Choices 3...

Chapter 45.75 - Choices 3...

When Cynthia left the suite, she headed towards the Pokémon League Headquarters where the meeting was being held. She entered the building and calmly walked to the board room. She opened the door and saw her fellow Champions Lance, Alder and Diantha there, along with President Goodshow and the Kanto News chief editor Tom there as well. Her eyes narrowed slightly but said nothing. She took a seat next to Diantha. "Where's Steven?"

"He's on his way," answered Alder. "He should be here any moment."

"Alright." They waited a little longer until the door opened and they turned to see Steven enter with Britney Snow following from behind him. The sight of the reporter made Cynthia's blood boil. She shot up, giving a glare at Britney while pointing at her. "What is she doing here?!" Her angry expression made everyone gulp in the room.

Britney hid behind Steven, absolutely terrified of the furious blonde champion. Steven raised his hands up in a peaceful manner. "Now, just relax. She's here with me because she wants to help fix things," said Steven.

"Is that right?!" snapped Cynthia. "I think we had enough help with the media!" She glared at Tom as well, who sweat dropped.

The President stood up. "Cynthia, Tom is here on my request and Britney apologized to Steven for what happened. She does want to fix things. So give them a chance and hear what they have to say first," advised Goodshow calmly. Cynthia's nostrils flared before she took in a deep breath and sat back down. She crossed her arms and legs before going quiet. "Thank you Ms. Shirona. I know you are angry over what happened but so are we. And there is more information that must be shared." Goodshow turned to Lance as he, Steven and Britney sat down. "Lance, if you may."

Lance nodded and stood up. "Thank you Charles." He then faced everyone. "First, the reason why Britney and Tom are here is because they have agreed to help us."

"And how are they going to help us?" asked Cynthia angrily.

"By not allowing any news channel, paper or any type of media to bring up what happened yesterday at Ash's last match besides him winning the match," explained Tom.

"What?!" asked a surprised Cynthia. "How?! And why?!"

"Because I asked Tom to do so because he still owed me a favor and he has agreed to not allow anything related to what happened yesterday to air or get posted from the media at least," stated Goodshow. "And with his influence, the other networks won't either. Though we won't be able to censor what goes on the internet by the public since it was broadcasted over the world."

Cynthia was astonished that Goodshow would do that and that Tom had that kind of power. She was about to ask them why when the reporter spoke up and she turned her attention to her with the others dong the same. "I wanted to fix what I did," started Britney. "I was blinded by wanting to win the report of the year and what we recorded would have done that." Cynthia scoffed and glared at her. Britney became afraid but continued. "But when we showed it to Tom, he refused to air it because of the damages it could cause. I started second guessing it too but Richard, my cameraman was adamant about having it broadcasted. He called me yesterday morning to tell me he took care of it and that his friend Shamus would have it aired during the match. I didn't know what he meant by that and what they were planning. I never thought they would do something like what they did yesterday." Britney was starting to have difficulty continuing, her emotions getting the best of her. Steven glanced at her with a concerned look but Cynthia was still glaring at her. "When I saw what they did, I called Richard and got angry at him for what he did. I told him to stop the broadcast but he said it was out of his hands. He said that he did it for me to show that he would do anything for me. I got angry at him again for thinking that messing up another's life would make me want him. I told him off and then he got mad and started yelling and insulting me before he hung up." Britney started crying now, unable to hold it in. "I'm so sorry! I didn't think this would happen! I didn't know Richard felt that way or that he was planning such a thing! I'm so sorry!" She buried her face into her hands and bawled away.

Steven felt bad for her and wanted to comfort her. He placed his hand onto her back and gently rubbed it. Alder was showing signs of sympathy as well towards her, Diantha was frowning and Lance had his usual neutral look on his face. Cynthia felt some pity for the girl but she was still pissed. "I get it Britney, but your reasons don't excuse your failure to act until now. You said you were second guessing it yet you did nothing to stop it, whether yourself or telling someone else. You didn't even warn Ash or any of us!" shot Cynthia. "The media may not mention more on that but how does this fix things?! His name has been tarnished and the people are still divided!"

Tom spoke up then. "You are right but it is better than what else could have happened. Without the media going over what happened yesterday, we just have people posting things online. And you know how everyone regards videos on the internet. Sooner or later, the public will forget about it. It will become just a smudge in history books. And we can set up another interview for him to do in a good light and air that."

Cynthia shook her head, frustrated over everything. "It doesn't matter. People are not fools and they saw the broadcast. Internet credibility or not, it was aired live before that. You may have influence and power, along with Charles to hush up the media. And we could do another interview to tell his side but that still won't help Ash deal with his own problems. Even though he told us he's fine, I know inside he's torn up over what happened to him. Do you know what he told his family and friends, to me, after?" They shook their heads, waiting silently and patiently for her to continue. "He told us he is disappointed, angry and sad over what happened but as long as he had us, then he'd be alright." Cynthia's emotions were starting to overwhelm her. She had never become so emotional in the past and it startled her colleagues. Sure they saw her angry before. But never something like this. "To see someone you care the most about in the whole world, try to stay strong for you so you won't see how depressed he is…Do you know just how much he's done for the world? What he's sacrificed? All the heroic things he's done for pokémon? For mankind? For the world? What he's preparing to do in the future? After risking his life time and again for others, how do you think he's going to feel or be now after the public turned their backs on him over a single incident where he's done nothing wrong?!"

The others were stunned into silence over her words for the raven haired guardian. Her fellow champions never realized just how much she respected, admired and loved him until now, especially the Dragon Master. He was looking at her with a new understanding of her. "You really do love him. Don't you?" asked the spiky haired champion.

Cynthia turned her gaze to him. "I do Lance. More than anything else."

Diantha looked at Cynthia before turning her gaze to Lance who was still looking at the Sinnoh Champion. The Kalos Champion looked at him until the Kanto and Johto Champion turned his gaze to hers. She looked into his eyes and saw something happen within them that she was hoping to see happen for a while now, making her smile. The chains that were holding him back, keeping him stuck in his own depressed and unbelieving state over Cynthia not returning his feelings, finally broke and his eyes shined once more like they did in the past. Lance had finally realized that Cynthia's affection for the Aura Guardian was not some lust driven crush. She truly loved the man and for a long time.

The Dragon Champion then did something that made them all, except for one, become shocked; he smiled at Diantha before turning his gaze back to Cynthia. "Then we will do all we can to help him push past this," said Lance.

It took a moment for Cynthia to compose herself from her shocked state. "Thank you."

Lance turned to Tom and Britney. "Thank you for your support. If you would be so kind, we have other things to discuss that I'm afraid we cannot let you in on."

"Understandable," replied Tom and turned to Cynthia. "If you ever want to do that interview, let me know." Cynthia barely nodded and he turned to his friend. "Charles, give me a call after so we can have that lunch together." The president agreed and the chief editor of Kanto News left the room.

Britney stood up. "Thank you for at least giving me a chance to explain things." She looked at Cynthia. "I'm so sorry Cynthia. If there anything I can do to make up for what I've done, I'll gladly do it." Cynthia looked at for a moment before sighing and gave her a slight nod of the head. Britney glanced at Steven who looked at her before she then left the room. Steven turned his gaze from the door that just closed back to the others.

"Okay, with that done, there is something else that we must discuss without the media knowing," started Lance. The four other champions and the president listened in. "This is what we have learned from our search of the Skull Brother's hideout. Just like our initial search the crime scene unit was unable to get anything either. There is no evidence or clues what so ever to find out who the Skull Brothers were working for. No serial numbers, no known associates or relatives, no personal effects, nothing." He reached into his pocket and took out a rectangular device. "Except for this; a smart phone that Alder found in the basement. It's been damaged slightly but it still works." He moved his gaze onto Cynthia. "We found some very disturbing things on it regarding your beloved. There were pictures of him, his family and friends along with two videos. One of which was a recording of the stadium attack, showing how Ash fought back and used his aura powers. The other video was of the red head he saved being violated and tortured." Cynthia clapped her hands to her mouth after gasping. "We don't know yet why the red head was captured or what they wanted from her. The audio on the video was choppy at best, the sound cutting off from time to time. We only ever heard her pleading for them to stop or them laughing at her." Cynthia was feeling great sadness fill her at that, thinking of how they were such cruel monsters to do such things. She believed even more so that Ash ending them was just. Lance placed the phone onto the table before he continued. "There were contacts saved onto the phone as well. However, they were written with code names, such as 'J', 'Boss' and a few others but each time we attempted to trace the numbers or fix the audio on the video, our systems were met with errors. As a result, we have no idea who could've hired them and for what purpose. And we cannot just simply call them cause that will make them suspicious. Were the ones behind the stadium attack responsible for this? Was it for reconnaissance on Ash? Were they supposed to get rid of him? Or were they after someone else? Or something else? And what did they want with this red haired girl? We have no idea."

Cynthia's heart was beating madly, thinking of everything that Lance was saying. "You couldn't find anything?!" she asked, not believing it.

Each of the champions shook their heads. "Nothing," answered Lance. "We were debating if we should even have others take a look at it in the beginning. But even having our most trusted and best working on it, we ended up with nothing. We cannot trace the numbers and besides the contacts, the pictures of Ash and the videos of him and the redhead, there is nothing."

"So what do we do now? Do we have someone else take a look? Do we increase security?" asked Cynthia.

Lance shook his head but Alder spoke. "No. We cannot afford to tell anyone else about this and we cannot make it look like we know more than we should."

"Alright. But we should still have something set in place. And we should tell Ash as well. If someone is after him or watching his movements, he needs to be aware," advised Cynthia.

"I agree," said Steven, making them look at him now. "We should let Ash know of this and have something set up in secret in case something else happens."

The rest agreed and then Lance spoke again. "Alright. We'll tell him. The third topic for this meeting is this; the stadium attackers who were corrupted, we have finally received some test results from their blood work."

"And?" asked Charles.

"Their DNA has been twisted and mutated into something that we've never seen." They all gasped at that. "And their physical abilities have been enhanced to incredible levels. Almost superhuman. Several times they almost broke through their confinements."

"Is that why they were so hard to be beaten?!" asked Goodshow in a whisper.

Lance nodded. "Yes Charles. And I bet their pokémon went through the same process. But what would make them disintegrate but not the ten men?" he asked. None of them had any idea about that. "Regardless, we have tried to reverse the process with everything we've got but they all ended up as failures. We have stepped up security and their restraints. But we must be even more careful and if a solution cannot be found soon, I'm afraid they would have to be put down permanently." The others sighed, shaking their heads. They didn't like the fact that the men were changed into monsters by some unknown process.

"I don't like this one bit," remarked Steven.

"You and me both," chimed in Alder.

"And now for the fourth and final thing for this meeting," stated Lance and the others quieted down to listen. "Damian, Shamus and Paul have had their pokémon licenses suspended, their pokémon are in League hands and the three are awaiting their trail while locked in their cells. The three don't have any trace of corruption like the stadium attackers so it looks like they did this of their own free wills. Their court date will be after the tournament."

Cynthia crossed her arms again while she frowned. "The sooner the better I say."

They agreed but then the Unova Champion spoke up. "Unfortunately though, the judge is away on vacation and won't be back for another a couple of weeks at least," said Alder.

Some sighs were let out from the group before Lance spoke again. "Alright. That's it for what I wanted to say. Cynthia…" The two looked at one another. "Please inform Ash what we talked about." She agreed. "Thank you. With that said, this meeting is adjourned."

They made to stand up but then Charles spoke up. "Hold up, there's something you should know as well." The Champions sat back down and gave the President their full attention. "As you all know, a board meeting took place while the stadium was being repaired. We have come up with something to reward the people back for their patience for the multiple postponements during this tournament. It will also make this tournament the best one there has ever been and may change how things happen in the future."

The Champions became skeptical at once. "Are you sure that idea of yours will be well received if it's going to change how things are done?" asked Diantha for them all.

Goodshow nodded. "Yes. Who wouldn't want a new Pokémon Master crowned? We haven't seen the current one become challenged since he took up the title over a dozen years ago and we have no idea where he's at either."

"You have a point there Charles," started Steven and they looked at him. "But, we have always followed tradition. And the Master somehow always shows up when there's a contender. Don't know how or why, but it just happens that way."

"He's right," spoke up Alder and they looked at him now. "And how can we crown another Pokémon Master who didn't beat the previous one?"

They turned their attention to Goodshow who was chuckling. "I'm getting to that," he said. "Remember how it was said that the winner of the Spirit Tournament would be able to challenge each and every region's Elite Four and their Champions after?" The five nodded. "Well, we decided to do this instead." Goodshow then explained everything that he wanted to do and the board saying they'll go with it only if they agree. When he finished he was looking at five stunned faces for a moment before they looked at one another.

"I'm actually okay with this. What about you guys?" asked Steven. The other four agreed.

"I knew it!" laughed Goodshow. "That'll teach the board members to say I don't know what's good for the tournament! Ha!" They all started chuckling a bit before the president spoke again. "Okay. Cynthia, don't say a word. It's supposed to be a surprise. Okay?" Cynthia agreed to that. "Thank you. Now, you know what to do about that so do what you have to do. Also, you think one of you can come with me to say that you're all good with my plan?"

"Sure, I'll come," stated Alder and Goodshow thanked him.

"So will I," added Diantha.

For some reason, Lance felt like he wanted to go to after Diantha said she would go. "Count me in," finished up Lance. They all stared at him, surprised. They knew how much he hated board meetings. "What?" They shook their heads, saying it was nothing. "Are we finished?" asked Lance.

The President smiled. "Almost. Anyone want to make a bet about the remaining matches?" asked Goodshow. The Champions shook their heads while chuckling. Cynthia and Steven left while Alder, Diantha and Lance talked about what kind of bets with Charles.

Cynthia glanced at the time after saying her bye to Steven and her eyes widened. How the hell did time go by so fast?! She hurried outside and called out her Garchomp. "Indigo Hotel please." Her loyal dragon lowered herself to allow her to climb up onto her back and then the dragon took off into the air.

It was late in the afternoon now. The Indigo Hotel elevator was going up with a single person in it. The young man was leaning against the elevator wall with an empty bottle clutched in his hand. He had finished it while stumbling around in the forest for a while after recovering from his jewels getting rough handled before coming back to the hotel. He was muttering random words while his mind went over everything that happened to him in the last few days and what happened to him just that day in flashes. He was beyond angry, absolutely confused as to how things ended up for him, feeling humiliated over getting kicked out of the club, felt jealous over Ash's group of hot girlfriends who would do anything for him, his groin still hurt some and was drunk.

The elevator dinged as it reached his floor and the doors opened. He sluggishly moved into the small hallway with just one suite door in front of it and leaned against the door. He fumbled at grasping the door knob but when he was finally able to grip it, he tried to turn it but it wouldn't budge. "Fuck. Ah, open sesame!" Nothing happened. He tried again but it was no use. He started banging on the door. "Hey! One of you open the damn door!" His coordination was off but it looked like he could still talk without a problem.

It took a couple minutes until the door opened and Gary fell face forward onto the floor since he was leaning against it. "Oh shit! Sorry Gary!" The blonde girl bent down to help him up.

He grumbled as he was helped up. "You better be sorry you scoundrel or I'll…" He hiccupped, stopping him from continuing.

"Damn, you're beyond wasted. You should go and rest." She started helping him to his room. Of course it had to be me who has to deal with a drunken Gary. Great. She shook her head, thinking the others were lucky for not having to deal with this because some of them were out or busy in their rooms.

Most of the couples had decided to head out earlier on and do something together. Her sisters, besides Anabel, were planning the shopping trip that Ash promised to take them and her on in their room. They believed it would allow Ash to get away from things, he would keep his promise to them and they would be able to get some new clothes and have some fun. They didn't mind their sisters planning the shopping trip and decided to leave them to it. The parents were in the dining room, playing cards together while listening to some music off the radio. Clair and Liza had returned and just went to their room. The rest were in their rooms with some taking a nap or watching TV or just hanging out. She and Anabel had remained in the living room, watching the news channels to see if anything would come up about their boyfriend. Oddly, nothing came up about it other than that he won the match and was advancing to the semi-finals. Anabel stayed with her until she went to her room because she just got a call from Scott. He wanted to check in on her every once in a while since he saw her as his daughter.

After taking some steps, Gary turned his gaze to her, drinking in her beauty. "You know, you're really fuckin hot." The blonde girl who was helping him to his room began feeling very uncomfortable but continued on. She didn't want to be mean because he was drunk but didn't like the way he was talking to her at all. She ignored it and kept helping him to his room. "Hey, since we're heading to my room anyways, why don't we bump uglies?" he asked her while grabbing her ass.

The girl jumped from his advance, startled but also quickly became angry. She let go of him, making him fall to the floor and glared at him. "What the fuck Gary?! You know I'm with Ash and I love him! Leave me alone and don't ever try that again!" she shot angrily. It was Sarah.

Gary however wasn't listening. He was steadily sinking more into his whirlwind of negative emotions and his drunken state wasn't helping at all. He sluggishly got up, ignoring the empty bottle that was on the floor now and closed the distance between the two with drunken steps, making Sarah back up until she hit the hallway wall. Before she could move away, he placed his hands on either side of her head against the wall to support himself and to trap her. "Why play hard to get Sarah?" he growled at her.

She could smell the alcohol off of him. The Johto native felt her heart beating like crazy. "Please stop Gary. This isn't funny," she told him.

He smirked. "Who said this was supposed to be funny?" he asked rhetorically. "Look Sarah, you're hot. And I'm good looking. Why not have some fun?" He moved his hand to touch her.

She slapped it away, anger filling her now and glaring at him now. "I don't care! I don't see you that way and I love Ash and I will never betray him!" she made to move away but he stopped her.

He leaned in closer before speaking, his eyes locked onto hers. "Give me a break. You think Ash will be able to satisfy you? Pleasure you? You think he will even have time for you? You think he's thinking about you when he has other hot girls in his group that he's fucking and he knows longer? And with all those pokémon he has too, he's hardly giving you attention. So c'mon and enjoy yourself. He doesn't have to know." He leaned in closer to kiss her and made to touch her again.

Sarah's anger went higher at his words and actions. She slapped him and then pushed him away. "Screw you Gary! Just because you can't handle taking care of many things at once and being in a relationship doesn't mean he can't either!"

He became angrier at that but also smirked back in response. "Screw me? Isn't that what I was asking for? And I'm not the one with several girls in his group. Speaking of which, my ex Sabrina is with him. He's probably fucking her or one of the other girls right now. How about we return the favor?" He moved in closer towards her again and Sarah moved away from him while keeping her back against the wall, seeing the lust in his eyes. "Ever since I first saw you on the field in the opening match of the tournament, I thought you were hot. You know you want me too. C'mon. Just give in. I can give you the time of your life. You can experience such pleasure with me that I swear you'll be asking for more. Forget Ash. He's too dense to notice things and doesn't know a good thing when he sees one, too worried about his pokémon. Let me treat you right." He got even closer to her.

Sarah kneed him in the leg, missing his groin but then immediately slapped him as hard as she could afterwards, making him yelp and stumble backwards before hitting the wall behind him. "You damn bastard!" she screamed. "Go fuck a Cacturne and don't ever come near me again!"

Before she could do anything else and before Gary could react, an angry voice was heard from nearby. "What did you do now Gary?!" The two glanced to the side and saw Ilene there with a furious expression on her face. She had heard some shouts when she entered the living room, having been talking with Shauna and Lizabeth again in their room. That was when she saw Sarah slap Gary in the hallway towards some of the other bedrooms and heard her. "What's going on here?!" she asked.

Gary frowned at her. "It's none of your business your highness because we're not together anymore." He turned his head back to look at Sarah after feeling a little good over his comment. "Now, Sarah why don't we…" He stopped talking because Sarah wasn't there anymore. He became confused. "What the…when the hell did Sarah become Houdini?!"

"How drunk are you?!" Gary turned his head to Ilene and saw Sarah standing beside her. Ilene turned to Sarah. "I'll handle him. Go get Riley," she told her quietly.

"Be careful," replied back Sarah before leaving hurriedly to get her Knight.

"Ah, calling in your dog to handle your own fights?" mocked Gary.

Ilene shook with fury at that. "How dare you insult my Knight!"

Gary moved closer to her. "What are you going to do about it? I already fought with one of them who was stronger. What's an old fart like Riley going to do to me?" he asked her after stopping right in front of her. Ilene wanted to hit him but kept herself in check; she had already hurt someone when they were drunk and didn't want to do it again even though this one would really deserve it. "Can't hurt me can you?" he taunted her. "That's because you still love me." And after saying that statement, he then kissed Ilene, making her freeze from shock. Taking advantage of her stunned state, he pushed her up against the hallway wall with his body against hers and started having his hands roam over her curves, getting what he wanted from her.

Ilene didn't react at first because of the shock of what he just said. But then the powerful feeling of disgust in her stomach brought her back to her senses once more. She quickly raised her hands and pushed him off of her, making him stumble back, losing his balance. Ilene moved to one of the bedrooms quickly and entered it. She was about to close the door and lock it when Gary burst in, making her stumble back. "Get out Gary!" she yelled, angry and afraid at what he was doing.

"NO! I can't just let you go Ilene! You belong with me because you're the only girl I've ever truly had feelings for! You liked me! We had something special! How could your feelings for me just die like that?! How could you choose Ash over me?! How could you fuck him when you're with me?!" he asked her angrily while moving to her slowly.

Ilene was backing up away from him. She was scared beyond measure and never would have expected him to act this way. "I won't repeat what I said Gary! And are you kidding me?! What were you just trying to make Sarah do?! How could you say something like that?! How could you act like this?! And sometimes we are blinded by new and exciting things until something happens that makes us see clearly again! We were lost in something that wasn't meant for us at all!" Gary stopped moving a few feet away from her. Seeing him not draw closer, she raised her hands in front of her and clasped them together and pleaded to him. "Please Gary. You said that you've changed. So if you truly have changed, then just stop this, leave me alone and get out!"

The pokémon researcher was looking at the scared young queen in front of him. The way her eyes were filled with fear and letting out tears. How she was trembling at the sight of him in a bad way. He noticed it even in his drunk state. It made him fill up with sorrow. "How did I let this come to be?" he asked in a whisper. "How could I be what scares you? How could I have allowed you to slip from my fingers?" He hung his head, looking at the floor and began shaking.

Ilene kept her distance from him, not knowing what he was going through. She never would have guessed that Gary Oak would be so...bipolar. She slowly moved around him, staying as far as possible while moving towards the door. While she was doing that, Gary was having a million thoughts and emotions spiraling around within him until something stuck out. "New and exciting things…" Ilene froze at hearing him say that. "Was that…all I was to you?" he asked, looking up and turning to look at her again. "Just some excitement for the time being? Did you just…get bored of me? Or was it that I have no use to you anymore since your plan to have Ash notice you didn't go the way you wanted it to?"

Ilene was still afraid of her emotional ex-boyfriend but now anger was filling her as well for what he said. "Don't try to twist my words Gary! And that's not what it was and you know it! You said you'll never hurt me again but that's what you keep doing! And you hurt Sarah! I told you we're done!" she yelled at him. She moved to the door and almost reached it when her arm was grabbed by him. Remember this training as it can and will give you an opportunity to flee or take advantage. Instinct took over as she remembered those words from her defensive training from Ash and Lucario. Ilene whirled around and struck Gary all of a sudden against his temple, making him cry out in pain and release her. She opened the door and was able to step out of the room.

But before she could increase the distance between them or find someone, he grabbed her from the back part of her blouse and tried to pull her back into the room with force while she struggled to get free. "LET ME GO!" shouted Ilene loudly, hoping it would make him come to his senses and have someone hear it even though the room she exited from was farther from the others. And just where the hell was Sarah and Riley? She pulled with all her might to escape his grip and the young queen's clothing tore apart from the force. She shot forward and hit her head against a framed picture that was hanging on the hallway wall, causing the glass to break and cut her. She collapsed onto the floor from the sudden collision and was groaning in pain, a bleeding cut on the side of her head. Gary froze in shock at what he just made happen, his mouth open and staring at Ilene with half of her torn blouse in his hand.

"What have you done?!" He slowly turned his shocked expression to where the voice came from. Bonnie was standing there with an expression filled with fear. She had left Max's room to get some snacks for them to eat while studying different battle strategies. On the way, she heard noises that sounded like fighting and wanted to find out what it was coming from. Gary didn't respond and seeing him not moving, the young teenage girl did the only thing she could do; she screamed...

Sarah went running to Riley's room, not even bothering to check with the others because Ilene asked for him. She reached his room and made to open the door but it was locked. She started knocking on his door loudly. "Riley! Riley!" she called out to him frantically but no sounds were heard from inside. Another door opened nearby and she snapped her attention to it. Shauna and Lizabeth stepped out from it, giving Sarah concerned looks. "I need to find Riley! Where is he?!" asked the blonde girl.

The two blunettes shrugged, not knowing where he was. "What's wrong?" asked Lizabeth.

Sarah took in a breath before speaking. "Ilene requested him. Gary came back but he's drunk and angry. He tried to make a move on me but I stopped him." Both girls gasped. "Ilene told me to find Riley, saying she'll handle him."

"Shit! Ilene shouldn't be alone with him!" replied Shauna.

"You keep looking for Riley while we go to Ilene," advised Lizabeth. The two bartenders headed towards where Sarah told them she left Ilene.

As soon as the blunettes entered the living room, two pink glows appeared in it. "ASH!" shouted both Lizabeth and Shauna the second they saw him.

Ash and Sabrina turned towards the two girls and saw them looking worried. "Hey, what's wrong?" he asked as they went up to him. Before they could say anything, a very loud and high pitched scream shot through the penthouse suite, startling them as it echoed. Several bedroom doors opened frantically and many stepped into the living room. The parents stepped into the area from the dining room and Riley emerged from a nearby bathroom.

"What's going on?"

"Who's screaming?"

Before the four could even attempt to explain, someone shouted loudly. "ASH!" The blonde Johto native felt so much relief at seeing him back that she just shouted out his name. She ran to him and he turned around in time to catch her in his embrace. Before he could ask her what happened, another high pitched scream was heard, making shivers go down their spines. Sarah separated from Ash but grasped his hand. She shot towards the direction the scream came from, not bothering with explaining at the moment with everyone else following after the two.

They quickly found the source of the screaming and the reason for it. Max and Clemont went up to Bonnie to check on her and calm her down. Seeing him there, Bonnie hugged Max tightly who started rubbing her back gently to calm her down while Clemont watched over the two. Sarah let go of Ash when he and Riley shot to the young queen who was on the floor. The others stayed rooted to their spots after drawing in closer because of what they were seeing.

Ilene was on the floor, huddled up into a ball and sobbing. She was bleeding from a cut on her head with half her blouse torn off, exposing her undergarment. Some shards of glass were on the floor that came from a broken framed picture on the wall. Gary was standing there with a shell-shocked look and the other half of the queen's blouse in his hand.

"My Queen! What happened?!" asked Riley, while taking off his jacket and wrapping her up with it to cover the exposed part of her body.

"Queen Ilene?! Are you alright?" asked Ash. Ilene whimpered as she continued crying. She turned around and grabbed onto Ash. He took her up into a hug, trying to comfort her. Riley stood back up before turning around to glare at the young pokémon researcher. But Gary didn't see it since his gaze was still on the blonde girl. "Its okay, it's alright. You're safe. You're Knights are here. We won't let anything happen to you. We promise."

Ilene cried harder and her grip tightened on him. "He forced himself onto me, kissing me and touching me after trying to make Sarah do something with him!" Everyone's eyes widened at that and everyone became angry. But it was nothing compared to what Ash was feeling. He turned his gaze slowly towards his old childhood rival and gave him such a livid expression that it would've made even the Lord of Space become afraid. But Gary didn't see it. "He got mad at me because I told him that we're done!" cried Ilene, making Ash look at her again. "I tried to make him see reason but he just wouldn't listen! I tried to get away but he kept coming after me!" explained the young queen further. The group there was appalled to find out what happened and many were giving Gary looks of anger and disgust. His sister and grandfather were also giving him very disappointed looks.

Seeing Ilene crying her eyes out and finally hearing what she was saying, Gary was starting to realize what he just did. His heart began beating like a jack hammer, his stomach twisted into knots and he felt like he was going to throw up. "Ilene…"

"SHUT THE FUCK UP GARY!" roared Ash after snapping his gaze back to his old rival, startling everyone.

Gary felt fear fill him like it never did before at seeing the furious gaze on his face now. "I…"

He wasn't able to continue as Riley grabbed him by the throat suddenly and slammed him into the wall, making everyone except Ash and Ilene to shout out in surprise while Gary let out sounds of pain. "I warned you not to hurt the Queen!" reminded Riley, his eyes glowing blue. "Do you know what the penalty is for attacking the Queen?!" he asked him before slamming him against the wall again, making Gary cry out in pain once more.

"RILEY! STOP!" shouted Daisy Oak, shooting to his side. She grasped his arm and made her boyfriend look at her. "Please…" Riley looked at her, seeing her pleading expression. He turned his gaze back to Gary. He was conflicted in upholding his duty and not hurting his beloved. He took in a deep breath through his nose before letting it out through his mouth. His eyes lost their blue glow before letting go of her brother who dropped to the floor. He stepped away and Daisy Oak knelt beside her younger brother. "Why did you hurt Ilene? Why did you try to make a move on Sarah when she's with Ash?" asked Daisy.

"I…I…I didn't…mean to…" started Gary.

"You lie!" interrupted Sarah, making everyone but Ilene to look at her now. "You came home drunk and I was trying to help you get back to your room so you can rest! But you copped a feel and then said we should have sex!" Everyone became even angrier at that and Ash's rage was about to go over the tipping point. "Even when I said I'm not interested and I love Ash, even pushing and slapping you away, you still kept trying while insulting Ash, saying he doesn't need to know and that he'll never treat me right until Ilene got involved!" Sarah's emotions were too much now and she started letting out tears, sobbing. She was taken into a hug by her sisters to comfort her while giving Gary angry and dirty looks. Ash was boiling with anger and he was doing all he could to not explode.

Gary opened his mouth to try to defend himself but then Ilene spoke up again. "You forced yourself onto me, kissing me and touching me! I asked you several times to let me go but you wouldn't listen to me! You chased after me into a room and prevented me from leaving! I even begged you to stop! But you kept bringing up things that didn't matter! I tried to get away but then you made me get hurt!" she said before continuing with her crying.

Daisy Oak was looking at her brother with a dangerous expression but again, Gary didn't see it. "I wasn't trying to hurt you or Sarah! I'm just upset! I just wanted to feel good again! And I just wanted you to listen to me for a minute!" replied Gary, not denying what the two girls said. "I wanted to…" SMACK! Gary was silenced by a sharp slap against his cheek by his sister that made his head turn. He slowly turned his gaze back to his sister. "Daisy?" asked Gary timidly. Daisy just looked at him with a disgusted, angry and disappointed expression on her face before slapping him again but harder. Gary let out a yelp at the sharp stinging feeling and Daisy stood up and moved away from him. He turned his head in time to see his sister go and stand next to his grandfather who was giving him the same look. He felt such shame fill him that he started shivering in his spot. "Please…I'm so sorry…I didn't mean to…"

"I don't want to hear a single sound coming out of you right now Gary," interrupted Oak in a very stern tone of voice, one that he never gave him before. Gary shut his mouth and didn't continue.

"Please…" They all turned their gazes to the young queen. She raised her head and looked at the raven haired guardian with frightened and teary blue eyes. "Ash…I don't want to be here anymore," she sobbed. "I just want to go home. I should never have come here. Please…just take me home," she begged him, before burying her face into his chest with her crying becoming more severe. Her sobbing and pleading made everyone feel horrible for the young queen of Rota.

Ash felt s much sadness over Ilene being so distraught. "As you wish Queen Ilene. Let's get you patched up first." Ash tenderly picked up Ilene into his embrace, carrying her in his arms, who clutched onto him tighter. He made sure she was still covered up before he stood up and turned his gaze to his childhood rival who was still on the floor. "Don't you dare fuckin move Gary," warned Ash, making Gary go rigid with a shiver going down his spine.

Satisfied that he won't move, Ash then made his way towards Ilene's room with Riley leading the way while the others remained behind to keep an eye on Gary. They entered her room and Ash gently lowered her onto the bed. Riley placed a blanket over her, covering her up to her neck. Ash placed his hand where Ilene's cut was and pulsed out aura to heal the injury. It quickly stopped bleeding and sowed itself shut. She felt a little better because of the aura comforting her. "Queen Ilene, we'll take you home in just a bit. But first please let me go check on Sarah and make sure Gary won't hurt someone else." She agreed by nodding. He looked up at Riley and the two nodded at one another before leaving the room.

Ash went back to where everyone else was waiting and stood right in front of Gary who hadn't moved from his spot. He was quiet for a moment before speaking. "You have one hour to pack up your stuff and leave," said Ash. Nobody argued with him since he was being very fair.

Ash turned around to go but then Gary spoke, making him stop. "So that's it?" he asked him. "Just like that you're throwing away several years of friendship?" Everyone was flabbergasted that he had the nerve to say that when he messed up.

The raven haired guardian turned back to look at him. "No. You did that Gary when you let your ego control you and you crossed the line," replied back Ash calmly and Gary hung his head. "You never could handle defeat well or not getting what you wanted. Everything was always so easy for the great Gary Oak. Almost always getting your way and having everything handed to you on a silver platter. But when you don't get what you want, you hurt the people that you say you care about. In the past it was Sabrina. Now it's Ilene. And you tried to force my girlfriend Sarah. You haven't changed at all. You're still an arrogant, insensitive, conceited and egotistical lying piece of shit who thinks he's entitled to whatever he wants."

Gary became angry at his words, rage filling him. "Fuck you Ash!" he shot, getting up onto his feet, wobbling a bit before finding his balance and glared at him. "How would you like it if you found out the girl you had feelings for was using you!"

"Is that so? You were just saying something else entirely different. So which is it?" asked Ash.

Gary grumbled a bit, going quiet for a couple seconds and then shouted. "ILENE FUCKIN LOVES YOU!" The group had shocked expressions form on their faces and Ash was taken aback. "SHE WAS USING ME TO GET YOU TO NOTICE HER! THAT'S WHY I'M PISSED! AND YOU PROBABLY WAS WITH HER BEFORE AND NOW SHE WANTS YOU BACK! YOU TWO PROBABLY FUCKED TOO!"

Ash had stupefied expression on his face. He looked at the group with a confused look before looking at Gary again. "Have you lost your god damn mind?! That's you're reasoning?!" asked Ash. "Nothing ever happened between me and Ilene! I never liked Ilene in that way nor do I like her in that way now! Ilene liked you, you freakin moron! And just for your information, a Knight of Rota can never get with the Queen!"

The others in the group were frozen still, unable to believe that Gary was trying to point fingers and put the blame of his actions on others. "You're a complete idiot!" Everyone turned to the psychic prodigy now, surprised at her outburst. "I spoke with her about you! She didn't deny liking you but didn't know if she should still give it a shot because of what you did to me! But I told her to think carefully because I thought you changed, you have feelings for her and she had feelings for you!"

Gary barely heard Sabrina's words but it did nothing to make him understand. "Tch. Of course you would help out Ash."

Two blunettes stepped forward. "Then maybe you'll listen to us," spoke up Lizabeth and they all turned to her and Shauna now. "Ilene talked to us about you and her just now. She explained to us that she couldn't fully trust you again because of what you did to Sabrina, your behavior and lies."

"That's right," added Shauna. "Ilene told us how she liked you in the beginning but because of what you did and of the image she has to uphold as a Queen, she couldn't pursue it. She can't just get with whoever she wants! And she also told us that you and her talked yesterday too about all this and you hurt her then too! And that's when she realized you're not the one for her and decided to completely end things!"

The group listened carefully to the girls and in the end shook their heads in disbelief. Gary scowled at the two blunettes. "So what? It doesn't matter anyways. She still used me!" he yelled out.

"You're right," growled Ash, catching everyone's attention. "It doesn't matter. And even if she was using you, for whatever reason, that doesn't give you the right to try to force yourself onto her or Sarah. You could've just left and found someone else. Isn't that what you do anyways whenever you don't get what you want from a girl?" Gary didn't reply back but scowled at that and the others said nothing, disappointed because it was true since he had done that to Sabrina. "You have one hour Gary and you better be gone before your time limit finishes up," threatened Ash.

Gary moved towards Ash and stopped right in front of him. "Or what? You'll kill me?"

"That is the penalty for attacking the Queen," answered Ash without emotion, making everyone become suddenly frightened to what he was implying. "And you hurt my girlfriend. You hurt Sarah." The Johto native raised her tear streaked gaze from within the hug to look at Ash over his words, feeling his concern for her, making her fill up with emotion. "You should know better than to try something like that. You know I will usually overlook and forgive others for their mistakes but the moment you hurt the ones I love, then you're on my shit list." Everyone gulped and even Gary took a step back. "Even though I'm absolutely furious with you Gary and want nothing more than to make you feel extreme pain, I'm not going to hurt you out of respect for your grandfather Professor Oak and your sister Daisy." Gary felt a little relief fill him and so did the others there. They were angry with Gary but didn't want Ash to hurt him, even if he did deserve it. "Riley's a different story though but due to him loving Daisy more than wanting to punish you and that Ilene doesn't want that either, he won't. So you lucked out once again Gary. Queen Ilene may be going home, but I don't want you around anymore either since I can't trust you anymore. And every second that you're here, is making me want to beat the shit out of you. Don't test your luck any further. Pack your shit and get the fuck out." The group of friends and family said nothing since they agreed and supported Ash's decision.

Gary felt fear fill him again that Ash wanted to hurt him but wasn't going to and that Riley had no problem in hurting him, maybe even killing him to fulfill his duties but was saved from it. But he was also becoming angry at what Ash was saying. "Just like that you're kicking me out? After all I've done for you? After helping out Misty when Tracey was here? Does everything that I do not matter anymore? Is it that wrong that I'm not groveling at your feet like all the other losers here?!" asked the pokémon researcher, earning some growls and insults shot back towards him from some in the group. He looked at his grandfather and sister. "Gramps? Daisy? Aren't you going to say anything?" he asked them.

"I will," replied Oak, taking a step forward. "Drunk or not, you have let your pride and ego grow to the point of them being uncontrollable. You need to learn that just because you want something, doesn't mean you deserve it or that you should necessarily get it. That's been your biggest problem ever since you were a child. You have crossed the line many times in the past but this is the biggest foul you've ever committed and is the last straw. I agree with Ash. You need to gather your belongings and leave before you cause any more problems."

Gary's jaw dropped. He glanced at Daisy who crossed her arms. He couldn't believe it. "Just like that? You're cutting off ties with me? Your own brother and grandson?!" asked Gary in anger.

Daisy shook her head. "We're not. But you need to leave. Go home and think about all the things you've done. You need to change your ways and stop acting like an entitled, prideful and egotistical brat who plays with people's emotions and feelings," explained Daisy Oak.

Gary was starting to shake with rage. He glared at Ash, locking his eyes with him. "You fatherless son of a bitch! You took everything from me!" he shouted at him.

The others gasped at what he said and Ash shook from Gary's insult, his hands clenching into fists but controlled himself. "I didn't take anything. You pushed it all away because of you being unable to understand that not everything has to go your way." Gary launched himself at Ash and threw a strike at his old rival who didn't even attempt to move with many shouting and screaming for him to stop and his fist connected against his cheek. Ash turned his head from the force but then he turned his gaze slowly back to him as if nothing happened. Gary took a step back as fear filled him and the rest had looks of disbelief on their faces. "I'm not the one drunk this time Gary. And you just fucked up your last chance." Before anyone else could say or do something, Ash knocked out his old rival with a right hook that sent him crashing to the floor. He looked at his old rival's unconscious form for a few seconds and then glanced at Gary's grandfather and sister afterwards. He took in a breath. "I'm sorry for what I just did."

Oak sighed before stepping forward and knelt down beside his grandson. He checked to make sure he was alright and felt him breathing. "I'm not happy about it and I wish this never happened. But I cannot fault you. Help me with him." Ash knelt down, picked up Gary and carried him over his shoulders. He stood up and faced his girlfriends, seeing Sarah still letting out some tears and the rest of his girlfriends scared and worried. "Please go to my room and I'll join you there as soon as I can." The girls nodded and went to his room while escorting Sarah. Ash entered Gary's room while the others were made to disband by the parents and Delia went to check on Natasha since she probably heard all the yelling and shouting. Ash placed him onto his bed as Oak and Daisy began gathering his belongings to put into his luggage. He then helped the two gather his stuff and pack his luggage. When they gathered all of his stuff, Ash zipped up his luggage and turned to Oak and Daisy. "I'll teleport him home and if you want to go with him, I can teleport you as well."

Oak nodded. "I'll go with him to keep an eye on him. Just give me a few minutes." He was about to leave to pack his stuff but Daisy stopped him. "Yes? What is it Daisy?"

"I'm coming too." Oak didn't argue but just nodded. Daisy turned to Ash. "Is it true that Ilene is leaving? That she's going back home?" she asked Ash and he confirmed it. "That means Riley is going with her too right?" He nodded and she glanced at her grandfather. "Let me just go say my goodbye and then I'll go pack." Her grandfather agreed and Daisy left the room.

Oak let out a long sigh before sitting down and Ash looked at him. He could see the lines on his face, his old age slowly getting to him. He never realized just how old the professor was until now. "I'm sorry Professor Oak for everything."

Oak looked up at the raven haired young man. He was silent for a moment before shaking his head slightly. "You've done nothing wrong to be sorry about Ash. Even though I love my grandchildren above all else and would do anything for them, Gary has crossed the line for the final time. I can no longer turn a blind eye to what he has done. Trying to get back together with Queen Ilene by forcing himself onto her, trying to force himself onto your girlfriend Sarah, making up a ridiculous story that Ilene was using him to get to you…I never thought he would do such things like this. Even drunk, it is inexcusable. I'm going to have to show him some tough love…something I should've done years ago." Oak sighed again, shaking his head some before his eyes became watery but no tears fell. Ash was about to say something but Oak cut him off. "You did nothing wrong. Now go. Go and take care of Sarah. When Daisy comes back, I'll go pack."

"Thank you Professor Oak for not being angry with me and for understanding me," said Ash and Oak nodded. He left the room, making his way quickly to his bedroom.

On the way, he noticed Cynthia landing onto the balcony with her Garchomp. He went up to her as she recalled her pokémon. "Hey Ash, nice of you to greet…" She stopped talking, seeing his saddened gaze. "What happened?" she asked him.

"You'll find out from the girls," he told her, grasping her hand and led her to his room. When they entered it, they saw the girls sitting on the bed, hugging Sarah who was still crying. They turned their gazes onto the two and Ash shot to his girlfriends with Cynthia right behind him. He took the crying blonde girl into his arms and hugged her tightly and she did the same to him with the girls hugging them. "It's alright Sarah. I'm so sorry you went through something like that. I'm so sorry I wasn't here to protect you. Please forgive me." He felt horrible and guilty because he wasn't here for her. Cynthia had no clue what was going on but would wait to find out what happened. Right now, she was doing her best to help out her sister.

Sarah sobbed into his chest, holding onto him tightly. It took her a moment before she calmed down enough to be able to talk. "It's not your fault Ash. But I was so scared because he wouldn't take no for an answer. Even when I told him I love you and won't betray you, he wouldn't let me go! Even when I slapped him and pushed him away he still came onto me again! He kept saying how you don't love me and won't treat me right, that you won't treat me equally and that you don't care about me!" She cried harder and her boyfriend and sisters felt so much sadness but also anger from what Gary tried to do. Cynthia was starting to figure out what happened but still didn't know who caused it. Sarah raised her gaze to look him in the eyes. "He kept saying that he would be better for me but I didn't listen to him! I knew he was just bullshitting to get what he wanted! But I'm still so sorry Ash for failing you! For letting him even get so close to me! I dealt with so many assholes like him in the past who tried to force me during my travels or take advantage of me but was able to get away or stop them in the past!" Her sisters and beloved became crestfallen over hearing what she went through in her life. "But I let my guard down with him because I thought we were friends. And I was just trying to help Gary in the beginning when he first got here because I thought he was too drunk to do anything!" She lowered her gaze and continued crying against him.

Cynthia's eyes widened, hearing that it was Gary who tried to force himself onto her sister Sarah. What the hell was he thinking?!

Ash tightened his hug on her before he started rubbing her back tenderly with one hand. "Ssh, it's alright now Sarah. You have nothing to be sorry about. It means so much to me that you didn't let another's words make you feel any doubt for what I feel for you." Sarah slowly raised her tear streaked face to his and he looked into her eyes. It was the first time he did so and it made him become stunned for a second at the color of her eyes; her pupils were a golden yellow color. He snapped out of it and tenderly wiped away her tear streaks, making her feel so much comfort and affection from his touch. "No matter what happens…no matter where I am…no matter what others say…this will always be true…just like I said before…I love you Sarah Wiseman and nothing will change that." Sarah felt her heart skip a beat at his words. He leaned in and gave her such a loving kiss that she just melted into it.

When they finally separated, he took her up into a hug again and the girls joined in on it. The ten of them stayed like that for a moment, letting their embrace do the talking for them all for a bit. Afterwards, when they separated, Ash looked at each of his girlfriends, trying to show the love he has for them with his eyes. Each girl could see and feel the love he has for them from his gaze, feeling much happiness and content from it. "I'm going to go see Queen Ilene and Riley before sending them back home. Then I'm going to send Gary, Daisy and Professor Oak home as well. Just try to relax. After I take care of that, I'll come back as soon as I can. Okay?" His girlfriends agreed on that and he left the room while they stayed behind together in the room.

After he left, the girls turned to Sarah and asked her if she was alright and if she wanted to talk about it. She shook her head. "Not really. But I'll be alright. I just can't believe what he tried to do to me and to Ilene. And then make up a ridiculous story like that." The girls agreed to that, saying he'd gone mad.

Cynthia however, wanted to know the full story. "Um, what exactly happened?" They turned to her and then to Sarah. She took in a deep breath before explain everything. When she was done, Cynthia had a mortified look appear on her face. "How could he betray Ash like that? Hurt you like that? Hurt Ilene like that? What the hell is wrong with him?!" asked Cynthia.

Her sisters merely shook their heads, commenting that they have no idea. "I don't know, I don't care and I never want to deal with him again. I don't want to think about any of that anymore," replied Sarah. They agreed and she turned to Cynthia. "How did the meeting go?" she asked, changing the subject. Cynthia said she'll tell them all later when Ash returned since she wanted to tell him too. After agreeing, Sarah turned to Sabrina. "Did it go well with your parents?" she asked her.

The girls turned to the dark haired psychic and she nodded. "Yes. Everything went better than I expected and it didn't take long at all."

The girls smiled, glad that they weren't starting off so badly. Dawn grinned mischievously at Sabrina though, making her tilt her head. "So if it didn't take too long, what were you and Ash doing?" asked the blunette and the girls looked at her. Sabrina went scarlet, slapping herself mentally for her slip up. "Oooh! You two did something! C'mon, tell us! What did you two do?!" asked Dawn.

Cynthia became surprised, looking at her close friend. "Damn Sab. So soon? What did you do huh?" Sabrina looked at her and went dark red.

"Hey, if she doesn't want to, she doesn't have to!" shot Misty.

"Yea, so stop pressuring her!" added Serena.

"Ah come on! It's just girl talk!" remarked Leaf. "It's not like we'll tell anyone else. Only we will know cause we're sisters and we all love the same incredible guy." Leaf turned to Sabrina after seeing the rest of them stay quiet with nothing to comment back. "C'mon, Sarah needs to feel better after what dumbass Gary tried to pull and what better way than a steamy love story about our man Ash?" suggested the brunette from Pallet, making the other girls giggle while going red over her words.

Sabrina glanced at Sarah who gave her smile. "You don't have to Sabrina and don't do it for me."

The psychic prodigy smiled however. "I'll tell you because I need to learn to not be so embarrassed about all this, I want to, I trust you and we should be open with one another because of our special situation." Her sisters smiled at her, agreeing with her reasons. "Just please don't laugh at me." They became shocked at that and quickly assured and promised that they wouldn't. "Thank you. Well, just so you know we didn't go all the way. But after we talked with my parents and Ash had a quick battle with my Dad, I had us teleport to the top of Silph Co.'s skyscraper…"

When the group disbanded after Ash knocked out Gary, Delia went to check on Natasha. She found her in the bathroom, having locked herself in. It took her a while to calm her down enough for her to open the door. The second she did though, Delia was taken up into a hug by the scared red head who was crying. The screams and shouts had reminded her of what she went through with the Skull Brothers and she had locked herself in the bathroom to try to shut out the screaming as she covered her ears. "Sshh, it's okay. No one is going to hurt you. We just had a problem that needed to be fixed and some were more vocal about it than others. Everything's fine. So please just try to relax sweetie." Natasha just kept crying for a long time until Delia was able to calm her down enough, telling her that her son was still here and that he wouldn't let anything happen to her either. Thinking of her savior allowed her to focus on that and not her horrible experiences. She allowed the kind mother to lead her to her bed and Delia had her lie down onto her bed. "I'll stay with you until you go to sleep okay?" Natasha nodded and decided to just sleep since she had nothing else to do. She closed her eyes while focusing on the image of Ash in her mind. Delia stayed by her side until the red head fell asleep. She sighed and lifted up the covers over her shoulders before leaving the room.

After Ash left his room, he went to check on Ilene. He found her wearing her royal attire and packing her stuff, alone in the room. "Queen Ilene? Where's Riley?" he asked her.

Without stopping her packing, she answered him. "He's talking to Daisy in his room."

Ash frowned a little. Her tone of voice was very sullen. "Queen Ilene, are you okay?"

Her heart hammered at his worried tone of voice. Oh if only you knew what I'm going through right now. "I'm fine." He heard her thoughts, wanting to do something to help and comfort her but said nothing. She continued on with her packing while Ash waited silently for her to finish packing and Riley to return so he can have teleport them home. She placed another item of hers into her luggage and then stopped with her hand on the packed stuff. She let her head fall and started shaking before letting out sobs. "Why did this all happen to me?" That was the only thing she said before she just let go as she started bawling loudly.

Ash moved to her and took her into a caring embrace, with her hands and face against his chest. "I'm so sorry my Queen for what you went through. That shouldn't have happened. I'm so sorry for failing you as your Knight. I don't deserve that title."

You're wrong Ash. You're one of the very few who does deserve that title. Ash was stunned in hearing her think that but said nothing. Ilene kept crying for several long minutes while Ash tried to comfort her as he rubbed the top of her back gently. The door opened and Riley stepped in with Daisy who wanted to apologize to Ilene for her brother and say goodbye to her too. They stopped when they saw the young queen crying while being hugged by her knight. "My Queen?" asked Riley, stepping forward.

She didn't answer him and just continued. Ash glanced at Riley and shook his head. Riley let out a sigh and turned to Daisy. She felt so miserable for what her brother caused Ilene to feel. Even though they fought and traded harsh words, she didn't believe for one second that Ilene deserved to be treated so horribly by Gary. She realized then just how much her brother hurt the Queen with his actions. She went up to the two when the she finally calmed down enough to separate from the guardian.

Ilene turned to Daisy Oak and what happened after surprised everyone in the room. Daisy Oak hugged Ilene and apologized for her brother's immature and hurtful actions. Being taken aback at first, Ilene was stunned for a few seconds before she returned the hug. When they separated, the two blonde girls looked at one another. "I promise I won't let him do that to anyone else ever again. I swear it." Ilene nodded, unable to speak. Daisy then went up to Riley and hugged him. "Bye Riley. I'll miss you."

Riley smiled slightly. "I'll miss you too Daisy. We'll keep in touch okay? And I'll try to come visit you when I have some free time."

"I will too," promised Daisy and they shared a farewell kiss. Afterwards, she said her goodbyes and left the room to go pack her stuff to leave with her grandfather and brother.

When she left, Ash turned to Riley. "Are you ready to go?" he asked him and he said he was, pointing to his travel bag that was on the floor. He then turned to Ilene. "Are you my Queen?" She said she needed a few more minutes. She quickly finished up and looked at him, signaling that she was done. Ash sent a mental message out to Mewtwo before the three of them teleported.

The three appeared in front of two large doors that served as the entrance of a very beautiful and large castle. The guards posted by the doors advanced with their spears readied and their other hands on their poke balls. "Halt! Who goes there?!" asked their captain. They couldn't see their faces since it was evening now and hidden in shadows.

Ilene stepped forward into the light, revealing herself. "It is I, Queen Ilene. Stand down." The guards saw her face, realizing she was the queen and hurriedly lowered their weapons. They bowed to her while greeting her and then apologized. She waved them away and the captain shouted for the doors to be opened for the Queen. Ilene turned to her Knight. "Thank you for bringing me back home."

Ash knelt down in front of her and bowed his head. "Of course my Queen. You don't need to thank me for it." He stood back up and Ilene hugged him suddenly. Ash was surprised from her action and so was Riley who raised an eyebrow over it. When they separated, she glanced at Riley who understood.

Riley went up to Ash. "Good luck in the tournament and we will prepare for what's coming afterwards." He raised his hand and Ash shook it, thanking him. He picked up her luggage and his travel bag and went to stand beside the young Queen.

"Bye you two. We'll see each other again soon," said Ash. Riley said his farewell and Ilene gave him a neutral look before the two walked towards the now open doors. Right before going through them, Ilene glanced back at her Knight in time to see Ash disappear in a blue glow. She faced forward and walked faster so Riley wouldn't see her eyes become watery.

Ash reappeared in the hotel, inside Gary's room. Daisy Oak and Professor Oak were packed and ready to go. Ash picked up Gary and hoisted him over his shoulder once more. "Ready?" he asked them. The two confirmed that they are and the four of them disappeared.

They reappeared in front of Gary and Daisy's home. The blonde girl went up the porch steps and unlocked the door with her keys. She stepped inside and held the door open for Ash to step through, followed by Oak. "Can you take him to his room and put him on his bed?" asked Daisy. "You remember which one right? It's the first room upstairs on the right."

"Yea and alright." Ash went up the stairs and entered the indicated room. He lowered Gary onto his bed and checked on him. Gary was snoozing away. "Unbelievable," he remarked. He went downstairs and saw the girl and professor speaking. "Need anything else?" he asked them.

They turned to face him. "No. We're good. Thank you Ash and I'm very sorry for what he did," said Daisy. She hugged him and apologized again for her brother's actions. Ash told her it's not her fault and thanked her for not being angry with him.

When they separated, Ash went up to Oak with a raised hand but he instead took up Ash into a hug. "Thank you Ash for trying to end things civilly. I know how hard that was for you. Especially because of your duties to the Kingdom of Rota and how he betrayed you."

Ash was taken aback but quickly returned the hug to the man who he viewed as his own grandfather. "It's alright and thanks Professor Oak." The two separated and Ash bid them his farewell before he teleported back to the hotel.

Oak quickly moved to the couch and collapsed onto it. "Daisy, please put the kettle on." She did so and after, came back to see if her grandfather was okay. "I'm fine. I'm just worried."

"About Gary?" asked Daisy as she sat in front of him on another couch.

He turned his gaze to his granddaughter. "Yes. But also for you." She tilted her head. "I didn't want you to leave the one you love."

Daisy hung her head and spoke to the floor. "If it's meant to be, then I won't lose him too like I lost Tracey." Professor Oak looked at her sadly before she got up to go to the kitchen when she heard the kettle whistling.

Ash reappeared in his bedroom where his girlfriends were still there. Ash sat on the bed with them and they gathered around closer to him. "I have some news," said Cynthia and they looked at her. "During the meeting, I found out some things…" She explained to Ash and her sisters what happened during it, making them have concerned expressions but left out what Goodshow said about the tournament; that was supposed to be a surprise. When she finished explaining the rest, they were quiet for a few minutes.

"So that's why we didn't see anything on the news or papers," remarked Anabel and they agreed.

Ash was quiet for a bit, thinking about all he learned before speaking. "Okay. Thanks for the update. We'll let the others know that we must be more careful from now on. And I'm so sorry for getting you involved in whatever this is."

His girlfriends immediately hugged him again. "Don't even think that way Ash," stated May. "It's not your fault, we're not blaming you at all and we will deal with this together." Her sisters agreed with that and said the same to him in their own ways.

Ash felt a little better from their words. "Thank you." They separated and looked at one another with a small smile. "Also, Sabrina's parents are going to come in the afternoon tomorrow to speak with your parents about our situation," he said them. The girls nodded and looked at Sabrina, saying everything will be alright and they'll let their families know. The psychic prodigy smiled and nodded at them while thanking them for their support.

The Sinnoh Champion wrapped her arm around the psychic prodigy's shoulders. "Of course Sab. We're here for each other. So no need to worry? Right Dawn?" said Cynthia.

"Right!" replied the petite blunette.

Ash and his girlfriends chuckled a bit. "Girls, I hope you don't mind but I'm going to shower and go to sleep early today. I'm beyond exhausted."

"No problem Ashy," said Leaf. She hugged him and gave him a quick kiss. After she did that, her sisters did the same and when they finished up, Ash smiled at them and bade them a goodnight before heading to his bathroom. They watched him enter it and after, the girls got up and left the room. They entered the room shared by Leaf, Sarah and Anabel afterwards and looked at one another. "I hope Ash doesn't allow Gary's betrayal to unhinge him even more. Especially after yesterday's fiasco," remarked Leaf.

"You're telling me," remarked Cynthia, barely controlling her rage. "What an asshole!"

"You can say that again," sighed Misty. "I've never seen Ash so angry. Even with the Skull Brothers, the stadium attack or what happened with Damian…"

The girls nodded. "I bet it was because he never expected Gary to do something like that. To try and force himself onto Ilene after they broke up, to force himself onto you Sarah, to try and make you doubt your relationship with him," explained Serena. "I mean, how low can you go?" she asked.

"Talk about a breach of trust and respect," commented Anabel.

"As if Ash wasn't dealing with enough stuff already," commented Sabrina.

The girls tilted their heads. "What do you mean?" asked Sarah.

Sabrina sighed. "Well…" She told them how Ash told her how he feels that he's still unworthy for her, for each of them, how her father made him feel like it was because of him that she was in danger and everything else.

When she finished, the girls had crestfallen looks. "He still feels like he's not good enough for us?" asked Misty in disbelief. "Doesn't that dense head of his understand how much we love him?!"

The girls let small smiles form on their faces. "He does Misty," replied Sabrina and the redhead looked at her. "You know that. And you know he feels like that because he wants the best for each of us and wants to do as much as he possibly can for us."

Misty hung her head. "I know that Sabrina. I just…I just don't want him to feel that way anymore." The girls quickly took their sister into a hug, trying to comfort her. "Thanks you guys," said Misty and they replied back saying that she was welcome.

When they separated, Leaf turned to Sarah. "Hey, if you want, you can go first. I'll wait," offered Leaf.

The girls smiled at her for doing that but Sarah shook her head. "No, it's alright Leaf. You've been through a lot too. It's not fair since we already decided that you would go next. I'm fine."

Leaf smiled. "It's okay. You go. I would ask Sabrina but she already had some fun," remarked Leaf looking at the gym leader. Sabrina went scarlet, but didn't deny it, making her sisters laugh. Sarah and Leaf kept going back and forth, making their sisters chuckle over it.

Having enough of it, Anabel stepped in. "Why don't both of you go at once together?" Both Leaf and Sarah went quiet suddenly and glanced at the Frontier Brain and so did her other sisters. "I mean why not? You can go on a group date with the three of you or you can both go out on the same day. One in the morning and one in the evening or something like that." The girls thought that was a good idea and commented that they should do that.

Leaf and Sarah glanced at one another and nodded before they both turned to Anabel. "Alright. We'll do just that," said Sarah.

"But only if you join us too Anabel," added Leaf.

The Frontier Brain had her eyes widened. "What? Look I was just saying for you two."

"We know," replied Leaf before letting a devious grin form. "But us three have gotten close together and it'll feel weird without the third leg of the tripod. Right?"

Her sisters laughed out loud at that and Anabel was having a hard time catching her breath. After calming down, she nodded. "Alright you troublemaker. I'll join." The girls smiled at one another until one of them had their stomach grumble loudly. They all turned to the brunette from Hoenn.

May went scarlet over their amused looks. "Shut up. We haven't eaten in a while." They laughed, commenting that she and Ash were copies, making her go red as she crossed her arms over her chest. "Haters; you just can't eat like we do and not get fat! I'm gonna go eat and let our families know about tomorrow," said May, leaving the room. The girls laughed harder and followed after her.

When Ash entered his bathroom, he showered and then got dressed into his sweats only pajamas and then got into bed. He tried to go to sleep but was unable to stop thinking about Gary's betrayal and that was angering him so much he didn't realize that his bedroom door opened and his starter walked in. "Pikapi, pi pika."

He lifted his head off his pillow and turned to his starter. "Pikachu? Where have you been?" Pikachu explained as he headed towards his bed basket and Ash started chuckling. "You do know that Buneary and Glaceon were returned to their poke balls long ago right? So you hiding for hours was a waste." Pikachu let out a disgruntled sigh and spoke into his bed, his muffled voice barely heard. Ash just laughed. "Yea yea, you're going to shock me. Just do it in the morning. I'm exhausted too."

"Pi pika Pikapi," said the yellow mouse, agreeing before he knocked out instantly afterwards.

Ash chuckled and lowered his head back onto the pillow. He was lost in thought for a while as he tried to clear his mind but was unable to. He was about to let out an annoyed huff when his door opened. He lifted his head up again and saw three of his girlfriends dressed in different colored night wear come to him. He turned onto his back in time to have his childhood crush climb on top of him while the blonde and the purple haired girl sat near his sides.

Leaf leaned in and pressed her lips onto his and they shared a passionate kiss together. When they separated from one another, almost immediately Sarah kissed him too. Satisfied with her kiss, Sarah pulled away and Ash turned to Anabel to give her a kiss too and the Frontier Brain returned it. After their kiss, he looked into her purple colored eyes, losing himself in them for a moment. He then turned to look into the golden yellow eyes of the Johto native before he turned to look into the green eyes of the brunette from his hometown. He hugged the three tightly and they hugged him back. "Thank you for being here. I love you with all my heart," he told the three.

"I love you Ash," said the three girls at once. The four looked at one another for a bit before they told each other goodnight and readjusted their positions a little. Leaf was now fully on top of Ash while Anabel was up against his left side and Sarah was up against his right side with his arms around them. Each of the girls felt incredible comfort, safety and love with him before they drifted off to sleep.

Ash felt much better with them there in bed with him. He felt his anger dying down and felt happiness fill him up. He looked at the three for a bit after they fell asleep. "I hope I can be whatever each of you needs and wants. I will do anything and everything within my power to do so. I promise," he whispered to them before shutting his eyes and slowly drifted off to sleep.