Hey guys, I felt bad that failed to deliver what I said I would so figured I'd give you another chapter. Sorry about that, I don't like going back on my word so here you go. Chapter 17.

jojo298: Thanks, I'm happy you enjoyed it. Oh, well I meant that he was thinking that he's going to kill Hunter J. You know, he went to bed with the thought of killing her on his mind.

Advanceforeverandafter: Thanks and I will. No, there isn't really any interaction between Ash and May in this chapter. Next one though is basically dedicated to them.

Chapter 17: Revenge is Best Tasted Sweet

By the way, I answer reviews right before each chapter if those who want an answer for their review

-Ash's POV-

I bolted awake covered in a cold sweat with my heart racing. I immediately look out the window for the sun. It had yet to come up. I still had to wait to get my revenge. I laid back down with a sigh, before jumping off the bed. I learned a while ago that if wake up and don't get up immediately then you won't for another few hours. My jump woke up Pikachu who sat up groggily. I dressed in my usual black combat attire with my weapons before heading towards the kitchens to get some food. I passed through as usual and grabbed a roll of bread and some nearby meat (I should've checked what it was before I grabbed it but whatever) and tok out a knife, cutting the roll in half and putting the meat in between the buns creating a makeshift sandwich. I fed some extra meat to Pikachu who lay sleepily on my shoulder.

I began to walk towards May's room, no time for training today. My priority (till the attack starts) is May. I walked to her room and simply leaned on the wall right next to her door, on the side that wouldn't cause me to get hit in the face if she opened the door abruptly. Not the most efficient way to kill time but it was my job and I go one hundred and ten percent on every job.

I just stood there for a few hours, Pikachu fell back asleep, I had my eyes closed but I was just resting myself, not sleeping. I could still hear everything that was happening around me and if need be react to it. A few people passed me by in that time but not one of them gave me a second glance (I think). They usually saw me do this. Eventually I heard the sounds of May moving around. Probably tossing in her bed, unable to fall back asleep I'm sure. I knocked on the door and barely heard her soft "come in". I opened the door to see her amok strewn covers and a wrinkled duvet. 'So I was right' I thought. I went to my usually place in the corner by the window and set that, studying her.

Her blue eyed looked right back at me but there was a complete silence. Eventually I broke off and looked out the window to see the sun rising up. 'About nine thirty or so' I thought. Juts two hours away till the attack commenced. I turned my attention back to may who was getting out of bed and behind that same paper wall that she got changed behind. I heard her voice come from behind it.

"How are you today Ash" she said, putting extra stress on the Ash. I grimaced at her blatant display of rebellion against my request for her to stop calling me that. "Been better, been worse thank you, how are you this morning?" I said, keeping calm and formal. She came out from behind the wall wearing a light pink dress with a small pink bandanna on her head in the same shade except for a dark pink stripe on the bottom. She was quite beautiful but I kept my disinterested expression on my face. She looked at me dead in the eye "I'm a little angry, sad, and confused today, just like usual" she said. I sighed at her attempt to get me to talk about it. I ignored her and looked back out the window again.

She hmphed and walked out the door, sighing once more I stood and walked after her. "Pika" Pikachu said sadly, I looked at him "Don't you start too". He juts shook his head sadly before perking his ears up in alarm. I looked at him "What is it? An intruder? Ddi they start the attack sooner than planned?" I demanded for him. Then I heard something too I craned my neck in the direction of the noise. It sounds like, like...

"Eevee!"

Eevee sprinted around the corner and ran straight at us, Pikachu immediately jumped off my shoulder and ran in the direction we just came from, away from Eevee. I just watched the while thing go down, slightly confused. But when hey disappeared around the corner I began to walk after May. For a minute I almost lost her, but I saw her dress disappear around a corner that went up one of the winding staircases that lead to one of the towers that overlooked, well, just about everything. I walked up behind her, taking my time as I'm in no real rush to get to her. When I made my way to the top she was sitting on the edge and looking down at the Aqua platoons getting ready for battle.

I sat a little ways away from her and also watched war about to start because I brought May back home. Starting a war wasn't really on my bucket list but hey, ir rose my pay so I'm not complaining. Eventually I heard someone else coming up the stairs and Dawn came up with a struggling Eevee in her arms and Pikachu cautiously coming up behind her. When Pikachu saw me he jumped onto my shoulder and Eevee jumped out of Dawn's arms into May's. Dawn just smiled and nodded at me to which I nodded back to her. She passed me and started talking with May and I immediately tuned them out and watched everyone below who were now in organized lines.

I saw many water types all around. There were Swampert, Ludicolo, Azumaril, Seeking, Crawduant, Starmie, Golduck, and even Kingdra. An impressive arsenal, especially with Kingdra because they had dragon type moves. Something not many fire types can counter. Soon they began marching toward the gates, two of the platoons had bows at the ready. I watched them march out of the gate and head towards the outpost that was visible even from this distance. Soon the platoons all went in separate directions, the ones with bows went on either side of the outpost and the shield wall went straight for the gates.

Not long after I saw hundreds of arrow begin rain down from either side of the outpost and a loud horn sounded from inside the camp. It started a chain reaction, horns from all around began to sound. Some from places I couldn't see and one from the outpost with a dragon type rising up from it. I squinted just to be sure that it was Hunter J but I still couldn't make out any defining characteristic of the rider to identify him/her. I looked back and saw that soldiers were coming from the outpost the Salamance came from and heading straight for the outpost.

War has just begun

"Pikachu, I want you to do something for me as fast s you possibly can. Do you think you can do it for me?" I asked. Pikachu smiled and gave me a thumbs up. "Thanks buddy I appreciate it, now here's what I want you to do"

-Time Skip-

I watched as a white streak of light dashed off into the distance. Pikachu could travel very fast if he used quick attack over and over and over again. I brought my gaze back to the battlefield, what had been a one sided skirmish was turning into a grueling, bloody conflict. I could see more Aqua platoons getting moving to the front lines, matching the Kanto platoons that were streaming in from the other outposts surrounding the one we were attacking.

I was not happy I couldn't join. My plan had been to slip away while no one was looking, Archie had already agreed to cover for me and turn blind eye. but when he came up here two guards accompanied him, they would report his absence to King Norman. I kept watching in anger as I saw Hunter J sweep over a platoon and see a beam of light come out of the Salamance's mouth, probably a hyper beam.

I growled in frustration and walked towards the staircase, drawing the eyes of everyone on the tower. One of the guards got in my way as I made my way for the staircase. "Your duty is to stay by the princesses' side at all times mercenary" he said with venom in his voice. He probably wasn't a big fan of mercenaries. I grabbed him by the collar of his armor "If you don't get out of my way, I'm throwing you off the edge of this tower"

He stood fast however I glared at him before swinging my leg behind his and grabbing him as he fell downwards and threw him towards the edge of the tower and walked downy the stairs. I heard a "STOP!" from the second guard but I ignored him and kept walking down the stairs. Soon I was walking out of the castle and into wear yet another platoon was preparing to join the fray. I walked past all of them and went right for the Rapidashes. I had grabbed one but some put a hand on my shoulder. I snapped around, a second away from breaking that person's wrist but paused when I saw it was Sir Aaron

"You're supposed to be watching the princesses" he stated flatly

"And you were supposed to be a good husband, but you weren't so fuck off" I said before turning around and tying to mount the Rapidash. Aaron put another hand on my shoulder, preventing me from getting on. "Go back to her, let me handle J. I'll take her our for the both of us". I just spat at his feet. His grip on my shoulder tightened till it hurt "Listen, when I go out to help, I'm going to be on my Pidgeot, I might just pass by your tower and request your assistance, that way, you have an excuse" he hissed at me

As much as I hate to admit it, that's a better plan than mine. "Fine" I said, pulling my arm out of his grip. And walking back up to the tower. When I got up there the two guards were gone, probably looking for me "Why the hell are you still here? Shouldn't you be on the battlefield right now?" Archie said. I sighed and wen back to my spot "I came up with a better plan" I said

At that moment the two guards came back up and the moment they saw me they drew their weapons. Time to show how good of a lier I am "I'm sorry I forgot it was a crime to give the Aqua guard generals an update on the action they can't see from this view. Do you want me to not make sire they know what they're up against?" I said sarcastically. The guards paused at that and lowered their weapons. "You could've told us that instead of throwing out of the way" the on on the left said

"Would you have believed me, after all, I am a mercenary" I said, copying his venom when I said mercenary. He fell silent at that. Suddenly, loud footsteps could be heard coming up the staircase bringing everyone's attention to the figure coming up. When Riley emerged he put his hands on his knees and and let out gasps of air. Everyone (save for me) crowded around him to make sure he was alright. He looked up at me after he caught his breath "Sir Aaron requests your help on the battlefield" he said with a wink.

"Does he now?" I said, playing along "Well who am I to deny the summons of the most respected Aura Guardian?" I said.

I jumped up onto the wall and turned around and gave everyone a small wave before letting myself fall backwards. I couldn't help but smile at the cries I heard come from the top after I disappeared from their sight. I maneuvered myself so i would land on my feet and felt something soft under me. I opened my eyes and saw that my feet were on a Pidgeot headed in a downward slope so I wouldn't break my legs (or its back) on impact. It came out from its dive and gave me a sidewards glance.

"Well I meant to pick you up but that works as well" Aaron said from in front of me. "All just for appearances" I said. It was true, when those guards gave their report they probably would tell them that I jumped off the edge of the tower, someone would hear that and the rumor would spread and get crazier every time it's told. It gave me an extra ambiance that made people pause when they thought of challenging me.

"Where's your Lucario?" I yelled over the wind. "He's healing the wounded back at the castle along with Riley's Lucario. I figured they'd be of more help there than on the battlefield" He yelled back. I nodded, it made sense after all. "Where's Pikachu?" he asked "I told him to do something for me" was my only response

I glanced back at the tower and saw everyone looking in my general direction, maybe at the battle since we were headed in that direction. I couldn't really make out their faces from here so I don't know where they're looking. "Alright are you ready Ash?" Aaron yelled over the wind. I nodded and brought out my bow and drew an arrow, notching it in the bow but not drawing it back. "Here we go!" Aaron yelled and Pidgeot began to dive downwards towards the battlefield and towards the Salamance hovering over it, occasionally dodging arrows that came from below, and raining attack after attack onto the Aqua Guard. I saw a blue light emanate from Aaron's hand and he brought a hand up with an aura sphere ready to be launched in it. He took careful aim at the feet of the rider which I now could see was in fact Hunter J, her black armor leaning in the sunlight and white hair flowing over it.

I saw the aura sphere leave Aaron's hand and head straight for the Salamance. I saw Hunter J look up just before the aura sphere made contact and try to get the Salamance to move out of the way. The Salamance flapped it massive wings and moved a little to the left but the aura sphere hit its right wing and it cried out in pain.

Unfortunately he stayed flying, but he was noticeably slower than before. I drew my arrow back and fired straight for Hunter J. She saw us coming and maneuvered her Salamance out of the way. Arrows weren't going to be much help here. "We need to get her on the ground. If your Pidgeot takes one hit from that Salamance were going down" I yelled at him.

He nodded and called to Pidgeot "Use gust"

"Are you stupid? At this speed we'd outrun that attack!" I yelled at him. "That's the plan!" he yelled back "Pidgeot fly right into the gust!" Pidgeot flew right into the powerful air wave "Now tuck in your wings!" Aaron said. The second we moved into the guts with Pidgeot's wings tucked in we shot off like a bullet.

'So that's what he was doing' I thought 'Impressive'

"Use aerial ace" Aaron yelled. I didn't think it was possible but we went twice as fast. I couldn't see a thing until we came to an abrupt halt from slamming into Salamance. He roared out in pain and shot down towards the ground with Hunter J desperately holding on to his neck. The bastard didn't even have a chance to dodge. Just before he righted himself and with one beat of his wings he was back int the air. "This son of a bitch is tough" I yelled. Aaron just nodded.

Salamance turned to face us and let out a massive hyper beam that came at us at an alarming rate "Pidgeot roll". Pidgeot moved instantly to his master's command and spun to the left, barely dodging the hyper beam. Once we got out of the tool however we were met with a dragon breath staring us straight in the face. "Dive using agility!" Pidgeot tucked in its wings again and dove right below the dragon breath. I noticed Pidgeot wince in pain though. I looked back and saw its tail feathers a little burned.

'Shit'

"Aaron Pidgeot's tail feathers are burned a little!" I yelled, he nodded but kept his eyes in J the whole time. His hand began to glow again and an aura sphere formed. "Pidgeot use hurricane" Pidgeot blew a massive tornado of wind straight at Salamance. Salamance blew a gust to counter and used aerial ace right behind it to move through the hurricane.

"Got you" Aaron muttered. He launched his aura sphere right where they came out from the hurricane. It was so close to working, but at the last second Salamance spun around and used dragon tail to knock the aura sphere into the ground below. Salamance fired a dragon breath at us. "Agility" Aaron yelled, Pidgeot dodged with time to spare, but when we came out of the move we were met with a dragon claw coming for us.

"Counter with wing attack" Pidgeot wing collided with the dragon claw. I looked up made direct eye contact with Hunter J. She was glaring at us and looked beyond furious. I heard her call out "Grab its wing and use dragon tail" Salamance grabbed Pidgeot's wing causing it to cry out and slammed it in the stomach with a dragon tail and spun around and delivered another one to the side of the head.

We began falling, Pidgeot was unconscious and we were spiraling to the waiting ground. Aaron was holding onto Pidgeot's neck and trying to get it to wake up. I was holding on for dear life but my grip was slipping. I looked up at Aaron and yelled "You're a dick" just to make sure he knew I hated him before we died. "Pidgeot please wake up we're counting on you" Aaron was pleading. I sighed, and saw the ground five seconds away from becoming my Grim Reaper.

I closed my eyes and felt a massive jerk as all our downward motion came to an abrupt halt. My body ached all over. I heard a massive roar come from right next to me and a searing heat next to my face. Death by dragon breath was more honorable than a death by falling I guess. I opened my eyes to look ay my death straight in the face and saw the red glow of a flame right next to my face.

Wait, dragon's breath isn't red.

I (painfully) turned over and realized I was on the back of a massive, red lizard.

"Charizard!" I yelled out to my friend. He turned and grinned at me, making him look almost evil. I grinned right back at him and saw he had Pidgeot in his claws and Aaron just in front of me on his back. I jumped up, forgetting the pain for a moment. "Way to go Charizard, I owe you one big time" I said

"Remind me to thank Pikachu when we see him after this" I told Charizard who nodded in response. I looked up and saw Hunter J closing in on us. "But unfortunately now is not the time I can reward you" I said "Charizard drop them on the ground and fly up as fast as you can"

Charizard instantly complied and set Pidgeot down and I shoved Aaron off, being unconscious he'd just be dead weight. Charizard flew up into the sky, blowing past the very surprised Hunter J and leveled out above them. I grinned, a little maniacally, and said two words "Sky drop"

Charizard flew downwards twice as fast as he'd been going up and juts when he was about to hit the now even more surprised Hunter J I said "Inferno"

Charizard let out a massive stream of flames all around him, he lit up his own body with flames and I could feel come of my clothes catching fire. But it was all worth it when we made direct contact with Salamance who plummeted to the ground and made a massive crater on impact. "Turn off the flames Charizard and bring us down" I said and the fire coating Charizard extinguished and he flew us to the ground not far away form the crater. How's that for the element of surprise?

I jumped off Charizard and heard a loud roar come from the crater. One of Salamance's claws grabbed the edge of the crater and he hulled half of himself out of the crater. He gave us a glare that made my knees want to collapse. The look of hate in that Pokemon's was terrifying, but I kept up my clam look. Salamance pulled the rest of him up and brought his rider up.

Hunter J grunted when she was pulled up. Her amor was torn and dent ed all over, her breastplate was missing along with a shoulder guard and a few parts that were supposed to be on her legs. She patted Salamance's head in thanks and turned to me. "Well, well, well if it isn't the Ranger. What are you doing here. Shouldn't you be doing some stupid minor jobs. It's not like you to take on a job this big"

"If it pays enough, I'm willing to do a lot of stupid things" I said "Including killing you". Hunter J laughed "I'll admit I was surprised by your Charizard, he's quite the impressive specimen. Tell you what I'll let you live if you give me him" she said. It was my turn to laugh "That is the worst attempt at trying to beg for your life that I have ever seen. Do you really think you win here. You're going to die"

"Salamance use hyper beam!" J yelled

"Charizard, flare blitz"

The two attack collided and a explosion erupted in-between us, blinding me for a few seconds. When the dust cleared and the light faded both parties were unharmed. "Dragon breath" I heard from J, I smirked and muttered "Dragon breath" to Charizard. The two attacks collided once again and another blinding light flashed in front of me, I opened my eyes and saw J lunging at me with her sword drawn. I grabbed one of my throwing knives and parried her strike so her blade missed my head by a few inches but her momentum brought her close to me and we were eye to eye. I saw her hand moving below me and grabbed her wrist just before the knife she had just drawn could pierce my stomach.

I twisted the knife out of her hand and kicked her in the stomach. She was pushed back a little but got right back up. I grabbed her knife off the ground and put mine back in its sheath. I drew my own sword and got into a defensive stance. "Salamance, destroy that overgrown excuse of lizard. Salamance rushed at Charizard and they began fighting with dragon claws and dragon tails, Charizard mixing in his own fire type moves, an ember here and there and if her got enough time to charge one up, a flamethrower.

I kept my eyes on J though who charged at me, she threw a knife at me an I ducked out of the way, she pulled out another knife and brought it up to stab me in the face, I brought my hand that held her knife down so my wrist blocked hers. She brought her sword to slash across my stomach but pushed her back. She dashed forward immediately however and caught me still off balance.

She went to run me through with her sword and I barely knocked that to the side, I couldn't block her next strike and she slashed her knife across my chest, i kept back and brought a hand to my chest. I could see J smirking "So you aren't as good as they say. I'm rather disappointed. I burned down Pallet Town and the civilians gave me more of a fight than you are" she said while laughing.

I could feel the rage boiling inside me, sure I hand;t known anyone there, nor did I know my own mother. But she was directly insulting me and my hometown and she didn't even know it. "So it was you, you burned down Pallet Town" I said in barely a whisper

Apparently J heard me though "Yeah, Did you have relatives there? If you did then you'l be happy to known that they died in the most pathetic way ever. They were all pushing each other out of the way, babies were being abandoned and parents left their kids to die. The woman I was sent to kill even killed her own kid. I don't know where she hid him but he died of starvation a while ago. So much for being the "compassionate Delia Ketchum" I heard about"

"HOW DARE YOU INSULT MY MOTHER YOU FUCKING BITCH!" I roared at her. That was not something I should have said. that was definitely not something I should have said. "Your mother?" Hunter J suddenly began to laugh "Don't tell me you're the kid. Oh man that is funny" She sighed and wiped a tear from her eye "Well, at least now I can earn my pay for that job" she said, she then lunged at me with even more speed than last time. Our swords were locked and we were face to face.

"I want you to know, you mom died without even putting up a fight. She was a coward and a pathetic human being. And you're no different" she hissed at me, slowly pushing my sword back.

If someone asked what happened after that it would take me a little to recall exactly what I did. I just saw red, everywhere there nothing till I finally came out of thus moment of pure rage and saw J on the ground in front of me. Our swords locked once again except she was struggling to push me back. "I'm going to rip you to shreds" I spat at her.

She just grunted in effort, desperately trying to kept me at bay. She closed her eyes and cried out "Salamance!" suddenly I was hit with a dragon tail to the stomach and flew across the battleground into a tree. I struggled back up and saw Salamance going right back at it with Charizard. I looked over and saw J running straight at me. I raised my arm to block by my arm refused to move. I used her knife to block the strike but she kicked me in the stomach, kocking me back to the ground. She pinned me beneath her and brought a knife to my throat. "Time to die Ketchum"

In one last rout of strength I shoved her off with a roar and threw a knife at her. She just dodged the knife and slowly walked up to me. She brought her sword up, executioner style and began to bring in down.

I felt like time was frozen, I had nothing that could help me, I barely had the strength to raise a finger. is this how I'm going to die? being executed by the same woman who killed my mother and maybe even my father if he didn't get help. I didn't even get to see who won the battle. I brought my arm as the blade came down and closed my eyes, accepting my fate, waiting for death to come.

But nothing came, I heard a cry of pain and felt a warm glow. But when I opened my eyes I saw nothing but the sky. I turned my head and saw Charizard trying to pin Salamance underneath. He had one leg on Salamance's neck and both his claws held the head. Salamance was firing dragon breaths left and right, trying to hit Charizard at this close of a proximity, but Charizard held his head away from him and kept himself out of the nave of Salamance's dragon claws and his tail. I watched lazily as Charizard ripped Salamance's head from his body and gave a bellowed a mighty roar into the sky, lighting it up with flames as he held the the head of his kill.

I sat up and looked at J, who was on the ground, her sword broken in two pieces. She was leaning against a tree holding where her used to be. She was looking at me with a fear I'd never seen before in anyone's eyes. "What the hell are you?" she whispered in fear. I felt something warm spreading across mt chest and looked down at myself to see Hunter J's arm laying on my chest.

I groaned as I rolled over and sat up against the tree I had hit when Salamance hit me with his dragon tail. I looked down at Hunter J's arm, barely processing the fact that somehow, I made her lose her arm. I looked down at my hands and I didn't notice it then but they glowed blue. I felt do tired but I couldn't sleep yet, J had to die. Using the last of my strength I stood up and grasped the upper half of J's broken blade and stumbled towards her. She looked at me, her eyes riddled with that same fear I saw earlier. She slid down the tree till she was sitting. I kneeled right next to her and brought the end of the blade up and level with her neck. I slowly leaned forward and felt the blade puncture her throat, slowly getting deeper and deeper.

I stared her in the eye the entire time, I watched as the life slowly left her eyes and she fell down limply. I stayed in that same spot, staring blankly at the spot she had just been sitting in. I was clenching the knife so hard my hands were bleeding, but I didn't even notice. I heard Charizard roar behind me and hear chis monstrous footsteps move towards me. He felt him pick me up and being to walk in some direction.

It wasn't too long before I heard voices and felt Charizard set me down. Faces crowded above me, all of them were yelling different things at once but I couldn't understand what one of them were saying. Someone lifted so that I was facing only one person. they were talking calmly and I since everyone was quiet I could make out what the person was saying "Ash, Ash. Wake up!"

It was a girl, May. How did I get to the castle? We didn't fly and we had to be miles away from it. I probably fell unconscious or something. I tried to say something but my vocal cords wouldn't work. "Tell me you're alright" I heard in a shaky voice. I felt something warm hit my face, it was wet. Were they trying to wake me up?

My vision got clouded and some was pressed up against my face. I felt more water on my face. It was silent all around me, there no more movement like the shuffle here and there that there was before. What happened? I felt people picking me up and putting me on something. I got lifted up again and realized I was on stretcher. I saw spots begin to crowd my vision. Just as I fell into unconsciousness I realized what the water was.

They were tears

Alright so that was my double update because I lied last chapter. Sorry about that. I felt like an idiot when I ended without any action whatsoever. Anyway, I hope you enjoy the chapter and that you've had a good weekend. Till next time guys

-novaking2832