Enter The Skull Brothers...

(Warning from this chapter onwards there will be Mature and Gruesome Content so Parental Permission is adviced if your not ready for it. I will NO LONGER WARN YOU SPECIFICALLY if the chapter contains violence, language, gruesome descriptions, blood, sadistic details, torture, alcohol/drug references, sexual situations [good or bad], lemons, or anything else).

Chapter 36 - Enter The Skull Brothers...

In a spacious meeting room that was located at the Pokémon League Headquarters, which was stationed near the Indigo Plateau, the five Champions and Goodshow were in a heated debate. It was late at night, past midnight and they were talking for hours now about the information they recently learned from the Aura Guardian the night before. Lance wanted to start preparing, strengthening their defenses in secret and place some spies around the world while getting as many trust worthy agents on board as possible to prepare but Cynthia was telling him to wait and follow Ash's plan.

"You need to trust him Lance! If we act rashly, we may cause more harm than good. He made the plan with Arceus damn it! And we promised to keep this between us only! We should wait until after the tournament to find out what they have planned next. If what they came up with was good enough for the Alpha Pokémon, then it should be good enough for you! You promised you would listen to others!" stated Cynthia.

Goodshow was holding his head in his hands against the table. He was tired and wanted them to stop bickering. Alder, Diantha and Steven were trying to play devil's advocate between the two as they both had good points. Lance couldn't believe that she would so blindingly follow someone without question when there are so many lives at stake.

"Damn it Cynthia I don't care what Ash and Arceus have planned! I vowed to help him and I will! I did promise that I would listen to others but he's barely an adult and has no idea what's coming in the future besides a great evil! I don't doubt his plan, or what he can do. But this is about millions and millions of lives we're talking here! The fate of the world!" shouted Lance, making Cynthia and the others go silent and think about what he just said. "Just because Arceus trusts him and they made a plan, doesn't mean it's the best course! It doesn't mean that we shouldn't make some plans of our own or at least have a backup plan put in place! We are Champions and leaders of our regions! The Pokémon Master has been gone for over a decade and nobody has seen him since so people look to us instead! We need to set good examples and be prepared!" This statement made Cynthia sigh, nodding since he was right. Goodshow and the other Champions agreed with that as well. "Now, I'm not saying we should tell everyone but only those who are worthy! And there is no harm in preparing away from the public eyes!" finished up Lance and he took a couple breaths to calm down.

"You're right Lance. It would be wise to strengthen our defenses and to have a backup plan in case things go bad," replied Cynthia. "But we should still wait until after the tournament to see what else they have planned. Ash mentioned he had other things to work on but said he'll say what later. For all we know, it may be the same thing we want to do or even better than what we come up with."

"What happened to you Cynthia?" asked Lance in disbelief that she still wanted to wait to see what the young man has planned. "You were never one to just wait around. You used to be proactive. You used to think for yourself but you've changed. You're too busy trying to make him notice you like a stupid little fan girl! Remember your promise that you would remain unbiased and neutral about this stuff! You need to stop blindingly following him because of your lustful fantasies about him!" shot Lance in anger but then instantly regretted it as he realized he crossed the line in what he just said when he saw her face.

"HOW DARE YOU INSULT ME LIKE THAT YOU EGOTISTICAL BASTARD!" screamed Cynthia as she stood up abruptly and was about to launch herself at Lance and make him eat his words when the doors were slammed open suddenly, making them all stop and look in the door's direction. What they saw made them all widen their eyes but Lance also had slight fear show on his face. It was Sabrina and she looked angry, glaring straight at Lance. They barely registered that there were two more people behind her when Sabrina started glowing pink.

"LANCE! How dare you ignore my calls! After all I've done for you and the G-Men, you can't answer my calls or call me back?! Who the hell do you think you are?!" screamed Sabrina as she levitated through the air to him.

"Now is not the time Sabrina!" shouted back Lance. Seeing her not back down, he glared at her the best he could before talking again. "Fine damn it! What the hell do you want?! Tell me and get out! I have work to do!"

Sabrina looked like she was about to explode. She narrowed her eyes before she raised her hand and pointed at Lance. He was outlined in a pink glow and was slammed against the wall behind him causing the others to shout out in fright.

"Because of your inability to trust someone else, you made me hurt an innocent person! I haven't been able to sleep and when I could, I've been having nightmares! You couldn't even send me a message saying he's alright?! I've been suffering until I found out he's okay from the damn TV when I saw him compete in his next match! How could you be so thoughtless?!" yelled Sabrina as Lance grunted in pain.

"Sabrina, STOP!" shouted Diantha as she stood up. Sabrina eyed her and growled but the Champion didn't falter. "He's done wrong yes but this won't change anything! He was only trying to do his job!"

Sabrina kept her gaze on Diantha for a moment longer before her furious expression faded away and let Lance go who dropped to the floor, breathing heavily. Sabrina floated down to the floor and collapsed onto a nearby chair and started crying heavily. Cynthia went to her and did her best to soothe her nerves. The two other persons who entered with Sabrina then spoke up as they moved forward.

"What did you do now Lance?" asked the blue haired girl. She was wearing a dark and light blue one piece workout apparel that covered her body from her shoulders down to her thighs along with a black and light blue cape. She was very attractive, with an hourglass yet athletic figure, since she was a master in a couple forms of hand to hand combat and the gym leader of Blackthorn City Gym in Johto.

"Probably fucked around with somebody's life again for no reason other than being paranoid," quipped the green haired girl. She was also a very attractive, with a slender but slightly curvy body wearing a red short jacket that was buttoned up over her black sports top, showing off her stomach and had on a short red skirt. She was the trainer and caretaker in a way of the Charicific Valley, where only Charizard were allowed to stay to train and become stronger.

"Shut up you two," shot Lance as he stood back up. He glanced at the sobbing Sabrina who was slowly pulling herself together thanks to Cynthia. "Did you bring my pokémon?"

"Yea, here you go," answered the sky blue haired girl as she tossed a poke ball to Lance who caught it.

"Thanks Clair," he said as he clipped the poke ball to his belt, next to the five others. He then glanced at the green haired girl. "What are you doing here Liza?"

"Not really your business but when your cousin came to get your and her Charizards, she gave me an update of what's being going on and I decided to come and check things out for myself. Plus, I want to watch the rest of the tournament."

"I see. Very well. That's all I needed Clair. You're dismissed," replied Lance.

"I'm not one of your workers to speak to me like that Lance," snapped Clair and Lance flinched. Clair went to the now quiet Sabrina, who she knew as they were friends, having worked together on a couple missions in the past. "C'mon Sabrina, let's go. You can stay with me and Liza in our room at the Indigo Hotel. You can tell us what's bothering you."

Sabrina whispered out her thanks to her and the three girls left the room after both Sabrina and Clair glared at Lance, while Liza smirked when the Champion flinched once more. When they left, Cynthia turned her attention to Lance who was both frustrated and angry at how things had turned into such a complicated mess.

"Do you see what you do to people in your haste, your inability to trust and your poor choice of words and actions most of the time?" she asked him.

"I don't need you to tell me how to do my job Cynthia. I've been doing this far longer than any of you have, even Alder as he spends most of his time hiding in the woods." Alder gave Lance an annoyed and angry look at that remark but Lance didn't care. "I don't just say things. You can hate me all you want but you know I'm right as we have to prepare. You may not like my methods but they have protected everyone for the past decade. But if you want to leave the faith of the world in the hands of someone who's barely of age, then you can go and tell your boyfriend that you're willing to risk millions of lives while you sit back and watch just so you could tell him that you're on his side and get into bed with him. I hope it's worth it," he finished nastily.

A fist came flying at his face so quickly that he couldn't dodge it and he was struck hard, sending him to the floor. He grunted and groaned in pain as he held his sore and bruised jaw as Cynthia held her right fist.

"You are one bipolar, ignorant and arrogant bastard. We're not fighting against the usual goons and grunts from some organization. We're fighting against an evil that can take over us all while he and Mewtwo are the only ones who can't get affected. Even if we did prepare, we don't know how or in what way. But he does. So yes, I will follow him but not just because I have feelings for him. He is my friend as well and I trust him. Looks like you already forgot that it wasn't your methods that saved everyone from the stadium attack but his. You should think before you open your mouth Champion," lectured Cynthia heatedly before she turned away from him. Diantha helped Lance up in time to see a furious Cynthia leave the room and slam the door shut behind her. Goodshow got up at that moment and looked at Lance with pity.

"You need to learn that you're not the only one who wishes to do what is right," said Goodshow calmly and quietly before he too left. Alder and Steven gave Lance looks of disgust and disappointment before they left the two alone. Lance sighed heavily and shook his head at what just occurred.

"It's alright Lance. You're just doing what you think is right. But you need to choose your words and actions more wisely. And it seems you need to follow your own advice of being unbiased and neutral. You weren't like this before. You've changed. I know you're upset that Cynthia chose Ash over you but you need to stop this childish act. That ship has sailed long ago and you need to move on and treat your friends as friends and not as your enemies," advised Diantha kindly and Lance raised his head and looked into her eyes before dropping his gaze in shame and shaking his head.

"You're right Diantha. I…I need help. But let's call it a night for now. Let's go and get some sleep. It's late," replied Lance and Diantha agreed. She helped him up and both of them left the room together and closed the door behind them.

"Do you understand what to do?" asked a red headed woman.

"Yea, yea, we know what to do," replied a bald man.

Six people were talking together in the middle of the woods, very early the next morning. The sun hadn't even risen yet. The red head was a very attractive woman with an hourglass figure, wearing black business clothes consisting of black knee length skirt, white blouse and black jacket. The bald man was tall, buff and had four others standing behind him, all of whom were almost identical copies of him. The five were wearing sleeveless leather jackets and black jeans with white skulls on their black shirts. The one who spoke had a white headband around his forehead, signifying him as the leader.

"Good. You will get the rest of the money after you complete the mission," said the red head.

"Consider it done. You better not cheat us or we will come for what we are owed," replied one of the men.

"Remember who I work for. You do not want to piss him off. You'll get your money. Just make sure to do as I planned. Got it?"

The Skull Brothers agreed and left the red head alone in the vast woods next to the Indigo Plateau Hotel. When she was sure they were gone, she sighed and shook her head. She hated dealing with such people, not because she was scared but because she was disgusted of them and what they have done in the past. She moved in the opposite direction while digging through her bag, checking her equipment and poke balls, making sure she had everything she needed before her plan went into motion.

"Yes, I got that…and that…check that off…where is that last…there it is. Okay, good; I have everything I need. Those boneheads better not mess up or I'm in some deep shit," thought Natasha out loud.

She stopped what she was doing and thought about how Giovanni scared her before she left to start the mission. He had never done something like that before to her, even working for him for so long. She felt a shiver go down her spine when she remembered his icy stare and vice-like grip on her arm. She saw a bit of the devil that was inside him, of the horrible side he was rumored to have from the other grunts and nameless workers he had employed who were unfortunate enough to get a glimpse of it whenever his plans failed. She thought about that for a couple more minutes before she shook her head clear of it.

"Get a grip. You have a job to do." Natasha told herself and she continued walking deeper into the woods. She walked on for a pretty long time before reaching her destination. She smiled and walked towards the lone cabin in the middle of the woods near a small and relatively unknown lake.

At the Indigo Plateau Hotel, in the Master's suite, a raven haired young man was sleeping peacefully in his bed with a beautiful honey blonde girl cuddled up onto him. The two had become intimate the night before and revealed their love for one another. It was also the first night in a few days that he had a very good night's rest and was beginning to wake up. He opened his eyes slowly and noticed that there wasn't any light yet. He turned his head to look at the digital clock on his night stand.

6:45AM. Looks like the sun will be up soon.

Ash was taken out of his thoughts by a small sound. He glanced towards the source and found that Serena was mumbling in her sleep. He grinned as he caught some words from her muttering such as 'future, 'love' and 'night'. He listened to her mumbling for a couple more minutes, hearing some very interesting things that made his smile grow larger as he kept his laughter in. She then went quiet and he took this time to gaze at her for a few more minutes before he decided he should get up.

He slowly moved Serena off of him so he could get up and gently lowered her back down onto the bed and covered her up with the blanket. He gave her a quick peck on her forehead and she hummed in response. He smiled and checked on Pikachu, who was sleeping with a large grin on his face. He chuckled quietly while he moved to his room's balcony. He stepped outside to the morning air and enjoyed the gentle breeze that flowed over him as he looked out into the horizon as time went by. He could see the dark sky starting to light up in the distance where the sun was beginning to rise. The sun's shine made the sky light up in many different colors, the lighter colors near the sun. It went from black, to dark blue, purple, red, orange and finally yellow. It was a very beautiful view. Ash had seen many incredible sights during his travels but this was something else.

"It's beautiful isn't it?" asked Serena as she stood next to him and looked out into the distance.

Ash had sensed her get up and come closer but he was too mesmerized by the view to look at her until her voice broke his trance. He turned his head to look at her and what he saw took his breath away. She had used the bed cover to cover herself up but the combination of the night sky and the sun's glow made her look even more stunning than usual.

"Not as beautiful as what I'm looking at," he replied, making Serena turn to look at him and saw he was gazing at her with such a look that it made her blush.

"Stop teasing," remarked Serena as she looked away.

"I'm not," said Ash simply.

She glanced back at him. She saw his eyes focused on her and they were shining under the sun's barely visible shine. She had never seen his eyes shine like that and it made her take in a sharp breath. She stepped closer to him before leaning in, kissing him softly before pulling away. When she opened her eyes and looked at him, he was staring at her and it made her giggle. Her cute laugh snapped Ash out of his daze and he smiled at her. He wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her in close to him. She leaned her head against his shoulder as they both looked at the sun rise. She then wrapped the blanket cover around the both of them, their naked bodies up against one another's.

"So what made you get out of the bed so early?" asked Serena as they continued looking at the sun rise.

"I woke up a little while ago and stayed in bed for a bit watching you sleep. I heard you mumble some pretty interesting stuff before I got up and came here to get some fresh air," admitted Ash.

"Hey, I said no teasing," said Serena as she playfully smacked his chest before resting her head against it again. Ash just chuckled. "Thinking about anything?"

"Yes," he said. "Just thinking about a few stuff; the tournament, what the future will be like fighting the darkness, finding out about Leaf, Cynthia, Anabel and Sarah." Serena nodded as she heard him before she let out a yawn and shivered a bit. She tightened her grip on the blanket. "You should go back to sleep Serena. It's still pretty early and you'll catch a cold."

"Hey, you're the one who stepped outside onto the balcony naked first," remarked Serena, making them both go pink but other than that they didn't react too embarrassingly.

"True, but I trained at Mount Silver and other really cold places. I'm used to it," said Ash truthfully.

"Good point but I'm not tired either," she said as she tried to stifle a yawn but was unsuccessful.

"Riiiight," said Ash sarcastically, making Serena form a sheepish smile on her face. He smiled back at her before he surprised her by picking her up bridal style and carried her back to the bed. Serena laughed at his action, making him chuckle. He lowered her gently onto the bed, giving her a quick kiss before he raised the blanket to cover her.

"You're not sleeping?" asked Serena as she looked at him.

"No, I figured I should get some training in since I'm up already," answered Ash.

"Oh, okay. Can you stay with me until I fall back asleep at least?" she asked.

"Of course my Angel. Let me just put something on in case Leaf or your mom decide to barge in. I don't know how they'll handle seeing me naked. They might jump me," joked Ash and Serena slapped his arm in response as she gave him a fake angry face before giggling. As he went to put on some boxers and another pair of pajama pants, Serena watched him get semi dressed and her face flushed red as she admired his body and remembered their time together last night. Even with the scars on his body, she believed him to be perfect as they showed that he was a courageous man. When he finished, he lied down on top of the blanket on his side next to Serena, facing her. She smiled at him and he returned it.

"I was wondering," started Serena. "You said you trained with Lucario to learn how to fight. You should teach us so we can defend ourselves."

"Yes I did…but I'm not sure if I would be able to teach you. Not by myself anyway. Lucario would most definitely have to do the honors and I probably would just be used for demonstrations," chuckled Ash and Serena followed suite, giggling. "But that's a good idea. You should all know how to defend yourselves. When should we start that?" he asked.

"I think the sooner the better," replied Serena.

"Yea, you're right. Okay, I'll talk to Lucario today and we'll come up with a training schedule and start while we're here and looks like we'll need a place to practice," said Ash and Serena nodded.

They laid there for a few minutes talking before Serena said she was unable to continue since she was so tired. She gave a quick kiss and fell asleep. He looked at her for a few minutes before he got up and changed from his sweats to his heavy workout clothes, which consisted of black, loose exercise pants, a black weighted shirt, weighted wrist bands and weighted ankle bands.

He left the room and moved silently through the suite even with the weighted shirt and accessories on him and he entered the large patio area where the pool and jacuzzi were. He noticed that the sun was fully out now in the horizon and started stretching for about ten minutes. When he was finally ready after jumping a couple times on his bare feet, he climbed on top of the railings and tossed out a poke ball that had materialized in his hand with a blue glow into the air and his Pidgeot appeared who nuzzled him affectionately.

"I missed you too Pidgeot," said Ash as he hugged her and caressed her bright colorful plumage of feathers on her head as the great falcon cooed at him. "I'm going to start some training. You know what to do."

Pidgeot gave a chirp of understanding and took off flying around him as he began his training on top of the railings. As he trained, Pidgeot kept a close watch on him from the sky, making sure that she was ready to catch him if he were to fall or slip off the ledge. It was a new regiment that he and Lucario devised when he was back at New Island checking on his recovering pokémon. It was one that focused on his balance and coordination. After about an hour of working out, when he started doing hand stand pushups on the railings, he had a spectator watch him as he continued. A few minutes later, the spectator had someone join her.

"Aren't you worried that he'll fall off?" asked Anabel with obvious worry coating her words.

"At first I was but then I noticed his Pidgeot," answered Leaf, pointing out the beautiful falcon in the air above Ash.

Leaf had gotten up a while ago since she was an early riser. She had washed up, changed and when she was about to go to Ash's room to wake him up as usual, she was surprised when she noticed him training in the large balcony patio. She leaned against the sliding glass door and watched him. Anabel had woken up soon after since she had placed an alarm on her Poketch so she can get up and train. She fully intended to follow up on her vow to prepare and help Ash in his fight against the darkness.

"I get it. Good precaution," remarked Anabel and Leaf nodded.

"I was wondering what you guys were staring at until I saw Ash. Never seen someone that good looking train before?" Both Anabel and Leaf turned around and saw Sarah standing behind them with a smirk on her face. Anabel went crimson but Leaf merely smiled back in response.

"What are you doing up so early? I remember you sleeping in a bit usually," commented Anabel.

"Same as you," replied Sarah. "I plan on starting my training already so I woke up when your alarm went off. Looks like you don't need it Leaf since you were up before we got up."

"So you two are going to go train? Where?" asked Leaf, thinking she should start her training too in order to keep the promise she made as well.

"I'm going to the woods in front of the hotel," answered Sarah. "You two can come with if you'd like."

"Sure, I'll come. I want to get some training in too. Thanks!" said Leaf with a smile.

"I'll join as well. Let's go," added Anabel.

The three girls took one more look at the young man who was now balancing on one leg, the other leg resting on his standing leg's knee while holding his hands together in a prayer position, meditating before they headed out. They each grabbed their bags that had their poke balls inside on the way out. They greeted Joy at the bottom, who left earlier than them all to start her shift. They talked for a couple minutes before leaving the building and headed into the woods. They walked until they found a suitable clearing for training and they brought out their pokémon. Leaf called out Volcarona, Anabel had Alakazam come out and Sarah had her Jolteon appear. They began their training separately for a little while before they started having mock battles against each other. Unknown to them, five bald men were walking closer to their position a good distance away from the hotel in the woods.

"So who was the girl we're supposed to get again?" asked one of the men.

"Look at the picture you idiot," replied the leader.

"How are we supposed to find her?" asked a third man.

"The red head said she'll be near the Indigo Plateau Hotel so we'll start there and we'll figure it out as we go. She may not be smart and if she is, we'll just force her to come with us."

"Alright boss, but what if she travels in a group?" asked the fourth man.

"We take them all if it's a group of girls. I mean she only asked for this particular girl. We could have some fun with the others if they look hot. What do you say boss?" mused the fifth man.

"If it's not a hassle. I've been bored lately. But our mission is to get her. This has been our biggest score yet since business has slowed down greatly," answered their leader and the others agreed as they continued moving through the forest, unknowingly getting closer to the girl they were looking for in the picture.

The picture was then passed around to each of the five bald men so they can see who their target is. It was of a raven haired young man and a brunette girl in an embrace in the stadium right when the attackers invaded. Back at the hotel, after the three girls left, Ash began using his aura abilities to practice his basic moves to keep them sharp while trying to keep his balance in various positions.

"Feel like having a little sparring session?"

Ash finished practicing his Aura Spheres, shooting them into the air and traveling a good distance before fading away. He turned to glance at the new arrival and smiled.

"Sounds good to me. Let's get started Riley."

Riley nodded and Ash jumped down onto the balcony floor. He jumped on his tip toes a bit to loosen up and stay warm since he was sweating profusely. He had taken off his black weighted shirt but kept his weighted accessories on his ankles and wrists. Riley took off his Guardian's hat, jacket and shirt, placing them on one of the lounge chairs before he joined where the younger Guardian was waiting for him, which was a pretty spacious open area near the railings and next to the large pool. Pidgeot eyed the two from high up in the air and chirped out a good luck to her trainer who waved his hand at her in response.

"Ready?" asked Riley with a smirk.

"Always," grinned Ash.

They bowed to each other before getting into fighting stances. A tense moment passed between them, each contemplating how they should start their practice fight. They sensed a few people come out onto the balcony but they kept their attention on each other.

"What are they doing?" asked Johanna with obvious worry. "Why are they about to fight?"

"They're not really fighting," explained Ilene. "They're just going to spar. Riley mentioned he wanted to test Ash's new abilities and strength himself."

"That makes sense," said Misty. "I hope Riley is ready to get his butt whipped." Her comment earned some laughs but got some frowns, namely from Ilene and from Daisy Oak.

"I don't know about that Misty," remarked Ilene. "Riley has more experience than Ash."

"Maybe so but I don't think that would matter," replied Misty fiercely.

The two spoken of suddenly shot forward and began their fight, preventing Daisy Oak from adding her own comments to the debate as they drew everyone's attention. They each ended up hitting the other and quickly attempted to follow through but they kept evading and deflecting the other's attacks, though they did end up striking one another every now and then.

"Not bad," commented Norman as he and his wife Caroline joined them in watching the practice fight.

"Who are you trying to kid honey?" joked Caroline. "They're much better than you."

They laughed at Norman who muttered under his breath while crossing his arms but they couldn't understand it. They continued watching the fight as the others slowly joined their group when they entered the living room and noticed them in the large patio and that their focus was on something.

"What's going on Dad?" asked Max as he pushed through them to get to the front.

"Just an exhibition match son. Get over here and watch," answered Norman.

Max finally made it through and his eyes widened as he saw Riley and Ash fighting. Not too much later, Bonnie made her way through and stood next to Max, who smiled at her when he noticed her and she returned a smile of her own to him. A few others joined them a moment later. The two Aura Guardians took a step back and grinned at one another after exchanging kicks.

"How about we make this more interesting? I want to see your full power!" requested Riley.

"Are you sure?" asked Ash, a bit hesitant.

"Yes, I'm sure!" replied Riley as his eyes glowed blue. Then he had a blue glow outline him before his aura burst out from him in blue flames. His aura was strong for someone who wasn't from a bloodline of Aura Guardians and Ash was impressed. Lucario had taught him how to gauge another's strength.

Looks like he's been training too. Not bad Riley but not good enough either.

"Wow," said Daisy Oak, before smirking. "He looks bad ass! Looks like Ash has met his match Misty!"

"Don't count on it Daisy," said May, getting involved with the debate. She, Dawn, Serena and Misty gave Daisy Oak and Ilene glares, the two glaring back. That made the others glance at them and they shook their heads in amusement at the sight of them comparing whose boyfriend was stronger.

"Well, are you in or not Ash?" asked Riley.

"I'm in but did you say my full power?" he asked and Riley nodded. "Then you got it!"

Ash's eyes glowed blue and not even a second later, his aura burst out from him with such power and speed that it pushed Riley back a couple feet and blinded the others for a second. The aura flames were three times the height of Riley's, who was amazed and so was everyone else. Ash had grown stronger after he fully recovered from the wounds he received before. The four girls smirked at Daisy Oak and Ilene who didn't look back but noticed it from the corner of their eyes. Riley couldn't believe it. The younger guardian had brought out his own aura much more quickly than he did and it was far stronger. He didn't think he would be that much stronger than him and was stunned but quickly recomposed himself. He jumped onto the railings and landed on top of it with perfect balance with Ash doing the same right after. They eyed one another for a second before they moved forward and continued their sparring session on top of the railings, keeping their balance as they continued to spar.

Back in the woods, the three girls were finishing up their training. Their pokémon were tired out and so were they as they decided to do some exercises too but they were all pleased with themselves. Leaf, panting a bit, turned to the blonde girl.

"That was some good training. How did you come up with some of that stuff?" Leaf asked Sarah, impressed with her training methods.

"Thanks but I got those training tips from Ash after I lost to him in the opening match of the tournament," admitted Sarah with a sheepish look.

"Oh that's right I saw that match back home. That must have been a brutal defeat," remarked Anabel. "Sorry," she added quickly.

"Don't be as I'm not sad about it anymore," replied Sarah, making Anabel and Leaf smile. "Hey Leaf, when are you going to tell Ash?" Her sudden question made Leaf's smile go away and Anabel looked at her.

"I know I need to tell him…I just…I don't know when or how to tell him," answered Leaf. The two girls were looking at her with concerned expressions on their faces. "And…I'm scared as to how he'll take it. I don't want to lose my chance if it's possible…"

Anabel suddenly shushed her and snapped her attention to the side as she had sensed some people coming and faced the nearby bushes. Leaf was a bit angered at the interruption and Sarah was confused. As soon as they both opened their mouths to say something, Anabel shook her head and nodded towards the bushes. The three girls stayed silent and eyed the bushes. A moment later, five bald men came out of the bushes they were looking at and they quickly stopped moving and talking as they noticed the three girls.

"Well, well, well. What are three beautiful girls doing here? Perhaps we could escort you out of the woods? Maybe go out together?" asked one of the bald men who had a white headband on.

The man with the headband eyed each of the girls with a nasty glint in his eyes and when he faced Leaf, he realized that she was the girl from the picture. His lips curled up into a dangerous smile as he thought that this would be an easy score. The three girls gave the guys a disgusted look and their pokémon growled at him. The bald men laughed, looking very similar to one another but only one of them had a white headband on.

"You're really not our type," said Leaf as her Volcarona went in front of her.

"Just leave us be," added Sarah as her Jolteon growled, his fur spiked up.

"But Arceus has answered our prayers by leading us to you. So what do you say?" asked the leader, trying to feign innocence but it didn't work as Anabel could sense it. Even if she couldn't, the five bald men just sent off bad vibes that was hard to notice.

"How stupid do you think we look?" asked Anabel as her Alakazam raised his twisted spoons.

"Stupid? No, we think you three look great, especially her. I would love to show you a good time," said the leader while pointing at Leaf who became afraid.

"You're not taking me anywhere!" shouted Leaf hysterically and her Volcarona growled.

"Feisty. I like that. How about a battle then?" asked the leader as he opened a poke ball and a Machamp appeared.

"Leave before you get pulverized! We are far stronger and we outnumber you! " threatened Sarah.

"Stronger and outnumber us?" laughed the five.

The other four men quickly brought out four other pokémon; Tyranitar, Rhyperior, Aggron and Weavile. The three girls quickly brought all of their pokémon in return: Leaf's Aggron, Venusaur, Pidgeot, Walrein and Dusknoir appeared; Sarah's Typhlosion, Steelix, Tyranitar, Hypno and Victreebell appeared; Anabel's Metagross and Espeon appeared.

"Is that it?" asked the leader with a smirk.

The five bald men brought out two more of each of their pokémon so now the girls were facing three Rhyperiors, three Aggrons, three Machamps, three Tyranitars and three Weaviles. Leaf, Sarah and Anabel grimaced and were quickly getting scared but they didn't show it. A chaotic battle ensued as the three girls had their pokémon fight against the five men's pokémon.

High up in the air, Pidgeot was watching the fight between Ash and Riley. She was impressed that the other guardian was able to keep up with her trainer, though she had a feeling that it would soon be over as Ash had more power and he was younger though the older guardian's experience was playing a big role in being able to keep with Ash. The falcon pokémon was about to fly higher when she heard a faint blast from the ground in the distance. She flew in the direction the sound came from to see what caused it. As she soared over the woods near the hotel, her keen eyesight able to see perfectly even from such a high altitude, she soon spotted the three girls who were battling against five bald men. They were at a stalemate from what the falcon pokémon could see but saw that the five men were battling dirty and were ruthless. She knew that they needed help and so quickly headed back to Ash, hoping she could make it in time to tell him before something bad happened.

Ash and Riley finished up their sparring session when Ash delivered a surprise Aura Beam out of nowhere that took all of Riley's energy to block it with his Aura Shield. Panting heavily though with a smile, Riley jumped down off the railings and his aura died down. Ash followed right after, his aura fading away and they bowed to each other before shaking hands.

"That was awesome Riley. You're really good," said Ash.

"Thanks but I have to say you are much better but I learned some cool tricks from you. You have to show me how to make an Aura Beam one day soon," said Riley and Ash agreed.

"That was great Ash!" praised the four girls as the two guardians moved towards them.

"Thanks," replied back Ash as he wiped off his sweat with a towel. The others all noticed the scars on his body now and when he noticed their sullen looks, he knew why. "Hey, don't worry about it. I don't feel a thing and I think they're pretty cool. Show's I'm not afraid eh?"

"You always find a way to make everything better," commented May with a smile.

"I try May." Ash smiled and the others followed suit, though Daisy Oak was busy trying to cheer up Riley over his loss even though he wasn't really saddened but enjoyed the attention greatly. A loud screech was heard and Ash turned around to see his Pidgeot fly down to him with a worried expression. "What's wrong Pidgeot?" asked Ash as she landed next to him. Pidgeot explained with a series of soft chirps and whistles. Ash's eyes grew wide before he let out a growl.

"What happened?" asked Dawn, becoming concerned.

"Leaf, Sarah and Anabel are battling against five men. They're holding their own right now but Pidgeot said that the attackers are fighting dirty," said Ash as he climbed onto Pidgeot's back without even putting on his shirt.

"WAIT!" shouted Misty and Ash looked back at her. "Let us go fight. Let me, Dawn, May and Serena go help them."

"She's right. You can't keep doing everything yourself and this will be good for us. We need to not rely on you all the time, especially if we are to fight against this evil that you said is coming. We have to be able to help each other like we used to and carry our own weight," added May. The girls gave Ash blazing looks as they stepped forward, one that said that they were going no matter what he said. He quickly thought over some things and decided to give them a chance.

"Okay. Get ready quickly as I get your transport ready. You have fifteen minutes as soon as you get there. If Gardevoir senses you haven't won by then, I'm joining the fight. Agreed?" he asked them and Misty, May, Dawn and Serena agreed as they went to get their pokémon as Ash brought out two poke balls with his aura and soon after, Lucario and Gardevoir appeared.

"Master, I sense great unease in your aura. What is the matter?" asked Lucario.

"Leaf, Sarah and Anabel are in a battle against some men who are fighting dirty. We're getting ready to help them out" said Ash and the two growled loudly. "The girls should be in the woods in that direction. Please keep an eye on them as we prepare here. Let me know if they get in great danger."

Lucario and Gardevoir moved to the railings facing the direction they were told the girls would be in and concentrated with their eyes glowing blue. They both soon sensed the three girls, the many pokémon and five men in the woods still battling. They felt a little relieved finding out that the girls were doing alright but kept up the watch. Misty, May, Dawn and Serena came back and were ready to battle, their poke balls clipped to their belts. Ash brought out three more poke balls and Staraptor, Unfezant and Swellow appeared. The four girls climbed onto the four flying pokémon.

"Please be careful. Remember fifteen minutes. Lucario and Gardevoir will be keeping an eye on you all. If the time limit is reached or something happens, I will be there immediately. I swear it," said Ash and the four girls gave reassuring smiles before becoming serious as they took off.

Ash watched them leave for a little bit before he turned his attention to everyone else. He noticed everyone had worried and angry looks on their faces but they weren't objecting to what was going on. After what they heard Ash say about the darkness coming in two years, they all had thought hard on how to prepare and this scenario, though not a happy one, was a good opportunity to get some experience from and to test their strength and abilities.

"It'll be alright everyone. They're all tough trainers and they can handle a few bullies. But don't worry; I'll be ready to step in if they can't or the five men try something," promised Ash.

"I'm scared! What if they get hurt? What if they're kidnapped?" cried Bonnie.

"Don't worry Bonnie," said Max as he held her hand and they both went red since they were still not used to it. Everyone noticed but nobody commented, even Gary, which was surprising. "They're strong and we won't let that happen." Bonnie nodded but continued sobbing. Caroline pulled the young girl into a hug as they watched their friends fly into the distance some before they flew down into the forest as they let out screeches.

"Volcarona, Flamethrower!" commanded Leaf and her fire moth let out a stream of flames at a Weavile who dodged the attack but countered back with a Night Slash that Volcarona barely evaded out of the way at the last second.

"Jolteon, Double Kick!" shouted Sarah and her electric dog sped towards one of the Aggron who was busy fighting her Tyranitar and kicked it twice on its side, making it cry out in pain before stumbling into a Fire Punch to the face by Typhlosion. The grey and white pokémon roared with rage as he charged at the fire badger with a glowing white fist, hitting him in the chest and sending him flying.

"Metagross, Bullet Punch!" ordered Anabel and her iron leg pokémon shot forward with one of its limbs glowing with a metallic sheen and hit the Rhyperior that was trying to land a hit against her Espeon. Rhyperior roared with rage and swung its powerful tail around and hit the psychic and steel type, sending it flying back.

The girls were having some trouble. Even though they were strong themselves, the pokémon they were facing were naturally tough. Aggron, Rhyperior, Tyranitar and Machamp were all physically stronger than most pokémon and while the Weavile were strong too, their defenses were quite pitiful, though their incredible speed made it hard to land a hit on them.

"We need to finish this quickly!" said Sarah as her Steelix dropped to the ground unconscious after taking multiple Brick Breaks to the face by two of the three Weaviles but her Hypno knocked out a Machamp with a telekinetic blast.

Several loud screeches were heard from above and they all looked up to see four birds diving down towards them. At first the three girls got scared, thinking their attackers had back up but when they got nearer, they grinned, seeing who the riders were. The four flying pokémon shot Air Slashes and Air Cutters at the bald men and their pokémon, pushing them back before they landed so their riders can get off. Misty, May, Dawn and Serena jumped down and immediately tossed out a couple poke balls each. Starmie, Corsola, Blaziken, Glaceon, Mamoswine, Typhlosion, Delphox and Pangoro appeared and quickly joined the battle, easily overcoming a Rhyperior and Machamp who were blindsided over their arrival. The four bird pokémon flew back up into the air before returning back to their trainer.

"Miss us?" asked Serena with a smirk as they gathered together.

"Very," replied Sarah with a smile as the seven girls stood next to each other. "But where's everyone else?" she asked as they ordered their pokémon to attack and evade.

"Yea, where's Ash?" asked Anabel after alerting her Metagross to dodge a Dark Pulse attack.

"He's not going to come because we can handle this," said Dawn as she glanced at the Salon Maiden who quickly nodded in agreement.

"Looks like we got some extra playmates boss," said one of the bald men whose eyes were soon filled with lust over the beautiful new arrivals.

"Shut up Ed! Keep your focus! Edmond, we should send out the rest or we're toast!" said another.

"Alright! Ed, Eddie, Edward and Edwin; send them all out and beat them into the ground!" yelled Edmond, their leader with the white head band.

They five Ed's sent out the last of their pokémon and fifteen more pokémon came out from them; three Shiftry, three Houndoom, three Ursaring, three Crawdaunt and three Scizors appeared. The seven girls' eyes widened but they stayed in control and ordered their pokémon to attack without mercy. Misty let out her Gyarados, Politoed, Vaporeon and Staryu, Serena let out her Flareon, Dawn let out Espeon, Piplup, Togekiss and Pachirisu and May let out her Beautify, Wartortle and Jolteon. The battle between the seven girls and the five bald men intensified with so many pokémon involved and it turned so chaotic that they were having a hard time keeping track of what was happening.

Several minutes passed by as the fight continued with many different elemental attacks flying through the air to hit their targets, some hitting their marks and others missing by just a hair. Misty's Gyarados, Sarah's Aggron and Leaf's Venusaur began powering up Hyper Beams and the five Eds ordered their pokémon to attack them to stop their attacks. The girls' other pokémon were ordered to defend the three until they launched their powerful attacks. After charging up their attacks, the three pokémon fired their white beams of powerful energy at their targets. Three large explosions occurred with the cries of many pokémon along with shouts and yells were heard along with bringing up a large dust cloud over them all.

Back at the hotel, Ash was standing on the railings, with Pikachu on his shoulder who was having his cheeks shoot out sparks every several seconds. His body was outlined with his glowing blue aura, pulsing as it was fading in and out, though no flames were around him…yet. He had returned his four flying pokémon after thanking them for taking the girls to the battle. His Lucario and Gardevoir were relaying the major points that were happening in the forest to him and everyone else as they kept watch.

"How much time has passed?" asked an anxious Ash.

"Eleven minutes," replied Brock, who was keeping time for everyone.

"Damn it. I hate not doing anything," muttered Ash and they all heard him.

"We know you want to go now Ash but the girls needed this and so do you. You won't be able to save everyone and you won't be able to help everyone all the time. We have to be able to do things on our own as well. I know you hate sitting on the sidelines, but this is important. You understand?" asked Oak.

"I know Professor. I just hate not doing anything."

"Thirteen minutes," said Brock.

"Okay. Gardevoir, can you-" Ash was cut off when three huge explosions were heard from the woods and he turned his attention back to the forest to see smoke trailing up into the sky. "NO!" His aura intensified and shot out around him with great force, making him look like a miniature blue sun, the glow so bright that it momentarily blinded the others. He tossed out a blue glowing orb before it faded away to reveal a white poke ball, a Premier Ball. It opened and the next second a very large pokémon appeared with a loud screech of its name that caused everyone to gasp. Ash jumped onto the flying pokémon's back, his aura flaring around him. "Teleport there now!" Gardevoir, Lucario and Pikachu disappeared as Ash and the large flying pokémon flew through the air with incredible speed.

"Was that..." whispered Ilene.

"No way. It couldn't be..." muttered Gary.

"It is. I can't believe he captured that pokémon," awed Oak and the rest just stayed silent as they were unable to speak as their jaws had dropped. Instead they watched him fly towards the smoke trailing upwards towards the sky.

The smoke cleared from the explosions in the woods after a while. Serena, Anabel, May and Dawn were knocked to the ground, badly hurt and barely conscious as Misty, Leaf and Sarah stood on shaky legs, leaning against each other for support. Half of their pokémon were knocked out as a result of the explosions caused by the Hyper Beams since they were so close but the other half were still standing but were panting heavily. The Eevee evolved pokémon that Ash gave the girls were panting as well as they had intercepted many attacks for the other pokémon to give them chances to strike back as they took the damage for them.

Their opponents had most of their pokémon on the ground unconscious but they still had a Machamp, two Aggron, two Rampardos, an Ursaring, a Houndoom, a Crawdaunt, a Tyranitar, Scizor and two Weaviles left. Their pokémon were hurt too but not as badly as the girls' pokémon since they were able to get some distance from the powerful attacks that damaged the entire area.

"Ah, this isn't good," commented Leaf, holding her shoulder and seeing her Venusaur barely standing, breathing heavily.

"You can say that again," replied Sarah weakly from the ground, seeing her Typhlosion out for the count and Tyranitar barely standing.

"Give up girls. You can't win!" laughed Edmond.

"Yea, we don't want to bruise those great bodies of yours before we have some fun!" cackled Ed and the girls shook with disgust while letting out 'ewwws'.

"Looks like they don't like you Ed," laughed Edward.

"When have they ever? I'll still have my way with them," replied Ed with an evil smile.

"Enough you morons!" yelled Edmond. "Time to finish this and get what we came for!"

Right when Edmond finished saying that, three blue spheres appeared in between the two groups. A second later, a hissing and sparking Pikachu appeared in the middle of a snarling Lucario who was in a battle stance to the right of him along with a Gardevoir to the left with narrowed glowing eyes. The girls felt relieved in seeing the reinforcements but soon felt completely safe when they heard a powerful voice from above; "YOU WILL PAY FOR YOUR ACTIONS!"

They all looked up and soon found an enormous and majestic flying pokémon above them with a man who was glowing with blue energy flames around him. The sight of him in the air on top of a massive pokémon made the girls gasp and the five men shook in fear a bit. Ash glanced at the girls from above and saw that they were hurt. His rage built inside him as he jumped down from massive flying being onto the ground and he landed in front of his pissed off pokémon. He let out an Aura Pulse after standing up to his full height that pushed the men and their pokémon back many feet before he raised both his hands to his sides and two large blue spheres of energy appeared above his palms instantly.

"Who the fuck are you?!" asked Edmond.

"I am Aura Guardian Ash Ketchum and you have pissed me off by attacking my girls!" replied Ash with fury as the two Aura Spheres grew even larger and his four pokémon let out battle cries.

The girls simply awed at him from behind, marveled by the sheer power radiating from him and that he had the large pokémon in the air with him who screeched at their enemies. They felt the Aura Pulse wash over them too, comforting them and gave them a little energy. Four of the seven girls smiled a little but the other three glanced at one another in slight confusion; did he just say 'my girls'? thought each of them.

"Aura Guardian?! Your girls?!" Edmond glanced at the four behind him and they all shared stunned looks. The red headed woman didn't tell them they would be trying to kidnap an Aura Guardian's girlfriend. They would deal with her if they got out of this mess. Edmond faced the Aura Guardian again. "Well, Aura Guardian or not, nobody messes with the Skull Brothers! Attack!" Their pokémon charged at the Aura Guardian who immediately focused the two large Aura Spheres into an Aura Shield instead around himself, the girls and their pokémon. He then looked up at his large pokémon who was hovering above them all.

"HO-OH! END THIS WITH SACRED FIRE!" roared Ash.

The legendary rainbow pokémon let out a large torrent of multicolored flames that shot forward with incredible power and speed that washed over the Skull Brothers' pokémon while Ash protected himself and his group with the Aura Shield from their attacks. Their opponents cried out in pain and agony and when the large flames disappeared, all of their pokémon were unconscious on the ground. The Skull Brothers took a step back with fearful expressions on their faces. They were never beaten before yet they were so easily defeated that it shook them to their core. Ash let the Aura Shield disappear and glanced at the girls behind. They looked at him with small smiles and he nodded at them, seeing them alright.

Ash faced the Skull Brothers, who shrunk back in fear against a few trees. He walked towards them, his aura blazing around him like a roaring fire as he did so, scaring the five bald men and the seven girls enjoyed the sight of their would-be attackers trembling with fear. He stopped a foot away from the leader and before Edmond could even let out a sound, the guardian's arm shot forward and grabbed his throat, lifting him up into the air with ease. Edward, Edwin, Eddie and Ed did nothing because of two reasons; they were afraid of the Aura Guardian but even more so of the legendary pokémon above them who had locked her gaze onto them from the air, hovering above them.

"WHY?! WHY WOULD YOU ATTACK THE GIRLS?! I'VE HAD MY FILL WITH SCUM LIKE YOU! ALWAYS THINKING YOU DESERVE WHATEVER YOU WANT! WELL NO MORE! I'M GOING TO MAKE SURE YOU NEVER BOTHER ANYONE EVER AGAIN!" roared Ash.

He placed his free hand in front of Edmond's face and a small but deeply concentrated ball of blue energy appeared, cackling with the enormous amount of energy contained within it. Edmond began to cry out an apology and started begging for his life. The girls felt a little pity but also felt that they deserved to be punished, yet they didn't want Ash to take a life. They felt conflicted over what they wanted but if they felt torn, Ash was feeling as if he was being split in two. A part of him wanted nothing more than to end their pathetic lives right then and there for hurting the girls and knew without a shadow of a doubt that they had caused much suffering in the past and may cause some more in the future if let be. His other side though wanted to give them a chance to repent and change their ways. He thought about the promise he made that he would gladly take life to keep everyone safe…but…was that necessary here? Arceus words rang through his mind at that moment; are you ready to take life?

After a long tense moment, he decided. The glowing ball of energy faded away and he lowered the leader back onto the ground and let go of him, who immediately started gasping for air. His aura died down but his eyes remained glowing blue. A series of powerful punches were thrown so quickly that nobody saw it happen as Ash struck Edmond in the chest many times, making the leader drop down in extreme pain when he finished. Ash then faced the other four and before you could say 'Pokémon Master', they too were on the ground in agony.

"That is a warning for all of you," said Ash in a serious tone and the Skull Brothers were barely able to look up at him. "I am giving you a chance to change your ways even though you don't deserve it. Don't ever come near my girls again and don't ever do any wrong again. If you do and continue down this path…I will find you…and I will kill you without a second's thought. That is a promise. Now leave before I change my mind."

They didn't need to be told twice. Without a word, the Skull Brothers returned their fainted pokémon and fled the area as quickly as they could back into the deep woods from where they came from. Ash watched them leave and nodded at his pokémon on the ground who followed after them to make sure they left. Ash turned around, his eyes turning back to brown and walked back towards the seven girls who had large relieved smiles on their faces from the floor. They had returned their pokémon already and each wanted to run to him but couldn't get up since they were so tired and hurt. When Ash drew near them, he knelt down in front of them. Ho-Oh landed behind them in the clearing, taking up most of the space since she was so large.

"Good job Ho-Oh," praised Ash as he looked at Ho-Oh, petting her and the legendary bird let out a soft chirp like sound at him. He then faced the girls in front of him. "Thank Arceus that you all are alright," said Ash to the seven girls. "Everything is fine now. I'm going to heal each of you as quickly as I can."

He was closest to Misty and May and so placed his hands on their shoulders as his hands glowed blue. The two felt the comforting aura wash over them, healing and energizing them. When he finished, the two girls kissed him and hugged him tightly, thanking him and when they separated, he did the same to Dawn and Serena next. After healing them two as well, who thanked him with kisses and hugs as well, Ash moved to heal the remaining three girls. Lucario, Gardevoir and Pikachu came back into the clearing they were in at that moment and stood next to the four girls. He went to Anabel and Sarah first since they were the closest. He placed his glowing blue hands on their shoulders and pulsed healing aura onto the two. Both girls felt instantly better, both from his touch and the aura flowing through them. When he finished, he removed his hands and Anabel and Sarah hugged him tightly.

"Thank you Ash," they said into his chest, clinging onto him for dear life.

"You're welcome," he replied back softly as he returned the hug and let them stay like that for a moment. When they separated, he smiled at them and then moved to Leaf finally. She attempted to stand up. She didn't want to look so weak but stumbled and was about to fall back down when Ash caught her. "Hey, no need to push yourself so hard when you're hurt," said the raven haired guardian softly as he helped her stand back up. Her green eyes locked with his brown ones as he placed his glowing blue hand on her shoulder and healed her too. Not once did Leaf lower her gaze from his eyes and when he finished healing her she spoke.

"That's the third time you've saved me Ash in less than two weeks," she whispered.

"Doesn't matter how many times Leaf. I'll do it over and over again with no hesitation. But try to stay safe will you?" he asked with a bit of a chuckle.

Leaf's face flushed as her heart beat quickly while the other girls smiled when they heard him. Damn it Ash. Why do you have to be so perfect? I want nothing more than to just hold you and kiss you. But I can't…I…I need to tell you… "Ash…there's something I need to tell you…" whispered Leaf so no one but Ash could hear.

"Okay Leaf but can you wait a bit? I think we should go home first," advised Ash and Leaf nodded after a few seconds, thinking it would be best.

Ash grasped Leaf's hand, who went red and led her to where Anabel and Sarah were standing. He grasped Sarah's and Anabel's hand with his other hand and they too flushed crimson. He then led the three girls to where Misty, Dawn, Serena, May and his pokémon were standing with smiles on their faces. He let go of the three girls' hands and faced the seven girls and his pokémon. He thanked Ho-Oh again, who nodded at him and returned the legendary pokémon. He nodded at Gardevoir after and they disappeared in blue glows...