The Skull Brothers Strike...

(Warning Mature Content Ahead)

Chapter 39 - The Skull Brothers Strike...

An almost twenty year old brunette was sleeping in her bedroom shared by two other girls but she was the only one in the room at the moment. She was tossing and turning a bit as she kept dreaming about what happened inside Club Indigo and outside in the middle of the dirt path. She kept seeing the love of her life disappear into the dark rainy night as he left her on the ground while she was calling out to him, crying her eyes out but he never even glanced back at her. She screamed and yelled for him to come back but he never did.

"Ash…come back…Ash…" she whimpered out loud in her sleep. A strong hand was placed softly onto her shoulder before gently shaking her to wake up. "Ugh…what…" The brunette girl woke up and slowly opened her eyes. It took a little while for her to realize that she was seeing a nightmare before she felt someone's hand on her shoulder. She turned her head slowly to the side to see who the hand belonged to.

"Hey Leaf," said the raven haired young man kindly.

"ASH!" Leaf shot up instantly and hugged him tightly as she started crying. She couldn't believe that he had come back and that he was right here next to her. He returned the hug as he started talking to her.

"I'm so sorry Leaf. So sorry. For everything. I shouldn't have gotten so angry. I shouldn't have insulted you. You were scared. You had a rough life. You wanted to get away from your mother. I shouldn't have blamed you for all that. Please forgive me Leaf," pleaded Ash as he stroked her back with one hand and the other was placed softly on the back of her head.

"I do. I do forgive you Ash. And please forgive me. I never wanted to hurt you. I know now that I messed up many times and I would've had a much better life if I waited for you. But as long as I can still have a future with you, I'll be happy and I hope you feel the same way," she replied back, sobbing into his chest.

"I thought about it all night and I realized I was being too harsh. I'm so sorry for being such an asshole to you Leaf. Our friends were right. I'm so sorry and I understand now why you felt the need to do that. You don't have anything to worry about. I'm not going to leave and I do feel the same way Leaf," replied Ash quietly as he pulled away a bit.

Leaf kept her gaze down with tears still falling from her eyes. He placed his right hand underneath her chin and gently raised her head to look him in the eyes. Tear streaks were left on her face that he wiped away gently and the brunette enjoyed his touch immensely. She looked into his eyes and saw what she's wanted to see for a while now. She saw the love in them for her and a small smile appeared on her face. He couldn't stop looking at her green eyes, seeing how beautiful and unique they were. Both of them were feasting on the sight of the other and neither one of them wanted to look away.

Ash slowly leaned in closer, making Leaf's heart beat a million times a minute and placed his lips softly onto hers. She was stunned at first but soon reciprocated, kissing him back. Both of them loved tasting each other's lips and they were soon enflamed from it. He couldn't believe he was kissing his childhood crush and she couldn't believe that it had taken her so long to see him for who he truly was; the man of her dreams. She climbed onto his lap as his hands went up and down her sides with her hands cupping his face. They stayed like that for a moment before Ash got up, making Leaf wrap her arms and legs around him while they were still lip locked with their tongues now involved. He pressed her up against the wall and she moaned into his mouth. She was burning up from him wanting her so badly and that she wanted and needed him too.

She tugged on his shirt a moment later and in response he lifted up his right knee between her legs and had her sit on his thigh, leaning his knee against the wall. He let her take off his black shirt and she caressed his body with her soft hands and Ash shivered a bit before she kissed him again. He kept her sitting on his suspended leg as he kissed her back. He ran one hand through her hair and the other hand he slowly ran up her leg before slipping it underneath her pajama shirt. Leaf trembled in delight when she felt his strong hand on her bare, flat stomach. She kept kissing him furiously while he raised his hand higher and higher before he reached her breasts and grabbed one.

She squeaked in surprise, stopping the kiss and looked at him. He smirked at her and she grinned back before crashing her lips against his again. He started playing with her breast and Leaf heated up from it. He alternated playing with her chest for a little bit before he withdrew his hand, making Leaf whimper at not feeling his touch anymore but what he did next completely surprised her. He placed both his hands on her rear and squeezed her ass, making her squeal and moan. He lowered his knee and kept her up from her ass as she wrapped her legs around him again. He kept her up for a moment like that as they continued their kiss before he lowered her back onto the bed and he went on top of her. They continued their passionate embrace before separating and eyed each other. She admired his body before caressing his long diagonal scar on his front torso, making him shiver and locked eyes with him.

"You are the handsomest and most courageous man in the world and I'm lucky to have you. I promise I will never do anything to hurt you ever again and I promise to always be there for you as you have been for me. I love you Ash with all my heart," stated Leaf as she placed her hand on his cheek and Ash smiled.

"You are my childhood love Leaf and nothing will ever change that. I'm glad that we are finally together. I promise to always protect you and I promise I will never hurt you or leave you again. I love you Leaf," replied Ash and Leaf gave a happy smile.

The raven haired man grasped the brunette's hand and moved it to his lips, kissing it. That made Leaf's heart beat faster to the amount of affection he was showing her. He slowly lowered himself and then kissed her forehead, then her cheek, then pressed his lips against hers. These actions made Leaf melt and she never thought she would have someone so incredible be hers. She felt like all the things she went through in her life were nothing and had washed away in his embrace. They kissed for a long time before they stopped and Ash raised himself enough for the two of them to look into each other's eyes with ease. They smiled at each other and let their eyes do the talking for a moment.

Ash's smile faded away and turned into a grimace as he suddenly felt extreme pain. Pain unlike anything he ever experienced before. His eyes lost the passion in them that was there a second ago and quickly filled with fear and confusion. He tried to say something but couldn't as only choked up sounds came out of his mouth. Leaf's happiness instantly vanished and was quickly becoming consumed with fear.

"Ash?! What's wrong?! What happened?!" she asked as she cupped his face. He tried to answer but instead of words, all that come out were whizzing breaths before something else came out. Blood started trickling out from his mouth before dripping onto Leaf. "ASH! ASH! WHAT'S HAPPENING?! ASH!" screamed Leaf. "SOMEONE HELP US! HELP!" Leaf was screaming for help while unable to tear her frightened eyes away from Ash who was starting to choke on the blood, coughing and making some of it fly onto her face and stained her with it. He felt like something had gone right through him. The young man slowly lowered his gaze to his chest and Leaf copied him and what she saw made her scream. The tip of a large, sharp blade drenched with blood was protruding out from his chest. They stared at it for a couple seconds before Ash was abruptly lifted up off of Leaf who tried desperately to hold onto him but failed. She was about to jump out of bed to follow him but instead froze at seeing who was responsible.

It was the Skull Brothers. Their leader with the white headband, Edmond, was the one holding the blade's handle as his brothers Eddie and Edward were holding up Ash from his arms. The other two, Ed and Edwin, were eyeing Leaf with evil glints in their eyes. "STOP! PLEASE STOP! LEAVE HIM ALONE!" screamed Leaf as she started crying hysterically.

Edmond only laughed sadistically before plunging the machete deeper, making Ash let out a mangled cry that sent cold shivers down Leaf's back that completely silenced her. After pushing in his large knife in all the way, he twisted it before pulling it back out that made the young man let out agonizing and garbled sounds before he dropped to the floor, whizzing as life slowly and painfully left him.

"NOOOOOOOO!" shouted Leaf as she finally found herself able to move again. She jumped out of bed and quickly knelt beside him. "PLEASE NO! ASH! NO! DON'T DIE! SOMEONE HELP! PLEASE HELP!"

"Scream all you want," remarked Edmond. Ed and Edwin grabbed the brunette who desperately tried to free herself from their grasp but couldn't. They slammed her against the wall, making her cry out in response before giving a furious glare at them while tears flowed down her cheeks. "Go ahead. Call for help. Try and escape. That won't help you. Nobody is here to help you. We have you now," said Edmond as he drew closer to her but stopped next to Ash's body and knelt down beside him. "I told you nobody messes with the Skull Brothers. Not even an Aura Guardian." He stabbed Ash in the back again who could do nothing but make awful sounds of pain.

"STOP IT! PLEASE! LEAVE HIM ALONE!" pleaded Leaf in vain, letting out fast and heavy tears.

Edmond stabbed Ash once more, stood up and began kicking the fallen man's side a few times before he finished it by spitting on the raven haired young man. He glanced at his group before he signaled to his brothers for them to leave. They began moving Leaf out of the bedroom as they stepped over Ash with each Skull Brother leaving their mark. They kicked him on the floor as well who could do nothing except groan from the hits.

"ASH! ASH! LET ME GO! ASH! LET GO OF ME! ASH! ASH!" screamed out Leaf as she cried for him and struggled to get out of their iron grip.

"L…Le…Leaf…" croaked Ash as he tried to lift his head. Leaf saw him trying to get up and called out to him again even louder. Edmond moved back to him after glancing back and seeing him trying to get up.

"He's like a fucking cockroach! Die damn it!" shouted Edmond as he pulled out his gun and fired at the surprisingly still alive man several times. Ash let out mangled shouts for the first two shots before becoming dead silent as the rest of the bullets tore holes into him with blood splattering everywhere from the force of the bullets.

"AAASSSSSSHHHHHHHHH!" screamed out Leaf before breaking down completely. She bawled loudly without care while hanging limply from the two who were carrying her. Edmond rejoined them and they moved out of the room to leave the empty suite. "Ash…no…Ash…no no no no no…Ash!"

"LEAF!" Someone yelled out her name but she didn't hear it. "LEAF! LEAF!" She still didn't hear it. She was lost in shock by what just happened right in front of her.

"Ash…dead…no…it can't be…Ash…"

"LEAF!" Someone slapped her hard and she cried out as she snapped out of it. She felt intense pain on her cheek. She opened her water filled eyes, then looked around and saw Sarah and Anabel beside her. She shook her head, trying to regain her senses and clear her mind. She felt something soft under her. She looked down and saw she was still in bed. She glanced up at the two again who were giving her very frightened looks. She finally understood. She had a nightmare. A very realistic nightmare. A few last tears escaped from her eyes.

"Oh thank Mew you're alright," breathed out Sarah.

"What the hell happened Leaf?! You were screaming in your sleep!" asked Anabel in a worried tone.

"A nightmare. A horrible, horrible nightmare," whispered Leaf. She sat up, drawing her legs close to her chest and wrapped her arms around them. She rocked back and forth, not even bothering to wipe away her tears. Anabel and Sarah glanced at one another, exchanging concerned looks before they each sat on either side of Leaf and hugged her. Leaf felt a little better from that but it wasn't enough to make her stop trembling.

"It's alright Leaf. It wasn't real. You're okay," said Anabel, trying to comfort her friend.

"I saw Ash die. I saw him get killed by the Skull Brothers," whispered Leaf, making them gasp at that as they tried to not picture it. They hugged her even tighter.

"It was just a nightmare Leaf," said Sarah. "You know they can't hurt him. You know he can't be killed by a bunch of lowlifes like them. You remember how easily he took them down, don't you? He's an Aura Guardian so no need to worry okay?" reminded Sarah and Leaf nodded after a moment.

"Do you want to talk about it?" asked Anabel gently.

She was quiet for a moment before speaking. "It felt so real," started Leaf. "I was having a bad dream in my dream. And then I felt someone wake me up in the dream and saw it was Ash. I hugged him and apologized to him and he apologized to me. We started to make out and we told each other we love one another." Sarah and Anabel withdrew from her and looked at her with small smiles before she continued. "We were kissing on the bed with him on top of me before we took a break. He then started choking and blood came out of his mouth and…and…and we saw a knife sticking out of his chest!" Leaf broke down at that and sobbed as Anabel and Sarah tried to soothe her and calm her down by rubbing her back even though they had fearful looks on their faces. "And…and then he was lifted off of me and I saw the Skull Brothers were the ones who did it! One of them pushed the knife in deeper into his back and Ash let out such a horrible sound that it made me freeze!" Anabel and Sarah shivered as they heard that and involuntarily pictured what she just said in their minds. "He fell to the ground and he stabbed him again two more times! He then kicked him over and over before they dragged me away! I was screaming for Ash and trying to get free when Ash raised his head a little and called out my name." Anabel and Sarah were listening with widened eyes and they were holding in their breath. "The leader went back and…and…and said he was like a cockroach who just wouldn't die and shot him many times before he finally died!" Leaf finished recounting her nightmare and it got to her again as she started sobbing once more. Anabel and Sarah quickly hugged her and let her cry it out. They had silent tears fall down their cheeks as they involuntarily pictured what Leaf told them. Finally, after a long time, Leaf stopped crying and took in deep breathes as she pulled herself together. "I'm sorry guys," apologized Leaf in between her ragged breathing. "I'm sorry for scaring you and for telling you about my terrible dream."

"It's okay Leaf. We're friends. We're here for each other and that's what matters," remarked Anabel.

"She's right so don't worry about it," agreed Sarah.

"Thanks. You two are so nice to me and I don't even deserve it," replied Leaf as she hugged them tightly.

"Hey, don't think like that. We all make mistakes but let's not go there alright?" advised Sarah and Anabel quickly agreed. They separated and they each began calming down and relaxing. Leaf noticed that it was still dark out. She glanced at the clock and saw that it read 630am.

"I didn't even notice it was barely morning. I'm sorry for waking you guys up so early."

"Eh, it's alright. Just don't do it every day," joked Sarah, trying to lighten the mood.

"Alright. You gonna go back to sleep?" asked Leaf.

"Nah, no point. Might as well do something productive," replied Sarah.

"Good point. Should we train?" asked Anabel and the other two shook their heads, remembering the last time. They would only train if they found a safer place near the hotel or with more people with them. "Breakfast?" Sarah and Leaf nodded. "Okay. Let's wash up, get dressed and get some food."

Leaf, Sarah and Anabel each went to a different restroom and washed up before they came back and changed into some day clothes. Leaf changed into a blue skirt, blue tank top with a black poke ball symbol on the chest area, wore her blue tennis shoes and put on her blue cap. She smiled a little when she put on the blue hat. Sarah wore her white skirt and white button down blouse with white tennis shoes. Anabel put on a pair of light purple pants with a light purple shirt that had a picture of an Espeon on it with purple shoes. The three of them then got out of their room and went to the kitchen, careful not to wake up anyone as they started making a simple breakfast of boiled eggs, toasted some toast bread, cut up some cheese and put the kettle on to make some tea. They decided to make more after they finished with their breakfast for the others as they would soon wake up. Unknown to them though, a few people were up already.

One of those who were already up was the young pokémon researcher. He stayed in bed, lying on his side for a bit as thoughts whirled around in his head. He couldn't take it anymore so he opened his eyes and turned his gaze to stare at the ceiling. He felt some pain from his movements when he turned, making him grimace. His old rival's punch from last night had really hurt him. It made him scared that he was able to damage him so much with a single strike that it still hurt the next morning. He thought of how his horrible secret was revealed to everyone, how it caused him and his girlfriend to split. He couldn't stop seeing Ilene's disappointed and disgusted face even when he closed his eyes. He had never felt this way before, this overwhelming feeling of guilt and shame. Gary is no good for you. He heard Ash's voice in his head and it maddened him and frustrated him. What the fuck Ash?! Why'd you do this to me?! What have I ever done to you?! As if to answer his own question, his mind started replaying all the things he had done to him.

Playing pranks on him and making fun of him with the other kids when they were younger. Taunting him and calling him a loser while on their pokémon journey through out Kanto. How he kept making fun of him and belittling him, making him look bad in front of his friends. How he kept rubbing his accomplishments in, that he had cheerleaders following him, that he was popular, well liked and that he traveled in red convertible sports car. More and more flowed in front of his mind's eye of what he did to him. Not able to take it anymore, Gary shook his head and sat up, grimacing as he did so because of his chest pain. I guess I do deserve all this. I've been nothing been a douche to him, I've broken girls' hearts and I even cheated on Sabrina and never even apologized to her. Why did I ever even ask her out? I knew that she was different from other girls and wouldn't give me what I wanted. What made me think that I could get with her? And what about Ilene? I finally found a girl who I want to spend the rest of my life with, who is always on my mind but my past came back to bite me in the ass. How can I get her back? Ilene…What can I do to show you that I have changed and I'm willing to do anything for you? Gary sighed and thought about everything. He lied back down on the bed and ignored the constant pain in his chest. He tried to plan something, to figure out some way to show the only girl he ever truly cared about that he is more than his past actions.

While Gary was thinking about that in his shared room with his grandfather, in another room shared by four girls, one of them was awake. Daisy Waterflower was sitting up and leaning against the headboard with her back. She was one of the few who didn't know what happened between Ash, Leaf and the club goers. But right now, she wasn't thinking about what they did last night. In her hands was a stuffed Squirtle doll. She was looking at it with a smile on her face. She was thinking about how an incredible young man won it for her and surprised her with it. She was thinking about how great a guy he is. She glanced at her other two sisters and at Gary's sister Daisy who were still asleep in the room they were sharing together. She smiled, happy that her sisters found great guys to be with. Hell, she was even happy for Daisy Oak as well since she knew her a bit. She then thought of how happy her youngest sister Misty is, finally being with the man of her dreams who was her first and only boy she had ever truly liked and had feelings for. She turned her gaze back to the doll she was holding. Her smile widened, thinking of when he first gave it to her, surprising her and how she was beyond thrilled over it. How she tackled him to the ground with Sarah and Anabel and what happened afterwards with Serena getting mad. She chuckled quietly a bit.

She felt happy for them all but then sadness crept up on her as she began thinking about some things. She was wondering why she didn't feel like going to the club with them last night. She was wondering why she couldn't find a great guy for herself as well. She thought of all the guys she went out with and how they were all the same and did the same things. Pick her up in an expensive sports car, then movie or if they were feeling a little brave, out dancing a bit at some club. A few tried to do things differently like take her out bowling or go to an amusement park, museum or something else. But every single one of them had a hidden agenda and sooner or later, it came up. Every single one of them wanted to get her into bed, to lay claim to being with one of the Sensational Sisters.

That was something that she, Violet, Lily and even Misty had to deal with constantly because of their water plays and being gym leaders. They were too popular for their own good. But in Misty's case, after having her pokémon attack would be suitors who tried to make a move on her a couple times, they stopped asking her out. She had already found her prince charming, holding onto him and it paid off in the end since she got with him. But she, Lily and Violet had to deal with the other kind of heartache; the kind that was felt when guy after guy they went out with turned out to be total douche bags. They had to start carrying around tazers with them during their dates. It must've been over a dozen times she and her sisters had to fight off a lust filled man and get a restraining order on who thought they owed him a night in bed with them just because he took them out. Because of their many dates and being in clubs frequently, since they did like to dance even if it was just between them, the three older Sensational Sisters were thought to be easy to get with. That they were always down to just mess around. But that was far from the truth. They weren't like that and hated those rumors but all they could do was just hold their heads high and ignore it as best they could.

Daisy sighed after thinking about all that. She couldn't dwell on that stuff or she'd go crazy. She had to stay positive and think of better things. Her sisters Violet and Lily found great partners, Chili and Cress, who are also friends of Ash. She approved of them, seeing how they are and also since Ash knew them and he wasn't friends with any bad people at all. She just hoped that it would become something more for her sisters. She didn't want them to become heartbroken after a while and she didn't want them to suffer through meaningless dates again. She hugged the doll and closed her eyes to say a prayer. Please Arceus…let this work out for them. I'll even give up my future love life to you to make sure that happens for my sisters. For Violet…For Lily… She opened her eyes and looked at the Squirtle doll again. And for Misty…who found a one of a kind guy and deserves it the most after all we made her go through. I'm actually envious of her but I wish her the best. Make sure their lives are filled with happiness and I'll be alright as I watch from the sidelines. She shimmied down her bed a bit and lied back down, facing the wall while hugging the doll after drawing up the covers. I'll be fine. Please Arceus. As long as their happy…and I still have my Squirtle doll, I'll be fine. Daisy closed her eyes but didn't sleep. She just stayed that way thinking about everyone and everything. And every once in a while, her lips would curl upwards into a smile whenever a certain someone's image appeared in her mind…

In another room of the hotel, another girl was awake, having woken up a short while ago, but she was lying in bed staring at the ceiling. She glanced at her roommate who mumbled something in her sleep. She returned her gaze back to the ceiling and thought of what happened last night. I can't believe my Knight and my boyfriend fought. She shook her head a bit all of a sudden. Wait, did I just say boyfriend? Why would I still think of him in that way? I don't want him anymore! Ilene closed her eyes and tried to think of something else, such as the tournament or the coming war that she would have to get her kingdom prepared for. But it was no use. The face of Gary Oak kept appearing in her mind with his sullen look and how he kept asking for her forgiveness and to give him a chance because of what he did. She snapped her eyes open. No! I will not give in! He did something horrible to Sabrina! How can I be with such a…such a… She couldn't finish her thoughts since she just pictured Ash punching Gary hard in the chest again in her mind. It made her heart skip a beat before thumping loudly when Gary dropped to the ground. I'm fooling myself. I still care for him. But how can I still have feelings for him? I am a queen...I can't be with someone like him. Someone who doesn't care about others…someone who constantly insults and ridicules others…someone who never apologizes for their mistakes…how can I ever forgive him? How can I still have feelings for him? How can I have a future with someone like that or continue my reign as Queen with someone like that with me? She thought of Gary a bit more, heart beat increasing before forcing her mind to go onto something else. She thought of many other things, calming down a bit before her mind landed onto Ash…

Ash. A Knight. Her Knight of her very own kingdom. Her Knight who is also the last true Aura Guardian and Arceus's Knight as well. She remembered how she slapped him, insulted him and then stripped him of his title and status in her kingdom over him hurting Gary. How she chose to support her boyfriend who she loved but barely knew over her Knight, her friend who she knew, respected and thought highly of. She couldn't believe what she did. Even if she did apologize to his girlfriends, she didn't apologize to him. In her blind love and devotion for the young pokémon researcher, she hurt the raven haired guardian. She remembered seeing how angry he became, how his face twisted with fury. But she also saw how his eyes were filled with hurt and sadness over what she did to him. And then she remembered what he told her, what he told everyone else before he said he was done and fed up with everything and what happened after. Her heart skipped a beat at that too, remembering how he walked away into the darkness of the night. What have I done? How could I have done that to him when all he wanted was to be treated fairly and with respect? When he was just trying to protect me? She took in a long breath, trying to calm herself, to not break down. All the things that Gary isn't, Ash is. All the things I despise and hate, Gary has done but Ash hasn't. But why does Gary hold my heart? I shouldn't be having feelings for someone like him…I should have feelings for someone like Ash…who is my Knight, an Aura Guardian…a man who would give up his life for others and would never even think of putting someone else down…Ilene's heart started beating faster again as she pictured Ash in her mind now. Ash is the exact opposite of Gary and someone who I would have no problem being with. Even in sharing him…I can do that right? But why is Gary still in my heart though? Why? Why Arceus? Why would you do this to me? The choice should be easy to make, to choose. After what he did…but I just…can't….I have feelings for Gary…but Ash would be the wiser choice... The young queen's eyes began to water and she faced the wall, turning onto her side. She let out silent tears as she kept battling over what she should do in her mind, and who she should pick. Should I follow my heart or my mind? Gary or Ash? Ash or Gary? Gary…or…Ash? Ash…or…Gary?

Far away from what was happening in the Indigo Plateau Hotel, a raven haired young man was lying down on his king sized bed on New Island. It was his own private island that he used for training in secret and to get ready for the war against the coming darkness. Right now though, he was in extreme pain as his head was still pounding, he was dehydrated, his side was killing him and the worst part was that he still couldn't bring out his aura. His Blissey was standing next to him as he lay on the bed, groaning in pain with dark circles under his eyes. He hadn't slept all night and his pokémon were standing beside his bed with concerned looks on their faces.

"Bliss blissey bliss lissey liss," said Blissey with a sullen look on her face.

"You have got to be kidding me!" exclaimed Ash before groaning again after hearing the round pink pokémon explain what his results were.

"Well, you did drink heavily like a mad man," said Mewtwo, crossing his arms and shaking his head.

"Will he recover?" asked Gardevoir in a low voice, greatly concerned.

"Alcohol poisoning is serious business in normal humans. In Aura Guardians though, it's worse as it doesn't just affect the body. Even though aura breaks it down quickly, if someone ingests too much, they can completely shut down their aura for a while until the alcohol is naturally expelled, leaving them completely vulnerable. Even their natural physical strength will be less as their bodies try to heal. He'll recover but his aura has been suppressed as a result and his liver has been damaged as well. We have to wait for him to expel it naturally before his aura can manifest again and then we can work on healing his liver with it," explained Lucario.

"Nice going oh Chosen One," commented Mewtwo sarcastically as he sighed.

"Shut up!"

"Can't you just leave him alone?!" asked Gardevoir with an angry look at Mewtwo that made him widen his eyes at her. "He already feels bad over what happened last night! No need to make him feel worse!" she shot at him.

"When did you become so assertive and outspoken Gardevoir?" asked Mewtwo out of curiosity, making the psychic and fairy pokémon become pink but kept her glare on him.

"Alright, enough you two," interrupted Lucario as Ash slowly sat up. "Master, you need to rest."

"Can't. Even though I feel like shit, I promised the girls I'm gonna go get them in the morning. As you've noticed, it's morning. And I have to go tell Goodshow I'm not competing anymore. Are you sure there's no way for me to recover quicker Lucario?" asked Ash as he slowly took off his black shirt that smelled like alcohol and sweat. He was unable to move quickly because of his side hurting so much and being very exhausted.

"There is one way and it's very painful. It would involve me using my aura to expel the alcohol out of your body but that requires a lot of power, can hurt both of us if done for a long time and you'd still only be able to use a fraction of your power until your body fully recovers. Not something I want to do unless absolutely necessary," answered Lucario and Ash nodded, saying he agrees.

"I still can't believe that you're leaving the tournament," remarked Mewtwo, glaring at Ash. "What happened to sticking with the plan?" he asked. Ash just sighed as he shook his head.

"I know buddy. But what's left? Our biggest challenge was when the stadium was attacked. Everyone else that I faced was too easy. My pokémon are on a completely different level. The tournament was to test our strength and we're much stronger than the rest. I don't think there's a point anymore in competing. And I'm not sure I can even stay there much longer either after what happened yesterday and last night," replied Ash. The three shook their heads with disappointment. This didn't sound like him at all.

"You're blowing things out of proportion Ash and you're making it sound like the whole world is against you," said Mewtwo and the young guardian glanced at him.

"Look who's talking," shot back Ash and Mewtwo narrowed his eyes. Lucario and Gardevoir became a little uneasy from the staring contest between the two. After what seemed like ages, Mewtwo sighed and shook his head.

"You're right. I did behave that way, doing something foolish in the past. But you helped me open my eyes," commented Mewtwo. "And right now, I'm trying to return the favor. I understand what you're feeling and what you've been through. But that's no reason to drop everything half done. No reason to just give up and not try to fix things. This isn't you. You never quit before. Why start now?" he asked. His question made Ash lean over a bit in his seat, bury his head in his hands and take a long breath.

"You're right buddy….but…it's because I don't know if I can take it anymore Mewtwo," revealed Ash while staring at the bedroom floor. "I've done so much for others, sacrificed so much for others…yet all it's done for me is cause me more problems, more anguish, more nightmares, more stress and more doubt. It's never done me any good…"

"Never done you any good?!" Mewtwo was outraged. He lifted up his first and best human friend from his shoulders and shook him while he continued talking. "Who made the world's most dangerous pokémon change and become his ally?! Who earned the love of several beautiful girls?! Who made many friends from all over the world?! Who has literally an army of pokémon standing by his side?! Now tell me how you doing all that, doing so much and sacrificing so much for others didn't bring you any good!" Mewtwo let Ash go and he dropped to his hands and knees on the floor. Images were racing past his mind's eye, both good and bad, making him remember what the psychic feline was talking about. A couple minutes later Ash stood up and looked at his friend with a sad gaze, slowly shaking his head.

"You may be right, but I still can't Mewtwo. I can't take any more betrayals. I can't be taken for granted anymore. I can't be taken advantage of anymore," said Ash sadly and that caused his pokémon and the legendary to have sullen expressions form on their faces. "It's hard enough worrying about the world, the future and whether or not we can triumph. We've only glimpsed it and had a small taste of it. I can't worry about that and if certain people actually have my back or not. I can't. No more. I'm going to go to Goodshow and tell him I'm exiting the tournament, pick up the girls, say goodbye to the others and then we're coming here. We'll start on the next part of our plans tomorrow." Lucario, Gardevoir and Mewtwo sighed. They believed he was doing something foolish but respected his decision since he was their friend and had his reasons.

"I still believe you're making a huge mistake Ash and I'm disappointed in how things turned out," said Mewtwo. "But I'm still with you." Ash nodded but didn't comment back.

"You should at least take a nice hot shower first before going back. You stink worse than Muk and Weezing combined," commented Gardevoir. They raised their eyebrows and brow in Mewtwo's case at what she just said. Gardevoir went pink in embarrassment and of the awkward attention. Ash just smiled a bit then he nodded since he knew she had a point. He slowly made his way over to the bathroom as he tried to ignore the pain on his side where his liver is and his throbbing headache.

"I swear I'm never drinking again," stated Ash as he reached the bathroom door, leaning against the wall with his hand stretched out and taking a breather.

"Don't make promises you can't keep. Especially one that you will break the moment an attractive female challenges you to a drinking match again," remarked Mewtwo. Lucario shook his head and sighed but Gardevoir smacked the legendary psychic pokemon against his shoulder. She couldn't reach his head.

"I said leave him alone!" snapped the psychic fairy and Mewtwo flinched under her very rare stern gaze.

"Alright, alright!" gave in the purple feline, making Ash's jaw drop at what he just saw. "What?" asked Mewtwo after seeing Ash's stunned expression before he recovered.

"Nothing. I'm just making sure I never forget the first time you became scared of Gardevoir," quipped Ash with a chuckle, making his friend cross his arms and scoff while the other two chuckled. Ash entered the bathroom and closed the door. He turned on the shower, waiting for the temperature to become just right and looked in the mirror. He looked like absolute shit and he sighed. "I'm definitely never drinking again." Right after, Mewtwo sent him a mental message; yeah right. Ash shook his head and told him to shut up mentally in return before getting ready to shower.

Whimpers. Whimpers and painful gasps. Whimpers, painful gasps and sobs. Those were the sounds that were coming from a red headed woman. She was tied up naked and left on the cold basement floor of a wooden cabin. This particular cabin was relatively unknown since it was hidden away in the deep part of the Indigo woods next to a small lake that wasn't even named. The gag that used to be in her mouth was on the floor as she was just recently violated again by two members of the Skull Brothers. They were too lazy to put it back into her mouth after harshly gang raping her again. They figured that she wouldn't be stupid enough to call for help and they were right. But it was also because she didn't even have the energy or the will to do so.

After Edmond and Ed finished up, they went back upstairs and Edmond told Ed to get some food ready. After Ed checked their stock, he said they were about to run out. The leader told him and Eddie to go get some more supplies but to not be recognized or start trouble. After those two brothers left, Edmond, Edwin and Edward discussed what they were going to do about their situation and recent humiliation.

"We'll get our revenge back don't you worry. We just need to lie low for a bit until they forget about us and then we'll strike. We have entertainment with us," said Edmond as he pointed to the basement and the other two smirked. "We found out where they're staying at from our search last night. We have our equipment and our pokémon are fully healed and ready for battle. We'll strike at the right time. That was our mistake. We knew better but became greedy and impatient. We will get revenge on this Ash Ketchum, even if he is an Aura Guardian. Nobody messes with us! We're the Skull Brothers! The most feared mercenary group in the world!" he finished with a shout and Edward and Edwin shouted in agreement.

Edmond nodded at the two who went to do different things. One went to the basement for his own session with their personal sex slave and the other went to check on their equipment while Edmond went through Natasha's belongings in her bag. He found six poke balls that he didn't open, knowing that they would attack them. When he first disarmed her yesterday afternoon and tossed the bag aside, Eddie had picked up the bag and went through it. He found the poke balls and clicked the lock button on them so they wouldn't come out on their own. Edmond found a book with a bookmark in it titled 'The Journey' and set it aside. He found a small box of extra bullets for the gun he took from her. He put that on the table. He found a smart phone and went through it. While checking through it, he found her notes, pictures, videos and her list of contacts.

She didn't have many pictures, barely ten of them but they were all of a certain raven haired guardian and some of his friends that she used to gather information on him. Edmond thought they might come in handy as he would get an idea of who is around the Aura Guardian. He thought maybe they'll use them as bait or something else. Her notes were mostly extra unnecessary bullshit in his eyes about random things that didn't interest him. Her contacts list was short. One of the contacts said 'Boss', another that said 'Bitch', another that said 'Annoying Pilot', another that said 'Nerd', another that said 'D' and one other that said 'J'. He wondered about the contacts for a bit. 'Boss' had to be Giovanni. He would call him and tell him if he wanted his bitch back, he would have to pay for her. The last two contacts made him think for a second before moving on. He hit the call button for 'Boss'. The phone rang a few times before being picked up.

"This better be good," said a rough voice.

"Oh it is good," replied Edmond.

"Edmond?! What are you doing with her phone?"

"So you do remember me…I'm flattered Giovanni."

"Never say my name again on the phone! Now answer my question!"

"Well Boss man, if you really want to know, your hot bitch is tied up at the moment."

"You're not one for metaphors. Why?"

"I see you're still as sharp as ever. Let's just say she tried to cheat us and play one over us. Now, we could let her go and perhaps finish the job she gave us if…"

"Whatever you want, I don't care. She let herself get captured so get whatever it is you want from her. I don't negotiate and remake deals. And she's not one of my own anymore since she failed me."

"I figured as much. But if that's the case, we won't be coming for payment from you then. We'll just get paid by her in all sorts of different ways. She even started on that payment plan last night. But we could continue the…"

"Don't care what you do and I don't have any jobs for you either. But if you ever call this number again, I will have you hunted down and killed. And tell that red headed whore that she's on her own since she failed me and has allowed herself to be violated. My organization has no room for such weak and broken people."

CLICK. Giovanni hung up the phone and Edmond smirked. He knew it was going to go like that but he did it anyway. He didn't care about Giovanni, the red head, their organization or anything. All he cared about was his pay. But since he wasn't getting any more cash, he and his brothers would just have to settle with her paying it off. Bit by bit until they had enough of her and send her on her way with a bullet to the skull.

He went back to going through the phone and opened up the video folder. It only had two videos, one which was a news video and the other was of Natasha's first gang rape that Eddie recorded while they violated her. He laughed as he watched the rape video, seeing her scared and pleading to be let go before whimpering as they continued fucking her into submission.

He stopped that video mid way and then played the news video. He found out that the video was of the stadium attack and he decided to watch it. His group wasn't able to catch up on world affairs as they were on another mission. That mission required them to be cut off from the outside world and it's events as they were attempting to find a secret artifact for another client out in the desert. They were called and told the mission was canceled but still got paid for it. Not even a day later, the red head contacted them and told them of a simple kidnapping mission for them with a good amount of pay in it. Unfortunately, nothing went according to plan. The video showed what happened at the stadium attack from start to finish while commenting on it.

He watched the men and their pokémon attack the stadium and then face three of the Champions who were Lance, Steven and Cynthia along with this Ash Ketchum. He knew who they were and saw that they were powerful but then saw what the raven haired man was capable of. As he continued watching the video, his eyes became wider and wider. When the video finished he was stunned still for a moment before he snarled, angered over what he just saw. He got up and headed to the basement.

When Edmond reached the basement, he saw Edward roughly plowing into the redhead from behind. She was crying and whimpering as he violated her with reckless abandon, feeling the pain from his harsh movements and the humiliation at being used like a freaking object. He moved towards them and when Edward noticed Edmond, he was going to motion for his leader to join in. But then he noticed his leader's angered gaze on the red head. He knew that look, which meant something was up. He pulled out of the woman and put his pants back on without a word.

Natasha was feeling relieved that he stopped, taking the opportunity to take a breather and rest on the table. She was enjoying the warm wood against her bare body more than the cold cement floor. Something else happened though that made her wish that he had continued instead. Edmond handed Edward the smart phone and he started playing the video. Natasha heard the sounds from the video she had practically memorized and her eyes widened with fear. By the time she realized she was going to be in even deeper water, Edmond grabbed her arm, lifted her up into a standing position and then delivered a punch straight to the side of her head. The force of the strike sent the woman crashing to the hard floor with cries of pain. "YOU FUCKING BITCH! YOU KNEW HOW POWERFUL HE IS AND YOU DIDN'T TELL US! YOU OFFERED US CHUMP CHANGE TO STEAL A GIRL FROM THIS FREAK OF NATURE WHO'S STRONGER THAN SOME LEGENDARY POKÉMON! I'M GOING TO MAKE SURE THESE NEXT MOMENTS OF YOUR LIFE ARE AS PAINFUL AND HUMILIATING AS POSSIBLE!" roared Edmond. He kicked her while she was on the ground and Natasha shouted out in agony when he connected against her side. He kept kicking her and during that time, Edward watched the video and was quickly becoming angrier with each passing second at what she hid from them. Edmond struck her all over her body but when he went for her face, the red head shielded her face with her arms and he stumbled back a bit.

He roared with rage at that and she tried to futilely crawl away. He quickly reached her, flipped her over onto her back with another kick to her side and then sat on top of stomach. He used his legs to pin her arms to her sides, giving him clear access to strike her. He slugged away at her face several times and the red head kept crying out after each strike. He finished up with one more strike and looked at his handy work, panting. She had a cut lip that was bleeding, there were black and blue bruises on her face and her nose was broken and it was bleeding. The blood was seeping into her mouth, causing her to cough as she cried. She slowly turned her head to the side to look away from the dangerous man and to have the blood flow away from her mouth.

"Oh no you slut. You're not done yet," said Edmond with a dangerous snarl. He got off of her and picked her up before roughly slamming her against the wooden table face first with her crying out in pain once more. He took out his switchblade and then called both Edward and Edwin to him. Edward put the phone on a shelf as he reached him and Edwin came hurrying down the basement steps. "Hold the bitch down," said Edmond and both Edwin and Edward held her down as he started cutting the skin on her back with his switchblade. Natasha let out high pitched shrill screams as he carved out the word 'WHORE' on her back. When he finished he put away his switchblade after cleaning the blood off with a towel but Natasha was still screaming from the pain, crying her eyes out. "It ain't over yet," remarked Edmond when her screaming died down a bit. He unbuttoned his pants, let out his shaft and rammed into her forcefully all of a sudden, making her scream out in pain again. Her screaming was at first shrill and high pitched before changing into a hoarse tone of voice as her vocal cords were becoming damaged from all of her shrill screaming. Edward and Edwin held her down as they struck her a few times while their leader continued violating her. She pleaded to them to stop in vain with a hoarse voice now in between her sobs, barely able to speak the words but they didn't as they kept doing what they were doing. Nobody noticed that her contact 'Annoying Pilot' was calling her on the phone as the phone had been put on silent after recording their first time with the red head. "I'm going to make sure you never forget this! You will never feel anything else ever again except for pain, fear and humiliation!" swore Edmond as he continued violating her and his brothers struck her while they kept her pinned. Natasha did the only thing she could; she cried. She cried and she cried, wishing for it all to stop…

While the three were tormenting and torturing the red headed woman, the other two Skull Brothers were heading through the Indigo Woods to go get some food from the nearby market. They had put on disguises that consisted of different clothes, wigs, sun glasses and beards.

"Ah man, I can't wait until we get our revenge against that fucking prick," commented Ed.

"Me too but keep it down Ed. There might be others nearby," advised Eddie.

"Who gives a shit? We'll just kill them."

"And then that would draw the cops. We don't need that shit now. We need to be patient so we can get that fucker. And then we'll get our hands on those girls too!"

"Fine damn it! But only because I like the plan. I'm gonna have so much fun with them! HAHAHA! But I need some action now!"

"When we get back just fuck the slut again."

"You're right but I'm getting tired of her already. I want to find another."

"You always get bored quickly. But just wait till after the revenge and just make the whore do different things till then. You like experimenting with the bitch don't you?" asked Eddie that made Ed think a bit before he nodded and laughed. The two made more idle yet horrible and disgusting conversations as they continued through the woods.

A few floors below the penthouse suite of the Indigo Hotel, four girls were in their beds in a single room shared together. One of the four was wide awake and thinking about the one who helped her change in the past. She kept seeing him in her mind in many different scenarios. Dancing with her, talking with her, kissing her and other images that made her fill up with such emotion that she couldn't explain it. But then she started picturing him angry, sad, hurt and being pushed away from everyone. Her heart ached for him and yearned for him. That was when she realized something. She couldn't have him leave. She couldn't have him disappear. Not without her. She had to go with him too and that's when everything clicked in her head. This was the reason why she never really cared about her ex-boyfriend Gary, why she stopped him from making a move, why she moved on easily enough and why it would never have worked out anyways no matter what happened. The reason why was Ash. She has feelings for him and him alone because of what he's done for her. He was the only one worthy of her. She only hoped that he would see her worthy of him as well.

Some movement caught her eye and she glanced towards it. It was her friend Liza and she was starting to wake up. The green haired girl turned onto her back and glanced towards her right. She saw Sabrina wide awake, sitting up and looking at her. She smiled a bit at her and received one in turn before the purple haired girl faced forward. Liza sat up and that was when she felt her inner thighs were a little wet and sticky. Oh shit, I forgot about that. She became embarrassed, remembering the how and why before stopping her thinking all of a sudden, hoping that her thoughts weren't read. She slowly faced the psychic and saw her with a lost look on her face. She titled her head.

"You alright?" asked Liza.

Sabrina turned to face her, recomposing herself. "I'm fine. Just thinking."

"About what happened last night?"

"Yea." She thought it would be better to just go with that for the moment. No need to have her dilemma go under the spotlight.

Liza nodded. "Yea, me too. I hope he doesn't really leave for good…"

"He'd be an idiot if he does." Both Liza and Sabrina turned to face Clair who had gotten up as well. The blunette didn't want him to leave either but didn't want to admit it. "Leaving the tournament when he has a spotless record; that's just stupid."

"Look who's talking," shot Liza, making Clair narrow her eyes and redden. "I remember you hiding in your room for some time after what that prodigy Dragon trainer did to you. You could've still beaten him, put him in his place and yet you stayed home, letting him win. You wouldn't even pick up your phone. At least Sabrina functioned well enough after her breakup with Gary."

"Shut up Liza and don't ever bring that up again!" snapped Clair angrily but Liza was unfazed. The blunette looked at the purple head, her expression softening. "I can't believe he did that to you of all people. I'm sorry you went through that." Liza shared the sentiment with her as well. Before the psychic prodigy could respond, another voice was heard.

"That must've sucked. Can't believe anyone would cheat on you." The three turned their heads to see Giselle getting up. "Sorry, but you three were kind of loud and woke me up." The three smiled a bit and apologized for that. "It's alright. I usually wake up early anyways. But, I am truly sorry that you had to experience that Sabrina."

Sabrina smiled a bit. "It's alright. It taught me a lesson and I got my revenge on him by giving him nightmares for a month." Clair, Liza and Giselle gasped and had their eyes widen. "But honestly, I wasn't even that mad to begin with. I only did that so he wouldn't feel like he got off without a problem so he wouldn't do it again. I realized afterwards that I never really liked him or had any feelings for him at all."

"So why even go out with him?" asked Giselle, confused.

Sabrina sighed. "Well, because of two reasons. First was because nobody else asked and I thought he seemed nice enough. Looks like I was wrong. The second was because of Liza constantly teasing me about not even going on a date yet."

Liza felt bad for that and also because Giselle and Clair were glaring at her. "Sorry Sab. I just didn't want you to stay cooked up at home all the time. You barely get out to help out the G-Men or visit me or Clair but that's like once every few months. I didn't mean to make you go out with an asshole." Liza hung her head.

"It's alright Liza. I know you were just trying to help me out," replied Sabrina.

"Though in your own twisted way of doing things," joked Clair and the four of them chuckled a bit.

"Hey, if I wasn't like that, we wouldn't have so much fun together," defended Liza.

"I guess you're right about that," replied Clair. She debated internally on something before speaking. "But Liza, next time you want to have some 'alone' time, make sure you're actually alone."

Liza's eyes widened and her face went scarlet. Sabrina and Giselle were looking at her with astonished faces. "When and how the hell did you find out?!" she asked, embarrassed.

"Well, you proved it just now. And that stain on your blanket gave it away. You should seriously clean up after yourself." Liza's jaw dropped before she looked down and saw the stained mark on her blanket and the other two girls burst out laughing.

She looked back up and saw her smirking at her. "You're such a bitch Clair! Ugh! I'm gonna get you back for this!" The blunette just laughed and Liza got out of bed and went into the bathroom with some fresh clothes in her hands, feeling very angry and embarrassed. While the caretaker of the Charicific Valley cleaned herself up and got dressed, the other three girls decided to get up and get dressed as well. They talked a bit and decided to give Cynthia a call a little later to see if they could get an update and if she had left the penthouse suite already with Ash.

In the dining room at the top floor of the hotel, three girls were sitting next to each other at the table. "Ah, that hit the spot!" Sarah was leaning back against her chair when she said that. She felt full from the breakfast she, Leaf and Anabel made. The other two nodded in agreement as they too felt that they were stuffed from their simple breakfast. Each of them was letting the food settle in their stomachs as they sipped on their warm tea. Leaf glanced at the clock and saw that it was almost 8am.

"The others should be waking up soon," commented Anabel as she too looked at the time.

"You're right. Maybe we should start getting breakfast ready for them since it'll take us a while to get enough ready for everyone," suggested Sarah and the other two agreed.

The three got up, cleaned up after themselves and then worked on getting breakfast ready for everyone else. They worked mostly in silence as they prepared the meal but did talk a little here and there. Most of the time it was just asking for something that they needed though. As the three friends worked on getting breakfast ready, some of their friends were starting to awaken and get ready. They were almost done preparing breakfast for them, waiting for the eggs to boil when several of their friends appeared and joined them in the kitchen. They were already dressed in their normal day wear, following the wonderful smell of food.

"Ah, that smells delicious," commented Lucy as she, Brock, Richie, Joy, Daisy Oak and Gary appeared. The latter was taking his time as he was still in pain from Ash's hit. Gary had refused to go to the hospital and so nobody knew what the extent of the damage was.

"Thanks! It's just simple stuff but we hope you like it and enjoy it anyways," replied Sarah.

"Thanks for making food for us. I really appreciate you guys taking over for breakfast," said Brock, thankful that he could take a break from making a meal, especially after what happened last night.

He wasn't able to sleep all that well at first and neither had Lucy in the beginning as they shared a bed together and he was restless. She had woken up in the middle of the night from his tossing and turning and woke him up as well. He asked her what was wrong before she asked him if he was that restless when they were separated. Brock said he had but also felt embarrassed at that. He explained he was worried Ash, knowing him for so long and loved him as a brother and hated how things turned out last night. Lucy understood and hugged her boyfriend before kissing him and telling him that things may seem bleak but everything will work out somehow. He had thanked her for understanding and being positive. He suggested they go back to sleep and that he would not bother her anymore. They ended up sleeping comfortably with Brock sleeping on his side and Lucy did the same as she backed up into him with his arms around her. They had woken up in that position and had agreed that it was the best sleep they ever had and would continue sleeping like that together from now on.

When Gary saw Leaf, he became a little angry, believing her to be just as responsible as Ash for his break up. He didn't like how her and his fight also caused his secret to be let out and make Ilene leave him. He decided to give her a piece of his mind. "I'm surprised Leaf knows how to do something right without causing problems and fucking everything up for others," remarked Gary with a growl. Leaf looked down at the floor with a hurt expression and the others gave Gary a 'WTF?' look but he didn't care.

"You would think that after last night he would've learned his lesson or at least try to be decent but no. He's still an inconsiderate and thoughtless jackass." They all turned around to see Ilene as she entered the kitchen with Riley. Both were wearing proper clothing, but not their royal and guardian attire. When Ilene first saw Gary, her heart skipped a beat and she wanted to talk to him. But after hearing how he spoke to Leaf, she decided to punish him instead. Her jab at Gary made Daisy glare at Ilene but Gary looked down in shame.

"Thank you Ilene," said Leaf quietly with a small smile for the backup. But when Ilene turned her gaze to the brunette and gave her such a glare that it made her smile vanish instantly. She also felt that it was her fault for causing so much crap to happen that caused her Knight to leave.

"Don't thank me Ms. Green and that's Queen Ilene to you as well. Gary may be inconsiderate, but he's right. Everything that happened last night, everything that was revealed, was because of your inability to act like an adult and deal with your feelings in a responsible way," responded Ilene harshly that made Leaf drop her head and hide her face in her hands in guilt. Ilene moved to the dining room with Riley slowly following from behind with a saddened look on his face. Leaf started to cry as Joy, Sarah and Anabel went to her side to try and calm her down.

"How can you be such a bitch?!" burst out Daisy Oak in anger, making Ilene whirl around furious. That caught everyone's attention, including Leaf's who looked up with a wet face from behind her hands.

"How dare you insult me when your brother goes around breaking girls' hearts and when that girl goes around betraying the trust of everyone she meets!" shouted Ilene.

"Please stop both of you!" begged Gary, taking a step forward. He didn't want his sister and the only girl he cared about to fight but the two blonde girls kept at it, insulting each other. The others were stupefied and didn't know what to do…