The Quarter Finals...

(Warning Mature Content Ahead)

Chapter 45 - The Quarter Finals...

Sabrina Natsume, the psychic prodigy who was also the Saffron City gym leader, had confessed to Ash in front of his girlfriends that she had fallen for him. She apologized for hurting him and for revealing her feelings to them. She promised not to get involved and that she wouldn't cause them problems before teleporting away. Seeing her disappear snapped him out his trance. "SABRINA!" yelled out Ash into the silent room, staring at the spot she was just at a second ago.

Nobody could believe what just happened. They were in shock from what the Saffron gym leader had just admitted. That she has feelings for the raven haired guardian and was pushing herself to become stronger so she can be prove herself to him. Ash's heart was thumping wildly, as if it was about to jump out of his chest. Everything had just clicked in his head, figuring out why he felt the way he did in her embrace. Why seeing her push herself made something stir inside him and why he was feeling such sadness over her doing this to herself. He glanced back at the girls behind him and saw each one was astonished. Eight out of the ten girls shot to him and gave him a group hug after seeing how saddened he had become. They were sullen themselves and surprisingly, they were not angry with Sabrina at all for having feelings for Ash and for confessing. They understood where she was coming from and didn't want her to go but she did. Liza glanced at Clair, who felt like a total bitch for causing this to happen. The blunette gym leader of Blackthorn City locked her eyes with the raven haired guardian's. "Ash…I'm so..."

"Don't say anything Clair," interrupted Ash. He separated from the girls and went up to the now guilty looking girl. "You were right. I caused her to do this to herself. I didn't notice what she was feeling. Let me have it." She titled her head slightly and the girls glanced at one another. "I told you to not hold back if I was wrong. I'm wrong. So let me have it. Unleash your wrath on me." She gave him a disbelieving look. Is he for real? He heard her thought since he was focusing on her and saw she didn't know what to do. "C'mon hit me!" he commanded. She became startled and punched him in the chest instinctually. But it was a weak one, with him not even feeling it. "Is that it?! You're a black belt damn it! Hit me!" Clair hit him again but harder. He gestured to her to keep them coming. She hit him again but it was barely any stronger. "Is that the best you can do?!" taunted Ash. The girls were alarmed over what was happening but none of them interfered. And even if they wanted to, they were frozen in their place.

Clair's lips were quivering and her heart was beating wildly. She didn't want to keep hitting him, feeling bad for hurting him. I don't want to hurt you! She was about to hit him again but couldn't anymore. She flung her arms over his neck and leaned against him for support before bursting into tears. "I'm so sorry Ash! So sorry! For hurting you and blaming you! I didn't think this would happen! I was just so upset over seeing my best friend sad! Please forgive me!" she cried. Please don't hate me!

Ash felt sullen over what she said and thought. He wrapped his arms around her and massaged her back with both hands. He couldn't answer her thought but hoped his action would do it for him. "It's not your fault Clair. You were trying to protect and help your friend, just like any of us would do. I'm not angry with you at all. You're a good friend and person," he told her. "Do you have any idea where Sabrina might have gone?" he asked her.

Clair pulled herself together and took a step back, separating from him and wiping her eyes dry. "Other than her home or the G-Men's headquarters, I don't know where else she'll go." Her answer was not what he was hoping to hear, shaking his head. Clair glanced at his girlfriends before going up to them and stopped in front of them. "I'm so sorry for getting angry at Ash," apologized the blunette.

The girls looked at Clair for a moment before nodding and embraced her in a hug. They told her that they understand but to communicate with them before blowing her top. She nodded solemnly and promised to do so if something like this ever happened again but hoped that it wouldn't. The petite girl from Twinleaf Town then glanced at Cynthia. "Where could she have gone?" asked Dawn.

"I have no better idea than you guys," admitted Cynthia with a frown.

"I hope she doesn't do anything else rash," added Serena.

"Sabrina's not the type to do that. She'll usually just keep things in and just go home," revealed Liza.

"Yea but isn't this a really big deal to her? I mean, telling her feelings about Ash." They looked at May while Ash sat down on the bed, placing his head in his hands and let out a sigh. Sarah and Anabel sat down beside him and rubbed his back. "We need to find her," added May.

"But how?" wondered Misty. "How can we find her? And where would she go?"

Ash looked up at the girls. "I'm such an idiot," he told them and they looked at him. "Even after everything that's happened so far at just this tournament, I'm still having trouble noticing things. How could I have hurt her so badly? How could I have not noticed that she has feelings for me?" he asked them before hanging his head again.

The girls felt sullen over his words and behavior. Misty knelt down in front of him and raised his head with her hands as Sarah and Anabel stopped their rubbing. She looked into his eyes with her cerulean blue ones before asking him a question. "Do you like her Ash?" she asked him making everyone go silent to hear his reply.

He looked into her eyes for a few seconds before answering. "Her confession made me realize how I feel about her just now. And the truth is…I do," he admitted quietly. Liza and Clair gasped that he said that but his girlfriends just gathered around him. He looked up and around to look at each of his girlfriends in the eye. "There's some things you should all know…" he told them before explaining everything that he's been feeling when with or around Sabrina. From their dancing in the club to after he brought her back after their training yesterday. His girlfriends listened quietly without interrupting. When he finished explaining, he looked at them with a sullen gaze. "I'm so sorry I didn't tell you earlier. I thought it was just the alcohol or just friendly interactions. I didn't know what they meant or what I was feeling until now. I'm so sorry for not realizing what they were and that I'm still so blind towards all this," he told them.

"Don't," shot Misty, May, Dawn and Serena at once and they all looked at them. They told him it won't do anyone any good for him to beat himself up over it and that they're not angry with him at all. His newer girlfriends also chimed in, on the same page as them. Ash nodded and asked them what he should do.

Clair and Liza were beyond astonished as to how his girlfriends took it. They glanced at one another, both thinking the same thing. How could they not be angry with him? How could they not be angry with Sabrina? The two turned their attention back to them when Leaf started speaking now.

"Well first things first. We need to find Sabrina," said Leaf. They spoke together, trying to get some ideas of where she would have gone but didn't really get anything good.

Anabel however kept quiet since she was deep in thought. She wanted to help and pondered a bit as to how she could. A couple minutes later, she thought up of an idea. "Ash, I know one way that might help us find her."

"You do?" he asked, turning to face her with the others giving her their utmost attention.

"Yes. I can try to locate with my psychic senses," suggested Anabel. "But I would need some psychic pokémon to help me out in it and need some space."

"Let's go to the balcony then," advised Cynthia.

Ash and the girls left the room and headed towards the balcony. Their friends and family saw them with serious looks on their faces and that worried them. They wanted to ask what happened regarding Sabrina and what was going on now but saw that they were focused on something. Anabel went up to the railings and brought out her pokémon. Alakazam, Metagross and Espeon appeared. She glanced at Ash who brought out multiple blue orbs from his hands that turned into poke balls. The poke balls opened to let out their pokémon and Ash's Alakazam, Espeon, Gallade, Metagross, Reuniclus, Delphox and Meowstic appeared. He didn't call Gardevoir because he promised her and Lucario some alone time. And he didn't call Lugia and Victini because their power was too great and he didn't want to constantly have Mewtwo help out. He deserved his own time alone. Misty, Serena and Sarah let out their Starmie, Delphox and Hypno.

"We need all of you to listen to Anabel. She's going to need your help to find our friend," said Ash. The girls nodded at their pokemon and all the psychic pokémon gathered around Anabel.

"Okay. We're going to be looking for the Saffron City gym leader Sabrina Natsume. I need you all to connect with my psychic senses so it can become boosted. That way I can try to locate hers." The psychic pokémon glanced at one another and nodded. But her Espeon was worried. Her trainer hadn't ever done this before. She knew the theory but never actually did it. Yet, she still joined in, trusting in her capabilities. Ash and the girls watched as the psychic pokémon's eyes glowed blue and a blue outline appeared around Anabel. "Oh my Mew!" cried out Anabel, her voice echoing now, feeling incredible power course through her.

They became alarmed by her outburst. "What's wrong?! Stop if it's hurting you!" shouted Ash for everyone.

The Frontier Brain took in a breath. "I'm alright," replied Anabel. "I just never experienced so much power before. I should be fine."

"How come we didn't do this when we were looking for Leaf?" asked Sarah.

"Because this only works when trying to find another psychic user," explained Anabel and they nodded in understanding. "Please, don't bother me again so I can maintain my focus."

The others stepped into the balcony, having noticed the blue glow and pokémon and asked them what was going on. Seeing Ash not answering, the girls then told the others that they were looking for Sabrina who had teleported away so as to not get them sick as well. They didn't need to tell them everything and Ash kept his attention on Anabel. Please don't get hurt too Anabel. And Sabrina, why'd you leave like that? Please be alright.

"Ash…" He turned around to face his mother. "I know you're trying to find Sabrina but you're match is coming up. You have an hour left." He thanked his mom for the reminder and set an alarm on his Poketch to ring in forty five minutes. About twenty minutes later, with everyone waiting impatiently with no update yet from Anabel, Ash was sent a mental message.

What the hell are you doing Ash?!

We're looking for Sabrina.

Is that what you're doing? Or are you trying to kill Anabel?

What do you mean Mewtwo?!

I can feel the power from New Island. It's too great for her. The pokémon connected to her aren't feeling the damage she's getting and neither is she. But I am. Tell them to stop now! Do whatever it takes to break their connection!

"STOP!" shouted Ash suddenly, making everyone jump but Anabel and the psychic pokémon kept going. "ANABEL! STOP WHAT YOU'RE DOING!" But she wasn't hearing him and neither were the pokémon. They were stuck in the connection. Ash shot forward, his aura flaring out. He struck each of the pokémon once, not to hurt them but hard enough to break their concentration, making them stumble away.

The others in the balcony were yelling and screaming, completely scared and shocked over what he was doing. But the raven haired guardian did not stop until he made the last pokémon move away. With the connection severed, the glow around the purple haired girl faded away. She was barely standing until she fell face forward and Ash lunged in front of her. He caught her in the air and fell onto his back with her in his arms. "Anabel? Anabel?!" He cupped her cheek with his hand, gently shaking her. She slowly opened her eyes, her vision blurry.

"A-Ash…" wheezed Anabel. A bit of blood trickled out from her nose, scaring him and everyone else around them.

"Hold on. Please," begged Ash as he placed his glowing blue hand onto her. He pulsed out healing aura, the energy waves washing over her. He had used up a good amount to heal Sabrina's hands a short while ago and using more already without fully recovering was severely draining him. But he didn't have a choice and didn't care about that right now. The glow brightened a bit before dimming. Ash's aura faded away and he was gasping for air but his attention was on the purple haired girl in his arms. "Anabel?" She stirred and opened her eyes fully a moment later. He immediately hugged her. "Oh thank Mew you're alright."

"I'm sorry Ash. I couldn't find her," said Anabel quietly.

"I'm not accepting your apology because you have nothing to be sorry about. I shouldn't have let you do that. I'm sorry. Are you alright?" he asked her. She looked up at him and nodded slightly, filling up with emotion at the way he was looking at her and holding her. "Good." Ash glanced at his Espeon who helped them stand with her psychic powers. He had her lie down on a lounge chair.

A blue glow materialized in the balcony immediately afterwards. "What were you thinking?!" chastised Mewtwo the second he appeared.

"I'm sorry Mewtwo. I shouldn't have let her…"

The purple haired girl interrupted him, speaking up. "It's not his fault. I volunteered and didn't know it could cause damage to me and neither did he," admitted Anabel. The others in the balcony now understood why Ash stopped them.

Mewtwo shook his head. "It matters not. From now on, any psychic related thing you need to do, come to me only. No one else for now until after the tournament is over and you go through my training," informed the legendary feline.

"Alright. I'm sorry Mewtwo." He hung his head, ashamed of letting Anabel do something so dangerous for him. "I hate to ask but please, can you find Sabrina?" asked Ash.

The purple legendary agreed to the request. "I will. Any ideas where she might have gone?"

Ash shook his head before looking at him. "Besides her house and the league headquarters, I'm not sure," replied Ash but then he got a sudden idea. "Wait, isn't she close with you?" asked Ash, turning to face Cynthia, Clair and Liza. The three had their eyes widen in realization. He turned back to the purple feline. "Try her friends' houses!"

Mewtwo looked at Clair, Liza and Cynthia who quickly told the legendary where they lived. "Alright. I'll find her. Focus on your next match," said Mewtwo and teleported away.

Ash and the rest returned their pokémon. The raven haired guardian collapsed onto a nearby lounge chair next to Anabel and held his head in his hands. "Why are things becoming so complicated?" asked Ash out loud to no one.

"Because life is never simple Ash. You know this. Don't worry about something that cannot be changed and instead focus on what can be," advised Oak. Ash looked up at the Professor, hearing his words but said nothing. When he glanced at Anabel, he saw that she was looking at him with a sullen gaze. He got up and sat next to her before hugging her and she reciprocated the hug. The girls gathered around the two and some of them even sat down on the lounge chair as well. They were quiet, waiting for some sort of update and sometime later an alarm went off. Ash hit the dismiss button on his Poketch. He glanced at the Frontier Brain before looking at everyone.

"Don't even attempt to tell us not to go with you," said Misty.

"Alright," he agreed without even attempting to argue. "But I need someone to look after Natasha."

"We got it covered," said Delia, gesturing to herself and the other parents.

"Thank you. You guys ready to go?" he asked the others and they said they were. He assisted Anabel in standing up who also wanted to go. "Very well then. Let's go. We have enough time to walk there but I'll have Mewtwo teleport us in front of the hotel." They agreed and a second later, they disappeared and reappeared in front of the hotel. Mewtwo even had Pikachu teleported to Ash's shoulder, saving him from Glaceon and Buneary, though he was still exhausted. Trainer and starter spoke with one another through their aura bond the minute he appeared, the electric mouse getting an update on what had happened. They immediately moved towards the stadium, mostly silent but with a few conversations going on here and there.

When the group teleported, the parents went back into the living room and Norman turned on the TV. They were going to watch the match between Ash and this so called trainer named Damian. Norman was especially pissed. He couldn't stand trainers who would abandon their pokémon. Delia went to Natasha's room and saw her wide awake and a fearful look on her. She had heard some shouts and screams. She couldn't make out what was said but was worried about what happened. "Hey Natasha. No need to be afraid. Nothing happened except for some surprises but everything is fine now. Ash went to battle in his next match. Would you like to watch?" she asked her. The red head relaxed a little and nodded, though she still had a sullen expression. She was thinking about the results she was told earlier before hearing the shouting. She hoped the match would have her distracted and not think about that for a while at least. Delia turned on the TV in her room and sat down on the small couch in the room to watch with her. "Are you hungry or need anything?" Delia asked her and Natasha shook her head. She nodded at her and relaxed in her seat. C'mon sweetie. I know you'll win. Just focus on the battle and don't worry about Sabrina. Mewtwo will find her.

Speaking of the legendary psychic, when Mewtwo teleported away from the hotel he arrived at Sabrina's home. That was his first place he decided to check, because sometimes the last place people would think to check where someone went, was usually the place to go. He used his incredible powers to try and sense her in the area, sending out a psychic pulse that would let him know if there was a psychic user nearby. He sensed another user but didn't have the same signature as Sabrina's. Good thing he couldn't feel the pulse. Even if she tried to conceal her powers, he would still be able to sense it. She however wouldn't be able to sense him until the last second but by then, she wouldn't be able to flee once he was in the area.

Finding no trace of her, he decided to check around the city for a bit, receiving another request from Ash before teleporting to his next destination. He concentrated for a second, his eyes glowing blue before teleporting him, Pikachu and the group in front of the hotel. Afterwards, he continued with his search. Finding nothing, he teleported and checked the next area, which was the Pokémon League Headquarters that also stationed the G-Men. He did the same thing there, sending out a psychic pulse and got back nothing. He checked around a little more before he teleported to the next area to check, which was Clair's hometown. Nope. He then teleported to Cynthia's hometown. Negative. He teleported to the last spot that Ash thought of, which was Liza's cabin in the Charicific Valley. Bingo! He focused on her and sensed she was in the living room of the cabin. He vanished from sight.

Sabrina was lying on the couch, face buried into a pillow, sobbing away. She didn't believe anyone would find her here after teleporting away from Clair's place when she sensed Anabel trying to find her. She was astonished she was able to track her but knew she was being assisted and wouldn't be able to keep it up. She knew what the less powerful and less experienced psychic was trying to do having done the same kind of thing a few years before on one of the missions for the G-Men to find a rogue psychic user. She only hoped that she wouldn't end up hurting herself like she did and that they wouldn't find her. She didn't want to be found. She didn't want them to tell her she was wrong. That it's okay that she's weak. That she doesn't have to prove herself to them. Even if she didn't have to, she still had to. She had to for him; for Ash. After all the things he had done for the world and for the people in it, very few knew of his sacrifices, of his heroics. And she had learned of a great deal of his actions when she brought out his memories. He deserved to have only the best. That's what she believed. And she believed that she wasn't good enough for him because of her past, her weaknesses and how she's only good at one thing.

She continued her sobbing, feeling absolutely horrible until she sensed something out of nowhere. Sabrina sat up all of a sudden in time to feel an overwhelming weight being pressed onto her. She had only ever felt such power once before and fear completely filled her. "You don't need to be afraid of me Sabrina." The feeling went away and she turned to look at Mewtwo. He was lying down on the other couch, his hands behind his hand, looking up at the ceiling with his tail swishing back and forth, barely grazing the floor. She tried to teleport away but couldn't since he had blocked her. Such power…

"How did you find me?" she asked him quietly after a moment of silence between the two.

Mewtwo stayed quiet for a moment until he responded back but didn't look at her. "Technically, Ash found you. He thought up of a few places you might go and this was one of them." Sabrina's eyes widened at that. "Surprised? Me too. He's the type of person who can never be figured out. That's why he's special, unique and he will become the greatest Pokémon Master in the world one day as long as he continues the path he's on. And the only one to ever deserve that title. Once he reaches the top, he will never be knocked down and no one will ever be his equal." He glanced over at the dark haired girl, seeing her transfixed, her gaze towards him but not really looking at him. "It's a shame you left really," continued Mewtwo, turning his gaze back to the ceiling. "He really likes you."

Sabrina snapped out of it. "How do you know and why would you say that?"

Mewtwo smirked and looked at her. "Caught your attention?" She reddened and looked away. "If you don't believe me, watch his next match." He used his psychic powers to turn on the TV in the living room and flipped the channel to the eighth match of the tournament. The battle was already going on at this point and the announcer was commenting about what was happening. "Pay attention to him Sabrina. In particular, his eyes. You'll find your answer there." Mewtwo said no more and Sabrina looked at the screen hesitantly since there was nothing else she could do.

When they reached the stadium, Ash and Pikachu separated from the group, entering the trainer's tunnel while the rest went into the stands. A few minutes later, the announcer was heard through the stadium speakers. "THANK YOU LADIES AND GENTLEMAN FOR YOUR PATIENCE! AFTER THAT LAST MATCH WITH THE DRAGON MASTER WHO COMPLETELY STEAM ROLLED HIS OPPONENT, I BET YOU'RE READY FOR MORE! THE EIGHT ROUND BATTLES WILL CONTINUE WITH THE FINAL MATCH OF THE DAY! WE HAVE DAMIAN DAISUKE AND ASH KETCHUM!" The crowd roared and cheered when the two entered the stadium and walked to the referee in the middle to get their microphones.

Leaf growled, seeing the one who tried to take advantage of her and insulted her beloved. "Use him to let out your frustrations and crush him Ash," growled Leaf and her friends agreed. They were all worried about Sabrina but were confident that Mewtwo would find her eventually. They only hoped that Ash would stay focused on the match. They were all seated together in the stands. Even Cynthia was with them but was sitting between the girls and trying to maintain a low profile so no one will bother them. It was much more different to be there than in the VIP room and it's been a long time since she sat in the stands among the spectators.

In the VIP room, the Champions Lance, Diantha, Alder and Steven were once again seated in the comfortable couches with President Goodshow on the phone ordering some food. Steven was a little out of it, thinking about a certain reporter. Alder noticed this and nudged him slightly with his elbow, making the elegantly dressed young man turn to him. "Thinking of Snow are we?" asked Alder.

Steven turned red and turned his gaze away from the older Champion. "Don't start." Alder laughed out loud while Lance and Diantha smiled.

The dragon master turned to the actress who noticed his movement and followed suite to look at him. "You think Steven finally found someone?" asked Lance quietly.

Diantha shrugged. "Maybe. She seems nice enough. But you don't really know someone until you spend some time with them," she said while looking into his eyes.

Lance felt as if she was looking into his soul with her blue eyes. He reddened slightly from her focused gaze and turned away to face the field. "You have a point there Diantha. Maybe he got lucky on his first crush. But who knows for sure anymore?" he asked back.

"I can hear you!" snapped Steven from the front and the three chuckled as they returned their attention to the starting match in time to hear the rules.

"This is a triple battle with only one reserve pokémon. No Mega evolutions allowed, no time limit and no substitutions. Good luck!" said the referee while the two clipped their microphones onto their shirt.

Ash didn't extend his hand out this time for the customary handshake. He had no respect for Damian at all. Some from the stands noticed that and murmured about it and Damian noticed that but didn't care. Instead he only smirked before speaking. "You're going to pay Ketchum for humiliating me," said Damian. Ash said nothing but Pikachu's cheeks sparked out. "You're going to pay for stealing my Charmander and for stealing that girl from me. Mark my words. You will lose and everyone will know of what you really are."

Ash's eyes narrowed but kept quiet. They turned and headed to their respective trainer's box. The crowd heard their exchange because of the mics and started gossiping about what Damian just said, wondering if it was true; if their savior had actually stolen a pokémon from another trainer and if he had caused a couple to break up. Goodshow and the Champions glanced at one another in the VIP room, wondering if this was going to cause something. Ash's group glanced around, seeing many people become confused and concerned about what Damian just said and it made them worried. Both trainers flung out three poke balls each at once to start. "AND THE BATTLE BEGINS! DAMIAN HAS SENT OUT HONCHKROW, SWAMPERT AND EELEKTROSS WHILE ASH HAS SENT OUT MEGANIUM, DONPHAN AND FERALIGATR! LOOKS LIKE THIS WILL BE ONE HECK OF A BATTLE!"

You have no idea, thought Damian, his smirk still on his face. "Earthquake, Discharge and Fly!" he ordered. Swampert slammed the ground hard with his fists, Eelektross let out several thunderbolts all around him and Honchkrow shot up into the sky, hiding in the sun.

"Defend!" snapped Ash. Meganium, Donphan and Feraligatr took up defensive positions before bringing out protective shields in front of them. The electric bolts hit their shields and while they were blocking that, the tremors reached them and rocked them. Though they were hit hard by two powerful attacks at once, the shields held. When the attacks finished, his pokémon let the shields down. "Good job guys. Now, get ready to counter attack!" and his pokemon readied themselves.

It was at that moment that Honchkrow dived bombed his Meganium. "Forget something Ketchum?" laughed Damian but Ash only crossed his arms in response.

At the last second, Honchkrow was stopped in his tracks. His grass Johto starter had used Vine Whip to catch the large bird in mid flight. Damian's eyes widened, astonished that his pokémon was caught while in the middle of a dive bomb. "Nice try. Our turn. Send him flying, Dig and Aqua Jet!" The grass dinosaur spun the bird around a bit before tossing it back to its side of the field while the armored elephant dug into the ground and the blue crocodile launched himself forward with a stream of water behind him.

Honchkrow slammed into Eelektross and both of them crashed onto the ground. They barely registered that they were on the ground when they were all of sudden bounced back up into the air by Donphan who popped out from the ground underneath them. He disappeared back into the ground again. That was when Feraligatr slammed into the bird and eel, sending them colliding into the stadium wall.

Damian was beyond shocked at the coordination between his opponents and so were the people in the stands. He watched his pokémon stumble, disoriented with a couple bruises and scratches, but alright for the most part. "STAND FIRM AND GET BACK INTO THE FIGHT!" he yelled and then glanced at Ash and his pokémon, who had moved back to their side. The crowd was mostly silent, no one making a sound except for Ash's group. Almost all of them was cheering and encouraging him, happy that he was teaching him a lesson and wiping the floor with him.

Back at the cabin in the Charicific Valley, Sabrina was watching the amazing battle with rapt attention. Mewtwo however was only watching with an unimpressed gaze. He knew Ash and his pokémon, his comrades, could do it. He only watched because he was bored and that Sabrina had to see what he was talking about. A close up appeared on the TV of Ash and Damian a moment later with each face taking up half the screen. "Do you see it?" asked Mewtwo, freezing the image with his powers.

Sabrina glanced at the purple feline before she looked closer at Ash's face. She didn't see anything that would signify that he wasn't concentrating on the match. She was about to tell Mewtwo that he was wrong about what he said when she looked into his eyes. That was when she noticed it. It was hidden, behind his focused gaze but there it was; fear, worry and concern. She felt her heart skip a beat at that.

The bipedal feline noticed her reaction and formed a half smile on his face. "Now that you saw it, what are you going to do?" asked Mewtwo, unfreezing the image and the video continued with the match, having sped up a bit to catch up to the current battle situation thanks to the psychic type. Damian was sending out commands to attack and evade their opponents. They would barely miss their targets on most of their attacks but did manage to land a few hits but they did minimal damage. She stayed quiet for a moment and the feline just chuckled, making the gym leader look at him. "Ash just sent me a mental message asking if I found you yet." She couldn't believe what she just heard. "He's not even worried about the battle. He's worried about you. I told him I'm close. Should I tell him I found you?" he asked, looking at her fully.

Sabrina sighed, not letting her heart get ahead of herself. "Even if it is there, and he is asking about me, how can I be good enough for him? I was a monster before. People are still afraid of me. I have very few friends and I'm barely physically stronger than a child. I've lived a sheltered life mostly and have very little actual world experience, not counting my involvement in missions for the league. How can I ever be worthy enough for him to call me his beloved, let alone his friend? How can I help him in the future against the darkness? He doesn't need me and he's better off without me," she said, hanging her head, depressed and completely sullen.

The legendary's small smile turned into a frown before immediately changing his expression to that of a stoic one. "You know, you remind me a lot of myself," remarked Mewtwo and she glanced at him. He looked at her before turning his gaze back towards the ceiling. "I too used to be a monster. You should remember, you saw the memory. But because of him I changed and for the better. I too have very few close friends. But, I care greatly for each of them, especially Ash. He has given and taught me much and I will forever be grateful to him for that." She smiled a little at that because that sounded just like him; helping others. "But, there are times when he has fallen and that it was only because of his friends or his pokémon or even me that he was able to get back up and do what he had to do. He may be powerful, he may be kind hearted, generous, loyal and much more. But he is also stubborn, naïve, emotional, slightly dense and blind and several other things." Sabrina frowned a bit at that but didn't comment since that was also true. She had noticed that about him. Mewtwo glanced back at her. "Everyone has weaknesses and flaws. No one is perfect and no one can be the best at everything. Not you, not Ash, not even me or Arceus." Sabrina nodded her head a bit, agreeing. "Yet, you are the most powerful human psychic to have ever lived and he is the most powerful Aura Guardian to have ever lived." She looked up at him, wondering where he was going with this. She couldn't read his mind either. "You two are meant for each other. Just like his girlfriends who are with him now. They are meant to be with him and so are you. Each of you is different for a reason as each of you completes a part of him and he completes a part of you. You may never be like them, but you must remember that they will never be like you either," finished up the psychic feline. He understood her position a bit, both having first been known as monsters and having no one until Ash showed them a better path. He hoped his words would make her understand since he had learned to care and feel for others because of the guardian.

Sabrina heard Mewtwo's words and they washed over her, resonating with her. She shook her head as realization dawned upon her. She was being a fool…a scared fool. Liza was right. She was afraid. She was afraid of going after what her heart yearned for because she was afraid of not only rejection but of how he would view her. She thought of how he behaved with her, his words to her these past few days, from the club, to the training, to what he said to her when he found about her injured hands. "He does have feelings for me," said Sabrina suddenly.

"Yes. Yes he does. Like I said, he's a bit slow when it comes to that but he's getting better at it," repeated Mewtwo. "We can go to him now or we can wait till after his match and then we'll surprise him afterwards." Sabrina thought about that a bit before she agreed with the second part. She wanted to compose herself fully and watch the match before going back to him. The two said no more and the two powerful psychics continued to watch the match.

Back at the Indigo stadium, Damian was fuming, becoming angrier with each passing second. No matter what logical strategy he ordered or insane tactic he came up with, his pokémon couldn't damage Ash's pokémon enough. The raven haired guardian kept having his Donphan use Dig to keep all three of his pokémon on edge, using hit and run tactics. His entire side of the field was riddled with holes. Meganium would keep his Swampert distracted with Razor Leafs and Energy Balls to keep him from using any attack to get the elephant to stop. Feraligatr was keeping Honchkrow and Eelektross from being able to attack as well. He prevented the large bird pokémon from getting close with Water Gun blasts and would dodge the electric eel's electricity by hiding behind multiple boulders he had set up over their side of the field by using Rock Tomb.

"I can't believe he can't even get a decent hit in," remarked Leaf in awe.

"So much for making Ash pay," said Misty with a chuckle. "I'm surprised he hasn't called out Charizard to just completely pulverize him," added the red head. The rest nodded at that, laughing since they imagined how it would go; a complete massacre if he had Charizard fight in this match. Perhaps that was the reason he didn't use the powerful dragon.

While almost their entire group was watching the battle with their utmost attention, one from their group was not. Gary was barely watching the match. He knew Ash would win, especially because he was pissed off at Damian. But that's not what his mind was on. His mind was on his ex-girlfriend Ilene. He still couldn't believe that they were done and never getting back together. He glanced at her and saw her gaze glued onto the ongoing battle. He turned his sight away from her and onto the field when he heard the announcer speak. "WOULD YOU LOOK AT THAT FOLKS?! NO MATTER WHAT DAMIAN COMES UP WITH, ASH'S POKÉMON ARE TOO WELL COORDINATED TO LET HIM DO ANYTHING TO GET BACK INTO THE FIGHT! EVEN WITH SOME ATTACKS MAKING CONTACT, THE GUARDIAN'S POKÉMON ARE UNFAZED! IF THIS CONTINUES, THE REFEREE MAY HAVE TO STOP THE MATCH! IF THAT OCCURS, IT WILL BE THE FIRST TIME IN A DECADE THAT HAS HAPPENED!"The crowd, first silent over what they heard Damian say, was now roaring and cheering over the incredible battle. They had completely forgotten about his words over the glorious match that was happening right in front of them.

While the battle was going on, Shamus and Paul were at the stadium, sitting in the front row of the stands behind Damian. A laptop was in Shamus's hands, waiting for the word from their friend to start the next part of their plan to cause Ash agony. He was to broadcast the report they were given by Richard during the match to distract Ash enough so Damian can take advantage and cause the public to turn against him.

The two had gone to the stadium about half an hour early to set up their plan. Before that though, Shamus had spent the better part of the day attempting to hack into the pokémon league network and their broadcasting systems. After trying for a couple of hours and failing, he took a break for a bit, needing to clear his head. He went into his room to get some stress relief from the blonde girl he had picked up the night before. But she wasn't in his room anymore. He was at first confused until he remembered that he had kicked her out after he paid her to have sex with Richard. "Ah fuck. Damn it. That's the last time I throw away my toys before I'm fully done with them." He shook his head and returned back to his laptop to continue his attempts into getting in the system but after he got a beer from the fridge.

While he was doing that, Paul and Damian were speaking with one another nonstop about what pokémon and tactics he should use during the battle. Paul gave Damian every piece of advice and tip he could remember about his most despised person. He had battled him several times and knew of some things that could help his friend out in the battle. He normally wouldn't have done so but he hated Ash more than lowering himself to helping another in his battles. And the other thing was that he respected Damian because he was a powerful trainer and that's all he respected.

It was only when the time had reached 350pm when Shamus was able to finally break into the network and broadcasting systems. He told the two of the success and they quickly finished up their battle plans. Afterwards, the two left Damian in the hotel to go to the stadium and set up shop so they could make sure he would be able to still do it from there.

The transmission of the report was ready to go the instant a button was pressed and the two were waiting for Damian's signal. However, they were completely wide eyed over seeing Ash completely dominating the match. The two looked at one another, both thinking that even with the report being shown during the middle of the battle that Damian might still have trouble winning the match. They turned their gaze back to the one sided battle when one of their friend's pokémon cried out in pain again.

Ash not once uttered a command during the rest of the match, using the bonds with his pokémon and his aura to communicate with them. He was standing straight with his arms crossed, glaring at the blue haired man across the field from him. Pikachu stopped letting out sparks from his cheeks every so often because he had become tired, sitting down on his shoulder. He really was drained from his time with Glaceon and Buneary. But he was wide awake because his eyes were locked onto their opponents. Both of them hated very few things in the world and unfortunately for Damian, he happened to be several of those things. But Ash's entire attention wasn't on the despicable person in front of him or the battle. The raven haired guardian was also thinking about a certain dark haired girl who he was hoping to be found safe and sound soon. He wanted to hold her in his arms and tell her that everything will be fine and how he really felt about her…

On the other side of the field, the blue haired man was losing his cool. His Swampert attempted to hit Donphan with a Water Gun but the elephant rolled out of the way at the last second easily enough. "I'm being fucking toyed with!" grumbled Damian, his words carried out through the speaker system. The announcer told him to watch the language, saying it was a warning but he ignored it. He saw his Honchkrow hover close to him and then look at him with an exhausted expression. "I don't give a shit how tired you are! Get your damn ass back in there and finish them off or you'll be sorry!" Honchkrow flew back into the battle with a scared look on its face. The crowd booed but he didn't care at all. He would beat the annoying little prick if it was the last thing he did. Ash's eyes narrowed and he let out a growl that was heard over the speakers, startling some in the stands. His group glanced at one another, feeling slightly worried that Ash was on edge and they knew it was because of the douche bag trainer in front of him and that Sabrina was gone. Damian's words brought their attention back to the match. "You think I'm scared of you?! Think again! This is only the start! It's time for everyone to know who you really are!" he yelled and Ash's expression remained stoic but inside he became worried. His friends and family had concerned looks appear because they didn't know what Damian meant by that.

Shamus heard Damian and hit the 'Enter' key on his lap top's keyboard. The broadcast showing the battle was taken over and made to shrink to fit only half of whatever screen it was on, be it at the stadium, on TVs at people's homes or on other devices. Another video appeared next to it and began playing. "THIS IS BRITNEY SNOW OF KANTO NEWS…" Everyone who was watching became both surprised and confused as to why a news report would start playing right now in the middle of a match going on in the stadium. They watched with curiosity, turning their gazes back and forth to the battle and then to the screens. Many were asking their friends and families or even random people in the stands that they didn't know about the broadcast. Goodshow was on the phone already in the VIP room trying to contact his communications manager to get this fixed. The Champions in the room had gotten up and moved to the large window, looking for any suspicious signs in the stadium. They didn't want to be caught unawares by an attack again. Lance was even on his Poketch, contacting the guards stationed at entrances and exits to request an update. Steven was also thinking about why a report of hers would show up right now in the middle of the match? However, they all stopped what they were doing when they heard what the reporter said next. "BUT IS THERE MORE TO HIM THAN THIS RIGHTEOUS SIDE? IS HE HIDING A DARKER ASPECT OF HIMSELF?"

Those final two questions made Ash and his family and friends, no matter where they were, to widen their eyes and have a feeling of dread fill them. "Oh no…" whispered May.

"Is she really…" started Lizabeth but couldn't finish.

"She better not…" added Cynthia but went quiet over what the video showed next.

It was photo after photo of what Ash was doing at Club Indigo. It showed him drinking with his friends, dancing with so many different girls and making out with May in the middle of the dance floor. The girls went crimson and clapped their hands to their mouths, embarrassed over their personal lives being shared with the world. The parents and Natasha watching from the hotel were wide eyed, jaws dropped and in disbelief. Mewtwo and Sabrina sat up straight before leaning forward towards the screen, both of them frozen in shock over what was being aired.

Ash lost his concentration, distracted by the report, becoming both stunned and embarrassed. Damian took advantage and had his pokémon attack without mercy now. Ash's pokémon saw him out of it and decided to take things into their own hands while his ever loyal Pikachu tried to snap him out of it to no avail. Thanks to their training though, they were able to keep the battle going and not give them the upper hand. They would finish this match as victors for their trainer and friend. They would not let him lose because of such a cheap tactic to make him lose focus. And they had faced worse things but they made sure to keep abiding by the rules; they wouldn't cause a loss because of disqualification.

The broadcast continued on, not finishing and every single person at the stadium and those watching the match from all over had their eyes glued to the broadcast. "THIS MAY SEEM LIKE NOTHING AND HE'S JUST HAVING A GOOD TIME WITH FRIENDS BUT IT DOESN'T SEEM THAT WAY. HOW MANY FRIENDS DANCE LIKE THIS TOGETHER?" The report showed Ash and the four girls together, when they sandwiched him between them, making the five of them go crimson red. "THAT'S MISTY WATERFLOWER, MAY MAPLE, DAWN BERLITZ AND SERENA YVONNE. ALL CLOSE FRIENDS OF HIM WHO ARE POPULAR ATTRACTIVE GIRLS AND ARE FAMOUS IN THEIR OWN RIGHT. EACH OF THEM WAS SEEN TRAVELING WITH HIM AND JUST LIKE THE GYM LEADER OF CERULEAN, RUMORED TO BE WITH HIM AND IT SEEMS LIKE HE IS WITH ALL OF THEM AT ONCE. LOOKS LIKE HE'S FOLLOWING IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF THE KARATE MASTER OF THE KANTO ELITE FOUR. BUT DOES HE ACTUALLY CARE FOR THEM THOUGH? OR IS HE JUST USING THEM FOR HIS BENEFIT WHILE LEAVING THEIR DESIRES TO ONE SIDE? REMEMBER HOW HE DISAPPEARED FOR THREE YEARS, LEAVING THEM BEHIND? THEY'RE NOT THE ONLY ONES TO FALL TO HIS CHARM THOUGH." The next image shown was of Ash and Sabrina in a close embrace, slow dancing together with their eyes looking into each other's. Sabrina went scarlet at seeing that made public knowledge. Her heart was hammering and she was hoping that her parents weren't watching the tournament right now. Unknown to her, they were watching back home, with amazed looks but were unable to do anything since they were completely surprised from seeing their daughter in such an embrace with the guardian. And on the TV no less. "SABRINA NATSUME, THE PSYCHIC PRODIGY AND GYM LEADER OF SAFFRON CITY. LOOKS LIKE RUMORS OF HER BEING A SHUT IN ARE FALSE." The image changed to Cynthia Shirona and him dancing together, making many people gasp that the famous, beautiful and powerful champion has finally been claimed after years of her rejecting many suitors. "THE CHAMPION OF SINNOH, CYNTHIA SHIRONA AS WELL HAS BEEN CAPTURED BY HIS CHARM AND THAT'S NOT ALL. CLAIR IBUKI, LIZA SIEG, AND GISELLE YUTO ALSO DANCED WITH HIM." The images changed to show the blunette gym leader, the green haired caretaker of the Charicific Valley and the valedictorian of the Pokémon Academy all dancing with him. The girls mentioned went red, embarrassed and angry over their personal lives being made out into the world. Lance even had his jaw drop at seeing how his cousin was dancing with the same man who won Cynthia's heart. Diantha looked at him with a worrying gaze, fearing that he had gone still and silent. Even Alder, Steven and Goodshow glanced at him before looking back at the broadcast when they heard Britney speak again. "SO WHAT YOU SAY? HE DESERVES TO HAVE SOME FUN AFTER SAVING EVERYONE? THAT IT'S NO BIG DEAL? THAT HE HAS EARNED THE RIGHT TO BE WITH SUCH WONDERFUL GIRLS BECAUSE OF WHAT HE'S DONE? THOSE ARE GOOD POINTS, BUT DOES THAT MEAN HE CAN DRINK TILL HE EXPLODES?" The next picture was of him drinking at the counter straight from a bottle. "OR START FIGHTS WITH OTHER PEOPLE?" The next image showed Ash in the middle of throwing Damian away from Leaf. "OR MAKING HIS FIFTH ROUND OPPONENT LEAF GREEN CRY?" The next image showed Leaf in the middle of the dance floor, tears going down her cheeks with Ash in front of her, his mouth open wide with an angry expression, obviously yelling at her.

The people in the stands and everyone in the world watching the broadcast and seeing the images were surprised to see that the tournament savior did such things. Almost all of them were thinking how could he do that? With nobody paying attention to the battle now and Ash being completely distracted and frozen, Damian was able to use some illegal moves that no one noticed him use to finally land hits on Ash's pokémon, causing them to cry out. Ash snapped his attention back to the match and refocused on the battle from his pokémon's cries. He retook control, giving out some orders but his pokémon were now both hurt and tired but they could keep going.

The broadcast continued on. "I WISH THIS WAS IT, BUT THERE IS MORE TO HIM THAT HE WANTS TO KEEP HIDDEN. WE'VE ALL HEARD HIS PLEA FOR HELP FROM THE SKY LIKE A GOD, ASKING FOR OUR ASSITANCE TO SAVE HIS FRIENDS. AND AFTER HE SAVED THE GIRLS, HE FACED THE SKULL BROTHERS. THIS IS WHAT HE DID TO THEM." New pictures and videos were shown of the battlegrounds of his fight with the horrible group. It showed the mangled and charred corpses of the four men and their pokémon, showing the men with limbs bent at odd angles and one was even impaled by a tree branch. It also showed the one with his skull smashed in the cabin. Many people let out cries of horror and disgust over the conditions the bodies were in. His family and friends knew he had killed them and saw the incredible lightning blasts. Even though the images shocked them, seeing what he did to them, they knew that they deserved it. But when they glanced around they saw that many were not showing that they accepted it. This caused them to be become greatly concerned, wondering how they were taking it. "WE EVEN HAVE LIVE FOOTAGE OF HIM EXECUTING THE LEADER OF THE SKULL BROTHERS." A video was then shown of Ash and the leader of the Skull Brothers, Edmond. It didn't show the part regarding Richie though. Instead it started with him holding up the leader from his throat and quickly showed him breaking the skull brothers' bones, slashing at him with his aura sword and then punched him so hard that he went flying into the railings. The video then showed him bring out his aura while moving his lips, talking but no sounds were heard before he fired his Aura Sphere at the man that vaporized him on contact. Almost everyone screamed out and had their eyes widen in shock with many even feeling disgusted over it. Ash was wondering how in the world they recorded that when Lucario took the camera from them. "THERE YOU HAVE IT. EVEN THOUGH THE SKULL BROTHERS WERE CRIMINALS, INSTEAD OF HANDING THEM OVER TO THE LAW, HE TOOK MATTERS INTO HIS OWN HANDS AND RUTHLESSLY KILLED THEM. THIS SO CALLED SAVIOR OF THE TOURNAMENT, THE AURA GUARDIAN ASH KETCHUM, AKA THE BLUE SPIRIT, HAS SHOWN HIS TRUE COLORS AS A SELF-RIGTHEOUS, SELF-PROCLAIMED CHOSEN KNIGHT OF ARCEUS WHO PLAYS WITH GIRLS' HEARTS AND MURDERS THOSE HE DEEMS EVIL WITHOUT EVEN A CHANCE TO PROVE THEMSELVES INNOCENT OR CHANGE THEIR WAYS. WE MUST NOT LET HIS GOOD ACTIONS BLIND US FROM WHAT HE TRULY IS AND WHAT HE IS TRULY CAPABLE OF. I URGE YOU ALL TO THINK ABOUT THESE FACTS AND PLEASE BE CAREFUL WHEN DEALING WITH HIM. THIS IS BRITNEY SNOW OF KANTO NEWS SIGNING OFF." The report ended and the broadcast went back to fully showing just the match now in time for Ash's pokémon to deliver the finishing blow on their opponents, sending them into the stadium wall. They slid down with swirls in their eyes, unconscious...

"Swampert, Eelektross and Honchkrow are unable to battle. Trainer, send out your last pokémon!" said the referee, snapping out of his trance from the video and looking at the arena again. Normally, the crowd would have been cheering, shouting, making some sort of noise at this point but it was dead quiet. Nobody was making a sound, every single one of them thinking about what they just saw on the screens about the Aura Guardian. Ash's friends and family, whether at the stadium or not, were trying to stay calm but were having a hard time doing so. Delia was barely breathing, praying to Arceus that her baby will be alright and Natasha's heart was beating wildly, wondering what they crowd might do to him once they acted. Mewtwo and Sabrina watched the screen with fearful gazes, both of them too astonished to even function at the moment.

Damian returned his three pokémon and unclipped an ultra ball form his belt. "You may think you have this battle in the bag but you're wrong! Now's my chance! You better not lose! Go Dusknoir!" he said as he tossed the ball into the air. "Trick Room!" he ordered. Dusknoir's eye glowed red and the field was covered in a transparent grey force field, twisting the dimensions.

Ash's pokémon began feeling weird, unable to move as quickly as before while their opponent began moving around faster than them. It wasn't good that his pokémon were tired and hurt from Damian taking advantage of the report and using illegal moves either. They were becoming steadily more tired; holding back their power and getting cheap shots landed on them had taxed them more than they thought. And the twisted dimension they were in wasn't helping them either. "Stay focused guys! I know you can do it!" said Ash quickly, sensing his pokémon becoming uncertain of their abilities. His words encouraged his pokémon and they let out loud roars before launching attacks. Meganium launched an Energy Ball, Feraligatr fired an Aqua Pulse and Donphan fired an Ice Shard.

Damian smirked. He was waiting for him to make a mistake and there it was. "You just handed me the match! Psychic!" Dusknoir's eye glowed red once more and all three attacks were outlined with a grayish glow, halting them in their tracks. Ash and his pokémon were stunned at seeing that and so was everyone else. "Now send it back!" yelled Damian. Dusknoir sent the attacks back towards his enemies. The Energy Ball went flying towards Feraligatr, the Ice Shard went cutting through the air towards Meganium and the Aqua Pulse shot towards Donphan.

"DEFEND!" snapped Ash but his pokémon were unable to react in time because of the Trick Room. Each of them was struck by their allies' attack, enhanced by Dusknoir redirecting it and infusing it with the energy from the twisted space around the field. They went flying past him and crashed into the stadium walls, bringing up dust clouds. Ash was shaken and couldn't believe what just happened, motionless in his position and so was Pikachu, his eyes wide. The two and everyone else were waiting to see what happened to his pokémon. The dust clouds finally cleared and showed his pokémon, barely conscious but standing, covered in scratches and bruises. Taking a supercharged hit from their own comrades took a lot more out of them than from their opponents attacks earlier. Somehow, the crowd was still quiet and it was starting to become eerie with all the silence.

"Finish this Dusknoir! End them with Shadow Balls!" ordered Damian, seizing his chance to even the playing field, taking advantage.

"DODGE THEM!" yelled Ash. His pokémon tried to evade but the powerful ghost pokémon moved too quickly for them, aided by the Trick Room. He fired three dark colored balls of ghostly energy that raced through the air and slammed into the three pokémon and exploded, throwing them into the walls again. The three pokémon slid down the walls, unconscious.

"Meganium, Feraligatr and Donphan are unable to battle. Trainer, send out your last pokémon!" said the referee. Ash couldn't believe it. His friends and family couldn't believe it. The Champions and the President of the league couldn't believe it. Even the announcer was too shocked to even comment over the match. Nobody was expecting this to happen. They were waiting to see another incredible match before the young raven haired trainer won. But it wasn't so this time. The guardian's pokémon had lost and he only had one left. It was an even match now.

But Ash was frozen. He was looking at his fallen pokémon, unable to snap out of his trance that his pokémon had been knocked out by some douche bag trainer and it was this particular prick who did that. "Trainer! Send out your last pokémon or you will forfeit the match!" warned the referee. Pikachu patted his friend's head a few times, finally snapping him out of his trance. Ash returned his three pokémon, thanking them for their effort. The poke balls disappeared and he turned around to see Damian with a wild smirk on his face.

The young guardian was about to send out his last pokémon when someone shouted, catching his attention. "I HOPE YOU LOSE MURDERER!" Ash turned his gaze to the girl who shouted, who was leaning against the rails, her expression that of disgust. Ash's friends and family saw the pained look form on his face and they felt it but didn't know what to do.

Ash felt like he was stabbed, not believing what she just called him. "I'm not…" started Ash but was caught off by someone else shouting now.

"DON'T LIE!" he turned his gaze to see a middle aged man standing in another part of the stadium. "WE SAW THE PICTURES AND VIDEO HEART BREAKER!"

Ash felt his heart start thumping loudly and quickly. "That's not showing everything and you got it all wrong!" replied Ash. "There are things you don't…"

"WE SAW ALL WE NEED TO KNOW!" yelled another from the stands and Ash turned his gaze to a woman holding a child in her arms with her husband standing beside her, giving him an obscene gesture with his hand.

The raven haired trainer started shaking, sensing many hostile emotions spike up around him from the crowd. "Please let me explain…" pleaded Ash but was interrupted.

"YOU DON'T NEED TO! THEY SAW THE TRUTH!" shouted Damian, making everyone in the stands and Ash to look at him. "YOU STOLE MY CHARMANDER FROM ME! YOU STOLE PAUL'S CHIMCHAR AND SHAMUS'S TEPIG FROM THEM AS WELL! YOU PREVENTED ME FROM GETTING WITH AN INCREDIBLE GIRL FOR YOUR OWN SELFISH DESIRES AND THEN MADE HER CRY! YOU MURDER PEOPLE JUST BECAUSE YOU DON'T LIKE THEM AND YOU PLAY WITH GIRLS' HEARTS! YOU ARE NOT WORTHY OF BEING IN THIS GRAND STADIUM! YOU WILL PAY FOR EVERYTHING THAT YOU'VE DONE! I WILL TEACH YOU A LESSON!" yelled Damian and many from the crowd started making noise. They were insulting and booing Ash while cheering and encouraging Damian. More and more joined in until half the stadium was rooting for Damian, wanting him to end Ash for his crimes and sins.

"DA-MI-AN! DA-MI-AN! DA-MI-AN!" chanted the crowd.

"KEEP HIM FROM EVER PLAYING WITH A GIRL'S HEART!"

"TEACH THIS MURDERER A LESSON!"

"MAKE SURE HE NEVER HURTS ANYONE ELSE!"

"STOP HIS THIEVING WAYS!"

"MAKE HIM UNDERSTAND THAT WE CAN'T BE FOOLED BY ONE ACT OF HIM SAVING US!"

Many people from the crowd who started supporting Damian began throwing items at the raven haired trainer. Ash covered himself up the best he could but was still bombarded by half eaten food, soda cans and other things. He was unable to move away, stuck where he was standing from all the insults and items thrown at him and how the people turned against him so easily. He was shaking even worse in his spot, sensing the incredible feelings of hate from the crowd. Never before had he felt so alone, so hated, so despised that he couldn't function. Paul and Shamus glanced at one another and let evil grins form on their faces while Damian felt child like glee but kept it hidden inside, his expression still that of seriousness. The three were feeling incredibly pleased with themselves, watching their most hated person have his world come crashing down thanks to their plan...