Chapter 21: A Threat of Wardack

In a surprise twist, the emissary of the Kingdom of Lihnea was Cloud Zeph Lihnea, the illegitimate son and second prince behind their target, Zabune. Touya and Pikachu rejoined Ash as he released Bayleef to comfort Cloud. "These two creatures, Prince Ash," Cloud awed. "I can tell how well you raise them." Pikachu and Bayleef seemed at ease.

"I'm still in shock at the fact we have Prince Cloud here with us," Touya remarked. "Still, this could be helpful that we have him here and plan for dealing with Wardack." Ash nodded as Bayleef used her vines to help Cloud up.

"We've heard plenty of speculation from Leim about Zabune," Ash addressed. "Is he your older brother?"

"Supposedly, but there's more," Cloud informed. "Rumors of my mother's illness is false. She has been imprisoned by Prime Minister Wardack." Ash and the Pokémon gasped.

"My word…" hushed Alfred.

"And what about King Schlaf?" asked Touya. "Isn't he doing anything about it?" Cloud shook his head.

"My father doesn't have the authority to dispute Prime Minister Wardack," he admitted. "Confronting the Prime Minister in this method would result in his death." Ash and Touya crossed their arms.

"It doesn't make sense," Ash muttered. "I mean, politics are still new to me, but I thought the king has the majority of power, if not all. How could the Prime Minister have more authority?" A hum came from Touya, catching Ash's attention. "Touya, something up?" Touya nodded before facing Cloud as Bayleef gasped to Pikachu's description of Zabune.

("I don't want her near Darling, but she doesn't deserve that!") she gasped.

"Prince, could you clarify on Zabune's marriage proposal?" asked Touya.

"Of course," Cloud allowed. "It's actually more straightforward than it actually sounds: the prince wants to use the marriage to propel himself to take the crown and become king to take over my father."

"But Sue is still so young," Ash countered. "Unless Zabune sought her as a means to control all authority since she doesn't have what it takes to take a stand against him."

"That's what I was thinking," Touya agreed. Hearing enough, Alfred stood up.

"I have a proposal for the Grand Duke of Brunhild," he spoke up as he faced Touya. Everyone turned to Alfred. "We can gather the leaders of the western nations for a summit and discuss a resolution." Touya and Cloud gasped to the idea. Pikachu squeaked to the idea rather confidentally.

"You prefer this idea, Pikachu?" asked Cloud.

"We can agree that Prince Zabune is unfit to rule," Alfred concluded. "Prince Cloud shall be the heir to the Kingdom of Lihnea. I believe we should offer our assistance to make a resolution to help him overthrow Zabune." Ash nodded, hoping the nations' leaders can find a solution to Cloud's problems. A couple of days later, the summit took place in Belfast Castle with Touya, Tristwin and a few other men. Ash, Yuel and Pikachu waited outside of the room as they discussed matters. Pikachu rubbed Yuel's baby bump.

"When I heard that you wanted to marry my niece," Yuel spoke up. "I believed you did it to protect her from this 'prince.' I should've been a little more attentive when I learned it was after your journey into the temple holding the trials."

"Yeah, and I was a bit nervous about telling Duke Alfred and Duchess Ellen about it," Ash confessed. "I didn't want to go through falling for someone like I did at the start of my Pokémon Training, but at least it's a lot better than what happened with Giselle." Pikachu agreed with chimes as Bajra came to the scene.

"Hearing about this Zabune character is enough to leave me a bit scorching mad," he barked. "Of course, learning about a human's pregnancy is quite different. How does it work?" Ash's face flashed red to the question.

"You may be a Divine Beast, but one must exercise moderation," Yuel warned. "Besides, I do believe Ash isn't ready for… such a discussion of that nature just yet."

("And that goes for me as well,") Pikachu added. Bajra sighed, not allowed to attain information on babies.

"Can I ask again when Master leaves to talk with Touya?" he asked as the doors opened. Touya and Tristwin exited to face the rest.

"How did it go?" asked Yuel.

"The other leaders have agreed to stand and offer support to Cloud to ascend the throne," Tristwin informed. "However, we allowed Touya to take command on a process to remove Prime Minister Wardack. We believe he has what it takes to resolve the matter without violence." Ash nodded, an idea on his mind.

"Are you serious, Ash!?" gasped Touya.

"We know you want this ended as peacefully as possible," Ash reminded. "The last thing we need is Lihnea engaging into a needless war." Touya sighed, his role filled. The next day, Ash, Touya, Elze, Yae, Cloud, Kohaku, Bajra and Pikachu came through Touya's Gate. Everyone but Cloud was transparent. Cloud seemed stunned to find their location.

"This must be Lihnea," he realized. He looked to find no one else around. "Hey, are you using Invisibility Magic? I hope you're nearby." Pikachu leaped onto Cloud's shoulder.

("We're right here,") he squeaked. Hearing Pikachu, Cloud felt the support.

"Now as we discussed before," Touya voiced. "Report the response to the proposal. That way, we'll see their reaction to the news."

"We'll also keep Kohaku, Touya and Pikachu back if things get hairy," Elze added. Cloud nodded before they entered the castle.

"Remember, don't make a sound when seeing Zabune or his parents," Yae whispered.

"Understood," Bajra accepted. Touya took a deep breath.

'I want to see who the first prince is and what he's like,' he thought.

'I hope those stories Leim told us isn't exaggerated,' Kohaku minded.

'I have too much trust in Leim to know he doesn't exaggerate,' Touya replied. They reached a large staircase that split into two more halfway up. There were guards by as Pikachu, Bajra and Kohaku retreated. Cloud looked up, finding a purple-haired man wearing a purple sparkly robe, black trousers and a white shirt, all with gold linens.

"I have returned, dear brother," Cloud greeted while bowing. The purple-haired man seemed miffed at Cloud's greeting.

"Brother Cloud, I wasn't expecting to see you return so quickly," he scoffed. "Rather shocking from a nobody like you." Touya, Ash and the girls gulped to seeing the purple-haired man.

'This must be Prince Zabune,' Touya assumed.

'What horrible taste,' Elze minded. Kohaku saw a blond young woman with her eyes closed wearing a brown dress. Zabune grinned to knowing that a report about Sue's proposal had arrived.

'Master, that young woman's neck,' she briefed. Touya looked to the woman and found a black steel collar on the neck. There were red markings all over.

'That looks like a slave collar…' he mulled. Zabune reached Cloud.

"I suppose the response to the proposal was a success," Zabune assumed. "Otherwise, you wouldn't be here."

"Unfortunately, the Duke of Ortlinde has reported his daughter is already engaged to another young man a couple of weeks ago," Cloud denied. "They refused your proposal." Zabune became bothered by the news.

"Could you repeat that? Just a little louder."

"The Duke Ortlinde did not accept your proposal-" Disgusted, Zabune slapped Cloud's face and interrupted his report. Gasps lisped from everyone and Pikachu growled.

"You're useless! If they won't accept the proposal, you should've taken her and bring her to me! I have a slave collar that I'm ready to put on and have her as my slave!" Hearing Zabune, Ash and Touya became disgusted.

'Seriously!?' gasped Touya.

'That son of a-' growled Ash. 'He's not even human!' Zabune turned his head from Cloud as he held his face where he was struck.

"I cannot believe you wouldn't do the simplest of tasks like taking the duke's daughter as a backup plan!" Taking a moment, Zabune became curious. "Anyway, who's the bastard who has claimed to be her fiancée?" Cloud sighed, expecting more pain.

"It's the Prince to the Duchy of Brunhild, Ash Ketchum," he replied. Zabune irked to the name.

"Brunhild?" That's when he realized the name being familiar. "Oh, that's right… That upstart backwater town that has been getting a lot of attention as of recently." Then, an idea. "I know. How about you head back to Belfast and spread some rumors that will turn heads." Cloud became concerted to Zabune's plan.

"What… do you mean?"

"Tell the people of Belfast and Brunhild that this Prince Ash Ketchum is a womanizer; one who mistreats women and makes them cry." Ash and Elze did not appreciate Zabune's scheme. "I'm more than certain that King Belfast will throw out the engagement with the snap of his fingers."

"However, the prince is nothing but a child himself-" Not willing to hear backtalk, Zabune kicked Cloud in the gut. Cloud doubled over, clutching his gut.

"I did not tell you to defy my order! Why is it that I'm the only one who has to discipline you!?" The noise brought someone else over.

"Zabune!?" an older woman called out. Zabune stopped and looked up. There was a heavy-set woman in a maroon dress and feather-like sleeves. Her violet hair was up on a mushroom cap while she also wore a gold necklace.

"My apologies, mother," he gasped. "I didn't hear you coming. I was disciplining my idiot younger brother." The mother seemed to understand.

"I can tell… I actually came to see what Ortlinde said about the proposal."

"About that… The Duke of Ortlinde rebuffed our proposal no thanks to Cloud. Hopefully, this doesn't deter my ascension to the throne."

"We're still looking into that. Hopefully, your father is making those arrangements." She led the group of soldiers, Zabune and the slave up the stairs. Ash helped Cloud stand up, still in pain from the punishment. In a different room, Touya applied a spell on Cloud.

"Come forth, Light," he muttered as the others watched on. "Soothing comfort: Cure Heal." A flash of light later, Cloud breathed easier.

"Thank you, Touya," he whispered. Ash crossed his arms.

"So now, the plot's thickening," he mentioned. "Not only is Zabune bent on taking Sue to enslave and who knows what to do, but his mom is also in on it?"

"That was Dacia, Zabune's mother and current queen," Cloud identified. "So, yes, the entire family is in on this scheme."

"And believe me, I had to summon all of my strength to hold back from drawing my sword," Yae said.

"I wouldn't blame you, Yae," Bajra understood. "Pikachu wanted to use Thunderbolt on them just on the girl alone. That reminds me, what did that girl have on her neck?"

"I believe that was an Enslavement Collar," Touya guessed. Cloud nodded to the guess.

"My brother bought it from a merchant in Sandora," he noted. "Slavery is supposed to be a crime here."

"That means they want to be above the law," Ash believed as Touya used Gate. In a flash, the slave entered. Looking, everyone watched as Cloud left.

"APPORT!" chanted Touya. The collar vanished from the slave's neck before being in Touya's hand. The slave cried, overjoyed to be freed. Yae and Elze comforted the slave as Pikachu joined on her lap. The feeling of Pikachu made the slave feel at ease.

"You're free, now," Elze told. Ash and Touya bumped fists.

"THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE!" shouted Zabune. Cloud saw Zabune approach the door. "Cloud, have you seen my slave?" Cloud shook his head, a lie about what occurred. "Where could she be, that ingrate-"

"What's the problem now, Prince Zabune?" a middle-aged man groaned. Zabune ran to a brunette man in a black royal cloak with blue stripes.

"Father, my slave is gone!" complained Zabune. "It's like she vanished into thin air!" The brunette looked indifferent to Zabune's whining.

"Is that so?" he seemed to dismiss.

"Father?" whispered Ash.

"That is Prime Minister Wardack," Cloud whispered back.

"She's your slave," Wardack reminded. "Tell her to return."

"What do you think I've been doing!?" complained Zabune. "She's ignoring me!" Wardack sighed to his son's malcontent.

"Then, tighten the collar,' he instructed. "If it kills her, so be it. She wasn't the best slave that should be kept alive." Zabune mulled to the idea.

"Might as well," he surrendered. "I only wish I had a chance to have my time with her." In the other room, the collar scrunched in, twisted metal in Touya's hand. Others gawked.

"That could've killed her," Kohaku gulped. Zabune followed Wardack.

"Cloud must have done something to that slave, I just know it!" growled Zabune.

"Even if he didn't, I have a plan for him," Wardack plotted. "We can send him to face Duke Rembrandt and declare war on the Kingdom of Palouf. If he announces it and is eliminated, that's one less obstacle to deal with." Hearing, Pikachu growled with sparks crackling his cheeks, wanting to shock them. Touya used Gate to port outside, including the slave.

"All three of them are vile," Yae determined. "This isn't just an evil prince; this is a family of them!"

"The way it sounds, it may not stop with Sue," Ash pondered.

"Good grief," Elze shook. "I didn't want to be the only one thinking of it being the case." Cloud looked down, helpless to everything happening.

"Cloud, this isn't your fault," Touya expressed. "You were raised better than they were." Ash placed a hand on Cloud's shoulder.

"Remember, we're not just getting your kingdom back," he voiced. "You've also helped in protecting Sue. If I wanted, I'd punch his lights out… but we must do it right." Cloud looked to Ash, almost humbled to the point of tears.

"Even if you didn't ask for it," he smiled. "I believe you deserve the title of prince." Ash snorted to the compliment, but he didn't say anything.

"Did you say… Cloud?" the slave spoke up. Everyone turned to the slave holding Pikachu.

"We did," Elze voiced.

"We should know Prince Cloud," the slave awed. "His mother's being held in the tower nearby."

"Oh, she's still alive, right?" asked Kohaku.

"Yes," the slave confirmed.

"Okay, let me Gate you to see King Tristwin and explain your situation," Touya excused. "We'll take care of Prince Cloud."

"Thank you again for freeing me," the slave praised. After letting the slave free with Gate, the focus came to the Declaration of War against a new kingdom.

"So, what would Wardack gain by having Cloud declare war with Palouf?" wondered Ash. "I mean, other than Cloud being killed."

"That's probably just it," Elze believed. "You saw how much disdain they have against Cloud."

"Right, if Cloud is sent to the Kingdom of Palouf as a messenger of war," Yae believed. "The kingdom would then have the right to kill said messenger and have Lihnea act in sheer aggression. The messenger is more or less sent on a suicide mission." Cloud nervously laughed to the outcome.

"So, not only are they willing to throw Cloud into a line of fire and declare war," Ash started. "They also want to ruin a nation and acting as the superior nation while they're hidden away. We are not just dealing with dictators, but cowards on top."

"All I care about at this moment is the safety of my mother," Cloud recalled. Touya sensed a problem about the ordeal.

"By rescuing your mother, you're declaring action against Prime Minister Wardack and Prince Zabune," he warned. "Are you sure this is what you want?" After a minute to think, Cloud nodded.

"I'll do anything," he pledged. "Anything to save my mother." Ash and Touya nodded.

"Alright, let's start the operation," Touya proceeded.

"Let's get your mom free and head back to Brunhild," Ash plotted. Night fell; soldiers guarded the tower. The visitors and Cloud seemed to have found a difficult obstacle.

"This is the Gallia Fortress on Prime Minister Wardack's domain," Cloud informed. "My mother is being held in that tower."

"And security's pretty tight," Ash whispered.

"True, but with the Grand Duke's Invisibility magic," Cloud whispered as Touya brought out his smartphone. "We can sneak in to save her."

("It seems like Touya's got a different idea,") Pikachu believed. Touya's smartphone had a text on his screen.

IT SEEMS LIKE TOUYA'S GOT A DIFFERENT IDEA

Touya smiled to the thought. "Pikachu, you seem to catch on pretty quick," he giggled. "Thanks to this Translator magic I put in my smartphone." After a few presses to his smartphone, Touya was ready. "Now, Target, Lock-On: Fortress Soldiers." The smartphone showed several markers around the area. "Activate Null Spell: Paralyze."

"TARGETING COMPLETE," the smartphone acknowledged with a young woman's voice. "PARALYZE… ACTIVATED." The soldiers froze as they were glowing yellow. Before they knew what happened to them, they fell and were unable to move.

"Why paralyze them and not go invisible like before?" wondered Bajra.

"See, this magic will keep them from moving for awhile as we go inside," Touya briefed. "Now, let's move." Cloud tried to understand Touya's motive while he and Ash moved on. Yae put a hand on Cloud's shoulder.

"It's best not to overthink it," she warned. "Just go with the flow."

("It's the only thing we can do,") Pikachu shrugged. They followed the others into and up the tower. At the top, Cloud opened the door, finding a mahagony-haired woman knitting. She wore a green turtleneck sweater over an orange jacket and long skirt.

"Mother!" he announced. The mahagony-haired woman turned to see Cloud as the rest slowly arrived. She gasped.

"Is that you?" she wondered. "Are you my Cloud?" Cloud walked over and reached the mother.

"It's me, mother!" Within reach, the mother lunged and hugged Cloud.

"My sweet boy!" The two cried happily. Ash, Touya, Elze and Kohaku smiled while Yae, Pikachu and Bajra softly cried tears of joy at the reunion. Touya handed Yae a cloth. She blew her nose into it.

"I definitely prefer her over that other one," Ash giggled. Touya used Gate as they all arrived back to the mansion. There, Ash had his Pokémon out before the mother saw them. The slave held Totodile as she giggled.

"This one is so full of joy that I can't stop smiling!" she giggled before seeing the mother. "Lady Erya, you're okay!" The mother nodded, her name being Erya.

"Erya, huh?" awed Ash.

"Yes," Erya nodded. "I'm Erya Zes Lihnea, mother to Cloud." Bayleef seemed curious to Erya. A bald man with a white mustache approached. He wore a brown royal suit with white trousers.

"Lady Erya, are you hurt?" he greeted. Erya shook her head.

"I'm alright, Prime Minister Koupe," she notified.

"We were lucky to have found her before anything bad were to happen," Ash said. Koupe seemed humored to the news.

"I'll let you off with a pass for that, Prince Ash," he sighed. "You did rescue Lady Erya."

"You're a prince yourself?" awed Erya.

"Well, unofficially, mother," Cloud excused. "Ash, this is Prime Minister Marquis Koupe. He helped my father before Wardack took control." Ash nodded, understanding the role. Marquis turned to Cloud before kneeling to him. Bayleef seemed relaxed at the sight while the slave stood by Ash.

"My dear Prince Cloud," he began. "May I say that it's a blessing that you made the decision in taking a stand against the Prime Minister… and now that you've gained the support of the other nations, including the Belfast Kingdom. I have confidence that we will come out victorious." Cloud nodded before Touya spoke up.

"Prime Minister Koupe, while we are grateful for your services," he praised. "We do want to make it clear that we don't want to gain any control with violence." Marquis stood to address Touya.

"For that, you must go after Prime Minister Wardack," he plotted. "Then, any access for Prince Zabune to attain the throne will be for naught. Both can be done civilly."

"Prime Minister Wardack isn't as big of an obstacle as Prince Zabune," Ash pointed out. "It's not that when we stop Wardack, Zabune will come to his senses, or lack thereof…" Yae nodded with a question in mind.

"Hasn't Prince Zabune done enough that could put him in exile?" she asked. Marquis shook his mulling head.

"It is not that he has, we don't have proof of their wicked ways," he pointed out. "Prime Minister Wardack has destroyed all evidence that would send Zabune to prison at the least." Ash scoffed to the doubt.

"I've heard of looking out for your family, but Prime Minister Wardack can't handle himself or his family of being wrong," he snickered. Erya sighed amid her fluster. Cloud, Ash and the Pokémon heard her before turning.

"Mother?" voiced Cloud. Ash came to Erya with his concern.

"Lady Erya?" wondered Ash. Erya turned to the trainer. "What's wrong?" Erya shook her head softly.

"I'm… rather unsure," she voiced. Ash placed a hand on Erya's as support and knelt to her.

"It must've been pretty hard on you to be there and without any support."

"It was… I can only wonder what possessed Prime Minister Wardack to… imprison me as such." Rest a hand on Erya's other hand, Cloud offered comfort to his mother.

"Prince Ash and Grand Duke Touya will make sure that the Prime Minister and his family are punished for this act," he assured. Erya nodded as Sue entered to see the occasion.

"Ash, how are you doing with dealing with that prince?" she asked. Ash turned to Sue as Cloud and Erya eyed her.

"You called it," Ash confirmed. "Prince Zabune is evil, and his parents are supporting his behavior." Sue gasped to the news.

"It's worse than we thought?" she realized. Ash nodded as Cloud came over.

"Are you Princess Sueshie?" he asked. Sue became frightened to Cloud's appearance.

"It's okay, Sue," Ash assured. "This is Prince Cloud Zeph Lihnea… and his mom over there, Erya Zep Lihnea." Sue came over to Erya and awed her.

"You look like someone nice," she studied.

"I am far nicer than the other Prince's mother," Erya promised. She held Sue's hands.

'So warm,' she awed. 'This is real.' The two embraced in a hug. Pikachu, Bayleef and Totodile awed and teared up at the sight.

'Dacia has nothing compared to Erya,' Ash smiled. Erya turned to Ash.

"Prince, I will never thank you and Grand Duke Touya enough for rescuing me," she praised. "And seeing these creatures, I wanted to give you the name of Beastmaster aside from Prince." Ash giggled, blushing to the comment.

"Thanks…" he hiccuped. "But we won't be done until we remove Wardack from power." Erya nodded to the claim.

"It's just that… part of me saw you as Cloud that I thought I you were another son of mine." The thought made Ash irk. His cheeks blushed brighter. Sue and Totodile giggled at the reaction.

"Oh, I… wasn't thinking about that… You're gonna make me start thinking about my mom back home."

"Is that a bad thing?"

"No, it just makes me want to return as soon as I can and see how she's doing. Besides, you're not the first mother who wants me as a son." Understanding, Erya stood up and hugged Ash who seemed stunned. She sniffed in awe.

"I forgot what it was like to hug my Cloud when he was your age. This is… a warm feeling." Ash sighed in relief before he hugged her back.

"It feels so much like how my mom hugs me…" Tickled, Yae teared up while Cloud and Sue watched in awe.

"Seeing her, I do wish your mom was the queen," Sue smiled. "Then again, my mom and Aunt Yuel had also sought Ash as a son."

"I can see it as well," Cloud agreed. The Pokémon and Divine Beasts also sided with the pair. An hour later, Ash and Pikachu joined Yumina, Linze and Lucia in a different room.

"It's absurd," Yumina huffed. "This family has been acting as above the law for such a long time."

"And nothing the other nations could do has been a dent to their reputation," Lucia added.

"Well, no, not when Wardack keeps destroying evidence of his or Zabune's crimes," Ash reiterated. Pikachu seemed rather defeated to the thought of Zabune's family receiving justice.

"Ash, you have never been a person that surrenders so easily," Linze pointed out. "Surely, there's an angle that Prime Minister Wardack hasn't come across."

"And there's no way Prime Minister Wardack will just simply confess," Lucia added. Ash nodded as he crossed his arms.

'They have strong points,' he thought. 'What we need is something that will have him or Zabune admit willingly. They may be evil, but they've been smart enough to avoid being caught. But how could we convince them to talk. What they've done to Elesia (the slave) and Erya is far nastier than Warriors' Baron Davis's dunk on Jazz's Andrei Kirilenko from that video he showed me.' Then, a thought. 'Wait… video! I know I've been working with Touya and Treasure on using Gate, and I can escape easily without detection. If Touya's smartphone can do video, and if I'm invisible to not be noticed…' Ash's sudden change of face prompted Yumina to notice.

"Do you have an idea?" she questioned. Ash snapped out of his thoughts and turned to Sue's cousin.

"I might have to ask Touya about his smartphone," he planned. Lucia blinked to the idea in confusion.

"Why would you want Touya's smartphone?" she wondered. Linze had a realization.

"You're not planning to make Wardack or Zabune a video to make them admit to their crimes," she doubted. "It's bad enough that they're far worse than the Slimes… almost to the point that I'd have them lather all over me." When Linze looked to Ash, his face was fiery red in embarrassment. Linze panicked to the reaction.

"Good work, Linze…" mulled Yumina. "You just gave him an image of you naked." Realizing the reaction, Linze's face became just as red. Lucia bopped Ash on the head. It snapped him out of his vision.

"It's embarrassing, but let's get back to the topic," she advised. Ash nodded before Touya and Yae entered. "What's the status?"

"Even though Erya and Cloud are talking about what Zabune and his parents have put them through," Yae spoke. "It won't be enough. Mere words won't work on them."

"However, I did manage to get some evidence," Touya voiced. The rest were curious.

"What would that be, dear?" asked Yumina.

"See, I sneaked back inside where Wardack and Dacia were chatting and made a recording which highlights some of the information we needed," Touya briefed as he flashed his smartphone. "I have it all on here."

"You had them speak?" wondered Linze.

"They didn't know I was there," Touya shrugged. "And since they didn't, they voiced all of their intentions on here, including their plans to the Princess of the Kingdom of Palouf."

"Awesome!" cheered Ash. Pikachu also joined.

"We're not quite done, though," Touya warned. "There's one more stop I need to make before we set our plans to action."

"And what would that be, Touya?" asked Lucia.

"I'm going to find King Schlaf to speak the truth to us and to the other leaders," Touya informed. That's when Ash stood up.

"Hold on, Touya…" he halted. Touya and the girls became curious. "There's something I want to do first. Can I borrow your smartphone for a bit, please?" Touya became confused.

"My phone?" he repeated. "I mean, I guess so… but what for?"

"You got to make a recording on Prime Minister Wardack and Dacia. I was hoping I do the same for Zabune."

"Wait, you want to get that creep on tape?"

"Right. While we may have the evidence we need to expose and bust the Prime Minister, I want the people of Lihnea to see just the kind of person their so-called 'prince' really is." The idea made Linze awe.

"Of course," she spoke up. "You want everyone to see what kind of monster he really is."

"Exactly," Ash sneered. "After seeing him earlier, I don't wanna just stop him from taking Sue and bring him to justice… I want to see him be humiliated and ruined in public." Cloud overheard the idea as he entered.

"I fully support the plan, Ash," he voiced, having everyone turn to him. "Zabune truly deserves it before he faces his comeuppance." Ash nodded as he turned back to Touya.

"Say no more," Touya accepted. "Come, and I'll teach you the main functions you'll need for the smartphone." Ash and Touya left as the rest wondered about how Ash could pull of such a feat. What could Ash uncover that will destroy the facade of Wardack and his family's reign on Lihnea?

TO BE CONTINUED…

(I'll be taking a short break to do a Valentine's Day one-shot before returning to our regularly scheduled chapter writing.)