Consequences...
(Warning Mature Content Ahead)
Chapter 44 - Consequences...
The Kanto news reporter Britney Snow and her cameraman Richard were standing outside their chief editor's office. It was late at night and they had just finished editing their news report that involved Ash and what's been happening around him in the past few days. They glanced at one another, nodded and Britney knocked on the door. "Come in." She opened the door and the two stepped in to see their boss sitting in his chair and looking at some photos he was sent from his other employees. He was in his late fifties, with graying hair, medium build and average height, wearing a white collared shirt and black pants. He glanced at the two when they sat down for a second then shifted his attention back to the photos. "So what brings you two here at this late hour?" he asked them.
"We finished it Tom." Tom turned his attention back to Britney. "You have to show this. It'll win report of the year for sure."
"You're not bull shitting me are you?" he asked. The two shook their heads. "Because after his message through the sky like a god, the rumors of his club antics, the stadium attack…this has to be more than that."
"We're not Tom," spoke up Richard. "Just take a look at the report." He took out the flash drive from his shirt's pocket and handed it to Tom. The chief editor took it, inserted it into the spare USB port on his desktop, opened the file and played the report.
"THIS IS BRITNEY SNOW OF KANTO NEWS. WE'VE ALL SEEN AND HEARD OF THE HEROIC ACTIONS OF THE AURA GUARDIAN ASH KETCHUM WHEN HE DEFENDED THE PEOPLE OF THE STADIUM FROM AN ATTACK SENT FROM UNKNOWN ORIGINS. WE ALSO HEARD OF HIS MESSAGE THROUGH THE SKY LIKE A GOD ASKING FOR OUR HELP TO LOCATE TWO GIRLS HE KNOWS WHO HAD BEEN KIDNAPPED. I WAS EVEN THERE MYSELF AMONG HIS FRIENDS AND FAMILY WHEN HE FOUND WHERE THEY HAD BEEN TAKEN AND SAW HIM BRING THEM BACK SAFE AND SOUND ALONG WITH A THIRD GIRL THAT WASN'T EVEN KNOWN ABOUT. BUT IS THERE MORE TO HIM THAN THIS RIGHTEOUS SIDE? IS HE HIDING A DARKER ASPECT OF HIMSELF?" Tom paused the report at that moment and then glanced at Britney at this moment, wondering why she would say that. She motioned back to the report and he continued watching it.
As the chief editor Tom continued watching the report, his eyes grew wider and wider. When he finished it, he was stunned still for a moment. "Were all those pokémon…" he started to ask but unable to finish, his gaze still on the monitor.
"Yup," answered Britney.
"Did he really just…"
"Yup."
"Is he responsible for the clearing massacre you…"
"Yup."
"Were those images and videos from the club he…"
"Yup."
He turned to fully face the two. "How did you get this? Why'd he let you record it?"
Richard explained how. "The club pictures and videos were taken by a friend who was at the club and sent to me. His Lucario didn't let me video when they came back to the hotel, taking my camera. But, nobody knew of this one I have that's running at all times when on the job." Richard pointed to his glasses that he was wearing and Britney gave a small smile. She had known about that long ago. She felt it was wrong to use sometimes but other times it saved their asses.
"There's a camera in that?!" asked Tom, surprised.
"Yes. Nobody can tell since there's no noticeable lens or circle on it," explained Richard.
Tom let out a whistle, impressed. He looked at the report again. "This is an incredible report. But…I don't know if we should show this…" His uncertainty astonished the two.
"What?! What do you mean?! Do you know how hard we worked on that?!" asked Richard.
"Why not?! People deserve to know the truth!" added Britney.
Tom shook his head. "And what truth is that? That he killed to protect? That he has an army of pokémon with him? That he has several legendary pokémon with him? That he saved three girls lives and in the process completely massacred five men and their pokémon, with a complete execution made in front of you in the process? Do you really want the public to know all that? How would they react? How would they see their savior now? Most of the public has finally united behind one person. And you want to divide them again? And what of the dangerous people still out there that will learn of this information too? What will happen to him, his family or his friends? Their lives and of their privacy? Is all that really worth just some stupid report of the year?" he asked the two.
Britney and Richard faced each other, their faces neutral, before looking back at Tom. "It's not just for the report of the year Tom. People need to know who their 'savior' truly is. It won't be right to not show that," explained Britney.
Tom sighed and ran a hand through his graying hair. He went quiet for a few minutes, thinking hard. "No. I won't show it. It may be the report of the year…hell it might even be the report of the decade…but it will cause too much damage. The people need someone to follow, to believe in. What he did was for the greater good. And he has done far more good than bad. And him killing the Skull Brothers? They've been wanted for a long time and they've finally been dealt with. I won't show it. I'm sorry." Tom closed the report and handed the flash drive back to Richard.
"Alright. You have a point," said Britney. She and Richard bade Tom a goodnight before leaving his office. "This sucks. All that work for nothing."
"Not really," remarked Richard and Britney looked at him, confused. "You really believe I'm going to let that stubborn old fool not let us show the world our greatest work?"
"But how would you get it shown? Tom has influence and connections with all the news agencies and he and Goodshow are good friends. And he has a point. Imagine the damage it could cause and what it could cause him, his family and his friends to go through."
"Doesn't matter. We worked too hard on this to just hide it away. I know a way we can get it shown to everyone. Someone who can broadcast it with ease. Even if they try shutting him down, they won't be able to and everyone will see," he told her. Britney was unsure if they should and was having second thoughts. Richard saw the worried look on her face and gave a reassuring smile to her. "People should know. I'll take care of it in the morning and let you know when it's done. When we get the report of the year, you'll owe me one." He told her goodnight before leaving. She stood standing for a moment, worried about what could happen before leaving the office and went home.
A young man was restless in bed, unable to sleep peacefully. It was morning now, the sun rising. He kept having images form in his head. A gorgeous girl he had met in the club the other night. He spent more time with her than he would've liked but he was so close to making her his. But he was thwarted in his attempt at the last second. He kept dreaming he was about to ravage her and turn her into his very own senseless, lust filled property. But this one would be for keeps. That is until a certain piece of shit came between the two. And it wasn't just any piece of shit. Oh no. It was the Aura Guardian and he was the same person who took his Charmander away from him after he realized how much potential the fire type actually had. And now he had taken the girl he wanted to make his by banging her into the night. One of the most gorgeous brunettes he had ever seen in his life was stolen from him when he was just an inch away from having her. He was scared awake when in his nightmare the guardian had his Charizard spew out flames towards him. "AAAAHHHHHHHHH!"
Damian shot up in bed, sweating, panting. "What's wrong my love?" Damian glanced towards the person who spoke. It was a pink haired punk girl that was lying in bed next to him. He had picked her up from some bar the night before. He played his cards right and brought her back to his hotel room. He had his way with her, trying to forget the brunette but couldn't. He was picturing her while he fucked the shit out of the punk girl before making her finish him off with her mouth. She rose to kiss him but he stopped her and pushed her away.
"Not in the mood," he said, getting up. She felt saddened by his rejection, confused by it but didn't say anything. She watched him get dressed and walk to the door. He stopped and glanced back at her. "Get dressed and get out. I don't want you here anymore." He left the room, leaving the hurt girl behind who now realized she had been used. Her eyes watered and she started sobbing as she got dressed.
Damian walked into the kitchen and grabbed a soda from the fridge. He took a sip, making his way over to the living room and plopped down onto the couch and turned on the TV. He was joined a few minutes later by another male who had purple hair. "How many fucking times do I need to tell you to keep it down whenever you bring a whore for the night?" said Paul angrily.
Damian smirked at him. "Say it as many times as you want, I'm never going to change," he replied back, making Paul scowl. "Has Shamus woken up yet?"
"No. He's still asleep. He brought a girl over last night too," informed Paul with an annoyed tone of voice but Damian also noticed the slight envy in it.
He had learned how to distinguish the slight changes in his friend's tone of voice. "Jealous?" sneered Damian and Paul growled at him. "You know you could've joined us when we went to the bar last night and maybe you could've found some action too."
"I had better things to do," grumbled Paul.
Damian laughed. "Right. Moping around after your defeat to that bothersome idiot Ketchum is something better to do?"
"Fuck you. I wasn't moping around. I was thinking of how he came up with those strategies and how he became so damn strong," clarified Paul. "Unlike you whose been complaining like a little bitch that he 'stole' a girl away from you when you've been with so many already. You never had her and there are more in the world so get over it."
"Fuck you," snapped Damian to the low blow. It was quiet for a few minutes. "You're obsessing over a guy who beat you though. You sure you're not gay?"
"You sure you're both not gay because all I've been hearing the past couple days from you two is 'Ash did that' and 'Ash did this'. I swear you two are turning into fucking females with the amount of complaining you do." Paul and Damian turned around in the couch to look at their other roommate and friend Shamus. He had just woken up, already drinking from a soda can. He was the same height as them with dark brown hair and dressed in a grey buttoned down shirt with black pants. He had an air of superiority and smugness coming off of him, though his friends ignored it. "I swear you two are fucking obsessed with the douche bag."
"Fuck you Shamus," replied the two at the same time.
"No thanks. I don't roll that way. Hey Pauly, how come you never banged that blunette in Ash's group? She had a nice body from what I saw in the club and you said you knew her a bit after I asked ya."
Paul scoffed at the question. "Like I told you, she's annoying as fuck. Always happy and cheerful and sticking her god damn nose where it doesn't belong. I mean what the hell man? Bitch needs some medicine to calm the hell down. You know I can't stand that kind of shit and don't even get me started on how she doesn't shut the fuck up," growled Paul.
His friends shook their heads. "Nobody's telling you to marry the bitch but if that's your reasoning then you could've shut her up with your dick in her mouth you pansy. You could've had some fun instead of giving up free booty," suggested Shamus.
"I don't deal with trash. My standards are higher than yours," remarked Paul.
Damian scoffed. "Whatever man. You can't bullshit us. We know you suck when it comes to girls."
"I don't bullshit," stated Paul seriously. "I don't waste my time with weak pokémon or weak girls. You know I only get with a girl who is powerful and not a damn air head. Like that martial artist Tiffany I picked up and fucked last month. She was good and is always up for another round. But I want my next girl to be better. I have my sights set higher."
"Like?" asked Shamus before taking another sip and Damian waited quietly to hear him.
Paul wouldn't answer but the two kept nagging him about it until finally he snapped. "Fine damn it! My sights are on girls like the Champions Cynthia and Diantha or the gym leaders Clair, Elesa, Korrina and Sabrina or one of the Elite Four like Malva, Lorelei and Karen."
Shamus choked on his soda, unable to keep himself from reacting from his friend's new targets but Damian burst out laughing with no trouble before commenting back. "Cynthia? Diantha? Pfft. No man has ever gotten Cynthia to do anything, not even kiss. Hell I think she might be a lesbian. And Diantha is probably at least ten years older than you. Sabrina is a shut in who only leaves to do Lance's bidding. Hell, he probably turned her into his own personal slut. I would if got the chance. Clair doesn't date at all as far as I know, probably another closet lesbian. Korrina hates your guts. You're only shot would be Elesa but she's too busy with her modeling and fashion line to even look at a guy. And her uncle Lt. Surge would rip your head off before you can even ask her out. Don't even get me started on Malva, Lorelei and Karen since they would sooner pulverize you with their pokémon than speak with you from what they've done to all the other guys who bother them. There's no way you can get with any of them." Paul started grumbling with his expression twisted in annoyance. "Oh, you think differently huh? Tell me, how are you going to get with any of them when most of them hate your guts, not interested in men from the looks of it or taken and you can't talk worth a damn?" asked the blue haired man while the brown haired man laughed at the purple haired man.
"Fuck off and don't worry about what I'm going to do!" yelled Paul, making his two friends laugh harder. "And since when do you care if a girl is or isn't available?" he asked in annoyance.
"I don't," replied Damian coolly. "What Damian wants, Damian gets."
"Except for that gorgeous brunette from Club Indigo. Man, I would've loved to fuck her. You were so close but you fucked up in the end. Rejected!" jabbed Shamus as he dropped onto the other couch. Damian growled as Shamus and Paul laughed at him. "By the way Damian," he started, making him and Paul turn their attention to him. "I think you might be surprised about the girls you mentioned. Remember when I took some pictures in the club?" The two nodded. "Well, I took some pictures of…"
A door opening interrupted Shamus, catching the three's attention. The three males turned their heads to see the pink haired punk girl Damian had brought last night. She looked at Damian with hurt in her eyes but he didn't care. "Bye Felicia," he said, turning his gaze back to the TV. She burst into tears before running out the hotel room, commenting that Felicia isn't even her name.
"She's never going to call you back," remarked Shamus.
"Don't care. She wasn't that good anyways."
"Did you fuck up another girl's day again Damian?" Once again, the three males turned their heads back to see that it was their friend Richard who just entered their hotel suite. He knew both Damian and Shamus for years but only knew Paul for a short while, having met through their mutual friends.
"You're just jealous, Dick, that I fuck a new hot girl every couple of days while you've been trying to get into Britney's pants for the past five years. How's that working out for you or do you like being in the friend zone?"
"It's Richard, not Dick, asshole," responded Richard while they laughed. "And fuck you. It's none of your business."
"Whatever man. Don't get a stick up your ass," commented Damian before looking at the TV again.
"Did you get the pictures and videos I sent ya?" asked Shamus.
"Yea I did, thanks. But I need your help Shamus," said Richard.
"With what?" he asked.
"Can you upload a report to the internet and keep it from being shut down?" he asked.
Shamus scoffed. "Please. That's a piece of cake man. But why do you need to do that? Unless it's…"
"Yea, its one of those. It's about the Aura Guardian and all the things he's done. Some good, some bad and it also involves the Skull Brothers. Including the club stuff you sent me." Paul, Shamus and Damian had their eyes widen as they sat forward. "I'll let you see it if you want before you upload it." Richard pulled out his lap top from his satchel, turned it on and put his flash drive into it. The TV was turned off as he started the report and three gathered round to watch. While they viewed it, they became increasingly more astonished at what they were seeing. When they finished viewing it, they couldn't believe what they just saw, being quiet for a minute until…
"How the fuck did he get with so many hot girls?!" asked Damian, absolutely shocked that he was dancing with so many famous, popular and beautiful girls.
"Holy shit! Screw the girls! Did you see all of his pokémon and that he has several legendaries?!" asked Paul with jealousy coating his words, not believing how many powerful and rare pokémon he has.
"Fuck that! He killed someone and it looked like he didn't even care!" remarked Shamus with fear that he had actually took a life. He didn't care about the girls since he had taken them but he saw how Damian and Paul had stunned looks when they saw it. Shamus turned to Richard. "I'm posting this and making sure no one can take it down," he said. He was about to go to his room to get his laptop to start but then stopped. "But I got a better idea." The three other guys glanced at Shamus. "Why don't I…" Shamus started explaining to them what he just thought of.
Right when Shamus finished saying what he could do, a loud beep sounded off in the room. Damian had received a message on his Poketch. He glanced at it and an evil grin formed. "Well what do you know; his next match is against me today at 5pm. What perfect timing." He turned to face the others. "That sounds like a plan Shamus. Oh this is going to be glorious how I get back at him."
"Just make sure you win against him. He has many pokémon to choose from and they all look strong. I can't believe I lost to his fucking bleeding heart," spat Paul.
"That may be, but I have many as well," reminded Damian. "He stole my Charmander and he stole that girl from me. I will get my revenge. Even if he has killed and his powerful, he won't be able to fight against the public. And I'll get it for you two as well. And you won't owe me because I'm going to enjoy doing it. Nobody messes with Damian Daisuke." Paul and Shamus both nodded. They hated that they had lost to Ash in the past and that he had taken in their Charmander, Chimchar and Tepig after they abandoned them and unlocked their hidden potential. Though Shamus lost to Damian in this current tournament, he was only pissed at Ash.
"So, you'll take care of it then?" asked Richard. He turned off the lap top and took out the flash drive.
"Consider it done. And as a thank you for helping us get revenge on that piece of shit, I'm gonna give you a gift. Why don't you follow me Richard?" He followed after Shamus once he gave him the flash drive towards his bedroom, slightly confused. When he entered the room, he saw a beautiful naked blonde girl sleeping on the bed with the blanket covering her lower body. Shamus woke her up by shaking her. "Hey, wake up," he said and she stirred a bit before opening her eyes. She looked at him and smiled. "Nice to see you too. I need you to do something for me. I need you to fuck my friend."
"WHAT?!" she snapped, shooting up in bed and covering herself with the blanket and looked around wildly, spotting Richard. "Do you think I'm some hooker?! Some whore of the street?" she shouted at him.
"No, just a slut out of a bar," he said, pulling out a wad of cash from his pocket and tossed it to her. She caught it out of instinct and her eyes went wide. She flipped through the bills and saw they were all high notes. It must've been at least a thousand bucks in her hands. She glanced up at Shamus, seeing him smirking at her and then at Richard who looked harmless.
"Fuck it. Why not. I'm getting paid and I'm still a little horny from last night anyways," she said, placing the cash in her purse and beckoned Richard to come forward and he did so without thought.
"Have fun Dick," quipped Shamus, smacking his back as he left the room. Richard didn't comment back on the name this time. He was already being undressed by the girl. Shamus rejoined Paul and Damian in the living room and the three began to plan their revenge out on the one who caused them so much humiliation in the past.
At the penthouse suite of Indigo Hotel, while everyone else was sleeping, the Saffron City gym leader was awake and training in the balcony, having moved some of the balcony stuff out of her way so she can do so. Mewtwo had brought back the items in the balcony after their training finished yesterday. She was practicing the strikes Ash had taught her against the stone wall that he had punched a hole into when his anger had engulfed him. Each time she struck the wall, she winced and cried out as great pain shot up her hands and arms. "That's it. No pain, no gain," she whispered to herself, trying to push past it. "I have to become stronger. I can't be weak. Or he won't ever notice me and he won't love me. " She kept punching the wall, hurting herself, thinking about everything that happened between her and him from the very beginning.
She remembered the first time she saw him and that was when he came to her gym when she was a monster. How he lost badly but came back for a rematch. How he wouldn't back down from her, even after she turned his friends into dolls. How he helped her by bringing Haunter to battle her but instead the ghost pokémon made her laugh, allowing her to finally break free. He then left to continue his journey and she hadn't seen him for years but heard of his exploits from all over. She would think of him every now and then but didn't realize why until recently. She would wonder where he had gone, what he had achieved and who he was with. After many years of not seeing him, their paths crossed again when Lance called her, saying he needed her and she saw Ash once more. But she ended up hurting him, making him go on the verge of dying. That made her break down and cry for the first time since she was a child.
She was miserable until she found out he was alright from his next match but got angry at Lance for not telling her. The best decision she ever made was to confront Lance about it after speaking with her parents and pulling herself back together. That led her down a path to see her few close friends, Cynthia, Clair and Liza before seeing Ash again. She watched him competing live in the stadium and it was a spectacular battle even though it was a short one. He had become so strong that she felt proud of him. She ended up seeing him again later that day again in a club. She talked to him, apologizing for what she did and felt great relief when he told her it wasn't her fault. They spent some quality time together, sharing personal things between them while they danced together. She remembered feeling so good in his embrace, not wanting to ever be out of it. Everything seemed to be working out little by little…
But no, fate would not be so kind to her after what happened. He wanted to leave after what Leaf did to him and he was only taking Misty, May, Dawn, Serena and Cynthia with him. That was when she realized how she truly felt about him. He may have come back and not left, helping her train and become stronger, but she wanted to be with him as well. Though he hadn't noticed the look she gave him when he came back for her when she couldn't finish the run by herself. Yet he had helped her finish the run and the way he held her and spoke to her was enough to make her fall even more in love with him. Seeing him becoming intimate with May last night made her long for him to be by her side.
That was why she had woken up early; she had seen a nightmare with her running towards him but never being able to catch up to him. She kept moving after him but each step she took would push him further away from her instead of closing the distance until he just disappeared. She screamed for him to come back but he had simply vanished, causing her to wake up in a cold sweat. The Saffron gym leader couldn't go back to sleep so she decided to do some of her own training to become stronger. The dark haired girl wanted to surprise and impress him enough for him to see that she is worthy of him.
When she went into the balcony to start some of her training, she saw the hole that Ash made and that gave her an idea. It wasn't a grand one but it was simple enough that she figured that she could make herself stronger and more resistant to physical impacts. She copied his action by punching the stone wall repeatedly to build up endurance and strength while using the strikes he and Lucario taught her. She continued on for a bit until her mind brought up the images of him and May going at it from last night, making heated love to one another. Her heart beat increased and she took in an uneven breath. A lone tear escaped from her eyes, but she didn't stop, punching the wall again. A sickening sound shot through the still air and Sabrina felt excruciating pain. "AAAGGGHHHHHH!" She dropped to her knees, holding her broken right hand. The pain was overwhelming. She had never before experienced such pain. It was horrible and it felt like her hand had turned into mulch. Heavy and fast tears escaped from her eyes and she sobbed loudly because of it.
"Sabrina?" The dark haired psychic beauty glanced behind her and saw Liza standing a few feet from her with a confused expression. How did she not sense her? Was she that distracted? Liza knelt down by her side. "What happened?" she asked but Sabrina just shook her head while she kept crying. The green haired girl looked at her hands. They were bloodied, bruised and the skin on them was torn in some areas. She saw her right hand swelling up like a beach ball right before her eyes. "What the hell are you thinking?! What made you do this to yourself?! Why?!" Liza was beyond scared and very worried. She had never seen Sabrina act like this. Her close friend didn't answer her. "C'mon, let's go to a hospital and get this taken care of." She helped Sabrina stand up and started walking together while supporting her.
"No hospital," said Sabrina through gritted teeth, having stopped her sobbing as they neared the balcony doors. Liza glanced at her.
"Look at your hand! It's broken! It needs to be looked at!"
"No hospital," repeated Sabrina. "And don't tell anyone. No one can know."
"I can't keep this to myself Sab," replied Liza.
Sabrina looked up at her friend. "No one can know." Liza heard the slight pleading in her voice and looked into her eyes. She saw them showing something she never thought she would see in the psychic prodigy's eyes; fear.
"Alright," sighed Liza, wondering what on earth could she be afraid of? Sabrina looked back at the wall and so did she. They saw the red marks on it next to the hole. "I'll clean it up after I take you to our room and wrap up your hand," said the green haired girl and the dark haired girl thanked her quietly.
They were lucky that it was early morning and nobody had awakened yet. After Liza took Sabrina to their room, wrapped up her hands in bandages, she gave her a pill for the pain. Afterwards, she made her lie down before covering her with a blanket, telling her to try to sleep, to rest. Sabrina didn't argue, closing her eyes at once, attempting to ignore the pain in her hand while waiting for the medicine to kick in. Liza sighed and then went back to the balcony with a scrub and a bucket of soapy water. She took a look at the spot that had the bloody marks. "What the hell caused you to do this to yourself, Sab?" she asked out loud. She shook her head before cleaning the area so the evidence would be gone.
When she finished up, sweating like crazy, she went to the bathroom attached to their shared room and dumped the now dirty red water down the bath tub drain. She opened the water to make sure the tub didn't become stained. She left the water on, figuring she should shower since she stunk already. She cleaned the scrub as well before placing both it and the bucket back underneath the bathroom sink. She stood back up straight, letting out a groan. "Ah man…I'm sore and that scrubbing didn't help. Lucario and Ash worked us pretty hard yesterday." She undressed and then arched her back, fully stretching it out as she extended her arms up into the air while looking at herself in the mirror. She then checked her body over for any problems. "Still smooth as silk. Looking good girl," she said to her reflection after finishing up her 'check'. She winked to herself and then got into the shower.
While she showered, Liza started wondering why Sabrina went postal. Why would she hurt herself by punching a wall repeatedly? And why doesn't she want anyone to know? She was stumped and became even more worried when she thought of the fear in her eyes. What happened to you Sab? What made you go berserk? What's scaring you? Were you trying to copy Ash and punch a hole into the wall or something? Liza chuckled at that but then began thinking about Ash, which also made her become hot all of a sudden. She was thinking of how he went toe to toe with Mienshao, how he took on three fighting pokémon at once, how he made a powerful pokémon like Snorlax stop in his tracks with a single strike and pretty much turned rock into dust. Thinking about all that got her turned on. Her heart beat increased at once and her body temperature sky rocketed. She slid her hand down her front, slipped her fingers into her opening and started pleasuring herself. The images of Ash training and then having fun with her while he was all sweaty played in her head with the hot shower water falling down onto her. This went on for a bit and she was just about to climax when a sudden knock on the door made her stop instantly and the heat died down from within her. "Are you done yet?"
I was just about to be done. Horrible timing Clair, she thought angrily. She let out a breath to calm down before answering. "Yea, I'm coming out in a few," she replied back in a slightly annoyed tone of voice but her friend didn't catch it. She finished up her shower, on edge a bit because she wasn't allowed to properly finish. She wrapped herself in a towel and exited the bathroom and the gym leader entered it. Enjoy your shower, you fun stopping bitch you, commented Liza in her head to Clair when they passed each other.
While Liza dried herself and dressed, almost everyone else in the suite was starting to wake up and get ready. Leaf got dressed and washed up quickly so she could go do what she usually did, which was wake up Ash and his current lover. She missed her chance yesterday but wasn't going to miss it today. She had fun doing it. And this time, she was going to do it differently. She may have planned something to prank Ash with the girls but this was still her own thing. She poked her head into his room and saw him and May still asleep, cuddled against one another.
A devious grin formed on her face. She closed the door behind her and sneaked up to their bedside. While making her way to the bed, the brunette noticed something; a peculiar piece of clothing that caught her attention and she went up to it. It was May's red dress in a heap near the foot of the bed. She noticed that the dress was torn in two and that made her eyes widen. Damn. Where you that impatient Ash?! She turned red a bit, imagining him just ripping it off of her. Leaf glanced around, seeing the other clothes thrown all over the place and then saw Ash's red shirt thrown onto the dresser with some buttons missing and a few tears of its own where the buttons should have been. Holy cow; did May do that?!
The newcomer in the room turned her gaze to the sleeping and cuddling couple on the bed and moved to them. She was still intending to carry out her plan of waking them up but was thinking about what they could've done last night. Her red face turned crimson as to what she saw next. The cover had gone done a bit from Ash and she was able to see the top half of his muscular body. She saw the diagonal scar on his back that he got protecting Serena. She smiled a bit, remembering what he did before her eyes roamed down his back and saw 'it'. It was the stab scar that he received when he came after her to rescue her. She was transfixed at the sight of it, unable to move, with sadness filling her.
May stirred a moment later, waking up from the sunlight hitting her eyes once again. She mumbled a bit as her senses sharpened. She felt Ash against her and holding her. She instantly remembered what happened last night during their date. Where he took her, their chicken wing contest, the Draconids prayer room, what they talked about and the incredible love making. She felt so happy that she couldn't explain it in words. She felt so complete, so content with him, in his embrace that she never wanted to leave it. Seeing that she wouldn't be able to go back to sleep now that she was fully awake, she decided to wake him up as well. She thought about doing so in a teasing way but first wanted to look at him.
She turned her gaze back towards him and saw someone else she wasn't expecting to see. She saw Leaf standing there by the bed side with her eyes wide. May was instantly filled with embarrassment since she and Ash were still in the nude and in an intimate position, their bodies against one another. She was about to reprimand her for not giving them any privacy but stopped herself in time though it left her mouth open when she noticed her state. Leaf was teary eyed and her expression was one filled with sadness. "Leaf?" she whispered, making the green eyed brunette glance at her. "What's wrong?" she asked.
It took a moment for her to respond. "St-stab….s-scar…on his b-back…" she barely stuttered back in a whisper.
May understood instantly. She had probably come to wake them up as usual with a prank or something but ended up seeing Ash's scar of the stab wound he got in the process of saving her. She knew right then that her sister needed some comfort and reassurance over her feeling guilty over it. May gently shook Ash awake while Leaf was still mostly paralyzed at the sight of it, though she was letting out some tears now. Seeing him not react, she shook him a little harder. "Not now May…I'm tired…maybe later…"
"ASH!" yelped May, turning scarlet.
He snapped his eyes open over her yelp and gave her a confused look. "What?" he asked her gently. "It's true May. I'm tired. I haven't gone twice before in one night. We can go again later if you want. But I don't think the girls would appreciate…"
May silenced him by covering his mouth with her hand, her scarlet face darkening with every passing second. "That's not it and would you stop talking?!" Ash had a hurt look appear on his face. "I'm sorry but look behind you and don't freak out." He furrowed his brow in confusion and turned his glance behind him. When he saw Leaf his eyes widened, but he didn't freak out. He didn't sense her at first because he was still a bit sleepy and tired. He was embarrassed but quickly saw the sad state she was in.
"Leaf? What happened? Did someone hurt you?" he asked with concern, sitting up. When he sat up, the blanket slipped down and revealed the scar of the stab wound on his stomach as well. She started crying harder, burying her face into her hands. "Leaf?! What's wrong?!" Leaf raised her head from her hands a bit and then extended her hand out to point at his stomach. He looked down and saw the scar and it clicked in his head. He glanced at May.
"Do something," she said. He gave her a wide eyed look and then gestured to himself, reminding her that he's naked. "She's gonna see you naked eventually! Just comfort her!"
She had a point but Ash didn't want to cause Leaf more distress and him trying to comfort her while naked would probably do just that. But he also didn't want to piss of May so he did the next best thing. He grasped Leaf's outstretched hand and pulled her down on top of him with the blanket acting as a barrier between the two. He wrapped his arms around her and she cried into his bare chest. "Sshh, it's alright Leaf," he said softly, rubbing her back with his hands.
"I can't believe I forgot about that! I'm so sorry Ash! If it wasn't for me, you would've never gotten hurt! I'm so sorry!" sobbed the brunette on top of him.
"Hey, it wasn't your fault. The only fault there is lies with the Skull Brothers and they've been dealt with. And I'm sorry for pushing you away so much that it caused you to end up in their clutches. The important thing is that you're fine and I was able to find you before anything happened. Like I promised before Leaf, I will never again leave you and will do all I can to be there for you. And don't even mention what happened in the past as I have forgiven you. I just hope you have forgiven me. You understand?" Leaf took a moment before raising her tear streaked gaze to his. He wiped them away gently, with her loving his touch, her heart beat increasing. "Remember this always no matter what happens Leaf; I love you."
Leaf's lips formed into a small smile as she slowly calmed down. "Thank you," she said quietly after pulling herself back together. "Thank you for not being mad at me anymore. I forgive you too and I love you too Ashy." She leaned in a bit towards him but then stopped, remembering where she was and who was there.
"Why'd you stop? Keep going woman!" Leaf and Ash snapped their gazes onto May who was grinning at them with her head leaning against her hand that was propped up against the pillow from her elbow. Even with the blanket covering her up to her neck, she looked so amazing in that position that it made Ash stare at her and Leaf was stunned at what she just said. "Well? If you're not going to do anything, wanna move over so I can?" Leaf smirked at her and then turned to face her beloved. She cupped Ash's still stunned face, made him look at her and smashed her lips against his, kissing passionately. May formed a delighted smile on her face, watching them kiss. She really did love seeing others happy as that made her happy too. Especially when it was her beloved and her 'sister'.
When Ash and Leaf separated, both looked like they had gone to the moon and came back. That was when Leaf felt something against her. "Is somebody excited?" she asked in a teasing tone of voice, making May giggle and Ash to blush slightly while also chuckling.
"Sorry Leaf. Kind of hard for a guy not to get excited with two beautiful girls in bed with him. Especially when he's naked," commented Ash, making both brunettes blush heavily.
"Good point. I'll let you two lovebirds get dressed. But first…" She gave Ash another kiss before getting off of him. "See you guys at the breakfast table. Make sure you don't come naked, to clean up your torn clothes and to move your asses. I don't think the chefs would appreciate you being late for their meal. Even if you did go twice in one night," she said at the door. She left the room laughing and closed the door behind her. Ash glanced at May who looked back at him. Both of them had crimson faces but were also laughing.
"I think it's going to be interesting with Leaf," said May while laughing.
"I do too," he said, smiling.
The two shared a kiss before getting out of bed. May stumbled a bit as she went to stand up, almost falling but caught herself in time by using the bedside dresser. She just realized how sore she was and her legs felt a little wobbly. "Damn," she said out loud, turning to face Ash and saw him giving her a look of concern. "You weren't kidding about me feeling sore in the morning," she said, with her face gradually turning redder by the second.
Ash rubbed the back of his head, turning red as well. "Sorry May."
The brunette however just smiled back deviously. "It's alright. Just make sure to keep at it."
The raven haired guardian laughed a bit. "Alright my Princess. I promise."
She sat back down onto the bed, unable to stay standing. "Good. Could you hand me my bra and panties?"
"Sure thing." He grabbed the requested items and gave it to her, but not before teasing her a bit by making her try to reach for it. Getting annoyed, May punched him in the stomach and Ash grunted with pain before giving her the requested apparel. May put on her undergarments and Ash went to put on his boxers. A moment later, May finally felt she could walk though with some difficulty and went to the drawer where she was pretending to search for pajamas last night and actually rummaged through it this time for some clothes she could borrow since Ash destroyed her dress last night. Ash's gaze was on her, unable to look away since May was bent forward a bit. He sneaked in closer and then…SMACK!
"OOH!" May jumped in surprise from the slap against her rear. She almost fell again but held herself up from the dresser. She rounded on Ash and slapped his chest. "ASH! You know I can barely stand right now!" she said.
"Sorry May but I just couldn't resist," he told her with his trademark goofy grin.
She couldn't be angry with him at all. She wagged her index finger at him with a mock glare though. "I get it that you love me and I'm hard to resist but you need to be punished for that. I'll get you for that, just you wait." Ash just grinned at her and she gave him a playful glare before smiling. "Come on, let's get ready for breakfast." While the Princess and her Knight got dressed and washed up for breakfast, with some slight fooling around here and there, their bedroom door opened again and a small yellow mouse entered into it very slowly.
"Pikachu?" asked Ash, stopping in mid process of tickling May who also turned her attention to him.
"Pika…" replied back the electric pokémon tiredly. "Pikapi…pi pika pi chu…" Pikachu's gaze was on his basket bed, wanting to go to sleep. He had a long night with both Glaceon and Buneary. Both females didn't let him sleep all night but instead gave him a night he'll never forget. And surprisingly, he didn't want to. He just wanted to knock out for three days since he was so drained.
Ash started laughing, unable to hold it in and May gave him a curious look. Pikachu however, gave him a dirty look before telling him that he was going to be shocked later before he dropped into his bed and instantly fell asleep. "What happened to him?" asked May.
Ash finished up laughing and then explained. "Pikachu said not to bother him while he tries to get some sleep. I've never seen him so tired. Even after a hard day's training. You're Glaceon and Dawn's Buneary must've given him a wild night," chuckled the raven haired guardian and May giggled.
The couple continued getting ready while the others were gathering in the dining room. Cilan, Cress and Chili had prepared the meal while Caroline, Grace and Johanna set up the table. Delia was with Natasha in her room, checking on her. After Natasha had warmed up to her and calmed down a bit, instead of checking every half hour, Delia was now checking every hour instead. She was pretty exhausted, having not rested properly at all because of her constant waking up. But she didn't complain as Natasha's need was greater than hers at the moment. She had promised her son that she'll take over for the night while he had some alone time with May and he said he'll make it up to her somehow. She also planned to catch up on her sleep later that night. She noticed that the red head's swelling had completely gone down thanks to the ointment she was given. It looked like she could now open both eyes with no problem when she woke up. After seeing that Natasha was alright and that she was still sleeping, Delia left the room to get some coffee and a fresh warm meal.
Everyone gathered round in the dining room and dug in to their breakfast with conversations going on between almost everyone. Ash was sitting between Anabel, Sarah, Leaf and Cynthia, the five of them talking about what other kind of training they might do and about the tournament. May was sitting between Misty, Dawn and Serena. The four of them were whispering to one another, no doubt speaking about May's date night with Ash last night since they were blushing and grinning during it. As they talked, something would shine off of them every now and then. All four of the girls had put on their necklaces that he had bought for them and would put them on everyday from now on, only taking it off when they had to, like when they showered, trained or slept.
When Norman saw his daughter May, his eyes widened seeing her wearing Ash's clothes. He was about to say something but before he could even get a word out, he was elbowed hard in the stomach. He grunted and turned to look at his wife who was giving him another look of rage. He gulped and said nothing. Caroline leaned in closer to whisper into his ear. "It's okay honey. Remember what we talked about yesterday. They're not like others; they won't ever separate." Caroline looked into her husband's eyes after saying that and Norman nodded with a slight sigh. Both of them continued with their breakfast while making some small talk as they periodically glanced towards their daughter. Each time they did so, she seemed to be even happier than before.
Gary was sitting between his sister Daisy who was speaking with Riley next to her and his grandpa Oak who was speaking with Norman and Clemont. He was glancing at Ilene every now and then, catching her gaze sometimes but she would look away immediately. He knew that she thought of him and might want to fix things but he had to be patient. He had been given a glimmer of hope from last night when she spoke to him and made eye contact. He had to think of a way to have her listen to him so he could speak to her, explain things and perhaps start over. And he had to talk to her about Ash at the same time as well to see if there was anything going on between the two.
Daisy glanced at her brother and saw him quietly eating his food. She knew what was going on in his head but didn't bother him. She glanced at Ilene and saw her looking at Gary but quickly turned away when she saw that she was looking at her. Daisy didn't comment or do anything and just went back to speaking with Riley, finishing up her meal in the process. Though she did have doubts that the two would get back together, she hoped they would for her brother's sake. But she also thought that they were very different so if they did, would it last?
Cilan, Cress, Chili, Iris, Lily and Violet were joking around and talking, being the loudest out of the whole group but nobody minded. The six of them were tired out and a bit sore from yesterday's training but wanted to do something together that day if they weren't going to train. They shared ideas like going for a swim again, go dancing at the club again or play some games at the arcade. Max and Bonnie were talking, wondering what they should do together. They were eavesdropping on the six, trying to get ideas. When they mentioned the arcade, the two young teenagers glanced at one another.
"What do you think? Should we go again?" asked Bonnie.
"Well we've been there recently but I don't mind going again if you want to go," replied Max.
"I like going to the arcade. I'll never get tired of it," she said quietly, slightly blushing.
"I'm like that too!" responded Max. Both of them had wide smiles appear on their faces, happy that the one that they liked and had feelings for had similar interests. They agreed that if they went to the arcade, that they would join them if they didn't mind. Until they found out if they did though, they decided to come up with a backup plan for what they should do in case they don't go to the arcade.
Lucy and Brock were talking to one another while she was massaging his shoulders a bit. They had finished their meals and Brock had complained a bit. His muscles had tensed up from yesterday's training. "Man, there are so many tense areas. When was the last time you exercised Brock?" she asked. She rubbed the area hard with her thumbs.
Brock let out a slight gasp. "It's been a while Lucy. Haven't had much time when I was in school." He let out a yelp that made her and the ones around them to chuckle a bit. She had hit a soft spot.
"Don't be such a wimp Brock. Isn't the gym leader of rock types supposed to be as tough as rock themselves?" she teased him.
Brock grasped her hand and pulled her onto his lap, making her let out a squeak in surprise. She slapped his chest in return and he laughed. He then leaned in closely to her. "I'll show you how tough a rock trainer can be later tonight," he whispered into her ears. Lucy felt delightful shivers go through her body and she smirked at him when he looked at her face.
"I guess we'll see. I hope you're ready for a wild night," she replied back quietly, making him smirk back.
"Hey, perverts! Get a room!" shot Liza loudly and the two went red in embarrassment while some of their friends laughed. They thought they weren't heard.
"Shut up!" said the two at once.
Liza just laughed before taking another bite of her breakfast. She glanced around to see what the others were up to. She was sitting between Giselle and Clair. Giselle was speaking with Daisy Waterflower about the Sensational Sisters' water plays and how they practiced for it. Clair was speaking with Shauna about some of their martial arts experiences. She looked at Lizabeth and found she was speaking with Delia, Caroline, Johanna and Grace about her travels after leaving home.
Liza smiled at all the interactions going on around her. It felt good to be around so many interesting and good hearted people for once, hearing them talk and joke. She did miss being around people when she was at the Charicific Valley. She loved being the trainer and caretaker of the place but she wanted to be around people too. Her once a month visits to the nearby villages to get some supplies and catch up with some acquaintances was nice but it wasn't enough. Though she did get asked out on some dates and went out with a few suitors because of it but nothing happened as they were all dull, uninteresting and she didn't feel connected to them at all. The only times she had some fun was when she spent some time with Clair, Cynthia and Sabrina though. They were her best friends and the four knew each other better than others. Speaking of her best friends…
"Hey, where's Sabrina?" asked Ash. He had finished up talking with the girls around him and happened to glance around. When he didn't notice a certain dark haired girl, he looked around again but didn't see her. His question caught the attention of everyone.
The caretaker of the valley tensed up a bit. She couldn't let them find out what happened in the morning with her friend. She decided to cover for her. "She's not feeling well so she decided to sleep in a bit," informed Liza. Cynthia and Clair glanced at her and then at one another with raised eyebrows. Sabrina never gets sick. Something was up.
"That sucks. Does she need anything? Maybe I should go check on her," said Ash standing up.
"Don't!" snapped Liza. Everyone stared at her because of her sudden outburst but she didn't let it phase her. "She gets cranky if someone wakes her up, especially when she's not feeling well. She might use her powers on you," made up Liza, giving Clair and Cynthia a covert look when Ash turned his gaze away from her.
Ash just waved his hand. "I'll be fine. She can't do worse than Mewtwo." He took a step.
"Don't go Ash. Liza's right and she'll be cranky all day and that will be annoying. Just let her wake up on her own and then you'll go check on her." Ash turned and looked at Clair.
"You sure?" he asked her. She nodded and he sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Alright. I just wanted to make sure she'll be alright because I feel responsible cause of the workout yesterday. But I guess I'll wait to find out." He sat back down on his seat and the instant he did two things happened at once. Their hotel phone rang and Ash got a message on his Poketch. Delia went to answer the phone and he read the message. "Looks like my eight match is scheduled for today at 5pm and it's against…" Ash stopped talking, his eyes growing wide.
"Who is it? Who are you facing Ash? Is it Tobias?" asked Misty.
Ash turned his gaze to her and shook his head. "No. It's Damian Daisuke."
Everyone who was at the club and witnessed the altercation went quiet. They looked at each other with worried expressions on their faces before they each turned their gaze onto him and the brunette from Pallet Town. Leaf glanced at Ash and grasped his hand, making him turn to her. "Ash…I…"
He shushed her and allowed a small smile to form on his face. "You have nothing to worry about. Like I said before, I'm not angry with you anymore."
She smiled a little but knew there was more to it. "Thank you Ashy. But I can tell there's more. Why does he bother you so much?" she asked.
"You mean besides him trying to make a move on you at the club?" Leaf nodded and Ash sighed. He glanced at Misty and Brock who had angry looks form on their faces that everyone saw. He turned back to look at Leaf after looking at everyone else. "Because he's an egotistical, arrogant and lying asshole who mistreats others, including Pokémon. My Charizard used to be his Charmander at first. He had abandoned him on top of a large boulder because he thought he was weak. He lied to him by saying that he'll come back for him. I found Charmander weak, hungry, hurt, shivering from the cold rain and being attacked by wild pokémon during my early days as a trainer." Everyone in the room became angry at what they heard. "Even after I saved him and told him that Damian wasn't coming back, Charmander had gone back to wait for him."
"How did you know that Damian abandoned him because he thought he was weak and wasn't going to go back?" asked Giselle. She didn't believe that Ash would ever lie but wanted to know how he knew or found out.
"Because we heard him brag about it with his friends at the pokémon center we ran into to escape the rain," answered Brock, making their group become even angrier with several commenting on that with not so pretty words.
Ash waited for them to calm down a bit before continuing. "Good news is that at the end of it all, Charmander figured out that Damian wasn't coming back and that we really cared about him. He came to help us when we ran into Team Rocket. Damian saw what he did, beating Team Rocket and tried to get him back by lying and saying he was going to come back for him. But Charmander saw through it and came with me instead," finished up Ash.
It was silent for a few minutes after he finished explaining why he despised him so much. Everyone was thinking about how it was disgusting that such trainers existed and how they acted. Pokémon shouldn't be abandoned just because they were thought to be weak. "Crush him Ash." They all looked at Leaf, her expression filled with anger. "Crush him into the ground. I can't believe I ever let someone like that dance with me, let alone touch me. I should've known the type of person he is, the way he was talking to me, taking advantage of how I was feeling. Teach him a lesson. And I'm so sorry." She hugged Ash tightly and he returned it, with some smiles shown at the two.
"It's alright and I promise Leaf. I'll teach him a lesson that he won't soon forget," he told her.
He looked around the group while in the hug, seeing their smiles. He was happy that none were angry at Leaf. That's when he realized that now would be the perfect time to say what he and the girls had decided. He separated from Leaf and gave her a reassuring smile before standing up.
"Everyone, there's something I need to say," and they all went silent to listen. Delia stepped into the dining room at that moment and they noticed. She wanted to tell him what she found out from the phone call but decided to wait until after he said what was on his mind. "What I'm about to say is very important. It regards me and the girls I love so much." It became so quiet that a pin could be heard dropping onto the floor. The four girls glanced at one another and then at their families. They knew what was coming and wondered how they would take the stuff that they didn't know about. "Like I said, I love them with all my heart. I will not choose one over the other and they have admitted to loving me fully as well." They glanced at the four girls who went pink but also smiled. They got up and went to stand beside Ash, a sign of support and agreement. "Because of our special situation, we have discussed many things together and decided to let you know of our decision after all the dates were done. We would like you all to know that we five are officially together, with the girls sharing me between them." Some cat calls and wolf whistles were made from their friends, making some of the others laugh and the parents to shake their heads chuckling while the five became embarrassed, flushing with color. When they finally calmed down, Ash continued. "There are also a couple more things to be said. We ask that you don't spread this information around to everyone just yet. Of course if someone asks us directly, we will tell them ourselves if we deem it necessary. Though we won't hide it anymore, we don't feel the need to parade it around. Each of us could use less attention." They all laughed a bit over that statement. "The other important thing is this…"
He glanced at Leaf, who went red. He walked over to her, extending his hand to her and she took it before he helped her stand. He had her walk to where the four girls were and had her stand beside them. He then moved to where Cynthia was and extended his hand to her as well. She took it without hesitation and stood up. He escorted her to the girls. He then moved over to Sarah and Anabel and extended his hands, one to each. The two girls gulped, feeling embarrassed at being put on the spot so suddenly but took his hand regardless. He walked them over to the group of girls and after they too stood among them, Ash stood in the middle of the group. During this whole time, everyone was watching silently, though some had funny looking expressions shown on their faces.
"You should all know this," started Ash. "I have come to realize that my feelings for Leaf have never died since we were kids as I still love her and she has told me that she loves me back. As for Cynthia, Sarah and Anabel; I'd rather just have you know this now. I have admired them for their abilities, kindness and the way they treat everyone. Because of that and our interactions in the past together, some more recent than others, I have developed loving feelings for them and the three of them feel the same way towards me and we decided to give it a shot with the girls approving of it." The four girls went crimson and almost everyone had their jaws drop at the news.
"WHAT?!" shouted out the girls' parents together at once, absolutely shocked. "I figured Leaf would join but Cynthia, Sarah and Anabel too?!" stated Norman, his eyes locked onto Ash who stepped forward.
"Mr. Maple, I know this is a huge thing to hear and understand but please try to," he told him, the room completely silent. "I didn't notice or realize my feelings for them because my attention was primarily on Misty, May, Dawn and Serena but thanks to them…" He glanced at the four mentioned, who smiled at him and he smiled back before turning his attention back to everyone else. "What happened after speaking with Arceus and me going crazy, they and Lucario helped me to open my eyes a little more and made to understand what was going on and happening." He explained what had happened that night, why they could enter and the rest couldn't. Everyone was listening silently as he gave out details of the why, how, what it means and so on while alternating his gaze onto the four parents' faces as he spoke. The newer members of the group were awed at what they were hearing. When he finished explaining, he went quiet for a moment, allowing the parents and the group to process what he just said before he spoke again. "If you are angry with me, disappointed with me, disgusted with me or anything else, for whatever reason, I don't blame you. If you have anything to say to me, if you want to hurt me, I will not stop your attempt and neither will anyone else here. But I will say no matter what you say or do, or what others say or do, whether things work out between us or not, I will never stop caring for them, having feelings for them and will do everything I can for them." He turned his attention to the girls beside him. "And I know that they'll do the same for me." The eight girls around him smiled and hugged him tightly in a group hug.
Seeing them in a loving embrace made many from their group think about what he said and what they were seeing. Many of the other couples glanced at their beloved and embraced one another as well since Ash's words resonated with them. They would do the same for the one they love. Gary glanced at Ilene who was looking at the hugging group. He hung his head, missing when Ilene glanced at him. She felt saddened a bit but when she turned her gaze back to Ash and the girls she became envious of what they have, wishing she could have something like that again. She wasn't the only one to have a reaction though. Clair, Liza, Shauna, Lizabeth, Giselle and Daisy Waterflower felt their hearts skip a beat, yearning to be with him as well. But one of them was absolutely startled by her feeling that, making her become both confused and scared of what she was feeling.
Sudden movement made them all snap out of their trance and the nine to break apart from their group hug. Norman, Caroline, Johanna and Grace had stood up and were looking at the group with blank faces. The four walked over to them. The young man and the girls stood their ground in front of the four parents, waiting for their reactions and so was everyone else.
Johanna turned her attention to Dawn. "Is this what you want? Are you happy with this?" she asked her daughter.
Dawn smiled and nodded. "It is Mom. We talked it over and…" she glanced at the four new girls who looked back at her with smiles. "They are our friends and we like them," she revealed, wrapping an arm around Cynthia's arm and the two beamed at one another before facing everyone else.
"Are you sure?" asked Grace and Caroline together, looking at their daughters.
Serena and May stepped forward and the two threw an arm around the shoulders of Sarah and Anabel before speaking. "We know they won't betray us and will be loyal, respectful, honest and help us in whatever we need," said Serena, making Sarah and Anabel blush heavily since the attention was on them but so did Cynthia and Leaf.
"And we'll do the same for them without hesitation cause they are our sisters," added May and the four new girls smiled and nodded.
Misty went up to Leaf, the brunette facing the red head. "And even though we had our problems in the past at first," started the water trainer, with everyone looking at the two. "We've moved past it and come to realize that each of us want this with pure intentions." The two smiled at each other and hugged, making many in the group smile at the display. They separated and the two glanced at the raven haired guardian with the other girls doing the same. "And how much each of us cares for and loves this dense head in front of us…" Some laughs sounded out in the dining room and Ash shook his head slightly while chuckling, rubbing the back of his head. "Who loves and cares for us so much that he would risk it all for us."
Ash smiled at the red head before he turned to the parents again. "This is what we want," he told them. "We've talked it over and we truly believe it can work out for us. Especially if you support us as that would make things much easier."
Norman and the mothers were quiet for several moments but everyone else's attention was on May's father, wondering if he would explode or attack Ash again. The parents glanced at one another. They then looked at Delia who had her neutral gaze on them. They looked at her for a moment before glancing at one another again. Norman thought long and hard before he took a step forward to Ash. He raised his hand and placed it on his shoulder. "If there's any man in the world who can pull this off, whose words I can believe, it's you. We've seen your memories. We've seen how you will do anything for the ones you love and care about by risking your life for them, both in the past and during the stadium attack. We've seen you let them go to pursue their own dreams and even helped them achieve it. You kept my daughter safe, happy and did everything you could for her and you did the same for the others as well. We've seen you do many incredible things and go through much suffering. And you did it all not just for your own goals, or to fight for the world, but to protect them. You put them before you and that is the trait of a true man and that's the type of man I want for my daughter." Norman's praise made many in the room become wide eyed, especially Max. He had never seen his father compliment anyone else outside of their family, let alone so much. "If the girls want this as much as you do, if this truly is based on pure intentions, if they are truly comfortable with it, you all have my support."
May had a large smile form on her face before hugging her father after he and Ash shook hands. "Thank you Dad for supporting us," she said.
He smiled, hugging his daughter back. "If this makes you happy, then that's what I'll support." After their hug, the parents, including Delia along with Ash and the girls exchanged hugs and gratitude for understanding and supporting them.
When they finished with that, Ash made everyone look at him as he turned to face the parents and spoke. "I just wanted to say thank you for your support and not fighting with us over it," he told them.
The parents smiled at him and the girls. "You're welcome since we figured it would be better to just embrace this since we talked about it a bit last night," revealed Norman, making the group become surprised.
"You did?!" asked Ash and the girls at once together, making their family and friends laugh at their sudden outbursts at the same time.
"Well we kind of went into it a bit but it was mostly about Leaf," said Norman but didn't elaborate though the brunette from Pallet Town went red. "Anyways, I do have to say this." They all went quiet at once to hear what he was going to say. "You do anything to hurt my daughter or any one of the girls, for any reason and you don't even want to think of the horrible torturous things I will do to you," promised Norman, making many of the males gulp and have fear fill them for Ash's sake at the way he said it with a menacing tone of voice.
Ash however, stood his ground and didn't react to it. "Understood Mr. Maple."
He raised his hand for the two to shake once more but instead May's father took him into a hug again and clapped his back a few times before separating. "Welcome to the family son. But I must say, good luck with taking care of eight girls," he said with a chuckle and everyone else chuckled too.
"Thanks, I'm going to need it," he replied back while chuckling a bit. He heard several growls from behind and he turned around to see the eight girls with narrowed eyes, glaring at him. "Ah, you know I was just joking right?" he asked them.
"Sure, let's go with that because so are we," said Misty, taking out her mallet. Ash took a couple steps back with the girls moving towards him.
"Hey Ashy-boy," said Gary, making his rival look at him. "Run."