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Brian sat in the kitchen of the temporary HQ, looking over a list of items he'd written down. He wanted to do something to lift everyone's spirits, especially after everything that had gone down in the last few weeks. The only thing he could think of to do was what he did best: cook. However, they didn't have the ingredients for some of the things he wanted to make here, so he was going to have to either hit up a Pokemart or visit his parents. If he had his way, he would do both, though how he was going to be able to carry everything on his own was a bit of a problem.

Perhaps he could convince one of his teammates to go with him? That way, they could visit the Pokemart first, then stop by his parents' daycare and pick up some berries that the Pokemart likely wouldn't have. He thought about asking Deo, due to the larger man's superior strength, then shook his head. Deo was strong, certainly, but he wasn't sure the big hybrid would feel comfortable meeting Brian's parents. Amber had stated she wasn't ready to go back to Littleroot yet, even to visit his parents, and Brian understood her reasoning. Rachel didn't feel up to meeting anyone new at the moment. He didn't know what most of the rest of the team had going on. Hmm, perhaps Ter or Keiko would be willing to lend him a hand? With that in mind, he got up and went looking for the pair, hoping they were in HQ.

Brian had headed into the barracks to try and find Ter when the person he was looking for called out to him, catching his attention. "I was looking for ye, actually," he said, walking over. "I want to do something to lift everyone's spirits, and the only thing that comes to mind is cooking a big meal. I was wondering if ye might be interested in tagging along to help me choose some ingredients, and maybe pick up some things from my parents' house."

Brian gave a slight relieved sigh when Ter agreed to accompany him to pick up ingredients. "I was thinking of going to Rustboro," he said. "I don't trust that we won't run into trouble in Mauville, and Rustboro is closer to my parents' place." He smiled as he watched Ter with the girls. The Channeler was a great father, that much was clear in how he interacted with his daughters. "I really appreciate this, Ter," he said, giving his teammate a relieved smile. "It means a lot."

Brian watched as Ter put in a message to GRAY to send them Claydol, which appeared a moment later. He followed Ter's example and put his hand on the Psychic/Ground-type's head, and a few seconds later, they were standing outside the Rustboro Pokemart. When they landed, he sent a quick message to his mother, asking if she needed anything from the mart, and received a reply back quickly. "Most of the items we need can be picked up here," he told Ter, handing his teammate the list he'd written. "I'm also going to pick up a few things for my parents since we're already here." The list was pretty general: milk, eggs, baking ingredients, and a few spices, as well as meat and vegetables. "Where shall we start?" he asked, looking to Ter.

Brian went to the ATM after Ter did. He had enough for what he needed, with a little extra that his mother had sent him to pick up her items, as well. He nodded when Ter said he would start in dairy and move to vegetables. "Sounds good," he said. "I'll head over to the meat section and go to baked goods after. I'll meet ye back at the front when we're done." Picking up a basket, he parted ways with Ter for the time being, heading to where the meat was at. It didn't take him long to find it, and he found a few large packages of ground Tauros meat that he checked the prices on. Finding them within his budget, he placed them in the basket, taking a couple packages of Farfetch'd meat, as well.

Once he had those, he walked over to the baking aisle, finding the flour and sugar relatively easy. When he was next to the spices, he paused for a moment, looking over the spices they had. The mart stocked most of the ones he was looking for, though he was a tad disappointed that they didn't have anything spicier than powdered Tamato berry. Ah, well, hopefully he could add something with it to make one of the dishes he had in mind. Once he had his items, he picked up a couple loaves of bread and a box of rice for his mother, then made his way toward the front to see if Ter was ready.

Brian checked out when he got to the front, and while he waited for Ter to finish, he thumbed through a magazine from one of the front racks. It didn't take long for him to spot his fellow Snagem in the checkout lane, and he returned Ter's nod. When Ter joined him, Brian noticed they had a few bags each. "Do ye want to take all this back to HQ, or stop by my place and then head back?" he asked. He was fine with either option, but figured he would ask so as not to seem rude.

Brian listened as Ter spoke, and nodded when he mentioned it would be faster to head to Brian's place first. "I just need to drop off the bread and rice my mother asked me to pick up," he said. "We shouldn't be there more than a few minutes. As for how we get there, we can use Claydol." He sent a quick message to GRAY to have Claydol sent to them, and the Claydol appeared a moment later. "We need to go to Littleroot Town, Claydol," he said. It wouldn't really matter where in Littleroot they landed, Brian's parents' daycare was just on the outskirts of the town.

Littleroot Town was just as he remembered it. There weren't many people out and about, but that was pretty normal. The sound of a Pokeball opening had Brian turning to see Lu standing there, looking at him curiously. "We need to stop by and see Mama before we had back to HQ," he explained. "She asked us to pick up a few things from the Pokemart while Ter and I were there." The Lucario gave a nod, taking a couple of bags from both Brian and Ter to make it easier on them. Brian led the way to the daycare, the familiar path coming as easily to him as he remembered. It only took a few minutes before they were standing in front of a small house with a fenced in backyard.

Brian pushed open the door to the house, noting how quiet it seemed as he held the door open for Ter to walk in. He knew his mother was somewhere around, and as soon as he had this thought, the smell of food came from further in. "Mama?" he called out. "Are ye here?" Not two seconds after he'd spoken, he could hear hurrying footsteps, and he braced himself as his mother rounded the corner of the living room and kitchen, wrapping her arms around him in a bear hug that he was quick to return. "Brian Adams, where have you been?" Allison demanded, pushing back from the hug to get a look at him. "You haven't called or written in months! What in the world have you been up to?"

"Sorry," Brian said, ducking his head sheepishly as his mother stared him down, hands on her hips. "I would have called had I been able, but with everything that's happened, there just hasn't been time. That and I didn't want people coming after ye and Dad to try and get to me." Allison's eyes softened as he said this; she and Ben had seen the trial on TV, so they knew what had happened during that. It was after that they'd been worried about, not knowing whether their son was still alive or not. "Well, you're safe, and that's what matters," Allison said, then smiled at Ter and Lu. "Who is your friend? I don't believe we've met before." "This is Ter," Brian said, nodding toward his friend. "He's a good friend, and one of the people I've come to rely on over the last few years. Ter, this is my mother, Allison."