The Princess And Her Knight 2...

(Warning Mature Content Ahead)

Chapter 43.5 - The Princess And Her Knight 2...

Back at the hotel, mid way through their brunch, there was a knock on the door and Cynthia went to get the door. It was Sabrina, Clair, Liza and Giselle. She greeted them and told them to leave their stuff in the living room for now and to join them for breakfast. The four girls followed after the blonde Champion and greeted the rest that were eating before sitting down and helping themselves to some food. They all ate and talked for some time longer until they all finished and then they sat around for a little bit, letting the food settle in their stomachs.

"Alright," started Brock standing up and everyone looked at him. "I hope you all had a good meal. But, I wanted to tell you all that when Ash comes back after taking Natasha to the hospital, we are all going to come back here and speak to him about helping us train." He glanced at their new arrivals. "If you'd like to join us, you're welcome to do so." They gave their thanks for the invitation. Not even a second later, unknown to them, three blue spheres appeared in the living room. A sudden call from the living room made them jump a bit. "Speak of the devil," remarked Brock while chuckling as he headed out the kitchen, the others getting up and following him. They went into the living room to see Delia, May, Ash and Natasha, who was being carried by the former in his arms. They were only able to see her face for a quick second before she buried it into his chest out of shame and fear but they did notice some things. Her swelling on her eye had gone done a little thanks to Lilit applying some ointment on it and her nose was fixed. There were some bandages on her as well.

Even though she saw how critical her condition was when she first arrived, Clair couldn't help but feel intense jealousy fill her at the sight of the red head being carried by Ash. Some of the other girls who were hiding feelings for him were also slightly jealous yet mostly envious but hid it. They knew that she needed help and only Ash could do so now. Clair however, had a hard time seeing him with his arms wrapped around her, her cheek against his chest, her hands around his neck. She glanced over at his girlfriends and was surprised at what she saw; they didn't have any expression remotely near what she was feeling. Instead they looked concerned. How? How could they not feel anything at him holding another girl? Are they blind?! Are they that naive?! Or…do they trust him that much? Are they that much more mature than I? Or is it…because they know he is theirs and no other girl can get him? Clair shook her head a bit while letting out a quiet sigh, trying to clear her mind. She felt a little disgusted with herself that she was feeling this way towards the poor girl. She had done nothing wrong and she needed help and support. I have got to get myself under control…

"Is everything alright?" asked Misty, drawing closer to them.

"Yes, everything's fine Mist," said Ash, smiling at her. "I'm gonna take Natasha to her room. Mom, can you get some soup ready please?" he asked her as he walked away with the red head in his arms and his mom replied back saying it was no problem before she moved to the kitchen. The parents followed after Delia to get an update while the others asked May.

"Well, she's a bit better now and they did a lot of tests. She should be fine but we're just waiting on some results that's gonna take some more time," she told them.

"Well, at least she's not alone," said Dawn. "We can help take care of her."

"Yeah and hopefully the results will be something good," added Sarah.

"I hope so too but she had so many cuts and bruises," stated Joy sadly.

"She's right and honestly, she looked so weak, so out of energy, that every breath she took seemed to rob her of life than to give her life," said Leaf in a low voice.

"Good thing Ash's pokémon was able to find the cabin in time where you all were," said Serena and they all agreed. They continued to talk while following after the parents into the dining room once more.

Ash entered Natasha's room, which was still the infirmary so to speak. He lowered her onto the bed and drew up the covers onto her to reach her stomach. "How are you doing?" Natasha gave him a look of gratitude. Better. Thank you. Ash smiled at her. He was getting better at hearing another's thoughts directed towards him, especially when he concentrated. He had a lot of practice at the hospital. And she was starting to relax more, especially with him around. "You're welcome. I know you'll get past this and I'll be there to help whenever you need it." She moved her hand towards his and he held it. She gave him a small smile. "There you go. I don't ever want to see you sad again." She felt her heart beat a little faster at his words. Why do you care so much about me? Her sudden blunt question caught him off guard, making him pause for a second, rubbing the back of his head before answering. "That's just who I am. I care for others. Whether I know them or just met them. I want to help people where and when I can. To give second chances to those who deserve it." I see. But you didn't fully answer my question. Ash sighed, looking away before looking at her again. "Because I feel responsible for what happened to you Natasha." Utterly confused, she tilted her head. Why would you say that? "Because I could've dealt with the Skull Brothers before they did this to you as I ran into them before finding you. But I decided to give them a chance to repent, to change their ways. I didn't know that their hearts were so dark. If I'd had known what they were capable of and what they would've done, I wouldn't have let them go. I would've finished them off right then and there. I'm so sorry Natasha. Please forgive me and if you don't I understand." Ash looked down at his feet when he finished, unable to keep looking at her.

Natasha couldn't believe it. Once again, this young man who she had never before met until barely a day ago had stunned her. He didn't know that she was responsible for everything involving the Skull Brothers and yet, he was taking the blame. He was putting it on himself. She had never even heard of such a person existing and would've called anyone who said there was someone like that a damn fool. But here he was, sitting right beside her, apologizing and asking for forgiveness for something that he was not at fault for. She squeezed his hand and he slightly turned to look up at her. You saved me from them. It's not your fault what they did. You saved me, took care of me, took me to a hospital, showed me respect, kindness and was concerned about me. You've done nothing wrong and everything else right. She felt guilty for making him feel this way for her since she had caused things by doing what she did. She hoped her words would make him feel better.

"You're wrong Natasha," he told her, turning his head to fully face her and she felt sadness start to creep up on her. "Not 'was', 'is'. I'm still concerned, will always respect your wishes, will still take care of you and will continue doing all that in the future too until you don't want it anymore." Her sadness washed away to be filled with something else entirely that made her feel…special. Before she could respond, the door opened to reveal Delia holding a bowl of warm chicken soup. "Hey Mom. Thanks for bringing that. I'll feed her and you can go eat," said Ash as he got up and took the soup from her.

"Are you sure sweetie? I can feed her and you can go eat. I don't mind."

"I know Mom. But it's alright. I'm not that hungry yet and I want to keep some room for when I take May out for our date tonight. You and May haven't yet so you two should eat at least," he told her. Delia smiled at him and reminded him about the medicine to give her after she eats and the nose guard when she rests afterwards. He thanked her for the reminder. Ash went back to Natasha, the bowl of soup in his hands. He sat down on the bed and started stirring the soup with the spoon to cool it down a bit faster. Natasha was moved by him even more by what she just saw.

You're so considerate. Ash looked up at her, pink circles appearing on his cheeks and rubbed the back of his head. "Thanks, but others would do the same." No, they wouldn't. You're different. I see that now. And you don't have to. You should go eat. Ash's cheeks flushed with color. "Thanks but seriously, I'm not special. And I'll be fine. As Dawn always says; no need to worry." He smiled at her and got a spoonful ready. "Let me know if it's too hot." He slowly raised the spoon to her lips and waited for her to take a sip. It's okay. Ash nodded and placed the spoon in her mouth when she opened it a bit more and she swallowed it. Who's Dawn? "Dawn's my girlfriend. The petite but mischievous blunette," he answered without thinking. Talking about Dawn made him remember how she would flirt with him, making his heart beat faster and a smile to form on his face while getting another spoonful ready. Natasha became confused from his answer. I thought you said May is your girlfriend? Ash looked up at her, his brow furrowed, lost for a moment. Then it hit him. "Oh. Hehehe. Sorry. I should've mentioned that I have more than one girlfriend. I have eight actually." Natasha's eye went wide. "Yeah, I get that reaction a lot from those who find out." He laughed a bit before raising another spoonful to her mouth. She automatically opened her mouth and took it. How? What? When? "Whoa, slow down. I'll explain things to you if you promise never to tell anyone and if you really want to know." I do and I promise. Ash smiled and gave her another bite. "Well, this kind of goes back a bit but I'll just give you a summary of it…"

As Ash fed Natasha and gave her a very quick rundown about his past with the girls and how they got together, everyone else was still back in the dining room. They had cleaned up the tables and were speaking with May and Delia while they gave them complete details now about their hospital visit. Delia was eating but May wasn't. The brunette wanted to wait for Ash after Delia told her what he said and would eat with him. It didn't matter to her if it was then or when they went out for their date. They were listening to them speak for a while now. Their friends and family were angry at this Doctor Wilson, were impressed at how Ash handled the situation and were glad that Doctor Swanson and Nurse Johansen took over and did what needed to be done without any complications between them. They were also awed when they found out Ash heard Natasha's thoughts and their own.

"Wow. It seems Ash is getting more and more powerful as time passes," commented Bonnie.

"That's good, especially since there's a war coming in about two years against the darkness and that monster he's going to have to face," said Max without thinking.

"MAX! They don't know!" shot Caroline, pointing at Liza, Clair, Sabrina, Giselle, Shauna and Lizabeth who had shocked expressions on their faces. Max just shrugged while mumbling out a "My bad". He was smacked upside the head by his mother for his big mouth, making him yelp and Bonnie to giggle.

"Okay, what's this 'war' about? This is the second time we've heard this mentioned. And what monster are you talking about?" asked Sabrina. Everyone went quiet and nobody knew what to say. "You know I could just read your minds but I don't want to do that to you." They gulped and glanced at one another, wondering who should explain things.

"There's no need for that." Everyone turned towards the dining room entrance and saw Ash standing there with an empty bowl in his hands. Delia asked about Natasha. "She's fine. She finished the soup, I gave her the medicine and told her to rest and the nose guard is on her. Greninja is watching over her," he explained, walking over to the head of the table and placed the bowl onto it as he did so. Many of them smiled a bit after hearing what he did for her. "You want to know about this war? I'll tell you. But you must promise not to tell anyone else." The newer members swore to keep quiet. "Alright then. This war is the reason why I disappeared. It started when…" Ash then explained everything, with some people who heard it already still getting goose bumps and the newer members of the group to gasp and yelp at certain parts. When he finished up, they were silent for a bit. To say the six girls were beyond stupefied was an understatement.

"I can't believe it. It's like Armageddon coming," commented Giselle, breaking the silence and shaking her head, shivering with fear.

"This…Ragnarok…he sounds like the Devil," remarked Liza in whisper. "Spreading darkness and evil wherever he goes…"

"That's why you're so damn strong…you've been training to fight against this evil," said Shauna, looking at Ash as if he was something else entirely instead of just a man. Lizabeth was too frightened to even say anything but she was looking at Ash as if it was the first time she's seeing him.

Clair was also silent, speechless. This young man, who she hadn't seen in years and has stolen her heart without him even knowing about it, had sacrificed much to reach new strengths so he can be able to protect everyone. And what had she done? Absolutely nothing important. Her mind became full of thoughts about him until her friend speaking snapped her out of it.

"But you said it's on your and Mewtwo's shoulders…How are you going to fight against it? What are you going to do about it all?" asked Sabrina in a worried tone, making everyone look at her before looking at Ash again. She didn't want him to face something so evil, so dangerous. She had seen what he had done in his life when bringing out her memories and she didn't know that he had done so much to prepare for this ugly future. And she didn't want him to face this by himself. She had allowed him to go alone to fight the Skull Brothers and had ended up hurt by it. She would not allow it to happen again.

"That's what I wanted to talk to all of you about," he told them. "There are some things I need to do that I will tell you but not right now. After the tournament."

Some confused looks we're given to him about that. "I thought you said you're not competing anymore?" asked Ilene.

Ash rubbed the back of his head. "Well I still am because I wasn't able to tell Goodshow about leaving yesterday so I'm still in it. I will finish the tournament and see where I stack up against the strongest in the world before continuing with my plans for the coming war." Everyone in the dining room nodded their heads. They thought that was smart and several, including his girlfriends and mother, were happy that he wasn't quitting. "Also, I want to apologize." They all gave him confused looks. "I want to apologize for scaring you yesterday. For passing out like that and for…killing the Skull Brother in front of you." Understanding dawned on their faces. Some of them had already moved on from it, knowing he had to do it but others were still a little afraid. Not of him but of what he did. Before anyone could comment on that, he continued. "If there's anyone who's uncomfortable around me now, if you wish to go home or want me to stay away from you, I don't blame you and I understand. Please tell me now before I continue with the other thing." Nobody moved or said anything. Even though some of them were still uneasy about him killing and especially right in front of them, they knew that he had no choice in the matter and that he wasn't the type to like doing those types of things. Ash waited a bit for someone to speak up but nobody did. "Thank you. But if you ever want to talk, to let out your thoughts and feelings, please don't hesitate to do so with me." Several nodded while others didn't move but had neutral expressions on their faces. "Okay. Now, the other thing is I said I'll teach you ways to defend yourselves and help you train. I meant it and still do. It may save your life when I'm not around. Whoever wants to learn, meet me in the balcony in half an hour. And be prepared to sweat, to struggle and to work hard if you do." He glanced around the room before he began heading out towards his room. "Mom, can you check on Natasha for me while we train? She already knows and should be alright with Greninja there but just in case."

"No problem. I'll set an alarm for the medicine in four hours as well," she replied back and Ash thanked her. After he left, the others glanced at one another before they all got up and went to their rooms to get dressed in their exercising clothes except for the new arrivals and the parents, who had their own agenda. "I'll show where you can stay," said Delia, getting up to show Giselle, Sabrina, Liza and Clair. "We have two rooms left. Do you want two to a room or all four of you in one?" she asked them and they commented saying it doesn't matter. "Well if that's the case, how about we keep one room empty just in case and you four take the larger one?" They agreed and thanked her for that. Delia showed them to their room and told them if they need anything to let her know before leaving. The four girls began to change into their work out apparel.

When the raven haired guardian left the red head in her room with his pokémon watching over her, Natasha closed her eye to rest. The nose guard was on her and it was at first annoying but soon enough she stopped noticing it. She wanted to sleep but instead, she began thinking about everything that had happened to her. She couldn't believe how things turned out to be. The original reason as to why she was even at the Indigo Plateau was to somehow get into the guardian's inner circle, find out all she could about him, leave before the attack happened and inform her boss of everything that she learned. But now? She was cut off from Giovanni while losing all of her achievements and belongings that was given to her by him and she was raped and beaten by the same thugs she hired to pull off her plan to gain the guardian's trust that they botched. And the irony of it all? She somehow still ended up in the guardian's group with him taking care of her with no idea who she really was or the real reason as to why she was there in the first place.

Her mind latched onto that. Or more specifically onto the young guardian. She couldn't believe that such a person existed. He had rescued her from her nightmare of being the Skull Brothers' play thing and done so much for her. She never had anyone do even a fraction of the things he did for her. Then again maybe he's just being nice because he found me broken, she thought. There's no way someone that compassionate and caring could exist. As if to prove her wrong, her mind brought up how he fought off Giovanni's invasion of the stadium after the fifth round match ups. Then she remembered the way he held her, spoke to her, covered her up when he found her naked and weak, encouraged her, fed her, soothed her and stayed by her side throughout almost the entire hospital tests except for when it became too personal. No...I'm wrong. Because someone like that does exit…and he's the one who saved me.

She took in a small breath before thinking about something else now. How Giovanni was planning a huge attack that would wipe out pretty much everyone at the closing ceremony of the tournament. She didn't know what to do as every option or path she came up with spelled trouble for her. If I tell Ash, if I confess to him, he'll be furious with me. He'll probably kick me out of the group if he doesn't kill me the second he finds out it was because of me that the Skull Brothers were even here. She felt fear fill her at that, thinking how her guardian angel could possibly kill her for bringing those thugs and how it was her fault that they kidnapped his friends. But if I don't tell him, then he'll probably die. I don't think even he could survive or fight back against what's coming. She felt even more fear fill her at the thought of him dying because of that and that startled her. Am…Am I afraid of him dying? She thought about that a bit before pushing it aside and did her absolute best to keep her mind clear so she can go to sleep. Luckily for her, she was so tired out from her hospital visit and the tests that she fell asleep without much trouble. But her dreams were a mix of all her thoughts…

When Ash entered his room and saw Pikachu still sleeping, he smiled a bit. His starter had used the most powerful attack he could ever use yesterday. It had taken them a full month to get it right, to learn how to attract and redirect lightning strikes. Their training for that was sped up thanks to Mewtwo, Raikou and Zapdos forming thunder clouds out of nowhere to practice with and it was the purple feline who created the lightning clouds yesterday for him to use. Though Ash's anger and aura made the blue streaks of lightning appear. Raikou and Zapdos could use the same type of attack in addition, with it being far more powerful, affecting a much larger area but that made it far more dangerous, especially if they charged up like Pikachu did before the battle. The electric mouse had the perfect balance of power, accuracy and control to use that ultimate electric attack. He just needed to work on his stamina and endurance so he won't faint after using it just once. In the end though, Pikachu did an incredible job in Ash's eyes and felt he deserved the rest for today and didn't wake him. As for the other two in his room however…

Lucario and Gardevoir were sleeping on the couch in the bedroom, cuddled up together. Brock had woken up the aura canine after Ash had left, explaining the situation to him. He also suggested that the two rest in Ash's bedroom so they don't get bothered by the others. Lucario had agreed and gently lifted up the still sleeping psychic fairy into his arms before going to the room and laid down onto the couch. He made sure that his mate was comfortable and not in danger of being poked by his sharp appendage on his chest. Ash gently shook Lucario to wake him up and he opened his eyes.

"Master?" asked Lucario. "Are you alright? Do you need anything?" He tried to get up but was stopped.

"Slow down buddy," said Ash in a whisper. He pointed at Gardevoir and Lucario saw her eyes were still closed. "I'm good but I wanted to ask something but if you don't want to do it and stay with her, I have no problem with it. Will you help me teach them self-defense and train like we did? Though at a fraction of the toughness for now," he joked. Lucario let a grin form on his face.

"I would love to. But I don't want to leave her."

"Quit your whining and just go do it," mumbled Gardevoir but her eyes remained closed and Ash chuckled. "But can we do something later on tonight? Just us two?" she asked, still snuggling against him. Lucario looked up at Ash.

"Hey, I just need you for a few hours right now and even that you can refuse if you want to. What you want to do later is up to you. I keep telling you, you're my friend as well and free to do as you please," he told his pokémon.

Lucario smiled. "Alright Master and yes, I promise we'll do something together later tonight Gardevoir." The white and green fairy hummed in appreciation before moving off of the blue canine who stood up. She laid back down onto the couch and Ash placed a blanket over her. He took out his workout clothes consisting of black sweats and black shirt and changed into them. The two then left the room and headed into the balcony. Ash sent a mental message to Mewtwo and the psychic feline appeared. A second later, right before their eyes, all the furniture, game tables and other things that were in the balcony vanished into thin air and the large pool was covered with a solid and sturdy purple floor.

"Thanks buddy and nicely done," praised Ash.

Mewtwo just nodded. "I know. And you still owe me a full blast training session Ash," reminded the legendary.

Ash rubbed the back of his head, commenting that he remembers but if he could wait a little more. Mewtwo huffed but said no more. Ash then turned to Lucario. "I almost forgot to tell you something. At the hospital something happened to me. Basically…" Both Lucario and Mewtwo listened to Ash explain what happened. That he was able to communicate mentally with them and how it was because of Natasha that it started. "How did it just happen like that? Didn't I need to learn how and practice first?" he asked him. Lucario was silent for a moment, going over what he learned on the Lore of Guardians and Aura in his mind. Mewtwo was interested as well, waiting patiently.

"Usually yes, but what happened is normal under the circumstances. Lady Natasha was in such a horrible place, both physically and mentally that when you saved her, her aura latched onto yours." Ash was stunned and Mewtwo was surprised. Neither knew that aura could do that. Lucario noticed the worried expression on his face. "It is no cause for alarm Master. That can happen even between other people in similar situations where one is very emotional to the point of no return. She feels safe, secure and comfortable with you yes?" he asked and he nodded. "Just like in movies, when one is saved by another, it creates a bond between the two. Just like with having a bond between your mates, you developed a bond with her as well but differently. It's not a bond made with love but a bond based on security and comfort that she feels with you. Because of her feeling scared, vulnerable and helpless when you found her, your protecting nature allowed your aura to determine that she needed your help. As a result, it allowed her aura to be able to latch onto yours. Because of that, she is drawing strength from it, from you and you are slowly opening the channel that allowed you to use your ability to hear one's thoughts since she is unable to speak." Ash remained silent, thinking about what he just learned from him. When Lucario continued he paid attention to his words. "This bond has mutually benefitted both of you. This has allowed you to unlock that skill without much difficulty and use it with anyone and everyone and gives her strength in return. But you will still need to focus to hear another's thoughts and only when they're directed to you. Am I correct?" he asked him and Ash said he was. "With some practice, you'll be able to communicate with others mentally to them with ease and as you become stronger, it'll become easier to hear and speak with another human's mind without needing to concentrate on it like you do with your pokémon."

"I see. Thank you buddy for explaining it in a way I can understand," he told him. The three of them then waited for the others to join them in the balcony. As they waited, they took up meditative positions, sitting on the floor, cross legged. After about ten minutes, everyone except for the parents and of course the resting red head joined the three in the balcony.

Ash, Mewtwo and Lucario stood up after a moment and looked at everyone. They were all dressed in exercising apparel. The guys were wearing workout shorts along with sleeveless shirts. The girls were all wearing training shorts along with training sports tops but some of the girls had tops that exposed their midriff. There were some embarrassing moments when some of the couples looked at one another, turning red. Bonnie and Max were especially embarrassed, seeing each other dressed like that, turning crimson. Others however, merely commented on their lover's looks, like Lucy and Brock. Ash took in the sight of his girlfriends and smiled at them, making them smile back but also become slightly red. The raven haired guardian took a step forward, catching everyone's attention and they all faced him. "Thank you for allowing us to teach you what I have learned. Lucario will be your training Master in everything regarding the body and Mewtwo will be your training Master regarding the mind. I will assist the both of them during it all. Even though the training won't be the exact same as mine, it will not be easy and you must listen to every word they say. Any questions?"

"What about our pokémon? Will they be training as well?" asked Bonnie. The group glanced at her before looking at Ash.

"They will but not yet. Today, we will focus on ourselves today and maybe the next one as well before adding our pokémon into the mix," he answered and the group murmured out some understandings. "Any other questions?" he asked them. The group went silent and Ash turned towards Lucario and nodded at him. The aura canine stepped forward.

"During the training, you will hate me. You will want to hurt me. You will want to quit." Lucario's words made them all gulp, wondering just how extreme it's going to be. The ones who saw Ash's memories were wondering if it would be as harsh as what he went through. "But, we will start slow for today. We don't have much time or room to go fully into it yet while we are here. At the very end of the training though, you will be able to combat multiple opponents at once on your own and with each other. You will be faster, stronger and wiser. But it will take time until we reach that point. For now, I will show you several important strikes to use in a life or death situation until we can go deeper into it." Complete silence as all eyes was on Lucario, who signaled to Mewtwo. A purple dummy in the shape of man appeared next to the aura canine. "If you ever find yourself in that type of situation, where your life is on the line or you feel threatened, remember what I will show and teach you now as it can and will save your life by giving you an opportunity to either flee or take advantage." Lucario went to the dummy, turning to face it, the large group now on his right side. "The eyes, the spots next to the eyes on the outer sides of the head called the temple, the nose, the throat, the middle of the chest where the bottom part of the sternum is located and the groin." As he said each location, he threw a strike at the spot, making sure they could see. "There are other critical spots but those are harder to reach. Each of these spots I just mentioned is easier to reach and are very vulnerable areas. It doesn't matter if your opponent is male, female, large or small. If you must, target these areas and use as much strength as possible when you strike."

Lucario struck the spots again while repeating it to make sure they got it. He then glanced at the psychic feline whose eyes glowed blue. Many purple dummies appeared, spaced out evenly in the balcony. "Now, each of you move to your own target." The group spaced out and each moved to be in front of their own dummy. "Good. Now, copy me. The eyes." He struck the eyes and so did the others. "The temple." He struck the temple with the side of his hand and they copied him. "The nose." He punched the nose and so did they. "The throat." Again, he struck and they followed suit. "The sternum and finally the groin." They copied the aura canine and in the process, when they struck the groin, some of them were unable to hold it in and started to giggle or laugh out loud. Lucario snapped his attention to the area where the sounds came from and found the culprits; it was Max, Bonnie, Lily, Daisy Oak, Chili, Giselle, Dawn and Liza. Lucario vanished from sight and reappeared in front of them within a second, startling them. "You find this amusing do you?" he asked them. The eight gulped and started stuttering out apologies. "Silence!" he barked and they went quiet instantly.

Ash smirked at the sight of Lucario hounding on them. It was surprisingly amusing seeing someone else receive Lucario's treatment during his training. Unfortunately for him though, Lucario sensed it and didn't see the humor in that either and decided to teach all of them a lesson at once. "As punishment you will each give me twenty pushups after Master demonstrates how these techniques can save your life." Ash's eyes went wide at hearing that and Lucario gave him such a quick feral grin that only he and Mewtwo caught.

"Damn it," mumbled Ash quietly but he was still heard.

"Because of your whining, you're going to do so against three opponents," added Lucario. "And you know who they are." Ash cursed at Lucario in his head while Mewtwo chuckled and the others waited to see who he was going to demonstrate against. Three poke balls appeared in Ash's hand after the blue glows faded away and they opened to reveal Machamp, Hitmonchan and Hitmonlee. The three of them gave a shout of their name when they appeared. "Comrades, the three of you against Master; life and death fight, scenario one. Go!" The three fighting type pokémon advanced on Ash without hesitation. The young guardian had his eyes glow blue in response. "No aura!" commanded Lucario, startling everyone, their eyes widening as they watched the three fighting pokémon getting closer to their friend.

"Ah come on!" shouted Ash, the glow fading away while glaring at him. Lucario smirked and pointed at Machamp. Ash looked at the superpower pokémon in time to dodge the fist that was flying at his head. As they 'fought', Lucario began explaining what his Master was doing while they watched with anxious yet impressed gazes. Some of them were worried that Ash would get hurt. They knew he could do it and could take it but they still couldn't help feeling worried.

"As you can see, Master is outnumbered, overpowered and cannot escape. He is quicker than them but he will eventually tire out. He must find an opening and strike the moment he sees it. Whenever you're up against a stronger opponent, you must out think and out maneuver them like Master is doing." Ash was dodging and evading against all three of the fighting pokémon's strikes, some easily and some of them close calls, making them gasp in awe. "Now, he has been dodging and evading for a while. During this time he has been paying attention to how they fight, how they move and so should have you. And soon he will counter attack and watch how and when he does so." Lucario said no more so they could watch and perhaps learn from the demonstration.

Ash ducked under Hitmonlee's roundhouse kick and delivered a strike in between his eyes where his nose should be making the kicking fiend drop to the floor in agony. He then lunged to the side to avoid Machamp's four fists coming crashing down from above before delivering a strike with the side of his hand against his temple. Machamp cried out and stumbled backwards, dazed. Hitmonchan threw a punch that he side stepped. He then threw a hard straight punch to Hitmonchan's sternum, causing the boxing pokémon to gasp and drop to his knees. Gary winced at the sight, remembering how Ash hurt him too like that when they fought.

Lucario turned to the group before speaking. "Did you see how Master did that? He kept calm even against stronger opponents and being outnumbered. He didn't randomly throw strikes. Instead he waited for his time to strike back, conserving energy. And he did not attempt to go toe to toe with them. That is something you must all learn if nothing else; never go toe to toe with a stronger opponent and never attempt to copy them."

Clair felt a little embarrassed about that last statement. She had studied multiple different martial arts and was a black belt in many of them. Yet none of it prepared her for when Ash completely dominated her, without breaking a sweat. It reminded her of how foolish she was, trying to stop an angry, drunk and strong fighter. She wanted to fully hate that she was so easily dismissed as a challenge and what it caused her to feel. But she couldn't because it led her to open her eyes to the type of man that Ash was and how he's the type of man that she not only wants, but needs…

Lucario turned back to them all after the three fighting pokémon got back up and bowed to Ash who bowed back to them. He thanked the three before returning them. "Did I make my point clear?" asked Lucario. Everyone nodded and the eight apologized. "Good and apology accepted. I still want those twenty pushups." They groaned. "Do you want to make it fifty?" he asked them and the eight had their eyes widened. They immediately started doing the pushups in front of them all. "Good." Lucario was about to walk back to the front when he stopped and glanced at Gary. "Twenty. Now." Gary didn't argue or complain as he started doing the pushups. He was sniggering a moment before and thought he wasn't caught but was wrong. Ilene smirked at Gary for a split second as he did his pushups, thinking it was hardly a punishment. Lucario glanced at her as well and her eyes widened. "You too." Ilene went crimson before lowering herself down to do her pushups. Riley raised an eyebrow at that in surprise. He had never seen the Queen not complain about someone trying to order her around.

After they were done with the pushups and Lucario had reached the front again, he looked at them all before speaking. "You will practice against the dummies in front of you until I say stop. Master and I will go around checking on each of you. Remember the locations; eyes, temple, nose, throat, sternum and groin. Afterwards, we will test your strength and your endurance to see where you stand in that regard. And that will be it for today. Do not bother anyone and focus only on yourselves and your dummies for today. Anyone who is caught not practicing or bothering someone else will be doing pushups. And they start at fifty." Nobody commented or argued. They began practicing on their dummies after Mewtwo spaced them out a bit more so they could walk between them.

As everyone practiced the strikes on their dummies, the purple psychic feline was in front of them all, eyes closed and meditating but was keeping awareness of everything going on around him. The black and blue canine and the raven haired guardian were going to each person to check on them. The two were looking to make sure they were hitting the right spot and the strike itself was with proper technique. Power for the strike would be later as the former two are far more important at the moment.

Lucario demonstrated the proper way to land a punch to Max and Bonnie. After seeing them using proper punches now, Lucario finished up with the two younger teenagers and then moved towards Lily and Violet. Ash finished observing Brock's and Lucy's training. He gave the two a few tips on how to improve their technique in order to use less energy and speed up their strikes. Both of them appreciated the tips and quickly integrated them into their next strikes. They could immediately feel the difference and smiled at Ash afterwards. He smiled back at them and then moved on to Giselle, Liza, Clair and Sabrina. He saw that they were working hard and were looking pretty good in their exercising clothes, making him stare for a little bit but quickly gathered himself, pushed past it and observed their training. He felt pride surge over him seeing them take the training seriously and do their best. Especially Clair who he knew wasn't a beginner at all.

After observing them for a bit, he found out some things. One of them showed proper skill and technique. He wasn't surprised about Clair, because of her multiple black belts in different types of martial arts. "I know you're capable of doing more but still, nicely done Clair." He gave a nod of approval to the blunette dragon trainer.

She nodded back at him, keeping her face neutral but inside her stomach felt like butterflies flying around in it. "Thanks Ash and that's true, I can," she said, grinning a little, making Ash grin back. "But every serious trainer and fighter knows that all types of training is beneficial. Even the basic ones."

"I expected nothing less from a martial artist," he told her with a smile, making her redden slightly, her heart beat increasing but thanked him for the compliment. "And I haven't forgotten what I promised you. I will show you some of my moves but later. Okay?" he told her.

"I look forward to it," she replied back with barely contained glee at the thought of private training with him. She smiled at him that he returned before focusing on her training once more.

Ash turned to face the green haired girl and black haired girl. Liza showed good technique and Ash wondered if Clair had taught her or if she learned on her own. He still give a couple tips but also complimented and nodded at the green haired girl as well, making her feel heated from his charming smile, remembering her erotic dreams about him and her together but didn't show it. Instead, she smirked back at him right before striking the groin. Ash raised an eyebrow at her but she just grinned and continued her practicing. He shook his head, slightly chuckling before turning to Giselle. She was bad but each strike thrown was looking better than the last. Her guard kept dropping though and her biggest problem was her stance as it didn't give her any balance. "Stop Giselle," he said and she stopped and looked at him. "You're stance isn't giving you any balance, you're dropping your guard and your strikes are getting better but they're inaccurate," he told her.

She hung her head, feeling embarrassed and sullen that she was doing so poorly. "I'm sorry Ash. I...just haven't done anything really physical in my life except for some P.E. classes in school," admitted Giselle.

"It's okay and I'm sorry for making you sad. It wasn't my intention. But you need to know so you can get better. I'll try to not be so direct with the training," he said.

Giselle shook her head before fully facing him, turning her body towards his. "No Ash. Don't baby me. I need to get stronger and what you're saying is true. I can't be so sensitive about this stuff." Ash gave her a respectful look and a nod before showing her how to fix her problems. She heeded his advice and kept her guard up and fixed her stance afterwards, copying what he showed her. After watching her next several strikes, he nodded in approval and she smiled at him, feeling all jittery inside. Ash then turned to the last of the group, giving his full attention to Sabrina.

The dark haired psychic was having some…issues. Her strikes were using up too much energy and it looked like she was hurting herself because after every hit, she would wince. Ash wasn't too surprised since he had a feeling that Sabrina might have traded physical prowess for mental. She had no equal in mental ability except for legendary pokémon. But Ash knew that only focusing on just one thing would leave them vulnerable to everything else. He observed her a little more carefully for a bit longer and that's when he noticed another thing that was holding her back. There was a very faint pink glow outlining her hands as she struck the dummy. He moved towards her, but Sabrina kept going, not stopping her practice. She threw a punch towards the sternum but instead of hitting the purple dummy, her fist was caught in Ash's palm. She gave him a confused look, lowering her hand. "Why'd you stop me?"

"Your technique is poor. And…you're using your powers," said Ash. Sabrina's eyes widened. She didn't think they would notice as she was barely using any. She was wrong about that since Ash did and so had Lucario and Mewtwo long before he did. Both pokemon were waiting to see if the young guardian would notice it since they wanted to test him too. "Why?" he asked her and she sighed.

"It's kind of embarrassing," she started. "I have so much psychic power yet…my physical strength and ability is like a child's. I hurt and bruise easily if I don't protect myself when I physically hit something or something hits me." Her white face turned red at revealing that to him but Ash didn't comment on it.

"I see. Well, it's understandable." Sabrina tilted her head a bit. "I'm not that surprised to hear you say that because it makes sense. You probably focused on your mental abilities far more than your physical ones, trading one for the other. Am I right?" Sabrina gave him a guilty look. "I thought so. But now, you must not use your powers. You may get bruised and you'll feel some pain. But soon enough, your body will get used to it and become stronger. Just start off slowly. No need to try to throw a knockout punch. Alright?" She agreed and the faint pink glow vanished from her hand. Sabrina didn't want to disappoint him at all and wanted to show that she could become stronger. She was about to continue her training when he stopped her again. "I also mentioned your technique. Let me show you the right way." Ash stood next to her and showed her the proper way to strike the areas and she mirrored his movements. She could feel herself using less energy and yet the strike felt like it could do much more damage after spending some time with him showing her the right way. "There you go!" complimented Ash after seeing her use proper strikes.

"Thank you Ash," smiled Sabrina, feeling elated over his encouragement. He observed her for another couple minutes as she punched the dummy properly now. She winced even more after each hit, making Ash worry. Sabrina sensed that and glanced at him to give him a reassuring smile and continued on to show she was alright. Ash praised her determination and toughness, making her heart race before he left to check on the rest.

As the aura canine did, the raven haired guardian gave out suggestions and tips to several of his friends, such as Daisy Waterflower, Lizabeth, Clemont, Cilan and Cress. He also showed them proper ways to strike, to use less energy and how to stand with balance so their punches won't throw them off. The three guys thanked him for the tips and focused on what he told them. Daisy and Lizabeth beamed at him after praising their improvements. Lizabeth was feeling intense feelings over his approval on her training and she wanted nothing more than to thank him with a kiss but controlled herself. It was a good thing she knew how to control her urges and desires, her parents teaching her to be patient. Daisy felt pride surge through her when he praised her but also felt a similar feeling from last night. That confused her again but quickly pushed past it and focused on her training though her mind would go back to that every now and then.

Ash then went up to Ilene who was training in the far corner. He saw that she wasn't bad but wasn't great either. He suspected that Riley might have shown her some defensive moves to at least give her some time to run or get help. He watched over her training for a bit before speaking up. "Not bad," he told her.

Ilene stopped and straightened out after throwing a strike to the temple and faced him. "Thank you," she said solemnly.

Ash tilted his head, wondering why she was sad at first before instantly remembering the possible reasons as to why. "Queen Ilene? Are you alright?" he asked her, taking a step closer.

Ilene shook her head and then looked out into the horizon over the railings. "I'm fine Ash. And you don't have to call me Queen anymore."

"Not until you tell me what's wrong. It's my duty as a Knight of the Kingdom of Rota to protect you and to make the things that sadden you to go away," he told her. "That's if you you'll have me back as one," he added in the end.

The young blonde queen faced him, her mood changing suddenly. "I would love for to have you be my knight of my kingdom once more Ash," she told him with a smile. She hugged him tightly with the raven haired guardian becoming a little surprised from her actions but reciprocated it. "Thank you for that and for forgiving me so easily."

"No worries," he told her after they separated. "I'm just glad you're not angry with me anymore. So will you tell me what's wrong?" he asked her.

She sighed a bit before speaking. "It's about Gary, me and our relationship. I can't talk about it. Not until I figure out what's going on myself," she revealed, looking down.

Ash felt intense sadness fill him at once. "I understand and I'm very sorry Queen Ilene. I...I was drunk and lost in my emotions. But that's no excuse. I didn't mean for things to end up this way. I'm so sorry," he apologized to her. "If there's anything I can do to make it up to you, please tell me and I'll do it. I promise," he told her.

Ilene looked up into his eyes and saw that he was genuinely sorry for what he did even though it was the right thing. That he didn't want to hurt her but had to have her know the truth. She felt a lump in her throat form from thinking that. She swallowed it, though with some difficulty, so she could speak once more. "I understand Ash and I told you before that I'm not angry with you about that anymore. I know you were just trying to protect me. But I need some time and space to figure out what I want and what I'm feeling. Whether or not Gary and I can still be. And my own problems and shortcomings as Queen."

Ash nodded. "Fair enough. But if you don't mind me saying this, Gary has done wrong in the past. Yes. But I think he has changed for the better. But take your time, don't rush anything but don't be afraid to speak your heart and mind. If you need something, just let me know. Alright?" he advised her.

"Okay and I know. Thank you Ash," she said. She smiled a bit before facing her dummy again and taking up her battle stance. He watched over her training while giving out some pointers and advice which she quickly applied into her training before he left. Ilene watched him move away for a moment before looking back at her purple target and continued on.

The raven haired guardian assisted a few of his other friends in their training before heading towards his childhood rival Gary. Ash was feeling a little tense, since he hadn't really interacted with him after spilling his secret. He wanted to fix things and he had promised his mother that he would. He silently approached the young pokemon researcher and spoke up. "Not bad Gary."

Said person glanced back at the speaker before looking at his target and punched the sternum. "I think you mean to say 'you're awesome Gary!' but it's okay. I forgive you this time Ashy-boy," he said while continuing his training. His voice was slightly covered in an annoyed tone. He had seen the interaction between Ash and Ilene since he was stealing glances at the blonde queen every now and then.

"Yea right," replied back Ash sarcastically, chuckling. "That will never happen." He went quiet for a few seconds, watching his old rival train a bit before speaking, noticing his emotions slightly on edge. "I'm sorry Gary."

Gary whipped around all of a sudden. "What?!"

"I said I'm sorry. I just..."

"Shut up!" snapped Gary at once quietly so others wouldn't hear him, cutting him off and startling Ash. "Don't start as I don't want to think about that right now. Just let me be so I can train in peace," he told him before facing the dummy once more.

Ash was expecting something like that and so wasn't truly surprised but still was saddened over it. He was hoping to patch things up with his old rival and friend but it looked like some more time was needed. He sighed and gave some advice to him before moving away. Gary glanced at his old rival's retreating form before using the information he was given to improve his skills.

The young guardian went around and complimented on a few others on their skill, such as Shauna, Richie and Chili making them feel proud of themselves. Shauna was feeling especially ecstatic at his compliments since she knew he was a great fighter from the stadium attack. The blunette Hoenn native wanted nothing more than to hold him in her arms and kiss him as thanks for his compliments. She almost did that too but stopped herself at the last second. She took in a deep breath, startled that she almost lost it like that. She cleared her mind and continued the training but kept glancing around every now and then to look at the raven haired guardian.

Everyone was sweating profusely and panting as time passed but they kept going. None of them wanted to throw in the towel and didn't want to disappoint Ash even though they were going at it for a while now. Most of them had seen snippets of his brutal training and what they were going through was child's play compared to it. If they gave up now, how could they help him or protect themselves when the war begins? They had more than just their well being riding on this.

After checking on a few others, he moved towards the area where his girlfriends were. He become dazed for a moment as he watched them train dressed in workout apparels that left half the body exposed, moving while covered in sweat. He snapped out of it and gave seven out of the eight some pointers and praise. After speaking with Cynthia, who knowingly teased him a bit with her movements, making him pout, Ash then moved towards the brunette from Hoenn.

May's face was shining from all the sweat she was letting out. She was wearing a red sports tank top that covered her stomach along with tight black training shorts, which was mostly the same as the other girls but just colored differently. Both pieces of clothing were drenched with sweat. Her long brown hair that was tied into a pony tail was swishing back and forth as she moved her curvaceous body to strike the dummy. Once again, Ash was momentarily stunned at the sight of his girlfriend training hard. He pulled himself together and watched over her training. He saw that she wasn't half bad, thinking that Norman probably taught her a bit. There was room for improvement like the others. However, she was a bit further along than most of the other girls except for Clair, Cynthia and Shauna who were better, but equal in skill with Misty, Liza and Sarah. He watched her punch the sternum again before closing the distance between them.

"Hold up May," he said and she turned to look at him, taking advantage of the break to take in some much needed breaths, her chest heaving and her shoulders going up and down. "You're doing well and you're good." May smiled at him while also blushing some at his compliments. "I have some tips for you though."

"Sure. What you got?" she replied back enthusiastically. Ash explained what he saw and what she could do to become better. She understood it all. "Ok. But can you show me too?"

"Of course. Here, watch me." May stepped aside to allow Ash to move in front of the dummy. She watched him hit the fake purple man with incredible skill. She could tell he was even doing it slowly so she could see it since she had seen him move much faster before. When he finished up he glanced at her. "So, did you get it?" he asked.

"I think so. Let me try." May moved to be in between Ash and the purple dummy. She took up a fighting stance, which caused her body to graze against his unintentionally, making both of them become hot all of a sudden. Good thing they were able to control themselves and it only lasted for a split second. "Like this?" asked May as she punched the area in the middle of the dummy's chest using the advice he just gave.

"Yea, that's better," said Ash. "But you're losing your footing when you're punching."

"I know. I'm trying but I just can't get it to stay," admitted May, looking down at her feet.

"Here, let me guide you," he told her and he closed the distance between them. He stood behind her and grasped both her hands from behind, making her blush again but he didn't see that. He raised both her hands in front of her chest with the left hand extended a bit out with the right hand closer to her, gently forming them into fists. "Now, move your right foot back to where mine is." May looked down at his foot that was just a short distance away and placed hers next to it. "Good. Now you have balance. See?" he pressed against her from behind, pushing her upper body a bit forward but her feet didn't budge from their spot. Feeling his toned body against hers made May heat up again and she wanted nothing more than to just turn around, push him onto the ground, get on top of him and kiss him…but she didn't. Ash was in a similar predicament. Feeling her against him, especially her ass against his crotch made him become enflamed. He controlled himself though by thinking of ugly and disgusting things but it was becoming increasingly difficult as time passed. He took a silent, deep breath before continuing the lesson. "Good May. Now, let's hit the target."

Ash speaking brought May back to her senses from her imagination. She was thanking Arceus that he couldn't see her embarrassed as she was blushing furiously from her daydream and at their position. "O-Okay Ash." The raven haired guardian extended out the brunette's right fist and had it collide into the sternum but not too hard. He asked her if she noticed the difference in the strike now, using proper technique and keeping her balance. May was only half aware of what he did. "I do. I can…feel it," she replied back with her words carrying double meanings.

"Huh?" That was all he said before he suddenly groaned into her ear, though thankfully not loud enough to catch attention from the others around them. She had started rubbing her ass against the bulge in his sweats again. "May…stop…" he whispered into her ear in a pleading tone of voice. She didn't listen, instead being turned on from his pleading. She continued, loving the sensation she was feeling while grinding against his crotch. With him moaning lightly into her ear and the chance of being caught in the act by the others, it made her become enflamed. She continued the charade of training, punching the dummy with his hands still on hers while still grinding against him. "May…" Ash whispering into her ear made her shiver. "Keep this up…and you won't be able to blame me for what happens next which will be everyone getting a surprise sex lesson in addition to this training." As much as she didn't want to stop, she knew he was right. She couldn't continue otherwise they wouldn't be able to control themselves for much longer. And she definitely didn't want an audience when they became intimate. Reluctantly, slowly, she stopped grinding against him. Both of them took several long breaths to calm down. "Thank Mew you stopped. I was this close to ripping off your clothes," he whispered into her ear, making her shiver from his bold statement. He decided to get back at her by giving her a quick covert kiss against her neck while he brushed against her chest with his fingers when he took them off her hands. His teasing made her moan quietly before moving away from her, leaving her trembling with anticipation.

"Damn it Ash. You tease," she mumbled. In order to not draw attention to herself and to keep her mind occupied on something else, she continued her training. Though her mind would periodically imagine the two of them together in bed, letting their animalistic urges out, making her grin while her face was crimson. Luckily for Ash and May, nobody noticed their teasing interactions under the cover of training. Except for one…

After a little while longer of them training with Lucario and Ash going to each person at least once, the two went back to the front of the group. "Alright, practice is done!" said Lucario and every single person stopped instantly, taking huge breaths and thanking Arceus they were done. "Take a breather until your strength test begins." Lucario turned to Ash as everyone rested, speaking quietly so only he would hear it. "While they rest, speed training with Mienshao for fooling around with Lady May. Get to it." Ash huffed out some air while summoning a poke ball to his hand. "Pushups after you call her and before you train until I say stop," he added because of Ash's less than enthused response, getting an annoyed look from Ash. After Mienshao appeared, Ash dropped to the floor and started doing his pushups, catching the groups' attention. "On your fingers!" barked Lucario after a while and Ash went from his palms to the tips of his fingers. "Good. Now on your knuckles!" Ash went on his knuckles now. "Faster!" Ash moved quicker. The others were staring with their jaws dropped at what he was doing. Even though Lucario was barking up commands left and right, Ash was doing the ordered exercises without missing a beat. "Left hand!" Ash raised his right hand behind his back and kept going. "Right hand!" Ash switched hands. "Slap hands!" That made the group tilt their heads in confusion until they saw what he did. Ash went back to two hands and pushed off the ground with more strength to give him time to clap his hands before going back to the floor to catch himself. He kept that up for a while until Lucario nodded. "Good Master! Now defend!" barked Lucario.

The others were confused as to why he would say that when he was doing pushups but what they saw next made them widen their eyes in disbelief. Mienshao shot to Ash with her arms glowing white but Ash pushed off the ground quickly, intercepting the sudden strike in time and the two continued. Mienshao moved faster and faster, trying to hit Ash but he was deflecting and blocking her strikes. "Excellent! Now, even counters! Alternate between fist and palm!" ordered Lucario. Ash began countering each of the fighting type's strikes with his own, having fist hit fist or fist land into open palm, their pace quickening, going faster and faster.

What they were seeing was unbelievable. Some of them have seen him training with Lucario and Lopunny but seeing him keep up with Mienshao, who was one of the fastest fighting pokémon, made them become beyond astonished. The girls who studied martial arts were being turned on at seeing Ash go toe to toe with the powerful fighting pokémon, being so impressed at his speed, skill and power. They had never before seen such an incredible human fighter before. "Finish!" barked Lucario, making them all jump. Both Mienshao and Ash threw one final strike that ended up hitting each other, making both go sliding back a few feet. They composed themselves and bowed to one another before Ash thanked and then returned his pokémon. "Good Master. You're speed is still top notch. But we can make it better." The aura canine turned to the others, seeing them still dumbstruck. "Attention!" he shouted and they jumped before standing up straight. "Now, we will test your strength." Lucario nodded at Ash who brought another pokémon with his aura. Snorlax appeared over the purple floor. The large, round and heavy white and bluish grey pokémon gave a lazy greeting and scratched its belly. "Each of you will give your hardest punch to Snorlax's stomach," said the blue and black jackal, making them all gasp.

"Won't that hurt Snorlax?" asked Bonnie and Max together. They glanced at one another, attracting the attention of their friends and family, making them become embarrassed.

"Unless you can hit as hard as Machamp, Snorlax will be fine. It'll actually be like a massage to him," said Ash and they calmed down.

"But how will this determine our strength level?" asked Riley, curious.

"Snorlax can judge the strength of anyone or anything by how much he feels from their hit and can let us know where each of you stand. So, line up and each of you give it your best shot," said Ash. His friends lined up with Bonnie being the first with Max right behind her and the rest behind the two. Almost everyone was feeling a bit anxious and excited to test their strength. Except for Sabrina. She was worried that she might not even get a rating from her strike, knowing how weak she is. Hell, she wouldn't be surprised if Bonnie was able to hit harder than her...

Speaking of the young teenager, Bonnie stepped toward the large round pokémon who towered over her and gulped. She glanced back at Ash, who nodded at her before glancing at Max. He gave her two thumbs up with both hands that made her smile. She felt encouraged and thanked him in her mind. She faced Snorlax and thought how she should do this. "Um, how should I go about this?" she asked, turning around to face Ash again.

"Pretend you're hitting the dummy's sternum again," advised Ash. Bonnie nodded and Sabrina took that advice to heart too. At least she won't look like a fool when attempting it.

"Okay." She took up a stance and readied herself. She concentrated, trying to put as much power as she could into her strike, just like Lucario showed her before punching the great round white circle in front of her. Her fist did not cause Snorlax's stomach to react at all but the pokémon felt something, but barely. He felt like something poked him very quickly and weakly. It did feel nice to him though. "His stomach didn't even jiggle!" cried out Bonnie and the others chuckled.

"It's alright Bonnie. Snorlax told me he through our aura bond that he felt something like a poke so good job," complimented Ash but Bonnie was still disappointed in herself.

"You did great Bonnie!" said Max, going up to her and trying to cheer her up. "You made Snorlax feel something and they almost never feel anything when something hits them, unless they're strong enough." Bonnie smiled at his attempt to cheer her up.

"Thanks Max," she said, giving him a quick peek on the cheek in addition, making both of them go red.

"Hey, hey, hey! Easy now! Don't go crazy lovebirds!" teased May, seeing her chance to get some payback on her little brother Max, causing the others to laugh and the two young teenagers to go crimson because of being embarrassed.

"Alright, let's leave the two alone," said Ash and the group calmed down. "You're up Max."

Max went up to Snorlax and just like Bonnie before him, took up the stance he was taught and put as much power as he could into his punch. But yet again, Snorlax barely felt a poke like sensation. Max glanced at Ash, to see if Snorlax felt anything and Ash told him it was the same as Bonnie's; a poke feeling. Feeling proud, he went to where Bonnie was standing and the two watched everyone else take their turns.

As they all got a turn, most of them had the same reaction as the two young teenagers; Snorlax barely felt a poke. Even Sabrina was able to make him feel a poke. She was so nervous because she didn't want to disappoint Ash, seeing how he believes in his friends. She put all the strength she had into her punch, using the technique that he had taught her. After her strike she glanced at him and saw him nod with a smile. She couldn't believe it but felt so happy that she was able to do that that she beamed back at him before moving to the others who had already taken their turn.

As they continued their turns, Ash noticed some things. Some of them were able to make the spot tickle from their hit, making Snorlax let out a chuckle. Even fewer still actually made him feel like he was hit, rubbing the spot he was struck but it still didn't hurt him. After everyone got a turn with Snorlax relaying the information to Ash through their aura bond, the raven haired trainer asked for their attention. "Good job all of you. I'm actually very impressed. All of you were able to make Snorlax feel something and that's good news," he told them, repeating it and it made them feel good that they are strong. Even Sabrina was feeling good about herself. "But there are still differences in the levels of strength between you all and that's alright. We all start somewhere but we will all become stronger. The training will mostly be the same for all of you, especially while we're here at the Indigo Plateau. But once the tournament is over, and if you decide to come with me to my island, we can get into more specialized training." They all became excited, wanting to go to the island he had stayed at mostly for three years to become so strong. "With the strength test done, it's time for your endurance test. We will be…"

"SNOR!" roared out the loud round pokémon, startling everyone except Ash, Lucario and Mewtwo.

"No, buddy," answered Ash, shaking his head, making his pokémon grumble.

"What does Snorlax want?" asked Giselle for everyone, her curiosity getting the better of her again.

"He wants Master to hit him. He wants to judge his strength after the last time since he's much stronger now," revealed Lucario, making them all want to see. "Why don't you?"

"I don't want to hurt him," replied Ash, making some of the group gasp and the others to burst out laughing, not believing he could hurt the large pokémon. Snorlax became annoyed and growled. He smacked his belly a couple times while roaring, taunting his trainer. Ash's eyes narrowed. He walked up to the large pokémon with Lucario and Mewtwo grinning as they watched the young guardian get closer to the large pokémon. Ash took up a fighting stance in front of Snorlax and looked up at him. "You sure you want this?" he asked and Snorlax taunted him again by smacking his large belly once more and laughed at him. "Well, you asked for it. Don't say I didn't warn you." Ash concentrated and then struck the target in front of him. His fist dug into the pokémon's belly, making it go inwards. Snorlax's squinty eyes widened in shock and he let out a whizzed gasp. Everyone was flabbergasted at what they just witnessed. Ash withdrew his arm, the pokémon's belly bouncing outwards again and looked up at his pokémon's face. "I did warn you." Ash turned around and walked back to his spot to stand next to Lucario and Mewtwo.

Seeing him make a powerful pokémon like Snorlax become still from a single strike made many in the group have their jaws drop. All of them were in disbelief over what he did, with several girls becoming enflamed by his display of strength, especially the fighters Clair and Shauna. A moment later, Snorlax recovered and rubbed his belly. "Lax lax snor lax."

"Thanks Snorlax and I hope you learned your lesson in underestimating others," replied Ash and Snorlax nodded. "Good. And thanks buddy. Have a good rest and you can have a buffet tonight back home. You know what to do. But only today! Got it?" He made sure to include that final part since his Snorlax was crafty and would look for loop holes when it came to eating. Snorlax frowned before nodding his head and then he disappeared in a flash of red light before his poke ball disappeared in a blue glow. Ash turned to the group. "Alright, like I was saying. Time for your endurance test. Two mile run." Some of them groaned at that but then Lucario narrowed his eyes, making them go silent instantly. Ash turned to Mewtwo. "Would you be so kind?" Mewtwo's eyes glowed blue and they all disappeared from the balcony and reappeared in front of the woods near the hotel. A purple path appeared leading into the woods. "Follow the purple path so you don't get lost. It will go through the woods and come back out in front of the hotel there," said Ash pointing to the right and they saw the purple glow at the tree line. "You will be timed but don't think about it too much. It will only be to see where you stand and where to start you off for the specialized training. Do your best, but don't kill yourself. And don't worry if someone passes you or if someone falls behind. Mewtwo, Lucario and I can sense all of you and where you are at so you have nothing to fear. Are you all ready?" he asked them. He got several nods and some replies back. "Okay. On three you start. One…two…three!" and the group ran forward. After the group disappeared into the forest, Lucario turned to Ash.

"Who do you think will be the first to emerge?"

"Misty," answered Ash instantly. When Lucario asked why, he explained. "She traveled for two and half years with me. We were always walking and running everywhere, same with the other girls but like I said, we traveled around longer with each other. And she swims almost every day, not counting the last couple of weeks. No doubt in my mind. My Mystic Mermaid will be first."

"What are you willing to bet on that?" asked Mewtwo

"I want in on that," added Lucario.

"When did you two start gambling and betting on things?" he asked the two, surprised.

"Since you came to the tournament, and there's no training going on back home, we started betting on each other in practice battles, displays of strength, endurance, humor and other things to pass the time," informed Mewtwo. Ash's jaw dropped before shaking his head. He couldn't believe how his pokémon turned into gamblers and betters.

"Alright fine. So what's the bet, conditions and reward?" asked Ash, deciding to partake in it.

"We each pick who's going to come in second. Not first because after what you said about Misty, it's obvious now. Whoever has their pick come second wins and the other two each have to do one thing that the winner says to do and no matter what, you have to do it," said Mewtwo.

"Okay. Since they just started, pick one right now!" replied Ash and the three of them said their pick immediately. Satisfied with that, they waited for them to finish up the two mile run. After some time passed, just like Ash said without any hesitation, his Mystic Mermaid was the first to emerge from the woods, panting but not out of breath. She had jogged at an even pace, passing everyone with ease. Ash went up to her and gave her a hug. "Nicely done Mist. I knew you would be first," he told her and she smiled while in their hug.

"Thanks Ash. I guess all that running away from legendaries with you paid off," she teased when they separated.

"It sure did and so did all your swimming my mermaid," chuckled Ash, making her chuckle too. As Misty relaxed, waiting for the others to come, the three were waiting anxiously for the second place runner to show. They had agreed to not use their senses to check where their pick was, focusing on the others instead. A short while later, the second runner showed up. "Ah Tauros crap!" exclaimed Ash, seeing it wasn't his pick.

"This is not good," said Lucario shaking his head since it wasn't his either.

"Looks like I win," stated Mewtwo with a smirk. Ash had picked Cynthia, Lucario had picked Riley and Mewtwo had picked Clair. The Blackthorn City gym leader was the second to appear. About thirty seconds later, Shauna appeared with Cynthia right behind her. The psychic feline started laughing at the two, making the four girls glance at the three. Ash and Lucario were annoyed with Mewtwo laughing at them so loudly and obnoxiously.

"What's so funny?" asked Shauna, hands on her hips and panting a bit harder than Misty had done when she emerged from the forest but alright for the most part.

"They just lost a bet to me," chuckled Mewtwo.

"Bet? What kind of bet?" asked Cynthia, making Ash go wide eyed. Before he could tell Mewtwo to shut his mouth, he told them the conditions of the bet. Three of the four girls became angry while the fourth felt happy.

"You told them I would finish first without thinking?" asked Misty, her heart fluttering over the fact that he believed and thought so highly of her.

"You didn't think I can come first?!" shot Clair, insulted.

"You didn't bet on me?!" snapped Shauna, peeved.

"You bet I would come in second place?!" growled Cynthia, advancing towards him.

"Whoa, whoa, hold up!" cried out Ash, taking some steps back, his hands up and waving them in front of him like a white flag. "I said Misty would be first no matter what because I've traveled around longer with her and know her well and she swims every day! I know you all are strong too but I don't know what you guys do every day! But I know Mist has great endurance and stamina and almost no one can run away from her! C'mon Cynthia, wouldn't you have decided the same?!" Cynthia stopped advancing, hearing his words but kept her eyes narrowed. Ash glanced at the other two. "And I'm sorry but I had to pick Cynthia because I know her better than you two, I've hung out with her more than you two and know more of her feats than yours even though you're both accomplished fighters. It's nothing personal!" he told them. The two calmed down but they growled at him before turning their angered gaze to the side and crossed their arms over their chests. Both of them were thinking that it was personal because they each wanted to impress him, though he was unaware of that. But hearing him say that they weren't better than Misty or Cynthia made them feel a little hurt, though they were acting a little childish over it. Ash let out a long sigh and rubbed the back of his head. A few of their friends arrived just then as well, panting and Lucario's pick was among them. He shook his head, disappointed in his choice.

Cynthia walked up to Ash and he faced her. He tilted his head, not knowing what she wanted. She leaned in towards his ear to whisper into it. "When it's my turn, we'll see just how great your stamina is my Champion." Ash's eyes widened and he felt his heart thump loudly. Cynthia raised her head, winked at him and smirked before walking away, leaving a dazed Ash behind. Misty saw him entranced, watching Cynthia's every move. She walked up to him and smacked his shoulder, snapping him out of his trance.

"Thanks and sorry Mist," said Ash sheepishly, rubbing where she struck him.

"You're welcome but you may not want May to see that. She's been waiting for awhile you know," she told him. "I hope you have something amazing planned for her."

"I do," said Ash confidently. "Thanks for helping me Mist and for looking out for me. I don't know what I'd do without you," he told her, causing her to form a beautiful smile on her face while blushing a bit.

"Anything for you Ash," she told him. "I know you try your best for everyone and I'll be there to help you out with anything and everything, including what happens between us. Having several girlfriends can be quite a challenge to keep happy and take care of. But I know you can do it because if anyone can, it's you."

"Thank you Mist for believing in me," he told her. He then pulled her into a deep hug that Misty returned. The two stayed like that for a few seconds, loving the feeling of the other in their arms before separating and gave each other a quick peck on the cheek. He mentioned to her that his mom knows about everything and that they can be open with her about everything. The water trainer thanked him for letting her know and that she'll tell the girls as well. A little later, they saw two brunette girls exit the forest.

Ash went up to May and Leaf when they arrived. Leaf grinned at him, while May raised her hand to show thumbs up, that she was alright. Both of them were panting heavily. Ash smiled at the two and complimented them both. "Well, what'd you expect from us? To not make it? Some boyfriend you are, not believing in your girlfriends," teased Leaf after catching her breath, smacking his shoulder in the same spot Misty hit. Ash rubbed the area again, pouting. "Ah look, poor little Ashy is hurt and sad. Why don't you make him feel better May?" suggested Leaf. Before May knew what happened, Leaf pushed her onto Ash who caught her in his embrace.

"LEAF!" yelped May, annoyed by her stunt but didn't withdraw from Ash. She glared at the other brunette who didn't care about the annoyed look, laughing as she moved away from the two. Ash wrapped his arms around the Hoenn native tightly. "Ash, I'm all sweaty. Even more so than before. And I stink," she said quietly, turning pink from embarrassment.

"I like it," he told her, drawing her in closer to him and she let him while turning as red as her sports tank top. "It shows that you worked hard, that your body is strong and that you're not afraid to sweat." She slapped his chest playfully, calling him a dork. She then wrapped her arms around his neck, leaned in and gave him a kiss. "Hmmm…salty," commented Ash after their kiss, getting a taste of her sweat off her lips. May stuck her tongue out at him. He laughed and leaned in for another kiss but she turned her head to the side and he ended up kissing her cheek.

May smirked at him when he pouted. "Call it payback for upstairs," she said. She pressed against him and leaned in closer. Ash was heating up from feeling her body against his. "But I'm not done yet," she said, leaning in to kiss him. At the last second though, she moved to his neck instead of his lips and gave him a slight hickey while running her hand down his chest to his stomach. Ash trembled from her actions and she withdrew from him, now leaving him unsatisfied by walking away towards the other girls.

"Damn it May!" remarked Ash and May glanced back at him with a playful smirk before giggling. "That's it! Come here you!" shouted Ash and he shot after her. May squealed and started running away while unable to stop laughing. The ones who were there watched the entertaining scene between the lovebirds running around. As the chase continued, more and more were finishing their run, emerging from the woods. Every time Ash got close to her, May would make a sudden turn and make him slide to a stop before chasing after her again. He could've caught her each time but where was the fun in that?

"Can't catch me!" taunted May in a sing song voice after another failed attempt made by Ash.

"Oh we'll see! No more games!" said Ash and he picked up the pace. Seeing he wasn't kidding around anymore, May yelped and dashed to the group waiting for the rest and hid behind the girls. She hid behind Misty, Leaf, Clair, Cynthia, Serena, Sarah, Daisy Waterflower and Liza. "Hey, no defenses allowed!" whined Ash as he tried to reach her through the wall of girls but they kept blocking his attempts and May kept moving behind another one. Everyone was laughing as Ash attempted to snag the Princess of Hoenn through the 'wall' of girls.

Ash kept trying to reach through but was thwarted in each attempt. He made one final attempt, extending his arm through between Daisy and Sarah. He swiped the spot where May was but missed as she ducked. "Damn it…" He withdrew his arm, taking a step back and in the process brushed lightly against the chest of one of the blondes, making her blush heavily. He felt that and knew for certain that she felt it too. "Sorry," he told her quietly so no one would hear since no one else noticed from the wall of girls. The now scarlet colored girl didn't say anything but nodded. Ash turned his attention to the brunette hiding behind the 'wall'. "I'll get you back for this May. Just what until tonight," he told her before walking away. The girls laughed harder, with May turning crimson thinking about what he'll do to her later on that night. The reddened girl was still for a moment before snapping out of it, hoping no one noticed anything.

Within the next five minutes, almost everyone else reached the end and was given approving smiles and nods from Ash, Lucario and Mewtwo. But there was one person who still hadn't finished yet. "Where's Sabrina?" asked Liza, the fist to notice, looking around and so did the others.

"She's still on the path, near the end but stopped moving. Looks like she's tired," informed Mewtwo.

"Okay. I'll go after her. We're done for today's training anyway so why don't the rest of you go back to the hotel to rest and I'll go get her. Lucario, Mewtwo; thanks and you guys are free for the rest of the day." They watched him sprint down the exit of the purple path before teleporting back to the hotel.

Ash was looking for any sign of the Saffron gym leader. He quickly made his way down the still purple path before he rounded around a corner. Mewtwo sent a mental message to Ash that he would keep it there until they left the forest and to not forget about their deal on the bet. The young guardian replied back, telling him his thanks and that he won't and to just let him know once he figured out what he wanted.

Ash took a turn after he traveled a short distance on the purple path. As soon as he faced down the path he turned into, he saw her. She was sitting on the ground, leaning against a tree, shaking and panting heavily, covered in sweat. Ash went to her quickly and knelt down beside her. "Sabrina? Are you alright?" he asked her with fear. He looked over her to see if she suffered any injuries but she looked fine. The dark haired girl turned her gaze to him, her chest rising and falling rapidly as she took quick short breaths, feeling nauseous.

"I-I'm…fine…j-just…exhausted…and queasy…" she said to him in between her breaths. "I'm sorry…I tried to keep up...with the others…to push past the pain…"

"I told you not to kill yourself Sabrina," he told her and she lowered her gaze to the ground.

"I… was scared...that if I didn't finish…you would think…I'm weak…without my…powers…and…be disappointed…"

"What I said before Sabrina wasn't that I thought you were weak. I would never think that you're weak and that's no reason for me to be disappointed in you. How could I ever be disappointed with you?" he asked her. She looked at him over what he said before looking back down again. "Why would you even be scared of something like that?" he asked her, absolutely confused as to why she would feel or think such a thing. She didn't answer him but turned her gaze to his again and gave him a look. He was so worried about her that he did not notice the look. "It's alright. Let's get out of here. Can you walk?" he asked her. Seeing him not get it, she looked away, crestfallen. A moment later, she slowly nodded. He helped her stand back up and assisted her down the path with one arm wrapped around her waist. She felt herself turning red and burning up with him holding onto her. But she also felt pathetic and not good enough for him to even touch her, especially when she stumbled a couple times. Seeing her struggling a bit, Ash went to pick her up but she stopped him.

"No Ash. I have to do this. Alone," she told him. I can't be weak. I can't fail. I have to prove that my body is strong and not just my mind. He didn't notice what I was trying to show him with my gaze but maybe he'll notice this. Ash didn't hear her thoughts because of two reasons; her mind was almost always shielded and he had to concentrate to hear it even if she had allowed him. She made him move away and she took some steps forward. Ash could hear her gasping for air, her conditioning very poor.

That was when he realized how right he was; even though she looked beautiful, her body was fragile since she had traded her physical strength for absolute mental superiority. And that perhaps his comment before about that may have triggered her to push past the pain. He felt responsible for what she was going through, becoming worried because she was pushing past her limit but dangerously. He went to her side again when he saw her almost fall but she caught herself. "Sabrina, you don't need to do this. You don't need to prove anything to me or to anyone else. Please stop. Please let me help," he told her. He took her hand gently and her heart fluttered at it and wanted nothing more than to let him help, let him carry her. But she couldn't do that.

"No." She slipped her hand out of his and continued, barely walking and her breathing becoming ragged. "You made me…open my eyes Ash. I can't…just focus on my powers. I…need…to become strong. I'm doing this…for myself. To prove…to myself…that I can take the pain…and go the distance." And to show you that I'm worthy, she finished in her mind. Sabrina kept going, leaving Ash behind who was rooted to his spot from what she said.

It made his heart ache to see her push herself so much because of what he said to her earlier. He called out to her from his position while she continued. "Sabrina, what I said before, I didn't mean for you to kill yourself to become stronger over night. It's not like that and you know it. You will get stronger; I know you will as I believe in you. But this isn't the way. So please, stop this. I can't watch you do this to yourself," pleaded Ash. Sabrina heard him talking from behind and the words washed over her. She stopped for a moment. She felt emotion fill her like it never did from his concerned tone of voice. She knew he was right but she didn't want to admit defeat, to admit she was weak. Ash thought she was done but then she kept moving forward. "Sabrina, please stop," begged Ash, seeing her practically hurt herself for something that she didn't have to do because of what he told her.

I can't stop Ash. I can't. I have to keep going. To prove to myself…and to you….that I'm not weak. That I don't need my powers for everything. That I can do this without them. That I am strong enough to be worthy for you.

Sabrina kept taking one step after another, forcing herself to keep going even though she was out of gas, even though she was gasping for air, even though her legs felt like heavy bags. Ash watched her continue down the purple path, struggling, not giving up, no matter what he said to her. She was being stubborn, but it moved him and it made his respect and admiration for her to grow over seeing her determination. She reminded him of himself, how he would push on even when he shouldn't.

Something stirred inside the young guardian at the sight of the psychic prodigy pushing past her limits, past her pain but he didn't notice what exactly it was, his worry for her overshadowing the sudden feeling. Yet it led him to decide to help her reach her goal. He sprinted after her and luckily caught up to her in time to keep her from falling after reaching her. "Sabrina…"

"Don't...tell me...to stop," she interrupted, glancing at him with tired but determined eyes, taking heavy breaths.

He smiled at her, throwing her off guard. "Then let's finish this together." It took a moment for her to register what he just said. She nodded and allowed him to wrap his arm around her again and she wrapped an arm around him. He assisted her down the rest of the purple path. It made things a little easier for her but she still felt some pain with every step she took, breathing heavily. When they finally reached the end of the purple path, emerging from the forest, the purple path disappeared and Ash glanced at Sabrina. "Well done Sabrina. You did it."

Sabrina raised her tired gaze to his. "Thanks to you," she replied back sullenly, disappointed that she couldn't do it but Ash shook his head.

"No; it was all you Sabrina. All I did was hold you up. You're the one who made us move," he revealed to her. Her eyes widened when she realized it now; he didn't take any steps until she did. She flung herself onto him, hugging him tightly out of appreciation and also leaning against him for support.

"Thank you Ash. Thank you for believing in me," she told him and he returned the hug. Her heart beat increased in speed as she felt his body against hers once more like back in the club. She didn't want to ever withdraw from his embrace. But knew that would unfortunately come to pass, sooner or later…