Hi guys, I'm back with chapter 16 for you. I was having a bit of trouble writing this chapter. I had a massive writers block from Friday to Wednesday, so I'm sorry if this seems rushed. I Just want to get it to you on to everyone who reviewed as well. I think that's the most people on one chapter. This time around I will be bringing action with a little bit of romance and I hope you will be happy with the result. Thank you to everyone who's stayed with me up to this point and to everyone who has joined. (I realized I lied about this at then end of this chapter. Sorry)
jojo298: Yeah, wasn't quotes sure if I should or shouldn't involve Aaron with Hunter J, but in the end I did (Obviously). And you're welcome, glad you enjoyed it
Fallingarcher22: Thanks you, that's much appreciated and I'm happy you enjoyed it
darkboy18: Thank you, and I'm glad I didn't go too hard with it. Oh, yeah. Ash is going to be furious and I'm going to make it as bloody as possible. And I had already planned on her losing a hand, not much of a difference if it's an arm so definitely.
Advanceforeverandafter: Although I don't know what Vampire Diaries is, I did read it and it did bring a smile to my face when I saw the similarities. Also, not sure how long I'm going to have Ash keep up the business act, might be till the end of the story.
Guest: I'm assuming this is the return of the guest from chapters 11 and 12 and if it's not, well, I'm and idiot then. Anyway, I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter and I don't think I'm ever going to have them make up. Just cooperate.
Sailor Taichichi Vegeta: Well that's the natural reaction for a smart mercenary. He is the bane of trees, his plans of genocide will soon emerge. Hm, when you put it like that it makes it sound so poorly written. Yeah, I wasn't sure when I should show off Aaron but I figured this would be a good moment and do you think just one thing will be on fire? They're about to deforest the entirety of Hoenn. I always screwed up at that part, it took me ten tries to defeat them no matter what I did. It might be just because I suck though.
Chapter 16: The Plan
-Ash's POV-
"People of Hoenn!" King Norman bellowed, addressing the people that lay under his protection "It's finally time to take back what's ours. We will rise up and take down the tyrant king known as King Giovanni of Kanto. He has had his reign but it's time for it to come to an end. So lend me your arms, to take up ours, so that we may take back what is rightfully the people of Hoenn's!" he finished with a yell, raising his fist in the air. The people gathered cheered and screamed his name, chanting "Hoenn" over and over again. Both royal families at his side, and me leaning on the side of this little balcony watching the spectacle. I'll admit though, I'm impressed that these people have endured this long and still remained hopeful that they could get their territory back. I guess I can understand though, I've had more than one turf war with opposing Pokemon before Meowth picked me up. If there's one thing I hated, it was someone trying take what was mine.
I glanced at May, she'd barley spoken to me after our little argument in the woods. she would give an occasional greeting if she needed something. It was perfect, she was being completely professional about this. That meant I could keep this job for longer, because it would be a shame to drop a job that just got a pay raise. With this whole counterattack planned May would be in danger if something went wrong. So King Norman just raised my pay a lot. If I'm careful I can go and join the fight. I'll just need to call on a favor from Archie and have him watch both royal families while I go and enact my revenge. If I'm good, I can do it without Aaron. Regardless of how good the Dragon Queen (I looked up the actual nickname in the Black Book when I got back) was, even she couldn't defeat and army of both Pokemon and humans.
Norman finally turned around and walked off the balcony and his family followed, Archie and I in tow behind them. "Quite the speech my king" Aaron said, approaching with Riley and their Lucarios just behind them, all four of them bending on one knee after stopping. "Rise Sir Aaron, there is no need for formalities from you or Sir Riley. And haven't I told you a thousand times to call me Norman?" Norman said.
"As you wish, Norman" Aaron said, rising back up. I caught his not so subtle glance towards me and scowled at him. Arceus I hate that bastard. Riley just walked around the families and stood next to me "Hey Ash how are ya?" Riley asked. I just shrugged "Well not that you're here I can say that my day just got ten times... worse" I finished, making my voice sound as depressed as possible.
Riley made an overdramatic gasp and brought the back of his hand to his forehead "Why Ash, thou insult me so" he said in an over the top rich voice "Doth thou truly despise me so?" he said while going on one knee and grabbing my hand making it look like he is proposing, which appeared to be unintentional. I cracked a smile "Well Riley I'll be honest, I didn't think you of all people would swing that way" He Riley looked up in confusion for a moment before noticing the position he was in and stood up quickly, laughing off his embarrassment.
We heard a giggle from the right and we turned to see princess Dawn approaching "Well don't you two have a strange relationship" she said.
"Ahh who are we kidding, we're so close we might as well be married" Riley said, trying to make a joke out of his previous embarrassment while wrapping his arm around my neck. I gave him a dry look and elbowed him in the stomach causing him to double over. I gave Dawn a smile "Yeaaaaahhh, just like a married couple" I turned to Riley "And you know how couples get divorces nowadays right?" I asked while slowly drawing a knife from the back of my tool belt.
"Ha ha ha Ash, nice joke" Riley said sarcastically. I looked down just enough for my hat to cover my eyes and grabbed the brim of it before putting on my best sadistic smile that I'd practiced for so long to perfect. "Who said I was joking?" Riley paled when I brought the knife to his throat faster than you could blink
I looked back up and laughed at his expression, Dawn joining in, after she realized I was joking. "Mew, I couldn't tell if you were joking or not with that smile on your face" Riley said. I just chuckled a bit more. Out of the corner of my eye I saw King Norman approaching us "Ranger, I believe you should be present when we discuss our plans of attack. May is your first priority however, she comes above everything else" he said. I nodded in response so he turned and left with everyone except Dawn, Riley, and I.
"Looks like your getting involved in some serious shit here" Riley said "Isn't your motto "leave before you get too involved" or something like that?" Riley said.
"Is that really your motto? It sounds so lonely" Dawn said. I just smiled "It's not really, it's more of a note that I remember if I start getting irrational or emotional while in the job. It's supposed to keep my head straight and my priorities set" I said
"Oh, but doesn't mean that you get lonely? With that kind of a mind set I can't see you making many friends while being a mercenary" Dawn said. I nodded "Well I used to have a partner, but he went to do his own thing. I do have friends though, however not all of them are human. Not that mercenaries are supposed to have friends anyway. One thing I've learned over time is that if you have someone or something close to you, someone is going to try and take it away from you. You make a lot of enemies in my business, some of them are willing to go after you with a vendetta" I said.
"Has anyone ever come after you?" Dawn asked
"Of course, I've had about nine people come after me vent on revenge, fourteen people have sent mercenaries to do their work for them, four have set up fake jobs to try and ambush me when they are giving me the job, and two have sent me on suicide missions that they didn't think I'd survive. So twenty nine people have tried to come after me because I did a job that affected them in a negative way" I said
"And you lived through all that? Wow, that's really impressive. You must be really good at your job"
"It's the only life I've known so I have to be good at it" I said
"Is someone trying to get sympathy from the pretty princess?" Riley teased. I sighed and moved to hit him upside the head, he saw it coming and ducked his head to dodge the strike... that never came. Instead he found my fist coming straight towards his face.
"Sorry about that" I said to Dawn while Riley picked himself off the floor, holding his now bleeding nose. Riley's Lucario ran over and began using heal pulse on Riley and the bleeding stopped almost immediately. After all, it was only a bloody nose. Probably would've stopped bleeding by the time he stood up. "Thanks Lucario" Riley said while patting his Lucario on its head. He turned and glared at me "Why the hell did you punch me?"
"If you just accept the bitch slap then you wouldn't have to get punched" I said. "Well excuse me for trying to avoid being hit by you" he said sarcastically "Didn't realize dodging was a crime"
"Dodging your punishment is" I countered. Dawn laughed again at our antics "You guys argue like to brothers" she said. Riley grunted "As if I would be related to this loser, he can't even use his aura properly" Riley said. Dawn's eyes widened at that and grabbed my hand, enclosing it in her's allowing no escape, and brought it in-between us while leaning closer to me, staring into my eyes "You have aura?!" she exclaimed
I took a step back from her "Yeah, everyone does I just have a slightly bigger reserves than most people" I said a little nervously at her close proximity. She leaned in closer "Show me" she demanded. I leaned back a little more "Uhhh, I don't know how to use aura, nor do I want to". She leaned in even closer and my back was now pressed up against a wall. "Why not? It's amazing".
"Because it would make Sir Aaron happy. Look, could you please back up a little. Your starting to get really close to me" I said
She leaned in even closer, curiosity brimming in her eyes "Why don't you like Sir Aaron?" she asked
I looked over to Riley for help but he just flipped me the bird and mouthed "this is revenge" and kept on watching my discomfort "Ummm, well, you see" I stuttered out, becoming very conscious of the fact that my hand was getting uncomfortably close to her... chest... area.
"Dawn! What are you doing to your bodyguard?" a voice exclaimed
We all turned to see Dawn's mother, Johanna, with Caroline, Max, and May coming down the hallway. I sighed in relief, never thought I'd be happy to see a royal family in my life. Dawn let go of my hand and backed away, as if just notching our close proximity. "Oh, sorry about that. I didn't even notice the position we were in" she apologized.
"Forget about it" I said before turning back to the group approaching. "Ash and Riley, you both have been called down to the war room for the planning" Johanna said. I mentally sighed at the use of my first name. So much for a secret, dammit May. Riley and I nodded and turned to head in the direction of the war room.
When we got there King Norman, Sir Aaron, Archie, Ruby, Green, Blue, and Sapphire were all crowded around a table that had a map built into the top with various wooden pieces representing units and bases placed on top. I went for and open spit next to Ruby and Riley went to stand next to Sir Aaron. "Alright" Green began "We are obviously the castle and each water droplet is a Aqua Guard platoon. The one fire symbol is your squad Ruby" Ruby nodded and I caught his glance filled with sadness to the side of the table where many other wooden fire emblems were held. "We will lead three platoons to attack the base. First we will send arrows down on it, wiping down the majority of their forces. We'll send in a shield wall after to take out the survivors and have our archers to take out anyone they can. The shield wall will consist of one line of soldier with spears and swords then a line of water Pokemon behind them. They will provide support against the fire types that Kanto soldiers commonly use. Any objections?" Green finished
I looked down at the pieces which had been moved by Green as he was explaining the plan. We were attacking an outpost that lay close to the castle, it was to the left of the outpost J was at. I kept silent, it was a solid plan. If Dragon Lady doesn't come then it should go off without a hitch. But she's going to join in, so this is going to get ugly. Unless she feels like abandoning the outpost they are going to attack. That is unlikely however.
No one else said anything until "What about the mercenary Hunter J? She will most likely join in the fray and she is capable of taking out an entire platoon on her Salamance. Even without her Pokemon she is a very capable warrior, she would be a challenge for even me. What is your plan to deal with her?" Aaron said
Green glanced down at the map "We could arrange a squadron of Swellow to take her out of the sky. I'm sure she couldn't take on one of our elite squ-"
"They will all get annihilated" Aaron interrupted "I've seen this woman take out Aura Guardians from the sky and the ground. When Giovanni first began his take over we watched and saw that woman take out all of Lance's flying troops. I'd say she's more formidable in the sky than on the ground. My Pidgeot might be able to take on her Salamance"
"Sir Aaron, are you suggesting you would get involved in this war?" King Norman asked
"No, this isn't an act of war against Giovanni, this is an act of revenge for myself against a mercenary. I'm acting on my own, not as a representative of the Aura Guardians. If I involve only myself then no one else should have to suffer" Aaron said, sending yet another glance my way. As if talking to me and not everyone else. Seriously am I the only person who wants to punch him in the face? Stop trying to make it up to me asshole, I'm going to hate you regardless of what you do.
"Will Giovanni see it as that though? He could see this as an act of war against him" King Norman said
"Then I guess we'll have to leave no survivors to tell the tale. And I'm nothing if not thorough" Ruby said "Now if that's all, I'd like to brief my squad on what happening" Norman nodded and everyone began to leave the war room. I began to walk towards May's room, knowing that she is most likely there with Dawn. Wait shouldn't Archie be with me? More importantly, shouldn't Pikachu be with me? Where the hell had he been?
I walked up to May's door and knocked, hearing giggles from inside. I heard a voice call "come in" and opened the door to reveal both princesses trying on dresses. 'Great, just what I wanted to see. They are going to be talking about this for hours. Wait is that Pikachu?' I thought. On the bed lay Pikachu with some ridiculous hat on, dressed in clothes made for a Pokemon owned by a nobleman or woman. He looked at me with pleading eyes that begged "put me lout of my misery, please".
I glanced over at the girls who were twirling around and making comments like "oh my Arceus, that I so beautiful" and "you look amazing". Were a day away from war and they're trying on dresses. Way to go ladies. Keep up the good work. I shook my head to clear my head of my thoughts and walked over to Pikachu and picked him up. I sat down in a chair in the corner so I could see everything in the room and began to take off the ridiculous clothing.
"Ash no! he looks so cute in those clothes" Dawn said. I looked up at her and just shook my head "When the first thing I see when I come in here is the a look from Pikachu that says "slow torture is better than this" I know he doesn't want to be in these ridiculous clothes" I said
Dawn gave me a pouty face "killjoy" she muttered while turning around. I just grunted and ignored her. "Say Ash, how do you think we look in these dresses" Dawn asked after a few minutes.
The first thought that goes through every guys mind when this question is asked is obviously 'Well shit'
The second thought is 'Where is the nearest exit and what is a passable excuse to get out of the room'
When the second thought passed through my head I realized there was no escape and I would have to give them my opinion. I sighed, dreading the response I would get from them. I'm exactly the best with words.
I looked up at them and truthfully, they both looked fairly pretty. Should I lie and say their both breathtaking? Or just play it cool. I figured I'd go with the truth this time, instead of some lie. "You both look very fetching in those dresses" I said before returning to petting the now peacefully sleeping Pikachu. Probably exhausted after being forced into those clothes. I don't blame him. "Awwww, thanks Ash you're so sweet" Dawn said. I raised an eyebrow at that. Was she doing this on purpose?
I looked out the window to try and avoid further conversation and noticed it was getting pretty dark outside. My day of revenge is almost here. "Goodnight May. Goodnight Ash" Dawn said while leaving. I nodded, though I'm not sure she saw it. I turned to look at the only other human in the room, who was looking right back at me. I raised an eyebrow at her stare. She just turned and went behind one of those paper walls that you change clothes behind. I could make out her shadow but that was it. Actually, what are these things called? Ah fuck it, who gives a damn
She came back out in a nightgown and got into bed. I brought my gaze back to the outside world where very little was visible. I really just didn't want to make eye contact with her. I can feel her gaze/stare on me but I refuse to look at her. it'll just make things awkward. Eventually though i heard her berthing slow into a regular rhythm, i waited till I saw the moon at its peak, signaling midnight is upon us and juts like every night I allowed myself to retire for the night. I stood and waked over to May's bed and checked up on her one last time before leaving as quietly as possible. Which for me is basically silent.
After getting into my room I got into my bed attire and went to bed with one thought that you probably don't want to hear going through someone's head
'I'm going to kill that fucking whore'
Damnit I lied again. I'm sorry again, but I thought that this was just a really good stopping point. Anyway I know exactly what I'm doing now so I will not delay like I did from Friday to Wednesday. I had absolutely no idea what to write in that time period and I could've fit the next chapter and this one together if i got the idea sooner. Again I'm sorry and I'll try to double update this week. Anyway, hate, suggestions, requests, and anything else are always welcome and I hope you enjoyed this chapter. See you next time
-novaking2832