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“Should ya really have Lexie up there Tildi?”
Matilda Bennett nee Zumbrik looked over to her brother from atop her Charizard. Charlie’s own Charizard had taken the lead in their race so far only because he didn’t have his kids with him. Having arrived frmo Sinnoh and Jhotho respectively, they had opted to race from the train station. Charlie’s family had arrived a day earlier while Tildi had arrived with her 11 year old son ( Marcus) and her five year old ( Lexie) in tow.
Not that that had stopped her from accepting her brother’s offer that they race from the train station to their old family home.
Most people she supposed wouldn’t let a toddler ride atop a Charizard, but she herself hadn’t been much older when she had her first race, nor had Marcus for that matter.
“I think it’d been awful of me to exclude her” she yelled over with a smile.
Lexie was squealing and laughing from within the protective circle of her brother’s arms, while Marcus made sure she stayed secured.
If she had made them walk she’d have never heard the end of it, and Tildy had enough of being “the mean parent” while her husband got to be the fun one.
“I see Grandma’s house!” Marcus said raising his voice to be heard over the wind the flying fire types were generating. He smiled when he remembered Elijah had participated in the last race, as well as gotten to meet his entire gaggle of cousins.
Maybe I’ll call him over the break, he thought looking down as the house below them became more and more distinguished.
The house itself wasn’t anything special, it was old and the same model as the local gym leader’s due to all houses made that year sharing the same structure. To Marcus however, it was a second home, one where the fighting between his parents significantly lessened ( on account that one of those parents wasn’t there but still) and his cousins awaited him with eager and open arms.
Both charizards landed in a whirlwind of leaves and branches. The front door oppened as Charlie and Tildy dismounted, the latter making sure to help her kids do the same.
Aggie Zumbrik stepped outised with the aid of a cane, movements brisk and the bright brown eyes she shared with most of her children and grandchildren full of life and sharp as ever.
“I see you demons messing up my front porch” she yelled before cracking a smile as both Tildy and Charlie stepped up to hug her.
“And you Alden, cme here!” she said to Marcus “Don’t think I don’t see you”
Marcus smiled, stepping out of the way as his sister raced into the family home and went over to hug his grandmother.
“Hi bobbi”
“There you are handsome boy, you’ve gotten so tall” she said running her hand through Marcus’ hair.
“You a trainer yet kid” a voice said from the direction of the front door. Marcus’ eyes shot up and his face split into a smile when he saw his uncle Eliot leaning casually against the door frame.
“Uncle Eliot!” he said and this time it was Marcus who was racing to embrace his favorite uncle.
“You know that boy’s heading for Ranger School as well as anyone El. Hey there Alden” another familiar voice said as Julie Zumbrik, the youngest of Marcus’ aunts and uncles came out to get her hug from him, her signature Ambipom waving at Marcus from behind her.
“Yeah me and Elijah, we talked a lot about it” he said smiling at his aunt and uncle’s anticts.
“You meetin a lot of future Rangers huh? Oughta take all of you guys on a trip to the station sometime” Eliot said. Marcus’ eyes lit up at the idea.
“Yeah! Elijah and-and me, yeah we’d really like that” Marcus said hoping the fact that his voice at the end of the sentence was more subdued would go unoticed.
Ray had been the first person he had talked about being rangers and explorers with, and then it was him Ray and Elijah.
And now he wasn’t even sure if Ray wanted to talk to him or even see him.
“Where-where’s all the others?” he asked hoping to hit somewhere along his previous enthusiasm. ( and trying not to notice the pointed look his grandma and uncle shared)
“Well seeing as Lexitong just ran though the house hollerin “We’re here! We’re here!” I imagine they’re all not too far behind” Julie said cocking her head to the side as the unmistakable sound of the Zumbrik brood came barreling through the hosue.
Aggie Tildy Eliot and Julie all took a step away from Marcus a scant seconds before six different bodies slammed into him, all falling to the ground in a pile.
“Well it wouldn’t be a family reunion unless someone got tackled to the ground” Charlie said before picking up his own daughter Robin before she could join the pile “hey babygirl”
Eliot for his part hollered “Hey Katie don’t go breakin your cousin there” before he and both his sisters turned to Charlie with identical grins on their faces
“Wouldn’t be a family reunion without someone gettin tackled...girls that sound like a challenge to ya?”
“Sure does” Tildy said while Julie added “think we can still take him?”
Charlie, child still in his hands started backing away towards the door.
“Hey now yall...stay away from me..I have a child-oh s**t” he dropped Robin, making sure the little girl landed on her feet before darting into the house with his siblings hot on his heels.
“Aww the pitter patter of FULL GROWN ADULTS RACING THROUGH MY CLEAN LIVING ROOM YALL BETTER NOT BREAK ANYTHING IM NOT CLEANING IT UP” Aggie screamed as she too walked inside, though the barely suppresed laughter in her voice kept it from being too serious a threat.
Ten year old Robin, now free from her previous job as a human shield, rn over to where her cousins were still dog piling on Marcus, talking excitedly all the while in a flurry of “Missed you so much” “-been forever dude” “-where ya been, why dont you answer your phone anymore” “-really see dragons up close in the ice city? For really?”
Marcus laughed before finally righting himself, as did his cousins.
“Yeah I saw some dragons! Got one my own too” he said.. This revelation of course provocked another round of chatter.
“No way!”
“Sweet!
“What kind? Knowing you it’s a Kingdra” Audrey said while Katie put in “Nu-uh gotta be a Gyarados”
“Got to be a Charmander”
“Actually charmanders are not considered dragon types but rather flying and fire “
“Aww jeez Jimmy you’re more of a walkin pokedex than Alden is”
“Hey now” Marcus protested giving a fake wounded look at the mention of his childhood nickname. He extened an arm out for Robin to step into, hugging her younger cousins and spinning her around a bit “hello Robin. Thank you for not flattening me” he said shooting a look at the rest of his cousins. This made Robin giggle which in turn made Marcus smile./
For the first time, surrounded as he was by his cousins, his problems seemed just a little bit smaller.
“It’s a-drumroll pleeeeeeeease” he laughed when his cousins imitated an actual drumroll-a rather off key one as they all tried to do it at the same time “Deino!”
“What?!”
“No way!”
“Yes way!” he said procuring the pokeball that held his newest pokemon “come on! Let’s go to the backyard I’ll show you!”
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