Bonds that Unite...

Chapter 14 – Bonds that Unite...

Ash left the building; his faithful companion Pikachu following behind him. He walked without any particular destination in mind, his hands still in his jeans pockets, looking at the ground as he walked. He couldn't get the picture of Gardevoir just lying there on the cold, hard ground, completely beaten to within an inch of her life. That image would be added to the already long list of things that would haunt him for the rest of his life, but he knew that this particular memory, along with a few others, will eat away at his soul if he let it.

"Pikapi?"

Ash stopped walking and glanced at the yellow mouse.

"Yes Pikachu?"

"Pikapi, chu pika pi pi pika chu chu pikachu pi pi pika kachu."

"Thanks buddy. I know it's not my fault. I just can't help feel terrible though. I mean, I did promise her that I would keep her safe, since the first day we meet." Ash looked up at the now dark sky, seeing a few stars as he thought about the day they found her in the middle of the forest, abandoned.

"Pi pi pi chu kachu pika pik kachu pik pikachu!"

"You're right; I can't control what happens all the time. I can only do my best in whatever situation I'm in and hope it's good enough."

"Pika pi pi pika pik kachu pikachu pika pi."

"Nobody's perfect and that's the only thing anyone can ask of someone you say? Hmmm….Pikachu you're becoming wiser than your years. Have you been hanging out with Mewtwo and Alakazam again?"

Ash yelped a little as a small shock was sent at him.

"Okay, okay, that was all you," chuckled Ash. Pikachu jumped onto his shoulder and nuzzled his cheek.

"Thanks bud for always standing by my side. Except for when you stand by Misty's side, you little traitor," joked Ash. Pikachu frowned at the insult and shocked Ash again. They both ended up laughing.

"Pikapi, pi pi pika kachu pika pi pi pikachupi pi pika pi."

"That's right I forgot! We'll go get the girls their hair clips. And we'll get one more for Gardevoir as well. What do you think buddy?"

"Pika!" Pikachu cheered while nodding his head.

"Alright then let's go get those gifts. Hopefully the arcade is still open." Ash sprinted towards the arcade, Pikachu holding onto him so he won't fly off.

Back at the pokémon center, in an empty room, six girls stepped inside it and sat around the circle table. The pink haired nurse spoke up once everyone sat down.

"Thanks for agreeing to come here with me girls. I wanted to talk to you about Ash, about what Iris talked about back at the arcade before things went out of control. If you allow me too, I want to help you and give you advice."

"That's very kind of you Joy, thank you," smiled May.

"Yes, your help would be appreciated," added Serena.

"Thanks Joy. But I have to ask, how do you plan to help us?" asked Misty and Dawn tilted her head.

"Well, I'll tell you a secret, but first can I ask you some questions? If you let me, no matter what I ask, you must answer truthfully. I believe having this talk with all of you here will keep everyone from lying or leaving things out."

"And I can tell if you try to lie, so didn't even attempt it!" warned Iris.

"How so Iris?" asked Joy, intrigued.

"I was taught how to tell when someone is lying back in my village as the elders thought it would come in handy when traveling the world," explained Iris.

"Impressive," complimented Joy. "So stick to the truth alright girls?"

The girls nodded.

"Okay. My first question is this; do you love Ash?"

The four girls practically yelled as they answered "Yes" at the same time, with slightly annoyed looks on their faces, which Joy picked up on. Iris giggled at their outbursts.

"I knew your answer would be that already but had to be asked. Okay, don't answer unless I point at you." She pointed at Misty. "Why do you love Ash?"

Misty blinked. "Why? No words can fully explain why. But if you need to hear something, fine. It's because he's the first person who actually liked me for me. He didn't care that I was some tomboyish girl who was scared of bugs and when he met my sisters, he didn't push me aside to go for them as others have done, and he opened my eyes to viewing the world his way, with wonder and enthusiasm. He has risked his life so many times for me, helped me reach for my own dreams and goals as well, and he can hold his own in an argument with me. There's much more but that's enough out of me for now."

Joy nodded as she accepted her answer. She then pointed at May.

"Is there anyone in the world you would replace Ash with if given the chance? I mean anyone."

May's soft expression turned hard. "No." Joy cocked her eyebrow. "No, I will not! I have travelled around the world and met many wonderful people but I will not trade Ash for anyone. Even for multiple people. Even if they were rich, powerful and famous! Nobody will ever match his enormous caring attitude, his unwavering loyalty to his friends and family, or his other great qualities. He is perfect in my eyes and always will be."

Satisfied with her answer, she pointed at Dawn now.

"While Ash was away, did you find comfort in another's arms and would you wait for him again?"

Dawn glared at Joy. "No." Joy narrowed her eyes. "I did not, not even for a second! I didn't even think of such a thing! I may have gossiped about other cute guys but that's it! If it's one thing I know about Ash is that he always comes back, no matter what! I would not have, and will never betray him like that. I haven't and won't do anything to make me feel good that would cause him any kind of pain. I would never do such a thing, or even think about it. And I will wait for him again and again, no matter how many times it takes for us to be together or until he picks someone."

Pleased with what she heard, Joy now pointed at Serena.

"Is there anything about Ash that you would change? Anything at all?"

Serena smiled. "No. I wouldn't change anything about him. From his birthmarks, to his aura, to his insatiable hunger for pokémon, adventures and food. Everything about him makes him who he is and I won't ever try to turn him into something he isn't for my tastes. I hope he doesn't change himself for anyone else either because what he has, what he is and does for others, is unique. I haven't seen that in anyone else and even if I do see something similar, even if it's the same, somehow it won't be."

Joy smiled at her answer.

"Okay. I could tell that each of your answers came from the heart and that you weren't lying. What about you Iris? Did you pick up on something I missed?"

"No, I could tell that they were all telling the truth as I didn't see any signs of them of lying," replied Iris, giving the four a smile.

"Thank you for being honest with me. I hope you continue doing so as it will get harder. Now, what would you do if and when Ash picked one of you or some other girl? Will you allow him and his choice to live happily ever after or would you try to sabotage it for your own benefit?"

"As much as I would miss him and would hate that I'm not with him, I will not do anything to jeopardize his happiness," Misty said without hesitation.

"I would never forgive myself if I even thought about doing such a thing. I would respect his decision," answered May with pride.

"I will be there to help him out anyway I could if he needed it as a friend. It would be hard but I'd rather have him in my life than without," revealed Dawn, not embarrassed at all.

"Ash would never do such a thing; trade in somebody else's happiness for his own. How could I love him and do just that? No, I wouldn't even dream of it. I will leave him to be happy," replied Serena.

Joy smiled at their answers. She knew that they were in love with him, but didn't think they would be so mature about it at such young ages. They were barely young adults yet wiser beyond their years. Perhaps it was their time of traveling together and experiencing many things that forged such incredible connections between them. Maybe they do have the necessary bonds and strength to do what very few are capable of?

"I must say, I am impressed with your answers. And so far I haven't felt even the slightest feeling of deceit from you. Iris, you feel the same way still, correct?"

Iris nodded, with a slight blush for being put on the spot suddenly. The girls smiled at each other, knowing very well that they all meant what they said.

"Good. Now this is one of the most important questions. What if he loves each of you the same amount but can't choose but doesn't want to leave you, what would you do then?"

Joy alternated looking at their faces, Iris doing the same. The girls glanced at each other. After a moment, the four girls shook their heads.

"You don't know what to do if it comes to that?" asked Joy. They shook their heads.

"Would you battle it out in a pokémon battle? In a contest? Draw straws? Leave Ash?"

Again the girls shook their heads "no" for each question, even yelled "no" when asked about leaving Ash. Joy was quite pleased with herself at this point. She was leading them to where they wanted to be, but were afraid to admit it. Just a little bit more.

"Okay….Would you share Ash if he was open and comfortable to it?"

The four girls snapped their eyes onto Joy, each with an unreadable expression on their face, making Joy feel a bit weird but she held her gaze at them. Iris's eyes widened at the question and the reactions of the girls. Slowly the four girls turned to look at each other then blushed.

"Wait…did you talk about this before?" asked Joy, understanding dawning on her. Iris's jaw dropped.

"Well, not exactly," answered Serena finally after a few moments of silence.

"You see, before Ash revealed himself, when he was disguised as Solid, the first day, we were in one of the rooms and Dawn started asking us questions about what we would do if and when he came back," explained Misty.

"Since he disappeared, we four started spending more time together as we went looking for Ash but couldn't find him. Later on, we were helping each other cope without him as we lived out our lives. As a result, we became very close and noticed that even though we had different goals in life, we still shared many similarities, an obvious one being in love with Ash," explained Serena.

"Since we each loved him and couldn't forget about him, I wanted to know what we would do once he came back. I asked some similar questions to yours and one of the last ones I asked was what if he couldn't pick, would we leave him, just stay friends or share him?" added Dawn.

"All the questions Dawn asked made us think about it some but we decided to hold off until the day came that he's back. We did however agree a long time ago that when he did come back, that we would find a time to tell him how we feel and to see if he felt the same with each of us or not, who he would pick or what would happened after," finished May.

"I see. Well, again I am impressed. Well, would any of you feel bad if you were in a five way relationship with Ash?"

The girls were shocked at the blunt question, but soon recovered themselves. The glanced at each other, then each stared in a different point on the room. After several long minutes, one by one they looked at Joy again.

"Well?" Joy looked at them. Nobody talked. She then pointed a finger at Misty. "Spill it."

Misty blushed furiously. "Honestly, at first I thought it would be crazy to even think about something like that, believing in the happily ever after couple thing. Especially since I had to share everything with my sisters, getting hand me downs. I thought that I would one day find my own true love and it would be just mine alone. But with Ash, nothing is simple, and these three are my best friends and are more like my sisters. Ash befriended them, saw something good in them, and since I know how much they love Ash and care for him, the same as me, I wouldn't give it a second thought while being in a relationship with Ash, with them sharing him as well."

Misty finished with an even redder face than when she started. She moved her head, staring at the wall, not looking at anyone after she finished speaking. The other girls started at Misty for a moment before Dawn piped in.

"You know, I was thinking along the same thing as you Misty." Misty looked at her. "If…If Ash loves each of us but can't choose, and we each love him then isn't that enough? Why must some of us lose in order for another to be happy? We can all win in the game of love!" Dawn beamed at everyone when she finished giving her point.

"You two took the words right out of my mouth," giggled May. "Though I must say, if it were between me and some other girls, especially ones I didn't know, I wouldn't back down and wouldn't let them just take Ash. I would do almost anything to win him over."

"I'm not as experienced about what goes on in the world as some of you, since I started traveling around at a much later age than you three," started off Serena. They looked at her, causing her cheeks to go pink. "But I used to think things were a certain way, and that was it. But this here, it doesn't feel bad or wrong even though it's completely different than what I used to believe and think. In fact, it feels right and it feels like this was the answer all along, doesn't it?" The three girls smiled at her and nodded.

"Well, that's if Ash doesn't like one of you more than the other or doesn't have another girl in mind," clarified Iris. The girls all sighed. Iris had a point.

"Well, the good news is that you all know what you will do with whatever scenario plays out. You are prepared to deal with them and honestly, I hope the best case scenario plays out for you five, just like it did for my sisters." Joy clasped her hands together and stared at the wall dreamily.

"Ah Joy, are you okay? And what did you mean about your sisters?" asked Serena. Joy shook out of her daze when May tapped her shoulder.

"Sorry. Oh right. Here's the secret I was going to tell you girls."

Joy motioned for the girls to get closer, which they complied, leaning in closer.

"You all know who Bruno is right?"

They nodded.

"And you know my sisters right?"

They nodded again.

"Well, three of my sisters are in a relationship with Bruno, they know about it, and they are pretty happy with what they got going on."

The five girls all gasped and clapped their hands to their mouths.

"No way! Really Joy?" Iris couldn't believe it.

"Yup. Funny thing is they started kind of like you four and Ash. Bruno spent some time with each of them as he traveled the world and fell in love with all three of them but didn't know how to tell them and couldn't pick. My sisters also fell in love with him and couldn't give him up. Strangely enough, the four of them bumped into each other one day and soon they talked about how they felt. They decided to give it a shot and now they've been together for several years and planning a marriage ceremony of some kind that deals with this kind of thing. Funny how things work out in the end huh?" Joy finished her story with her eyes sparkling, losing herself for a moment before regaining her senses.

"Wow. It actually worked out? They never fought or thought that Bruno spent more time or gave more attention to one over the other?" asked May.

"Nope. Well at first it wasn't too bad since all four of them had to go back to their respective jobs in different places so whenever Bruno traveled around, he made sure to visit each one of my sisters and spent the same amount of time with each of time as well as treating each of them the same."

"That's good. But what did you mean at first?" asked Dawn.

"Well after the four of them decided to live together and see how it would go, things got a little bumpy." Joy's cheeks turned pink.

"Bumpy how?" asked Misty but Joy didn't say anything.

"Oh c'mon Joy, please tell us?" pleaded Serena. Joy took a breath and answered.

"Well, it got bumpy at first because they weren't used to seeing each other being with Bruno. Of course they knew what was going on, but seeing it was different. It caused them to be jealous a bit and started some fights here and there when each of my sisters was trying to be intimate with him." All the girls blushed madly when she talked about them being intimate. "After the first couple weeks of trying to one up each other, they decided to come up with some rules that they agreed on. Once they did, they told Bruno about it and the four decided that they would follow the rules so nobody felt betrayed or left out."

"What sorts of rules?" asked Serena. The five girls' eyes were wide with curiosity.

"I'm not too sure of all the details. Mind you, it's been a while since they got together. Almost five years now so I only remember a couple of their rules they agreed on. One was if any of my sisters and he started flirting, teasing, playing or becoming intimate with each other, no matter who started it, or where it was in the house, the rest would not get jealous or try to stop it. The other one I know of is if one of them did get intimate with him, then she would have to wait for her turn again after the others got a turn. Those are the two I remember, since they were the most important. Oh, wait I just remembered another one. The last rule I remember is that they agreed that what they did together was their own business and told no one of how they lived and why. People saw them together but they never explained their reasons as to why with more than that they love each other and are happy."

"Those are some pretty good rules to help them keep the peace and happiness up. But even without the last one, it really isn't other people's business who is with who and how many they are with if everyone involved knows what's going on and are happy with it," said Iris, crossing her arms.

The four girls smiled at Iris after hearing what she said and then glanced at each other and nodded. They would do the same if that's what lay in store for them for they trusted each other and knew how much each of them loved the raven haired trainer. Joy looked positively thrilled that the girls were all on the same page.

Now, I just need to speak with Ash, thought Joy.

"Okay girls. Thank you for allowing me to discuss this with you. I hope my advice and my sisters' example helps you in your love lives. I believe no matter what happens, you all will be fine as you have strong bonds and are good at heart. Now, let's go back to the others before they think we left them."

The girls giggled and got up, pushing their chairs back under the circular table, got out of the room and went back to rejoin the others.

"What took you so long?" asked Max as he saw his sister and the rest of the girls coming back.

"Don't worry about it Max. Don't you know girls like to gossip for hours?" chuckled Gary. Brock, Richie and Cilan sweat dropped.

"What did you say, Oak?" May asked as she punched one hand into the other.

"Ah nothing, nothing! Just saying glad you all are okay!" replied Gary, waving his hands in front of him.

"Good. Glad you're starting to show some concern for your friends," said Iris.

"Yea whatever." Gary rolled his eyes. The other guys sighed in relief.

"You were gone for a while though. Everything okay?" asked Richie, looking at Joy a little longer than he did at the other girls. Joy's cheeks turned pink for a split second, which no one caught.

"Yea, we're fine. Just had to talk about some things," said Serena, saving Joy from talking as she waved her hand in the air.

"Ah ha! So you were gossiping!" Gary pointed his finger at the girls. The guys face palmed and the girls fell over anime style. Misty got up holding her mallet first, with May standing up next, bumping her fists together. The rest of the girls got up, angry faces looking at the researcher. Gary sweat dropped.

"Gary, when will you learn to shut your mouth?" Richie shook his head.

"Hey guys. I see Gary said something stupid again."

Everyone turned around to Ash standing at the end of the hallway, Pikachu on his shoulder. They both looked to be much happier than before. He moved closer to them and when he reached them, Misty spoke.

"I wouldn't talk Ash," joked Misty. "You say stupid things all the time."

"Do not!"

"Do too!"

"Do not!"

"Do too!"

"Should we stop this?" asked Joy, a little concerned.

"Nah, it's how they are. They'll stop soon enough. If you get involved then they'll gang up on you. It's kind of their thing," finished Brock. Everyone chuckled in agreement. Joy nodded and relaxed.

"Do not!"

"Do too!"

"Alright, you win."

"Do too! Wait, what?" Misty couldn't believe what she just heard.

"Like I said, you win. Just wanted to get you going for a bit. I miss these play fights with you."

Ash smiled as Misty's mouth remained open, her cheeks turning red as Ash took his hat back from her and placed it on his head. The group glanced at each other in surprise. They weren't expecting that. Ash waved his hands in front of Misty's face, but got no response. He turned to look at Serena.

"Serena, can you watch over her for a second? I have to talk with the guys for a moment."

Serena agreed and while she attempted to get Misty out of her trance, Ash motioned for the guys to follow them.

"What's up Ash?" asked Cilan.

"This is what's up." Ash took out a wrapped up item he had hidden under his shirt. The guys' eyes widened. Ash opened it and took out the different colored flower hair clips. He gave a pink one to Richie, purple one to Cilan and before he could even touch the other ones, Brock spoke.

"Don't even think about it Ash."

"What do you mean?"

"The purple one you gave to Cilan for Iris, and we saw how Richie and Joy got along and understand the pink one you gave him. The others, red, brown, blue and yellow are for the other four girls right? Well, you should be the one who gives it to them, as they missed you a lot." Ash blushed before he glanced at the others and they all nodded.

"Okay, thanks guys. Let's go."

The group of guys went back to the girls. Brock, Gary and Max were walking in front of Ash, Cilan and Richie. The girls glanced up at them and tilted their heads in confusion as they saw them all grinning.

"What's so funny?" asked May. They didn't say anything.

"Why are you all acting like a bunch of kids?" questioned Iris.

"This is why, my little monkey." Cilan stepped forward, his hands behind his back. When he reached her, he brought his hands forward, holding the beautiful purple flower hair clip. Iris gasped as she took it and squeaked in delight as she kissed Cilan before hugging him.

"Oh thank you Cilan! I love it!" The girls smiled at the cute couple.

"Ah, excuse me, Joy?" said Richie, a little nervous.

"Yes Richie?"

"This is for you as well." Richie pulled out the pink flower hair clip from the inside of his jacket and held it out for Joy.

"Oh my. Why thank you Richie!" exclaimed Joy and hugged Richie, causing him to blush.

"Aww!" cooed the four remaining girls.

Ash cleared his throat as he stepped in front of the four girls. Everyone turned to him and he turned red.

"I have something for you four as well."

Ash's eyes glowed with a slight blue. Up close, seeing his eye color change, made the girls take in sharp breathes. They knew that he is an Aura Guardian, but still weren't used to it. Four aura covered blue spheres came up from behind him and each one went towards one of the girls, floating gently down into their open outstretched hands. The blue spheres faded away at the same time revealing his gift to each of them; red flower hair clip for Misty, a brown one for May, a blue one for Dawn and a yellow one for Serena. The four girls stared at the gifts.

"Show off," muttered Gary while Ash ignored him. The others chuckled.

"I hope you like them." He scratched the back of his head as he continued talking, a little anxious since they didn't react at all. "It's not much but I hope you-oouf!" Ash was knocked down to the floor as four girls tackled him at the same time. Pikachu jumped away just in time to avoid the tackles.

"We love it! Thank you Ash!"

"Can't….breathe…" gasped Ash from underneath the four girls.

"Hey girls, c'mon let him breathe." Brock said as he pulled Misty off of Ash. Gary, Richie and Cilan pulled the other three off. Ash sat up on the floor, breathing heavily.

"Thanks guys. Shit!" suddenly Ash started checking his pockets for something. "Don't tell me it…." he pulled out a small green box and opened it. Inside was a green flower hair pin. It was in perfect condition. "Oh thank Arceus…" The four girls then helped him back up. "Thanks."

"Let me guess, for Gardevoir?" Ash looked at Iris and nodded. "How sweet."

"Aww!" cooed the rest of the girls again.

"I think she's awake now Ash. You should go in," said Joy.

Ash nodded and went inside the room, Pikachu on his shoulder again, green box in hand. The group watched from the room window. They saw Ash and Lucario look at each other for barely a second before they nodded and shook hands as they heard a muffled "Thank You" come out of Ash. The raven haired trainer then moved towards Gardevoir and sat down on a chair next to her bed. Gardevoir opened her eyes slowly. The group pressed their ears against the glass to hear them better.

"Hey Gardevoir. Are you feeling better?" Gardevoir smiled.

"Yes, a little better. I hope you are as well?"

Ash nodded. "Yes. I've got my head and heart back in order, thanks to Lucario and our amazing friends outside the room who are eavesdropping on us."

The three of them laughed in the room and the group hurriedly stopped pressing against the glass. A second later the door opened. Lucario grinned and then beckoned them inside.

"Nice try guys," smirked Ash.

"Sorry." The group answered together. The three chuckled. Ash turned to Gardevoir.

"Gardevoir, I wanted to thank you for giving it your all, for protecting the girls. But I'm sorry for not being there for you. I guess I cannot promise to always protect you from everything, but I can promise to do my best. I hope that is good enough for you."

"That's all I ever wanted Ash. Thank you for being proud of me and for accepting me in your family. I will always stand by your side, no matter what."

"Thank you Gardevoir. I have a gift for you. I hope you like it."

Ash handed her the small green box. Gardevoir took the gift with weak hands and slowly opened it. She stared at the gift and then pulled it out.

"It's beautiful! Thank you! I love it! Would you mind putting it on my hair for me?"

"I would love to but I would probably hurt you," laughed Ash. "I'm not good with such things." Ash turned to the girls. "Would one of…."

Before he finished, Misty stepped forward and asked Gardevoir if she would allow her to do the honors. Gardevoir smiled and nodded. Misty took the green flower hair pin and gently placed it in her hair and clipped it. She then picked up a nearby mirror from the counter and showed Gardevoir her reflection. Gardevoir's smile grew very wide.

"It's perfect! I love it so much! Thank you Misty! Thank you Ash!" Gardevoir gestured for them both to come near and the three of them hugged. Gardevoir had tears in her eyes. Pikachu started cheering for them. The group couldn't help but have happy expressions on their faces over what they were seeing.

"Anything for you Gardevoir. You're part of the family and I'll do anything for my family," said Ash as he and Misty released her.

"There is something I want you to do for me," said Gardevoir slowly.

"Anything. Just tell me." Ash responded without hesitation. Gardevoir looked into his eyes.

"Win this tournament. Show the world how strong you have become."

Ash looked at her for a second, and then smiled.

"I promise."

Gary leaned over to Richie so he can whisper to him.

"You're completely fucked now. You know that right?" Only Joy and Brock heard Gary's whisper and both waited to hear Richie's response.

Richie just smiled. "I don't mind losing to strong trainers, especially if they are my friends. But I'm not planning on losing and it won't be an easy win for him either."

Joy looked at him with wonder, respect and admiration as her feelings for the man increased. Lucario and Ash talked for a bit, Lucario repeating that he will stay by Gardevoir's side and Ash agreeing to leave to go rest for the tournament. Ash told Gardevoir that he would visit her in the morning before going to the opening of the tournament and she agreed. The raven-haired trainer nodded at the group and left with Pikachu on his shoulder, heading back up to his suite. The rest followed him, leaving behind Gardevoir, Lucario and Joy, who decided to go home as well and told them all goodnight.

They group got into their room and Ash bade them goodnight before heading into his room. Pikachu jumped off his shoulder, landed on the ground and followed Misty and May to their room as he approached his room door.

"Traitor."

Ash shook his head slightly while chuckling. He heard the two girls playing with Pikachu before stepping into his room and closed the door. Ash got into bed after changing into his pajamas and instantly fell asleep.