THE BLUE SPIRIT
CHAPTER 014 – BONDS
Walking along the path after Ash left the building, the young man was lost in thought over everything that just happened recently. Walking without any particular destination in mind with his hands still in his jeans pockets and looking at the ground, he kept going while a horrible image remained in his mind. That image was of Gardevoir just lying there on the cold hard ground completely beaten to within an inch of her life. And that image was also added to the already long list of things that would haunt him for the rest of his life. And this was one particular memory, along with a few others, that would eat away at his soul if he let it.
His faithful starter Pikachu had followed alongside him while staying silent to allow him to think for a while. After some time, the yellow mouse looked up at his trainer. "Pikapi?"
Ash stopped walking and looked at his pokemon. "Yeah, Pikachu?"
"Pikapi, chu pika chu pikachu pi pika."
Ash did didn't say anything for a moment but then nodded. "Yeah, thanks buddy. I know it's not my fault. I just can't help but feel bad though. I mean, I did promise her that I would keep her safe no matter what. Ever since the first day we meet…" Trailing off, Ash raised his gaze up towards the darkening sky. Able to see a few bright stars in the night sky, he thought about the day they found her gravely hurt in the middle of the forest when she was still a Kirlia.
"Pi pi chu kachu pika kachu pikachu!"
Letting out a sigh, Ash looked at his starter again. "You're right buddy. I can't control what happens all the time. I can only do my best in whatever situation I'm in and hope it's good enough."
"Pika pi pi pika pikachu pika pi."
Tilting his head over what he just heard from his starter, Ash was surprised over it. "Nobody's perfect and that's the only thing anyone can ask of someone you say? Hmmm…Pikachu, you're becoming wiser than your years. Have you been hanging out with Mewtwo and Alakazam again?" joked the raven haired trainer but then immediately let out a yelp because of a small shock given to him by the yellow mouse. "Okay, okay, that was all you," chuckled Ash. Pikachu jumped onto his shoulder and nuzzled his cheek. "Thanks bud for always standing by my side. Except when you stand by the girls' side, you little traitor." Pikachu frowned at the insult and shocked Ash again. "Oh c'mon!" The two of them glared at one another for a second before they both burst laughing. After laughing and calming down, Ash felt a little better.
"Pikapi, pi pika kachu pika pikachupi pi pika pi."
His eyes widening as he remembered what he wanted to do before, Ash smacked his forehead with his right hand, causing the electric pokemon to become startled over his reaction. "Oh shit, that's right! I forgot! We should go get the girls their hair clips. And we'll get one more for Gardevoir as well. Do you think she'll like one too buddy?"
"Pika!" Pikachu cheered while nodding his head.
With the decision made, a smile spread on his face. "Alright then, let's go get those gifts. Hopefully the arcade is still open." Ash sprinted back towards the arcade with Pikachu holding onto him for dear life so he wouldn't fly off.
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Hanging out in the hallway of the hotel's pokemon center as they waited for both the girls to come back as well as their other friend who had left in a funk, the guys did their best to pass the time. Brock and Cilan were off to one side and talking with one another about recipes and cooking techniques that they had developed to make certain things easier. Gary was leaning against the wall with his back while reading through an article about some regions and their traveling policies on his Poketch. Max was sitting on the nearby bench while brushing his Linoone's fur as the pokemon sat in front of him on the floor.
Finishing with his article, the pokemon researcher wondered about that for a bit. Looking to the side, he saw Max with his pokemon. "When did you catch him?" asked Gary.
"I caught her when she was a Zigzagoon a few months ago," explained Max, glancing at the older male before facing his pokemon again. "She's pretty tough and wouldn't back down from the fight so I wanted her as part of my team. Isn't that right Linoone?" asked the teenage boy as he stopped brushing her fur and instead started scratching under her chin. Letting out a soft growl that almost sounded like a purr, Linoone let them know that she was enjoying it. Max chuckled at that before resuming brushing.
Watching Max with his pokemon, made Gary remember when his Umbreon was an Eevee. Playing with her, training with her and even brushing her fur. Remembering all that made a smile form on his face as he reminisced those days. Simpler days back then. All I had to worry about was taking care of my pokemon and being a tough trainer. Having fun with some girls. Oh and being stronger than Ashy-boy. Gary started chuckling as he remembered some other memories that involved his childhood rival.
"What's so funny?"
Turning towards Brock and Cilan who had finished their talk and walked over to him and Max, the pokemon researcher merely grinned in response. "Oh you know, just reminiscing my trainer days, Brocko."
"Ah, I see. Remembering the days you were a pain in our asses?" quipped Brock with a smirk.
Gary didn't deny that, keeping the proud grin on his face and Cilan added his own thoughts. "Isn't he still an inconsiderate prick?" asked the connoisseur rhetorically.
"Got that right," chimed in Max without looking at them while still tending to his pokemon.
Gary pushed off the wall and stood straight up. "Oh ho ho, trying to gang up on me huh? Just cause I'm a researcher now, doesn't mean I don't know how to whoop your guys' asses anytime I feel like it," he boasted while pointing at them. Max rolled his eyes while Brock and Cilan scoffed at that. "Anyways, any of you hear about the traveling laws being changed?" he asked them.
Glancing at one another, Max, Brock and Cilan were surprised to hear that. "They're changing them?" asked Max.
"Why now?" asked Cilan.
Gary shrugged in response. "No idea. I just read an article about how almost all of the regions' governments have been in talks with one another and trying to overhaul the traveling policies. From what I read, they want to lift some of the restrictions to certain places and what one can take or bring. They also want to even lift some restrictions regarding information exchange to make relationships between the regions easier."
Brock thought about that for a bit. "Could be that they want to share technology. Maybe even show off and spread their cultural traditions. Might even be just some of the major corporations putting pressure on their governments to allow more freedom in travel so they can increase how much they import and export goods and services."
"Yeah, that's probably the biggest reason why they'd do that. For money," commented Gary, agreeing with that statement.
"Perhaps. But still, why now?" repeated Cilan, making his friends turn to face him. "If it's just for the money, why now? Each of the regions has been pretty prosperous and there haven't been any major recessions for over fifteen years. And there's already freedom of travel and information exchange between the regions. So it doesn't make sense for that to be the reason."
Gary's eyes widened as he realized something. "Oh, my bad. I forgot to mention that they want to standardize the policies regarding all that between all the regions because each region has their own rules. And even then, each region has different rules and policies regarding each other region." The guys understood and Cilan even let out a 'hmm' as that new detail allowed things to make a little more sense. "And that could very well lead to things just being about money. They have some but they want more. Even if they have a lot, they'll still want more. And if they find another way to make money, better believe they'll take it. Never underestimate the greed for more money," finished Gary as he explained his reasoning.
They couldn't argue with that at all and silence filled the area as they all thought about what these new traveling changes could mean. Until the youngest from the group voiced his thoughts. "You think it could also be that some of the regions want to be able to show off how powerful or advanced they are? You know, by standardizing everything and allowing complete freedom of travel and information exchange?" asked Max as he finished brushing his pokemon's fur and returned Linoone.
The three older males were stunned at his questions, not expecting him to think up something like that. "Squirt's got a point," stated Gary.
"Stop calling me that!" yelled Max in anger as he jumped to his feet and glared at the pokemon researcher.
"Alright guys, enough," said Brock as he stepped in between the two. Looking at Max, Brock grasped his shoulder gently. "You know he's just messing around and you shouldn't let it bother you. You need to learn to handle comments like that better and grow some thick skin." Max glared at Brock for a moment before letting out a sigh and nodded, doing his best to calm down as he sat back down. Turning his gaze, Brock locked eyes with Gary as he pointed at him. "And you should know to stop pushing people's buttons. Keep doing that, and you're gonna regret it one day," advised the pokemon doctor.
"Yeah, yeah, whatever. I'll try to remember that," replied Gary as he went back to his Poketch. Instead of reading however, he started going through his contacts. Hmm, who's nearby and down for some fun?
Cilan shook his head before walking a little distance away to call his brothers and see how they're doing. Max had brought out another one of his pokemon and started brushing their fur to keep himself distracted. Brock let out a sigh and rubbed the bridge of his nose. Always have to be the mediator. Why me?
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Seated around a circular table, six girls gathered there so they could talk about something important that one among them brought up. And that something important regarded a certain raven haired trainer.
The pink haired nurse spoke up once everyone sat down and got comfortable enough. "Thanks for agreeing to come here with me girls. Something's been on my mind lately and I wanted to talk to you about it." Taking a moment to look at each of the girls there, Joy took in a breath to ready herself for what she was about to do. "I wanted to talk to you about Ash. And I also want to talk about what Iris mentioned back at the arcade before things went out of control. I want to know what's going on and if you let me, I want to help you and give you some advice."
The girls there were surprised over her words and how she was offering them help. Four of the five even looked at one another and seemed to silently communicate something for a moment. The other two waited to see what their response would be and luckily they didn't need to wait long. Turning to face the pink haired nurse, the four of them kept as calm as they could as they spoke.
"That's very kind of you Joy…" started Misty.
"And we don't necessarily mind being offered help…" continued Dawn.
"But we barely know you since we just met each other…" added on Serena.
"So why do you want to ask about Ash and why do you want to help us?" finished May, asking for them all.
Iris was silent as she listened to her friends. She had to admit that she was kind of surprised over their behavior and reactions. They weren't acting like they did in the past. Before, they would jump to conclusions whenever anything involved the raven haired trainer or they would refuse any and all help without even listening to what it was. But it would seem that the past few years had helped them mature in many ways because of their experiences. Iris felt happy for them because of that but she also couldn't help but feel a little left out that she didn't get to experience that with them…
Joy didn't say anything after at first but she nodded in reply to show that she heard them. Thinking about how to go about this, Joy decided on what to say afterwards. "Well, one of the reasons is because I'm the one who signed Ash up for the tournament…"
"Hey, that's right; you would've been the one! How come you didn't tell us who he is?!" interrupted Dawn with a frown.
The other girls were about to get started but Joy raised her hand to stop them before they started. "I'm sorry, but I didn't know who you are and who you are to him. Plus, he asked if he could enter under an alias and it's not against the rules since there are some trainers who like their privacy. Besides letting the president of the Pokemon League know, I'm obligated to keep their secrets when it comes to something like that as long as they don't break any rules or aren't a criminal," explained the nurse.
Giving a sheepish look in response, Dawn apologized for her outburst and Misty, May and Serena did the same since they were about to say something as well. Iris shook her head at their behavior. I guess I gave them too much credit. They still act without thinking sometimes.
Joy took it in stride and continued on. "So, as I was saying, one of the reasons is because I signed up Ash for the tournament. The other reason is because we talked a bit here and there and I got the feeling that he's…well he's…" Joy wondered how she could say what she wanted to say without revealing what Ash told her in confidence. She wanted them to understand his position but was failing to come up with the words.
"Like he's hiding something?" asked May.
Joy glanced at the brunette. "Yes, but also like he's struggling with something."
"Struggling?" repeated Serena, glancing at the others before looking at Joy again. "With what?"
"Well, to me it seems like he's hiding what he truly feels because he's struggling on how to bring it up," explained Joy, figuring out what to say.
The girls looked at one another again and the red head started speaking. "So someone else noticed it." Misty's words caused Joy to become surprised and they turned to face her. "We felt the same in the past with him. We wanted to talk to him about it but we never really knew how to bring it up either," confessed Misty with a sullen tone and the girls all nodded in agreement.
"I see…"
They went quiet for a moment after Joy's response until Iris decided to speak up. "So, that's why you want to talk about Ash? Because of signing him up and noticing something off about him?" The pink haired girl nodded and the purple haired girl continued. "Okay. But why do you want to help them?" she asked while pointing at her friends.
"Well, it's because of a few reasons actually," replied Joy. "During your guys' interactions, I noticed some things. I got the feeling that each of you…" Joy pointed at Misty, May, Dawn and Serena who didn't visibly react but felt nervous since they had an idea of what she was going to say. "…have feelings for Ash and after what Iris said…" At this, Joy pointed at the Unovan native who didn't react at all. "…back at the arcade, I knew my hunch was right." With none of the girls denying her words but also blushing slightly, Joy let herself smile a bit. "No denials. Good, that will make things a little easier."
"Easier? What do you mean?" asked May.
"What I mean is that I have some information for you that'll probably help you out. Especially with what I believe is what you want," clarified the nurse while also leaving things a bit vague at the end, which caused the girls to share looks with one another once more while sporting varying expressions of confusion on their faces. "It's kind of a secret but I'll still tell you. But only if you answer some of my questions first okay?" requested Joy, making her new friends turn their gazes back to her. "If you let me, no matter what I ask, you must answer truthfully because I believe having this talk with all of you here now will keep everyone from lying or leaving things out."
"And I can tell if you try to lie, so don't even attempt it!" warned Iris, having decided to get in on this since she too wanted some answers. She knew of some of it but was still in the dark about other things.
Joy turned towards Iris, intrigued over her words. "Really? How so?"
"I was taught how to tell when someone is lying back in my village. The elders thought it would come in handy when traveling the world," explained Iris happily.
"Impressive," complimented Joy making Iris beam with obvious pride. Turning her sight towards the four girls, Joy continued. "So we're in agreement then? You'll stick to the truth right?" The girls nodded. "Okay. My first question is this; do you truly have feelings for Ash?" The girls practically yelled as they answered 'yes' at the same time with slightly annoyed looks at the nurse but Joy didn't mind while Iris rolled her eyes at their outburst. "I knew that already but had to be sure. Okay, do those feelings lead to love? Do you love Ash?" she asked them. This time however, the girls didn't vocally respond back. Instead, each of them blushed a deep crimson. "I'll take that as a yes," teased Joy slightly but the girls didn't deny it and Iris wasn't surprised. "Okay, next few questions, only answer if I point at you." The girls nodded again to show that they understood. She pointed at the read head. "Why do you love Ash?"
Misty blinked in surprise at being put on the spot immediately but she answered back quickly. "Why? No words can fully explain why. But if you need to hear something, fine. It's because he's the first person who actually liked me for me." Looking at her hands on her lap, she allowed herself to smile a little. "He didn't care that I was some tomboyish girl who's scared of bugs. And when he met my sisters, he didn't push me aside to go for them as others have done. He also opened my eyes to viewing the world his way; with wonder and enthusiasm. He's risked his life so many times for me, helped me reach my own dreams and goals and he can hold his own in an argument with me." Raising her gaze back up, Misty locked her eyes with Joy's. "There's much more but that should be enough for you as to why I love him."
Satisfied with her answer, Joy nodded. Turning to her next target, she looked at the blunette and pointed at her now. "While Ash was away, did you find comfort in another's arms or did you wait for him and would you wait for him again and again if needed?"
Dawn glared at Joy. "No." Joy narrowed her eyes. "I did not, not even for a second!" she snapped as she stood up abruptly with her hands clenched into fists. Her reactions made everyone there become shocked and though Joy was momentarily scared, she didn't show it. "I didn't even think of such a thing! Ever! I might've gossiped about other guys but that was just to waste time! I don't care about other guys at all! And if it's one thing I know about Ash, is that he always comes back, no matter what!" Taking in a few breaths, Dawn calmed down and sat back down. She couldn't help but have her eyes water while talking now and was doing her best to keep her voice from cracking. "I would never and will never betray him like that. I haven't and won't do anything to make me feel good that would cause him any kind of pain. I would never do such a thing, or even think about it. He's been there for me so many times, helped me, gave me the confidence I needed in myself to pursue my dreams. Just that alone is enough for me to wait for him again and again, no matter how many times it takes for us to be together or until he picks someone."
Pleased with what she heard, Joy wanted to apologize to Dawn for making her so emotional but she knew she had to keep things going for now. Making a mental note to do so after their talk, Joy now pointed at the honey blonde haired girl as she faced her. "Is there anything about Ash that you would change? Anything at all?"
Serena couldn't help but slightly scoff at that question. "No. I wouldn't change anything about him. From his birthmarks, to his aura, to his insatiable hunger for pokémon, adventures and food. Everything about him makes him who he is and I won't ever try to turn him into something he isn't for my tastes. And I don't need to do that at all because he's everything that I want and need. I hope he doesn't change himself for anyone else either because what he has, what he is and does for others, is unique." Clasping her hands on top of the table and interlocking her fingers together, Serena had a large smile form on her face. "And that's just a few of the many reasons why I love him. I haven't seen that in anyone else and even if I do see something similar, even if it's the same, somehow it won't be."
Joy replied back with a nod as she accepted her answer. Moving her head, she looked and pointed at May. "Is there anyone in the world you would replace Ash with if given the chance? I mean anyone."
May's neutral expression turned hard. "No." Joy cocked her eyebrow. "No, I will not!" reiterated May as she slammed her hands onto the table, startling everyone there but again, Joy didn't show it. "I've travelled around the world and met many wonderful people but I will not trade Ash for anyone. Even for multiple people. Even if they were rich, powerful and famous!" Calming down, May looked to the side as she held her right hand with her left against her chest. "He helped me find my calling in life. If it wasn't for him, I wouldn't be where I am now," she said softly and then turned to Joy before continuing on in the same soft tone of voice. "Nobody will ever match his enormous caring attitude, his unwavering loyalty to his friends and family, or his other great qualities. He is perfect in my eyes and always will be."
Joy nodded in understanding and lowered her hand to rest on her thigh. "Okay. I could tell that each of your answers came from the heart and that you weren't lying. What about you Iris? Did you pick up on something I missed?" asked Joy, looking at the purple haired girl.
Iris shook her head. "No, I could tell that they were all telling the truth. I didn't see any signs of them of lying in any way," replied Iris, giving her friends a smile who smiled back.
Joy allowed herself to smile a little as well. "Thank you all for being honest with me. I apologize for making you become emotional and angry, but I feel that it's needed to get to the truth. I hope you continue doing so as it will get harder." The girls replied back that they understand, that they don't hold it against her and also apologized themselves for their reactions. Joy accepted that and took in a breath before moving on to what she was really trying to talk about. "Now, what would you do if and when Ash picked one of you or some other girl? Will you allow him and his choice to live happily ever after or would you try to sabotage it for your own benefit?" asked Joy, wanting to know what they would do.
"As much as I would miss him and would hate that I'm not with him, I won't do anything to jeopardize his happiness," said Misty without hesitation.
"I'll be there to help him out anyway I could if he needed it as a friend. It would be hard but I'd rather have him in my life than without," revealed Dawn, not embarrassed at all over her answer.
"Ash would never do such a thing; trade in somebody else's happiness for his own. How could I love him and do just that? No, I wouldn't even dream of it. I'll leave him alone so he can be happy," replied Serena with her words coated in a serious tone.
"I would never forgive myself if I even thought about doing such a thing. I would respect his decision," answered May with pride.
Joy was stunned to hear their answers and also because they answered back so quickly. They didn't even have to think about their answers and that made Joy smile. She knew that they were in love with him and she had their words and actions as proof. But she had no idea that they would be so mature about it all. Well, mostly since they still couldn't fully control themselves but the nurse had to admit that they were wiser beyond their years. Was it perhaps caused by their time traveling together and experiencing many things that made them grow up quicker than most? Was that also responsible for the reason why they forged such incredible connections between them?
Moving on from that, Joy decided she'll think about it later if need be. She did think something else though. Maybe they do have the necessary bonds and strength to do what very few are capable of? "I must say, I'm impressed with your answers. And so far I haven't felt even the slightest feeling of deceit from you. Iris, you feel the same way still, correct?"
"Huh?" Iris was lost in thought after listening to the girls but being called suddenly made her snap back into it. "Oh, yeah, nothing that I noticed either," verified Iris, slightly embarrassed for being caught off guard.
Joy couldn't help but chuckle and the girls smiled at one another, knowing very well that they all meant what they said. "Good. Now, this is one of the most important questions…" She went quiet and leaned in towards the table, making the other girls lean in as well. "What if…he loves each of you the same amount but can't choose but doesn't want to leave you…what would you do then?" asked Joy. She alternated looking at their faces with Iris doing the same. A few seconds passed by until the girls glanced at each other. After a moment, they shook their heads. "You don't know what to do if it comes to that?" asked Joy and they shook their heads again. "Would you battle it out in a pokémon battle? In a contest? Draw straws? Leave Ash?" Again the girls shook their heads 'no' for each question, even yelled 'no' when asked about leaving Ash, making everyone go silent with each of them thinking different things.
Joy was quite pleased with herself at this point. She was leading them to where they wanted to be, but were afraid to admit it. Just a little bit more. "Okay…Would you be willing to share Ash and would you be comfortable with that?" Snapping their eyes onto Joy, the girls had unreadable expressions on their faces making the nurse feel a little uneasy but held her gaze. Iris was even shocked at the question and at the reactions that her friends gave.
After what seemed like a long time, when in reality it was just several seconds, the girls slowly turned to look at each other before each of them blushed heavily once more. "Wait…did you talk about this before?" asked Joy, understanding dawning on her and Iris's jaw dropped after catching on.
"Well, not exactly," started Serena in a quiet voice and they all shifted their gaze towards her. "You see, before Ash revealed himself…when he was disguised as Solid…when we first got here yesterday and we were in one of the rooms…Dawn started asking us questions about what we would do if and when he came back."
"Since he disappeared, we started spending more time together. We went looking for Ash but couldn't find him. We fought each other in the beginning when we found out about our feelings for him, but we realized later on that since we each loved him and couldn't forget about him, we decided to help each other cope without him as we lived out our lives. As a result, we became very close and noticed that even though we had different goals in life, we still shared many similarities, an obvious one being in love with Ash," explained May.
"Since we each loved him and couldn't forget about him, I wanted to know what we would do once he came back. I asked some similar questions to yours and one of the last ones I asked was what if he couldn't pick, would we leave him, just stay friends or share him?" added Dawn.
"All the questions Dawn asked made us think about it some but we decided to hold off until the day he comes back. We did however agree a long time ago that when he did come back, that we would find a time to tell him how we feel and to see if he felt the same with each of us or not, who he would pick or what would happened after," finished Misty.
Iris knew about some of that but she was still surprised over what they discussed. Joy, on the other hand, was dumbfounded over what she just learned. They had already discussed this and it seemed that they were already on the path she believed would be the best for them. I guess there was a high chance they would've gone down this path even if I didn't get involved. I guess I should make it a certainty then. A little more is all they need. And I'll give him that. "I see. Well, I'm impressed again. I'll just get right to it then; would any of you feel bad if you were in a five way relationship with Ash?"
Absolute silence filled the room after the blunt question was asked. Slowly moving their eyes onto one another, the girls then each stared in a different point on the room. One by one they looked at Joy again but didn't know what to say.
"Well?" asked Iris, wanting to know what they were going to say.
But nobody talked for a while until Joy wasn't having it anymore and pointed at the red head. "Spill it."
Misty blushed furiously. "Honestly, at first I thought it would be crazy to even think about something like that, believing in the happily ever after couple thing. Especially since I had to share everything with my sisters, getting hand me downs. I thought that I would one day find my own true love and it would be just mine alone." Understanding her, the girls couldn't argue about that since they had all thought about that happily ever after as a couple too. "But with Ash, nothing is simple, and these three are my best friends and are more like my sisters. Ash befriended them, saw something good in them, and since I know how much they love Ash and care for him, the same as me, I wouldn't give it a second thought while being in a relationship with Ash, with them sharing him as well." Misty finished explaining with an even redder face than when she started. She moved her gaze to the wall, not looking at anyone after out of embarrassment.
The other girls started at Misty for a moment before Dawn piped in. "You know, I was thinking along the same thing as you Misty." Misty looked at her with intrigue and so did the others in the room. "If…If Ash loves each of us but can't choose, and we each love him, then isn't that enough? Why must some of us lose in order for another to be happy? We can all win in the game of love!" Dawn beamed at everyone after giving her views on the matter.
"You two took the words right out of my mouth," giggled May, feeling happy at that moment. "Though I gotta say, if it were between me and some other girls, especially ones I didn't know, I wouldn't back down and wouldn't let them just take Ash. I would do almost anything to win him over."
"I'm not as experienced about what goes on in the world as some of you, since I started traveling around at a much later age than you three," started off Serena. They looked at her, causing her cheeks to go pink. "But I used to think things were a certain way, and that was it. But this here, it doesn't feel bad or wrong even though it's completely different than what I used to believe and think. In fact, it feels right and it feels like this was the answer all along, doesn't it?" The three girls smiled at her in agreement.
Iris couldn't believe it. Were they really okay with all that? But then something popped into her mind and she felt that she had to say it. "Well, don't mean to be rude or anything, but that's if Ash doesn't like one of you more than the other or doesn't have another girl in mind," remarked Iris in as nice of a tone as she could say it.
Looking at her, the girls understood and let out sighs in response since she had a point. Joy however, didn't let them wallow in that long. "Well, the good news is that you all know what you will do with whatever scenario plays out. You're prepared to deal with them and honestly, I hope the best case scenario plays out for you, just like it did for my sisters," said Joy as she clasped her hands together and stared at the wall dreamily.
"Ah Joy, are you okay? And what did you mean about your sisters?" asked Serena.
Joy shook out of her daze when May leaned over to her and tapped her shoulder. "Sorry. Oh right. Here's the secret I was going to tell you girls." Joy motioned for the girls to get closer, which they complied, leaning in closer. "You all know who Bruno is right?" They nodded. "And you know my sisters right?" They nodded again. "Well, three of my sisters are in a relationship with Bruno, they know about it, and they are pretty happy with what they got going on."
The girls all gasped and clapped their hands to their mouths. "No way! Really Joy?!" asked Iris for them all.
Joy couldn't help but laugh a little. "Yup. Funny thing is they started kind of like you four and Ash. Bruno spent some time with each of them as he traveled the world and fell in love with all three of them but didn't know how to tell them and couldn't pick. My sisters also fell in love with him and couldn't give him up. Strangely enough, the four of them bumped into each other one day and soon they talked about how they felt. They decided to give it a shot and now they've been together for several years and planning a marriage ceremony of some kind that deals with this kind of thing. Funny how things work out in the end huh?" Joy finished her story with her eyes sparkling, losing herself for a moment before regaining her senses.
"Wow. It actually worked out? They never fought or thought that Bruno spent more time or gave more attention to one over the other?" asked May.
"Nope. Well at first it wasn't too bad since all of them had to go back to their respective jobs in different places so whenever Bruno traveled around, he made sure to visit each one of my sisters and spent the same amount of time with each of time as well as treating each of them the same."
"That's good. But what did you mean at first?" asked Dawn.
"Well after they decided to live together and see how it would go, things got a little bumpy." Joy's cheeks turned pink.
"Bumpy how?" asked Misty but Joy didn't say anything.
"Oh c'mon Joy, please tell us?" pleaded Serena.
Joy took a breath and answered. "Alright. Well, it got bumpy at first because they weren't used to seeing each other being with Bruno. Of course they knew what was going on, but seeing it was different. It caused them to be jealous a bit and started some fights here and there when each of my sisters was trying to be intimate with him." All the girls blushed madly when she talked about them being intimate. "After the first couple weeks of trying to one up each other, they decided to come up with some rules that they agreed on. Once they did, they told Bruno about it and they decided to follow the rules so nobody felt betrayed or left out," clarified Joy. She noticed the curiosity in their eyes and wondered who would be the one to ask.
It was Serena who did. "What sorts of rules?"
"I'm not too sure of all the details. Mind you, it's been a while since they got together. Almost five years now so I only remember a couple of their rules they agreed on," said Joy as she crossed her arms and tried to remember them. "Oh, one was if any of my sisters and he started flirting, teasing, playing or becoming intimate with each other, no matter who started it, or where it was in the house, the rest would not get jealous or try to stop it. The other one I know of is kind of related to that. If one of them did get intimate with him, then she would have to wait for her turn again after the others got a turn."
"Sounds reasonable if you think about it logically," commented May and the others agreed.
"Yeah, those two rules really helped and they were honestly the most important…oh, wait I just remembered another one. The last rule I remember is that they agreed that what they did together was their own business and told no one of how they lived and why. People saw them together but they never explained their reasons as to why with more than that they love each other and are happy."
"Those are some pretty good rules to help keep the peace and everyone happy. But even without the last one, it really isn't other people's business who is with who and how many they are with if everyone involved knows what's going on and are happy with it," remarked Iris seriously while crossing her arms.
Her friends smiled at Iris after hearing what she said who returned it with a nod, letting them know that she's there for them if needed. Shifting their sight onto one another, the four girls knew that they would do the same if that's what lay in store for them for they trusted each other and knew how much each of them loved the raven haired trainer.
Joy looked positively thrilled that the girls were all on the same page. Now, I just need to talk with Ash, thought Joy. "Okay girls. Thank you for allowing me to discuss this with you. I hope my advice and my sisters' example helps you in your love lives. I believe that no matter what happens, you'll be fine as you have strong bonds and have good hearts. Now, let's go back to the others before they think we left them." The girls giggled and got up, pushing their chairs back under the circular table. They left the room and went back to rejoin the others.
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"What took you so long?" asked Max as he saw his sister and the rest of the girls coming down the hallway towards them.
"Don't worry about it Max. Don't you know girls like to gossip for hours?" chuckled Gary while Brock, Richie and Cilan let out groans at his complete disregard for their wellbeing. They still remembered the girls' threats of all of them sharing punishments now.
"What did you say, Oak?" May asked as she punched one hand into the other.
"Ah nothing, nothing! Just saying glad you're all okay!" replied Gary, waving his hands in front of him.
"Good. At least you're starting to show some concern for your friends," said Iris while crossing her arms over her chest.
"Yea whatever," replied Gary while rolling his eyes.
The rest of the guys sighed in relief over nothing happening. "You were gone for a while though. Everything okay?" asked Richie, looking at Joy a little longer than he did at the other girls. Joy caught that and her cheeks flushed with slightly more color that no one caught.
"Yea, we're fine. Just had to talk about some things," said Serena as she waved her hand in the air.
"Ah ha! So you were gossiping!" shot Gary as he pointed his finger at the girls with a triumphant look.
The guys face palmed and the girls went red with embarrassment until they readied themselves to teach the pokemon doctor a lesson in respect. Misty took out her mallet while May started bumping her fists together. Dawn and Serena had their hands clenched into fists. Iris rolled her shoulders and Joy looked at her friends with concern.
Seeing them angered and getting ready to kick his ass, Gary realized that maybe he shouldn't have mentioned anything this time. "Hehe, just kidding? No one cares if you do gossip," said Gary but his words just made the girls angrier as they started shaking and growled.
"Gary, when will you learn to shut your mouth?" asked Richie as he shook his head.
"Hey guys. I see Gary did something stupid again."
Right before the girls were about to teach the pokemon researcher the true meaning of pain, someone had spoken up behind them all that caught their attention. Everyone turned around to see Ash standing at the end of the hallway with Pikachu on his shoulder. They both looked to be in much happier spirits than before.
Moving closer to them with a small smile on his face, the girls felt much better with him back. Deciding to tease him, Misty replied back to him. "I wouldn't talk Ash. You do stupid things all the time."
Ash had a shocked look form on his face. "What?! No, I don't!"
"Do too!"
"Do not!"
"Do too!"
"Do not!"
"Do too!"
This kept going for a while until the nurse turned to her new friends. "Shouldn't we stop this?" asked Joy in concern.
"Nah, it's how they are. They'll stop soon enough. If you get involved they'll just gang up on you. It's kind of their thing," explained Brock. The others nodded in agreement and Joy said no more.
"Do not!"
"Do too!"
"Alright, you win."
"Do too! Wait, what?" Misty couldn't believe what she just heard.
"Like I said, you win. Just wanted to get you going for a bit. I miss these play fights with you." Ash smiled as Misty's mouth remained open, her cheeks turning red. The group of friends glanced at one other in surprise. They weren't expecting that. Seizing his chance, Ash took his hat back from the red head and placed it back on his head. Waving his hands in front of Misty's face, he got no response and he turned to face the honey blonde haired girl. "Serena, can you watch over her for a second? I have to talk with the guys for a moment." Serena agreed and while she attempted to get Misty out of her trance, Ash motioned for the guys to follow them.
"What's up Ash?" asked Cilan after they moved away from the girls.
"This is what's up." Ash took out a wrapped up item he had hidden under his jacket. Opening it up, he took out the different colored flower hair clips. He gave a pink one to Richie and a purple one to Cilan. Ash's hand hovered over the rest since he was thinking of how to say what he wanted to do.
But before he could say anything, Brock spoke up. "Don't even think about it Ash."
"What do you mean?" asked Ash as he looked up at him.
"The purple one you gave to Cilan for Iris, and we saw how Richie and Joy got along and understand the pink one you gave him. The others, red, brown, blue and yellow are for the other girls right? Well, you should be the one who gives it to them. They really missed you," remarked Brock.
Ash blushed before he glanced at the others and they all nodded. "Okay, thanks guys. Let's go." The group of guys went back to the girls. Brock, Gary and Max were walking in front of Ash, Cilan and Richie.
The girls glanced up at them and tilted their heads in confusion as they saw them all grinning. "What's so funny?" asked May but they didn't say anything.
"Why are all of you acting like a bunch of kids?" questioned Iris.
Cilan stepped forward with his hands behind his back. "This is why, my little monkey." When he reached her, he brought his hands forward and held out the elegant purple flower hair clip.
Iris gasped before taking it and squeaked in delight. She kissed Cilan before hugging him. "Oh thank you Cilan! I love it!"
"Ah, excuse me, Joy?" said Richie as he moved to be in front of her while feeling nervous.
"Yes, Richie?"
"This is for you as well." Richie pulled out the same kind of flower hair clip from the inside of his jacket but this one was pink and held it out for Joy.
"Oh my," exclaimed Joy as picked it up and looked at it. "Thank you Richie!" exclaimed Joy, hugging Richie all of a sudden, which made him blush.
"Aww!" cooed Misty, Dawn, Serena and May while smiling at the affectionate displays.
Ash cleared his throat as he walked to be in front of the four girls who turned to face him, making him go red. "I have something for you as well," stated Ash and then his eyes glowed blue.
Seeing his eyes glow blue made the girls take in sharp breaths and even brought the attention of the rest of their friends and they all were stunned to see that. They knew that Ash is an Aura Guardian, but still weren't used to it. Four glowing blue colored aura spheres came up from behind him and each one went towards one of the girls, floating gently down into their open outstretched hands. The blue spheres faded away at the same time revealing his gift to each of them; a red flower hair clip for Misty, a brown one for May, a blue one for Dawn and a yellow one for Serena.
"Show off," muttered Richie while the others chuckled.
Ash ignored him as he kept his sight on his crushes who were still staring at their gifts. "I hope you like them." He scratched the back of his head as he continued talking, a little anxious since they didn't react at all. "It's not much but I hope you-oouf!" Ash was knocked down to the floor as the girls tackled him at the same time. Luckily for Pikachu, he had jumped away just in time to avoid the tackles.
"I love it! Thank you Ash!" said each of the girls while hugging him tightly.
"Can't…breathe…" gasped Ash from underneath the girls.
"Hey, c'mon let him breathe," advised Brock as he moved to get them off his friend before they hugged him to death. Cilan, Max and Iris helped him do that while the rest couldn't help but laugh over the whole thing.
When he was finally freed, Ash was helped up onto his feet and took in some deep breaths while the girls blushed heavily in embarrassment. "Man, thought I was a goner. Thanks guys." Ash suddenly had his eyes widen and he started checking his pockets for something. "Oh shit, don't tell me it…" A moment later, right when his friends were going to ask if he was alright, he pulled out a small green box and opened it. Inside was a green flower hair pin and it was still in perfect condition. "Oh thank Mew…" Letting out a sigh of relief, Ash closed the box.
"Let me guess; for Gardevoir?" Ash looked at Iris and nodded. "How sweet."
"Aww!" cooed the rest of the girls again.
"I think she's awake now Ash. You should go in," remarked Joy.
Nodding in reply, Ash made his way to Gardevoir's room with Pikachu jumping on top of his shoulder again. Moving to the room window, the group watched what happened. They saw Ash and Lucario look at each other for barely a second before they nodded and shook hands as they heard muffled words of gratitude come out of Ash. The raven haired trainer then moved towards Gardevoir and sat down on a chair next to her bed that made Gardevoir open her eyes slowly. Pressing their ears against the glass, they went quiet to hear them better.
"Hey Gardevoir. Are you feeling better?" asked Ash.
Gardevoir smiled. "Yes, a little better. I hope you are as well?"
Ash nodded. "Yeah. I've got my head and heart back in order, thanks to Lucario and our amazing friends outside the room who are eavesdropping on us." The three of them chuckled and the group hurriedly stopped pressing against the glass. A second later the door opened and Lucario beckoned them inside. "Nice try guys," said Ash with a small smile.
"Sorry," replied several from the group together.
Ash turned to his pokemon. "Gardevoir, I wanted to thank you for giving it your all, for protecting the girls. But I'm sorry for not being there for you. I guess I can't promise to always protect you from everything. But I can promise to do my best. I hope that's good enough for you."
"That's all I ever wanted Ash. Thank you for being proud of me and for accepting me in your family. I will always stand by your side, no matter what."
"Thank you Gardevoir. I have a gift for you. I hope you like it." Ash handed her the small green box.
Gardevoir took the gift with weak hands and slowly opened it. She stared at the gift and then pulled it out. "It's beautiful! Thank you! I love it! Would you mind putting it on my hair for me?"
"I would love to but I'd probably hurt you," admitted Ash and several chuckled. "I'm not good with such things plus I don't want to mess up the sensors…"
Before he finished, Joy stepped forward. "I'll take care of it. Is that fine with you?" Joy asked Gardevoir and the psychic fairy nodded with a smile. Taking the green flower hair pin from Ash and after adjusting the medical sensors, Joy gently placed it in the psychic's hair and clipped it. Picking up a nearby mirror from the counter, she showed Gardevoir her reflection.
Gardevoir had a large smile form on her face. "It's perfect! I love it so much! Thank you Joy! Thank you Ash!" Gardevoir hugged Joy in thanks and when the nurse stepped away, she gestured for Ash to come close so she can hug him. Their friends couldn't help but have happy expressions over what they saw.
"Anything for you Gardevoir. You're part of the family and I'll do anything for my family," said Ash as he released her.
"There is something I want you to do for me," stated Gardevoir slowly.
"Anything. Just tell me." Ash responded without hesitation.
Gardevoir looked into his eyes. "Win this tournament. Show the world how strong you've become."
Ash looked at her for a second, and then smiled. "I promise."
Gary leaned over to Richie so he can whisper to him. "You're completely fucked now. You know that right?" Only Joy and Brock heard Gary's whisper and both waited to hear Richie's response.
Richie however wasn't concerned and he just smiled. "I don't mind losing to strong trainers, especially if they're my friends. But I'm not planning on losing and it won't be an easy win for him either." His words made Joy look at him with respect and admiration as her feelings for the man increased.
Staying there for a little while longer, they all talked and joked around with one another that also lifted Gardevoir's spirits. When she told them that she wanted to get some rest, Lucario volunteered to stay by her side and Ash agreed to it while telling them he'll visit in the morning before heading to the tournament opening ceremony. Leaving the two pokemon in the room, they all headed towards the hotel lobby.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Once in the lobby, Joy went up to the league official who was covering for her. "Thanks for covering for me and sorry for coming back so late," said Joy with a guilty look on her face. When the confrontation happened back at the arcade, Joy had called in her work place and told them an emergency came up and would be late coming back to resume her shift.
The league official stood up from the seat and looked at her. "It's not a problem. You always work hard and rarely have something important come up that prevents you from doing your duties. We understand life happens," remarked the official as he started making his way out.
"Thank you. You're too kind," replied Joy as the official left the area. Taking her seat behind the counter, Joy turned to face her friends. "Well, what a day huh?" she asked them with a small smile.
Laughing and chuckling over that, the group of friends talked a little with her and each other over the day's events. After some time, they decided to head back up and Joy went back to work after she and Richie said their farewells for the day. When they finally came back into their room, they all gathered around in the living room and plopped down onto the couches.
"Man, I'm tired as hell."
"You said it Richie Rich," said Gary as he turned on the TV and flipped through the channels until he found a movie for them to watch. Richie, Brock, Max, Cilan and Iris joined in to watch with him.
Not in the mood for a movie, the Hoenn native got up from the couch. "Well, I'm gonna go turn in early. Goodnight," said May, walking towards her room.
Misty, Dawn and Serena copied the brunette and decided to turn in early too. "Goodnight everyone," said the three together as they went to their rooms and got ready for bed.
"I'm gonna go too. Goodnight guys," said Ash since he was drained from everything that happened. Waving at his friends as he walked to his room with Pikachu, he opened his room door and stepped inside. Closing the door behind him, the raven haired trainer changed into his pajamas while his starter curled up in his own sleeping spot at the corner of the bed. The moment Ash lied down on the bed and his head hit the pillow, he fell asleep instantly.