Gladion stood in the living room of their house. He put Milo and Lila in front of him for protection.
'Arceus, Save me from the wrath of my mother and also please save the ones who would have to face her wrath. Um...If you are busy, you can just save me too.' Gladion prayed in his mind.
The door swung open and his mother, Erza, stormed in, her fiery red hair practically crackling with energy. Before Gladion could speak, she enveloped him in a crushing hug, nearly lifting him off the ground. His little brother and sister had ran off from their bodyguard duty and were giving him cheeky smiles.
'Traitorous siblings.' Gladion thought, 'Any second, mom's about to go full Charizard.'
"My little baby," Erza said, her voice thick with emotion as she squeezed him tighter.
"Your father told me everything, and I watched the news. Good job protecting Moonwood." She pulled back, her eyes shining with pride, but the room grew warmer, her aura flaring with anger.
"Now, if you'll excuse me, I have some people to burn." She snapped her fingers, and her Charizard materialized with a roar, its flames licking the air, sensing her rage.
'Oh, boy,' Gladion thought, his senses picking up the rising temperature in the room, 'She's gonna torch the whole League.'
Before Erza could leap onto Charizard's back, Ben, her husband, grabbed her arm, his silver hair falling into his eyes. "There is no need for you to go for a rampage.Our son's got this handled, dear," he said, his voice calm but firm.
"No need to go on a rampage?!" Erza's eyes blazed, the temperature climbing higher.
"Those pesky snakes dared drag my fifteen-year-old baby into their politics!" she snapped, her voice shaking. "Gladion's been nothing but loyal to Indigo, working his heart out for this region, and they try to smear him with lies? Unforgivable!" Her Charizard roared again, flames flickering, ready to fly.
'Mom's gonna burn down half of Kanto but please don't burn the house! The refurnishing would take a lot.' Gladion thought
Ben, sensing the rising heat, squeezed her arm gently. "Agatha and Koga are handling the traitors, dear. Trust me, they're doing things to those corrupt officials that'd make your Charizard blush."
His tone was light, but his voice held a quiet confidence. Erza's glare softened, her aura cooling slightly. "Fine," she muttered, her voice still sharp.
"But if I hear one more word against my boy, I'm hunting every Team Rocket grunt myself and burning their bases to ash."
Ben, seeing the moment to shift gears, grinned cheekily, his eyes flicking to Gladion, who shrank back instinctively.
'Oh no, Dad's got that look.'
"Speaking of our boy," Ben said, his voice teasing, "do you know what he's been hiding from us?" Gladion's smile twitched.
'Here it comes.' Ben's grin widened. "Those two Poké Balls on his necklace, besides Colossus? They're not just any Pokémon. Our son's got two legendary Pokémon, Erza! Legendary! He's a legendary trainer, and he kept it from us!" He pointed at Gladion, who rubbed the back of his neck, looking anywhere but his parents. 'Thanks, Dad, throw me under the charging Rapidash.'
Erza's eyes widened with shock. "Ben, are you drunk? How many times have I told you not to drink without supervision? You start spouting nonsense!"
Her voice was half-laughing, half-scolding, her hands on her hips. Ben shook his head, his grin unshaken. "I'm stone-cold sober, dear. He's got two legendaries. Tell her, Milo, Lila!"
The younger Vortex siblings, who'd been quietly playing with a plush Jigglypuff in the corner, jumped up with excitement.
"Yeah!" Milo shouted, bouncing. "Big brother Gladion's got the coolest Pokémon in his necklace! They're super pretty!" Lila nodded, clutching her plush. "The most beautiful Pokémon ever!"
Gladion shrank further under Erza's glare, now a mix of shock and suspicion.
'She's gonna roast me,' he thought, his psychic senses bracing for impact. "They talked in our heads, like Dad's Alakazam!"
Milo added, his eyes wide. Erza's brow furrowed, her mind racing. 'Psychic legendaries? Lugia? Two of them?'
Her aura flickered with disbelief, but before she could demand to see them, Gladion seized the chance to pivot, his smile returning. 'Time to change the subject. And I just have the subject that would match the intensity of Legendary Pokémon.'
"Well, Mom," he said, his voice casual, "I've been planning to give you something. I've had no luck figuring it out, but maybe you and Charizard can crack it. Trust me, you'll love it."
He opened his hand, revealing a rainbow-colored stone that shimmered faintly. Erza and Ben leaned closer, their auras curious, while Charizard tilted its head, sniffing the stone.
"It's a Mega Evolution stone," Gladion said, his smirk sly. "It lets Charizard evolve further—temporarily."
Erza's jaw dropped, her aura blazing with excitement. "A what now?" she said, her voice softer, her anger forgotten. She knew what Gladion was doing by giving her this.
'Gotta hand it to him. He has my attention now. Nice save, Glady,' she thought.
Ben's eyes widened, his hand running through his hair. "Mega Evolution? You're serious?"
Charizard roared softly, its eyes locked on the stone, its aura eager. Erza's glare returned, but it was playful now. "This better be worth it, young man, because I doubt it tops hiding two legendaries from your own mother. You're not off the hook yet."
Gladion thought, his smile wry. 'Gotta keep her distracted.'
Ben chuckled, shaking his head. He mumbled,"Someday, my boy's gonna give me a heart attack, I'm sure of it. I hope Milo and Lila don't grow up this troublesome."
-----Author Notes------
Thankyou Moonlight Song and Jared Tate
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