Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon. If I did, well my laziness would probably bankrupt everything. So I would only wish for a position on the Pokémon story board, that way I could input my ideas and they would actually be taken into account and the anime would probably be much, much better than where it's at currently (although I will be honest, the Sun and Moon anime is not as bad as I would have thought… If only Ash was actually as mature as his "actual age").
MAJOR AN: So obviously, many of you (or well the few of you who actually followed and favorited my last fic) are probably feeling very angry with me. You may feel that you've been conned into thinking that that fic was probably the start of something glorious. Well if you have read my profile, I do have a chronic case of laziness that will not be going away anytime soon. I SINCERELY apologize for anyone who thought they'd been had. College is seriously kicking my ass coupled with my laziness disease, has not allowed me to really update my last fic into an actual story. But, as I have stated in my profile: I am not a quitter. I am not planning on abandoning League of Destiny. I am just having a lot of trouble continuing writing it with all the work that's piled on me. And it's even gonna be much more confusing since this fic is supposed to "tie-in" with League of Destiny. I'll probably update League of Destiny sometime during the holidays (IF I AM LUCKY!) and the link between this and LoD will come to light.
2nd AN: The only reason why I have been able to do this new fic is I have been keeping up with the Sun and Moon anime. This fic is "my version" or my revised edit of the Sun and Moon anime that for the most part will be similar. But obviously there will be changes such as… Ash's age. Honestly, I don't even know why I still bother watching the anime. The story board will never allow the show to "grow up" to keep in sync with the "OG generation" of the franchise. Which is why we have this safe haven of fanfiction to write the stories we want to watch on the television or computer. So yeah, this will be a revised version of the Sun and Moon anime based on my "Pokémon Universe." I will try to not "abandon" this and keep it alive and maybe, just maybe, keep up with the anime schedule. So please, sit back, relax, and enjoy the prologue
Flashback:
Charizard continued snoring on the ground as Ash's commands were left unanswered. Charizard knew he could defeat the little pipsqueak of a Pokémon so he regarded this battle as a waste of time. Besides, he felt his so-called "trainer" was still not worthy of giving him commands. Maybe when he was still a Charmander, sure. But since that he's evolved into a Charizard, he's realized his trainer is nothing more than a rookie at best, and that runt thinks he command a beast like him? He's got a lot of work to do to earn his respect.
"That's enough! Since Charizard refuses to respond to his trainer's commands, the red corner has thrown the match. I deem this battle in favor of the green corner. Ritchie will move on to the quarterfinals!" the referee announced which left everyone speechless, including Ash.
Charizard unleashed a mighty Dragon Rage against his opponent's incoming flamethrower. As the two attacks collided, an explosion rocked the stadium as a shockwave sent both Pokémon to their respective fields. As the dust subsided, both Pokémon stood fierce waiting for the other to falter. Then, one of them fell.
"Incredible! Ash's Charizard could not stand the blazing power of Harrison's Blaziken! And with that, the victory goes to Harrison of Littleroot Town, Hoenn!" announced the commentator for the Jhoto League's Silver Conference Semifinals.
Clashes between Iron Tails rang throughout the stadium as Meowth and Pikachu were having their own impromptu sword duel. Now both Pokémon were staring each other down at their respective sides, both on their last legs. Meowth was heaving but kept his body upright with his right paw while Pikachu could barely stand up on his four paws. And then, Pikachu's legs gave out and he dropped to the ground fainted.
"What a finish! In the end, Pikachu could not keep on standing. Meowth's paw however gave his larger body more stability and kept him from going down at the last second. The victor of the Ever Grande Conference quarterfinals is Tyson who will be moving on to the semifinalsfinals later this afternoon! Hope to see you all there!" yelled out the announcer.
Pikachu, already with his strength fading, mustered up all his power to unleash one more Iron Tail that managed to cut through the opponent's Luster Purge and scored a direct hit. A huge explosion resulted in smoke and even the two trainers nearly off their feet. As the smoke cleared, both Ash's Pikachu and Tobias' Latios were knocked out.
"What a legendary battle! Ash's Pikachu tied with Tobias' Latios for an epic finish! However, with Ash out of usable Pokémon and Tobias still having four leftover, Tobias will move on to the finals of the Lily of the Valley Conference!" the announcer shouted out as the crowd rang out for an amazing performance.
Pikachu launched the Electro Ball straight at Lucario's Aura Sphere. As the two spehere of electricity and aura clashed, the Aura Sphere knocked the Electro Ball out of its path and continued hitting Pikachu dead on. Pikachu laid on the field with swirls in his eyes.
"What an unblieveable turnaround folks! Cameron's Lucario's Aura Sphere rushes through Ash's Pikachu's Electro Ball as if that yellow orb didn't stand a chance. Even though he started with one less Pokémon than his opponent, Cameron has turned the tide and will be moving on in the Ventress Conference!" commented the broadcaster for the quarterfinals.
Ash-Greninja, with his watery aura surrounding him, prepared for one last attack. Using all his strength, he summoned all the moisture in the air and condensing it into liquid water to form a gigantic Water Shuriken that changed from its usual watery blue color to blazing orange as if it was being enhanced by some godly power. The opposing Charizard saw this and prepared his final ace, a mega Blast Burn. The two attacks charged down the field towards each other and collided in an atomic explosion that rocked the stadium. As the dust settles, both Pokémon stood proud and strong. Everyone gasped as Charizard stumbles a bit, but then all every shocked as Greninja fell and reverted back to his original form.
"I cannot believe it, ladies and gentlemen! After one hell of a battle, mega vs … uhhh," the anchorman turned to the side and whispered to his aid, but the conversation could still be hard throughout the stadium. "Hey! Is that really a mega? Are you sure? You don't know? How can you not know? What do you mean, no one has ever seen something like that? Fine, fine. Fine!"
"Um, after one hell of a battle, mega vs … mega, Mega Charizard triumphs over … Mega Greninja? Whatever, Alain has put out all the stops and has defeated Ash Ketchum and is the winner of the Lumiose Conference!" the broadcaster announced sending the crowd into a frenzy.
End flashback
Blue and red eyes open in shock to a dark blue canopy from above the bed. Breathing is labored as the person is still reeling from the unexpected dreams. Sweat accumulates on the forehead and all over the body. The heart is pumping at max speed as the body is still doped up on adrenaline. Everything soon settles; heart rate is relaxing and breathing becomes stable.
The person groans as he has had another night of dreams that remind him of his past failures. He uses his left arm to wipe the sweat off his forehead, palms feeling clammy. He turns his head to the side to read the digital clock situated on the nightstand next to the bed.
"Six fifteen? Fan-fucking-tastic," the man groans as he covers his eyes with his forearm. After a few deep breaths, he props himself up and groggily pulls off the covers to lazily swing his legs off the bed. His arms propped up holding the edge of the mattress to keep his torso straight lest he falls forward on the cold, marble floor.
This man…is Ash Ketchum, the former golden boy hailing from Pallet Town who took part in almost every single Pokémon League in the span of a couple of years. The guy who tried his best, bested all the gym leaders, challenged the leagues, only to fail right at the end of each and every one of them. Although he has gotten close a few times, especially his last adventure, but it ended with the same result, a miserable loss. Recognition of this one-of-a-kind trainer became region-wide. He was even rumored to have met almost every single elite four member and the champions of each of the regions along his journey and even more so became good friends with each of them. In fact, many wonder why if this kid was so good and had the experience to boot, why has he never won a single league before. (Yeah Pokémon, why do you idiots keep on prohibiting Ash from winning a major Pokémon League [I know you gave Ash the Orange League, but that doesn't count!])
Ash, after gathering his wits, rubbed the sleep out of his eyes with his palms. The scar, running from his forehead through his right "red" eye and down his cheek and ending just a little bit away from the corner of his mouth, still felt as prominent as the day he got it. He looked ahead to the covered window door set. He could still see as night reigned across the land through the covers. He took a deep breath and pushed himself off his bed quietly, and walked barefoot to the doors.
He gently grasped the golden handle and turned it as quietly as he could and pulled the door open letting in a rush of cool night air into the room. Ash did not shiver, as he was used to the cold Rota air he had grown accustomed to. Stepping out onto the balcony porch in just his loose pajama pants, he walked to the edge and leaned his forearms on the white stone railing.
Ash looked out to the dark Rota countryside, taking in the lush, majestic surroundings. Complete silence except for the wind gently blowing due to his altitude and the hooting of the local Hoothoot and Noctowls.
"The hills in Pallet Town could never compare to this scene right here," Ash whispered to himself. Rota was situated in a beautiful valley between the mountains with lush forests and wide grass plains.
Just before Ash thought it best to head back in, something was shining off in the distance. Just beyond the horizon, the first rays of sunshine arose bringing a faint light across the land. Then the sun slowly rose between two great mountains from the East. The angle of the mountains' bisecting slopes gave the rising sun a dazzling radiance. Slowly the rays of the sun brightened the plains and forests that neared the kingdom's borders. Soon, shopkeepers all over Rota would be opening their stores for the day and the farmers would be bringing their harvest to the marketplace. The daylight expanded across the city and neared the castle grounds. First the bridge, the only way to the castle by land, its white stone shining brightly in the morning sun. Then the castle's walls, fortified to the teeth in case of an impending attack by an outside force, the light bouncing off the gray stone accentuating the wall's strength. Finally, the castle itself, standing proud as a beacon of hope to the kingdom; a symbol of peace and strength throughout the land. Then the rays hit Ash's face, blinding his vision but warming his cold body. He covered his squinting eyes to gaze at the rising sun's magnificence. However, the peace and quiet of the morning would not last long.
"Hmmm. Ashy. Turn off the sun," moaned a voice coming from the room.
Ash chuckled and turned around to look inside his quarters. The sun's rays entered his room and penetrated through the canopy cover of the bed, making it nearly impossible for any person to still be asleep. A rustle could be heard from the bed, and the pillow opposite from where Ash was sleeping soon moved around with a slender arm gripping it tightly as if trying to block out the sun.
Ash chuckled and scratched his head in embarrassment, "Hehehe sorry about that dear, I came out for a breath of fresh air and to see the sunrise."
"Whatever," grumbled the bundle in the bed, "Just get your ass back in here before I get cranky. It's still too early and the bed is getting cold without you in it."
"Alright, alright," chuckled Ash as he went back inside, closing the door behind him and shutting the second layer of curtains to block out the sun's rays leaving the room in darkness. Ash walked over to the bed and gently climbed in and wrapping his arms around the bundle, trying to comfort the thing to sleep.
"Sorry I woke you up," whispered Ash in a surprisingly sensual, yet comforting tone, "Go back to sleep my silver rose."
The bundle under the sheets moaned in reply and removed the pillow revealing a head with smooth gray hair. The person scooted her body closer to Ash to get warm.
"You better be sorry, jerk," the girl retorted earning another chuckle from Ash as he tightened his grip around the woman's lithe waste, "Why'd you wake up so early anyway?"
The woman turned around and looked deep into Ash's dichromatic eyes with her glossy blue ones. Her eyes were full of worry as there can only be one reason why her master would ever wake up so early.
"You had another dream again, didn't you?" the woman asked in slight apprehension.
Ash sighed, he knew she could look at him for second and instantly tell what was going on.
"Yeah, although it was multiple dreams. Well, more like memories," Ash explained. He didn't feel like burdening his companion at this hour, but he had to, otherwise he would only make her even more worried for him.
"You wanna talk about it?" the woman asked, "You already woke me up, so you better fess up. And you know I can tell when you're hiding the truth from me."
Ash sighed again and turned his body to look at the dark blue canopy above his bed, his left arm still holding onto his partner-in-bed's waste, bringing her closer to him.
"It was memories of my failures," Ash explained, "At the very end, right when I lost it all."
"You mean your league finishes?" the woman asked for clarification.
"Yeah, from Indigo to Lumiose. Every one of my second-to-last, third-to-last, fourth-to-last finishes," Ash responded in a dejected tone. He felt the woman's arms encircling his chest.
"Ash, you need to let go of the past. And those weren't your failures," the woman tried her best to lighten the situation, "Come on, each of those losses brought you so much closer in the next and the next. You can't think of those as your falls from grace."
"I know, Jane, I know," Ash responded, but he didn't feel any better, "But I was so close, I was this close."
He emphasized his point with his index and thumb with barely a gap between the two. He then turned on his side, facing away from Jane.
"I was so close to achieving my dream. And the last one, it was right there, right there in the palm of my hand," Ash continued, shutting his eyes, "And then I choked! I let the chance slip from my grasp! No matter how hard I train with my Pokémon, it's still not enough, it's never enough! Why is it wherever I go someplace new, every new region, every new league, there is always a better trainer waiting for me right at the finish line ready to trip me up? Maybe I was never supposed to become a Pokémon Master. I mean come on, how stupid of a dream does it sound?"
He felt a sharp tug, turning him around. He was face-to-face with Jane looking mighty angry. Ash blanched, he knew if Jane ever got angry, or specifically, if he ever did something stupid or that pissed her off, he was fucked.
But instead of a rant or even a smack upside the head, Jane did something that Ash did not expect. She pulled him in for a deep kiss.
Ash was wide eyed at the sudden action, but he soon closed his eyes and drifted into bliss as the kiss deepened. Tongues were wrestling, hands were grasping at clumps of the other's hair, legs were getting tangled in a mess. Jane shamefully moaned as Ash rolled on top of her and kissed her even further. Her arms and legs tightened around his back, bringing them closer leaving no space in between. The lip lock was sealed tight, making the passion intensify and leaving no room for air as the two continued to make out in sweet love. Jane put all her love in the kiss hoping it would relieve some of her master's grief, and it seemed to be working. Ash nearly forgot about his troubles and just focused on kissing the beautiful woman that there for him in his darkest hours, the woman that would forever remain loyal to him and only him, the woman who sparked the fire he thought died out long ago, the woman who declared her undying love to him till the ends of time.
Soon oxygen, love's worst enemy, forced the two to split leaving a trail of saliva in between the two lovers' mouths. Breathing was hot and heavy, as the two could only glaze into each other's glassy eyes.
Ash then lowered his forehead on top of Jane's, stroking her cheek in affection.
"You always find a way to surprise me," Ash chuckled and gave the woman underneath him a chaste kiss.
"Boy, you haven't seen anything yet," Jane giggled in a very sensual tone, hinting at the meaning in her words which resulted in blushing of the man straggling her.
Jane's loving eyes, turned back to worried as she cupped her master's cheek.
"Ash, you need to let go of the past. That's all it is, the past. The past is past, it's already done. No need to worry about what has happened. All that matters is the here and now," Jane said in a soft tone. She was very worried her master was on the verge of breaking down again. She could not afford to have him go through such trauma again when it has already broken him down to what he is now.
Ash could see the worry and love in Jane's eyes, she cared about him and his wellbeing. If he started to go into depression again, who knows what it would do to her. He couldn't leave her worrying about him. She was right, he needed to put this all behind him once and for all. Jane made damn sure, through her hard work and determination, she had become one his precious people, a person who deeply cared for him. That list had shrunken in the last few years, but he was slowly rebuilding it, with new friendships and comrades-in-arms. He would do it for her, for his new friends, for his queen and country.
Ash took a deep sigh and gazed deep into her eyes. Jane gasped as she saw the light, a light she thought she would never see again, spark in his eyes as it did long ago.
"You're right, Jane. I'm sorry for worrying you. I promise, that will be the last time," Ash finished with a light kiss on the lips before falling back on his side and bringing Jane close to his body.
"Alright, let's go back to sleep before you castrate me," Ash joked earning a melodious laugh from the woman he was holding in his arms.
"That kiss made it all the worthwhile, hun. But yeah, let's go back to sleep," Jane said closing her eyes and leaning into Ash's chest, "*Yawn* Wake me up in four-five hours okay, baby?"
"That'll be lunchtime already, dear," Ash explained earning him another chuckle from Jane, but soon turned into light snoring. "But whatever you say, sweetheart. *Yawn* Goodnight, my duchess."
The two continued to sleep in peace in Ash's royal bed for the next couple of hours all the while people all over the kingdom were getting out the door to start their daily routine.
Ash was walking down the hall in the direction one of the main cafeterias throughout the castle. The castle itself was humongous for its size, so a single cafeteria (no matter how large they try to make it) wouldn't be able to appease the grumbling stomachs of every single Aura Guardian, Knight, and Trooper as well as the staff of the castle, especially since the Aura Prince is known for his legendary, and disturbingly scary appetite.
As Ash was making his way through the corridors, several Aura practitioners being led by an Aura Guide were walking in his direction.
Aura practitioners were Aura users who have not fully mastered the control of Aura to a certain extent. When Ash unlocked his hidden Aura, he was already in full control. This was very astonishing as well as disturbing, as there have been no records of any human being with complete mastery over their Aura powers immediately after unlocking it. Many Aura Scholars believed this to be because of Ash's lineage, after all he is descended from the greatest Aura Guardian in history: Sir Aaron.
The group paused midstride as they noticed Ash was approaching from the opposite side and immediately stepped to the side. When Ash passed by, the guide and practitioners bowed their heads with their hands at their sides. They were merely respecting the authority of Ash's position as Aura Prince, whose authority was on the same level as the Aura Queen herself. Ash nodded his head acknowledging their salute to him. As soon as Ash passed the last member of the group, they raised their heads and continued down the hall.
Ash made several more turns before he finally found the cafeteria he was looking for. It was the Moltres dining room, an enormous cafeteria decorated with red cushion seats, red drapes and curtains, and red table covers. The Moltres dining room was the largest among the cafeterias littered throughout the castle, twice as big as its sister and brother cafeterias, the Articuno and Suicune dining halls. As Ash entered the cafeteria, he could smell the divine scent of today's lunch menu, a buffet of food throughout the many regions. There were local dishes from Kanto to as far as Alola. As soon as Ash made his way to center of the dining hall, he heard a loud voice as he was spotted.
"Attention! In the presence of the Prince!" shouted a jolly voice that belonged to none other than Riley Gen, a fellow Aura Guardian and Ash's mentor.
Screeching of chairs and silverware dropping immediately followed with everyone who was sitting getting up on their feet and anyone standing turned in Ash's direction.
"Hail to the Prince of Aura!" exclaimed throughout the cafeteria and perhaps the whole castle. Everyone who is anyone in the room crossed their right arm over their chest with the hand in a fist.
"At ease, my fellow Guardians," Ash replied in a calm voice, but made sure his voice was heard throughout the room. Everyone replied with a nod of their head and went back to whatever they were eating or talking.
Ash then looked with a mock glare at Riley, who was sitting in a table all by himself chuckling with his hand covering his mouth. Ash rolled his eyes and went over to the line and gathered his plate.
Riley ceased chuckling and continued to finish his mashed potatoes and country fried chicken. He heard a chair near him being pulled and looked up to see his Prince sitting across from him with a plate of macaroni and cheese, fried okra, a bowl of tomato berry soup, a Bouffalant steak, and a glass of lemonade. Ash was still giving Riley a mock glare as he sat down and dived into his lunch.
"Hey, don't be angry at me for addressing my Prince to everyone in the room, your highness," Riley jibed with a twirl of his hand and a mock bow at his last words.
Ash just continued to give Riley the stink eye.
"Yeah yeah, whatever," Ash retorted as he was cutting a piece of his steak and put it in his mouth to savor the meat, "Why does everyone in this damn castle have to be so formal?"
"Well you're one to talk, since you're always formal with the queen even though technically you two are the same hierarchy. And the fact, she keeps telling you, just you, to call her Ilene," replied Riley with a smug grin.
"Okay okay, you got me," Ash sighed in defeat. He was very formal when addressing Queen Ilene, no matter how many times she insists on him calling her by just her name.
"Anyways, why weren't you here for breakfast. You're eating a very early lunch for yourself," Riley curiously asked. Although Ash could tell that Riley knew what kept him from waking up earlier for morning breakfast. Ash missed out on biscuits and gravy, chocolate chip waffles, bacon, and hash browns, many of his favorite breakfast items.
"A certain gray-haired, blue-eyed vixen kept me from getting out of bed. Although I did technically wake her up early with my opened patio doors at sunrise," Ash explained earning a chuckle from Riley.
"You woke Jane up early?" Riley chuckled as he tried to picture the scenario, "I'm surprised you survived the ordeal."
"There wasn't any ordeal, I woke up early due to dreams from my past," this caught Riley by surprise as he knew Ash wasn't very proud of his life before becoming a Guardian of Aura.
Ash continued on while he played with his mac n cheese, "She gave me "the look" which made me fess up and then next thing I knew, we were having a full on make out session. It was her way of trying to relax me. We ended up sleeping in after that."
Riley was shocked, not that Ash got some lip from Jane (everyone knew she was unfathomably in love with her master and savior and he surprisingly accepted her feelings quite equally), but that she decided to go easy on him this time. Although, regarding the circumstances, he understood why she tried to comfort Ash.
"Uh wow. You know, I'll never figure out why she'll always have a soft spot for you. I mean, I get that you saved her from her own pit of hell and reformed her to be a way better person than she ever was, but still- Every time I think you're gonna get it from her, she goes all soft on you. It's weird," Riley stated with his arm propped up and his chin in his palm. What he didn't realize was, while he was speaking, Ash was motioning for him to shut up and stop talking about Jane as he was staring in fear of something behind Riley. However, it was far too late for the veteran Guardian.
"What was that about people going soft on those they love, Riley?" asked a feminine voice in a menacing tone that came from behind. After that, it was as if the temperature in the area dropped below zero.
Riley could recognize the voice behind him and began to sweat bullets. He first looked to other Guardians to his left and right, but everyone was cowering behind their tables. He then looked in front of him to Ash, hoping he could save him from the beat down he would soon receive. However, Ash was trying his best to act as innocent as he could while avoiding looking in his direction. Riley slowly turned around in his seat to meet his demise.
There standing behind him, clad in her usual dark blue, Aura Guardian version of her old hunter getup was Jane, glaring as if she was trying to burn a hole where Riley sat. Riley gulped as he better take his lickings as he had it coming for talking about Jane's soft side behind her back when he knew better.
"Jane! What a lovely surprise! You know, you look absolutely breathtaking this morning, you think it was because of having your man right there at your side as you woke up, huh? 'Cuz it feels like your skin has never glo- quurk" Riley tried to appease to the demoness that was about to send him to hell, but Jane simply smashed her fist down on Riley's poor, unsuspecting skull. Then for good measure, she kicked his chair to the side sending him to the floor in a heap.
As Riley laid on the floor with swirls in his eyes, she glanced around the room, seeing if anyone else had something to say about her. Everyone quickly avoided her gaze and went back to whatever they were doing again. Satisfied, Jane looked to Ash who just smiled at her, happy that she got her "revenge." Jane harrumphed with a smile gracing her beautiful face and walked around the table to Ash giving him a tender kiss on the cheek resulting in him blushing at the token of affection. Jane then went over to the buffet and picked out her food and sat down next to Ash while Riley recovered and tried getting back in his seat.
"Next time I hear you talking about me again, Riley, it'll be your jewels I'll take a crack at, literally," Jane threatened the already wounded Guardian. Then her attitude did a complete 180° as she smiled brightly while taking a bite of her fried whiscash and leaning on Ash's shoulder in a loving manner, that got all the female Aura Users and maids around them to "aww" at the romantic scene.
Ash could only chuckle at his Padawan's affectionate behavior and looped his arm around her waist while Riley was mumbling under his breath about "bipolar, love-crazy ex-Pokémon Hunters" but quickly held his tongue and shrunk in his seat under the Duchess' gaze lest he further incur the wrath of Jane.
The rest of lunch was a quiet affair, despite Riley cowering in case Jane decided to punish him even more. This was not perceived by most of the Guardians outside the cafeteria, who were confused when Riley did a what would have appeared to be Extreme Speed immediately when lunch ended and traveled all the way to the opposite side of the castle. Ash and Jane walked out of the cafeteria a few minutes afterward as if nothing weird happened. The due went outside to the royal garden, a rather large, natural sanctuary for Pokémon of all sizes who happened to stumble into the Kingdom of Rota. Just when Ash was about to take his first step into the gardens, a silver blur seemingly outta nowhere rushed him, tackling the unsuspecting prince to the ground.
Ash was in a daze from the impact, however he knew exactly who had the strength and speed to knock him to the ground like a moving freight train: his daughter. Speaking of daughter, he sensed that he couldn't breathe as his ribs were being crushed as if he was getting beartic-hugged by a Machamp on steroids. Jane could only laugh till her insides ached at seeing her master's face turning from his normal tan skin tone to red, blue, and finally purple.
"K-K-K- Koy- Koyuki… You're- crushing me- I'm… gonna… die…" Ash tried voice his oncoming death as his vision started going black from the lack of oxygen.
Said Lucario suddenly opened her eyes wide at what she just heard. She turned her head and saw the man, who she has grown to see as her father, was not long for this world if she did not release her hold on him.
"*Gasp! Oh my Arceus! I'm so sorry, Father! I'm terribly sorry! I did it again! I know you keep telling me to control my strength- but I just can't help myself! I'm so sorry! I'm so sorry! I'm so sorry! Please don't diieeeee, Daddy!" the Lucario pleaded, crying in distraught as she immediately released the crushing hold on her father and back away for him to take in air.
Ash felt the constriction of his chest release and began in taking sweet oxygen to refill his dying lungs. He had many deep breaths as his chest expanded to normal size. When he finally realized he wasn't dead, he got up and looked at his daughter who was still bawling her eyes out from what she done.
"Koyuki, it's okay. Don't worry, I'm alright now. Daddy's not going anywhere okay," Ash said, trying to comfort his Lucario/daughter and he went over to give her a hug and pet the back of her head to calm down.
More rustling was heard in the garden bushes and out popped a yellow rodent and another Lucario, this one had mostly black fur.
"PikaPi! You're still alive!" Pikachu exclaimed in exuberance and relief.
The black Lucario gave a huge sigh of relief, seeing that his master was still on this Earth and had not gone to Heaven with Arceus.
"Master, thank the legendaries that you're still breathing. I thought Koyuki really killed you this time," Lucario explained. He feared he and his brother were too late to stop his sister's mad dash to her father when she sensed he was coming to the sanctuary.
"Arashi, you shouldn't talk about your sister like that," Ash berated his most trusted companion, second to Pikachu. Koyuki's ears perked up at her brother's statement and turned around glaring at her brother with a few remaining tears in her eyes.
"Shut up, Brother! You're always so mean to me! I would never kill our father!" she immediately Extreme Speeded in front of her brother and started beating her fists on his chest, although it was in a playful manner so it didn't really hurt him. Arashi decided it was less troublesome to just take the beating from his sister, it didn't really hurt him, but he spoke too soon. As soon as Koyuki determined her brother's defenses were down, she sent a Force Uppercut that knocked her brother straight into the sky and landed on the other side of the hedges that served as the perimeter of the sanctuary.
"Hah! That's what you get, Baka-Oniichan!" screamed Koyuki with vigor. Everyone watched the scene unfold with different experssions: Ash just sweatdropped at the fact one of his most powerful Pokémon was knocked off his feet (literally) by his sweet, loving daughter of a Lucario, Pikachu was in fear of the white Lucario's wrath and hid behind his trainer's leg lest he suffer the same fate as his Pokémon-brother-in-arms, and Jane giggled seeing how it was usually Koyuki who would beat down her brother if he overanalyzed, berated, or even antagonize his sister's actions (whether she deserved it or otherwise).
"Sweetie," Ash tried to reason with his daughter, "You didn't exactly have to sending your brother flying into the air."
"Brother was being a big doodoo head, daddy," Koyuki retorted with a pout as if she was on the right. Ash merely sighed at his daughter's tendency to prove herself right. He then walked into the garden, hoping to find his downed friend. He found him on the other side of the hedge trying to pull his head out of the ground mumbling something about crazy sisters and wishing to have been born an only child.
"Well, that's what you get for antagonizing your sister," Ash stated as Arashi nearly had his head out of the ground, "I thought you would have learned your lesson by now, never argue with your sister."
Arashi finally popped his head out of the ground and lightly glared at his trainer/master's point.
"She nearly killed you- this time," Arashi pointed out.
"Well you should know your sister would never kill me," Ash replied, "She is much too cute and loving to kill her father."
"Yeah, well one of these days, that love will be strong enough to literally crush the life outta yah," Arashi explained as he walked back to the entrance shaking his ear for any dirt leftover.
Both trainer and Pokémon exited the garden to witness Koyuki being petted by Jane, the latter congratulating the former on the technique she used on her brother.
"Well done, Koyuki. It seems you've successfully mastered Force Uppercut," congratulated Jane. Koyuki was blushing proudly at the affection she was receiving from her master's padawan. Pikachu was also nodding his head in agreement, although he felt bad for his brother who was on the receiving end of that attack.
"Yes, little sister," stated Arashi as he was massaging his jaw from the surprise attack, "Although I do not approve of using me as your personal practice dummy, the attack was very powerful and the technique was concise and fluid. You're improving well, dear sister."
Even though he can sometimes get on her nerves, Koyuki admits that she loved hearing her brother complimenting on her progress almost as much as her father complimenting her. It quickly made her forget why she was even mad at him in the first place.
Koyuki quickly made a beeline to her brother and enveloped him in the same hold she put on her father moments ago, although not as tight.
"Aw, thanks, Big Bro," Koyuki sniffled at her brother's kind remarks.
Arashi simply sighed and patted his sister's head in pride of her progress. This also got Ash to smile at the two siblings finally acting like actual siblings. It was moments like these that made him realize, becoming a Pokémon Master was not as important as spending time with the ones you love. However, this tender moment would not last for long as running footsteps were coming from the castle corridor.
"Prince Ash! Prince Ash!" exclaimed a fellow Aura Guardian in-training as he came running out of the castle in their direction. The Aura Guardian came to a complete stop right in front of the prince trying to say something, but he was still catching his breath.
"Breath, comrade," encouraged Ash as he put his hand on the young Guardian's shoulder as the man was still trying to catch his breath, "Just catch your breath, then tell me what happened."
The Guardian took a couple of deep breaths before he finally straightened his back and folded his arm to his chest to salute the prince.
"Queen Ilene requests your presence in the throne room immediately. It is quite urgent, sir!" the young Guardian reported with gusto.
"Hmm, thank you, Guardian. You may return to your post," Ash replied with a salute. The Guardian in-training took it as his cue to leave and bowed first to Ash and then turned to bow to Jane, as she was an Aura Duchess who was way above the Guardian's position in the hierarchy. The Guardian then took off back into the castle to report to his commanding officer for his next assignment.
"That was weird," commented Jane on the unusual order from the Queen, "What do you think she needs from you?"
"I don't know," replied Ash, wondering the same thing, "But if it's as urgent as he said it is, I better head over there right away."
"I'll follow along," Jane said before latching onto Ash's arm and saying in a sensual tone, "Just because she's my queen, doesn't mean she'll take you away from me."
"You do remember that as Aura Prince, not only is it my sworn duty to pledge my undying loyalty to her but my life as well. I will have to help her produce an heir to the throne," Ash reminded his padawan of his duties.
"So, what?" Jane replied sarcastically, "Just dump her on Riley. I'm sure he'll get a kick outta of it."
"Well, its true that the queen can select any Aura Guardian that serves under her," Ash pondered, "But if there is an Aura Prince within the Queen's ruling period, she must automatically marry said Prince no matter what."
Ashe then added with a sly grin, "Besides, she technically has a thing for me and to be completely honest, she's not that bad in the looks department. She also has a wonderful sense of humor, she's very kind and compassionate to her subjects and Pokémon, overall she's just a wonderful person to be around. Plus, when I first saw her, I kind of had that cheesy, fairytale knight-falls-for-the-princess-at-first-sight moment. And apparently she felt the same way back then too."
"Well, how could she not resist you when you practically look like a modern Sir Aaron in that getup," Jane retorted earning a chuckle from Ash, Pikachu, and both Lucarios, "Anyway, we better get moving or else you'll be in hot water. And if you thought making me mad was a mistake, ooh boy- you're in for a beating from her."
"Don't remind me," Ash replied as he remembered the last time he got in trouble with the queen. Practically every single Aura Guardian, including Riley, was too afraid to be around him lest they also suffer under the queen's wrath.
The two and their Pokémon made their way into the castle in the direction of the throne room.
A few minutes later, the doors to the throne room swung open as two guards allowed the Prince and his Duchess to enter followed by their Pokémon. The guard then closed the doors behind them the group who continued down the blue carpet all the way to the throne.
The throne room was a very expansive room with the ceilings almost 30 feet above the floor. The ceiling also had several domes cut into the stone to show off beautiful and majestic artworks, some depicting the origins of the Aura Guardians and one showing a group of ancient Aura Guardians kneeling in front of Arceus. On the left side of the throne room, there were window doors about 15 feet tall that led out to the porch that faced in the direction of the Tree of Beginning. On the right side, was a wall with several corridors leading to other places deep in the castle, but what is most famous about the right wall was the picture of Sir Aaron wielding his Aura staff with light shining brightly off the gemstone.
As the group neared the throne, they could see Queen Ilene discussing with someone, her maid always standing to the side in case the queen needed anything, and the Mime Jr. that always seemed to be in the presence of the Queen no matter where she was in the castle. The man Queen Ilene was talking with had gray, nearly white hair and donned a lab coat.
'Must be some professor she's talking with," Ash thought as the conversation between him and the Queen sounded intelligent, 'Probably wants to study the Pokémon in the garden or perhaps the bond between Guardian and Lucario.'
As they were almost at the steps to the throne, Ash suddenly stopped in his tracks as he recognized the back of the man's head. He then had thoughts about turning around and getting the hell out of the room and far away from the man. Jane was jerked from behind when she realized Ash stopped moving forward with her. She turned to look at her master in curiosity as to why he stopped walking when she could see the terror in his eyes like she had never seen. She was about to ask him what was wrong but was too late as the maid noticed that both of them were here.
"Lady Ilene, Prince Ash and Duchess Jane have arrived," the maid spoke to alert the Queen of the presence of the requested person in her throne room.
Queen Ilene stopped her talk with the stranger midsentence and looked around the man to see Ash and Jane right at the steps to her throne. She smiled in delight as her Prince and future-husband was just in time, along with his Duchess towing along.
"Ah, Ash. Marvelous how you're just on time. And it is very good to see you as well, Duchess Jane," the Queen responded with a nod of her head. The two were startled at their queen's statement but quickly kneeling in respect to the monarch. Pikachu, Arashi, and Koyuki also followed suit and bowed to the Queen of Rota.
The man was speaking to Queen Ilene a moment ago turned around and saw the kneeling Guardians and was surprised at not only the well-groomed, and obviously strong look Pikachu but the two different colored Lucarios as well. But then his gaze landed on Ash and his vision became cloudy with tears as he finally found the person he had been searching all over the Pokémon world for.
"Ash, my boy!" the old man exclaimed in delight, causing everyone's heads to jerk up in surprise. Two of the heads were even more surprised at the owner of the voice and confirmed Ash's suspicions of the man. "It has been too long Ash, your friends, your mother, and I have been looking for you everywhere for a very long time."
"Professor Oak," that was all Ash could say as he was very surprised at why the old man was even here in the first place.
Pikachu however, was more than happy at seeing the old professor in so long and immediately jumped into the professor's arms and squealed in delight.
"Pika pi Pikachu!" Pikachu said as he rubbed his cheeks into the chest of the professor who gave him to his trainer so long ago.
"Hahahaha It's good to see you as well Pikachu, you both have been dearly missed," Professor Oak said as he gave the yellow rodent a hearty hug. He then turned his attention back to Ash who seemed very confused at him being here of all places.
Ash had many questions for the man who he had considered as his grandfather, but he thought it best to first ask how he managed to find him after all these years when he obviously didn't want to be found, especially by his friends and family.
"How did you find me out here?" Ash asked in an accusatory voice, this earned him several confused looks from not only Professor Oak, but also the Queen and his padawan for why Ash was very suspicious with the professor's presence here. "Did someone tell you I was here?"
"Uh no, Ash. I didn't know you were here, but I had a good guess that you might be here," Professor Oak explained which puzzled Ash even more, "As I said, your friends, mother, and I have searched for you everywhere. From Misty searching each of the Orange Islands to Dawn trekking up Mt. Coronent to find you. Even the Champions of each of the regions posted region-wide announcements of your missing-persons record. Even the gym leaders and Frontier Brains took time off in search of you in their respective areas and cities. We gave up the search for you when the results looked dim, but everyone was completely devastated on your disappearance. Your mother tries her best in hoping that you'll come back home someday. Most of your friends think you've died in some horrible accident or maybe Team Rocket must have killed you and buried the body somewhere. You broke their hearts, Ash. You broke your mother's heart."
Ash was completely stunned that all of his friends actually tried to find him when he disappeared. He hadn't really considered if there were any consequences to him going away. I mean, he knew they would be worried and would try to find him, and he knew that his mother would be devastated, but he didn't think he actually hurt them that bad. How was he ever gonna fix this? He decided to leave that problem for another day, after all, this disappearance act wasn't a forever kind of deal, just enough for him to get back on his feet. Although he is still making up the plan as he goes. He decided to continue on with the questions.
"If everyone gave up, why are you here?" Ash asked the Professor who just grinned at the question.
"Well, last week, May came by my laboratory. She wanted to try her luck at the Kanto Grand Festival again, hopefully with her experience she might pull off a win this time," the professor started off earning a surprised, yet proud look from Ash.
"She's still going at it, huh? She was very ambitious, and stubborn, too. Well I did teach her everything she knows, not to mention she obtained my never-quit attitude, heh," Ash wondered how his Hoenn companion was doing now, hopefully much better than her newbie years, "Attagirl!"
Jane smiled at her master's attitude towards his former travel companion. She knew that the thought of his former travel companions, especially the females, made her master very happy as he remembered the good times. She hoped that maybe, in the future, he will reunite with his friends. That would definitely bring up his spirits, and as long as he's happy, she's happy.
Jane soon felt a pair of eyes on her and turned back to the professor who was staring at her with his eyes squinted as if he was trying really hard to remember something. Jane started to sweat, hoping that he wouldn't recognize her. Both Ash and the Queen recognized the situation and prayed to Arceus that the Professor doesn't remember who Jane used to be.
"Um hi," Jane stated startling the professor from his staring, she needed to get the professor off her back before he goes nuts, "I don't think we've been introduced. My name's-"
"Wait!" exclaimed the professor startling Jane as she realized it was too late, "Now I remember where I've seen your face before, the old wanted posters from Sinnoh!"
"You're that Pokémon Hunter J!" accused the Professor as he pointed at her, "Ash, quickly, get away from her! She'll steal your Pokémon!"
Jane was startled as the old man had figured out who she was, even though she was no longer that person anymore. Maybe she'll never escape the shame that she had built up during her profession as a Pokémon Hunter. Maybe the world will never forgive her for all the atrocities she had committed in the past.
But then, Jane was surprised when Ash didn't step away from but stepped in front of her and stretched his arm out in a protective gesture. Jane was amazed at her master's reaction to the accusations Prof. Oak had thrown at her.
"He really does care about me," Jane smiled at her master with appreciateion, "He doesn't give a Ratatta's ass about who I used to be. Maybe there's still hope for my yet."
"Prof. Oak!" barked Queen Ilene as she stood up from her throne glaring at the professor who was very surprised at the Queen's reaction to his statement, as was Jane, "How dare you address a member of my court as such, in MY throne room no less! You will apologize to Duchess Jane for your accusations or else I will have my guards throw you off the premises of Cameron Palace and make sure you or anyone by the name of Oak ever set foot in the Kingdom of Rota for as long as your family's name lives!"
Professor Oak was very surprised at the Queen's threat and could not make sense of the situation. Here was a notorious fugitive of Sinnoh, whose crimes include armed robbery, aggravated assault, Pokémon robbery, fraud, selling of Pokémon on the black markets, and even murder, standing in the courts of the Kingdom of Rota, one of the few places that still exercise a perfect judicial system with courts and competent police, yet she was not being arrested.
Ash could clearly see the confusion on Prof. Oak's face and needed to clear the air soon regarding Jane.
"Prof. Oak," Ash stated to get the Professor's attention, which he got, "Look, threre's been a sort of misunderstanding. Jane, that is her real name, has atone for her sins as Hunter J. She served her punishment and was then given custody of her over to me. She is no longer a Pokémon Hunter and deeply regrets her past. But look, I will explain everything afterwards. But the Queen is right, you owe Jane an apology for what you accused of her."
Prof. Oak was shellshcoked at the explanation, not to mention Ash's demand for his apology to her. But on the inside, Ash did make a viable point, she looks nothing like the wanted posters of her back in the day.
'Hmm, perhaps this woman has changed," Prof. Oak thought, but he was more surprised at Ash's lack of immaturity and total awareness of the situation, "He really has matured all these years. But he's right."
Prof. Oak then turned to Jane who was looking at him skeptically. He then stood at attention before bowing his upper body deeply showing complete respect towards Jane.
"Forgive me, Jane. I did not read the situation quite clearly, must be my age. However, that is still no excuse to call you out as I did and I deeply apologize for my behavior," Prof. Oak apologized which earned the surprised look from Jane.
Jane then smiled as she went up to the professor and put a hand on his shoulder making him stand straight.
"Your apology is greatly accepted. I believe the phrase 'the past will come to haunt you' speaks volumes in this situation," Jane laughed, easing the discomfort in the air before continuing on, "Ash will explain my story to you later, but I understand why you called me out before. But you must understand, I am no longer that woman, nor will I ever be her for as long as I live. I know I did some pretty terrible things in Sinnoh, but believe me that I am still trying to repent for all the pain and suffering I have caused. Though it will probably be never enough, I wanna try to commit to this new life of mine and do more good than all the evil I committed in this world."
Prof. Oak was surprised at Jane's seriousness in her new life. This was definitely not the Hunter J he had heard about from reports from his dear friend and colleague, Prof. Rowan, back in Sinnoh. Prof. Oak then grinned while raising his hand for a friendly shake.
Jane was surprised at the gesture, but immediately accepted it and shook the professor's hand. Hopefully there are more people like the professor in the world that will actually give her a chance at redeeming herself.
"Well, glad that's over," Ash stated earning the attention of the professor, "Sorry to cut this, but you were saying about how you found me through May?"
The professor was puzzled by this change in subject but quickly remembered what he was talking about before he realized who Jane was.
"Aah! Yes, of course. I apologize, now where was I?" Prof. Oak pondered before remembering what part he stopped his story at. "Anyway, May stopped by Pallet Town to check on your mother as well as use your house as a pit stop before going out on her journey again. I believe your mother allowed her to sleep in your bed."
Ash instantly blushed like a tomato berry at the image of May sleeping in his bed in her pajamas. Although now that she's gotten older, perhaps she moved on to actual sleepwear, maybe even sleeping lingerie for a girl her age. His blush brightened even more, gaining the attention of everyone. Both Jane and Queen Ilene were laughing at Ash's beet red face, guessing at what he was probably imagining. Prof. Oak was stunned at the fact that Ash Ketchum, who he heard had been completely oblivious to his travel partner's advances in the past, finally understood what he was talking about. He then joined the Queen and Duchess with a hearty chuckle at the poor man's embarrassment. Queen Ilene's maid could only shake her head, as before Ash became a Guardian in Queen Ilene's court, he was completely innocent of the world around him, that was until Riley got into his head about what happened to men and women as they get older.
Riley became not only a brother, but a father figure for Ash when he joined the Guardians. Ash didn't have a father throughout his childhood and he didn't really have any father figures throughout his journey other than Prof. Oak, but he was more of a grandpa than a father. So, Ash never really received "the talk." Therefore, it was Riley and the other male Guardians' sole duty to teach Ash on what it meant to be a man. After a quick "talk" with the male Guardians, let's just say Ash blushed at nearly every single maid in the castle and especially Queen Ilene. When Queen Ilene caught on to what Riley and the other male Guardians stuffed inside Ash's head, first she had them flogged in the public square and thrown in the stockades for at least 24 hours. Then she, and a couple of her maids (who were among the most beautiful in the whole castle), kidnapped Ash and tied him in a chair in the Queen's bedroom and gave him a proper "talk." They even decided to play with him for a little bit, as the maids encouraged Queen Ilene to give Ash his very first, actual kiss, and boy was it a steamy one. Now after that "talk," Ash couldn't think straight for the rest of the week, much less talk to any of the maids or Queen Ilene without bumbling over his first few words.
Prof. Oak cleared his throat before continuing on, "Anyway, during her stay. She came to me with a bit of a clue. She wasn't sure if it meant anything but she told me of your journey to the Kingdom of Rota for the first time and how you actually communed with a Lucario that belonged to the fame Sir Aaron."
"Wait, Prof.," Ash stopped the professor before he could continue on, "You knew about Sir Aaron?"
"Ash, do you forget about who you're talking to?" Prof. Oak joked, "Professors like me have been baffled at the concept of Aura and how it is linked between humans and Pokémon with Aura abilities like Lucario and Mienshao. Now I have never really spent enough time on the subject, but I've studied my fair share. Plus, I was actually young enough, where that story was still told by parents across the region. Now, where was I again? Oh, that's right."
"So, as I was saying. May recounted how you were able to understand Lucario- not just through telepathy, but through Aura. She also overheard the Lucario say how 'similar your Aura was to Sir Aaron's.' So, I thought, what the heck. I researched into the legend of Sir Aaron and as much family history your mother could tell me, although there wasn't much. Then I planned a research trip to Rota, hoping that maybe that's where you went: to discover your Aura abilities. And so, I arrived just this morning and presented myself to the guards at the gate and they directed me to Queen Ilene herself," Prof. Oak motioned over to the monarch who just smiled, "I told her about my profession and she gladly accepted my visit to research the link between Aura, humans, and Pokémon. Then I also asked if you ever came here or perhaps if you are here, she thought it best that we would get reacquainted."
Ash looked perplexed, after all, the reason why he was even here in the first place, other than fulfilling the prophecy of the Chosen One and his duty as Aura Prince, was to get away from his friends and family. It was also to keep them safe for just before his disappeared, Team Rocket found him and blackmailed him to disappear forever and never return, otherwise they would execute his friends and family one-by-one as they had every single one of them under watch. He complied and left without a word, only to resurface a year later and single-handedly (with assistance from the Aura Guardians) wiped out the organization. Now, all that's left of the once great criminal empire were remnant grunts and the boss, Giovanni, on the run. The world was shellshocked at how the largest criminal syndicate fell, in a manner of no more than a few days, to a single person. After that, Ash thought it best to just stay out of the public eye and never return until the time was right for him to make his comeback, if he ever wanted to.
Ash looked over to the Queen, wondering why she would reveal his location to one of the people he was trying to stay away from. The Queen just looked sheepish at Ash's glance and waved her hand in a gesture meaning that she would explain later on. Ash sighed as now he had to explain his whole story to the professor, it only seemed fair.
"I'm not necessarily angry that you found me Professor, I was just hoping to reveal myself to the world on my own turns," Ash stated, "Or if I ever wanted to return, that is."
"What do you mean, my boy?" the Professor was very confused. Was Ash not happy that he found him, alive and doing quite well no less, after all this time. "Why did you just up and leave all your friends, and especially your mother?"
Ash decided it would be best for the professor to hear the entire story, so that's just what he did.
After Ash finished his tale of woe, on how he ended up here, Prof. Oak was shocked beyond belief on how much the young man before had suffered. Although he still felt a little betrayed at why Ash didn't come to him or his friends for help, he understood that if Ash even told the police of what happened, he or any of Ash's former companions would have been dead. Ash was only trying to protect them, but the consequences of his actions seemed to have left Ash in a dark place in his life. Even though he had his Aura Guardians, Jane right beside him, and the Queen herself supporting Ash the best she could, Ash still felt a little hollow on the inside.
"I see, I see. You know Ash, surprisingly, I understand why you did what you did," the professor said that stunned Ash for just a brief moment before he continued on, "Although I do not approve of what you had to do, you had no choice in the manner. I just wish there would have been another way to handle the situation."
"It's quite alright, Professor," Ash responded gaining the professor's attention, "If I hadn't made the decisions that brought me here today, I might not have realized my destiny as the Chosen One, nor would have I understood and tapped into my abilities of Aura. I would have never gotten to know my beautiful Queen and hopefully future-wife." Ash motioned to the monarch who was very surprised at her Prince's affectionate mention of her and blushed a bright pink gaining the giggling of her handmaiden.
"You know, if Gary ever found about this, it would flip his entire world," Prof. Oak chuckled at the thought which also got Ash to laugh at the idea of his rival finding out how he would have to wed a beautiful woman who was Queen of an entire nation.
"I also would have never met my two Lucarios; both of whom I consider my children," Ash continued while going over to his Lucarios and wrapping his arms around both of them. This caused Arashi to smile proudly at being his master's student and nodding at the mention while Koyuki happily glomped her father with love.
Then Ash let go of his Lucario-children and went over to Jane who was surprised that he was heading over to her next.
"Then, finally, saving the best for last," Ash started off grandiose, grabbing Jane's hands with his and getting Jane to blush in embarrassment, "I would have never met, the real Jane. Now that is something I would never take back."
Ash finished his statement by placing a chaste kiss on Jane's lips. At the moment of contact, Jane's eyes grew to saucers and was frozen for a good minute. After Ash finished the kiss, Jane just stayed quiet for the rest of the talk, not trusting her voice after that sincere moment of affection.
This got Prof. Oak's jaw to hit the floor as Ash displayed actual affection for a girl- no, a woman. However, he was quite pleased with Ash's growth and was happy for the young man finding true love. However, behind him, the Queen was looking at the moment with complete jealousy written all over her face. Her prince never displayed that much affection to her in public, other than stating the cheesy lines about her "eternal beauty." Now although Ash did accept the Queen's future proposal that the two would wed and produce a child, Ash had not been as forward with her than he was with Jane. She grew jealous of the Aura Duchess's success at gaining her prince's affection without hesitation.
"By the way, Professor. Will you be joining us for dinner tonight?" Ash asked, hoping to spend more time with his "grandfather." Ash actually felt glad that he was here.
"Actually, the Queen already invited me just before you got here," Prof. Oak responded, "Perhaps we can talk more then."
"That would be delightful," said Ash before looking at the time and realizing that he and Jane were late for their usual afternoon training and spar to enhance their Aura abilities further. "Unfortunately, I will have to cut this meeting short, Jane and I have training right around now, so we'll take our leave."
Ash turned to the Queen who was still staring at Jane in jealousy before she noticed her prince looking at her for approval to leave the throne room and quickly composed herself before he got any idea.
"My Lady," Ash stated with a deep bow in respect. Jane also got out of her earlier stupor and bowed to the monarch as well. Pikachu, Arashi, and Koyuki followed suit and bowed in respect to the Queen.
The Queen nodded her head and the group straighten themselves up before turning around and leaving the throne room. As soon as the doors closed behind them, Prof. Oak looked up to the Queen.
"I think he'll definitely need this more than ever," Prof. Oak stated as he was very sure of himself.
The Queen nodded her head and replied, "Yes, I agree. Even though it looks like he is doing well, I still feel that he has not completely healed himself. He needs this opportunity to reconnect with the world, he can't stay cooped up in here with just me, Jane, Riley, and his fellow Guardians. He needs to go out and experience life again, maybe even start traveling again. I dare say, he will very much enjoy his 'vacation.'"
It was evening when Ash and Jane entered the royal dining room that was only used by the Queen for formal or dignitary affairs. They were dressed in their usual Aura Guardian attire. They entered through the double doors to see Queen Ilene and Professor Oak sitting at the table, waiting for the two to join them. Queen Ilene was in her usual royal dress while Professor Oak took off his lab coat and replace his usual red polo he wore underneath his lab coat for a light blue dress shirt with a red and white striped tie.
"Ah, Prince Ash and Duchess Jane. Your timing is most impeccable. I honestly have no idea how you do it," Queen Ilene greeted after she stood up from her seat as a courtesy to the new arrivals to the dinner table. Prof. Oak joined her after taking a sip of water.
"How ironic coming from you, your Excellency," Ash responded while bowing along with a giggling Jane. Prof. Oak was confused at the statement before he looked over to the monarch to see her giving a mock glare at her prince.
As both Guardians straightened up, Jane took the opportunity to take a jab at the monarch.
"I'm still baffled that you were born here and you still don't know the way to your throne room, yet Ash knows this place like that back of hand," Jane joked earning a chuckle from her master and further deflating the Queen's ego.
The Queen turned her mock glare over to the Duchess except this time, it was as if she was actually trying to burn a hole through Jane. She harrumphed while pointing her face upward before responding in kind, she was not going to be embarrassed like this, in front of a visitor to the kingdom no less.
"So what if I can't remember where the closet bathroom is," the Queen responded snootily, however this just resulted in the two Guardians to snicker as she wasn't helping her position, "I am still your Queen, and I will not be made fun of in MY castle AND in the presence of a highly, esteemed professor of Pokémon. Now, SIT YOUR BUTTS DOWN so that we may eat!"
Both Ash and Jane straightened their posture in complete obedience at the Queen's order. Though it was fun every now and then to poke fun at the Queen, when things go too far she becomes an instant party pooper and shuts everyone down. Ash and Jane made their way to the table, they would sit on the Queen's left, opposite of Prof. Oak. Just as Jane was about to get into her seat, Ash got ahead and pulled out her seat for her.
"Oh my, I didn't know I was in the presence of a gentleman," Jane commented with fake sincerity.
"I'm just trying to impress the only lady in the room," Ash responded and then just as Jane was about to sit, he jerked the chair back resulting in Jane dropping and landing on her butt hard, "I of course meant Lady Ilene."
Queen Ilene was quite pleased and even laughed at the juvenile fun her Prince was known for throughout the castle, meanwhile Jane grumbled under her breath and lightly glared at Ash for his stupid prank. Professor Oak also chuckled at the scene, happy that Ash hadn't fully matured and wasn't a total brood.
Ash helped Jane up into her seat and even pushed her in for good measure, though she could see through him and turned away from him with a frown. But she knew she couldn't stay mad at him, not seriously at least. All his pranks were in good fun, a trait of his that she was very glad had not died when he went dark.
Just as Ash seated himself between Jane and the Queen at the head of the table, Queen Ilene rang the little bell that was on the side of the table that signaled the waiters to being out the food. The waiters first brought out the appetizers which were a large salad, baskets of garlic bread sticks, and Kalos onion soup*. After that was finished, the main course arrived with everyone's favorite dishes.
For Ash, it was a rather large portion of a Bouffalant filet mignon with a hefty side of garlic mashed potatoes and roasted vegetables. It was a simple, but very large amount of food; however, it wasn't uncommon when dealing with Ash's monster of a stomach. But thankfully, over the last few years, his appetite and way of eating has improved. Jane and the Queen could vividly remember the first time they ever saw Ash eat, and it was as if a Pidgeot blew a Hurricane through the room. So, they were used to the image of Ash still eating an abnormally large portion of food, but at a polite and well-mannered pace. Prof. Oak on the other hand, did not know how much Ash had changed so he was very surprised at seeing the young man, who he had known ever since he was a wee young lad, become such a well-mannered eater at the dinner table.
Jane's was mushroom fettuccini alfredo with parmesan crusted chicken and salt-n-pepper grilled shrimp, added with roasted asparagus and sautéed broccoli with light cheese drizzled over the two vegetables on the side, all topped off by heavily sprinkling parmesan cheese. It was her comfort food growing up and in the past, during her days as a Pokémon Hunter, whenever she had enough spare money, she would let her henchmen take the night off while she went to some fancy restaurant in town and dined on said dish. And even though the cooks of the castle could make the dish quite easily, Ash could make it on a totally different level. He challenged her one day that he could make the dish and it would be completely different than any of the past times she had it. She accepted the challenge of course, this was when she was still skeptical of Ash's skills in the kitchen, and let's just say she did not regret the experience one bit.
The Queen's dish was a roasted Pidove sprinkled with all kinds of aromatic spices placed in a ladle of mushroom soup. She had a few sides of 4-cheese macaroni and cheese sprinkled with bits of bacon (her childhood throwback), a cup of more Kalos onion soup, and cauliflower with a dash of salt and pepper. This assortment was one of many of the Queen's preferred dishes. Being raised in a royal castle allowed her to taste many different dishes from each of the regions. She simply could not make up her mind on deciding one so she just made a system with the chefs: a different day, a different dish.
Professor Oak was a very surprised that not only was he being served his favorite dish, but how did the chefs even knew it in the first place. On his plate was a nice size of a Taurus steak cooked medium-rare with a bed of rice with brown gravy ladled on top on the side. He also had sides of steamed broccoli and roasted Brussel sprouts.
Idle talk was spoken throughout the meal, either Prof. Oak conversed with the Queen about her duties in her role and Aura in general. Ash and Jane chimed in whenever to help further explain about the concept of Aura. Overall, Prof. Oak was acting like a kid at all the information he was soaking up. Who knew there was so much potential in the study of Aura? As the main course drew to a close, the servants came in to pick up the used plates and silverware. After they cleared the table and went back into the kitchen to scrub the used dishes, another batch of servants came out with dessert: cheesecake drizzled with black raspberry sauce and cookie crumbs.
"Well Ash, as much as I want to keep digging into my lovely slice of cake," the Queen began before she gave a serious look at her prince, "There is another reason as to why I have called you to dinner in the first place."
"Of course, my Queen," Ash responded as he wiped some bits of cheesecake from his mouth, "Is something the manner?"
"Yes Ash," Queen Ilene took a deep breath before continuing on with a slightly mournful expression, "You know that I appreciate not only your service to me, but as well as always being there for me a friend. And that I do care about your wellbeing."
Jane, for some reason, did not like where this conversation was going but remained silent and just listened while taking bites out of her dessert.
"Your Highness," Ash said as he fully turned to his monarch, "You have given me new hope during my darkest moment. You gave me a purpose when I thought I didn't have one. You stood by me when I kept falling thinking it was hopeless to continue on."
Ash got out of his seat and moved towards the Queen. When he got there, he got on one knee and held Queen Ilene's hand with both of his and looked at her with the sincerest of smiles he was very well known for. Queen Ilene blushed a very bright shade of pink when she felt the warmth of her prince's hands clutching hers. She was very touched at Ash's loyalty to not only Ilene the Queen of Rota, but to Ilene the person.
"You saved me in my darkest hour," Ash continued on with his voice filled with sincerity, "I am eternally grateful and cannot do more than pledging my life to the crown and to you. I will always be at your side."
The Queen was taken back by Ash's statement, although she has heard this from him more times than she could count, it always struck a chord in her heart. She had to turn away to wipe away the tears that were forming in her eyes. Prof. Oak was surprised by Ash's loyalty to the Queen and could not be any prouder of the young man and how much he had grown. Jane was slowly grinding her teeth in complete jealousy while also clutching her fork so hard her fist turned white. She was always jealous of whenever Ash displayed such loyalty and affection to the Queen, but at least she had him all to herself in bed.
Queen Ilene took another second to get ahold of herself before turning back to Ash with a sad look in her eyes.
"I know, Ash, I know. And I cannot be any more grateful of your service and your friendship," Queen Ilene started before she decided to rip the bandage off, "Which is why, as it pains me to say, I'm putting you on temporary leave from your duties as Prince and the Guardians. And for further measure, I am exiling you from the kingdom of Rota until my say so."
Well, that took a turn…
The silence in the room was so think, you could cut it with a knife. Apprehension filled the room, and everyone in the room was waiting for someone to make a move.
Ash had to blink several times, he even ran what he had just heard through his brain several times before he finally understood what he heard. He didn't even have any words in his mouth to respond. In fact, all he could muster was, "Huh?"
A slam echoed throughout the room. Everyone looked towards the origin of the sound and saw Jane standing up with both her hands planted on the table in front of her. Her bangs of silvery hair were covering her eyes so no one could see her face. Jane then raised her head and pointed her arm outward towards the Queen with her hand stretch out. A speckle of blue light flashed and more specks of blue light began to form inside her hand and soon an Aura Sphere was created. It remained stable but was expanding in size till it was roughly the size of a basketball. The force created by the Aura Sphere shifted the air around Jane and moved some of her hair out of her eyes to reveal hatred in her light, blue eyes.
"What… The… FUCKING HELL do you mean 'exile,'" Jane screamed with all the hatred in her body as she focuses her sphere right at the Queen, just waiting for a single flinch to launch her attack and blow away the Queen.
The Queen was shocked with fear that her loyal Duchess was actually aiming an Aura Sphere at her. She was vividly shaking in terror as the size of the sphere increased in size and power. Perhaps she should have worded her words differently.
Prof. Oak got out of his seat, he wanted to do something, he wanted to do anything. But even for a professor, he couldn't think of anything to do in this situation.
Ash looked to his padawan in complete shock and a slight bit of fear. He knew that she would eradicate anyone who talked badly, insulted, or even expressed any intention of harming him. He also knew that if Jane ever tapped into her anger and hatred whenever she was using her Aura abilities, no one would be left in her path. He had to do something, but before he could the doors opened to reveal multiple Aura Guardians and Knights.
"Queen Ilene, we heard a loud noise. Is everything o-," the lead Guardian began before looking at the situation in front of him.
"Duchess Jane!" another Guardian announced as he raised his arm out and formed an Aura Sphere in his hand along with multiple other Guardians doing the same while the Knights drew their swords in apprehension, "Stand down and disperse your sphere!"
Jane growled at the new company she attracted and raised her other arm out in the direction of the Guardians and began forming a second Aura Sphere. They couldn't do this to her. They couldn't do this to HER master. SHE couldn't do this to HER Ash.
Speaking of her Ash, he stepped forward and got in the path of Jane's first Aura Sphere that was pointed at the Queen. Jane was surprised at why he was stopping her. Their Queen, the Queen they swore their lives to, the Queen who they would give their lives for, the same Queen who her master would soon wed and forever be at her side in life and death, had just banished him from ever returning to the kingdom. She didn't understand what was happening around her. She felt her world was coming to an end, the people who saved her master from darkness were now casting him away like old trash.
Ash looked directly at his padawan's eyes with his own. She could see there was a bit of fear, fear of HER, but also courage in his eyes. He was determined to stop her from making a terrible mistake.
"Jane," Ash began with a calm voice, she flinched at his tone as it sounded as if he was speaking to her from a higher position of authority, "Disperse your sphere before you do something both of us we'll regret."
"But-," Jane was shocked at her master's calm posture, was he not mad at the Queen's statement? "Why? Did you not just hear her?"
"Yes, my hearing is quite fine, Jane," Ash said but in a more commanding tone, "But as I said, disperse your sphere this instant! You are pointing an attack at our Queen."
"But," Jane tried to reason, but Ash cut her off.
"I said, STAND DOWN, AURA DUCHESS JANE! THAT IS A DIRECT ORDER!" Ash commanded in a loud voice for everyone to hear, even the staff in the kitchen heard it.
Jane's arms were shaking with hesitation at her master's order. She stared into her master's cold eyes, but also saw a bit of warmth in them. He was right, this was wrong. If she was still a hunter, she would have shrugged off his command and blow away the Queen to teeny tiny bits. But she was no longer that person, nor will she ever be again. She then sighed, and lowered her arms while dispersing the Aura Spheres into specks of blue light.
Everyone took a big sigh of relief, especially Ash. The Queen then motioned for the Guardians and Knights to leave to room, although they hesitated a bit, they followed the order with no question and also stood down their attacks and weapons. The Guardians and Knights then followed out and closed the doors behind them.
The Queen looked at the Duchess with disappointment.
"Normally, when one of my own Guardians, much less one from my court, dares to defy me or even think about pointing an Aura Sphere my way, I would have them executed the next day or if possible the same day. I could either hang you, behead you, or even put you in front of a firing squad of Aura Troopers for what you just did, Jane," the Queen explained as the Duchess lowered her head in deep shame and awaited the consequences.
Queen Ilene took a deep breath before continuing with a remorseful look, "But I won't do that to you, especially since your actions are on me. I should have explained better."
Jane looked up in surprise as well as Ash. Jane sighed in relief as she wasn't going to die for reaction at the Queen's earlier statement, but she was still confused at what she meant to convey.
The Queen looked over to Ash who was even more puzzled than before.
"Ash, please don't take this the wrong way, I beg of you," Queen Ilene pleaded before continuing with her explanation, "I'm only putting you on 'temporary' leave from your service as Aura Prince and Aura Guardian. And furthermore, I'm not exiling you forever, just until I think you're ready to come back."
Both Ash and Jane were confused, why did the Queen want Ash to leave Rota for only a while?
"Your Highness, what are you saying?" Ash asked with a perplexed tone, "Is it something I did? I apologize for whatever I did to make you angry with me. Did I leave the seat up again in one of the royal bathrooms?"
Queen Ilene was taken back by his statement before remembering something, she then gave Ash the stink eye.
"So, YOU have been the one doing that," Queen Ilene interrogated earning Ash to scratch the back of his head in embarrassment and awkwardly laugh, "All this time, I thought it was Riley or even one of the more playful Guardians or maids doing that. We'll have to discuss that further at a later time."
Jane also gave Ash the stink eye from behind, due to her stature she was allowed to use the royal bathrooms around the castle and someone had been leaving the seat up more than a few occasions. She swore she would find whoever was doing this and wring his neck out, "his" because she knew it had to be a guy doing this.
"Anyway, getting back on topic here," Queen Ilene continued on, "Ash, I know you keep saying you're happy here, but I see things differently. Even your padawan as alerted me to this as well."
Ash looked behind him to see Jane innocently whistling while looking up at the ceiling to avoid his gaze.
"Jane has told me about your night terrors. She, and many of my maids and servants, say they have seen you training in the courtyard all by yourself late into the night till you pass out. Riley says that sometimes you keep taking up missions nonstop. I'm worried for you, Ash," Queen Ilene expressed her concerns as Ash looked down in remorse, "Becoming an Aura Guardian does not rid of one's past anxieties. That's not what taking up the mantle to be a Guardian is for. Few of my Guardians join because they have nowhere else to go. As much as I appreciate their enlistment, this is not a place to relieve oneself of their troubles. It's the same as if someone on the outside enlisted into the Pokémon military or G-Men, just so they can get away from their problems in the real world."
Queen Ilene went up to Ash and put a hand on her prince. Ash looked up to see the concern in her eyes.
"You're not ready yet, Ash," said Queen Ilene, "You still need time to heal."
Ash was taken back by this enlightenment, had he been working himself to the bone that the people he thought "saved" him have really been worried for him. He looked behind him and saw the same sadness in Jane's eyes. He was scaring her, scared for his wellbeing.
He turned back to the Queen and asked, "What should I do then?"
Queen Ilene smiled as Ash was actually taking her advice bit by bit.
"I honestly don't have a clue, Ash. You can do anything, as long as it is away from Rota and you're not working as one of my Guardians," Queen Ilene replied. "The only thing I can think of is what you did before you came to me: travel. Go out and explore again, do some sightseeing. You can even bring your Pokémon and continue your training for your 'big return,'" she finished with a wink.
Ash took all this in, perhaps he could go back to traveling. He somewhat missed the adventure of whatever was gonna happen next. He immediately realized something at the thought, was that what had been missing all along? But where could he go? He already traveled through all of the regions he knew, including the ranger regions when he used to be a Pokémon Ranger for a short while.*
"But where could I go?" Ash asked his monarch, "I've already been pretty much everywhere from Kanto's New Island to Kalos' Nebel Plateau. It would be kinda boring if I traveled through the same regions twice. Is there a region I have not visited yet?"
This was Prof. Oak's cue to chime in.
"Actually, there is!" Prof. Oak responded which surprised Ash and Jane at the previously quiet professor, "Ash, have you ever heard of a region called Alola?"
"Alola? I've only ever heard of it from Queen Ilene and Jane every now and then," Ash replied as he looked over to the Queen, "Queen Ilene reminisces of when she was a child and her parents were rulers of the kingdom that her mother would take her over there to spend the summer at their family's royal beach house while her father would take care of the kingdom. She always keeps saying that if she ever got a break from being Queen of Rota, that is where she would spend her first vacation. If she ever gets a vacation, that is."
The Queen scratched her cheek and lightly laughed, embarrassed of her personal desires.
"And Jane says that whenever she and her hunters ever got a good pay day," Jane looked down at the floor at the mention of her past, "She would only give herself a vacation while she ordered the men to keep her ship running or else she'll castrate them. She would fly over to Alola to spend a week there and all she ever talks about is sunbathing, malasadas, and hot stone treatments."
"Trust me, Ash," Jane responded as she hooked her arms around Ash's neck and whispered into his ear in a sensual tone, "You have not lived, and I mean really lived your life to the fullest, until you have had perfectly heated rocks placed on your back on all the right spots, having your arms and legs receive a deep, deep-tissue massage, and getting a mani and pedi all at the same time."
"So, you're telling me, that the people who gave you this treatment are waayyyy better than the massages I give to you, the Queen, and all the lovely maids and female Aura Guardians in the castle," Ash summarized with a raised eyebrow.
"Ash, as much as your amateur massages are a godsend," Jane swooned as she reminisced at the memory, "These people are masters of the human body. The know exactly which nerve to press down on, which muscle needs to be soothed, and which knot to relieve. If what these guys do to their customers is not rape, I don't know what the hell they're doing but Arceus don't let'em stop."
"Hmm, I see," Ash pondered for a moment to take all the information in and then smiled at Jane, "So no more massages for you in the future."
Jane's eyes snapped open and widen as saucers at her master's last sentence. She then laughed as if he was joking, which she hoped to Arceus he was. She lightly punched her master's arm and glomped him in a very affectionate manner.
"Ash, you make the most hilarious of jokes ever, ha ha haaa," Jane joked about and looked at him, "But there's no need to get all drastic about it, hehe."
Ash just rolled his eyes and looked back at the professor so that he may continue.
"Anyway, from what you could surmise from both the Queen's and Jane's description, it is exactly that, a resort/vacation/tropical island region. Four islands make up the region and is completely surrounded by water. They are known as a tropical beach vacation destination. They do not have a traditional Pokémon League like the other regions do but they have people similar to gym leaders and a champion. It's all quite confusing when you're from elsewhere but it does make sense," Prof. Oak summarized which peaked Ash's attention.
Ash then looked to Queen Ilene with a questioning gaze.
"So, you want me, in other words, take a vacation… at a vacation centric region," asked Ash making sure he understood everything.
"Well, when you say it like that, exactly!" the Queen stated while in her mind she asked herself, 'Why didn't I just say it like that? I would have avoided an Aura Sphere in my face.'
Ash pondered upon this decision, but then remembered Jane.
"Can Jane come with me?" Ash asked which made Jane's eyes sparkle with hope that she'll be allowed to vacation on a tropical island with Ash.
"Unfortunately, no she cannot," the Queen replied which got a glare from Jane, "Don't look at me like that, you were pointing an Aura Sphere at me not 10 minutes ago!"
"She will have to continue her training here in Rota for the time being," the Queen explained which got Jane to sigh in defeat, "She will be under the tutelage of Riley till I say you're ready to return back to the kingdom."
"But, don't I have a higher authority than him?" Jane asked with a raised eyebrow, "Not to mention, I'm way better than him and much more powerful."
"You forget your place, Duchess," the Queen responded, "Unlike Ash and Riley, you were forced into the service as well as Ash injected you with his Aura to help you force your Aura to awaken. Although your output of Aura is much higher than the average Guardians, which includes Riley, and though you may know more techniques and have a completely unique style according to your preferences, you still need to train your discipline of Aura as well as develop better control over your abilities," the Queen berated and much to Jane's dismay, Ash was nodding at her reasoning, "You still have much to learn, Duchess."
Jane looked to her master in hope that he will side with her, but Ash sadly looked to Jane and stated, "She's right. Plus, she's the Queen, can't argue with her."
Jane just harrumphed in reply. What more training did she need? She was plenty ready to go kick some ass, especially Riley's.
"Know that you do not have to make a decision now. However, I hope you come to one soon," the Queen said to Ash gaining his attention, "Not to be mean or anything, but I would prefer if your vacation starts immediately and I want you out of the castle by the day after tomorrow."
It was Professor Oak's turn to speak to Ash regarding the tough decision.
"I know you'll make the right decision, Ash my boy," Prof. Oak said before saying something else that regarded about the vacation, "And if you choose to go to Alola, though as previously stated you really don't have a choice in the manner, I have an assignment for you when you get there."
Ash could only laugh at the professor's additional task.
"Hahaha, I should have known you didn't come here out of the goodness of your heart, old man!" Ash exclaimed jovially before patting the professor on the shoulder, "I'll think about it later tonight."
"Most excellent," replied the professor before giving a small yawn, "Now, if you'll excuse me, Ash, Jane, your Highness. I must go to bed, I've got a lot of work to do tomorrow so I need to be up bright and early."
Prof. Oak then departed from the dining room leaving the trio.
"Duchess Jane," the Queen announced getting Jane's attention, "If you'll please allow me a minute with your master."
Jane looked over to Ash with worry in her eyes. The Queen saw this and merely smiled.
"Don't you fret, Jane," the Queen stated with a hint of mischief laced in her words and a smirk glistening her beautiful face, "I'll have him back in your room in time for some… fun under the covers."
Both Jane and Ash's faces blushed crimson red with steam coming out of their ears. Jane quickly exited the dining room before the Queen could continue on with her onslaught of teasing all the while grumbling under her breath about "wickedly cruel, spoiled rotten, privilege bitching queens."
Ash was still blushing red over the Queen's comment on his and Jane's love life. But before he knew it, the Queen was pressed up against his front with her face very close to his, especially her lips just centimeters away from his.
"Now, my Prince," the Queen, with her eyes gazing into his filled nothing but lust, seductively whispered to Ash who could feel her hot breath against his mouth. He tried his best to resist the hormonal rage to take the Queen right then and there on the dining table. He knew it would be very bad and scandalous if he were to do this to the Queen when they have not even begun a formal relationship. However, ever since that fateful night with the Queen and her handmaidens, he could bring himself to even think about such things with the Queen, even though she was very forward when it was just the two of them in a room.
"Now that the annoying, lovesick padawan is out of the room," the Queen continued while tracing her dainty finger around Ash's chest while the other hand was cupping Ash's cheek while thumbing it which literally sent him over the edge at the warmth from his Queen's touch, "We can get down to 'actual business.'"
"A- A- Act- Actual bu- business?" Ash was a complete stuttering mess. What was he supposed to do in this kind of situation, other than going along with the situation?
As the Queen was closing in, Ash could not help himself but to do the same. The Queen's eyes closed shut as she puckered her lips and Ash did the same. As both their lips were just millimeters away, the Queen pulled out at the last-minute leaving Ash to kiss nothing but air. When Ash realized that something was wrong, he opened one of his eyes to see the Queen a foot away from him trying to hold back her giggling.
"Ohhhhh, that's evil," Ash said while squinting at her. This caused the Queen to let out a melodious laugh at the prank she had pulled on the prankster of Rota. She was getting quite good at tricking the Aura Prince after "the night" where she left him completely powerless under her gaze.
"Oh, Ash. You make it too easy," the Queen settled down while wiping a few tears and looked at the prince who seemed to be quite disappointed, "Aw, don't worry, Ashy. I promise that we'll have plenty of time to do plenty of that in the very, very near future."
The Queen finished with another flirtatious wink which caused Ash's blush to redden even more. Ash decided to nip it all in the butt before things got even more out of hand.
"Di- Did you really send my padawan away… just so that you- can have your w-w-w-way with me?" Ash tried his best to sound as confident as he could but he was sadly failing.
The Queen could only smile at the what a wonderful job she had done at making her prince having trouble with his words.
"I mean, if you really want to, Ashy," the Queen walked towards Ash and gave him a booty bump when she got beside him.
Ash flinched at contact and just grumbled on as his queen made it all the way to the door to exit the dining room. As she was at the doorway, she turned around and motioned for him to follow her. Ash hesitated at first, but he sighed as he knew he had to follow along. He walked over to her and offered his arm to the monarch who happily accepted it. The duo then walked out and down the corridors to Queen Ilene's bed chamber.
"I know you're probably thinking that my request for you to leave is ridiculous," said Queen Ilene as the two turned to walk down another hallway.
"Actually, I think it will do me some good. You were a true Queen for that entire discussion," Ash responded which surprised Queen Ilene.
"You mean, you're not angry with me that I'm essentially banning you from the kingdom?" Queen Ilene asked, very puzzled by her prince's response.
"Hehe, well first of all, I can never be mad at you," Ash chuckled in response which got the Queen to lightly blush, "Second of all, I think you're right. I was just too stubborn to see it within myself."
Queen Ilene stayed quiet as Ash continued when they passed by a pod of Guardians doing their nightly patrol around the castle. They stepped to the side and bowed their heads to the royals who in turn nodded their heads in acknowledgement as they passed by the pod. The group straightened up and continued on their way.
"I was so sure of myself that if I stay here, just train with my Pokémon, Jane, Riley, the other Guardians and stayed by your side that I would find my place in the world. When I had to literally drop off the face of the Earth, I didn't know what to do. At first, I joined law enforcements with the Pokémon Rangers, maybe put my 'saving the world' aesthetic to some use and do some good in the world. Over the short period of time I was there, I still felt like I didn't belong. So, I left the organization and was completely lost. That was until I passed out on the road to Rota and luckily for me, Riley was on his way over here and recognized me even though me face was in the dirt. He brought me inside the kingdom and the doctors took care of me. Then you figured out I was here and came to visit me, you stayed by my bedside every day till I got better. I was about to leave and then you told me to stay, 'cuz you were curious about something. Long story short, we found out I could control Aura, trained for the past couple of years, rescued Jane, and here I am today. I thought I could find happiness here," Ash explained but then stopped in the middle of a hallway and turned himself to the Queen and stared at her.
"You're right, I've taken the hospitality and kindness you and the Guardians have treated me as a way to cope with my problems when I shouldn't have. I'm sorry for that," Ash apologized with sincerity in his voice.
Queen Ilene was taken back by Ash's apology and just smiled while cupping his cheek.
"Ash, my prince. You have no reason to apologize. It was a pleasure to take you in," Queen Ilene responded and then gave Ash a light kiss on the cheek.
Ash was surprised by the action by smiled warmly as the Queen pulled back. The two then continued on with their walk.
"During the discussion, I came to a little epiphany," Ash stated drawing the Queen's attention, "I missed the adventure of traveling, I missed the surprise I would get at every corner, and I missed the fun of it all. Here, I expect what's to happen around the corner, when someone tries to launch an attack at me during training, I find a way to counter and retaliate. I do have some fun here, but not as much as when I was younger and enjoying life out there."
Ash then looked around him at the castle corridor they were walking in, inspecting every crevice and nook in the walls and ceiling.
"It's not really much an adventure walking around this thing 'cuz I know how to navigate this place, unlike some people," Ash teased while looking to his side at the Queen with a smirk.
The Queen blushed a light shade and turned her head in the opposite direction of him with a pout while harrumphing. Ash chuckled that he got another one over the Queen who usually did not take too kindly to being talked like that.
"Maybe this will be good for me, who knows?" Ash pondered, "Maybe I can get back a little bit of my old self."
The Queen smiled at the revelation and leaned her head on her prince's shoulder the rest of the walk.
A few minutes of walking later, the two found themselves at the door leading to the Queen's royal chambers. Ash was starting to feel nervous as he remembered the last time he was in this particular room. The Queen could feel her prince's anxiety roll off him in waves as they stood before the door to her room. She giggled while blushing at the fond memory of her and the prince, if only she didn't have her entourage of handmaidens also trying to get in on the fun.
"Just here will be fine, Ash," the Queen chuckled as she knew what her prince was thinking which earned a sigh of relief from the nervous prince, "I won't further your anxiety of my bedroom."
Ash rolled his eyes at the Queen's harmless jab, although he gave himself a little pat on the back. Before he came here, though he tried to act as serious as possible, Ash was a ray of sunshine to the usual formal atmosphere of the castle. Even in his gloomy state, the little part of Ash that wanted to make everyone smile and laugh did not die out. He always found a way to make even the strictest of Guardians have a good laugh, especially the Queen where he would actually go out of his way to diverge from his formal stature as prince to make her laugh every single day.
The Queen turned to face her Guardian to close out the night. When she presented her hand, Ash took a knee and took her hand in his to present a light kiss on her knuckles. The Queen tried her best, but no matter the many times he did this she always blushed a little at the warmth of her prince's lips gracing her hand. After a good second, Ash's lips left the Queen hand which disappointed her a little bit and stood back up to wish his Queen a fare night.
"Have a pleasant night, my Queen," Ash complimented with a smile that warmed the Queen's heart.
The Queen absolutely loved that smile of his, a shame he couldn't do that as often as he could before. And since he did technically agree to the Queen's suggestion for a vacation, she thought it best to reward him now before she would have to wait a long while before she could bestow another reward on him anytime soon.
Ash was a little surprised when the Queen looped her arms around his neck while closing the distance between them. Before he knew it, he felt something warm, soft, and wet come in contact with his lips. Ash's eyes widened as he realized the Queen was kissing him. Though she has kissed him before, nothing like this one; the kiss was warm and soft, yet a little bit forceful as if she wouldn't get a chance like for a long time. Queen Ilene made sure to fill the kiss with nothing but the love she had for her prince, however, she was worried as to why her prince was not responding in kind. But before she could pull back to question, she felt strong arms holding her close. Then she felt Ash's lips respond to her, and a few seconds into the kiss, his tongue brushed her lips asking for permission. Queen Ilene smiled to herself seeing that her 'special lessons' had not gone to waste and opened her lips to her prince's tongue. The two wrestled their tongues together, exploring each other's mouths. Queen Ilene felt herself being pushed back against her bedroom door, Ash made sure not to get too rough with the movement. Queen Ilene couldn't be any prouder of how her prince has progressed in his 'special training' as she continued with the make out session she had desired for so long. The royal duo continued kissing for another minute or so before they had to break for oxygen. Both were panting with slight blushes on their faces. Ash leaned his forehead against the Queen's, he could feel her hot breath against his lips and vice versa. Both tried their best to banish any thought of furthering the love making before it got out of hand. Ash pushed himself away from the Queen as the latter pushed herself off of her door. Ash then took his hand to brush away a few strands of hair from the Queen's face. She blushed at the affectionate gesture and helped straighten his uniform that got ruffled in the engagement. Both prince and queen then stood apart, only a few feet between them, gazing at each other before the grand clock down the hall chimed signaling it was getting late.
"And a good night to you as well, my Prince," the Queen wished before giving her prince a light hug, which he responded in kind, and a light kiss on the cheek. She then turned around to walk to her door and opened it. Before she fully slipped into her bedroom, she looked back to her prince one last time before slipping behind and shutting the door.
Ash sighed before he made his way to his room.
When Ash got to his room, he saw that the lights were off and someone was already in his bed. He chuckled as Jane was lightly snoring away dreaming about who knows what, hopefully nothing where he's in some weird predicament. He looked around the room and saw both his Lucarios snuggling in their respective beds off in the corner of the room. Pikachu was snoozing on a little couch-bed at the foot of Ash's bed. Ash went to his private bathroom to take care of his pre-bed rituals: brush teeth, wash face, and take a last-minute shit on the toilet. When he finished, he headed out of the bathroom into his walk-in closet to dispose of his used uniform and put on his sleepwear: a light shirt and a pair of Pikachu themed pajama pants. He quietly made his way to his bed and slipped under the covers trying to not wake up the Duchess, unfortunately he failed at said task.
*Groan "Ash? Why did you wake me up, again?" Jane asked deviously as one of her hands grasped at her master's shoulder in a vice like grip.
Ash was sweating bullets as the grip got tighter and tighter. Unlike in the morning, he did not have an excuse as to why he woke her up. Well, he did but he guessed if he told her that he and the Queen were having a moment of passion he would probably suffer an even worse fate. However, Ash decided to deflect the question onto a different topic that made him curious.
"Hey, Jane?" Ash asked hesitantly earning him another groan from the silver-haired beauty and the grip to tighten further, "Will you be angry if I leave you here?"
The question puzzled Jane and wondered why her master would ask such a question. But technically, she could answer the question. Also, she knew he was dodging to avoid any punishment from her so she thought it best to let this one slide. Jane sighed and loosened her grip on Ash's shoulder while turning him over to face her.
"Yes, Ash, I will be mad when you leave me. But it's not because I'll be training under Riley," Jane sneered as she said the Guardian's name. Speaking of said Guardian, Riley suddenly sneezed quite loudly, waking up all the other Guardians who were sleeping in the same quarters. Many groans were heard and a lot of pillows were thrown in Riley's direction as he was apologizing as to why he had the sudden urge to sneeze, especially in his sleep.
"Nor am I mad at the Queen for forcing a decision upon you, 'cuz to be frank, it was my suggestion in the first place," Jane revealed which got Ash's eyes to widen, "Please do not take this the wrong way. The last thing I would want is for you to be mad at me for something I did that I did not meant to be hurtful to you."
Ash looked at the Duchess' pleading eyes and understood her situation. He nodded for her to continue.
"Anyway, what the Queen said was according to my findings. Because, not only am I your padawan, I'm also supposed to keep watch over you- Not in a stalking or spying manner, but I'm merely just looking out for you," Jane explained hoping he would not be angry with her, "It was me that always went out at night to look for you only to find you training yourself to exhaustion in the courtyard. And the way you were training, I could feel the emotion roll off of you in waves, like you were angry at something and just needed something to punch. Believe me, I get that. Whenever Riley or anyone else annoys me, mind you and the Queen, I feel like punching through one of the castle's walls. But the way you were angry, you were just mad at yourself and the world."
Jane blinked a couple times to try and stop the tears that were about to form in her eyes. Ash saw this and immediately rubbed Jane's arm up and down to calm her. Jane took a bit before continuing on.
"I was also the one who had to carry you to the infirmary whenever you passed out. I was worried about you Ash," Jane confessed looking terrified at what her master has been doing to himself, "I knew you had to take a break from everything, everything Aura and Rota related. So, I informed the Queen and told her my suggestion, and she agreed."
Jane brought up her hand to cup Ash's cheek and rubbed her thumb against it. Ash leaned into the touch as her hand felt warm and soft.
"We worry about you, Riley and the other Guardians are worried about you. Hell, even your Pokémon are worried about you, especially Koyuki! She cries every time I have to tell her why her father wasn't in bed that morning," Jane confessed which left Ash shocked. Not only were his friends worried about him, but even his daughter-of-a-Lucario and Pokémon were worried sick too. Ash looked down in shame as he made all the people he so desperately wanted to keep safe, worried about his own wellbeing. Maybe he needed this more than he thought.
"So that's why…" Jane sniffed, "I will be a little mad, sad, and hurt that you're leaving. But… I'll also be happy and I really hope this will do you some good."
Ash could only smile at his padawan's determination to see that he is truly happy. Ash decided to grace Jane with a deep kiss, which she responded very much so. Ash pulled back and smiled warmly at Jane who smiled back.
"Ok then, Jane. I'm sorry for worrying you. I'll take the vacation, and I'll be back before you know it," Ash promised, and Jane knew: a promise from Ash, never gets broken. "Now go back to sleep, I need to give my decision to the Queen tomorrow."
Jane nodded and Ash turned around to head back to sleep. Then suddenly, Ash was forcefully turned around to lie on his back when he felt two hands pinning his arms to the side and someone straddling his waist. Jane was hovering over Ash's body, having him completely pinned and at her mercy. Ash could not see what was going on due to Jane's silver bangs covering her eyes. Jane then flipped her hair to reveal an evil look in her eyes and a wide smirk that made Ash to start sweating.
"You won't be going to sleep anytime soon, my Masterrrr," Jane purred before leaning into Ash's ear and licking and nibbling on his earlobe, gaining a bright blush from the inexperienced adolescent, before whispering, "You may have apologized for worrying me and agreed to take a much-needed vacation."
Jane pulled back to lick her lips with delight as the prince below her tried to struggle out of his padawan's grasp but to no avail.
"The fact remains, you woke me up from a really nice dream I was having. I dreamt of me in a very scantily-clad dominatrix outfit while you were getting whipped by yours truly in nothing but your tighty-whities while having a ball gag in your mouth," Jane recalled with the evil look in her eyes even more prominent than before.
Ash mentally cursed himself for jinxing it when he hoped she wasn't dreaming of anything weird with him.
"You- You know I d- don't wear underwear anymore! I've worn boxers for a pretty long time, now!" Ash rebuked hoping to save face but Jane merely chuckled at his retort.
"Oh Ash! I'm happy that you are maturing and improving, I really am," Jane replied, "But it always cracks me up when I remember hearing about that 'special talk' you had with the Queen and her handmaidens and they stripped you down to find you still wore tighty-whities!"
Jane barked out in laughter making Ash even more embarrassed before continuing, "No wonder your mother always reminded you to 'Always change your underwear!'"
As the one-sided laughter died down, Jane got ahold of herself before she woke up the whole castle. She leaned in real close to Ash's red face, making sure he could feel her hot breath against his skin.
"Now, as I previously said: YOU woke ME up. And you have yet to be punished for your crime," Jane deviously whispered, "I'll 'punish' you so good… you'll BEG me to not stop."
Ash's pupils shrunk as he realized that Jane was the predator while he was the prey. And as Jane pounced on her target, Ash only had enough time to think, 'Arceus, have mercy on me…'
The next morning, Prof. Oak and Queen Ilene were silently dining on their breakfast, wondering where Ash could be or what exactly was taking him so long. Although, Queen Ilene had a pretty good idea and berated herself saying that in a few more years, she and Jane's positions would be switched. But she was still quite jealous that the Duchess had the luxury of being able to sleep in her master's quarters whenever she wanted to and she definitely took advantage of that every… single… night. Then the sound of doors opening alerted the two to someone entering the dining room. They turned to the door to see Ash entering the room and walking over to the Queen's side of the table. As he neared her, she could barely make out multiple shapes on his neck. But right as he got to her and saluted her, she dropped her utensils and brought her hands to her mouth in complete terror and shock.
'How could SHE, of all people, have the audacity do this to MY prince!' she screamed inside her head as every single alarm was being sent off.
Ash, for lack of a better term, looked like he went through a few rounds of Pidgeot using Hurricane. His spikey, yet well-kept hair was completely disheveled (as if he had any time to comb or wash it when he woke up). And the spots on his neck, well… they were dark and verrry prominent hickeys. And his eyelids looked heavy, as if he barely got any sleep last night or someone kept him up through the night.
Professor Oak was way beyond shocked. If he thought Ash couldn't surprise him anymore after yesterday, he was dead wrong. He severely misjudged on how much Ash had really "grown up." And he thanked Arcues that Gary didn't accompany him on this trip, 'cuz if he saw this, there would have been hell to pay.
"What did that demoness do to you?" the Queen said barely above a whisper.
Ash could only scratch the back of his head in reply and chuckle awkwardly.
"Um, your Highness," Ash responded, "If it's no trouble, perhaps… Um, could I have that vacation time… posthaste?"
"Oh, stop being such a prissy pants! Though, I guess you can't since you're royal and all," Jane quipped, "Besides, I didn't scar him that bad. In fact, I would say I educated him more on the female body."
"Must you act so shameless in public? You are bearing the mark of the most noble of orders that Arcues left on this world to keep the balance between people and Pokémon," the Queen rebounded on the carefree Duchess.
"Meh, you're just acting pretentious 'cuz I got the one-up on you in regard to a relationship with Ash," Jane replied before gasping with one hand and pointing at the queen with the other, "Oh, that's right. You haven't even started a 'formal' relationship with him, have ya?"
"Well, at least I'm not a whore who can't even sleep in her own bed at night!" the Queen hotly retaliated, "I bet you can't even make it through a night without your Ashy-teddy bear beside you to cuddle with."
"I can sleep just fine without, Ash. ASH! Not a word outta you!" Jane sharply rounded on the Prince who had his mouth slightly open to say something but immediately shut it closed, "And for your information, your Royalnessss, since you've obviously never learned anything outside of how to stay privileged all your life, I am not Ash's whore, I'm his L-O-V-E-R. That spells lover if you can't spell. There's a difference; the love making is free of charge."
You could literally see the sparks as the Queen and Duchess glared at each other and the air heat up around them. If anyone was any one, they would have stayed as far as possible from the two but still in viewing distance. The guys, especially the perverted ones, wouldn't dare to move a muscle to stop the two beauties and would rather pull out their phones to record the possibly, glorious catfight that was about to ensue.
However, Ash was not just anyone, he was actually a respectable and honorable guy who would not allow two beautiful women to reduce themselves to savages fighting for the love of a single man. So, he walked right up to them, grasped the back of their heads which stunned the ladies for a mere second, and lightly bashed their heads together. Both women and everyone was taken back by this man's idea as a resolution to the conflict, especially the men who were very disappointed and quite angry at Ash for ruining such a perfect moment to get on camera. Ash could feel the anger and awkwardness of the scene the women created and decided to resolve the situation.
"Nothing to see here, folks. Move along and go back to what you were doing," Ash announced to the public in a loud voice.
Many of the people were confused at why Ash was speaking in such a way. They didn't know him so they'll certainly not listen that guy. Ash sighed as he expected this to happen, looks like he'll have to use his "outside" voice. That was when he flared his Aura as well as used his Aura to boost his vocals.
"LISTEN UP, YOU UNGRATEFUL PLEBES OF THE DIRT!" Ash exclaimed in a booming voice that could be heard from one end of the terminal to the other as he used his Aura to magnify his voice into a deep and commanding tone that scared the shit out of the people around who previously ignored him, "Queen Ilene and Duchess Jane are members of the royal court of the Kingdom of Rota, so any attempt to defame them, no matter what regarding their actions, will be met with severe consequences!"
He flared up his Aura even more, giving his appearance to look more demonic, to finish it off, "AND I DO ME SEVERE- CONSEQUENCES!"
If Ash's initial statement did not make the people listen, that not only scared the shit right out of them, which is true for a few unfortunate bystanders who didn't possess a strong bladder, but it made everyone get the hell out of that terminal. The only ones left were the group, the airport staff, and the other passengers who were waiting at the gate to board the flight that would connect to another in Sinnoh, which would then fly to Alola so about a 22-hour flight overnight.
Ash subsided his Aura to return to normal. He turned around to face his group to see mixed reactions. Queen Ilene and Jane were surprised by Ash's uproar and blushed a little when they saw he was trying to protect their images and also when he let loose his darker side; even though they were a little upset he had to bash both their heads together to resolve the situation (a bit barbaric for their taste). Prof. Oak was hiding behind Riley in fear of Ash's newly shown power and the potential he now possessed in his Pokémon battling skills, he never did ask Ash how powerful he had become in the past few years of his disappearance. And Riley, the only Guardian to help escort the group and Ash to the city with the nearest airport, merely sweat dropped and facepalmed at Ash going a bit overboard in scaring away the public. They better leave immediately after Ash boards his flight before the police arrive asking why were they causing panic in public.
Speaking of nearest airport, Rota was undergoing some major renovations according to Queen Ilene and Ash's agreed plan to have Rota reconstructed and expand from its current status as a little medieval town possessing its own sovereignty to hopefully a modern, bustling, and even grander city than any other city in the world. Rota's airport, which was a much-needed source of transportation if the small medieval town were to ever grow, was in its final stages of completion; but even after completion, the airport did not have a fleet of passenger planes to take people anywhere at the ready. Therefore, the closest airport was the interregional airport that stood on the outskirts of Pewter City. Ash was thankful that Brock never got wind of his visitations to the nearby city whenever he had to run an errand for Queen Ilene out of Rota.
"Did you really have to scare them all away? I thought you broke up those two squabbling," Riley jerked his thumb over at the two embarrassed and blushing royalties, "so that we would NOT attract any more attention than we should?"
"People these days just don't know when to take a hint and leave or just to mind their own business," Ash responded dejectedly, he was glad he didn't have to deal with this shit back in quiet, friendly little Rota, "Besides, how else was I supposed to get them to leave?"
Riley just sighed while facepalming at Ash's attitude towards people outside of Rota, he can't just flare up his Aura and scare the living shit out of anyone that even slightly pisses him off. He really needed this vacation, badly…
Ash then turned to the still blushing women with disappointment.
"Speaking of commotions, here I was thinking that maybe on the day I'm leaving for who knows how long, you two maybe, just maybe, wouldn't be clawing at each other's throats," Ash stated in a disappointed manner which got the two women even more bummed.
"Jane," Ash turned to his padawan who seemed very afraid of her master's next words, "I taught you better than that. I am very disappointed in you, young lady. Not to mention, Queen Ilene IS… OUR… QUEEN… You cannot talk to her like that no matter what."
"My Lady," Ash then turned to the Queen who was shocked that she was about to get a lecture from her very own prince, "You should be even more ashamed of yourself. You are a Queen, the highest order in the chain of command in the hierarchy of Aura. How would it look if you were arguing with someone from your own court whose status is beneath you? You shouldn't get so easily riled up."
"Honestly…" Ash said while rubbing the back of his head, even Pikachu on his shoulder was nodding his head up and down at the childish behavior the two adults were exhibiting earlier. Prof. Oak and Riley had their jaws dropped to the floor as they could not believe ASH was belittling the Queen and Jane for acting like a bunch of kids when he can get away with it most of the time.
Both Queen Ilene and Jane were looking at the floor realizing how childish it was to be arguing over something like Ash's heart when technically it was prophesied that the Chosen One was the Envoy of Arceus when he comes down to Earth to bestow his judgement; and because of Ash's significance, Arceus commanded Ash to seek multiple spouses, or mates in Pokémon terms which was how Arceus put it, so that he may not only revive the Order of the Aura Guardians but as well as producing even more Envoys of his Holiness. They looked up and stared at each other before looking away.
"Forgive me, my Queen," Jane said first with a bow of her head which surprised the Queen and Ash as when he knew that when it came to these things, Jane was not one to instigate the conversation, "I was out of place and forgot who I was speaking to. I apologize for my insulting of you."
"No, no no no no, Jane," the Queen franticly waved her hands and grasped the Duchess' shoulders getting her to look up, "I should not have said what I said; it was beneath me as Queen to say such vulgar things to someone, especially someone of my own court. I am truly sorry that I called you a 'whore.' You are far from it and I did not mean to hurt you."
Jane smiled and wrapped the Queen in a hug who, surprised at first, returned the gesture. The two women made up. Ash was quite proud of his work if he did say so himself. Prof. Oak and Riley's jaws hit the floor again, both very surprised by Jane's initial apology and the fact the Queen herself also apologized. Ok, what the heck? What is happening here?!
"Attention, all passengers in the gate. Attention, all passengers in the gate," a voice rang over the PA system that was only localized for the gate as a woman was speaking into the microphone, "Flight 1996* is ready for boarding. I repeat, flight 1996 is ready for boarding. Please have your tickets out to at the terminal to board the plane. Again, flight 1996, connecting flight to Sinnoh and then to Alola is ready for boarding."
The group then turned to the only member who was to board the plane. Ash smiled as this will be the last time he would see any of them for a long while.
Prof. Oak came up first.
"Well, Ash. I wish you a wonderful vacation and do hope you find the relaxation you need. And don't worry, I won't tell any of your friends or even your mom about where you are," Prof. Oak stated before his face paled in fear, "Although, just to remind you, I still think it's a big mistake of not telling your mother any of this."
Ash chuckled at the old man for being afraid of his mother which he should rightly be, even Ash wasn't stupid to fear a woman's wrath, especially a mother's. Ash put a comforting hand on the professor's shoulders.
"Don't worry, Professor. I promise, one of these days, I'll come back home. I swear it," Ash finished with his trademark grin that both Queen Ilene and Jane swooned over at how they missed the old Ash.
"I know you will, Ash my boy," Prof. Oak clapped his hand on Ash's shoulder before reminding Ash of something, "Don't forget about your 'secret mission' for me when you get there, right?"
"Hahaha, don't you worry Prof. Oak. The 'package' will be safe with me. I got it in my backpack right now all snuggled and safe," Ash jerked his thumb to his backpack which was kind of a big hiker's pack, but surprisingly it didn't weigh Ash down, even the customs officials and security guards who were checking luggage complained at what the heck Ash put it there when they tried picking it up only to be surprised when Ash easily lifted the pack with only one arm as if the thing was just an ordinary school backpack.
Prof. Oak beamed that some of Ash's enthusiasm was returning to the young man. Prof. Oak departed and was replaced with Riley.
"Don't you worry, Prince," Riley gave a mock salute to Ash at Ash's title, "I'll keep the Guardians in tip-top shape for when you return."
Ash rolled his eyes at Riley's aloofness. Though Riley isn't always like this, in fact he remembered when they first met on Iron Island during Ash's Sinnoh campaign that Riley was a very serious individual, with his Lucario as twice as devoted as his master was. But, ever since Ash was indoctrinated into the Guardians and had Riley as his personal Aura guide and sparring partner, Ash's funny and joking personality, which was thought to have been lost during the darker days of Ash's disappearance from the world, managed to rub off on Riley and slowly loosened the once hardened veteran of the Guardians. Although, it wasn't technically a bad thing, more than enough of Ash's fun personality rubbed a bit too much on Riley and it resulted in him sometimes getting out of hand. But, whenever the situation was dire or if it was time to get serious, Riley could do a complete 180 and become the hardened veteran he used to be.
"Plus," Riley added when he leaned forward to whisper something in Ash's ear, "I'll take real good care of the Queen and Jane while you're gone. After all, with you gone, they'll need someone to be there at their side during the day and in bed. I'll happily volunteer my services."
Ash could only smile in response, that was until Riley got smashed in the head by two fists that belonged to Queen Ilene and Jane who heard the whole conversation and were quite angry with the Guardian who never seemed to learn his lesson. Ash's smile turned into smirk at the fallen Guardian who was rubbing his poor cranium.
"You should really watch what you say and whisper, Riley," Ash commented not really feeling sorry for his former teacher to receive his just desserts, "Apparently, there's a study that says that women have a higher perception of hearing than us men."
"Taurus-shit," Riley cursed as he got up and departed from Ash.
Ash was then glomped, but not so forceful, by a blonde-haired, dress-wearing young lady. Queen Ilene held Ash's body for a few more seconds before pulling back to look at Ash.
"Take care of yourself, Ash," the Queen cheered as she leaned in to give her prince a light kiss on the lips which was returned by Ash for a short while until Queen Ilene had to pull away, "I hope you find what you are looking for and the peace you oh so deserve. I promise you this won't be forever, when you feel you've found you're inner Aura, you may return to Rota to my side. I will miss you fondly, my prince."
Ash smiled warmly at the token of affection. He also now found his new mission: find his inner Aura. Find the peace within.
Queen Ilene walked away from her prince, which means only one person was left. Ash looked to Jane who tried her best to hold back the floodgates blocking the incoming tears.
Ash opened his arms to invite his padawan in. Jane took it and walked up to her master and gave him a tight hug, she leaned her head into the crook of Ash's neck so that he wouldn't see her tears. Ash rubbed her back in circle motions hoping to ease his padawan's worries. Jane then pulled away to look at Ash for a brief second before slamming her lips against his. Ash kissed back and could feel the emotion that Jane was putting into the kiss. He could already feel the sadness, the worry, and the heartbreak she was feeling that he was leaving her. But he could also feel love, happiness, care, and many more positive emotions from the kiss. He knew that she was happy he was doing this, that way he'll never worry her again. The two pulled apart with a thin film of saliva connecting the both their mouths. Ash leaned his forehead against Jane's and thumbed her cheek.
"Promise me. Promise me you'll come home to me soon," Jane pleaded with the tears running down her cheeks.
Ash gently brushed away the tears that slid down his padawan's cheeks and whispered back, "I will be back, better than ever. And then- we'll take on the world, together."
Jane smiled at the promise and gave her master one last kiss on the lips, a chaste one, one that would promise even more in the future. She then pulled back and stepped back towards the group as Ash picked up the rest of his bags he could carry on the plane and Pikachu who had to jump off for all of Ash's friends to wish him goodbye.
"Pikachu," Jane called out to the yellow rodent, "Bring back Ash in one piece and I'll reward you with the castle's whole supply of ketchup!"
"I second that!" the Queen joined in.
Pikachu was delighted with the possible reward of a whole life's supply of ketchup. He cheered in celebration and jumped off Ash's shoulder and give both women a cheek rub with his red patches, first Jane and then Queen Ilene. Pikachu then climbed up on back Ash's shoulder. This reminded Ash of something.
"Jane, remember to take good care of Arashi and Koyuki," Ash reminded his padawan who nodded in reply, "It's a shame they can't come with me, but maybe soon I'll ask you to transfer them over to me over there. And make sure Koyuki doesn't try to video call me every single night. Also keep Arashi's training on schedule, he has a very strict training regiment."
"Don't worry, I'll take good care of them," Jane responded and jerked her thumb over at Riley, "I'll let Riley take care of Arashi."
This got everyone to laugh at the Guardian's expense who merely drooped his head in embarrassment. Then the final call for boarding rang over the PA signaling for Ash to board the flight.
"Well, this isn't goodbye, guys!" Ash reminded them, "And I'll try to have as much fun without you guys."
Ash then picked up walked his way over to the line and checked himself on board. As he entered the tunnel bridge that connected the plane to the airport, he turned around to see his friend one last time waving at him, he nodded and continued on to the plane. As Ash got on the plane itself, he was greeted by a flight attendant who showed him to his seat and helped pack his other luggage in the luggage rack above. Ash then seated himself in his seat which was located in first class right by the window all to himself.
"It sure does pay to have connections like Queen Ilene does. I'm pretty sure you wouldn't have liked sitting in commercial back there" Ash asked his faithful partner since his very first day as a Pokémon trainer.
"Yeah, I can't believe were actually going on a vacation!" Pikachu squealed in delight, "This is just what the doctor ordered for you PikaPi!"
"Yep, buddy. It sure is," Ash responded as the door of the plane closed shut. Then a voice was heard through the speakers on the plane.
"Welcome aboard, passengers, on flight 1996. This flight is a connecting flight to the beautiful and tropical region of Alola as we'll be making a stop at Lily of the Valley's interregional airport where you will board another flight onwards toward the island region. My name is Captain Daniels and I hope you enjoy the rest of the flight," the speakers announced as the passengers could feel the plane move away from the airport and head towards the runway for liftoff.
"Well, Pikachu. Never thought we'd be doing this anytime soon," Ash commented to his partner before looking out the window to see the plane zooming down the runway and slowly lifting off the ground into the air, "Here we go again. Another region, another adventure, and even more Pokémon."
Thank you so much and please review. Constructive criticism is essential for making this story even more perfect. And again, I promise, CROSS MY HEART AND WILL GLADLY GO TO THE BOTTOMEST PIT OF HELL if I don't, that I will update this fic and take a more active role in my fics.