A/N - Hello to all my readers! Hope you're all doing well. I was able to get this one done earlier than anticipated but I believe it's ready. Some quick things...
1. Mewtwo not searching - I wanted it that way because I don't want him to be too overpowered. And he would still have to teleport around to check each location with his powers since they have a certain radius. In addition, he was needed to relay information and provide support through 'marking' them more than searching. Even if he is the most powerful psychic, sometimes power isn't what one needs and this is a perfect example.
2. About my 'filler' chapters - My filler chapters are just as important as the main plot ones. And it's not like I just focused on one thing. Several different perspectives were shown of what's going on and I want and need to show how the characters in the story are reacting to it. If I just focus on the major plot points, there's no substance in the story and I don't want that. Even with all the detail I've been writing, I'm still neglecting some characters and sub plots and I"m trying to rectify that.
3. Media being all over Ash's life - That's what they do. They latch onto the biggest news story and milk it for all its worth. Ash is the biggest thing happening because of being an Aura Guardian, his defense of the stadium attack and other things. Everyone wants to know about him as he's what's 'popular' now. This is important as well and you'll see why later.
4. Girls having similar dates - The structure may be the same, such as group outing, date at night and then intimacy shared before sleeping but everything else is different. Also, Misty didn't have the group outing, Dawn and Serena did. However, like I said, they did different things. May's will be similar but still different. I want to show how Ash treats them all equally and that's why the date STRUCTURE is the same but what they actually do is different. And each of the girls have their own distinct personality and desires so please pay attention to that more. I do understand what's been advised and things will change after May's date but reasonably so. I'm not going to have them just do group dates/fun stuff all of a sudden together.
5. Replies to some reviews;
AnthroDragon - No. Only the people in and around the Indigo Plateau heard the sky message. It wasn't a world broadcast. I guess I forgot to mention that. And about the second part of your reviews, if you're talking about what Ash is going to do to the Skull Brothers, read and find out. Other than that, I have no idea what you're trying to say. lol Sorry dude.
Jaguars5 - You'll find out if it'll go that way or not in this chapter.
ManbearPIG1 - Glad to know I was right in my assumption. :) I know, I'm trying to fix that. It's getting a little harder to juggle everyone effectively and I have plans to do so from now on. I just hope I can implement them well. You'll see what happens with Natasha and Leaf. Thanks buddy for the compliments and I'll do my best to keep the quality high and to finish the story. Enjoy your hunt. lol.
Rams34 - I'm not sure yet if Ash will have kids or not. Remind me about this if I end up going down that route.
Alright! Now, onto what you've all been waiting for! The next chapter and hopefully I exceed your expectations! Remember to review, fav and follow! Read on and enjoy! :)
- I DON'T OWN POKEMON -
- WARNING; MATURE CONTENT -
THE BLUE SPIRIT
CHAPTER 41 – A GUARDIAN'S WRATH
A blue haired young man and a blunette girl entered the lobby of the Indigo Hotel along with a yellow and dark blue fire badger and a blue and red crocodile. They took a few running steps before stopping, panting heavily. They looked around the lobby and saw there was no one there. "That's odd. This is… Indigo Hotel…right?" asked the male in between breaths.
The female turned to him and let out a long sigh before responding. "Yea it is. But where are his friends that he said should be here?" she asked. They walked to the receptionist counter and hit the bell on it. A moment later, a Pokémon League official entered through the doors behind the counter dressed in her black and white uniform. "Excuse me, but was there a group of people here before?" asked the girl.
"Yes. They were here but then teleported away. Apparently they got some news and left. They haven't been back since," revealed the official. "Is there anything you need or do you have any important information?" she asked the two.
The young man sighed and shook his head. "Damn, we missed them. And no we don't. We came to see if we could help out the Aura Guardian," he admitted.
The official nodded a bit. "That's good of you. I don't know what's happened but you can wait in the lobby to see if they come back," she offered and the two thanked her. They returned their pokémon and sat down on one of the couches there. The girl leaned her head against the boy's shoulder and he wrapped his arm around her.
"I hope he found them," said the girl after a while.
Her boyfriend nodded. "Me too. Me too. We'll wait for a bit to see if they come back."
Far away from the blue haired couple in the hotel lobby, a brunette haired girl was lost in her thoughts while unable to move from her position. No matter what she did, she couldn't escape from her situation. She couldn't believe she was captured. She couldn't believe that she was going to be violated and beaten. She couldn't believe the horrible way things ended between her and her childhood friend who turned out to be the love of her life. She couldn't believe that the terrible men who had kidnapped her were going to kill him. She couldn't believe any of it. She had struggled against her binds for a long time but there was no way out. All she saw was darkness because of the blindfold and her mouth was starting to hurt from the tight gag that was tied on her. She felt so exposed and vulnerable with her hands and legs forcibly spread, tied against the bed posts and having most of her clothes ripped off except for her undergarments. Any sound she heard made her heart skip a beat. She was dreading what was coming so much that she couldn't control herself anymore and started crying again while her body shuddered tremendously.
A pink haired girl was stuck in the exact same predicament as the brunette and was doing all she could to not completely break down even though she was already sobbing and shivering. She was praying for someone to find them and help them. She was praying to get out of there alive. She was praying to see Richie again. She wasn't really looking for love but it had just come out of nowhere and she had realized that she loves him more than anything. She couldn't imagine her life without him anymore and she wondered if he was alright at least or if the bald men had killed him. She tried to push the dark thoughts out of her head but had a hard time doing that. She silently let out tears while her imagination went overboard. She involuntarily pictured terrible things happen to him, to her, to the brunette and to the red head in the basement.
Four of the five brothers were in the living room on the first floor of the cabin. They were dressed in their military clothing and had put on the bulletproof vests. They had attached the large machetes to their belts and also clipped their pokémon's poke balls to their belts too. They had loaded several other magazines with bullets and each of them had two filled up magazines in the pouches attached to their thighs. They made idle talk while inspecting their rifles once more.
"Is everything ready?" asked Edmond after finishing up.
"Yea Boss. Weapons are loaded, pokémon are ready, the traps are set and we're hungry for revenge," replied Eddie.
"Good. Where's Ed?" asked Edmond.
"Probably in the basement," chuckled Edwin.
"Fucker's an addict. Let him have his fun with the red head," said Edmond.
"Ah Boss, you might want him to get back up here," said Edward from the window. He was keeping a look out through the small spaces between the boards that were hammered over them.
"Why?"
"I saw something move behind the trees. We may have company."
"Good. We can get our revenge sooner rather than later if it's him. Eddie, go get Ed," commanded Edmond and Eddie followed the commands.
Ed had gone down to the basement after checking his equipment, weapons and getting his pokémon ready for battle. He never could satisfy his sadistic and lustful desires. He was down there for a good ten minutes already, plowing away into Natasha after groping and beating her for a bit who couldn't even attempt to fight back, let alone whimper anymore, being so exhausted and weak. He wanted to fuck one of the two new girls but had to wait until after his eldest brother and boss went first. That was just how things were. She didn't have the energy anymore to cry out or shout for him to stop. She couldn't even say anything as her vocal cords were so damaged. It didn't help that she was hungry, dehydrated and still in incredible pain from the beatings, the cuts and rough rape before either.
"ED!" called out Eddie has he hurried down the basement.
"WHAT?! Can't you see I'm busy?!" he replied back angrily turning his head but still he continued.
"Boss says to get up here now!" said Eddie and hurried back up as Ed looked at Natasha. He caressed her face while still continuing, making her tremble in disgust from his dirty hands. He moved them down to her breasts again and squeezed them roughly. His long fingernails dug into her skin, making her let out a small whimper.
"I'm sorry darling, I know you want more. But it looks like you'll have to wait till later. Be back soon." He laughed as he finished up, pulling out of her with the poor girl loathing everything about him. He stood up, put on his pants and went upstairs, leaving the red haired girl on the cold basement floor, who was letting out silent tears over her terrible experiences.
"What is it?" Ed asked as he joined his brothers.
"We think he's here," answered Edmond and Ed had an evil grin form on his face. "You know what to do. Go to your spot and be prepared."
A few minutes ago, Ash, Richie, Mewtwo, Pikachu, Lucario and Gardevoir appeared near the edge of the woods right next to the clearing where the lone cabin and small lake was. Ash's anger was increasing with each passing second and Lucario quickly placed his paw on his Master's shoulder. The aura canine was sensing his emotions going haywire. "I know you are angry Master, but you must control it and not act rashly," advised Lucario and Ash took a deep breath to calm himself.
"You're right Lucario." Ash turned to face the group, his next words directed to the pokémon around the two humans. "No matter what happens, stick to the plan. Mewtwo, you know what to do right?" The psychic nodded and teleported out of there. "Pikachu you ready?" he asked his starter and Pikachu nodded, a glowing yellow outline around him. "Good. Lucario and Gardevoir, are you two ready?" They nodded. He turned to his friend. "Richie, I know you're ready for some payback, but you must do as I say. Alright?" His almost twin agreed without hesitation. "Alright, my pokémon are in position and we're ready. It's time. Follow my lead and Lucario; be on guard," finished Ash and the aura canine gave a curt nod in response. They nodded once more before they moved.
The raven haired guardian and his group went towards the trees at the edge of the woods and pressed against them. Ash moved his head behind cover to look into the clearing. He saw the cabin and the lake next to it. A loud sound echoed through the area and he instantly moved back behind cover right as a bullet whizzed past the spot his head was at a second ago.
"FUCK! THEY'RE SHOOTING AT US!" cursed Richie loudly and Ash quickly told him to keep it down. "Sorry but how the hell are we supposed to get closer? Can't we just teleport into the cabin?" he asked looking at his friend.
Ash glanced at Gardevoir and Lucario who shook their head and gave him an update mentally, surprising him. He sent a mental message to Mewtwo and got the same thing back. He was shocked. He turned to Richie. "Looks like that won't be an option. We have no idea what they have planned inside the cabin. We have to work our way in because for some reason, neither Gardevoir nor Mewtwo can sense where they are in the cabin. Lucario can sense their auras but can't tell where exactly they are and what they're doing. We cannot risk teleporting inside in case there are traps," informed Ash and Richie was stunned.
"How's that possible?!" he asked him as Ash took another look before quickly going behind cover again. Another round whizzed towards them and dug into the tree he was hiding behind.
"No idea," replied back Ash. He glanced at Lucario who looked at him. "You think you can handle it buddy?" he asked.
Lucario's eyes glowed blue in response. "Do you even have to ask?" replied the aura canine.
Ash looked at Richie. "Wait here until I signal you to come."
"Wait, what do you mean?!" asked Richie, both confused and worried.
But he was left without an answer. Lucario had stepped into the clearing with Ash right behind him and immediately following that, another loud gunshot was heard. Richie yelled out but was silenced at what he saw. The bullet had hit a transparent blue shield and dropped to the floor. More and more shots were fired but they all hit the shield as the two calmly walked to the cabin. The raven haired guardian trusted his pokémon and knew he could handle it. He knew they would get to their destination in one piece. But all he wanted to do was charge in, have Lucario blast the door of its hinges, beat the Skull Brothers into a bloody pulp, if not have Mewtwo crush their minds and take the girls home so they can get treated and be safe.
But he knew better. He needed to make smart decisions, especially since he couldn't use his aura, they couldn't sense where the Skull Brothers were in the cabin and couldn't risk teleporting into an ambush. And he wanted them to feel fear, to feel their anguish slowly consume them. This calm walk was surely getting to his enemies as it was playing with their minds since he was walking towards them without fear even though they were shooting at them. Because he wasn't able to use his aura for the time being, Mewtwo and Lucario had spoken with him back at the hotel and advised him to use intimidation and mind games to his advantage while they were waiting for their comrades to find them and give them an update. He had agreed, wanting to make them feel the fear that they no doubt made the girls feel.
"What the fuck are they doing?!" cursed Edward, peering through the boarded window cracks after shooting a bit.
"How are they just coming here with just the two of them and not even worried?!" asked Edwin while reloading his rifle. He was startled at seeing him drawing nearer without any sort of indication that he was afraid.
"Stop being such fucking pussies and act like you have balls! Keep firing! They can't block them forever!" snapped Edmond and aimed at the two.
But before he could pull the trigger, Ash caught their attention. "SKULL BROTHERS!" They heard the raven haired young man shouting through the slightly open living room windows and they went still and silent to listen. "I KNOW YOU'RE IN THERE! SURRENDER AND STEP OUT WITH YOUR HANDS RAISED! THIS IS YOUR LAST AND ONLY WARNING!" Ash stood with Lucario about halfway to the cabin, right in the middle of the clearing with nowhere to hide.
"FUCK YOU!" roared Ed as he shot his gun again at the two from behind the second story window. But once again, he's bullet didn't make it to its intended target. "FUCK!" He pulled the trigger on his rifle and held it, letting the automatic gun spew out bullets but they only hit the shield before falling to the floor. Lucario had blocked the bullets with his Aura Shield with ease. He had grown stronger and had experience blocking bullets now. It also helped that there was only one gun being fired at the moment even though it was firing much faster. After Ed ran out of bullets, he cursed out loud and Ash snarled.
"YOU HAD YOUR CHANCE!" roared Ash before he and Lucario moved towards the cabin at a much faster pace. All five of the brothers pulled the triggers on their rifles, spraying the clearing with bullets seeing both man and pokémon sprinting towards the cabin. They moved in a zigzag pattern while the bullets cut through the air towards them.
Richie watched from behind cover with widened eyes and a shocked look on his face. He couldn't believe what he was seeing. Ash and Lucario were moving in perfect sync, mirroring each other's movements. The aura canine's Aura Shield was preventing the bullets from striking them while dodging the others. "Incredible…"he whispered to himself. A pale blue shield appeared in front of him suddenly and he saw a few bullets drop to the ground a short distance away from his feet. He gulped and glanced at the psychic fairy next to him but her focus was on the two moving to the cabin through the hailstorm of bullets. "Thank you Gardevoir," he said quietly. The white and green pokémon didn't turn her gaze away from her trainer and mate but nodded. Richie moved his gaze back to what was happening in time to see them reach the cabin.
As soon as Ash and Lucario put a foot on the first step, Edwin pushed a button on a small transmitter. The cabin steps exploded underneath their feet and brought up a cloud of debris, smoke and dust. Richie was unable to make a sound but quickly went behind cover to avoid the flying pieces of the front porch. After a few seconds, he slowly turned his gaze to the cabin and saw the smoke. When it all faded away, it revealed a broken down and splintered front porch but also showed a pale blue shield being around them. Lucario was able to protect them with his shield. Edwin turned to his brothers and shook his head. The brothers were shaken to their core that their explosive surprise did absolutely nothing to them. The Aura Guardian and the aura canine were completely unharmed.
But Ash's anger was starting to go over the tipping point. "YOU'LL PAY FOR THAT!" roared Ash. He moved swiftly forward and kicked the front door open. The vile group opened fire at once with their rifles aimed at them. Ed had come down to the first floor after his failed attempt to kill him from a distance. Lucario blocked it with his Aura Shield again but was struggling because of the rapid fire from all five rifles. Gardevoir quickly teleported to their location, sensing him struggling and used her psychic powers to assist Lucario and the shield strengthened. Both pokémon held up the shield with ease where one could not. When they ran out of bullets, they lowered their weapons and looked on with shock as they were stupefied that not even a single shot got in. Gardevoir then quickly teleported Richie and Pikachu to be with them after Ash told her mentally. When the two appeared in the cabin, the evil men were surprised but Ash's almost twin quickly caught up to what happened as Pikachu took up a battle stance on the living room table, growling.
He narrowed his eyes and shook with rage. "WHERE'S JOY?!" shouted Richie after Lucario lowered the shield.
The Skull Brothers were too stunned to see them there, alive and not having even a single scratch on them from the bomb they set up on the cabin porch steps or from their hail of bullets whizzing through the air. They stood still for a moment before reacting at once. The evil brothers dropped their guns and pulled out their machetes while reaching for their poke balls. Five simultaneous, small but precise Thunder Bolts were shot from Pikachu before they could even move an inch that made the weapons fly out of their hands into the air. Another round of Thunder Bolts and they were sent flying into the wall behind them, embedding into them. Pikachu had sparks shooting out of his cheeks as the yellow glow around him pulsed. Richie would have been impressed at the electric mouse's power and skill but his mind was only on Joy. Lucario was snarling at them, his teeth bared with his eyes glowing blue and Gardevoir had a furious expression on her face with her eyes glowing blue too while levitating in the air.
"Where. Are. They?!" growled Ash. He knew where they were. But he wanted them to answer him. To submit to his will. To feel fear.
Edmond glanced at Ed who got the message. He turned around and headed down the hall from the living room before going up the stairs. Ash narrowed his eyes at the four remaining Skull Brothers before moving after Ed with Lucario. He signaled Richie to wait with Pikachu and Gardevoir, to keep an eye on the others and in case there were more traps. Richie agreed and brought out his Tyranitar to help keep an eye on things. The powerful mountain pokémon let out a deep growl at the four remaining brothers and they didn't move. Ash followed Ed and the Skull Brother led him to a bedroom door. He opened it and took a few steps forward before stopping. Ash stepped forward with Lucario keeping his attention on Ed who kept his gaze on the aura canine.
Ash moved past him and when he saw the figure of Joy, he hurried to her and sat down beside her. Joy started trembling when she felt the bed move and someone sit next to her. She started whimpering and her heart began beating madly. The raven haired guardian was boiling inside seeing how scared she was but controlled himself. He glanced at Ed with such a furious expression that he became frozen with fear gripping him. Satisfied that the vile man wouldn't move and knowing Lucario would bash his skull in before even moving an inch, he turned his attention back to Joy. Ash gently and carefully untied and removed her blindfold first. When she felt someone's hands on her head she whimpered even more and when the cloth was gone, she feared opening her eyes as to what she would see. Unable to control herself, Joy opened her eyes slightly and then immediately opened them before blinking a couple times when she realized who it was.
"Hey. I'm here and so is Richie. We're gonna take you home. No need to worry," said Ash soothingly and Joy felt herself stop shaking, completely relaxed now. They were saved and she would be seeing Richie again soon. Ash noticed how quickly she calmed down and was glad that he could make the people he cares about feel better with him around. He untied her gag and removed it, allowing her the ability to relax her jaw muscles finally. It felt so good to her that she couldn't speak for the moment while he worked on the binds on her wrists and feet. He noticed how they were tied so tightly that they had dug into her skin, leaving marks. He became even angrier but kept his fury in check for the moment. When he finished untying her binds, he helped her sit up and Joy hugged him quickly after.
"Thank Arceus. Thanks for coming after us Ash," thanked Joy with a hushed tone of voice and Ash reciprocated the hug.
"Anytime Joy. And I'm sorry for everything. C'mon. I'll take you to Richie," he told her.
"What about Leaf? And there's another girl who's hurt too," whispered Joy so only he could hear her as she looked at him.
"I'll get them out too. But one thing at a time," he replied back quietly. They separated and Ash got off the bed before holding out his hand for her to take. He helped her get off the bed and she stood beside him, no longer afraid of the Skull Brother now that her friend and boyfriend were there. He looked at Ed who was still frozen. "After you," said Ash with a serious tone to the bald man and it snapped him out of his trance. Ed led the way with Ash following directly behind him, Joy behind Ash and Lucario bringing up the rear. She was feeling so relieved to be getting out of there. They reached the living room again where they left the others. The second they saw each other, Joy's lips spread into a large smile at seeing her love and Richie was overcome with happiness at the sight of her. Ash made sure the Skull Brothers didn't do anything as the two moved to each other and hugged.
"I'm so sorry Joy. I tried my best but it wasn't good enough. Please forgive me for not being able to protect you," pleaded Richie as he held her tightly in his arms.
"It doesn't matter. You're here now. I know you did whatever you could. I'm just happy to see you here," replied Joy as she felt much comfort in his arms.
"Richie." Riche and Joy looked at Ash. "Tell the others that Leaf will be coming soon." Riche and Joy gave Ash confused looks before the two and his pokémon disappeared in blue glows, surprising the Skull Brothers. They reappeared back at the hotel in the living room where everyone else was waiting. Their sudden appearance made them jump but soon brushed it off.
"Damn it Ash!" yelled Richie, realizing what his friend just did and then silently returned his pokémon.
"What happened? Is Ash alright?" asked Cynthia for everyone.
"He's fine," responded Sabrina and everyone looked at her while neither Richie nor Joy could believe what he just did. She read their minds because they didn't answer. "He had Mewtwo teleport Richie and Joy here after telling them to tell us that Leaf will also be coming soon."
"He's getting them out of harms' way before they fight," remarked Alder and they understood. Richie was still pissed. He saw their hostile welcome but he still wanted to get revenge for what they did but now his chance was gone. Joy saw him angered but when she placed her hand in his, he calmed down and turned his attention to her.
"It's okay Richie," said Joy and Richie pulled her into a tight embrace, with their group looking at them.
Back at the cabin, after the two disappeared, Ash told Ed to take him to the other girl. At first he didn't move but then Lucario snarled at him and he took a step back. He glanced at Edmond who nodded his head. They had no choice. Ed led the way and this time Ash mentally told Lucario to stay to help watch the others in case they tried something and that he could handle Ed by himself. The aura canine didn't argue since it would show weakness in front of their enemies and they needed to keep their dominance. If they figured out that Ash was in a weakened and vulnerable state, they may try something.
Ash followed after Ed, going back upstairs and this time Ed opened the door opposite the room where Joy was held. He took a few steps in before stopping. The raven haired guardian stopped a foot behind him when he saw the brunette in the same tied up position as Joy but she was barely dressed, only having her undergarments on. He grew furious at that and lost control. He struck Ed abruptly so hard that he went crashing to the ground, knocked out. The raven haired guardian wasn't satisfied with knocking him out though. He wanted to beat him into pulp but controlled his urge. He would get what he deserved soon enough. Seeing Ed pacified, he faced the girl again and continued towards her, noticing the cut on her cheek, which did nothing but anger him more.
When the brunette heard the door open, followed by something hitting the floor, she became worried and grew scared. When she felt something sit on the bed, she started whimpering and struggling against her binds. She didn't want to be raped and abused. Her heart was beating so rapidly that she felt like it was going to pop out of her chest. But then something happened that made her stop in confusion. She expected to get hit or her bra and panties to be ripped off. Instead, a pair of hands gently worked to untie and remove her blindfold. Leaf slowly opened her eyes, scared as to what she was going to see. The image was a little blurry but after a few quick blinks, she was able to see clearly. She saw the raven haired man of her dreams looking at her with his brown eyes locked onto her green ones. He gave her a small smile as he leaned in closer and started working on untying the gag.
"I'm here Leaf. I'm so sorry for everything. Absolutely everything. But we'll talk about that later okay? Let me get these off of you and get you out of here first. You'll be alright. You'll be safe. I swear it," he told her.
Leaf was astonished at who had come for her. She felt such powerful feelings that he had come for her that she couldn't do anything except gaze at him. She couldn't believe he was here, that he had risked his life for her. Her heart was first beating madly from thinking that she was going to be tortured and raped. It still was but not because of fear anymore but because he had come for her and wouldn't let anything happen to her. But her happiness didn't last long as she noticed something behind her love. She looked over him and what she saw made her heart leap to her throat. Ed was sneaking up on Ash with a large knife, ready to strike.
Leaf froze in that instant. Seeing Ed sneaking up with the knife and Ash hovering over her on a bed, made her remember her nightmare where the Skull Brothers killed him right in front of her. It seemed like some sort of sick joke being played on her. How could she have seen the future? How could her imagination and subconscious show something so terrible that the powers that be decided to make it real? Why? Why was this happening? Seeing Ed move closer and closer without any sound made was making her heart thump so loudly she was astonished that Ash couldn't hear it. She had to do something to get him to notice what was happening.
She tried to talk or make some sort of warning sound but Ash was still working on untying the gag and he hadn't noticed Ed moving to him. She tried showing with her eyes by moving them rapidly to him and then to the side but he never got it as his attention was on the gag. She narrowed her eyes and furrowed her brow hoping he would get it as Ed raised the knife and got it ready in a stabbing position. She did everything she could to make him realize what the Skull Brother was up to, to stop Ed or at least move out of the way so he wouldn't die because of her. If she went, that was fine with her as long as he was alright. He had come for her and that was all she needed from him as she realized he still cared for her. But he never got it. She couldn't believe that he didn't notice her warnings and she couldn't believe he wasn't able to sense the incoming threat when he usually did before with no problem. She was going to watch her nightmare come true and there was nothing she could do about it. Ed quietly approached Ash and swung his blade.
LOOK OUT MASTER!
Lucario's mental warning was too late and Ash didn't respond in time to avoid the hit. The blade struck home but not in the intended area. The raven haired guardian was able to move a bit to the side to avoid a fatal hit yet the blade still pierced through his lower back. Ash let out a mangled cry that made Leaf cry out against her gag fruitlessly. Seeing his attack successful, Ed smirked after letting out a laugh before he withdrew his blade to strike again. Ash whirled around to attack but reacted too slowly and Ed struck home again but this time to his stomach. Ash jerked forward a bit from the strike before becoming immobilized from the hit, paralyzed from the extreme pain he was feeling from the two strikes. Ed pushed him backwards until he was against the wall before deepening the blade into his stomach, making Ash cry out.
"We told you that nobody messes with the Skull Brothers," said Ed dangerously with an evil smile before twisting the blade inside his victim. Ash let out a garbled cry as blood trickled out of his mouth. Leaf couldn't believe what she was seeing. Her nightmare had come true. She was going to bear witness to Ash being killed in real life. She struggled with all her might against the binds and screamed as loudly as she could against the gag but it was all for nothing. Ed noticed the brunette trying to get free to help or do something. It made his nasty smile grow larger, his eyes roaming over her half naked body. "Looks like your girlfriend is trying to get free to help you. How sweet of her. She must love you and you must love her for walking to your own doom." He turned his gaze back to Ash and locked eyes with the young man who was feeling his life slowly leaving him. "Tell you what Mr. Aura Guardian. Before I make you leave this world, I will make you watch me ravage your girlfriend over and over until you die. That is my specialty. You will die watching her become my own personal play thing while you couldn't do anything to stop me! HAHAHAHA!"
Ash coughed out some blood, struggling to stay conscious. Ed turned the blade more, making Ash cry out again. Leaf trembled in her tied up position, crying her eyes out because of what she was witnessing and she screamed against the gag but the only sounds that came out were muffled ones. The raven haired guardian let out a ragged breath, slowly turning his tired gaze to the tied up brunette on the bed. Leaf noticed and stopped struggling to look at him properly. She saw guilt and shame in his eyes but whether it was from their altercation from last night or failing her now, she didn't know. He saw the terrified look in her teary eyes, scared beyond measure, vulnerable, half naked and he also noticed how she was looking at him. It was filled with guilt, concern, fear and…love. He turned his gaze back to the sadistic man in front of him and saw him still laughing with his eyes filled with malicious intent.
Something stirred inside the young guardian at that moment. It wasn't his anger but something else had awakened. He couldn't let this maniac, his brothers or anyone else for that matter hurt Leaf. Hurt his childhood friend. Hurt someone that he…loves. It was that desire, that will to protect her, to save her no matter the cost that lit a fire inside of him. It gave him strength, gave him energy. He grabbed Ed's wrist all of a sudden that held the blade with an iron grip, making Ed stop laughing immediately and winced from it. Ed used his other hand to grab Ash's hand to pull it away but was unable to do so.
"You and your brothers… none of you will ever touch her again…you will pay for all you have done…you will rot in Hell for it…and I'll send you there myself!" snarled Ash.
Ed looked up in time to see the raven haired guardian's eyes narrow in pure fury, before glowing a bright blue making him freeze and Leaf was looking at him with eyes filled with wonder and shock. His desire to protect Leaf no matter the cost forced his aura to manifest to his aid in his weakened state. Using this boost, Ash pushed Ed's wrist away from him, making Ed pull the knife out of his stomach, blood gushing out but it was of no importance to the angered young guardian. When the blade was finally out, he punched Ed in the chest, making him let out a gasp and he dropped the knife. Ed went to strike Ash with his free hand in retaliation but Ash caught the punch with ease, making Ed widen his eyes in surprise. The guardian's eyes glowed an even brighter blue as a blue outline appeared around him.
"Did you honestly believe that a couple stab wounds would kill me?! Would kill an Aura Guardian?!" asked Ash and all he got was silence.
Ash quickly used the shock to pull Ed down and kneed him in the face. Ed cried out from the hit, stunned and before he could recover, Ash spun him around and flung him head first into the wall behind him, knocking him out. Seeing his enemy out for the moment, Ash leaned against the bed post to catch his breath, his eyes losing their blue glow and the outline around him faded away before sitting next to Leaf again. Forcing his aura out had taxed him but it was worth it. It did its job by giving him strength and stopped his stab wounds from bleeding more as it partly healed him. He quickly untied Leaf's gag and when he finished with that, he picked up the knife and carefully cut the binds on her hands and feet before tossing the blade aside. As soon as she was able to and the blade was gone from Ash's hands, she flung herself onto Ash and hugged him tightly, not caring at all about her half revealing state while he returned the hug.
"I'm so glad that you're alright! I thought you were going to die! I'm so sorry Ash! For everything! I'm so sorry!" she sobbed into his chest.
"It's alright Leaf. It'll take more than that to kill me. I'm glad that you're alright and I'm sorry too. So sorry…But we'll talk about that later. C'mon, let's get you out of here," he said gently.
They separated and Ash got up and went to the closet. All he saw was a trench coat but decided it would do. He took it and helped Leaf put it on. He then quickly picked her up into his arms. "Ash! You're hurt! Put me down. I can walk," she told him but he shook his head.
"I'll be fine Leaf. My training over the past three years wasn't just learning how to fight but how to deal with pain and injuries. And I don't know if there are any traps here as Lucario isn't with us. He's better at sensing traps than I am. I'd rather it be me who gets his foot stuck in one than you," he told her. She felt her heart race at what he said but she was still worried that he was straining himself. Seeing the concerned look on her face, Ash let a small smile form on his face to show her that everything is alright. She couldn't help it and smiled back a bit too.
While Ash made his way back down to his waiting pokémon in the living room, Leaf held onto him tightly as she leaned her head against his chest. She heard his heart beating calmly. It soothed her but she also felt incredible comfort in his embrace. She couldn't believe it though; he had come for her. He had risked his life for her, becoming injured for her. She let out tears as she realized that even though they had a very ugly fight just the night before, he still cared for her deeply and would do all he could to protect her.
When Ash reached the living room with Leaf, they found the four Skull Brothers on the floor, injured but awake. Lucario made to go upstairs to help Ash when he and Gardevoir sensed the intent of the attack but then the four Skull Brothers made to attack them with their pokémon. Seeing their reaction, the two and Pikachu reacted in time to keep them from calling out their reinforcements. By the time they made sure that the four were subdued, he sensed his Master's energy spike and knew he had taken the upper hand and controlled the situation.
The Skull Brothers had their eyes widen in astonishment. Ed was supposed to take care of him. He was the fastest and the best at stealthy attacks and no one had ever caused him any trouble. He was supposed to do that the first time he showed the Aura Guardian upstairs but couldn't because of Lucario. Seeing him go back up again without his pokémon made them think that he would take care of it. Then he was supposed to send out his pokémon from the second story and have them attack. But here was the Guardian with the second girl. Ash made his way through the living room and stopped beside his pokémon without any trouble from the Skull Brothers since they were unable to at the moment.
"I'll be back," stated Ash before he and Leaf vanished in blue glows while his pokémon stayed behind, making sure the Skull Brothers can't flee. The two of them reappeared at the hotel among their family and friends.
"ASH! / LEAF!" shouted out everyone when they saw them and gathered round the two, happy that they were back safely. Ash let a small smile form at them for a second before glancing at Leaf who raised her gaze to his.
"Ash…" started Leaf as she looked into his eyes. "I almost forgot to tell you. You have to help Joy and there's another girl there too. Her name is Natasha. She's very hurt and she said she was raped and beaten. You have to help them and…and they hurt me and…touched me inappropriately and…and would've raped me too if you didn't get here in time. They probably did the same to Joy," she said in a low voice, tears escaping from her eyes. Ash looked at the cut on her cheek again, and his rage grew but spoke calmly back to her.
"Don't worry Leaf. Richie and I got Joy out already. I'll get Natasha out too. And then I'll make them suffer for what they've done before sending them to their graves," promised Ash. Even though they knew that was his plan, his last few words still scared everyone but no one commented on it. Even though Lance, Diantha and Officer Jenny wanted to say something, they kept their mouths shut. Leaf hugged him tighter. Ash went to lower her onto the couch, but the brunette did not want to let go. "Leaf, I know you're scared, but you're safe now and I need to go get Natasha."
"I know Ash, I know. I just…I'm scared. I had a nightmare in the morning that the Skull Brothers killed you…They already injured you and got close to doing that." Everyone just noticed the stab wounds on Ash when Leaf said that and they became concerned and worried for him, with many of the girls even letting out yelps and gasps at the sight of the blood and wounds. How did they not notice it before?! "I know you can take a beating but please promise me you'll be more careful. Promise me that you'll come back to us…to me," she said as she looked into his eyes. Ash was astonished that she would dream something like that.
"No need to worry. I promise I'll be careful Leaf. I promise I'll come back and I promise that they'll pay for everything that they've done," he told her before she reluctantly let go and let herself be lowered onto the couch. When he vanished from sight, the girls then went to Leaf, to help comfort and support her. Ash reappeared in the cabin in the woods beside his pokémon. "Where is she?" he asked the Skull Brothers the second he got back. Again he knew but didn't show it.
"What are you talking about psycho? You already took the girls we took," responded Eddie. An Aura Sphere was shot from Lucario that went flying over his head suddenly, blowing a hole through the wall behind him. "She's in the basement!" he said fearfully right after and his brothers gave him dirty looks that he was intimidated so easily.
Ash moved past them and went down the basement stairs. He looked around as he stepped forward, looking out for any traps. He found the young woman in the middle of the basement floor, near the far wall. He took in a sharp breath. He couldn't believe the state she was in. She was completely naked, covered in cuts, scratches, dried red marks and bruises. He hurried to her and knelt down beside her, wondering if she was still alive. He noticed her chest slightly moving, indicating that she was still breathing. He also noticed that one of her eyes was swollen shut and she had a broken nose. His rage grew even more and he was struggling to control it, wanting to go back up to deal with them right then.
That is until he noticed the red haired girl shiver and that made him fully focus on her. He got up and looked around, searching for something to cover her up with. Natasha started trembling, fear feeling her, sensing that someone was beside her. She couldn't even whimper because doing even that caused her pain. She didn't open her eye at all. She didn't want to see what they were going to do to her again. She had seen more than she ever wanted to for the rest of her life. That is, until she felt a blanket placed on her and a new voice speak.
"Hey there, it's alright. I'm not going to hurt you. I'm here to help. I'm going to get you out of here," said the man softly.
The voice sounded very different than what she was used to hearing recently. It was so much softer and yet it was also strong along with an air of confidence and kindness. Nothing at all compared to the Skull Brothers and she had never heard a voice sound like that before in her life. Unable to control herself, Natasha opened her one good eye as much as she could after hearing him speak. She saw a handsome raven haired young man kneeling beside her on the floor and could tell with the way that his clothes hug him that he was fit. She also noticed that there were blood stains around his shirt with a large hole in it. She saw the stab wound in his stomach, but his lack of concern for it baffled her.
But what really caught her attention though were his eyes when she looked into them. They were filled with compassion and concern but also of kindness and strength. She had never seen such eyes like that before either. She knew who he was, but seeing him in person was completely different than what she was expecting after watching the stadium attack recording. She would've felt angry and humiliated at being caught in the nude but after everything that had happened to her, she couldn't care less about that right now.
"I'm so sorry for what you've been through," he said and his voice felt like a soothing melody to her. It calmed her since it was so gentle sounding but carried an air of power. Unlike the harsh coarse voices that were filled with lust and sadism she's been hearing from the Skull Brothers for a while now. But when he reached out his hand over to her to move her hair out of her face so it wouldn't bother her, she shook in fear and drew her head back. She wasn't able to move much but it was enough for Ash to notice that she was afraid and traumatized. He pulled his hand back instantly. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you. I should've known that you would be afraid right now and have trusting issues especially with people you don't know." Natasha slowly stopped her shivering and looked at him with a wary eye after she heard his words. "But I promise you, I'm here to help. I know it's hard right now, but will you give me a chance and trust me Natasha?" he asked her.
Natasha couldn't believe it. Here he was, asking and waiting for her trust while he was in a dangerous place. She didn't know if he had dealt with all the Skull Brothers or not but he was taking his sweet time like he had no care in the world. And he had said her name. She hadn't told the Skull Brothers her name. She only said it to the two girls…and that's when she figured it out. He had probably rescued the two girls first. He was most likely looking for them. They must've told him that she was here too. She looked into his eyes and could find no hint of deceit or betrayal in them yet she was still unsure if she could trust him. Then again, even if she didn't or couldn't feel like she could trust him, she really didn't have anything to lose at this point. Very slowly and barely moving, keeping her gaze on him, she nodded.
"Thank you for trusting me. Just give me a moment…" He got up, looking around for something to cut her binds. He searched around at the shelving units and found a knife just lying there. He grabbed the knife and moved back to the red haired girl and knelt back down beside her. Natasha trembled after seeing the knife. At first he was confused but then Ash realized why she started feeling so afraid when he saw her eye move to the knife. "Hey, it's okay. I'm not going to hurt you. I promise. I'm going to just cut the ropes. I know that they cut you but that's not what I'm going to do. Okay?" he told her. She barely stopped her trembling and looked at him again before she nodded slowly once more. He moved the blanket a bit to find her bound hands and feet before he carefully cut the binds. Not once did he check out her bare body, keeping his gaze on her hands and then her feet only and she noticed that. When he finished, he tossed the knife aside, making sure to keep things that frightened her away. She shook a bit again, still cold even with the blanket on her. Ash looked around and found a large bath towel that was on the same shelving unit as the knife and took off his jacket. He was about to hand them to her when she spoke for the first time.
"Can't…move…" was all she said in a very low and hoarse whisper. She was too weak and in too much pain to move by herself. Even saying those two words took a lot out of her but he understood.
Ash opened up the large bath towel and spread it out on the floor next to her. He helped her on to it before wrapping her torso with it, covering her from the bottom of her neck to her knees. He did that again with the blanket as it wasn't too big, but it also covered her legs fully. Afterwards, he helped her sit up, placed his jacket around her shoulders and assisted in putting her arms through the arm holes. She was finally starting to feel warm because she wasn't really naked anymore. While he did all this, he saw clearly all the horrible bruises and cuts on her up close, especially the carved word on her back. He grew even more furious to the point of almost blowing his top but took in a deep silent breath through his nose and focused on Natasha. The red head kept her eye on him, watching him attend to her gently with great compassion. She never had anyone show even half the kind of attention he was giving her. He knelt beside her afterwards and she turned her face to him that was half covered by her red hair. He slowly reached over and moved her disheveled hair gently back so the two could see each other clearly. Natasha kept her gaze on his the whole time, allowing him to do that this time.
"Can you walk?" he asked her and after a moment, she barely shook her head. "Will you allow me to carry you?" he asked and he waited again for her reply. Another moment passed before she nodded. "Is there anything here that you need?" he asked her.
"No…" She could barely say that and was barely able to get that single syllable out before her voice completely went away. It would seem that she made her last sound for a while. Her throat was very sore from all the forced fellatio and her vocal cords were so heavily damaged because of all her shrill screaming. She had memorized all the contact numbers in her phone and knew how to get in touch with them without a phone number.
But that didn't matter at all because Giovanni had cut ties with her. And her pokémon would've been recalled by now by him. They weren't hers to begin with. They were given to her by him. There was no way he would've let them stay. That was the first thing Giovanni had told her when she first joined. Any big failure, no matter what position she held, and she would be gone, with all the things she earned taken back. That was Rocket protocol so they could prevent unnecessary losses.
"Okay. It's time to go. Are you ready?" he asked her and she nodded. Ash placed one arm underneath her legs and the other around her back and gently picked her up. He moved up the stairs, maintaining a good grip on her but made sure he wasn't causing her any more pain than what she was no doubt still feeling. For the first time in a long time, Natasha felt something she hadn't felt for Arceus knows how long; safe. Even back at headquarters, though she was one of the top executives and Giovanni's personal assistant, she always had to watch her back. She had to be cautious at all times because of the bet and that others wanted her position in the organization. But not with him; she felt safe with him and didn't want that feeling to ever go away.
When he reached the living room and Natasha saw the Skull Brothers, she quickly hid her face into Ash's chest as tears fell from her eye and she began shaking violently. She never wanted to see them again and never wanted to remember what happened to her here in the cabin. Ash noticed her reaction and knew what it was from. He was about to say something to her to try to calm her but never got the chance as Edmond opened his mouth at that moment. "That's right bitch! You'll never forget us or the happy times we had together! Consider them farewell gifts!" Edmond was only able to let out a single laugh before Ash's foot connected against his chest and sent him colliding into the wall behind him before dropping down onto the floor, completely dazed.
"You're lucky I'm carrying this beautiful girl in my arms right now," said Ash in a powerful voice now, making Natasha look up to gaze at him over what he said. He lowered his gaze to hers. "We're going to teleport to a safe place so don't be alarmed." He gave her a reassuring smile that made her feel comforted a bit and then they vanished.
Ash and Natasha appeared in the living room of his hotel suite. Expecting him to come back, nobody was startled anymore from the teleporting. Everyone moved to him and the new girl. It made Natasha become overwhelmed with so many new faces around her, and that she was in such a rough state of mind that she buried her face into Ash's chest. "Give us some space," said Ash, seeing her reaction and they backed up in understanding. "Mom, which room is the infirmary?" he asked her.
"This way. Follow me and the rest of you stay here for now," said Delia, leading the way and he followed after his mother while their group made space for them to get through. They reached the room turned hospital and Delia opened the door for the two and stepped aside. Ash walked in carrying Natasha. Blissey moved to them with a concerned expression with his mom following after him.
"What happened to her?" asked Delia when she got close to them. Natasha hid her beaten face in shame against Ash's chest again. Ash noticed that and felt sullen because of what she went through.
"The Skull Brothers happened to her. But I'm going to repay the favor," replied Ash. He lowered his gaze to the girl in his arms. She felt him look at her and raised her head as much as she could. "Hey. I'm going to have my Mom take care of you now okay?" he said softly to her but he wasn't expecting what she did next. She shook her head slightly before burying her face into his chest once more and grasped his torn and bloody shirt tightly. He looked up stunned at his mother but all he got back was a small smile from her. He lowered his gaze back to the girl. "It's alright. My mom won't hurt you. She'll look after you." She shook her head again and grasped even tighter. For being so weak and tired, her grip was surprisingly strong. She didn't want her source of comfort and feeling of safety to be gone. "Hey, it's okay. I know you're scared and feel like you can't trust anyone. But you trusted me back there. So trust me again as my Mom and my friends won't ever hurt you. They'll look after you and I'll come back. I promise. Can you do that for me Natasha?" She slowly raised her gaze to his face and looked into his eyes before she finally nodded and Ash gave her a smile.
Delia opened the bed covers and Ash tenderly lowered Natasha onto the bed, still wrapped in the blanket, towel and wearing his jacket. Reluctantly, the red head let go and the raven haired guardian withdrew from the embrace before Delia raised the covers over her. She felt so much comfort from the bed after spending so much time against the cold hard basement floor that she thought she was lying on a cloud. Seeing her finally relax a little bit, Ash felt a bit better and let out a sigh.
"Sweetie, can you get the girls' mothers to come here and help me before you leave?" asked Delia. Without a word, Ash began to head out the room but then was whirled around and caught up in a bear hug. "I'm so proud of you my son. Just be careful."
"Thanks and I will Mom. They have to pay for what they did to them all," replied back Ash. They separated and he left the room. Delia turned around to face the red head after a moment, Blissey standing by her side. She saw the girl was looking at her with a slightly fearful look.
"No need to worry. My son…is not like most and he will be fine. And he'll be back before you know it," she told her kindly with a slight smile, walking to her side. She sat down beside her on the bed. She looked at the beaten girl for a second. She grasped her hand gently. She thought it was a good sign that the girl didn't withdraw from her, but she didn't know that she was too weak to even attempt to move away. Her hands were cold and she noticed how it was bruised and cut. "I'm so sorry for what they did. My friends and I are going to help you as much as we can…"
Ash entered the living room where everyone else was and saw the girls' mothers. He told them that his mom needed their help as well with Natasha as she was gravely injured. When the three left to go to Delia to help her, the raven haired guardian looked at everyone. Before he could say anything, he felt someone grab his shoulder from behind and he spoke without even turning around, knowing who it was; "No Richie."
"You can't deny me this!" shot back Richie. He wanted to go get some payback himself.
"I know you want revenge. I want it too," said Ash, turning around to face him.
"Then let me have it!" snapped Richie but Ash shook his head. "Why can you get it and not me?!"
"Because it's my job to keep the balance! To make criminals pay for their actions! I'm going to unleash hell on them and I don't want you in the cross fire! And I will not let my friend taint his soul for such a reason!" replied Ash before teleporting away.
"ASSHHH!" screamed Richie into the air. He hung his head and slouched. Joy ran to his side hugging him, who began to shake in anger and sadness that he wouldn't be able to avenge Joy himself. Their friends stood silently around them, understanding both of their reasons.
The raven haired guardian reappeared in the cabin in between his pokémon. In his absence, Ed had come back downstairs to his brothers and was surprised to see the guardian's pokémon still there. He thought they had left without dealing with them, believing they made a foolish mistake. Pikachu, Lucario and Gardevoir were waiting for Ash patiently and not once did they let the Skull Brothers take advantage. They had prevented them from escaping and from calling their pokémon again. The young man looked at the five brothers with a furious gaze but then walked out the front door of the cabin and his pokémon followed him. The Skull Brothers were confused and looked at one another before they heard Ash yell from outside.
"COME ON OUT SKULL BROTHERS AND FACE ME!" challenged Ash. Not even a moment later, the five brothers came running out of the cabin towards them before tossing out all of their poke balls and many pokémon appeared with flashes of light, their machetes back in their hands. Three Rhyperiors, three Aggrons, three Machamps, three Tyranitars, three Weaviles, three Shiftry, three Houndoom, three Ursaring, three Crawdaunt and three Scizors appeared.
"You're outnumbered Guardian! I swear we're going to beat you to within an inch of your life! We'll keep you alive so when we find your girlfriend again, we're gonna make you watch as we torture your friends and turn your girlfriend into our own personal nymphomaniac! Just like we did to that red haired whore after you let us go the first time we met!" promised Edmond as he glared at the Guardian with his eyes filled with malicious intent.
The Skull Brother's threat made the raven haired guardian's blood boil, his rage going past the limit. His fury at what they had done….attacking the girls in the woods….hurting Richie…kidnapping Joy and Leaf…raping and beating Natasha…stabbing him…and to what they were threatening to do in the future. No, he would not give them that chance. He was done giving chances to scumbags like them. The only thing they deserved was feeling his wrath, to feel agonizing pain before they were to be wiped from existence with their souls sent to Hell to burn for all of Eternity. His eyes narrowed, his hands clenched into fists and he shook as he let his incredible fury that had been itching to be released, finally overtake him. "YOU WILL PAY FOR ALL YOU HAVE DONE! YOU WILL NEVER GET NEAR HER OR ANYONE ELSE EVER AGAIN!" roared Ash and his eyes glowed a very bright blue.
Dark clouds were beginning to form out of nowhere and completely blocked out the sun as thunder struck every few seconds with streaks of blue lightning seen between the clouds. Powerful whirling winds began to swirl around the clearing. The winds were so strong that the Skull Brothers and their pokémon were having a hard time trying to stay standing. The ground began shaking, lightly at first before the tremors became more pronounced. A bright blue outline appeared around Ash before bright blue aura flames erupted from his body. He had finally managed to bring out his full aura... but it was done forcefully. The aura flames shot higher and higher up, the young guardian's incredible rage strengthening him beyond normal levels for a guardian. The howling winds and earthquakes slowly stopped after the dark clouds fully formed.
After the clouds formed, the clearing became covered in shadow while countless blue glowing eyes began to appear in the tree lines. The Skull Brothers and their pokémon were frantically looking around them, becoming frightened from what they were seeing. A moment later, dozens of pokémon moved into the clearing out of the woods from all sides and their eyes slowly stopped glowing blue. Ash's pokémon surrounded them as they closed in with menacing growls let out from each and every one of them. Loud screeches were heard from above and they looked up in time to see both a majestic and horrifying sight.
The legendary birds Articuno, Zapdos and Moltres appeared through the clouds. Each flap of their wings let out small waves of their respective element. The elemental winged titans hovered in three different spots around the clearing, their large captivating size intimidating their foes.
Immediately after, three loud roars were heard before three large shapes jumped high into the air from the woods before landing near their winged legendary siblings. Entei, Raikou and Suicune stood up tall and proud, snarling at the Skull Brothers and their pokémon.
A large swirling water tornado formed in the lake as it reached high up into the air and a shadow of a large being was seen swimming up it before it appeared with a mighty shout as it spread its powerful wings, causing the water tornado to break apart and fall down like rain as the Guardian of the Seas hovered above the lake.
A rainbow formed from the clouds above and when it reached the ground beside Lugia, it disappeared to reveal the rainbow colored legendary pokémon Ho-Oh. She flapped her mighty wings and small multi-colored flames were shot out from her.
A ball of flames appeared out of nowhere besides Ash and it faded away to reveal the small fire psychic legendary Victini who took up a battle stance.
A blue glowing sphere appeared on the other side of Ash with a tall, bipedal purple feline appeared in a fighting stance with his eyes glowing blue. Mewtwo had a furious expression on his face, his glowing eyes locked onto his enemies in front of him, letting out a powerful flare of psychic energy that pushed his enemies back many feet.
At the Indigo Hotel, while the four mothers were tending to Natasha's needs, the others were in the living room and balcony, waiting impatiently for Ash's return. Sarah glanced towards the woods in the horizon and she widened her eyes. "GUYS!" Everyone looked at her. "LOOK!" The blonde girl pointed towards the horizon and they all turned their heads to see dark clouds appearing out of nowhere with many streaks of blue lightning appearing. They all had shocked expressions on their faces. Britney Snow had her cameraman Richard record the phenomenon.
"That's odd; it's supposed to be sunny today," commented Britney.
"That's not normal weather! That's Ash doing that!" explained May and the newer people in the group had their jaws drop, unable to believe that he's responsible for it. They felt aftershocks ripple through the building suddenly from the earthquakes he was causing in the distance. "He's letting out his aura!" stated May after the ground stopped shaking and they saw a blue glow in the far distance.
"That's not normal! Not even for an Aura Guardian!" exclaimed Riley in concern.
Riley's remark made the people there becoming afraid as to how much power he was letting out and could cause the planet itself to respond like this. Please be careful Ash, thought each of the girls that harbored feelings for him as they saw many more lightning strikes and they heard loud thunder from the distance. They saw large beings come down from the clouds.
"Those are the Legendary Birds of Kanto!" shouted Richard after zooming in with his camera and several people who hadn't seen them gasped, wondering how he was able to have them on his side as well.
At the lobby of the hotel, the blue haired couple felt the aftershocks and held onto each other. "Where the hell is this coming from?!" asked the guy, holding his girlfriend tightly. A moment later, the tremors stopped and the two looked at one another. "That's weird how it just came and went like that," he said.
The girl let out a gasp suddenly and he stared at her. "Remember the stadium attack?! How Ash let out his aura and some earthquakes happened?!" The guy's eyes widened, understanding dawning on him. "It has to be him that caused it! It makes sense since nobody's here and we've waited a while. They probably found his friends and are fighting the Skull Brothers!" Both of them stood up and went outside. They couldn't see anything amiss.
"Don't know what to do to help. We have no idea where they are but if you're right, then that means all hell is going to break loose," said the guy and the girl turned her gaze to him. The two stood there for a while trying to figure out what to do…
Back at the clearing with the small cabin and lake, the Skull Brothers and their pokémon were beyond shocked now. They couldn't believe what they were seeing. This Aura Guardian had an army of pokémon with him along with several legendary pokémon as well. They were trapped and there was nowhere to run. The five bald men were frozen with shock and their pokémon looked lost at what to do. They had never been in a situation like this before.
"Pokémon of the Skull Brothers," said Ash, catching their attention since he was addressing them. "I will give you one chance to live without being harmed. You have been ordered by your trainers to do wrong. If you stand down now, you will not be harmed by me or my pokémon and you will be set free after," offered Ash. He was hoping that they would all stand down. He knew that not all of them would but the more that would take him up on his offer, the better things will be. He didn't want to hurt them if they didn't really want to do bad things. What he wasn't expecting was for none of them to even make any acknowledgement of his offer. They instead growled at him, flexing their claws or muscles. "I give you a chance and this how you reply back. It looks like you're as evil as them. You shall receive the same punishment. You have hurt people and taken advantage of others. You felt joy and happiness in causing others pain and sorrow! There will be no mercy given or shown to you! By the ancient laws set by Arceus, you will answer for your crimes! Your judgment has been made! You will perish for your sins!" said Ash, the blue flames dancing violently around him.
Lucario glanced at his Master from the corner of his eye. The aura canine was worried. Ash's body hadn't healed yet and forcing himself to use so much aura could hurt him but he didn't say anything or show any concern. They were in the middle of a conflict and couldn't bring doubt to his or to Ash's mind now. He only hoped that his Master could bear the strain until it was not needed and it wouldn't do lasting damage so he could heal him later.
"FUCK YOU! WE WILL NEVER SURRENDER! AND YOU DON'T HAVE THE BALLS TO FIGHT US YOURSELF AS YOU ARE NOTHING BUT A COWARD WHO HIDES BEHIND HIS LEGENDARY POKÉMON! THE ONLY REASON YOU BEAT US LAST TIME WAS BECAUSE YOU HAD HO-OH FIGHT US INSTEAD OF TAKING US ON LIKE A REAL MAN!" screamed back Edmond. His anger had overtaken his fear and sense, insulting the Aura Guardian.
Ash however, ignored the insult. "You will pay for what you did to my friends. And with or without the aid of the Legendary pokémon, you will answer for you crimes," said Ash in a scary calm but serious tone of voice. "Your time has come! YOU WILL PAY FOR EVERYTHING YOU HAVE DONE! SAY GOODBYE YOU FUCKING BASTARDS!" roared out Ash before sprinting towards the Skull Brothers and their pokémon.
They were momentarily startled, seeing something that looked like a wild blue fire ball moving towards them before snapping out of it. "STOP HIM! TEAR HIM APART!" commanded the Skull Brothers and their pokémon charged towards the advancing Aura Guardian.
As the guardian and the group of evil pokémon drew closer to one another, the ground began shaking. All of a sudden, Steelix popped out from under the ground. He lifted his trainer up into the air, having emerged right in front of him. The young man knew for he and his pokémon communicated mentally through their aura bond. The large and long steel snake soared through the air over the rushing horde who tried to damage him in the air but failed to do so with most of the attacks just bouncing off Steelix's hard body. Ash jumped onto the ground in front of the five men as Steelix burrowed into the ground again. The instant Ash's feet hit the ground, many of his pokémon advanced and engaged their enemies while the legendaries of the world stood at the side lines, making sure none of them tried to escape.
A chaotic battle ensued among the two groups of pokémon. The Skull Brothers' pokémon were just like their trainers by fighting back savagely. They used brutal tactics and attacks, not caring at all about their opponents, relishing in causing pain and agony. The energy boosting pills they took before had strengthened them past normal levels. It wasn't to the point of the corrupted pokémon they faced before, but it made a difference. But Ash's pokémon were ready and weren't holding back anymore. They would take them down permanently. Even though they could have outnumbered them, Ash's pokémon went one on one and if anyone of their comrades fell or became injured, another one would took over for their unconscious ally.
Greninja had sprinted towards one of the Shiftry and started dueling with it, exchanging rapid strikes. After trading blows for a bit, a water ninja star formed in his left webbed hand and Greninja front flipped over him with an Energy Ball grazing his leg. As he soared over him, he shot a dozen water ninja stars rapidly and each one hit their target. Shiftry howled with pain before turning around to face its foe, suffering from bleeding cuts while the ninja frog had a bruised mark on his leg. Both charged at the other and exchanged blows once more.
Altaria struck one of the Aggron, hitting it with a Dragon Pulse to catch its attention. The steel behemoth grunted from the attack and stomped closer to the flying pokémon, launching boulders at it as it got closer. The cloud covered dragon bird evaded most of the strikes but did get struck every now and then. Aggron was getting annoyed that he couldn't bring down the small pokémon. She countered back with Flamethrowers from afar and Steel Wings whenever she could get in close, making him roar with anger each time he was hit.
Pyroar engaged one of the Houndoom by smashing into it with a Wild Charge and then bit down on its back with a Crunch, making the dark dog yelp in pain. The fire hound let loose a Dark Pulse to its feet and made the lion pokémon release him, crying out in agony. Both snarled at each other before launching themselves at one another. Biting, slashing, spewing flames and whatever else came to mind. They slammed into each other with Headbutts and ended up rolling over the ground together with sharp claws cutting into everywhere.
Ash's Machamp and one of the Skull Brothers' Machamp advanced toward one another. They struck each other hard and fast with many quick punches. Chests, arms, legs, faces, stomachs; nothing was out of reach and each were hit all over. An electrified punch connected against the vile pokémon's face and a fiery punch was landed against the guardian's pokémon's face. Both Machamps took a step back, their heads turned. They snapped their gazes back to one another, growled and shot forward again. Eight hands collided against one another, half in fists, the other half open palms. The two superpower pokémon tried to push the other back, both of them trying to overpower the other.
Salamence had her wings covered in a metallic sheen and dive bombed one of the Tyranitars. The mountain pokémon let out a roar of fury and pain. He struck the dragon with an icy punch to its wing before his foe could put some distance between the two. The dragon let loose a high pitched scream of agony and dropped to the ground, its wing covered in ice. She snarled at her enemy and fired a Dragon Pulse at point blank range, sending the large pokémon back. Salamence slammed her frozen wing against the ground, shattering the ice off of it and flew up into the air again in time to receive a boulder to her body. She stayed up in the air though and gave a furious look at the Tyranitar on the ground who was snarling back, readying another boulder to toss.
Manectric covered itself in electricity and slammed into one of the Weaviles who let out a shriek of pain before striking it back with a Night Slash. The electric dog cried out from the cut on his body and the claw pokémon vanished from sight using Agility. He reappeared behind him with its claw covered in a bluish white glow, about to use Ice Punch. But the yellow and blue electric type quickly turned around and caught the strike with his teeth that were coated in flames. Weavile let out a howl from the agonizing pain and desperately tried to pull itself free but was unable to. He lifted up the electric dog and slammed him into the ground a couple times before Manectric finally let go with a yelp of pain. The two growled at one another before launching themselves covered in different colored glows.
Golurk shot through the air, dodging a boulder thrown by one of the Rhyperiors. He got closer to his target before vanishing from sight. Rhyperior looked around him frantically but it was no use as a Shadow Punch connected against his side that made him stumble a few steps. He whirled around quickly and struck the automation pokémon hard with a Megahorn, making him move back. Rhyperior charged to him, his head covered with a metallic sheen and was just about to connect his strike when Golurk used Iron Defense to negate the attack. Rhyperior bounced off of him, holding his head, growling and Golurk clutched its abdomen, hurt from it but saved from most of the damage. The two continued their battle, trying to overcome the other's defenses.
Golduck had engaged with one of the Ursaring, exchanging Fury Swipes with one another that landed against each other's claws. Seeing this go nowhere, Golduck quickly ducked underneath the last clawed attack and struck back with his tail covered in water. Ursaring was made to move back from the force. He let out a roar of rage and charged forward reading a Slash. The blue duck readied itself to block and counter but then the brown bear switched up his attack, startling his victim and hit him with a Faint Attack. Golduck let out a cry of pain but then glared back at Ursaring. The duck's webbed claws glowed and so did the bear's. The two dashed to the other to land their Cross Chop and Hammer Arm respectively.
Kingler matched up with one of the vile Crawdaunts and the two started exchanging Crabhammers while moving around in a circle. They let out grunts as they felt the other's pincer smash against their body. After its last attempt, Crawdaunt took a step back and launched a Sludge Bomb. Kingler quickly countered with a Mud Shot. The two attacks connected and canceled each other out. Crawdaunt swung his Night Slash at Kingler but the crab quickly intercepted the attack with a Metal Claw. The two tried to push the other off while smashing their other pincer against their enemy's body.
Kabutops prevented one of the Scizors from hitting his ally from behind and the two began slashing at one another. Both were unable to inflict much damage against their foe's tough hide however. Seeing this, the prehistoric pokémon focused his energy before launching his Ancient Power attack. Scizor saw boulders made of energy flying at him and used Fury Cutter to slash almost all of them down but one got through and collided against its chest. Scizor grunted in pain but then let out yells of anguish when Kabutops hit him with a Rock Slide. The steel praying mantis pokémon used Bullet Punch to escape and slammed into his opponent. The two snarled at one another before trading cuts with their sharp limbs.
As the two groups of pokémon charged towards one another and began their fight, Ash kept going towards the Skull Brothers who raised their machetes. He didn't manifest an aura sword to him this time though. He wanted to pummel them into the ground with his bare hands. He dodged underneath Ed's strike and quickly delivered a punch to his chest that sent him flying back. Even though the young guardian had use of his aura and it boosted his strength and speed significantly, he was still in a weakened state. But then his enemies weren't enhanced like the stadium attackers. It might have been an even match with one half powered Aura Guardian against five Skull Brothers. But this time, Ash wasn't holding anything back in his fight right off the bat and was beyond furious…
The raven haired guardian dodged the wild attacks from four of the Skull Brothers after sending Ed flying. Edward recovered faster than the others and shot his blade forward to gut Ash but he swiftly evaded before grabbing his forearm in a vice like grip and twisted it, making him drop the machete as multiple bones broke. Edward shouted out but then began howling in pain when Ash bent his arm backwards, breaking the joints and bones around his elbow but he wasn't done with him yet.
Unfortunately though, the other brothers prevented him from finishing him off at the moment as they slashed at Ash. The guardian jumped away, leaving him on the ground. The other brothers pursued after him but he quickly dodged their strikes with speedy maneuvers that disoriented them. Using the advantage, he shot to Edward who had gotten back up while gritting his teeth and tried to attack him with a desperate punch with his other hand but was completely blocked. Able to continue now, Ash kicked his right knee, a loud snapping sound shot through the area as a result of the bones breaking and Edward's leg was made to bend in a way it wasn't supposed to. The Skull Brother let out a loud mangled cry from the overwhelming pain before he was silenced with an incredible right hook to his jaw, breaking it and sending him crashing to the ground with blood trickling out from his mouth.
Seeing their brother go down for the count permanently, three of the Skull Brothers roared with rage as they launched themselves at the Aura Guardian, swinging their blades randomly. Ash couldn't evade the three of them at once and so he back flipped away from them a few times before stopping near Ed who lunged at him with his machete that was being held with his non-broken arm. Ash turned to the side to avoid the sudden strike but it grazed him across the stomach, drawing blood. The young man let out a gasp of pain but didn't stop. He elbowed his attacker in the stomach hard that made him lose his breath as he slumped over. He then delivered an uppercut to his jaw that sent Ed up into the air a few feet. He grabbed both of his legs in the air and slammed him against the ground hard, knocking the wind out of Ed, his eyes bulging out from the sudden impact.
Before he could finish off Ed, his brothers Edwin, Edmond and Eddie attacked from different angles at once and Ash was forced to let go of Ed and rolled to the side to avoid them. He got up in time to catch Eddie's machete within the palm of his hands and pulled it out from his grasp. He turned the machete around and struck him in the face multiple times with the handle part of the blade. After the second strike, his nose broke and blood started spurting out from it after each strike. After his last hit, the raven haired guardian flung the sword towards the other brothers who were charging towards him. They dropped to the ground to avoid the flying weapon, giving Ash a little more time to vanquish Eddie. He channeled some aura into his fists and delivered multiple bone shattering aura enhanced punches straight to his body that made Eddie clutch his chest with both hands before dropping to his knees. He let out a gurgled cry as the blood escaped from his mouth. Ash had broken his ribs and the broken bones had pierced his lungs and heart. He fell forward, his body twitching, slowly dying until a moment later, he stopped moving.
"YOU SON OF A BITCH!" insulted Edmond before he charged at him like a raging bull.
Edmond swung at Ash with an overhead strike but the Aura Guardian side stepped the attack and the blade hit the ground, digging into it. Edmond tried to pull it out but couldn't. Ash delivered a kick to his chest that sent him back as Edwin and Ed both attacked at once. He caught both of their hands in mid-swing that startled the two bald men. He slammed the two Skull Brothers against one another, making them drop their blades as a result. It didn't knock them out but it was enough to disorient them. Edmond snuck up and tried to hit him from behind. But Ash sensed him and he spun around in time to avoid Edmond's tackle who ended up colliding into Ed.
Edwin got up and aimed a kick at him while his two brothers were on the ground groaning in pain that connected, sending Ash down. The raven haired guardian quickly recovered though and stood back up. Edwin went for another kick but this time his foot was caught. The young man delivered a kick straight to his groin, making Edwin freeze with pain gripping him. Not even missing a beat, he then twisted Edwin's ankle so brutally and rapidly that his leg stayed straight while his foot was spun around to face the opposite direction. Edwin let out a loud and long scream of agony. Not waiting for him to stop his screaming Ash lifted him up from his leg and slammed him against the ground a couple times, breaking multiple bones, turning his large buff body into mush. He then spun him around while holding onto his broken foot and then flung him towards the cabin. Edwin flew through the air and crashed through the cabin's boarded up window, continued through the living room and collided into the wood wall, shattering his skull on impact. Edwin was dead before he even slid down.
Ed and Edmond got back up and took up positions on both sides of Ash. The glowing blue flames danced around him as he moved his eyes to the glaring Edmond on the right, then moved them over to Ed on the left who held his machete hand while giving him an ugly look. He didn't move and seeing him not take the first action, both Ed and Edmond charged at him from opposite sides. The raven haired guardian jumped back from Ed's blade attack and moved away from Edmond's kick. He faced the two Skull Brothers, panting and his aura flickered a bit. Pushing himself to his limit so soon before his body healed was starting to drain him, taxing his body beyond its limit. His momentary depiction of weakness was noticed by the two brothers. Realizing he didn't have much left in him, Ash tried to figure out a way to end this quickly.
Ed lunged at him with the sword and Ash dodged to the right exactly where Edmond was hoping he would be as he swung his fist. His knuckles made contact, but not to the guardian's face as he was hoping it would land, but against the palm of the young man's hand. He barely registered what happened when Ed brought his sword swinging down at the young man. Ash moved backwards quickly yet the sword still cut through flesh.
"AAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
Ed let out a sadistic laugh as he heard the scream of agony, which was like music to his ears. He turned his gaze to see his victim, raising the machete above his head. But instead of seeing the guardian writhing on the floor, it was his brother Edmond. Ash didn't let go of his fist as he moved back and extended the bald man's arm out. The sword had cut off his hand, going through the wrists' flesh and joints like a hot knife through butter. Seeing what his enemy made him do to his own brother, Ed went mad and charged at Ash, brandishing his sword above his head. "I'M GOING TO GUT YOU AND THEN MAKE YOU CHOKE ON YOUR INSIDES BEFORE YOU DIE!" roared Ed, brandishing the sword.
Ash didn't move and kept his furious gaze on his attacker. The sword came swishing down onto the young man's head but stopped an inch away. A blue glowing hand caught the strike by the bare metal and Ed's eyes widened at the sight. He looked at the hand holding the blade, seeing some blood dripping down from the cut on the palm but the young man didn't even notice or care. A deep snarl made him move his sight to the raven haired guardian. "You'll have a hard time making me do that…when you'll be burning in Hell," said Ash in his scary calm tone of voice while still holding up the sword with his left hand.
The aura around the raven haired guardian flared out powerfully and Ed felt the sword get pulled out of his hands. Ash then unleashed a series of lightning quick cuts onto Ed with the machete, who didn't even feel them until he stopped his assault. Ed looked down to see many cuts against his chest and that was when he felt the extreme pain from them as his shirt became darker from the escaping blood. He looked up at the young man, dropping to his knees with blood escaping from him mouth. "Y-you fucking f-faggot…I'm g-gonna k-kill you and f-fuck your g-girl…" Ed couldn't continue because not even a second later, he received a right hook to his jaw that sent him crashing to the grass. Ash picked him up from his throat and then delivered an aura enhanced punch that sent him flying back into a tree. Ed let out a garbled shout the moment he impacted the tree and became stuck. He couldn't move and felt extreme pain. He looked down at himself and saw he had been impaled by a low hanging tree branch. The branch was sticking out about a foot from his stomach. He coughed up blood, choking on it as he attempted to get off but couldn't. After futilely trying to get free for another moment, life left the never satisfied lust filled Skull Brother and he went limp. He hung from the branch loosely, blood dropping onto the grass below him, staining it. Ash watched Ed slowly die with no emotion showing on his face. When he went limp and stopped moving, he turned his attention to Edmond who had stood up, holding his stubbed limb.
"You fucking piece of shit! Do you know what you have done?!" shouted Edmond with bits of salvia flying out from his mouth before he charged at him and threw a strike with his non-cut hand. Ash didn't say anything but he dodged the strike and quickly maneuvered behind him and took the leader of the Skull Brothers into a choke hold. "You…damn….ugghhhh…" Edmond tried to get free as he struggled and cursed at the guardian, elbowing him in the stomach multiple times. Yet Ash was so consumed in rage that he wasn't feeling the strikes at all. He was slowly crushing his throat, making him mumble and drool began oozing out of his mouth. Edmond's eyes were reddening and his face was turning blue from the lack of oxygen. He stopped moving his limbs around and went slightly limp. Right then, Ash flung him to the ground and Edmond hit his head hard. He coughed and heaved for air, trying to get some oxygen in to his lungs while he stayed on the ground, his stubbed hand still bleeding. Ash didn't kill him just yet because there was some questions he needed to have him answer first. He looked behind him to the battle between the pokémon and saw it was still going.
"STAND DOWN! YOUR TRAINERS ARE DEFEATED!" commanded Ash to the pokémon but the Skull Brothers' pokémon wouldn't stop. Even when his pokémon went to move away, stopping their attacks, they kept trying to land hits on them. "STAND DOWN!" he repeated but again they ignored him. "DAMN IT! PIKACHU! END THIS! THUNDER STORM!" ordered Ash, seeing them not listening to his request and he brought out an Aura Shield around him and Edmond.
His pokémon heard the command, their eyes widening as a result and withdrew from the fight quickly. Each of them took up defensive positions and brought out protective shields around them. Even the legendary pokémon did the same, with Mewtwo, Victini and Lugia using their incredible psychic powers to enhance everyone's shield. Ash's starter pokémon used Agility to maneuver himself to a position in the middle of the group of enemies. The Skull Brothers' pokémon were lost as they watched the guardian's pokémon move away and bring up shields around them and were confused as to why. They wouldn't give in and wouldn't stop until they killed them or they died at their hands so why did they and why were they protecting themselves when they weren't launching attacks on them? That was when they noticed a sudden glowing yellow sphere in between them all. Each of the evil pokemon turned their gaze to the glow and their eyes widened. They saw an electric mouse encased in a golden glow outline with a furious look on its face. Its cheeks sparked out as the glow around him became brighter and brighter with streaks of electricity shooting around him.
"PIKAAAAAA…CHUUUUUUUUU!"
The yellow electric mouse concentrated all of the power he had absorbed before to summon dozens and dozens of lightning strikes from the clouds above to his position. The lightning bolts struck down fast and hard all around him, all over the clearing. The electric bolts were so powerful, so focused was the energy, that it blew apart the ground where it struck, making craters in its wake. Not even Rhyperior, who were part ground types and normally immune to electric attacks, could shrug off the powerful bolts, so condensed and focused was the energy. The Skull Brothers' pokémon were struck over and over again by the area attack, both directly and indirectly. They were writhing about with intense anguish, the power so great. Their high pitched shrill screams of intense anguish did not draw any pity or sorrow feeling from the guardian, his pokémon, or Mewtwo. The attack went on for several more seconds until it finally ended. Their charred remains dropped to the ground with streaks of electricity shooting around them for a few seconds and then stopped. Pikachu's yellow glow around him faded away as he used up all the power he gathered earlier on. Ash saw his starter faint from using so much energy but then Gardevoir appeared beside him and picked him up into her arms. Pikachu opened his eyes, thanked her weakly and then looked at his best friend. He shakily raised a thumbs up sign with the guardian doing the same back to his starter. Many of the pokémon went over to the mouse and commended him for ending the confrontation.
Ash looked over the corpses of the vile pokémon spread out over the clearing. None of the Skull Brothers' pokémon had decided to take his offer and they had opted to go the way of their trainers. Three things were said to everyone when they were younger. The first was that there are no evil pokémon, only evil trainers. The second was that pokémon take on the traits, habits and personalities of their trainers, for better or worse. The third was that evil beings like to group together to make it easier to do bad things to others and that you should always be careful around groups. The first was a lie told to children who wished to become trainers when they grew up so as to not frighten them. Just as there was good and bad people, there was good and bad pokémon. The second and third ones however were true. Ash had learned that a long time ago. And what he went through just now, in that clearing, in that cabin, was evidence of what he had learned being true in the world. He didn't like it at all, hating that it was true.
Mewtwo and Lucario appeared beside him. "I know how you're feeling Ash. It had to be done. And we're almost done with this. Just hold on a bit more," encouraged Mewtwo. Both knew he was forcing himself to stay standing, to ignore the heavy strain he had brought onto himself. Ash turned to him and when they caught one another's gazes, the legendary psychic feline gave him a look that said 'whenever you're ready'. Ash sighed and nodded his head in agreement.
"You fucking bastard!" Ash turned his attention to the remaining member of the Skull Brothers. Edmond was holding his stubbed limb with his other hand, trying to stop the bleeding. "You think it's over?!" shouted Edmond. "That you won the day? That there won't be others like me?!"
"No. It'll never be over until every single evil and disgusting being like you is wiped from the world at once. If I can make that happen, I will. But until then, I will not stop fighting against people like you. I did it when I was younger. I still do it now. And I'll continue doing so in the future," replied back Ash calmly in a serious tone, his pokémon gathering around them. "Now, who sent you?" asked Ash but Edmond didn't answer. Instead he cursed at him again. He was not going to answer any questions, no matter what he asked. He could find out about the red head himself one day and he hoped that it would cause him agony. Ash turned to Mewtwo. "Would you kindly read his mind?" he asked. The purple legendary gave no qualms about it and instantly had his eyes glow blue. He attempted it but was unable to do so. Stupefied, he turned to his friend and informed him of it. Both of them were in shock that he couldn't do it and Edmond laughed.
"You morons! Did you really think that you could just read my mind like that?! You don't become the world's best mercenary group without getting some toys! There's a microchip in my head that prevents any and all mental intrusions!" informed Edmond.
Ash and Mewtwo glanced at one another, not knowing something like that could be made. They would have to do research on that to combat it or get some for their allies and friends. "That must be why we couldn't pinpoint their location in the cabin. Ash, that chip may come in handy. Give me a second," requested the psychic feline. Once more his eyes glowed blue for a moment before fading away. "I can take it out, but once I do, he'll die," revealed Mewtwo.
"We need answers first," replied Ash, not caring about the part about Edmond dying. "What about the other four?" asked Ash. Mewtwo tilted his head, surprised he didn't think of that. His eyes glowed blue and a moment later, four very small purple glows appeared in front of him. The glows faded away to reveal four small microchips. "Good." Mewtwo then teleported the chips to New Island and Ash turned to Edmond. "Who sent you?" he asked him again.
"Your whore of a mother!" shot Edmond. A powerful punch connected against his stomach, making the leader of the Skull Brothers vomit at once.
"WHO SENT YOU?!" asked Ash again, his eyes glowing blue again, his anger increasing but a tremor went through his body, making his eyes lose the blue glow and started panting heavily. Lucario helpd him remain upright.
"FUCK YOU!" replied back Edmond breathlessly after he finished retching. The raven haired guardian didn't know how to make him talk. He slowly glanced at the purple feline who communicated with the young guardian mentally; saying to not bother since he won't reveal anything but also gave him a suggestion that would allow them to heal other wounds and finish this up with no questions asked. Ash thought about it for a moment and then agreed mentally. "What are you waiting for?! Too scared to finish the job?!" shouted Edmond.
Ash didn't say anything other than "Victini". The small psychic and fire type let out a small burst of flame at Edmond, over his bleeding stump that cauterized the wound. Edmond fell back down in fright over what just happened after screaming from the pain. He looked at the burned flesh around the cauterized area and then at the guardian, confused. He thought he was going to be burned alive. "Your death will come soon enough but it may not be me who does the job," explained Ash, standing up straight, having caught his breath and Lucario took a step back.
Ash, his pokémon and Edmond vanished in blue glows, leaving the carnage behind them. They all reappeared at the Indigo Hotel in the penthouse suite's balcony. The flying and levitating pokémon were in the air along with the pokémon who were too large or couldn't fit on the large patio balcony. Seeing Ash return with his pokémon, his friends and family went to him. They stopped in their tracks once they saw the Skull Brother there. Britney Snow was about to have Richard start rolling but then Lucario appeared in front of them and took the camera, telling them that they cannot record this and that he'll give it back afterwards. Both became angry over that but didn't protest. Britney glanced at Richard who looked at her before nodding.
"What's he doing here?!" asked Joy but Ash didn't answer her. Instead he glanced at her before locking eyes with Richie. "NO!" shouted Joy as she figured it out. She grabbed Richie and made him look at her. "You don't need to do it! It's done! It's over!"
"It may be over Joy…but I have to do this," replied Richie and he moved to Ash and Edmond. Joy made to stop Richie but was then held back by Misty, Dawn, Serena and May. The local nurse tried to get free but they wouldn't let her. She begged them to let her go but they shook their heads, replying back that he needs to do this or he will forever be haunted by it. They had learned themselves from what they went through and what their love went through that certain things must be done. Some other people, including the parents, Oak, Diantha, Steven and some of their friends got involved but were kept back by Mewtwo bringing up a barrier.
"Do not attempt to stop this," said Mewtwo. "Certain things must be done."
The group watched, unable to do anything else. Ash kicked out Edmond's legs from behind him, making the leader of the Skull Brothers drop to his knees when Richie reached them. He had his eyes glow blue and a sword made out of aura was brought into existence from thin air, floating in front of Richie with gasps made from some among the group at this. Ash ignored the pain that shot up his body at that moment. Lucario glanced at him but said nothing. Richie looked at the guardian and then he grabbed the sword's handle. It was light as a feather but also felt sturdy and solid. He readied the blade in his hand, pointing it at Edmond, causing the ex-leader to tremble in place and Richie noticed. He then raised the sword above his head but held his position. "What are you waiting for you cunt?! Do it if you have the balls!" shot Edmond, tired of waiting to see if he was going to die or not.
"AAAAHHHHHHHH!" shouted Richie as he brought it down hard with both hands. Joy closed her eyes and so did many others. The sound of metal hitting cement shot through the air that made them open their eyes. They saw Edmond still alive and the balcony floor had a deep cut made by the aura sword. Edmond looked at the young man who let the blade fall from his hand to the floor.
"You fuckin pussy! You can't even kill the man who would've raped and beaten your girlfriend without care or thought when you had the chance! You have no balls! You're no man! Maybe you should let me show her what a real man is like before you kill me since you aren't one! I'll teach her-" Edmond was silenced by a fist to his jaw thrown by Richie and he was sent crashing to the floor. Richie kept hitting him and hitting him, each strike connecting against his face. He ended it with a last punch that broke Edmond's nose, causing blood to gush out before stepping away, panting. His right hand was twitching a bit from the impromptu knuckle sandwich he just served many times. Richie panted, catching his breath before he spoke.
"Say what you want. I don't care. I got my revenge. You cowered at my feet and you got a taste of how much of a man I am. You are nothing to me and have no control over me anymore," said Richie and Edmond glared at him, ignoring his bleeding broken nose, angry that his taunting didn't work. Richie looked at the pathetic excuse of a man in front of him on the floor before looking at his friend. They locked eyes and Ash nodded at Richie who returned it. He turned away and went to the pink haired nurse and stopped in front of her. The girls had let her go when they saw Richie not kill him with the sword and Mewtwo had dissipated the barrier. "I'm sorry Joy. I…I had to. It would've...plagued me. And I couldn't let it go unanswered…for what they did to you."
Joy looked at him with saddened eyes for a moment. She then reached over and took his hurt hand into hers. She looked at his bruised knuckles before encasing his hand in both of hers. She raised her gaze to look at him again. "I understand but please don't ever do that again. C'mon, let's get some ice on this," she told him. Richie's eyes watered and hugged her tightly. "I love you Richie."
"Thank you for understanding and I love you too Joy. More than anything else in the world," replied Richie, relieved that she understood and wasn't holding anything against him.
"THEN DIE TOGETHER LOVEBIRDS!"
Edmond had recovered enough to grab the aura sword and flung it towards the hugging couple, wanting to take someone down with him. What better way than to use the very weapon of the guardian and against his close friends to cause him some pure agony? He watched the glowing blue sword spin in the air towards the two with a sadistic expression on his face. Screams and shouts were heard and Richie shielded Joy with his body. He waited to feel the blade pierce him but it never came. He turned around slowly and found the blade to be stopped in mid air.
A furious tone of voice was then heard. "Did you honestly believe you can hurt the people I care about and love with a sword made from my own Aura?!" asked Ash in disbelief. He stepped towards the vile man, the sword moving to back to the Aura Guardian and hovered beside him.
Edmond was beyond scared now but would still be defiant till the end. "You think you're better than me?!" shouted Edmond. "You're fooling yourself! You're family and friends don't know do they? You killed just like I did! You're no better than me! You're as evil as I am! You're heart is impure!" spat Edmond. These statements made the guardian's family and friends look at him, wanting to hear his reply. He had told them he wasn't going to show mercy, that he was going to end the Skull Brothers. But did he really kill them?
"You're right. I did kill. I killed your brothers," replied Ash calmly. His admittance, even though they were expecting it, sort of, still shocked everyone. Even though they had seen what they did to the poor red head, they had heard what Leaf and Joy told them about what they did to them and they were told that they were given a chance to repent but they didn't, it still surprised them. "But there is a difference between you and me…"
"There is no difference! No matter how you do it, killing is killing! Your soul is as black as mine!" taunted Edmond.
"That's where you're wrong," said Ash. "Where you and your brothers hurt others for fun, killed for fun…I killed only to protect and when I had no other choice. That is the only time I will kill." Edmond growled, gathered some energy and threw a wild punch with his non-stubbed hand. Ash caught his strike and snapped his arm in half, making him yell horrifically in pain. What he did made everyone yelp and cringe at what they saw but Ash wasn't done. "You never know when to stop! That's why your brothers perished and it's why you'll follow them! That was for kidnapping Leaf!" He grabbed him by the throat and then kicked one of his legs in the knee, breaking it and then kicked the other in the shins, causing his lower leg to snap in half. Edmond screamed out in agony. "That was for kidnapping Joy and hurting Richie!" He grabbed the aura sword hanging beside him. "And this is for what you did to Natasha!" He let loose a flurry of slashes on the leader, cutting him over a dozen times in just a few seconds. His speed, skill and grace both impressed and scared his friends and family. When he finished, the aura sword disappeared and his hand glowed a bright blue before smashing it against his chest that sent him flying back towards the railings and crashed against it. He ended up leaning against the railings with his back, sitting on the floor of the balcony in a broken heap, slowly, painfully, agonizingly waiting for death to release him from it. Ash brought his hand up, palm open towards the immoral man. His eyes glowed blue, the blue outline appeared around him and his aura flared out tremendously, dancing like a wild fire around him. Many of the newer people in the group and several others who hadn't seen his aura before in person was mesmerized at the sight of it. Lucario and Mewtwo glanced at one another, worried. They could feel the immense strain on his body, the young guardian's heart beating rapidly. "I warned you! I told you that if you continued down the dark path that I will find you and kill you! You leave me no choice, just like your brothers left me with no choice! Not once did you feel remorse for you actions! I gave you and your brothers a chance to change your ways but you decided to keep doing wrong! This will be for everyone you have ever hurt or made suffer by your hands! By the power trusted to me by the Original One, Arceus, I, Aura Guardian Ash Ketchum, charged with keeping peace and balance in the world, pass judgment on you for your sins in front of these witnesses and that judgment is death!" Ash concentrated his aura and a bright blue sphere of energy appeared, cackling with sheer power in front of his hand as it grew steadily bigger and bigger until it was large enough to engulf the man. The Skull Brother saw it and could feel the incredible energy from it. The raven haired guardian shot the Aura Sphere at maximum speed. The sheer force of it didn't even let its target scream or cry out in pain as it completely vaporized him on contact, erasing him from existence. All that remained was a smoldering dark spot on the balcony floor. Ash's dancing aura regressed back into him and he dropped to his hands and knees, wheezing, desperately trying to get air into his lungs.
"ASH!" cried out many people and they shot to him. The girls got to him first, kneeling beside him and hugged him. They could feel him shivering violently as if he was out in an icy blizzard.
"What's wrong Ash?!" asked Misty fearfully but he couldn't answer, taking heavy breaths.
"Master used up too much aura and he had forced it out before his body had healed fully to battle the Skull Brothers. I need to heal him immediately to undo the damages he has incurred and he must rest," explained Lucario when he approached them.
"Then that's what's going to happen," replied May as she and the girls helped him shakily get back up after but then Ash stopped them. "Ash, you have to rest!" exclaimed May.
"I know…and I will…but I have a couple…things to do first," replied Ash while inhaling huge gulps of oxygen. It took him a moment to be able to compose himself enough. He willed himself to do what he had to do first, ignoring the colossal pain. He looked up and around at his pokemon. "Thank you all…for everything, for being there for me…for helping me. I truly appreciate it. I-I will make it up to you all." His pokémon gave him respectful looks before Mewtwo teleported them back home for them to rest. He turned to his friends and family. "Where's…Leaf?" he asked them and he felt something slam into him out of nowhere before he was squeezed tightly. He ignored the pain that he felt from his stab wounds as the brunette unknowingly caused him with her embrace and returned the hug. "I'm…so sorry Leaf and…thank Arceus…we found you and Joy in time."
Leaf was crying into his shirt as she held onto him tightly, not saying a single word back. His girlfriends were looking at the two with small smiles, not even thinking about the betrayal, the fight and were not angry or jealous at all. Though that couldn't be said for a few others but they remained quiet. Ash looked at Mewtwo and the purple feline's eyes glowed blue and something appeared in Ash's hand. The two separated slightly and he handed her what was in his hand. It was her blue cap but it was in perfect condition thanks to the purple feline. Leaf formed a large smile on her face, one that reminded Ash of the one he got from her over a decade ago. She placed the hat onto her head immediately. The affectionate gesture between the two made almost everyone around them feel better and smile. As Leaf hugged Ash again, the raven haired guardian turned to Lance, holding onto the brunette tightly.
"Champion; you'll find a cabin in the middle of the woods besides a small lake. You'll find the four remaining Skull Brothers and their pokémon there. They won't give you any more trouble. Ever. But I thought you should know," said Ash and Lance didn't reply back, knowing what he meant.
He would still have to go and see what happened and have it cleaned up. He looked at his fellow Champions and Officer Jenny and they know what he was asking without him speaking words. Britney and her cameraman, who said his name is Richard, also decided to go with them. They all soon left with one Champion left behind; Cynthia had opted to stay and they didn't raise any questions about it. After Lance, Diantha, Alder, Steven, Jenny, Britney and Richard, who got his camera back from Lucario left, Ash told the others he had one more thing to do before he could rest.
With the assistance of May and Leaf, Ash went towards the infirmary. Lucario and Gardevoir followed after them and then waited in the living room for him to return. Mewtwo had teleported back home after he told Ash he'll let him know if anything comes up, not mentioning the microchips yet in front of the others. Misty, Dawn and Serena followed behind him while the others went to the living room, deciding to let them be for a moment. Many of the girls who were in the living room however wanted to be with the raven haired guardian but decided to wait since it wouldn't be good for him right now. Ash and the girls with him stepped inside the room and closed the door where Natasha was lying on the bed.
"ASH!" cried out Delia, hugging her son tightly but then let go quickly. "You look like hell. Are you alright? What do you need?"
"You can say that again…but I'll be fine. I'm gonna…go rest soon. But I have a…promise to keep. I will never again break my promises," he told her while taking some breaths and his mom smiled at him.
She stepped aside and Ash continued towards the red headed girl who was lying on the bed. The two brunettes didn't assist him this time but took a couple steps after him as well along with the other three girls before stopping behind him. They wanted to give some space to the poor girl. Caroline, Grace and Johanna went to stand beside their daughters while Delia stood beside Misty and Leaf. Natasha had opened her one good eye when she heard the door open and when she saw the raven haired young man enter, she felt safe again. She wasn't fully frightened from the mothers anymore after what they did for her but she was still quite uncomfortable and still didn't trust them fully either. The three older women came into the room to help the raven haired young man's mom out. They cleaned her body with wet sponges and then cleaned her cuts, scratches and the carved word on her back with warm water prior to applying disinfectant and then dressed the wounds with bandages. The medicine they applied on her wounds made her feel sharp stings and hurt badly but all she could do was grit her teeth while whimpering. After that, they helped her wear proper clothes. She was now wearing undergarments with black sweats and a blue shirt that was slightly large on her. She saw their reactions of when they saw her wounds and the carving on her back but couldn't blame then. She herself thought they were horrible. She watched mother and son hug and talk for a moment and then he came to her bedside.
"Hey," he said softly and she looked into his eyes. What she saw before in them, she saw again; concern, worry, strength and kindness. "I told you I'll be back." Natasha didn't reply, move or show any type of reaction to his words. All she did was continue to gaze at him. "I'm going to let you rest and if you need anything, my mother, my friends and I will be here for you. You have nothing to fear anymore." Natasha's eye watered a bit and he noticed. Ash sat beside her on the bed and gently took her hand in his, making the red head feel some comfort from his touch. The females standing in the room gave small smiles over his caring display. "Hey, its okay. You're safe here. Those vile men are gone for good and will never again hurt you. I know it will be difficult but please try to relax and don't be afraid. No one will ever hurt you again while I'm around. I swear it." She started crying but silently since she couldn't make any sounds except for whimpering noises still. She gripped Ash's hand tightly and he understood; she was still afraid, still traumatized. He let her sob a bit until she cried herself to sleep. She was so tired and so weak that it didn't take long. He stood up, lowered her hand down and then raised the covers over her. His actions earned respectful and admiring looks from the females in the room.
He turned to his mom. "I'll stay with her," stated Delia and Ash nodded. He then turned to look at the rest.
"C'mon Ash. You're hurt and we should get those stab wounds checked out," advised Leaf.
"And you need to rest," reminded May and he agreed.
"Okay. I did what I have to do so alright. Let's go." He allowed the five girls to take him out of the room. They walked towards the living room where everyone was. All eyes were on Ash now. Some with relieved looks on their faces, others with impressed gazes, some a little frightened after seeing him kill someone right in front of them, some others smiling at him and some had confused expressions, not knowing how to process what they witnessed him do. He leaned against the nearest couch for a moment and the girls at his side drew closer to him and everyone stood up from the couches. He noticed and gave a small smile. Lucario and Gardevoir started moving towards him but stopped when he spoke again. "I'm fine. No need to worry. I'm just…tired." He took a couple dizzying steps forward before his vision turned black and then he dropped to the floor unconscious.
A/N - The Skull Brothers are vanquished, the girls have been saved but the guardian is a wreck. What will happen next and what consequences will this entail for them all? Thanks for reading! Remember to review, fav and follow! This is Silent checking out!