I knew there were at least a few people circling and probing my defences, so to speak. I couldn’t lock everything down but I certainly was going to be looking into tightening up some loose details.

When I’d gotten home from my trip to Chrysanthemum Island, I had one of the gym’s trainers, Dennis, subtly follow after my family while they were walking to school. I wanted to make sure that while these big, flashy actions and attention-grabbing issues were occurring, nothing small escaped my notice.

I may have forgotten how… enthusiastic Dennis could be when given an order.

I received two calls from the school asking about him leaping from bush to bush behind my family so he’d remain unseen. After that fiasco I had him tone it back down to merely walking distantly behind them. He still saluted this new order. This time I only got one phone call about his use of binoculars to sweep the grounds. Most parents that spotted him merely challenged him to a pokemon fight, which they lost, but they apparently earned some great ‘cool’ points with the kids.

So… in a way, he had the parents looking out for the kids and the school a little more zealously…

I made sure to make some calls around so that nothing was escaping me in other locations such as the stables, or the trainers that I had sponsored in the past. The chief of police had responded affably with my asking for anything suspicious going on in Pewter.

“There’s nothing strange being reported, Gym Leader Brock. Things have quieted down wonderfully for the end of year, which is to be expected with winter approaching,” said the man over the phone. “If you have any concerns, I can send Jenny around?”

“That shouldn’t be necessary. I just wanted to know if anything odd had come up, thanks for your time,” I said before hanging up.

When Dennis returned he stood at attention before my desk.

“Brock!” He said as a private would shout ‘Major’ in the army. I rubbed my ears at his booming tone before gesturing for him to continue. Why had this man chosen my gym? Oh right, he had a wife and child that loved Pewter City. He was a dedicated trainer, just not the most creative of thinkers. “There is nothing major to report! I have continued surveillance and noted that while the Gym occasionally has some reporters swinging past there have been no significant concerns of anyone or any pokemon scouting out your family!”

“Anything else of note?” I asked.

“There was a rather scruffy-looking hobo that has been swinging around but—” I raised a hand to stall him out.

“That’s… complicated. But rest assured that the…” I snorted in amusement, “Hobo, is not an issue. He’s something I am hoping to address soon.” I leaned back, pleased despite my paranoia being spiked.

Everything was fine.

I should have been able to relax. But I still felt an almost physical itch of wariness that wouldn’t go away. It wasn’t so much that I was waiting for the next shoe to drop, because I’d already had three all but thrown at me from different angles. It was more that I was trying to ready myself to dodge or catch the next throw, and throw something back myself.

I was still able to get through all the work I had lined up for the day. Finishing a list of tasks, especially ahead of schedule, always felt good. I glanced through the spreadsheets that Georgina had reviewed and wrote back a message to Rachel regarding the Gym’s pokenet page… and I was done. I stretched. I didn’t need to stick around for any office hours with this being an off-circuit.

The job as a gym leader was hard, but it was a rare day that I didn’t find myself loving it.

Despite my feeling of having accomplished a solid day’s work, I felt like I still needed to do one more thing. So, I made a call to the Pewter Museum. “Is Director Crowley in?”

“One moment, who is calling, may I ask?”

“Gym Leader Brock,” I said.

“... oh, I’ll get him right away,” the receptionist said before the sound of running feet reached my ears. She hadn’t even put me on hold. Apparently donating money for the purpose of developing and locking in the ability to resurrect pokemon fossils made me a V.I.P. It still struck me as strange that the man insisted on not having a phone so that others wouldn’t distract him.

The phone was soon picked up. “Crowley here! Hello Brock! If you’re calling for an update I am proud to announce that we were able to resurrect a plant from the ancient period!”

“Oh, well that’s wonderful but I was more calling to make sure that no one had been bothering you, Director Crowley. The Gym’s gone through some audits, and while I listed my contributions to the Museum as donations, I wanted to make sure everything is alright on your end.”

“Feh! Please! Most of the time people forget about us!”

“Oh, that’s a sham—” “It’s incredible! We get so much done without people bothering us! Brock! I want you to know that by the end of the next circuit, at the latest, I predict we will be able to resurrect a fossil without League oversight! As a private entity not affiliated with the League, we will be able to create a viable population before using any funds from the sales for more research! I have my own personal amber fossil ready for that day! When it occurs we’ll be swimming in funding, but we shan’t forget your contributions! It has made a world of difference! I shall keep you apprised. Also! I will need to schedule a time to make some more videos for the ancient pokemon. There has been some discussion of showing them alongside the museum’s current displays.”

“Well you’re welcome to come down anytime—”

“Many thanks!” he said before abruptly hanging up.

I snorted to myself, pleased that he seemed to be unbothered. If he held up the deal, once he had the machine I would have two Aerodactyl which would mean I’d have more chances of breeding stronger pokemon.

Relying on ditto only worked in games. You could do it, but it was known to produce weaker pokemon until a diverse enough pool of the pokemon to build up from was established. That took years. I’d seen some discussions regarding my own pokemon with this in mind. I was hoping I’d have some more options soon. I still hadn’t been able to find the Helix or Dome fossils despite scouring Mt. Moon multiple times over these past few years. I quickly fired off a message to Lawrence, my lawyer, to verify that the League wouldn’t be able to interfere with the little deal I had arranged with Crowley.

“Broooock!” called Suzie from down the hall. “We’re out of chips!”

I glanced at the clock. I still had to go shopping. My job as a Gym Leader might have been over, but now I needed to pick up the reins of full-time parent. I exited my office and lifted Suzie into my arms. When I swept into the lounge room to find everyone watching tv I adopted a wide smile.

“Who wants to come shopping with me?”

I got no response beyond Suzie raising her hand. I glanced from my siblings to the tv, seeing that Furret Samurai was on. “Is it really that good?”

“Shhhh!” all my siblings said as one. Their eyes tracked the Furret as it bounced over the screen with a stick screaming its name. Huh, it did actually look— Suzie pinched me before I could sit down.

“Oh right! Shopping. Forrest, hold down the fort.” I got a grunt in reply as I left the room. Good enough I suppose. When I stepped outside I gave Suzie a conspiratorial smile. “So, think we should get some lollies while we’re out?”

She gave this due consideration before another warm body rushed up to my back. “Munchlax!”

“Yes!” translated Suzie somewhat redundantly. I chuckled and carried pokemon and little sister to the store.

“Three cans of sweet corn.” I scratched another item off the list, then paused to reread the label. “Which is the kernel type?” I gave a glare towards the nearly identical labelled cans that had the same colouration right next to the corn I wanted. The label of ‘creamed-corn’ innocently glinted back. I’d fallen into that trap way too often.

I couldn’t help but feel those were supposed to be in an entirely different aisle at least.

“Brock, I think there is a difference between lollies earnt and lollies just given,” Suzie chimed up around a mouthful of candies. Munchlax nodded seriously from his spot next to her in the shopping cart. “These ones taste better.”

I nodded along not having a clue what she was talking about. I chalked it up as ‘things kids say’ and was merely thankfully she wasn’t accidentally swearing.

She tilted her head. “Can we stop for ice cream as well?”

I continued to search the shelves for the groceries we needed. “I’m not going to be held hostage to those demands. Also, I already gave you a treat for coming with me.” Suzie pouted adorably at me. Her little arms crossed over her chest as I continued to ignore her.

“Do you want this to be a dip or a taco mix tonight?” I said more to distract her, I already knew what she’d say after all.

I secretly stashed two of each as she held up another box in each hand, her head whipping back and forth. I could almost hear her little mind cogitating the decision.

“... If I’m good and I do Cindy’s chores at home, then couldI get ice cream?”

“You could try to bargain with Cindy for her ice cream but I don’t think she would agree to that deal.” The wheel on the trolley jerked slightly but I held it steady instead of letting it crash into the shelves. “Now, we need some seasoning.”

“No! No spicy food! It’s yik!”

“Yik?”

“Mhm! Yik! Spicy stuff makes it no good to eat!” Suzie said as the resident expert of ‘yik’.

“That’s alright then I will just make a bit of it for myself and set it aside for Forrest as well. He likes it.” I mentally said a prayer to Arceus in thanks that none of my siblings had allergies or needed specialised diets. I once had a friend that was allergic to lactose. I loved her as a friend, but I hated having to buy party foods for her. Grocery shopping was already hard enough with there being nine children to buy for plus myself.

I still made sure to print and stuff a ‘suggestion’ of having a pokenet shopping online option into the market suggestion box every time I shopped.

“We should buy Graveler some make up!” Suzie decided as we passed the toiletries aisles. I considered that for half a second before shrugging and grabbing a cheap ‘learn-to’ kit that was for young girls. That should be a fun afternoon for the girls and Graveler.

“Anything we should get Munchlax?” I already suspected the answer to be—

“Chicken pops!” Suzie said with another serious nod. Munchlax perked up at that and hugged Suzie happily. I paused.

“Not ice cream?”

“No! That’s for us!” she then tilted her head. “Well, he’ll eat it as well but he actually prefers chicken popcorn,” she said while hugging the greedy little pokemon back. He purred into her side.

I considered that before narrowing my eyes. “And how do you know he likes those exactly?”

“Salvadore has been running tests to determine Munchlax’s favourite food. I helped!” she said proudly.

I glanced down at the trolley that was already stacked high. I slumped a little, resolving to come back tomorrow after checking how much had been given over to Munchlax from our freezer for ‘science’. Honestly, this small mountain of food for my siblings was just a normal shop for me. I really shouldn’t have been surprised by the unexpected angle of having to buy more food. I’d make do.

What made it more than a little unusual was how the lettuce heads seemed to have a camera sticking out of them. Or how two or three shoppers kept holding cameras directed at me with focussed looks that were more like Mightyena waiting for a Tauros to be separated from the herd so they could feast.

These were obviously not local reporters, as I had gotten familiar with all of those when I’d first become Gym Leader. They’d gotten a pretty good run of stories with the drama of my family, before I proved myself locally. The announcement to rebuild the Gym had certainly surprised them, but it had also won me a lot of popularity in town.

It felt a little ridiculous to be honest. I got to watch locals stare at the weirdly acting photographers as they ‘hid’ using fruit stands and more all over the shop. A clerk had an uncaring, minimum wage look of apathy as he merely trundled out a mop to wipe up a spill of broken jam. I gave the reporter that had caused the accident a pointed look.

The man gave the clerk a note that the clerk pocketed without comment. I snorted at the byplay. I didn’t have to report them for their antics. I was a Gym Leader, not a Jenny. Also, I was not on the clock.

“Hello, Brock! Hello, Suzie!” Chimed a local mother that I knew from Tilly’s kindergarten. Instantly cameras snapped into action and a chorus of murmurs broke out as reporters spoke into handheld recorders.

The woman blanched. “Uhm? What’re they doing?”

“Inventing torrid fictional tabloids most likely. Congratulations you might feature in such literary giants such as ‘This week’ or ‘Expose!’ magazines,” I said sardonically. This was met with a weak chuckle that died off when I gave her a small apologetic shrug.

“Are you serious?” She glanced from me to the photographers.

“Yeah, I checked and when I’m out in public like this they’re allowed to follow from a distance. If they make too much of a disturbance I can call Jenny on them, but until then they get to follow me.”

“Oh, I guess it’s not all glam and living the life when you’re the hot topic?” She asked as I began to load up the groceries onto the checkout.

“No. Also, Hot Topic's reporter is hiding over in the lettuce, I think.” I pointed at the location and the mother of my sibling’s playmate perked up.

“Oh! I have some questions about last month’s article!” She happily skipped up to the man which made me shake my head and look at Suzie.

“At least someone’s enjoying it, hey Suz? Also, put that chocolate back. You’re not ruining your appetite.” This earned me another pout. Thankfully those have long since become ineffective against my ‘older brother typing’.

I finished up my shop, paid and packed my bags into my backpack which swelled as I added more and more into it. I lifted Suzie out of the trolley, and stored it before setting her down. Munchlax scrambled up to the top of my backpack. She grabbed my hand and we departed the shop.

A bang accompanied with a round of cursing had us both turning back to the amusing sight of the reporters getting stuck in the shopping centre’s door. A small brawl broke out and I lifted a small camera I’d started to carry around to snap a picture of the reporters growling at each other.

The same minimum wage employee prodded them outside with the application of his trusty mop. From there, it devolved into the standard practice for two disagreeing parties as pokeballs were drawn and a pokemon fight broke out in front of the shopping centre. I’d been kind of tempted to stick around and watch. Only in the pokemon world would such an occurrence appear. Truly, having your rabid stalkers settle into a soft brawl before deciding to resolve it with pokemon was a strange sort of civility but, somehow, it made sense.

Sadly I couldn’t stick around to watch. I’d denied Suzie some ice cream during the shopping and if she learnt I’d allowed the family’s share to melt she’d do worse than pout. I’d be in full tantrum territory. So I got out while the getting was good. It was actually nice to just walk home without having to worry about the reporters for once. Suzie picked up on my better mood.

“Can we stop at the park?” Which meant she was going to try and leverage it. Damn young kids and their perceptiveness.

I allowed Suzie five minutes on the swings which turned into ten. I then only had to threaten no ice cream once to get her to walk home with me where I began making up dinner early. I was just about to start chopping the onions when my transceiver rang. I leaned away from the chopping board and picked up the call. “Brock here,” I said as a way of greeting.

“Good evening Brock, it’s Erika. How are you this afternoon?” I paused and gave the transceiver a look to see that it was indeed projecting Erika’s tranquil face to me. I rearranged it to where it was at a better angle to talk.

“Uhm, hi there? I’m pretty good, currently making up dinner for my family. How about yourself?”

“Uhm well I am in a bit of trouble as I have been audited… so I find myself in a spot of bother. Sabrina must be busy, as she has not called me back yet, but I was… hoping you’d be willing to hear me out?”

“They audited you as well?” I asked. That surprised me. Then again as I thought over the situation I felt a suspicion build in my mind. “Hey, hold on, I'm going to add Surge to the call. See if he got audited as well.”

I pulled the phone away and looked to my transceiver for Surge’s number then I set up the call to be a group call. It rang for a few rings before Surge picked up.

“It’s Surge, who's this?!” He barked into the phone like it had offended him.

“Surge, hey, it’s Brock. I've got Erika on the line as well. We got audited—” “Huh you guys too huh? How’d you go?”

“I had a lawyer look over things. Initially, I rejected the audit as I knew they needed an actual warrant ordering them and allowing them access,” I lied. They didn’t need to know I had totally flubbed that initial meeting. I moved over to the window looking out to the garden.

“Oh Bellsprouts! I could have done that?” Erika said. A chopping sound began behind me and I gave what I believed to be Yolanda a thumbs up without looking.

“Yeah… the Lawyer also recommended that I get their details and a few other things for future reference. Then my lawyer had an accountant look over my books.”

“Didn’t think to do that little missy? Huh, I would have thought you’d be better set up in Celadon.” Surge murmured. There was a scratchy noise as Surge rubbed at his chin.

Erika tilted her head. “What is that on your face?” I bit my lip at her innocent question.

Surge bristled and the camera panned out to show all of his face. “It’s my off-circuit beard! I grow one every year!” he said with a growl.

“It looks like a lawn that only gets watered… I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to be rude!” Erika said her camera’s view swinging about as she swept her arms about. I laughed, which only made Surge glower harder.

“You young punks have no appreciation of a man’s pride. Brock, I doubt you’re even old enough to grow something like this!”

“Eh, I’m good being smooth,” I said while smiling widely. I knew from experience that the man liked to grow a beard during the off-circuit period so his appearance hadn’t been a surprise but I always forgot how poorly it initially grew in. By the end of the circuit he would sport a mountain man’s beard, but right now? It was kind of sad to look at.

Surge coughed and redirected us so he wouldn’t have to endure our teasing. “Listen, Brocko is right. You need to get yourself a good lawyer and a good accountant. Now if you messed up, the League can fine you and, with them likely having a weedle crawling up their skirt, they're going to hit you with what they can. I’m gonna hang up and call around, see if the other gyms have been hit too.”

“K, thanks for answering Surge,” I said in farewell.

Erika replied with a more heartfelt, “Thank you!”

“Erika, did this just happen, as in today?” I asked.

“Oh! Yes! Just now! I was so flustered! I let them in!” I groaned a little at that. Erika muttered something before saying, “I think I better go make some calls to get myself some help. I have an uncle that usually handles this sort of issue. I think I better talk to him?”

“That sounds like a good idea,” I said.

I glanced up at the ceiling before dialling Sabrina’s number. My transceiver rang only for a similar tone to sound out immediately behind me. I whipped around to find Sabrina telekinetically dicing up the onions I had left out. She gestured and they floated into the taco mince.

“Sabrina…hey?” I stared at her.

“Hello Brock,” she answered blandly like she hadn’t just snuck in. At least, I hoped she’d only just snuck in on me. It worried me that I couldn’t say it wouldn’t be abnormal for her to be lurking around for longer.

“Welcome, I guess. How long have you been there?”

“I arrived a few moments ago,” she said before indicating the mince. “I wanted to get that out of the way. Sometimes mother cries when she chops them. She shouldn’t, they are just vegetables that give off chemicals. With even her psychic abilities she should be able to do as I do, but she often forgets… It has become a habit of mine to sometimes assist her.”

“Oh, that sounds nice,” I said before thinking through what she’d said and who I was saying it to. “Sabrina… do you move the knives around while in the same room as her?”

“I can do it from the other side of the city if I needed to, but I mostly do paperwork at the same time so I am in my office. It doesn’t distract me.”

I put my hands together. Sometimes I got really frustrated with Sabrina’s parents… and then there were moments like this I got a small inkling of what they had to go through. It made me commiserate with them.

“Maybe set up in the kitchen with her so she realises it is you helping her. It’s a touch scary when the knives start flying around without knowing why they’re doing that.” Sabrina gave me a long, slow blink.

“I see. That would explain why she screams.”

I decided to put that to the side. For later. I certainly wasn’t going to forget about that.

“Ah well, thanks for chopping that up for me. Did you hear what I was talking about with Surge and Erika?”

“Yes,” was all she said.

I swear, it feels like I'm yanking teeth sometimes…“Did you also get audited?”

“Yes, but they didn’t find any issues with my Gym. There are none and I would never allow there to be,” she stated placidly.

“Were they on the up and up?” she frowned at me. “I mean the auditor. Were they legit and not just trying to find dirt on you?”

“Yes, the woman that inspected my Gym was very professional. I checked her memories and she had no dubious intent.”

“You know… Actually, never mind,” I said, not really feeling like I should bother chastising her. If I had the ability to read, the PIA financial auditor’s mind I totally would have. Then again that sort of man would probably only have numbers and methods of torturing the innocent in his mind. Damn Timothy… protecting his mind with numbers and… dark arts? I mentally shook myself out of my thoughts. Perhaps it wouldn’t be such a good idea to read people’s minds? I was already prone to getting lost in my own head as it was.

Sabrina merely lifted a single eyebrow. Right, I’d been quiet for a while. “I guess I shouldn’t be surprised. You’ve always had a good handle on most aspects of being a Gym Leader.”

Sabrina turned away and gave the wall a fixed look. “Most?” I felt the room drop in temperature slightly but I ignored it as I laid out the tomatoes. The knives lifted off once more as I approached them. I stepped back to let Sabrina help.

“Yeah, the whole moving things around the gym from other rooms tend to scare trainers… also you tell people answers to questions they haven’t asked yet which freaks them out. Apply that to matches and things really ramp up in difficulty.” I knew it was better than it might have gotten but there was no good way to comment on a possible future so I let the issue drop.

I ran my tongue over my teeth. “Who gave her the order?” Sabrina gave me another look that, for her, was a harsh stare. “Sorry, but I’m curious. I had Nurse Joy come around and test me and she didn’t think her orders were on the up and up. I also had someone try and take Tide from me that was supposedly acting on my orders.”

Sabrina nodded, “Orders you obviously never gave. This implies someone is targeting you.”

I nod my head in agreement. Before I can say anything else my phone rings. Upon answering, “Hey Brocko, it's Surge again.”

“That was quick, who’d you call?”

“I called the others, couldn’t get hold of Sabrina but Giovanni, Blaine, and the Cerulean sisters all got audited as well.”

“Oh… how’re the sisters?”

“They’re blubbering messes. Absolutely incoherent.” Surge nodded slowly, “I think they did bad.” I stared at the transceiver stunned at Surge’s blunt statement. He was being sarcastic right? I think even Forrest, who could sometimes be emotionally thick, would realise something was wrong when a girl became a blubbering mess.

Surge continued on, “I’ve set up a meeting with all of the Gym Leaders in a couple of days. Or at least I’ve sent a message out. You know how it is with Koga.” I nodded. Most of the time the man didn’t attend. “Can you make it?”

“Yeah, yeah I can,” I said before tilting my head. “Do you think the smaller Gyms got audited as well?” I didn’t say anything about Sabrina being here with me. Surge would just read into it way too much.

“Hmmmm, don’t know. I only ever really talked with Kong, and after Sabrina drubbed him he’s been like a spitting Ekans to any of the eight that approach him. Reckon I could get that new Gym Leader in. Think his name was Grey?”

“Did someone new get put into the minor four? Who got relegated?” I asked with interest.

“Yeah, Silph Co. has been pushing a corporate-sponsored group for a while now. The League gave them approval, and they went after Kaz, with his Dark City Gym, ‘cause he had a huge downturn. New gym is based out of Neon Town. They’re going to try and make it a Steel-type Gym.”

I scowled at the transceiver at that. “Can’t say I like the idea of a corporate Gym getting approval like that.”

“Heh, them’s the Pidgey’s, Brocko. I’m gonna call around. Might get the other two… but I doubt it. Grey should come. Then I can haze the hell out of him as the rookie! Heh! Be like old times when I made you—” I hung up before he could continue.

Sabrina gave me a long stare. “What did he tell you to do?”

“Tried to tell me I had to announce myself from the town square and accept all challengers for a day… I didn’t do it.”

“Good.” She flicked her eyes and the tomatoes soared into the mix.

I stayed quiet and pondered over what had been revealed to me. Had this round of audits been an attack? It seemed a bit too widespread to be targeted at me.

“Who ordered the audit for you? Did you get many details?” I said to Sabrina quietly.

“It was considered a standard review from the auditor that approached my Gym. They didn’t have to do anything but put in the order. None at the inspection agency considered it strange from the accounting team. I did learn that this was something pushed by the secretary, however.”

“Hmmm, good to know, I did see her name on the paperwork. Ever… talk with her?”

Sabrina shook her head and I hummed in thought.

I set the mince to cooking. Sabrina didn’t say anything more but that wasn’t unusual for her. Merely enjoying the moment of quiet. She did quirk an eyebrow when Munchlax sauntered in, opened the fridge, got himself and the others a packet of juice and waddled back out. I merely waved after him, “New playmate for my little siblings.”

She accepted that and I returned to my musings. If it had just been Erika, Surge and Sabrina it would have been suspicious. Or was that the purpose? Start a wide fire to hit a specific point without being obvious about it?

I turned that over for a bit more. When the mince was done I tapped Sabrina on the elbow. “Feel up to staying around for dinner?”

I watched, not saying a word as she gave the offer due consideration. She shook her head. “No, you enjoy your family dinner.” She still scooped up a pair of tacos. I grinned at her. “Know why pirates are bad at reading?”

She blinked at me. “No?” she said, not understanding where I was going with this new line of conversation.

“They couldn’t learn the alphabet properly ‘cause they kept getting stuck at C.”

Her lips twitched upwards and she giggled before coughing once and levelling a tepid glare at me. I opened my mouth for another joke but she flashed away in a teleport. So I typed the message into my transceiver and sent it to her. Then I looked towards dinner for the rest of the family.

I noted that she had selected the spicy mixture to take from. I tilted my head. Had she been aware of that? I don’t think she was around when I mixed that in. I didn’t think she liked it? I couldn’t recall her ever positively speaking out when we’d been ‘dating’.

“Kids! Dinner!” I shouted into the house as I began to plate up food.

I mentally added another marker to my schedule as I turned over what I’d need to take to a meeting of Kanto Gym Leaders.

I also still had Celia’s return from the Conference to handle.

“It’s snowing outside!” shouted Salvadore as he passed the window. I looked up. Huh, looks like I’d need to make sure my free range area was all set up for the coming winter. I merrily crunched on my spicy dinner and smirked when Forrest egged Salvadore to take a bite.

For now, things seemed to be fine. I’d gotten through the audits with a bit of stress and a —most likely— Team Rocket probe on some of my interests that were not close by with Tide. I could take the events as they came, it felt like I had some time to breathe.