SECRETS
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO: DRAMA (REWRITE)
Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon but I own this fiction and any other OC's in this story
ITALIC: THOUGHTS
BOLD/ITALIC: POKEMON SPEAKING THE HUMAN LANGUAGE
(Pikachu): Pokemon speaking there language which only there trainers could understand.
Adan took a deep breath as he tried not to throw up at her sister's behavior. "I cannot believe I'm related to her." Adan muttered under his breath as he watched her sister flirt with Henry in disgust.
"Your life suck," Natasha commented as she tried to ignore her collogue and former friend's interaction. "Alex and Relena are probably rolling in their graves right now." Natasha mumbled in disappointment.
"Even in death, you still loved him." Adan muttered with a small, sad smile. "For a woman of your caliber, you are quite foolish." Adan added with a chuckle.
Natasha chuckled at that as well. "The same goes for you, you can have any woman you want but you refused to look at another woman when Relena died." Natasha commented with a humorously tone.
Adan smiled at that. "I truly envy Ash." Adan muttered as he turned his gazed towards Natasha.
"I truly envy Elena as well." Natasha replied casually. "Fate is cruel, the love of our lives chose a different lover, and the lover that they picked didn't even cherish them the way that we did. Alexander had a wonderful son with Delia, and Relena conceived three beautiful daughters with Henry." Natasha stopped at that as she chuckled once again.
"The only son of Alexander and the youngest daughter of Relena being lovers is the most ironic thing I've ever seen in my life." Adan continued with a small smile. "Those two were like siblings, heck, they were so close that some of us thought that they will both end up together, a pity we were wrong."
"Yeah," Natasha mumbled in agreement. "I would have gladly lost Alexander to Relena."
There was a short silence after that as the two contemplated about their love life. "So, what do you say we get out of here and get some dinner?" Adan offered as Natasha nodded.
"Your treat," Natasha told them as they turned their backs on their former friends.
"Always," Adan muttered as they head to the exit but stop when a figure suddenly appeared in front of them. "Ash?"
They were startled as Ash suddenly appeared in front of them, flank by Brock and Gary, both of them confused on why they were with him in the first place. "Uncle, Natasha, follow me." Ash said to them in a very grim tone.
"Is something wrong?" Adan asked worriedly while Ash merely shrugged.
"It's complicated." Ash said with a tone that gave them the idea that he won't answer any more questions. "Just follow me; I have a lot of explaining to do." Ash told them as he snapped his fingers. Before their eyes, a human size, roman-style mirror appeared in front of them.
Normally, they would be shock by this but decided that because it was Ash, they just labeled the occurrence as normal for him. "Follow me," Ash told them again as he walked into the mirror.
"What the hell?" Brock muttered as he pointed at the mirror. "Did Ash just enter a mirror?" Brock asked in surprised.
"The better question is how Ash created the mirror out of thin air." Gary muttered as he inspected the mirror.
Adan coughed a bit as he warily looked at the mirror. "Who wants to go first?" Adan asked silently as he gazed at Natasha.
"Don't look at me, I'd love to know more about Aura Guardians and their practices but I am not going to walk into anything I have no knowledge of." Natasha replied uneasily as she gazed at Gary.
"I'm his childhood friend but I am not stupid, you can't convince me to enter that mirror even if you pay me." Gary then glanced at Brock.
"I am not good with mirrors." Brock instantly said, and before they could argue some more, four hands made out of glass shot out from the mirror and pulled all four of them simultaneously into the mirror.
A spiral of silver light blinded their sight as they suddenly fell face first on hard pavement. "When I say enter the mirror, you enter the mirror." Ash told them with a frown.
The four rubbed their heads as they stood up. They instantly noticed that they were now outside of the arena. "Hey Ash, how did you teleport us out of the arena?" Gary asked curiously as he watched the mirror that they went through shatter.
"Moonlight Element, a royal Element that Aura Princes can have access to." Ash explained casually as he pointed at the limo. "Get in," Ash told them as he open the door, to their surprise, Elena, Sarah, Jane, two region champions was inside the limo and two others that they did not recognize.
"I'm almost afraid to ask, but how did you afford the limo?" Gary asked as he glanced at the luxurious limo in front of him.
"I'm rich, end of story." Ash told them before smiling dryly. "But if you want an explanation, you guys will get in the limo, no questions asked." Ash told them as he entered the limo and sat beside Elena.
Adan sighed as he followed his nephew and sat beside Jane. Natasha followed soon and sat beside Sarah, whom looked excited for some reason. Brock and Gary glanced at each other for a moment before entering the limo.
Ricardo closed the door and motion for the driver to now head to their destination. When the limo began moving, a conversation began.
"So, who are these two?" Adan asked as he gazed at the two strangers that he had never met nor seen before.
Elena sighed, deciding to start this awkward meeting. "This is Ricardo, and the annoying brunette is Via (Via glared venomously at Elena at that insult), they are the head executives of APWA." Elena started as Natasha raised an eyebrow at that.
"You're the executives of the company that is funding this event?" Gary asked confusedly as the two nodded.
"I'm Executive President of Business Relations, and Ricardo is the company's Private Lawyer, and the COO of the company." Via elaborated thoughtfully.
"In other words, when the owners are away, these two are in charge of the day to day operations of the company." Ash added with a smile. "They are the best and the most trusted subordinates any boss could dream off." Ash complimented as the two mention smiled at him, Via mostly gazed at him with outright lust and admiration.
Elena noticed that and added her two cents. "They are very efficient; sadly, the woman over there is a pedophile." Elena said, earning her another glare from Via but she did not retort. Last time she bad mouthed her, Ash had snapped at her very violently.
"Okay, that's good to know and all, but why are we here?" Adan asked as he narrowed his eyes at Via. He did not like the way she was looking at Ash or at Elena.
"Apparently," Jane spoke as she gazed at the couple across her. "These two over here are the owners of the said company." Jane said, much to the surprised of the four new comers.
After a moment of silence, Gary spoke as he pointed at Ash and his girlfriend. "You're joking, right?" Gary mumbled but Jane merely shook her head while Sarah grinned, the champions looked curiously at Ash, completely ignoring Elena.
"I'll explain when we get to the restaurant." Ash said before any more questions were fired at him.
(Scene Change)
To say that they were surprised was an understatement. When Ash told them that he was treating them to a restaurant, they thought that it was just an ordinary restaurant that a normal family could afford, they did not expect Ash to fly them all the way to Lily of the Valley Island in a very fast jet, and treat them to Sinnoh's most expensive restaurant, The Crown of Twilight.
"Okay, I'm this region's champion but even I can't get a reservation at this restaurant." Cynthia muttered as she gazed in wonder at the Greek-style restaurant.
"If you have the right friends, and the right amount of cash, you can practically get anything." Ash said with a smirk. "That and the owner of this restaurant happened to be a friend of mine, good cook, short temper, and a very lousy poker player." Ash commented with a chuckle while those who had seen Ash play poker shook their heads.
"Ash, I don't want to burst your bubble but everyone sucks at playing poker when they play with you." Elena told him with a smile. "If my memories serves me right, your entire fortune is build off of poker and blackjack."
"True," Ash said with a soft chuckle.
Gary cannot help but smile at this. "Ash always had the affinity for business." Gary whispered as Brock and Sarah look at him curiously.
"Seriously," Sarah asked silently.
Gary nodded as he remembered their childhood days in Pallet town. "Ash used to drag me all around Pallet town to buy some of those abandoned storage units, Pallet has a lot of them and they are cheap. Ash buys abandoned storage units, he finds something valuable, and he sells it." Gary laughed softly at remembering some of Ash's most interesting bargains.
"Now that you mention it, Ash has been responsible for our group's resources since the day I started travelling with him." Brock mused, remembering the times when Ash handed him a large wad of money and practically ordered him to budget it. "I always did wonder where he got the money, I mean, a trainer's salary is not that big." Brock added as Gary nodded before chuckling.
"The most basic thing about Ash is that he loves to gamble, he especially loves poker." Gary told them. "You don't want to see him in a poker table that is how good he is. I wonder how many casinos Ash looted to build his company." Gary wondered loudly.
"The young master has looted fifty casinos to accumulate 75 billion in cash. The young master used 50 billion for the capital of APWA that is the reason why we have such a good start." Ricardo informed them as Gary and Brock jump back in surprise.
Sarah on the other hand was now beside Elena. "Hello Elena, we need to talk." Sarah said in a sickly sweet tone.
Elena knew that this was coming, so she merely sighed grimly. "I'm dead, am I?"
"No not yet at least." Jane answered as she walks beside Elena, her eyes calculating.
Elena met her older sister's eyes before giving Ash a look. Ash, understanding that look, nodded. "Ricardo, Via, let's go have a talk with our old friend." Ash told them as he motions them to the kitchen. "Elena, please show our guests to our table, our table is over there on the balcony." Ash said as he pointed at the balcony over a couple of diners.
Elena nodded but before she could lead the group, Ash planted a kiss squarely on her forehead before heading straight to the kitchen. Before Via could make a scene, Ricardo clasped her mouth and drag her to the kitchen. Elena tried her best to ignore the jealous look that Cynthia and her sisters were giving her. "What do you guys expect, we are partners." Elena said to them before adding something in her thoughts while tracing her lips with her fingers. 'In more ways than one.'
Elena led them out to the balcony, where a large, well made and well furnish round table was waiting for them. "Take your seats everyone." Elena said as she took the sit near the door. "The moon is beautiful tonight." Elena couldn't help but comment as she glanced at the full moon.
The group did as they were told and took their seats. Most of them still don't know why they are there but they just decided to enjoy the free dinner courtesy of Ash and his company. "Now that girl that you hate so much is not here, we can finally have a decent talk." Jane said before taking a deep breath. "How did you become the co-owner of APWA?" Jane asked curiously.
"You started with an easy one," Elena said with a humorless chuckle. "I was the one who gave Ash the idea of starting the company." Elena answered bluntly.
The group looked at her strangely at that revelation, not believing her words. "Elena, we're serious here." Cynthia said exasperatedly.
"I'm serious as well; the reason why I'm the co-owner of APWA is because I gave Ash the idea of starting the company. Ash took care of the capital, the entrepreneurship, and the man power, but the idea came from me. Apparently, for Ash, that's enough for me to own 45% of the stock." Elena explained with a shrug.
"You know what, that explains a lot." Gary commented with a laugh. "Ash is good in negotiation and gambling, but without a cause, he won't do a thing." Gary said with full confidence.
Elena frowned at that as she narrowed her eyes at Gary, making said person flinch. "You don't know him well, so keep quiet please." Elena said sharply as Gary winced at her terrifying glare.
"Yes ma'am," Gary answered, fearing her wrath as well as the wrath of her overpowered boyfriend.
"Where did Ash get the capital?" Lance asked carefully.
"Poker and Blackjack," Elena answered while fighting back a laugh. "You see, Ash is an exceptional gambler, and he looted every casino in Kanto and Johto, and most casinos in Hoenn and Sinnoh, the reason why is because he travels with a large group and they need a lot of resources." Elena then glanced at Brock sharply.
Brock, misinterpreting the glance, nodded. "That's true; Ash has been the breadwinner of the group since I joined him. He provides the money; I managed and bought our resources." Brock verified what Elena said.
Elena shook her head. "More like you people can't do anything right without Ash." Elena muttered cynically.
"So Ash earned his fortune in gambling?" Lance asked as Elena merely nodded in confirmation.
"So, let me get this straight," Sarah said with a smile. "Ash had accumulated a fortune in his five years of journey because he gambles for his travelling group's resources, and you co-own his company because you gave him the idea of starting said company, am I right?" Sarah inquired rather excitedly.
"That is about right." Elena answered with a careful tone; her sister has that dangerous glint in her eyes again meaning it's time to head for cover.
"So that means you have billions worth of resources under your belt, right?" Sarah asked again, her voice becoming sweeter by the word.
"Unfortunately so," Elena answered softly as she found her sister suddenly besides her.
"Ok now," Sarah said excitedly as she clapped her hands, her eyes gleaming in a terrifying manner. "Now sis, I have several researches and projects that require proper funding." At the word funding, those who knew her glanced at Elena frantically and began shaking their heads into a negative, Lance even went so far as to putting his hands together in praying fashion and begged Elena to not give her any amount of money.
"Sorry sis, I can't." Elena told her as she push Sarah away.
"Why not?" Sarah demanded with a cute puppy dog eyes that she always used whenever she wanted something badly.
Elena on the other hand was not affected by her sister's antics, and so was Jane who decided to remind her of a certain memory. "Hey idiot, did you forget what happened to your last project?" Jane drawled with a smirked. "You sank an island, and angered a Lugia, remember?"
Sarah was about to retort when Elena wacked her over the head. "You did what?" Elena asked in surprised, realization suddenly hitting her.
Sarah smiled sheepishly at that. "Well, I was researching Pokémon attacks and the maximum power each attack can reach….." Sarah trailed off a bit as Cynthia shook her head.
"In other words, she went overboard and used every one of her pokemon to attack an inhabited island, suffice to say, the Island sank after an hour." Cynthia then gave her old rival a disapproving look. "After she sank the island, a Lugia appeared and attacked her."
"And for everyone's information, I won that battle by merely using my Dragonite." Sarah told them proudly while Elena tried to suppress the urged to hit her sister over the head.
'So that's why a Lugia tried to kill me during one of my dates with Ash, I should have known.' Elena thought grimly at the thought of that event. She had never seen him so angry at one of his familiars and he actually had to block several attacks before knocking out the poor Pokémon with a tower of lightning, hell, Ash would have killed his familiar if she did not interfere. 'You are not getting any funding from me, and I better warn Ash.' Elena thought to herself as she felt a familiar presence coming near here.
"Sorry we're late," Ash said as he took a seat beside Elena while Ricardo dragged Via as far away from Elena as possible.
"You played poker with him, didn't you?" Elena asked as she punched Ash's shoulder playfully. Pikachu nodded pitifully at that as he jumped on Elena's lap.
Ash chuckled as he nodded. "Free food is free food, and I just had to beat him six times." Ash said with a humor filled tone while Gary shook his head before whispering something to Brock.
"Here's some trivia about Ash, he can turn anything into a poker game. Sudden earthquakes, poker, a tsunami, poker, a worldwide storm, poker, end of the world, poker." Gary shook his head at that while Ash glared at him.
"Stop complaining, if you remember correctly, I bailed us out of half of our acting class because I beat our acting teachers in poker." Ash reminded him but that outburst caused every single one of them, with the exception of Elena, to look at Ash funny.
"You took acting lessons?" Sarah asked; suddenly intrigue at that fact.
Ash nodded before shivering in dread. "My father loved watching theater, and loved the fine-arts in general, so when Gary and I reach the age of four, dad forced us to take acting lessons."
"Worst four years of my life," Gary commented with a dread tone.
"That's because you suck." Ash reminded Gary as he glared at him.
"Not everyone can star in four different productions like you, Ashy-boy." Gary retorted sharply.
"Wait a minute, you stared at four productions, and I didn't know that?" Elena said, surprised that she didn't know at least one thing about her love.
Ash gave her an apologetic look. "Those four productions were the worst moments of my life." Ash told her but Gary snorted.
"You were good, hell; you were offered six contracts after the fourth production." Gary reminded him, earning him a glare.
"One more word, I will impale you." Ash threatened, feeling uncomfortable at the looks that he was receiving.
"Hey Gary," Sarah called with a grin. "Do you have a video recording of those performances?" Sarah asked innocently.
Natasha laughed at that. "If Ash is anything like Alex, then those performances would be epic."
"Agreed," Adan muttered as the group of twelve enjoyed a casual conversation while waiting for their food to arrive.
(Scene Change)
May was pissed, together with Misty and Dawn, the reason why is because her rival, Drew, and her brother, Max were watching the battle that practically cemented Ash's strength as a trainer, and they were joined by Nando, Barry and Reggie. The problem is that the white haired girl was present in that battle.
"Can you turn that off already, Max?" May demanded in irritation as Drew gave her an exasperated look.
"I don't care if you're jealous of her, I am watching this. Ash showed some pretty cool moves, and that Elena was spectacular too. If you don't want to learn from the moves that they showed us, then that's your problem and you can leave if you want." Drew told her firmly.
May huffed in annoyance at that while Dawn rolled her eyes. "She depended on Ash." Dawn commented while Nando beg to disagree.
"That is not the case, Dawn. Ash and Miss Elena's teamwork was divine." Nando said as he played his harp. "I have never seen such a well coordinate teamwork in my life." Nando added, oblivious to the glares that he was receiving.
"And that girl's Lucario was so cool." Barry said with glee. "Have any of you seen those kinds of Aura Moves before? That girl trained her Lucario well."
"A pity Ash gave it to her." Max mused as the girls glare shifted to her. He ignore those glares as he watch the footage of Pikachu's evolution. "Now this, this is cool." Max said as the roar of the newly evolve Pikachu echoed in the room.
Barry instantly brought out his Pokedex and check if there was any info about that Pokémon. "I have nothing on that monster." Barry mumbled in disappointment.
"Maybe it's a new breed of Pokémon." Reggie said commented, clearly impressed by that monster's abilities.
"I'm impressed with Ash's adaptability." Nando said as he watches Ash flawlessly control the black Pokémon that he calls Voltranuc.
"Yeah, I never would have thought Ash could beat Cynthia." Barry muttered in awe.
"The victory was a fluke." They all snapped their heads around to look at Professor Oak who had just entered the room. "With all due respect of Ash's and his partner's abilities, Cynthia and Lance, especially Cynthia, lost because of three reasons. First, they are not tag-team specialists, second, Ash's Pikachu and Elena's Lucario caught them off guard, and lastly, Pikachu's evolution could not have been predicted." Professor Oak noted as he took a seat, his face laced with disappointment and exhaustion.
"But Ash clearly beat Cynthia, how can that be a fluke?" Max asked as their attention was diverted to Professor Oak.
Professor Oak chuckled a bit at that. "Ash admitted to me that the victory he had over Cynthia was a fluke, and I agree with him. If you want to know more, ask him yourself, he has truly matured." Professor Oak said with a proud smile.
"Now that you mention it, where is Ash?" Barry asked curiously as he now notices the total lack of Pikachu.
At the mention of the, the three girls frowned in disgust. "Please, don't tell me that he is with that girl again." Misty muttered in annoyance.
Professor Oak chuckled uneasily at that. "Well, he is not completely alone with her. Last I check, Brock and Gary were with them, together with Natasha, Adan and Elena's sisters." Professor Oak told the three girls but that did not lower their irritation one bit.
"Goddamn it, what does Ash see in that girl that's special enough for him to give her his undivided attention?" Dawn complained loudly as she almost pulled her hair out.
"For starters, she's very pretty, beautiful eyes, shiny hair, and her body has that wow-factor." Barry commented with a small blush.
"She is a very good dancer too, and I would bet that she has very delicate hands." Nando stated, remembering her numerous dances with Ash.
"And she acts like a lady." Max added with a smirked directed to his sister.
Those comments did not go well for the three girls as they whacked the boys who had spoken over the head, causing them to crash to the ground.
"NOBODY ASKED YOU!" The three girls shouted in unison.
Reggie shook his head at them before glancing at Professor Oak. "By the way Professor, what is up with that girl's crew, they seem to be well acquainted with you and Ash's mother." Reggie inquired curiously and that was enough to cause the old professor to sigh dejectedly, something that Reggie noticed. "Is it something I said?"
"No, it's just complicated and a very long story." Professor Oak muttered in disappointment.
Barry, not noticing the Professor's tone, smiled excitedly. "Well the night is young, what about you tell us a story." That earned him another whacked over the head from one of the girls.
"Idiot, don't force the Professor to talk about something so personal." Misty muttered, although her tone betrayed her words. She too was curious.
Professor Oak glanced at the teens in the room and thought that it will not give much harm if they knew an old story. "Make yourselves comfortable, this may take a while." Professor Oak said as Max turn off the story and the group made their selves comfortable.
"For starters, Alexander Ketchum and Relena Konoe grew up together in Pallet Town." Professor Oak smiled as he remembered the two kids that truly brightened his younger years.
"Alexander Ketchum is Ash's father right, then who is this Relena Konoe?" asked May curiously.
"Elena's mother," Professor Oak answered.
"Forget I asked," May muttered in disdain.
"Now you see Ash's father and Elena's mother, during their childhood, were best friends. They did everything together, they were like siblings, and for the rest of their lives they treated each other like siblings." Professor Oak took a moment to remember the two angels that was born in his home town before continuing. "Alexander and Relena had so much in common, but their dreams were different. As you may know, Alexander was like Ash, he wanted to be a Pokémon trainer, more specifically, a Pokémon Coordinator because of his love of theatrics. Relena on the other hand, was very intrigued by ancient history, so much so that she wanted to be an archeologist. At age ten, they separated and that was when this entire mess started." Professor Oak muttered as he leaned on his chair.
"What mess?" Drew asked suddenly.
"The two of them remained friends and remained in contact for most of Relena's schooling, and Relena, to my knowledge, had watched all of Alexander's performances. Alexander, being the overprotective bastard that he is, constantly visited her at her school, and that is when he met Delia Deverde and her brother Adan Deverde, Henry Koshi, and Natasha Flight."
"Elena's father and crew as well as Ash's mother and uncle," Max mused loudly.
Professor Oak nodded. "As far as I know, the first meeting of Relena's new friends and Alexander did not go well, if my memory serves me right, Alexander sent Henry to the hospital and he got into a fight with Adan, both of them beat each other up so bad that they both received a concussion, and several broken ribs." Professor Oak chuckled at that.
"Why did Ash's father attack them?" Reggie asked curiously.
"Easy, Alexander treats Relena like a sister and he was very protective of her, with good reasons." Professor Oak chuckled a bit at that. "Relena was, and forever will be the most beautiful girl that has ever been born in Pallet town, she looks like her youngest daughter, Elena, in the looks department, only three times better." Suddenly, Professor Oak's phone rang.
"Hold on, I need to answer this." Professor Oak said as he answered the phone. "Hello!"
"DON'T CALL MY ELENA SECOND BEST, YOU FOOL!" Ash's roar echoed in the room, much to the groups surprised. Professor Oak instantly threw his phone to the wall.
"Was that Ash?" Max asked in surprise and bewilderment.
"It's a Ketchum trait, don't ask." Professor Oak muttered amusedly. "Now where was I, yes, Alexander attack both Henry and Adan, because one of them were trying to flirt with her, and Relena, in all of her beauty, is quite shy when it comes to the opposite sex so she was uncomfortable with boys flirting with her. Alexander being Alexander went nuts on them, and Adan being Adan, fought back. They were pretty much even but that did not stop them from trying to kill each other. To make a long story short, there fight ended up in a tie, they were sent into a hospital, Relena wacked them both across the head, and presto, and they've became close friends."
"How could they become close friends after fighting tooth and nail like that?" May asked in bewilderment, not understanding the reasoning behind the friendship between Ash's father and Ash's uncle.
"Those two are the typical male idiots, they don't make friends by talking or bonding with each other, they make friends by breaking each other's bones, saying that the only way they can befriend and know each other is by hitting each other, which works by the way." Professor Oak pointed out; remembering all those friendly spars those two did during their days. There medical bills were very expensive. "Now, after Alexander acquainted himself with Relena's school friends, his visits became more frequent as he got to know them. He and Adan became best friends, he despised Henry because he seemed to always flirt with Relena and Delia, and Natasha admired him for some reason." Professor Oak took a moment to take a deep breath.
"Those six were the best group of friends I had ever seen, when those five graduated, they travelled with Alexander for a while. That is when the real tragedy began." Professor Oak shook his head as a tear fell from his eyes. "Sorry kids I cannot go on and tell you more about Ash's father, the rest of the story is too dark for any of you to comprehend." The group groaned at that but Reggie look impassive.
"That bad huh…" Reggie muttered in an understanding tone.
"Let me put it this way, the life of Alexander Ketchum and Relena Konoe is a tragedy filled with heartbreak, that it can be called as the Tragedy of a Love Story." That caused the group to look confused and solemn as Professor Oak was now openly crying. "A pity really, I would have thought that Alexander and Relena would have ended up together, they were perfect for each other but sadly, their love for each other did not surpass sibling love, they'd lost a chance at a romance beyond any other." Professor Oak then laughed as he took out a locket and showed them a picture of an extremely cute, white haired girl and an extremely dashing, raven haired boy, both of them being five years old. Beside them were a woman and a man that looks like the grown up version of them, respectively.
"Who is that beautiful woman?" Drew asked while May has a different question.
"Who is that handsome man?"
"This is Relena and Alexander in their adulthood." Professor Oak smiled sadly. "Ash and Elena were wrong; their meeting years ago, was not their first meeting. They'd already met when they were five years old, when Relena visited Alex." Professor Oak said with a fond smile. "I wonder if they still remember that meeting."
(Scene Change)
"I will never get use to this." Brock said as he glanced at the night sky as the group was getting a ride back to Sun Lake town by Ash's company's private jet. "This thing is fast." Brock commented as the jet moved at an incredible speed.
"This jet is a military issue, and has been on sale just a year ago, it possess thick armor and incredible speed, capable of flying at the speed of 250 miles per hour." Adan elaborated impressed by his nephew's taste. "How much was this?" Adan asked Ricardo who he noticed to be close to Ash and Elena.
"45 million but because the young master has a friend who sells these kinds of things, we got it for at least 37 million." Ricardo answered firmly and respectfully, he had heard only good things from Elena in regards to Adan, so he was giving him as much respect as possible.
"So, why do you guys call Ash young master?" Natasha asked as she drank a glass of wine provided to her by Ricardo.
Ricardo glanced at her with some kind of strange expression before shrugging. "His friends in the gambling circuit call him that, after being beat by a ten year old in high stakes poker so many time, we can't find any other ways to describe him." Ricardo explained with a nonchalant tone.
"He's that good?" Natasha asked, oblivious to the wide smirk that was plastered on Adan's face.
"In gambling, he is better than good and way better than the best." Ricardo answered casually, remembering the many times he was defeated by Ash in Poker and Blackjack. "By the way, can you tell me about young mistress' father?" Ricardo asked as politely as possible.
"Now that is a very interesting question." Sarah said as she suddenly glanced behind her chair. "Elena and Ash seem to trust you, unlike the girl who is wasted behind you." Sarah said pointing at the unconscious form of Via who had too much to drink during dinner.
"I think that you guys know why the young mistress despises my partner." They nodded at that. They've noticed during dinner that Via constantly glared at Elena, and vice-versa, and they constantly threw insults at each, that Ash had to interfere just for them to stop.
"I noticed, I never would have thought that Elena is capable of hating someone that much, but I understand her reasons." Sarah looked solemn at this. "Can I throw her out the plane?" Sarah asked so suddenly that Adan and Natasha face faulted at the sudden question.
"And I will help." Jane said two seats from where Sarah is sitting.
Ricardo smirked at that before adopting an impassive expression. "As much as I would like to accept that offer, she is quite hard to replace."
"A pity then," Sarah noted with a dramatic sigh. "So why do you want to know about our bastard of a father?" Sarah asked, spitting the word father like it was something foul.
"She speaks very lowly of him." Ricardo stated so firmly that everyone within earshot looked at him.
"Wait a minute, among the three of us; Elena is the only one who actually gets along with the guy." Jane said curious at what her younger sister really feels to the man that, for her, is the reason why their beloved mother is dead.
"Technically, according to young mistress, she gets along with the guy but she once told me that she can never consider this Henry fellow as her father. She said something about being absent half her life?" Ricardo noted as Sarah and Jane look triumphant at those words.
"So our little angle isn't as naïve as we thought, thank Arceus." Jane muttered in relief.
Ricardo gazed at Jane, who was now facing him. "You know, you look familiar." Ricardo said, startling the former poacher. "I know every wanted criminal in the five regions by heart and I swear, you look like some infamous poacher I've seen in a wanted poster before." Ricardo commented, and that was enough for Lance to study Jane and Sarah, Adan and Natasha to laugh uneasily.
"That's impossible, Mister Ricardo, according to Sarah, Jane is a Pokémon Researcher, not a famous researcher but her works are rather well written." Cynthia exclaimed thought she was a bit suspicious. She and Sarah go way back and they both shared a lot of battles, and their respective family. Cynthia had already met her father and her sister, Elena, but this was her first time seeing her older sister. And to be honest, she does look familiar.
"Yes, yes Jane is a researcher, but unlike Sarah, she does not like fame so she merely concentrated in small projects." Natasha added, hoping that Ash's and Elena's lawyer will leave it be.
Ricardo muse a bit as he eyed Jane curiously. "Your right, she has very short hair, you have long hair, must be coincidence." Ricardo said sounding impassive and Jane knew that he was not convinced but out of his respect to her sister, he let it be.
"Now, about our father," Sarah said, bringing the subject back to its original topic. "He is the most selfish bastard there is, and I could use a lot more colourful language to describe him, but let's go with that. Now our mother… Our mother was an angel, how the bastard married her was beyond anyone of us." Sarah then began to describe her so called father with such colourful language that Ricardo cannot help but smirk in amusement.
(Scene Change)
Ash and Elena was currently in the only bed in the entire jet. They were half naked but they did not go all the way, considering Elena's sisters were in the same jet as them. Thought, that did not stop them from caressing each other's body.
"Next time, we'll use the bigger jet, much bigger and roomier." Elena muttered as she leaned on Ash's chest while her lover was busy caressing her breasts while occasionally kissing her.
"Come on now love, considering how we do it, your moans would be heard all the way to the cockpit." Ash said, nibbling on her ear. Elena moaned softly as she reached for his head and pushed him closer to her neck, Ash, getting the message, began to kiss and nibble on the crook of her neck.
"I know and Sarah would kill me." Elena said as she shifted her body so that she was facing Ash, her breast pressing on his chest as she gave him a very passionate kiss on the lips. Their arms were already wrapped around each other's frame as they did their best to deepen the kiss.
"Ash," Elena whispered huskily as she broke the kiss, her forehead resting on Ash's forehead. "Can you do silent, I can do silent." Elena muttered coherently as Ash laid her on the bed.
Ash smiled passionately at her as he nodded. "I can do silent." Ash answered as he slowly removed the last article of clothing that Elena was wearing.
"As much as I would like to see this first hand, Ashura get up." Ash instantly stood up at the sound of that voice, a sword made out of glass suddenly bursting out from his hand and impaling the source of the voice to the wall. "Ashura how many times must I say this? I am not an enemy." A beautiful woman with white haired said in annoyance.
Ash glared at her in irate as Elena covered her naked parts. "Arceus, change your form before I behead you." Ash threatened as Ash suddenly pulled a sword of glass out of thin air and pointed it at Arceus' neck.
Arceus chuckle a bit as she shattered the sword that impaled her and the sword that Ash was holding with a simple flick of a finger. "Come on now Ashura, Royal Element or Normal Element, it doesn't matter to me." Arceus said smugly. "And what's wrong with my appearance, I look quite beautiful in this form."
Ash and Elena growled with a soft voice, before reaching for their clothes. "You are a major turn-off." Elena muttered as she glared at the God of all Pokémon.
Arceus chuckled as she wave off Elena's glare like it was nothing. "Come on now dear, you two have been at it for two days straight now. Do you want to get pregnant that much?" Arceus asked in a rather perverted tone.
Ash glared at Arceus at that and the killing intent in the room was so intense that Pikachu woke from his slumber and Koyuki was force out from her Poke ball, where she has been resting since the end of the battle. At the sight of the white haired woman, aside from Elena, they instantly bowed to show their respect, thought they were glaring at their god's current form. "You know if it weren't for the fact that you are hard to kill, I would have cleaved your head off by now." Ash exclaimed as he finish putting his clothes back on before helping Elena with her shirt. "What do you want? And you better answer quickly." Ash growled as he glared back at Arceus, not even showing his respect towards the gods of pokemon.
Arceus was used to this, and merely shrugged. Ash was not the first prince of values his mistress over his God-given duty and she was damn sure that he won't be the last. After all, twenty-five percent of all Aura Princes valued their mistresses over their duty. "I got a job for you." Arceus said as she threw a scroll at him.
Ash caught the scroll and opened it, instantly reading several names on the scroll. "Why did I gain my wings again?" Ash muttered in annoyance as he let out a deep sighed.
"Because you wanted to impress your mistress," Arceus answered with a teasing tone, earning her another glare from Ash.
"You know what; I am starting to think that the price for immortality is insanity." Ash said loudly as he gave Arceus a small nod. "I'll take care of them, as usual." Ash stated with a deadly serious tone.
"Wonderful, now I know I've interfered with your mating, so please carry on and would you two give me a stellar show of the flesh." Arceus quickly had to teleport out of the room when Ash tried to remove her head with a quick slash and Elena, channeling the power that she has access to from the bond she shares with Ash, tried to blast her with an Aura Sphere.
"For a God, she's annoying." Ash whispered as he kneeled before Elena. "I have to do this." Ash said soberly to her.
"I know believe me, I know." Elena muttered in annoyance as she gave him a chaste kiss on the lips before kissing his forehead. "Be merciful," Elena told him as Ash suddenly disappeared from her sight.
(Scene Change)
The morning arrived too fast for Elena's taste, and she did not have a very good night. Apparently, Ash disappearing from the plane was not a normal occurrence to them and instantly asked her where he went. Elena, being the faithful lover that Ash had fallen in love with, merely shrugged and told them that he had personal business to take care of. That did not go well for those who did not know of Ash's special case, namely Sarah, the champions, and Via, but those who knew of his special case helped her convince them that Ash was okay and they should just believe her. That did not extinguish their curiosity but all of them, albeit Via was still annoyingly persistent, let it go. She was currently in a diner where she was treating her two sisters for breakfast.
"Why am I paying for your meals again?" Elena asked as she slowly ate her pancakes while her two sisters enjoy a variety of food.
"Technically, your rich, we're not, we're related, and you love us." Sarah said with a smile as she giddily devours her favorite ice cream.
"That and this is your punishment for not telling us, we could have help and you could have fired that Via woman." Jane stated as she cut a piece of beef. "Hey, you are not the one to hate someone so much, so why do you hate her so much anyway?" Jane asked curiously.
There was a loud snapping sound as Elena's older sisters glanced at her curiously as she adopted a very dark expression. "That woman stole a kiss from Ash, that's all the reason I need to hate her until my death bed." Elena exclaimed as she uses her new found strength, courtesy of being the mistress of an Aura Prince, to snap the bread knife in her hands. The memory, that damn memory still gives her nightmares. That woman almost cost her, the most wonderful man on the planet, and for that, Via earned her never-ending hatred.
Unknown to her, Sarah narrowed her eyes. "I hate her too." Sarah said, earning her a disappointed look from Jane.
"Hey, the woman got lucky with the brat, unlike you." Jane commented humorously, thought she regretted those words as she felt a heavy presence crushing her, and she wasn't the only one, Sarah felt that dark presence and was force to silence. Everyone in the diner suddenly felt that the temperature of the room suddenly dropped several degrees.
"Don't. Ever. Say. That. Again." Elena hissed as Koyuki and Pikachu, who stayed behind to protect Elena, tried to calm her down. There was a reason Elena rarely gets angry, she may not look like it but her anger surpasses Ash's anger by leaps and bounds, Aura Abilities be damned. And now that Elena has access to Ash's Aura Reserves, and small knowledge towards the basic Aura Techniques, she became even more terrifying.
Jane nodded as she felt sweat pouring down her forehead. Damn, she never would have thought that her sister could this be terrifying when angry. She felt somebody elbowing her ribs and instantly glance at Sarah. "You know as good as anyone how scary she is when angered, so don't provoke her, idiot." Sarah whispered with an uncomfortable tone.
"I know, don't remind me, stupid." Jane mumbled as the temperature returned to normal as Koyuki and Pikachu successfully calmed Elena down.
After a moment of silence, Sarah spoke. "So, about my funding….." Sarah trailed off.
"If you're going to sink another island it's not going to happen." Elena told her firmly.
"Come on now Elena that was an accident." Sarah whined as Jane snorted.
"Yeah right," Jane snickered as Sarah glared at her while Elena shook her head. Apparently, her genius of a sister had apparently never experienced being chased around by an enraged Lugia before.
"Still, I have several interesting research projects that needs proper funding, and the last company that funded my study did not provide me with the right equipment." Sarah noted as she gave her favorite sister a pleading look.
Elena sighed at that. "I'll talk to him, but no promises." Elena said as the three sisters continue their meal.
"HEY SARAH," Elena groaned softly after hearing that voice. She heard it only once but she knows who the voice belongs to and she knew that it will only lead her to have a major headache.
"Please tell me that isn't one of Ash's lady friends." Elena begged but Jane could only shake her head.
"Sorry sis, but no such luck." Jane said, pitying her younger sister. Jane knew that this would be the beginning of a very annoying drama.
With a soft sigh, Elena looked at the newcomer and watched Sarah had a short conversation with Misty. "Great, it's the first girl." Elena muttered as she listened in to the conversation of her sister and Misty.
"So what are you guys doing here anyway?" Sarah asked with a small, cheerful smile.
"Well, we decided that we'd have a picnic before heading to the stadium to watch the single battles." Misty explained with a smile of her own. "By the way, do you know where Ash is? We haven't seen him since yesterday?" Misty asked rather worriedly.
Sarah's smile faltered a bit as she shook her head. "Sorry, but after Ash treated us to dinner, he disappeared suddenly." Sarah answered before gazing at Elena. "Elena said that Ash has some business to attend to, so ask her." That instantly caused Misty to look at the white haired girl darkly.
Misty frowned as she heard the name that she had learned to despised before narrowing her eyes at the sight of Elena, which Elena answered by looking at Misty with a bored expression. "Where's Ash?" Misty asked with a sharp tone, trying to intimidate the girl that Ash seems to be so fond off.
Elena wasn't even fazed as she answered her as calmly as possible. "Like I told my sisters, Ash had some business to take care of, I don't know where, but he'll come back as soon as that business is done." Pikachu then jumped on Elena's shoulder and glanced at Misty, startling her a bit. Pikachu's eyes change from brown to red and they were now slits, much to Misty's confusion.
"That's Ash's Pikachu, isn't it?" Misty asked as she glanced at the familiar yellow Pokémon.
"Of course," Elena answered with a triumphant smile as she patted Pikachu's head. "Ash said that Pikachu should stay with me since the battle he had yesterday took a lot out of him, he trusts me after all." Elena said with a smug smile causing Misty to growl at her. In all her years of knowing Ash, he never trusted her or any of their friends with taking care of his prize pokemon.
"I see," Misty muttered in irritation before forcing herself to smile. "Would you like to join us for a simple meal?" Misty asked her with a force smile.
Elena smiled sharply at Misty as she stood up, her eyes narrowed at her. "Of course," Elena said as she stood up and glared at Misty right in the eye. "I would love to." Elena added her voice as sharp as a blade.
Here's the rewrite of Chapter 22...I would like to thank HP-DG-SB-RR-HA-TD-LL-KB-AJ-NT for BETA reading this chapter