The Quarter Finals 2...

Chapter 45.5 - The Quarter Finals 2...

"STOP IT!"

"ASH!"

"GET OUT OF THERE!"

"LEAVE HIM ALONE!"

Almost everyone from Ash's group in the stands was trying to do something to help. They were standing and some were at the rails, shouting for him to get out of there. The others were trying to prevent the ones near them who took up Damian's side from throwing more things at their friend and beloved, causing them to get into a few fights themselves. Max and Bonnie wanted to help in some way but were scared themselves.

In the VIP room, Lance, Alder, Diantha, Steven and Goodshow were contacting every single member of the league security to come into the stadium to prevent a riot if it comes to it. At the hotel, Delia was crying and screaming, with Johanna and Grace in the room now as well, hugging her and doing their absolute best to comfort her while she prayed for Arceus to get her baby out of there. Natasha, barely having composed herself a little from her horrible experience, was breaking down again, crying, having many thoughts race past in her mind, fearing for savior's safety. Norman, Caroline and Oak were still in the living room, completely out of it and not knowing what to do to at all. Sabrina was feeling as if her heart was going to pop out of her chest, seeing Ash in the middle of a stadium with half of the spectators angry at him. Mewtwo tried communicating with Ash, asking him what he wanted to do but wasn't getting a response since he was too dazed to reply back to him.

Ash's group was unsuccessful in stopping the now frenzied and emotional spectators. Some people in the crowd who still believed in the guardian were trying to calm things down as well. Even though they tried to, they were unable to make the angered spectators see reason and got into a few fights themselves around the stands. "Oh my Mew!" exclaimed Lucy, watching fights spring up around them while her boyfriend Brock get shoved away from a man he prevented throwing another item at his brother.

"This isn't good…" commented Giselle sadly, covering her scratched arm that was slightly bleeding while looking around the stands. She was cut from glass shards flying all over the place when a thrown bottle from nowhere shattered against the railings next to her, Clair and Liza, who were also sporting their own minor injuries.

"We need to get him out of here. Now," advised Daisy Waterflower, seeing Ash rooted to his spot and unable to move while still receiving insults and thrown items. She wanted to protect him but didn't know what to do. She watched Pikachu zap a few of the thrown items away from him before Violet made her duck her head to avoid another thrown item.

"Before the crowd goes even madder," added Cynthia, pushing away someone who stumbled onto her.

But before they could do or say anything, Damian ordered his Dusknoir to attack and the ghost pokémon vanished from sight. "When did Ash send out a pokémon?" asked Max, looking around to see where it could be.

"He didn't!" cried out Bonnie, making them all gasp, figuring out Damian's intention.

Dusknoir reappeared in front of Ash, its hand swirling with dark energy, about to deliver a Shadow Punch. Ash was still lost from the people completely turning on him and didn't realize what was happening until the last second. Pikachu made to counter the attack but the twisted dimensions were still active, allowing Dusknoir to move faster than the two. Ash received the surprise attack in the chest and went flying into the stadium wall with Pikachu being thrown from his shoulder to the ground. He slid down the wall and landed into an unconscious heap on the ground, knocked out from his head hitting the wall. The crowd stopped their shouting and fighting, going silent immediately after seeing him struck down.

"ASH!" / "NOOO!" cried out his friends and family with each and every one of them filled with fright, shaking tremendously, whether at the stadium, the hotel or at Liza's cabin.

Pikachu grumbled a bit before getting up and shaking his head. He looked around and saw his friend lying on the ground, not moving. He shot to him. "Pikapi?" He shook him a bit but Ash didn't move. "PIKAPI!" shouted Pikachu and started shaking him harder but he still didn't wake up. Pikachu eyes watered, sadness filling him. He soon felt others kneeling beside him who were his eight girlfriends but the electric mouse kept his gaze on his friend. They had jumped down into the stadium and ran to him, their hearts beating wildly, unable to control the whirlwind of emotions they were feeling after seeing him get struck down by the ghost pokemon.

"Ash?"

"Please wake up."

"Please be alright."

Seeing the girls kneeling around the unconscious man made the stadium half that wasn't cheering for Damian or booing Ash to get up and get closer to the railings. Some of them were shouting for him to get back up while others were asking if he was alright. Others were commenting to one other that the report was true and that the young guardian was with several girls at once, since they were there checking on him. Some were utterly surprised to see the Champion Cynthia there, along with Leaf because of the images shown. Ash's group who stayed in the stands were leaning against the railings though and each of them were feeling a whirlwind of emotions inside them. The other girls who were hiding their feelings for the raven haired guardian were completely frozen in their spots, not knowing what to do.

The eight girls by Ash's side were doing their absolute best to wake him up but he was out cold. They could see a little bit of blood trickling out from the back of his head. Their minds went straight to the worst but Cynthia quickly pulled herself together and checked to see if he was breathing by placing her right index finger in front of his nostrils. She tensed up for a second, not feeling anything but then felt very weak air being blown over her finger. She looked at the other seven girls and gave them a reassuring look. They let out a collective sigh of relief over that before each one of them quickly became angry. "Damian Daisuke!" shouted Cynthia loudly. She stood up and whirled around, fury etched on her face. "As one of the Pokémon League's officials, Champion of Sinnoh, you are hereby disqualified for attacking another trainer with your pokémon!" Oh how I wish I can destroy you now! She wanted to have her Garchomp tear him apart right then but was controlling her anger for the moment. Many spectators and viewers, including her fellow champions in the VIP room, felt shivers go down their spines at her look of rage. It was a rare thing to see the normally calm and carefree Champion become so furious. Her sisters wanted to hurt him too but decided to let the Champion unleash her wrath while they tended to their beloved.

Damian was astounded that the Champion of Sinnoh would defend him. He didn't believe they were actually together but it seemed to be that she was. If she's with him, than that means she isn't strong! "Screw you Cynthia! You can't do that to me! Dusknoir was aiming for Pikachu! It's not my fault Ash was in the way!" shouted Damian defiantly, lying about what he did. "You think I'm going to let someone whose been brainwashed by him to follow his every word and to let him have his way with her to kick me out of the tournament?! He deserved that and much more after what he's done!" countered Damian. "I've done nothing wrong! He got in the way and as a result, I made a man who is a thief, a heart breaker and murderer to pay!" Some of the people in the stands murmured about that between themselves while others shouted out that they agreed and have Damian's back.

"You will pay for this!" shouted Cynthia, unclipping Garchomp's poke ball but then stopped. A sudden yellow glow caught her and everyone else's attention. They turned to see what it was and they all took in a sharp breath at the sight of what it was.

Pikachu was hunched over, his eyes narrowed at Damian and Dusknoir with his body glowing yellow. His cheeks were shooting out much larger sparks than usual. "Piiii…" growled Pikachu darkly, making many in the stands to feel shivers go down their backs. He moved to be in the field on Ash's side, signifying him as Ash's final pokémon for the battle.

"Pikachu?" asked several of the girls there in worried tones but the electric mouse did not respond. Instead, several streaks of electricity shot up from him and arced around him, scaring and surprising many.

"Dusknoir, end this with a Shadow Ball!" commanded Damian. His ghost pokémon fired the attack at the electric mouse. It hit the mouse and exploded but when the dust settled, he was still standing. He had some scratches but it looked like Pikachu wasn't even feeling them and even took a few steps forward. "No way! Again!" Dusknoir fired again but at the last second, Pikachu vanished from sight and reappeared in the middle of the field, the attack hitting the ground instead. "What the…Shadow Ball again!" But again Pikachu dodged. "How?! He shouldn't be faster…oh shit!" That was when Damian noticed that the Trick Room had worn off. "Dusknoir! Use Trick Room again!" Dusknoir's eye glowed red and was just about to twist the dimensions again but a wicked Thunderbolt lighted him up. "DAMN IT!" cried out Damian, seeing his final pokémon unable to get the field move done. "Use Shadow Punch!" Dusknoir vanished from sight, escaping from the electric attack. He reappeared behind Pikachu and shot his fist forward but was intercepted with an Iron Tail infused with electricity from the mouse.

"Impossible!"

"No way!"

"How did he do that?!"

The crowd was astounded in seeing a Shadow Punch intercepted. It shouldn't be possible. Even Ash's group and the VIP persons had their jaws drop. Pikachu narrowed his eyes even more, letting out more electricity. The stray bolts hit the ghost pokémon and made him wince. "Piii…" growled Pikachu again. He pushed Dusknoir away with his tail and vanished from sight once more.

The blue haired man couldn't believe what was happening, seeing his chance for victory slipping through his fingers like water seeping through a cup's cracks. "WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?!" shouted out Damian in frustration.

Pikachu reappeared behind Dusknoir and hit him with his tail covered in a metallic sheen cackling with electricity, making the large ghost pokémon go sailing through the air. But he wasn't done yet. Pikachu vanished again and reappeared in Dusknoir's path, hitting him again and sending him flying back the other way. The electric mouse kept this up, making his victim go around the field like a pinball, using an Agility and electric Iron Tail combo. He did that a couple more times before sending him flying high up into the air. The yellow mouse stopped right underneath Dusknoir who was still climbing higher up into the air, his cheeks sparking out a great amount of electricity. "PIKAAA…CHUUUUUUUU!" A large column of electricity shot down from the sky and slammed into the ghost pokémon, lighting him up like a Christmas tree. The ghost writhed around, letting out high pitched shrieks of agony for a moment, making numerous people shut their ears before the attack finally ended. Dusknoir fell from the sky and crashed into the ground, bringing up a large dust cloud. The cloud cleared up a moment later and showed a severely weakened Dusknoir barely standing up. The only reasons why said pokémon was still conscious was because of his incredible natural defenses and that Pikachu had only gathered a little bit of extra energy from the air with his quick charge to give him a boost since he was tired out from his time with Glaceon and Buneary.

"Dusknoir! Pulverize that rat or you will suffer for your lack of determination!" shouted Damian, losing his cool and some of the people in the stands noticed. His ghost pokémon attempted to launch a Will-O-Wisp but couldn't gather the energy needed for it. Damian saw Pikachu engulf itself in electricity and shoot towards his pokémon, using Volt Tackle. If I'm going down, I'm taking you with me! "Destiny Bond!" shouted Damian. Dusknoir's eye glowed red the instant the electric train that was Pikachu slammed into him, causing a large explosion that brought up smoke over the entire field. The girls covered Ash's body with their own while turning their gaze away from the smoke and dust.

"GOOD LORD!" shouted the announcer. He seemed to have finally recovered to comment on what was going on in the arena. "WHAT AMAZING POWER AND SKILL FROM PIKACHU! WAS DUSKNOIR ABLE TO CONNECT THE DESTINY BOND BEFORE THAT EXPLOSION?" His words made everyone wait impatiently, wanting to see what the outcome was. The smoke finally cleared after a while. They saw Pikachu and Dusknoir both out for the count. The Destiny Bond was made in time.

"Pikachu and Dusknoir are both unable to battle. This match is a draw. This would necessitate a sudden death one on one match. However, because the red trainer used the prohibited move of 'Destiny Bond' when there are only two pokémon left and attacked the green trainer directly and purposely with his pokémon, he has broken the rules. As stated before by the Sinnoh Champion, Cynthia Shirona, because of your actions Damian Daisuke, you are disqualified and have lost the match. The winner of the match is Ash Ketchum by default," said the referee, raising the green flag.

"WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU MEAN YOU COCK SUCKER?! I WON THAT MATCH!" shouted Damian, fuming but the referee ignored him.

Several league officials came into the field finally from the trainer entrance behind the blue haired trainer and went to Damian to restrain him. The crowd had gone hostile over what happened. They were shouting, screaming and yelling. Some of them even got into a few fights, pushing and hitting each other. Half of them wanted Damian to advance while the other half wanted him to be arrested for hurting the Aura Guardian. The remaining ones of Ash's group tried to calm the ones near them in the stands but also got into a few fights themselves.

A bright white light flashed in the field that drew everyone's attention while someone shouted out a command. "TORTERRA! RAZOR LEAF!" A large green and brown turtle pokémon appeared in front of Damian and shot dozens of sharp leaves towards the officials. The attack cut many of them, sending them down onto the ground, groaning in pain. The others took cover and drew their poke balls to send out their pokémon but were unable to because of the still flying leaves at them.

"EMBOAR! ROAST THAT RAT! FIRE BLAST!" Another bright white light flashed in the field. A large red and black bipedal fire pig appeared and began inhaling a large amount of air before spewing out a large five pointed fire attack at the fainted mouse. The powerful fire attack drew everyone's attention and time seemed to slow down as the scorching flames got closer and closer to the unconscious yellow pokémon. Right before the flames engulfed its victim, something came in front of Pikachu and took the attack for it, drawing up smoke. "What the…" started Shamus but was silenced by a menacing growl coming from inside the smoke.

The smoke cleared to show a large and long blue and yellow serpent pokémon coiled in front of Pikachu. Misty's Gyarados had taken the hit for him. The atrocious pokémon straightened out, lifting its angry gaze high above him, uncoiling itself while revealing his red haired trainer who was standing behind him. She was cradling the electric mouse in her arm with a livid expression on her face. The tyrant of the sea drew its head back before bellowing out a loud roar. It was so loud that it made everyone close their ears. When the roar finished, an angry voice was heard from the red haired mermaid. "HOW DARE YOU ATTACK THE LOVE OF MY LIFE AND HIS POKÉMON LIKE THIS!" screamed Misty, shaking with fury. Her admittance to loving the young man made many gasp and some to even comment that they knew it. Her death glare at Paul, Damian and Shamus made the three take a step back and many in the stadium gulped at her furious demeanor.

The three however quickly composed themselves and brought out several poke balls. "FUCK YOU TRAMP! YOU'LL GET THE SAME TREATMENT!" shouted Damian before the three tossed out all of their poke balls into the air and had their pokémon take up a battle positions. "HE DESERVED THAT AND YOU'LL GET IT TOO!"

"YOU'LL PAY FOR INSULTING HER AND FOR HURTING ASH!" shouted Leaf, catching his and everyone's attention. They turned to her in time to see her and the rest of the girls toss out a poke ball each and had one of their most powerful pokémon take up battle positions. Garchomp, Blaziken, Togekiss, Delphox, Venusaur, Metagross and Tyranitar appeared beside Misty's Gyarados. Each of the pokémon were feeling their trainers' angered state, growling loudly at their opponents.

Seeing this happen, the elegantly dressed champion turned to his fellow champions. "Shouldn't we stop this?" asked Steven to the others in the VIP room.

Alder shook his head. "Are you really going to try and stop pissed off girls?" he asked and Steven shook his head, saying he has a good point.

Lance however wanted to intervene but Diantha grasped his hand when he made to unclip his Dragonite's poke ball. He looked at her and she shook her head slightly. "Let them handle it and one of us is there. She knows what to do," she advised. Lance thought about it for a few seconds before agreeing. She smiled at him. "You're doing the right thing." He sighed and nodded slightly before returning his attention to the arena.

Paul, Shamus and Damian glanced at one another, not expecting them to fight back, especially Cynthia. Regardless, they nodded and were just about to order their pokémon to attack when more flashes of white light were noticed in the field. The three men and the eight girls turned to see who was responsible for it.

Clair, Liza, Lizabeth, Shauna, Giselle and Daisy Waterflower had jumped into the field as well and sent out their pokémon who lined up on one side of the field. Kingdra, Charizard, Gorebyss, Medicham, Marowak and Dewgong were eying their foes with angry expressions on their faces, mirroring their trainers. The six girls didn't care at that point whether or not their crush on Ash was found out. All they wanted to do was punish the three for hurting the man they fell for and to help out their friends and family. The eight girls were surprised to see them there as well for a split second but quickly pushed it aside and felt much appreciation for the reinforcements.

The stadium had gone eerily silent once more, anxious to see what was going to happen. The three disrespectful trainers were glaring and growling at the two groups of pissed off girls with their large group of pokémon in front of them doing the same. They would not lose to a bunch of girls. The battle between the three and the girls was about to commence between them when all of a sudden…

"ENOUGH!" Everyone in the stadium froze after hearing the loud voice. They then noticed a pink glow above the stadium and after concentrating on it for a little bit, they saw that it was the psychic prodigy and gym leader of Saffron City, Sabrina Natsume. She was levitating in the air, her eyes glowing blue with a pink glow around her, wearing her trademark red outfit. Her hair was floating and a rage filled expression was on her face. Her friends were looking up at her with awe while everyone else was becoming frightened at what they were seeing.

Before Sabrina appeared at the stadium, she was at Liza's cabin still with Mewtwo. Both of them were horrified at first at what happened to Ash. They were transfixed by it, unable to process what had happened and what was continuing to happen at first. Mewtwo snapped out of it when Misty had her Gyarados take the attack for his comrade Pikachu and became angry with his eyes glowing blue. He wanted to teleport to his friend's side and completely wipe the floor with the three assholes. But then he sensed a great power next to him and his attention shifted to that.

Sabrina was shaking from the incredible fury that was filing her, the pink glow around her shining very brightly. She levitated up into the air in the cabin. "Those bastards will pay for this!" she screamed, attempting to teleport to the stadium at once but was unable to. "Let me go Mewtwo!" roared Sabrina, turning her angry gaze to the psychic feline. "I will not stand by idly and watch them hurt the only man I will ever love and sully his name!"

Seeing her in such a state made the purple feline realize something. They couldn't just go and decimate them as that would cause more problems. Mewtwo levitated off the couch as well and looked at her. "We will go together but you must control yourself. I am beyond furious but we must not act in such a way to cause more anguish to him. And you know as well as I do that he would not want you to do anything too rashly." It took a moment for that to sink in but Sabrina nodded and the two teleported to the stadium.

The dark haired psychic beauty was glaring at everyone in the stadium. Nobody dared move, seeing her in a pink sphere of energy. They had never seen her so angry and some were thinking of the rumors of her being a monster were true. "You have shamed yourselves!" yelled Sabrina, her voice loud and echoing. Her pink glow brightened and sent out a wave of psychic energy over the stadium that made everyone except her group of friends to flinch. "You have turned your backs on your savior over a half truth report and aren't even giving him a chance to explain! You call yourselves decent human beings?! You're acting like rabid animals!"

"Who are you to tell us what we are doing is right or wrong?!" shouted one of the spectators in the arena and Sabrina turned her gaze to him. "You're on his side! You're one of his whores! Why should we even listen to you?! You've been brainwashed by him!" he shouted with several people voicing their agreement with his words.

The dark haired girl's eyes narrowed at him, making him gulp. "Apparently you are the one who's been brainwashed! You have forgotten that I am Sabrina Natsume! No one can alter my mind and I am no whore you foul mouthed man! And you have forgotten that Ash Ketchum risked his life to save you all from the stadium attack! That he is an Aura Guardian! He cannot be one if his heart was impure!" The man who shouted was silenced from humiliation and fear. "Have you forgotten that the Skull Brothers were one of the most wanted dangerous criminals in the world? That they have killed, raped, stolen and much more?! An Aura Guardian's job is to keep balance in the world but also to deal justice in the name of Arceus since they are his Knights!" The people in the stadium started second guessing their actions over what they heard from the broadcast. They glanced around, looking at the people they were arguing or fighting with, some of whom were hurt and bleeding. Some of them showed guilty looks while other's looked confused. But many of them were still unconvinced. "You have allowed yourselves to be easily swayed by another and instead of thinking for yourselves, allowing their words to control your actions and thoughts!"

"Will you shut the fuck up you damn bitch?!" shouted Damian and Sabrina looked at him. "He stole my Charmander from me! He stole Paul's Chimchar and Shamus's Tepig from him!"

"Is that so?" asked Sabrina, still floating in the air. "Then perhaps you can prove that."

"I don't need to prove anything!" spat Damian, with spit flying out of his mouth. "I said it happened and that's that!"

"He's right! Ash has wronged us and he deserves to be punished for it!" added Paul.

"He is no better than the Skull Brothers!" shouted Shamus.

"Then let us see the truth!" shouted Sabrina and her eyes glowed a brighter blue. Damian, Paul and Shamus were outlined in pink glows before three large blue spheres appeared above their heads. The stadium crowd and everyone else back home gasped but most of Sabrina's friends knew what she was doing. She was bringing out their memories. "Let us see your proof from your memories!" The three blue spheres cleared up and showed images.

Damian's memory sphere showed him training Charmander without taking a break, yelling and shouting at him. He then had him battle in a weakened condition and he lost against a much stronger pokemon. He got angry at the fire type and told him to stay on top of a boulder, saying he'll come back for him. It showed him walk a long distance away before stopping at a pokémon center and met up with his friends. He then bragged about his other pokémon and when they asked him about his Charmander, he told them he lied to him and said he'll come back for him later but wasn't intending to do so. He then stated that he might die from the coming rainstorm and hoped that would happen. The rest of his memory showed Ash, Brock and Misty scolding him for his actions before he tried to get Charmander back by lying to him after seeing him toughened up. But when the fire type refused, he tried to attack him but the orange lizard fought back and sent him running away, crying for his mommy.

Paul's memory sphere showed him training his Chimchar. Or more accurately, abusing him. He had his other pokémon launch their strongest attacks on him, to make him learn how to dodge and gain resistance but the inexperienced fire type couldn't do it. He had his pokémon beat the small fire monkey to within an inch of his life. Seeing him not able to get back up, he called him weak and released him by crushing his poke ball but not before Ash, Brock and Dawn scolded him for his actions. He then told Ash he could have the pokémon because they were both weak before leaving the area.

Shamus's memory sphere showed him with Tepig trying to train him to get stronger with his Emboar but the fire pig was having issues. Shamus decided to release him, lying to him that it's for the best but he kept coming back to him. After several times of telling him to leave, he got fed up and tied him up against a lamp post and walked away. It then showed him battling against Ash Ketchum in a double battle with his old pokémon. Tepig didn't want to battle against Shamus, thinking he still cared for him. That was when Shamus revealed the truth, saying that he only says that so the pokémon will think he cares but he actually doesn't. After losing the match to Ash, he told Tepig, who had evolved into a Pignite, that he was just kidding and should come with him since he couldn't forget him but was instead met with a Flamethrower to his head, making his hair catch on fire.

Everyone watching their memory spheres was appalled at what they had done. They couldn't believe what they did to those poor pokémon and that they fell for their claim of having their pokémon stolen. After seeing the memories, the blue spheres vanished and the pink glow around the three disappeared. "Thank you for the proof. It looks like Ash did take your pokémon from you," started Sabrina. "But it was because you didn't want them anymore and you were mistreating them! And the pokémon chose him, not you and you're feeling bitter because of it! You will pay for your crimes against pokémon and for hurting the man I love!" yelled out Sabrina as a psychic wave of energy exploded from her again but this time towards the three and their pokémon. They were thrown off their feet and landed hard onto the ground. Sabrina's final sentence and action shocked the crowd and everyone watching had their eyes widen from that, including her friends. She sent out her Alakazam who instantly took up a battle position the second he appeared beside the other girls' pokémon.

The three and their pokémon stood back up, shaking with rage at their humiliation. "Screw you Sabrina! I won't let you get away with showing my memories and ruining my plan for revenge! You think we're scared of you?! We'll defeat you and make you do as we want!" shouted Damian.

"You can't take us all on your own no matter how powerful you are!" said Paul.

"We're going to defeat you all! We swear it!" finished Shamus. The three glared at the psychic and the girls who glared back at them with furious looks. "Attack!" shouted the three at once and their pokémon launched themselves towards the girls' pokémon who sprinted forward. The pokémon slammed into each other and started battling ruthlessly with their trainers giving out commands. Everyone watching the confrontation was flabbergasted as to what the final eight round match up turned into. They were viewing the chaotic battle with unblinking eyes and unable to make a sound.

When Sabrina first appeared, Mewtwo had hid up in the clouds just like during the stadium attack. He wanted to make an appearance and tear them apart himself or at least crush their minds. But he didn't because he knew his friend wouldn't have wanted that. Instead, he assisted Sabrina in bringing out the three's memories. When the memory spheres were formed and everyone's attention was on it, the psychic feline teleported to his friend's side while invisible and attempted to wake him back up by diving into his mind.

When Ash hit his head against the stadium wall he blacked out, going unconscious. He saw only darkness until a bright white light appeared, blinding him. It slowly dimmed down until he was able to open his eyes and he found himself back at the pyramid like temple. He was wondering why he was there until he heard the soft angelic female voice again. "Your choice…you will have to choose soon…"

"Can you stop saying that?!" asked Ash with annoyance.

"Your choice…will either improve your odds or stack them against you…"

"What do you mean by that?" he asked.

"Ragnarok…is too powerful…"

"You know who or what Ragnarok is?!" he asked.

"Yes…" answered the voice.

"Then tell me who or what he is! Tell me how to find him, how to defeat him and I'll be able to save everyone!" pleaded Ash.

"Ash! Wake up damn it!" Mewtwo's voice was suddenly heard as it echoed around the area.

"Mewtwo?" Ash glanced around, wondering where he is.

"He is not here," informed the voice. "And he cannot come here."

"Why not?! Where am I?! Who are you?!"

"ASH! WAKE UP! THE GIRLS NEED YOU!"

He heard Mewtwo's angry and concerned tone of voice and felt fear fill him. "I have to go back! Let me go back!" shouted Ash.

"Your beloved is fine for the moment," said the voice as a third golden mirror appeared.

"How do you know?" asked Ash as he moved towards the third mirror. "And what do you mean by 'beloved'? I have more than one girlfriend that I love with all my heart," clarified Ash. The mirror glowed before showing what was happening in the stadium. Ash saw his girlfriends and the other girls battling together against the three. They were not going easy at all on them and Ash saw the enraged expressions on the girls' faces. Note to self…never piss off the girls.

The girls were kicking the asses of the three men, knocking out their pokémon with ease, their skill and power quickly shown. Even though they were outnumbered, they were working together to take them down. It also helped that each of them was powerful in their own right. There were four gym leaders, one Champion, two top coordinators, a pokémon performer, a Charizard expert, five strong trainers and a Battle Frontier Brain among the group of girls. Soon enough, they had knocked out the final pokémon, which was Paul's Torterra. None of the girls lost a pokémon in their group. Sabrina floated down to stand among her friends but her pink glow was still visible.

"No fucking way!" fumed Paul.

"You must have cheated!" accused Shamus.

"You'll regret this!" shouted Damian.

"Don't hold your breath," replied Sabrina coldly and made the three of them drop to their hands and knees with her psychic powers. "As gym leader of Saffron City, I'm placing you three under arrest. Take them," ordered Sabrina to the league officials. The officials moved out from behind cover to the three men and took out handcuffs while the others tended to the wounded. Seeing them pacified, Sabrina stopped using her powers and her eyes returned to their pink color and the pink glow around her faded away. She returned her Alakazam and so did the other girls with their pokémon.

The girls went up to her and thanked her for her help and said they were glad that she came back. She thanked them for their kind words and they turned around to go towards Ash, seeing him still on the ground. Sabrina sensed something beside him, realizing it was Mewtwo and thought he was probably just guarding him or trying to wake him up. She was about to try to contact the psychic feline mentally when she heard shouts and yelling. She and the girls whirled around and saw Damian, Paul and Shamus making a break for it, running towards the trainer's tunnel with the officials on the ground groaning in pain. "Where do you think you're going?!" she growled as her eyes glowed blue. The three had pink glows outline them before being forced to stop. They tried to resist her psychic power, gritting their teeth and struggling as much as they could. But it was no use. "You can't run from this! You will go to jail for your actions!" shouted Sabrina from her position.

"That's what you think you slut!" replied back Shamus through gritted teeth.

"It's either us or them you bitch," threatened Paul.

"Did you honestly believe we wouldn't have a backup plan?!" asked Damian.

"What are you talking about?!" asked Sabrina, worried and so was everyone else.

She was just about to read their minds when they cut her off. "EXPLOSION!" shouted the three, focusing all of their willpower to yell it out.

Three poke balls opened in flashes of white light on the field. They had left them there when they were made to kneel and then freed from the psychic grip with no one noticing it since everyone was lost in their emotions. Electrode, Muk and Weezing appeared before each of them glowed a bright white, getting ready to self destruct. Everyone had their eyes widen and many terrified screams and shouts were heard. No one could believe what the three were willing to do to get what they wanted. Seeing what they had planned angered Sabrina and she slammed the three against the wall with her powers, knocking them out. She was about to teleport the three pokémon away from the stadium when they let out the powerful energies from within before exploding in close proximity to the girls and the pokémon league officials.

"NOOOO!" shouted Ash, as he grabbed onto the golden mirror with fear and rage whirling around inside him while stuck at the temple.

Time seemed to stand still for a split second after the explosion occurred but before it made its way towards everyone with each person thinking many different things. The girls thought that they had failed their beloved and each of them couldn't think of what to do. They couldn't out run it since they were so close to the pokémon. All they could do was close their eyes and wait for the blast to take them. They could feel the heat from it, making them sweat. They knew that the powerful force of it would gravely hurt them if not kill them. Mewtwo reacted too late to stop the explosions himself or to teleport them out of the way since he was preoccupied in trying to enter Ash's mind and get him to wake up. Their friends and family thought that they would see them being killed in front of them. The people in the stands were thinking how did things come to be this way. The Champions and President were livid at what was occurring in front of their eyes and how they were unable to help. The parents and Natasha in the hotel were left in teary states, their eyes glued onto the screens with their mouths left open after letting out screams of fear and shock.

The girls waited for it to reach them as they heard the screaming and shouting continue from the people in the stands. A few seconds passed with the screaming and shouting dying down but they didn't notice anything else. They thought they should have been engulfed by now by the devastating energy. Each of them opened their eyes and they saw a sight that made them gasp.

The psychic prodigy was standing in front of the blast, her pink glow around her with her hands stretched out in front of her. A pink barrier was formed around the blasts. She had contained the explosions and was keeping them from expanding and hurting anyone. They couldn't believe what they were seeing and neither could anyone else.

Ash was feeling like his heart was going to pop out of his chest and he was trembling with fear over what could happen. "Please let me go! I need to go help her! Help them! I can't lose them! I love them! Please!" begged Ash, unable to look away from what the golden mirror was showing.

"You are mistaken," said the voice while he continued looking into the mirror. "They will be fine. And there is no them. The girls who are with you now are all just…"

"ASH! WAKE THE FUCK UP!" Mewtwo's echoed shout cut off the voice's words.

The young guardian composed himself, tearing his gaze away from the mirror and looked around for a way out with rage filling him. "You're wrong! I don't care what you have to say! Let me go! I need to go and help them! I cannot let them get hurt! I love them! And I will not let you keep me from saving them!" roared Ash and his eyes glowed a bright blue…

Sabrina was concentrating all of her power to contain the swirling white energy released from the three pokémon. She began struggling a bit until she felt an incredible power start assisting her in containing the explosions, helping her steady the shield.

NO MEWTWO! DO NOT HELP ME!

Though he was still invisible by the young guardian's side, he had a shocked expression form on his face. Why?

Because…I messed up! I need to fix it! I have to do this!

Understanding her, the legendary pokémon stopped assisting her and the full pressure of containing the blasts hit her hard but she maintained it for the moment. She couldn't believe what the three chose to do. It angered her so much that she was starting to have difficulty keeping her focus on containing the blast, causing her pink glow around her to flicker. Her friends screamed in fright and shouted encouragement seeing her struggle. Sabrina felt her heart beating wildly, fearing that she would let them down. She couldn't let them get hurt and so refocused on the task at hand. I will not let anything happen to them! And I will prove to everyone right now how strong I am! Her eyes narrowed before the blue glow in them brightened strongly and she made the barrier stronger. The pink glow of the barrier became so bright that many had to shield their eyes from it.

After containing the white blasts in her pink shield, she maintained it as the powerful energy whirled around within it. After a moment, the energy began slowing down and the white glow began fading away. Sabrina could feel her body and mind screaming in protest over what she was doing. A little bit of blood began trickling out from her nose but she didn't stop. The white energy dome inside the pink barrier was shrinking as it used up the energy from within. It kept becoming smaller and smaller until finally there was nothing left inside the shield except for the three fainted pokémon who had self destructed following their trainers' orders. Seeing the explosions finally gone and no more danger present, Sabrina relaxed. Her eyes returned to their pink color as the barrier and the glow around her faded away. She dropped her arms before falling backwards with her eyes closed, unable to keep herself standing because she used so much of her power.

But she never reached the ground. The dark haired psychic beauty was caught in mid fall. She barely felt a pair of arms wrapped around her and she was sitting up with her back leaned against a body. She opened her eyes slowly and saw a pair of caring brown eyes feasting on hers, making her heart flutter. The raven haired guardian was the one who caught her and she was being cradled in his arms. He had woken up in time to see her stop using her powers and shot to her. "A-Ash…" She weakly raised her hand to his face and cupped his cheek. "I-I…" She coughed as more blood escaped from her nostrils, closing her eyes since the pain was too great. She had used more power than she ever did before causing her to damage herself greatly.

"Don't talk Sabrina. Just relax," replied Ash softly as he grasped her delicate hand in his strong one. He lowered their hands to her stomach and rested them on it. His hand glowed blue and pulsed out healing aura over her. The gym leader had her body glow blue and the stadium became silent, watching what was occurring with waited breath. For several long and quiet minutes, he pulsed out healing aura onto her until her breathing evened out and the color returned to her face. He stopped the healing and the glow faded away. "Sabrina?" he asked as he caressed her cheek. A moment later, her eyes opened slowly and looked into his. "Oh thank Mew." He hugged her tightly and she returned the hug. "I'm so glad that you came back and you're alright," he told her.

Sabrina felt her heart skip a beat when she heard his relieved tone of voice before she became filled with emotion. "I'm glad that you're alright too. I'm sorry for leaving and that you had to go through all this," she said softly in a whisper, her head resting against his chest.

Before they knew it though, the two were taken up into a group hug by all the girls on the field in the middle of the whole stadium. Neither he nor his girlfriends cared if people knew about them or their special situation. They had almost lost one another again. And the other girls didn't care either if people started asking questions, whether from their own group of friends or from others. Luckily for them though, nobody was thinking about that right now. Many of the people there and watching on their screens was just glad that nothing bad happened though some were still shaken up from what they just witnessed. When they separated, Ash looked at the girls for a moment before turning his gaze to the three men who he sensed was starting to stir.

Seeing them slowly get back up made rage fill Ash like it never did before. They weren't corrupted or dangerous criminals. No, they were simply jealous and arrogant trainers who didn't care about who they hurt in order to get what they wanted. The three men stood up finally and before they could do or say anything, an Aura Sphere was shot at their feet and exploded in front of them, making them stumble backwards. Damian, Shamus and Paul had fear fill them as they saw the smoldering spot on the ground. They raised their gazes and saw Ash with his eyes glowing a bright blue and glaring at them. "You pieces of shit!" shot Ash and his aura flared out like a roaring fire. It surprised the girls beside him but didn't hurt them. The crowd was beyond scared, not knowing what he was going to do.

"LET'S GET OUT OF HERE!" shouted Damian. The three tried to make a run for it, heading towards the trainer's exit. They barely took a few steps when a purple barrier appeared, blocking the exit. They skidded to a stop in front of it and whipped around quickly with fear evident on their faces in time to see the blue glow around Ash become so bright that it blinded them and many in the stands. But for some reason it didn't affect the girls beside him at all.

Ash let out an Aura Pulse that pushed them off their feet and made them collide onto the purple barrier before they dropped to the ground. Damian, Paul and Shamus barely got back up onto their knees, their hearts hammering within their chests, feeling intense pain. Never would they have guessed that this would be the outcome of their plan. Ash's aura flared out even more strongly around him, whirling around him madly. The girls beside him could feel the power radiating off of the young man but it didn't scare any of them at all. Instead it comforted them and soothed them as the waves of aura flowed over them that he was pulsing out. Ash raised his right hand above him and a bright blue ball of aura energy appeared in front of it while his left was still wrapped around Sabrina. "YOU WILL PAY FOR TRYING TO HURT THE ONES I LOVE!" He channeled energy into it and it kept getting bigger and bigger, quickly dwarfing any Aura Sphere he made in the past. He was beyond furious as to what they did and in his rage induced state, he didn't care anymore what the crowd thought of him. All he cared about was the ones he loves and cares about. It was by some miracle that the girls were unharmed by their careless actions. They will pay for their actions and it would be done right there.

The people in the stands started letting out frightened screams and shouts at what he was going to do and many were flabbergasted from it, seeing the powerful blue ball of energy become as large as Misty's Gyarados. Even his friends in the stands and the Champions in the VIP room were so shocked at what he was doing that they were stunned still in their places. Shamus, Paul and Damian were still on the ground, unable to fully get up since they were frozen with fear at the sight of their impending doom.

The Aura Sphere was hovering above them in the air, waiting to be released. The raven haired guardian was about to fire the Aura Sphere at them, intending to vaporize the three at once but was stopped all of a sudden. "No Ash. They're not worth it." He looked at the one who spoke in a soft voice, gazing into her pink eyes. He felt several pairs of hands placed onto him and he looked at their owners. His girlfriends Misty, May, Dawn, Serena, Leaf, Sarah, Anabel and Cynthia looked at him with worried expressions before wrapping him and Sabrina up into a group hug. Movement caught his eye and he glanced towards it. He saw Clair, Liza, Shauna, Lizabeth, Giselle and Daisy Waterflower had moved closer to them while giving him the same looks as his girlfriends were giving him as well. He turned his gaze towards the stands behind them and saw fear filled gazes looking back at him.

Ash became so conflicted at that point. He wanted nothing more than to vaporize the three for what they almost got away with. He was having a hard time controlling his anger, trying to calm down. "Don't lower yourself down to their level Ash." The raven haired guardian looked at the Frontier Brain. Anabel had sensed his confliction and wanted him to make the right choice, even if it was the harder one.

"Ash…" He turned his gaze to Sabrina now who was looking up at him. "You're better than them." She was giving him a look filled with her love for him that said it wasn't needed. He glanced at his girlfriends again and saw each of them giving him that same look. He felt himself calming down and he took in a deep breath. He then nodded at them before he snapped his right hand's fingers. The large Aura Sphere above them burst into countless blue sparkles, making the people in the stadium to shout in fright at first before they were awed into silence as they slowly floated down. Ash's aura died down and his eyes returned back to brown. His girlfriends thanked him for listening to their wishes and gave him another hug. The six other girls joined in on the group hug and they were welcomed into it. Their group of friends and family that were still in the stands snapped out of their stunned states, jumped down into the field and ran to them and joined them as well, glad that he didn't go through with it. But one of them remained behind…

Damian, Paul and Shamus were thinking of using the opportunity to run away but the purple barrier was still up and the league officials had surrounding them. Seeing no way out and that they had no other backup plans, the three surrendered. They handcuffed them and the barrier faded away to allow the officials to take them away. Seeing the three men under arrest and the large group of people in a caring display, the half of the crowd that was supporting Ash let out cheers and words of praise while the other half remained quiet. The group separated a moment later and looked around at the crowd.

They saw that many of the people in the stands were still confused, scared and lost, not knowing what to do or what to believe. Ash took the microphone from his shirt and spoke into it. "Everyone who is here and everyone else watching this please listen to me," said Ash, catching their attention. His group looked at him as he spoke. "Even after everything I have done for you, protecting everyone here at this stadium, many of you were easily swayed." The crowd shifted and murmured uneasily at what he was saying. "But I will admit this; I did kill the Skull Brothers." The crowd let out gasps, shouts of surprise and few even made rude remarks but he ignored them. His friends and family were worried about their reaction but Ash ignored it and continued on. "I killed them because they were dangerous, wouldn't change their ways even when I gave them a chance and they were threatening to hurt, rape and kill others." The people there and everyone watching heard his words and some believed it while others didn't, scoffing and commenting that he was lying. "I see that many of you still don't believe me. Very well. I'm not going to try to convince you even though some of you don't know what to believe anymore. But you must know these few things and no matter what happens, no matter what you see or hear, this will always be true," said Ash. The crowd was deathly quiet now with no one making a sound, wanting to hear what he was going to say. "I am an Aura Guardian. Even before finding out about my heritage, my entire life I have protected others and did all I can to help others. My purpose is to protect as Arceus's Knight and to keep the world from falling out of balance. To punish those who have wronged others if they will not repent and change their ways." The ones who turned on their savior glanced at one another, still afraid but also ashamed of how they acted while some of them still didn't believe him, not convinced at all. "Believe what you will. But I've done nothing wrong. And what I do in my personal life, who I'm with, whether it's one girl, many girls or no one at all, it is nobody's business but mine and the ones I'm with." The second Ash finished his speech, he dropped the microphone onto the ground and his group disappeared in blue glows from the stadium, leaving the stunned crowd behind.

They reappeared back in the hotel penthouse balcony. The parents all rushed to them seeing them appear and hugged their children, thanking Arceus that they were alright. Delia was squeezing the life out of her son, who was telling her that he couldn't breathe. She let him go finally and then she and the other parents took Sabrina into a hug, thanking her for saving everyone. Sabrina went quite red but told them that it was her pleasure to help out. When they separated, Mewtwo appeared beside them. Ash turned to him and gave him a grateful look. "Thank you buddy for everything," said Ash.

"No problem. But you must be more careful from now on," said Mewtwo.

Ash nodded his head. The purple feline looked at the psychic prodigy and she caught his gaze. The two gave one another a curt nod before the legendary teleported back home. Ash turned to Sabrina and drew her into a hug once more, who returned it with almost everyone else smiling at the two. "Thank you too Sabrina and please don't ever do that to me again," he told her.

"I promise," she said quietly.

A certain red head stepped forward. "Are you alright though Ash?" asked Misty.

He looked at her after separating from Sabrina. "I'm fine Mist."

"Are you sure?" asked May moving towards him and he looked at her now. "Because after what happened, we want to make sure you're alright."

Ash gave her a small smile. "Thank you for that my Princess but I'm alright." They gave him unconvinced looks and he sighed. "Look, I am disappointed, sad and angry but…I still have you with me safe and sound. That's all that matters to me." The girls smiled at him and took him up into a group hug once more.

When they separated, Norman stepped forward and cleared his throat, catching everyone's attention. "So, now that we know you're all safe and sound, what's this about you loving Ash?" he asked Sabrina.

Sabrina went scarlet but didn't lower her gaze from them. "It's true. I've recently come to realize that I've loved him since the day he saved me from myself," she admitted. She turned to face Ash with her crimson face but he only smiled at her before grasping her hand, making her heart flutter.

Norman was about to say something but then his daughter cut him off. "It's alright Dad. We learned of it before all this crap happened and we approve of it," explained May with her sisters backing her up.

Everyone was expecting an argument, yelling or emotions being released. What they weren't expecting though were for the parents to just chuckle and nod. That made the group become confused until Caroline began explaining. "We were only going to say that we are alright with it as well if you are." They were stunned for a moment until they all started chuckling.

Ash turned to Misty again who was still cradling Pikachu. He placed his hand on his starter and pulsed out healing aura onto him. A moment later, Pikachu opened his eyes, stretched while yawning but then jumped into Ash's arms the moment he saw him. "PIKAPI!" said the electric mouse, nuzzling against his cheek with his own, happy to see him alright.

"I'm glad you're alright too buddy. Mewtwo told me what you did," said Ash and Pikachu gave him a thumbs up sign before going up to stand on his shoulder. Ash looked around at his friends and family. "I'm glad you're all okay."

"And we're glad that you have a tougher hide than a Tyranitar and a thicker skull than a Rampardos," joked Brock, making them all laugh, lightening up the mood.

"Very funny Brocko," replied Ash with a pout and they laughed harder. His pout went away and joined in. When they calmed down a bit, Delia told him to go take a shower and change his clothes because he had some dried blood on his hair and shirt. She also mentioned to go check on Natasha afterwards because she watched the match and was out of it. "Okay Mom but first I need to say something to you," said Ash to his girlfriends and to the six girls.

The others decided to give them some privacy. After everyone else left, Ash turned to the girls in the balcony again. "I wanted to say thank you for what you did, for sticking by my side and showing everyone what I mean to you. You don't know what that means to me," he told them. His girlfriends smiled at him before hugging him once more while telling him that they love him and would always be with him. The other girls smiled as well but also went red over his compliments. When they separated, Ash turned to the six. "I also wanted to say thank you as well for helping them out and I owe you big time. If there's ever anything you need, all you have to do is ask," he told them. The six girls thanked him but also said not to worry about it as they hugged him as well. Each of the six felt great comfort in his embrace and Ash felt something within their embrace too but couldn't dwell on it. Each of them wanted to tell him their feelings for him but didn't want to mess up the one good thing that was happening now for the day. When they separated, he told them that he was going to go clean up and check on Natasha while Pikachu jumped down and went to the living room.

After Ash left, the large group of girls talked amongst one another, thanking one another before six of the girls left. The other nine talked a bit more and told Sabrina of the rules. "Okay. That sounds fair to me," replied the psychic. Right afterwards, Sabrina got a call. She answered it and found out it was her parents. She spoke with them, reassuring that everything was fine and that she would explain everything tomorrow when she visited them. The girls kept silent while she spoke and after a moment, she said her bye and hung up. "Sorry about that," she told them. "Looks like I have a lot of explaining to do," she sighed.

"Looks like it. But you'll be fine Sab," assured Cynthia and Sabrina smiled a bit.

"Um, guys…" They turned to Serena. "About what happened in the stadium just now, did you notice how things just went so crazy? Is this how things are going to be when the war begins?" Her sisters sighed, shrugging and saying they don't know. "I don't either. But there is one more thing I wanted to bring up. I'm sure you noticed it too." They went silent, waiting for her to continue. "Well when we went into the stadium to help Ash and fight the three bastards…" She explained what she was thinking about and the girls listened to her. When she finished, they talked about that, some other things and made some decisions as well.

While the nine girls spoke together quietly in the balcony, most of the others filed into the living room. "Man, what a day," remarked Richie.

Joy wrapped her arm through his. "You said it, and it's barely night time."

"You know, after all that's happened today, we should relax a bit. You guys thinking what I'm thinking?" asked Lucy and they all turned to her. "Movie?"

"Movie," they repeated, agreeing since it would help them relax and get their minds off of what happened. The group of friends and family sat down on the large and comfortable couches with some of them going to the kitchen to get some snacks ready like chips and popcorn.

Delia went to check on Natasha before joining them for the movie. "Hey Natasha," said Delia and the red head looked at her with puffy red eyes as she moved to her. She had been crying over what she saw on the TV. "Hey, it's alright. He's fine and he'll soon come see you okay? He's taking care of some things right now but he'll come before you go to sleep. Okay?" Natasha barely nodded but said no more. "Do you want me to stay?" she asked, drawing closer to the bed ridden girl but the red head shook her head. "Okay, do you want to watch TV or something?" Again she shook her head. She wanted to be left alone for a bit. She had a lot of thinking to do. "Okay. I'll come back to check on you a little later okay?" She nodded and Delia left the room.

Natasha turned to face the now off TV. Why did I become so concerned for him? she thought. I know that he makes me feel safe and secure. But…is there more to it? Why do I hesitate to say some things, even as a joke? What's going on with me? She thought a bit more about that but couldn't focus, her mind bringing up what happened in the stadium periodically. That made her shed some more tears over that and how she had to confess to him but didn't know how and when.

With Natasha thinking in her room, most of the group in the living room now as their movie started and the girls still in the balcony discussing some things, Ash was in the shower. He was just letting the hot water fall onto him now after scrubbing and washing himself. He used his aura to heal the cut on his head and now his head was hung and his hands were up against the shower wall. He was lost in thought, thinking about everything that happened that day. Sabrina's confession, searching for her, his battle against Damian, Britney's report about him in a negative light, how the crowd turned against him so easily, how he lost the match because he allowed himself to become distracted but will still advance because of Damian being disqualified and how he had almost lost the girls he loves so dearly because of the three wanting revenge. He felt anger spike in him but also something else; great sadness.

He couldn't believe how he had almost lost the girls he loves so deeply. And he couldn't believe how easily the people turned against him. He remembered seeing their disgusted looks at him, the way they were shouting at him, insulting him, throwing things at him. He started shaking from remembering the feelings of hostility, hate and how they despised him so. His anger was soon replaced with overwhelming sadness and not able to hold it in anymore, he just let go.

Ash started crying, his head still hung. The moment he allowed himself to, he just let it all out. He was holding in his emotions from before, not wanting to scare or worry the others, especially his girlfriends. But now that he allowed himself to while having some privacy, he couldn't stop. Heavy and fast tears were escaping from his eyes and were falling onto the shower floor. After all he had done, all the sacrifices, all the harsh training, all the risks he took and after saving so many lives in front of the whole world during the stadium attack and yet the public just turned on him just like that. Why? That was the only thing he thought as he continued sobbing. He became lost in it for a long time, crying his eyes out, thinking of the way they were looking at him with disgusted and scared expressions. They kept reappearing in his mind's eye, haunting him before he felt Dusknoir's punch again against his chest. He rubbed the area he was hit absentmindedly as he pictured himself getting hit again while the public merely laughed.

He felt even worse until something else formed in his mind that made him stop crying abruptly, though his tears continued flowing out. The images of his girlfriends flashed in his mind's eye, standing in front of him, shielding him from the wrath and ridicule of the people. He felt something different from his sadness spring up from within him, seeing that in his mind. Seeing their faces again made him calm down, feeling the love they have for him and he took in a deep breath before letting it out.

He took a couple more breaths like that and focused on his girlfriends. After some time, finally calming down completely, he remembered what they told him; that they would always love him and be by his side no matter what. He let out some last few tears as he focused on those words. They were there for me and showed how much I mean to them in front of the whole world. Do I even deserve such incredible girls to be with me? He thought of his girlfriends, their images still being seen in his head. He no longer felt sadness or anger. He felt love…but also of unworthiness. He felt that as well because he had failed them. He wasn't there to protect them from the three jackasses or to at least help them fight against them. Even though they handled themselves well, he never wanted them to get into harm's way. He had allowed himself to become distracted and get knocked out so easily.

That's when he remembered something else. It was what the voice told him at the temple; your choice… That made him think again of his actions. He began wondering if he made the right calls in the past. Everything did work out alright in the end but could things have been better? Could he have read the signs better to what was coming? Couldn't he have stopped everything before it happened? And what of his other choices? He shook his head suddenly after thinking some more. He didn't want to think about it all. He already had so much on his mind without adding into the mix of him thinking if his choices were the best ones made at the time. He could only learn from them if they weren't and move on. Dwelling on it wouldn't help him.

But he couldn't help it. His mind wondered around on that for a bit until he thought about the girls again and what they talked about earlier that day. It made him feel a little better, remembering all that they said to him. His heart beat increased a little in remembering the way each of them looked at him, their expressions filled with their love for him. He pictured them coming to his aid without hesitation. Even though he shouldn't be feeling that right now because of his failures that day, he felt a powerful wave of good feelings fill him. Each of them is so amazing and incredible. How could I be so lucky to be with them? He then remembered the other girls who were there besides his girlfriends. He thought about each one a bit, thinking of how incredible each girl was. As he thought of them he felt something stirring inside of him but before he could think about that, there was a knock on his bathroom door. He turned off the water to hear the words better.

"Hey Ash, your mom wants to know if you want some food?" asked Leaf.

He did his best to control his tone of voice so as to not cause any suspicion since he had barely recovered from his ordeal. "Sure. Thanks Leaf," he replied back as calmly as he could. He didn't want her or anyone to know of his insecurities and sadness. They had enough to worry about and he didn't want them to be even more worried about him than they probably are now. He got out of the shower and wrapped a towel around his waist.

"No problem. Now hurry up and get out or do I need to drag you out of there?" she asked with a slight teasing tone. The bathroom door opened suddenly, making Leaf fall forward since she was leaning against it. She ended up falling on top of Ash, letting out a squeak in fright.

"You know Leaf, if you really wanted to go at it, all you had to do was ask," teased Ash, deciding to joke to keep her from noticing his sad state and to get his mind off of what he was thinking.

Leaf opened her eyes since she had closed them during the fall. She looked into his eyes before looking at their position. She was on top of him with him lying on his back on the bathroom floor. He only had a towel on. She turned crimson and was about to move off of him when she stopped suddenly. "Ash? Are you okay?" she asked him. She had noticed his puffy red eyes.

He didn't want her to worry at all but also knew no matter what he said, she wouldn't believe him. He sighed before answering her. "I'll be fine Leaf. No need to worry."

"Are you sure?" she asked him. He nodded but she wasn't buying it. But she didn't want to force it out of him either. "Okay Ashy. But remember that you have your girlfriends, mom and friends who are here for you. So whenever you're ready to talk, we're here for you. Okay?"

Ash nodded. "Thank you Leaf." She smiled before suddenly feeling his lips on hers. Leaf sunk into it, returning the kiss. She could feel herself heating up from kissing him and she never wanted to stop. She felt his hand rub her side and his other go through her long hair. She felt like she was about to melt. She was lost in her feelings for the moment until she remembered how Delia was waiting for an answer.

She reluctantly separated from him and looked into his warm brown eyes. "That was an amazing kiss Ashy. Let's continue this later okay? Your mom's waiting for me," she told him in a whisper. He nodded, feeling better. Leaf got off of him and helped him up, with him making sure his towel didn't slip off.

"See you in a bit," said Ash. The two smiled at each other before sharing one more kiss before the brunette left the room. Ash got dressed and left his room a couple minutes later and headed towards Natasha's room. He saw his girlfriends watching the movie along with the rest and told them he'll join them soon enough when they looked at him and they quickly agreed...