The Blue Spirit

by silentplayermc03

A vision has been seen by Arceus; a world covered in darkness, corrupting both humans & pokemon alike but it also showed two heroes fighting against it. Plans are formed, old & new friends meet, relationships are made, emotions run high, secrets are revealed & an inevitable world war engulfs them all against the darkness…

52. Chapter 51 - Confessions

THE BLUE SPIRIT

CHAPTER 51 – CONFESSIONS

All around the world people were watching the finals match of the Spirit Tournament with widened eyes. They couldn't believe what was happening at all. How Tobias's legendary pokémon were getting beat by Ash's regular pokémon. How could the most powerful, versatile and uniquely gifted pokémon be overcome by your run of the mill pokémon? They were legendaries for a reason because of their vast powers and the fact that some of them had important responsibilities to the world to keep it going. Sure, the guardian's pokemon were unique themselves since they were probably among the strongest, if not the strongest, of their respective species. But even so, how could it be possible? It was inconceivable to the average mind. Shocked or astounded was not enough to describe their states.

And it was true for everyone in the world who was watching. Many people who couldn't be at the stadium had gathered together in each of the regions to watch the final match of the tournament. From restaurants, bars, clubs or even at someone's house or work place, almost everyone was watching with others. And several of those groups were the gym leaders of the major gyms in each area. Having met up to watch the most hyped battle so far in the world, they were happy to have a little mini vacation. Though it was slow for them all because of the tournament, they had kept their gyms open for traveling trainers who wanted to battle. But they weren't going to miss the finals match between the trainer of legendaries and the aura guardian. Because of that, each region's gym leaders met up at one of their respective cities to watch it together, catch up and have a good time.

One of these particular groups was in the Johto region where the gym leaders had gathered at Whitney Akane's place in Goldenrod City. Hers was the most accommodating to all and in the middle of the country. Falkner Hayato, Bugsy Tsukushi, Morty Matsuba, Jasmine Mikan, Chuck Shijima and Pryce Yanagi were all there. They had arrived a day earlier and spent the night at the nearby hotel in the city. Right now, they were all waiting for the match to begin and several were in discussions over what could possibly happen. Two of them were becoming very passionate about their topic that drew the others attention. "Morty, come on! We all know how powerful Darkrai is! There isn't much if any that one can do against his Dark Void combination! That's all he needs to do and has done in the tournament! He took out most of the competition with that!" snapped the flying type trainer Falkner.

"I know that!" shot the ghost type trainer Morty. "I'm just saying that I wouldn't place all my money on just that. Everything can be countered!"

Before anyone else could say anything, Pryce spoke up. "Morty is right," he started, making the two and the others all look at him. "One cannot place all their trust on one tactic because it can be exploited." Some murmured their agreement with a few keeping quiet. "You should just ask our dragon trainer Clair. By the way, where is she?" he asked them, making the other gym leaders glance at one another.

"Ah, don't you know?" asked Bugsy and Pryce gave him a confused look.

The steel type trainer explained for Bugsy. "Clair has been at the Indigo Plateau for a while now ever since Lance called her about a week or two ago. She's been staying with her friends," explained Jasmine.

Pryce had an understanding look form on his face. "Ah, I see. But shouldn't she be back by now? She usually doesn't stay away from her gym and home for so long," he stated to no particular person.

They all just shrugged until one of them started shouting. "HEY! The match is starting!" said Chuck. He quickly moved to get a front row seat and the others followed after him while chuckling. He would always have his attention go to wherever a battle was. Pryce however was still thinking about what he just found out as he made his way to his seat. He wondered why Clair would be away from her gym for so long without telling others why as he sat down on the large couch and leaned his cane against his leg.

As the Johto gym leaders gathered around for the start of the battle, in Kanto, most of the gym leaders had gathered at LT. Surge's gym since he had the largest screen for the broadcast and had invited everyone to come. Besides the Waterflower sisters who weren't home and the Natsume family who respectfully declined the offer, the others had accepted and arrived in the morning of the finals match. Forrest Harrison, LT. Surge, Erika Cela, Janine Anzu, Blaine Katsura and AJ, who was the new gym leader of Viridian City, were catching up with one another while watching the match. They had already seen the guardian take down Darkrai and a new pokémon they had never heard about called Volcanion. To say they were impressed was an understatement. "I still can't believe that Ash is in the finals and that he's gotten much stronger. I remember the first time I battled him and I beat him without much trouble," stated AJ with arrogance and he took a bite out of his burger.

A calm but sharp voice spoke from behind them all that made them jump since they weren't expecting it. "You may have beaten him in the past, but it looks like he has surpassed you greatly now," remarked Janine while she stood in the corner.

That comment made everyone there stare at her since she rarely speaks. "Wow, you talked!" commented AJ, not hearing the words that she said. "I never heard you speak before!"

Janine didn't comment on that and instead turned her gaze away. AJ however began asking her questions to learn more about her since she was usually very quiet and reserved. Not to mention that she hardly ever left her gym that was hard to find itself since it was in hidden away in a forested mountain. But the daughter of the infamous Koga just kept silent. Janine crossed her arms over her chest with an annoyed look forming on her face. It was an obvious showing that she wasn't interested in talking but AJ didn't notice it. Damn it. I should've kept my mouth shut. Always surrounded by idiots ever since Father became one of the Elite Four. When is this annoying dumbass going to just leave me alone?!

AJ continued with his incessant talking until Janine had enough and shot a shuriken at the burger in his hand. It went flying through the air before getting stuck in the wall. Seeing the glare on her face, AJ gulped and moved away while several others laughed out loud. "Hahaha! That was awesome!" complimented LT. Surge. "You sure you don't want to be in the military? With my word, you can become a lieutenant like me!" Janine said nothing but narrowed her eyes on him. Getting the hint, he let it go since even he knew he shouldn't mess with her. "Alright, I'll leave ya alone." LT. Surge went to his large couch that he had reserved for himself only and plopped down onto it to continue watching the match. As he took in the ongoing battle, he started thinking furiously. I never thought that little runt would get so damn strong. But then again, I should've known he would get far after he beat my Raichu with just his Pikachu. This match should be good. Hmm…I wonder if she's watching. And with that, the abnormally tall and muscular man called a number from his Poketch…

Far away in the city of Humilau, the gym leaders of Unova had gathered there to enjoy the beach while watching the match that was being shown at each of the tiki-hut bars. Dressed in their beach attire and enjoying their time under the sun were Cheren Aspern, Roxie Homika, Burgh Arty, Elesa Kamitsure, Clay Yakon, Skyla Huuro, Drayden Shaga and Marlon Shizui. One of them, the blonde girl Elesa, was half sitting and half lying down on a beach chair next to the red head Skyla who was doing the same. The two were facing a large outdoor screen that was hung from the hut wall. Like her friends, she was engrossed in the amazing match, unable to say a word while they kept watching.

A sudden ring on her Poketch made her jump, startling both her and her friend out of their trance. "Sorry Skyla," she said automatically while ignoring the agitated looked on the red head's face. She looked at the caller ID and saw who it was before she answered the phone. "Hey Uncle Surge. How are you?" she asked.

A gruff yet cheery tone of voice was heard on the other hand. "I'm good Elesa. How are you doing? By the way, please tell me that you're watching the finals and not messing around with your fashion line for once."

She rolled her eyes and her friend caught that, causing her to grin. She knew what would cause her to do that. "I'm good thanks. And yes, I am watching it…"

"That little runt sure has grown and become stronger hasn't he?" he interrupted her.

His question made Elesa chuckle. "What's so funny?" asked the red head.

"He said that Ash sure has grown from being a little runt Skyla," answered the blonde and they both laughed out loud, gaining attention from their group. The duo waved them off and they all looked at the screen again as both girls locked their eyes onto Ash. "He sure has Uncle," commented the electric trainer. Skyla glanced at her after hearing her say that, hearing the slight change of tone in her voice.

LT. Surge also noticed that. He had learned to pick up on things that others would have missed because of his experience and years in the military. "Is my niece smitten with him?" he asked teasingly.

Elesa reddened as she shouted back. "It's not your business Uncle!" Her outburst startled her friends. They glanced at her but then faced the battle that was now occurring between Lucario and Diancie after Greninja was taken out by the fairy.

LT. Surge just laughed a bit before calming down. "Relax Elesa. I'm just messing with you." He heard her huff back and he smirked. "Okay, moving on. Make sure you watch it and learn some things from him so you can become stronger." His niece replied back that she will pay attention to do that. "Good. By the way, what's new with you?"

Elesa let out a sigh. "Well, everything is the same. Still training and working on my fashion line. Oh and I was asked out on a date..."

LT. Surge's eyes widened on the other end of the line but stayed calm. "Is that so? And? Do I need to come there and break his neck?"

"No," she replied back while shaking her head. "It was my fellow gym leader Marlon. But I never agreed to it cause I'm not interested in him and I'm too busy."

It was quiet on the other end for a moment. "I see. Well, if you need anything let me know. And don't let your fashion line control your life. But do be careful who you give a shot with."

She smiled a bit. "I know and thank you."

"No problem kiddo. You know I'm here for ya. Maybe I'll come visit sometime soon and we'll-HEY! That's a huge ass pokémon! What the hell is that thing?!" he asked abruptly. Tobias had just sent out Regigigas after the aura canine finished off Diancie. She could hear several of the Kanto gym leaders start discussing what it is over on the other end of the phone. "Alright Elesa, I gotta go! This is getting intense!"

"Bye!" said Elesa and she hung up and glanced at Skyla. "What?" she asked her friend after noticing her look.

Skyla looked at her for a moment before speaking. "Elesa, we've been best friends for a long time and I have to tell you this for your own good; you fucked up by not going out with Marlon."

Elesa narrowed her eyes at her. "Why would you say that? You know I'm not interested in his type. He's too self-absorbed. I can't stand it and…"

"I know," interjected Skyla in a whisper so others won't overhear them. "But you didn't even give him a chance because you've been smitten with Ash since the day you saw him." Elesa went crimson red at that as she looked away. "You need to get over him. It's been years and not once has he contacted you or you him. And from what's been reported on the news and media, you know he's already with several girls. No way will they ever let you in even if you tried to go for it. That is, if you could even tear yourself away from your fashion line," she told her with a frown. Skyla didn't want to say that to her best friend to make her feel bad about this but knew that she had to face reality. And truth be told, so did she. She was hoping that by saying this to her best friend, then maybe she could take her own advice as well and move on…

Elesa turned her gaze back to her friend's and replied back quietly. "You may be right but…I don't care. I…I almost went to him."

"What?!" yelped a surprised Skyla as her eyes widened. "When?!"

She let out a sigh before answering her. "When he was in the hospital. I almost dropped everything to go to him. The only reason I didn't was because if I had left, my fashion line would've been taken over," revealed the electric trainer sadly.

Skyla was shocked over what she heard. She almost went to him? She was actually thinking about giving up her dream for him? I can't believe she was actually about to do that…just like me. The flying type trainer thought furiously for a bit before deciding on something. I…I need to come clean to her. "I see. Elesa, I have to tell you something…" She waited until her friend looked at her again. She leaned in closer and told her the next few words so quietly that she barely heard her. "I almost did the exact same thing." Elesa gasped and her eyes widened. "But I didn't go through with it at the last second. Because I realized there is no way that anything will work out for me and I would've lost my pilot's license if I missed my license renewal and I would've never been able to keep my plane hangar. You should take my advice and not do this to yourself. You should just drop it and go for Marlon if he's not taken yet. At least you have someone who's interested in you unlike me," advised her friend with a slight smile.

Elesa stared at her for a moment. "You like Ash too?" she asked her in a whisper. Skyla said nothing but the look on her face was all that she needed. She hung her head after thinking about what her best friend said. "Maybe you're right about that. Maybe I should forget about him and move on. It's gonna be so damn hard though…" Her friend nodded her head sadly. "But you know what you're wrong about?" Skyla tilted her head and Elesa looked at her with a slight smile. "Marlon. I'd rather stay single for the rest of my life," she revealed and her friend understood.

Skyla and Elesa both couldn't help but laugh. Before either of them could say anything else however, someone else spoke. "What's so funny?" asked another female. The two glanced to their side and saw the poison type trainer Roxie. They just said it was nothing and Roxie gave them a look. "Right. I heard what you two were saying. When are you two ever going to do something without the other? Even liking the same guy? I swear you should've been born Siamese twins or something." Both Elesa and Skyla became embarrassed over her words since it was practically true. The two of them did everything together. From shopping, working out, having the same interests to almost everything else. "I swear, sometimes I think you two are closeted lesbians or something."

The two narrowed their eyes on her before one of them shouted out, making some of the others glance at them with concern. But seeing that Roxie was once again the one agitating them, they decided to leave it alone before looking back at the battle. "Just because you think it's weird to do stuff like that with friends doesn't mean others do too!" snapped Skyla with annoyance.

Roxie just scoffed at her as she tightened a towel around her waist. "Touchy. Whatever. But let me tell you this; who gives a shit if he's with several girls or not? And why do you even care? It's not like you want to be with him forever. Just go fuck him and get it out of your system. Hell, he's not even that great or good looking. You're only interested in him because he's famous," she remarked with a sneer.

"That's not true!" shot both girls angrily at once. But then realizing what they just said, the two clapped their hands against their mouths.

Raising her eyebrows in response, Roxie stared at them. "Oh? So why are you interested in him?" she asked but didn't get an answer. Instead, both Elesa and Skyla recovered and told her that she would never understand as they crossed their arms over their chests and glared at her. Roxie shook her head in disappointment. "Whatever. I'm done trying to make you two see the truth. No man is good enough. Not even someone like Ash. They can't be trusted for anything. They're only meant to be used for your own gain. If you can't see that, then you're both stupider than you look." She left the two girls alone and went back to her own seat after getting herself a drink.

The two friends glanced at each other. "Something is seriously wrong with her," remarked Skyla.

Elesa nodded in agreement. "Agreed. Let's forget about her and watch the match." The two faced the screen once more and watched the battle going on between Regigigas and Lucario. But the two of them kept having thoughts enter their minds…

As the match continued between Regigigas and Lucario and it became gradually fiercer, a red haired girl was watching with her family and friends at her place. Flannery Asuna had invited her fellow gym leaders to her house in Lavaridge Town since they were famous in Hoenn for their hot springs. The plan was to relax in them after viewing the match. It didn't hurt either that she had the space to host. Roxanne Tsutsuji, Brawly Toki, Wattson Tessen, Winona Nagi, the twins Tate and Liza Fulan and Wallace were relaxing inside Flannery's home while watching the match in the living room. When Regigigas started going on a rampage, they were shocked and scared. But when Lucario and Ash wouldn't back down they watched on while barely breathing. When the two were able to finally subdue the legendary, they all let out relieved breaths.

The eldest out of the group of gym leaders, Wattson, turned to one of his closest friends. "Ash's Lucario was able to take down the titan pokémon by himself. That's incredible!"

Wallace nodded in agreement. "Yes it is. To have that much power and only using it to protect others, that's the mark of a true hero. And doing so with such grace. Did you see his technique and skill?" he asked with admiration.

Before the old man could answer, another spoke up. "He does have skill and power. But my pokémon could take him on." Both Wattson and Wallace turned to Brawly who had just spoken and burst out laughing. The fighting type trainer narrowed his eyes at them and crossed his arms. "What? You think I'm exaggerating my skills?"

Both finished up laughing and Wattson replied back. "You have grown stronger Brawly. No doubt about that. But you're nowhere near that level. And I think you're just jealous and pissed off that Shauna has taken a liking to him, is hanging around him and even went to his aid during his eight match. You need to get over that since you messed up and lost your chance." Brawly muttered under his breath while glaring at the two and moved away before he took up a seat away in the corner of the room on a chair. "Was that a little harsh?" asked Wattson all of a sudden as he scratched his head.

Wallace shook his head. "No. Fighters like him have to hear things straight otherwise it won't penetrate their thick skulls. He messed up on that and that's a lesson he needs to learn." The water type trainer then noticed something. "Speaking of issues, Flannery looks very distraught," he said with concern to his friend.

"You're right." The two looked at her for a moment, seeing the fearful and sullen expression on her face. "I think I know the reason why. But she'll be okay. She has her friends by her side," reasoned Wattson seeing two other girls with her and Wallace agreed.

The subject of that small conversation was feeling intense feelings inside of her. When Regigigas went on a rampage and Ash was trying to protect the league official, her heart was beating madly. She couldn't say a word nor make a sound until he was able to push away the colossus with his aura and Lucario took him out. Seeing that everything was finally alright, Flannery had gotten up and moved away towards the furthest wall to calm down. Her closest friends, Roxanne and Winona, had followed after her and trying to help her out. "It's okay hun," started Winona soothingly. "Nobody got hurt and everyone is fine."

"She's right. All is well. So please just take a few breaths and that will help you calm down," advised Roxanne soothingly to cheer her up.

Flannery took in a deep breath as she was advised to do so and then exhaled. Calming down a little, she glanced at her best friends. "Thanks you two," she told them quietly. "It's just…after everything that's happened at this damn tournament alone…any time something goes wrong, I feel like my heart is going to pop out of my chest. And I feel even worse whenever I see that he's near danger…"

Both Roxanne and Winona tilted their heads. "What do you mean?" asked the rock type trainer.

The fire type trainer took in another deep breath before she locked eyes with the two. "I…I don't know. It's been so long since I've seen Ash. But I can still remember how he helped me out in getting my confidence to run my family's gym like it was yesterday. Whenever I hear about him, think about him or see him on the TV for this tournament, I get this…this stirring feeling inside of me." Her friends gave her stunned looks but she continued on. "I don't know what it means but I do know this; when he vanished and no one could find him, when the stadium attack happened and he was right in the middle of it all, when he was at the hospital, when the crowd turned on him…all the times that he was in danger or facing ridicule, or who knows where, I so badly wanted to go to him. To help him. Find him. Protect him." She looked down at her feet as she became quiet for a moment. "I have no idea why I feel that way or want to do all that. Why is this happening to me? What does this mean?" she asked them in a slightly hysterical tone of voice that made some of the others look at them with concerned expressions. But Flannery's friends gave them looks not to get involved and so they turned their attention back to the screen.

Winona and Roxanne looked at one another and smiled. Both of them were thinking the same thing. "We know what this means," started Roxanne and Flannery looked up. "It means that you like Ash."

The red head had her eyes widened and her heart skipped a beat. "What?! No…That can't be. I'm older than him. And we haven't seen each other for so long. And we've never went out together. And…and we haven't kept in touch. And…and…" She kept stammering and her friends had their smiles widen.

"Flannery, all that stuff doesn't matter and this just proves that you do like him," said Winona and she stopped her stammering. "It's okay. Liking someone and having feelings for them is fine."

The red head said nothing but began thinking about what she said for a little bit. The first time she saw him. How he helped her. The times where she would just stop what she was doing and think about where he is or what he's doing. All of a sudden, everything just clicked in her head and she took in a sharp breath. "You're right…I…I do like him. How could I have not realized this sooner?" she asked them.

Her friends smiled at her again. "It's okay Flannery. Sometimes, people just miss the obvious. But…"

"But?" repeated Flannery with anxiousness.

"But it looks like he already has a girl in his life. Several actually," continued on Roxanne sadly for Winona who nodded in agreement.

Flannery hung her head, staring at her feet again. "I forgot about that. What…what do I do?" she asked them quietly.

Both girls grasped the red head's hands and led her back to the couch. "Just watch the rest of the match for now and then we'll figure something out afterwards," advised Winona quietly. Flannery sat down and nodded in agreement. The three of them joined the others and continued watching the match. As they did so, Roxanne and Winona would periodically check on their friend to see her reactions. While they did that, Flannery didn't notice because she was too absorbed in the battle with her sight locked onto Ash whenever it showed his image. And she would have thoughts enter her head about the raven haired trainer…

As Ash and Tobias had Latios and Gardevoir battle, the gym leaders of Sinnoh had gathered at Snowpoint City's ice gym. The weather was leaning more towards the warmer side during this time of year and so they had decided to cool off in Candice's hometown. Instead of meeting at Candice's gym or home however, they had decided to head to the local sports bar to watch the final match. Roark Hyouta, Gardenia Natane, Maylene Sumomo, Crasher Wake, Fantina Melissa, Bryron Tougan, Candice Suzuna and Volkner Denzi were all eating and drinking as they commented about the watch while enjoying it. "Yea, that's it! Keep evading!" shouted out Maylene as the psychic fairy would teleport around the field to dodge the dragon's attacks.

Her friend Roark chuckled. "Someone's had one too many beers," he remarked as he tried to take away the pitcher from her.

That didn't sit too well with her though. She snatched the pitcher from him and smacked him upside the head. "Hey! Never take my drink!" she chastised him before pouring herself another one.

"Don't you know not to mess with her when it comes to drinking?" asked Bryron with a chuckle.

"Shut up!" snapped Roark as he rubbed the back of his head.

Their group just laughed out loud. "Never learns," said Fantina with a smile as she shook her head. She then looked at the screen again. "Oh damn, look! Latios is about to fire his Hyper Beam!" The group turned their sight onto the TV and so did the other patrons in the bar. The eon pokémon fired the powerful beam of energy and when it finished they saw nothing but a smoldering dark spot. "Oh my Mew!" yelped Fantina as she clapped her hands to her mouth and so did several other girls in the bar.

Before anyone could recover enough to say something, the legendary was lit up like a Christmas tree with a wicked electric attack. The camera moved around until it landed on a pink glowing sphere that was hovering in the air above the stadium. "Oh thank Arceus! She's okay!" breathed out Gardenia and the others let out sighs of relief.

"Well, that's another legendary down for the count," stated Volkner after Gardevoir took out Latios. "Just how damn powerful has Ash become?" he asked to no one in particular.

"I don't know but it looks like Tobias isn't giving up yet," replied Crasher Wake as the trainer of legendaries took out another poke ball. "What kind of pokémon is that?" he asked as Tobias brought out his last pokémon.

"That's Deoxys, the legendary psychic space traveler," answered Candice and several of them had their eyes widened with surprise. "He's very powerful. I don't know how Ash can…" She trailed off, not finishing her statement because Ash had started speaking. A blue glowing sphere came into existence next to him before an unknown being appeared. They saw Ash and the purple feline face each other and a moment later, the guardian captured the humanoid looking feline. They listened to Ash's words and when he finished speaking, they all gasped. "Mew has a brother?!" asked a shocked Candice as the two psychics began their battle.

The gym leaders and the patrons at the bar were amazed at what was going on once the battle started. The legendary psychics were going against each other not only for the tournament win, but for the title of the most powerful psychic in the world. "Yea! This is going to be awesome!" shouted Maylene, recovering quicker than the others. She took another gulp of beer and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. "They're going to end things with a bang! I wonder if our friends are watching?" she asked out loud.

"Ah, we're right here Maylene," answered Roark as he and the rest gave her a worried look.

She waved them off after giving them an annoyed look. "Not you guys! I may be having some beer but that doesn't mean I'm drunk! I mean Korrina and the rest!" She raised her Poketch to call her as her group understood. "C'mon, pick up!" she whined as it continued to ring…

In the city of Laverre of the Kalos region, Valerie Mache was in an astonished trance just like her guests. Viola Paquet and her sister Alexa, Grant Zakuro, Korrina Koruni, Ramos Fukuji, Olympia Gojika and Wulfric Urup were seated in her large dining room of her gym. Having volunteered to use her gym to be the meeting point to watch the final match, the others had arrived before the match started and caught up with one another until it started. They were amazed with both trainers' performances but more so with the guardian's since his regular pokémon were going toe to toe with the legendaries of the world. Seeing Mewtwo and Deoxys battling it out with all their power and ability were keeping them from making a sound or talking. That is until, one of them started to realize that she was getting a call. Snapping out of her stupor, the fighting type trainer picked up the call. "Hey, this is…"

"I know who it is! Are you watching the battle Korrina?!" came a loud and energetic voice.

Korrina moved her head away from her device since she talked so loudly, practically making her ears ring before answering back. "Yea, I am Mayelne. It's incredible how far he's come," she told her friend.

"I know right?!" replied back Maylene with a loud voice again making Korrina cringe from it. "I'm getting pumped from watching it! By the way, we need to have another sparring session soon!" she told her.

Korrina smiled at that. "Sure, why not? I'll let you know when."

"Awesome! Alright, I'll catch up with you later! I need to get some more beer to watch Ash kick ass! Enjoy it since I know you will!" And with that, Maylene hung up as Korrina chuckled though she did redden a little.

"Was it the drunk again?" asked Alexa with a giggle.

Korrina rolled her eyes. "Yea, she was just asking if we were watching the battle too. And that's mean don't you think?" she asked her.

"Oh, you know I'm just joking," said Alexa and Violet shook her head with a half smile.

"Hey look!" shot Wulfric, brining their attention back to the match. Mewtwo and Deoxys were up in the air and both had their eyes glow blue. "What are they trying to do?" he asked out loud.

"Trying to subdue the other with just their telekinesis alone," explained Olympia and they all had understanding dawn on them. Not too long later and Deoxys was sent rocketing to the ground with tremendous force, making them let out shocked gasps. "It's over," commented the psychic trainer as the purple feline powered up a white ball of energy in his hands.

The battle soon concluded and they saw Ash celebrating with his pokémon before he and Tobias shook hands afterwards. "Do you think Ash will take the offer?" asked Grant after the guardian went inside his trainer's tunnel.

"I think he will," replied Valerie. "He seems the type to not shy away from a challenge," she said with respect and the others agreed with her.

"Did they arrive their already though?" asked Viola.

"They did," answered Ramos and they glanced at him. "Lance and Diantha came a few days ago and told them and the others of each region of the plan and offer. They agreed to it and were on the next flight out to Indigo Plateau," he explained.

"If Ash accepts, then this will be the first time things are done this way," remarked Alexa and her friends gave their own thoughts on the matter. As they conversed, Alexa thought to herself. Damn it, I should've gone to the tournament. I would've had so many incredible stories to give the world. And it would've been fun to catch up with old friends. Oh well, I could always go tomorrow. That is, if he accepts. She soon returned to talking with the gym leaders of what could possibly happen next as they waited for the closing ceremony and to see if Ash would take the offer or not.

In another part of Kalos, several friends had gathered at a particular brunette's house to watch the finals. Shauna Sana had invited her friends Trevor Fujii, Tierno Katsu, Miette McDowell, Aria Sheppard and Amelia De Caro over and the six of them were having a good time. Shauna had become friends with Aria and Amelia as well over the past couple of weeks and when she found out that they didn't have any plans, had told them to come. When the battle ended, the girls had gotten up and went into the kitchen to help their host bring some drinks while the two guys stayed in the living room. "Wow, I can't believe it! Ash won!" said Trevor with a happy tone.

"Yea, he sure has reached a new level," said Tierno in agreement but with a slightly sullen tone.

Trevor picked up on that and glanced at his friend. "You okay? Are you still thinking about Serena?"

Tierno let out a sigh before shaking his head. "No. It's not that. I've moved on from that a long time ago. I know she has eyes only for Ash, loves Ash and has for many years. It's just…" He looked around, making sure the girls weren't around. He leaned in closer to the short man and whispered the rest. "…you know I went out with Shauna right?" he asked him and Trevor nodded. "That was the second time we went out. I thought I would be happy with her since she's so cheerful, energetic and we're good friends. We have a lot of fun together. But I get the feeling that she's not all into it you know? Or am I just over thinking this?" he asked his friend.

Trevor was quiet for a little bit as he thought. "I don't know man. I don't have any experience in that regard. The only thing I can say is if I were you, I'd talk to her about this before things get too awkward. That way, if things don't work out, you can still be friends," he advised him and Tierno nodded in agreement. The two moved on from that and talked about something else while waiting for the girls to return.

Speaking of the girls, when they entered the kitchen they were chatting about what they just saw and what might happen now that the tournament is over. The blunette answered Aria's question before asking one of her own. "I probably will go home and train some for the next showcase. But did you see how he just threw himself in front of that raging beast to protect that official without a second's thought?!" asked Miette with admiration.

The girls thought about that and they nodded with most of them having their cheeks redden as they pictured him doing that in their minds. "He sure is brave. No wonder Serena has feelings for him," said Aria with a smile.

"Is someone fantasizing about him?" asked Amelia with a smirk.

"Hey! Nothing wrong with that!" snapped Aria, blushing furiously but Amelia merely laughed at her.

The blunette had her eyes widen all of a sudden, realizing what was going on. "Oh no! Back off you, he's mine!" shot Miette warningly, making Aria take a step back from her outburst.

"Is that why he's with Serena and several other girls and not you?" countered Amelia and Miette clapped her hands over her mouth while becoming embarrassed and angry.

"Talk about a low blow," commented Shauna while giggling over their behavior. "You should all relax," she told them and the three girls locked their sight onto her. "Ash is with Serena and those other girls. You guys should move on and get over it. Why even think about him if you can't get with him?"

The two girls glared at her before one of them shot back. "Well, what about you?" asked Miette.

"What? I don't like Ash. I never…"

"Not him, Tierno! Why are you with him when you have feelings for Clemont?" interrupted Miette.

Shauna's eyes widened as her heart began beating rapidly. But she didn't know why her heart began going crazy like that. "I don't have feelings for Clemont!" Amelia, Aria and Miette crossed their arms over their chests and gave her a 'c'mon' look. Gathering her wit, Shauna stood her ground. "Look, I like Clemont as a friend. And Tierno was the only one who had the guts to ask me out…"

"Can't argue about him having guts," interrupted Amelia with a chuckle.

Shauna narrowed her eyes on her. "That's not nice. Say you're sorry!" she ordered angrily, making Amelia take a step back out of fear and Miette was shocked at the sudden mood swing of her friend.

"Whoa, hold up," intervened Aria, moving between them. "She's only joking, even if it was kind of rude." She glared at Amelia who let out a sigh and said she was sorry. The former Kalos queen looked at the brunette again. "Look, he may have been the only guy who asked you out, but that doesn't mean that he's the right one. We noticed the way your eyes lit up when Clemont appeared on the screen for a little bit when they showed the people in the stands. Now why did that happen huh?" she asked her softly.

Shauna lost the glare in her eyes but wasn't sure what she was feeling or what they were saying. "I don't know what you're talking about. I was just glad to see he's doing fine you know. Especially after everything's that happened over there. And Tierno? He's a good friend. I like and respect him and…"

"Do you like him more than just a friend?" asked Aria, interrupting her.

Shauna thought about that before she shook her head. "I'm not sure."

Aria let a small smile form on her face. "That's okay. But you should figure it out before things get too complicated and you lose him as a friend forever. No matter what you decide, I'm sure he'll understand if he's a good person," she said to her.

Shauna thought about what she said before she hugged Aria all of a sudden. "Thanks for helping me."

"You're welcome." The two separated and glanced at the other two. "And you two," started Aria, looking at Miette and Amelia who tilted their heads. "Try not to mess up other people's love lives," she told them and the two girls let out annoyed sounds.

Shauna took in a deep breath before calming down. "C'mon you three, let's go watch the closing part of the tournament," suggested the brunette and they agreed. The girls returned to the living room with drinks and sat down in the living room again. Tierno and Trevor asked them if everything was alright since they heard slight shouts and they were gone for a while. But the girls just replied back that it was nothing. The six of them watched as they set the stage in the middle of the stadium with several of them lost in thoughts.

A man and a woman were watching the finals in the woman's home in the small quiet town of Pallet. She thought that he had earned himself a little bit of a break after all the hard work and borderline abusive treatment she's been making him suffer through. She had made him clean all the old pokémon shelters on the pokémon preserve that were covered in dust, cobwebs and other filth. Then, he was to type up all the handwritten reports that were many months old into the computer database. After that, he was made to be her guinea pig for all of her experiments. He hasn't been able to sleep properly for days now. Seeing that he was on his last legs and that the finals of the tournament were that day, she had told him that they were going to watch the last match for research purposes. The man was too tired out to even think of anything other than relief and so agreed to it.

As the two watched the final match, the pink haired girl was watching with amazement over how the raven haired guardian was able to overcome the legendaries. She was jotting down notes as quickly as she could of whatever she noticed or thought was valuable. The way the pokémon moved, how rapidly they were able to launch their attacks, their resilience, confidence, strength, weaknesses and everything else she observed. By the time the battle finally ended, she had filled up dozens of pages of notes and they were on the coffee table. As they waited for the stage to be set and Ash to return, the girl went to the kitchen to get some drinks and snacks. When she returned, she saw her assistant with his head leaned backwards against the couch and his eyes closed. She also noticed that he had not written a single thing on his paper. She looked at him for a moment before she moved forward and sat down on the couch beside him after placing the tray with drinks and snacks on the coffee table. "Wake up!" she shot at him.

The man snapped his eyes open and raised his head automatically. "I wasn't sleeping. Just resting my eyes," he told her with a slightly grumpy tone.

Her eyes narrowed on him. "Are you talking back to me?" she asked him dangerously.

His heart rate shot up and his eyes widened. He faced her and waved his hands in front of her rapidly to signal his submission. "No no Professor Johnson! I swear!" he told her.

She stared at him for a moment before letting it go. "Good," she told him and took a sip of her drink. He let out a relieved sigh and took a sip himself. Vanessa looked at him from the corner of her eyes. He's getting better without giving snarky remarks over everything. Maybe now I can try to make some sense to his past actions. She lowered her drink and grasped a carrot from the vegetable platter. "So, Mr. Oak, now that we're waiting for the closing ceremony, I have some questions for you. Did you finish yesterday's report?" she asked him.

Gary set his drink down and answered her calmly but with a tired tone of voice. "Yes. It was delivered last night."

"Good. And have the new batch of starter pokémon been fed their vitamins?"

"Yes. I fed them myself every morning."

"Splendid. Did you repair the broken healing machine?"

"Yes. Cost me a few cuts and scrapes but I was able to get it working," he stated, trying to get her to go easier on him because of that.

That didn't work though since she ignored it, thinking it was hardly a punishment before she continued on. "Good. And why did you betray Ash?"

"Because I was angry and jealous that he was getting everything and I wasn't." She gasped over what he said and he suddenly realized what she asked him and what he was saying. He snapped his attention onto her with his eyes wide. "You…"

She cut him off. "You were angry and jealous that he was getting more than you?" she asked him in disbelief. Gary went quiet and said nothing. He stood up and took a few steps towards the exit but then he felt her grab his arm and forced him to turn around. Vanessa's eyes were locked onto his. "Why? Why were you angry and jealous? How could you be even feel or think that when you had much more than him in the beginning? What could possibly justify that…"

"I don't know!" he yelled at her. She went quiet and let go of him. He took a few steps away from her and leaned against the nearest wall with his hands against it.

Vanessa felt a little saddened over what he said until she remembered what else she was told and took a step closer to him. "You're lying to me and to yourself. You do know why. Stop making excuses for whatever problems or issues that you're dealing with! Come to terms with them now!" she strode over to him, grabbed his shoulder and whirled him around to face her. "Tell me why you acted like such an entitled asshole who would go behind his friend's back to try to get back at him for doing nothing wrong by telling his other friend what she was getting herself into!"

Gary hung his head before shaking it slowly. He thought of what he could say to throw her off this topic. "I…I thought I had finally found the one for me. I thought it was Ilene. But then, when Ash told my secret…of me being with you behind Sabrina's back…it caused us to split because she couldn't trust me anymore."

Vanessa took a step back from him. Memories of that night came rushing back to her. How he asked her out and her agreeing to it since she had a crush on him since the day she saw him. Their restaurant dinner and how great it went. Their walk around the town until they reached his place. Him inviting her in. Their talking for a bit before they started making out and soon it turned into heated love making. How she was enjoying the intense feelings and how she thought that things were finally going her way. That she would be with him from that day on and how she wanted to tell him how much she loved him. That is until they heard a shrill scream and how he stopped and ran outside while wearing his boxers and left her behind in his room. How she went downstairs and overheard him saying that they were done to a dark haired girl who she later found out was the Saffron gym leader. How she teleported out of there and how he came back in and told her that she was the only one for him. The way they continued on into the night. And how it continued for a while until he just stopped calling her and every time that she tried to contact him, he said he was busy. How she only realized that he had been using her for his own selfish desires only when she ran into him again at the club recently.

A moment later, Vanessa came back to the present. Her eyes narrowed at him and her hands clenched into fists. She struck him against his face and he went stumbling backwards with a yelp of pain. "So you used me for your own lust filled desires before just dropping me like yesterday's trash! We already know that! That's not what I want to be reminded of! I want to know what's the real reason as to why you're angry and jealous. And its not just because of this Ilene. You're trying to throw me off topic! What is it that made you even more of an asshole than before?!" she asked him angrily.

Gary didn't respond until he raised his gaze to hers after balancing himself out. "I'm so sorry about that." Vanessa acted like she didn't hear his apology and he let out a sigh. "I thought it was at first only about Ilene. But when I got drunk and did those horrible things, it was because of those feelings. But I don't know why I felt them. I don't know if it was only because of Ilene or other things. And since you made me do all these chores and errands these past several days, it kept me distracted from what I did. I haven't been able to think or figure out why…"

"Don't give me that bullshit!" she yelled at him and he cringed over her furious demeanor. "You know why you did what you did! What was the reason?!"

He shook his head and then stared at his feet. "I don't know Professor Johnson...I really don't. But I want to know! I want to know so badly but I can't figure it out! It's driving me crazy!" he admitted to her while grabbing his hair and pulling it.

Vanessa was frozen still, dumbstruck over what Gary had admitted. She never thought it would be something like this that he was feeling. Snapping out of it, she moved forward and grabbed his hands and kept him from pulling his hair out in his emotional state. "Mr. Oak!" she snapped at him. She was waiting for him to calm down and to look at her. When he finally did, she continued on. "I understand what you're saying. And I will help you out in trying to figure it out…"

"Why?" he asked, interrupting her. "Why would you help me? Why would you waste your time in helping someone who was a complete jerk to you?" he asked her. He couldn't believe that she was willing to help him out, even after what he did to her.

Vanessa was quiet for a while before answering him. "Because I believe that some people can change if they're not too far gone. Even the most hard headed ones. If given the push in the right direction with a purpose and kept in line," she told him with a slight smile.

Gary couldn't think of anything to say. A moment later, he nodded his head. "Thank you Professor Johnson."

"You're welcome." He gave her a slightly astonished look that she said his name. Until a sudden powerful punch to his abdomen out of nowhere made him let out a grunt of pain. He clutched his stomach and wheezed. "But you fucked up. You fucked up big time." Gary, while feeling the pain from her hit still, was starting to shiver a bit as his heart was starting to beat faster. "You severed an old bond with your closest friend because of your imagined slights. You scarred two girls as you tried to fulfill your desire. You angered another girl by cheating on her. And you used a girl who was head over heels for you…" Gary looked at her for a moment until he realized what she was saying. He let out a gasp but she quickly covered his mouth. "…who may or may not be able to get over what you did to her. But, I think you can still change. And for the better. That is the only reason as to why I agreed to come back from my vacation and help out your grandfather in helping you. You can still change. And you have taken the first step towards that because you have come to understand that you did wrong and are trying to find out why. You must continue down this path if you want to become a better person. You understand?" she asked him with a serious tone of voice.

After recovering a little from her punch, he looked into her eyes for a long time. "You were head over heels for me?" he asked her in a whisper.

She stayed composed even though she had a very slight feeling spring up but it quickly extinguished. She kept her eyes locked on his. "That's all you got after what I said?" she asked him with an annoyed tone of voice.

He slowly shook his head. "No, it wasn't. But I want to say I'm so sorry Vanessa," he told her quietly. "I…I will do anything to make it up to you. Anything you want. Doesn't matter what it is, I'll do it." He straightened out and moved closer to her. She didn't react but prepared herself to knock his ass to the floor if he tried something. But what he did next surprised her. He knelt down and bowed his head towards her feet. "I'm so sorry for what I did. For breaking the friendship between me and him. For trying to take advantage of Sarah and Ilene. For using you. I'm so sorry. I don't want to be that type of person anymore. I will do whatever it takes to find out why I behaved like such an asshole and get rid of my bad side." He raised his gaze and looked at the astonished face of Vanessa from the floor. "I swear this to you Professor Johnson."

The intense gaze he was giving her and what he just said was not what she was expecting from him. But she could tell that he was actually being genuine. She thought a bit before deciding on something. "This is only the beginning of your path towards redemption. It may take a long time and it may be difficult to get back on the good side of all of us…"

"I don't care," interrupted Gary at once and she went silent. "Whatever it takes, I will do it. I will atone for my mistakes and sins."

Understanding him and feeling the conviction in his voice, she nodded her head. "Good. But if you ever interrupt me again, you will be sorry." He gulped and nodded. And with that, Professor Johnson got up walked towards the couch. She stopped after a few steps and glanced back at him, making him tilt his head. "You may call me by my first name now. But don't abuse that privilege and don't think you're off the hook yet." Seeing the stunned expression form on his face, she said no more. Reaching the couch and sitting down, she faced the TV. "Oh look, Ash is walking towards the stage. You should come see," she told him while acting as if nothing important just happened. Understanding her that they were to move on then, he slowly stood up, went over to the couch and sat down beside her. "I gotta ask this too though," she started and he turned his head to look at her but she continued facing the screen. "Are you really that much of a brainless idiot for angering a man who stopped the stadium attack by himself and can stand up against a rampaging legendary like Regigigas as well?" Hearing nothing back, she glanced at him with the corner of her eyes and found him paler than a ghost with his eyes widened. She allowed a smirk to form on her face. "Wow. For someone who says he's smart and doesn't miss anything, you sure do forget important things. I hope he can forgive you or next time he sees you, he may just unleash his wrath on you." Gary leaned his head back against the couch as he closed his eyes and whimpered a bit. His reaction made her smile deviously. I'm gonna have so much fun tormenting him like this. And it's not just for my entertainment. This is part of his punishment too, thought Vanessa before facing the screen again in time to hear the president's speech.

At the Indigo Plateau stadium, President Goodshow was smiling at the happy young man who was holding up the trophy high above his head and celebrating with his pokémon. After a little bit of time, he then remembered what he was supposed to do and caught his attention. Ash looked at him with a large grin on his face. "Ash," started Goodshow but then waited until the people quieted down. It took a while but they finally settled down and became silent before he continued on. "You have won the Spirit Tournament and proved yourself as one of the strongest trainers in the world. And you have earned the right to challenge each region's Elite Four and their respective Champions after if you beat them whenever you feel ready. Will you continue on this path towards becoming a Pokémon Master one day?" he asked him.

Ash nodded in response. "It's always been my dream Mr. Goodshow to become a Pokémon Master. I will achieve that title one day because I will never give up," he answered and the crowd roared.

Smiling at the young man, the president nodded and waited for the people to calm down. "Good to hear. What if I told you that I have a surprise for you?"

Ash titled his head. "A surprise?" he repeated and his pokémon glanced at one another.

Goodshow allowed a grin to form on his face as he faced the curious people in the stands. "Ladies and gentleman…" He glanced at Ash for a split second before facing the cameras. "…I have a surprise for you all. Allow me to introduce to you, the most powerful trainers in the world!" And with that introduction, several small groups entered the field from different tunnels.

Spectators in the stadium and at home became shocked to see each regions' Elites and Champion walking together towards the stage. Diantha was leading her elite that consisted of Malva, Siebold, Wikstrom and Drasna. Alder was among his elite who were Shauntal, Marshal, Grimsley and Caitlyn. Cynthia and her elite who were Aaron, Bertha, Flint and Lucian strode forward. Steven had his elite of Sydney, Pheobe, Glacia and Drake with him. And finally, Lance was with both his Kanto and Johto elites who followed after him that included Karen, Will, Koga, Ethan, Lorelei, Bruno and Agatha. Seeing them enter the field had silenced the stadium for a short while until they began to roar and cheer. They were amazed to see them all here in one place. When they all reached the stage and filed in front of Ash and Goodshow, the president moved between them and raised his hands to signal the crowd to be quiet.

After quieting down, Goodshow turned to face Ash as he stood in front of the Champions and Elites of the world. "Ash Ketchum," he started and everyone waited impatiently for him to continue, wanting to know what the plan was. "As president of the Pokémon League, I wanted to make this tournament the biggest and greatest there ever was. But never did I dream that it would be like this. And yet, after everything that has happened here, what the people had to go through because of the attack and delays and what you did for us all…" Ash rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment and many people smiled over his behavior, especially his group. "…I wanted to offer this to you; as winner of the tournament, you have the right to challenge each and every region's Elite Four and if you win against them, you can challenge their Champion. You can do this at any time whenever you feel ready as there is no time limit and you don't have to fight them all immediately after one another." Ash nodded to show he understood. "But, my offer changes that." Ash tilted his head and many in the stands began to murmur and mutter to one another about what the old man was trying to say. "I offer you the chance to challenge them here now and if you win against them all, then you will be officially crowned our new Pokémon Master!"

Ash had his eyes widen and his jaw dropped. The stands started buzzing with many excited conversations and his family and friends were astounded over the offer. "Pokémon Master?" he said quietly. He glanced at his pokémon who had astonished expressions on their faces. He turned back to face the president. "But don't I have to face the current Pokémon Master to earn that title? And do I have to battle right now?" he asked Goodshow.

Goodshow smiled a bit. "Not exactly. Since the current Pokémon Master hasn't been seen or heard of for over ten years, we can appoint a new Pokémon Master only if the trainer has beaten all the Elites and Champions of the world." Ash nodded to show that he understood so far and Goodshow continued afterwards. "As for the offer? Here are the full details. If you accept, the tournament will be extended by five more days. Each day you will face a different region's strongest trainers of your choosing. But, to spice things up and to make sure that you do deserve that title, you can only use that region's pokémon against the Elites and Champion. You will have to fight all of them one after another without any rest or healing and no mega evolutions either. If you win against them all, you will earn yourself a very big paycheck and the title of Pokémon Master, the absolute strongest in the world. Are you up to the challenge and do you accept my offer?" asked the elderly man.

Ash glanced back at his pokémon again who were now giving him neutral expressions. He then looked at his opponents. He saw each of the Elites and Champions giving him respectful yet challenging looks. Even Cynthia was giving him such a look. He glanced at the stands and found his family and friends after searching for a bit. He saw the way his mother and girlfriends were looking at him, wondering what he will decide to do. But the expressions on their faces said that whatever he decides, that they would support his decision. He became very happy over that. He looked up towards the sky and closed his eyes to think. As he thought, he was sent a mental message.

You should do it.

What?

Take the offer Ash. Show the world that you deserve the title of Pokémon Master. Or are you afraid?

You know I'm not afraid buddy. It's just…not the same Mewtwo. I wouldn't have beaten the current Master. And I don't need it right now. Plus, we're on a time schedule. We need to start planning.

You're wrong. We still have some time. And there is more to this. They are considered the absolute strongest in the world. This will be another good test to see where your strength lies. And with what is coming in the future, the world needs to follow a single leader. Someone who can help them prepare and make decisions. And what better way can you do that other than being the Pokémon Master and everyone will listen to you?

Ash thought about what his friend said and he soon came to a decision. You're probably right Mewtwo. But I have an idea that may help me deal with it and won't take too much time away from us.

Whatever your plan is, as long as it's logical, I'll follow. But if I don't like it, I'm letting you know and preventing you from doing it.

Oh, don't worry buddy. I think you'll like it. The guardian took in a deep breath before exhaling it out. "President Goodshow," he started, gaining everyone's attention. He handed the trophy over to Lucario, took a few steps forward towards Charles and stopped in front of him. "When will this start and may I add a couple conditions of my own if I accept?"

Goodshow raised his eyebrows and so did the Elites and Champions behind him. "It will start the day after tomorrow. Now, what are your conditions? Perhaps we can accommodate it."

Ash nodded before saying his conditions. "My first condition is this; instead of facing a different region each day, I would like to face all of the Elites in one day. And each region's Elites would verse me in a handicap battle, with their strongest pokémon battling together against only one of mine. If I win against them all, then I will challenge the Champions on the next day with their strongest pokémon also having a handicap battle together against only one of mine as well. A true Pokémon Master, like the current one, can do that. So I want to see if I have the same level of strength as him." His first condition made everyone drop their jaws and their eyes to widen. Each person was thinking that he had gone off his rocker with what he wanted to do. Even his group and the powerful trainers behind the president glanced at one another with surprise. What he wanted to do was possible, as the current master who was off Arceus knows where had done that, but it was still crazy. Before anyone could say something, the young guardian continued on. "And my second condition is that if I do beat them all, I want to give the current Master time to reveal himself and accept my challenge. I want to respect and uphold that tradition. If he doesn't show up within the allotted time, then I will accept the honor and title without issue or complaint." That second condition made many in the stands to mutter to each other and gossip. His group got out of their stunned states and felt pride over his actions. Even the elites and champions, especially Cynthia, had their respect for him grow leaps and bounds.

It took a moment for Goodshow to snap out of it. He thought about the requests for a bit before talking. "Okay, just to make sure I heard you correctly; your first condition is to face all the elites in one day? By having each region's elites face you at the same time with their strongest pokémon outnumbering yours in a handicap match. And only if you beat them all, will you face the champions the next day with again them facing you in a handicap match with their strongest pokémon outnumbering yours once more. Is that correct?" he asked the victor of the tournament. Ash nodded without hesitation and Charles smiled at him. "And if you win against them all, you want to give the current Pokémon Master time to reveal himself to accept your challenge and if he's a no show, then you'll be given that title and you won't complain about it?" Once again, Ash nodded. "If I do accept your conditions, there is no going back. Are you sure?"' He replied back that he was sure without hesitation, making the president smile. "That is something we can and will accept. So, I assume that you'll accept as well?" he asked.

Ash allowed a grin to form on his face. "I accept." The raven haired guardian raised his hand and the president shook it. The people in the stands roared over the decision, ecstatic that the tournament has been extended and they will see someone finally challenge the Elites and Champions of the world after so many years. And it would be a one of kind battle. After their handshake, Ash faced the group of people behind them. "Don't go easy on me. I won't go easy on you," he told them. They nodded at him and he them. Before he knew it, dozens of people had entered the field with cameras. Ash had his eyes widen. "Sorry guys, but I'm not dealing with this! Mewtwo, get us out of here!"

"Oh no you don't! You can't keep dodging the media and make us deal with them for you!" snapped Diantha as she grabbed hold of him and made him stay. Ash hung his head in defeat while the rest on the stage and the people in the stands laughed and chuckled. And with that, Ash, Mewtwo, Lucario, Gardevoir, Pikachu, Goodshow, the champions and the elites were bombarded with questions from reporters and flashes of light from the photographers. This went on for quite a while until finally Ash had enough and pleaded with Mewtwo to get them out of there. Ash, his pokémon and his group, along with Cynthia, disappeared in blue glows.

A blonde woman was feeling both happiness and pride over what she just viewed on the TV. "What a spectacular way to continue the tournament!" She had been watching the finals match in the living quarters of her castle along with her advisor and knight Master Riley. Ilene was proud of her knight's victory. And she was beyond thrilled over the fact that the tournament was extending and that she could watch Ash continue to compete since he had accepted the offer by the president with a few conditions of his own. "I believe he can do it! What about you Master Riley?" she asked him while turning her gaze to face him.

Riley didn't answer immediately since he was thinking. But he didn't make his queen wait too long. "I think if anyone can do that, it would be Ash," he answered truthfully.

"Yup! That's what I thought! He'll win for sure!" replied Ilene with a happy smile. Riley smiled back at her but it was a different kind than what she was used to. "Ah, are you alright?" she asked him with worry.

He chuckled at that. "I'm fine, thank you my Queen. And it looks like you are doing great yourself," he remarked with a slight grin.

She narrowed her eyes at him. "What are you trying to say?" she asked him.

"Oh, nothing really. It's just that you seem much happier lately whenever you see Ash battling on the TV," he explained to her. She gave him a 'so?' look and he clarified. "I am merely commenting on what I noticed. Though I don't think too much of it, you should be careful of who sees that," he advised her quietly.

"There is nothing there to be seen," said Ilene with a forced calm tone of voice. Just what does he think he's getting at?

Riley stood up and gave her a bow. "That's what I thought my Queen. I apologize for my momentary confusion." He straightened out. "Of course there would be nothing between you two in that sense. For if there was, and it was found out, it would not end well for Ash. Since Rotan law decrees that no knight can get with royalty for it would conflict with their vows and would…"

"I know the laws perfectly well, thank you very much Master Riley," interrupted Ilene with an angry tone of voice.

Again, Riley bowed and apologized. "Of course, forgive me my Queen. I didn't intend to lecture. I was only reminding. If you will excuse me, I would like to contact Daisy and see how she is doing," he requested and she agreed to it and told him to go. He thanked her and left the room.

After her advisor and knight left, Ilene let out a huff and crossed her arms. "Who does he think he is, lecturing me, the Queen, on Rotan laws? Hell, I wrote several of them!" She was feeling annoyed over what just occurred. She got up and went to her bedroom to have some privacy yet she was still feeling agitated over the last conversation. Deciding to take a bath, the young queen headed into her private bath that was attached to her room. After getting her bath ready, she took of her royal attire, hung them against the clothes hangers that were on the wall and got into the tub.

The instant she got inside of it, she began to relax and she let out a breath of pleasure of feeling the warm water and her annoyance melted away. "Ah, that feels great." Ilene shimmied down a bit enough so she could lean her neck against the curved edge of the tub. She just sat in it, feeling more relaxed with each passing second. "Whoever says baths are stupid, has never tried taking one. I swear this is heaven," she told herself. She closed her eyes and just allowed her mind to wander. After some time, her mind brought up the conversation she just had with her advisor. I was only reminding…

She opened her eyes and sat up a bit. "Why would he say that? Does he think there's something between me and Ash? But how could he think that? There is nothing between us…" As soon as she said that final sentence, her heart began beating faster and her stomach twisted into knots. "What, why am I feeling this way?" she asked herself. She tried to understand why she felt that way all of sudden by thinking about what could've brought it on. But she couldn't think straight and the feeling didn't go away. Instead, it only intensified as time went on. "What is going on with me?!" Becoming worried over what was happening to her so suddenly, she was starting to freak out. Until a sudden image appeared in her mind's eye and it calmed her down.

It was of the raven haired guardian giving her a reassuring look. After calming down and the random feeling going away, the image faded away from her mind. Ilene wondered why she just went through what she just experienced. What was that all about? She thought heavily about that until she came to a realization that hit her hard and made her take in a sharp breath. "This can't be…have I fallen for my Knight?" After asking that question out loud to herself, everything seemed to just click in her head.

That was the reason why she had asked him to become one of her knights when he asked for training three years ago with Riley before he disappeared. Why she went to visit him when he was in the hospital but instead caught up to him after he was discharged. Why she decided to stay with him and his group of family and friends. Why she gave Gary a chance and thought that he was the one for her because he reminded her of Ash somewhat but realized he wasn't because of what he had done in his past. How her brief relationship with him made her realize what she was really looking for. That she was actually looking for someone like Ash. Why she felt so horrible for insulting and slapping him. Why she was beginning to look at him differently and held onto him like he was her lifeline when she was scared. Why she wanted to get a last look at him before he teleported away after bringing her home. And how she didn't want to miss any of his battles and was happy to see him do what he loves doing…

It all made sense to her now. She had finally figured it out. Everything that she had done, the choices that she had made, the experiences she went through, the path she was walking on, it was all because of this; she had hidden feelings for her Knight, the Aura Guardian and they were finally revealed to her. "I have feelings for him… I have feelings for my Knight…I have feelings for Ash Ketchum…" This admittance of her feelings for him made her heart start pounding faster again and she was starting to fill up with emotion. But it wasn't happy feelings. No, they were the complete opposite. Ilene was filling up with sadness as her eyes began to water. Before she knew it, she was crying with heavy and fast tears escaping from her eyes.

She was crying because she could never tell him and never pursue it. Because if she did, she would cause something awful to happen. For Rotan law that was decreed centuries ago forbade knights getting with royalty. It was a part of their vows that they made when they took the oath. It was to keep them from getting emotionally involved so they could do their jobs properly and to protect the purity of the bloodline. They were bound to their oath and the laws, even if they retired or honorably discharged or fired, until their death. And if anyone was found to break those laws or their oath, whether it was someone from the royal family who initiated it or not, or if it was any of the knights, even the most high ranking ones, the knights would be executed without hesitation, whether it was their fault or not.

That is why the queen was crying. She had finally realized her hidden feelings for him but she could do nothing about it because if she did, then she would risk his life just so she could be with him. It wouldn't be fair to him. It wouldn't be fair to the girls who were with him now. And she could never do that to him. Ilene stayed in the bathtub as she cried for a long time, letting out all of her anguish over what she just learned. That even though she had found the one person who could actually be for her, she had to stay away from him so he wouldn't be put to death. When she was all cried out, she slowly got out of the tub, put on her undergarments and night gown and went to bed. It was barely evening but she was so emotionally drained that it didn't take long for her to fall asleep. Yet she did not have a peaceful night since her dreams only tormented her with what they showed…

At the Indigo Plateau Hotel, Ash and his posse reappeared in the balcony of the penthouse suite. The instant that they appeared, Ash became trapped in a large group hug by his girlfriends who were shouting out their congratulations and kissing him nonstop. Several shook their heads at the sight but couldn't help but chuckle while others were giving slightly sullen expressions since they couldn't do that to him as well. When they finally let him go, the young man was in a daze and barely able to stay standing. Before he could say anything though, he was then taken up into an embrace by his mother. "I'm so proud of you!" cried Delia as she hugged him tightly.

Ash snapped out of it and hugged his mother back. "Thanks Mom." When the two separated, Ash smiled at his mother and then faced the group. "I want to say thank you for supporting and believing me all this time everyone. It means a lot to me that you are here with me when I finally achieved something," he told them.

His family and friends commented back several things to him and he smiled while nodding. "And we're just getting started!" remarked Brock as he walked inside hurriedly. "It's time we celebrate properly! Let's give Ash some time with his pokémon and the rest of you, follow me people!"

Ash felt gratitude to his brother for doing that as they all followed after him and he faced his pokémon. "I want to say thank you to you as well for everything guys. I couldn't have done this without you or the others," he said to them with sincerity and they four pokémon smiled back.

"You're welcome. I'll leave you to your fun," said Mewtwo, getting ready to teleport.

"Ah come on man, don't go. Let's celebrate!" requested Ash, making him stop.

The aura canine spoke up as well. "We have come a long way. We should enjoy ourselves when we can for who knows if we may be able to do so in the future," advised Lucario.

"Pi pikachu!" agreed Pikachu.

"C'mon, it'll be fun!" said Gardevoir.

Letting out a sigh, Mewtwo agreed. "Alright fine. But I'm not getting involved in everything and if I get annoyed, I'm leaving."

"Okay buddy," said Ash. He walked inside with Pikachu on his shoulder after relieving Lucario of carrying the large trophy while he and Gardevoir followed after him. When he reached the dining room, he saw that many had glasses filled with champagne in their hands.

One of his oldest friends moved to him and handed him a glass after he set the trophy on the table. Brock faced the group. "A toast!" started Brock, raising his glass and the rest followed suit. "To my best friend who I see as my brother! The winner of the tournament! Congratulations Ash!" he shouted out.

"Congratulations Ash!" copied the group, raising their glasses to the air and Ash did the same. Almost everyone drank their drink except for a few. Bonnie and Max didn't like the taste and so didn't take more than a sip. But one other didn't even drink any because of one simple but important reason…

When Ash finished his drink, he looked at everyone with the largest smile he ever had on his face. But then Chili drew his and everyone else's attention as he stepped forward in the middle of the group. "I just want to say that this is good grounds for an awesome celebration. So in short, let's get this party started!" he said and the group let out cheers. Soon enough, Chili had music being played, people were dancing, others were drinking shots that Shauna and Lizabeth made, some were talking and the rest were just enjoying the atmosphere and good vibes. Pictures were taken between them all and with the large gold trophy in the background. After the many photo sessions, Mewtwo teleported the balcony furniture out of the way and had a purple floor appear over the pool once more to give the area more dancing room. Everyone had a good time and many were feeling very happy.

Using the party as a distraction after having separate conversations with the others, the six girls that were hiding feelings for the guardian had unintentionally gathered together to one side. Yet they didn't care about that right now. They were doing their best to not think of what they wanted so badly. They were drinking and talking to one another while glancing at the rest for a bit. Each of them wondered over what they wanted but also of what they should do. That is until they were forcefully made to join the rest who were dancing by Delia. Unable to resist her, they reluctantly joined the others but soon started having some fun since they focused on the music and beat and nothing else.

They weren't the only ones who were keeping to themselves though. Two others were sitting by the balcony rails a little away from the dancing. One was near the balcony entrance and the other was a small distance towards the side. And somebody noticed that when they decided to take a break to rest and went up to one of them. "Hey, Lucy, how come you're not dancing anymore?" asked a pink haired girl as she sat beside her.

The Pike Queen turned to her. "Hey Joy. I'm already tired out and just waiting for Brock to come back with some drinks."

Joy nodded and sat down beside her. "I see. And I'm a little tired too. But don't tell Richie that or else he'll…wait, are you drinking?!" she asked her in surprise as it just hit her what she said. Lucy shook her head and said he was getting her water. "Oh okay. Good. So, have you decided when you're going to tell him? Because I think this is as good a time as any. Everyone is in a good mood. So why not tell him?" suggested the nurse.

Lucy looked at her for a moment before thinking about what she said. "You know what, you're right, I should. Thanks Joy." She got up and went to look for her boyfriend as her friend smiled.

Joy watched Lucy find Brock who was holding their drinks and a short while later, the two headed inside towards their room. She was about to get up herself when her own boyfriend sat down beside her. "Ah man, I'm beat," said Richie before taking a drink of soda and handed her a soda too.

Joy giggled a bit before she took a sip. "Really? That tired? We barely danced," she told him as she stood up. She placed the soda down on the nearby table and grasped his hand.

"Please MJ, I'm dead tired," he pleaded but then Joy responded with a puppy dog pout. "Oh alright. I can't say no to you." Richie got up and Joy had a happy smile appear on her face before she dragged her boyfriend to the dance area.

As those two danced, the other person who was off on her own was just taking in what was happening around her. The red haired girl was leaning against the balcony wall and watching her savior having fun and enjoying his time with his loved ones. He looks so happy. She smiled a little, seeing him dancing with May and Dawn at the same time now after dancing with Cynthia and Sabrina. She looked around and saw the others in good spirits. She took in a silent breath and returned her gaze back onto the guardian. Hope he stays in a good mood afterwards so I can tell him…

As Natasha kept her eyes on Ash, a purple haired girl was keeping her eyes on her. Iris had noticed the way that the red head was looking at him during his match and it shocked her. At first that is, until she realized the reason why. He had saved her from a horrible fate and experience and she would have most definitely latched onto him. Wondering what she might do, Iris was so lost in thought that she didn't notice that someone had walked up behind her. The person had to tap her shoulder for her to snap out of it. "Don't do that!" she shot as she turned around before her eyes narrowed slightly. "Oh, it's you. What do you want?" she asked in an annoyed tone.

It was her ex-boyfriend who was the one who did it. "Iris, we need to talk," he told her calmly. She didn't say anything but nodded her head slightly after a moment. The two of them then walked to their room and closed the door behind them. Locking eyes with her, he began speaking. "Iris, why did we get together?" asked Cilan bluntly.

She was momentarily startled by his abrupt question. "What do you mean?"

"You remember how we got together. I want to know why," he repeated.

Iris gave him a confused look as to why he was asking that before answering. "Okay. We got together after teaming up to look for Ash because we both became close."

He nodded at that. "And why were you looking for Ash?" he asked her in a rather accusing tone of voice.

His tone agitated her. "Because he's my best friend!" shot Iris all of a sudden. "He's also your best friend too! We were both worried about him! You know that!" chastised the purple haired girl.

Cilan formed a weak smile on his face. "We were and he is. No doubt about that. But that wasn't the only reason was it?" he asked her.

Iris's eyes widened a bit before she looked away towards the wall. She was quiet for a moment before answering him. "There was no other reason…"

Cilan moved forward and grasped both her shoulders, making her look him in the face and locked eyes with her. "Tell me that while looking into my eyes Iris."

She looked into his eyes and her heart was beginning to beat faster. She opened her mouth to speak. "There…there was…" She couldn't finish. She lowered her sight from his.

Cilan had his suspicion confirmed by her reaction. "That's what I thought Iris. You went looking for him because you too had developed feelings for him because of our travels together with him. Maybe even still do," commented Cilan quietly. Iris didn't say anything back but had a million thoughts racing through her mind as many different feelings filled her. "I had suspicions about that during our adventures together but never really gave it true thought. You kept it hidden very well to the point that it even caused both me and Ash to think that you didn't see him as more than just a friend. That's what I believed to be true until we searched for him. That's when I started thinking that because I heard you pray and wish for him to come back when you thought I was asleep."

Iris raised her astonished gaze to him. "You…you knew…about that?!"

Cilan nodded. "I did. I'm sorry for eavesdropping. But I never brought it up even when we got together since I pushed it aside."

Iris looked away with sadness rising within her. "I'm so sorry Cilan that I never told you about that."

Cilan shook his head. "That's nothing for you to apologize about. We weren't together then. But I must also apologize for something too." Iris faced him again with a confused expression. "When we were searching for Ash and I had finally noticed how you felt for him and thought about him, I didn't do anything to help you with it. To help you get over it or to hold on. I just ignored it, thinking it would be best if you dealt with it on your own since I had my own problems I was dealing with then." She nodded, saying she understood and didn't hold it against him. But Cilan shook his head. "Even so Iris; I was a horrible friend. And even though we found solace in each other's arms to escape our problems and sadness…even though we had some good times together...ever since that first day we got together, I kept feeling that maybe we're not supposed to be together. That perhaps we were just using each other to escape from our problems. To not face our fears. I…I think…I think that we got together for all the wrong reasons. And it looks like I was right." Saying that out loud was hard for him to do but Cilan knew it was necessary. He had to address what he did wrong so he can move forward.

Iris said nothing but took a few steps away while turning away from him. Cilan watched her go towards the room window and she looked out of it for a little while. She was thinking about what he said and how true it is. She let out a sigh before facing him again. "Maybe you're right Cilan. Maybe we did get together for all the wrong reasons even though we had some good times. I need to know though; why get with me then if it was all wrong?" she asked him.

He sat on the bed and let out a long sigh. "I went through a horrible experience that should have taught me how secrets and lies wouldn't help out a relationship. But I was such a fool. I was ignoring my instincts and what you were so obviously showing. We both deserved so much more than that. With all these secrets between us…unable to express things to each other…" Iris sat down on her own bed now and the two looked at one another. She then hung her head as he continued to speak. "I do love you Iris. And I know you love me too." She raised her gaze back to him but before she could say anything, he continued on. "But it's not that type of love. Our love for one another is just love between good friends. I've never been able to excite or motivate you Iris. Not like when you heard about Drax and never like Ash did when we traveled together. He's always been able to do that. Even with all the jokes, teasing and annoying things he did to us because he thought we liked each other then." Iris couldn't help but chuckle at that and so did Cilan. "But not me. And if you had waited for him, if you had taken his advice to heart about training before he left, you wouldn't have lost against Drax. You would be much stronger."

"We don't know that for sure Cilan," replied Iris quietly while looking away. She was still feeling a little down from being practically dismissed as a challenge.

Cilan shook his head. "You're wrong. I know that for a fact." She glanced at him and saw him being serious before he stared at his feet. "Not once was I the reason for you to push past your limits. Never did I inspire you or motivate you. I've come to realize that now Iris." He raised his head and looked at her. "And funny thing is, I'm not mad or anything. I just want to know. Please don't lie to me anymore as I promise I won't lie to you anymore either. Did you have feelings for Ash? And do you still have them for him?" he asked her. The dragon trainer began thinking about everything that she experienced with the young guardian. From the first time she met him to now. Her heart began beating rapidly and she was being filled with a stirring feeling. After what seemed like a long time, with her finally coming to terms with what she was holding in all this time and what it all meant, Iris slowly nodded. "If that's the case, why did you get with me and stay with me all this time? Even when he came back?"

Iris looked away and took in a breath. "I will answer that. But then you'll have to answer my own questions." Cilan said he will so she continued on. "You know I went looking for Ash alone at first. Then with Misty, May, Dawn and Serena. Then again by myself before teaming up with you after crossing paths together." Cilan nodded to show that he remembered that. "Remember how I told you that I had suspicions because it looked like the girls were each hiding that they have feelings for Ash? How later on during our search I told you about what happened when I searched with them? How they found out about that and fought each other over Ash?"

Cilan couldn't help but shudder slightly. "Who could forget all that? I remember how scary it was just hearing about how they almost killed each other. Wait, but they didn't fight with you?"

Iris unwillingly chuckled from that. "Yea. Well, no because I never told them of my feelings. You know how hard it is for me regarding things like that." Cilan nodded as he understood. "Anyways, that was when we decided to take our separate paths to look for him. But then afterwards, they soon became friends. Best friends. Very close. Practically sisters." Iris stood up, went to the window again and stared out of it. "When we found out about that during our search when they contacted us to see how we were doing, it made me think of some things."

"What things?" asked Cilan.

Iris thought of how to put it into words before explaining. "I saw how close they had become. I saw how after their fighting, their bonds became practically unbreakable. It was then that I became afraid." Cilan tilted his head but she didn't see that. "I became afraid of confessing myself Cilan. The four of them had confessed to each other everything and promised to stick together. They swore to each other that they would help one another cope without Ash until he returned. They kept each other in check and stay focused on what they hoped for, dreamed for and worked for." The purple haired girl's eyes began letting out tears and she tried so hard to not break down. The green haired man was feeling intense sadness from hearing this from her. "Why didn't I do the same? I behaved like such an immature kid! But I wondered how could I tell them that I too have feelings for Ash? That I too wanted him to come back? That I too wanted to be a part of the group? How could I when they were almost always by each other and I barely saw them every now and then let alone able to contact them?!"

Cilan understood her completely and stood up. He went to her and pulled her into a hug. "Ssh, it's okay Iris. I get it. You felt like an outcast because they were so close and felt that they would reject you. And I know how hard it is to get in contact with someone at your village and the surrounding areas." She continued crying and he waited a moment before continuing. "But I must say that was a stupid reason to not go after what you wanted Iris. You wouldn't have known until you tried. But what does that have to do with you getting with me?" he asked her.

She sobbed a little more before she slowly calmed down and the two separated. "I'm getting there." She took in another breath and explained. "Because of that, I decided to stop and move on because I thought it would be for the best. I didn't want to jeopardize my friendship with them. But I couldn't stop thinking about him. I needed help with moving on and so when you asked if I would like to go out and just grab some dinner as friends, I agreed to it. I believed it would be the best thing to get my mind off things. And then we decided to do more and more things together until we ended up in a relationship together," revealed Iris.

"I see," remarked Cilan.

Iris allowed him some time to process and think while she calmed down too before asking her question. "But now it's my turn. Why did you ask me out like that if you had suspicions about me liking Ash? Why didn't you spend time with Burgundy?" she asked him, wiping away her tears.

Cilan looked at her before he separated from her and moved his gaze towards his feet before he answered her. "I was dealing with a bad break up with Roxie and figured searching for Ash and then after we stopped that, spending time with you would be better than thinking about her. I didn't ask Burgundy or hang out with her then because it just didn't occur to me and I was already spending time with you," admitted Cilan with a saddened tone.

Iris gasped loudly. "You and Roxie were together?!" she asked him quietly.

Cilan nodded. "Yea. It was good at first before I found out she was cheating on me by sleeping with her band mate."

Iris clapped her hands against her mouth. "What a bitch!" she let out through her hands.

Cilan let out a sigh. "Though I don't like insulting others, yes she was. She said I was too annoying with my connoisseur stuff and I was too boring for her. And I didn't think I would ever bounce back from that. But look where we are now," he commented with a chuckle while gesturing around as he turned to face her.

Iris didn't say anything for a couple minutes as she just realized something until Cilan asked her if she was alright. "I'm okay. And I just figured out something; we both used the other to escape our pain and to not deal with things."

Cilan's eyes widened as he realized she was right. "Wow…looks like we did."

Iris looked at Cilan for a moment before closing the distance between one another and hugged him. He quickly returned the hug. "I'm sorry Cilan. For everything. For keeping secrets like Drax. For not being truthful to you or myself about Ash."

"It's alright Iris. I'm sorry too for my secrets. For using you to get over Roxie. For not telling you about Burgundy. For not helping you," he told her.

Iris withdrew from him and looked at him. "So, what happens now between us?" she asked him.

Cilan was quiet for a moment before speaking again. "Well, we can bury the hatchet and just be friends again if you want. And both of us can go and reach for what we truly want. I've come to realize that I want to be with Burgundy. And you want to be with Ash. Those feelings made you search for him. Pray for him. Wish for him. Become motivated by him. We were never upfront with one another is another thing. This isn't for us. Don't you want a chance with him?" he asked her. He was trying to support and encourage her, to make up for being a horrible friend to her in the past.

Iris however remained silent for a bit. "I…I don't know if I want a chance. I don't know if I can go through with it anymore Cilan. Its so crazy with what's happening with him now with the darkness, Ragnarok, his girlfriends and everything else," she said with despair in her voice.

Cilan shook his head. "You don't have to worry about that." She gave him a confused look. "Don't do what we did. We forced ourselves to ignore what we were feeling both emotionally and instinctually. Don't do that anymore. Follow your heart. You'll find out what you want and you'll find the right time for everything. And I will help you with that as much as I can. I will not make the same mistake and not help out a friend who needs me." The purple haired girl was giving him a look of appreciation over his words. He raised his hand towards her and held it in the air for her to grasp. "Iris Siri, will you be my friend again and allow me to help you if you need it? And do you forgive me for lying to you, for being a horrible friend and boyfriend? Do you forgive me for not pushing you to go after your dreams and goals?"

Iris looked at him for a moment before grasping his hand and spoke. "Cilan Dent, I will be your friend again and I forgive you for all of that. But do you forgive me for not telling you about Ash and Drax? Do you forgive me for making fun of your interests and hobbies? Do you forgive me for also being a bad friend and girlfriend?" she asked him.

Cilan let a small smile form on his face. "I will be your friend again Iris. And I do forgive you as well. I also want to say this; I wish you the very best in everything that you do and pursue."

Iris smiled back and she replied back. "Cilan…thank you and right back at you. If you ever need anything, I will do my best to help you out too. We may not be the one for each other in the loving sense, but we can still be good friends and I hope we can be that. And I guess this is where we end things."

Cilan nodded and the two shook hands a bit before separating. "One chapter ends and another begins. Shall we go rejoin the party?"

Iris nodded. "Yes, we should." Both Iris and Cilan left the room together. The two were feeling much better than they have felt in the past few days. Having reached an understanding and now finally on the same page, the two can continue on with their separate paths but with no burdens from their failed relationship. Yet they also knew that they would always remain friends. When they reached the balcony, the two joined the rest in the merry making.

When Lucy and Brock entered their room, the Pike Queen closed the door. She then turned around and looked at her boyfriend who was giving her a wide, devious grin. "Let me guess," he started as he moved closer to her. "Want to have some fun huh?" he asked her while placing his hands onto her waist.

She slowly shook her head. "Not this time. There's something I need to talk to you about."

Hearing the seriousness in her voice, Brock understood that something was up. "Okay. What is it?"

She took in a deep breath and looked into her boyfriend's squinty eyes for a bit as a million thoughts went racing through her mind. Wrestling with how to tell him, she decided to just say it before losing her nerve. "Brock…I'm pregnant," revealed Lucy.

It took a moment for her words to register in his mind. "You're…you're pregnant?" he asked her quietly. Nodding without a word spoken, she felt her heart start to beat like mad. "You're pregnant," he repeated with a matter of fact tone, nodding to himself as if to help him come to terms with it.

"Brock?" asked Lucy worryingly.

"I'm…I'm okay," he replied taking a step back from his girlfriend and she had a slightly sorrow filled expression form on her over his action. "I just…I'm trying to understand how this happened…"

Lucy tilted her head. She decided to try and lighten the mood to help make it easier on him. "Well, when a man and a woman get together…"

"I know that part," interrupted Brock and he continued on before she could say anything more. "But we used condoms and…so how, how did this happen?" he asked her again.

Her heart starting to sound like a drum with its loud beating in her ears, she was starting to fill with fear that he might want nothing to do with the pregnancy or baby. Or even her. "Brock, they're not always effective. I don't know how but it did happen," she said in a soft tone of voice so he wouldn't get angry. She slowly moved closer to him as she talked. "I wasn't expecting this and I checked twice to make sure. It's true; I'm pregnant. You're going to be a father," she told him as she placed her hands gently on his shoulders.

Finally, the gears in his head started to turn and he was beginning to understand what was going on and what he was going to become. "I'm…I'm going…to be…a father?" he repeated in barely a whisper. Lucy nodded while keeping her eyes on his. "I'm going to be a father…" He repeated again and once again, Lucy was starting to feel uneasy. "I'm gonna be a father!" shouted out the pokémon doctor happily all of a sudden, catching the Pike Queen off guard. He then wrapped his arms around her, picked her up and spun her around while laughing. Seeing that he was happy about it made her become overfilled with joy and she too began laughing. Slowly, he stopped spinning his girlfriend and the two looked into one another's eyes. "Lucy, you just made me the happiest man in the world," he told her as he raised his right hand and caressed her cheek.

She couldn't help but have tears of happiness leak out of her eyes with a large smile on her face. "Brock, you just made me so happy that you're so happy about this." She then punched him in the chest all of a sudden, making him grunt.

"Ow! What was that for?" he asked her, rubbing the area she hit.

"That was for making me feel so worried that you might be angry with me and not want anything to do with the baby!" she revealed to him. She then hugged him tightly with her cheek against his chest and couldn't help but cry a little.

"Hey now," he told her softly as he gently stroked her hair. "I'm sorry. It just blindsided me. You should know that I could never be angry with you over something like this. Sure, we didn't plan for it and were trying to be safe about it all. Even with all the crazy things we do." Lucy couldn't help herself as she chuckled over that while also reddening a bit. "But this is a good surprise. One that I'm happy about. I will do everything and anything I can for us," he told her.

She raised her gaze to his and gave him a loving look. "I can't put into words what all that means to me. You just made me so happy!" said Lucy. She leaned in and gave him a kiss that was filled with her love for him and he returned. Their kiss grew into a passionate one. After some time, the two slowed down until they stopped while keeping their eyes on one another. "I love you Brock," she said to him.

Brock had an enormous smile form on his face. "I love you too Lucy. But I have to tell you this too," he said and she waited for him to continue. "I had thought of the future regarding us. How we could get married one day and have kids together too if everything continued going so well between us." She smiled greatly while good feelings filled her as her beloved spoke. "Though it happened earlier than expected, that doesn't change anything between us."

Sudden knocking drew their attention and cut off his words. "Hey guys, food's been delivered! You should come eat!" advised Delia through the doors.

"We'll be right there," replied back Lucy. Afterwards, she hugged Brock tightly again and he returned it. The former gym leader began thinking about something that he remembered. When the two separated, she smiled at him as she wiped away the tear streaks left on her face. "C'mon. Let's go join the others and tell them our good news!"

Brock nodded his head while giving her a loving look. "Sure thing. Let me just use the bathroom and I'll be right there. Okay?" Lucy agreed to that and said she'll be waiting for him in the hallway. When he was alone in the room, Brock took in a deep breath and thought some more about something. After a moment, he went to his luggage that was in the closet. He rummaged through it and took out a small black box. Looking at it, he began thinking again. Looks like that impulse buy at the mall came in handy. I can't believe it's come to this. But I'm happy about it all. I know I can't live without her and this is another reason why. She made me a father. And she loves me more than anything else in the world. How did I become so lucky? He thought of everything between the two. When, where and how they met. She was the only girl who ever liked his flirting and how the first thing that caught her attention was his squinty eyes. He chuckled a bit as he started rubbing the back of his head. In the middle of his action, he stopped and shook his head as he lowered his hand. "Damn it Ash, now I'm doing it." He laughed a bit before standing up. "I'm going to have to thank him too. If I didn't go traveling with him, I never would have met her." He placed the small box in his pants pocket and headed out the room with a happy look on his face. Meeting up with his girlfriend in the hallway, the two grasped hands and walked into the dining room together.

When they entered the room, they saw that everyone was there and having a good time. Even Mewtwo was looking like he was enjoying himself, though he was off to one corner with only Lucario for company. Gardevoir and Pikachu were with the rest of the group with the mouse messing around with Max and Bonnie while the fairy was speaking with Sabrina and Anabel. The two locked eyes with the victor of the tournament who smiled at them. "It's about time guys! Come join us!" he told them, making some of the others glance at them.

"Gladly but first we have something to tell all of you," replied Brock and Ash nodded. The raven haired guardian caught everyone's attention and told them that the two had something to say. With everyone's attention on them, the two reddened slightly. "Well, thanks for listening," started Brock as he and Lucy took a couple more steps towards the group. "We wanted to share something with you all."

Everyone except for one in the group tilted their heads and was giving curious looks at the two. Joy was giving them a happy look and thought that the timing couldn't be better. Lucy glanced at Brock who gave her an encouraging look. She nodded at him and faced them. Taking in a deep breath, she then told them quickly what she wanted to say. "We're going to have a baby."

Utter silence for a moment after her words were heard as many had surprised expressions on their faces. But that didn't last long at all. Shrieks of happiness were let out by many of the females in the group and many of the guys roared happily. Before they knew it, Lucy and Brock were taken up in congratulatory hugs and words by almost everyone. Only a few didn't get involved, such as Natasha, Lucario and Mewtwo. Brock was clapped on the back by the guys while given congratulations and was given smirks by a couple, namely Chili and Richie. The girls were hugging and crying with Lucy. When Joy gave her a hug, Lucy quietly thanked the nurse for her support and she was told not to worry about it. After their hug, the purple haired girl gave her fellow Frontier Brain a tight hug. The two best friends were spoke quietly to one another happily and congratulating each on what they have. The other girls soon joined in on that and they welcomed them into it.

While she was going through that, Brock smiled at the sight since he was so happy. A hand grasped his shoulder and he glanced at the owner of it. "Congratulations Brocko. I'm very happy for you buddy and if there's ever anything you need, I'm here for ya," said Ash.

Brock faced his best friend who he also viewed as his brother. "Thanks man." The two shared a hug and when they separated, the older of the two gave his friend a big smile. "I'm going to ask you a very important question soon if all goes well." Ash tilted his head, becoming confused. But before he could say anything, Brock continued on. "But first, there's something else I need to do." He turned to the group of girls who were still in their hug. "Hey, I need to say something!" he shouted out over the girls' happy but high pitched talking. Slowly, they stopped and separated from one another. "Thank you. Now, there's something I need to say," he started as he made his way towards Lucy. The girls moved a bit away from the two, giving them some space. Brock grasped Lucy's hands and held them gently between the two. "I've been thinking a lot lately…"

"That's a surprise," interrupted Lucy with a grin, making their friends laugh.

He chuckled as he shook his head. "Hey, come on, I'm trying to be serious here." She chuckled before she said she was sorry and let him continue. Everyone also quieted down as well. "Thank you. As I was saying, I've been thinking a lot lately because of everything that's happened at this tournament. Of what's coming in the future. Of how precious our time is. It made me truly see how every minute I spend with you is like I'm living in a fantasy world." Lucy blushed over his words and her heart rate had increased. Many of the females awed over his words. "I've come to realize something from all that thinking and made a decision. We may have only been together for about a year, but I can't see myself with no one but you Lucy. I want to be with you for the rest of my life. You are my everything." Lucy was beginning to feel like she was out of breath with her filling up with emotion. "You just made me a father. I will do my best for you, our child and I will forever be grateful for this blessing. You've given me so much. But there's something else that I want from you…" He knelt down onto one knee and Lucy took in a sharp breath, her hands clapping over her mouth. The girls all had the same reaction as the Pike Queen and the guys all had their eyes widen. They watched in stunned silence as Brock took out a small black box from his pants pocket and held it in front of her. "You made me a father. Now will you make me the happiest man in the world and do me the honors of becoming my wife as well and marry me Lucy Azami?" he asked her before he opened the box and a diamond ring was revealed to be inside.

Nobody could believe what was happening, not even Lucy. She was frozen silent from shock. Everything felt so surreal to her. Barely a couple weeks ago she was back home, thinking about her boyfriend while working. But now? She had become pregnant and was just asked to get married by the only man she had ever loved and been with. As she processed everything, the kneeling man waited patiently for her response, hoping that she would say what he wanted her to say. The others were not making a single sound, wanting to know what her answer will be. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity to him, she gave him her reply. "YES!" she cried out through her hands.

With a huge smile on his face, Brock stood up while taking out the ring as the people around them gave out cheers. He then gently grasped her left hand and placed the diamond onto her ring finger. As this was all happening, both of them were feeling intense feelings within them as their hearts thumped loudly in their ears. When he finished placing the ring on her finger, the two embraced each other tightly. "I can't believe this is happening," said Lucy happily.

"Me neither but it is," replied back Brock. The two locked eyes for a moment before leaning in for another kiss while the rest gave out wolf whistles. Their kiss was filled with everything they wanted their now fiancée to feel. When they finally separated, they smiled at each other while their group kept cheering. The newly engaged couple looked around with large sheepish smiles on their faces. "Everyone, there's one thing I need to say," said Brock and they quieted down to hear him. "You're all invited to the wedding!"

"We better be!" remarked Ash and the couple laughed with others chuckling too.

After the two promised them that they are invited for sure, they all continued on celebrating but with new vigor since now they had three things to be excited for. Music was blasting, people were playing drinking games and others were chatting with one another. The parents would have been ticked about the drinking but decided that most of them were of age and they had a good reason for it and decided to let it slide for now. But they decided to keep eyes on everyone to make sure they didn't have too much, even though it was kind of hard to do. There were just such a large group and they themselves were also enjoying some drinks themselves. Everything was going so splendidly that Brock even forgot to ask Ash the important question…

As the night went on, some of them began getting tired out. The youngest out of the group, Max and Bonnie, decided to call it a night early. With a final congratulations given out to Ash, Brock and Lucy, the two went to bed after saying goodnight to them and to each other. Clemont was another one who turned in early, deciding to check on the program to see if it was done yet before going to sleep. Caroline and Norman also decided to call it a night and told the rest to have fun but to not stay up too late. After they headed inside their room, Delia, Caroline and Johanna went to the living room to relax a bit. But everyone else was still outside in the balcony and were dancing or sipping on their drinks. him having a good time with his girlfriends as they danced.

Iris took a break and decided to get a drink. On her way to get one, she noticed the looks the six girls were giving Ash. That's odd. Why are they looking at Ash like that? It's the same look that Natasha was giving him…wait! Her eyes widening, Iris realized the reason why. That made many different feelings spring up inside her all of a sudden. From anger and jealousy to shock and sadness. Astounded over what she was feeling, Iris quickly moved away to the other side of the balcony to get some privacy and be able to think about what she saw and felt. But in her haste she bumped into the Sinnoh Champion who was going to rest herself from dancing. "Oh, sorry Cynthia," said Iris.

"It's okay. Wait, what's wrong Iris?" she asked after noticing her acting out of the ordinary.

"It's nothing. I just need to get some air," she replied.

Cynthia titled her head at that. "You do know that we're outside already right?" she asked her with a chuckle and Iris felt stupid over her lame excuse. "Seriously, what's up?" she asked her.

Letting out a sigh, Iris shook her head. "I don't know. I'm just thinking about a lot of stuff."

Understanding that something was up, Cynthia decided to let it go for the moment. "Alright Iris. But if you ever need to talk about something, just remember that you can always talk to me or the others," she reminded her and Iris thanked her for that. "No problem." She glanced around after the song just ended and saw that many decided to take a break. Thinking that now would be a good time, she faced the purple haired girl. "Hey Iris, please excuse me as the girls and I need to do something," she said.

"Okay. Do you need help?" asked Iris.

She thought for a moment. "No, it's okay. I think we got it. Thanks though," said Cynthia and Iris nodded.

The purple haired girl watched the blonde champion go towards her sisters. Iris shook her head and let out a sigh. She made her way inside and went to her room. Seeing Cilan sitting on the bed while talking on the phone, she merely glanced at him before heading into bed. Noticing the look on her face, he told the person on the other line to hang on for a moment. He was about to talk to her when she raised her hand and shook her head. Understanding, Cilan nodded and went back to talking on his phone. But he decided to head into the attached bathroom so they could both get some privacy. As she lay in her bed, Iris wondered about everything that happened to her since Ash's disappearance three years ago to now. From her actions, experiences, feelings, thoughts, fears, regrets, dreams, wishes and everything else. As she slowly drifted off to sleep, she had a final thought enter her head; what do I truly want?

When the Sinnoh Champion reached her sisters, she noticed someone wasn't around. "Hey, where's Ash?" asked Cynthia, seeing that he wasn't around them.

"He's with Natasha over there," said the Princess of Hoenn as she pointed him out on the other side of the balcony. "He said he was going to take a break so we told him to see how Natasha was doing. Maybe spend some time with her and dance if she's up for it so she doesn't feel alone and have some fun too," answered May for them all and the blonde remarked that it was a good idea.

"So he's doing that. What's up? What's on your mind?" asked Dawn.

Cynthia was silent for a moment before giving her sisters a significant look. "About what we talked about, do you think now is a good time to do what we decided?" she asked them.

The red head out of the group spoke up. "Yes, I think now is a good time," replied Misty. Understanding dawning on the rest, they became serious and nodded while a few got off their chairs and stood up.

Moving as a group as casually as they could, they soon reached the second group of girls and Dawn spoke up. "Hey, having fun?" she asked. The six commented back that they were, hiding their feelings underneath smiles. "That's good to hear. By the way, we need help with something. Can you help us?" asked the blunette.

The six glanced at one another at first. "Okay. What is it?" asked Lizabeth for everyone.

"Well, we can't say here. We might be overheard. Follow us please," said Sarah. Not thinking much of it at the moment, the six agreed and joined the girls. The now bigger group headed towards one of their shared rooms. With the door closing, the girls gathered around the large room, with some sitting on the beds, others leaning against the walls or dressers and the rest just stood at their spot. "Thank you for coming with us," said Sarah.

"It's no problem. So what do you need help with?" asked Giselle.

"Well, it's something very important that we need to take care of you see," started Misty and the six girls gave curious looks over that.

"Okay, what is it?" asked Shauna.

"It's about Ash and us," revealed Dawn for her sisters.

The six had their hearts beat a little faster but each of them was able to keep themselves calm for the moment. "About Ash…and us? What do you mean?" asked Lizabeth.

"I think you know what we mean," replied Serena, making them extremely nervous now. "We're going to settle some things right here and now," continued on the honey blonde haired girl.

"So no more surprises come up because frankly, we're tired of them," finished up May. Clair and Liza glanced at one another, knowing full well what this was all about while the other four were starting to feel on edge.

The black haired girl took a small step forward. "What are we going to settle?" asked Giselle in a forced calm tone of voice.

"Of the feelings you are hiding for Ash," stated Cynthia at once, causing them to take in a sharp breath. Even Clair and Liza were caught off guard. They weren't expecting Cynthia to be so blunt about it. Or to say it so calmly, which scared them even more.

But then the blonde Sensational Sister moved forward, recovering faster than the rest. She locked her eyes with Misty. "You are mistaken," said Daisy as confidently and calmly as she could. She didn't want to admit it so she wouldn't hurt her baby sister. I have to swallow my feelings for her. "I don't like Ash."

"You lie," stated Sabrina at once, having read her mind.

Daisy glanced at her and unable to help herself, she reddened and everyone had their eyes widen. Even the other five were staring at her. Misty walked up to her oldest sister and looked her in the eye. "Do you like him?" she asked her quietly.

I can't do it. I can't do that to her. "I don't like Ash," repeated Daisy.

Misty grasped her hands and held them gently as she raised them between the two. "Don't lie to me Daisy. That just hurts me more," said the youngest Sensational Sister while her eyes never left hers.

Daisy couldn't take it and her eyes immediately filled up with water before she started to cry. She sank to her knees and hid her face in her hands. "I'm so sorry Misty! I know shouldn't have feelings for him! I'm such a horrible sister!" cried Daisy, making everyone look at her now with astonished looks over her outburst. "I'm the oldest in our family and it was my job to look after you, Vi, and Lil after our parents passed away! But I didn't! I should've taken care of you better! I should've been the one who stayed at the gym for years while you traveled the world with Ash! I should've been the responsible one but it was you! I'm so sorry for everything! You were given hand me downs. You were taken advantage by me…by us. We made fun of you and teased you!" Misty was having flashes of what happened in the past go through her mind as her sister continued to talk. Nobody was moving or making a sound and everyone's attention was on the two in front of them. "But in the end it was you who brought our gym back into glory! You brought respect back to our family name! You helped us become better battlers! You helped us grow! You did everything for us…for me!" The girls around them were astounded to learn that it was all because of Misty that their gym was given so much respect and considered to be one of the toughest. That she had done everything for her family while her sisters didn't do much. "And how do I repay you? By developing feelings for the same guy that you love! An incredible guy that you've loved since the moment you met him! You held onto him, helped him, encouraged him, traveled with him and you even saved him! How can I even dare to say that I have feelings for the same guy when I've done nothing for him? Nothing for you? How can I take your time away from him just so I can spend it with him? I can't Misty! I won't do that to you! I won't! No matter how strong my feelings are that I have for him...even if I love him…I won't do that to you. I won't betray you Misty! I won't! I swear it! And if you hate me, I understand!" Daisy finished up her emotionally filled confession and continued crying heavily.

Everyone in the room was completely shocked at what she just said and was silent. All eyes were on Misty now, waiting for her reaction as they understood what Daisy said since she was right. Misty was there for Ash from the very beginning of his journey no matter what. Hell, if it wasn't for her, Ash wouldn't even be alive right now, having saved him twice. Even May, Dawn and Serena just realized how much the red head had done for Ash. For their beloved. Yet, they were unable to speak or move at the moment.

Misty's eyes watered and she knelt down in front of her sister. She gently grasped her hands and lowered them. Daisy slowly raised her tear streaked gaze to look at her baby sister. "I can never hate my sister," started Misty softly before she took her up into a tight hug. Daisy was at first shocked that she wasn't angry until she returned the hug and kept crying. "And I'm not mad. If I can share an incredible guy with my best friends, I can share him with my sister as well."

The blonde separated from her sister at once. "Wha-what?" asked Daisy, dumbfounded over what she just heard. And she wasn't the only one who had a stupefied expression on her face. Liza, Clair, Shauna, Lizabeth and Giselle all had the same looks as well.

Misty smiled while letting some tears fall down her cheeks now. "If you have feelings for him…truly have feelings for him…I'm not mad. And neither are the girls." The six looked at the eight behind Misty and saw them smiling. Daisy returned her gaze to her little sister who stood up and helped her stand as well. She then moved back to the group of girlfriends. "We just wanted to know who has feelings for him. We don't want any more surprises. With what's coming in the future…the darkness, Ragnarok, world war…we can't afford to play games at all right now."

"This is the least of our problems," continued May and they all looked at her now. "We understand how and why you would develop feelings for him and so we don't blame you. Instead of wasting our time and energy fighting or trying to prevent this, we'd rather embrace it."

"But why would you do this?" asked Lizabeth.

"Yea, wouldn't you want to be with him as much as you can? Especially with what's coming?" asked Shauna.

"That would be the logical choice normally," started the Salon Maiden as they fixed their attention onto her. "But we feel that there is a reason why behind all this. That things were supposed to be this way. We don't know how or why we feel that this is right but we do," replied Anabel, revealing the reason behind their embracing of it.

Her answer made Lizabeth and Shauna look at Giselle who glanced at the two since the valedictorian had said basically the same thing before Ash's match. Their attention was then brought onto the honey blonde haired girl who spoke up. "So if you truly have feelings for him and he does feel something for you as well, even a little bit, we won't try to stop it if you decide to pursue it," finished Serena.

The six girls glanced at one another once more until one from the nine moved forward. "So let's try this again. If you truly like Ash, have feelings for him and want the best for him, whether you're with him or not, whether he returns the feelings or not, stay where you are. If not, then we cannot allow you to move forward with this and we must ask that you kindly leave the room," stated the Johto native Sarah.

None of the six girls moved from their spots. They waited a couple minutes longer until the brunette from Pallet spoke. "Alright then. But you should know that there will be rules in place and those rules must be followed. No matter what for any reason," said Leaf. "There must be trust, loyalty, understanding, fairness, no sneaking around, no treachery and anything else bad. And if Ash doesn't have feelings for you then you must accept that and move on." The girls didn't protest and didn't make any sound or movement that would indicate otherwise.

"Are we in agreement?" asked Cynthia. Clair, Liza, Shauna, Lizabeth, Giselle and Daisy voiced their agreement without hesitation and promised to do so.

It was then that Sabrina thought about something before she stepped forward. "Since there are many of us who have feelings for Ash, care for him, I think we should have some sort of a leader for us. One who understands Ash inside and out. One who could speak for us to him or to others when we're not there and know for a fact that whatever she says will be what we would've wanted to say. One who can make decisions for us without us worrying. With that in mind, I nominate Misty." The red haired mermaid turned to look at the psychic beauty with an astonished look and got a smile from the dark haired girl.

"I second that motion." Misty turned to look at Cynthia who nodded at her with a smile.

"As do I." The red head turned to the brunette from Pallet Town who gave her a thumbs up.

"All in favor?" asked Serena, making Misty turn to one of her best friends. Each girl who had feelings for Ash raised their hands to show their support for her.

Filling up with such good feelings for what they just did for her, showing how much they respected her that she had her eyes water. "Thank you all," said Misty quietly. "But you guys suck for making me cry." The girls chuckled as May, Dawn and Serena hugged their best friend, telling her how much they love and respect her and how they appreciate her as a friend and as a sister. Daisy joined in on the hug and was quickly followed by the other girls. Fifteen girls were in a group hug, each of them feeling great happiness at how everything turned out better than they dreamed.

After a little bit of time, the girls separated and the valedictorian said what was on her mind. "I can't believe this is happening. But I have to ask…how are we going to tell Ash? And more importantly, how are we going to make this work so its fair?"

Everyone gave Giselle thoughtful looks for a moment until one of them decided on what to do. "We'll figure out a way. But for now, let's just let him enjoy his euphoria at winning the tournament. We'll find the perfect time to tell him later," advised Misty and the girls agreed.

"Told you she would be the best leader," remarked Sabrina and they chuckled a bit.

Anabel was about to say something when a thought entered her mind suddenly. "What about Natasha?" she asked and they looked at her. "It's pretty obvious that she's only comfortable around Ash. Shouldn't we do something about that?"

"What do you mean and what should we do?" asked Leaf.

"Well, I'm not sure exactly but we could just have her be part of the group." The girls gave her confused looks over that and she began explaining what she was trying to get across. "I don't mean as his girlfriend or lover. She probably won't ever want that because of what she went through…but we could just include her since she probably won't ever be truly comfortable with others, especially other men, besides Ash and maybe us, after what she's been through. We can include her just as a very close friend I guess and let her know that."

The girls thought about what the Salon Maiden just said and soon afterwards, they understood what she was saying. "Good point. We'll keep an eye on her and see how she acts. If she truly can't function properly or well enough with others, we'll talk to her about that. For now, let's just keep things the way they are," replied Sabrina and the group of girls nodded.

"Holy crap!" All the girls snapped their attention on to Shauna who just said that all of a sudden. "It just hit me that if Ash does have or has developed feelings for us, and if Natasha is included too, even as just a close friend, then that it's going to be a total of sixteen girls?!" she asked with a disbelieving look on her face.

"Damn," commented Lizabeth for many.

"Ash just keeps racking them up doesn't he?" joked Liza, making the girls giggle.

"I swear only he could make this happen," remarked Clair.

"And who better else? I'm happy for us all," added Giselle.

"Can't believe he was able to make all of us fall in love with him," remarked Daisy.

"I just hope Ash can survive us all if he does have feelings for you all too," joked Leaf and they laughed.

When they finally calmed down, the Kalos Queen went to the door. "C'mon. Let's go find him and see what's going on. If anything, he's probably still celebrating his victory. So remember, no word about this yet to him," suggested Serena and they agreed. The girls all left the room and headed back out to the balcony to see what their shared love interest was doing now.

However, when they got closer to the balcony entrance, the Kalos gym leader was standing in front of it and looking like he was guarding it. Clemont had the most serious expression on his face that they had ever seen. But before they could ask him what's going on, they all heard their beloved's shouts from outside. Without a second's thought, they along with some others from the group ran outside to see what had happened…

Earlier on when Clemont headed inside to call it a day, he checked on the program he had running since morning to break into what he assumed to be the final barrier in the smart phone's defenses. Seeing the progress bar was at 98%, he let out a sigh. Damn, how powerful is this encryption? Deciding to stay up until it finished, he figured he could at least take care of some other things. While he waited, he used the bathroom, washed his hands and brushed his teeth. Afterwards, he went back over to his energy siphoning device. He grabbed it, sat down in front of his laptop and placed his invention next to the laptop. Glancing at the screen and seeing no progress yet, he began tinkering with his device. He was about to get up from his seat to get a tool when a beep was heard and he looked at his Poketch. It was a message from Shauna. His heart skipping a beat as he read her name, he read the message she sent him.

Hey Clemo, saw you in the stands during the finals broadcast with our friends! Hope you had fun. Say hi to everyone for me. Maybe if we can, we'll come join you guys for Ash's battles against the Elites and Champions!

Smiling to himself, he decided to send a message back even though it was getting late since it was late evening now. It took him some time to get some words down since he didn't know how to respond back to her. But in the end, he finally came up with something to message her back with.

Hey Shauna! Will do and we sure did have fun. Say hi to everyone for me and Bonnie too! Hope you're doing well and that you can make it. It'll be good to have you here with us again. Let me know if you guys do decide to come. Take care!

Before sending it to her, Clemont reread it a couple times to make sure it sounded alright. Not finding anything wrong, he sent it. He let out a breath, not knowing he was holding it in. Man, whoever thought sending a message would be so damn nerve wracking? He glanced at the message she sent him again and he smiled a bit. That was nice of her to send me a message. Maybe she does think about me. Maybe she might...no, I'm getting ahead of myself. He shook his head and cleared his mind. Putting away his Poketch, he took in a deep breath as he looked up at the ceiling. Exhaling it out, he lowered his gaze back to his laptop's screen. The instant he did, his eyes widened. The progress bar had reached 100% and there was a new window that stated the following; 'Decryption Complete'. Sitting up straight, Clemont moved closer to the laptop. "Alright, finally. Now let's see what secrets are hiding in this thing."

The electric type gym leader clicked on the popup and a new window opened up that showed the smart phone's contents. He looked over the folders, documents, files, pictures and videos on it, trying to find something that will give him a clue as to who it belonged to. Focused on the task, his eyes were roaming over everything until they stopped on a folder that was titled 'Device Information'. Thinking it could hold something important, he opened the folder and another new window popped open on his screen. In that folder, there were several documents and he read them out loud as he tried to find something useful. "Let's see…device model…update version…battery usage…installed applications…nope, nope and nope…hmmm…remaining storage available…I don't need that. Where is that one…ah, here it is!" He found what he was looking for which was titled 'User Information'. He clicked on that and it opened another document.

He read through the document while he scrolled through it until something made him stop and his eyes widened. "No way! It can't be! This is one of Team Rocket's smart phones?!" Clemont was absolutely shocked over what he just found out and he was filling up with worry. "Aren't they disbanded? Didn't Ash say he took care of them?" He looked through more of it and found out some more information. It was an updated model that was reserved for the top agents in the team. "So this model is for the executives of the organization?" he asked himself. He continued on until he stopped at something that made him take in a sharp breath. "You have got to be kidding me!" What he just looked at was a picture of who the device belonged to along with their name.

Standing up from his chair abruptly and knocking it over in the process, Clemont backed away from his laptop. "It can't be…" His gaze was locked onto the photo of the owner on his screen. He couldn't believe it yet his mind was racing with what he just found out. "I gotta warn Ash!" Grabbing the smart phone and disconnecting it from his laptop, Clemont then hurried out of his room to find his friend. The photo of the device's owner however stayed on his laptop's screen. It was none other than that of the red haired beauty who Ash had saved from the clutches of the Skull Brothers; Natasha Dobrev.

Though most of the group headed inside, several others were still outside in the balcony. Among them, Ash was relaxing with Natasha. After celebrating, having a few drinks, taking pictures, dancing for a long time with his girlfriends, friends, mother and everyone else, he was pretty exhausted. Even Lucario and Gardevoir did their own little dance number, though it wasn't pretty since Lucario was so clumsy when it came to dancing. Poor Gardevoir had to keep him at arm's length while Mewtwo and Pikachu kept snickering away off to the side. Lucario growled at them but they kept laughing even more until Gardevoir launched Shadow Balls at the two that caught them off guard. Apologizing to the green fairy, the two left them alone. Right now, Lucario and Gardevoir were lying down on a lounge chair and fast asleep. Mewtwo had left a little while afterwards, telling Ash that he was proud of him and should enjoy the rest of the party. When he teleported back to New Island, he took Lucario and Gardevoir with him so they could have some privacy. Pikachu went to be with the three mothers and so he could get himself a bowl of ketchup. As a result, only Lucy, Brock, Joy, Richie, Cress, Lily, Chili and Violet were outside dancing in the balcony.

"What a day," remarked Ash out loud to no one in particular as he leaned back against his chair and put his hands behind his head. "So much has happened and even though I'm kind of pooped out from everything, I'm still wide awake." Giggling sounds to his side made him turn his gaze towards the source. "What I say?" he asked. The red head beside him finished up and just shook her head. Nothing. He raised his eyebrow at her. "Oh really? So why are you laughing at me?" he asked her with a slight pout. I wasn't laughing at you. I was just amused over your comment, she relayed to him mentally while smiling a bit. "Right." She chuckled again and leaned back in her own chair now. It was quiet between them for a moment while the two looked at the others enjoying their time and the beautiful night sky above them.

Turning his gaze back to her, Ash saw the way she was looking at the dancing people in the balcony. "Hey." She turned her sight towards him. Yes? "Would you like to dance?" he asked her. Her white cheeks instantly turned red and she looked away. No no, I'm okay. I just…I'm fine. And…and you're girlfriends will be angry. Ash however just chuckled, making her glance at him from the corner of her eyes. Are you laughing at me now? "Of course not," replied back Ash sincerely as he stood up. He extended out his hand to her. "Come on, they won't be angry. In fact, they suggested it." Her eyes widened and gave him a stunned look. They did? "Yea, they did. I don't lie about things like that. They trust me and they trust you too." Hearing that made her feel good inside, that they trusted her. But it also made her feel a little ashamed for several reasons. Pushing it aside, she looked her savior in his caring brown eyes that had captivated her from the moment she saw them in person before replying back. Okay. She grasped his hand and he assisted her in standing up before leading her to the dance floor.

When they joined the others, they welcomed the two and danced together but were giving the red head a little bit of space. Noticing that, she felt gratitude for it and smiled a bit with the others returning it. The song that was playing soon finished up and they all decided to take a break. With the couples heading inside, Natasha and Ash walked towards the railings. Thank you for the dance. "Hey, no worries. I'm just glad you're having some fun," he told her happily.

As he leaned against the rails with his back, she saw the way he was looking at her and she could tell that he was being genuine with his words. That was one of the things that she had come to greatly admire and love about him. He was straight forward with her and everyone else. He had no hidden agenda. He didn't use people. He was kind, helpful and treated everyone fairly and with respect. And the way he looked at her was something that she hoped she would never stop seeing. She blushed heavily once more and looked away to the side. Hey, you're making me feel embarrassed.

Ash rubbed the back of his head and chuckled a bit. "Sorry Natasha. Didn't mean to," he replied back. She took in a breath and faced him. It's okay. It's just…I'm not used to…to… someone giving me so much…respect and kindness. Ash tilted his head at that while going a bit red himself. "Natasha?" His tone of voice was one of worry and he started having a million things go through his mind. But before he could say anything else, she continued. Ash...there's something that I've been wanting…no, that I need to tell you. But before I do, I just want to say this first; thank you for everything! Immediately after, the red head hugged Ash tightly with her arms wrapped around his back with her head buried into his chest.

Stunned at first, he quickly relaxed and did the only thing that he could do at that moment; he returned the hug by wrapping one arm around her back and the other he placed gently on top of her head. "You're welcome," he said softly to her. Her heart beat increasing dramatically, she was doing her absolute best to control herself so she can tell him what she needs to tell him. A little bit of time later, the red head raised her gaze and looked into her savior's eyes. Ash…what I'm going to tell you is something very important. It's about who I used to be. He stayed quiet but nodded. She separated from him, looked out towards the horizon and went on. Before meeting you I was a completely different person. I was actually a…a very bad person. I had done so many awful things. Her eyes began to water but she kept her tears back. Ash was starting to feel a horrible feeling fill him and no matter what he tried to do, he couldn't shake it off. She turned her head to look at him. If you knew about any of them, you…you would be so disgusted and…and you would hate me for it. A single tear escaped from her eyes and she took in a stuttering breath. "Natasha, what are you talking about?" asked Ash in a low voice.

Right as she was about to answer him, someone ran out into the balcony towards them. "ASH! SHE'S DANGEROUS!" yelled out Clemont as he skidded to a halt beside them, making both Ash and Natasha snap their gaze onto him. He was wondering why he would say that while she became worried from the way he was giving her a look of fear and hate.

Before either of them could say anything, Clemont grabbed Ash's upper arm and pulled him a bit away from the red head. "What the hell man?!" yelped Ash in surprise.

"Trust me! You don't want to be near her!" he replied back. Hearing him say that made her heart skip a beat and she felt extreme sadness fill her. She made to move towards them and extend out her hand a bit to grasp Ash's hand. "Get back!" shouted Clemont as he raised a poke ball and she stopped with a scared look appearing on her face.

"What the fuck has gotten into you?!" yelled Ash with fury as he wrenched his arm away. "Natasha is our friend! She's-"

"SHE'S PART OF TEAM ROCKET!" interrupted Clemont, making Ash go silent and Natasha to freeze in her spot.

Giving his friend a look that clearly said he was crazy, Ash straightened out. "What are you talking about?" asked Ash.

Without a word spoken, Clemont raised his other hand and handed him the slightly damaged smart phone. Natasha's eyes widened as she recognized her phone instantly. Unable to move, make a sound or even send him a mental message, she watched her hero take the device and look at it. As she kept her gaze on his face, she witnessed the transformation that occurred after he looked at the device's screen. The confused and worried expression faded away only to be replaced with understanding as well as another emotion that she couldn't put her finger on. But she couldn't even begin to figure that out because of what happened next. He slowly raised his gaze to hers and locked eyes with her. "You're a Team Rocket executive?"

The way he asked that question was something she never would have even imagined could be possible coming from him. It wasn't with an angry tone. It wasn't with an accusing tone of voice. It had none of the power, strength, respect, kindness, concern or love that she was accustomed to hearing from him whenever he spoke to her, his girlfriends, pokémon, friends or family. Instead, it was filled with…dare she think it…disbelief, disappointment and sadness. It sounded like his belief in her and who she is, shattered and he was beyond astonished to learn that she wasn't this person he had come to know these past few days. It was at that moment that Natasha fully realized just how different her savoir was from everyone else in the whole world. And she also realized that she would give anything to have him look at her like he did before and not with this new look, no matter the cost.

Wanting to fix it and to explain things so she wouldn't lose her savior, she reacted and took a step forward. Clemont was about to toss out his poke ball but Ash prevented him and signaled his friend to wait. The red head took that as a good sign and gathered some confidence. She stopped in front of the raven haired guardian, took in a deep breath and communicated with him. Ash, it is true that I was part of Team Rocket. But not anymore. That was before I came here. I've been trying to tell you for a long time now. I even got close to doing so a couple times but things kept getting in the way.

Ash remembered the couple times she tried to tell him something but then other events came up that prevented her. Clemont kept alternating his gaze from one to the other, trying to figure out what was being communicated between the two since he was unable to hear Natasha's thoughts. "Ash, what did she say?" he asked his friend with worry, seeing the look on his face.

It took a moment for him to respond to the gym leader since he was thinking about what to do regarding what was happening. Making a decision, he turned his head towards the inventor. "Clemont, I'm sorry for exploding at you. And thank you for looking into this. But give us some privacy please while I try to understand what's going on here. And can you do me another favor? Don't tell anyone yet about this and don't let anyone come out into the balcony until I say so," requested Ash.

Clemont heard the seriousness in his friend's voice and glanced at the red head. Having warned him about who she is, he didn't feel too worried about his safety now that his guard was up. Agreeing to his request, he left the two and headed inside to do the favor. Ash faced the red head again and gestured her to continue explaining. And she did. Thank you Ash for giving me a chance to explain things. He didn't comment after her words and just kept silent. Swallowing the saliva that had accumulated in her mouth, she began mentally speaking again. I've been trying to come clean to you for a while now. I've been trying to tell you that…I'm…I'm the reason why…why the Skull Brothers were here. They were here because of me…because I had called them here. Slowly understanding what she was saying with his eyes widening, he took a step back from her. "Why would you even talk with such horrible people? Even if you are part of Team Rocket?" he asked her with a disbelieving tone of voice. Because…because I was on a mission for my boss! I was sent here to gather information and those…monsters were supposed to help me. Ash shook his head as he looked down at his feet. "No, this…this doesn't make sense. You…you couldn't have been with them cause they had hurt you and…and…" He just couldn't believe it. Even with the evidence in his hand. Even with her telling him, he was having a hard time coming to terms with it. His perception of her and who she is was crumbling away and he didn't want that to happen.

Seeing him unable to believe what she was saying, it made Natasha become so angry with herself that she was hurting the one who had given her so much. But she had to do it. Moving forward, she grabbed his free hand with both of hers and waited for him to raise his head. The moment he looked into her eyes, she took in a breath and continued. It's true Ash. I was sent here by Team Rocket to gather information and they were supposed to help me. Sensing that she was telling the truth, his mouth suddenly felt dry and his heart was pounding. That was when he remembered something else that Lance had told him. That they had found pictures and videos of him on the smart phone they had discovered in the cabin and he had seen them himself before he deleted the rape video. "Were you…were you here to gather information…on me?" he asked her. Her lips quivering and her eyes letting out more tears, she answered him. Yes. But that was before they turned on me after failing to follow the plan we had made before… "What plan?" he asked her quietly, interrupting her. She didn't answer him because she suddenly felt afraid of how he would take it. After a moment of waiting, Ash slipped his hand out of hers and grasped both her shoulders firmly but didn't hurt her as the smart phone fell to the floor. "What plan?" he repeated in a more demanding tone.

Natasha answered him automatically out of fear over his new tone of voice. After your defense of the stadium attack, my organization took note of your powers and skill. They viewed you as a threat to their goals and wanted to know how they could stop you if needed. The plan was to kidnap Leaf, since she was the one who you were hugging in the middle of the field that was on the news. We were to hold her for ransom and then I would 'bump' into you during your search and help you find her so I can get close to you. I was to infiltrate your inner circle and learn as much about you as possible and then return back to base with the information I learned to give to my boss. I was supposed to do this all before… She stopped explaining however when Ash let go of her shoulders and took a few steps backwards. "You…you endangered my friends…so you can…get close to me…" Seeing him become so made the red head become filled with guilt and regret. She took a step closer to him but he in turn took another step away from her.

Seeing him do that made her become filled with sadness and her heart dropped into her stomach. But she wouldn't give up. She had to make him listen to her because she had to tell him what was coming. Ash, please listen to me. I'm so sorry. But there is something that you should know; Team Rocket is planning something. Something big! You have to… "I helped you," started Ash in a whisper, silencing her. "I did everything I could for you…took you in and made you a part of group…but all this time…you were hiding who you are. You endangered my friends, family and loved ones so you can get to me…" His tone of voice was a mixture of many emotions he was feeling at that moment that just crushed the red head as she heard it. Those emotions were so strong that his heart was beating loudly like a war drum and his mind was racing. He wanted to rage at her. He wanted to let his emotions take over. But he was controlling them for the time being because he didn't want to go down that path again. He didn't want to do a repeat of his emotional tantrum the night of the club. And he also didn't want to make another mistake because of more rash actions. Turning to face the horizon and leaning against the balcony rails with his hands on them, Ash took in a long deep breath before exhaling it out to try and remain in control. He didn't know what to do at all. He looked up towards the night sky and was quiet for a moment until he spoke. "How…how am I supposed to react to this? What am I supposed to do with you Natasha?" he asked her with a heavy tone of voice.

Her heart pounding in her ears and her emotional state becoming more pronounced, she moved towards him. It was as if she was on autopilot and didn't even think about what she was doing. She wrapped her arms around him as she burst into tears the second she buried her face into his side. Ash, I'm so sorry! I was a completely different person before coming here! I was a horrible person who did so many terrible things all for the organization! I had no one and nothing as I grew up and didn't care about anyone or anything! All I cared about was myself! I didn't know any other way of life! But that all changed when I came here! After suffering because of the Skull Brothers, I just wanted to die! I prayed for Arceus to end my suffering! I wished and hoped for it! But you saved me and showed me a world that I believed didn't exist! You shattered that belief and showed how wrong I was! I'm so sorry Ash! I was telling the truth when I said that nobody has ever done anything for me like you have! And I wasn't lying or just saying things when I complimented you! I meant every word! Please forgive me! Please don't tell me to go away! Please! Give me a chance to fix things, to atone for what I have done! I can't go back to that life! I can't be strong on my own anymore! Please! Not after seeing the good in life! Not after being around someone like you! Being here with you is like a wonderful dream that I never want to wake from! Please don't take make me go back to that nightmare! Please! I'm so sorry! Please don't tell me to go away! She said no more with her mind and continued sobbing into his side. The two remained like that for some time, though the red head slide down a bit as she couldn't hold herself up anymore. Ash stared out into the horizon as he thought furiously while Natasha kept her hold on him as her tears fell.

The raven haired guardian thought about everything that had happened regarding the red head. From when he first crossed paths with her back in the cabin to her confession now. Remembering the sorry state she was in and the cruel torture that she had endured through at the hands of the Skull Brothers. The way she was so frightened of everyone and everything because of her horrible ordeal. How she was only comfortable around him and how he sensed that she was doing her best to hold on. Words spoken between the two about her wanting her life to end because she could never again speak or have children. The promises he made to her that he would always be her friend and that he would never tell her to go. How she asked him if she was a bad person, would her tell her to go and if he would hate her. Remembering all of that made the young man realize something. That even if she was part of Team Rocket…even if she was a horrible person in the past…she wasn't that person anymore. Her awful experiences had changed her. Wasn't her acting this way proof enough of that?

He turned his gaze ever so slightly towards her and took in the sight of her crying still with her still attached to him. He sensed that she was not acting or trying to trick him. He could sense her feelings of despair, shame and regret. He faced forward again and thought some more. His mind brought back how he reacted on impulse towards Leaf's confession of how she kissed him when he was in the hospital. How he blew it out of proportion and how he made her become a crying broken shell of herself. And as a result, pushing her into the hands of the very same bastards who had violated Natasha. He shook his head slowly and let out a sigh. I can't be rash anymore. I can't act on impulse anymore. Thinking some more, his mind brought up something that the red head had mentioned and was going to explain further on but he had interrupted her. I need to know what she was going to say. Then I'll make up my mind. I can't be naïve or so trusting anymore either. I can't keep making the same mistakes. Even if she has changed, I can't drop my guard around her right now. Coming to a decision, he lifted his hands off the rails and straightened out but the red head kept her hold on him. "Natasha…"

It took a moment for her to hear him and she slowly stopped her crying. But her face remained buried into his side. Ash? "Get up." Feeling a shiver go down her spine over his strangely calm tone of voice, she slowly did as he told her. Letting go of him and her arms falling to her sides, she then slowly stood up but her head was hung. "Look at me." She didn't want to because she feared that it was all over, yet she still listened to him. Raising her face with silent tears still pouring down her cheeks, her puffy reddened eyes looked into his brown eyes. "Natasha…I'm going to ask you a question and what you respond with will determine what's going to happen next," he told her. Understanding him, she nodded her head and waited for him to ask the question. "What is this big thing that Team Rocket is planning and who is behind it all?" he asked her.

Though she wasn't going to answer by talking, she still took in a deep breath before she communicated with him mentally. Ash, Team Rocket is planning something very horrible. They've been biding their time for a long time now. They've been doing illegal and immoral tests on both humans and pokémon that they've kidnapped, forced or tricked into volunteering for it. They are the ones behind the stadium attack! And the one behind it all is Giovanni and he wanted to test out how powerful their strength enhancers are! Ash's eyes widened and he took in a sharp breath. "So Giovanni is still in play…I thought he was completely done after the Landorus incident," remarked Ash and Natasha shook her head and continued on, not wanting to stop since she was finally getting everything out in the open. No, he just went into hiding and bided his time while regrouping. Giovanni wants to rule the world and he's made huge technological and biological progress to further his agenda! And he is close to reaching his goals. But first he needs to test out his new secret weapon! Hearing that he had a weapon, his eyes widened and he took in a sharp breath. "What weapon?" asked Ash with great worry. It's a monstrous thing Ash. It has so much power that it's scarier than anything I can imagine. His plan is to test it out by taking out threats with it before he came back into the spotlight. Becoming suddenly frightened over what he learned, Ash was about to wonder how in the hell Giovanni was able to do all this. But he stopped himself and focused on the red head. "When is he going to attack? Who is he targeting?" asked Ash, wanting to know so he could prevent Giovanni from committing such atrocities.

Natasha was about to answer when she suddenly started to feel woozy. Her vision was going in and out of focus as her head started to spin. "Natasha, tell me!" he demanded as he grasped both of her shoulders tightly. "When and who Natasha?! When and who?!" He…he's planning… She felt her mind was shutting down for some reason and she was losing energy fast. She tried to push on ahead but was having a very hard time in doing so. Gio…vanni…is going to…to… The feeling in her legs went and she would've dropped to the floor if Ash wasn't holding her. Instead however, he gently lowered her to the ground with him kneeling beside her and had her lean against him. Though he was angry with her, he still became filled with concern over what was happening to her and was wondering just what the hell was going on. "Natasha?" He will…at…at…tack…soon... Her eyes closed and both her breathing and heart rate slowed down to a crawl. "Natasha? Natasha?!" Ash shook her a bit and tried to wake her back up but that didn't help either. "Natasha!" No matter what he tried, no matter how loudly he yelled, the red haired woman did not wake up. Instead, his yelling caused the ones who were still awake inside the penthouse to come running outside with concern. They found him and her on the ground while he futilely tried waking her up. As they hurried to the two, they heard him whispering to her in a sullen tone. "Please…wake up Natasha…please…"

In a hidden dimension, a large white centaur like being moved away from the viewing portal he was looking through that was in the middle of the large, stadium like hallway. He passed the three reality dragons who were giving him looks of astonishment over what he just did. The Alpha pokémon however didn't feel any regret over his action. He had much more to worry and think about than to allow a single person to unload their burdens and cause the suffering of many as a result. Arceus made his way to his large golden throne at the end of the hallway and the three followed after him. But one of them couldn't hold it in any longer. "Why Father?" asked the dragon ghost.

Turning around, he eyed Giratina for a moment before facing forward and kept moving. "Because it had to be done."

"Putting Natasha into a coma had to be done?!" asked Giratina with concern. "Why did you do that? What was so wrong in her telling him what was coming? She practically already did!" he stated with anger and confusion. Palkia and Dialga were giving their brother shocked looks that he was speaking with their father like that.

Arceus however, didn't let his outburst faze him. "Because the prophecy won't come true if he knows all the details about the incoming attack," explained Arceus calmly as he sat down on his throne.

"How will him knowing fully about the attack cause the prophecy to not come true?" asked Giratina as he moved closer to the sitting god. His brothers however remained where they were with both of them wanting answers as well. "What does it matter if he knows or not? It's not like he will run away or not do anything about it!" reasoned the anti-matter pokémon.

"That is true," agreed Arceus, nodding his head. "And that is the point. If he knows about when the attack will happen, where it will happen and who it is targeting, then he will have time to prepare for it and counter it. He must not be allowed to do so. He must face it when it comes."

Confused over what was just said, Giratina couldn't speak but Palkia was able to find his voice and so he spoke up. "But why? What big difference would that cause?"

Arceus didn't answer at once. He thought how he should reveal it before speaking. "It is because I have seen what will happen if he does know about it," admitted the Alpha pokémon sadly. His sons waited for him to continue and he did after a moment. "If the guardian knows about the impending attack, he will have time to prepare a counter attack and defense. In that time line he will triumph with little loss of life. However, his powers will not grow to their full potential because he won't be pushed to his absolute limit. And when Ragnarok and the darkness emerges, he will lose the war and the world will be covered in darkness," explained the white centaur.

Understanding dawned on the dragons and they faced their father. But one of them was filling up with concern. "But I haven't seen that. Is that the reason why?" asked Dialga and Arceus nodded.

Giratina understood now why Arceus did what he just did. "So you're going to push him into a corner and force him to unlock his full potential by making him tap into his full power. And in turn, that will make the prophecy come true. But I thought you're not putting everything on the prophecy?" asked the black and grey dragon.

Arceus slowly nodded once more before explaining. "That is correct. I have seen what will happen in either case. The prophecy of an Aura Guardian becoming one with aura, not just a user of it, will come true during this upcoming attack but only if he is not warned of it. He will be pushed into a corner and fear of his loved ones becoming hurt or killed will drive his desire to protect them. And there are other reasons as to why he will be the only guardian to become one with aura instead of just a user of it." The dragons gave the centaur bewildered looks and Arceus sighed before continuing on a little more. "I cannot go into all the details of the how, why and other things but it all comes down to the guardian wanting to protect his loved ones. As a result, he will ascend to a new level where no other could have done so. Only with that power, will he have a chance against Ragnarok. And I hate to say this, but the prophecy is all we have," revealed the Original One sadly.

The dragons glanced at one another, with each of them thinking the same thing. They faced Arceus and one of them asked the question that was on each of their minds. "But…but what if it doesn't come true?" asked Giratina.

Arceus raised his head and closed his eyes. Wrestling within himself if he should let them know, in the end he decided to just say what he hoped wouldn't come to pass. "If the prophecy does not come true, even with Ash and Mewtwo triumphing over the attack and surviving it, all will be lost for they won't gain more power. If that scenario comes to pass, then I would have to use all of my power to purge everything in the hopes of vanquishing Ragnarok and start anew if successful," he revealed to them with great sadness coating his words.

"No…" whispered the three reality dragons together as they finally learned what their father had known for a long time now.