasing more information on Fairy types would bridge the gap between grandson and grandfather.

  The smirk never left Blue’s face as he watched his younger brother shine in his first gym battle since coming back. His feisty younger bro was proving his mettle to the entire region, showcasing how thick the Oak blood ran in his veins.

  The camera panning to the audience and their blatant disbelief at Azumarill’s strength had given him enough serotonin to maintain happiness for weeks to come. Rightfully, he had assumed that Gray would sweep with his unassuming Azumarill for the rest of the match. It was an obvious conclusion, one that became inevitable the more the battle progressed.

  But Blue forgot to factor in that this was Gray in question. Staying true to his tendency to subvert expectations, he had switched gears after taking down three pokemon.

  Blue had been baffled by his brother and his pokemon’s actions. While many of the researchers had concluded it was Brock finding his feet again after a bout of nerves, Blue knew better.

  He had grown up watching his younger brother. He had front seat to Gray finding his footing both as a person and as a trainer, so he knew for a fact that Gray was giving Brock a chance to fight back.

  His older brother instincts tingled, clueing him in to Gray putting up a front. It seemed clear as a Sunny Day to Blue, but he didn’t burst everyone else's bubble, resolving to privately inform only his close family about it after the match. He contented himself with the knowledge that he somewhat understood his brother, even after all these years.

  Still, he had been momentarily frustrated by his brother’s constant need to defy what was expected of him. It was typical of Gray to do what he thought was right, damning the consequences and his impact on their family name.

  Case in point, Blue knew that Gray was a better trainer than his debut performance suggested. He had always been a bright child, a better son and grandson than Blue was. But instead of training his pokemon properly to tackle the league, he had whimsically trained his pokemon, as if he was performing experiments with trials and errors.

  Older and wiser, Blue silenced the inner frustration as he watched his brother essentially mess around against Brock.

  He would have to confront his brother about it, but Blue was absolutely certain there was a method to Gray’s madness.

  He just needed to phrase it well, because he couldn’t afford to do anything to drive away Gray again. He had already tasted the bitter consequence of butting into his brother’s choices —the last time he did it, Gray left for nine years.

  Blue refused to again be a catalyst to their family being torn asunder.

  He had been the reason why his brother had left Indigo. He had been the reason why his lover was estranged from him, preventing his older daughter and younger son from being raised together — Daisy barely recognised Gary now, and it was all Blue’s fault.

  He refused to be the reason again.

  Gray strode into his side of the battlefield with a pokeball in hand, calm, confident and ready for action. About to end the battle, he couldn’t wait to get back home and see Grandpa Sammy and Gary.

  Even if only a few days had passed, the situations he had found himself in had drained him. He was ready to close this chapter of his journey.

  He stood in place in a practiced motion, both hands behind his back in a casual posture. The tenseness of his legs, ready to move as needed, was the only indicator that he was about to battle.

  Gray hoped that after messing around earlier, Grandpa Sammy would see this and approve of the small glimpse of himself in his pseudo-grandson.

  He waited for the announcer to start the battle, putting everything else away and focusing his attention on what was to come.

  “Trainers, release your pokemon!”

  While Brock had tossed his pokeball as usual, Gray merely held his out, releasing Mawile from the pokeball he refused to let go of.

  Grandpa Sammy had drilled this into him. While the flashiness that came with modern battling had trainers tossing their pokeballs in all manners of style, Grandpa had been adamant that Gray did not grow up an idiot. He could accept Gray doing what was commonly done to adhere to the times, but he should at least know how to do things ‘right’.

  He had lectured frequently that releasing your pokeball from your grip was a sure-fire way to die in war. You did not march into life or death battles casually tossing your weapons away.

  Everyone watching stiffened at the common pokemon Gray released. Mawile were known for being deceptive, but peel that deception away and they were regarded as largely forgettable.

  There had never been a top-tier Mawile battling at this level.

  Still, everyone kept their mouths shut this time. With Gray Oak, appearances were literally deceiving. They dared not underestimate the younger grandson of Professor Samuel Oak.

  Not anymore.

  Brock’s Rhyperior landed on the battlefield, causing the ground to tremble for a few moments. Otherwise, he was a silent colossus.

  His trainer had warned him to not underestimate his opponent, no matter what appeared on the other side of the field.

  “Battle, begin!”

  Rhyperior tensed, expecting the opponent to rush him.

  Contrary to expectations, Mawile did nothing. She stood on her side of the field, idling and completely relaxed. The Jaw hanging off the top of her head was firmly shut, not revealing a hint of sharp teeth. A small creature, she was the picture perfect image of innocence.

  In the wilds, Rhyperior would barely spare her a glance. She was just a harmless pokemon living her life, nothing noteworthy.

  Brock remained alert. This period of anticipation with no occurrences caused his tension to increase: the more the opposing pokemon did nothing, the faster his heart beat.

  Finally impatient to get the battle going, he commanded Rhyperior to start the match without holding back.

  “Drill Run into Hammer Arm!”

  Rhyperior lunged at his opponent. He twisted his massive body sideways as he went, causing him to begin spinning forwards headfirst.

  By blasting with the cannons on his palms, he was able to turn faster, completing the Drill Run in moments.

  He continued on his way, a massive spinning drill.

  Mawile’s attention flickered at the move, now watching her opponent carefully as he made his way towards her. Still, the tranquility of her waters remain unrippled as she waited patiently for Rhyperior's approach.

  With less than five seconds until he hit her, Mawile began her counterattack.

  The field was overcome with a bright white light that Mawile emitted. Cocooned in a crystalised barrier, she was reduced to a bright light within.

  Gray’s earring did the same. It shone, bright and strong for a brief moment before dying down abruptly.

  Mawile’s crystal cocoon shattered and she reappeared, appearing completely different. She now had two jaws instead, sharper and larger than before. The dress she wore faded into a pink gradient at her feet, and she stood taller.

  Mega Mawile put one foot behind her, bracing for the impact.

  Just as the rock pokemon was about to ram and drill into her, she ducked and Sucker Punched upwards, the previous brace a feint. Rhyperior’s spinning momentum was immediately interrupted, and he unfortunately found himself facing the sky.

  Mega Mawile didn’t let him fall into the ground naturally, instead using both her jaws to grab onto him. Using Rhyperior’s forward momentum, she let him continue forward but angled him downwards, smashing Rhyperior to the ground headfirst.

  Dazed, Rhyperior’s eyes saw nothing but darkness for a second. He struggled to stay conscious, but was unfortunately given no room to breathe by his opponent.

  Brock screamed at his pokemon to watch out, doing his best to call out ways Rhyperior could react to counter Mawile.

  Taking advantage of his momentary confusion,, Mawile exploded into action. She pummeled into him with Play Roughs and Ice Fangs, careful to avoid the trajectory of his arm cannons as he fired them in retaliation.

  When Rhyperior was about to scramble back onto his feet, Mawile grabbed him with both jaws, crushing into his tough exterior with double Ice Fangs.

  He shouted in pain, but was given no recourse and forced back into the ground, hit again and again continuously.

  To finish him off, Mawile raised him with both jaws, hefting him into the air before tossing him upwards. As Rhyperior came back down, she punted him away with an Iron Head, sending him sprawling away.

  Brock stopped shouting, his breathing harsh and heavy as he willed Rhyperior to get back on his feet, to fight back.

  It was futile, however, as Rhyperior was now completely unconscious.

  “Rhyperior is unable to battle. Mawile wins!”

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  Ash cheered and clapped as Mawile made quick work of Rhyperior. This was the first time he had witnessed her mega evolving, so his excitement was through the roof.

  “Uncle Gray is for sure going to win this now! Mega Mawile looks super strong, no way she’ll lose!” He claimed proudly to Altaria, Mimikyu and Rotom.

  He was about to continue babbling to them about Mawile’s awesomeness when the rude girl from behind him chimed in.

  “No way will my brother lose. He’s the gym leader and this is his personal team, he’ll win for sure.”

  Ash gave her a doubtful look, eyeing her up and down. He wasn’t one to claim himself intelligent, self aware enough to know that people like Gary were smarter than him. But at this moment, he seriously concluded this girl as officially dumber than him.

  “Nuh-uh. Uncle Gray just mega evolved his Mawile and she beat your brother’s Rhyperior in less than two minutes. She’ll beat up Brock’s next pokemon too!”

  “No. My brother is strong, he’ll still win.”

  “Sure, your brother is strong. But my uncle is stronger, so there.”

  “My brother’s strongest pokemon is next, so he’ll beat up that silly little Mawile for sure!”

  Ash dismissed her claim with a snort. Was she watching with her eyes closed? Uncle Gray had already proved time and time again that he was the stronger trainer between the two.

  “My uncle has three pokemon left, your brother only has one. Can his strongest pokemon really handle three of uncle’s fairies back to back? His Steelix barely beat Clefable, there’s no way he can beat Mawile when she’s mega evolved!”

  The girl, unable to refute, huffed and proceeded to ignore Ash, something the boy was completely fine with. Chances are, he’d be proven correct pretty soon anyway. He continued to chat with the pokemon around him, happier to converse with non-humans.

  The two children’s exchange caught the attention of some of the adults seated around them. As Brock supporters, some had considered giving the boy a piece of their mind.

  Unfortunately, when they did try to open their mouths and interject, they were glared down by a dragon and some creepy Pikachu-lookalike thing.

  Promptly silenced, they wisely deemed it best to let children be children. Besides the impressive talking pokedex thing floating around him, the boy had also been openly acknowledged by Brock’s challenger. He was obviously an important kid with background, not someone they could easily put in place.

  Not to mention, the boy looked somewhat familiar. They couldn’t put a finger on it, but him parading around with the Pikachu-lookalike reminded them of someone they hadn’t seen in a while.

  Mawile reverted back to her base form, shrinking back down and adopting an unassuming appearance again.

  She patiently waited for Brock’s next pokemon, knowing without a doubt that she was perfectly poised to win regardless.

  Brock stood in place, mind racing. His optimism to still win this match was completely shattered. He hadn’t expected Gray to pull out another mega evolution, expecting him to have no mega evolution at all with Altaria in the stands.

  The Dragon-Fairy had made a splash two days ago, and Brock figured him sitting the match out was due to Gray’s cockiness as a trainer.

  It was clear to Brock now that this challenger had even more layers than meets the eye, exactly like the fairies he commanded.

  What Brock needed to do now was damage control. He had started this match terribly, he couldn’t let it end disgracefully too.

  He fought the urge to cower in place, the disappointment strong after the light he had glimpsed at the end of the tunnel was cruelly snuffed out.

  He held his breath and released his final pokemon who announced his own presence to the world with the loudest roar today.

  Tyranitar stood tall and proud, his green leathery armor gleaming under the stage lights. His muscles tensed as he roared defiantly.

  Mawile did nothing but blink up at him, unfazed.

  Brock took deep breaths to calm himself. He was willing to bet that Gray wouldn’t begrudge him this much.

  Had it been any other pokemon, Brock would be confident he stood a chance. Mawile, unfortunately, was both a Steel and Fairy type. She had type advantages against his Tyranitar, and was a mega evolution to boot.

  Tyranitar had an uphill battle ahead of him, but Brock kept his pessimism to himself. He couldn’t let the doubt poison what he was about to do.

  When his heart beat no longer raced, he brought up the necklace he had torn off his neck with Steelix earlier.

  He channeled all his rage, his disappointment and his leftover determination into his necklace.

  In the interim breaks, Brock had looked up the legalities of what he was about to do. There were no explicit League rules allowing him to do this, but there was also nothing to expressly forbid it.

  Brock, embracing his youth, accepted this as tacit approval. If he was penalised for it in the future, he’d accept the consequences then.

  But for now, he couldn’t let himself falter in the eyes of Indigo, the eyes of his community and in the eyes of his family.

  Like a large boulder falling off a cliff, he was willing to continue freefalling into this ravine. Whether he would shatter or remain intact when he reached the ground, he told himself it would matter little.

  He was going to fall with dignity regardless.

  The key stone at the end of Brock’s necklace glowed bright and strong, a similar phenomenon happening around Tyranitar. When the glow died down, Brock was back in his calm and confident persona, arms folded on his muscular chest.

  The spikes on Tyranitar’s back had lengthened and sharpened, a formidable horn forming on top of his head. His tail had also become longer, a five pronged club at the end made to bludgeon into his enemies and draw blood.

  He roared once more, standing proud as Mega Tyranitar.

  Awe and exhilaration spread around the stadium. Here in the East, Mega Evolution was a phenomenon reserved for the upper echelons of battling. Popular figures typically only mega evolved their cornerstone pokemon like Steven’s Metagross and Cynthia’s Garchomp.

  It was universally agreed that the strain that came with Mega Evolution took too much of a toll to be utilised more than once during battle. Mega Stones for specific pokemon were also rare, limiting the number of pokemon a trainer could mega evolve further.

  For Brock to mega evolve two pokemon in one battle was a testament to his prowess as a trainer. The fact that he was able to source a Mega Stone for both Tyranitar and Steelix could only be described as Arceus-blessed.

  Mawile’s calm disposition was nowhere to be found as Tyranitar evolved. Instead, she vibrated in place, excited for the battle to come.

  She itched to mega evolve again and clash against the titan in front of her, but she knew better. She couldn’t disgrace Gray in front of so many people. To win comfortably, she had to play to her strengths.

  As difficult as it was to do, she waited where she stood, eyes anticipating the pseudo-legendary’s next move.

  Tyranitar sneered at the unimpressive pokemon in front of him. He would have dismissed her entirely if not for Brock’s warning. His trainer told him of how tricky this challenger was, of how they hid their strength and deceived their opponents to win.

  But still, Tyranitar could not resist sneering at the weakling in front of him. Relying on tricks to win was something only the weak relied on, so he was confident in his mega evolved form that he could beat his opponent soundly.

  He itched to battle, barely having the presence of mind to wait for his trainer’s direction before doing so.

  Brock grimaced, already feeling the tentative hold he had to influence Tyranitar slipping past his calloused fingers.

  “Rock Slide!”

  Tyranitar summoned an avalanche of rocks and flung them at his opponent.

  Mawile, smaller in her base form, was able to weave through the attack. She leapt from side to side, twisting when needed to avoid each one. When a bigger projectile heading for her was too big to sidestep, she readied an Iron Head, smashing a silver jaw and breaking the rock to pieces.

  As soon as the rock crumbled, however, Tyranitar was already behind it, a fist clad in fire and ready to strike. Tyranitar jabbed hard with his Fire Punch, sending Mawile back.

  He sneered at how easily she was caught off guard. This weak pokemon had poor situational awareness, easily distracted by what was in front of her and failing to consider what was to come.

  His trainer had obviously overexaggerated the danger of his opponent.

  He lifted a foot in the air, ready to continue attacking with an Earthquake when he caught sight of Mawile and faltered.

  Mawile had crashed after getting hit, tumbling across the ground. When she stopped, she was panting terribly with wet eyes. She clutched the aching side Tyranitar struck, the super effective move doing more damage than normal and weighing her down. She looked up and found many eyes staring at her, a disgraced fairy judged by the crowd.

  Tears began to slip down her face as she sobbed her heart out in pain and humiliation.

  Tyranitar hesitated. He was a noble pokemon, a higher species. To beat up a helpless fool in front of a crowd would paint him in a terrible light.

  Brock, knowing better, commanded his Tyranitar to continue but went ignored. He growled in frustration at his pseudo-legendary already caught in a trap.

  Mawile climbed to her feet slowly, her entire body shaking like a Sunflora in the wind, her breath heaving as if she was doing her best to overcome the greatest struggle of her life.

  Throughout it all she continued to cry, making people watching her feel pity and regret.

  She began to glow brightly, forcing Tyranitar to cover his eyes from the glare. Before he could blink back into focus, he was slapped across the face by Mega Mawile’s Iron Head.

  Mawile had taken advantage of the emotions she invoked by mega evolving and hitting Tyranitar quickly. Fake Tears was something she could only use once in battle, but the swing in emotions she could influence stoked an integral part of her biology.

  Sure enough, Tyranitar roared in indignance at being played. Before Mawile could hit him again, he intercepted her with a Stone Edge by shifting his feet.

  The two mega evolved pokemon began trading blows, two titans in their own right fighting to overwhelm the other.

  Despite his bigger bulk, Tyranitar was the faster of the two, able to thread his moves and move his feet quicker.

  Somehow though, Mawile hit harder. Her Play Roughs and Iron Heads both hit for super effective damage, and her Huge Power made sure each move could be felt.

  Tyranitar starts to wane, beginning to tire after taking cumulative hits from the Fairy-Steel type despite his naturally high defense. Wanting to turn things around, he summons a Stone Edge to try and create distance between him and Mawile.

  Mawile leaps and rides the Stone Edge away from Tyranitar, letting him do as he wishes with a smirk.

  The distance between them created a moment of reprieve, allowing the audience to regain their breath after holding it in as they watched Mawile and Tyranitar duke it out.

  The more keen-eyed watchers could sense the widening gap between the two mega evolved pokemon, and seeing Brock on the verge of losing the match made them grim.

  It was a powerful reminder that, despite the years he had been manning the gym, Brock was just a young man. He had done a commendable job in taking over for his absent father, but perhaps the years he had been shackled by the gym had stunted his growth as a trainer.

  To see Gray, a young man who had a rocky debut, show up after years away and wipe the floor with their gym leader was…. sobering.

  Had Flint and Lola not left, would Brock have fared better?

  The temporary armistice was broken by the rumbling and tearing of rock. One of the spires Tyranitar had created with Stone Edge shook and collapsed.

  Mawile revealed herself, carrying the spike with both her jaws easily. She grinned ferally before lobbing the rock at her opponent.

  Tyranitar easily punched the flying rock, making it crumble in the process. Unfortunately, he was less prepared for Mawile who was flying towards him, a mocking copy of how he had started the battle earlier.

  She smacked into him with a Power-Up Punch, following it up immediately with Seismic Toss. It made for a comical sight, a one meter tall fairy lifting one of the most dangerous pokemon species in the air.

  Mawile flipped Tyranitar off one shoulder before smashing him into the ground, causing him to groan in pain from the four times super effective damage. Pressing her advantage, she pummeled into him without holding back.

  To his credit, Tyranitar kept trying to disrupt his opponent’s rhythm, manipulating Rock Blasts to dislodge her when he got back on his feet. Mawile was, however, too familiar with close quarter combat to let it stop her, liberally using Sucker Punch to stay a step ahead. She also freely transitioned between her base form and mega form, cleverly using the abrupt changes in size to dodge.

  The crowd muttered at the display, never before seeing a pokemon freely switching between forms mid-battle to take advantage of the differences in size.

  Feeling his strength wane, Tyranitar bet on a set of moves. He let loose a Dark Pulse to create distance again.

  Before Mawile could rush at him again, he braced one foot behind and angled his head forward. He turned one eye at his trainer, anger ruling his mind but still choosing to wait for any objections at what he was about to do.

  Stunned, Brock’s thoughts raced with what he could do to salvage the situation. Tyranitar tried and failed to hide his flinch of pain, causing Brock to pause. Coming to terms that there was nothing he could do but nod, he relents with a pained heart.

  He clenched a fist and punched outwards, commanding and supporting Tyranitar’s final gambit.

  “Giga Impact!”

  Yellow currents of energy begin to surround Tyranitar, building up to quickly become a torrential aura. He bends at the knee slightly before using his braced foot to propel himself forward.

  Like a runaway train he chugs on forward, putting everything he could into this move.

  Mawile chose to brace herself to receive the move, her eyes wild with excitement at the opportunity to test her mettle against another mega evolved pokemon.

  Tyranitar crashes into Mawile, determined to faint her with his most powerful move. The poor ground shatters again, the impact devastating.

  Mawile skids backwards for a few metres before managing to right herself. Against all odds, Mawile somehow used both her jaws to absorb the move.

  Tyranitar tries valiantly to shove her away, increasing his output of energy. Mawile just grunts and takes it, exerting effort on her end but is otherwise unfazed. She remains unmoved from her position, like a boulder in place for centuries past.

  Slowly, Tyranitar’s energy peters out. The aura surrounding him dims until it fades out completely, everything within Tyranitar spent. Frustration courses through him, after realizing that even at his best he was not an opponent to this unassuming Fairy. He also feels a hint of guilt, for his trainer had tried to warn him of the danger yet he had dismissed it, overconfident in his mega evolution.

  Figuring that Tyranitar’s Giga Impact had reached the end of its tether, Mawile heaves and lifts her opponent. She is just about to slam him into the ground for good measure when she feels his weight increase suddenly.

  Alarmed, she looks up to see if he was up to anything suspicious. Instead of the defiance she’s already been accustomed to, Tyranitar’s eyes are closed.

  He devolves back to his base form, his body sagging into a slump, fainted.

  Mawile grumbles, annoyed at the match cut too short.

  Brock watches on in worry, concerned about how his opponent would treat the fainted body of his pokemon. The thing was, with how Tyranitar had been dismissive towards her despite Brock’s reasoning with him before the match, he didn’t expect the best reception from Gray and his team.

  Instead of gloating, Mawile gingerly places Tyranitar back on the ground before skipping happily back to Gray, causing Brock to sigh in relief. She had performed exceptionally well, so was expecting her trainer’s praise.

  Sure enough, Gray was quick to pet her and compliment her for a job well done. She chatters back at him, repeating her name while giving her trainer a rundown of the battle she just had as if he hadn’t been watching, all the while demanding more pats.

  Once Brock recalls Tyranitar safely back into his ball, he’s struck by the realisation that he had lost a personal team challenge.

  “Tyranitar is unable to battle. With that, all of Gym Leader Brock’s are defeated. Mawile and Gray Oak of Pallet Town are the winners of this match.”

  Brock fights to keep a polite smile on his face, conscious that any disappointment he shows now could be misconstrued.

  The audience clapped politely, some still in disbelief while others were already concerned for their gym leader’s well-being.

  Brock gives Gray a firm nod before walking away and out of the field. He would meet him again later to present the badge.

  Once he’s finally out of the limelight, the gym leader sags and hunches over, holding himself with one hand against the wall. He takes his time just breathing, trying to get past the wall of frustration the loss has just caused him.

  He lets himself grieve for a few moments, before he springs back up, back straight and aura composed once more. As a pseudo-father to nine of his siblings, he’s had practice bottling negativity inside, only allowing himself to process when his family was well-fed and resting, and only ever in the dead of the night.

  This was nothing new or different, so he would soldier on.

  He slowly makes his way to his waiting room to meet his family. With how slow he was, he fully expected everyone to already be inside waiting to greet him.

  Sure enough, the older set of his siblings were inside when he opened the door. There’s a flicker of surprise, for he expected to be immediately bombarded by their clumsy comfort. Instead, they’re fully focused on one part of the room, barely even paying their brother any attention.

  Brock turns to that side of the room, and suddenly the disappointment he felt at losing was tossed to the back burner.

  Nothing else mattered at this moment, because their absent father stood in the room with them.