THE BLUE SPIRIT

CHAPTER 16 – TAKING A CHANCE

The Spirit Tournament had begun and the opening match was between Ash Ketchum of Kanto versus Sarah Wiseman of Johto. It was a spectacular match, even if it was pretty one sided. The blonde girl did her best in the battle against him but the raven haired trainer absolutely dominated the match with just his avian pokemon.

She was so outclassed that Sarah realized in the end that she couldn't win no matter what. It was that realization that brought her to forfeit the match. Returning her Jolteon, she made her way to the center of the field to return her microphone and shake hands with the raven haired trainer.

While doing so, the roar of the crowd felt like white noise to her due to her mind being somewhere else. Many thoughts were going through her head and her heart was beating quickly. I lost…I lost so badly. After all the work I put in…this isn't fair…no…I can't say that. He's been at it longer than me…and what's been said about him…of course he'd be stronger. But I didn't think I'd lose this way. But…at least I was able to keep my promise. That counts for something. Right? Either way, I should say bye and go. Even though she hated the fact that she lost, she wouldn't disrespect him for she always battled with integrity and respect. But she kept her gaze slightly lowered so he wouldn't see her face for several reasons. One of which was due to her watery eyes…

Reaching the two, she acted on autopilot as she returned the microphone to the referee and shook hands with the raven haired trainer. While they shook hands, he had said something that broke her out of her state. "Huh? What?" she asked, looking up at him.

Ash titled his head a bit. "I said [Good match Sarah]." He noticed her watery eyes. "Hey, you alright?"

Eyes widening, Sarah let go of his hand and turned around to leave, walking quickly. She didn't want him to see her in such a way. "I'm…I'm fine. Good luck with the rest of the tournament," she said.

Glancing at Pikachu, he could tell his starter was feeling the same as him; horribly. Not wanting to leave things like this, Ash followed after her as casually as he could so he wouldn't cause a scene. He caught up with her inside the trainer's tunnel and shouted to her. "Sarah!" Seeing her stop but keep her back to him, he slowed down and stopped a few steps away from her. "Hey…are you really alright?"

Her heart hammered inside her chest over his question. She couldn't believe how sincere he sounded. Somehow, she could tell that he wasn't faking it, unlike many others she had crossed paths with before. Unable to control herself, she turned around to answer him when he said her name again. He hadn't really done anything to her for her to be rude to him but she still couldn't look him in the eye. "Thanks but I really am fine. And you don't have to lie. That was a horrible battle from me…"

"Hey, don't be like that. I learned a lot from my mistakes and losses and that helped me as a trainer and helped out my pokémon too. I'm sure that you'll become stronger and I would love for a rematch when you're ready."

Hearing him say all that made her become surprised. She couldn't believe it. Is he for real? He…can't be serious… Laughing weakly, Sarah shook her head. "Thanks for trying to cheer me up but you don't have to sugar coat it. And even if I did get stronger, I doubt it'll be different next time. I trained for a long time yet my pokémon were no match for yours. I'm nowhere near your level," said Sarah in a depressed tone.

"Look at me."

The sudden serious tone from him startled her into raising her head to look at him and look into his eyes. And what she saw in them made her take an involuntary breath; compassion, strength, faith and so much more somehow being shown from his brown eyes. "W-What…"

"I'm serious," he said, interrupting her and she went quiet as he continued talking. "I was nowhere near this level for most of my life. The last three years I spent doing heavy training in private and I never gave up. You're strong and I can tell you have a lot of potential. I mean, you even beat all of the Johto Elite Four! I've never done that. So don't look down on yourself alright? You can do it too. Just never give up. Okay Sarah?"

Sarah stared at him with wide disbelieving eyes and mouth slightly open. She couldn't believe what he just said and the words he spoke were coated with such conviction that they made her realize he was right. And the last few things he said reminded her of something she was told a long time ago. He's so modest and so kind… Unable to control herself, she hugged him all of a sudden that caught him off guard. "Thanks Ash," said Sarah quietly as a few rogue tears left her eyes.

To say he was shocked by her action was an understatement since he was frozen, with his face flushing with color. Until Pikachu snapped him out of it by patting his head and Ash reciprocated the hug. "You're welcome."

They separated afterwards and Sarah wiped the dried tear marks on her face with her hands and smiled at him. "Again, thanks. You know, your something different Ash. Thank you for your kind words. I'm gonna train harder and when I'm ready, let's have a rematch. We should exchange numbers," she said. Seeing her in better spirits made him smile. Nodding in agreement, he added her number to his Poketch and she added his to hers. "Take care Ash and good luck. I'll watch the rest of the tournament before going into training. You better not lose or I'll kick your ass!" she said, playfully punching his arm.

Ash chuckled. "You're not the first one to say something like that to me."

That statement made her remember something. "Oh, you mean your girlfriend? The red head who yelled at you during our match?"

"Well, she's not exactly my…girlfriend…well…maybe…" murmured Ash, not knowing how he should explain. Sarah tilted her head in confusion and he noticed that. Probably better not to get into it. I mean, I already told Joy and I think that's enough. "It's too long and complicated to explain. So don't worry about it," he said while waving his hand.

Understanding and not wanting to pry, Sarah giggled a bit and nodded. "Okay Ash. Well, I gotta go. See ya around."

"See ya! I'll be looking forward to our rematch." Sarah went pink before she smiled and nodded before they went their separate ways.

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A group of young adults were waiting for their friend in front of the tunnel's exit from the stadium. While they waited, they kept discussing the amazing match they just witnessed.

"I still can't believe how strong he's become!" exclaimed one of the girls in the group.

"I know right?"

"How did he get Pidgeot to be so fast on the ground?!" asked the youngest in their group.

"Probably through some intense training."

A scoff was let out. "No shit Sherlock."

"Shut up!"

They were about to continue their bickering when Max spotted their friend exiting the tunnel. "That was an awesome match Ash!" he shouted excitedly, making everyone turn to face the raven haired trainer.

"That was a very entertaining flavor the way your Pidgeot won with such grace."

"Yea, you should've seen Cilan's jaw drop when you knocked out Tyranitar," commented Iris, teasing her boyfriend who reddened and the others chuckled while a few others gave their own compliments.

"Thanks guys," replied Ash with a happy smile.

"So what took you so long?" asked May, curious.

"Oh nothing really. I noticed Sarah being upset after the match so I told her not to give up and that we should battle again one day," he explained with a shrug. "I think she felt better because we exchanged numbers and she said she'll call me for a rematch after she trains some."

"That was kind of you," remarked Iris, glancing at the girls to see if they had any reactions but couldn't really see anything since they were remarkably calm. A little too calm and that was scaring her…

Though one of them was feeling a bit uneasy. "Ash…"

"Yea Misty?" he replied, turning to face her because of the tone in her voice.

"I'm…I'm sorry for shouting at you and insulting you in front of everyone," apologized Misty as she looked at her feet, rubbing her left arm with her right hand. "I should've known better, that you had a plan. You're not the same clueless trainer you were years ago."

Ash stared at her for a moment. Moving closer to her, he grasped her chin with his index finger and thumb before gently raising her head to look him in the eyes. Her heart was beating quickly over his touch and the way he was looking into her eyes. "Mist…don't worry about it. I know it looked bad, that I wasn't thinking about Pidgeot, but you should know…" He turned his gaze towards the rest. "…you all should know, that I wouldn't risk my pokémon or friends for anything." Smiling at them, he faced the red head and lowered his hand. Looking at everyone again, he continued on. "I should've told you guys about some of my tricks and plans, but then there would be no more surprises. And where's the fun in that? Right?" finished Ash, giving them a wink that made the girls smile and the guys to chuckle.

Misty felt relieved that he wasn't upset with her and while he was facing the others, decided to give him a quick peck on the cheek. The guys raised their eyebrows in surprise while the girls smiled, though three of them felt a little jealous that the red head got to do that first.

"What was that for?" asked Ash, while blushing.

"For being you and for forgiving me so easily," answered Misty, a little pink in the face.

Ash smiled but a movement from the corner of his eye caught his attention and noticed his almost twin emerging from one of the rooms in the long tunnel. "Hey Richie, when's your match?"

"Later on today in the afternoon. We have some time to relax."

"What about your next match Ash?" asked Dawn.

"Not sure yet. Maybe tomorrow? The officials told us that they'll update the tournament board here in the stadium where the snacks are sold, in the lobby of the Indigo Plateau Hotel and they'll send us text messages to notify us."

"Oh, that's good. At least we can know where to check," stated May, the others agreeing vocally or nodding their heads.

"Yeah. So, how about we go visit Gardevoir and then go eat? I'm starving." Eye rolls were done and chuckles were let out as his friends heard him mention eating. Regardless, the group began heading back to the hotel.

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Joy was busy filing away some documents when the group of friends entered the lobby of the hotel. Turning her gaze to them, she smiled as they greeted her and she returned it. "So, I saw the opening match and you did great Ash!" praised the nurse.

"You did? How?" he asked and she pointed at her computer screen. "Oh. Right, thanks Joy. Can we go check on Gardevoir?"

"Sure, go ahead."

Leaving the lobby, the entire group of friends went to the fairy pokemon to check in on her. As he passed by her, Richie gave her a smile and was given one in return.

Continuing on with her work, it took Joy about five more minutes to finish it. Once done, she was about to sit on her chair and relax a bit when she remembered something. Now should be a good time to tell him. Leaving a note on the front counter that she'll be back soon after taking her break, Joy headed to the fairy's room. Knocking on the door, she opened without waiting for a reply and stepped inside. "Hey, guys, all good?" she asked them and she was answered with some nods and words. "Good. Um, Ash, can I talk to you for a moment please? It's about your registration for the tournament," she told him.

Titling his head as his friends glanced at him, he then shrugged and got up to leave with Pikachu. Telling his friends he'll be back soon, he followed after the nurse. Joy led him to a room and they both entered it before she closed the door. Making eye contact with her, Ash crossed his arms. "So what's wrong with my registration? Or is there something else you need to tell me?" asked Ash, sensing that this was just a cover Joy gave but didn't have a clue as to why.

An sheepish expression formed on the nurse's face. "That obvious huh?"

Ash chuckled a bit. "Well, I am an Aura Guardian. I've learned to tell when most people are lying since their auras go all haywire because they're anxious and nervous."

"Oh right. I forgot you're an Aura Guardian," commented Joy while giving a shy smile.

"It's alright. So, what's up?"

Composing herself, Joy looked Ash right in his eyes. "Okay. Remember when I told you I'd help you out with the girls?" Ash nodded after a second. "Well, I found out some stuff but first I want to ask you a few things if that's okay?" Nodding again, he sat down on one of the empty chairs thinking that this might take a while. Joy copied him and sat down on a chair as well. "Okay Ash, first question; do you love them?"

Ash widened his eyes at the blunt question and his face flushed crimson red. Pikachu turned his head to look at his trainer. "Yes, I do."

"Equally? You don't like one more than the other?"

"Of course equally!" snapped Ash at once. Joy didn't say anything and it was quiet for a moment and he let out a sigh. "Well, at least I think I do," added Ash before he hung his head. "I can't seem to be able to pick one over the other." Barely raising his head, he looked at her. "Is that bad? Am I a bad person because of that?"

Joy smiled at his innocence and insecurities and that made Ash rub the back of his head in confusion over her reaction. "No Ash, that doesn't make you a bad person at all. You're not even in a real relationship and you care this much. I wonder how much you'd care when you're in one or maybe even several," finished Joy with a wink.

A confused expression formed on his face. "What do you mean?"

"Well, I shouldn't be telling you this, but I talked with the girls and found out that they each love you very much."

Ash's jaw dropped as his eyes widened hearing this new bit of information. Pikachu smiled; he was glad that his trainer, who is also his best friend, was hearing good news about the girls he cares for so much. "I had a strong feeling that they had crushes on me and liked me a lot. But they actually love me? How did you find out?"

"Well it took some skill and shred maneuvering but I got what I wanted in the end."

"Remind me never to get on your bad side Joy," stated Ash seriously.

Joy laughed at that. "Well the four love you and want to be together with you. But, they are prepared for what happens. Whether it works out for you all or just one of you or even if it doesn't work out for any of you."

Hearing that made Ash swallow the saliva in his mouth before replying back. "Well, what should I do? Do I just go tell them that I like them and care about them and say let's try it?"

"Ash, you really are dense when it comes to girls." Joy let out a sigh while Ash stayed quiet. "You don't just say that nor do you do something like that. Okay, this is what you're going to do; you're going to talk to the girls at once and tell them right off the bat that you like them all."

Ash's eyes widened in fright at her words. "I can't do that! They'll kill me for being selfish, for being like…like…like a damn player, going after several girls!"

"Ash, you're not a player. And remember what we talked about? My sisters and Bruno? The other stuff?"

Ash thought for a moment. "Oh right, I forgot. Sorry. I was picturing Misty's mallet in my mind and got scared," confessed the raven haired trainer before chuckling a bit and even Pikachu sniggered.

Joy giggled over his confession. "Yea, you should be scared of her and her mallet. Anyway, get them somewhere private and just be honest with them. Tell them what you told me; how you feel, that you like them all, how you couldn't say anything before and how you know better now but don't want to string along any of them. And definitely tell them about what your father leaving did to you. Then at the end, tell them that you want to know for sure if you like each of them equally or one more than the other. Just be honest with them the way you were with me."

Contemplating what she advised him, Ash couldn't disagree with it. But he did have a few questions. "And how would I figure out if I do like one more than the other or if it's still equally? Spend more time with them?"

"Pretty much," answered Joy. "Take each of them out on a date separately. Then, go out on a group date."

"ARE YOU CRAZY?!" shouted Ash in surprise. "Do you know what they'll do to me if I mentioned anything like that? A group date?"

Understanding his concern, Joy remained patient with him and did her best to explain. "Don't call the group date a group date. Call the individual ones dates, but think up of some activity for just the five of you and go do it. See how they interact with each other around you. See how you feel around all of them at once away from others. Different scenarios bring out different things in people. You must see them in different ways and they must see you in different ways. Who knows, maybe they see something that they don't like about you that they didn't know about. Or vice versa; you may see something that you don't like about one of them, or all of them. Get it?"

Ash finally understood what Joy was saying. She was right. He needed to spend more time with each of them. Both alone and as a group. He couldn't keep going on like this or he'd end up going crazy. He would have to take the shot. "You're right Joy. I gotta risk it. I'll talk with them privately and let them know what I'm feeling and what I want to do. And I'll keep my eyes and heart open to see if they are what I truly want. And if I'm what they truly want. Hopefully, we'll find out what we're looking for by the time this tournament is over."

"That's the spirit Ash. I'm glad that you're stepping up to the challenge. I hope everything works out for the best for you and the girls," stated Joy sincerely with a smile.

"Thanks Joy. I really do appreciate this," replied Ash with a smile. "By the way, I have a question for you. What do you think of Richie?"

Joy wasn't expecting that question to come up right now. His image popping up in her mind, her cheeks flushed with color. "I think he's a good guy," answered Joy quietly.

"Good, because that's the guy I was thinking about setting you up on a date with. Are you okay with that?"

Joy didn't respond back immediately since she was thinking. "I am, but I want him to ask me himself, without anyone telling him to."

"Okay I understand. I won't tell him to ask you out. But I'll ask him if the feeling is mutual and encourage him since he's kind of like me."

"I noticed that too. But he's different enough and not as dense," teased Joy.

"Ha ha, very funny," deadpanned Ash while rolling his eyes and Pikachu grinned.

Joy giggled again before standing up and he copied her. "C'mon, let's go back."

Leaving the private room, the two of them returned to Gardevoir's room and rejoined the others. After talking for a while together, Joy had to leave since her break was over and they bade the nurse goodbye. They hung around the fairy pokemon a bit longer until Joy returned with the pokemon's meal for the afternoon. As soon as they saw the meal, they all realized that they were hungry, with two of them having their stomach loudly grumble in displeasure over it. Laughing at Ash's and May's expense, they decided to head back up to their suite so they could eat as well.

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Brock and Cilan were busy preparing the afternoon meal together while the rest of the group either waited around or helped set the table. Ash had sat down in the middle of the largest couch facing the TV. He put his feet up on the coffee table, crossed his arms, closed his eyes and relaxed. Pikachu curled up next to him on the couch. The four girls saw this and wanted to take a photo, so Misty took a picture with her Poketch and sent it to the rest. Receiving it, the girls whispered and giggled to one another over it. Seeing them act this way, most of their other friends chuckled over their antics.

Gary however, was busy attempting something else. He had taken one of the pies Cilan and Brock made and slowly tiptoed behind the couch where Ash was resting. Everyone noticed what he was trying to do and even though the girls were annoyed over it, they kept quiet, wanting to see the outcome. Gary reached Ash and drew his arm back, getting it ready to swing forward.

Right before he was about to swing his hand with the pie, Ash spoke. "I wouldn't do that if I were you Gary."

Gary's eyes widened as he froze in his tracks with their group sporting surprised faces that Ash noticed what the was trying to do. "How'd you know?" asked the researcher.

"Aura Guardian, remember? Even though my eyes are closed, if I'm not sleeping, I can still sense what all of you are doing," answered Ash without opening his eyes or moving from his spot.

Iris and Cilan glanced at each other, a little fear in their eyes but nobody noticed. "Wait, does that mean you can sense what we do at all times? Even when we're in the bathroom or in our rooms?" she asked with obvious worry over being found out what she and her boyfriend were actually doing in their room.

Everyone's eyes widened over what Iris's words implied and the girls glared at Ash. He didn't see it but could sense their feelings of hostility. His eyes snapped open and he instantly shot up, taking his legs off the table to plant them on the floor before standing up to face them all with an insulted look on his face. "I would never do such a thing! What kind of person do you take me for?!" yelled Ash with anger, making his friends take a step back from his outburst. "I only allow myself to check my immediate surroundings. I don't let my senses travel farther than the room I'm currently in." Ash glared daggers at them all before sitting back down on the couch and crossed his arms while fuming. How could they even think I'd do such a thing?

Exchanging looks with one another, his friends, especially all of the girls, felt bad for assuming he'd do something like that. Iris spoke up after a moment. "I'm sorry Ash. I should've known better that you wouldn't do such a thing. Please forgive me."

Ash glanced at Iris when she apologized and saw the sullen look on her face. He let out a sigh, calming down before shaking his head. "It's alright Iris. I should've explained some things about my aura powers. But you should all know right here and now that I would never take advantage of my powers like that."

Understanding him, his friends nodded and a few promised to not assume anything anymore right off the bat. Yet, before anyone else could say more, Gary decided to conclude his prank. "Well, since that's out of the way, its pie in the face time!" he sneered, a split second away from having his arm move forward to follow through.

"You do that, and I'll have Gardevoir make you tell your most embarrassing stories to us."

Ash's words made Gary freeze once more in his spot and his face paled. Their group glanced at each other, wondering how things would go. A few of them, such as Max and Iris, actually hoped that Gary would still go through it and that Ash wasn't bluffing.

"You wouldn't Ashy-boy…"

"Wanna find out?" asked Ash as he turned his head to lock his gaze with his childhood rival.

Seeing the serious look on his face, Gary let out sigh. "Fine. You win this round. Way to go on ending all the fun."

"Hey, you know I don't mind pranks and jokes. Just not right now. I have a lot on my mind."

"Alright. I'll leave ya alone this time. Starting tomorrow though, no mercy. And no cheap shots like what you just said, got it?"

"Sure thing." Ash faced forward in his seat, closed his eyes again and relaxed. "Be prepared Gary."

Snorting in reply, Gary put the pie back down on the table and went to relax on the other couch until food was ready. Their friends were a little put down that they didn't see Ash get pied in the face and Gary not spilling his secrets. But they were also happy that Ash wasn't mad at them anymore for thinking he'd take advantage of his aura powers.

After fifteen more minutes, when Brock and Cilan announced lunch was ready, they all gathered around the table. Digging into their food, they all forgot about the earlier slight altercations thanks to how delicious it was. After lunch, they helped the two chefs clean up and afterward, they relaxed in the living room and conversed for a while before heading back to the stadium to cheer on Richie for his match.

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When they reached the stadium again, Richie and the group split up to go through their respective entrances. However, when Ash tried to go through the public entrance, the security guard didn't let him through. "Sorry kid, but trainers who are still in the tournament can't watch other trainers compete. It will be unfair should they ever be matched up."

"How would you know which trainers are still in this thing?" asked Max.

"That's classified information. Sorry, but can't tell you and you can't go in."

"But does it even matter?" asked Iris, drawing everyone's attention to her. "They can still watch on TV or online can't they?"

Shrugging in response, the security guard gave a simple answer. "Maybe, maybe not. I really don't care as it's not my problem. I'm just doing my job and what they told me to do."

"Seriously?!" replied back Iris, her right eye twitching over the blatant lack of care.

Ash let out a sigh. "It's alright. You guys go on ahead. I'll just go train for a bit."

"Are you sure?" asked Brock for everyone, the girls glancing at him, not wanting him to go but didn't say anything for several reasons. And the biggest was that they didn't want to seem clingy.

"Yeah, its fine. I need to check on some stuff anyways and I'll go do some training," answered Ash. "You guys go on ahead and cheer on Richie for me so he wins. I want a rematch with him and can't do that if he gets kicked out."

Smiling and chuckling, his friends agreed and headed down the public tunnel entrance. Though the girls wished him luck on his training and went with the rest, it was done half heartedly.

Pikachu's ears drooped, sad he couldn't stay with their friends and watch the battle. Ash noticed that and knew how his starter was feeling since he too was feeling the same. "I know but its okay buddy. Let's go train a bit and then I'll get you some ketchup." Pikachu perked up instantly and they headed out into the forest to train.

Not being able to see Richie's match, Ash quickly got over it since he knew that his rival would win some matches at the very least. And hopefully he could have a long overdue rematch with his friend and rival. Lost in thought and busy training with some pokémon, Ash didn't notice that a few hours passed. Even though he told his pokemon that they could take a break from training while he was at the tournament, he still wanted to train a little bit. It was mostly light training however, being a far cry from what they were used to. Just to keep them warmed up and to help keep their mind off things.

When he decided to finally take a break, he looked at his Poketch and saw that it was around 5pm. Surprised that time flew so fast and he didn't notice, he congratulated his pokémon on their hard work and told them to take a nice rest and returned them, their poke balls disappearing in blue glows. Smiling, he couldn't get over how he didn't have to carry all of his pokémon with him, yet he was able to call them out anytime he wanted. I should thank Mew again next time I see her for helping me out with that…

Returning to the hotel, Ash visited Gardevoir. She was almost as good as new but still had to wait till morning for a final check and to be discharged from the poke center. She was anxious to leave and to start training again. Ash promised her that they would train again after she got her strength back. She agreed and mentioned that the group came to visit her and went upstairs. Pikachu wanted to stay by her side for the night and Ash let him. He talked to Lucario for a bit, wanting to get an update on things. Lucario mentioned how he'd like to spar with him and Ash agreed with that, saying they'd train together after Gardevoir was able to leave. Bidding his three pokémon goodnight, Ash then went upstairs after asking Joy to give Pikachu some ketchup in a small bowl. Laughing at that, Joy then reminded Ash of what they talked about, which he responded to with a smile and a nod.

When he reached the door to the penthouse suite and opened it, he saw that Max, Iris, Cilan, Gary, Brock, Serena, May and Richie were watching TV. Misty and Dawn were relaxing in the balcony, with the door opened halfway, looking at the view. Richie told him that he won his match and Ash congratulated him, saying he was sorry he couldn't cheer him on and the reason why. Richie replied back that he knew, since that's what the officials said to all the other trainers who had to wait for their scheduled matches in the locker rooms while he and Sarah were busy getting ready. Ash nodded and commented that he was going to take a shower since he had trained hard and all sweaty now. The girls' faces flashed pink for a second, hoping nobody noticed but someone did.

After Ash went to his room that person spoke out. "Good think Ashy-boy didn't come back up half naked like last time. Otherwise we would've gone through the same thing yesterday. Isn't that right girls?" asked Gary with a smug smirk, raising his eyebrows a couple times.

The girls blushed madly and May and Serena smacked Gary upside the head, causing him to yelp in pain as he held his head. Brock let out a sigh. "Gary, sometimes I wonder how in the hell you had a group of cheerleaders following you?" he asked out loud while shaking his head in disbelief.

Everyone laughed at the researcher while Gary grimaced. Sometime later, Ash re-joined the group after showering and they decided to have dinner. Brock and Cilan once again made a delicious meal and everyone ate while joking around. After they finished eating and cleaned up, they decided to play some Texas Holdem poker while they relaxed after eating. Deciding that it would be single elimination with no second chances, the winner would also get twenty poke dollars from each person. Those decisions were made to make the game a little serious and keep them from messing around. After about two hours, the winner was surprisingly Dawn.

"How in the seven hells did you win?" asked an astonished Brock.

"Never judge a book by their cover," responded Dawn with an evil smile. Laughing at her expression and deciding that they would be extra careful around Dawn now, they all wondered what they should do next since it wasn't too late.

Ash stood up and stretched. When he glanced at the girls as he did so, a thought went through his head. I should probably do it now. Deciding that it was the right time to do what he needed to do, he finished his stretching and cleared his throat. Everyone's attention went onto him and his cheeks went pink. "Ah, Misty, May, Dawn, Serena; could you come with me please?" he asked them. The girls nodded as they stood up and followed after him as he led the way to his bedroom.

Gary raised his eyebrows and turned to look at those with him at the table still. "Okay, so any one want to make some bets?"

"Such as?" asked an intrigued Cilan. Iris elbowed him in the stomach while giving him a glare. "Oh c'mon, it's just a little fun. You can get in on it too. All of you can. It'll be our way of entertaining ourselves and see what kind of flavor this brings out," reasoned the Unovan connoisseur.

Iris let out a groan. "Please stop saying things like that."

Some chuckles were shared before Richie asked a question. "So, are we doing this or what?"

Collectively agreeing, they all shared grins with one another. "Okay, so what's the first bet?" asked Gary and they started discussing in hushed voices what bets they were willing to make on the five and what was going to happen between them.

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Ash was unable to look away from the sight in front of him. After leading the four girls into his master bedroom and closing the door behind them, the girls acted as one. Misty, May, Dawn and Serena sat on the edge of the king sized bed, lifted their right leg and crossed it over their left leg while crossing their arms over their chest.

Their actions had stunned him, both positively and negatively. Damn, they look so beautiful and also intimidating at the same time. Shit, can I do this? He could feel himself heating up and his heart was beating like mad as the four girls eyed him, no expression or emotion visible on their faces. You are so dead man. Just run! He mentally slapped himself. No! I can do this. Just have to do it fast, like ripping off a band aid.

He took in a breath through his nose and exhaled it out through his mouth to calm himself before speaking. "Okay, so you're probably wondering why I asked you here. Well here's the reason why; I know how each of you feel about me." The girls fidgeted a bit. They weren't expecting him to be so blunt about it. "I know the real feelings you feel for me. And I have to admit something myself; I have feelings for each of you as well." The girls blushed at his revelation, their hearts beating a little faster because of it. "I really like each of you. A lot. And I wanted to apologize for taking so long to tell you and for not responding to your hints, acting dense sometimes…"

"Wait, what?!" blurted out Dawn, interrupting him.

"What do you mean?" asked Serena.

"You were acting dense sometimes?" questioned Misty.

"Were you playing with us?" asked May.

Glaring at him with hurt expressions, their reactions and questions made Ash swallow the saliva that accumulated in his mouth and his heart was beating loudly in his ears. He never liked seeing them become saddened or angered. And he especially hated being the cause for it. But he had to tell them and had to keep going so he could explain. "No, I wasn't playing with you, with any of you. Never. I swear." Remaining silent, the girls kept their eyes on him, and he continued. "What I meant to say was when we traveled around the world together, I didn't always miss what you four were trying to show and tell me. When I didn't notice it for real sometimes, you thought that I was dense and wouldn't ever understand."

Unable to help themselves, the girls shifted in their seats a little. "Well, you're partly right because I didn't notice sometimes but other times I did and just acted dense because I thought it would let you be relaxed and be yourself around me." Understanding that, the girls did remember that they had wondered about that in the past and it looked like they were right. "Plus it helped me out so I wouldn't have to deal with that at the time…" Ash took a breather. For some reason, telling the truth to them was taking a lot more energy than when he told Joy. He wondered for a second if it was because he didn't think of her in that way...

"But why would you do that?" asked May.

Her question brought Ash back into focus. "Honestly? Because I was afraid."

"Afraid?" repeated Serena, tilting her head.

"Of what?" continued Misty.

"And why?" finished Dawn.

Ash let out a sigh. "I was afraid of many things. I was afraid of rejection. I was afraid of messing up our friendship. I was afraid that I wasn't good enough for any of you. I was afraid that maybe I had imagined your hints or actions…" Hanging his head, he was unable to continue since his feelings were starting to overwhelm him.

"Ash…" He looked up at Misty. She no longer had her arms and legs crossed and neither were May, Dawn and Serena. But they were still sitting with their hands resting on their laps, clasped together. "Why would you feel so afraid to take a chance?"

"B-Because…" Ash started to choke, stammering and the girls glanced at one another before looking back at him. C'mon, you can do this! He took in a breath to calm himself and continued. "Because ever since my father left me when I was kid, that hit me hard; it made me feel worthless."

The girls gasped at what he mentioned while reacting to it by either clapping their hands to their mouths or grasping their skirts or shorts tightly. They were surprised over what he was saying because he had never spoken about his father before. Staying silent, they waited to hear more from the raven haired trainer.

Seeing how they reacted, Ash looked up to towards the ceiling and closed his eyes, forcing his watery eyes to not let out any tears. When he believed he was in control again, he lowered his gaze, opened his eyes and looked at the girls. "I loved my father so much. He's what I wanted to be when I grew up; an incredible trainer, friendly to everyone, a good husband and father. But one day he just left without a word. I woke up one morning to find my mom crying in the kitchen and my father gone. My mom never told me why he left. She'd just tear up every time he was mentioned so I stopped talking about him."

The girls started to tear up. They knew that it was just him and his mom but they never knew about his father until now. "Ash…I'm so sorry about that," cried Dawn, getting up and made to hug him.

Ash however held up his hand to signal her to stop. "Please Dawn, let me finish. Otherwise, I don't think I'll be able to."

Reluctantly agreeing, Dawn sat back down, tears flowing down her cheeks and she wasn't the only one as Misty, May and Serena were also letting out silent tears. Ash's eyes watered once more but fought them. He couldn't break down. Not yet. "So…because he left, I blamed myself, as any kid would. My mom told me it wasn't my fault and slowly I started realizing that she was right. But him leaving affected me more than I knew at the time. Later on as I got older and met each of you, after each of our journeys, when we were about to go our different ways, I wanted to say not to go…that I liked you. But something always kept me from saying so."

The girls glanced at each other when Ash took another breather. They had always felt that Ash wanted to say something but couldn't. When he started talking again, they faced him. "Misty, you were the first to go. Then it was you May. Then you Dawn. Finally it was you Serena." May opened her mouth to say something but Ash interrupted her. "No May. I wasn't able to open up to Iris like I did with you four since she was always keeping herself at a distance. I also thought that there was something between her and Cilan at the time so I did everything I could to help them notice it, such as being extremely annoying to Iris and teasing Cilan about him and her." The girls couldn't help but chuckle at that. "Back to the story; I wanted to tell each of you, but every time I felt this huge fear engulf me. I was too afraid. I didn't think I was good enough and I guess if you were to call me a coward at those moments you would be right. I would throw myself in front of legendaries and evil organizations without a second's thought, but I was too afraid to say 'I like you'…"

Ash paused in his explanation, thinking they might want to ask a question but they stayed silent and he continued on. "I finally figured out why I was so afraid while I was away for three years." The girls leaned in towards him a bit, listening intently while not daring to make a sound. "I was afraid that the same thing would happen to me and each of you as what happened between me and my father. I loved my father very much and he just left me. I was afraid that if I told you how I felt about you, let you get that close to me, that you would disappear one day on me too, just like him. I figured out that, at those times, I subconsciously believed that it would be better to let a friend go than to put the pieces of my heart back together again."

Ash finished with what he remembered telling Joy and decided that was the best way to let them know what he was feeling. The girls couldn't hold it in anymore and they started sobbing, but silently. Heavy and fast tears were pouring down their faces, landing on their clothes and onto the bed covers.

Seeing them become so saddened because of him, Ash wanted to hit himself for causing them this pain. But he knew it had to be done so they could know the truth. "I want to apologize for that. Before I went away for three years, when I made that group phone call with you and the others, the way you reacted to me saying good bye was when it hit me…"

Taking in another breath, Ash's emotions became too great and he started letting out a few tears himself. "I knew then that I had fucked up and I believed it was too late. I had to go away and by the time I could come back and make an appearance, I thought it wouldn't matter anymore because I feared you all would have moved on. My heart broke when I thought of that, believing that's what would happen. That's why I disguised myself at first when I came back. I feared running into you and having those feelings I felt for you come back if any of you were with someone else and if you weren't, I feared that you would kill me." Ash laughed weakly at the dark joke, the girls chuckling slightly too.

Even with that little bit of laughing, it helped them all calm down a bit and Ash was able to say what was remaining. "But now I have another chance, now knowing that I was an idiot. What I feel for each of you and what you each feel for me is true and pure. Each of you have touched my life in so many ways. And I believe I have touched each of yours as well. I like each of you so much and care so much for each of you that I would go insane if anything happened to any of you…"

Hearing him say that made the four girls fill up with emotion. They had dreamed of him saying something like that for so long and finally hearing him say that in real life was making them go on the verge of bursting from happiness. But they remained in control and kept listening as he spoke. "But I don't want to be an asshole. I know it would be a selfish and evil thing to string along even one beautiful and great girl, but to do that to four beautiful and great girls, who are also my close friends, would definitely earn me a place in hell, Aura Guardian or not. So I have to confess and come clean."

Those words he just said made the girls look at one another before facing him. "At this moment, I can't pick one over the other. I cannot choose. I care for each of you deeply and in the same amount. It's not fair I know. Perhaps if I had the balls to say something before, then maybe we wouldn't be in this position right now or maybe we still would've, or in a different way. Honestly, I don't even know and who would?"

None of them had an answer for that or anything to say so Ash kept talking. "Let me say something right now that I have to bring up and maybe say another idea depending on your response and then I will let you four decide what we will do."

Glancing at each other with teary red eyes, the girls nodded at each other and then nodded at Ash. "Okay. One of the things we could do to fix this between the five of us so none of us possibly gets hurt further is to just bury everything right here and now and move on with our lives. Is that something you would like to do?" The girls immediately cried out against it, fiercely yelling out 'no'.

Ash was stunned and subconsciously took a step backwards. He didn't think they would respond with that much emotion against it. "Okay, I'm sorry but I had to say it. Since that's the case, the other idea I had was for each of us to spend some more time together alone. Get to know each other personally. Go on a real date with each of you. I would be honored if each of you gave me that chance. We may find out some things about each other that may make or break us, either making it easier to be together or to just be friends. Other than that, I have nothing else to offer, since I cannot choose between any of you right now. I only ask for a chance to see how each of us would function together, relationship wise. If you feel that's not fair, I will understand completely and not hold it against you."

The girls looked at each other for a moment before asking Ash to give them a minute. Agreeing to their request, he went into the bathroom attached to the bedroom. After a few minutes, which felt like an eternity to Ash, he was called back into the room. Once back inside, he faced the girls who were now standing in front of him, with his back to the bed behind him. Their hands were on their hips and seeing them so made him feel phantom pain on his cheek and he massaged it.

Picking up on it, the girls couldn't help but giggle a little. "Don't worry, we're not going to slap you again," smiled Dawn.

"Yea, not this time," said Serena cheekily and Ash gave a small smile in return.

"Okay. This is what we decided we're going to do," started May before gesturing to the red head to begin saying what they decided.

"We want you to take each of us out on a date, a real date, on different days. And on those different days, whoever's turn it is that day, you will treat her as your girlfriend and we will treat you as our boyfriend, as if we've been together for a while, from when we wake up to when we go to sleep," said Misty.

"We will be ourselves, no gimmicks, no plays or tricks," continued Serena. "Do what you feel right doing and natural to you and we'll do the same. We also came up with a couple rules to keep things fair."

"Rule number one would be that on the days where one of us is your 'girlfriend', the other three girls are not allowed to jeopardize, insult, bother, get angry or jealous for any reason, if there is flirting, kissing, teasing or anything else that happens between us," informed Dawn, as she surprisingly held a serious expression on her face while she said it.

"Rule number two is that the only people who can find out about this agreement for the time being is our friends so it doesn't weird them out and so they won't get involved and mess things up, thinking that something is wrong," finished May.

Ash had moved his gaze onto each girl that spoke and nodded to let them know that he understood them so far when each one was finished. He fully intended to give the girls what they wanted with every fiber of his being so things could possibly blossom between him and with at least one of them.

"Ash," started Misty and waited until he was looking at her. "The date and girlfriend days would be every other day, so one day you would be with one of us. The next day we'd relax so we can become neutral, then the day after resting would continue the process and on and on."

"And one more thing," started May, making him look at her now. "After the fourth date, we will give you one more day to think of whom you want to choose and the day after, we expect an answer by the end of the day."

He didn't have to think about any of it since he understood what they wanted and it was what he wanted as well. Nodding in agreement, Ash then spoke. "Okay. Misty, May, Dawn, Serena…thank you for understanding and for giving me a chance. I won't let you down. I promise to be the best boyfriend I can be on those days and to give you the best dates possible. Hopefully each of us will find an answer that allows us all to be happy and find what we're looking for."

Ash finished by smiling his trademark goofy grin, causing the four girls' hearts to melt since they haven't seen it for so long. Before Ash knew what was going on, they tackled him and the five of them ended up landing on the king sized bed. Two of the girls were on top of him while the other two were on his sides; May was on his left, Misty and Dawn practically on top of him in the middle, with Serena on his right.

"We'll let the guys know what we're doing tomorrow. Tonight, let's just not think about it anymore," advised Serena quietly as she snuggled into Ash's side.

"Yeah, let's just enjoy this moment for a bit," said Dawn quietly as she snuggled into Ash's chest, with Misty and May repositioning themselves into comfier positions while on top of him and against his side respectively.

Ash couldn't speak and he didn't know what to do, so stunned over what the girls had done. After a moment, he decided to just leave them be, figuring they would get up on their own soon enough. He relaxed and that was when he noticed that his head was on the pillow.

Their group tackle had launched them to the top of the bed, enabling them to lie down perfectly and comfortably. Ash shook his head slightly in disbelief but had no intention of complaining at all. Raising his arms, he hugged the four girls as best he could. They hummed lightly for a second in response and Ash returned it with one of his own.

Some time passed with the five of them staying like that and they realized then that they were probably going to spend the night sleeping like that; fully dressed still and lying together on one king sized bed. And they weren't just fine with it; they were happy about it and it actually felt right.

Snuggling even closer to the raven haired trainer, the girls felt happy. "Goodnight Ash," said the four together quietly.

"Goodnight girls," said Ash with a hopeful smile on his face and the five of them drifted off to sleep.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Brock made his way towards a room door. He hesitated slightly, not knowing if he should bother the ones inside but he needed to know if everything was alright. Slowly, he opened the door just enough to peek inside. "Guys?" whispered Brock. Not hearing a response, Brock opened the door a little more and what he saw stunned him for a couple seconds. Until he came to his senses and a wide smile formed on his face. "I knew it."

A flash of light shot through the room and he looked at the photo he just took. Ash was fast asleep with Misty, May, Dawn and Serena sleeping with him while snuggled against him. Still smiling since he was happy for them finally taking steps towards getting together, he decided to send a copy to his brother. Ash's Poketch beeped immediately after and Brock jumped, not expecting it. He didn't move and stared at them, making sure they didn't get up.

After several seconds of nothing happening, he let out a relieved sigh. Walked quietly closer to them, he grabbed a blanket and covered the five with it. As he left the room and closed the door he bade them goodnight and went back to join the others.

When he finally got back to them, he had a smirk form on his face. "Cough up losers. I win."

Brock's smug and happy face, along with the photo evidence, answered the groups' question of what happened to the five. Gary, Iris, Cilan, Richie and Max grumbled about losing that particular bet, each of them taking out twenty poke dollars and handed it to Brock. After that, they all decided to call it a night. Iris and Cilan went to their room with the later a little annoyed that he lost the bet with the former saying that she'll make him feel better soon quietly.

Gary however caught her say that before they closed their door. Moving his gaze towards the three remaining ones around him, he raised his eyebrows a few times and pointed at the couple's room. "You think they're gonna play hide the zucchini?"

Max tilted his head in confusion, not catching the reference. Richie went red and awkwardly laughed while Brock face palmed and shook his head. Taking the initiative, the eldest one out of them told them that they should go to sleep as well and they agreed before dispersing.

Gary changed into his shorts pajamas right there in the living room while smirking the whole time. I've got a lot of material to use, he thought while getting ready for bed. Lying down on the couch bed, Gary kept thinking of ways to joke and prank on Ash, the four girls and Iris and Cilan. Oh I'm so happy I took a vacation from the lab to come here. It's gonna be fun messing with them. Soon enough, the pokemon researcher fell asleep with a big smirk on his face.