A/N - Hello everyone! Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to you all! Hope all of you are doing well. I have a few things to say about the previous chapter to try and explain some things...
1. Leaf's treatment - A lot of you were pissed about the Leaf bashing, saying it was too much or that it was just a kiss. Let me remind you a few things about that; it wasn't the 'kiss' but the 'act' itself that they are pissed about. She went behind all their backs for her desire. She took advantage and betrayed his trust because he was sleeping when she did that and she broke her promise to the girls when she said she won't try anything with Ash. And this is the SECOND time she had done something to Ash. Also, they are all barely nineteen/twenty, so expect emotions to go haywire and Ash just had a mental breakdown a few days ago. Remember that Mewtwo stated he would be a bit 'jumpy' and so he hasn't recovered fully yet.
2. Natasha's scene - Some of you even said I went overboard with her scene...I don't how it wouldn't be overboard for that particular 'act'. The point of that scene was to show how terrible the Skull Brothers are and to feel what she was feeling. If you felt it was too much, I don't know how to respond to that other than that means it did its job and made you feel for the character. The act is heinous in any shape or form and is always "overboard".
Guest 1 - Thanks buddy for the praise! Yes, Ash was 'emotional' but the reasons why are above. Won't say how, when or even if Ash will find/save Natasha. Sorry buddy.
Guest 2 - lol, yes the 'unintentional' pun...it hit me on my proof read and just left it. Man, I'm sorry about that...Leaf and Ash pairing in this story is going through a lot of stuff and there is a lot more to be revealed that will determine if they will or not.
Erazor Djinn - Thanks dude! Glad you liked the battles and wanting to find out more. Here's another chapter! :)
Great - Yea, I try to make the 'date' chapters mostly fun and enjoyable as there is already enough dark/serious tones for the rest of the story. Last chapter took me a long time to get right and to make the 'roller coaster' of emotions like you say run well. About Leaf's situation, the reasoning is above. Lance's behavior and battling within himself to do what is right and to get past his jealousy and to redeem himself is going to be a big for him. As for Natasha, yea it kind of felt that it was going to go that way, that Ash would save her in the middle of it but I have something else in mind. Talk about being led astray huh? ;)
Dragon Satoshi Ketchum 0112 - Thanks and same to you! Here you go!
Alright, with that out of the way, here's the next chapter for you all! Hope you like it! :) Enjoy!
- I DON'T OWN POKEMON -
- WARNING; MATURE CONTENT -
THE BLUE SPIRIT
CHAPTER 37 – CLUB INDIGO
When Ash left the Indigo Hotel on his Charizard after hearing Leaf's confession, he was lost in thought while his loyal dragon just flew aimlessly for a long time while Pikachu stood on his shoulders. The two pokémon kept silent the whole time as they could sense his unease and decided allowing him some peace and quiet for now would be the best thing for him.
Why would she do that to me again? She betrayed me again by taking advantage of me and going behind the girls' backs. Why? How could she do this to me? To the girls? Why do that Leaf? What have I done to you? What have the girls done to you? I thought you had changed...
"AAAAAHHHHHHHH!" yelled out Ash to the heavens above in frustration and his Charizard roared in surprise and Pikachu cried out. Seeing his two pokémon looking at him with concern made him feel bad for making them worry. "I'm sorry guys. I'm just so frustrated and angry. I need to go somewhere or do something to relax and think this through. Somewhere that no one would think to go look for me."
"Pikapi, pi pika pi chu pikachu pi kachu," suggested the electric mouse.
"You know, that might be a good idea," replied Ash. "Charizard, head back towards Indigo Plateau but we're going to Club Indigo. No one would think to find me there."
While Ash checked on the exact location of the club on his Poketch map application, Charizard made a u-turn to head back. Once Ash found the location, he told the details to his dragon who grunted in understanding. The sun was setting when they finally arrived at their destination. Charizard landed in front of the fairly sized building that had the words 'CLUB INDIGO' in large, bold red letters in the middle of the building. A buff and tall man was standing in front of the entrance to the club wearing black pants, black shirt, black jacket and had an ear piece in his ear. Ash dropped down from his dragon and walked up to the bouncer with Pikachu on his shoulder and his Charizard following him from behind.
"Excuse me sir, but I would have to ask for your ID," informed the bouncer, seeing that the guest looked young.
"Here you go," said Ash as he handed the bouncer his Poke Dex that functioned as his ID as well. The bouncer took it and pushed a few buttons before it told him his age.
"I'm sorry sir but you're under twenty one and I cannot let you in," informed the bouncer as he handed the red device back to Ash who took it.
"Let's just say you saw it say twenty one when you checked my Poke Dex and I'll handle what people say about what I'm doing inside a club," replied Ash as he held his hand out for the bouncer to shake. The bouncer glanced at Ash, then at the grinning Pikachu, then at the large Charizard behind them before looking at the raven haired young man in front of him again. He stretched out his hand and shook hands with the young man and moved to the side as he opened the door for him to enter. "Thank you sir," said Ash. He returned Charizard and walked inside with Pikachu.
The bouncer closed the door behind him and stood in front of the doors again as he put the money he received from Ash during the handshake into his pocket. The bouncer wasn't getting paid enough and thought what the hell could he cause to happen; he knew who the young man was. When the two stepped inside, both Ash and Pikachu were impressed at what they saw. The club was very modern, and had a large central dance floor with a few other dance spots around the sides. There were sitting areas up against the walls consisting of couches and chairs with a small round tables in front of them and larger round tables in the middle of larger sitting areas in the corners. There was a long bar against the left wall that had two stunning female bartenders working on getting some drinks ready for some customers who were waiting on their orders. There was a good amount of people on the dance floor and several others seated around the area. The music wasn't too loud yet, the lights were modest and were normal colored for the time being. It was barely evening and even though he's not much of a club person, Ash knew that things were just starting to pick up.
Ash moved towards the bar and took a seat on one of the empty stools and both he and Pikachu looked around and took in their surroundings. Ash used his aura senses to check on some of the people near him just for kicks and found that a handful of them were letting off tired auras, guessing that they must have just gotten off of work. He was about to expand his senses to check on the others who were seated against the walls of the club but stopped when one of the bartenders came up to him.
"What can I get ya handsome?" asked the blue haired girl with obvious ease since she had said it so many times, not really meaning it. She was barely looking at him as she got a glass ready and Ash looked at her from the corner of his eye.
"A shot of vodka, a cup of cola and a bowl of ketchup," answered Ash as he fully faced the bartender, tilting his head a bit when he looked at her. She looked familiar and he felt that he knew her...
"Ketchup?" asked the bartender. She looked up and was now observing him more carefully since he said something weird. Both of them looked at one another more carefully.
"Is something wrong with...wait...Shauna? Is that you?" asked a bewildered Ash, realizing who she is.
"ASH!" cried out Shauna suddenly and she hugged him over the counter, causing several to glance at them throughout the club, as they heard her outburst since the music wasn't too loud yet. Three figures shifted in their seats from the opposite wall of where Ash was. They were looking at him and the bartender with curious eyes. "It's good to see you again!"
"Shauna, what's going on? Are you alright? Should I call the bouncer?" asked the second bartender, who was also a blue haired girl. She moved closer to them when they separated.
"No I'm fine. I'm great actually. This is my good friend Ash," introduced Shauna as she pointed at the raven haired man. He waved at the second bartender a bit before stopping as he remembered her, who had a look of surprise form on her face too.
"Lizabeth?" asked Ash as he tilted his head again.
"ASH!" shouted Lizabeth and hugged him over the counter too.
"Good...seeing...you...too…" choked out Ash as he tried to breathe and Pikachu sniggered at him.
"Wait, you know each other?" asked a surprised Shauna.
"Yea and sorry Ash," apologized Lizabeth as she let him go, embarrassed over how she acted, blushing slightly.
"It's alright. It happens so many times, you would think I would be used to it by now," remarked Ash, making Shauna and Lizabeth chuckle. "So what are you two doing here?" he asked the two.
"Well, we both work here now after moving to Kanto," revealed Shauna and Lizabeth nodded.
"Oh that's cool. But what happened between you and Brawly, Shauna? I thought you liked him? And what about protecting the you know what Lizabeth?"
"Things never really went anywhere between me and Brawly as we never went past friends. I figured it was time to move on and start somewhere fresh after training with him a bit. I remembered you saying Kanto was a nice place so I decided to give it a shot. Long story short, I found this job a while ago and love it so here I am," answered Shauna as she casually leaned against the counter. They way she held herself somehow accentuated her looks, making many of the males around stare at her.
"After you took care of Phantom, I've traveled around while protecting 'it' and my parents told me to take a journey myself after making sure no one could find it. I've traveled around some and ended up in Kanto. I wanted to find a place to stay and work in Celadon City but I was staying at the hotel nearby. I went out to eat one night and I ended up meeting Shauna, who invited me to work here for a bit to make some quick cash but ended up loving it as well. We live together as roommates now and we've become best friends," informed Lizabeth with a beautiful smile. That smile made many of the same males who were looking at Shauna start looking at her before alternating back and forth between the two blunettes. Ash however, was unaffected.
"Wow, I'm glad that you guys are doing something you love and are happy. I hope you guys had some good experiences while traveling," said Ash charmingly with a smile, making both girls blush slightly.
"Thanks Ash," said Lizabeth and Shauna smiled before talking again.
"So what brings you here?" she asked, making him sigh.
"I'd rather not say," replied Ash looking down onto the counter.
"That bad huh?" asked Shauna while Lizabeth frowned when Ash nodded. He looked up at them.
"Let's just say I was betrayed by someone I thought I could trust. Let's just leave it at that," revealed Ash sadly and both Lizabeth and Shauna grew angry.
"What an asshole! Tell me who it was so I can kick their ass!" growled Shauna but Ash just shook his head, a small smile on his face.
"Don't even worry about that right now Ash. Just relax and you can stay here for as long as you want. And we'll get you and Pikachu your order in just a sec," added Lizabeth and Ash thanked them, receiving a 'no problem' and 'you're welcome' from the two blunettes.
The two girls went to get what he asked for. That was when he just noticed how they looked. Both Shauna and Lizabeth were stunningly beautiful, with the right amount of curves for their slender bodies. They were wearing their bartender uniforms that consisted of tight black tank tops, showing off some cleavage with black jean short shorts that showed off their toned legs and firm round butts with their long blue hair, flowing down their front and back that went past their shoulders. Their outfits were that way to encourage the people who came to the bar to tip them generously. Pikachu smacked him against the back of his head all of a sudden.
"What?!" grumbled Ash quietly as he massaged his head.
"Pikapi, pi pika pika pi pika cha pikachu!" chastised Pikachu.
"Yea, yea I know. I was just looking. I already have enough problems as is," he sighed and Pikachu gave him an understanding look but gave him a very small electric shock as a warning. Ash rubbed the area he was shocked and glared at his starter who smirked at him. The raven haired guardian shook his head and then he waited patiently for his drinks.
When Shauna brought him his shot of vodka and glass of cola and Lizabeth brought the bowl of ketchup for Pikachu, Ash thanked the two. Pikachu jumped down onto the counter for his bowl of ketchup. He took the shot of vodka at once, feeling the cold yet burning liquid travel down his throat before it reached his stomach. He shuddered ever so slightly since he was barely a social drinker as he only drank on important events but didn't think about that right now. He downed the cup of cola as Shauna immediately poured him another shot and he gulped that one down instantly right after too.
"You should slow down Ash," advised Shauna as she poured his third shot.
"Have you been watching the tournament?" he asked them and the two replied saying they have. "So I guess you two have seen my aura powers and found out about me being an Aura Guardian then?" asked Ash and the blunettes nodded with blushes as they remembered how they saw him fighting courageously against the attackers and saved everyone. "Funny thing about having aura powers; they break down most common poisons and other things such as alcohol pretty quickly and helps you recover faster. If I was a regular person I might have to watch myself when drinking. But my aura breaks it down faster than normal so it takes a lot more alcohol for it to affect me," revealed Ash before he took the third.
"That's both a blessing and a curse huh? How did you find out about this?" asked Shauna.
"You could say that and it was pretty funny how but I'll tell you some other time. It's a rather long story," replied Ash while she poured him his fourth shot.
"Okay but we're going to hold you to that," replied Lizabeth.
"Hey darling, can we get some drinks?" asked a new patron that reached the counter.
"Sure, just a second!" said Shauna. "Ash, we gotta go to the other customers but if you need anything just call us over. We'll leave the bottle here for you but...just take it easy okay?" asked Shauna softly and Ash promised he would. He watched the two blunettes go to the other patrons waiting at the other side of the counter before he became lost in thought while Pikachu slurped the ketchup happily.
Across the club in the corner, the three figures who were sitting away from everyone, were keeping their attention on Ash from the moment he stepped inside the club. They watched the two female bartenders hug him and engage in conversation with the raven haired young man before they brought him his order.
"Looks like they know each other," commented the green haired girl.
"I would assume so Liza. It's a small world after all and Ash has traveled around it. He's bound to know many people from all over," said the blue haired girl.
"He looks sullen though doesn't he Clair?" asked the dark haired girl with concern when they saw him down his third shot like it was nothing.
"You may be right Sabrina," replied Clair. "How did he even get in here? I don't think he's of age yet."
"Ah, who cares? It's not like we're that much older," commented Liza. "Let the guy be. He's not bothering anyone."
"You're right. Let's just keep an eye on him. But I want something to drink and eat too," said Clair as she hit the call button in the middle of their table that summoned a waiter from nowhere. "Okay, we'd like three Blue Lagoons and keep them coming until I say stop. Also, we'd like two baskets of fries with ranch and some chips and salsa."
The waiter nodded and left to get their order. Soon enough, the waiter returned with Clair's order and the three of them raised their drinks and clinked them together saying 'cheers' before drinking some. They then returned their attention on Ash but conversed with one another and munched on the fries and chips as they turned their gaze onto him periodically. They were asked to dance a couple times from eager looking males but each time the three denied them as they weren't impressed by the way they asked them, how they acted and weren't really in the mood either. After some time passed, they noticed a dazzling dark haired girl enter the club dressed in a black strapless dress that reached her thighs that highlighted her curves. She looked around a bit since she was looking for her friends who were already there. She walked a bit forward before stopping, her gaze on the raven haired trainer. She tilted her head but then straightened it out as a smile formed on her face. She moved towards the young man. Seeing this occur, Clair took out her Poketch and scrolled through her list of contacts.
"Who you calling?" asked Liza, seeing the frightened look on her friend's face. "Don't tell me you're calling Lance…"
"Of course I'm not!" snapped Clair when both Sabrina and Liza glared at her. "I'm calling Cynthia. She would kill me if I didn't tell her he's at a club and about to be hit on by Giselle again." The Sinnoh Champion had revealed to Clair, Liza and Sabrina of her feelings for Ash and the special situation they were in that morning before they left together to go to the stadium to watch the next matches. To say the three were surprised and shocked was a bit of an understatement but swore to keep quiet about it.
"You're right. She'll probably kill us too for being here with you and not doing anything. You should tell her that we wanted to let her know too," replied Liza, covering her ass so Cynthia wouldn't kick it later for not bothering to tell her. The Sinnoh Champion was one of the few people that Liza was actually afraid of and ditto for Clair. As for Sabrina however…
"You two are good friends but also such wusses," commented Sabrina as she stood up, making both Clair and Liza look at her, before she walked away from them. The two then glanced at each other.
"Who says 'wusses' these days?" asked Liza and Clair shrugged. "Anyway, hurry up and call Cynthia," added Liza as she watched Sabrina walk towards the now conversing Ash and Giselle while Clair called the Sinnoh Champion.
Back at the Indigo Hotel, the Champion of Sinnoh was in the elevator going up to the top floor to visit Ash and the others. She wanted to spend some time with him and also to talk to him about the last match and how he came up with that Blizzard and Tailwind combo move. She got a call on her Poketch and picked it up. "Hey Clair, what's up? Whoa slow down…what do you mean…no there's no way…that can't be Ash. He wouldn't go to a club alone since I don't think he's even the club going type. Are you sure it's him? Okay…wait, what?! He's been drinking heavily and Giselle is talking to him again?! Shit! Alright, I'll be there soon after checking on something," said Cynthia and hung up. Cynthia was furious at what she just found out from Clair but also kind of doubted it. Clair had pulled some pranks on her before with the help of Liza. If this was another one, she was definitely going to kick their asses. The elevator dinged as she reached the top floor and when the doors opened, she hurried out and knocked on the only door for that floor. After a moment, it was opened by Daisy Waterflower.
"Oh, hey Cynthia. Come on in," said the blonde girl as she stepped aside. Cynthia thanked her and asked if she knew where Ash was. Daisy was quiet for a second, wondering why she would want to speak with him before answering. "Sorry but I don't. My sister might. Uh, I think Misty's in her room getting ready to head out. It's over that way," she explained and pointed towards the hallway to the right. Cynthia thanked her and moved to the door she pointed out as quickly as she could, greeting the others who were there. As soon as she reached the door, it opened and the four girls were shocked to see Cynthia there with her hand raised about to knock on the door.
"Cynthia? Hey there. What are you doing here?" asked Dawn.
"Hey Dawn. Um, is Ash here?" she asked them and the four girls sighed and shook their heads.
"No, he's not here. He left a while ago without telling anyone where he went," informed Misty sadly.
"What? Why? What happened?" asked Cynthia.
"Long story short, he was betrayed by someone who he thought he could trust and so he left angrily and we don't know where he went or when he's going to come back," revealed May and that information made Cynthia both angry and sad.
"Who betrayed him?! Did Lance do something again?!" asked Cynthia as her rage grew and began thinking a mile a minute on how she was going to make him pay.
"No…it was…Leaf," clarified Serena and Cynthia's eyes widened before she shook her head.
"Damn it," sighed Cynthia. "No wonder he's drowning himself in alcohol…"
"Wait, what? What do you mean by that? Do you know where he is?" asked Misty suddenly.
"Yea. Clair just called me and said she saw Ash at Club Indigo drinking. She also told me that Giselle was trying to talk to him again." Some growls were let out at that news. "At first I thought she was just trying to mess with me cause…well, you know why," said Cynthia, getting a little embarrassed and the girls understood. "Anyway, I told her I'll come to check it out but I was already in the elevator here to come visit so I decided to check if he's here first to make sure she's really not messing with me."
"Okay. Call her back and tell her to make sure Giselle doesn't try to do anything as we get ready. We can use this to our benefit to show him a good time so he can forget about what Leaf did to him. We'll also tell some of the other couples to join us so it's not like we're trying to gang up on him," advised Dawn and the five of them agreed as Misty, May and Dawn entered their room to get ready, Cynthia went into an empty unused bedroom to call Clair back and Serena went around the penthouse asking some of the others if they wanted to go to the club with them before getting ready herself.
Unknown to them, Sarah had heard everything that they talked about as she was in the bathroom and was about to leave when she heard them talk. She was glad that Ash was alright and that they found out where he was but sad to hear that he was trying to drink his problems away as well as concerned that this girl named Giselle was trying to get with him. She waited until she could tell they were gone and there were no more noises before cracking open the door. Verifying that they were gone, she hurried to her room where Anabel and Leaf were at to tell them what was going on. Back at the club, after Clair had made her call to Cynthia and hung up, she and Liza kept their attention on Ash.
"Ash?" asked Giselle when she sat next to him, making the raven haired guardian look at her and his starter to look up from his bowl of ketchup.
"Hmm? Oh, hey Giselle," replied Ash, with a small smile before he faced forward again and took another shot before pouring himself another one. Pikachu went back to his bowl of ketchup.
"You okay?" she asked, noticing his sullen demeanor.
"I'm fine. Just thinking about some things," he said before downing the shot he just poured.
"Um, how many of those have you had so far?" Giselle asked, seeing a half empty vodka bottle in front of him.
"I've lost count," answered Ash, making Giselle's eyes widen.
"Damn. Maybe you've had enough," said Giselle as she made to pull the bottle away from him but he snatched it and gave her a death glare that made her cringe and change her mind. "Or maybe not…Are you sure everything's alright Ash? You seemed fine earlier."
"Yeah well things happened alright!" he snapped.
"Sorry…I didn't mean to impose," replied Giselle in a low voice that made Ash glance at her and saw the hurt look on her face, making him sigh heavily.
"I'm sorry Giselle. I didn't mean to snap at you," he said sadly. "And you didn't do anything. I just went through some stuff and I'm just trying to sort it all out," he admitted.
"Oh, I see," replied back Giselle. "It's okay. Maybe I can help you with it? Did it involve your girlfriend?" she asked, making Ash glance at her again before he responded back.
"Yes and no," he replied. "Can I be honest?" he asked and she nodded. "Can we talk about this later? I'm not comfortable talking about it just yet as I'm still trying to figure out the why and how."
"Okay, that's not a problem. What would you like to talk about instead? Or we could do something else? Like we could dance if you want?" she offered, placing her hand on his. Ash glanced down at what she did before looking her in the eyes, making her take in a sharp breath as he thought about it for a bit.
"That sounds like fun but maybe a bit later if that's okay," he replied back with a smile and Giselle blushed heavily before she agreed. She looked around to get an update on what was going on in her surroundings. She happened to spot her friends that she was originally looking for who were some of her class mates back from the Pokémon Academy.
"Let me know when you want to and I'd be more than happy to," she told him. "If you don't mind, I want to go say hi to a couple friends of mine I just saw. I'll come back though I promise."
"No problem and you don't have to promise me anything Giselle. Go do what you want to do," he told her and Giselle smiled at him as she placed her hand on his shoulder before leaving to go catch up with her friends. He took another shot down just as Shauna and Elizabeth came to check on him.
"Hey, everything alright Ash?" asked Lizabeth while Shauna leaned against the counter closer to him.
"Everything is good, thanks Lizabeth," smiled Ash as he looked at the two blunettes. He titled his head a bit as he drank in their looks again but this time it was different. "Did I ever tell you two how beautiful you are?" he asked them, making them go crimson. Pikachu coughed out some ketchup, panting a bit as he almost choked before looking up stunned at what he just heard his best friend say. He was so shocked that he didn't even electrocute him.
"No, you haven't and you don't need to but thank you," replied back a reddened Lizabeth but she had an enormous smile on her face.
"And I think you had enough," chuckled Shauna as took the bottle away from him, making him pout at her but it only caused the two blunettes to giggle.
"Wow, you're mean Shauna," replied Ash. "I'm hurting here and you took away my medicine."
"Maybe because it's not the right type of medicine," said a new person, causing the three of them to turn their heads to look at the speaker. Ash's eyes widened and the two blue haired bartenders were left with their mouths slightly open. It was Sabrina Natsume and she looked stunning dressed simply yet elegantly with white dress pants with a light purple blouse, her long black hair flowing down to reach the middle of her back and some of it was flowing down over her nicely shaped chest.
"Sabrina? Wow, you look great. Not that I'm complaining but what are you doing here?" Ash asked the now blushing new arrival as she took a seat on the stool next to him.
"You're too kind Ash. I was spending some time here with my friends Clair and Liza over there in the corner when I noticed you were here so I wanted to come and say hi," she replied, sticking to the truth. Ash looked in the area she talked about and saw both Clair and Liza looking at him, who were wearing their trademark outfits. He waved at them and the two waved back at him with smiles.
"That's nice of you. Thanks. How's everything with you?" he asked her.
"Things are alright," answered Sabrina but Ash sensed that something is wrong and gave her a look that said he's not buying it. "Well, if you really want to know, I'll only tell you if you go dance with me," said the psychic prodigy, making Ash smirk and the two blunettes to raise their highbrows.
"Only if you can convince my two friends here, Shauna and Lizabeth, to give us another shot without you using your powers and you got yourself a deal," countered Ash, introducing each other while making Sabrina smile slightly at the challenge.
"Alright then." She faced the two blunettes. "I have a proposal; what do you two say to sharing a drink with the famous Aura Guardian here? It'll be quite an honor to drink with the savior of the Spirit Tournament don't you think?" asked Sabrina as she lightly made fun of the young guardian, who reddened slightly, rubbing the back of his head.
"Sure, why not? That's something I don't do every day," replied Shauna as she brought back the bottle and Lizabeth took out four new shot glasses. Shauna poured the liquid into the four and placed the bottle on the counter as the others took their shots and she took hers.
"So what are we toasting to Ash?" asked Lizabeth, the three girls giving their attention to him. He thought about it for a bit until he knew what to say.
"To true friends!" toasted Ash as he raised his glass.
"To true friends!" repeated the three girls as they touched their shot glasses against each other before the four gulped down their shot quickly, placing their shots back onto the counter after.
"Well that was easy. Alright, I did my end. Now it's your turn," said Sabrina.
"Yea, yea alright. Shauna, get another round ready for us when we come back and Lizabeth, can you keep an eye on Pikachu for me while he stays here on the counter? I promise he'll behave," requested Ash as he got up, Pikachu giving him a dirty look. He was thinking about how much power to use on him.
"No problem," replied Lizabeth, as she scratched Pikachu behind the ears, who cooed in delight. He was just about to electrify Ash but the sudden scratching made him forget about it. Shauna got another round ready for them as Ash stood up and gently grasped Sabrina's delicate hand, making the Saffron gym leader redden slightly.
"Would you do me the honor of dancing with me Ms. Natsume?" asked Ash with a playful bow, obviously having fun with the situation, making the girls giggle.
"You seem like a fine young gentleman Mr. Ketchum. I accept," responded back the psychic girl with a smile as she played along.
Ash led her towards the dance floor and right when they reached it, a slow song began. Ash placed his hands on her slim waist as she placed her hands on his broad shoulders. They kept their gazes on one another as they slow danced. Shauna and Lizabeth were smiling at the two while Clair and Liza had looks of disbelief on their faces. They glanced at one another and both thought the same thing; it has to be the alcohol. Clair then got a call on her Poketch and picked it up. After talking a bit she hung up and told Liza that Cynthia was on her way with some friends and to keep an eye on things. Liza puffed out her cheeks as she realized they were still on 'surveillance' so to speak and turned her attention to Sabrina and Ash on the dance floor. She finished her Blue Lagoon and set it on the table in front of them. Another one was soon placed on the table and the empty glass was taken without them even noticing. The waiter was that good. Back on the dance floor, Sabrina and Ash started talking after quietly dancing for a bit.
"Thank you," whispered Sabrina as they danced. Ash tilted his head. "For agreeing to dance with me. You didn't have to you know. I don't even know what made me ask you to do that."
"I know I didn't have to but I wanted to," replied Ash making Sabrina smile. "Plus, it would help me stay distracted from my thoughts, I was able to get another shot, enjoy a toast with my friends and dance with my friend."
"So there were hidden reasons. Sneaky," quipped Sabrina and he chuckled. "I'm sorry Ash."
"For what?"
"For causing you agony when I helped bring out your memories for everyone to see. I didn't mean to cause you any pain or suffering. I hope you can forgive me," pleaded Sabrina with saddened eyes.
"So that's why I sensed you being sad. It wasn't your fault Sabrina. Things just happen and sometimes it's not what you expect it to be but you just have to let it go and not let it control you. Sometimes that's the best thing to do. But don't worry, it wasn't your fault and I'm fine," reassured Ash.
"Are you sure? Because I really am sorry," apologized Sabrina again and Ash nodded with a smile. Sabrina smiled a bit in return. "Thanks Ash. You don't know how badly I've been feeling about that and how it's kept me up at nights. It even gave me nightmares when I was able to sleep."
"You felt that badly about it?" asked Ash surprised and Sabrina nodded. "I see. Well, no need to worry. I'm good so you can relax okay? But why would you feel that badly about it?"
"I don't know," replied the psychic, looking down. "I guess because you were the only person who helped me out when I was a monster and I couldn't believe that I had caused you agony."
"You were never a monster Sabrina. You had only lost your way," he replied back, making Sabrina raise her head and look into his eyes, not believing what he said. "And I have to admit, even though I helped you, I was mostly just a kid hell bent on winning his Marsh Badge." Both of them chuckled a bit that. "I'm just glad that everything worked out in the end."
"Well, even so, because of your refusal to back down when others wouldn't even walk within a hundred feet of me, you saved me from a horrible future. For that, I thank you Ash," said Sabrina before she rested her head against his chest and he wrapped his arms around her back. Sabrina felt great comfort in his arms. For some reason Ash felt the same thing too. Though it could've been the alcohol in their bodies making them feel that way…
"Sabrina?" asked Ash and she hummed in response, indicating that she was listening. "If somebody betrayed your trust, would you forgive them?"
"So that's what's bothering you. Depends on what they did," replied Sabrina, staying in her position. "I was betrayed once before. It was pretty bad. I can never forget it. I did forgive but it took a while."
"I see. Sorry to hear that. Can you tell me about it? That is if you want to and if you're comfortable talking about it," he said and Sabrina raised her head to look him in the face.
"Well, I haven't told anyone of the full details except for my parents…but okay then. I feel like I can trust you. I believe you know Gary Oak?" Ash nodded. "Well, he asked me out about a year ago. I was never asked out on a date before. Maybe because people thought I was still the same psychotic gym leader but I changed after you helped me out so long ago. Again, thank you for that." Ash smiled and told her it was no problem before she continued. "Anyway, I accepted and we went out for about a month. He was very sincere and charming and soon we were making out here and there." Ash nodded to show he was following still, keeping eye contact with her while continuing their slow dance. "But one day he tried to make a move but I stopped him. I told him that I wasn't ready. After that, he became increasingly distant."
"That's Gary's play," said Ash and Sabrina gave him a confused look. "When he doesn't get what he wants, he pretends he doesn't want it or care about it so whoever it is runs after him. Did it work?"
"I see. I'm ashamed to say that it did. I wanted to know why he was being like that after a few days. I went to his house unannounced. Most of the lights were off but I knew he and someone else was home as I could sense them. I was about to ring the door bell when I heard some noises coming from inside the house."
"Don't tell me..." started Ash but Sabrina nodded sadly.
"Yes. There was no mistaking the sounds. They were so loud. I levitated to his bedroom window and peeked through it. I saw him having sex with a pink haired girl on his bed. I found out later she was one of his grandpa's lab assistants. I screamed and they both saw me. I fell to the ground in shock and he came running out of the house wearing his boxers telling me to come inside but I didn't."
"Fucking Gary…then what happened?" he asked her, trying to control his anger.
"When I refused that's when he went off at me. He said that no man would wait around for me if I continued being such a prude. He said that he had needs and couldn't wait around for me. He said that he doesn't see us going anywhere since I'm so old fashioned and that I'm older than him anyways so we should just end it and move on. I didn't say anything back and just teleported out of there."
"I'm gonna kick the ever living shit out of him," growled Ash but Sabrina shook her head.
"It's alright," said Sabrina and Ash looked at her like she was crazy. "I moved on and forgave him for being such an immature jackass. Plus, I gave him nightmares for about a month with my psychic powers." Ash had his eyes widened after hearing that and seeing Sabrina give a wild grin.
"Remind me to never get on your bad side," muttered Ash and Sabrina giggled.
"He also taught me something," she continued while Ash tilted his head. "He taught me that not all things that look good are. I've learned to be more careful, to not fall for stuff like that again. And..."
"And?" asked Ash, wanting her to continue.
"And...It was a sign for me to wait, to not rush into things and to wait for the right man who would respect my wishes," finished Sabrina.
"That's good at least. I know you'll find the right guy Sabrina. You're a great girl and you deserve someone who would do anything for you. But even so, if you ever need anything, just let me know," he said before showing a charming smile, making Sabrina blush.
"Thank you Ash," replied Sabrina. "Did you want to talk about what happened to you?" she asked him.
"It's not as bad as yours and maybe I'm overreacting a bit but here's what happened," he said and he explained everything to her, about what he went through with a girl in the past when they were kids to what happened with her again recently.
"Hmmm...No, I don't think you're overreacting Ash as this is the second time she's broken your trust and the second time she's betrayed you. But you should talk to her Ash and find out why. If you bottle it up or try to ignore it, it may backfire on you. And it'll let you move on quicker. Trust me, you don't want to do that to yourself," she advised him.
"I see. Thanks, I appreciate your advice. I guess your right but I just need some time to get over the shock first. That's okay isn't it?" he asked her and she agreed, saying that's okay. "Thanks Sabrina. You're the best." He tightened his hug around her and she did the same as she rested her head back against his chest. She felt her heart beat a little quicker and she didn't want to get out of the embrace. He gently massaged her back a bit before resting his hands on her lower back. He felt oddly comfortable with her but he didn't think about it too much. They continued dancing in silence as another slow song started that was requested by a few newly arrived club goers.
"They look cute together," commented Liza. "You think Cynthia would get pissed seeing this?" Not hearing a response, she looked at Clair and smiled who was staring at Ash silently. "Well, well. Jealous, envious or both?" asked Liza as she nudged her side, making Clair snap out it.
"What are you talking about?!" shot the gym leader immediately, elbowing Liza in the stomach.
"Hey! I didn't hit you that hard!" exclaimed Liza as she doubled over, clutching her stomach but Clair just laughed at her. "I'm going to get you back for that Clair and that just proves it," wheezed Liza while Clair just scoffed back before calling her crazy.
Lizabeth and Shauna were taking a break as they had served all the patrons who came up to the bar. The club had filled up a bit but most of the people were sitting around the walls or on the dance floor. "Looks like Ash is having a good time," commented Lizabeth. Shauna looked at the dance floor and saw Ash and Sabrina holding each other closely while slow dancing. She smiled, glad that Ash was having a good time. "I get the feeling you want to be in her shoes don't you?" asked Lizabeth, making Shauna look at her like a Deerling caught in headlights. "It's alright. I know how you feel."
"You do?!" asked Shauna, stunned at what she just heard.
"Yea. I'm in the same boat as you," revealed Lizabeth as she gazed at Ash, making Shauna's jaw drop. "I saw him do courageous things and he even risked his life for others right in front of me. Remember how I told you about the you know what I was guarding and how it picked him? It doesn't make mistakes; only pure hearted persons can be chosen and they also must be willing to sacrifice for others. How often do you see someone like that? It affected me but when he continued on his journey, I moved on with my life. Seeing him in the tournament, risking it all again at the attack and being here now has brought some old feelings back but I'm not sure. I don't know what to do but right now, I'm happy with just being his friend until I work out what I'm feeling. Hell, it might just be nostalgic feelings or something." Lizabeth's confession made Shauna think for a moment before she nodded. She had witnessed Ash do amazing things in the past too. Even though they didn't spend too much time together and she had a crush on another guy when they met, she did remember him more often than other people. What they saw during the tournament was just further proof that he was truly unique as he risked it all to save everyone. Then again, it may just be nostalgia like Lizabeth said. Maybe she was just happy to see her friend again and she's just confusing it for something else. She turned her attention back to the dancing duo as the slow song finally ended, thinking she'll worry about that later. Ash and Sabrina looked at one another with a smile.
"Thank you for the dance Ash. I really do appreciate it," said Sabrina as she gave him a friendly kiss on his cheek, making the jaws drop of the four girls who had their eyes on them.
"You're welcome and thank you for suggesting it Sabrina," replied back Ash. He smiled at her that Sabrina returned before grasping her hand and leading her back to the bar. The two of them sat down in their original seats and called Shauna and Lizabeth over so they could drink another round together. The two blunettes came over immediately since they weren't busy and enjoyed their company so they joined them in picking up their shot glasses again. "Wait, we should do this right," said Ash and the three girls gave him slightly confused looks. He turned around and faced Clair and Liza who were looking at them but didn't turn away. He waved them over to come join them. He told the blunettes to add three more shot glasses and to fill them up.
"Ah okay but why?" asked Lizabeth as she brought three more shot glasses and Shauna poured the vodka into the three.
"We have three more joining us," explained Ash. Before they could ask who, Ash pointed behind him and to his right. As the three checked, they saw Giselle, Clair and Liza moving towards them.
"How did you know?" asked Sabrina and Ash explained he sensed Giselle coming towards them with his aura and also sensed Clair and Liza were feeling left out so he invited them over. The three girls were impressed by his acute senses and that he was so thoughtful. Soon enough, Clair, Liza and Giselle joined them and Ash handed each of them their shot.
"Thanks Ash. So what are we toasting this to?" asked Giselle, hiding her annoyance at the other girls who were there as she held her shot and Ash took his.
"I'll let you girls decide on that this time since I made the last toast," replied Ash and the girls thought for a moment before Liza made the toast.
"To a wonderful night for us all!"
"To a wonderful night for us all!" repeated the rest and clinked their shot glasses together before they each gulped down their shots and placed them back down onto the counter.
"So where's our shots Ash?"
Ash whirled around at that and he couldn't believe what he was seeing. Misty, May, Dawn, Serena and Cynthia were standing there all dressed up. Misty was wearing her sparkling yellow dress from their date, Dawn was wearing her sparkling blue dress and Serena was wearing her hot pink dress. May was wearing a red dress with straps that went over her shoulders and a diagonal cut on the bottom that went from her left knee to her right thigh. Cynthia was wearing a long silver dress that reached down to her ankles but was cut from the bottom all the way up to her thighs on the sides along with it being held up by a single thick diagonal strap that went over her left shoulder. They looked absolutely amazing and completely stunned Ash so much that his jaw dropped as he continued staring at them, making the five blush deeply. He didn't even notice the others beside them who were Gary, Ilene, Richie, Joy, Brock, Lucy, Chili, Violet, Cress, Lily, Cilan, Iris, Riley and Daisy Oak who were also all dressed up.
"You might want to close your mouth Ashy-boy before you swallow a bug," quipped Gary before laughing out loud as some of the others chuckled. Sabrina frowned at seeing her ex but then quickly changed her expression to be neutral before anyone noticed. Even though she forgave him and moved on, she could never forget what he did to her. Ash locked eyes with his rival and was about to explode at Gary since he found out he what he did to Sabrina.
Now is not the time.
The voice that he hadn't heard in a long time spoke up in his mind that made him freeze for a second. He heeded the words. "Don't be jealous Gare-Bear!" shot Ash instead as he snapped out of his trance, making them all laugh at Gary who scowled and was embarrassed as Ilene couldn't stop laughing at his hated nick-name. Sabrina chuckled at that and when she happened to glance at Gary, he flinched when he caught her gaze. Sabrina looked away with a smile as Ilene asked Gary what happened but he just shook his head. That was another reason why Gary wasn't for her; she easily intimidated him. Misty, Dawn, Serena and May moved forward as Ash got up and the five of them were in a group hug that drew many people's attention from the club, including the newer members in their group of friends.
"I'm sorry I just left like that. I just needed to get away and clear my head," apologized Ash as he held onto the four tightly. "Please forgive me. But how did you find me?" he asked them.
"It's alright Ash. We understand," replied Misty.
"Cynthia let us know where you are," revealed Serena and Ash asked her how but all she said was that she had her ways. Ash glanced at Clair and Liza who looked away towards the walls. He shook his head while chuckling since he figured out how.
"So did you do anything without us? Blow up a mountain? Catch a pokémon? Do anything naughty with any of these girls?" asked Dawn with a mischievous smirk and slight nudging. The new girls flushed heavily at that but Ash just chuckled and smiled in response while everyone looked at him.
"No nothing really. I flew around on Charizard for a while before coming here not too long ago. Had some shots with our friends here before dancing a bit with Sabrina while talking a bit and she thanked me for dancing with her with a kiss on the cheek," explained Ash as he pointed out Giselle, Shauna, Lizabeth, Clair, Liza and Sabrina who grew red as he told them that. Gary raised his eyebrows at that, surprised that Sabrina was so comfortable around him. The four girls didn't mind and neither did Cynthia as it was just a friendly interaction, they knew Sabrina and he was being upfront and truthful about it. Ash then introduced everyone to each other, though some of them knew each other already.
"So what are we drinking?" asked Cynthia as she drew gracefully closer to the bar in her silver dress, catching Ash's attention before he answered her.
"Whatever you'd like Cynthia," replied Ash. "We were drinking some vodka but you can have whatever you want. All of you can get whatever you want and however much you want," he added as he glanced at everyone who gave him confused looks. "It's on me so don't worry about it." He turned around while taking out his Poke Dex that also was linked with his bank account. "Shauna, open up a tab for me and put everything on the bank account linked to this," he told her as he handed it to her.
"Ash, we can't let you do that," said Brock as he grasped his shoulder.
"Already done Brocko and don't worry. I don't splurge often and have more than enough," reasoned Ash and Brock sighed before Ash suddenly hugged his pseudo brother. "Thanks man for being there for me, not only as a friend but as a brother."
"No problem Ash," replied back Brock before they separated. "But what was that all about?"
"Eh, don't get too into it. I'm a little buzzed right now," admitted Ash causing everyone to laugh. "Hey, Lizabeth, is there a reserved area that all of us can fit?" he asked her as he turned to face her.
"Ah yea. It's at the far corner over there and big enough for a bunch of people to sit around comfortably around a circle table. It comes with its own personal bartenders or waiter of your choice along with your own VIP security," explained the blunette.
"Great! We'll take it!" said Ash without hesitation.
"Can you two join us then?" asked May. "You could be our acting personal bartenders in a way so you don't get into trouble."
"That sounds like a good idea. What do you think Lizabeth?" asked Shauna and Lizabeth nodded.
"Sure, why not? Let me finish setting you up Ash and….done! Here's your Poke Dex and take this paper to the security guy there and we'll come join you as soon as we get someone to cover us. We'll also make sure to bring in several bottles along with lots of snacks like chips and salsa and fries. Sound good?" asked Lizabeth.
"Sounds perfect!" exclaimed Ash as he took back his Poke Dex, the paper and Pikachu jumped onto his shoulder. "Thanks a lot you two. Come join us as soon as you can."
The blunette bartenders nodded with smiles on their faces as Ash and his large group of friends moved towards the VIP area that they were told about and handed the security guard the piece of paper. He looked over it and took out a stamp as he stepped aside. He placed a stamp that said 'Club Indigo VIP' onto each person's right hand as they went past him so he could tell who they are and could just show their hand for them to go back in whenever they went to the dance floor and came back. Ash, Misty, May, Dawn, Serena, Cynthia, Sabrina, Clair, Liza, Giselle, Brock, Lucy, Gary, Ilene, Riley, Daisy Oak, Richie, Joy, Cilan, Iris, Cress, Lily, Chili and Violet sat around the spacious, soft and comfy couches around the large circular VIP area. Even though they were a large group of people, there was still a good amount of room in the VIP area for more to join them. Pikachu hopped onto the top of the couch and sat down as he looked at everything from his position, enjoying the view.
"Man, this is awesome! I've never been in a club before, let alone in the VIP area!" said Chili with enthusiasm as he sunk into the comfy couch, making the others smile. "Thanks Ash!"
"No problem Chili. This is a first for me too," revealed Ash. "Hey, I'm curious. How did you guys get in here?" The ones who just joined them all pointed at Cynthia who smirked, saying she intimidated the bouncer into letting them all in since some were underage and they all laughed. They then asked how he got in. "I bribed the bouncer." His friends gave him surprised looks that he did that and more so that he was able to pull it off. "Anyways, who else has never been to a club before?" he asked and many raised their hands besides Cynthia, Clair, Liza, Giselle, Sabrina, Lily, Violet, Lucy, Riley, Brock, Gary and Daisy Oak. "Huh, well what do you know?" he asked rhetorically with a chuckle.
"Alright, so are we going to just sit here and wait for drinks or are we gonna go dance for a bit?" asked Dawn as she stood up.
"Dance," replied Ash without any hesitation as he stood up too, making the others give him stunned looks that he caught as they weren't expecting him to be so up for it. "Blame the vodka. I had a bunch of shots before you guys got here," he admitted and they chuckled. He made Misty, May and Serena get up as well before grasping their and Dawn's hands within his two hands and led the four girls to the dance floor. This act got some interested looks from the other members of the group and several others from the club as they went past them. He did not make Cynthia get up for several reasons and Cynthia knew and so she wasn't hurt or mad.
"Man, I don't think I'll ever get over the fact that Ashy-boy is smooth with the ladies now and has not one but four girlfriends," chuckled Gary, not realizing what he let slip and in front of who.
"What?!" exclaimed Giselle. Clair, Liza and Sabrina also let out shocked cries as well but only because Cynthia told them not to let on that they know about the situation between her, Ash and the girls for the time being.
"Nice going Gare-Bear," said Iris sarcastically as she shook her head.
"Stop calling me that short stuff! And it's not like they're hiding it anymore! Look at them damn it!" shot Gary as he pointed at the five and they all looked at them on the dance floor.
Gary was right. Ash was dancing with Misty, Dawn, Serena and May and the five were having a lot of fun together as they laughed and smiled as the four girls took turns dancing with Ash alone. They then sandwiched him between two of them and then between all four of them before returning back to dancing with him alone while the other three danced together. The five of them were catching a lot of attention from everyone else. Many girls were eyeing Ash with very interested looks while giving jealous looks at the girls and many guys were giving the girls lustful stares while shooting dirty looks at Ash.
"Looks like you're right bro," remarked Daisy.
"Is someone jealous that Ash has more girlfriends than him?" asked Ilene with a dangerous tone of voice as she glared at Gary.
"No, no of course not!" replied back Gary instantly as he sweat dropped. "I'm just saying that I'll never not be surprised seeing that, that's all!" Ilene narrowed her eyes at him before she let it go and commented that better be the only reason.
"Someone's whipped," remarked Daisy, teasing her little brother who scowled at her while everyone else laughed.
"We should go join them. C'mon Chili!" said Violet as she got up and Chili got up after her.
"Hell yea! Let's go!" remarked Chili. He turned to the others. "C'mon guys and gals!"
Chili's enthusiasm rubbed off on them all and they all got up to go to the dance floor. As the large group of friends moved towards the five, they saw them and waved them over. Pretty soon the five and the large group combined and they all started dancing together while laughing and smiling. The ones in relationships alternated between dancing between their loved one and dancing with their friends. The music picked up with a popular hip-hop song and soon everyone was jumping up and down with their hands in the air. Laugher and song words were heard throughout the dance floor as some laughed, some sang along and others just enjoyed the atmosphere and good vibes while they all danced. The fast hip-hop song ended while a medium beat song picked up after it and they continued dancing. Ash made sure to dance with Cynthia as well since it was a good cover and the four girls were happy that he was thoughtful and didn't become jealous or angry one bit. Cynthia had a lot of fun dancing with him and they got pretty close but made sure it didn't go too far to raise suspicion from the others as none except for the five girls, Ash, Clair, Sabrina and Liza knew the story. But Ash and the four girls didn't know about the other three.
They kept dancing and Ash even danced a bit with Giselle, Liza, Clair and Sabrina again before they went and danced with the others in their large group. The girls didn't mind him dancing with them except for when he danced with Giselle, eying her carefully. When the song ended and a slow song started, Ash was about to ask which of the girls wanted to go first but three of them pushed May forward as she hadn't had her date yet so they felt it was fair. Cynthia didn't get involved on that but she was still happy and content. Giselle looked jealous but then quickly hid it. May and Ash started their slow dance as Misty, Dawn and Serena went back to their VIP area along with Cynthia, Sabrina, Clair, Liza and Giselle while the others paired up with their loved ones to take part in the slow dance. On their way back to their area, the girls were asked to dance by several guys but each of them turned them down without a second's thought though for different reasons. When they got back to the VIP area, they found that their drinks and food were there and so were Shauna and Lizabeth who were waiting for them.
"About time!" whined Shauna and the girls simply shrugged and commented that they were sorry for having fun making the two blunettes pout.
"Stop being such killjoys and let's take a shot together," suggested Liza and they all agreed. They each got a shot and made a toast before gulping down the shot. They started munching on the food, which were mostly snacks, as they talked to one another before pouring another one and taking that one down with another toast. They poured the next one to get ready for the inevitable future shot.
"Hey Misty, how come Daisy didn't come?" asked Serena.
"She said she didn't feel like it and had some things to think about. Now that I think about it, that's pretty weird. She never said no to going to a club before. I wonder what's going on?" she pondered for a bit about why her sister didn't join them before moving on and they talked about something else.
While the girls enjoyed themselves in their VIP area, their friends were becoming closer with their loved ones on the dance floor during the slow song. Gary and Ilene had had been talking together quietly before they closed the already small gap between them. Ilene was looking up at Gary while he gazed down into her eyes. They slowly leaned in and kissed each other softly on the lips before separating. The pokémon researcher smiled at the Queen who blushed before resting her head against his chest and he wrapped his arms around her back and pulled her even closer to him and she did the same.
Riley and Daisy Oak were dancing silently as they looked into each other's eyes with both of their hands on the other's waist. It was as if they were communicating everything between them through their locked eyes alone and didn't need words to express themselves. Soon enough, they both smiled before Daisy made a move and leaned in closer and Riley copied her soon after. The two shared a kiss before separating and hugging each other tighter with Riley resting his chin on top of her head.
Brock and Lucy were talking a bit as they held one of their hands together to the side with the other around their partner's waist. They were both happy that they were here, sharing this time together. They had also agreed that they needed to find more time for each other as they missed each other greatly when they were separated because of their work. They promised to not let anything get in between their love again and sealed the deal with a passionate kiss before continuing their dance.
Joy and Richie were quiet at first as they danced, holding each other close together with her head resting on his shoulder. Richie couldn't believe he was lucky to have such an incredible girl be with him and Joy couldn't believe that she had such a great guy to call him her boyfriend. They shared a short kiss before talking about how lucky they were and how they owe it all to Ash for being their friend. How it was because of him that they got together and they agreed to thank him for that one day.
Violet and Chili were dancing together and enjoying each other's company. Chili was commenting on everything and Violet was smiling. She could listen to him for days as he said everything with such passion and was so energetic that she couldn't get enough of it. However, there was something else that she wanted and she placed her hand against his lips and he shut up instantly. She lowered her hand and gave him a kiss, which he returned eagerly and she loved that he wasn't afraid to show that he wanted it. They separated and continued dancing quietly, which was surprising as Chili kept his mouth shut but had a broad grin while Violet rested her head on his shoulder.
Iris and Cilan were in a very close embrace as their lips were locked before they separated and Iris kept her gaze on him while wrapping her arms around his back. Cilan had one arm wrapped around the middle of her back while his other hand was gently stroking her side. They continued on this way while they slow danced. They both had smiles on their faces as they enjoyed being in the other's embrace as they thought about how they first got together, which was when they went looking for Ash during the first few months he had disappeared.
Lily and Cress were quietly talking to one another and commenting about how things just turned out so well for them and their siblings too. After that, they continued dancing quietly for a moment before Cress confessed to Lily that he likes her very much and Lily gasped at that before admitting the same thing to him. They both smiled and kissed before they continued dancing and talked quietly again.
Ash and May were slow dancing among the other couples, right in the middle of the dance floor and in the middle of all their friends. The raven haired guardian was unable to look away from her sparkling blue eyes and May couldn't stop gazing into his passionate brown eyes. They leaned into each other and kissed with such emotion that neither of them wanted to stop but that didn't go according to plan as they separated too soon for their taste.
"I'm sorry it took so long May," he admitted to the brunette with a sigh.
"It's alright Ash. Don't even worry about it. Everything worked out for us in the end. I'm just glad that I'm with you and my family is supporting us all," replied May with a beaming smile.
"Me too May. You already know this but I'm always going to repeat it; I love you with all my heart May," stated Ash and May took in a sharp breath as her heart started beating faster. She knew that he loved her but this was the first time he said it to her alone, without it being a group setting. It was finally their time to be together. Well sort of as they were at a club with the other girls but she saw things as the glass half full kind of person. Either way, she enjoyed being with him and was immensely happy at that. Quite honestly, she was happy with everything between him, her and her 'sisters'.
"I love you too Ash. I'm glad that we're together and as long as you're in my life, I know everything will be alright in the end," admitted May with a slight blush.
Ash smiled at her and agreed with her, repeating her words to back to her. The two leaned in together and shared a heated kiss that enflamed them both and soon their hands went wild as they went over each other's bodies. Ash had one hand in her hair while the other was rubbing her back. May had one hand in his hair with the other on his chest. Their tongues soon got involved though they didn't go too crazy as they remembered where they were, but it was hard for them to hold back. Ash was a little assertive in their kissing, which caught May off guard at first but she enjoyed it as it was the man she loves who was doing it and also thought that the alcohol might be egging him on a bit. As the slow song was starting to finish up, the two separated and looked into one another's eyes. Ash let a devious grin form on his face and May tilted her head in confusion for a second before she let out a squeak. He had grabbed her nicely shaped ass and squeezed it, surprising the brunette.
"Hmm, someone's being naughty and bold in front of all these people," whispered May as she smiled at him, impressed and was being turned on that he was so daring. Ash leaned in closer to whisper into her ear.
"Just wait until I get you all alone," replied Ash, making May go crimson as she felt herself burning up as she thought of what they would do together when they were somewhere private.
"Eager are we? Or is that the vodka talking?" jabbed May and Ash just gave his trademark goofy grin that made her smash her lips against his and kiss him furiously.
"Looks like I'm not the only one who's impatient," remarked Ash after they separated and May slapped his arm playfully before they both chuckled. They decided to head back to the VIP area when another song started that was faster paced. They joined their friends in the large area after showing the VIP security their hand stamps. Right when they sat down, Liza handed the two shot glasses as they were all about to take another shot together. The large group of friends called out 'cheers' together and they gulped down their drinks and set them on the circular table.
"About time you two! Everyone else came back sooner than you. We were starting to think that you would go at it in the middle of the dance floor!" joked the green haired girl, earning some smirks and chuckles from the group, making May blush furiously but also had a sheepish grin form. Ash however just laughed as he didn't get embarrassed because of all the alcohol in his system.
"I'm pretty sure you'd enjoy seeing that as you'd love to see me naked huh Liza?" countered Ash while smirking. Everyone's jaw dropped at what he just said, including the green haired girl who reddened. She recovered quickly though.
"Hmmm…maybe. You are good looking but I don't think you're man enough for me," shot Liza making Gary, Brock, Richie, Cress, Chili, Cilan and Riley howl with laughter while the girls giggled. Ash raised an eyebrow. He knew what she was doing but decided to have some fun. Everyone was waiting to see what Ash would do or say as they had thought something; Ash seemed to be a happy drunk and a drunken Ash was a fun and entertaining Ash.
"Well, you're entitled to your opinion Liza," replied back the raven haired guardian as he sat forward a bit, making several in the group focus their attention on him. "Man, it sure is hot in here. Don't you guys think so?" he asked them. Most didn't get the question and said that they were alright. The rest however, including his girlfriends, did get where he was going with this and rolled with it.
"I did tell management about the air conditioning being weak," remarked Shauna casually but also smirked a bit.
"Yea, it sure is hot Ash. You're sweating like crazy," commented May as she wiped his forehead with a napkin, pretending to get his sweat that wasn't actually there and he thanked her.
"Yeah, maybe you should take off your shirt so you can cool down," suggested Dawn with a mischievous look on her face as she tugged on his shirt's sleeve, making most of the girls around them gulp at that.
"She's right Ash. You're really hot," added Misty, after slipping her hand through his shirt and rubbed his chest, making some of the other girls become red faced as they watched her do that while the guys had their eyes widen.
"I don't know…"
"You don't have to be embarrassed about your scars Ash. They show that you're brave. You should or otherwise you'll burn up. You need to cool down," encouraged Serena, grabbing the hem of his shirt and lifted it a little, making the females take in a sharp breath.
"Maybe you're right. Maybe I should. You think that'll be alright if I do that here Lizabeth? I mean I don't want to get you two in trouble or anything," he asked her.
"No, you're fine Ash as long as nothing else comes off," responded Lizabeth with a flushed face.
"Well if it's alright then why not," said Ash and he stood up.
Before the others could register what was occurring, the raven haired guardian stood up, took off his black shirt revealing his toned and muscular upper body and wiped away his 'sweat' with it before sitting back down in between the four girls. He spread out his arms over the top of the couch and lifted his left leg, crossed it over his right leg with his foot on top of his knee. May snuggled up to him on one side and placed a hand on his chest and so did Misty on the opposite side while the other two sat closer next to them. The club lights were hitting him at the perfect angle to show off his muscles but also made his chest scar stand out, which drew everyone's attention in the group as it was hard to miss. It made them all realize how much he suffered to protect everyone. That made the newer girls swoon over him since he wasn't hiding it away and were impressed of what he's done. The sight of him in that position made not just Liza blush heavily, but also made Shauna, Lizabeth, Giselle, Clair, Sabrina and Cynthia go tomato red. Some of the guys had covered their girlfriends' eyes but ended up getting elbowed hard in the side by them while telling them to grow up.
"Ah, I feel so much better," commented Ash, making the girls giggle and respond with 'I told you'.
"Uh…Ash…you…uh…muscles…um…scar..." Liza couldn't speak properly, barely stammering out a few words out as she stared at him.
"I'm sorry Liza, I can't understand you. Could you speak properly please?" he asked her with a smirk, making the group laugh a bit. Liza recomposed herself and crossed her arms over her chest as she turned her flushed face to the side as she muttered something. "I'm sorry Liza, I didn't catch that. Could you speak up please?" asked the young guardian, teasing her some more.
"You're enjoying this aren't you?" asked Liza with narrowed eyes glaring at Ash and they all started laughing out loud, making the green haired girl pout and become embarrassed. "You're such an asshole," whined Liza.
"Ah c'mon we're just messing around right?" he asked her and she just glared at him. "Sheesh, no wonder you live at the Charicific Valley; you're about as moody as a Charizard." Everyone laughed harder and Liza growled loudly at him. "Alright fine I'll stop. How can I make it up to you?" he asked her and Liza thought for a moment before smiling evilly, making Ash become a little worried.
"I challenge you to a drinking match!" That made Ash tilt his head but also made Clair, Sabrina and Cynthia stare at Liza. "What, are you scared to losing to a girl?" she mocked him with a slight babying tone of voice.
"Nope. I'm not afraid of losing to a girl. Hell, I lost to girls before in the past and I'm not ashamed of it at all," replied Ash. "But you're on Liza. How are we doing it?"
"Alright then Mr. Hotshot; we keep taking shots until one of us drinks more than the other or pukes. Whoever drinks more or doesn't puke wins. Got it?" she asked him and he nodded. As Ash and Liza stood up and faced each other, Lizabeth went to Liza's side with a bottle of vodka and a shot glass while Shauna did the same to Ash. They sized each other up, with Liza turning red again as she couldn't draw her attention from his body, along with a few other girls who were stuck staring at him, while their other friends were discussing who would win. Gary was orchestrating the bets.
"Okay so I got half of you betting on Ash and the other half betting on Liza. Oh man, good thing I wrote this stuff down. This is gonna be great. I can't wait till Ashy-boy pukes. I'm never gonna let him forget this one," laughed Gary and several peeved girls shot him glares but he didn't care and Ilene shook her head in amusement at him.
"You ready Ashy-boy?" mocked Liza, hearing Gary's name for him that he hated.
"Shouldn't have called me that Liza. Now I won't let you win. But hold on a second..."
"What, you backing out? Realized that you can't just talk big anymore?" she cut across him.
"No. We just didn't iron out the details yet. I just want to know what I get when I win."
"When you win huh? Confident. I like that. But sorry to burst your bubble kiddo but there's no way you're winning. I've beaten everyone I challenged to this. But to give you something to work for and to make this interesting I'll amuse you. If you win, and I mean IF, you can order me around and I will let you do anything and everything that you want to do to me for a whole day and I can't object or stop any of it."
Almost everyone's jaw dropped at her offer while Sabrina, Clair and Cynthia burst out laughing. They knew how Liza was with her bets as she had used the same one several times before to get others sucked into the challenge and had lost humiliatingly as they tried to keep up with her. Even though Cynthia was a bit peeved she made that bet, she didn't say anything, wanting to see the result. Giselle, Shauna and Lizabeth were surprised that she would offer something like that to him, the four girls were flabbergasted and the others were too astonished to say anything. But all the guys were thinking that Ash was lucky to get such a bet with a hot girl, jealous at his opportunity. Ash merely grinned.
"You sure you want to put that on the table?" he asked her and she replied back saying it again as she told him there's no way he's winning and asked what she would get when she would win. "Alright then, I tried to warn you. And to make it amusing for you I'll offer the same thing. If you win and I mean IF, I'll do anything and everything you want me to do for a whole day with no objections at all." He glanced back at the girls. "Is that alright with you?"
Misty, May, Dawn and Serena glanced at each other and then at Cynthia who shrugged while still chuckling, saying she can't help them on this one. That drew some interesting faces from the others but then they thought that Liza and Cynthia must be close and must be trying to get some advice so they let it go. The four thought for a moment before deciding they wanted to see who would win as they heard rumors of Liza's betting and drinking. They and Cynthia didn't want Ash to look like a wimp and they were actually alright with him winning or losing as it was too interesting of a bet to pass up. They also wanted to see who would win and what they would do with that kind of control over someone.
"Go for it Ash," said the four together and he grinned.
"Ah, look at that. Ashy-boy needs permission to take a drinking challenge from his girlfriends. You are so whipped man," commented Gary, making some of them laugh.
"A real man listens to and respects the girl or girls in my case, that he loves and doesn't do anything on purpose to upset them and doesn't go against their wishes for something stupid. You should know that better than anyone Gare-Bear as you should've learned that a long time ago," replied Ash as he kept his gaze fixed on Liza.
That statement shut up Gary instantly and several of their friends had their eyes widen over what he just said. The girls felt their hearts flutter at what he just said. Ilene glanced at her boyfriend with a very curious expression as she wanted to know what the hell that was all about. Sabrina knew why he said that and she couldn't believe it. Ash just completely put her ex-boyfriend in his place without revealing anything and she was moved by what he just did for her.
"You ready Liza?" asked Ash, drawing attention back to the challenge and the green haired girl nodded. "On the count of three then. One…two…three!" Both Ash and Liza gulped down the first shot together without trouble and held it out for Lizabeth and Shauna to pour more into it. They took the second shot and again the two blunettes poured the third. This went on for quite some time as they kept going, quickly nearing and passing the double digits.
"How are they doing this?" asked a stunned Joy.
"What I want to know is how the hell is Ash is keeping up with Liza?" asked a bewildered Clair. She had never seen anyone go toe to toe with the green haired girl in a drinking contest before.
"You should see him when he's eating food. Now that's incredible," remarked May as she kept her mesmerized gaze on the raven haired guardian.
They kept going until both were about to finish the large bottles. Lizabeth and Shauna were looking at the two with worried expressions. The vodka they were downing like water was very strong but was also smooth so it wouldn't really hit someone until much later. After pouring the next shot, both Liza and Ash drank that one too and lowered it for their refill. After being refilled, Liza and Ash raised their hands halfway and stopped at the same time.
"Oh shit, who's gonna puke?!" asked Daisy Oak as her eyes darted back and forth between the two.
Liza was feeling pretty drunk right now. She was barely standing and felt like her stomach was going to explode. She wavered a bit but quickly spread her feet a bit to balance out. She had maintained eye contact with Ash for the whole time but then she lowered her gaze to the shot in her hand.
Ash was starting to feel like he was completely gone as he couldn't feel or sense anything. The alcohol had completely over taken his aura, suppressing it and he was beginning to feel the full effects of it. But he could tell that Liza was further gone than he was. He waited to see if Liza would puke or stop drinking to see if he would win automatically or if he had to take one more shot.
It took a few long and tense seconds before Liza finally willed herself to down the shot and slammed the small glass onto the table and looked up at Ash with a triumphant smirk. Ash looked at her with a stunned expression, not expecting that at all. Everyone was looking at Ash to see if he would match her or not. After a moment Ash copied her and took the shot too. Then, he gestured for Shauna to pour him another one. Liza stared at Ash as he had Shauna pour himself one more shot, gulped that down completely before placing his empty shot glass onto the circular table, stood up straight, crossed his arms and grinned at her.
Liza couldn't believe it. He had kept up with her and even took one more shot than her. Nobody had ever done that before. She reached for her shot glass, held it for Lizabeth to pour her next shot to match him. She looked at the filled shot glass and something happened that she never thought would happen to her. She couldn't take another shot. She placed the shot down and looked at her opponent.
"You win Ash," said Liza, somehow still able to speak properly but then she grew dizzy and stumbled back a bit. She was about to fall down but then Ash was able to move to her in time somehow and caught her before he lowered her onto the couch. "Thanks. Well, I'm a woman of her words. You won and I honor my bets. I gotta say this too though; you're the only one who's ever beaten me so take advantage kiddo at the fact that you own me for the next 24 hours. So…with that being said…what do you want me to do and what are you going to do to me?" she asked as she looked into his eyes, thinking of everything that he might do to her. She was kind of curious to know just exactly what was going to happen. She was never in a situation like this before. It scared and excited her since he was quite handsome, fit and had free reign to do anything he wanted to her and she had to do as he said.
"Nothing," replied Ash, which earned himself surprised looks from most, but not from his girlfriends. He even got a surprised "WHAT?!" from Brock and Gary since he would pass up such a golden opportunity to do anything with another girl with no strings attached. That outburst earned them strikes from their girlfriends again. Ilene elbowed Gary hard in the stomach and Lucy punched Brock in the nuts. Both of them winced in pain but Brock was the worst one off as he dropped to the floor holding his groin. All the guys made a mental note to not piss off Lucy after seeing that she wasn't hesitant to strike where it was only meant to be treated nicely. After shaking her head at the sight of Brock in agony, Liza looked at Ash.
"Riight…c'mon don't bullshit me. What do you want me to do? And I know you want to do some things to me as well and it's alright. A bet is a bet and I'm not one for getting out of it or not being mature enough to handle the outcome," replied Liza. "So what do you want?" she asked him.
"You want to know what I want?" he asked her as he grasped her hand and held it, making her go red as she waited for him to answer with waited breath and so did everyone else. "I want…for you to forget about the bet and enjoy your night."
Liza opened her mouth slightly but couldn't speak. Ash took this opportunity to let go of her hand and stand up, swaying a bit from the alcohol, before he found his footing. He then asked Richie to help him to get to the restroom as he had a major bathroom emergency. He would've asked Brock but he was busy nursing his ego and manhood right now. Richie finished laughing at Brock as he got up and helped Ash to the restroom so he could relieve himself. Several girls turned their heads at the sight of the shirtless handsome man make his way through the club along with some annoyed looks from several guys since their dates and target for the night had their attention on him.
"Did he…did he just do that?" asked Liza out loud to no one in particular but May answered her.
"Yes, he did Liza. He'll never take advantage of someone, even if able and even from winning a bet."
May's answer made many of the newer members of the group think about that and Liza watched Ash being helped to the bathroom since he couldn't walk straight with widened eyes. She couldn't believe that he did all that just for fun and basically nullified the bet after he won. She thought about him a bit more before realizing that she was wrong; Ash is a real man and more of a man than any and all other guys she met or knows about. She glanced at his four girlfriends and thought they were lucky for having a one of a kind guy like him. She then glanced at Cynthia, thinking she made a great choice choosing him over Lance and that she was lucky too for getting in the group. As she pondered about everything some more, Gary recovered and over saw the payout process for the ones who bet on Ash. Afterwards, when they started talking to one another, they didn't notice three new people trying to join them in the VIP area but were prevented from doing so by the security guard.
"Hey Lucy! A little help here please!"
Lucy turned her head to see Anabel being blocked by the security guard with Sarah and Leaf beside her. The three of them were dressed up, with Anabel wearing a light purple skirt and blouse, while Sarah was wearing a white skirt and pink blouse and Leaf was wearing a green sparkling dress that was in the same style as Dawn's. Lucy had told Anabel about the club idea so she could get ready to stun Ash before she left with Brock, not knowing Sarah had already told both her and Leaf. Sarah and Anabel dressed up, though modestly and had Leaf dress up more to make her stand out so she could try and attract Ash's attention enough to be able to get him to talk to her again. The Pike Queen got up to tell the security that they were with them, who took out his stamp.
"How did they know to come here?" asked Misty quietly to May, Dawn, Serena and Cynthia.
"Must have over heard or got it from the others. Lucy probably told Anabel," guessed Dawn.
"Just keep cool for now. No need to start something here," advised Serena.
"Alright. But if Leaf does something or Ash doesn't want her here, then she's gone," said May and the four girls agreed.
Cynthia heard the four but didn't get involved. She didn't know the full details yet other than Leaf betrayed Ash. She was furious at the brunette but decided it would be better if she didn't take part in it just yet as her being with Ash was still relatively unknown. Lucy returned with Anabel, Sarah and Leaf who greeted everyone before introducing themselves to the newer people in the group. Afterwards they sat down opposite the five girls who were doing their absolute best to not show any emotion towards Leaf.
"Nice of you to join us. Why are you so late?" asked Ilene to the three.
"Oh, we took a little long in getting ready and had some direction problems before Anabel was able to get us in," chuckled Sarah and Ilene understood.
"Alright then. So you three ready to play catch up?" asked Shauna as she opened a new bottle and poured some shots for the three who thanked her and reached for their shots.
"Cheers!" said the three together before taking their shots and setting down the empty glasses and Shauna refilled them. They each took the second down immediately but then let the third sit for a bit as they conversed with the others. Everything went surprisingly smoothly. Anabel, Sarah and Leaf were able to converse with most in the group without problems, even keeping things civil between Misty, May, Dawn and Serena whenever they had to talk to each other. That is, until Ash and Richie returned laughing loudly and heartily.
The raven haired guardian stopped abruptly in mid laugh from Richie's joke once he noticed the three new arrivals who were sitting amongst them. He noticed how great Sarah and Anabel looked. He then noticed how stunning Leaf looked too, momentarily forgetting what she did. But then he remembered what she did to him and he couldn't push past it at the moment. The three girls were wide eyed and blushing furiously at the sight of him without his shirt on.
"Oh, hey there Sarah, Anabel. How are you two doing? You two look great and I'm glad you came to join us," he told the two as he put on his black shirt, completely ignoring Leaf, which everyone caught. Leaf had a very hurt look appear on her face that everyone noticed while the other two had guilty looks that he had addressed them but not Leaf.
"Yea, it took us a while to find the place," repeated Sarah as she glanced at Leaf and then at Ash again.
"It's a very nice place," commented Anabel as she looked around. "Have you guys been having fun? And um, did you miss something Ash?" asked the Salon Maiden, trying to keep the mood light as she tried to make him notice Leaf.
"Yeah we've been having a blast here and I don't think I have missed anything…Anyways, things like this are always better when experienced with people you can trust and want to be around you," remarked Ash. Nobody missed the way he said that last sentence or the way he looked at Leaf when he said that. Something had happened between the two and the ones who didn't know what had a feeling it was something bad. Sabrina instantly remembered Ash asking her about if she would forgive someone who betrayed her and explained to her what happened. After seeing how he was being so cold to her, she realized that Leaf must have been the one he was talking about.
"Ah Ash, is everything alright?" asked Lizabeth, worried because he just did a complete one eighty in behavior as he became so cold all of a sudden. Many of them, including Pikachu were looking at him with concerned looks as well.
"Of course Lizabeth. I was just saying it's good to have fun with true friends like all of you and also Sarah and Anabel who just joined us," he said, completely ignoring Leaf again.
"I said I was sorry!" burst out Leaf as she stood up angrily, getting everyone's attention. "You don't have to act like I'm not here Ash!"
"And why shouldn't I Leaf?!" shot back Ash. "Why should I care if you're here or not? You don't seem to care about anyone but yourself so why should I care about you?!" Everyone was startled at what Ash just said. He had never said anything of the sort to anyone before. Frankly, it unsettled them.
"You don't mean that…and that's not true about me and you know it Ash," replied back Leaf quietly but her eyes began to water, hurt at what he said.
"I find that hard to believe Leaf. I'm trying to have some fun here so why don't you go find some other sucker for you to seduce and to take advantage of," said Ash as he sat back down onto the couch between the girls who had neutral looks on their faces but the rest were astonished at what he just said.
Leaf looked at Ash with a broken hearted expression for a moment, then turned around and left the VIP area. When Sarah and Anabel tried to follow her, she tearfully shouted at them to leave her alone and that she doesn't need their pity. The two girls watched their friend quickly move through the crowded dance floor and go to the ladies bathroom. The two then turned to face Ash, angry at what he just did.
"That wasn't nice Ash. I think you went too far. You should apologize," said Anabel.
"What happened to the sweet and caring guy I first met? Was that all just a play?" asked Sarah.
"Don't give me that bullshit," snapped Ash, his angry tone startling everyone. "When you've been made a fool of, been taken advantage of and betrayed by the same person when you've done everything you can for them from the moment you became friends, then come talk to me and tell me what you would do. Until then, don't even pretend to think that you know what happened and what I'm going through." Anabel and Sarah went quiet at that and didn't know how to respond. The others were looking at him with surprised and worried eyes. Aside from a handful, nobody knew what occurred between the two. They couldn't even begin to understand just how much he was hurting from her treachery even if they did. He couldn't stand their attention on him anymore. "I'm going to the bar. Alone," he told them as he got up and left the area with them watching him go.
"What the hell happened?!" asked Shauna, breaking the silence as she looked around at everyone.
"It's a long story," sighed Anabel.
"It's not like we're doing anything else right now so explain," said Joy.
Sarah and Anabel looked at each other before the blonde girl started telling them what happened from the very beginning. From her hospital confession and kiss while he slept, how they found out, what they all found out about Ash through his memories and worst fear, when Leaf told Ash, the aftermath with him leaving and the girls' reactions and how they came to be here. "And that's pretty much the whole story," said Anabel when Sarah finished. "We've been trying to figure out a way for Leaf to get back onto Ash's good side. We thought showing up here with Leaf all dressed up might make him open a bit for her to apologize and so they could talk…"
"Good luck with that. Ash is pissed beyond measure and for good reason too," commented Cynthia and the two girls sighed.
"How could Leaf do that to him?! What a bitch!" growled Giselle.
"Who are you?! You don't even know her and you can't call her that!" shot Sarah as she defended her friend.
"I'm Giselle Yuto and why not? She did something that she shouldn't have, knowing that it was wrong! And why are you defending her?!" replied back Giselle instantly.
"Because she's our friend and she made a mistake and she knows it now and she's trying to fix it," said Anabel calmly.
"Well…this is pretty sad. But when the heart gets involved, people do crazy things without thinking," said Lily after a moment of silence.
"You can't seriously be on her side Lily?!" Misty asked her sister in disbelief.
"I'm not on her side. I'm just saying try to see it from her point of view," explained Lily.
"Really? And how would that help and why should we?" asked Misty. "She took advantage of Ash, broke his trust, our trust, going behind our backs and we should still give her a chance to explain or try to see things from her perspective? Are you kidding me Lil?! If someone did that to Cress behind your back, how would you feel?" That shut up Lily instantly as she didn't know what to think as she glanced at Cress who didn't have an answer either. "That's what I thought!"
"Look Misty," started Violet as she took up Lily's point. "May, Dawn and Serena too. You have a point as we may never go through something like this. But think about everything you four have with Ash and how nothing will separate you from each other. Now think about Leaf, who has fallen in love with him from the outside and wants in but doesn't know how to express her desire as she fears your wrath, your ridicule and losing him and you as friends forever." She glanced at Anabel and Sarah. "And you said that she confessed when he was recovering when he was at the hospital?" The two girls confirmed that. Violet looked back at her sister. "Maybe she thought she wouldn't have another chance as she feared him dying. There could be a million reasons as to why she did that and all of them could be horrible reasons, but she still had her reasons. You should allow her to explain properly and if it's good enough, if she genuinely feels sorry about it, give her a chance to redeem herself. I'm not saying to let her into the group or anything like that, but you can forgive her at least if she earns it." Violet's explanation made Misty, Dawn, Serena and May think heavily for a few minutes. Even Cynthia thought about what the Sensational Sister said. They thought about Leaf's situation, what they spoke with Ash about their situation and much more. They then glanced at each other and knowing what the other was thinking, they stood up and went towards Ash at the bar but Cynthia remained behind, even when Dawn covertly gestured for her to join them. The Sinnoh Champion didn't think it was the right time yet to get involved, especially in such a bad time, even though she wanted to.
"This is so fucked up," remarked Liza as she rested her head into her hands. "First I lose at the only thing I've always won before and now this. What a way to end the night."
"It's not over yet Liza," replied back Clair with a small smile as she rubbed her friends back. "Hopefully things will get better." She noticed her not looking so good. "You feeling alright? Gonna puke?"
"No, I'll be fi-UGGHH! On second thought, help me to the bathroom please," pleaded Liza after retching a bit but held it back. Clair helped her get to the girls' restroom. The others turned their attention to the five at the bar.
Ash had requested for another bottle from another bartender who was covering for the blunettes and was drinking from the bottle itself. He had drunk about a fifth of it already by the time the girls gathered around him. They looked at him with saddened expressions for a moment before he spoke. "I'm sorry for ruining the night for us," apologized Ash as he looked at them. Even though he drank a lot, his eyes hadn't lost their signature look, filled with emotion. "I don't know what to do," he admitted.
"Let her explain Ash," said Misty and Ash's eyes widened.
"What?! Why?! I'm furious for what she did! She betrayed not only me, but you as well! So how are you not angry?!" he asked her.
"We are Ash," stated Serena.
"But we kind of get as to why she did that now," remarked Dawn.
"So even though she did that, you should give her a chance to explain," finished May and Ash sighed.
"You really think I should give her another chance? This is the second time she's betrayed me and she betrayed you too," he asked them.
"That's true. But she's also your childhood friend and someone you care about Ash, someone you have feelings for. If you can give ruthless bad guys a second chance, then your friends should be given more chances than them," said Serena. That made Ash realize something and he put his head in his hands, letting out a long sigh before looking at his girlfriends again.
"You're right. You're all right. I've been acting like an idiot. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have let this blow out of proportion and I should've controlled my emotions and reactions better," he told them.
"It's alright Ash. C'mon, let's go find Leaf and get this straightened out," said May. Ash got up and went to the VIP area with the four girls and apologized to the others for his actions and ruining the night for them. They quickly told him to forget about it, that the night was still young. When he asked them if they've seen where Leaf was, they shrugged. He was about to go looking for her when Sabrina tapped his shoulder, making him turn around to face her.
"Hey. You okay Sabrina?"
"Yea. It's just…I know where Leaf is."
"Ok. So where is she?" He asked her and Sabrina hesitated before answering him.
"On the dance floor…with…another guy."
"WHAT?!" Ash whirled around and looked at the packed dance floor. After searching for a bit, he found Leaf. She was dancing with a tall blue haired guy and they were dangerously close to one another with her arms around his neck and his hands were resting on her waist, barely above her ass. He felt like someone just stabbed him in the heart. His eyes narrowed and he let out a deep growl. Pikachu and the others became very worried at that point. They were about to stop him to try and calm him down but missed their chance as Ash had moved so quickly they didn't even have time to react. Pikachu scrambled up onto May's shoulders so he can see better.
"This isn't going to be good," commented Iris, seeing the way Ash was barreling through everyone without care towards the dancing couple.
"I'm sensing some really awful vibes and this is going to leave a very bad taste," added Cilan. They watched Ash make his way through the crowded dance floor before reaching Leaf and her dance partner. He grabbed the guy from the shoulder and pulled him away from Leaf, almost tossing him aside. Both the brunette and his friends were shocked at what he just did but Leaf didn't show it.
"What are you doing Leaf?!" he asked her, barely controlling his rage.
"What does it look like? I'm dancing," she replied back calmly.
"No you're not. Is this how you try to get back at me? Haven't you done enough?"
"What, you care now? I thought you don't care what I do. So why are you here?"
"Hey jackass! I was dancing with her first!" said the blue haired guy suddenly and pushed Ash from behind but he was able to keep from falling down as he balanced himself out after a few steps. His friends saw the altercation, making Brock, who had recovered by now and Richie go down to back up Ash if needed while the others stayed in the VIP area. They didn't feel the need for them to all go and there was hardly any space there to begin with. Plus, they knew Ash could probably kick the guy's ass even when he was drunk but maybe it would be better that he didn't do that in his current state. Ash spun around and locked eyes with the other guy.
"Fuck off asshole! This doesn't concern you!" shot Ash, startling everyone with his choice of words.
"It does concern me when a punk like you tries to take this gorgeous girl off my hands! Nobody messes with Damien Daisuke!" Ash's eyes widened before he started growling loudly as he remembered who the guy was. Images of his Charizard when he used to be a Charmander, trying to survive in the rain against wild pokémon attacks while on top of a large boulder flashed across his mind's eye. Damien took a step back in slight fear as this random person he didn't know was growling at him. Ash turned to face Leaf who had a confused look on her face.
"HIM?! REALLY?! You're trying to get back at me, to make me jealous by dancing with one of the world's biggest douche bags?! Do you even know who this guy is and what he's done?" he asked Leaf and the guy yelled at him but he completely ignored him. Damien was about to hit Ash when Leaf stepped between them and told him to calm down as she would handle it. Damien huffed but did nothing as Leaf turned to Ash.
"No and that doesn't matter right now since he's being nice to me unlike you! You've been nothing but horrible to me!" shouted Leaf angrily.
"Nothing but horrible to you?" repeated Ash, not believing she just said that, blinking a few times in surprise. "Nothing but HORRIBLE? I'VE BEEN NOTHING BUT HORRIBLE TO YOU?!" He yelled so loudly that it was somehow heard over the loud beat and the DJ stopped the music abruptly, making the club go into an eerie silence.
Absolutely everyone was looking at Ash and Leaf now. Leaf glanced around and saw everyone's attention was on them and she felt embarrassed but when she looked back at Ash, she saw that he was only looking at her but differently. It wasn't the cold gaze anymore. It wasn't an angry look either. It was much worse. His eyes were filled with hurt, sadness and disbelief. Her anger and embarrassment was quickly replaced with guilt and shame.
"Ash, I…" started Leaf but Ash raised his hand to silence her.
"Stop. Just don't Leaf. I came looking for you to apologize for my behavior and to give you a chance to explain why you did what you did, to sort this out and maybe move forward…but instead you were too busy trying to make me jealous, to hurt me more…and you succeeded. I hope you're happy. We're done. After everything we've been through together recently…and in the past…you have…the fucking nerve…to say that I've been NOTHING…but HORRIBLE to you…that I'm nothing…but…horrible…to you..." Ash said nothing more as he looked at Leaf for a moment with sullen eyes that seemed to bore straight into Leaf's soul before he turned around and left the dance area with everyone looking at him. Countless eyes watched him walk up to the bar, grab the open bottle that he was drinking from earlier on the counter, moved to the club's entrance, opened the door and disappeared.
A/N - Didn't expect things to go that way huh? I await your reviews and don't forget to fav and follow! Silent is out!