Erza sighed wearily as she flopped onto the living room couch, muscles aching from another grueling day of training her hot-headed Fire types team. Being one of Kanto's few female gym leaders even though a minor one was a source of pride...but it meant that she had less time to train with her true team, her fire type Pokemon.
She had to make every second count with them besides she enjoyed to train with them every now and then.
"Rough day at the training grounds, hon?"
Ben wandered in from the kitchen, smiling that perpetually good-natured smile of his. A smile that occasionally drove Erza crazy, wondering how her dorky husband could remain so unflappably cheery through even the most chaotic days of parenthood.
"You have no idea," she groaned, running a hand through her disheveled scarlet hair. A few tangles and singe marks from ember sparring were already forming. "My Magmar is gonna be the death of me, I swear. He's even more hotheaded and destructive than my Charizard!"
Ben chuckled as he took a seat beside Erza on the lumpy sofa, tenderly rubbing her shoulders. Her husband's scalp massages were one of the few reliably blissful aspects of coming home each night.
"Well hey, at least we get a brief respite this evening, right? Dad's got the rascal twins tuckered out with another one of his war stories."
No sooner did the words leave Ben's mouth than a sudden chorus of high-pitched shrieks pierced the air, rattling the nearby windowpanes. Erza clapped her hands over her ears with a wince, all feelings of comfort instantly shattered.
"You just had to open your big mouth, didn't you?" ɴᴇᴡ ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀʀᴇ ᴘᴜʙʟɪsʜᴇᴅ ᴏɴ novel·fire·net
Sure enough, Grandpa Maren came stomping through the den seconds later with Gladion and Gwenyth in tow. The former grizzled soldier was red-faced and wheezing angrily while the 5-year-olds zipped around him in hysterics - Gladion hanging off his faded overalls and Gwenyth alternating between poking his lower back and dodging his swipes with hyena cackles.
"Dagnabbit, you darn littl'n pests! Leggo my damn britches 'fore I turn ya both into Combusken nuggets!!"
The old man bellowed unconvincingly between gasps for air. His wispy gray hair was wild and disheveled as he tried vainly swatting at Gwenyth's nimble dodges around his hunched form.
"No such luck on that relaxing night cap, huh dear?" Erza croaked out, shooting her husband an "I told you so" look.
Ben grimaced sheepishly and cleared his throat. "Erm...Gwenyth Vortex! And you too Gladion Vortex! Both of you quit harassing your grandfather this instant!"
At their father's stern tone, the twins finally halted their torment on Maren - though not without a few last mischievous taunts.
Gladion immediately detached himself with arms raised in faux compliance, looking the picture of cherubic innocence.
"Aww c'mon Pop, we were just getting Gramps all riled up for someexercise! Ain't that right, old-timer?"
He delivered a jocular elbow nudge into Maren's hip, evoking another wheezing growl from the old veteran. Meanwhile, Gwenyth blew a slobbery raspberry right in Ben's reproachful face before dancing backwards out of reach.
Heaving a long-suffering sigh, Erza rose from the couch and stomped over to the gaggle. She loomed over Gladion with hands on hips, leveling her best no-nonsense gym leader stare.
"Young man, whatever did we say about respecting your elders? And especially someone like your grandfather, who's endured more horrific ordeals than you could imagine?"
Gladion's sunny demeanor immediately dimmed as his mother drove her scoldings home. He scuffed his shoes against the faded rug, abashed.
"Yes ma'am...it's just, Gwenyth started getting all riled up after his War stories again and I...well, I guess I got a little carried away too."
"Oh is THAT what happened?" Erza's fiery gaze swiveled towards the sofa's backside, narrowing dangerously. Gwenyth poked her head up just enough to stick out her tongue at the seething frown.
"Gramps keeps telling us those old tales like we're still snotty Pichus or something! But we're not dumb babies anymore - we know he's seen all sorts of crazy Pokemon from beyond Kanto reals! I jes' wanna pester him til he finally shows me what they look like!"
She emphasized her point by puffing out her little cheeks defiantly, causing wisps of her wild ginger hair to stick out at even battier angles. Erza struggled to keep a straight face at her youngest's brazen pugnaciousness.
Grandpa Maren, however, looked near apoplexy having his war recounts criticized so bluntly. His gnarled hands balled into fists as he towered over Gwenyth, rounding the couch in a rare display of fury.
"Why you...you insolent...ungrateful lil'
Gastly brat! I've half a mind to oak-shampoo that wild pineapple you call hair to knock some respect into that fool skull o' yours!"
"Enough, both of you!" Erza roared, shocking everyone present into stunned silence. She seized both Gladion and Gwenyth by their collars, dragging them to the hallway stairs as Ben made sheepish attempts to placate his seething wife.
"I will NOT have any more of this nonsense tonight, understood? Behave like proper young kids that you are!"
She punctuated her orders by depositing the twins onto the staircase landing with a firm swat to both their backsides. Gladion rubbed his stinging behind gingerly while Gwenyth whimpered crocodile tears, but neither dared escalate the situation any further for now.
Once Erza stormed off to retrieve chamomile tea (and likely avoid combusting completely), Ben approached Gladion and Gwenyth with pursed lips. He crouched down to their eye level, countenance softening.
"Look you two...I know Grandpa's tales can be pretty heavy stuff for such little scrappers like you. But you need to cut the old coot some slack, capiche?"
Gwenyth fidgeted restlessly on the step, still sniffling dramatically, but Gladion nodded along glumly.
"It's just...he makes the rest of the big world out there sound so fascinating and scary all at once, Pop. With all those different Pokemon he tangled with that we've never ever seen or heard of growing up in Kanto..."
Ben smiled kindly at his more pensive son, giving his hair an affectionate tousle.
"I hear you, champ. And trust me, when you and your sis finally earn your starter partners, it'll open up all sorts of new possibilities to satisfy those burning curiosities about foreign lands! Gramps is just trying to share a bit of his unique perspective with you squirts while he still can."
That last statement seemed to pierce Gladion in a profound way. He hunched forward, expression turning uncharacteristically pensive and somber. Ben caught the sudden shift, brow furrowing slightly in paternal concern.
"Everything okay there, kiddo? You've got the same brooding look your mother gets when her mind's wandering somewhere far away..."
Gladion started, as if jolted from an impromptu trance, and gave his father a small reassuring smile.
"It's nothing, Pop. Just...well, thinking about how lucky we are to have someone like Gramps is all. Someone who's actually LIVED stuff like Kanto's ancient wars against other regions when people could still travel freely, instead of just reading about it in some dry history book."
He gazed off down the hallway where they could hear Erza and Maren's muffled voices still bickering from the den. Though his childish features betrayed little besides a mild wistfulness, Ben could've sworn he glimpsed the glimmer of an old, wizened soul flicker across those striking green eyes just then.
The tender moment ended, however, when Gwenyth suddenly launched herself at her unsuspecting father with another high-pitched shriek. She latched onto his burly midsection and started crying .
"There there, Gwen! Let's play 'Puppy Arcanine Stampede to cheer you up!" Ben tried to cheer her up as he hoisted her over his shoulder like a rambunctious sack of Poke-Puffs, Ben marched off down the hallway.
Over his shoulder, he spared one last knowing wink towards Gladion before disappearing into the master bedroom.
Gladion watched them depart with a wistful smile, basking in the chaotic warmth that was simply...his family. Though he often rolled his eyes at Gwenyth's manic behavior or their parents' doting antics, moments like these really struck home how blessed he was in this second chance at life.