*Dawn's POV*

I was not sure whether all this would turn out the way I had initially planned or not but now, I know I can't fail. I can't give up on my dream, my dream to protect everyone in Sinnoh, my family and my comrades.

I saw everyone getting ready for the battle. May and the other girls were wearing navy blue sweatpants with a belt attached on their waist. On it was a bag filled with daggers and small explosives. They had a navy blue full sleeved shirt on with blue collar which had a white strip at its border. Over the shirt, they had put on a dirty green jacket which were stocked with more daggers. I was wearing the same.

They were standing in line to get the knee and elbow caps and I decided to join them.

"Hey," I slowly greeted them. They turned around and waved at me.

"You know Dawn, these costumes are kinda cool!" May exclaimed and we sweatdropped. Misty smacked her on her head,"Quit it, will ya?!''

May rubbed the back of her head, whining,"Now I have taken a deadly hit before the battle even started."

Leaf placed a hand on May's arm and then said,"I know aromatherapy. So if any of the person is hurt, just come to me, please. I am not so good at fighting, I know I am useless but I can heal and thus prevent casualties."

I gave her a amazed look,"Are you kidding Leafy? Having a medical mage on a team is better and advantageous!" Her face lifted a little and I pulled the three of them in a hug,"Just make it out alive, please. I don't want to lose any of you!"

May was the first to speak,"Oh come on! We won't miss your wedding!"

I looked away, blushing,"My wedding?" There is no way that Ash told them. We confessed just last night. No way he could tell anyone this quick!

Leaf pinched my cheek,"Yo! With Lucas now out of the way, what barrier is there to your happiness?"

This is really getting awkward. "What do you mean?"

Misty patted my back,''Well, just go and confess already!"

Huh?

"Confess?" I slowly asked.

They nodded. May clarified,"Earlier, we couldn't say so because Lucas was bla bla bla. But now, you don't have to hide your feelings anymore."

I decided to play dumb. Was I that transparent that they know already?

"Confess to whom?"

Leaf smacked her head,"Are you really that dumb?"

"To Ashy-boy of course!" May said, excitedly and I placed a hand over her mouth,"Slow May! Not so loud!"

Truth be told, I love him I really do. But, now that he has slept with so many girls, he is bound to compare me with them. And what if he doesn't find me good enough? And...

And he says that he loves me now. But feelings change. Like, when we first met, we used to hate each other. So, is it not probable that this feeling will change? I know I shouldn't have said yes, I shouldn't have accepted his proposal.

Misty was waving her hand in front of me and broke me out of my trance." What?" I asked.

"You know, there is something unusual about Ash now," Leaf said, scratching her chin.

I blinked twice,"Unusual?"

Leaf nodded,"Yeah. He was always the mischief maker. I mean, he always landed into trouble and thus hardly had any friends."

Impossible. I said,"But Gary and he looks really close?"

She smiled,"Earlier, we used to stay away from him since he didn't have any parents. Our parents didn't even allow us to mix with him .But that changed when one day he saved Gary from some trouble makers. Though Ash was beaten to a pulp, his effort made us realise that he is not at all that bad."

How much is this boy hiding? He had had a such rough past, still, he is sane!

"So Gary is not his cousin?" I asked.

Leaf laughed,"Well, Ash's father and Gary's father were friends during their time. So in a way, he is!"

I nodded in realization.

Leaf continued,"And you know, he did all that mischief to get attention, so that people would notice him. But after Gary became his friend, he changed. He became good and a little well behaved. But then, there was this incident.."

"Leaf, what incident?" I asked. Things just gets weirder.

Misty turned away, a little uncomfortable. May, to light the tension gave me a creepy smile,"Why are you so concerned huh?"

I chose to ignore her.

"Leaf?"

"He fell in love with Misty. But, Misty was already in love with Paul and were dating," Leaf said, taking side glances at Misty. For the first time, I saw Misty not revolting.

"And after rejection, he vowed he will not fall in love. And thus became the one night stander," Leaf narrated and I tried to take a deep breath.

May was next to continue,"But, now when I think about it, he did that because he needed to divert his mind."

I nodded. That is true. I felt that too. And it weakened my resolve furthur, he was in love with Misty and it was just two years ago. Is it not possible that the way he fell in love with me, he will fall in love with another girl?

Misty then spoke for the first time after we started discussing this matter,"And now, see, he had hardly done one night stand since you arrived."

I decided to keep quiet about Yui or Zoya. I don't recall, perhaps Zoya. If he is trying to change then I will not spoil his image in front of his friends.

May gave me a teasing smirk,"Yup! He has fixed his mind upon you and I don't know whether it is because he loves you or because of the bet. But I am sure that for him, the bet doesn't matter anymore. I can see the love in his eyes."

I don't know what to think now, can people really change. Does he really love me enough to let go of his old habits?

...o...

Naruto Sensei told us to stay together and guard each other's back. He was in the front line, and we were continuously marching toward Mount Coronet. I have a bad feeling about this and to make matters worse, we found out that we were not alone.

Now I know what gave Drake the power to challenge us. He had nurtured and developed a new army. An army of creatures made from dead people. When I think about it, I wonder whether these were the sacrifices Haruna made and Chitoge had informed me about.

If he did this in one place which had given him fifty dead bodies, I wonder how many places he had taken under control to create an army of a thousand dead bodies! This is unforgivable! He did all this just to have Suicuine?

Hey, little girl!

I rolled my eyes,"What?"

I know you don't appreciate my presence inside you but you better win.

"What do you mean Suicuine?"

If I fall into wrong hands, you know how much destructive it can be.

"Are you scared?"

I am not scared you Rat! Don't forget that there are Raiku and Entei too! You all have to advance assuming that they have fallen prey to Drake.

"What!"

Yes. Otherwise how is he managing such an army of dead bodies?

"We have the advantage Suicuine. We are more in quantity as compared to the thousand rotting dead body."

And they have quality. Don't forget that there will be casualties, it can even cost the life of people close to you, like your mother, Salvia, your friends, or your lover.

I tried to hide my blush,"I don't have any lover you know!"

I could hear him laughing. Oh, then what about that kiss last night.

My cheeks were so hot and I am sure I am going to die out of embarrassment on battlefield! ''You should not sneak around my senses you pervert."

I couldn't help but see what gave you that sudden adrenaline rush.

"You!"

Well, he is not a bad boy at heart. I know.

"You think so?"

What, you're going to take my advice?

"Well, you have been looking after me since I was born. I might trust you, ya know? After all, father entrusted me to you."

I don't know what happened but after this, the mental connection between me and Suicuine weakened. He didn't reply any furthur and I didn't ask him anything else either.

...

Sensei gave the signal to start fighting when we saw corpses running in our direction. I created a sword and slashed one in its chest. Yukk! It melted into a puddle and started giving a rotten smell. If this continues, we will die of suffocation.

I turned around and saw everyone engaged in a battle. Ash was holding up pretty good. I slapped my forehead and barely managed to avoid a attack coming from another corpse. I can't get distracted!

"There are so many!" May, who was a few meters away, exclaimed,"More than a few thousands!"

"Shit!" Ash said, running in my direction. Then pointing toward a stair which led to the upper floor, he said, almost in a panicking voice,"I can sense Salvia's presence and she seems quite scared. There are about hundred corpses and I can sense five powerful auras."

I heard Naruto Sensei calling for team Naruto. The eight of us surrounded him and while fighting the corpses, he said,"Team Naruto, advance upstairs. Take regiment C with you. I will stay here and help."

"Understood!"

"And don't do anything reckless!" He said,"It is an order."

"Understood."

Gary gave a long whistle which was invented in order to signify a particular group to follow us. We hurried upstairs followed by a small troop we summoned.

As soon as I put one foot on the first floor, a corpse threw a dagger at me and I blocked it with my own dagger.

There are way too many corpses! I saw Gary and Leaf springing toward door A to check for Salvia, then Misty and Paul went to room B, slashing three corpses in the process.

"Sheep" May exclaimed suddenly.

"What?" I asked, while shooting two iceballs at the two corpses which was heading toward me.

"We will call these things sheep!" She shouted again.

Is she serious? "Are you okay? You didn't hit your head while you were young, did you?" Drew asked her, covering her back and shot the 'sheep' with his vine.

"How did you know?" May asked, a little impressed and we rolled our eyes. Ash mumbled,"Already figured that out.''

May inhaled a large amount of air and then with a strong blow,let it out forming a big vortex of fire which cleared almost a hundred corpses in front of us. Then giving us a cheeky grin, she said,"I decided to call them sheep as they are as white as a sheep.",

"What was wrong with snow?" I asked and she chuckled,saying,"Well Ice Princess, snow represents you and no way am I going to compare you with them." May be she had brains after all.

Drew and Leaf joined hands, with a greenish aura emitting from them which almost healed us up, as well as restored our strength. Then Ash signaled,"In that room. Salvia is there. And as well as four powerful, suspicious aura. Along with that, there is another presence. I cannot pinpoint it. But it is extremely powerful and dangerous."

I nodded once and bit my lip. It is now or never.

...

*No one's POV*

"We have been expecting you," a voice resonated in the entire room and a chill ran down everyone's spine. Gary's grip on Leaf's hand increased and Dawn gritted her teeth in anger. Taking a step forward, she barked out,"You scum! Face me! I was weak back then. Now, now I am going to show you what I can do."

Ash backed her up, taking a battle stance beside her. He suddenly shouted,"Four. Four people have surrounded us!"

Sensing a swift blow coming in her direction, Misty ducked and landed a hard blow on the person who tried to hit her. The person skid back a few metres and Misty glared at him, saying,"This scum is mine!" Paul placed a hand on her shoulder, smirking,"I can't leave you alone now."

May felt someone licking her neck and she quickly breathed out,"Drew! Its not the time to do this!" Drew, grabbing her hand and trying to locate her, asked,,"What the hell do you mean?" Hiding her blush, she said,"We are taking down the enemy who licked my neck. That thrash!"

May heard a slight hint of anger in his voice when he said,"What did that moron do?" May breathed out and clicked her tongue, making the whole floor light up with her flames.

Drew lifted her off the ground and leaped, barely managing to evade a spear thrown in their direction. Seeing them disappear around a corner, Leaf sighed,"I just hope May doesn't toast him up." Gary gripped her wrist tighter,"We must concentrate on our own problem, don't cha think?" She blushed,"Quite right, quite right."

Leaf evaded a dagger thrown in her direction and using her vines stopped another which where heading to where Dawn was. Gary, sensing his chance, landed a punch on the attackers chest and then punched him hard on the face, making he man spit out some blood.

"Go ahead, Ash, Dawn," Leaf said,"Rescue your sibling. Defeat that man."

Dawn nodded, giving her a thank you glance and forming a small dagger of ice in her hand, lunged toward the man who was left. Ash formed another aura sphere in his hand and threw it in the man's direction who moved sideways to just avoid the attack by an inch. Dawn quickly launched a punch on the man who was still not alanced thus making him tumble and fall. The man quickly gripped her leg and a large barrier grew around them.

Ash quickly tried making his way to where Dawn was, but due to the wall, couldn't even sense her presence. Banging hard on the metal surface, he cursed himself,"Dammit! No! Dammit! I can't sense her! Dammit! Dammit!"

Leaf, who was nearby, witnessed everything and sighed. "Oi? Ash?" She shouted out, narrowly missing a flame shot in her direction,"Go and rescue Salvia. Dawn will be okay."

He wiped away his sweat and nodded,"Right. I can't let Dawn outdo us, can I?"

...~...

Misty pulled Paul and hid behind a big rock, narrowly missing a big boulder being thrown in her direction.

Paul, who rarely showed any emotions, stared at her panting face, and he slowly asked,"Are you okay?" She knew he showed his softest side during grave situations. This could be considered as one too. She nodded, and wiped away the tear which was rolling down from her temple.

"We need to attack him with precaution," Misty said, her senses on high alert.

Paul shrugged,"This is going to be such a drag. Come on, why did we get dragged into this?"

She extended her hand to counter the rock which the spectacled man had thrown in their direction and Paul quickly grabbed her wrist, pulling her away, saying,"We have been discovered."

The rock fell into a pool of water and Paul quickly send electricity which cracked and broke the rock into tiny pieces.

Misty nodded, indicating Paul that they have to attack together. The man growled and hurled another rock which quickly broke into tiny pieces with sharp edges.

"Can't counter that," Misty mumbled and aimed a stream of water directly at the man. While she was busy attacking the man with long range attacks, Paul reduced the gap between him and their assassinator and aimed for his neck, sending a jolt of electricity through the man's spine.

Paul quickly grabbed the opportunity and landed another hit on his chest but this time the man moved away, making Paul hit another boulder beside him. Misty quickly grabbed him and wiped away the dirt on his face, looking scared.

Paul placed his hand on her cheek, giving her a smirk,"Don't worry. It is not going to bring me down. I am okay." Misty slapped his hand away, exclaiming,"You don't have to act tough all the time. I am here to look over you Paul. You don't have to feel ashamed to show your weakness."

He sighed, flicking her forehead while getting up,"You're still annoying. I guess that hot headed Misty was better than this." Hearing this remark, Misty quickly hit him on his head, her hands balled in a fist. She growled,"I would have loved to kill you but right now this goofy looking Four eyes should be the own who have to die."

...~...

"May, make sure you don't hit me with your flames," Drew shouted while grabbing the white haired man with his vines. May balled her hands into a fist and aimed it at the white haired man who was restricted any movement by Drew. Her fist acquired a orangish red flame and she punched the white haired man on his face.

"Hot but not that much to cause a burn, hnn," the white haired man grinned.

"What the hell is he?" May said, flipping backwards to maintain a safe distance between them. Drew quickly folded his hands and with a sudden glow of light, thorny vines emerged from his two palms. He aimed it at the man who quickly moved around to save himself. May, grabbing the opportunity, created several spheres of flame on her fingers and aimed it at the running man.

"Don't hit me," Drew warned her again. She chuckled,"Will try."

The first ball missed his ear by an inch and Drew moved his vine up to evade it. He quickly snapped,"May!" May bit her tongue,"Sorry."

She aimed again which missed him again. She whispered to Drew,"Hold him still, will ya!?" He growled when the vine just scratched the white haired man on his arm,"Shit. Missed again."

The man stopped running and dropped a few white balls in front of him which exploded as soon as it touched the ground. May quickly formed a barrier of flames around her and Drew who didn't complain of the heat.

Drew's eyes widened in realization. He quickly came near May and said,"He is Yahi. The man who specializes in explosives!"

"Explosives?" May asked, clearly confused.

Drew nodded,"Yes, explosive. He can make explosive from even sand and rock within five minutes and he was also able to wipe an entire city with it."

May pouted,"Why do I always end up with Weird People?"

Drew cursed her with his stare,"Are you calling me weird?"

She chuckled,"Do I have to?"

The fire quickly dissolved and May found the man staring at her. She gave him a awkward look and inhaled deeply, firing a big ball of fire at the man who countered it with his own explosive.

"Such a pity,"Yahi said, sighing,"Such a beauty getting wasted on battle field." A vein popped on May's forehead and she looked almost ready to kill. "Are you implying that I am weak and you will defeat me?" She growled out. Yahi laughed, and Drew placed a hand on May's shoulder.

Yahi sighed again,"You form an amazing picture of vibrant colours Browny Girl. I agree with you here. True art, is an explosion!" As soon as he said this, he threw several small spider like bombs and Drew instructively wrapped his arms around May and build up a wall of trees around him.

...~...

Leaf sighed, a gloomy explosion on her face. Gary quickly shot a shadow ball in the direction of the pink haired maiden who dispelled it away with her own sphere of balled energy.

Gary was pushed a few steps back due to the force but he held his ground.

"Don't panic as you have me here Leafy," Gary laughed. When Leaf didn't reply, he sighed,"Come on Leaf. Why are you sulking?"

"Sorry for being a baby who needs protection," Leaf confessed,"I am not made for these fighting and all." Gary chuckled,"Nonsense, don't let this trouble you. You can fight. You're just too gentle."

Leaf didn't look in his direction but Gary knew she was listening. He blocked another fist and threw the girl away from him. He charged up another shadow ball and aimed it at the pink haired girl.

"Your kindness makes you strong Leafy. Don't feel left out. Come, lend me a hand." Gary said, smiling.

Leaf was looking conflicted. Gary quickly put a hand on her cheek, making her face him. "Gary.."

"Leaf, your strength lies in your emotions. Don't feel conflicted. You're here because of your own free will, your will to protect Dawn and everyone else. Because they're our friends," Gary pulled her up and moved aside, barely missing the sharp poisoned knife aimed at them.

Leaf gulped. Then giving a deep breathe, she smiled,"There is no such poison which I can't treat. But that doesn't mean that you can be reckless and attack her on your own."

The pink haired girl laughed,"So the cry baby finally decides to enter a hopeless battle?"

Leaf quickly wrapped her vines around her and smirked. Drew's vines were so much stronger, but her one was much more faster. Once Leaf restricted her movements, she landed a tight punch on the girl's face, as if mocking her. Leaf growled,"Don't mock me because I am a woman, like you."

Gary sweatdropped,"I am not making her mad again."