Night of Woes and Uncertainty...

(Warning Mature Content Ahead)

Chapter 38 - Night of Woes and Uncertainty...

In a clearing in the deep part of the Indigo woods, there was a wooden cabin next to a small lake. The cabin had been uninhabited for a long time until a short while ago. A red haired woman was fast asleep in the cabin, but she was having a nightmare. She was dreaming that she was being violated and beaten by the very same mercenaries she had hired to get a job done. She tried to get away but they were too strong and they had threatened to kill her if she didn't do as they said, holding up a gun to her face. They raped her and beat her, enjoying it all. When they shot their seed into her, she cried loudly and shook with disgust but they laughed at her, saying they weren't done with her yet. When they continued violating her, she screamed so loudly that the act woke her up and she snapped her eyes open.

She couldn't believe she had seen such a horrible thing and wondered why she would see such a thing in the first place. She blinked several times to better her vision by getting the dust out but she was unable to see in the darkness except for a few outlines of some furniture. She got up. Or rather, attempted to get up but couldn't. That was when she realized that her hands and feet were bound in thick rope, her body was in so much pain she couldn't move and that she was lying on the cold cement floor in the cabin's basement. That's when the horrible truth came crashing down onto her; she hadn't seen a nightmare at all. She was remembering what had actually happened to her. She had experienced it all again in her mind after crying herself to sleep earlier.

She tried to call for help but couldn't since she had a gag in her mouth. Her throat felt very sore and so was her lower body. She felt extremely cold, not wearing any clothes. The cold she felt made the soreness and pain she was feeling to be intensified. She had several black and blue bruises all over, dried blood marks along her inner thighs and dried stains on her body from the rough gang rape she had suffered through. She could smell the horrible scent of what occurred and it almost made her throw up but she controlled herself. She would've choked on it otherwise because of the gag. She tried to push the gag out of her mouth and wiggle her hands out of her binds but couldn't do either. Unable to find a way out or do anything else, her eyes began to water and Natasha started to cry.

I can't believe this nightmare is real! Someone help me! Please! As if to answer her prayers, the basement door opened, light shining down into the room and she heard someone come down the steps. The person stopped, flipped a switch and the room light turned on. She heard more footsteps before she saw the person coming. It wasn't a savior; it was one of her rapists coming closer to her, making her tremble violently and her heart beat madly. No! Stay back! Please! Leave me alone! Please don't hurt me anymore! Stay back! The vile man continued towards her, unaware of her pleading in her mind and certainly not paying attention to her whimpering. He knelt down beside her and smiled maliciously, his eyes filled with lust, making the poor girl fill up with fear.

"Ah, I'm touched you remember me sweetie," mocked Ed. He placed his hand on her waist, making Natasha whimper even more and louder while tears fell from her eyes. Ed only laughed while moving his hand towards her womanhood. "I didn't say you can move!" shouted Ed, slapping her when she attempted to move away. She froze yet still felt his hand go over her opening, rubbing it a bit before plunging into her roughly with two fingers. She cried out against it, feeling pain shoot up through her but Ed didn't care. "This is only the start my pet." The Skull Brother laughed and continued what he was doing as she whimpered and cried while he unbuckled his belt and lowered his jeans.

NO! PLEASE STOP! ARCEUS HELP ME! PLEASE END THIS NIGHTMARE! PLEASE SAVE ME! HELP ME!

As the black hearted Skull Brother Ed began to take advantage and violate the poor red head Natasha again in the cabin basement as the sun was about to set, a raven haired guardian was making his way inside a club far away from them. It wasn't until a few hours later that he emerged from it and began his trek down a dark dirt path. He was lost in a whirlwind of emotions and confusion after another altercation between himself and his childhood friend and crush back at Club Indigo. Ash took a long sip from the vodka bottle in his hand and continued walking slowly with no destination in mind but followed the road since he was too busy thinking about everything that had happened….

He and his friends were at Club Indigo, enjoying their time together there as they danced, drank and joked around. They were having a very enjoyable night, with Ash and May finally getting some alone time on the dance floor before Ash and Liza partook in a drinking contest together. Everything was going splendidly until Leaf showed up with Anabel and Sarah. Even though Ash thought Leaf looked stunning when she arrived, he was unable to push past his anger for her over what she did; betraying him and hurting him for the second time. He couldn't get past it, so he ignored her until they argued a bit and she left the VIP area crying as Ash got up to go to the bar alone. After Misty, Dawn, Serena and May spoke with Lily and Violet who had opened their eyes on some things, the four girls had gone to Ash. After speaking with his girlfriends, he realized that he was being too hard, a bit of a jackass and if he could give bad guys a second chance, then his friends should be able to get another as well. He apologized to the girls and to his friends for ruining their night but they held nothing against him.

Ash found where Leaf was thanks to Sabrina and found her dancing with Damien Daisuke. He was furious and confronted her about what she was doing. After some more heated words exchanged, with Leaf saying that he was nothing but horrible to her, Ash was hurt and she noticed it in his eyes, making her feel guilty. That was when Ash told her that they were done. That after everything he had done for her, both in the past when they were kids and just recently, she had the fucking nerve to say he was horrible to her. He left her on the dance floor, grabbed his vodka bottle and left the club. During their heated confrontation, the music was off as the DJ had turned it off, noticing them yelling and now everyone was looking at Leaf but she didn't notice.

Damien snapped out of his trance and smirked, looking at the embarrassed and sullen brunette in front of him. He had found her a little while ago, sitting alone on one of the couches hidden away in the corner of the club. She had her head in her hands, crying heavily. When he first laid eyes on her, he found her to have a very striking body and wanted her. He wanted to have her scream out his name all night as he banged her senseless. Leaf however didn't want to talk or do anything with anyone at first but he had played his cards right, taking advantage of her vulnerable state, listening to her and saying the right things to her. She just wanted to feel something, anything really, other than the heartache she was experiencing then. Too easy, he thought as he continued being the shoulder for her to lean on.

He had slowly convinced her to have a good time, telling her to forget about the asshole who would not treat her right, getting her to agree to dance with him. During their dance, he slowly made the space between them evaporate while lowering his hands down her back. Normally Leaf would've stopped someone who attempted that but it felt so good to have someone touch her, hug her, be close with her, wanting that from Ash but it wouldn't happen with him so she let it happen with this new guy. Damien was just about to make his move and seal the deal for the night when he was pulled away from her and that's when things became a little complicated for him. That is, until that bothersome idiot left his target for the night alone after making her even more emotional. He just made it even easier for me, he thought.

"About time he left. What a loser," stated Damien as he walked up to Leaf who was staring at the door that Ash left through. "C'mon gorgeous, let's go somewhere we can have some privacy and I can make you happy. I'll show you a good time so you can forget about that worthless douche." He wrapped his arm around the still frozen girl's waist and leaned in to kiss her. Right before their lips was about to meet, Leaf snapped out of her trance. She brushed him off and then slapped him hard. The sound echoed in the silent club while also making Damien stumble back as he yelped at the sudden strike. He looked back at her in surprise and saw her eyes were blazing with fury, making him flinch.

"Don't you dare insult him again! Ash Ketchum is none of those things! He is a powerful trainer, an Aura Guardian, the savoir of the stadium attack, he's my childhood friend and the love of my life! Don't ever insult him again and don't ever talk to me or try to touch me either!" threatened Leaf. She glared at him before leaving a shocked Damien on the dance floor, now realizing who the raven haired man was that had come between him and his target. Leaf then hurried after Ash, moving faster and faster with tears building in her eyes, hoping that she could somehow fix everything. She opened the door and disappeared outside.

The group of friends was astounded at what they just witnessed and after glancing at one another, they quickly followed after Leaf. They found Brock and Richie in the crowd on the dance floor after a bit of searching and got Liza and Clair from the girls bathroom before heading out with Pikachu on May's shoulders. His ears were dropped as he was scared over what Ash was going through and letting it change him.

Ash was walking down the wide dark dirt path that was barely lit up with some street lights down the road. He took a sip from the bottle, lost in thought and consumed with both anger and sadness. He couldn't believe anything that happened that day. He had been walking for a bit in silence before he heard someone. "ASH!" He kept walking without stopping, ignoring the shout. "ASH!"

"Go away Leaf."

"ASH STOP!" yelled Leaf as she caught up to him finally as she was running in high heels. She grabbed his shoulder but he slipped out of her grasp and kept walking. "JUST LET ME EXPLAIN!" she cried loudly but Ash ignored her and kept walking away. "STOP RUNNING AWAY FROM THIS AND JUST LET ME EXPLAIN DAMN IT!" That got his attention and he stopped as he started shaking with rage.

Don't explode, advised the voice and once again, Ash heeded his advice. "I'm running away?" he turned around calmly but looked at Leaf with such a frightening expression that it made her flinch. "You've been doing that your whole life Leaf so you don't get to say that to anyone. Especially me." Leaf winced as if he just hit her.

"You're right, I'm sorry. But I was just trying to get your attention Ash. Please just let me explain things," she pleaded softly now, taking a step closer to him and when he didn't move, she thought that was a good sign. But before she could start explaining, their friends caught up to them and were panting a bit. They had run after them after their head start and it took them a bit to catch up.

"What...happened…what we…miss?" panted out Liza, who was really exhausted having just puked her guts out just moments ago.

"Nothing happened Liza and you should relax a bit," advised Ash and the green haired girl nodded and sat down on the dirt. Ash took a swig from his bottle before looking at Leaf again, their friends gathered around them with concerned expressions. Let her explain, said the voice. "Well, what are you waiting for Leaf? You asked for a chance to explain things, so go ahead. I'm waiting," said Ash. Leaf looked around her at their friends. She didn't expect to say anything in front of them all but she gathered some courage. She turned back to him and took a deep breath.

"I'm so sorry Ash for what I did," started Leaf. "I truly am. I never meant to hurt you. I didn't mean to take advantage, to betray your or the girls' trust. I couldn't control myself but that's no excuse. What I did was wrong and cowardly and I knew that but I still did it anyway. I…"

"If you knew that, why did you do that then Leaf?" interrupted Ash as he crossed his arms while still holding onto the bottle.

"I was scared that you might die and I would never get a chance. I was scared that even when you would recover, I would never get a chance after to tell you how I feel. I just felt as if I had to at that time. I think I was also secretly wishing that you would wake up and catch me in the act or that you were pretending to sleep only to hear everything so you could think about it all. All in all, I acted like a total idiot."

Ash sighed and shook his head at what Leaf told him just now. He understood her reasons why but it was still stupid and he was just so mad, so sad and so…disappointed with her. "Really Leaf? You couldn't just talk to me? After everything we've been through? Everything I've done for you? Both in the past as kids and here at the tournament? You used to be able to talk to me about anything remember?" he reminded her.

"I know Ash, I know. I fucked up big time. Please understand…"

"You didn't just fuck up Leaf. You completely betrayed me for the second time! You took advantage of me and went behind the girls' backs, breaking your promise to them just like you broke your promise to me before!" shot Ash. "What kind of person does that to the people they care about Leaf?!"

"It's not easy for me to say how I feel Ash!" snapped Leaf. "I'm not like you okay?!"

"You think it was easy for me?! You saw my fucking memories Leaf! It took me over a decade to get over my father leaving me to be able to tell people how I feel about them. It's never easy! You're not the only one! It didn't help either that you fucked me over too before our journeys even began!"

"That's not fair Ash!" yelled Leaf. "I was just a kid back then! I was going through a lot at the time!"

"Oh I remember and you know that I went through some shit of my own! But I didn't turn into a fucked up person who uses, abuses and seduces others to get what they want before they throw them to the side!" shouted Ash and Leaf had a very hurt look appear on her face and had her eyes water at what he just said to her. Gary stepped forward, having heard enough from his two childhood friends but was also angry at Ash for letting such past events dictate his actions today.

"Hold it Ashy-boy! There's no reason to bring up the past! She may have done something bad to you but you're going too far with this by bringing up the past!" yelled Gary angrily.

"The past is important since she hasn't learned from it and you can shut the fuck up Gary or everyone will find out how much of a piece of shit you are!" snapped Ash and Gary widened his eyes at that before quickly recovering and glared at Ash. Sabrina's heart started thumping loudly but nobody paid her any attention even though she could've sworn it was as loud as a drum beat. Everyone stood horrified at what Ash just said to his childhood rival and friend.

"Fuck you Ash. You have no idea what you're talking about and you should watch what you say," threatened Gary. Their friends gasped at what he said but Ash was unaffected by it.

"Or what? What are you going to do to me Gare-Bear? What are you going to do when all the world's evil organizations and powerful legendaries couldn't bring me down when I was just a kid? You can't do anything and won't do anything cause you're wrong and you're scared. So unless you want me to tell everyone of the fucked up thing you did, close your mouth and stay the hell out of my business," threatened Ash. Gary scowled at him but said no more. Ilene was horrified at what her Knight just did and said but was also gazing at Gary as she was starting to feel uneasy about everything she just heard about him.

"Ash why are you so cruel to us? Aren't we friends at least? Don't friends help each other and forgive each other's mistakes?" asked Leaf as tears slowly escaped from her eyes while facing him. Ash turned his unbelieving gaze back to her.

"I'm cruel? We're friends? Really? I'm cruel because I'm not taking your or his crap anymore? You two are supposedly my friends yet you constantly messed with me and screwed me over many times? Are you fucking kidding me?!" Leaf flinched and Gary looked away. "You took advantage of me while I recovered! You went behind the girls' backs! You betrayed their trust! You betrayed my trust! And this is just recently! Have you forgotten the other things you did to me in the past?!"

"Please Ash! I'm sorry! I know I did wrong and I'm not denying it! I just want to fix things! You didn't deserve any of that at all! I'm sorry! Please! I didn't know what to do! I never felt this way before and it scared me! I was so scared and I went through a lot as a kid and it fucked me up! Please Ash!" cried Leaf but Ash wasn't hearing any of it. He was lost in his emotions and the vast amount of alcohol in his system was enhancing those emotions, clouding the logical part of his mind.

"All I hear are worthless excuses Leaf! You say you went through some shit as a kid? Well you know that I did too. You know my father left when I was just a kid but I didn't let anyone see me sad, even though I was picked on, made fun of and pranked on by all the other kids. Even when you became a part of them too but I didn't let that turn me into an asshole! I was even there for you when your parents divorced sometime later! Did you forget that?!" he asked her and Leaf took in a sharp breath that he brought that up. Everyone else except for Gary was surprised to hear that her parents had divorced but that explained some things about Leaf's behavior.

"No I haven't Ash and please stop. I don't want to remember all that..." replied Leaf with teary eyes but Ash ignored her plea.

"Of course you don't want to remember. Why would you want to remember all the things I did for you? I was just someone you used to get by…I was the one who helped you find your way! I was the one who made you laugh whenever you started to cry! I was the one who helped you out all the time even when we became friends with Gary! We made a promise to be there for each other and to go on the journey together! But then you forgot about me some months before getting our starter pokémon! You started hanging out with Gary more often some time before then and both of you started picking on me and played pranks on me with the other kids! I didn't think too much about it since we were just kids and did stupid shit! But then you left without waiting for me or telling me why. You left me behind! You broke our promise! You betrayed my trust! You took advantage of our friendship just to get what you needed from me until you could get better things! You traded someone who did everything for you for a world famous pokémon researcher's grandson yet he did nothing for you! I was still there for you whenever you needed me even though you helped the other kids pick on me! Like when you needed to come to my house to escape your neglecting whore of mother who was too busy bringing home a different man every other night so she could get something from them than to look after you!"

Ah Ash…I think you went too far, commented the voice but Ash didn't hear it.

"SHUT THE HELL UP ASH! YOU HAVE NO RIGHT TO SAY THAT OR BRING IT UP!" yelled Leaf shaking with embarrassment and anger. He had said something very personal and humiliating from her life that she just wanted to completely forget and leave behind in the past. Many stunned faces surrounded them yet no one made a sound or moved. They were all frozen in place from what they just learned about Leaf's family and past.

"NO I WILL NOT LEAF!" roared back Ash. "I WILL NOT BE TAKEN FOR GRANTED ANYMORE! AND I WILL SAY THAT BECAUSE THAT'S WHO YOU TOOK AFTER! THAT'S WHO YOU BECAME! EVEN AFTER ALL I DID FOR YOU, YOU STILL TURNED INTO YOUR SEDUCING AND COLD HEARTED MOTHER WHO DOESN'T CARE ABOUT ANYONE BUT HERSELF! THAT'S WHERE YOU LEARNED TO BE SUCH A COLD HEARTED BITCH WHO USES OTHERS FOR HER OWN BENEFIT BEFORE TOSSING THEM ASIDE!" Leaf launched herself at Ash and tried to hit him while she cried hysterically, screaming at him in between sobs. As she attempted to hit him, Ash blocked all of her strikes with ease, not even trying. Everyone was too overwhelmed at what they just heard Ash say to do anything to stop what was happening. They were unable to process what they just learned about Leaf's past, that Ash went that far and that Leaf was trying to hit him, staring with wide eyes, unable to move.

"THAT'S NOT TRUE!" shouted Leaf in a high pitched tone of voice as she tried to punch him in the face but he swiftly moved to the side. "I'M NOT LIKE HER! I'LL NEVER BE LIKE HER! I'M NOT LIKE MY MOM! YOU HAVE NO RIGHT TO SAY THAT TO ME ASH! YOU KNOW HOW MUCH I HATED HER FOR THAT!"

"YOU COULD'VE FOOLED ME LEAF WITH THE WAY YOU'VE BEEN ACTING SO FAR!" Ash shouted back as he deflected her strikes. "YOU'VE DONE THE EXACT SAME BULLSHIT AS YOUR WHORE OF A MOTHER! AT LEAST WE KNOW WHY YOUR FATHER LEFT UNLIKE MINE!"

"SCREW YOU ASH AND YOU CAN SHUT THE FUCK UP!" shrieked Leaf as she became furious at him. Leaf threw another punch at him but he dodged that but when she went for another one and he evaded that as well, she lost her balance and fell face forward onto the dirt covered path. She stayed on the ground as he stood over her. It was silent for a few minutes as nobody made a sound and nobody moved. Everyone was too lost, too shocked to do or say anything. A few seconds later, sobs were heard from the brunette on the floor before she started talking. "I'm not like her," sobbed Leaf quietly. She raised herself onto her hands and knees and looked up at Ash with heavy and fast tears trailing down her cheeks. Her green sparkling dress covered in dirt and she had slight grazes on her arms as she used them to protect her face at the last second. She locked her green eyes onto his brown ones. "I'm not like her. I'll never be like her. Please don't say that I'm like her. I fucked up. I made mistakes. I treated you horribly when we were kids. I didn't appreciate the things you did for me. And I messed up again. I realize all that now. You're right about those things. But I'm still not like her Ash. Please don't say I'm like her. Please believe me. Please forgive me. Please just give me a chance. I'll do anything for you. Anything because…I love you."

The heated and emotional argument between Ash and Leaf was causing their friends to become very uncomfortable and from just these few facts of their past showed that the two had a very deep history together even though they hadn't seen each other for almost a decade. They were torn between who to help, what to say and do. Even the five girls were starting to feel badly for Leaf. Finding out about Leaf's past made them all realize that Leaf's life was mostly filled with bad times caused by her parents divorce, her neglecting mother, how she wanted to leave that place behind and go away the first chance she got and how that affected her. But they didn't know how to help her or how to convince Ash that he was being too harsh on this. He had valid reasons as well but he was being a total asshole about it right now. Before they could figure anything out, Ash knelt down in front of Leaf and looked her in the eye.

"You say you love me?" he asked her.

"I do Ash. I love you with all my heart," responded Leaf as her face shined under the moonlight because of all her tears. Ash looked into her eyes for a minute before speaking again.

"And how many guys have you said that to? How many have you seduced to get your way? How many did you sleep with just so you can get what you want? How many people have you tricked to get what you want? How many times have you gone behind someone's back? How many have you fucked over Leaf?"

"It's not like that and that's not fair Ash," replied Leaf, shaking her head but he kept waiting for an answer and the others remained silent. "You know I had no support from my family and that I wanted to get out of there as quickly as possible and never go back. I know it's not good enough but that's one of the reasons I didn't wait for you. I had to do whatever was necessary to survive after."

"Answer the questions Leaf," said Ash and Leaf sighed as she looked down before raising her gaze to his.

"I've tricked people, seduced people, lied to people, betrayed people….I don't have a number for those at all because they were so many…but I do have a number for the others. Zero. I never slept with anyone or did anything with anyone and I never said those words to anyone but you Ash. I swear on my life I'm not lying to you. I love you. Only you," answered Leaf as she raised her hands slowly and cupped Ash's face, her eyes looking into his, trying to pierce through his icy gaze. The group was startled by her admitting that she had done such horrible things in the past. Ash grasped her hands and lowered them making Leaf feel terrible that he had rejected her touch.

"Was it out of your love for me that you took me for granted when we were kids? Was it out of love when you picked on me with Gary? Was it out of love when you used me for your benefit? Was it out of love when you broke our promise and left without me, betraying me? Was it out of love when you took advantage of me when I was recovering in the hospital, unable to resist? Was it out of love that you betrayed the girls' trust by breaking your promise to them? Breaking my trust? Was it out of love that you tried to make me jealous by dancing with another guy? What kind of love is this Leaf? Where is the love? I don't see it and I don't feel it from you." Leaf hung her head and let out tears as she started breathing raggedly. Ash thought for a moment before continuing. "You don't know what love is Leaf, even when it was staring you right in the face. Even though you wanted to escape from everything, you ended up becoming everything you hated and everything I despise. Everything I believe in; trust, loyalty, friendship, honesty, fairness…you don't believe in any of that. You spit on my beliefs and on me when you took advantage of me and betrayed me for the second time, betrayed the girls by breaking your promise to them and then you tried to get me back by making me jealous. And you want to know what the saddest part is Leaf?" he asked her and he waited until she looked up at him. "I had feelings for you in the past, that's true…but after crossing paths with you here and spending time with you again…I thought you had changed and it was because of that it made those feelings come back, that made me realize I still have those feelings for you as I still loved you and was going to tell you while we were here." Ash's revelation made everyone besides Misty, May, Dawn and Serena gasp as they didn't know that Ash had feelings for her still and that he actually loves her. They glanced at the four to see their reactions but when they saw that they didn't show any surprised expression, they were shocked. They were expecting them to be furious or stunned or something else besides having a neutral expression on their faces. Leaf speaking made them turn their attention back to the two in the middle.

"You…love me?" asked Leaf in a whisper as she looked into his eyes.

"Yes. But I don't understand why anymore," answered Ash as he stood up and Leaf felt like he just stabbed her. "Despite the horrible person you are, despite all the crap you did to me, for some Arceus forsaken reason, I still love you. And yet...I don't want anything to do with you anymore." Ash turned around, picked up the bottle he had dropped onto the floor that surprisingly didn't break when he was dodging Leaf's strikes and started walking away as he took a long sip. His friends didn't move nor make a sound. They were too dazed over what they just witnessed to function. He felt a soft hand grab his and he turned his head slightly back to see that it belonged to Leaf.

"Please Ash…don't do this…don't leave me…I'm sorry for everything! Absolutely everything! I'll do anything! Anything! You say you love me so just give me a chance! Please! I've realized that you were and still are the best thing that's ever happened to me! I'll give up everything and anything just for a chance! I can't lose you! I can't! Give me a chance! Please! I love you!" she cried as she hugged him tightly from behind and Ash was silent for a few seconds when she stopped talking.

"No Leaf. You've had too many chances already. Not once did you try contacting me since we started our journeys but I tried in the beginning but you never answered. You left me behind. You picked on me and pranked me with Gary and the other kids and never apologized for it. You broke our promise. You took advantage of me. You broke the girls' trust. You broke your promise to them. You tried to get back at me by making me jealous. It's not just one thing or a couple things that you did wrong. It's many things and that's too much and it's too late. I can't be around you at all anymore and I can't love you anymore after what you did to me and to the girls," replied back Ash. He freed himself from her embrace and thunder struck from over head as Leaf dropped to the floor and started crying heavily. Ash looked up into the sky and saw dark clouds overhead. More thunder struck before light rain began falling down. He spread his arms wide to the sight as he welcomed the rain. It felt wonderful to him as he felt like he was being purified. All of the anguish he had regarding his past with Leaf seemed to be just melting away. The rain washed over them all and he began chuckling lightly before laughing out loud.

"Ash?" asked several concerned friends, with Misty, Dawn, Serena, May and Cynthia taking a few worried steps closer to him.

"Pikapi?" asked Pikachu from May's shoulders, concerned.

"How ironic!" said Ash, making everyone tilt their head at his choice of words. He looked back down at Leaf and lowered his arms. "On my very first day on my pokémon journey I found out you betrayed me by breaking our promise, leaving me behind and it rained that night. Now I find out that you betrayed me again by taking advantage of me for the second time and it rains again. Funny how things come full circle. This is a sign. This is Karma. You turned your back on me and left me. Looks like it's my turn. Goodbye Leaf." Ash turned his back on Leaf, who cried harder that everything had just crumbled and went to shit and that the only good thing in her life was walking away from her. She couldn't believe it. She called out to him from the ground but he ignored her. The five girls didn't know what to do at all, rooted in their spots. Ash made to leave but was blocked suddenly by some of his friends. "Out of my way," ordered Ash in a monotone voice.

"No Ash," said Brock as he shook his head before giving Ash a stern gaze. "You're making a mistake. You're letting your anger do the talking. Don't let it control you and cause something that you'll regret later on."

"You're blowing this out of proportion. Think about what you're doing Ash and who you're doing it too," said Lucy sadly.

"Please Ash, try to think of what she's gone through too," pleaded Anabel.

"She may have done wrong but she apologized and is willing to change," reminded Sarah.

"You're an Aura Guardian Ash. Forgiving and giving people a chance to change is what we do. What you do and it's a great quality. Don't stop doing that," advised Riley.

"You are a Knight of the Kingdom of Rota. You cannot act like this," remarked Ilene.

"Stop being such a kid Ash and grow up! Accept her apology and fix things with her! You don't have to get with her but you can at least stop being such an asshole right now!" shouted Iris angrily.

"You're giving a foul flavor right now Ash and all its doing is making everyone cringe from it," added Cilan.

"I used to believe that you were gonna go nowhere but then you made think that I was wrong when you beat me. But now I'm starting to realize that I'm still right since you're still a loser since you act like a big and tough man Ashy-boy but you're nothing but a tantrum throwing grudge holder," insulted Gary.

Something in Ash snapped after hearing his friends speak to him like that after realizing something. Everyone loved and respected him whenever he did what he was supposed to do, what he was expected to do but not when he wanted to do things his way or speak his mind. He was always a door mat for everyone. Always told what to do. Always been taken advantage of. Always made fun of. Always forced to help others, to save others, to protect others, to put his life on the line for nothing more than a little bit of gratitude. Always ridiculed for his actions. Always forced to swallow his emotions. Always forced to bite his tongue. Always made to put his comfort and peace of mind aside for others. Always having to prove himself to everyone. But he couldn't anymore. He had enough. He had it with everyone. He didn't care anymore. He was done.

NO! STOP! DON'T GO DOWN THAT PATH! Yelled the voice in his head but Ash ignored him as he raised the bottle and drank. He quickly finished the remaining amount, which had a little left before tossing it aside and it shattered as it hit a nearby building's wall. He then locked his gaze onto his old childhood friend and rival. The rain was still falling down, making several people start to shiver as they were becoming soaked to the bones.

"Alright then, if you won't get out of the way. Let's go Gary. Let's find out once and for all who the better one of us is of the two. I hope a cheater like you can fight at least," taunted Ash as he took up a fighting stance, making everyone gasp and their eyes to widen as to what Ash wanted before making everyone glance at the young pokémon researcher.

"You've lost it Ashy-boy and it's time for you learn that you can't just insult people like that and do want you want. If I have to be the one who beats it into you, then so be it. It'll be like the good old days where I put you in your place," growled Gary as he put his fists up and took a boxing stance.

"STOP! Don't do this!" pleaded Daisy Oak but they ignored her.

"ASH!" screamed out Misty, Dawn, Serena, May and Cynthia together.

"GARY! DON'T"! shouted Ilene.

The two rivals ignored them and before the others could stop the two before things got even crazier, Gary launched himself at Ash who dodged his strike easily and smacked Gary upside the head as he went flying past. Gary took a few steps forward from his momentum before stopping. He turned around quickly and threw a punch at Ash who deflected it away lazily. Each time he tried to hit him, the raven haired guardian merely deflected and evaded the strikes while smacking him against the head. Gary was starting to slip and slid as the rain had slowly turned the dirt path they were on into mud. Pretty soon, Ash and Gary had their feet and up to their shins covered in mud from all the moving around.

"Is this the best the great Gare-Bear can do?" taunted Ash as he easily evaded another punch. "And to think that I used to believe that beating you would be one of my biggest challenges and biggest triumphs. I'm disappointed."

"I'll show you what I can do you fucking emotional, grudge holding, stick up his ass, second rate trainer!" countered Gary as he charged at him again.

That last statement pissed off Ash and he didn't move in time, distracted. Gary connected his punch to his face, causing his head to turn to the side before he stumbled back a few steps and their friends shouted out at the sight of it. Landing that punch made Gary think he had him as he let a smirk form on his face and he didn't let up. He connected another blow against Ash's face again that made him take a step back again but when Ash turned his furious gaze to Gary, his smirk vanished and he gulped. Ash straightened out and Gary immediately threw another strike to take advantage. What he wasn't expecting was that Ash wanted him to do that. The raven haired guardian blocked the left hook and quickly struck him in the chest hard with a straight punch, causing Gary to drop to his knees and clutch his chest, wheezing for air. Seeing the young pokémon researcher get hurt, several people cried out in shock.

"GARY!" shouted Ilene and Daisy Oak as they ran to him, or rather tried to with their heels digging into the mud. Ash caught Ilene as she ran past him, grabbing her and stopping her from behind while Daisy reached her brother and tried to help him. "Let me go Ash!"

"I cannot Ilene. Gary is no good for you," said Ash and Daisy glanced at Ash with a stunned expression at what he said about her brother and his old friend while the others again were shocked at what he said. "He is not worthy of-"

"You can't tell me what to do Ash! Now l order you to release me or I will have Riley arrest you!" shouted Ilene while struggling to get out of his grip.

"I cannot do that Ilene," replied Ash as he kept her away. He then whirled her around and grabbed her from her upper arms and made her look at him. "Ilene, there is something you should know about-"

"SHUT UP! You have no right to call me that anymore! I am Queen Ilene to you! I don't care what you have to say! You aren't a Knight of the Kingdom of Rota anymore either! I can't believe you would hurt your friends like this! Over what?! Over some bullshit about Leaf hurting you? Grow up and get over it! You're preparing for an evil that's coming for us all and you're worried about a kiss that Leaf gave you because she was too scared to admit her feelings for you or the things she did in her past when she was a child?! A CHILD?! What kind of person are you?! Why the hell does Arceus view you as his Chosen One, when you're not even mature enough to handle something like this?! NOW LET ME GO!" finished Ilene with a slap across his face. Ilene's outburst and strike shocked Ash. It made him feel incredibly hurt from her words but also angered him even more. He returned his gaze back to hers and his face contorted with fury and that frightened the young queen. Riley immediately intervened and broke them apart as he stepped in front of Ash and Ilene was looking at Ash with fear for a few seconds before snapping out of it and going to Gary and tried to help him out with Daisy.

"Damn it Ash! You need to calm down now!" stated Riley seriously. "This isn't you! Why are you behaving in such a way?!" he asked but Ash ignored him, keeping his glare on Ilene. "I'm sorry it's come to this but if you try to hurt the Queen I am going to have to stop you and put you down." Ash didn't do anything but keep his gaze on Ilene, not even hearing what Riley just said. The girls were too scared and the guys were lost. Nobody knew what to do or say. Ilene had a feeling that Ash was still looking at her and against her better judgment, turned her face to look at him and when saw his furious expression, she took in a sharp breath. Misty, Dawn, Serena, May and even Cynthia were about to go to Ash to try to calm him down as they didn't like seeing him so angry, so hurt and they were thinking that if things didn't end soon, then something worse could happen. They also believed that he had been blowing things out of proportion and had crossed the line. But when Ash started speaking again, everyone listened.

"You're right Queen Ilene. What was I thinking? I apologize for wanting to have people I can trust around me. I apologize for acting like a child for wanting people to be honest with me and not take advantage of me. I wish I had your guidance before when I was younger so I could have grown into a better person. The things I value and respect are just the foolish notions of a child who has saved the world many times yet doesn't know right from wrong. Forgive me my wise Queen," replied back Ash sarcastically with a mock bow and continued speaking after straightening out. "Even though you don't care what I have to say, you're still going to hear it; that so called person that you're so worried about did a horrible thing. Gary cheated on Sabrina by fucking another girl because he couldn't wait for her when she said she wasn't ready. Just thought you should know the kind of person you're dating."

Nobody could believe what they just heard. Sabrina went scarlet at her humiliation being public knowledge. She was embarrassed at everyone finding out at, becoming angry with Ash and was about to yell at him. But when many of her friends got over their shock and gave glares at the young pokémon researcher instead of looking at her, she realized something; she had nothing to be embarrassed about as she did nothing wrong and she shouldn't be angry at Ash for bringing out the truth. Daisy Oak looked at her little brother with shock, anger and disappointment. Ilene's eyes widened before she glanced at her boyfriend.

"Tell me that's not true." Gary slowly raised his head and looked Ilene in the eyes. The guilt and sorrow in them was all she needed to know. She stood up suddenly and took a couple steps back. "How could you do such a thing?!"

"I'm sorry Ilene. I was a different person back then. I told you I've done things I'm not proud of but I also told you I've changed!" he croaked out but Ilene shook her head as she continued backing away, horrified at finding out that the man that she loves had done such a terrible thing to some other girl in the past.

"Too late. And you are apologizing to the wrong person as you never did apologize to Sabrina did you?" asked Ash and Gary hung his head as almost everyone gave him a death glare at that, before looking at the psychic girl in front of them who had her gaze locked onto Ash. "You're a cheating bastard and Leaf is a betraying bitch. Both of you fucked over someone who cared about you. Good luck you two with the rest of your lives. Well, you have two years at least. Who knows? Maybe I can't win in the fight for the whole damn world against the coming evil. How could I with people like you around me?" Hearing those last few statements made the newer people in the group become confused since they had no idea what Ash was talking about but didn't dwell on it when they saw Ash move. He turned around and walked away from his two childhood friends on the muddy ground as they all thought about what he just said. The rain was still falling and watching Ash walk away seemed to snap her out of her silence. Leaf called out to him again several times and she even got up and tried to go after him but stumbled and fell back down to the ground because of the mud and her heels but he still ignored her. Her dress was covered in mud and she was sobbing and shivering from the rain. As Ash moved towards the ones blocking his path, they stepped aside and let him through as most of them realized that he wasn't in an understanding mood, both his emotions and alcohol controlling him at the moment. Except for one. After taking a few steps, he felt a solid grip on his left shoulder. He didn't even turn around. "I'm warning you. Let go," threatened Ash.

"No Ash. I understand what you're saying and how you feel. I'm seen some horrible shit helping out the G-Men from time to time but this isn't as bad as it seems. You can't just fuck things up like this and leave like an asshole," replied Clair angrily. It happened way too fast for anyone to register what happened. One second Clair was standing behind Ash holding his shoulder in the middle of the path, talking to him and the next second, she was up against a nearby building's wall with her right arm twisted behind her with the raven haired guardian pressing up against her from behind. Clair was too startled to even think about what just happened and everyone else was too frightened at what he just did to even say something.

"I warned you Clair," said Ash into her ear but everyone heard him as he applied a little more pressure onto her arm and she winced. "This is the second time I've humbled you. There better not be a third," he told her. Clair's heart beat loudly as she heard his words and his hot breath landed onto the side of her face. She felt his body against hers and thought of her vulnerable position in the rain. She had never been so easily dismissed as a challenge that it sent tremors through to her core. Her breathing became a bit ragged before Ash let her go and the gym leader lost her balance a bit, stumbling backwards a few steps before she caught herself. She turned around with a flushed face in time to see him walking away.

"Ash…" The person who said it, said it in a soft pleading voice that made him stop. "Please don't go. Please don't do this. Remember what you told me at the club?" He slightly turned his head to the girl who was speaking. "After I apologized to you about feeling horrible for what I did to you; things just happen and sometimes it's not what you expect it to be but you just have to let it go and not let it control you. Sometimes that's the best thing to do. That's great advice you told me and you should listen to it yourself. And remember what I told you? Please, I know how you feel, being betrayed myself. I've been there. Don't wallow it. Don't let it control you," pleaded the dark haired psychic beauty but the raven haired guardian just shook his head sadly.

"I'm sorry Sabrina…I can't. I'm not strong like you or others who can move past it. I've been through that same thing too many times to just let it go now," he told her and he continued walking away, making the Saffron gym leader become teary eyed as she watched him walk away.

"Stop Ash!" yelled Brock and he did. "You can't just leave us like this. I know you're angry. I know you're upset. But that doesn't justify the things you're doing right now. Please man. You're my brother. You're my best friend. We can sort this out. We can work on this. If not for me, then stay for the girls you love so dearly. Stop this tantrum and fix things now," pleaded Brock.

"Brock, you are one of my closest friends and I see you as my brother…but don't you dare say that to me. I need some time alone. I've had enough. It's too much," said Ash after turning around and he raised his arms to gesture to everything around them. He then faced Misty, May, Dawn and Serena who were looking at him with worried expressions. "I still love you. I will always love you. But I can't be here right now. I need to be alone for a while. After everything I've done, all the times I've risked everything for everyone, all the times I saved the world…yet I'm still taken for granted by everyone. I'm being treated like a door mat. I've been taken advantage of. I've been made fun of. I've been insulted. I've been ridiculed. I've been betrayed. I have to constantly prove myself to everyone. Every time I want to stand up for myself, everyone goes crazy and says I have to bottle up my emotions. That I have to be the bigger person. It's happened way too many times and I can't move past it anymore. I can't turn the other cheek anymore. I'm done…I know it may sound stupid and pathetic but that's how I'm feeling right now and that's what it is…I hope you understand," he told them.

The girls looked at him for a moment as they let his words wash over them and everyone else thought about what he just said. Even with witnessing his memories, even with seeing his worst nightmare, seeing how much pressure he puts himself under for them all, they didn't understand it fully until just now. A moment later, Misty, Dawn, Serena and May moved as quickly as they could in the mud towards him and gave him a group hug while they cried under the continuing rain. Ash felt horrible in seeing the four of them cry. That wasn't his intent at all. He just had to let what he was feeling and thinking off of him before it drove him insane. The girls didn't want him to go and they didn't like what happened tonight. Yes, they knew he took things too far, that he's over reacting but they understood how he felt and knew that it just wasn't fair. They wanted to tell him that, to make him understand but also knew that now would be the worst time to try and make him see that he can get past this and fix things…

"We understand but don't leave us," requested Serena.

"We never wanted this to happen and we don't want you to go," admitted Dawn.

"We need you Ash. If you have to leave, take us with you," pleaded May.

"We can't live without you," confessed Misty.

"I know…" he said as he hugged them tightly with everyone looking at them. Leaf was looking at the five, crying; she wanted that so much. "I know. And I need you and can't live without you either. Just give me some time alone okay? Do that for me and I'll come get you in the morning alright?" he asked them softly.

"You promise Ash?" asked Misty as she raised her teary eyes to look him in his.

"I swear on my life my Mystic Mermaid. I'll come get you, Dawn, Serena and May in the morning and we'll go to the island I've been staying at. Forget the tournament. No one's a challenge here anyway. Pikachu will stay with you until then," promised Ash and the four girls grudgingly agreed and hugged him tighter again before letting him go. Ash then glanced at Cynthia.

"I'm coming too," chimed in Cynthia making the four girls glance at her too before they nodded. She walked up to Ash and stopped right in front of him. She didn't like anything that happened that night. She didn't like what Leaf had done to Ash or how Ash brought up the past and crossed the line or how Ilene stripped him of his title or even Gary and Ash fighting. Nothing felt right. Except for this. When she heard that Ash was leaving as he had enough of everything, she felt her heart skip a beat. She realized she needed to go with him too as she couldn't see him vanish again without a trace. She gazed into Ash's eyes and right in front of everyone, she leaned forward and kissed him, which shocked almost everyone. Leaf stopped crying abruptly as she saw the Champion of Sinnoh kissing her childhood friend who she now realized she loved more than anything. She couldn't believe it and neither could almost everyone else. When they finally separated, brown and grey eyes found each other.

"I'd be more than happy with you coming too Cynthia. I'll see you in the morning," he told her but she stayed quiet with a saddened face.

The five girls watched him walk away into the rainy darkness of the night as a sullen Pikachu slumped down on May's shoulders. When they couldn't see him anymore in the distance, the five crestfallen girls turned around to be met with astonished faces by many people who still couldn't believe that Cynthia and Ash had feelings for each other and that the four girls were okay with it as well. Leaf was frozen still on the ground for a bit before everything just hit her like a ton of bricks. "No…no no no no no…NOOO! AAASSSSSSHHHHHHHHH!" screamed out Leaf as loudly as she could towards the direction he left. She hung her head afterwards and bawled loudly, crying her eyes out, saddened and angry at the fact that absolutely everything went wrong. That even though she somehow still had Ash's love, he didn't want to be around her because of her stupid actions, that Ash had chosen another girl to be with him, that it wasn't her and that he was leaving her behind like she did to him. "Come back…" she sobbed quietly.

Anabel and Sarah shot to her and were trying to comfort her though they were crying too. They were saddened that their wish for things to turn out for the better when they came to the club went the complete opposite and that their hope was squashed. Anabel's belief that Ash would most certainly choose Leaf to be included in his group was so far of course, not even thinking that Cynthia could be chosen. The two wanted to go with Ash too but believed that he wouldn't want them around since they were trying to help Leaf. And what kind of friends would they be if they just left Leaf behind when they promised her they'd help her? They couldn't do that.

Gary was stunned after seeing Cynthia and Ash kiss but then snapped out of his trance as he realized he didn't care. All he cared about was trying to fix things with Ilene. He was now trying to reason with her who still had a horrified look on her face.

Sabrina was rooted to her spot, staring straight ahead of her at the spot where Ash's figure disappeared into in the distance. She was thinking about how Ash was leaving, how he revealed the truth about Gary, how she felt that a great weight had been lifted off her shoulders, how she felt great comfort in his arms and now he was going to leave in the morning. Her heart was thumping loudly again and she felt intense sadness fill her. She felt as if a part of her had become lost now.

Clair looked like she was hit by a truck; still unable to function properly over how Ash completely overwhelmed her and how Cynthia came out, kissing him and was leaving with him as well. Liza still looked pale but was trying to process everything that she saw as she stood on shaky legs from the cold, the rain and from her puking from before. Shauna and Lizabeth had tears in their eyes as the two were hugging each other, their wet blue hair stuck onto each other, unable to comprehend all the events that they bared witness to. Giselle had wrapped her arms around herself, rubbing her arms, desperately trying to keep warm but failed. She was shivering from the coldness of the night but her face showed shock and worry. Brock and Lucy were standing next to each other as they tried to keep the other from crying though it was hard as one of them lost his brother and the other just watched her best friend's crush walk away while leaving her behind. Joy and Richie were beyond upset because the person who they owed their relationship to had opened up a can of worms because of what Leaf did to him and was leaving everyone behind to deal with it themselves. Iris, Violet and Lily were being hugged by Cilan, Chili and Cress respectively as they just kept their saddened gazes on Leaf after snapping out of their trance from the surprise kiss.

Riley and Daisy Oak were watching Gary and Ilene silently for a while as Gary tried to plead his case to Ilene who wasn't listening to him and kept shaking her head, holding it with her hands. They glanced at one another with worried looks as they saw how things were not going well between the two. They sighed and shook their heads sadly as they realized that they couldn't go on like this. Daisy went to her younger brother and helped him stand up as Riley went Ilene's side and told her to calm down so they could leave. Ilene faced Riley and then headed towards the hotel with Riley escorting her, ignoring Gary's pleas.

"Ilene please don't leave! I'm sorry for what I've done! Give me a chance to prove it!" requested Gary as he lunged forward with all the energy he could muster since he was still suffering from Ash's hit. He was able to grasp her hand but then Ilene turned around quickly and slapped Gary in the face, freeing her hand in the process, making them all stare at her because of what she just did.

"It's Queen Ilene to you Mr. Oak and don't you dare touch me ever again," responded Ilene heatedly and Gary had an expression on his face that looked like someone just ripped out his heart. He kept his eyes on Ilene's disappointed face, which was covered with bits of her wet blonde hair that had clung to her face. "I can't believe what you did. I told you I don't like games, flings and things like that," started Ilene. "I should've known you were a bad person. The way you kept making fun of everyone, teasing them, insulting them, putting them down just so you could feel better and say you were just 'joking around'…but no, I was fooled by your charms. And now I found out that you cheated on your ex! And you tried to keep Ash from telling me! And you never apologized to Sabrina! How can I be with someone like you? How can I trust you? I can't believe I insulted and drove away my Knight over you! A cheating and arrogant bastard!"

"Shut up you bitch!" yelled out Daisy Oak out of nowhere, making everyone look at her suddenly with widened eyes since she just insulted a Queen. "You have no right to talk to my brother like that! You call yourself a Queen but you don't act like it so fuck off! You don't deserve my brother!"

"Now let us calm down before we turn things worse," advised Riley, not wanting things to escalate though he was rather late but Ilene got the message.

"Yes, you're right Master Riley. We shall take our leave now and not bother with these two anymore," stated Ilene as she turned away from Gary and Daisy. Gary hung his head in shame while Daisy narrowed her eyes on Ilene. She walked towards the five girls and stopped in front of them. "I'm so sorry for what I said to Ash. Please tell him that I apologize and that I want him to be a Knight of my kingdom again. Even if he doesn't want it anymore, he still has our full support for the coming war."

The five girls sighed before they nodded at her, unable to do or say anything else. Ilene left soon after with Riley escorting her after he looked at Daisy Oak for a few seconds with a pained expression on his face. She caught his gaze but then looked away. Hearing Queen Ilene mention support for a coming war made Liza, Clair, Sabrina, Shauna, Lizabeth and Giselle tilt their heads since they didn't know anything about it.

"Ah, what war was Queen Ilene talking about?" asked Giselle, but the five girls just shook their heads, saying they'll tell them later.

"I'm sorry Daisy for fucking things up for you but you shouldn't have gotten involved," spoke up Gary as his sister helped him stand up.

"It's alright bro. Some things just aren't meant to be. I just hope you learned your lesson and never do something so horrible again because that pissed me off too Gary. What if someone did that to me huh? Hell, Tracey was trying to, remember? How did that make you feel? If you even think about something like that again, I will personally kick your ass," promised Daisy.

"I don't think you have to worry about that sis. That was a long time ago and I think Ash hit me so hard I'm going to have trouble for the rest of my life," grunted Gary as he tried to stand up straight but couldn't.

"Damn, how hard did he hit you?" asked Daisy with concern and Gary shrugged before groaning in pain again. "Shit, let's get you back home."

Brock separated from Lucy and went to Gary to help him walk. Richie also helped out, doing the same. Brock and Richie assisted Gary down the path back towards the hotel with Daisy, Lucy and Joy following them from behind. Iris, Cilan, Violet, Chili, Lily and Cress followed shortly after once they asked if anyone needed assistance back to the hotel and the others shook their heads. Sabrina, Clair and Liza decided to leave as well and asked if anyone needed anything before they left and all they got were shakes of the head except for Giselle who asked them if she could spend the night with them as it was too late to go back to her hotel that was farther away and they agreed. The four of them then left. Shauna and Lizabeth asked the remaining people to wait for them as they went to get their stuff from the club and so they could get someone to cover for them and clock out early as they didn't feel like working anymore. Misty, May, Dawn, Serena and Cynthia were looking at Leaf for a while, debating on something quietly with one another before the five of them moved to her.

Anabel and Sarah looked up at the five and couldn't tell what they wanted. But both of them thought if they tried to kick Leaf while she was down, they would not allow it. Leaf slowly raised her tear streaked face when she noticed feet in front of her. She saw that they belonged to the five girls. She was expecting a slap, a punch or something. But not what happened next. The girls grabbed Leaf's arms and helped her up to her feet. Before she could say anything, she was pulled into a group hug with them, surprising her, Anabel and Sarah.

"I…what..." stammered Leaf, absolutely flabbergasted at what was happening.

"Just shut up Leaf," said Misty. "Please, for the love of Mew, just shut up. You're the biggest idiot I've ever met. Bigger idiot than Ash and that's saying something. And Ash is right; you are a horrible person and you caused a bunch of shit to happen, whether or not you meant it to." Leaf was at first silent over what was happening but then she started crying again in their embrace after hearing her words. "But we never knew what you've been through. How your childhood was harsh. That you had to do those kinds of things to get by or to save your ass. How your mom didn't care about you at all. We understand now what you've been through and how that changed you even though you brought some of it unto you yourself. I can't believe I'm saying this after everything you've done to Ash and to us…but just stop crying, keep your chin up and don't give up yet if you really do love him."

"Why…why…" stammered Leaf before quieting.

"Why would we say this or tell you this?" asked Misty and Leaf nodded in the hug.

"Because we love Ash and he loves us. What you did to him, has caused him to be conflicted because of what he believes in. He loves you, but hates the things you've done. That's why he's so angry, so frustrated, so disappointed and so lost. And he wouldn't do anything that would make us feel bad and hates those who would harm us or has harmed us. So he's angry at you for hurting us, for hurting him and he's angry at himself for still loving you after what you did," explained Dawn.

"And because of that, of who he is, we would do anything for him as he would do anything for us," finished Serena as they all separated from the group hug. Leaf kept her eyes on the ground, tears going down her cheeks. Sarah and Anabel were looking at them with quiet gazes. "Do you understand now Leaf?" asked Serena and Leaf slowly nodded.

"Do you truly love him Leaf? Would you do anything for him?" asked Cynthia as she joined in, since she was a part of the group now. She locked her grey eyes with Leaf's green ones when she raised her gaze.

"I love him more than you can imagine. I don't care what he just said to me. I would do anything for him, even give my life for him," answered Leaf fiercely without hesitation.

"We believe you," replied May quietly. "But he needs to believe that. That's why he's hurting so much. It's because he loves you and you say you love him back but all he has seen from you is the opposite because of your betrayals and how you've been acting. If he can't or doesn't believe it, then it doesn't matter how much you actually do. You understand?" she asked her and Leaf nodded. "But this doesn't mean that we have forgiven you Leaf," finished May suddenly.

"That's right," remarked Serena and Leaf turned her gaze to her. "You went behind our backs Leaf. Even though he loves you and you love him, you're going to have to earn the spot in if he ever forgives you."

"We may forgive you one day too, but not now and we won't ever forget what you did to us and to him," said Dawn and Leaf looked at her now with teary eyes. "You need to understand that there must be trust. There must be respect. There must be understanding, loyalty, fairness and there is no room for any kind of drama, no matter the reason."

"Dawn is right Leaf," said Misty and Leaf looked at her again. "The reason why this has been working out for the five of us is because we trust each other, respect each other, our loyalties are to one another and we care about each other's feelings and never even think to go behind one another's backs for any reason. You must be the same way. And this goes for you too Cynthia," finished Misty as she turned her gaze from Leaf to Cynthia and the other girls followed suit.

"I understand and agree completely," stated Cynthia without pause and Leaf nodded her head as well and said she understands when the five girls turned their gaze onto her.

Sarah and Anabel were dumbstruck at what just occurred. After the five finished up, Lizabeth and Shauna came back wearing jackets and holding up two large umbrellas. They handed out three umbrellas, one to Cynthia, one to Sarah and one to Serena. The ten girls then began moving towards Indigo Hotel huddled underneath the five umbrellas. Since Cynthia, Shauna and Lizabeth lived far away, it was raining and it was late at night, they were invited them to spend the night at their place at the hotel instead and the three agreed and thanked them.

When the ten girls got to the suite, they were relieved that everyone had gone to sleep as they really didn't feel like explaining anything right now. Leaf hugged and thanked the girls for being there for her and giving her a chance even though she knew she doesn't deserve their kindness at all. They returned the hug, not saying anything. They quickly and quietly made their way to their two rooms. The four girls told Cynthia, Shauna and Lizabeth to take their beds as they would go to Ash's bedroom and share the king bed between the four of them. They agreed and thanked them for that and for the pajamas they loaned them. They bade each other goodnight after changing into their nightgowns and the four went to Ash's room and lied down on the king bed and covered themselves with the bed covers. May and Dawn were on the left, Misty and Serena were on the right and there was some space big enough for one more person between them. Pikachu curled up in his small basket bed, a sullen look on his face at what occurred throughout that day and night.

"It feels weird lying here on this bed without Ash," commented Dawn after a moment.

"I know what you mean," sighed Misty as she glanced at the empty spot between them.

"At least you three had the bed to yourselves alone with him. I only had the group experience," whined May and the other three smiled a little.

"Don't worry May, you'll experience the intimacy soon," said Serena with a wink, making Misty and Dawn chuckle a bit.

"Thanks for rubbing it in," pouted May.

"Okay, we'll stop. Let's try to get some sleep. Goodnight," said Misty and May, Dawn and Serena copied her and soon enough the four girls fell asleep with both good and bad dreams concerning Ash throughout the night.

Leaf was wide awake as she lay in bed on her right side, staring at the wall in front of her. Anabel and Sarah stayed up a bit in case Leaf needed to talk but seeing her not make a peep, they decided to leave it alone. The two of them discussed how Ash was going away and how that saddened them that they probably never get a chance now to reveal what they were feeling for him. They also talked about what they witnessed the four girls do. If they could allow Cynthia to join them and perhaps Leaf if Ash ever forgave her, then maybe they could as well. They discussed how they could tell them before they left. After letting out their own frustrations, thoughts and feelings, they turned in for the night, feeling a little better at letting it out.

After some time, Leaf silently turned around to look at Sarah's and Anabel's sleeping forms. She felt bad because she yelled at them at the club when they were just trying to help her and that because of her, they would never get a chance to express how they feel about him now. Her eyes filled up with tears again as she realized that she was the cause for everything bad that happened and that she really was selfish and thoughtless. She turned back around to face the wall and silently sobbed.

I really am a cold hearted bitch. I don't deserve Sarah's and Anabel's friendship at all. They kept my secret and they were still trying to help me when Ash was angry, giving up their chance to help themselves by giving me up but they didn't. And the girls…they actually are giving me a chance even though I betrayed them. No wonder Ash loves them because they have caring souls. They're perfect in every way possible. Why can't I be more like them? Why am I this way? Why? Damn it. Damn everything. Damn you mom. Damn you for what you did to me. And I damn myself for being so stupid and letting myself become such a horrible person…

Leaf slowly drifted off to sleep as thoughts swirled in her head, making her see many different dreams but couldn't quite make them out. In the other room, Cynthia, Shauna and Lizabeth went straight to bed after changing into pajamas and bade each other goodnight. Lizabeth and Shauna talked to one another for a little bit in whispers about the night's events before they stopped and fell asleep after. Cynthia was wide awake, hearing their conversation but pretended to be asleep. When they quieted down and it was silent for about ten minutes or so, she faced the two blunettes and saw them fast asleep. She had heard some comments from them about how they were glad to see Ash again but upset on how everything was so messed up and how something so small could cause so many problems before going to sleep. Cynthia turned back around and lied down on her stomach as she placed her hands underneath the pillow.

They're right. It's weird how things went from great to absolute shit so quickly and without warning. I just hope that things don't get worse later on. Hopefully a good night's rest and some time to relax can let everyone think and see things better.

Cynthia thought a bit more about that before her mind drifted off to how Ash left but he was going to come back for her and the other girls. Even though she felt awful over what had happened, she couldn't help but feel a little happy now that she doesn't have to hide her feelings for Ash that much and that she was going away with him. She would finally be with a man who would treat her well, take care of her, that she would do the same for him and she was also happy that she would have four 'sisters' with her that she could trust as well. She smiled a little as she remembered her kiss with him in front of everyone. She fell asleep with that image in her head that led to a happy dream with them traveling around the world as they trained and studied pokémon.

Sabrina, Giselle, Clair and Liza had reached their hotel suite a little earlier on and two of them were already in beds asleep. Giselle thanked them for letting her spend the night with them and the three simply responded back that it was no problem. There was only one large bedroom but it was big enough to hold four twin beds. Giselle was sound asleep on the farthest one next to the wall and she was having mixed dreams of what happened that day and then of her dancing alone with the raven haired guardian.

Sabrina was tossing and turning a bit at first on the bed next to Giselle's as she tried to find a comfortable position but was having no such luck. She ended up lying down on her left side facing another bed to the right of hers before falling asleep. She first dreamt that Ash was being betrayed by everyone and she felt horrible that she couldn't help him. She was whimpering a bit in her sleep before relaxing as she started dreaming a better one where the two of them were walking around a beach pier together while holding hands.

The two other girls were wide awake; one of them was thinking about what happened as she lay in bed staring at the ceiling with the covers drawn up to her chest and her hands behind her head on the bed to the right of Sabrina. The fourth one was in the bathroom enjoying a bubble bath as she tried to relax away her stress from the day's events as her mind wondered.

The one who was staring at the ceiling was Liza. She just couldn't believe how everything went south so quickly. She thought about Ash's and Leaf's fight and how things just went completely south. She happened to hear Sabrina's whimpering as she slept and glanced at her. She saw her continue and wondered if she should wake her up or do something but then Sabrina stopped and her breathing evened out. Liza smiled slightly, being relieved that she was alright. She turned her gaze back to the ceiling as she began thinking. She thought about all the things Ash mentioned from his shared past with Leaf. How both of them had a rough childhood. How he was there for her yet she took it for granted. How he was done and fed up with everything and that he was leaving with Misty, Dawn, Serena, May and Cynthia in the morning. She thought about everything for a bit before making her mind go somewhere else as she didn't want to fall asleep thinking about bad stuff. That was how nightmares began and she was already experiencing a shitty day already and didn't want a shitty night in addition to it. But she couldn't help it and thought about a few other things that made her become even more sullen until she forced her mind to go somewhere else.

Her mind wondered before it stopped on when she danced with Ash a bit on the dance floor. She smiled a little at that but then she thought about the drinking contest she had with him. That made her smile widen as she enjoyed it very much even though she ended up losing. She remembered him beating her and that he was the only one who ever did. She remembered how he nullified the bet when she was thinking he was going to take advantage of her but didn't. She dwelled on that for a bit as she closed her eyes. Her mind went to work as she thought about that and she pictured an entirely different scenario that played out instead after he won the bet. She imagined Ash taking her to the bathroom before ordering her to take off her clothes and telling her to bend over and she did so without complaint but also with a large smile, waiting anxiously and impatiently for him to take her. She opened her eyes wide and sat up suddenly.

What the fuck?! Did I…did I just…imagine that? Did I…want him to make me…do something? Did I want him to take…advantage of me?

Liza lied back down and closed her eyes and tried to go to sleep without thinking about that but had a hard time not doing so. Her mind formed another entirely new scenario with her and Ash in her cabin in the Charicific Valley, her imagination going into overdrive. She pictured Ash ordering her around, making her do many things such as cleaning his stuff, doing his laundry and washing the dishes while dressed in a slutty maid outfit. She pictured him teasing her while she did everything he commanded her to do by slapping her ass, grabbing her breasts and putting his hand down her front every now and then, enflaming her as he made her want him but was forbidden by him to act on it or refuse his actions. After a while, she pictured him telling her to dance for him. He then ordered her to start stripping and soon she was fully naked. He made her follow him on all fours afterwards to her room before making her lie down on the bed and spread her legs. She did so and waited for him to enter her. He took of his clothes, came close to her and teased her a bit by rubbing his shaft against her womanhood, forbidding her from making any sounds or moving. He took a step back, leaving her horny and unsatisfied. He asked her what she wanted and what she wanted him to do with a teasing tone of voice. It made her cry out that she wanted him and begged him to fuck her. He rammed into her suddenly, making her shout out in surprise before squealing and moaning in extreme pleasure as he plowed into her over and over.

As she dreamt this, Liza subconsciously lowered her right hand down to her pajama pants and drove her hand into her panties and started masturbating as she plunged two fingers into her already wet womanhood from her imagination after rubbing her opening for a bit. She started moaning out loud as she pictured Ash fucking the living daylights out of her and she moved her fingers faster and faster. After a while, she felt close to her release and right when she imagined Ash finishing inside of her, she felt herself release in real life on top of her bed. She let out a long but quiet moan as she finished. She pictured Ash smiling at her afterwards, telling her that he loves her, that she belongs to him now before kissing her. She opened her eyes and withdrew her hand from her panties, glancing around her. Sabrina and Giselle were still surprisingly asleep as they didn't hear her and Clair was still in the bathroom. She sighed out in relief.

Thank Arceus that I wasn't caught. But does this…does this mean something? Do…do I like him? Do I…want to be with him? Or was this just…a spur of the moment….fantasy kind of thing?

Liza sighed as she couldn't figure it out so she turned to her side and closed her eyes as she raised the covers to her shoulders. She decided she'll clean up and shower in the morning, too lazy to get out of bed now and think about this later. She fell asleep while seeing dreams about her and Ash together, with him ordering her around as they had sex and she enjoyed it.

In the bathroom, Clair was enjoying her bubble bath and she had been in there almost as soon as they got back to the hotel. She thought of everything that happened. From the good times in the club, sharing shots with him and the others, dancing together, seeing him beat Liza who was undefeated before everything went to shit. To finding out about Leaf's betrayal, to their fight outside in the rain, how Ash revealed that Gary had cheated on Sabrina, how he said that he had enough and that he was leaving. How Cynthia and the four girls were going to leave with him in the morning. She couldn't believe it and couldn't believe how the kind, goofy and courageous Ash had such an angry, assertive and frightening side.

She remembered how the raven haired young man completely and easily dominated her, utterly dismissing her as a threat and challenge. Nobody was ever able to do that to her. Hell, not even Bruno could stop her. She thought about how he had her vulnerable and under his power, with his strong body pressed against hers, able to do whatever he wanted to her. She felt her heart beat faster as she realized that she enjoyed feeling him against her body and being in that position, powerless against his actions. She opened her eyes suddenly and sat up in the bath tub as thoughts raced through her head.

What the hell?! Did I… like being in that…position…with him? Did I…like feeling helpless…against him? What does this mean?

As Clair thought about that for a bit, she closed her eyes and began to imagine a completely different scenario as she leaned back against the bath tub wall. She imagined the both of them at her place back home. She imagined him beating her in a wrestling match and making her submit to his will. She imagined him ripping off her clothes. She imagined him taking off his clothes while keeping her pinned down. She imagined him entering her and fucking her like she's being punished. She started breathing heavily and she felt herself heat up. She lowered her right hand to her womanhood and started rubbing over it. She then used her left hand to grab her breasts and started squeezing them and pinching her nipples. She continued imagining Ash pumping into her hard and fast, making her both pant and moan in her imagination and in real life. She entered a finger into herself and began going in and out a bit before adding a second finger as she continued her imagination of Ash fucking her all over the place as she moaned and panted.

First doggy style on the couch while he spanked her, making her call him master. Then while standing up with her pressed against the wall as he bit down hard onto her perky breasts making her cry out with pleasurable pain. Then with him on top of her on the bed with her legs completely spread apart as he kept them pinned down with his hands while plowing in and out of her, making her squeal loudly from him fucking her while in that forced stretched position. Her moaning and panting became louder and quicker as she continued her fantasy. She started fingering herself so hard and fast for a while before she felt herself get close and she imagined Ash fucking her until he exploded into her but that didn't get her off. What did get her off however was when her dream Ash gave a charming smile at the end and pulled her into a deep embrace and told her that he loves her, that he would never leave her, that he would never actually hurt her, that she was his and his alone before kissing her passionately. As she imagined him kissing her, she felt herself climax, making her cry out in response. When she was able to gather some energy after a few minutes, she opened her eyes and began thinking about what she just did while lying in the bathtub.

Did I just…picture Ash…fucking me? Completely controlling me? And I liked it? Do I…like him? Do I…want to be with him? Do I want to be…dominated…by him? Or is this just a…fantasy?

Clair thought about that for a bit before deciding to end her bath and got up. She rinsed herself off in the shower and then dried herself with a body towel and head towel. She put on her blue undergarments before putting on her pajamas. She exited the bathroom and got into her bed quietly before lying down and closing her eyes to sleep. As the gym leader slept, her dreams were filled with many erotic scenarios of her being submissive to a certain raven haired guardian.

While everyone was fast asleep safe and sound in their beds at the hotel, a young man was wondering around the Indigo Plateau woods with his vision blurry. His head was pounding from all the alcohol he had drunk and what he went through recently as everything kept replaying over and over in his mind. He felt drained and was both mentally and physically exhausted. Yet he pushed on while his mind kept forming pictures in his head of all the bad stuff, not even remembering the good stuff that happened in the past twenty four hours.

You really fucked things up, said the voice from inside his head.

Shut up. I don't want to hear it.

Quit acting like a child.

Why are you bothering me again? Everything was fine until you decided to speak up again.

Don't lie to yourself. You were about to get in a shitty situation so I spoke up.

No, I was having some shots with friends. You know what? I don't feel like dealing with this now.

And who kept you from causing a scene in the club with your rival? Or had you speak with your childhood crush? You weren't supposed to make things go this way. But fine. I get it. Alright then, I will leave you alone. And I won't come back until the time comes when you will be completely lost at what to do as everything will be crumbling around you.

Thanks for the support asshole. You can go fuck a Miltank for all I care. Now leave me alone.

Silence.

Finally. Thank Arceus.

Ash let out a few curse words at the stupid voice in his head as he trudged along through the dense forest before he finally let it go and his mind went back to everything that had happened since Leaf made the confession to him in his bedroom. He couldn't believe anything that happened that day. He was so lost in thought that he didn't know what to do nor did he notice where he was going. All he knew was that he had to keep going for some reason. That he had to keep walking until he couldn't anymore. After walking around aimlessly a little bit longer, he couldn't take it anymore and dropped down to his hands and knees, panting heavily. That's when he realized why he felt like he should keep walking. He wanted to tire himself out so he couldn't even have the energy anymore to even think. But he also realized that he needed help. He tried to summon a poke ball with his aura but he couldn't. He sent a mental message to Mewtwo and hoped he would get it. His prayers were answered when a blue glow appeared in front of him.

"What happened Ash?" asked Mewtwo in concern, seeing the state he was in before he helped his friend up.

"Long story buddy. I need to lie down for a bit before I start explaining," replied Ash weakly as he took heaving breathes. Mewtwo nodded and the two of them disappeared in blue glows from that spot in the woods. Sometime after they left, five bald men wearing dark clothes with white skulls on their shirts moved through that area, heading towards the Indigo Plateau.