Hi there everyone! I'm so happy to be getting back to you all with a new chapter, I hope you all like it and please be sure to review and let me know what you all thought about it as well.
Previously….May and Drew have finally discovered the truth and who was behind their intense and dark breakup, while at the same time they are surprised by the arrival of May's younger brother Max, and "Fiance?" Brendan. Dawn was rescued from Paul's rival gang, the Giratina's, after being kidnapped by there Leader Jun and his wingman Lucas, not long after, Paul discovers that Dawn just might have history with an old friend/ally of his from the past, Volkner, who has returned to claim Dawn as his own and sweep her away. Misty and Ash decide to make amends and create a pact to gather the gang back again just like old times and even possibly play cupid to their friends, not only that, but they have also agreed to help each other out, with Misty turning into the next IT girl and Ash becoming the next Star athlete, but along the way Misty has discovered a dark secret about Ash, one she refuses to believe but must see to find out. Gary and Leaf continue having strained ties, Leaf keeping a very dark and hidden past from the others while Gary is doing all he can to uncover the truth about what happened to Leaf that summer she moved to Johto, who is the mysterious figure playing with Leaf's emotions?
(Years Ago/Leaf)
"I hope you enjoyed your flight". she looked up at the flight attendant, gulping with a nerve wrecking feeling as she took her first step out of the plane. The sun was much brighter in Johto than it was in Sinnoh, something she knew she had to get accustomed to.
"Excuse me". she looked down towards the bottom of the steps, seeing a man with a chauffeur's uniform waiting, he held up a sign with her name printed on it.
"Ah…...um, I'm Leaf". she walked the rest of the steps down, stunned by how the man bowed to her and took her luggage bag.
"T-there's no need to do that". she mumbled, he shook his head, giving her a small smile as he walked ahead.
"Nonsense, I cannot allow my lady to hold her own baggage". she was still surprised by the treatment, was this how Gary was treated? Misty? May? Drew? They all had rich lifestyles so was this how it was?
"This way". she followed the man to a long black sleek car, she recognized it, a limousine, the memory of it was clear mostly because that was the type of car that Gary and all of her other friends would be driven around in, and now, she was too.
He pulled the door open for her, she stepped in, jolting at the sound of the door shutting, she watched as he opened the truck and placed her luggage into it, now making his way to the driver's seat.
"So…..where now?" she asked hesitantly, she saw his face through the rear view mirror where he chuckled, still keeping his smile.
"To your home of course".
The atmosphere was awkward yet silent the whole ride, she only gazed out the window the entire time, watching the new city, buildings, people, everything was new, everything was different, completely different than back home.
"Are you enjoying the sights?" she nodded, still staring out of the window, she gawked at the huge skyscraper buildings, everything was so modern, the streets were packed with crowds of lively people, every shop on the way was packed, and cars were jammed with traffic.
"Is this where I'll be living?" her jaw only dropped further and further down as the sights got more impressive. He shook his head, chuckling.
"Nope….." she frowned, the car had made a complete stop, he looked onto the window of the passenger side and pointed, "...That is where you will be living". she changed sides, now scooting towards the other window on the other side and looked up, her eyes completely widened in shock.
"This…...this my home?" the building was the tallest out of any in the city, a giant red carpet was laid out for her to step on when the door was opened, a mini green tent hovered above the walkway while a doorman opened the glass door with the golden handle for her. She spun around, taking in the wondrous sight, the ceiling was higher than anything she had ever seen, painted with angels and clouds while crown molding surrounded the edges, a giant marble fountain of a tree was in the center of the lobby, showering water from its leaves.
"You must be Ms. Leaf". she was met with a fairly young lady, she had short blonde hair and dark green colored eyes, she was dressed in a pencil skirt with a white sleeveless collared blouse, she held a planner in her arms and had a warm smile for Leaf.
She shook her head, "I'm just Leaf, not Ms." the lady chuckled, grabbing the brunette's luggage bag from her, "Not anymore, from now on, you will be addressed as Lady, Ms., or mistress, being a part of the Lockhart family means you are of the highest kind, the world will have to address you because of your importance and you should be proud of it". she nudged the brunette's arm who felt a little overwhelmed by her words.
"Um, by the way, who are you?" they were now making their way to the golden elevators, they boarded on the next available one where the blonde had pulled out a gold card, she gave it to Leaf and directed her finger towards the only card slot in the button section.
"Me? I'm your new mother's assistant, my name is Veronica, but you can call me Vee". Leaf placed the key within the hole, jumping at the sound of the elevator which had begun moving, all the lights of the buttons had lit up and then began blinking.
"What's going on?" she asked, a bit frightened by the ringing sounds.
"Don't worry, you'll get used to it, that card is yours from now on, it is the only thing that will allow you access into your new home".
She looked down at it, mesmerized by it's shiny texture and look, she was surprised by how heavy it felt in her hands, "My home…." she whispered, clutching the card in her hand tightly.
The elevator came to a stop, a final ring sounded out, "We're here". the doors parted open, she looked up from the card, standing frozen at the sight before her.
"T-this…...this is it?" she took her first step in, the place was humongous, the ceiling was higher compared to that of the lobby's, a spiraling staircase hovered above her and just ahead was a walk in patio and balcony completed with what she knew was a pool and hot tub from the sight. The furniture looked refined to the highest touch, black cherry, dark oak, white leather, gold stitching, a plasma tv the size of a theater screen was hanging from the wall while in the corner of the room was an ivory based piano, something even she knew May and Drew would love.
"It sure is, the lockharts own the entire upper section of the building, 6 whole floors to be exact, all of them built into this one giant palace, the place has 24 bedrooms, 27 restrooms, two living rooms, walk in patios, balconies, a home theater, a huge culinary kitchen, two dining rooms, a sun room, two libraries, one study, a basement and attic, an indoor and outdoor swimming pool, a spa, a gaming room, four home offices, a personal hair salon, as well as a tanning room, a weight and fitness room, and two indoor tennis courts". she looked over at the brunette who was still processing everything Veronica had said.
"I can't…...wow". she mumbled, unable to find the right words to say after hearing of the extravagant features within her new home.
"All of this, is now yours". she took another step forward, "Surprise!" she screamed and yelped, dropping to the floor in horror as confetti rained down on her, tiny streamers flew at her which were followed by pops.
"Oh sweetie…...she's perfect". she moved her arms from above her head, getting a clear full view of the people surrounding her. A middle aged man, seeming to be in his mid thirties was looking down at her, he had slicked back snow colored hair and ruby colored eyes, a hypnotic smile grazed his lips which suddenly made her fear wash away. He stood up, fixing his black suit as the beautiful woman beside him giggled, Leaf was entranced by her warm and comforting smile, the woman seemed just a bit younger than what the man would be, she had beautiful silky long raven colored hair and light gray colored eyes, she held her hand out to Leaf who took it, allowing herself to be helped up.
"Are you my…." she nodded, clasping her hands together joyfully while her husband chuckled.
"That's right! My sweet daughter!" she glomped onto Leaf, hugging her tightly as the brunette suddenly felt overwhelmed, why did she feel like crying? Was it because of her new life? The warm atmosphere, the loving attitude, or because she finally had a family to be with….or….was it because something was now going to be missing from her life.
She sighed contently, pulling away from Leaf just enough to face her, "I'm Regina, and this is my husband, William Lockhart, but you can call us mom and dad".
She looked at them both, how can such a beautiful and rich couple possibly want to adopt her? She felt lucky and blessed, unable to hold back anymore, she let her tears fall, quickly alarming the couple who looked at her worriedly.
"Oh, sweetie, what's the matter?" she stroked the brunette's hair, now cupping her cheek with the other, she felt the warm tears of the young girl run down her hand, not caring as she tried to comfort her.
"It's just…..I'm so happy…...I'm so happy….to finally have a family of my own…" she looked back at her husband who smiled warmly to Leaf's words, he crossed his arms, admiring the sight of how happy his wife seemed to be, now hugging their daughter.
His eyes quickly settled over to Veronica, he nodded, dismissing the short haired woman who went back into the elevator, watching the final scenes of the three before having the elevator doors close. He coughed, now grabbing both female's attentions, "Darling, I think you forgot something".
She twitched upon remembering what he meant, she took Leaf's hands and held her other one out towards the stairs where she could hear several footsteps coming down, "I almost forgot, Leaf, sweetie, meet your brothers". her heart began racing, siblings, she's never had them, all her previous families had no other kids, she was always there only child, sure she lived with many kids at the orphanage and they felt like family to her, but these were her new siblings starting from today onwards, she would be sharing the same last name with them, be living under the same roof, possibly attending the same school, this was the real deal and she didn't know how to feel about it.
The footsteps stopped, Regina sighed, while William rolled his eyes, "Boys". his voice remained calm, not strict, yet not lenient.
"This is stupid, why am I dressed like this". she was taken aback by the deep chilling voice that had said that.
"You're stupid, now stop making a fuss and hurry up". the other voice seemed more gentle and soothing.
"Shut up". the third voice was relaxed, more than what the other two had been.
The footsteps continued and she was quickly met with two boys, both of them neatly dressed up as if they were going out, however, her eyes were quickly drawn by how gorgeous they both were, they were like super models, stars, as if they could only exist in movies.
They seemed like high schoolers, the first one had carmine based hair that was spiked up, his eyes were brown yet light and warm upon gazing into them, he was taller than everybody in the room, he had a smile on his lips while holding his hand out to Leaf, she smiled back, grabbing his hand to shake it.
Regina giggled, "This is our first son, Lance, just like you, he too was adopted". he held her hand up to his lips and kissed them.
"Nice to meet you little sis". she could feel her entire body turn hot, the blushing on her cheeks became noticeable which had made the second brother laugh.
"Ugh, quit it, I'm totally grossed out right now". Regina groaned, she walked over to him and slapped him on the back of his head.
He frowned, quickly changing moods as he stared at Leaf madly, she wasn't sure about him, he seemed like an interesting person, yet something still felt off, he had snow colored hair just like his dad as well as his ruby colored eyes, he had a fanged tooth smile which had quickly sent chills spiraling down the brunette's spine.
"And this here is Zero, our youngest son, he's about your age so you two will be attending the same grade and school next semester". he had his arms crossed, staring Leaf down in an assertive and notorious manner, he didn't say anything, though she knew he had a lot to say by the look in his eyes.
"And…" she stopped, looking back and forth between Lance and Zero, she sighed once more, placing both hands on her hips, "For the love of…..where's your brother at?"
Lance and Zero pointed at each other, she rolled her eyes, "Your other brother!"
"Honey….." William held onto his wife and turned her attention back to the stairs where another figure was standing. Leaf peeked around them, finding another handsome boy standing not too far from where Lance and Zero had emerged from. To her, he had to be the most handsome of the three, the way his raven midnight colored hair blended perfectly with his bloody rose red eyes, it was enchanting, yet mysterious, but also seducing at the same time.
She grabbed Leaf's hand again, "This is Red, my second son and my first biological one, he's only a year older than you".
He took a few steps forward, stopping when he got in between Lance and Zero, she held her hand out to him, "H-hello…..I'm Leaf".
His eyes shifted over to her hand, then up to her own emerald colored ones, "I know…..and you've made the biggest mistake of your life by coming here Leaf". his voice was calm, yet cold and hurtful, she felt as if her chest had been pierced by a thin needle, why did his words suddenly remind her of the people she loved and left back in Sinnoh? She couldn't respond back, only able to stay still as he left, now heading up the stairs while his father followed after him.
"Red! What's the matter with you!"
"Just what you'd expect from satan himself". Zero chuckled, now taking his leave as well and heading up the stairs.
Lance frowned upon seeing Leaf's reaction, she dropped to her knees, now feeling too weak to be able to stand on her feet, he quickly reached down after her along with Regina, both of them held her by the sides, but she refused to look up, keeping her face towards the ground, he kept frowning, now worried about how badly his brothers words affected her, but he shook it off, now placing his hand on her head gently, "Hey…..don't mind what Red said, he's not mean, he's just difficult in expressing his feelings…..if you ask me, I'm glad to have a little sister to look after, instead of two crazy brothers".
She slowly turned up to his direction, a warm smile was raining down on her, she felt protected by him, automatically accepted, "Thank you". she hugged him tightly, startling the redhead who didn't expect it, yet he was happy to receive it.
Her adoptive mother watched from the other end, whispering contently to herself, "I'm so happy to have a daughter".
Zero had reached the top of the stairs, stopping when he saw Red leaning over the railing of the stairs, watching down on the scene below, "I thought dad-". he was quickly cut off by the raven haired boy.
"He's pretty gullible, he thinks I went straight to my room, It'll take him four floors before he realizes I'm not there". he rested his chin over his palm, resting his elbow on the railing while looking boredly down below.
Zero chuckled, now joining his brother as he watched along, "So what do you think of her?"
"My opinion doesn't really matter, I just know she's made a really big mistake".
Zero smirked, now gazing at Red from the corner of his eye deviously, "I think she's pretty, really pretty, in fact, it's hard to believe she's a mere orphan, but I think I can have fun with this".
Red closed his eyes, sighing quietly to himself as he stepped away from the rail, "It's a shame people can't realize the true nature of others, but not me, I can see who you really are, a wolf in sheep's clothing".
He shrugged, leaving a trail of laughter behind as he brushed by Red, "I can't help it, mom and dad brought home a girl, and a good one at that, she'll make an excellent addition to my toys and I'm going to play her until she wears out".
He watched as Zero got further and further away into the hall, now looking back to the stairs where he could hear the other's voices, he shook his head, "Just like all the others, you won't last long, you'll regret ever coming here, pretending to think of us as a loving family".
(Present time/ Leaf)
He released his grip on the brunette, standing calmly against the wall with his hands hidden within his pants pockets.
"Red!?" she exclaimed out loud, she was catching her breath, now trying to calm her rapidly beating heart, she took a few steps backwards, enough to keep a decent gap between the two.
He nodded, still standing towards the wall with his hands dug into his pockets, "What are you doing here? How did you find me? Better question…..Why…..why are you here?" she took a few more steps back, prompting the raven haired to now step towards her.
"Leaf…" he held his hand out towards her, but she flinched and backed even further against the wall, shaking her head along with a frightened expression.
"S-stop…...Red…...please….just go, just go and don't ever come back, I have nothing to do with you or the rest of those people…..please….". she clutched her head in between her hands, now breathing heavily again like earlier, the horrible memories from her past began cloaking her mind, torturing her instantly inside.
"I can't…..Leaf, I came for you because…..".
She looked up at him, worrying the raven haired boy who hesitated now whether he should say his next words, fearing he might cause her to crash from the news, but he sighed, now running his hand through his hair with a grim assertion, "...Because what". she asked, he sighed again, still hesitating.
"I came because I need to protect you!" he blurted out, her eyes widened from the intense tone behind it, he groaned beneath his breath, smacking his fist against the wall angrily and startling her.
"What are you talking about?" she asked, a twisted feeling suddenly rose up from her stomach, her throat felt clogged, she didn't know what was coming next and it was killing her little by little.
He grabbed onto her shoulders, now lowering his height so he would be able to be face to face with her, "He's back Leaf…..and he's coming to finish what he started".
"Ngh…" she couldn't take it, she let her emotions take over and collapsed to her knees, unable to stand, he caught her in his arms, now holding onto her as he also knelt down.
"He'll never give up….I can't…...I can't escape him…..". she began hyperventilating, sweat began trickling down her face, cold sweat, he watched as she got paler, now startling Red who was overwhelmed by her reaction.
"He has already been taking residence here in Sinnoh, according to my research, he's been living here for a couple of months now, he finished his oversea studies surprisingly early, yet, he didn't inform our parents about it and just decided to come here, I found it a bit strange….until I asked mom what was in Sinnoh and she mentioned your name and then everything started falling into place".
She shook her head, "So it was him…...all those messages and calls…..I thought they were cruel pranks by….by those…." she seethed her words out, "...those people…..but I was wrong…..all this time….he's been the one trying to contact me….he won't stop…. he never will". she clutched onto her hair, growing mad in rage, yet fear, the nightmare memories kept returning, something she knew she couldn't handle.
He scratched the back of his neck nervously, now worried that Leaf will really crack upon hearing his next news, "I…...the situation…" he sighed, "...it's worse this time….He's in disguise, he wants to make sure he can see you clearly, yet he will remain invisible to your eyes alone".
She stumbled, now tipping back against the wall while Red held her, "No…...no…. not again….Just how far will he take this game…. I can't do this all over again…..Please….." she whispered the final part softly, enough for only his ears to hear, he could see the fear build up within her eyes, the sadness, the sorrow, the pain, all of it he could detect from that one look.
"I ….I came as soon as I found out that he was here…..Leaf…...". he clutched onto her shoulders firmly, now staring into her eyes to give her a firm yet assuring and comforting gaze, "I will never let him lay another finger on you, mark my words, he'll pay for what he did, I'll protect you, because you are my family, more than he ever was…...I promise you, you're safe with me…..I'll do whatever it takes to protect you…...".
She looked at him with tear filled eyes, letting the warm liquid fall down her cheeks, she tackled him into a hug, burying her face into his sweater again.
He took in a deep breath, now staring up at the sky while releasing a hefty yet quiet sigh, whispering ever so lightly to himself, "...Because I love you".
(Present/May and Drew)
"You quit?" he looked at the small brunette who nodded, handing him a nicely folded envelope with a smile on her face.
"That's right, It was fun while it lasted sir, but I'm afraid I must focus on more important things in my life now". he sighed, now rubbing the back of his neck with a frown, he grabbed the envelope with his other hand and gave her a relentless smile.
"Well, I'm glad I had someone like you performing in my club, you were by far the best performer and I don't think I will ever be able to forget you". she hugged the man who was stunned by her action, but he hugged her back, chuckling to himself.
"Good luck in the future May, you have a beautiful voice, don't let it go to waste". she pulled away, now smiling again once more with a nod.
"Thank you, and I won't". she took one final glance at the stage, the stage she had been performing on for a long time, the stage it was time to say goodbye too, she took in a deep breath, now making her way to the exit.
She pushed the doors open, widening her smile upon seeing Drew waiting for her, he was leaning back against his car, returning the brunette a smile of his own. "Are you sure about this?" he asked, quirking his eyebrow in curiousness.
She nodded, running up to him and tackling him into a hug, he laughed at her childish act, but hugged her in return, enjoying the warm embrace of her petite body, "Yeah, I danced and sang on that stage to hide the person I really am, I wanted to escape my life and all the dark memories, and that stage helped me do it…...but not anymore, I have you with me now, I no longer have to hide from the past that we were both forced to follow".
She heard him sigh, now looking up to see that same solemn look on his face, "Drew…..what's wrong?"
He rubbed his hands up and down her arms soothingly, "There's one person I think we both need to have a talk with". he stopped and looked down at her, she gazed deep into his forest green eyes, eventually catching on to who he meant.
"Azalea". She whispered, narrowing her eyes along with Drew who scoffed at the sound of his step mother's name.
"But…..I thought last night-". she stopped when he shook his head, "She wasn't home, so I went out again to clear my head…..but now, It's time for the truth to come out, and I'm going to force it out of her, one way….or another". she was growing a bit worried from Drew's dark expression and iced cold tone, should she be worried? What was he capable of doing? Worst of all, would he really be thinking about doing something so stupid that it could ruin him?
"Drew…." she cupped both of his cheeks into her palms, bringing his attention back down to her, she gazed into his eyes again, smiling warmly as she pecked him on the lips causing him to flinch a bit from the cut he received when Max hit him, she kissed it again this time to soothe it down, "We'll do this together, Azalea can't hide the truth forever, once she sees me and you back together, she will know that there is nothing she can do now".
"You're right". he leaned down, kissing May this time who returned it. They parted, he opened the door for her to step into his car and closed it, now hurrying over to the other door.
"Ready to face the devil herself?" he smirked at May who playfully rolled her eyes, "I'm ready". she held onto his hand while he did the same, they both looked ahead, now taking in a deep breath as he sped off into the road.
He walked out from behind the next building, crossing his arms together in slight curiosity, "Those two seem much more closer than I expected, secrets, deep history…..but what…..even Max won't tell me what went on between those two….whatever, I'll figure it out on my own….". he looked down at the alley May had come out from, he followed it through and through until he came to a steel door.
"What is this?" he mumbled, knocking harshly against the cold steel surface, the peek hole slid open, revealing a pair of dark brown eyes, "Name?"
A smirk crossed his lips, "Brendan".
(Present/ Ash)
"What?! She took off? B-but…..we were supposed to do her hair today". she sighed, now taking a seat in the salon chair with a frown, Ash followed along as well, having the same expression.
"I know, but something was off about her today…..she wasn't acting like herself…..but why?" he leaned back into the chair, quickly rummaging through his pocket when he felt it vibrate.
"Hello?" he gazed at his mom from the corner of his eye, seeing that she had her eyes on him already, a grim and assertive expression crossed her immediately.
He didn't say anything, now making his way as far as he could from the older woman who sighed again, shaking her head as she watched her son slowly get farther away, "My sweet Ashy boy….when will this stop…"
"Tonight? Heh, you know I will….." a smirk was plastered across his lips upon hearing what they were saying on the other line, "...Throwing some kicks and punches sounds fun right about now, tell them I'll be waiting for them in the arena….oh, and let them know…...the Wild's King will show no remorse, whatever happens in the arena happens, so make sure to have an ambulance on standby…..for them that is". he ended the call on that, now turning his attention back to his mom who was talking with the stylist.
"Mom…." she spun around to him in the chair, now carrying that same smile.
"I found the perfect hairstyle for Misty! I know she's going to love it and so are you!" she hugged the catalog in her hands, becoming all giddy as she was tempted to show the style to Ash.
"That's great mom, but listen, I have to go somewhere right now, I probably won't be back home until later in the night so it won't be necessary to make dinner for me". he stroked a lock of her hair, flashing her a careless grin which made her frown.
"Ash…..don't, I won't let you go any further with this….this death trap, I know what you've been doing all this time, the fights, the Wild's tournament…...I- I won't stand for this any longer, I forbid you to go". everything remained silent, she was dumbfounded by his still standing grin, he followed it up with a light chuckle, now hugging the brunette who was more confused.
"I don't know what you're talking about mom, but I'll try not to be home too late, be careful on your way home, love ya". he kissed her on the cheek, now making his way out of the salon while leaving a close to breaking Delia.
She shook her head, now wiping the sudden tears from her welling eyes, "Out of control…...Ash is truly the Wild's King….oh Misty…...you're the only I know who can help him".
(Present/Gary)
"Ivy!" he stormed through the front door, sparking the older woman to hurry down the stairs with a panicked expression.
"Gary?! What's wrong? Why are you here? L-leaf isn't here, and all the children are asleep". she stopped at the last step, now holding onto the rail as she waited for his answer.
"I came to talk to you about this!" he held up the file in his hand, dropping it to the floor and prompting Ivy to reach down for it.
"What is it?" she flipped through the pages, stopping midway to look back up at him.
"That's Leaf's personal file, I hired a private investigator to dig into every aspect of her life and the lockharts and…." he stopped, now turning his head to the side as he looked down with a serious face.
"...and?" she asked, anxiously waiting for his response.
He snapped his head over to the brunette who flinched from his mad staring eyes, "It's worse than we imagined…...did you know she spent an entire year inside Blackthorne sanitarium?"
She gasped, dropping the file to the floor and letting it's pages scatter about the surface, "W-what?! N-no….that can't be true…Blackthorne sanitarium is the world's biggest and dangerous mental hospital….it just can't be true…".
He nodded, "But it is…..an entire year….. She spent an entire freaking year inside that hell hole!" she flinched from the strong emotion in his screaming, he slammed his fist against the wall, causing her to jolt at the crackling sound.
He sighed this time, now placing his arm against the wall and resting his head on it, "You know what else I discovered"?
"W-what…" she took a step closer, only to stop when she realized she was stepping on some of the papers.
"Leaf isn't there only adopted daughter…..they have more, way before she came into the picture…..they've adopted in other regions all across the world….but for some strange reason, all of their daughters have resided back into their hometowns, as if preferring to stay in there orphanages rather than with them". he turned his head over to Ivy who seemed shocked to core by the news, she stumbled to the side, trying to keep herself in tact after hearing what he just told her.
He held onto the older woman who was still in a loss of words, "Ivy…..Leaf is in danger, I looked up all of the members of the Lockhart family and found out that there youngest son is here in Sinnoh, he's been taking residence here for several months now, not only that, but I haven't been able to locate the whereabouts of the second son…..and something inside me is telling me that he just might be somewhere close by as well".
"W-what do we do?" she grabbed him by the shirt, staring up at Gary with a fear stricken expression, worrying deeply for Leaf who she hadn't seen since the morning she left for school.
"I have to find her". he grabbed her hands, giving the brunette a firm yet reassuring look before taking off, slamming the doors behind him and speeding off with his car.
(Present/ Dawn/Misty)
"Names?"
"Dawn and Misty". he stared at them both, drawn by the edgy outfits they both wore, Misty had blue waist shorts that went down to her mid thigh and had a white sleeveless ruffled top on with ankle length boot heels that were colored blue and had open toes. Dawn had a glittery silver sequin top on with light pink colored skinny jeans that were cut at ankle length, she wore hot pink kitty heels with them.
"I can't believe you keep clothes like this in your locker". mumbled the redhead through a clenched jaw, growing uncomfortable by how much the bouncer kept staring.
"You never know when it calls for an emergency". replied Dawn in the same manner, she widened her toxic smile, giving a quick wink to the bouncer who smirked, nodding his head in approval and removing the rope to allow both girls into the entrance.
"You're good". giggled Misty, she shrugged nonchalantly, mumbling to herself, "In a world where you have nothing, you might as well make the most use of your beauty and brains to get what you need".
"Is that it?" Misty didn't notice of Dawn's words, being more focused as they approached a large double steel door at the end of the dark hallway.
"Yup….behind those doors lies the world of the Wild's….where anything can go and rules don't exist". Misty stopped, now feeling weird from within, Dawn continued on, pushing the doors wide open to reveal what was behind to the redhead.
"Welcome to the Wild's tournament". her jaw slowly began dropping, she walked little by little towards it, being blinded by the intense lighting.
"...Wow….". she whispered, gazing about the warehouse, endless seats and rows for a huge audience, a giant ring was in the center of the place, occupied by two males who were fighting. She took notice of the people in the audience, there was something about them, something intimidating, they cheered, applauded, and screamed as if this was the most interesting thing in the world.
"These people…". muttered Misty, sticking close with Dawn who leaned her head close to Misty who would be able to hear her better.
"These are the elites of the business world….they created the Wild's tournament as a way of having their own form of special entertainment apart from the rest of the world, they gamble on amateur fighters, and whoever stands above all, the Wild's King, is rewarded heavily with every victorious match…...it's just like I said, this place, it's another world from our own, everything goes, and people will risk whatever they have to be the King, girls and boys, they will tear at each other's throats and it will only be a show to these people".
She didn't have the words for what Dawn had just said, was Ash really like these people? Was he really the dominant fighter among all, the King, the ruler of the ring? Was he really this stupid to let himself become a toy to these people?
"Hey there ladies, need some company?" she was snapped from her thoughts, looking up at the two men who were invading their space. She felt Dawn clutch onto her arm, seeming worried about who these men could be, they were young, but definitely not around there age, maybe around their mid twenties, but the sight of their luxury suits had given their status away, they were definitely of high power, something both girls weren't prepared to deal with.
"No thank you". Dawn faked a smile, one of them continued staring at her, as if he was entranced and already attracted to her, he returned her a smile, now grabbing her arm firmly.
"Nonsense, a beautiful girl like you should have the best seat in the house, and it just so happens that I have my very own box up front, what do you say?" he began pulling her towards his side, parting both girls away who tried holding onto each other.
"I have my own box too, why don't you join me?" she looked down at where the other man had his hand on her arm, now pulling her away as well. She looked at Dawn who seemed calm but could tell that she was secretly frightened inside as well.
"Troublesome and Tomboy, what do you think you're doing?" they all stopped, she looked back at where Paul was at, now standing a few inches behind her, he was different like last time, having dress pants and a grey dress shirt on with his hair neatly slicked back.
"Paul….what are you doing here?" she was surprised by how quickly her arm was let go, Misty rushed to her side, also shocked by how the other man released her.
"It's Paul Shinji, our apologies sir, we didn't realize that these girls were with you". they continued staring back and forth between Paul and the two males who seemed as if they were frightened, but also in angst as they were met face to face with Paul.
"What are they talking about?" asked Misty, looking up at Paul who shrugged, smirking at the same time both men went there own way.
"Paul….." Dawn spun around, now standing in front of the purple haired male who looked down at her.
"...What are you doing here? Why did you follow us?" she frowned.
He scoffed, shoving both of his hands into his pockets, "Stop thinking the world revolves around you, I came here because this is my territory".
"What are you talking about?" she crossed her arms this time, suspicious on whether he was telling the truth or not.
"It's the Wild's King!" Misty searched around, waiting to find Ash only to be shoved aside when Paul was surrounded by a large crowd.
"No way! It's the legendary Wild's King!"
"Paul! I haven't seen you in a while, ever planning on getting back in the ring?"
"We've missed you out there on the ring Paul!"
"I'm not the Wild's king anymore". his voice and tone said he was annoyed by the large crowd, yet they seemed more than excited to see him.
"You'll always be the true King of the Wild's, no matter what, nobody could ever bring so much suspense into a match like you".
"Dawn, I need to find Ash, I'll meet back up with you in a bit". Dawn was hesitant, not wanting to be separated from the redhead who was already disappearing behind the large crowd.
"Well well what's this?" she was yanked beside Paul, being placed next to him as the crowd fonded over the two.
"Is that your girlfriend?"
"No".
"Is she the reason you decided to release your title as King?"
"No".
"She's really pretty, is she a model?"
"No".
"Can I ask her out then"?
"No".
"But you just sai-".
"No".
He was getting more and more irritated, ready to explode, Dawn quickly hooked her hand with Paul's, he looked at their joint hands with wide eyes and then over at Dawn who was flashing the crowd of fans and jealous females a winning smile, "Paul's such a kidder, of course we're dating! He's just too shy to admit it, sweetie….." she faced him upwards.
He growled under his breath, "Yes?"
"Why don't we take our seat?"
"Great! You can sit next to us for the match!" she was led forcefully to where they had wanted them seated. She was placed beside Paul who was already being showered with extravagant service from the waiters.
"Only the best for you Mr. Shinji". he held a silver tray out in front for Paul, stocked with cigars, cigarettes, and champagne glasses filled with liquor.
He shook his head, "I don't smoke anymore and I'm not in the mood for a drink".
The people around him gasped, "You quit smoking?"
Everything was silent afterwards, but she took notice of how Paul's eyes were only settled onto her, a smirk slowly curving up onto the left side of his lip, "Someone once told me that smoking was bad".
"It was you! Wasn't it?!" they all turned their attention over to Dawn who became overwhelmed by the eyes and stares everyone gave her.
"So what if it was her? Either way, I was the one who decided to quit, so leave it alone". his voice was so demanding and dominant that it had piped everyone down.
"Paul…." she gazed at him from the corner of her eye, becoming a bit entranced by how he defended her, she could only continue staring at him while his eyes were settled up on the match in front of them. Paul had really grown, he was a young man, serious and mature, with a grown stature and physical build, why was she finding herself stuck in the same situations as him now? Was it fate trying to tell her something? Either way, she couldn't get rid of the tingly feeling growing in her chest.
But an even bigger concern took over her mind, "Where's Misty?"
"Where do you think you're going?" she was stopped by another bouncer who was blocking the entrance to the fighter's locker rooms.
"I need to see a friend, he's competing tonight". she stared at him firmly, hoping the man knew she was being serious.
"Sorry, but only fighters are allowed into the room". he kept his arms crossed, now puffing his chest out to intimidate the redhead who fell for it.
"Excuse me". she spun around, finding herself standing not too far from a beautiful girl who resembled a porcelain doll.
"I-i'm sorry". she exclaimed, stepping aside to let the short wavy haired honey blonde pass by, she held a bouquet of flowers in her arms, wearing a cutesy pink floral dress, she seemed excited about something by the look in her gleaming baby blue eyes.
The guard smiled upon seeing the petite girl "Welcome Ms. Kensington, what brings you here tonight?"
"Hi there Liam, I'm here to see the Wild's King, would you mind letting him know that Serena is here?" she kept her serene smile up towards the man who blushed, complying with her favor as he went back into the room, in search of the king.
"Wild's King? D-do you mean…..Ash?" Misty spoke out, causing the short haired girl to quickly turn to her with a stunned expression.
"How do you know Ash?" she asked, stepping towards Misty who somewhat regretted saying his name.
"W-who are you? and how do you know Ash?" Misty pointed at her, trying to reverse roles and proceed in doing the questioning now.
She took notice of how Serena held tighter onto her flowers, now having a solemn expression as she confronted Misty face to face, "My name is Serena Kensington, I'm Ash's girlfriend".
Ok so that is where I will end this chapter, I hope you guys all liked it and I hope to update my other stories as soon as I can, please let me know what you all thought of it and I'll be sure to get back to you all very soon. If you have any questions, please feel free to message me and I'll get back to you as well, until then!